The Impact of Outdoor in Nature Mindfulness on the Mental Well-being of Children and Adolescents. A Mental Health and Cross-cultural Approach.

Background: Mindfulness, originating from ancient meditation practices, has garnered substantial scientific interest in recent decades due to its potential to enhance various aspects of well-being. The rise of scientific interest in mindfulness has led to the development of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and other mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), which have demonstrated positive effects on stress reduction, emotional regulation, and cognitive flexibility. Objective: This study aimed to explore the characteristics and applications of mindfulness, investigate its impact on mental health, and assess the potential benefits of combining mindfulness with nature-based interventions in promoting the well-being of children and adolescents. Methods: This review draws from existing literature, scholarly articles, and empirical studies related to mindfulness, nature exposure, and their effects on mental health. Results: The results highlight the manifold benefits of mindfulness in different populations, including health professionals, patients, children, adolescents, and the general public. Mindfulness practice has been associated with notable reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression, and has shown positive effects on brain plasticity and cognitive functioning. Furthermore, the integration of mindfulness with exposure to natural environments holds potential for enhanced stress reduction and cognitive restoration. Conclusion: The findings underscore the potential of mindfulness as a cost-effective and accessible intervention to promote mental health across diverse age groups and settings. Further research should explore the specific mechanisms and long-term effects of this integrated approach to optimize its benefits.

Physical therapists' perceptions about patients with incomplete post-traumatic paraplegia adherence to recommended home exercises: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The overall purpose of physical therapy for patients with spinal cord injury is to improve health-related quality of life. However, poor adherence is a problem in physical therapy and may have negative impact on outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To explore the physical therapists' perspectives about patients with incomplete post-traumatic paraplegia adherence to recommended home exercises. METHODS: A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Data were collected in a convenience sample using semi-structured interviews. Thirteen registered physical therapists in Athens area participated in the study. RESULTS: Five categories emerged from the data: (1) reasons to recommend home exercise by the physical therapist; (2) obstacles to recommend home exercise by the physical therapist; (3) methods addressing these obstacles; (4) the family's role in the adherence to recommended home exercise; and (5) the impact of financial crisis in adherence to recommended home exercise. All participants found the recommended home exercises essential to rehabilitation and health maintenance, and they value their benefits. They also expressed the obstacles that need to be faced during rehabilitation process in order to promote adherence. CONCLUSION: Physical therapists should take into account the different obstacles that may prevent patients with incomplete post-traumatic paraplegia adherence to recommended home exercises. These involve the patients and their families, while, financial crisis has also an impact in adherence. In order to overcome these obstacles and increase adherence, communication with patient and family while taking into account the individual's needs, capacities, and resources are essential.

Exploring home care nurses' perceptions regarding their services in economic crisis: A qualitative approach.

This article explores the home care nurses' perceptions on the services they provide in Cyprus, which has been hit by a financial crisis. Semistructured interviews were conducted in Greek at the home care nurses' offices. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The participants' perceptions are described in terms of provision of home care nursing, administration of homecare nursing, job satisfaction, financial issues, and suggesting improvements. The financial crisis influences the home care services with regard to workload increase, staff shortage, and lack of resources. Home care nurses are well engaged in the provision of proper services in order to address the patients' needs. However, the financial crisis has set obstacles in the provision of care.

Exploring Religiosity, Self-Esteem, Stress, and Depression Among Students of a Cypriot University.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between Religiosity, Self-esteem, Stress, and Depression among nursing students, social work students, and early-education students of a Cypriot University. The data were collected using four questionnaires. The results indicate a significant positive association between Depression and Stress. Greater levels of Self-esteem were found to be associated with lower depression levels in correlation analysis, while strength of Religious and Spiritual Beliefs was correlated negatively with depression. The results of the current study highlight the need for early intervention in order to promote students mental well-being.

Evaluating female nursing students' knowledge and attitudes regarding breast self-examination.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate female nursing students' knowledge and attitudes regarding breast self-examination (BSE). The sample consisted of 175 nursing students from a university in Cyprus. We collected data via a questionnaire that included the Greek version of the Champion Health Belief Model scale and questions regarding the participants' demographic characteristics. More than half of the participants (58.3%) said that they were knowledgeable about BSE and 29.1% of them had been taught about it during their studies. Nevertheless, 59.9% reported never having performed BSE, while 40.1% had performed it at least once. Only 10.9% of the students performed BSE every month for more than a year. Self-confidence had a positive and significant correlation (0.86) with BSE frequency. Also, we found quite a low level of BSE knowledge and practice levels, and this highlights the need for establishing breast cancer prevention programs.

Chloride Transport Parameters Prediction for a Clay-Loam Soil Column.

