The mediating role of social support in the relationship between psychosocial problems and sleep patterns of adolescents with epilepsy.

AIM: This study was conducted to examine the mediating role of social support in the relationship between psychosocial problems of adolescents with epilepsy and their sleep patterns. METHODS: The data were collected with Adolescent Information Form, Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in this descriptive and correlational study. The mediating role of multidimensional social support that children with epilepsy received with the Process Macro program was examined in the relationship between their psychosocial problems and their sleep status. Process model 4 was used and analysis was made based on the Bootstrap method. RESULTS: As a result of the analysis, it was found that the participants had been diagnosed with epilepsy for a mean of 6.0 ± 1.61 years and had a mean of 3.1 ± 2.48 seizures per week. It was found that the sleep problems experienced by adolescents with epilepsy affected their psychosocial health and this effect was at the level of 84 % (ß = 0.933; p < 0.001). The effect of perceived social support on the dependent variable sleep disturbance in adolescents with epilepsy was found to be statistically significant (ß = -0.540; p < 0.001). It was determined that the Psychosocial Health Status score of adolescents diagnosed with epilepsy explained 87 % of the change in sleep disturbance experienced with perceived social support (p < 0.001). The effect of social support perceived by adolescents with epilepsy on sleep disturbance was found to be statistically significant. Perceived social support has no effect on the psychosocial problems they experience. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that social support was not a mediator in the relationship between psychosocial problems of adolescents with epilepsy and their sleep status.

The effects of the posttraumatic stress and general health status on paediatric burns and their sleep habits.

BACKGROUND: Burns are serious injuries that can require hospitalization and have physical and emotional sequelae. Sleep disturbance can occur after trauma as evidenced by posttraumatic stress symptoms such as re-experiencing of a trauma with repetitive dreams, memories and flashbacks. This area has been minimally examined with pediatric burn survivors; therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of posttraumatic stress and general health on sleep habits of pediatric burn survivors from. METHOD: This is a correlational descriptive study. Its sample included 7-18-year-old inpatients at the burn clinic of a university hospital from January to November 2019. This study used the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index, the General Health Questionnaire (12) and the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire for data collection. RESULTS: Of the participants, 58.6% were male, 46.5% were primary school students, and 62.6% had no diseases other than their burns. 20.2% of the children had epilepsy, 14.2% had diabetes and 3% had pneumonia. Of the child burn victims, 45.5% were brought to the hospital because of contact with fire. All of them had first-degree burns, 59.6% had second-degree burns, and 80.8% had third-degree burns. After their burns, infections developed in 20.2% during trauma and in 43.4% during burn treatment. A structural equation model indicated that the child burn victims' general health perceptions did not significantly affect their sleep habits (p > 0.05). A significant correlation was found between the children's posttraumatic stress disorder and their sleep habits (p < 0.05). Posttraumatic stress disorder explained 7.2% of their sleep habits. A positive and significant correlation was found between the children's general health perceptions and posttraumatic stress disorder (r = 0.74, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Burns of any kind can cause posttraumatic stress, sleep disorders and impairment of health status in children.

The effect of perceived social support on the psychosocial status of parents whose child had liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe parental psychosocial outcomes following paediatric liver transplantation and the relationship between parental psychosocial outcomes and social support. METHOD: This is a correlational, descriptive study conducted between April 2021 and October 2021 in the paediatric hepatology polyclinics of the liver transplantation institute of a university hospital. The SPSS 25 and AMOS 23 package programmes were used to perform data analyses. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed that the parents' social support level was low (44.6 ± 14.8), while their levels of trait anxiety (51.5 ± 4.8) and loneliness (48.5 ± 5.4) were high, and their depression level was moderate (26.4 ± 5.8). Established structural equation modelling demonstrated that the social support parents received had a significant effect on their levels of loneliness (ß = -0.88; p < 0.001), trait anxiety (ß = -0.37; p < 0.001), and depression (ß = -0.44; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that in parents of children who have had a liver transplant, increased levels of perceived social support result in decreased levels of anxiety, loneliness, and depression. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The authors recommend that healthcare professionals can contribute to reducing the anxiety, loneliness and depression in parents of paediatric liver transplant recipients by strengthening their social support systems.

