Association of fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors (PB) against COVID-19 in Iran

Introduction: The world is currently experiencing a pandemic of COVID-19. The pandemic may affect physicaland mental health. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the fear of COVID-19 and study the relationshipbetween fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors against COVID-19. Material and methods: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional study to evaluate the fear of COVID-19 andpreventive behaviors against COVID-19 among the volunteer population in Golestan Province, Iran in May 2020 andJune 2020. The online questionnaire included the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and the prevention behaviorsagainst COVID-19, which are used to assess the fear and prevention behaviors of the population, respectively.The data were presented by mean and frequency. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identifyfactors associated with Fear of COVID-19 at a significant level of 0.05 in Stata 14. Results: A total of 734 of the 900 individuals contacted completed the survey, with a participation rate of 81.5%.The mean age of the participants was 33.97 ± 10.68 years and 375 (51.9%) were females. The mean Fear ofCOVID-19 score in the participants was 19.69 ± 5.96. There was a significant positive correlation between Fearof COVID-19 and preventive behaviors (r = 0.19, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed participantswith a higher perceived threat of COVID-19, women, married participants, health workers and peoplewith underlying diseases had higher levels of fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: The fear of COVID-19 in Iranian society is high, which indicates the need to pay attention tothe mental health in pandemic conditions. Appropriate intervention action can be designed and implementedaccording to the factors that affect fear. In addition, it should be noted that people with less fear are less likelyto observe the COVID-19’s preventative behaviors

Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Lebanon Waterpipe Dependence Scale in a Sample of Iranian Waterpipe Smokers

Background: Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) has recently increased in Iran. There is no valid instrumentto measure the level of nicotine dependence among its consumers. This study was aimed to investigate thevalidity and reliability of the Lebanon Waterpipe Dependence Scale-11 (LWDS-11).Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2017 whereby 367 waterpipe smokers wererecruited from Golestan Province of Iran. LWDS-11 scale is composed of 4 subscales: 1) nicotine dependence,2) negative reinforcement, 3) psychological craving, and 4) positive reinforcement. The validity of thequestionnaire was examined using construct validity. Reliability of this scale was examined using test-retestreliability and internal consistency.Findings: The four-factor model for LWDS [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.985, Tucker-Lewis index(TLI) = 0.979, standardised root mean residual (SRMR) = 0.059, root mean square error of approximation(RMSEA) = 0.049 (0.031, 0.061)] demonstrated good fit to this data. Cronbach’s α was 0.825 for totalscale and it was 0.818, 0.746, 0.624, and 0.670 for each individual subscale. The test-retest reliability of thescale was 0.925.Conclusion: All goodness of fit indices (GFIs) represented a good fit of model. The LWDS-11 scale had anappropriate remarkable validity and reliability for waterpipe consumers to measure the level of nicotinedependence and it appeared to be likely useful for utilizing in the clinical and epidemiological studies

The Burden on Caregivers of Patients with Neurological Disorders and Related Factors

Background: The burden of care on caregivers of patients with neurological disorders leads to a reduction in their quality of life, quality of care, and thus reduction in the quality of life of the patient. Identifying the determinants of burden with the aim of improving the quality of caregiver interventions is helpful. The aim of this study was to determine the burden on caregivers of patients with neurological disorders and related factors. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 202 caregivers of patients with neurological disorders of Golestan Province, Iran, that were under care due to neurological damage were selected via convenience method. The instruments were a demographic checklist, Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney test, and Pearson and Spearman correlation tests by SPSS software. Findings: Eighty-eight percent of caregivers were under the moderate and severe burden of care. It was observed that the mean burden of caregivers of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) was significantly lower than the mean burden of caregivers of other patients (P = 0.003). The results of the present study also showed that caregivers of patients with very little power experienced significantly more caregiving burden than caregivers of patients with very high power (P = 0.008). Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, due to the high level of burden of care, support of patients' families is effective in reducing this burden. In an effort to minimize these problems and reduce the burden of care, it is appropriate to develop a proper referral system, formal preparation for care, and a family care training program prior to discharge from the hospital

Evaluating the Attitude Towards Aging and its Related Factors among Medical Emergency Staff of Golestan Province

