Effects of the Perceived Risk of Contracting COVID-19 on Nursing Students' Well-Being.

BACKGROUND: Although mental health symptoms increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, little is known about the associations between nursing students' perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 and their academic and psychological well-being. This study examined associations between perceived COVID-19 risk, likelihood of completing nursing education, and mental health factors of nursing students. METHOD: A total of 979 nursing students completed self-report measures of perceived COVID-19 risk, anticipated academic completion, anxiety and depressive symptoms, stress, coping self-efficacy, hope, and social support. RESULTS: Students with higher perceived COVID-19 risk reported increased anxiety and depression as well as decreased likelihood of graduating, coping self-efficacy, and levels of social support. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate the need for increased mental health support for nursing students for successful completion of their programs. Educators should increase support and proactively strengthen positive psychology factors to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and other crises on nursing students' well-being. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(11):641-645.].

Executive, language, or both? An examination of the construct validity of verbal fluency measures.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether phonemic and semantic verbal fluency were more related to aspects of language processing than executive functioning (EF). An exploratory factor analysis was performed on a college-aged sample of 320 healthy participants using principle axis factoring and promax rotation on nine measures of EF. The first three factors, labeled: working memory, fluid reasoning, and shifting/updating, were extracted and used as latent executive variables. Participants were also split into low, medium, and high phonemic and semantic verbal fluency ability groups. Phonemic and semantic fluency correlated similarly across all three extracted EF factors and word knowledge. Using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVAs), there was a main effect for both phonemic and semantic verbal fluency groups and all outcome variables (i.e., the EF factors and word knowledge). Tukey HSD post hoc analyses showed that those in the low verbal fluency ability groups had significantly lower scores across all outcome measures compared to the high verbal fluency ability groups. Across all analyses, semantic fluency had stronger relations with the EF factors, signifying a large executive component involved in the task. Both phonemic and semantic fluency were similarly related to multiple dimensions of EF and word knowledge and should be considered executive language tasks.

Megalencephaly-capillary malformation polymicrogyria: A review and complex pediatric case report.

Megalencephaly-Capillary Malformation Polymicrogyria (M-CAP) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a spectrum of anomalies including macrocephaly and neurovascular malformations. Although developmental delays have been identified, research is devoid of neuropsychological data. This case report presents the neuropsychological profile of a 7-year-old, identified with M-CAP. Neuropsychological evaluation was completed subsequent to medical diagnosis. Reports from both parents and teachers included cognitive regression; specifically in the recall of learned material, reading, and information sequencing. Direct testing revealed a WISC-IV GAI at <1st percentile, a diverse range of scores across the battery, and a splinter skill strength of average to above on visual memory tests. Performance included below grade level reading and writing, reduced adaptive functioning, and reported executive dysfunction. Her strong visual memory skills were recommended as a medium to enhance learning. Neurocognitive deficits revealed diverse, multisystem and multifocal impairments. The neuropsychological evaluation also showed significant decline from the previous evaluation and prompted a neurologic consult and corrective surgical procedure.