Investigation of Academic Procrastination and its Dimensions and its Relationship with Academic Performance among Students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background & Objective: Procrastination is often described as a deliberate and irrational delay. It is prevalent among students all over the world. The aim of this was study to determine the prevalence of academic procrastination among the students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in the academic year 2014-2015 and its correlation with academic performance. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried on 150 medical, nursing, and midwifery students living in the dormitory of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The subjects were selected through non-probability sampling. The data collection tool used was the Academic Procrastination Scale (APS) designed by Solomon and Rothblum. The total reliability of the PAS and the reliability of its subscales were determined using Cronbach’s alpha (range: 0.41-0.78). The data were analyzed using chi-square test and multiple regression analysis. Results: According to the results, the prevalence of procrastination and its dimensions were 35.3%, 28.0%, 30.7%, and 31.3%, respectively. The chi-square test also showed that procrastination in assignments, articles and essays preparation, and the total score of procrastination had a meaningful negative correlation with the academic performance of the nursing and obstetric students (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the total score of procrastination and its dimensions had significant negative correlation with the academic performance of the whole sample (P < 0.01). The stepwise multiple regression reveald analysis that the total score of procrastination was the best factor for predicting academic performance. Conclusion: The present study results indicated procrastination as the most common cause of reduction of academic performance among students. Therefore, complementary studies are needed to investigate the causes of academic procrastination. Key Words: Prevalence, Academic procrastination, Academic performanc

The Effect of Stress Inoculation Training on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy and Perceived Stress of Mothers With Low Birth Weight Infants: A Clinical Trial

Objective: Mothers with low birth weight infants experience more stress, which results in reduced breastfeeding self-efficacy and exclusive breastfeeding; In this regard, stress Inoculation Training (SIT) is one of the effective ways for inoculation against stress and psychological distress; Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of SIT on breastfeeding self-efficacy and perceived stress of mothers with low birth weight infants. Materials and methods: This clinical trial study was conducted from October to December 2017 on 100 mothers with low birth weight infants; the infants had been hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Kermanshah, Iran. The eligible mothers were randomly divided into two groups, i.e., intervention (n = 50) and control (n = 50) groups. Results: The mean score of breastfeeding self-efficacy, before SIT (33.82 ± 8.92) compared to after SIT (42.02 ± 8.83), significantly increased (p 0.05). The mean score of perceived stress was significantly reduced after SIT (26.29 ± 6.49) compared to values before SIT (31.25 ± 5.82) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The present study showed that on the one hand, SIT can effectively increase the breastfeeding self-efficacy in mothers with low birth weight infants; on the other hand, it can reduce their perceived stress. Therefore, the need for holding in-service training courses is felt in order to train the caregiving personnel, especially nurses, in applying the SIT technique

The effects of stress-coping strategies and life skills trainings on the mental health and academic progress of adolescent cancer patients: A quasi-experimental study

Background: Cancer is a serious illness which can cause significant complications such as mental disorders. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of stress-coping strategies (SCS) and life skills (LS) trainings on mental health and academic progress among adolescent cancer patients. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 120 Iranian adolescent cancer patients. Participants were randomly allocated to a control (n = 60) and an experimental group (n = 60). A demographic questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire were used to collect data on adolescents' mental health and grade point average (GPA) both before and after study intervention. A SCS and an LS training programs were held for the adolescents in the experimental group. However, adolescents in the control group received no training about the strategies and skills. The Chi-square, the Fisher's exact, as well as the independent- and the paired-sample t-tests were used for data analysis. Results: In the experimental group, the mean scores of the somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, depression, and social dysfunction subscales of mental health were 8.91 ± 6.17, 10.33 ± 5.43, 15.33 ± 7.34, and 16.23 ± 3.61 at baseline and significantly decreased to 4.71 ± 2.51, 6.61 ± 2.62, 11.05 ± 2.84, and 12.31 ± 5.45, respectively (P P P > 0.05). Conclusion: SCS and LS trainings can promote mental health and academic achievement among adolescent cancer patients

Evaluating the adoption of evidence-based practice using Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory: a model testing study

Background: Despite the emergence and development of evidence-based practice (EBP) in recent years, its adoption continues to be limited. This study used Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory to identify the factors that advance EBP adoption, determine the process by which such adoption occurs, and develop an EBP adoption model.Methods: This descriptive correlational study with model testing design conducted in 2015.Data were collected from 482 individuals (322 nurses and 160 nursing students) applying a demographic information questionnaire, a standard scale for the perception EBP attributes, an EBP scale, and an individual innovation inventory. The relationships between variables we reexamined by path analysis.Results: The results showed that EBP adoption had a significant positive relationship with individual innovation (r = 0.578, P < 0.001), knowledge (r = 0.657, P < 0.001), attitude (r = 0.623,P < 0.001), and age (r = 0.357, P < 0.001). The findings of path analysis indicated that the goodness of fit indices such as goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.999, comparative fit index (CFI)= 0.999, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.036 were in the ideal ranges.Knowledge (total effect=0.309, P < 0.001), attitude (total effect = 0.372, P = 0.002), and work experience (total effect=0.321, P = 0.003) had the highest coefficient in the model.Conclusion: The results suggested that EBP adoption was influenced by various factors, such as individual innovation, attitude, knowledge, and the perception of EBP attributes. Among these factors, attitude had the greatest effect on EBP adoption. The findings can serve as a guide for the identification of factors that effectively influence EBP adoption. They can also be used as bases for the design of training programs intended to enhance the adoption of EBP

Academic Satisfaction Level and Academic Achievement among Students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences: Academic Year 2015-2016

Background: Academic satisfaction is considered one of the most important factors affecting academic achievement among students. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between academic satisfaction and academic achievement among students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted with 346 student participants using stratified random sampling. The research instrument included the Student Academic Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Academic Performance Rating Scale, and student grade point average (GPA). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. A 0.05 significance level was used for statistical tests. Results: The mean score of academic satisfaction among students was 50.7 ± 9.8 and the academic satisfaction level was moderate in 46.2% of the students. Comparing the academic satisfaction level in different fields of study, students in health (58.5%), nursing (67.5%), and paramedics (51.1%) reported a moderate satisfaction level and students in midwifery (84.2%), pharmacology (53.5%), medicine (69.3%), and dentistry (55.5%) recorded a high satisfaction level (P < 0.05). There was also a significant and positive correlation between academic satisfaction and academic achievement (P = 0.001, r = 0.02). Conclusion: Academic satisfaction among the 46.2% students that reported a moderate level was far from the ideal level. The relationship between academic satisfaction and academic achievement also indicated that creating motivation among students and increasing their levels of satisfaction could provide the grounds for academic achievement among them as much as possible