مقدمه: با توجه به افزایش جمعیت سالمندان در ایران و جهان و بالطبع افزایش درخواست اورژانس از جانب این گروه سنی، بررسی نگرش به سالمندی درکارکنان فوریتهای­ پزشکی به عنوان یک ضرورت مطرح می ­گردد. هدف از این پژوهش تعیین نگرش به سالمندی و عوامل مرتبط با آن در کارکنان فوریت های پزشکی  بوده است. روش کار: در این مطالعه توصیفی – تحلیلی، مقطعی، کارکنان فوریت­های پزشکی استان گلستان  با روش تمام شماری مورد مطالعه قرار گرفتند. جهت جمع­آوری داده­ها از پرسشنامه نگرش نسبت به سالمندان کوگان (Kogan) و برای تحلیل داده­ها از نرم افزار SPSS  نسخه 18 و آزمون­های تی-دو نمونه‌ای، من-ویتنی، تحلیل واریانس و آزمون کروسکال والیس در سطح معنی­داری 05/0>P  استفاده شد. برای بررسی نیکویی برازش مدل از شاخص­های  CFI، TLI،RMSEA  و WRMR و از نرم‌افزار Mplus7.2 استفاده گردید. یافته­ها: میانگین نمره نگرش کارکنان فوریت­های پزشکی نسبت به سالمندی مثبت بوده است. بین نگرش مثبت به سالمندی با وضعیت تاهل (007/0=P)، قومیت (018/0=P) و مدرک تحصیلی (026/0=P) و شهر محل خدمت (001/0=P) ارتباط معنی­دار وجود داشت. نگرش منفی نسبت به سالمندی در کارکنان فوریت­های پزشکی شهری به طور معنی­داری بیشتر از کارکنان فوریت­های پزشکی جاده­ای بوده است (046/0=P). با افزایش سن (006/0=P) و تعداد سال­های اشتغال در فوریت­های پزشکی (043/0=P)، نمره نگرش مثبت به سالمندی افزایش یافت. پرسنل با قومیت ترکمن از نظر نمره تعصب (نگرش منفی) دارای امتیاز کمتری نسبت به پرسنل با قومیت فارس بودند (046/0=P). میانگین نمره تعصب نسبت به سالمندان در پرسنل فوریت­های پزشکی مجرد به طور معنی­داری بیشتر از پرسنل متاهل بود (01/0=P). نتیجه گیری: نگرش کلی کارکنان فوریت­های پزشکی استان گلستان نسبت به سالمندی مثبت بوده است. افزایش سن و تعداد سال­های اشتغال فرد در فوریت­های پزشکی نیز در نگرش مثبت و منفی به سالمندی موثر بوده است.Introduction: Due to the increase in the elderly population in Iran and the world and, of course, the increase in the number of emergency service requests by this age group, the study of the attitude towards old age among the emergency medical staff is considered as a necessity. The aim of this study was to determine the attitude towards aging and related factors in medical emergency staff. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study, medical emergency staff of Golestan province were studied using census method. To collect data, the Kogan’s Attitudes Towards Older People Questionnaire was used and to analyze the data, SPSS v.18 and sample T-2 tests, Mann-Whitney, analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied at the significance level of P-value <0.05. To evaluate the goodness of fit of the model, CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and WRMR’ indices were used via the Mplus7.2 software. Results: The average score (Mean) of medical emergency staff’s attitudes towards the elderly was positive. There were significant relationships among positive attitude towards aging with marital status (P=0.007), ethnicity (P=0.018), degree of education (P=0.026) and the city of employment (P=0.001). Negative attitudes towards aging among urban emergency medical staff were significantly higher than road emergency medical staff (P=0.046). With increase in age (P=0.006) and the number of years of employment in medical emergencies (P=0.043), the score of positive attitudes towards aging increased. Personnel with Turkmen ethnicity had lower scores than personnel with Fars ethnicity in terms of prejudice score (P=­0.046). The mean score of prejudice against the elderly in single emergency medical personnel was significantly higher than married personnel (P=0.01). Conclusion: The overall attitude of the emergency medical staff of Golestan province towards aging was positive. Increase in the age and number of years of employment in medical emergencies has also been effective in creating positive attitudes towards old age

ارتباط جو اخلاقی با وجدان کاری پرستاران بخش‌های مراقبت ویژه مراکز آموزشی و درمانی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی گلستان

