Sleep and Health: Role of Dopamine

Introduction: Sleep is an important part of people’s lives and proper sleep is a prerequisite for good health

Alcohol Use and Mental Health Status Among University Students in Greece

Alcohol abuse is a common incident in college student’s communities. The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the rates of alcohol use among university students in Greece and to search if there is a relation between alcohol use disorders and mental health status (depression, anxiety, stress)

Emotional Intelligence and Caring Behaviors of Mental Health Nurses in Greece

The purpose of this descriptive study of correlation of the synchronic type is to investigate the level of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Caring Behaviors exhibited by nurses in mental health, as well as the relationship with their individual characteristics

Quality of life among elderly population

Introduction: Quality of Life (QoL) among elderly is an important issue that reflects the status of well-being of this vulnerable population. Aim: This study aims to assess quality of life among elderly population and to examine possible correlations with associated demographic, social and health factors. Material and Method: A cross sectional study was conducted, in which 257 elderlies from Greece were participated. For the data collection the WHOQOL-BREF (30-items Greek version) questionnaire was used as well as a questionnaire with questions about demographic data, social & health factors. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, percentages and standard deviations have been utilized. Inferential statistics such as t-test and pearson r correlation have been used to determined correlations between relevant variables. Level of significance accepted is p < 0.05. Results: From the total 257 elderlies 55.6% (n=143) were women and 44.4% (n=114) were men with a mean age 75.12±8.39. The mean score of overall QoL is 14.14±2.87 and the mean of each factor of WHOQOL-BREF is 13.56±2.79 for physical health, 13.61±2.74 for mental health, 13.72±2.60 for social relationships and 13.70±1.96 for environment. Age, marital status, number of children, level of education, residence area, lifestyle, chronic diseases and serious illnesses are the factors that affects levels of QoL among Greek elderly population Conclusions: Results indicates that levels of QoL between elderly are moderate and many demographic, social and health factors are correlated with QoL status

A cross-sectional study for the impact of coping strategies on mental health disorders among psychiatric nurses

Several studies report that psychiatric nursing is a highly stressful occupation. The ways that nurses use in order to deal with stressful situations have a serious effect on their psychological mood and their health status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the coping strategies in predicting of depression and anxiety among mental health nurses working in public psychiatric hospitals. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Athens, Greece from April to May 2017. A questionnaire consisting of the socio-demographic and work-related characteristics, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, and the 38-items Ways of Coping Questionnaire - Greek version, was completed by a total of 110 mental health nurses. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the logistic regression model. Coping strategies focused on the problem (positive re-evaluation, positive approach, problem solving, and seeking social support) were the most commonly used by the mental health nurses. Strategies focused on emotion (prayer/daydream, prayer, avoidance/escape, resignation, and denial) were positively associated with depression and anxiety outcomes. Also, the coping skills of problem solving (Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR=0.402), and seeking social support (AOR=3.719) were significant predictors only for elevated anxiety symptoms. The results from the study demonstrated the importance of coping behaviours in mental health problems of psychiatric nurses

Greek Nurses' Perception of Hospital Ethical Climate: A Cross-Sectional Study

The present study aimed to examine Greek nurses’ perceptions about hospital ethical climate and to investigate the possible difference of those perceptions regarding their demographic and work-related characteristics. The cross-sectional study design was employed in this study in which 286 nurses and nurse assistants participated. Data were collected by a sheet containing demographic and work-related characteristics and the Greek version of Oslons’ Hospital Ethical Climate Scale. IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences 25 was used in data analysis. Frequencies, means, percentages, and standard deviations summarized the data. For the statistical differences, parametric tests were performed. Independent Samples t and Pearson correlation analysis were used to determine the relationship between the ethical climate of the hospital and the nurses’ characteristics. The p-values 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The mean age of the nurses was 44 years (SD: 8.5 years; range 24–66 years). The majority of them were women (77.3%). A percent of 57.7% of the sample was married. Most positive perceptions were concerning managers (4.01) following by peers (3.82), patients (3.69), hospital (3.29) while the least positive perceptions of the ethical climate were concerning the physicians (3.16). The factors associated with hospital ethical perception were: working experience and responsible position. The highest score of ethical climate reported to Managers subscale, while the minimum score was related to Physicians. In general, Greek nurses reported positive perceptions regarding hospital ethical climate. The positive ethical climate is associated with a better working environment, fewer nurses’ experience of moral distress, fewer chances for nursing turnover, high quality of nursing care, and fewer errors in nursing practice

