Self-care and its association with anxiety among undergraduate nursing students during Covid-19 pandemic

TITLE: SELF-CARE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH ANXIETY AMONG UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC 1Nurasikin Mohamad Shariff , 2Wan Aisyah Nasuha Wan Mohamed Tarmizi, 3Nurul Sima Mohamad Shariff 1 Dr., Kulliyyah (Faculty) of Nursing, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia, [email protected] 2 Ms. Kulliyyah (Faculty) of Nursing, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia, [email protected] 3 Dr., Faculty of Science of Technology, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Malaysia, [email protected] *Corresponding Author: Nurasikin Mohamad Shariff Abstract Introduction: Anxiety is one of the rising mental health issues the university students during COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, nursing students as the future healthcare front-liners are expected to perform a good self-care in order to deliver quality care to patients. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine the level of self-care and its association with anxiety level among undergraduate nursing students. Methodology and methods: This cross-sectional study which employed convenience sampling, had recruited 201 undergraduate nursing students from one public university in the East Coast region in Malaysia. Data collection was undertaken during the pandemic Covid-19 between December 2020 to January 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 3 parts; Socio-demographic, Self-care assessment worksheet (SCAW) and Burns Anxiety Inventory. Descriptive statistic, correlational analysis and multiple linear regression were performed to answer the research aim. Result: The range of anxiety level among the nursing students were from no anxiety to severe anxiety or panic, with Year 1 nursing students (n=46, 22.9%) tend to have higher anxiety level as compared to their seniors (p<0.05). In this study, respondents who stated of having a fairly satisfied with nursing program (n=24, 11.9%) had higher level of anxiety (p<0.05). Respondents who engaged in higher level of physical care throughout the semester was accompanied with lower anxiety level (bb =-0.85, CI=-1.328, -0.372, p<0.05). Conclusion: Overall, this study concludes that self-care engagement in particular the physical care is important for the mental health and should be promoted among the young generation and community especially during COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: anxiety, COVID-19, nursing students, self-care, undergraduat

Impact, effectiveness and satisfaction of online learning among undergraduate students during the Covid-19 pandemic

Introduction: Physical distancing measures to safeguard against airborne virus transmission during the Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the need for online teaching and learning methods as alternatives to conventional face-to-face classrooms. While online learning has become commonplace in developed countries prior to the pandemic, local institutions of higher learning while less ubiquitous, were in fact gaining momentum towards adopting more online teaching and learningmethods. Curb measures implemented by the local authorities during the pandemic had inadvertently left educators with little choice but to adopt online learning to continue engaging their students in learning. Objective: To determine the impact, effectiveness, and level of satisfaction of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic among university students. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study with convenience sampling study was conducted among 349 students in one of a public university in Malaysia. Data was gathered using an online questionnaire that was disseminated to students via Google Form. The data was analysed with SPSS version 24 using descriptive statistics, Independent T-test and One-Way Anova. Results: Majority of the respondents felt that online learning did not affect their study and learning performance. They also felt satisfied with the usage of online learning during Covid-19 pandemic. There were no significant association between gender, age, year of study, university program, living in or out campus and experience of online learning before lockdown with the satisfaction level (p>0.05). Conclusion: Online learning does not impact the students’ academic performance during the Covid19 pandemic. Students also reported that online learning is suitable, effective, and they felt satisfied with the usage of online learning. Therefore, online learning could be considered as a useful and practical tool for teaching and learning delivery during Covid-19 among undergraduate university students

Water retention properties of a fused deposition modeling based 3D printed polylactic acid vessel

The applications of fused deposition modelling (FDM) based 3D printing have gone beyond merely simple prototypes to where functionalities are expected. One of such functionalities is the water retention properties, especially for fluid handling products, either completely waterproof or deliberately porous. Issues arise especially in determining crucial parameters and their optimization to achieve the desired water retention properties. This study established the relationship among printing parameters (layer thickness and wall thickness) and water temperature with leakage flow rate. A series of 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) vessels were fabricated at various layer height and wall thickness. Then, the volumetric loss of water at various temperatures was measured, elapsed time was recorded, and the leakage flow rate was calculated for each 3D printed vessel. It has been found that the leakage flow rate decreased when layer height decreased, wall thickness increased, and water temperature decreased. Based on multilinear regression analysis, the magnitude of influence for the layer height was the highest, which could reach at a point where variation in wall thickness and water temperature had no effect. A regression model having 81.27% fitness that provided a quantitative relationship among all parameters had also been obtained. ANOVA analysis revealed that all parameters were statistically significant in optimizing as well as predicting the value of the leakage flow rate

Identifying conservation priorities for an understudied species in decline: Golden cats (Catopuma temminckii) in mainland Tropical Asia