Background and Aim: Employees who feel that the ethical atmosphere prevails in the organization consider the relationships and interactions of their organization as fair and this increases their satisfaction and commitment. On the other hand, conscience has been involved in nursing activities and nurses have insight and care must be taken to prevent harm to humans. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between ethical climate and work conscience of intensive care unit nurses. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019-20 in the intensive care units of educational and medical centers of Golestan University of Medical Sciences (6 medical centers) using multi-stage sampling. Hospitals were selected randomly and in proportion to the number of nurses in hospitals, samples were selected in selected hospitals in a purposful and accessible manner. 184 nurses participated in this study. The data were collected using Olson’ ethical climate and Costa & McCrae’ work conscience quessionaires. Descriptive statistics including mean, median, standard deviation and Spearman correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used to examine the relationship between variables. Analyzes were performed using SPSS software 21 at a significance level of 0.05. Findings: 75% of nurses (n=138) were female and 36.4% (n=67) had less than five years of work experience. The mean and standard deviation of ethical climate were 4.01±0.43 (desirable) and nurses' work conscience was 3.46±0.27 (desirable). Ethical climate was favorable in each of five domains (patients, colleagues, managers, physicians and hospitals) (P-value<0.001). Regarding work conscience; the mean scores of dutifulness (3.42±0.35) and achiwement striving (3.42±0.35) indicated that the nurses' opinions were favorable and positive. Spearman test showed a direct relationship between ethical climate and work conscience (r=0.19). Ethical Considerations: In the process of conducting this research, all ethical considerations related to human studies, such as obtaining informed consent and explaining the confidentiality of the details of the participants in the research, were observed. Conclusion: The ethical climate and work conscience of the nurses in the intensive care unit was positive and favorable. It is recommended that the managers and stakholders of medical centers create a favorable and positive moral atmosphere to increase and strengthen the work conscience of nurses.   Cite this article as: Ghorbangholi T, Sanagoo A, Pahlavanzadeh B, Jouybari L. The Relationship between Ethical Climate with Job Conscience in Nurses of Intensive Care Units of Medical Centers of Golestan University of Educational and Medical Sciences. Majale "akhlāq-i pizishkī" (i.e., Medical Ethics) 2021; 15(46): e12.زمینه و هدف: کارکنانی که احساس می‌کنند جو اخلاقی بر سازمان حاکم است تعاملات سازمانی را عادلانه می‌دانند و این امر باعث افزایش رضایت و تعهد کاری شان می‌شود. از طرفی وجدان در فعالیت‌های پرستاری دخیل بوده است و پرستاران را به مراقبت باکیفیت‌تر سوق می‌دهد. هدف از این مطالعه تعیین ارتباط جو اخلاقی با وجدان کاری پرستاران بخش‌های مراقبت ویژه بوده است. مواد و روش‌‌ها: این مطالعه از نوع توصیفی ـ همبستگی در سال 99-1398 در بخش‌های مراقبت ویژه مراکز آموزشی و درمانی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی گلستان (6 مرکز درمانی) با استفاده از نمونه‌گیری چندمرحله‌ای انجام شد. انتخاب بیمارستان‌ها به صورت تصادفی صورت گرفت و متناسب با تعداد پرستاران در بیمارستان‌ها، نمونه‌ها در بیمارستان‌های منتخب به صورت هدفمند و در دسترس انتخاب شدند. 184 پرستار در این مطالعه شرکت کردند. از پرسشنامه‌های جو اخلاقی Olson و وجدان کاری Costa و McCrae برای جمع‌آوری اطلاعات استفاده شد. برای بررسی ارتباط بین متغیرها از ضریب همبستگی اسپیرمن و تحلیل‌های رگرسیونی استفاده شد. تحلیل‌ها با استفاده از نرم‌افزار SPSS 21 در سطح معنی‌داری 05/0 انجام شد. یافته‌ها: 75 درصد (138 نفر) از پرستاران زن و 4/36 درصد (67 نفر) با سابقه کاری کمتری از پنج سال بودند. میانگین و انحراف معیار جو اخلاقی 43/0±01/4 (مطلوب) و وجدان كاری پرستاران 27/0±46/3 (مطلوب) بود. همچنین جو اخلاقی در حیطه‌های بیماران، همکاران، مدیران، پزشکان، بیمارستان نیز مطلوب بوده است (001/0>P-value). در خصوص وجدان کاری، میانگین نمرات قابلیت اتکا (35/0±42/3) و موفقیت‌مداری (34/0±50/3) بیانگر مساعد و مثبت‌بودن نظرات پرستاران بوده است. آزمون اسپیرمن وجود یک رابطه مستقیم بین جو اخلاقی و وجدان کاری را نشان داد (19/0=r). ملاحظات اخلاقی: در فرایند اجرای این تحقیق کلیه ملاحظات اخلاقی مربوط به مطالعات انسانی مانند کسب رضایت آگاهانه و توضیح در مورد محرمانه‌‌ماندن مشخصات شرکت‌کنندگان در پژوهش رعایت گردید. نتیجه‌گیری: جو اخلاقی و وجدان کاری پرستاران بخش مراقبت‌های ویژه مثبت و مطلوب بود و ارتباط معنی‌داری بین جو اخلاقی با وجدان کاری پرستاران بخش‌های مراقبت ویژه برقرار است. توصیه می‌شود مدیران و دست‌اندرکاران مراكز درمانی با ایجاد جو اخلاقی مطلوب و مثبت باعث بیشتر و قوی‌شدن وجدان کاری در پرستاران شوند

