Green horizons: Overcoming political risks with strategic environmental management and financial innovation.

The impact of political risk and financial development has been widely studied in the context of sustainable environmental practices. However, their effects on green finance and sustainable finance initiatives have not been thoroughly explored. This paper fills this gap by examining the influence of the political risk financial development index on green finance across 21 OECD economies from 1990 to 2020. Unit root and cointegration tests reveal that variables are stationary at first difference, and there is a long-run cointegration among them. For the primary analysis, we employed the novel MMQR approach, which demonstrates that the financial development index enhances green finance, while the political risk index diminishes it across all quantiles - upper, median, and lower. Robustness analysis using BSQR further confirms these findings. Policies aimed at fostering financial development and reducing political risk should acknowledge the growing significance of green finance in OECD economies.

Factor Structure and Reliability of the Persian Version of Body Esteem Scale Among Iranian Adults: Exploratory Graph Analysis Approach.

Background and Purpose: The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Mendelson and White Body Esteem Scale in Iranian adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study design was used and carried out in 2023. Following the inclusion criteria, 500 adults were gathered from Tehran (Tehran, Iran) with an accessible sampling method. After translation of Body Esteem Scale to Persian language, construct validity (with factor analysis and exploratory graph analysis) and reliability were assessed. Results: The mean age of the participants was 30.66 (standard deviation = 7.40) years. The results of Maximum Likelihood Exploratory Factor Analysis (MLEFA) with Promax with Kaiser normalization rotation extracted three factors accounting for 43.4% of the variance comprising 21 items. Also, after necessary modifications during confirmatory factor analysis, the final model was approved. As for construct reliability, the Cronbach's alpha, Composite Reliability, and Maximal Reliability for all constructs were greater than 0.7, demonstrating good internal consistency and construct reliability. Conclusions: According to results, the Persian version of Body Esteem Scale has a valid structure and acceptable reliability. This scale can be used by health professionals in many ways.

Parental hesitancy toward children vaccination: a multi-country psychometric and predictive study.

AIM: Understanding vaccine hesitancy, as a critical concern for public health, cannot occur without the use of validated measures applicable and relevant to the samples they are assessing. The current study aimed to validate the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS) and to investigate the predictors of children's vaccine hesitancy among parents from Australia, China, Iran, and Turkey. To ensure the high quality of the present observational study the STROBE checklist was utilized. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHOD: In total, 6,073 parent participants completed the web-based survey between 8 August 2021 and 1 October 2021. The content and construct validity of the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale was assessed. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega were used to assess the scale's internal consistency, composite reliability (C.R.) and maximal reliability (MaxR) were used to assess the construct reliability. Multiple linear regression was used to predict parental vaccine hesitancy from gender, social media activity, and perceived financial well-being. RESULTS: The results found that the VHS had a two-factor structure (i.e., lack of confidence and risk) and a total of 9 items. The measure showed metric invariance across four very different countries/cultures, showed evidence of good reliability, and showed evidence of validity. As expected, analyses indicated that parental vaccine hesitancy was higher in people who identify as female, more affluent, and more active on social media. CONCLUSIONS: The present research marks one of the first studies to evaluate vaccine hesitancy in multiple countries that demonstrated VHS validity and reliability. Findings from this study have implications for future research examining vaccine hesitancy and vaccine-preventable diseases and community health nurses.

The Relationship between Religious Well-Being, Existential Well-Being, Fear of Progression and Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer: The Mediating Role of Hope.

BACKGROUND: A cancer diagnosis can be psychologically challenging to individuals due to perceptions that the disease is potentially incurable truncating life expectancy. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among religious well-being, existential well-being, fear of progression and quality of life in Iranian patients with cancer and to evaluate the potential mediating role of hope on these relationships. METHODS: This study with predictive cross-sectional design was done in 2023. Data was gathered from 398 patients with cancer that was selected with accessible sampling method from cancer center of Mazandaran university of medical sciences (Sari, Iran). Study constructs included the religious and existential wellbeing, cancer fear of progression, Snyder Hope, and quality of life. Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS) software (v27) was utilized for all study analyses. Covariance based-structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the mediating role of hope. RESULTS: The mean age of patients with cancer was 49.14 (SD = 16.16). The results of the direct effect showed a significant positive relationship between religious well-being and hope (B = 0.164, p < .001), and between hope and quality of life (B = 0.212, p < 0.001). Also, significant negative relationship between fear of progression and hope (B = -0.147, p < 0.05) was founded. CONCLUSION: A significant positive relationship between hope and quality of life, as well as religious well-being and hope, suggests the influential effects of hope and religious well-being on improving quality of life in patients with cancer. Negative relationships between fear of progression and hope conclude that managing fear of progression may be an important factor in increasing hope and improving quality of life in patients with cancer.

