Consequences of living with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder:A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Severe psychological stress is potentially threatening for anyone. Chronic combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder is accompanied by other psychological problems including depression. Thus the aim of this study was to describe the consequences of living with this disorder. Method: In this qualitative study, 20 male veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder were selected purposefully and studied using semi-structured deep interview. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis in 2011. Results: The consequences of living with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder were classified into three main categories of psychological, physical, and social consequences, based on the common experiences of the participants. Psychological consequences include three subcategories of lack of self-confidence, lack of entertainment, and negative emotions. Physical consequences include four subcategories of sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, physical pain, and restricted physical activity. Social consequences include three subcategories of disrupted interpersonal relations, lack of income or job, and restricted duty fulfillment. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder has had a negative effect on all different aspects of their health including physical, psychological and social. Reducing this problem requires interventions and continuous monitoring of the medical health status of these clients. Keywords: Trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, war, consequences of the disease, qualitative stud

Living with a Colicky Infant: Meta-synthesis of Qualitative Studies

Background Parents having a baby with infantile colic experienced thoughts and emotions such as hopelessness, fatigue and concern. This study presents a review to provide better insights into the life of parents living with a colicky infant. The aimed of this meta-synthesis was to analyze and synthesize findings from qualitative studies about the experiences of parents of colicky infants. Materials and Methods This meta-synthesis follows the guidelines of Sandeowski and Barroso and was designed to synthesize findings from previous qualitative studies. The following biomedical archives were searched: PubMED, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane library, ProQuest. Recently published articles and books on the experiences of parents living with a colicky infant were reviewed. The searches covered the years from 2000 to 2016 and found three studies, which fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results The findings of all studies selected were categorized into the themes of "eclipse of normal life" and "relief through parental adaptation". The findings reveal that the experiences of parents living with a colicky infant are important for constructing an insightful child care protocol and improving interpersonal interactions in the family. Conclusion The pathic or non-diagnostic knowledge that emerged from this qualitative review may be helpful for improving treatment of colicky infants and a provide relief for their parents

Ice massage on chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting

Background and Aim: Nausea and vomiting are the most common side effects of chemotherapy. The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of ice massage applied to the pericardium 6 (P6 or Neigaun) acupuncture point on nausea&ndash; vomiting due to chemotherapy in cancer patient. Materials and Methods: In a randomized clinical trial one- blind, 114 patients were randomly divided into three groups. Ice massage group were massaged gently on the skin around P6 point of the hand with ice cube into a wet gauze pad for 7 minutes twice a day with 12-hours interval for 24 hours by the patient. Placebo group were massaged with wooden cube and the control group received no interventions. Nausea and vomiting in three groups rated by Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Emesis (MANE) Questionnaire in 4 periods of time in 24 hours was used for the assessment of nausea and vomiting. Results: There were significant decreases in the frequency of nausea (P<0.01) and vomiting (P<0.03) and a decrease in the intensity of nausea (P=0.63) and vomiting (P=0.34) in the case group. Frequency of nausea was significantly lower among placebo group than the control group (P<0.02). Conclusion: Ice massage on Neigaun point is effective on reducing the frequency of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. Placebos, patient-practitioner relationship, suggestion, and the patient's view on nausea and vomiting and the role of interaction between the therapist and the patient is effective to some extent

The effect of social support skill-training group intervention on perceived social support in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

Background: Traumatic events related to war have long effects on psychiatric psychopathologies. From these disturbing conditions, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is considered to be the most characteristic feature of psychiatric traumatic experience. The current study was designed to assess the effect of two social support skill-training group interventions on perceived social support in veterans with PTSD. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with the clinical trial method. According to the inclusion criteria, 60 of 367 veterans with PTSD were selected and randomly allocated into two intervention groups and a control group. The two training programs on social support skills consisting of three sessions, each being 1.5–2 h, were held weekly for 3 weeks. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support was filled by samples before and 6 weeks after intervention. The data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics using PASW Statistics 18. Results: The ANOVA results showed that after intervention, there were significant differences in perceived social support between intervention groups and control group (F = 1.06, p = 0.001), but there was no significant difference between intervention groups by t-test (t = 28.05, p < 0.10). The paired t-test showed a significant difference in all subscale scores of perceived social support between two intervention groups before and after intervention (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of the current study agreed with the positive effects of social support skill training on perceived social support in veterans with PTSD. It is suggested that these training courses should be included in the community re-entry programs of veterans with PTSD

Medical Dominance in Nursing Education: Qualitative content analysis

Background: Training specialist manpower requires social justice in higher education and inequality leads to the emergence of hierarchies of power and types of dominant or dominated groups. Aim: The aim of the present study was to explain the perceptions and experiences of the heads of nursing departments of Iranian nursing schools regarding medical dominance in nursing education. Methods: The present study was a conventional content analysis. Data collection was carried out using purposeful sampling and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 24 participants. The data analysis process was performed according to Graneheim and Lundman’s qualitative content analysis (2004).&nbsp; Findings: Data analysis led to the emergence of the theme of "Medical dominance in nursing education" and the three main categories of “physician-centered university education", "weakened educational status", and "belittling nursing education in medical system”. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that physicians enjoy special and superior position in the structure of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran. Physicians manage the entire system including medical education due to their greater power in managing the system at all micro and macro levels. Thus, other disciplines including nursing education, which are closely related to medicine, are highly ignored

