Assessing psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Diabetes Caregiver Activity and Support Scale (D-CASS).

AIM: The study was a methodological conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Diabetes Caregiver Activity and Support Scale (D-CASS). METHODS: This study was included on 272 individuals who cared for patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at least one year ago. Language, content, internal criterion, construct-concept validity were used to test the validity of the scale, and cronbach alpha, item-scale correlation, and test-retest were used to test the reliability. RESULTS: The CVI was 0.95. The study was conducted with 272(60.3% female, 39.7% male) caregivers of individuals with type 2 diabetes. The study was found four week test-retest reliability with r = 0.70, p < 0001. The factor loadings of the scale items are between 0.77 and 0.95. The single factor obtained explains 75% of the total variance. The scale was found to have a high degree of reliability (Cronbach alpha=0.95). CONCLUSION: The activities and supportive behaviours scale of caregivers of individuals with type 2 diabetes(D-CASS) is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used for the Turkish population.

Empathic approach to reducing the negative attitudes of nursing undergraduate students towards cancer.

BACKGROUND: In cases where even professional nurses have difficulty in giving care to cancer patients, student nurses may not be able to provide adequate care and sometimes develop a negative behavior or attitude towards this patient group. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the attitudes of nursing undergraduate students towards cancer and the empathic approach. DESIGN: The study was carried out using the cross-sectional research design. SETTINGS: A university located in the southeast of Turkey between November-December 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing students from one Turkey nursing school. METHODS: The research data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Questionnaire for Measuring Attitudes towards Cancer (Cancer Stigma) (QMAC) - Community Version, and Jefferson's Empathy Scale for Nursing Students (JESNS). RESULTS: 240 students volunteered to participate in the study, and the rate of the students' response to the questionnaires was 52%. Of all the nursing students, 66.2% of them were female; 45.4% had a moderate perception of their economic status; 94.2% had no chronic disease; 90.4% had no family history regarding cancer; 67.9% had never been in an oncology clinic, and 59.2 of them had received training on empathy. When nursing students' attitudes towards cancer were examined, it was seen that empathic approach (ß = -0.291; p < .01) and chronic disease treatment received (ß = 0.174; p = .005) were found to be significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that the nursing undergraduate students' negative perception of cancer decreased as their empathic skills increased. In addition, the students' receiving treatment for chronic diseases increased their negative perception of cancer. In order to reduce the negative attitudes of nursing students towards cancer, more trainings, lectures and seminars or clinical skills training regarding the development of empathic skills could be included in the undergraduate nursing curriculum.

Secondary traumatic stress experiences of nurses caring for cancer patients.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore secondary traumatic stress experiences of nurses caring for cancer patients. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive approach was taken in the study. The team conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 13 oncology nurses. We evaluated the responses collected using content analysis. RESULTS: Three distinct themes emerged from the interviews: cycle of desperation, coping, and change. CONCLUSION: Based on the results obtained, it is suggested that programs containing cognitive restructuring techniques be developed; peer support groups may enable senior nurses to guide inexperienced nurses.

Are levels of coping with stress in pregnancy with gestational diabetes worse than in healthy pregnancy?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the levels of coping with stress in healthy pregnant women in comparison with the levels of coping with stress in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Materials and methods: In the study, the descriptive cross-sectional research design was used. The study was carried out with 218 pregnant women in total. Results: It was found that the healthy pregnant women had a higher total score for coping with stress and used the self-confident coping style, one of the effective coping styles, more frequently when compared to the pregnant women with GDM (p < .001). In addition, the pregnant women with GDM used the desperate coping style, one of the ineffective coping styles, more frequently than the healthy pregnant women (p < .001). Conclusions: Diabetes education that nurses give should allow not only the nurses to evaluate the coping levels of pregnant women with GDM, but also to teach these pregnant women how to use effective coping styles.

