A Comparison of Psychological Well-Being, Coping Strategies, and Emotional Problems Between Taiwanese and Australian Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: Nursing professional health courses have been reported to be very exhaustive and stressful, with most nursing students reporting moderate levels of stress. PURPOSE: This study was designed to compare the spiritual well-being, coping strategies, psychological well-being, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation between Taiwanese and Australian nursing students. METHODS: Three hundred eighty-one nursing students (180 from Taiwan and 201 from Australia) were recruited for this cross-sectional comparative research study. The Psychological Well-being Scale, Spiritual Well-being Scale, Coping Strategies Inventory Short-Form, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Zung Depression Scale, and Brief Screen for Adolescent Depression Scale were used to collect data. SPSS 27.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive data analysis, chi-square tests, independent t test, Pearson correlations, and stepwise multiple regressions were used to examine the research questions. RESULTS: Students in Australia had higher mean scores than Taiwanese nursing students for psychological well-being, life satisfaction/self-actualization, and using problem-focused disengagement coping strategies, whereas Taiwanese students had higher mean scores for using emotion-focused engagement coping strategies and depression than their Australian nursing students. Spiritual well-being and problem-focused disengagement were shown to be significantly and positively related to psychological well-being and significantly and negatively related to anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in both groups. No significant difference between Australian students and Taiwanese students was found in anxiety, suicidal ideation, and negative-emotion-related alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The multiple regressions performed in this study support life satisfaction/self-actualization and the emotion-focused disengagement coping strategy as significant predictors of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in both student groups. The findings of this study help nursing program faculty better understand the key factors of influence on nursing student mental health and provide a conceptual framework for using problem-focused coping strategies and spiritual education on students.

The association of metabolic syndrome and its factors with gallstone disease.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between metabolic syndrome, including its factors, and gallstone disease (GSD) in a Taiwanese population. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study during 2011 ~ 2012. A total of 12050 subjects who completed a questionnaire and underwent physical examination, laboratory tests and abdominal ultrasonography formed the study population. RESULTS: The prevalences of metabolic syndrome and gallstone disease were 24.09% and 6.16%. In an age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression model, metabolic syndrome was associated with gallstone disease (OR = 1.61; P < 0.0001). Age, abdominal obesity, and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were associated with gallstone disease after adjusting for other factors. Females had a higher odds ratio than males in waist circumference for GSD, whereas males had a lower odds ratio than females in HDL-C for GSD. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that metabolic syndrome is related to gallstone disease. Waist circumference and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are all associated with GSD. Men and women may possibly have different priorities and strategies to reduce the burden of GSD.

Prevalence and predictors of suicidal behavior among Mongolian high school students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and predictors of suicidal behavior among Mongolian high school students. Females were more likely to have suicidal behavior than males. No close friends, feelings of loneliness, insomnia, self perception of underweight or overweight, carrying a weapon were significant predictors of students' suicidal behavior. Missing school without permission, being bullied and going hungry were also important risk factors of suicidal ideation. Families and Schools are important environments to prevent high students' suicide. Improving students' psychological well being, quality of relationship with people, and support resources are critical to prevent suicidal behavior.

Symptom patterns of patients with head and neck cancer in a palliative care unit.

BACKGROUND: Patients with end-stage head and neck cancer suffer from many physical and psychological symptoms, however, there have been relatively few studies looking at end-of-life symptoms in the head and neck cancer population. The objective of this study was to describe the symptom patterns of patients with terminal head and neck cancer in the palliative care unit. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 94 patients with terminal head and neck cancer admitted to a palliative care unit between May 2006 and December 2008 was performed. Demographic data, performance status, primary tumor site, time from diagnosis to first hospice admission, survival time after admission, medication for pain control, and main symptoms at the time of admission were examined. RESULTS: The mean time from diagnosis to first hospice admission was 33.1 ± 51.6 months. The mean survival time in the hospice was 21.9 ± 18.9 days. In this study, the most common symptom experienced was weight loss, followed by pain, cough, dysphagia, feeding difficulties, and communication difficulties. A statistically significant association of communication difficulties was found with presence or absence of a tracheostomy (p < 0.001). Change of morphine dosage after hospice care is related to the site location of head and neck cancer. Levels of education seem to be related to the increasing use of morphine (p = 0.025). Change of morphine dosage was statistically correlated with survival time after hospice admission (p < 0.001) CONCLUSIONS: Numerous symptoms at the end of life highlight the complexity of head and neck cancer patients that may necessitate early hospice referral for symptom control.

Interview to study the determinants of hypertension in older adults in Taiwan: a population based cross-sectional survey.

The aim of the study was to assess the association of socioeconomic, anthropometric and lifestyle factors with self-reported hypertension in older adults in Taiwan. The data were part of the "1999 Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan". The survey was conducted in-home, face-to-face, by interviews of 4440 men and women, 53 years or older, in a population-based cross-sectional study. The prevalence of self-reported hypertension was 31.1% for men and 38.0% for women. A logistic regression model showed a higher probability of self-reported hypertension for female gender, older age, and greater BMI, and lower probability for increased consumption of leguminous foods. No association was observed with cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption or physical activity. Current cigarette smokers and alcohol-drinkers underreported their hypertension status. Compared to the medically measured hypertension of a sub-sample study of the same cohort, only about 60% of medically-substantiated hypertensive patients self-reported their hypertensive status, indicating that the interview survey underestimated the prevalence of hypertension in this Taiwanese elderly population. The interview survey appears to identify associations of hypertension with age, gender, BMI and some food patterns, but does not recognize the likely associations with the candidate risk factors of physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and limited education, at least in this Taiwanese population. Thus caution must be applied where interview alone categorises individual older Taiwanese as hypertensive or not. A survey which has validation or cross-checking questions about the medical diagnosis of hypertension and the likelihood of its memory and appreciation by the patient (such as method, definition, communication with patient, recall and follow-up, lifestyle advice or pharmaco-therapy, presence of cognitive impairment) may clarify the significance of the discrepancy between self-reporting and medical record. In turn, this would allow a more robust evaluation of blood pressure determinants in such populations. Nevertheless, there is a role for community-based surveys that utilise self-reporting in the identification, prioritization and surveillance of putative contributors to hypertension; this is the case where, as in the Taiwanese elderly, it assumes major importance in the burden of disease and premature mortality.