Sexuality, sexual and reproductive health: an exploration of the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Greek-Cypriot adolescents

The study examines the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Greek-Cypriot adolescents regarding sexuality, sexual and reproductive health in Cyprus and is based on the concepts of culture, gender and sexuality under the general scope of health promotion and health education. The study reviews international and local literature on the theory and practice of these ideas and their influence on health, focusing on sexuality. Since culture and society are thought to influence health and sexuality, an extensive discussion is presented on the history of Cyprus and its development in contemporary years. This is a Pan-Cyprian study of 697 third grade students (13-15 years old) in public general secondary (high) education schools (gymnasium) in Cyprus. A close-ended questionnaire was designed including 51 questions. Three axes were taken in consideration: Knowledge; resources and needs; attitudes and beliefs. With the application of statistical analyses such as factor and cluster analysis, several results were drawn. Among other things the findings reveal that socio-cultural determinants such as religion/church, do have enormous impact on Greek-Cypriot adolescents' attitudes and beliefs. Although young people do have some knowledge about sexuality, limited resources and services exist to support and reinforce that. In the Cypriot society of the 21st century some conservatism and taboo still exist. Gender differences are apparent. Greek-Cypriot society at some point seems to have different expectations, roles and even a 'code of ethics' among males and females. Researching sexuality issues is a challenge since up until recently sexuality was very much a taboo area. Contemporary Cypriot society is becoming more sensitive and open about it even though a degree of conservatism still exists. However, there is limited scientific evidence on sexuality matters. This study aims to provide some evidence. When a shift in attitudes takes place is firstly noticed among adolescents. Based on the literature review and the results of this study a theoretical explanatory model was developed. At the end, the study highlights its conclusions and several recommendations are made for future investigation and progress in the fields of health and education

Evaluation of home care nursing for elderly people in Cyprus

Background: Europe has the highest proportion of people aged 65 and older (16%). From 2000 until 2050, the world’s population aged 65 and over will be more than triple from 600 million to 2 billion. Elderly prefer to be cared at home. Aims: This article aims to present an evaluation of home care nursing of elderly people in Cyprus. It assesses whether the needs of the clients are met and discusses nurses and key informants’ views in regards to home nursing care. Methods: A mixed methodology has been used. For the quantitative part, a semi-structured questionnaire was used concerning client’s needs. For the qualitative part, group and key informants in depth interviews, interview and the focus group guides were used. One hundred participants aged 60+ were randomly selected. Two focus groups with community home care nurses and six in-depth individual interviews with key informants were done. Results: Quantitative analysis showed that 79% of the clients reported being satisfied with home care nursing personnel and suggested the increase of the number of home care nurses, 39% of the participants recommended the provision of additional help; while 12% suggested that further information about the program is needed. Qualitative analysis of focus groups and key informants interviews highlighted the need for a strategic plan that would promote collaboration between formal/statutory services such as pharmacists, physiotherapists, and informal/nonregulated services. Conclusions: Home care nursing in Cyprus needs to undertake some further activities in order to ensure that clients have good physical health and function, good mental health and skills to adapt changes in their life

Exploring the cultural aspects of compassion in nursing care: a comparative study of Greece and Cyprus

