Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 107 in total

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  1. The role of historical Persian gardens on the health status of contemporary urban residents: gardens and health status of contemporary urban residents
    Rostami R, Lamit H, Khoshnava SM, Rostami R
    Ecohealth, 2014 Sep;11(3):308-21.
    PMID: 24859923 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-014-0939-6
    The inherent economic and social challenges in major cities have been known to foster stress among the urban population. Frequent stress over long periods may well have serious damaging outcomes, resulting in ailments such as burnout syndrome, sleeplessness and exhaustion, depression, feelings of panic, among others. Therefore, providing access to resources that may enable people to cope with the stress of urban life has become a crucial phenomenon in the twentieth century. Increasing empirical evidence indicates that the presence of natural areas can contribute to enhancing the quality of life in many ways. This study examines two historical Persian gardens from the residents' perspective in well-known, historic cities of Iran: Isfahan and Kerman. The data were collected through questionnaires (n = 252), semi-structured interviews (n = 20), and visual observation techniques. The findings demonstrate that nature, diversity and the gardens' historical background, and coherence motivate the residents' frequent visits to the gardens, which help to address their social, psychological, and physical needs. In addition, the residents' involvements and the variety of experiences that occur in the gardens lead to the creation of deeper meanings and values associated with the gardens. Subsequently, these construct functional and emotional attachment that evokes a sense of place and identity and may contribute to society's health and well-being.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  2. Cross-bite and oral health related quality of life in young people
    Masood M, Masood Y, Newton T
    J Dent, 2014 Mar;42(3):249-55.
    PMID: 24373852 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2013.12.004
    This study sought to assess the impact of posterior cross-bite on OHRQoL in young people aged 15-25 and to determine whether the impact on higher domains of Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (physical disability, psychological disability, social disability and handicap) is a direct function of the cross-bite or mediated through the lower domains of OHIP-14 (functional limitation, pain and discomfort).
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  3. Fulltext Mood and memory function in ovariectomised rats exposed to social instability stress
    Al-Rahbi B, Zakaria R, Othman Z, Hassan A, Muthuraju S, Wan Mohammad WM
    Biomed Res Int, 2013;2013:493643.
    PMID: 23841073 DOI: 10.1155/2013/493643
    This study aims to compare the effects of social instability stress on memory and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour between sham-operated controls and ovariectomised (OVX) rats. Forty adult female Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups, (n = 10 per group). These were non-stressed sham-operated control rats, stressed sham-operated control rats, non-stressed OVX rats, and stressed OVX rats. The rats were subjected to social instability stress procedure for 15 days. Novel object recognition, open field, and forced swim tests were conducted after the stress procedure. Serum estradiol, ACTH and corticosterone levels were measured using commercially available ELISA kits. Lower serum estradiol level and uterine weight with higher weight gain were observed in OVX rats compared to sham-operated controls. Serum ACTH, and corticosterone levels were higher in stressed compared to non-stressed groups. Memory deficit and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour were significantly increased in stressed compared to non-stressed OVX rats but these changes were not seen in sham-operated controls. These results suggest that the high circulating corticosterone acts synergistically with low circulating estradiol to exert negative effects on mood and memory function.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  4. Fulltext A longitudinal study of relationships between previous academic achievement, emotional intelligence and personality traits with psychological health of medical students during stressful periods
    Yusoff MS, Esa AR, Mat Pa MN, Mey SC, Aziz RA, Abdul Rahim AF
    Educ Health (Abingdon), 2013 Jan-Apr;26(1):39-47.
    PMID: 23823672 DOI: 10.4103/1357-6283.112800
    CONTEXT: There is considerable evidence that emotional intelligence, previous academic achievement (i.e. cumulative grade point average (GPA)) and personality are associated with success in various occupational settings. This study evaluated the relationships of these variables with psychological health of first year medical students during stressful periods.
    METHODS: A 1-year prospective study was done with students accepted into the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Information on emotional intelligence, GPA and personality traits were obtained prior to admission. The validated Universiti Sains Malaysia Emotional Quotient Inventory and Universiti Sains Malaysia Personality Inventory were used to measure emotional intelligence and personality traits, respectively. Stress, anxiety and depression were measured by the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale during the end-of-course (time 1) and final (time 2) examinations.
    RESULTS: At the less stressful period (time 1), stress level was associated with agreeableness and the final GPA, anxiety level was associated with emotional control and emotional conscientiousness and depression level was associated with the final GPA and extraversion. At the more stressful period (time 2), neuroticism associated with stress level, anxiety level was associated with neuroticism and emotional expression, and depression level was associated with neuroticism.
    CONCLUSIONS: This study found that neuroticism was the strongest associated factor of psychological health of medical students during their most stressful testing period. Various personality traits, emotional intelligence and previous academic performance were associated factors of psychological health during a less stressful period. These data suggest that early identification of medical students who are vulnerable to the stressful environment of medical schools might help them maintain psychological well-being during medical training.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  5. Life events and stress: do older men and women in Malaysia cope differently as consumers?
    Ong FS, Phillips DR, Chai ST
    J Cross Cult Gerontol, 2013 Jun;28(2):195-210.
    PMID: 23652824 DOI: 10.1007/s10823-013-9190-9
    The study of major life events and their effects on well-being has considerable relevance for scientific disciplines and policy making in understanding the consumer behaviour of older people. There is evidence of differences in reactions to and coping with stress between males and females but relatively little knowledge about such gender differences amongst older people, especially in middle-income countries. This study of older Malaysians looked at both coping strategies and gender differences in reactions to stress when people are confronted with certain life events. Seventeen major life events were used in interviews with 645 respondents aged 50 years or older in five major urban areas in Peninsular Malaysia. The analysis showed older women tended to experience higher levels of chronic stress than older men. They also had more health problems, had lower levels of self-esteem and were less satisfied with life. Whilst the results showed little support for gender differences in coping behaviours, stress had a significant influence on the way older men and women change store preferences. A hypothesis that older women would use more emotion-focused coping strategies was not supported. Knowledge of how older Malaysians cope with life events and stress and especially in this instance with regard to consumption behaviour, is likely to be of considerable academic and policy related interest.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  6. Visualizing disaster attitudes resulting from terrorist activities
