War Experiences and War-related Distress in Bosnia and Herzegovina Eight Years after War

Cilj Utvrditi odnos između ratnog iskustva i tegoba izazvanih ratom u Bosni i Hercegovini. Postupci Istraživanje je provedeno krajem 2003. na reprezentativnom uzorku od 3313 sudionika. Usmeni intervju sadržavao je 15 čestica o tegobama uzrokovanim ratom i 24 čestice o ratnom iskustvu. Iz tih čestica razvili smo Ljestvicu tegoba uzrokovanih ratom (War-Related Distress Scale), Ljestvicu izravnog ratnog iskustva (Direct War Experiences Scale), i Ljestvicu neizravnog ratnog iskustva (Indirect War Experiences Scale). Rabili smo regresijsku analizu kako bismo ispitali odnos između tegoba uzrokovanih ratom i varijabli vezanih uz ratno iskustvo, pritom kontrolirajući niz drugih varijabli. Rezultati Gotovo polovina sudionika nije prijavila niti jedan simptom tegoba povezanih s ratom, dok je oko 13% sudionika prijavilo 7 ili više simptoma. Izravno ratno iskustvo imalo je značajan utjecaj na tegobe izazvane ratom čak i osam godna nakon rata, dok neizravno ratno iskustvo nije imalo značajan utjecaj na tegobe izazvane ratom. Bračno stanje je ublažavalo tegobe uzrokovane ratom, dok ih je veličina kućanstva pogoršavala. Zaključak Izravno iskustvo ima dugotrajni traumatični utjecaj na znatan broj stanovnika Bosne i Hercegovine.Aim To examine the relationship between war experiences and war-related distress in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods The survey was performed in the late 2003 on a representative sample of 3313 respondents. The face-to-face interviews included 15 items on war-related distress and 24 items on war experiences. From these items we developed the War-related Distress Scale, the Direct War Experiences Scale, and the Indirect War Experiences Scale. Regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between war-related distress symptoms and war experiences variables, controlling for a range of other variables. Results Almost half of the respondents did not report any war-related distress symptoms, while about 13% reported 7 or more symptoms. Direct war experiences had a significant effect on war-related distress even eight years after the war, while indirect war experiences showed no significant effect on war-related distress. We found that marital status weakly decreased war-related distress, while household size increased it. Conclusion Direct war experiences seem to have a long-lasting traumatic effect on a substantial number of residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Quality of life in primary school children: The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP)

Aims: The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between parents’ level of education, measurements of physical attributes, and quality of life in a general sample of primary school children. Methods: The children’s and the parents’ versions of the Inventory of Life Quality in Children and Adolescents (ILC) were used to measure health-related quality of life (QOL) in 2140 school children (response rate 93%) and 1639 parents (response rate 71%) recruited from nine primary schools in Norway. A set of physical characteristics were also measured in the children: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, average daily minutes of physical activity, aerobic fitness, and handgrip strength. Results: The regression analysis showed stronger relationships between the covariates and QOL for the parents’ assessments than for the children’s. Parents’ level of education was significantly related to children’s QOL, with the strongest association for parental QOL assessment. Among the physical variables, aerobic fitness (B = 0.01, p > .001 in both samples), and handgrip strength in the parents’ sample (B = 0.21, p < .05) were significantly related to the children’s QOL. Conclusions: The present study replicated the well-known finding that parents’ sociodemographic status is important for children’s QOL. Our new contribution is to show that the physiological variables aerobic fitness and muscular strength also contributed significantly to explain variance in QOL. This opens up interesting perspectives on how to improve QOL among children through more emphasis on physical activity and physical fitness in schools

Exploring experiences of fostering positive work environment in Norwegian nursing homes: A multi method study