A Comparison of Two Different Tactile Stimulus Methods on Reducing Pain of Children During Intramuscular Injection: A Randomized Controlled Study.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric patients in the emergency department often require intramuscular injection procedures, which may lead to pain, fear, and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to test a novel nonpharmacological intervention to reduce needle-related pain in the pediatric emergency department. METHODS: The study was conducted as a parallel-group, randomized controlled design. The study population consisted of 159 children aged 7 to 10 years cared for in the emergency department who received an intramuscular injection of ampicillin/sulbactam. The children were randomly assigned to Palm Stimulator, ShotBlocker, or control groups. The children's preprocedure fear levels were evaluated using the Children's Fear Scale, and their perceived pain levels during the procedure were evaluated using the Faces Pain Scale-Revised and Visual Analog Scale. Parents and observers also completed the pain level scores. RESULTS: According to all raters (child, parent, and observer), the Palm Stimulator group had the lowest mean Faces Pain Scale-Revised score averages (P < .001). The Visual Analog Scale score averages of the children in the Palm Stimulator group (Visual Analog Scale: M = 27.94, standard deviation = 19.13) were statistically significantly lower than the ShotBlocker (Visual Analog Scale: M = 46.07, standard deviation = 24.96) and control group (Visual Analog Scale: M = 53.43, standard deviation = 29.01) score averages (F = 14.94, η2 = 0.16, P = .001). DISCUSSION: The results of this study support the effectiveness of the Palm Stimulator to reduce perceived pain in children during intramuscular injection administration in the pediatric emergency department.

The effect of online solution-focused support program on parents with high level of anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomised controlled study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the anxiety levels of parents with children aged 3-6 years because of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to examine the effects of Solution-Focused Support Program (SFSP) applied to parents with a high level of anxiety. METHODS: The study was conducted as a parallel-group, randomised controlled design. The sample of the study consisted of 77 parents who were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (control group n = 40; intervention group n = 37). One session of online SFSP was applied to the intervention group each week and 4 sessions were applied in total. No intervention was applied to the control group. The data were collected using introductory information form and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) programme and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) 23 application were used in the analysis of the data. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to examine a hypothesised model that SFSP has both direct and indirect effects on the anxiety levels of parents. RESULTS: The state and trait anxiety mean scores of the intervention group decreased compared with the pre-intervention mean scores after the implemented programme. While this difference between state anxiety scores was statistically significant (P ≤ .001), the difference between trait anxiety scores was not statistically significant (P > .05). There was no statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test STAI total scores of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: In the study, it has been found that SFSP applied to parents with a high level of anxiety is an effective method in reducing the state anxiety levels of parents.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's lifestyles and anxiety levels.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on children's lifestyles and anxiety levels. METHODS: This study was designed as a descriptive, cross-sectional online questionnaire survey. RESULTS: Of the children, 91.9% reported that the pandemic had an important effect on their lifestyle. Children stated that they experienced changes in terms of nutrition, sleep, television-internet use, social activity, coursework time, and school success due to the pandemic. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: It was determined that the COVID-19 pandemic caused changes in children's routines, and the children experienced moderate or high levels of anxiety. Primary healthcare providers should increase their attention to these issues to protect and improve children's mental health during the pandemic period.

The Effects of a Therapeutic Play/Play Therapy Program on the Fear and Anxiety Levels of Hospitalized Children After Liver Transplantation.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze the effects of a therapeutic play/play therapy (TP/PT) program on anxiety levels and fear of medical procedures in children with liver transplant. DESIGN: The study had a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. METHODS: Sixty-five children aged between 6 and 12 years were included in this study. A children's information form, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, and the Medical Procedure Fear Scale were used for data collection. FINDINGS: The application of the TP/PT program resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the children's anxiety levels and fears about medical procedures (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: The TP/PT program had a positive effect on the children's fear and anxiety levels regarding certain medical procedures. Pediatric nurses can use the TP/PT program to reduce children's anxiety and fears about medical procedures.