    Khalid HM, Helander MG, Hood NA
    Appl Ergon, 2013 Sep;44(5):671-9.
    PMID: 22944486 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2012.06.005
    The purpose of this study was to analyze people's attitudes to disasters by investigating how people feel, behave and think during disasters. We focused on disasters induced by humans, such as terrorist attacks. Two types of textual information were collected - from Internet blogs and from research papers. The analysis enabled forecasting of attitudes for the design of proactive disaster advisory scheme. Text was analyzed using a text mining tool, Leximancer. The outcome of this analysis revealed core themes and concepts in the text concerning people's attitudes. The themes and concepts were sorted into three broad categories: Affect, Behaviour, and Cognition (ABC), and the data was visualized in semantic maps. The maps reveal several knowledge pathways of ABC for developing attitudinal ontologies, which describe the relations between affect, behaviour and cognition, and the sequence in which they develop. Clearly, terrorist attacks induced trauma and people became highly vulnerable.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  7. Religiousness, religious coping methods and distress level among psychiatric patients in Malaysia
    Nurasikin MS, Khatijah LA, Aini A, Ramli M, Aida SA, Zainal NZ, et al.
    Int J Soc Psychiatry, 2013 Jun;59(4):332-8.
    PMID: 22408116 DOI: 10.1177/0020764012437127
    Patients having psychiatric diagnoses often experience high level of distress. Religiousness is often used by them as part of their coping mechanism and problem-solving strategies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  8. Direct and indirect effects of sociocultural influences on disordered eating among Malaysian male and female university students. A mediation analysis of psychological distress
    Gan WY, Mohd Nasir MT, Zalilah MS, Hazizi AS
    Appetite, 2011 Jun;56(3):778-83.
    PMID: 21435366 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.03.005
    This study aimed to examine the role of psychological distress in the relationships between sociocultural influences (social pressure to be thin and weight teasing) and disordered eating. Data were collected from 584 university students (59.4% females and 40.6% males), aged 18-24 years old (M=20.6, SD=1.4), selected from four universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Participants completed four standardized questionnaires which measured social pressure to be thin, weight-related teasing, psychological distress and disordered eating. A good fit structural equation modeling (SEM) model was developed for both sexes. For males, the SEM model revealed that sociocultural influences showed an indirect effect on disordered eating through psychological distress. For females, the model showed an indirect effect of sociocultural influences on disordered eating through psychological distress, as well as a direct effect of sociocultural influences on disordered eating. In conclusion, psychological distress mediated the relationships between sociocultural influences and disordered eating in both males and females. Our results suggest that disordered eating intervention programs on reducing psychological distress in university students may be beneficial.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  9. Fulltext Emotional intelligence and perceived stress in dental undergraduates: a multinational survey
    Pau A, Rowland ML, Naidoo S, AbdulKadir R, Makrynika E, Moraru R, et al.
    J Dent Educ, 2007 Feb;71(2):197-204.
    PMID: 17314380
    This multinational survey investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived stress (PS) in seven countries. First-year dental undergraduates attending a dental school in England, Greece, Romania, South Africa, Australia, and the United States and three schools in Malaysia were invited to complete a set of questionnaires on age, gender, academic background, satisfaction with career choice, EI, and PS. Of 860 questionnaires distributed, 596 were fully completed--a response rate of 69.3 percent. Mean EI score was 123.8 (95 percent CI 122.7-124.9), and mean PS score was 19.1 (95 percent CI 18.6-19.7). Significant differences in EI and PS scores were detected between different countries. Females (p<0.05), younger students (p<0.001), those without a previous higher education qualification (p<0.001), and those not satisfied with their decision to study dentistry (p<0.001) were more likely to report PS when compared to their counterparts. A significant inverse relationship (coefficient=-0.29, p=0.001) between EI and PS was detected. Independent significant predictors of PS identified were gender (beta=0.22, t=5.71, p=0.001), previous higher education qualification (beta=-0.14, t=-2.42, p=0.010), satisfaction with decision to study dentistry (beta=-0.20, t=-5.11, p=0.001), and EI (beta=-0.24, t=-6.09, p=0.001), with the latter being relatively the most important predictor. In conclusion, the inverse relationship between EI and PS has been confirmed in this heterogeneous sample representing diverse sociocultural and academic contexts of dental undergraduates.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  10. Fulltext Reliability and construct validity of the Malay version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) among secondary school teachers in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
    Hadi AA, Naing NN, Daud A, Nordin R
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2006 Nov;37(6):1254-9.
    PMID: 17333785
    This study was conducted to assess the reliability and construct validity of the Malay version of Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) among secondary school teachers in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. A total of 68 teachers consented to participate in the study and were administered the Malay version of JCQ. Reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency whilst construct validity was assessed using factor analysis. The results indicated that Cronbach's alpha coefficients revealed decision latitude (0.75), psychological job demand (0.50) and social support (0.84). Factor analysis showed three meaningful common factors that could explain the construct of Karasek's demand-control-social support model. The study suggests the JCQ scales are reliable and valid tools for assessing job stress in school teachers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  11. Gender differences in coping skills of parents with hearing-impaired children
    Md Daud MK, Noor SS, Yusoff MN, Abd Rahman N, Zakaria MN
    B-ENT, 2013;9(4):319-23.
    PMID: 24597108
    To assess differences between the coping strategies of the mothers and fathers with hearing-impaired children.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  12. Comparison of parenting stress between Malaysian mothers of four-year-old very low birthweight and normal birthweight children
    Ong LC, Chandran V, Boo NY
    Acta Paediatr, 2001 Dec;90(12):1464-9.
    PMID: 11853347 DOI: 10.1080/08035250152708905
    A study was carried out to compare parenting stress between 116 mothers of very low birthweight (VLBW) children and 96 mothers of normal birthweight (NBW) children at 4 y of age, using the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Multiple regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with child-domain stress (CDS) and parent-domain stress (PDS). There was a significantly higher proportion (39.7%) of mothers of VLBW children with high CDS scores >90th percentile than mothers of NBW children (20.8%). No significant differences were observed for PDS scores. Lower intelligence quotient (IQ) scores and adverse child behaviour, as evidenced by higher Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores, were significantly associated with higher CDS scores (p < 0.001). Factors associated with higher PDS scores were higher CBCL scores (p < 0.001), mothers who were the primary caregivers (p < 0.001), male sex (p = 0.018) and lower level of maternal education (p = 0.048). These factors remained statistically significant even when physically and cognitively impaired children were excluded from the analysis.