Abstract Identifying conservation priorities for an understudied species can be challenging, as the amount and type of data available to work with are often limited. Here, we demonstrate a flexible workflow for identifying priorities for such data-limited species, focusing on the little-studied Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) in mainland Tropical Asia. Using recent occurrence records, we modeled the golden cat's expected area of occurrence and identified remaining habitat strongholds (i.e., large intact areas with moderate-to-high expected occurrence). We then classified these strongholds by recent camera-trap survey status (from a literature review) and near-future threat status (based on publicly available forest loss projections and Bayesian Belief Network derived estimates of hunting-induced extirpation risk) to identify conservation priorities. Finally, we projected the species' expected area of occurrence in the year 2000, approximately three generations prior to today, to define past declines and better evaluate the species' current conservation status. Lower levels of hunting-induced extirpation risk and higher levels of closed-canopy forest cover were the strongest predictors of recent camera-trap records. Our projections suggest a 68% decline in area with moderate-to-high expected occurrence between 2000 and 2020, with a further 18% decline predicted over the next 20 years. Past and near-future declines were primarily driven by cumulatively increasing levels of hunting-induced extirpation risk, suggesting assessments of conservation status based solely on declines in habitat may underestimate actual population declines. Of the 40 remaining habitat strongholds, 77.5% were seriously threatened by forest loss and hunting. Only 52% of threatened strongholds had at least one site surveyed, compared to 100% of low-to-moderate threat strongholds, thus highlighting an important knowledge gap concerning the species' current distribution and population status. Our results suggest the golden cat has experienced, and will likely continue to experience, considerable population declines and should be considered for up-listing to a threatened category (i.e., VU/EN) under criteria A2c of the IUCN Red List

Factors associated with anxiety and its self-care measures among nursing students during the Covid-19 pandemic

Introduction: One of the rising mental health issues among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic is anxiety. As future healthcare front-liners, nursing students are expected to perform good self-care to deliver quality care to patients. The purpose of the present study is to examine the factors associated with anxiety and its’ self-care measures among nursing students. Methods: The study recruited over 200 students in the East Coast region of Ma- laysia and the online survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between December 2020 and January 2021. The questions were in 3 parts: Socio-demographic, Self-care assessment worksheet (SCAW), and Burns Anx- iety Inventory. Descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and multiple linear regression were used to answer the research aim. Results: The range of anxiety levels among the nursing students was from no anxiety (7.5%) to severe anxiety or panic (28.9%, 17.9%). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed two predictors associated with higher level of anxiety were the first-year nursing students (bb =10.90, CI=4.49, 17.30), and respondents who stated hav- ing fairly satisfied with the nursing program (bb =13.50, CI=5.10, 21.90). Among the self-care components, result revealed that higher levels of physical care throughout the semester predicted lower anxiety (bb =-0.85, CI=-1.328, -0.372, p<0.05). Conclusion: The study’s overall finding is that nursing students’ participation in self-care, partic- ularly physical care, may help to lessen anxiety. Our findings are significant because self-care can complement psychiatric interventions for people with high levels of anxiety and is a significant contributor to mental well-being. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences (2023) 19(5):45-50. doi:10.47836/mjmhs19.5.

Religiosity level and perceived social support for the psychological wellbeing of Muslim undergraduate nursing students: Tahap keagamaan dan persepsi terhadap sokongan sosial untuk kesejahteraan psikologi pelajar Muslim dalam bidang sarjana muda kejururawatan

&nbsp; &nbsp;Nursing students are exposed to various difficulties, such as the need to meet academic and clinical expectations, distance from home, and financial constraints. In doing so, they may encounter unpleasant events that might affect their mental health. Mental wellbeing can be enhanced through religion and social support. In this study, the mental health, perceived social support, and religiosity of undergraduate nursing students were evaluated, and any correlations between these aspects were assessed. A cross-sectional study involving socio-demographic data, DASS-21 items, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and a self-rated religiosity scale was conducted among 255 Muslim undergraduate nursing students at a public Islamic university. The result showed that the nursing students had moderate levels of psychological wellbeing (Mean=23.41, SD=+/- 14.352), 83.0% of the students were very religious and sensed a high level of social support, while they had moderate levels of psychological wellbeing (Mean=23.41, SD=+/- 14.352). Levels of religiosity and perceived social support had a significant inverse relationship with the total DASS-21 (rs=0.195, p0.05; rs=0.248, p&lt;0.05). This study demonstrates how protective characteristics - including religiosity, being a third-year student, and perceived parental support can affect mental health. This research may be expanded in future to investigate more protective factors for the population of interest because of the constraints of using a single study setting, the Islamic university

