فصلنامه حیات
سال بیست و پنجم شماره 1 (پیاپی 81، بهار 1398)

Pregnancy during adolescence is in conflict with the identity structures of adolescents, that can have a negative effect on maternal mental health, and especially cause stress. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of neonatal care education on perceived stress in adolescent mothers. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 116 adolescent pregnant women referred to Zahedan health centers in 2016. Samples were selected by the convenience sampling method and assigned into two groups of 58 people each. The pre-test was performed before the first session using demographic and perceived stress questionnaires. The intervention group received three educational sessions on neonatal care and stress reduction methods. Routine prenatal education was provided to the control group. A post-test was performed at 38 week of pregnancy and 30 days after delivery. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney, Monte Carlo and Fisher tests through the SPSS software version 21. Before the intervention, the stress score for the intervention group was higher than that for the control group (P=0.007), but the mean score of perceived stress for the intervention group significantly decreased at the 38th week of pregnancy and 30 days after delivery, compared to the control group. According to the Mann-Whitney test, the decrease was significant (P˂0.001). Considering the effect of the neonatal care education on reducing stress in adolescent mothers, it is recommended that this type of educational intervention be integrated into care program for adolescent pregnant mothers.

Nursing care is an essential part of health care services. Missed nursing care is a new concept referring to any aspect of care, that is omitted or delayed. The present study aimed to assess missed nursing care and its related factors from the viewpoints of nurses working in the hospitals affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2017. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 300 nurses participated. Two questionnaires on missed nursing care, and its related factors were used for data collection. Data were analyzed through the SPSS software version 20 using descriptive indices. The mean score of missed nursing care was 32.28±7.41, which was lower than the median (range) of the questionnaire. The highest mean score of missed nursing care and its related factor, respectively were “attending the interprofessional patient care conferences” and “the volume of activities related to patients’ admission and discharge”. The level of missed nursing care was lower than the median in the present study, which can be lowered by proper management. In addition, by decreasing nurses’ workload, missed nursing care related factors can be reduced.

Menopause has been recognized as a critical stage in women’s life. Menopausal symptoms and problems can affect women’s health and well-being. Health promoting behaviors may be useful in alleviating these symptoms. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of couple counseling on severity of menopausal symptoms in women. In a quasi-experimental study, 80 women with their husbands were selected by the convenience sampling method from health care centers in Zahedan in 2017, and were assigned to either experimental or control group. The data gathering tool included a demographic questionnaire and Menopuse Rating Scale questionnaire. Couple counseling for the intervention group was conducted in four 60-minute sessions. Data were collected before and 12 weeks after the intervention, and analyzed by independent and paired t-test, analysis of covariance and χ2 using the SPSS software version 21. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic variables, but the mean of score changes for menopausal symptoms in the intervention group was -1.42±1.95 and in the control group was -0.10±1.10. The independent t-test showed a significant difference in the mean of score changes for menopausal symptoms in the two groups (P<0.0001). Given that couple counseling has a positive effect on severity of menopausal symptoms in women, it is suggested that this counseling strategy be integrated into healthcare programs for menopausal women.

Increase in gastric residual volume and abdominal distention are important complications in patients with nasogastric tube feeding. This study aimed to determine the effect of local heat therapy on gastric residual volume and abdominal distention in patients with nasogastric tube feeding. In this double-blind clinical trial, 64 patients with nasogastric tube feeding, were selected using the convenience sampling method according to the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to either the experiment group or control group. For two groups, a hot pack was placed on the anterior abdominal region in two 23-minute sessions, about 1.5 hours after gavage. The temperature of the hot pack was 50°C for the experiment group and it was equal to the ambient temperature for the control group. The levels of patients’ abdominal distention and gastric residual volume were measured and compared half an hour before and 1.5 hours after gavage. Data collection tools were consisted of a demographic questionnaire and a data sheet for recording digestive function. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 16 through descriptive and inferential statistical tests. The p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. According to the results, 46.9% of the patients were female and 53.1% were male. The age mean for the experiment and control groups were 12.5±72.5 and 15.3±7.8, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics and disease-related information. Abdominal distention and gastric residual volume were similar in the two groups before the intervention, but significantly decreased in the experiment group after the intervention (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the control group. Local heat therapy reduces gastric residual volume and abdominal distention in patients with nasogastric tube feeding, and its application is suggested in further research.