The impact of student computer competency on e-learning outcomes: A path analysis model of virtual learning infrastructure, collaboration, and access to electronic facilities.

AIM: This study explored the influence of student computer competency on e-learning outcomes among Iranian nursing students and examined its mediating role in the relationship between virtual learning infrastructure, student collaboration, access to electronic facilities, and e-learning outcomes. DESIGN: A cross sectional study. METHOD: A self-administered online survey was used from August to October 2022, with a sample size of 417 nursing students selected through convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and PROCESS macro v4.1 (Model 4) were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results revealed that virtual learning infrastructure, access to electronic facilities, and student collaboration, significantly predict student computer competency and e-learning outcomes. Virtual learning infrastructure and access to electronic facilities were found to be the strongest predictors of student computer competency, while student collaboration had a smaller but still significant effect. Student computer competency was found to mediate the relationship between virtual learning infrastructure, access to electronic facilities, student collaboration, and e-learning outcomes.

The Persian version of the body esteem scale among Iranian adolescents: a translation, psychometrics, and network analysis.

Introduction: The psychometric properties of the body esteem scale have not been assessed in Iran. Therefore, the aim of this study was to translate and determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the body esteem scale among Iranian adolescents. Methods: The sample of this methodological study consisted of 504 adolescents [mean age: 16.55 (SD = 1.54) years] living in Tehran City, Iran. After translation of the scale, its content validity (quantitative and qualitative) and structural (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), convergent, and discriminant validity were evaluated. Exploratory graph analysis was performed to determine the number of factors. Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, and maximal reliability were calculated. Results: In the content validity evaluation step, all items had acceptable scores and were retained. The results of exploratory factor analysis with Promax rotation and exploratory graph analysis extracted three factors accounting for 49.49% of the variance, comprising 18 items. Furthermore, after necessary modifications during CFA, the final model was approved. Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed. Cronbach's alpha, CR, and MaxR for all constructs were greater than 0.7, demonstrating good internal consistency and construct reliability. Conclusion: According to the results, the Persian version of the body esteem scale has a valid structure and acceptable reliability. Health professionals, in many ways, can use this scale.

Self-Efficacy Scale Among Iranian Cardiovascular Patients: Persian Translation, Validity, and Reliability Assessment.

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to translate the Sherer Self-Efficacy Scale into Persian and assess its psychometric properties among Iranian patients with cardiovascular diseases. Methods: This cross-sectional research design was done in 2019. The Persian version of the Self-Efficacy Scale was completed by 400 cardiovascular patients. The scale's reliability and validity (face, content, and construct) were evaluated. Results: A four-factor structure of the Self-Efficacy Scale explained 39.22% of the total variance. Additionally, this Scale demonstrated good construct validity on the basis of the confirmatory factor analysis's findings. The reliability of the scale was assessed and proved with Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's and ICC. Conclusions: The Persian version of the Self-Efficacy Scale had acceptable reliability and validity. This Scale could be used by Iranian patients with cardiovascular disease to determine how effective they are at treating themselves.

Primary and secondary pre-service teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education.