Assessment of food insecurity and nutritional outcomes in Bachok, Kelantan

Aim: This study is to examine the association between food insecurity and nutritional outcomes among children and adults and its impact on the quality of life of the mother in rural sample in Bachok-Kelantan. Method: A cross-sectional survey of low income households was conducted and 223 households of mothers aged 18-55 years old, non-lactating, non-pregnant mother and having at least one child in 2-12 years range were purposively selected. A questionnaire was administered including the Radimer/Cornell scale; items on sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements and quality of life tool (SF36). Results: The study reported that 16.1% of the households were food secure, while 83.9% experienced some kind of food insecurity, (29.6% households were food insecure, 19.3% individuals were food insecure and 35.0% fell into the child hunger category). The prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting among the food insecure children were 61.0%, 61.4% and 30.6% respectively, and the prevalence of weight-for-height (overweight) was 1.3%. Based on multinomial logistic regression, larger household size (OR=1.776; 95%C.I, 1.35, 2.32; p<0.001), number of children in the household ( OR=1.20; 95%CI,1.025, 1.42; p=0.024), total monthly income (OR=0.977; 95% CI, 0.995, 0.998; p<0.001), income per capita (OR=0.98; 95% CI, 0.97, 0.98; p<0.001) and food expenditure (OR=0.977; 95% CI, 0.99, 1.00; p=0.049) were found to be significant risk factors for household food insecurity. This study showed there was an association between food insecurity and Diet Dietary score and dietary pattern. Furthermore, food insecure households had lower intake of animal protein, fruits and vegetables compared to their counterparts in the food secure group. The findings of the study reveal that the children in the food insecure were 2.15 times more likely to be underweight and 3 times more likely to be stunted than the children in the food secure households, while no association with wasting was reported. Although, the study reported higher prevalence of overweight and obese mothers (52%) and (47.1%) at-risk WC (≥80 cm), no significant association has been found between food insecurity, BMI and waist circumferences. The score for all the eight domains of quality of life were negatively associated with food insecurity. Conclusion: Our study showed that food insecurity in low income households from Bachok´ is highly prevalent and associated with poor living conditions and it highlighted the pervasive vulnerability of individuals living in food insecure households. In addition to nutritional problems, food insecure households in Bachok- Kelantan struggle with a broad spectrum of health- related problems

Clinical placement among Malaysian nursing students: what are their challenges?

Introduction: Nursing is a theory-practice course that requires high-quality and effective clinical education experi- ences. Clinical placement is one of the most important parts of nursing education; that can be challenging, stressful, and causes unpredictable changes. However, studies describing the challenges during clinical placement faced by nursing students are scarce. This study aimed to explore the challenges of Malaysian nursing students during a clini- cal placement at hospitals. Methods: A phenomenology qualitative study was conducted among nursing students at a public university in Malaysia. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data from October 2020 until No- vember 2020. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Five themes emerged from this study: 1) attitude of the nurse, 2) patient’s distrust, 3) student’s issues, 4) learning environment, and 5) theory-practice gaps. Conclusion: This study revealed that nursing students face many challenges during their clinical postings. Therefore, various methods could be applied to increase the quality of practical sessions. Additionally, further research is needed to assess the coping strategies used by nursing students in dealing with the challenges during their clinical placement and the effectiveness of the interventions taken by the authority in helping the students

Poly(caprolactone)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-based polymeric micelles as drug carriers for efficient breast cancer therapy: a systematic review.

Recently, drug delivery systems based on nanoparticles for cancer treatment have become the centre of attention for researchers to design and fabricate drug carriers for anti-cancer drugs due to the lack of tumour-targeting activity in conventional pharmaceuticals. Poly(caprolactone)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PCL-PEG)-based micelles have attracted significant attention as a potential drug carrier intended for human use. Since their first discovery, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved polymers have been studied extensively for various biomedical applications, specifically cancer therapy. The application of PCL-PEG micelles in different cancer therapies has been recorded in countless research studies for their efficacy as drug cargos. However, systematic studies on the effectiveness of PCL-PEG micelles of specific cancers for pharmaceutical applications are still lacking. As breast cancer is reported as the most prevalent cancer worldwide, we aim to systematically review all available literature that has published research findings on the PCL-PEG-based micelles as drug cargo for therapy. We further discussed the preparation method and the anti-tumour efficacy of the micelles. Using a prearranged search string, Scopus and Science Direct were selected as the databases for the systematic searching strategy. Only eight of the 314 articles met the inclusion requirements and were used for data synthesis. From the review, all studies reported the efficiency of PCL-PEG-based micelles, which act as drug cargo for breast cancer therapy

The effect of impregnation of activated carbon with SnCl2.2H2O on its porosity, surface composition and CO gas adsorption

Activated carbon was impregnated with different concentrations of SnCl .2H O. Unimpregnated and impregnated 2 2 activated carbons were analysed by means of physical adsorption and XPS and were tested for CO gas adsorption in a PSA system. The adsorption isotherms of N at 77 K were measured and showed a Type I isotherm indicating microporous 2 carbon for all the samples. The surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution were reduced with impregnation. XPS analysis showed an increase in the intensity of Sn3d peak with impregnation. The impregnated activated carbon showed a very good adsorption ability of CO gas compared to the unimpregnated sample. The adsorptive species responsible for CO gas adsorption was confirmed to be SnO instead of SnO due to the former’s comparative thermodynamic stability. 2 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved