Mental health and social support among Saudi antenatal clients during the COVID-19 crisis

Background: A healthy mental state is essential throughout pregnancy. The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a challenge to psychological resilience, especially among pregnant women.Objective: This study measured the mental health and social support of Saudi pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional design, with 243 respondents as its convenience sample from hospitals and health centers in Al Duwadimi, Saudi Arabia. This study applied the “Arabic Version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale” and the “Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support for Arab Women.” The Pearson correlation was used to measure the association between respondents’ profiles and social support. Multiple regression analysis was used to measure predictors of mental health.Results: The pregnant women had normal depression levels, extremely severe anxiety, and severe stress. The pregnant women also perceived high social support. A very weak inverse association was found between age and number of children with overall social support. Social support, especially from the husband, decreased the depression level in the pregnant women.Conclusion: Pregnant women in Saudi Arabia experienced higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 outbreak, which was linked to the support they received from their relatives. This finding implies the need to enhance support from family members during infectious disease outbreaks

INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL AWARENESS, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN SOUTH INDIA

Introduction: Infection is a key challenge in healthcare settings around the world. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), including medical laboratory technologists (MLTs) and nurses, are at risk of infection because they are in close contact with infected patients. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the awareness, attitude, and practices of Infection Prevention Control (IPC) among HCPs working in private tertiary hospitals in two states in South India. Methodology: This quantitative study surveyed 571 HCPs in southern India. In September 2021, an online survey was used to collect data on the respondents’ demographic and IPC-related variables, as well as their awareness, attitudes, and practices of IPC. Results: The survey revealed high level of awareness, positive attitudes, and good IPC practices. Among the IPC practices, “changing gloves between contacts with different patients” was the most often practiced and “washing hands after removal of gloves” was the least practiced. Being a nurse, being older, finishing a graduate program, attending a risk assessment training, having sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at work, and being aware of the safety guidelines were associated with better awareness. Being a nurse, being older, and holding a diploma were associated with more positive attitudes. Being MLT, attending risk assessment training, having sufficient PPE at work, and being aware of the safety guidelines were associated with better IPC practices. Conclusions: Measures to sustain the high awareness, positive attitudes, and good IPC practices by dealing with the factors associated with these variables identified in this study must be planned and implemented

Nurses' self‐efficacy and well‐being at work amid the COVID‐19 pandemic: A mixed‐methods study

Abstract Aims To explore the factors associated with the nurses' well‐being at work. Design A sequential explanatory mixed‐methods design. Methods The quantitative part of the study included a conveniently sampled 271 nurses employed in healthcare facilities in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia. A purposive sample of 21 nurses were interviewed in the qualitative part of the study. Data collection was performed from May to August 2021. This article followed the STROBE checklist. Results Nurses working in private hospitals reported higher level of self‐efficacy than nurses in public hospitals. Being a Filipino, working in private hospital, and having higher self‐efficacy were associated with better well‐being at work among nurses during the pandemic. The thematic analysis revealed four important themes in understanding their well‐being at work: safe work environment, ensuring staff nurses' health, leadership support, and solidarity in the workplace

NURSES’ SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A THEMATIC APPROACH

Aims: This study explores nurses’ perceived spiritual well-being in the workplace dur ing the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: Nurses have been working heavy shifts under challenging workplace conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to anxiety and psychological stress. These various challenges at work place their spiritual well-being at risk. Methods: An unstructured individual online interview was conducted to collect data from 18 nurses from April to August 2021. Data were analysed using the thematic approach. Results: This study highlighted the four themes of spiritual well-being of nurses, namely, “Trust in God,” “spiritual encouragement,” “spiritual attributes in the workplace,” and “spiritual growth.” Conclusions: The study concludes that spirituality is critical in helping nurses over come the myriad of adversities they face as they assume their important roles during the ongoing pandemic. Implication for Nursing Management: The study emphasizes that nurses’ spiritual aspect during crises is equally important with the other aspects of a nurse’s life. Moreover, policies and interventions in hospitals must be implemented to ensure excellent levels of spiritual well-being among nurse

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE HEALTH EMPOWERMENT SCALE ARABIC VERSION FOR WORKING WOMEN IN SAUDI ARABIA

In a country such as Saudi Arabia where gender equality-related challenges continue to be social issues, measuring the health empowerment of Saudi working women is critical in understanding the real picture of women empowerment in the country during this era of great transformation. Therefore, we conducted this research to evaluate psychometric properties of the Health Empowerment Scale Arabic version (HES-A) in measuring the health empowerment of Saudi working women. We surveyed a sample of 322 Saudi working women from June to August 2020 using an online survey constituting questions on demographic and work-related information and the HES-A. The computed values for the item-level content validity index of the 8 scale items were from .80 and 1.00, whereas the computed value of the scale-level content validity index by average method was .91. The principal component and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a unidimentional scale. The computation revealed an alpha of .92. Education, type of employment, years of working experience, and salary were identified as significant factors influencing the health empowerment. The HES-A exhibited adequate validity and internal consistency for use in measuring the health empowerment of Saudi women. The HES-A can expand the research agenda on health empowerment Arab women. Researchers and policymakers could use the HES-A in assessing the status of health empowerment of Arabic-speaking women, which could inform policies and interventions aimed at ensuring health empowered women in this part of the globe