The practice of inclusive education in schools has led to changes in policy and pedagogy, hence teacher acceptance and attitude are important components of its success. The aim of this study is to identify the differences in attitudes of primary and secondary pre-service teachers on inclusion and the potential relationship between demographic variables such as definitions of inclusion, previous experience working in a school, completion of a module on inclusive schools, and other variables. The study included 548 Australian university students studying primary (n = 348) or secondary (n = 193) professional teaching. All participants completed the Teacher Attitudes to Inclusion Scale (TAISA). Principle components analysis was performed to transform the TAISA questionnaire into smaller set of components and two-way between-groups analysis of variance was used to analyse data. Results showed that primary pre-service teachers have more positive attitudes towards inclusion than secondary pre-service teachers. Primary pre-service teachers were also more responsive to training on inclusive education. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Student satisfaction and academic efficacy during online learning with the mediating effect of student engagement: A multi-country study.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented changes to educational institutions, forcing their closure and a subsequent shift to online education to cater to student learning requirements. However, successful online learning depends on several factors and may also vary between countries. As such, this cross-sectional study sought to investigate how engagement of university students, a major driver of online learning, was influenced by course content, online interaction, student acceptance, and satisfaction with online learning, as well as self-efficacy across nine countries (China, India, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a questionnaire-based approach, data collected from 6,489 university students showed that student engagement was strongly linked to perception of the quality of the course content and online interactions (p < .001). The current study also indicated that online interactions are a major determinant of academic efficacy but only if mediated by engagement within the online learning context. A negative correlation between student engagement and satisfaction with online learning was found, demonstrating the importance of students being engaged behaviorally, emotionally, and cognitively to feel satisfied with learning. Academic efficacy and student satisfaction were explained by course content, online interaction, and online learning acceptance, being mediated by student engagement. Student satisfaction and, to a lesser degree academic efficacy, were also associated with online learning acceptance. Overall, the structural equation model was a good fit for the data collected from all nine countries (CFI = .947, TLI = .943; RMSEA = .068; SRMR = .048), despite differences in the percentage variations explained by each factor (no invariance), likely due to differences in levels of technology use, learning management systems, and the preparedness of teachers to migrate to full online instruction. Despite limitations, the results of this study highlight the most important factors affecting online learning, providing insight into potential approaches for improving student experiences in online learning environments.

The predictive role of parental attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and child vulnerability: A multi-country study on the relationship between parental vaccine hesitancy and financial well-being.

Background and purpose: Recent new mutations and increases in transmission of COVID-19 among adolescents and children highlight the importance of identifying which factors influence parental decisions regarding vaccinating their children. The current study aims to explore whether child vulnerability and parents' attitudes toward vaccines mediate the association between perceived financial well-being and vaccine hesitancy among parents. Method: A predictive, cross-sectional, multi-country online questionnaire was administered with a convenience sample of 6,073 parents (Australia, 2,734; Iran, 2,447; China, 523; Turkey, 369). Participants completed the Parent Attitude About Child Vaccines (PACV), the Child Vulnerability Scale (CVS), a Financial Well-being (FWB) measure, and Parental Vaccine Hesitancy (PVH) questionnaire. Results: The current study revealed that perceived financial well-being had significant and negative associations with parents' attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and child vulnerability among the Australian sample. Contrary to the Australian findings, results from Chinese participants indicated that financial well-being had significant and positive predictive effects on parent attitudes toward vaccines, child vulnerability, and parental vaccine hesitancy. The results of the Iranian sample revealed that parents' attitudes toward vaccines and child vulnerability significantly and negatively predicted parental vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion: The current study revealed that a parents' perceived financial well-being had a significant and negative relationship with parental attitudes about vaccines and child vulnerability; however, it did not significantly predict parental vaccine hesitancy among Turkish parents as it did for parents in Australia, Iran, and China. Findings of the study have policy implications for how certain countries may tailor their vaccine-related health messages to parents with low financial wellbeing and parents with vulnerable children.

Psychometric evaluation of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale among Iranian population.

BACKGROUND: The resilience construct is considered a personal trait composed of multiple aspects. Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale is a standard tool composed of five factors and 25 items. This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of this scale. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, after the scale translation, the factorial structural validity was assessed via the confirmatory factor analysis with 70 180 samples. Internal consistency, composite reliability, convergent validity were assessed by calculating Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, maximum reliability, and Average Variance Extracted. The discriminant validity was assessed using Heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations matrix and also, measure invariance was evaluated. RESULTS: The original five-factor model had good model fit indices but due to low factor loading of item 2 and 20, the model was modified. The Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability for four factors were above 0.7 (except for factor 5). The convergent validity for all five factors were achieved. Between factors 1 with 2 and 4, 2 with 3 and 4 discriminant validity was not established (correlations > 0.9) and the results suggested that there might be a second-order latent construct behind these factors. Therefore, a second-order assessment was performed. The results of the second-order latent construct assessment showed a good goodness-of fit and strong measurement invariance for both men and women. CONCLUSION: The 23-item version of Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale is a reliable and valid scale to measure resilience as a complex construct in the Iran context.

