Avicenna Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Care
Year:2012 | Volume:20 | Issue:1 (37)|Papers Count:11

Introduction & Objective: Hypertension is one of the important factors causing cardiovascular diseases. This is one of the effective factors in people's quality of life. The aim of this study was to compare health related-quality of life in men with and without hypertension.Materials & Methods: In this cross sectional-comparative study, 400 men (200 hypertensive men and 200 normotensive men) were selected by convenience sampling in Tehran and their quality of life was measured by standard short form (SF36). Data analysis was done by SPSS software 15 using statistical tests c2 and T-test exact test. P<0.05 denoted statistical significance.Results: Mean age of participants in the hypertensive group was 44.83±8.48 and in the normal group was 4.44±5.50. The quality of life of normotensive control subjects (82.20±10.72) was at higher level than hypertensive subjects (72.77±17.60) (P<0.001).Conclusion: The quality of life in hypertensive men is at lower level than healthy men. Therefore, early detection of the hypertensive patients and finding better treatments to improve their quality of life is required.

Introduction & Objective: Work–Family Conflict (WFC) has been described as a maladaptation between work and family roles that occurs when role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible. As WFC is inevitable, it is necessary to study the ways of facing and dealing with it. This study was designed to examine nurses' experiences of different ways of coping with WFC.Materials & Methods: This study was conducted based on qualitative content analysis approach. In this study 16 nurses, 12 females and 4 males, were selected based on purposeful sampling. Data was gathered through unstructured interviews. The method of data analysis was inductive content analysis approach.Results: All 16 participants had bachelor's degree and 4 to 28 years of work experience, the average year of work experience among them was 14.9 years. Research findings showed that "individual coping" was the main theme against WFC and included following subcategories: 1-self control, 2- shift regulation, 3- dodging, 4- adjusting and 5- resorting to spirituality.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that nurses like other workers make individual efforts to cope with the conflict. In some cases the individual efforts are successful and reduce WFC conflict but in some other cases, because of the nurses' discontinuous training and relative adequacy in relation to managing conflicts, individual efforts are ineffective in reducing W-F conflict. Therefore it is recommended that all nurses be familiar with various forms of W-F conflict and learn scientific methods of conflict resolution to reduce the negative consequences of W-F conflict as much as possible.

Introduction & Objective: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder that is associated with increased maternal and perinatal mortality. Imbalance between lipid radicals and antioxidant system is discussed as one of the possible mechanisms of pathogenesis of preeclampsia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate serum ceruloplasmin level and to examine its relationship with severity and complications of preeclampsia.Materials & Methods: This case-control study was performed on 30 pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia in Hamedan Fatemiyeh Hospital as the case group. 30 women with normal pregnancy, after matching, as controls entered into the study. After measuring serum ceruloplasmin level, complications such as headache, visual disturbances, intrauterine growth restriction, oligohydramnios, weight loss and placenta decolmant were recorded in the check lists designed for each patient. Data was analyzed through SPSS software version 16, chi-square and t tests.Results: Mean serum ceruloplasmin level in the case group was 317.01 mg/dl and in the control group was 197.94 mg/dl. The difference between them was statistically significant. Also headache and visual disturbances in the case group were significantly higher than the control group.Conclusion: The results showed that serum ceruloplasmin level in the patients with preeclampsia is higher than those with normal pregnancy.

Introduction & Objective: Women are at risk of domestic violence at all stages of their lives, especially during pregnancy. Domestic violence increases risk of complications of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine frequency of domestic violence in women with adverse pregnancy outcomes.Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted on 168 pregnant women with adverse pregnancy outcomes referred to medical centers of Karaj in six months (2007-2008). Participants were selected by convenience sampling and data was collected through interview. The instruments of data gathering were demographic data form, Domestic Violence against pregnant women questionnaire and adverse pregnancy outcomes questionnaire. Data was analyzed by SPSS software using t-test, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: Adverse pregnancy outcomes included low birth weight 25.8%, premature labour 24.9%, premature rupture of membranes15.5%, small for gestational age births11.5%, placenta decolman 9.3 %, abortion 6.7%, prenatal death 6.3%. Mild, moderate and sever domestic violence had been experienced respectively by 95.8%, 3.6% and 0.6% of the participants during their pregnancy. The frequency of psychological -Verbal violence was 50%, sexual violence 45.2% and physical violence 16.7%. There were statistically significant differences between mean  total score of domestic (p=0.034), sexual (p=0.048) and physical violence (p=0.010) and the women's education level, total domestic (p=0.002), verbal-psychological(p=0.003),sexual(p=0.018) and physical violence (p=0.022) and the women's job, total domestic (p<0.001), verbal-psychological (p<0.001),sexual (p<0.001) and physical violence (p=0.040) and the husbands' addiction, physical violence and prenatal care (p=0.024) and verbal-psychological violence and neonates' low birth weight (p=0.046).Conclusion: Screening and prevention programs of domestic violence in pregnant women may help to improve pregnant women's health and pregnancy outcomes.