Water scarcity makes treated wastewater an unavoidable supplementary irrigation water source. Furthermore treated municipal wastewater quality depends on the fresh water quality and usage as well as on the wastewater treatment plant's degree and efficiency. The main recipient of all chemical compounds contained in this effluent, via irrigation, is soil. Models have been developed to predict factors involved in contaminants movement phenomenon through soil. In the reused effluent, chloride is much of a concern as a conservative pollutant. In this work the chloride breakthrough curves were determined for a clay-loam packed soil column by applying a one dimensional advection dispersion equation, to obtain estimates of the solute transport parameters. The comparisons between experimental and calculated results were satisfactory and also conclusions were derived about the flow conditions in the soil column and its uniformity. Also comparisons were made between calculated and cited in the literature values of the parameters satisfactorily.

Factors affecting the decision to quit smoking of the participants of a hospital-based smoking cessation program in Greece.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that affect people who are in the process of quitting smoking. METHODS: A randomly selected sample of 110 participants in a smoking cessation program (SCP) of a hospital in Thessaloniki Greece. Instruments of data collection were: i) the Demographic Data Lifestyle Questionnaire and ii) the Fragerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire. ANOVA tests between the Demographic Data Lifestyle Questionnaire and the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire relating to the smokers' determination to quit smoking applied. RESULTS: Work satisfaction was related to whether the participants had difficulty to smoke in places that prohibited smoking and to how many cigarettes they smoked per day. If a non-smoker partner was urging the participant to quit smoking, it affected the hours of the day when the respondents smoked more cigarettes. Pressure from a non-smoking spouse was a deterrent from smoking many cigarettes during morning hours. Those participants who consumed alcohol smoked cigarettes containing higher levels of nicotine. CONCLUSION: Smoking cessation is a difficult process which is influenced by many factors such as educational level, work satisfaction and the presence of a partner.

Greek fathers' experiences from their wife's/partner's labour and delivery: A qualitative approach.

This study aimed at exploring Greek fathers' experiences from their wives/partners' labour and delivery, and their perceptions about aspects of delivery care that need to be improved. It took place at hospital maternity clinics at the greater area of Thessaloniki, Greece. Participants were fathers whose wife/partner had given birth one week to one year before the data collection. The data were collected with the use of the Kuopio Instrument for Fathers (KIF). In this article we present the data obtained by KIF's four open-ended questions, which were analyzed using the method of content analysis. Three core categories emerged: (i) Meaning of presence during the delivery process; (ii) Experiences of the delivery process; and (iii) Suggestions for improving delivery services. Fathers take their role seriously and seek an active participation. Healthcare professionals and health education interventions should take into account the fathers' perspectives and aim to meet their needs.

Mothers' experiences of pregnancy, labour and childbirth: a qualitative study in Northern Greece.

This qualitative study aims at describing the mothers' most positive and negative experiences during pregnancy, labour and childbirth, and at identifying the aspects of pregnancy monitoring and obstetric care that should be developed most urgently in the future. The sample consisted of 607 mothers. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Mothers who preferred vaginal delivery believe that they do not interfere with nature and, consequently, their convalescence is easier and faster. Those who selected Caesarean section stress that they feel much safer because the whole process is well organized and controlled. The mothers' experiences are closely related with their interaction with the health-care professionals. Psychological support, good education and delivery preparation courses are some of the factors that could contribute to the improvement of maternal services. The basis of prenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care should be influenced by the women's experiences of pregnancy, labour and childbirth.

In-hospital informal caregivers' needs as perceived by themselves and by the nursing staff in Northern Greece: A descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Informal care is common in many countries, especially in Greece, where families provide care in hospitals. Health education and informational needs are important factors for family members which are often underestimated by nursing staff. The aim of this study was to compare the perceptions of the nurses and the in-hospital informal caregivers about the in-hospital informal caregivers' knowledge and informational needs, as well as the factors that influence these perceptions. METHODS: This was a non-experimental descriptive study conducted in three general hospitals in Greece. The sample consisted of 320 nurses and 370 in-hospital informal caregivers who completed questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using t-tests; group comparisons were conducted using ANOVA. RESULTS: The score of the questionnaire for health education and informational needs was significantly greater for informal caregivers (57.1 ± 6.9 and 26.6 ± 2.8) than for nurses (53.4 ± 5.7 and 22.4 ± 3.1) (p < 0.001). For the nursing staff, the factors that influence the informational needs of patients' caregivers were level of education and working experience, while for the caregivers the level of education was independently associated with the score for the health education needs. Finally, age, marital status, and level of education of informal caregivers' were independently associated with informational needs. CONCLUSIONS: The in-hospital informal caregivers perceived that they have more educational and informational needs than the nurses did. The findings of this study also show that the nursing staff has to identify the needs of in-hospital informal caregivers in order to be able to meet these needs.