    CONCLUSION: Specific child characteristics and the social environment appear to have a greater impact on parenting stress than the biological risk of VLBW birth per se.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  13. Fulltext Functional impairment as a proxy measure indicating high rates of trauma exposure, post-migration living difficulties, common mental disorders, and poor health amongst Rohingya refugees in Malaysia
    Tay AK, Rees S, Miah MAA, Khan S, Badrudduza M, Morgan K, et al.
    Transl Psychiatry, 2019 09 02;9(1):213.
    PMID: 31477686 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0537-z
    A major challenge in the refugee field is to ensure that scarce mental health resources are directed to those in greatest need. Based on data from an epidemiological survey of 959 adult Rohingya refugees in Malaysia (response rate: 83%), we examine whether a brief screening instrument of functional impairment, the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS), prove useful as a proxy measure to identify refugees who typically attend community mental health services. Based on estimates of mental disorder requiring interventions from analyses of epidemiological studies conducted worldwide, we selected a WHODAS cutoff that identified the top one-fifth of refugees according to severity of functional impairment, the remainder being distributed to moderate and lower impairment groupings, respectively. Compared to the lower impairment grouping, the severe impairment category comprised more boat arrivals (AOR: 5.96 [95% CI 1.34-26.43); stateless persons (A20·11 [95% CI 7.14-10); those with high exposure to pre-migration traumas (AOR: 4.76 [95% CI 1.64-13.73), peri-migration stressors (AOR: 1.26 [95% CI 1.14-1.39]) and postmigration living difficulties (AOR: 1.43 [95% CI 1.32-1.55); persons with single (AOR: 7.48 [95% CI 4.25-13.17]) and comorbid (AOR: 13.54 [95% CI 6.22-29.45]) common mental disorders; and those reporting poorer general health (AOR: 2.23 [95% CI 1-5.02]). In addition, half of the severe impairment grouping (50.6%) expressed suicidal ideas compared to one in six (16.2 percent) of the lower impairment grouping (OR: 2.39 [95% CI 1.94-2.93]). Differences between the severe and moderate impairment groups were similar but less extreme. In settings where large-scale epidemiological studies are not feasible, the WHODAS may serve as readily administered and brief public health screening tool that assists in stratifying the population according to urgency of mental health needs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  14. The association between psychological strains and life satisfaction: Evidence from medical staff in China
    Zhao S, Zhang J, Liu Y, Ji H, Lew B
    J Affect Disord, 2020 01 01;260:105-110.
    PMID: 31494361 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.09.006
    BACKGROUND: Previous research on the relationship between life satisfaction and its influencing factors has mainly focused on the work domain. Psychological strains, which result from these stress-related outcomes, have not been paid enough attention to explain how it correlates negatively with life satisfaction.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted, using questionnaires sent to selected medical staff in a public hospital in Shandong, China (N = 1012). Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate how psychological strains influencing life satisfactions among medical staff.

