The prevalence of smoking and the levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy among adolescents in Turkey: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of smoking and the levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy in adolescents and to examine the risk factors affecting smoking. DESIGN AND METHODS: The present study is a cross-sectional descriptive study. This study was conducted with a total of 2566 adolescents (13-19 years of age). In order to collect research data, Personal Information Form, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Self-Efficacy Scale for Children were used. RESULTS: In the current study, the mean age of adolescents was 15.88 ± 1.20 years and the prevalence of smoking was 11.3%. Variables such as age, gender, family type, parental employment status, presence of smokers in the immediate circle, and self-efficacy levels were determined as risk factors that had an impact on smoking. It was found that the total score of the self-efficacy scale increased the probability of smoking by 3.413 times, the academic self-efficacy subscale by 5.064 times, and the emotional self-efficacy subscale by 2.045 times. CONCLUSION: The present study concludes that certain adolescents are in the risk group. The adolescents in the risk of smoking are those who have low levels of self-efficacy, who are older, male, have a nuclear family, whose mothers do not work, whose fathers work, and who have smokers in their immediate circle. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: School nurses can identify students at risk of smoking at an early stage. In addition, training sessions and intervention programs aimed at improving social skills can be developed to boost their self-efficacy.

The relationship between peer bullying, loneliness, and social support in refugee adolescents.

PROBLEM: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between peer bullying, loneliness and perceived social support in refugee adolescents. METHODS: This research was conducted with 514 refugee adolescents living in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. In this descriptive correlational study, data were collected using the Peer Bullying Scale Adolescent Form, the Loneliness Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. FINDINGS: The mean score of the refugee adolescents on the victim subscale of the Peer Bullying Scale was 86.71 ± 27.51, and on the bully subscale was 68.08 ± 16.41. The mean score of the adolescents on the Loneliness Scale was 49.63 ± 9.50, on the Perceived Social Support was 52.19 ± 1.66. A positive moderate relationship was observed between the bully subscale and the victim subscale of the Peer Bullying Scale (p < 0.05). No relationship was found between the bully and victim subscales of the Peer Bullying Scale and the scores for the Loneliness Scale and the Perceived Social Support (p > 0.05). The male refugee youth were found to have higher mean victim and bully scores than the female refugee youth. CONCLUSION: In light of these results, the reasons for the peer bullying of refugee adolescents should be investigated and solutions should be developed based on the reasons. It is recommended to conduct quantitative and qualitative research aimed at revealing the reasons why refugee adolescents may engage in bullying and be exposed to bullying in the future.

Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Ethical Sensitivity in Turkish Nursing Students.

Providing effective care to patients and making the right decisions in difficult working environments depend on moral sensitivity. Emotional intelligence and ethical sensitivity affect nursing care. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nursing students' emotional intelligence and ethical sensitivity levels. The research employed a descriptive-correlational design, 201 nursing students studying at a university in the Central Anatolia region, Turkey, participated in the study. Students' ethical sensitivity was found to be significant. The nursing students received the highest score in the "Interpersonal Orientation" sub-dimension of the Moral Sensitivity Scale, while their lowest score was observed in the "Experiencing ethical dilemma" sub-dimension. The SSREIT and MMSQSN total scores of the students who willingly chose the nursing department and loved their field were found to be higher. It was found that the ethical sensitivity of nursing students was at a significant level and gender, family type, having sibling(s) and perception of economic status affected the level of ethical sensitivity.