Satisfaction from the 'Help at Home' programme in a prefecture of central Greece.

Greece is facing the issue of increasing elderly population and therefore local municipalities started the 'Help at Home' programme. The aim of this study is to investigate the elderly's satisfaction from the 'Help at Home' programme in a prefecture of central Greece. The sample consisted of 300 elderly people who receive services from the 'Help at Home' programme. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The majority of the participants were satisfied with the programme's services and reported high satisfaction from the interpersonal relations with the personnel, from the personnel's professional abilities and from the system's sufficiency in covering the elderly's perceived needs for care, but the satisfaction from the range of services is relatively low. The participants were overall satisfied; however, further research is needed at a national level in order to draw safer conclusion regarding the application of the programme in Greece.

Fathers' Feelings and Experience Related to their Wife/Partner's Delivery in Northern Greece.

OBJECTIVES: The study aims at exploring the feelings and the experience of fathers about their wife/partner's delivery. BACKGROUND: During the last decades birth attendance by fathers is a common phenomenon across many countries. Fathers' birth attendance may evoke both positive and negative feelings. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted in a city of Northern Greece. The sample consisted of 417 fathers whose wife/partner had given birth during the previous one week to one year. Data were collected using the Kuopio Instrument for Fathers (KIF). RESULTS: Father's feelings about their wife or partner were very positive as nearly all (82.1%) of the participants were proud to become fathers and agree that they felt love and were grateful to their wife/partner. However, half of the fathers felt anxious and nervous. 40.7% quite agree that the staff was very professional, that they trusted the staff (45%) and that they were grateful to the staff (38.8%). There is correlation between the "feelings related to the wife/partner" and education (r=0.156, p=0.0047), "being afraid during the preparatory visit at the obstetric hospital" (r=-0.238, p=0.009), and "anxiety during the preparatory visit" (r=0.295 p=0.005). The subscale "feelings related to the environment and staff" correlates with "usefulness of preparatory visit" (r=-0.223, p=0.004) and the subscale of "experiences related to delivery" correlates with "usefulness of preparatory visit" (r=-0.357, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the findings of previous studies, which indicated that birth attendance by fathers has evoked positive feelings about their wife/partner, the delivery, the staff and the hospital environment.

Mothers' experiences of maternity services: internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Greek translation of the Kuopio Instrument for Mothers.

OBJECTIVE: the Kuopio Instrument for Mothers (KIM) questionnaire assesses mothers' experiences of maternity services during pregnancy and delivery. The aim of this study was to translate the questionnaire into Greek, and to evaluate the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Greek version of the KIM. METHODS: 77 mothers completed both the test and the retest questionnaire. The KIM includes the Utah Test for the Childbearing Year (UTCY) and four other scales. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients, kappa coefficients (kappa) and Pearson correlation coefficients (r). FINDINGS: strong correlation (r = 0.793, p < 0.001) was found between the total test mean score (88.22 + or - 5.82) and the total retest mean score (87.49 + or - 6.16) for the UTCY. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.74 for the UTCY to 0.75 for the 26-item scale on discussion of topics in maternity welfare clinics, 0.85 for the 10-item scale on mother-obstetrician collaboration, 0.94 for the 14-item scale on mother-midwife collaboration, and 0.55 for the seven-item scale on provision of services for women. The kappa coefficients ranged from 0.325 to 0.924. CONCLUSIONS: the questionnaire appears to be a reliable measure of mothers' experiences in the Greek population. Further studies are needed to refine the instrument.

Test-retest reliability of the Kuopio instrument for fathers (KIF): a questionnaire to assess fathers' feelings, experiences and preparation for their wife/partner's delivery.

OBJECTIVE: to assess the test-retest reliability of the Greek version of the Kuopio Instrument for Fathers (KIF) questionnaire that explores fathers' feelings, experiences and preparation for their wife/partner's delivery. DESIGN: the KIF questionnaire was translated into Greek, back translated and adapted to the Greek population. After a pilot test, it was administered to a sample of fathers. Originally, 149 fathers completed the KIF questionnaire, and they were asked to complete it once again 1-2 weeks later. FINDINGS: out of a sample of 149 fathers, 72 (48.3%) returned the retest questionnaire. Sixty-five of these fathers had completed all the items, and thus only these cases were included in the data analysis. The mean age of the sample was 35.42+/-7.55 years. For 34 (52.3%) fathers, this was their first child. The mean total test score of fathers for the 35-item scale that assessed the feelings related to their wife/partner's delivery was 99.09+/-11.88 and the mean total retest score was 102.30+/-9.99. The correlation coefficient between the two scores was 0.975 (p<0.001). The mean total test and retest scores for the 19-item scale that evaluated the experiences related to their wife/partner's delivery were 50.78+/-17.57 and 49.59+/-18.21, respectively. The correlation coefficient was 0.947 (p<0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficients for the items of both scales ranged from 0.73 to 0.99, exceeding 0.85 in most cases. CONCLUSION: the test-retest properties of the KIF questionnaire in the Greek population proved to be very satisfactory. Future validation and longitudinal studies are necessary to refine the instrument.

