Trauma Level, Coping with Stress and Post-Traumatic Change in University Students Experiencing Kahramanmaras Centered Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research is to examine the levels of post-traumatic stress, coping with stress, and post-traumatic change in university students after the Kahramanmaras-centered earthquakes in February 2023. METHOD: The research is descriptive and relational. The sample of the study consists of 221 university students. Personal Information Form, Post-earthquake Trauma Level Determination Scale, Strategies for Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale, and Post-Traumatic Change Scale were used as data collection tools. Descriptive analyses (percentage, arithmetic mean), correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data. RESULTS: It was determined that the students were highly traumatized after the earthquake, and post-traumatic stress symptoms were observed in a significant majority of the students. It was determined that the students used the post-earthquake coping strategies effectively. Post-traumatic change is positive. Inter-scale correlations are significant (P < 0.05). According to regression analysis, the level of post-earthquake trauma and the level of coping with earthquake stress are significant predictors of post-traumatic change. In addition, the damage to houses during the earthquake significantly affects the post-traumatic change. CONCLUSIONS: We think that pre-planning the psychological support services, increasing social supports, and teaching methods of coping with stress that can be applied after disasters such as earthquakes will be effective in preventing post-traumatic problems in university students at risk after trauma. It is hoped that the findings of this study will assist researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in implementing effective strategies for post-disaster.

Pshychological Resilience and Percieved Stress Level in Nurses: Experience of Nurses in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of psychological resilience levels of nurses on perceived stress levels in this study. METHODS: The research was carried out with 153 nurses. Socio-demographic Questionnaire, The Brief Resilience Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale were used as data collection tools. RESULTS: The nurses' total Brief Resilience Scale score average was 17.72 ± 4.48, and the total Perceived Stress Scale score average was 31.74 ± 7.18. There was a negative and moderately significant relationship between the resilience and stress level of the nurses. During the pandemic process, the level of stress that nurses perceive increases as their psychological resilience decreases. CONCLUSION: Psychological resilience and coping with stress are traits that can be improved. It is important to establish strategies to increase the resilience of nurses and improve their ability to cope effectively with stress.

Correlation between psychological resilience and suicide probability in patients with psychiatric disorder.

PURPOSE: It was aimed to evaluate the correlation between psychological resilience and possibility of suicide in psychiatric patients. DESIGN AND METHODS: The data of the research were collected using "Individual Information Form", "Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA)," and "Suicide Probability Scale (SPS)". FINDINGS: It was found that the mean total score of SPS was 70.97 ± 12.82 and moderate risk, the mean total score of RSA was 112.50 ± 25.38, and the levels of psychological resilience were at a good level. It has been determined that patients with low levels of psychological resilience have a higher risk of committing suicide. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings show that a high level of resilience reduces the risk of suicide. Implementing interventions to improve psychological resilience will help prevent suicide.

The Effect of Death Anxiety on Psychosocial Adjustment in Individual With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out in a descriptive manner to determine the effect of death anxiety on psychosocial adjustment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out on 150 inpatients and outpatients who were being treated at the thoracic diseases department of a state hospital during January 1- April 20, 2016. Personal information form, death anxiety scale (DAS) and psychosocial adjustment to illness scale-self report (PAIS-SR) were used for data acquisition. The data were analysed through IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 22 software. RESULTS: The DAS score average of the patients was determined as 6.96 ± 3.45, PAIS-SR total score average was determined as 67.54 ± 14.96. A positive and statistically significant relationship was determined between the death anxiety of the patients and their psychosocial adjustments (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: It can be concluded as a result of the study that the death anxieties of COPD patients are at a moderate level, that their psychosocial adjustments to the disease are at a bad level and that their psychosocial adjustments to the illness and to life are disrupted with increasing death anxiety. Psychiatry nurses can contribute to increasing the psychosocial adjustment to the illness of the patient by helping the patient and his/her family in adjusting to the changes in their life styles, preventing non-beneficial adjustments, developing the coping skills of the patient and his/her family and accordingly making the necessary planning.

The levels of anger and aggression in street children with substance dependence.

PROBLEM: This is a descriptive study to determine the levels of anger and aggression in street children with substance dependence. METHODS: The study was conducted between October 2013 and March 2014 with 103 street children who use substances. Personal Information Form, Aggression Scale (AS), and Trait Anger and Anger Expression Styles Scale (STAXI) were used as data collection tools. FINDINGS: The rate of the children reported that they lived on the streets due to the conflicts with the family was 67% and 35% of participants reported that they were exposed to violence on the street. The total score of AS was 146.78 ± 25.91, the mean score of the anger subscale of the STAXI was 31.05 ± 9.00 while the scores of the anger-in subscale and the anger-out subscale scores were 19.02 ± 4.55 and 23.04 ± 6.19, respectively. The total scores of AS had a significant positive correlation with both the trait anger and "anger-in" subscale scores. The results show that substance use negatively affected anger control in street children. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrated that the presence of continuous anger and turning the anger against oneself correlated with increased levels of aggression. Increasing the duration of living on the street, working on the street and being exposed to stressful situations in the street increased the "anger-in" scores.