Introduction: It is important to consider the concept of compassionate care within a cultural context in terms of how it might be perceived and demonstrated in practice. People may vary in what constitutes suffering due to variations in their values, culture, needs and understanding. In this paper we report on the findings from data collected from Greek and Greek-Cypriot Nurses during a study which sought to explore similarities and differences between the two countries with regard to perceptions of compassion. Methods: This is an exploratory, cross-sectional descriptive study. The data discussed within this paper have been extracted from a large scale on-line survey involving 15 countries. Greek-Cypriot participants were recruited through local professional organizations and university/college student associations. In Greece, participants were recruited through university associations and social networks. Participants were emailed a link to the survey which was completed on-line. The research tool consisted of 10 open and closed questions. Results: Many similarities were identified between the two groups following their response to the survey, although some small differences were also identified. From the findings of the qualitative data, 3 main themes emerged for both groups of nurses: compassionate communication; awareness of needs; and kindness, whilst a fourth theme was also identified applying mostly to the Greek nurses with regard to factors which might hinder compassion and referring mainly to the effects of economic crisis. Discussion: A number of similarities were identified between the two countries and both countries reported feeling that compassion in nursing is very important, and also stating that they themselves received little compassion from management. However, despite similarities in the perceptions of Greek and Greek-Cypriot nurses, some differences were also identified. Furthermore, our study revealed a greater number of Greek nurses reporting effects of austerity. Conclusion: Greek and Greek Cypriot nurses may differ on how they define compassion but their practical expressions on compassion are very similar. Both countries felt that their own experiences of compassion were most likely to come from colleagues or patients, and most unlikely to come from their managers. There is an urgent need for compassionate leaders within their public health care systems, who will develop organizational cultures which nurture and sustain compassion. This is particularly evident in the case of Greece where we identified a larger number of nurses reporting restraints due to financial crisis

Gender and socio-cultural perspectives through femicide case studies

Femicide has been defined as the murder of a woman because she is a woman and has devastating consequences for the individual well-being, safety and health of those affected and for the whole society. Socio-cultural and legal issues are highlighted as important factors associated with intimate partner violence and femicide. The purpose of this article is to identify socio-cultural and/ or gender equality issues related to femicide through case studies. It is partly a product of the working group on culture of the COST Action IS1206- Femicide across Europe. Data was collected in a qualitative form from the countries which were involved in the Cost Action working group meetings. The main questions of this article relate to the European countries’ socio-cultural issues and the gender equality status of the involved countries related to femicide. Based on the data provided by each country involved, it emerged that patriarchy is still dominant in some European societies. Regulations and laws on gender equality exist in many countries, but it seems that in several cases are not effectively applied. Thus, it is necessary to create the appropriate socio-cultural and gender sensitive environments, supported by effective juridical systems

Empowering refugee families in transit: the development of a culturally competent and compassionate training and support package

Background: Refugee parents who fled conflicts suffered violence and traumas and face huge challenges in supporting the health and welfare of their children whilst in transit. Aims: To describe the development of a culturally competent and compassionate Training and Support Package (TSP) for nurses, social and health care workers and volunteers, with a focus on parenting needs among unsettled refugees fleeing conflict. Methods: The multi-method approach included: a scoping review covering parenting needs of refugees fleeing conflict zones; collection of stories from refugee parents, healthcare workers and volunteers via a mobile application; discussions between team members; a piloted and evaluated curriculum. Results: High levels of family distress and deterioration of parental identity were identified. Informed by these results, the curriculum is articulated along twenty bite-sized learning units, covering four age stages of childhood as well as targeting adults’ wellbeing. Pilot training was evaluated positively confirming feasibility and usefulness of TSP. Conclusions: Unsettled refugee parents fleeing conflicts face psychosocial and practical difficulties negatively affecting their parenting skills. Care workforce should be trained in order to provide culturally competent and compassionate support to help these families. Open access digital platforms are promising as autodidactic and self-help tools amongst hard-to-reach populations

IENE 9 project: developing a culturally competent and compassionate LGBT + curriculum in health and social care education

Introduction The IENE projects (2008–2022) aim to promote a model for developing intercultural dialogue and enhance the ability to provide culturally competent and compassionate care for the health and social care professionals at national and European levels. The IENE 9 project, named “Developing a culturally competent and compassionate LGBT + curriculum in health and social care education,” builds on the work developed in the previous IENE projects and emphasizes the importance of addressing LGBT + issues in health and social care education. Method Through an innovative Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), professionals will learn the skills to work toward building an LGBT + inclusive health and social care system. Result Notwithstanding the progress made in recent years on LGBT + issues, research indicates that too little attention has been given to LGBT + needs in health and social care settings, and these remain substantial issues that are often ignored. Conclusion This letter to the editor aims to present the IENE 9 project given that greater efforts are needed to improve professionals’ skills regarding sexual and gender minority population. We strive to continue our efforts in promoting the well-being and mental health of LGBT + people in health and social care education

