Perceptions, behaviours and attitudes towards smoking held by the male partners of Chinese pregnant women:a qualitative study

Abstract Background Direct associations of tobacco exposure during pregnancy with pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes have been proven. Previous studies suggest that expecting a child provides a valuable opportunity to promote behavioural changes, such as smoking cessation, among the male partners of pregnant women. Thorough understandings of Chinese expectant fathers’ smoking behaviour during the transition to fatherhood is a prerequisite to the development of appropriate interventions to facilitate smoking cessation. This study aimed to explore the perceptions, behaviours and attitudes related to smoking among male partners of pregnant women in China. Methods A descriptive phenomenological approach was adopted. A purposive sample of expectant fathers aged 18 years or older who had a tobacco use history within the past year were recruited at obstetrics and gynaecology clinics and invited to participate in one-to-one, 20–30-min semi-structured interviews. The data analysis followed Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological method. Results Twenty-five expectant fathers were interviewed. Four themes were generated: 1) the benefits of smoking and respondents’ misperceptions of the impact of smoking and SHS and neglectful attitude of the impact of smoking, which were given as the major reasons for continuing to smoke; 2) factors contributing to smoking cessation, including concern for the potential health impact of continued smoking on the pregnant partner and baby, the role of being father, and the encouragement to quit from family members; and 3) perceived barriers to smoking cessation, including withdrawal symptoms or cigarette cravings, absence of smoking cessation support, and increasing stress. Conclusion This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the perception, behaviours, and attitudes related to smoking among Chinese expectant fathers. The findings of this study can guide healthcare professionals and policymakers in combining the distribution of educational information about the hazards of SHS for maternal and neonatal health with smoking cessation assistance for expectant fathers through policy initiatives and other types of incentives and programmes targeted to enhance smoking cessation among this population. Trial registration Prospectively registered at clinicaltrial.org ( NCT03401021 ) on 8 Jan 2018

Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Counseling Competencies Scale-Revised

Objectives: This study conducted a linguistic and psychometric evaluation of the Chinese Counseling Competencies Scale-Revised (CCS-R).Methods: The Chinese CCS-R was created from the original English version using a standard forward-backward translation process. The psychometric properties of the Chinese CCS-R were examined in a cohort of 208 counselors-in-training by two independent raters. Fifty-three counselors-in-training were asked to undergo another counseling performance evaluation for the test-retest. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted for the Chinese CCS-R, followed by internal consistency, test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, convergent validity, and concurrent validity.Results: The results of the CFA supported the factorial validity of the Chinese CCS-R, with adequate construct replicability. The scale had a McDonald's omega of 0.876, and intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.63 and 0.90 for test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability, respectively. Significantly positive correlations were observed between the Chinese CCS-R score and scores of performance checklist (Pearson's γ = 0.781), indicating a large convergent validity, and knowledge on drug abuse (Pearson's γ = 0.833), indicating a moderate concurrent validity.Conclusion: The results support that the Chinese CCS-R is a valid and reliable measure of the counseling competencies.Practice implication: The CCS-R provides trainers with a reliable tool to evaluate counseling students' competencies and to facilitate discussions with trainees about their areas for growth

Helping patients with chronic diseases quit smoking by understanding their risk perception, behaviour, and smoking-related attitudes.

Continued smoking among patients with chronic diseases detrimentally affects their health and treatment outcomes. However, a majority of smokers with chronic diseases appear to have no intention to quit. Understanding the needs and concerns of this population is a crucial step in facilitating the design of an appropriate smoking cessation intervention. This study aimed to understand the risk perception, behaviours, attitudes, and experiences related to smoking and smoking cessation among patients with chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and/or diabetes in Hong Kong. Individual semi-structured interviews with smokers with chronic diseases (n = 30) were conducted from May to July 2021. The methods and results are reported according to the COREQ. Four themes were generated: (1) perceptions of the association between chronic diseases and smoking/smoking cessation; (2) perceptions of the health/disease status; (3) quitting smoking is not the first priority; and (4) perceived barriers to quitting smoking. This study addressed a gap in the literature by gathering data concerning the perspectives of smokers with chronic diseases on smoking and smoking cessation. The deficit of knowledge among smokers with chronic diseases warrants the reinforcement of health education targeting this population. Our findings indicate the need for further efforts in designing appropriate smoking cessation interventions targeting smokers with chronic diseases, which will match the needs and concerns identified in this study

