Relationship of Spirituality and Quality of Life in Patients with Type 2 diabetes

Diabetes and its complications have a significant impact on patients' quality of life and spirituality can help improve the quality of life in such patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of spirituality with quality of life in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive-correlation study. Participants were 145 individuals with type 2 diabetes, patients of rural health clinics and the Valiasr hospital in Khorramshahr city, selected via stratified random and sampling methods. Data collection tools were a version of 29-item of the spiritual questionnaire (Parsian and Dunning) and a version of 26-item of the Quality of Life Questionnaire (World Health Organization), both questionnaires with previously confirmed validity and reliability in numerous studies. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 software and Pearson's correlation, T-test, ANOVA, Post Hoc and Stepwise Regression analytical statistics. Results: There was a significant positive relationship between spirituality and quality of life (p<0.0001). The results show a statistically significant relationship between spirituality and quality of life with both education and age. Conclusion: A strong correlation between spirituality and quality of life in patients with type II diabetes, demonstrates the roles and responsibilities of healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses and patients' families in meeting the varied spiritual and religious needs of patients along with their therapeutic management. Focusing on improving spiritual health is also important in education programs for these patients

Views of Khuzestani’s men and women with single child about childbearing: a qualitative study

Introduction: During the recent years, significant demographic changes have occurred in the world. One of the most important changes has been an unprecedented decline in fertility in all regions of the world. Parallel to these changes, the Islamic Republic of Iran has experienced extensive changes, So that during the last three decades, the fertility rate in Iran has fallen astonishingly. The aim of this study was to interpret the views of Khuzestani men and women with one child about childbearing. This study tries to answer the question concerned with factors influencing the tendency to childbearing in Khuzestan province. Methodology: Participants in the study included 35 male and female people aged from 45 to 15 years old. They were purposefully selected from health centers in East and West of Ahvaz in 1393-94. The obtained data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. Results: Two main classes of factors that drive the couples to childbearing (ethnicity, parents' self-esteem, a sense of being productive) and the ones that prevent couples from childbearing (economic, parental occupation, parental responsibility and diseases) are presented. Conclusion: The results of this research show the experiences of couples about childbearing. Strengthening the factors that drive the couples to childbearing and also removing barriers to this phenomenon provide the basis for education and a way to step in line with the new policy to encourage population and couples in their childbearing

Effectiveness of A Codified Educational Behavioral Program on the Mental Health of Pregnant Women

Introduction: Pregnancy, considered as a vulnerable period, exposes women to many new problems. Dealing with new conditions and problems can affect mental health of pregnant women. Hence, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a codified educational behavioral program on the mental health of pregnant women. Methods: In this quasiexperimental study, 61 pregnant women were selected via convinience sampling who were assigned into two experimental (n=31) and control (n=30) groups. The experimental group received 4 weekly sessions of an educational behavioral program in a health center in Ahvaz. The study participants completed General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) before the treatment as the pretest and four weeks after the treatment as the posttest. The study data were analyzed via chi square test, paired t- test and independent t-test and significant level of the statistical tests was set less than 0.05. Results: The findings of the present study showed that mean score of mental health in the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group in the post test (21.1± 3.9 vs. 30.1 ± 6.7). Moreover, the anxiety score (p=0.01), somatoform symptoms (p=0.01) and depression (p=0.02) were significantly better in the experimental group than  the control group in the post test, though the score of social dysfunction (p=0.16) did not demonstrate any improvements in this group. Conclusion: It is can be concluded that educational behavioral program, as a beneficial method of intervention, could be applied in order to improve the pregnant women’ mental health