The effect of health empowerment on elder abuse in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Understanding elder abuse requires an assessment of variables that may limit older adults' capacities to handle their everyday lives, to live independently, and to defend themselves. This study was conducted to examine the effect of health empowerment on elder abuse in older adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 250 elderly individuals who applied to the internal medicine clinics of a university hospital in Elazig, eastern Turkey. Data were collected using the Descriptive Information Form, Elders Health Empowerment Scale (EHES) and the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S/EAST). RESULTS: The average EHES total score of participants was 25.52 ± 6.58. The H-S/EAST total score was 4.22 ± 3.49. Among subscales, the score of "Characteristics of the elder that make him or her vulnerable to abuse" subscale was 1.04 ± 0.83, the score of 'Overt violation of personal rights and direct abuse' subscale was 1.55 ± 1.30, and the score of 'Characteristics of potentially abusive situations' subscale was 1.62 ± 1.94. It was determined that the EHES (ß = -0.163, P < 0.01) variable had a negative and significant effect on H-S/EAST. It was found that a one-unit decrease in the EHES variable increased the level of H-S/EAST 0.849 times. CONCLUSION: It was determined that the level of empowerment of the participants was moderate. Elderly individuals were found to have a moderate risk of elder abuse. It was found that the risk of elder abuse decreased as older individuals became stronger.

Turkish Validity and Reliability Study of Cancer Empowerment Scale.

BACKGROUND: The present study aims to adapt "Cancer Empowerment Scale" to Turkish and to test its validity and reliability. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This methodological study consisted of 286 cancer patients receiving treatment. Cancer Empowerment Scale (CES) were used in this study. RESULTS: The scale's content validity index was found as 0.96. Total Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale is 0.93. Cronbach's alpha coefficient is 0.92 for personal strength dimension, 0.95 for social support dimension, 0.87 for healthcare and 0.94 for community support. Item factor loads were found to range between 0.40 and 0.87 and item total correlation coefficients were found to be between 0.32 and 0.59. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted supported the 4 factor structure of the scale. CFA results showed good fit index values. CONCLUSIONS: Turkish version of Cancer Empowerment Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate the empowerment states of cancer patients. With this scale, it is thought that by evaluating the empowerment status of cancer patients and determining the deficiencies in this issue, it will provide supportive interventions to patients in clinical practice according to their needs.

Evaluation of Distress and Religious Coping Among Cancer Patients in Turkey.

The purpose of this study was to determine distress levels and religious coping styles of cancer patients and the relationship between religious coping styles and distress. This study was conducted as descriptive design. It was determined that 60.7% of the patients experienced distress related to the disease. The field of problem from which the patients mostly experienced distress was physical problems. It was observed that positive coping scores of the patients were higher. There was a negative correlation between their mean scores for positive religious styles and distress total scores.

The effect of low back and neck pain on posture, burnout, and quality of life in formal caregivers of children with disabilities and the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Caregiving, which is often described as a stressful job due to the patience and dedication it requires, affects the physical and mental health of the employees of the profession due to various factors. AIMS: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of lower back and neck pain on posture, burnout level, and quality of life of the formal caregivers of children with disability and the elderly. METHODS: The study included 64 formal caregivers of children with disability and the elderly. The socio-demographic characteristics of the participants were recorded. The Oswestry Disability Index, the Neck Disability Index, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Short Form-36 were used to evaluate low back pain, neck pain, burnout levels, and quality of life, respectively. Participants' spinal posture values were measured with the Spinal Mouse device. RESULTS: When the groups were combined and examined, it was found that neck pain caused changes in the spinal posture (p < 0.05) and that low back pain did not affect spinal posture (p > 0.05). Also, low back and neck pain had an increasing effect on emotional burnout and desensitization and a decreasing effect on the quality of life (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it was observed that low back and neck pain experience has negative effects on individuals' posture, burnout levels, and quality of life.

Psychological impact of cancer scale: Turkish validity and reliability study.

BACKGROUND: In the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, it is important to evaluate the com-ponents of psychological adjustment. Considering the key role of nurses in providing care to patients, it is important to evaluate patients, to determine high-risk patients and to use tools with acceptable validity and reliability to develop care plans. AIM: To analyze the Turkish validity and reliability of The Psychological Impact of Cancer Scale (PICS). METHODS: This methodological study was conducted with 257 cancer patients admitted to the oncology-haematology clinic and outpatient clinic of a University Hospital between February and October 2021. After the translation process of the scale, content and construct validity were conducted. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was examined with construct validity, while item analyses and internal consistency analysis were conducted for reliability. RESULTS: Analyses and assessment results showed that the content validity index of the scale was 0.96. In the exploratory factor analysis of the Turkish adaptation study, total variance rate explained was found as 84.98%. Factor loads of all items were between 0.82 and 0.94. It was found that Cronbach Alpha values were between 0.860 and 0.930 and total scale Cronbach Alpha value was 0.844. EFA and CFA showed that Turkish form of 12-item and 4-factor. The Psychological Impact of Cancer Scale was confirmed with no changes to the original scale. CFA revealed good fit indices. CONCLUSION: Turkish PICS is a valid and reliable measurement tool for the evaluation of individual's psychological response to cancer diagnosis and treatment and for being used in clinical practice.

Investigation of the levels of low back pain, depression, and burnout of the personnel providing formal care for children with disability and elderly individuals.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate and compare the low-back pain, depression, and burnout levels among formal caregivers of elderly individuals and children with disability. METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study included 29 caregivers of children with disabilities (Group 1) and 26 caregivers of elderly individuals (Group 2). The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were questioned. The part of low back pain in the Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to estimate of low back pain. Beck Depression Inventory and Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to evaluate the levels of depression and burnout, respectively. In analysis, percentage values, mean, standard deviation, frequency, and t-test for comparative statistics and Chi-square and Fisher Exact test for categorical variables were used. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the two groups only for the frequency of pain (p=0.039). There was a significant difference in depression levels between the groups (p=0.001) and no difference in the burnout level of the among groups (emotional exhaustion p=0.21; depersonalization p=0.95; and personal achievement p=0.066). CONCLUSION: It was observed that the disabled and elderly care personnel included in this study similarly experienced moderate burnout, and they also had similar complaints in terms of low back pain, except for the frequency of pain. It was found that the depression levels of the disabled child caregivers were higher than the elderly caregivers. As a result, it has been seen that care work can cause both physical and psychosocial problems in both groups.

Effect of Reiki Therapy on Quality of Life and Fatigue Levels of Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The quality of life of patients receiving chemotherapy decreases, and fatigue is one of the most common symptoms. Reiki is used for cancer patients as an energy-based complementary and alternative method. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Reiki therapy on the quality of life and fatigue levels in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. METHODS: This was a pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental study with a control group: 70 patients enrolled with 35 participants in the experimental group and 35 in the control group. The experimental group received 6 sessions of Reiki therapy. The data were collected using a Patient Information Form, the Piper Fatigue Scale, and the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean scores on the general well-being subscale in the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire increased in the experimental group and decreased in the control group, whereas the mean scores on the general function and general symptom subscales decreased in the experimental group and increased in the control group. The differences between the groups were statistically significant (P < .001). The mean Piper Fatigue Scale scores of the experimental group decreased, whereas that of the control group increased; the group differences were statistically significant (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Reiki can reduce fatigue and increase the quality of life of breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Reiki therapy can be used as a nursing intervention to increase the quality of life and reduce fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Evaluation of Illness Perception of Women with Breast Cancer in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine the illness perceptions of women with breast cancer and possible relationships between these perceptions and descriptive characteristics such as sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in compliance with correlational, descriptive research principles. Three hundred eighty women with breast cancer who were treated in various hospitals in seven regions of the country were included in the study. A sociodemographic and clinical characteristics form, and The Illness Perception Questionnaire were used for data collection. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients with breast cancer was 49.8±11.5, among them, 83.95% were married, 37.37% were at stage 2 breast cancer, and 67.11% experienced mastectomy. It was found that the patients perceived higher personal control over illness (20.88±4.76). The patients perceived most common risk factors as the cause of the illness (19.42±6.38). This study show that variety sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients affected their perceptions of illness. CONCLUSION: The meaning of illness from the perspective of patient with breast cancer should be assessed. The care, education and counselling programs should be planned according to the patient's illness perceptions.