The Association Between Spirituality, Self-Esteem, Anxiety and Depression: A Comparative Exploratory Study Between People with a Spinal Cord Injury and Healthy Subjects in Greece.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate spirituality, religiosity, self-esteem, depression, and stress in people with spinal cord injuries. The Royal Free Questionnaire for Spiritual and Religious Beliefs, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale were all designed for the current study to collect demographic and injury-related information. In the study, 88 patients with traumatic SCI and 88 healthy subjects were included. Half of the participants and healthy subjects were women, while the mean age of the healthy subjects was 42.8 years and that of the subjects was 42.4 years. The majority of participants were Greek (97.2%), while 44.1% were married or with a partner and 43.2% were single. The mean depression and stress score was higher in patients than in healthy subjects, and the mean score of self-esteem was lower in patients than healthy subjects. Multivariable linear regression model showed that patients who believed more that a spiritual force or power outside of ourselves can influence what happens in everyday life had less depression and stress. People with spinal cord injuries experience extreme stress, anxiety, and depression. Spirituality and religiosity can play a significant role in their recuperation, rehabilitation, and adaptation.

Physical therapists' perceptions about patients with incomplete post-traumatic paraplegia adherence to recommended home exercises: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The overall purpose of physical therapy for patients with spinal cord injury is to improve health-related quality of life. However, poor adherence is a problem in physical therapy and may have negative impact on outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To explore the physical therapists' perspectives about patients with incomplete post-traumatic paraplegia adherence to recommended home exercises. METHODS: A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Data were collected in a convenience sample using semi-structured interviews. Thirteen registered physical therapists in Athens area participated in the study. RESULTS: Five categories emerged from the data: (1) reasons to recommend home exercise by the physical therapist; (2) obstacles to recommend home exercise by the physical therapist; (3) methods addressing these obstacles; (4) the family's role in the adherence to recommended home exercise; and (5) the impact of financial crisis in adherence to recommended home exercise. All participants found the recommended home exercises essential to rehabilitation and health maintenance, and they value their benefits. They also expressed the obstacles that need to be faced during rehabilitation process in order to promote adherence. CONCLUSION: Physical therapists should take into account the different obstacles that may prevent patients with incomplete post-traumatic paraplegia adherence to recommended home exercises. These involve the patients and their families, while, financial crisis has also an impact in adherence. In order to overcome these obstacles and increase adherence, communication with patient and family while taking into account the individual's needs, capacities, and resources are essential.

In-hospital informal caregivers' needs as perceived by themselves and by the nursing staff in Northern Greece: A descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Informal care is common in many countries, especially in Greece, where families provide care in hospitals. Health education and informational needs are important factors for family members which are often underestimated by nursing staff. The aim of this study was to compare the perceptions of the nurses and the in-hospital informal caregivers about the in-hospital informal caregivers' knowledge and informational needs, as well as the factors that influence these perceptions. METHODS: This was a non-experimental descriptive study conducted in three general hospitals in Greece. The sample consisted of 320 nurses and 370 in-hospital informal caregivers who completed questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using t-tests; group comparisons were conducted using ANOVA. RESULTS: The score of the questionnaire for health education and informational needs was significantly greater for informal caregivers (57.1 ± 6.9 and 26.6 ± 2.8) than for nurses (53.4 ± 5.7 and 22.4 ± 3.1) (p < 0.001). For the nursing staff, the factors that influence the informational needs of patients' caregivers were level of education and working experience, while for the caregivers the level of education was independently associated with the score for the health education needs. Finally, age, marital status, and level of education of informal caregivers' were independently associated with informational needs. CONCLUSIONS: The in-hospital informal caregivers perceived that they have more educational and informational needs than the nurses did. The findings of this study also show that the nursing staff has to identify the needs of in-hospital informal caregivers in order to be able to meet these needs.