Objective: The aim of the study is to explore what characterizes the work culture in Norwegian nursing homes and what promotes the positive aspects in the work culture. Methods: Research design: Multimethod research. Two surveys (N = 105) and interviews with 11 informants at three Norwegian nursing homes were conducted. We included the questionnaires: The Systematizing Person-Group Relations, that seek to explore which aspects dominate the particular work environment identifying challenges, limitations and opportunities and The Sense of Coherence (SoC) that was used as an indicator for overall quality of working life with a salutogenic orientation. The data were analyzed using independent samples student’s t-test and factor analyses, the material from the interviews was systemized and worked through using well known analytical methods. Results: The results showed that the informants feel more meaning, manageability and comprehensibility in their work environment, when they are engaged and focused on goal orientation. In the interviews the informants expressed engagement related to their work environment and to patients and colleagues. They mentioned that being a team and working together was positive for their perception of their work environment. A positive work culture was characterized by solution orientation and the experiences of better opportunity to “attend to the patients in a good way”. Conclusions: It seems like healthcare workers as individuals has both a positive attitude and ways to express this in the work culture, such as humor and positive thinking. But the work culture itself seems to create some negative issues

Culture of silence: Midwives’, obstetricians’ and nurses’ experiences with perinatal death

Background: Health care personnel’s experiences of grief and painful emotional involvements in situations facing perinatal death has attracted woefully little research and attention. In order to provide high standards of care for patients and their families, health care personnel needs to express their emotions in these situations in an adequate way. Aim: The main aim was to explore how midwives, obstetricians and nurses experience perinatal death and what characterize these experiences. Methods: This review study was designed through systematic examination methods to detect articles in English and Scandinavian language that describe midwifes’, obstetricians’ and nurses’ experiences with perinatal death and factors that characterize these experiences. Only ten articles met these inclusion criteria. A qualitative method was used to describe and comprehend the phenomena. Results: The following categories emerged from the data: (1) emotional implications, (2) change in culture, (3) education and training, (4) hierarchical issues, (5) support and learning from others. Emotional implications when facing perinatal death were reported in all the ten articles. Conclusions: This study revealed that withdrawal from the situation and denial were common reactions to perinatal death among health care personnel. These reactions may lead to a lower quality of care for the bereaved parents. Findings in this study indicate that the problem is related to culture and to accept this as a problem and challenge. Emotional reactions among health care personnel to perinatal death must be fully acknowledged and normalized

Exploring experiences of fostering positive workenvironment in Norwegian nursing homes: A multimethod study

Objective: The aim of the study is to explore what characterizes the work culture in Norwegian nursing homes and what promotes the positive aspects in the work culture. Methods: Research design: Multimethod research. Two surveys (N = 105) and interviews with 11 informants at three Norwegian nursing homes were conducted. We included the questionnaires: The Systematizing Person-Group Relations, that seek to explore which aspects dominate the particular work environment identifying challenges, limitations and opportunities and The Sense of Coherence (SoC) that was used as an indicator for overall quality of working life with a salutogenic orientation. The data were analyzed using independent samples student’s t-test and factor analyses, the material from the interviews was systemized and worked through using well known analytical methods. Results: The results showed that the informants feel more meaning, manageability and comprehensibility in their work environment, when they are engaged and focused on goal orientation. In the interviews the informants expressed engagement related to their work environment and to patients and colleagues. They mentioned that being a team and working together was positive for their perception of their work environment. A positive work culture was characterized by solution orientation and the experiences of better opportunity to “attend to the patients in a good way”. Conclusions: It seems like healthcare workers as individuals has both a positive attitude and ways to express this in the work culture, such as humor and positive thinking. But the work culture itself seems to create some negative issues

Experiences with perinatal death among midwives, obstetricians and assistant nurses: Results from a qualitative study in Norway

This study aims to explore experiences of healthcare professionals, including midwives, obstetricians, and assistant nurses, after a perinatal death. A qualitative study design was used, and 20 participants were interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Three categories emerged from the data: (i) external responses, (ii) internal responses, and (iii) personal responses. Generally, there was a “culture of blame” in response to the perinatal death among the professionals. The lack of opportunity to deal with perinatal death and having an inappropriate way to handle feelings and experiences are the important findings of this study. If not well supported, the concerned healthcare professionals may face serious health challenges in the long term. Hence, supportive interventions need to be designed and evaluated to provide adequate support to the concerned professionals