Awareness and Attitude Towards the Premarital Screening Programme Among High School Students in Muscat, Oman

Objectives: This study aimed to explore high school students’ awareness and attitude towards premarital screening (PMS). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 public high schools in Muscat, Oman from May to July 2016. A three-part self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from grade 12 students. The first part focused on respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, while the second part dealt with awareness of the national PMS programme and the third part explored attitudes towards the national PMS programme. Results: A total of 1,541 participants (response rate: 91.1%) completed the questionnaire. Most participants (78.1%) were aware of the availability of the PMS programme and their main source of information was family and friends (34.3%). The majority of students (87.4%) believed that PMS is important and most students (87.2%) indicated that they would undergo PMS. Over half of the students (55.3%) agreed that PMS should be mandatory before marriage and approximately one-third (38.3%) were in favour of having laws and regulations to prevent consanguineous marriages. Females were significantly more in favour of making PMS mandatory (P = 0.002) and enforcing PMS laws (P = 0.010) compared to males. Conclusion: Most respondents had good levels of knowledge about the PMS programme and half thought it is important to be tested. However, some students were not in favour of PMS. Increasing awareness about Oman’s PMS programme is important and motivating students could contribute significantly to increasing the utilisation of the PMS programme and to limiting genetic blood disorders.Keywords: Awareness; Knowledge; Attitude; Secondary School; Students; Premarital Examinations; Genetic Carrier Screening; Oman

Nursing faculty academic incivility: perceptions of nursing students and faculty

Abstract Background Incivility in nursing education can adversely affect the academic environment, the learning outcomes, and safety. Nursing faculty (NF) and nursing students (NS) contribute to the academic incivility. Little is known about the extent of NF academic incivility in the Middle East region. This study aimed at exploring the perceptions and extent of NF academic incivility in an undergraduate nursing program of a public university in Oman. Methods A cross sectional survey was used to collect data from 155 undergraduate NS and 40 NF about faculty academic incivility. Data was collected using the Incivility in Nursing Education Survey. Results The majority of NS and NF had similar perceptions about disruptive faculty behaviors. The incidence of faculty incivility was low (Mean = 1.5). The disruptive behaviors with the highest incidence were arriving late for scheduled activities, leaving schedule activities early, cancelling scheduled activities without warning, ineffective teaching styles and methods, and subjective grading. The most common uncivil faculty behaviors reported by participants were general taunts or disrespect to other NF, challenges to other faculty knowledge or credibility, and general taunts or disrespect to NS. Conclusion The relatively low level of NF academic incivility could still affect the performance of some students, faculty, and program outcomes. Academic institutions need to ensure a policy of zero tolerance to all academic incivility, and regular monitoring and evaluation as part of the prevention strategies

Incidence and perception of nursing students’ academic incivility in Oman

Abstract Background The incidence of incivility in nursing education is increasing in most countries and it is affecting the culture of safety and the teaching-learning processes. Despite reports of increasing trends, little is known about nursing students’ academic incivility in the Middle East. This study aimed at exploring the perceptions and extent of academic incivility among nursing students (NS) and nursing faculty members (NF) in a university based undergraduate nursing program in Oman. Methods A quantitative cross sectional survey was used to explore NS academic incivility from the perspective of NS and NF in a public university in Oman. Data was obtained from a sample of 155 NS and 40 NF using the Incivility in Nursing Education Survey. Results There was agreement between NS and NF on the majority of behaviors perceived to be disruptive. The incidence of NS academic incivility was moderate. The most common uncivil behaviors were acting bored or apathetic in class, holding conversations that distract others in class, using cell phones during class, arriving late for class, and being unprepared for class. There were significant differences between NF and NS perceived incidence of uncivil behaviors such as sleeping in class (p = 0.016); not paying attention in class (p = 0.004); refusing to answer direct questions (p = 0.013); leaving class early (p = 0.000); cutting or not coming to class (p = 0.024); and creating tension by dominating class discussions (p = 0.002). Conclusion Student academic incivility is moderately present in nursing education in Oman, and this may have implications in terms of the future of the profession and patient care. There is need for more streamlined policies and strategies to curtail the incidence of academic incivility and to maintain safe and effective learning environments

Psychological Distress of University Students during COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide emergency that necessitates immediate action to prevent the disease's rapid spread. This study attempted to examine the psychological distress University students. Students’ commitment to preventive measures is impacted by their knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the disease. Method: A quantitative non-experimental approach was used for the study. A descriptive, comparative design was instituted among the students of Sultan Qaboos University. A valid and reliable online survey was used to gather the data. Results: We found that a significant association between psychological distress and the demographic characteristics of the participants like college, known psychological issues, current social support, and current health status at p<.05. Non-nursing college students (59.7%) were likely to be well compared to the nursing students (Ӽ2 (3) = 70.831, p<.001). Students with known psychological issues reported higher psychological distress (41.3%) than other students (Ӽ2 (9) = 8.811, p=.032). Students who received their social support from their families (48%) reported more severe psychological distress than other students (Ӽ2 (6) = 18.177, p=.006). Students who had perceived excellent health (52.6%) reported likely to be well during this COVID 19 pandemic (Ӽ2 (3) = 25.853, p=.002). Conclusion: University students experienced a moderate amount of psychological distress during the COVID- 19 pandemic. The psychological distress experienced by the university students could be associated with many factors such as their nature of studies, known psychological issues and their current health status, and the social support they had received