Hospital Preparedness, Resilience, and Psychological Burden Among Clinical Nurses in Addressing the COVID-19 Crisis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

In the continuous effort to minimize the devastating effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to curb the spread of the disease, hospital preparedness and resilience play significant roles in the psychological well-being of clinical nurses given that their work demands immediate action to adapt and adjust to stressors. Thus, this study investigates the hospital preparedness, psychological burden, and resilience of clinical nurses in addressing COVID-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 281 clinical nurses participated in the survey from April 2020 to June 2020. Results show that clinical nurses perceived a high self-assessed COVID-19 hospital preparedness (49.65, SD = 2.30); high self-assessed nurses\u27 resilience (4.03, SD = 0.36); and most have normal levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The variables were predicted to be statistically significant (F18,262 = 4.14, p = 0.001) and accounted for 16.8% of the variance in the nurses\u27 perception of hospital preparedness (R2 = 0.221; adjusted R2 = 0.168). The regression analysis was statistically significant (F30,250 = 6.71, p = 0.001) and accounted for 38% of the variance in nurses\u27 resilience (R2 = 0.446, Adjusted R2 = 0.380). The predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress show that the overall relationship was statistically significant at (F23,257 = 6.71, p \u3c 0.001), (F23,257 = 6.675, p 0.000), and (F23,257 = 6.692, p 0.000) with 31.9% of the variance (R2 = 0.375, Adjusted R2 = 0.319), 31.8% of the variance (R2 = 0.374, Adjusted R2 = 0.318), and 31.9 % of the variance (R2 = 0.375, Adjusted R2 = 0.319), respectively. The findings of this study helps in improving the continuing education program, psychological support, and mental health program to ensure that the needs of clinical nurses are addressed during the outbreak of a disease

SELF-COMPASSION INFLUENCES THE CARING BEHAVIOUR AND COMPASSION COMPETENCE AMONG SAUDI NURSING STUDENTS: A MULTI-UNIVERSITY STUDY

This research investigated the perceptions of Saudi nursing students regarding self-compassion and examined its influence on their caring behaviour and compas-sion competenc

Workplace Spiritual Climate and Its Influence on Nurses’ Provision of Spiritual Care in Multicultural Hospitals

Background: Spiritual care is a growing field of interest in the healthcare industry in Saudi Arabia, one that is largely defined by the religious and cultural context of the country that has a rich and strong backdrop. Workplace spiritual climate may have a significant impact on nurses’ ability and willingness to provide spiritual care. This study aims to examine the influence of workplace spiritual climate on nurses’ provision of spiritual care. Methods: A convenience sample of 918 nurses employed in seven public hospitals in Saudi Arabia was surveyed in this cross-sectional study using the Spiritual Climate Scale (SCS) and the Spiritual Care Intervention-Provision Scale (SCIPS). Results: The overall mean in the SCS was 64.58 (SD = 24.60), whereas the overall mean in the SCIPS was 56.83 (SD = 9.46). Nurses with Saudi nationality, with Islamic faith, with administrative functions, and with higher years of experience as a nurse reported better perceptions of workplace spirituality. Hospital, position, years of experience in the present hospital, and the hospital’s spiritual climate were identified as significant predictors of the nurses’ spiritual care interventions provision. Conclusions: The results of the study support the importance of having good workplace spiritual climate as it impacts the nurses’ provision of spiritual care interventions

Predictors of Self-Assessed and Actual Knowledge about Diabetes among Nursing Students in Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of self-assessed and actual knowledge of diabetes among undergraduate nursing students. Nursing education plays an important role in preparing future nurses and ensuring that they are knowledgeable and competent in diabetes care. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 330 undergraduate Saudi student nurses. We collected data from October to December 2019 using the Diabetes Self-report Tool (DSRT) and Diabetes Basic Knowledge Tool (DBKT). We performed a multiple regression analysis to identify the predictors of self-reported and actual knowledge of diabetes. The students’ overall mean (SD) scores in the DSRT and DBKT were 48.31 (5.71), which is equivalent to 80.52% of the total score and 22.54 (8.57), respectively. The students’ university, gender, year level and experience in providing direct care to diabetic patients were the significant predictors of self-reported knowledge, whereas their university, age and perceived diabetes knowledge were the significant predictors of actual diabetes knowledge. The findings underscore the necessity to improve student nurses’ actual knowledge of diabetes and its management. Our findings provide a solid basis for planning and implementing educational interventions with diabetes-related information to ensure adequate diabetes knowledge among nursing students