The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Clinical Practicum of Undergraduate Nursing and Midwifery Students in Jordan: A Descriptive Survey.

Introduction: The effects of COVID-19 lockdowns and the discontinued face-to-face clinical practicum had negative consequences on nursing and midwifery students at many levels. The clinical learning environment includes all the training and learning experiences that nursing students undergo during their clinical practicum. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on the nursing and midwifery students' practicum training in governmental and private universities and academic faculties of nursing in Jordan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 1025 nursing and midwifery students from academic faculties of nursing of both governmental and private Jordanian universities was conducted in September 2021. The research group from two Jordanian universities designed and validated a 13-item survey to determine and evaluate the impact of mass lockdowns on nursing and midwifery students' practicum training. The responses were assessed using descriptive and inferential analyses. Results: The findings revealed that the lockdown had a negative impact on nursing and midwifery students' self-confidence and competency in performing nursing procedures. The academic year of the students was a significant independent predictor of their self-confidence and competency levels in performing nursing procedures. Conclusion: The study concluded that nursing and midwifery students were dissatisfied with their clinical education during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to poor self-confidence in performing nursing procedures. The study group recommended repeating the clinical practicum, incorporating extensive laboratory and hospital courses, and implementing a one-year internship for newly graduated nurses and midwives to address the training gap and enhance self-confidence in clinical procedures.

Predictive Factors Contributing to Strain and Burden among Jordanian's Caregivers in Chronic Disease.

Background: It is well known that caregivers are at risk of suffering from diseases, including chronic ones, which might increase the burden of the healthcare worker. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jordan on 143 caregivers who were randomly selected to participate in self-administered Quality of Life in Life-Threatening Illness-Family Carer Version (QOLLTI-F) questionnaire. The variables were tested using simple linear regression analyses in the SPSS. Results: Male Jordanian caregivers who provide unpaid care, reported lower quality of life than their female counterparts (p = 0.028), (p = 0.077), respectively. A high statistically significant result was found between unshared and shared care (p = 0.009). Statistically significant results were determined between single caregivers compared with those who were married or divorced (p = 0.894 and p = 0.041, respectively). Conclusions: This study concludes that gender, care status, type of care, and marital status are direct predictors of quality of life among Jordanian caregivers.

Psychological outcomes of intimate partner violence experienced by Jordanian working women.

This study aimed at investigating psychological health problems experienced by working women as a result of their experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). One hundred one working women participated in the study. Results indicated that nearly half of the participants reported partner violence. Compared with nonabused women, abused women showed significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms (t (78) = -3.4, p = .001) and stress (t (93) = -4.8, p < .0001), while self-esteem did not differ significantly between the two groups. Acknowledgment of this problem and early recognition of the victims may result in improving the health of working women in Jordan.

Overweight and obesity and their correlates among Jordanian adolescents.

PURPOSE: To provide current estimates of the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Jordanian adolescents 14 to 17 years of age living in Irbid Governorate, and to determine the factors that are associated with overweight and obesity. DESIGN: Descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was used. METHODS: Body mass index, perceived stress, dietary habits, physical activity, and demographics of 824 Jordanian adolescents living in Irbid were measured through a multistage cluster sampling method. FINDINGS: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 19.1% and 6.3%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among boys was 17.2% and 5.7%, respectively, and among girls was 21.0% and 7.0%, respectively. Both overweight and obesity rates were higher among girls. Physical activity, mother's educational level, and number of family members were negatively correlated with overweight and obesity. On the other hand, eating breakfast regularly, mother's weight, consumption of fried food, and perceived stress level were positively correlated with overweight and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity are becoming a health problem among both boys and girls in Jordan. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Detecting the prevalence and the associated factors of overweight and obesity among adolescents is the first step toward proposing intervention strategies.