The Farsi version of meaning of life in Iranian patients with cancer: A psychometric study.

BACKGROUND: Having meaning in life is a protective factor for psychological well-being. Accurate assessment of this construct needs a valid and reliable tool. PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the meaning of life questionnaire in patients with cancer. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, after translating the questionnaire to Farsi, in a sample of 212 patients with cancer, feasibility, content and convergent validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, stability, and responsiveness were evaluated. RESULTS: The results show that the content validity ratio of all ten items was greater than 0.49. Also, the modified Kappa coefficient of each item was greater than 0.6. The maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis extracted one factor, which explains 76.13% of the total variance of the sample. Item nine was removed. The confirmatory factor analysis results show that the one-factor model had good fit indices. The Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, composite reliability, MaxR, and intraclass correlation coefficient were 0.96, 0.96, 0.96, 0.96, and 0.98, respectively. The questionnaires had responsiveness and its response time was 3 s. CONCLUSION AND POLICY SUMMARY: The nine-item Farsi version of the meaning of life questionnaire has good validity and reliability and responsiveness.

Validity and Reliability of Persian Version of the 12-Item Expectations Regarding Aging Survey.

Objective:The present study was designed to assess the construct validity and reliability of the Persian version of the 12-item Expectations Regarding Aging (ERA) survey among the older adult Iranian population. Methods: The Persian version of this scale was developed using translation and revision in the current study. The construct validity was assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability was assessed through internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega), composite reliability (CR), and maximal reliability (MaXR). The data compiled online was based on a sample of 400 older adults aged 65 years and older. Results: The Persian version includes 12 items loading onto three factors with 12 items explaining 46.633% of the total variance with excellent internal consistency and reliability. Conclusion: The Persian version of ERA is reliable and valid that can be used to assess the ERA concept among older adults.

Retaining nurses via organizational support and pay during COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating effect between intrinsic and extrinsic incentives.

AIM: There has been growing concern about the nurses' turnover intention as well as life satisfaction during COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. The past research has provided evidence on the effect of organizational support on nurses' job satisfaction and turnover intention. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism behind these associations. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken. METHODS: An online survey was conducted in Iran from May to June 2020 through Google Docs Forms. In total, 305 nurses were participated and completed the online survey. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling through (AMOS). This study was checked with the STROBE checklist. RESULT: The results showed that nurses' perception of organizational support was positively related to their job satisfaction which in turn decreases the turnover intention. Likewise, the job satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between organizational support and nurses' life satisfaction.

Chinese Consumers' E-Learning Satisfaction and Continuance Purchase Intention on Paid Online Python Course.

With the development of internet technology, e-learning has become an essential part of the modern education system. However, the e-learning market faces enormous competition. Consumers' continuance purchase intention has become a vital factor in the success of e-learning courses. Thus, factors that influence consumers' continuance purchase intention should be examined in the e-learning market. However, little research has focused on identifying the continuance purchase intention of an e-learning course. Based on the information system continuity model ISC), this paper develops a research model to investigate the factors influencing satisfaction and continuance purchase intention in e-learning. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based research design was used in this study. We collected data from consumers who had enrolled in paid online Python courses. In total, 508 paid online Python course users completed the online survey. SmartPLS software was used for data analysis. The results demonstrated that perceived course quality, service quality, convenience, and usefulness significantly affect consumers' satisfaction with the experience course. Moreover, the findings show that satisfaction, self-efficacy, and e-word of mouth (e-WOM) determine the consumers' continuance purchase intention of the reminder course. This study also found that satisfaction mediates the effects of experience courses on consumers' continuance purchase intention of the online Python course. The implications for theory and practice and future research directions are discussed.

The Persian version of Herth Hope Index in Iranian patients with cancer: A psychometric study.

