Qualitative comparative analysis of learning engagement among Chinese part-time master's students in nursing.

BACKGROUND: Graduate nursing education plays an important role in the development of an innovative nation. Such education benefits the health of the community by cultivating competent and highly skilled nurses who can provide safe and quality nursing care. The number of students pursuing nursing degrees in China is insufficient, to meet the social demand for advanced practice nurses. The part-time Master of Nursing Specialist program for students offers flexible learning options for working nurses. However, the relatively low level of learning engagement exhibited by this group has raised concerns among policy-makers and nursing educators. An in-depth study of the factors affecting the learning engagement of part-time Master of Nursing Specialist postgraduates, especially with regard to their combined effect, is expected to provide a basis for improving the level of learning engagement among such students. METHODS: This study used ability-motivation-opportunity-theory and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to analyze the relationships between five conditions (i.e., supportive campus environment, supportive work environment, student-faculty interaction, research motivation and time management ability) and learning engagement by reference to data collected from a sample of 225 part-time Master of Nursing Specialist students who were enrolled in China. RESULTS: The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis results indicated that individual examples of these antecedent conditions were insufficient to influence learning engagement. In contrast, three combinations of the five conditions led to high levels of learning engagement, and substitutability and complementarity were observed among the various elements in the configuration. CONCLUSIONS: Research motivation, student-faculty interaction, a supportive work environment and time management are factors that can influence part-time postgraduates' learning engagement. Supervisors can enhance their research skills and expertise, hospitals can establish supportive environments for students, and students can strengthen their research motivation and time management abilities.

The development and challenges of public health nursing education in China from 1912 to 1949: A historical study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the development and challenges of public health nursing education in China during the period of the Republic of China (1912-1949). METHODS: This study utilized a historical research design that combined a social framework and a policy framework to explore the early history of public health nursing education in China. Historical data were collected from periodicals, newspapers, archives, books and other sources. RESULTS: Public health was integrated into the nursing school curriculum for the first time during the period of the Republic of China, and health facilities and nursing schools conducted early explorations of public health nurse training. However, public health nursing education faced difficulties in terms of the curriculum, personnel training, and the localization of education. CONCLUSIONS: The achievements and difficulties associated with public health nursing education in China during the period of the Republic of China provide a historical reference for the integration of public health into current basic nursing education and the compatibility between the training of public health nurses and practical needs. Comparative studies of early public health nursing education across countries are expected to offer a better understanding of current public health nursing education.

Common Sense Model program on illness perceptions in patients with impaired awareness of hypoglycemia.

Background: Illness perceptions are important for patients with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH), as they determine health-related behaviors and motivations. Patients with IAH in many countries have poor illness perception, and there is a paucity of research exploring the effectiveness of Common Sense Model (CSM)-based interventions in this population.Objective: To investigate the effects of a CSM-based intervention program on perceptions of illness in patients with insulin-treated T2DM and IAH.Design: Quasi-randomized controlled trial.Methods: 78 patients with IAH receiving routine care were included. The intervention group (n = 39) participated in a CSM-based program, whereas the control group (n = 39) did not. Illness perceptions, coping styles, hypoglycemia fear, and awareness of hypoglycemia at baseline, 1, and 3 months were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Results: The intervention group exhibited significant improvements in consequences (ß = -1.615, P = 0.032); personal control (ß = -1.897, P = 0.006); treatment control (ß = -1.274, P = 0.046); and positive coping style (ß = 4.872, P = 0.002) at the 3-month follow-up, and timeline (ß = 2.769, P = 0.004) at the 1-month follow-up. Hypoglycemia fear and awareness were not significantly improved in the intervention group compared with the control group. No intervention-related adverse events were observed.Conclusions: A CSM-based intervention program can modify illness perceptions to an extent and improve the positive coping style in patients with IAH.Impact statementNurses should conduct a CSM-based intervention program to help patients with IAH improve illness perceptions.

Latent Profile Analysis of Self-Supporting Ability among Rural Empty-Nesters in Northwestern China.

The present study aimed to examine the multi-faceted self-supporting ability profiles of rural empty-nesters in northwestern China on the basis of the self-care ability, economic self-support ability, health self-maintenance ability, physical health self-maintenance ability, and psychological health self-maintenance ability using latent profile analysis. It identified the association of self-supporting ability profiles with demographic variables and sense of coherence. The analysis included 1066 participants (mean age = 70.2; SD = 4.3). The results of latent profile analysis identified three distinctive patterns of self-supporting ability­low physical health self-maintenance ability (C1, 20.5%), low psychological health self-maintenance ability (C2, 31.4%), and high social self-adaption ability (C3, 48.0%). The specific demographic variable age (p < 0.05), monthly income (p < 0.05), education level (p < 0.05), how often their children visit (p < 0.05), how often their children contact them (p < 0.05), whether they drink (p < 0.05), the frequency of physical exercise (p < 0.05), relationship with children (p < 0.05), relationship with neighbours (p < 0.05), medical insurance (p < 0.05), and the number of chronic diseases (p < 0.05) were significantly different among the identified three profiles. A statistically significant positive association existed between self-supporting ability profiles and sense of coherence (SOC) (p < 0.001). The results of multinomial logistic regression showed that a greater sense of coherence (SOC), age ≥ 80, monthly income (RMB) (RMB is the abbreviation for Renminbi) < 1000, a good relationship with neighbours, and one type of chronic disease were significantly associated with C1 when compared with C3 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a greater SOC, their children visiting and contacting them many times per week or once per week were more significantly related to C2 than to C3 (p < 0.05). This study revealed three groups of self-supporting ability and its related predictors in empty-nesters. The predictors related to particular classes of self-supporting ability can provide information for targeted interventions to improve the self-supporting ability of empty-nesters living in rural areas.

The mediating role of self-acceptance in the relationship between loneliness and subjective well-being among the elderly in nursing home: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of self-acceptance on loneliness and subjective well-being (SWB) among elderly subjects living in Chinese nursing homes.This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2019 and March 2020. A total of 415 elderly participants aged 60 to 97 years (mean 81.12 ±â€Š8.90 years) from 3 medical and nursing homes in Fuyang city, Anhui province, were selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness, the self-acceptance scale, and the UCLA Loneliness scale. Correlations, regressions, and structural equation models were used for the analyses. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to confirm the factors influencing the SWB. Bootstrapping was performed to confirm the mediation effect.The loneliness of elderly subjects in nursing homes was significantly correlated with self-acceptance and SWB (r = -0.338, P < .01; r = -0.383, P < .01), and self-acceptance was significantly correlated with SWB (r = 0.401, P < .01). Multiple linear regression revealed that the relationship with children, loneliness, residence time in nursing homes, income, marital status, self-acceptance, original residence, and frequency of children's visits were the main factors affecting SWB. Bootstrapping showed that the mediating role of self-acceptance was statistically significant.The SWB of elderly individuals living in Chinese nursing homes was moderate. Low-income people, subjects from rural areas, and those newly admitted to nursing homes should be emphasized in interventions, and appropriate measures should be taken to harmonize the relationships between elderly residents and their children. Self-acceptance partially mediated the relationship between loneliness and SWB. Consequently, self-acceptance should be the focus of improving the SWB of elderly nursing home residents.