Compassion fatigue and the meaning in life as predictors of secondary traumatic stress in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the relationship among secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and meaning in life in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Changes in working conditions during the pandemic also changed the needs of nurses. In addition to physical health, the COVID-19 pandemic led to many psychosocial health problems such as sleep disturbances, depression, and traumatic stress. This makes nurses vulnerable to psychological side effects of the pandemic. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted. METHODS: This study was conducted with 166 nurses. Data were collected online at May-June 2021. A Personal Information Form, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Compassion Fatigue Scale, and Meaning in Life Scale were used. The STROBE reporting checklist was followed. RESULTS: As secondary traumatic stress levels increase, compassion fatigue increases, meaning in life decreases, and the search for meaning in life increases. CONCLUSION: Predictors of secondary traumatic stress were shown to be compassion fatigue, change in sleep habits, meaning in life, marital status, and having a chronic illness. This suggested that working during the pandemic posed significant risks in terms of manifesting negative consequences on mental health in the long term.

The Relationship between Self-Efficacy of Older Patients and Caregiver Burden in Turkey.

Many factors affect the caregiver burden. However, there is no clear information about whether older patients' self-efficacy levels affect the caregiver burden. This study was carried out to determine the relationship between the self-efficacy of older patients and the caregiver burden in Turkey. This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted at a university hospital with a sample of patients and their family caregivers. The population of the study consisted of 163 older patients and their caregivers. Data were collected using the demographic data form, Self-Efficacy Scale, and Burden Interview. The self-efficacy of older patients was found to be the strongest predictor of the caregiver burden. Other significant predictors of the caregiver burden were the caregiver's degree of kinship with the patient, marital status of the caregiver, and the patient's duration of illness. This study determined that the predictor variables explained 28% of the total variance. The addition of applications that increase patient self-efficacy to the scope of the programs aimed at reducing the caregiver burden will increase the effectiveness of the programs.

Validity, internal consistency, and responsiveness of the Turkish version of The Family Needs Questionnaire-Revised.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to conduct validity (language, content and confirmatory factor), internal consistency and responsiveness properties for Turkish version of the Family Needs Questionnaire-Revised (FNQ-R). METHODS: It was carried out with 185 family members who met study inclusion criteria and provided care for the patients with TBI. Sociodemographic characteristics form and the FNQ-R were used as data collection tools. Validity was assessed by language validity, content validity and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency and item-total correlation were used for reliability analysis. Responsiveness analyses were evaluated with infit and outfit statistics, person-item maps and point biserial correlation. RESULTS: The language validity of FNQ-R was provided by translation-back translation. The content validity index values were above 0.80. Fit indices were at an acceptable level in confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach alpha of subscales was found to be between 0.69 and 0.85 and Spearman-Brown split-half reliability was between 0.68 and 0.85. A positive and significant relationship was found between the subscales. The item fit statistics were at the acceptable level. CONCLUSION: It has been determined that the FNQ-R is a valid and reliable measurement tool to identify the needs of the family members who provide care to patient with traumatic brain injury and can be used for Turkish population.

Predictor of self-efficacy in individuals with chronic disease: Stress-coping strategies.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the relationship between stress-coping strategies of individuals with chronic diseases and their self-efficacy. BACKGROUND: Self-efficacy and coping with stress in chronic diseases affect the course of the disease. DESIGN: The sample of this methodological study consisted of 178 patients who were hospitalised in a university hospital between November 2017 and November 2018. METHODS: Data were collected by the face-to-face interview method using a Patient Information Form, Stress-Coping Styles Scale and Self-Efficacy Scale. This study followed STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies. RESULTS: The study found that there was a strong relationship between patients' coping strategies and their self-efficacies and that the variables that predict self-efficacy in order of importance were self-confident approach (ß = .41), the helpless approach (ß = -0.24) and the submissive approach (ß = -0.15), respectively. The study also found that the optimistic approach and the seeking social support approach had no significant contribution to the model. CONCLUSIONS: The most important predictor of self-efficacy in individuals with chronic disease was the self-confident approach, which was one of the problem-oriented coping strategies. Therefore, patients should be taught to use effective methods to cope with stress to increase their self-efficacy, and their self-confidence should be supported. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: In individuals with chronic disease, self-efficacy has an important role to get better psycho-social adaptation. To determine patients' self-efficacy levels and predictors will guide nursing initiatives.