Predictors of Empowerment in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease that has reached pandemic proportions. In Turkey, the frequency of diabetes in individuals aged 20 years or older has been reported to be 13.7% compared with the worldwide prevalence of 8.5%. Empowerment has been correlated with improvement in diabetic self-management capabilities and glycemic control. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of "empowerment" in individuals with type 2 diabetes from Turkey. METHOD: This was a secondary analysis with a cross-sectional correlation design using stepwise linear regression to evaluate previously collected data from 220 type 2 diabetic individuals in Turkey from January through July 2014. Demographic and Disease-Related Information Form, Diabetes Empowerment Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used to collect the research data. RESULTS: Being educated about diabetes (ß = .22, p < .001), high school (ß = .16, p = .007), university (ß = .12, p = .046), age (ß = -.18, p = .003), social support (ß = .15, p = .027), employment status (ß = .13, p = .045), and A1C (ß = -.12, p = .046) were statistically significant predictors of empowerment of type 2 diabetic individuals, and these variables explained 30% of the common variance. DISCUSSION: It is important for nurses to assess sources of social support and integrate the results of this assessment to ensure the empowerment of the patient during diabetes education. For the empowerment of diabetic individuals, attempts should be made to increase the diabetes literacy levels of diabetic individuals who have low level of education and who are in the older age group, and patients who can get employed could be directed to work life.

Empowerment and Social Support as Predictors of Self-Care Behaviors and Glycemic Control in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes.

This study investigated empowerment, social support, and diabetes-related characteristics as predictors of self-care behaviors and glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes in Turkey. Descriptive cross-sectional and relational research designs were used in this study. The study was carried out with a cohort of 220 individuals with type 2 diabetes. Linear regression analysis revealed that patient empowerment was a statistically significant predictor of diet (ß = .30; p < .001), exercise (ß = .19; p = .003), blood glucose monitoring (ß = .27; p < .001), foot care (ß = .27; p < .001), and A1c (ß = -.19; p = .004). Social support was a statistically significant predictor of diet (ß = .24; p < .001), exercise (ß = .26; p < .001), blood glucose monitoring (ß = .16; p = .011), and foot care (ß = .19; p = .003). These results indicate that social support and empowerment are important for nurses to consider when planning interventions that increase the self-care behavior of individuals with type 2 diabetes and for improving glycemic control.

Predictor effect of Locus Of Control (LOC) on self-care activities and metabolic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have examined the role of individuals' personal characteristics in diabetes management and used the locus of control theory to assess adherence to a diabetes management regimen. These studies have emphasized that having internal locus of control may be a protective factor in diabetes management. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the predictor effect of locus of control on self-care activities and A1c level. METHOD: The study is descriptive and relational. Researchers used a Diabetes Self-Care Activities Scale and a Locus of Control Scale to collect data. The study sample consisted of 129 individuals with type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: The average score of locus of control of individuals with diabetes was 10.26, and the frequency of self-care activities in the past week was 2.9 days. A weak but statistically significant negative relation was found between the locus of control level and self-care activities of individuals with diabetes, which had no effect on A1c. It was determined that locus of control predicts 19% of self-care activities. CONCLUSION: According to the study results, having internal locus of control had positive effects on self-care activities. Training and planning activities to improve internal locus of control can improve diabetes management.

Self-reported frequency, severity of, and awareness of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes patients in Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: Hypoglycemia is a common side effect of insulin therapy in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Limited data exist on the frequency of hypoglycemic events in type 2 diabetic patients in Turkey. Our study investigated self-reported hypoglycemic events and awareness of hypoglycemia in Turkish patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: People with type 2 diabetes older than 18 years of age were recruited from the two university hospital diabetes clinics. The frequency and severity of hypoglycemia and awareness of hypoglycemia during the preceding year were determinated using questionnaires by the face-to-face interview method. RESULTS: In this study of 187 patients with type 2 diabetes, 83.4% had impaired awareness of their hypoglycemia, and 62% reported that they had missed some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Of the patients reporting hypoglycemic symptoms and severity level, 84.1% experienced mild hypoglycemia, 60% moderate, and 15.5% severe hypoglycemia in the past year. No significant association was made between hypoglycemia awareness and age, body-mass index (BMI), years of diabetes, dose of insulin, duration of insulin use, number of meals, or amount of snacking. A significant correlation was found between A1c levels and hypoglycemia awareness and severity of hypoglycemia. A significant correlation was found between dose of insulin, amount of snacking, and severity of hypoglycemia. No significant association was made between severity of hypoglycemia and age, BMI, years of diabetes, duration of insulin use, or the number of meals. However, the group with severe hypoglycemia had diabetes longer, and the average daily dose of insulin use was higher than in other groups. CONCLUSIONS: According to the study results, the percentage of patients with impaired awareness of hypoglycemia is high, and 62% of patients reported that they had missed some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes. In addition, the percentage of severe hypoglycemic events is not low. Impaired awareness of hypoglycemia is a major risk factor for severe hypoglycemic events. Patients should be educated about the danger of hypoglycemia. Education should be improved, and a determined attempt should be made to eradicate the problem.