    RESULTS: The findings indicate that aspiration strain and deprivation strain have significantly negative impact on medical staff's life satisfaction even with other variables controlled for. Weekly working hour was a significant predictor for life satisfaction. Family factors, such as marital status and kids in the family as well as social support were important factors in influencing individuals' life satisfaction.

    CONCLUSION: The current study highlights the negative associations between aspiration strain, deprivation strain and life satisfaction. The result underlines the importance of actions taken to prevent and combat psychological strains. It also provides some evidence for policy makers to improve the work environment for medical staff, such as reduce weekly working hours and enhance social support in order to increase medical staff's life satisfaction.

    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  15. Fulltext Quasi-experimental study on the effectiveness of a house officer preparatory course for medical graduates on self-perceived confidence and readiness: a study protocol
    Rashid AA, Shariff Ghazali S, Mohamad I, Mawardi M, Roslan D, Musa H
    BMJ Open, 2019 08 10;9(8):e024488.
    PMID: 31401588 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024488
    INTRODUCTION: Being a house officer (HO) is said to be associated with high levels of stress, leading to mental health problems and sometimes to quitting the medical profession altogether. In Malaysia, the number of HOs completing training on time is slowly declining, with increasing annual dropout rates. Feeling incompetent is one of the contributors towards this growing problem. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 3-day pre-HO intervention module in addressing participants' confidence, readiness and psychological well-being in preparation for their HO training.

    METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The pre-HO intervention is the 'Medicorp' module that includes clerkship, experience sharing, hands-on skills training, common clinical cases and introduction of the local healthcare system. This is a pre-post quasi-experimental study lasting 1 year, with three assessment time points-at pretraining, immediately after training and 1 month into the participants' HO-ship. The study is currently ongoing and involves 208 participants who attended the course in Malaysia. Participants with known psychiatric illness, working HOs and medical students are excluded. A pretested, self-administered questionnaire that includes baseline sociodemography, adaptation of the International Medical University (IMU) Student Competency Survey and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale has been adopted, and 1 month follow-up will be conducted by telephone. Data will be analysed using SPSS V.24. The primary outcome is change in confidence level, while the secondary outcomes are changes in the readiness and psychological well-being of the participants.

    ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study protocol has received ethics approval from Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects Universiti Putra Malaysia and the National Medical Research Registry Malaysia. Written informed consent has been obtained from each participant. Results will be disseminated through journals and conferences, especially those involved in medical education specifically looking into the training of medical doctors.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03510195.

    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  16. Burden in caregivers of adults with epilepsy in Asian families
    Lai ST, Tan WY, Wo MC, Lim KS, Ahmad SB, Tan CT
    Seizure, 2019 Oct;71:132-139.
    PMID: 31325820 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2019.07.008
    PURPOSE: The literature on caregiver burden tends to focus on children and teenagers with epilepsy and less on adults. As caregiving is a dynamic, complex process across the trajectories, this study aims to examine the factors associated with caregiving burden in those caring for adults with epilepsy.

    METHOD: This is a cross-sectional, survey-based study in which participants responded to questionnairesregarding perceived burden (ZBI), quality of life (IEQoL), psychological distress (DASS-21), family functioning (FAD) and perceived social support (MSPSS). Additional measures include socio-demographics and clinical characteristics of the care-recipient.

    RESULTS: A total of 111 caregivers participated, of whom 72.1% were females, 55% parents, 59.5% Chinese, 51.4% unemployed and 46.0% with tertiary education.Approximately half (42.3%) reported mild-to-moderate levels of burden (mean ZBI score 29.93, SD 16.09).Furthermore, multiple regression analysisidentified10 predictors of caregiver burden, namely family functioning, weekly caregiving hours, number of caregivers per family, attitude towards epilepsy, family support, caregivers' gender, personal income and as well as care-recipients' age of onset, seizure frequency and ADL dependency (F(10, 85) = 11.37, p stress (r = 0.576, p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  17. The effect of mindfulness-based training on stress, anxiety, depression and job satisfaction among ward nurses: A randomized control trial
    Ghawadra SF, Lim Abdullah K, Choo WY, Danaee M, Phang CK
    J Nurs Manag, 2020 Jul;28(5):1088-1097.
    PMID: 32432795 DOI: 10.1111/jonm.13049
    AIM: To assess the effect of a 4-week mindfulness-based training intervention on improving stress, anxiety, depression and job satisfaction among ward nurses.

    BACKGROUND: Previous literature showed that mindfulness-based training is useful for helping nurses cope with stress.

    METHOD: Nurses who have mild to moderate levels of stress, anxiety and depression identified from a teaching hospital were invited to a randomized control trial. The intervention group had a 2-hr Mindfulness-Based Training workshop, followed by 4 weeks of guided self-practice Mindfulness-Based Training website. Both the intervention group (n = 118) and the control group (n = 106) were evaluated pre- and post-intervention, and 8 weeks later (follow-up) using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21, Job Satisfaction Scale and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale.