The effect of progressive muscle relaxation on pregnant women's general health

Background: Pregnancy may be accompanied by serious physiological and psychological changes as it is a stressful period in a woman's life. So, this study was conducted to determine the effect of progressive muscle relaxation on pregnant women's general health. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 60 primigravida women admitted to the prenatal clinic of selected hospitals in Iran constituted the study population. Using purposive sampling method, the level of general health of the women was measured with General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). Then, the samples were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. Three 1.5–2 h relaxation training sessions were held for the experimental group. After 8 weeks, the level of general health of both groups was measured again. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using Chi-square and paired t-test (P < 0.05). Results: Total mean score of general health of the experimental group and the control group before the intervention was 35.83 (6.92) and 29.46 (8.3), respectively, and after the intervention, the respective scores were 20.2 (5.61) and 27.85 (8.24). Although after the intervention both groups showed an increased level of general health, the difference in general health between before and after intervention was significant in the experimental group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, comparison of variations in mean scores of general health level before and after intervention in the two groups showed a significant difference (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Given that the results showed the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation on pregnant women's general health, the prenatal clinics can include a training program for progressive muscle relaxation in the routine training programs for pregnant women

Living with Malignant Wound in Cancer Patients and Adolescents with Non- Cancer Diagnosis: a Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies

Background Malignant wound causes a devastating physical and psychological condition in cancer patients. This study presents a review which can provide better insights into the life of cancer patients living with malignant wound. The aim of this meta-synthesis was to analyze and synthesize findings from qualitative studies of the lived experiences of patients with malignant wound. Materials and Methods This meta-synthesis followed the Sandelowski and Barroso’s guideline and was designed to synthesize findings from previous qualitative studies. Variety of biomedical archives were searched, including PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane library, and ProQuest and Persian data bases such as Magiran, SID, Iran.doc, IranMedex, and  recently published articles and books on the lived experience of persons living with malignant wound were reviewed. In this article, the literature searches covering from January,1, 1990 to march,15, 2016 resulted in eight relevant studies which fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the review. Results Findings from all these studies were categorized into three main themes: "distortion of lived body", "symptomatic suffering", and "compatible living with wound". Our findings showed that the meanings of patients’ experiences living with malignant wound are important for the construction of multidisciplinary palliative care in these individuals. Conclusion: Gaining insights from analysis of qualitative studies is integral issue for developing new palliative care services for patients with malignant wound

Comparing the effects of progressive muscle relaxation and physical activity on pregnant women's general health

Background: Pregnancy is important because maternal health and well-being directly affects another person's life. This study aimed to compare the effects of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and physical activity (PA) on the general health of pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted among 96 primiparous women enrolled in a prenatal clinic in Tehran (Iran) between May 3, 2013 and August 7, 2013. The participants were selected through convenience sampling over 3 weeks and randomly assigned to the PMR, PA, and control groups, comprising 32 participants each. Six participants did not complete the follow-up measurement (N = 90). The PMR group underwent three sessions of 1.5–2 h in theoretical and practical training, and in the PMR group, training was given in groups of three to four persons. Both groups performed exercises at home for 8 weeks and recorded them in daily report sheets. The general health of all three groups was assessed before and after intervention by using the General Health Questionnaire-28. Results: Differences in the mean (SD) general health scores obtained before and after intervention in the PMR, PA, and control groups were 15.63 (5.73), 19.11 (7.79), and 8.27 (2.14), respectively. One-way analysis of variance test showed a significant difference between the three groups (F = 28.10; p < 0.001). Conclusions: As the study results confirm the positive effects of PMR and PA on the subscales of the general health of pregnant women, the two techniques are recommended to promote the general health of pregnant women

The Effect of the Teach-Back Method on Knowledge, Performance, Readmission, and Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients

Background. Among chronic diseases, heart failure has always been a serious challenge imposing high costs on health systems and societies. Therefore, nurses should adopt new educational strategies to improve self-care behaviors and reduce the readmissions in heart failure patients. This study aimed to determine the effect of the teach-back method on knowledge, performance, readmission, and quality of life in these patients. Methods. This clinical trial was conducted in patients with heart failure (n = 70) hospitalized in the internal wards of the Baqiyatallah al-Azam Medical Center in Tehran (2019). Routine discharge educations were provided in control patients. Self-care topics were taught to the intervention groups by the teach-back method. A cardiac self-care questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and practice of patients immediately after intervention and three months after patient discharge. Also, SF-36 was presented to each patient. Readmission(s) and quality of life were followed up by telephone interviews three months after patient discharge. Repeated measures analysis of variance and related post-hoc tests were performed for within-group comparisons before, immediately after, and 3 months after teach-back education. Wilks’ lambda multivariate tests were conducted for simultaneous comparison of quality of life subscales between intervention and control groups. Also, logistic regressions were after controlling for baseline measures and confounders. Results. Findings showed significant improvement in the patients’ knowledge and performance immediately after teach-back education, though this effect was slow in the long term after discharge. Also, the frequency of readmissions decreased and the quality of life (except physical function) increased in the patients through teach-back education. By controlling for the pretest effect, the posttest scores for the relevant components of the quality of life suggested improvement in both intervention and control patients. This improvement in the quality of life was confirmed by controlling for baseline measurements using binary logistic regression analysis. Conclusion. Teach-back education improved patients’ knowledge and performance, readmission frequency, and quality of life