The factor structure and factorial invariance of short form of smoking temptation for TTM framework in Iranian smoker population: Golestan Province

Purpose TTM pattern has widely been used in smoking cessation interventions. This study was aimed to investigate the compatibility of a hierarchical factor structure of short form questionnaire developed by Velicer et al regarding situational temptation construct among smokers in Golestan province. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 387 smokers that were included using inconvenient sampling method. At first, internal validity and reliability of the short-form questionnaire were examined. At second, invariance of hierarchical structure was tested in sub-groups of ethnicity, residence, education, stage of quit, starting age, and income. Measurement invariance (including five invariances) and structural invariance (including three invariances) were explored in each sub-group. Results Chi-square test for confirmatory factor analysis of hierarchical factor structure was statistically significant for all samples [χ^2 (24)=66.3,p<0.001]; while, other indicators reveled the good compatibility of factor structure (CFI=0.944, TLI=0.915, RMSEA=0.067 ((0.048, 0.087)) and SRMR =0.042). Values of the first order of factor loading were between 0.5 and 0.84. There was strong correlation between first order factors and second order factor such that it was 0.9 for positive and habitual social situations factors and 0.82 for negative effects factor. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the whole model was also 0.803. Conclusions Given the findings, hierarchical factor structure of short-form inventory about temptation to cigarette smoking was confirmed by three factors that were in line with Velicer et al model. The fitting indices of the model presented that construct validity was observed in all samples and sub-groups, and can be likely used in smoking cessation programs. Funding Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Ira

Investigating the Relationship between Goal Orientation and Academic Status in Students of Abadan University of Medical Sciences in 2022-2023

Introduction and purpose: Goal orientation is one of the determining variables in the quality of the learning process and academic progress of people. Therefore, this study was designed and implemented to investigate the relationship between goal orientation and academic achievement among the students of Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran. Methods: The present study was a descriptive-analytical correlational research that was conducted cross-sectionally in 2022-2023. The sampling method was stratified and clustered. The study sample consisted of 259 students from Abadan University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool was the Academic Goal Orientation Questionnaire of Buffard et al. (1998), and the students' grade point average (GPA) in the last semester was used as the measure of their academic status. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24 software. Results: The average age of the students was 24.3 (±2.4) years and their average last semester GPA was 16.57 (±1.25). The average score of the failure avoidance component was 20.32 (± 4.11), performance 14.08 (± 5.58), and goal-mastery 9.43 (± 3.82). The correlation coefficient showed that although there was a positive relationship between goal orientation components and academic achievement, it was not significant. The correlation coefficient also showed that the academic semester had a positive and significant relationship with the components of performance orientation and mastery orientation; however, it had a negative relationship with failure avoidance. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, no significant relationship was found between the three components of goal orientation and academic achievement. It can be suggested that educational planners provide and improve educational conditions in such a way that students move towards mastery and performance goals and move away from avoidance orientation

A Comparison Of Correlation Between Journal Self-Citation And Impact Factor Of Iranian English Medical Journals In WoS And ISC(2006-2009)

Background and Aim: Citation is one of the journals ranking factors. Self-Citation rates regarding journals `performance, especially in international databases, is important. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of Journal self-Citation on Impact Factor of Iranian English medical journals indexed in the Web of Science and Islamic World Science Citation Center. Materials and Methods: The Impact Factor of 12 journals in WoS and 26 in ISC were studied during years 2006-2009 using citation analysis and Journal self-Citation. Self-Citation rate were calculated using cited journals and citing journals tables in ISC. Wilcoxon test and Mann-whiteny test were used for comparison of self-citation rate between two databases. In order to determine any correlation between journal self-citation and IF in WoS, Pearson test was used. In ISC, Spearman test was performed. For comparison of two correlations test, Covariance test was used. Results: No significant difference between Journal self-citation rates in two databases was noted(p>0.05).There was a significant correlation between Journal self-citation and Impact Factor in WoS(p=0.007, r=0.64). The correlation was not statistically significant in ISC(p>0.05, rsp =0.23). There was not any significant difference between the relations of Journal self-citation and impact factor in two databases(p=0.526). Conclusion: Attention to the Journal self-citation rates for comparison of Journal Impact Factor in WoS is more important than attention to the comparison of these journals between two Databases