Difficulties Experienced by Turkish Parents and Their Coping Strategies: Children With Mucopolysaccharidosis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the parents' lived experiences whose children have Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) by using Husserl's phenomenology. DESIGN AND METHODS: A phenomenology method was used as a qualitative research design in the study. The study included parents of 10 children who received weekly enzyme replacement therapy at a university hospital's paediatric endocrinology clinic. The data were collected using an in-depth interview method including an introductory information form and a semi-structured interview form. The interviews were recorded on a voice recorder and converted into written documents after the interview. RESULTS: The average age of the children was 8.8 ± 1.8; the average age of the mothers was 32.6 ± 3.6; and the average age of the fathers was 36.0 ± 3.5. The data analysis identified the following three main themes: (1) difficulties, (2) concerns, and (3) coping. CONCLUSIONS: This study determined that parents of children with an MPS diagnosis had many difficulties related to multi-systemic problems (orthopaedic problems, vision and hearing problems, speech disorders, cardiac problems) caused by the disease. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Parents should receive support from healthcare professionals to develop coping strategies that are appropriate for the physical and psychological difficulties experienced and to comply with the disease.

Hand Microbial Flora of Hospitalized Children at the Beginning of Hospitalization and Before Discharge: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Hospital infections in pediatric units increase the length of hospital stay and the use of antibiotics, and this causes exposure to more procedures. This study was aimed to determine the microorganisms represented in the hand flora of pediatric patients at the beginning of hospitalization and before discharge. METHODS: The study was designed as a prospective cross-sectional study. This prospective study was performed with 124 pediatric patients. After completion of the admission procedures, an initial sample was taken from the hands of the hospitalized patients. Another sample was taken from the patients just before discharging. RESULTS: Growth of coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CNS) was observed in the culture samples of 28 patients. Cultures from 23 patients showed different microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and S. epidermis. Examination of final discharge cultures showed CNS in 43 patients, S. aureus in 5 patients, E. coli in 8 patients, Acinetobacter baumannii in 11 patients, and Kocuria rhizophila, K. kristinae, Candida spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Enterococcus in 1 patient. CONCLUSION: The cultures from samples obtained at discharge showed the presence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microorganisms causing healthcare associated infection.

Reducing Children's Pain and Parents' Anxiety in the Postoperative Period: A Therapeutic Model in Turkish Sample.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the effect of a new therapeutic model (a therapeutic play/play therapy (TP/PT) program) on alleviating pain in children receiving inpatient treatment in paediatric surgery units and parents' anxiety levels in the post-operative period. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was designed as a semi-experimental model using the TP/PT program. Four measurements (pre-test, two interim tests and post-test) for children and two measurements (pre-test and post-test) for parents were performed. The data were collected using the Child and Parent Information Form, the Wong-Baker Faces Pain (WBFP) Rating Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). RESULTS: The mean pain score for children after TP/PT decreased in each measurement, and a significant difference was found between these measurements. The mean state anxiety score for parents significantly decreased after the TP/PT program, and a statistically significant difference was found between these measurements (p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: This study determined that the post-operative TP/PT program was an effective method to reduce acute post-operative pain in children. Parental anxiety levels were found to correlate with levels of pre- and post-operative pain in children. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings of this study provide a basis for using a new therapeutic model that is easy to apply and effective for reducing children's pain and parents' anxiety.

The relationship between the quality of life and depression levels of young people with type I diabetes.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the quality of life and depression levels of the youth with type I diabetes. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study. FINDINGS: It was found that there is a negative correlation between participants' HbA1c levels and quality of life, and a positive correlation between HbA1c levels and depression. It was determined that quality of life and depression are significant predictors of HbA1c (R 2 = 0.72, P < 0.01). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The depression levels of the young people with increased and their metabolic control was affected negatively as the quality of life levels decreased. Depression measurements should be made during the routine control of youth with diabetes who have difficulty in maintaining metabolic control.