Empowering the migrant and refugee family's parenting skills: a literature review

Bachground: Worldwide, more than 79.5 million people are forcibly displaced, including a significant number of migrant and refugee families with children. Migration and refugeedom affect these families in different dimensions, such as mental, physical and spiritual health. Identifying family needs and enhancing parenting skills can improve family cohesion and health, as well as smooth integration into the host country. This review is part of the Erasmus+ funded project- IENE 8 (Intercultural Education for Nurses in Europe) aiming at empowering migrant and refugee families regarding parenting skills. Methods: This was a scoping review of literature. The IENE 8 partner countries (Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, and United Kingdom) searched for peer reviewed papers, grey literature and mass media reports at international, European and national level. The time period for the search of scientific and grey literature was between2013-2018, and for mass media, it was between 2016 and 2018. Results: 124 relevant sources were identified. They included 33 Peer reviewed papers, 47 Grey literature documents and 44 mass media reports. This revealed the importance of understanding the needs of migrant families with children. Conclusion: It is evident from the literature that there is a need to support refugee parents to adjust their existing skill and to empower them to develop new ones. Healthcare and social services professionals have an essential role in improving the refugees' parenting skills. This can be done by developing and implementing family-centered and culturally-sensitive intervention programs

LGBT+ Training needs for health and social care professionals: a cross-cultural comparison among seven European countries

Introduction Research suggests that specific training on LGBT+ issues may improve the competencies and skills of health and social care (HSC) professionals, which reduces the negative attitudes toward LGBT+ people. Despite this, there seems to be a lack of coverage of LGBT+ needs in HSC education. The present study aims to explore the specific LGBT+ training needs of HSC professionals and to examine the relationship between these training needs and the four dimensions of the Papadopoulos model, i.e. cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and cultural competence. Methods The research used data from a cross-cultural project, “Intercultural Education for Nurses in Europe (IENE9),” which was administered to 412 HSC academics and workers (62% females; Mage=46.06, SDage=10.48) between February 2020 and July 2020, in seven European countries: UK (coordinator), Denmark, Spain, Germany, Cyprus, Italy, and Romania. Results Hierarchical multiple regression showed that higher training needs were associated with cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cultural competence. The need for training on LGBT+ issues was higher for Cyprus, Romania, Spain, Italy, and the UK, compared with Denmark (no differences between Germany and Denmark were found). Conclusions We believe that there has been a lack of focus on the LGBT+ training needs of HSC professionals: Greater efforts are required to develop a culturally competent and compassionate LGBT+ curriculum. Social Policy Implications Findings from the present study will inform the development of a free, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), for culturally competent and compassionate HSC professionals in Europe to improve the quality of their car

Improvement in organophosphorus hydrolase activity of cell surface-engineered yeast strain using Flo1p anchor system

Organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) hydrolyzes organophosphorus esters. We constructed the yeast-displayed OPH using Flo1p anchor system. In this system, the N-terminal region of the protein was fused to Flo1p and the fusion protein was displayed on the cell surface. Hydrolytic reactions with paraoxon were carried out during 24 h of incubation of OPH-displaying cells at 30°C. p-Nitrophenol produced in the reaction mixture was detected by HPLC. The strain with highest activity showed 8-fold greater OPH activity compared with cells engineered using glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor system, and showed 20-fold greater activity than Escherichia coli using the ice nucleation protein anchor system. These results indicate that Flo1p anchor system is suitable for display of OPH in the cell surface-expression systems