Assessment of sexual health literacy requires an appropriate tool. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire to evaluate the level of sexual health literacy among Iranian adults. This study was designed in two phases in Tehran during 2017-2018. In the first step, the questionnaire was developed by item generation through expert panel and literature review. In the second step, the assessment of psychometric properties of the questionnaire including face, content, and structure validity (exploratory factor analysis) and convergence criterion (using general health literacy questionnaire) were done. Reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 21. The content validity indices (CVI and CVR) for all items were 0.84 and 0.81, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors including skills of access, reading and understanding, evaluation and analysis, and application of information that explained %68.1 of the variance. Convergent validity of the questionnaire showed a correlation between the questionnaire’s dimensions and general health literacy questionnaire in the range of 0.31 to 0.70. The SHELA showed a high internal consistency reliability with Cronbach’s alpha, ranging from 0.84 to 0.94 and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), ranging from 0.90 to 0.97. The psychometric assessment of the 40-item questionnaire (SHELA) indicates desirable validity and reliability. This questionnaire is suggested for assessing the level of sexual health literacy of adults in future studies.

The goal of asthma treatment and management is its control. Yoga is one of the complementary treatments which is used to control asthma. This study aimed to determine the effect of yoga breathing exercises on asthma control in 5-11 year-old children with asthma. In this quasi-experimental study, 84 children with asthma, aged 5-11 years, referred to Asthma and Allergy Clinic of Aliasghar hospital, were included in the study in 2018. The participants were selected through continuous sampling and non-randomly allocated to an experiment- or a control group (42 in each group). The Childhood Asthma Control Test (C_ACT) was used to collect the data, before and after the intervention. The intervention included yoga breathing exercises. The researcher trained the children and their parents at the clinic and these exercises were performed by the children for two months, with parental supervision at home. Data were analyzed by the SPSS software version 21 using independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square and Fishers exact test. The mean of age was 8.42(1.96) for the experiment group and 8.11(1.8) for the control group. In the experiment group, 76.2% were male, and 23.8% were female. In the control group, 73.8% were male and 26.2% were female. Before the intervention, the mean of asthma control score was 17.81±4.42 for the experiment group and 18.38±4.24 for the control group but this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.54). After the intervention, the mean of asthma control score for the experiment group and control group was 21.69±1.6 and 19.83±2.4, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P˂0.001). Yoga breathing exercises improved asthma in children. According to the results, yoga breathing exercises are suggested as scientific, simple and refreshing techniques in children with asthma.

Pregnancy is one of the enjoyable and evolutionary aspects of women’s life, which is often associated with many stresses and concerns. Counseling is one of the most appropriate interventions to reduce concerns and increase the decision-making power of pregnant women. This study aimed to determine the effect of solution-focused group counseling on pregnant women’s worries. A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 108 pregnant women with gestational age of 6 to 19 weeks and a score of worry ≥55, from May to September 2017 in health centers of Sabzevar University of Medical. The intervention group received a solution-focused counseling and the control group received routine prenatal care. Concerns of pregnant women were evaluated before, after, and two months after the intervention using the Farsi version of Cambridge Worry Scale. The data were analyzed using t-test, chi-square, and repeated measure analysis of variance through the SPSS software version 22. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean score of worry before the study was 58.9±5.9 for the intervention group and 58.8±4.37 for the control group, and no significant difference was observed. After the intervention, these values for the intervention group and the control group were 34.6±13.3 and 57.7±8.78, respectively. Two months after the study, these values were 31.1±10.1 and 54.6±10.9, respectively. The analysis of variance with repeated measurements showed that pregnant women’s concerns about childbirth, fetal health, maternal health, and family relationships were significantly reduced after the intervention and two months later (P<0.001). Women’s worries about socioeconomic issues were not significantly reduced after the intervention and two months later in comparison with the control group (P=0.563). The solution-focused counseling is an effective way to reduce pregnant women’s concerns about maternal and fetal health, family relationships and childbirth. It can be used in conjunction with pregnancy care.

Many patients with cardiovascular disease suffer from some degree of anxiety after admission to the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU). Anxiety adversely affects patients’ recovery. High levels of anxiety increases mortality risk up to three times. This study aimed to determine the effect of pre-operative supportive care plan on anxiety of patients with acute coronary syndrome after admission to CCU. In this clinical trial, 74 patients with acute coronary syndrome, admitted to the Cardiac Care Unit of Vasei hospital of Sabzevar in 2016. Participants were selected via convenience sampling and randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. The control group only received routine nursing care. For the intervention group, besides routine care, the supportive nursing care was delivered on the intellectual, emotional and physical domains. The Beck Anxiety Inventory questionnaire was completed by both groups before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test and independent t-test using the SPSS software version 16. Before the intervention, no significant difference was observed in the anxiety score between the intervention and control groups (P=0.162). After the intervention, the anxiety score in the intervention group was lower than in the control group (P=0.023). According to the results of this study, supportive care plan reduced anxiety in the intervention group compared to the control group. Therefore, supportive care plan is recommended for reducing anxiety in these patients.