The effect of the support program on the resilience of female family caregivers of stroke patients: Randomized controlled trial.

AIM: The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of a support program on the resilience of female family caregivers of stroke patients. METHODS: This is a randomized controlled trial. The sample consisted 70 female family caregivers (34 experimental, 36 control group). Data were collected three times (pretest-posttest, follow-up test). Data were collected using the demographical data form, the Family Index of Regenerativity and Adaptation-General. RESULTS: A significant difference was determined between the experimental and control group's follow-up test scores for relative and friend support, social support and family-coping coherence. A significant difference was determined between the experimental group's mean pretest, posttest and follow-up test scores in terms of family strain, relative and friend support, social support, family coping-coherence, family hardiness and family distress. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the Support Program contributes to the improvement of the components of resilience of family caregivers of stroke patients.

Birth preferences by nulliparous women and their partners in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the preferences of nulliparous women and their partners in giving birth and the reasons for these preferences. METHODS: The sample in this cross-sectional study consisted of 162 pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy and their partners. Data collection was accomplished using a questionnaire. RESULTS: It was found that most women (90.8%) and their partners (92%) preferred a vaginal birth. The couples' birth preferences were generally similar to one another. The main reasons for the choice of a vaginal birth were that it was natural and healthier for the mother and child and that recovery and discharge from the hospital were quicker. The main reasons for the choice of cesarean section were fear of childbirth and not putting the baby at risk. CONCLUSIONS: Antenatal education may help to reduce the number of elective cesarean sections by changing the negative perceptions of vaginal birth and reducing the fear of childbirth.

A cross-sectional survey of self-perceived health status and metabolic control values in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. Diabetes and other chronic disorders play an important role in how patients perceive their health status, this perception being an important component of general health. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to determine self-perceived health status and metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes and to understand the relationship between perceived health status and metabolic control in diabetic participants. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional survey. SETTING: The research population was diabetes sufferers registered with the Turkish Diabetes Society in Denizli Province, Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample composed of 110 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: The research data were collected using three tools. The first of these was a "Socio-demographic Data Form" to gather information on the diabetes patients. The second was a survey on the patients' self-perceived health (how do rate your state of health in general) in which the patients were asked to rate their own health in one of five categories: very good, good, fair, bad and very bad. For the statistical analysis, the study group was divided into two groups: "good", consisting of those who classified their health as either very good or good; and "poor", those who gave other responses. The third type of data was collected by measuring metabolic control outcomes [glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1C)), fasting blood sugar (FBS), non-fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and triglycerides] for each participant. RESULTS: Approximately half of the diabetic participants surveyed have poor self-perceived health. In terms of the values of HbA(1C), an important indicator of metabolic control levels, it was found that only 24.5% of the participants surveyed had good metabolic control. There was found to be a statistically significant difference between self-perceived health and levels of HbA(1C); 68% of participants who had high HbA(1C) values evaluated their health as good, whereas 63.9% of those who had poor HbA(1C) values evaluated their health as bad. Age, level of education, mode of treatment, adherence to treatment and level of exercise were factors that were found to have statistically significant differences from, and therefore an influence on, self-reported health. CONCLUSION: When working with diabetes patients, as soon as the diagnosis has been made, it is recommended that information both on subjective perceptions of health and on perceptions of the illness (health perceptions, health beliefs related to the illness) are evaluated and objective data (metabolic control values) are gathered.