Assessment of Temper Tantrums Behaviour Among Preschool Children in Jordan.

PURPOSE: A good understanding of children's emotions, activities, and needs should be promoted. This study assessed temper tantrum behaviour, including frequency, severity, duration, common behaviours, reasons, locations, contexts, and parent's strategies, among Jordanian children aged 24-48 months. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used to conduct this study. A non-probability convenience sample was adopted to recruit 213 parents of children aged between 24 months to 48 months. All parents completed the Parents' Experience of Temper Tantrums in Children's questionnaire. RESULTS: Findings showed that about half of the children experienced weekly tantrums, however, half of the parents reported that mild tantrums were exhibited by their youngsters, with an average duration of minutes. The most frequently reported tantrum behaviour was 'screaming or shouting'. "Seeking attention" was the most frequent reason and most tantrums occurred when visiting someone else's home. Unfamiliar situations were the most commonly associated with tantrum episodes. The main strategies used by parents to lessen their child's tantrums were first, stating a consequence (e.g., timeout), and secondly, ignoring the behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: The results draw attention to significant aspects of tantrums, such as the duration, where children managed to maintain a tantrum episode for more than seven minutes on average. Tantrum behaviours, reasons, locations, context, and parents' strategies to control tantrums were significant in developing proper interv entions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings of this study are of practical use in equipping parents and caregivers with the appropriate strategies to enable them to halt tantrums among children.

Predictors of quality of life among older patients with cancer during treatment.

BACKGROUND: Improving quality of life in older patients with cancer has become an important goal of healthcare providers. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of quality of life among older patients with cancer, aged 60 years and over during the treatment period. METHODS: A descriptive correlational study was conducted among 150 patients. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale, Herth Hope Index and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used. RESULTS: The results showed that the total quality-of-life mean score was 58.50 (SD = 7.44), indicating low overall quality of life. The social-family well-being subscale had the highest mean (20.50, SD = 3.79) among all subscales of quality of life, while the emotional well-being subscale had the lowest mean (8.06, SD = 4.23). Hope and educational level had statistically significant positive relationships with all subscales of quality of life. However, anxiety was associated negatively with physical, social-family and functional well-being subscales, but positively with the emotional well-being subscale. Anxiety, income, marital status, health insurance, duration of treatment, educational level, gender and hope were identified as predictors of quality-of-life subscales. CONCLUSIONS: The results could help to develop specific programmes that may improve quality of life among older patients with cancer during treatment.