OBJECTIVES: Hope is a contextual concept that has significant effects on human well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Herth Hope Index (P-HHI) among Iranian patients with cancer. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 320 patients with cancer from September to December 2020. After translating the HHI into Persian, content, convergent and discriminant, construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), and reliability of the P-HHI were assessed. RESULTS: The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that the P-HHI was composed of two factors: Life Expectancy and Thinking Positive, which explained 55.20% of the total variance. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The research revealed that the P-HHI has acceptable validity and reliability, which can be used to measure the hope concept among Iranian patients with cancer.

A Predictive Study Between Anxiety and Fear of COVID-19 With Psychological Behavior Response: The Mediation Role of Perceived Stress.

Objective: Despite the abundance of studies linking fear and anxiety to COVID-19, there are limited studies that examine how these elements impact psychological behavioral responses, especially in Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety and fear of COVID-19 with psychological behavior response, whether this relationship is mediated by role of perceived stress among Iranian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A predictive cross-sectional study was used to investigate the relationships between COVID-19 anxiety syndrome, fear of COVID-19 with psychological behavioral responses due to the pandemic, and the mediating role of the COVID-19 perceived stress in these relationships. Results: The current study revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, fear and anxiety of COVID-19 can influence the psychological behavioral responses of individuals; however, this can be explained through perceived stress. Conclusion: As such, the current study points out that the individuals who perceived high stress due to COVID-19 were more likely to comply with guidelines, which has given new insight into this field. The current study findings are applicable for health policymakers in order to help them in understanding human behavior for developing health promotion programs and also for fostering resilience among the general population.

Psychometric Evaluation of Persian Version of Hope Scale in Iranian Patients With Cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Adult Hope Scale is one of the most popular tools for hope measuring. The study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian Version of Hope Scale among Iranian patients with cancer. METHODS: In this methodological study, patients with cancer (n = 400) were recruited by convenience sampling from June to December 2019. The construct and content validity and reliability of the scale were evaluated. RESULTS: A two-factor structure for the scale was indicated with the factors being optimism life, and despair that explained 60.483% of the total variance of the scale. The model has the goodness of fit and acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: .701-.897). CONCLUSIONS: The Persian Version of Hope Scale demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability among patients with cancer.

The relationship between abusive supervision, psychological ownership, and quality of nursing care: The mediating role of job satisfaction.

PURPOSE: This study tested a hypothetical model to evaluate the relationship between job satisfaction, abusive supervision, and psychological ownership with the quality of nursing care. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 300 nurses from two public hospitals in Iran was selected. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the measurement model and the proposed structural model. FINDINGS: There was a significant negative relationship between abusive supervision with nurses' job satisfaction and quality of nursing care. A positive relationship between psychological ownership with nurses' job satisfaction and quality of nursing care was observed. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Given the importance of nurses' job satisfaction, nursing managers can enhance the quality of nursing care by providing a favorable work environment for nurses.

Psychometrics of Persian Version of the Ageism Survey Among an Iranian Older Adult Population During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Studies have revealed an increase in discrimination, neglect, and abuse among the older adult population during this period. This study assessed the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the ageism survey instrument tested on a sample of the Iranian older adult population during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. An important move in counteracting ageism is to classify the ageism scale comprehensively by employing adequate psychometrics. Methods: The Persian version of the ageism scale was developed using a two-step procedure. The first step involved translating and revising the original scale to develop a Persian version of the ageism scale. The second step involved assessing the psychometric features of the newly adapted scale using construct validity through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and thereafter assessing the reliability through the average inter-item correlation (AIC), Cronbach's alpha. The sample consisted of 400 older adults (age 65 and older), who were recruited through online data collection, with samples for EFA and CFA randomly selected from the total samples. Results: The Persian version of the ageism survey has three factors: age-related deprivation with five items, dignity with three items, and employment with three items; all of which explained 57.02% of the total variance. The outcome of the EFA was verified by the CFA, with internal consistency reliability being excellent (Cronbach's alpha was 0.725, 0.698, and 0.708 for the three factors). Conclusion: This study specifically offers a restructured three factors Persian version of the ageism survey for Iranian older adults with acceptable construct validity and reliability.