Knowledge and Attitudes of the Faculty of Theology Students on Organ Transplantation.

The objective in this study is to determine the knowledge and attitudes of the Faculty of Theology students on organ transplantation. The study that was planned as a descriptive study took place between March-May 2014 with the participation of 119 students enrolled at the Faculty of Theology. It was determined as a result of the study that the students see lack of knowledge (49.6%) as the top obstacle for organ transplantation followed by religion (21%), that 52.1% accept that organ transplantation is not forbidden in Islam; that 27.7% agree with the thought that considers it disturbing and unnerving to carry an organ or tissue from another body; that 80.7% agree with the idea stating that organ transplantation should be carried out even if it provides only a possibility for treatment or for prolonging one's life and that 82.4% agree with the opinion that statements in favor of organ transplantation to be declared by the Directorate of Religious Affairs will increase organ transplantation. Clergymen play an important role in affecting the behavior and attitudes of large public masses, and thus it is important that the positive ideas of these individuals with regard to organ donation will thus have indirect but positive effects on the attitudes of the public with regard to organ transplantation. Hence, it is thought that determining the attitudes of clergymen candidates who will educate the public both at schools and at places of prayer and increasing their awareness in this subject will contribute to increasing the awareness of the public with regard to organ donation.

A review of the relationship between the needs of mothers who have hearing impairment children and their state-trait anxiety levels.

This descriptive research was carried out to identify the relationship between the needs of those mothers who have hearing impairment children and their state/trait anxiety levels. Significant positive relationships were found between the mothers' state anxiety level and the overall FNS score, the subscales of Need for Information, Help Explaining to Others, Community Services, Financial Assistance and Family Functioning and also significant positive relationship were found between the trait anxiety level and the overall FNS score, the subscales of Need for Information, Need for Support, Help Explaining to Others Community Services, Financial Assistance and Family Functioning.

Family Functionality and Coping Attitudes of Patients with Bipolar Disorder.

The coping of patients with prodromal syndromes prevents relapses, and the differences in coping strategies affect the results of bipolar disorder. The various functionality levels of bipolar disorder patients such as work, marital relations, parental abilities and social presentation are significantly related with how well they cope. The objective of this study was to determine the family functionality and coping attitudes of bipolar disorder patients. The study planned as a descriptive one was carried with 81 bipolar disorder patients. Personal description form, family assessment device and Coping Attitudes Scale were used as data acquisition tools. It was determined that the adaptive coping attitudes used most frequently by the patients were religious coping, positive reinterpretation, active coping, problem-focused coping and emotional focused coping, beneficial social support use, emotional social support use, planning, suppression of competing activities and restraint coping; maladaptive coping attitudes used most frequently by the patients were "focusing on the problem and venting of emotions and mental disengagement." It was determined that family functions affected the coping attitudes of patients and that the patients who evaluated family functions in a healthy manner made use of adaptive coping strategies more at a statistically significant level.

Does the impairment of functional life increase the probability of suicide in cancer patients?

BACKGROUND: Cancer affects patients in many ways including physical, social, emotional, psychological and economic and restricts the functional lives. Psychiatric problems seen among cancer patients may increase the suicide probability and patients perceive suicide as a peaceful death type. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between functional life and suicide probability among cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted with 105 cancer patients as descriptive. The Functional Living Index_Cancer (FLI- C),"suicide probability scale" (SPS) and personal information form were used as data collecting tools. Data were evaluated by descriptive analysis, and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: It was determined that 34.3% of patients thought of suicide. Significant negative correlation was found between functional life and suicide probability (r=-.641, p=0.000), increase being evident in those with poor functional life. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended that cancer patients should be supported for improving their functional lives with help in coping processes for illness and treatment symptoms. Evaluation of the patient mental status to prevent the suicide among this group is an important role for nurses.

Effectiveness of psychoeducation in reducing internalized stigmatization in patients with bipolar disorder.

This research was conducted as an experiment-control experimental study which aimed to determine the effectiveness of a psychoeducation program prepared to reduce internalized stigmatization. The study included 47 patients (24 experimental, 23 control) who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. At the end of the psychoeducation program, a significant decrease was observed in the total ISSMI mean scores, as well as in the ISSMI subscale mean scores for subscales such as alienation, approval of stereotypes, perceived discrimination and social withdrawal (p<0.05). The results demonstrated that a psychoeducation program designed for internalized stigmatization may have positive effects on the internalized stigmatization levels of patients with bipolar disorder.

Healthy life behaviors and suicide probability in university students.

This study aims to determine the sociodemographic factors and healthy life behaviors affecting suicide and suicide probability of university students. The research was designed as a complementary study and conducted with 334 students from several faculties and colleges at Ege University, Turkey. The study findings indicated that suicide probability could be affected by the students' age, their problems at school, their troubled relations with friends, and a psychiatric disorder history within the last year. Moreover, it was concluded that the students with healthy life behaviors had significantly lower scores on the Suicide Probability Scale and its subscales.