    RESULTS: There was a significant effect over time on stress, anxiety, depression and mindfulness level (p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  18. Fulltext The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health of Asians: A study of seven middle-income countries in Asia
    Wang C, Tee M, Roy AE, Fardin MA, Srichokchatchawan W, Habib HA, et al.
    PLoS One, 2021;16(2):e0246824.
    PMID: 33571297 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246824
    The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the economy, livelihood, and physical and mental well-being of people worldwide. This study aimed to compare the mental health status during the pandemic in the general population of seven middle income countries (MICs) in Asia (China, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). All the countries used the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to measure mental health. There were 4479 Asians completed the questionnaire with demographic characteristics, physical symptoms and health service utilization, contact history, knowledge and concern, precautionary measure, and rated their mental health with the IES-R and DASS-21. Descriptive statistics, One-Way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and linear regression were used to identify protective and risk factors associated with mental health parameters. There were significant differences in IES-R and DASS-21 scores between 7 MICs (p<0.05). Thailand had all the highest scores of IES-R, DASS-21 stress, anxiety, and depression scores whereas Vietnam had all the lowest scores. The risk factors for adverse mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic include age <30 years, high education background, single and separated status, discrimination by other countries and contact with people with COVID-19 (p<0.05). The protective factors for mental health include male gender, staying with children or more than 6 people in the same household, employment, confidence in doctors, high perceived likelihood of survival, and spending less time on health information (p<0.05). This comparative study among 7 MICs enhanced the understanding of metal health in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  19. Spiritual well-being and moral distress among Iranian nurses
    Soleimani MA, Sharif SP, Yaghoobzadeh A, Sheikhi MR, Panarello B, Win MTM
    Nurs Ethics, 2019 Jun;26(4):1101-1113.
    PMID: 27312198 DOI: 10.1177/0969733016650993
    BACKGROUND: Moral distress is increasingly recognized as a problem affecting healthcare professionals, especially nurses. If not addressed, it may create job dissatisfaction, withdrawal from the moral dimensions of patient care, or even encourage one to leave the profession. Spiritual well-being is a concept which is considered when dealing with problems and stress relating to a variety of issues.

    OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to examine the relationship between spiritual well-being and moral distress among a sample of Iranian nurses and also to study the determinant factors of moral distress and spiritual well-being in nurses.

    RESEARCH DESIGN: A cross-sectional, correlational design was employed to collect data from 193 nurses using the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and the Moral Distress Scale-Revised.

    ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: This study was approved by the Regional Committee of Medical Research Ethics. The ethical principles of voluntary participation, anonymity, and confidentiality were considered.

    FINDINGS: Mean scores of spiritual well-being and moral distress were 94.73 ± 15.89 and 109.56 ± 58.70, respectively. There was no significant correlation between spiritual well-being and moral distress (r = -.053, p = .462). Marital status and job satisfaction were found to be independent predictors of spiritual well-being. However, gender and educational levels were found to be independent predictors for moral distress. Age, working in rotation shifts, and a tendency to leave the current job also became significant after adjusting other factors for moral distress.

    DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study could not support the relationship between spiritual well-being and moral distress. However, the results showed that moral distress is related to many elements including individual ideals and differences as well as organizational factors. Informing nurses about moral distress and its consequences, establishing periodic consultations, and making some organizational arrangement may play an important role in the identification and management of moral distress and spiritual well-being.

    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  20. Health-related quality of life and psychological distress among cancer survivors in a middle-income country
    Subramaniam S, Kong YC, Chinna K, Kimman M, Ho YZ, Saat N, et al.
    Psychooncology, 2018 09;27(9):2172-2179.
    PMID: 29856903 DOI: 10.1002/pon.4787
    OBJECTIVES: Quality of life and psychological well-being are important patient-centered outcomes, which are useful in evaluation of cancer care delivery. However, evidence from low-income and middle-income countries remains scarce. We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and prevalence of psychological distress (anxiety or depression), as well as their predictors, among cancer survivors in a middle-income setting.

    METHODS: Through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Costs in Oncology study, 1490 newly diagnosed cancer patients were followed-up in Malaysia for 1 year. Health-related quality of life was assessed by using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and EuroQol-5 (EQ-5D) dimension questionnaires at baseline, 3 and 12 months. Psychological distress was assessed by using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data were modeled by using general linear and logistic regressions analyses.

    RESULTS: One year after diagnosis, the mean EORTC QLQ-C30 Global Health score of the cancer survivors remained low at 53.0 over 100 (SD 21.4). Fifty-four percent of survivors reported at least moderate levels of anxiety, while 27% had at least moderate levels of depression. Late stage at diagnosis was the strongest predictor of low HRQoL. Increasing age, being married, high-income status, hospital type, presence of comorbidities, and chemotherapy administration were also associated with worse HRQoL. The significant predictors of psychological distress were cancer stage and hospital type.

    CONCLUSION: Cancer survivors in this middle-income setting have persistently impaired HRQoL and high levels of psychological distress. Development of a holistic cancer survivorship program addressing wider aspects of well-being is urgently needed in our settings.

    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
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