Development and psychometric evaluation of an emotional growth questionnaire for university students.

Background: Despite the importance of emotional growth promotion among students, there is still a lack of standard emotional growth tools to evaluate the concept while developing interventional programs. The aim of present study was to devise and provide a valid and reliable instrument for measuring students' emotional growth. Methods: This study was conducted from 2016 to 2017 among university students. A questionnaire containing 79 items was made using focus group discussions with students and studying relevant texts. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (n = 188) was used to determine the construct validity of the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n = 38) was performed to assess the validity of the model. Reliability (n = 56) and repeatability (n = 31) of the questionnaire were assessed. Results: A 4-factor (positive identity, self-esteem, effective communication and motivation)and 21-item solution was found as the best solution, which explained 63.5% of total variancebetween the items. The results of CFA approved the validity of the model (CFI = 0.914, RMSEA= 0.070). Cronbach alpha (0.93) and Intra class correlation coefficient (0.91) approved the reliability and repeatability of questionnaire. Conclusion: The 21 items questionnaire seems to be a valid and reliable instrument to measure emotional growth among university students.

The Effect of Social Support Skill-training Group Intervention on Perceived Social Support in Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic events related to war have long effects on psychiatric psychopathologies. From these disturbing conditions, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is considered to be the most characteristic feature of psychiatric traumatic experience. The current study was designed to assess the effect of two social support skill-training group interventions on perceived social support in veterans with PTSD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted with the clinical trial method. According to the inclusion criteria, 60 of 367 veterans with PTSD were selected and randomly allocated into two intervention groups and a control group. The two training programs on social support skills consisting of three sessions, each being 1.5-2 h, were held weekly for 3 weeks. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support was filled by samples before and 6 weeks after intervention. The data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics using PASW Statistics 18. RESULTS: The ANOVA results showed that after intervention, there were significant differences in perceived social support between intervention groups and control group (F = 1.06, p = 0.001), but there was no significant difference between intervention groups by t-test (t = 28.05, p < 0.10). The paired t-test showed a significant difference in all subscale scores of perceived social support between two intervention groups before and after intervention (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study agreed with the positive effects of social support skill training on perceived social support in veterans with PTSD. It is suggested that these training courses should be included in the community re-entry programs of veterans with PTSD.

Nurses' human dignity in education and practice: An integrated literature review.

BACKGROUND: Human dignity, as a fundamental human right and a moral obligation, has been emphasized in different fields of nursing. The aim of the present integrative review was to explore the nature of nurses' human dignity in educational and clinical settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review was conducted on quantitative and qualitative research papers in English and Persian using the PubMed, ProQuest, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Google Scholar, SID, and Irandoc databases from the year 2000 to 2013. Keywords for the search included dignity, nursing, faculty, nurse clinicians, nursing student, and humanism. In total, 12 research papers met the inclusion criteria for the integrative review. RESULTS: From this review, four key themes emerged. The themes consisted of concept of human dignity (it was as an expression of the professional value in nursing settings), factors affecting human dignity (including respect, communication, autonomy and power, competency and ability, structure of the workplace, and value-based education), dimensions of human dignity (including intrinsic and professional domains), and consequences of human dignity [positive (individual and professional growth and caring professional behavior) and negative (loss of motivation, intention to leave the profession, and non-professional image of nursing in the minds of people)]. CONCLUSIONS: The small number of studies found for the review indicates the need for further research in the field of nurses' dignity. Recognizing nurses' dignity can help to improve the nursing practice and provide them a dignified workplace.

First Aid and Transportation Course Contents Based on Experience gained in the Iran-Iraq War: a Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Effective first aid and transportation influences injury-induced mortality. But few qualitative studies have been conducted so far in this area. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the content of the first aid and patient transportation course based on experience gained from the Iran-Iraq war. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a conventional qualitative content analysis study; a purposeful sample of 14 first aid and transportation experts who had worked during the Iran-Iraq war was recruited. We collected and analyzed the study data by using the semi-structured interview method and the conventional content analysis approach respectively. Each interview transcript was reviewed several times. Words, sentences, and paragraphs were labeled with codes. Codes were compared with each other and categorized according to their similarities. Similar sub-categories and categories were also grouped together and formed themes. RESULTS: Study participants' experiences of wartime first aid and transportation (FAT) education fell into two main themes including 'the congruence of education and educational needs' and 'managers' engagement in FAT education. The four main categories of these two themes were use of appropriate educational facilities, adopting effective teaching strategies, universal FAT education and specialized training skills. CONCLUSIONS: The two key requirements of the first aid and transportation courses are practicality and managerial engagement. We developed and provided specific guidance of FAT curriculum by using the study findings. This curriculum is recommended for educating FAT staffs, paramedics, emergency technicians, and military nurses.

Assessment Competency of Nurses in Biological Incidents.

BACKGROUND: There are two main areas within emergency care which focus on departmental and staff preparedness in biological incidents. Despite the importance, little is known about the nurse's preparedness in facing these events. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of two teaching methods (multimedia instructional module versus lecture presentation) on nurse's competency in biological incidents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, 90 nurses were randomly divided into three groups (lecture presentation, multimedia- compact disk, and control). Data were collected by thirty-four multiple-choice questions for measuring knowledge, and a visual analogue scale graded 0 - 100 for assessing attitude. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test and one-way ANOVA with SPSS version 17.0. A P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The results revealed no statistically significant difference in nurse's competency mean scores between the lecture and multimedia CDs groups. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended to use multimedia CDs for in-service education of nurses.

Factors influencing development of professional values among nursing students and instructors: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Professional values are standards of behavior for performance that provide a framework for appraising beliefs and attitudes that influence behavior. Development of professional values has been a continuous and long process and it is influenced by different factors. The aim of this study is "assessing different factors influencing development of professional values among nursing students and instructors". METHOD: In this systematic review, a broad research was performed to find articles from Persian and English databases: pub Med, Pro quest, Elsevier, SID, Google scholar, Ovid and Iran Doc; nursing student, instructors, ethics, professional value, ethical value and educators were used as the key words. Among 3205 achieved articles, by eliminating repeated ones, 22 articles were assessed during the period 1995-2013. Data achieved from the articles were summarized, categorized and analyzed based on the research question. RESULTS: In this study "education and achieving professional experiences", "Students and instructors' perspectives on professional values", "the role of culture in considering and developing professional special values" and "the effect of learners' individual characteristics" were extracted as the four main themes. CONCLUSION: Considering the effect of educational, cultural and individual factors in developing nurses' professional values; it is recommended to the educational and health centers to consider value-based cares in clinical environments for the patients in addition to considering the content of educational programs based on ethical values in the students' curriculum.