Study of Association between Social Adjustment and Spiritual Health in Qom University of Medical Sciences Students

Background and Objectives: Admission to university is considered an opportunity to learn more and mentally grow further. At the same time, it is considered a stressor by some students and causes maladaptive reactions in them. This study was conducted to investigate the association between social adjustment and spiritual health in university students. Methods: Two hundred and fifty students were enrolled in this descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study according to random, systematic sampling. The used instruments were Bell Adjustment Inventory, consisting of 32 items, with 89% reliability coefficient and Paloutzian & Ellison Spiritual Well-Being Scale, consisting of 20 items, with validity and reliability of 79% and 82%, respectively. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and univariate and multivariate linear regression in SPSS 16. Results: Women comprised 50.2% of the participants. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 21.72 (5.02) and only 18.4% were married. Social adjustment was significantly correlated with total score of spiritual health and scores of the subscales religious health and existential health (P<0.001). Conclusion: Because social adjustment was moderate among Qom University of Medical Sciences students, and in the light of the association between spiritual health and social adjustment, group and individual counseling services can be delivered to students with low levels of social adjustment in universities to help them improve their social and spiritual health. Keywords

Investigation of Factors Affecting Musculoskeletal Disorders among Hospital Emergency Nurses of Qom University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Abstract Background and Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most common and costly occupational injuries, because they account for one-third of work-related injuries per year. In this study, the factors affecting musculoskeletal disorders, were investigated among hospital emergency nurses of Qom University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This study was performed as a descriptive cross-sectional study using census method on 127 nurses in the Emergency Department of hospitals affiliated to Qom University of Medical Sciences in 2014. The participants completed the Nordic musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using Mann-Whitney and the Chi-square Statistical tests. The significance level was considered to be 0.05. Results: In this study, 46 (36.2%) participants were men and the remaining were women. The mean age was 33.87&plusmn;8.892 and the mean work hours per week was 57.71&plusmn;17.675. The overall prevalence of musculoskeletal disorder was reported to be 82.7%, which had significant relationships with weight, interference with daily work, and pain per day (p0.05). Also, only 16 subjects had participated in ergonomics workshops and 118 subjects were aware of the occupational risks. Conclusion: According to the results of this study and high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among nurses, it is suggested that given the type of disorder, change in the way of job performance, adjustment of working hours, holding ergonomics workshops, and preventive measures be placed on the agenda. Keywords: Musculoskeletal disorder; Emergency nurses; Occupational injuries

Correlation among academic stress, academic burnout, and academic performance in nursing and paramedic students of Qom University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background and Objectives: Learning is a stressful experience of human life; reduced adaption to stressors causes academic burnout which is a reason for academic failure among students. This study investigated the correlation among academic stress, academic burnout, and academic performance in nursing and paramedic students of Qom University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 264 nursing and paramedic students were randomly selected. Demographic characteristics checklist, academic burnout questionnaire, and academic stress scale were used to gather data, and grade point average was considered to be the indicator of academic performance. Linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The level of significance was considered to be p<0.05. Results: The mean score for students' academic burnout was 28.52&plusmn;15.84. Univariate regression analysis showed that the students' employment, years of education, academic performance, and all academic stress subscales had a significant correlation with academic burnout. According to multivariate regression analysis, having a field of study-related occupation was a protective factor and academic stress a risk factor for academic burnout. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that a large proportion of students experienced academic burnout, and students with higher levels of stress experienced more severe academic burnout and had poorer performance. Therefore, training ways to cope with stress can cause reduction in academic burnout and improvement of performance

Mental Health and Job Burnout Among Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Personnel

Background: Work environment dictates physical, social and mental tensions each of which affect the staff&rsquo;s health. Likewise, pre-hospital emergency care staff, due to the special nature of their job, are exposed to the tensions of emergency situations which can affect their health. Therefore, this study was conducted to scrutinize the relationship between the job burnout and mental health in pre-hospital emergencies of Qom Province. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive sectional study, 150 employed personnel of Qom 115 Emergency Care entered the study using census method. Data were gathered using questionnaires of &ldquo;Background and Clinical Information&rdquo;, &ldquo;Mental Health&rdquo;, and &ldquo;Job Burnout&rdquo;, and then based on central indices, Pearson correlation test and multiple linear regression statistical tests were run through software SPSS13 and then analyzed. Results: The average age of the participants was 30.8&plusmn;5.8. The averages of the values of burnout and mental health were 69.43&plusmn;12.4 and 60&plusmn;14.1, respectively. According to Pearson correlation test, the values of the burnout and mental health have a significant negative correlation (r=-0.8). The results of multiple linear regression test showed that the correlation of the burnout and mental health considering the confounding variables is significant. (P=0.05) Conclusion: Pre-hospital employed personnel have desirable mental health and [low] burnout. Furthermore, improved mental health results in decreasing job burnout. Therefore, it is advisable to consider necessary facilities for caring for oneself