Effectiveness of a Mobile Device–Based Resilience Training Program in Reducing Depressive Symptoms and Enhancing Resilience and Quality of Life in Parents of Children With Cancer: Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundCaring for children with cancer can be a stressful experience for parents and may have negative effects on their physical and psychological well-being. Although evidence has shown that resilience is associated with positive psychological well-being, few interventions have been specifically designed to enhance the resilience of parents of children with cancer. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a mobile device–based resilience training program in reducing depressive symptoms and enhancing resilience and quality of life (QoL) in parents of children with cancer. MethodsParents of children diagnosed with cancer were recruited from the pediatric oncology wards of 3 tertiary hospitals in China. The participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (52/103, 50.5%) to undergo an 8-week mobile device–based resilience training program or to the control group (51/103, 49.5%) to receive an 8-week program of placebo information. The study outcomes included resilience, depressive symptoms, and QoL, as measured by the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, the Self-Rating Depression Scale, and the Short Form of the 6-Dimension Health Survey, respectively. All data were collected at baseline and at 2 and 6 months of follow-up. The data analysis followed the intention-to-treat principle. A generalized estimating equation was used to examine the effects of the intervention. ResultsThe participants were mostly female (72/103, 69.9%), and their mean age was 33.6 (SD 5.2) years. The participants in the experimental group showed significantly higher levels of resilience (mean 67.96, SD 15.8 vs mean 58.27, SD 19.0; P<.001) and lower levels of depressive symptoms (mean 40.17, SD 9.9 vs mean 46.04, SD 10.9; P<.001) than those in the control group at 6 months of follow-up. The intervention showed statistically significant effects in improving resilience (β=6.082; P=.01) and decreasing depressive symptoms (β=−2.772; P=.04) relative to the control group. The QoL score in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group at 6 months of follow-up (mean 0.79, SD 0.2 vs mean 0.76, SD 0.3; P=.07); however, no statistically significant intervention effect was detected (β=.020; P=.38). ConclusionsThe mobile device–based resilience training program effectively enhanced resilience and alleviated depressive symptoms in parents of children with cancer. It is highly recommended that health care professionals incorporate this resilience training program when providing psychological care to parents of children with cancer. Trial RegistrationClinical.Trials.gov NCT04038242; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0403824

Associations of Physical Activity and Handgrip Strength with Different Domains of Quality of Life in Pediatric Cancer Survivors

There is a paucity of evidence about the associations of physical activity (PA) and handgrip strength (HGS) within different domains of quality of life (QoL) in Chinese pediatric cancer survivors. We, therefore, conducted this multicenter cross-sectional study aimed to investigate whether increased PA level and HGS are associated with higher scores in different QoL domains (i.e., physical, emotional, social, and school functioning) in pediatric cancer survivors. PA was assessed with a validated self-reported PA rating scale. In total, 191 Chinese pediatric cancer survivors aged 9 to 16 years were included in the analysis. Results showed that engaging in a higher level of PA was significantly associated with improved QoL in different domains, including physical (β = 0.543, p β = 0.449, p β = 0.434, p β = 0.407, p β = 0.230, p ≤ 0.001) and emotional (β = 0.261, p ≤ 0.001) functioning. Findings from this study provide evidence of the significant beneficial impact of regular PA on pediatric cancer survivors’ QoL along their survivorship trajectory

Psychometric evaluation of the traditional Chinese version of the Resilience Scale-14 and assessment of resilience in Hong Kong adolescents

Background: A reliable and valid instrument that accurately measures resilience is crucial for the development of interventions to enhance the resilience of adolescents and promote their positive mental well-being. However, there is a lack of adolescent resilience assessment tools with good psychometric properties suitable for use with Hong Kong participants. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the traditional Chinese version of the Resilience Scale-14. Methods: Between October 2017 and January 2018, a stratified random sample of 1816 Grade 7 (aged 11–15 years) students from all 18 districts of Hong Kong were invited to participate in the study. Subjects were asked to respond to the traditional Chinese version of the Resilience Scale-14, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for children, and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale. The psychometric properties, including the internal consistency, content validity, convergent and discriminant validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and test–retest reliability of the Resilience Scale-14 were assessed. Results: The translated scale demonstrated good internal consistency and test–retest reliability, excellent content validity, and appropriate convergent and discriminant validity. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-factor structure of the traditional Chinese version of the Resilience Scale-14. Conclusions: Results suggest that the translated scale is a reliable and valid tool to assess the resilience of young Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. Healthcare professionals could use the newly translated scale to assess resilience levels among Hong Kong adolescents and develop interventions that can help them combat mental health problems and lead healthier lives