PURPOSE: To assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Scale for Positive Aspects of Caregiving Experience (SPACE). DESIGN AND METHODS: The methodological descriptive study was conducted with 228 family caregivers of people with dementia (PwD) in Turkey, Izmir, between March 2018 and December 2019. FINDINGS: The Turkish version of SPACE is a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate the positive experiences of caregivers of PwD in the Turkish society. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: It is thought that this measurement tool will be useful for researchers working with primary caregivers in Turkey.
Caregivers , Humans , Psychometrics , Surveys and Questionnaires , Turkey , Reproducibility of Results
BACKGROUND: The incidence of dementia is increasing dramatically worldwide. It is important to determine knowledge about the dementia for it's prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and care. The psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS-T) were evaluated in this study. METHODS: The psychometric study was conducted. A total of 1592 participants were recruited between November 2019 and March 2020. The data were collected using a sociodemographic form and DKAS-T. The language and content validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to assess the validity of the scale. The scale's reliability was obtained using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, a paired sample t-test, item-total score correlation, and Hotelling's T-squared test. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 29.38 (±11.50) years; 66.8% (n = 1064) were female, and 54.1% (n = 861) reported their income status as income equal to expenditure. The DKAS-T demonstrated content validity and adequate sensitivity (Kendall W = 0.155, p = 0.093). The scale consisted of seventeen items and was unidimensional, which explained 28.705% of the variance. All the factor loadings were found to be >0.30 in factor analysis. In CFA, all of the fit indexes were >0.95 and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.033. A Cronbach's alpha value of 0.836 was obtained for the entire scale. It was determined that the scale has invariance according to time (t = -1.362, p = 0.181). Homogeneity of the scale was 3.26%, and there was no absence of reaction bias (Hotelling's T-squared = 2573.681, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the instrument is reliable and generates valid data for the Turkish sample. This scale can be used to determine knowledge about dementia and planning educational interventions in the issue.
Cross-Cultural Comparison , Dementia , Dementia/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Surveys and Questionnaires
The support group process effect on caregiver burden on family members of dementia patients based on Watson's theory of human caring was that a significant difference was found between caregivers and control groups. Qualitatively, the support group process could reduce caregiver burden and improve coping skills.
Caregivers/psychology , Empathy , Group Processes , Social Support , Aged , Caregivers/education , Caregivers/statistics & numerical data , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged
AIMS: To analyse the changes in senior students' opinions about the nursing profession over a 10-year period. DESIGN: A descriptive and comparative study. METHOD: Data were collected using a questionnaire form, which was completed by 400 senior high school students in Çankiri city center during 2007-2008 (Group 1) and 2017-2018 (Group 2) academic years. RESULTS: Compared with 10 years ago, more students referred to nurses as 'knowledgeable, concerned, and tolerant'. There were fewer students who knew the duties of nurses. There were significantly fewer students who wanted to be nurses and many who wanted to be nurses in both groups said it was 'because they love nursing'. Compared with 10 years ago, more students said they wanted to be nurses because their parents wanted them to be nurses, but fewer students said they wanted to be nurses because they love people. There were more students who did not want to be nurses 'because it is tiring and entails irregular work hours'. However, more students said that they would like to go into nursing if the salary was satisfactory. CONCLUSION: The study showed that, compared with 10 years ago, more students defined nurses as knowledgeable and professional. They reported they did not currently wish to enter the nursing profession, but that they would do so if the wages were high. IMPACT: This study aims to determine the change in young individuals' opinions about the nursing profession in Turkey over a 10-year period. Due to poor work conditions in the nursing profession, most of the students did not want to be nurses, but their opinions might change if nurses' salaries were satisfactory. Academicians and nurses play an important role in introducing the nursing profession to students when they choose their career and informing high school teachers, who advise these students.
