The mediating effect of organizational culture on the structural relationships between transformational leadership of heads of departments and effectiveness of faculty members

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between heads of departments’ transformational leadership and faculty members’ effectiveness through the organizational culture. The approach of this study was quantitative and with a correlation method. The statistical population of this study consisted of 350 faculty members of the University of Kurdistan and 193 individuals were selected through simple random sampling method. Data collection tools comprised of Denison's organizational culture questionnaire, Hoy's effectiveness questionnaire and Bass and Avolio's transformational questionnaire. For data analysis, structural equation model in SPSS22 and LISEREL 8 software was used. The results showed that the relationship between heads of departments’ transformational leadership style and organizational culture was significant. Furthermore, the organizational culture as a mediator variable had a significant effect on the relationship between transformational leadership style and effectiveness of its faculty members. Transformational leadership in the final research model did not have a direct and significant effect on effectiveness of faculty members. But transformational leadership, through organizational culture, impacted the effectiveness of faculty members

Stress Management Experience of Caregivers of Thalassemia Children: A Qualitative Research

Background: Children with thalassemia do not have favorable psychological health. Today, the use of different therapeutic regimes for caregivers with thalassemia has increased life expectancy; however, these patients have other various needs and requirements such as constant professional training. The aim of the present study was to explain stress management in caregivers with thalassemia children. Materials and Methods: The method applied in this study was phenomenological qualitative research with conventional content analysis. This study was done in 2016-2017 in Shahrekord, Iran. A total of 15 participants, including 10 mothers, 1 grandmother, and 4 fathers participated purposely in this study. There were two sessions of interviews each of which lasted for 30 minutes. The content of interview was recorded and analyzed through conventional content analysis method after documentation. Results: Following content analysis, three categories were obtained: seeking for hope included two subcategories of seeking for hope and trusting in God, seeking for information included two subcategories of seeking for information from parents and seeking for information from physician and nurse, and seeking for new treatment included two subcategories of seeking for new treatment and seeking for transplant. Conclusion: This findings of the present study showed that planners and healthcare team can contribute caregivers of thalassemic children in coping with this disease using three adaptation approaches; that is, offering caregivers hope and providing them with proper information about the disease and treatments

A study on the relationship between spiritual health and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases and one of the major health problems in all countries worldwide. Considering the role of mental health in improving the health and quality of life (QOL) of patients with chronic diseases, this study was carried out aiming to determine the relationship between spiritual health and QOL among patients with type 2 DM.METHODS: This was a correlation descriptive study in which 330 patients with DM were selected using systematic sampling. Demographic, spirituality (Parsian and Dunning), and World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaires were used for collecting data. Moreover, descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, simple linear regression, and multiple regression tests were exploited to analyze the data.RESULTS: The mean scores of the patients' spiritual health and QOL were 62.04 ± 14.36 and 67.85 ± 11.79, respectively. Spiritual health and all of its four dimensions had a direct and significant correlation with QOL. Meanwhile, two dimensions of self-awareness (r = 0.542) and spiritual needs (r = 0.511) had the highest correlation with QOL in these patients (P < 0.001). Furthermore, spiritual health and its two aspects, including self-awareness and spiritual needs had a significant effect on the QOL of the patients (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: The results showed that spiritual health affected QOL of the patients significantly; moreover, two of its dimensions, self-awareness and spiritual needs, had the greatest effect. Therefore, to improve the QOL of such patients, it is necessary to design and implement appropriate training programs with emphasis on these two dimensions

Lack of Supportive Systems for Parents of Children with Thalassemia: Forgotten Part of Health System

Background: Families of children with thalassemia may become exhausted due to the frequent hospitalizations of the child for blood injections and because of spending a great deal of time learning about and managing this disease. Objectives: The aim of this research was to explain supportive systems for parents of children with thalassemia. Methods: This study was done at Hajar hospital in Shahrekord in 2017. Content analysis was used. Ten samples consisting of 5 mothers, one grandmother, two fathers, and two nurses were selected purposely in this study. A semi-structured, face-to-face interview was used. Results: Based on data analysis, three categories of the need for supporters, lack of consultative services, and economic problems were obtained. Conclusions: Since thalassemia is a chronic disease, the parents of these children need support and consultative services throughout their life. It is necessary for authorities and healthcare planners to take measures in order to support parents of children with thalassemia (the forgotten part of the health system). The consultant-trained nurse has an important role in supporting these families

Evaluation of parental stress in neonatal intensive care unit in Iran: a national study

Background: More attention is paid to the survival and treatment of the sick infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and parental stress is not considered. The purpose of this study was to determine samples of the level of parental stress in the NICU. Method: This study is a descriptive-analytical study in which Parental Stress and General Health were used in an analytical national survey in Iran. The research sample consists of 2456 parents of infants admitted to NICU. The sampling method was multi-stage random. We used 11- item parental stress questionnaire and 28-item general health questionnaire for the data collection. Result: Baloch ethnicity with an average of 11.52 had the highest level of stress. The mean stress score of mothers was higher than fathers. The mean score of all dimensions of physical symptoms, anxiety, social functioning, depression, and total mental health score in mothers was higher than fathers. There was a statistically significant difference in the length of hospitalization in terms of different levels of parental stress scores (p < 0.002). Lack of decisive response to parents was one of the most stressful issues (8.1%). Conclusion: Our result shows mothers' stress was higher than fathers. So that health policymakers should pay attention to stress risk factors to provide appropriate interventions according stress risk factors Future studies should design appropriate interventions to reduce parental stress, especially in high-risk mothers