Determinants of undergraduate performance

Object of this study was the descriptive relation of students’ academic performance in the University of Athens Nursing School with their characteristics (acquired, environmental, behavioral). The outcome (dependent variable) was the degree’s grade which is the weighted average of the grades obtained at every course. The determinants of outcome (independent variables) were several demographic (gender, height, body mass index, place of residence etc), socioeconomic (parents’ education and occupation etc) and academic (mode of admission to the university, duration of studies, knowledge of foreign language etc) characteristics. The study population consisted of 110 Nursing School graduates from June 1997 to September 2000. This population derived from 112 students during two academic years of admission to the Faculty (1993/94 and 1994/95), who were followed for seven years from the enrolment date to the university. The empirical data was gathered from the Nursing School records as well as from a questionnaire distributed to the students. Analysis of data was performed using the SPSS statistical package. The model of simple and multiple linear regression was used with the method of stepwise backward elimination. The following results of multivariate analysis were obtained: 1. A statistically significant association between gender and degree’s grade was found (p=0,019). The academic performance of female students was comparatively superior to that of male students (β= -0,24 with 95% CI from -0,44 to -0,04). 2. A statistically significant association between years of residence in urban areas and degree’s grade was found (p=0,041). The academic performance of students who had resided 18 years in urban areas was superior as compared to that of students who had resided fewer years (β=-0,17 with 95% CI from -0,34 to -0,01). 3. The number of foreign languages was positively associated with the degree’s grade (β= +0,26 with 95% CI from +0,11 to +0,40). 4. The duration of studies (years) was negatively associated with the degree’s grade (β= -0,62 with 95% CI from -0,81 to -0,43). 5. The grade of high school certificate was positively associated with the degree’s grade (β= +0,11 with 95% CI from +0,03 to +0,19). The above mentioned independent variables explain the 55,2% of the dependent variable’s (degree’s grade) variability.Αντικείμενο της παρούσας μελέτης ήταν η περιγραφική σχέση της ακαδημαϊκής επίδοσης των φοιτητών του Τμήματος Νοσηλευτικής του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών από τα χαρακτηριστικά τους (επίκτητα, περιβαλλοντικά, συμπεριφοράς). Η έκβαση (εξαρτημένη μεταβλητή) της μελετώμενης σχέσης ήταν ο βαθμός του πτυχίου που είναι ο σταθμισμένος μέσος όρος της βαθμολογίας όλων των μαθημάτων. Οι προσδιοριστές της έκβασης (ανεξάρτητες μεταβλητές) ήταν διάφορα δημογραφικά (φύλο, ανάστημα, δείκτης μάζας σώματος, τόπος κατοικίας κ.α.), κοινωνικοοικονομικά (εκπαίδευση γονέων, επάγγελμα γονέων κ.α.) και ακαδημαϊκά (τρόπος εισαγωγής στο πανεπιστήμιο, διάρκεια σπουδών, γνώση ξένων γλωσσών κ.α.) χαρακτηριστικά. Το μελετώμενο πληθυσμό αποτέλεσαν 110 πτυχιούχοι του Τμήματος Νοσηλευτικής από τον Ιούνιο του 1997 έως τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2000. Ο πληθυσμός αυτός προήλθε από 112 φοιτητές, δύο ακαδημαϊκών ετών εισαγωγής στο Τμήμα (1993/94 και 1994/95), οι οποίοι παρακολουθήθηκαν για επτά έτη από την ημερομηνία της εγγραφής τους στο πανεπιστήμιο. Το εμπειρικό υλικό προήλθε από το αρχείο του Τμήματος και από ένα επιδημιολογικό δελτίο στο οποίο οι φοιτητές κλήθηκαν να απαντήσουν. Η ανάλυση των δεδομένων έγινε με το στατιστικό πακέτο SPSS. Εφαρμόστηκε το υπόδειγμα της απλής και πολλαπλής γραμμικής παλινδρόμησης με τη μέθοδο της διαδοχικής αφαίρεσης των μεταβλητών. Τα αποτελέσματα από την πολυμεταβλητή ανάλυση συνοψίζονται ως κάτωθι: 1. Το φύλο σχετίζονταν στατιστικά σημαντικά με το βαθμό του πτυχίου (p=0,019). Η ακαδημαϊκή επίδοση των φοιτητριών υπερείχε συγκριτικά με την αντίστοιχη επίδοση των φοιτητών (β= -0,24 με 95% ΔΕ από -0,44 έως -0,04). 2. Τα έτη διαμονής σε αστικό περιβάλλον σχετίζονταν στατιστικά σημαντικά με το βαθμό του πτυχίου (p=0,041). Οι φοιτητές που διέμειναν 18 έτη σε αστικές περιοχές είχαν υψηλότερη ακαδημαϊκή επίδοση σε σύγκριση με αυτούς που διέμειναν λιγότερα έτη (β= -0,17 με 95% ΔΕ από -0,34 έως -0,01). 3. Ο αριθμός των ξένων γλωσσών σχετίζονταν θετικά με το βαθμό του πτυχίου (β= +0,26 με 95% ΔΕ από +0,11 έως +0,40). 4. Η διάρκεια των σπουδών (έτη) σχετίζονταν αρνητικά με το βαθμό του πτυχίου (β= -0,62 με 95% ΔΕ από -0,81 έως -0,43). 5. Ο βαθμός απολυτηρίου του λυκείου σχετίζονταν θετικά με το βαθμό του πτυχίου (β= +0,11 με 95% ΔΕ από +0,03 έως +0,19). 6. Οι αναφερόμενες ανεξάρτητες μεταβλητές ερμηνεύουν το 55,2% της μεταβλητότητας της εξαρτημένης μεταβλητής, δηλαδή του βαθμού πτυχίου