Nursing staff shortage and in-hospital informal care in an oncology hospital in Greece: the nursing staff's perceptions.

There is a broad variety of factors that are contributing to the nursing staff shortage. They include low wages, poor image of nursing, job satisfaction, ageing of the nursing workforce and cost reductions. In the Greek National Health System, there is a policy of open-visiting hours in hospitals. Family members stay with the patients for many hours and provide in-hospital informal care. The purpose of this study is to describe the perceptions of nursing staff about the nursing staff shortage and the in-hospital informal care in a Greek oncology hospital. For the data collection we used a 30-item questionnaire. The majority of the participants (82.9%) stated that most patients have a family member staying longer than the official visiting hours for assisting with care. A main reason according to the nurses' opinion (37.4%) is the nursing staff shortage. In addition, most nurses disagree with relatives providing some of the informal caregiving activities. The findings are consistent with the findings of other studies. They might be of interest to Greek health authorities, to nurses and to Greek citizens in order to implement possible solutions to improve the hospitalization in Greek hospitals.

Dimensions of informal care in Greece: the family's contribution to the care of patients hospitalized in an oncology hospital.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to explore the kind and frequency of care provided to hospitalized cancer patients by relatives and the reasons for providing this care. BACKGROUND: Informal care is a common phenomenon across many countries. In Greece, informal caring activities occur in most hospitals. Patients' relatives stay by their bedside for long hours and assist with care. This phenomenon is highly correlated with the nursing staff shortage. METHOD: This study was carried out in a Greek oncology hospital. The sample consisted of 150 informal caregivers. We used a 37-item questionnaire called In-Hospital Informal Care Questionnaire Acute Care. RESULTS: The participants provide substantial help to their patients daily. On average, they stay by their bedside for 20.23 hours in a 24-hour period. Additionally, 104 participants stated that they hire a privately paid patient's helper. The relatives stay by their patients' bedside for various reasons such as: (1) severity of the condition; (2) providing psychological support; (3) family tradition; (4) because they do not believe their patients are safe in the hospital without their supervision; or (5) the nursing staff shortage. CONCLUSIONS: The participants offer informal care that reflects specific nursing duties. We could argue that Greek hospitals 'use' relatives as unpaid labour to compensate for the nursing shortage. It is disquieting that usually someone from the hospital staff suggests to the relatives to stay at the patient's bedside even after visiting hours or to hire a private paid patient's helper. This implies that the staff considers such contribution necessary. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The findings show that relatives perform daily tasks that nurses should be performing. They indicate that the hospital should introduce specific staffing policies for reducing families' burden. Our findings could influence future staffing plans of nursing managers, policy makers or health authorities.

The experience of brace treatment in children/adolescents with scoliosis.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic scoliosis is a chronic illness with several different braces used for its treatment. Brace treatment during childhood/adolescence can produce stress. There are studies supporting that it can decrease body-image perception while other studies support that it has no such effect.The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of brace treatment in children/adolescents with scoliosis. The aim was to investigate which feelings are created by the bracing experience in children/adolescents with scoliosis and what are the children/adolescents' with scoliosis opinions of the support provided to them by health-care professionals and by their families. METHODS: We conducted interviews with the help of a semi-structured interview guide in order to address the topic of the experience of brace treatment. A convenient sample of twelve children and adolescents with scoliosis was selected from patients attending follow-up appointments at the Outpatient Scoliosis Clinics of two Greek hospitals. The data was analysed using the method of content analysis. RESULTS: Patients in the sample were 10-16 years old and they were mainly females (71%). Almost all of the participants reported having to deal with stress, denial, fear, anger, and shame. They were satisfied with the information they received regarding their condition and therapy. However, the information was not accompanied by support from the health care professionals. They reported that they were receiving support mainly from their families, friends, and classmates. CONCLUSION: The present study is contributing to the development of a better understanding of significant issues related to the experience of bracing therapy. It is clear that scoliosis children/adolescents have to be provided with support during the long period of bracing. It is apparent that those children/adolescents have unmet needs for care and health professionals and policy makers should try to find a way to address those needs.