Introduction & Objective: Internal evaluation is the process of university situation analysis which is performed by academic members. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the situation of Mother and Child Health & Midwifery departments of Nursing & Midwifery Faculty in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in order to improve the quality of education in these departments.Materials & Methods: This descriptive study was performed by applying the process of internal evaluation in the faculty of Nursing & Midwifery in 2008. Consulting with faculty and evaluation committee members, a checklist was made with the focus on the following domains: Aims, education groups' duties, organizational structure, faculty members' obligations, students, teaching and learning process, courses, research, education and research equipments, and graduates. Data gathering device was a valid and reliable questionnaire and it was analyzed by descriptive statistics.Results: The research findings showed that Mother and Child Health department by achieving more than 80 percent of scores was in a desirable situation in 8 domains and only in the domain of graduates was in rather desirable situation. Overall, Mother and Child Health department by catching 87.5% of the total score was in a desirable situation. Midwifery department by achieving more than 80 percent of scores was in a desirable situation in all domains and Overall by catching 89.75% of the total score was in a desirable situation.Conclusion: Although the results of the study suggest that Mother and Child Health and Midwifery departments are in desirable situations, it is recommended that the heads and academic members of these departments cooperate with each other more than before to solve shortcomings and enhance education and research quality of the departments as far as possible.

Introduction & Objective: Low self-control is a fundamental factor for drug abuse among adolescents. Due to the importance of self-control in preventing high-risk behaviors in adolescents, this study was conducted to examine the relationship between self-control and substance abuse.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on a random sample of 650 male students in Hamadan. Data was collected by written questionnaire and self-reporting methods and it was analyzed using SPSS software version16.Results: This study showed that 72 students had history of smoking (11.1%), 22 students had history of drug use (3.4%), and 78 students had intention to drug use (12%). There was a significant relationship between self-control and history of smoking (p=0.001), history of drug use (p=0.012), intention to drug use (p=0.001) and attitude toward drugs (p=0.007).Conclusions: 33.7% of the subjects had over weight and 15.8% obesity. According to Regression model risk factors of over weight & obesity were computer work and using fast-food. Therefore educational planning to promote level of behaviors healthy and lifestyle is recommended.

Introduction & Objective: Subjective Well-being is one of the important indicators for the evaluation of mental health status and screening mental health problems in general population including university students is necessary. So, this study was carried out in order to assess subjective well-being and its related factors in the students of KNMF, in 2008.Materials & Methods: In this cross- sectional study, 161 students were selected through random stratified method. Data was collected by Q-LES-QSF and a questionnaire which was about possible related factors to subjective well-being. Subjective well-being status was determined in a scale of 0-100, and its limits were calculated with %95 confidence. The data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-wallis test and stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Q-LES-QSF score was 57.04±19.17 (%95 CLM=54.07-60.01). There was a significant relationship between the students' interest in the major of study and subjective well-being (p<0.006). In this study, the effect of disease suffering on subjective well-being was also confirmed (p=0.000). Regression analysis showed that %44.1 of the observed variance in the status of subjective well-being had been determined by 3 variables of disease suffering, interest in the major of study, and the semester number (F=29.153, p=0.000) while disease suffering explains %34 of the total variance alone.Conclusion: Subjective well-being level in the students of KNMF is low. Introducing the majors of study to the students before entering to the university and further notice to their mental & physical health especially in the first years of education seems to improve their subjective well-being.

Introduction & Objective: One of the most common diagnosis and therapeutic methods in cardiac disorders is Cardiac Catheterization that increases patient's anxiety levels pre-operatively. Anxiety will enhance catecholamine's level in blood and put the patients at risk in operation room. Foot reflexology massage and Benson relaxation cause comfort, tranquility and change of physiological responses .The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of foot reflexology massage and Benson relaxation techniques on anxiety and physiological indexes of angiography expecting patients.Materials & Methods: This semi-experimental research was performed on three groups of patients undergoing angiography (massage, relaxation and control groups ). Research Subjects were selected purposefully and then placed in three groups with random allocation technique. Data collection tools were demographic questionnaires, checklist and self report sheet of anxiety level.Results: After using foot reflexology massage and Benson relaxation, anxiety decreased significantly in massage and relaxation groups, in contrast with witness group (P<0.01). Also the comparison of  mean physiologic indexes of massage, relaxation and witness groups 0.5h before angiography indicated that there were significant  differences in pulse and diastolic pressure(P=0.05) among them.Conclusion: Results of this study suggested that foot reflexology massage and relaxation are effective in decreasing the anxiety and physiological indexes in angiography expecting patients, therefore it is recommended to use them as complementary methods before Cardiac Catheterization.