Effect of applying nursing-based cognitive defusion techniques on mindful awareness, cognitive fusion, and believability of delusions among clients with schizophrenia: a randomized control trial.

Background: Applying cognitive defusion techniques to enduring psychotic symptoms, such as delusions, presents both a challenge and a promising opportunity for psychiatric nurses to manage delusions among schizophrenia clients. Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of cognitive defusion techniques on psychological flexibility, mindful awareness, cognitive fusion, and the believability of delusions in schizophrenia clients. Methodology: This study used a single-blind, parallel-arm Randomized Controlled Trial design. Over five weeks, 70 clients with schizophrenia were randomized to either the cognitive defusion intervention group (n = 35) or the control group (n = 35). Findings: The participants showed significant reductions in the believability of delusions, cognitive fusion, and psychological inflexibility immediately after the intervention and at follow-up. Notable enhancements were observed in cognitive defusion and mindfulness awareness abilities. Conclusion: Cognitive defusion techniques positively affect schizophrenia clients who struggle with persistent delusional beliefs. This underscores the importance of further investigating this approach to decrease the intensity of delusions as part of a comprehensive therapeutic intervention. Psychiatric nurses must receive training in "cognitive defusion skills" to aid schizophrenia clients in becoming more aware of their emotions and modifying their coping strategies for delusional beliefs. On August 3, 2023, the research was retrospectively registered under the reference number NCT05759091 as a randomized clinical trial. Clinical trial registration: https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05759091, identifier NCT05759091.

Cluttered spaces, strained bonds: Examining the correlation between hoarding symptoms and social functioning among long-term care facilities older adult residents.

BACKGROUND: Symptoms of hoarding, such as the inability to part with possessions, leading to significant clutter, are commonly observed among residents in long-term care facilities in Egypt. This behavior significantly impacts their social interactions and functioning. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between hoarding symptoms and social functioning among older adult residents in long-term care facilities. METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional survey on a purposive sample of 300 older adults. TOOLS: Saving Inventory-Revised and Functional Idiographic Assessment Template-Questionnaire-Short Form were used. RESULTS: The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between hoarding symptoms and social functioning (r = 0.682, p < 0.000). A linear regression analysis supported this correlation, establishing hoarding symptoms as a significant predictor of social functioning (adjusted R2 = 0.32). CONCLUSION: The current study highlighted that a significant proportion of long-term care older adult residents displayed moderate hoarding symptoms and compromised social functioning. A noticeable positive association was observed between hoarding symptoms and social functioning. These results underscore the potential impact of hoarding symptoms on various aspects of social functioning. Given these findings, long-term care nurses should comprehend the various facets of compulsive hoarding behavior and devise effective strategies for assessment and intervention. Establishing support groups within these facilities could provide a platform for these residents to share their experiences and coping strategies. This could reduce interpersonal conflicts and argumentativeness and foster emotional expression and intimacy.

The Relationship Between Stress and Resilience of Nurses in Intensive Care Units During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus infection COVID-19 has been a risk to world health, particularly for individuals who are vulnerable to it. Critical care nurses have described experiencing extremely high levels of stress under these struggling conditions. This study aimed to assess the relationship between stress and resilience of intensive care unit nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 227 nurses who are working in the intensive care units in the West Bank hospitals, Palestine. Data collection utilized the Nursing Stress Scale (NSS) and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS). Two hundred twenty-seven intensive care nurses completed the questionnaire; (61.2%) were males, and (81.5%) had documented COVID-19 infection among their friends, family, or coworkers. Most intensive care nurses reported high levels of stress (105.9 ± 11.9), but low levels of resilience (11.0 ± 4.3). There was a moderate negative correlation between nurses' stress and their resilience (P < .05) and a small to moderate negative correlation between nurses' stress sub-scales and resilience (P < .05). Also, the results revealed a statistically significant difference between the stress score mean and the nurses who had documented COVID-19 infection among their friends, family, or coworkers (P < .05), and between the resilience mean score and the nurses' gender (P < .05). During the COVID-19 outbreak, intensive care nurses' stress levels were high, and their resilience was low. Thus, controlling nurses' stress levels and identifying possible stress sources related to the COVID-19 pandemic are important to maintain patients' safety and improve the quality of care.

The phenomenology of auditory verbal hallucinations among clients with schizophrenia: The association with acceptance and autonomous action responses.

BACKGROUND: Living with the experience of hearing voices without trying to ignore or suppress them is referred to as accepting auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH). It varies depending on the phenomenology of AVH itself; some clients may find it challenging to acquire new coping mechanisms with the voices. AIM: Examine the association between the phenomenology of AVH and acceptance or autonomous action among clients with schizophrenia. DESIGN: A descriptive correlational study was conducted on 200 clients with schizophrenia using the following instruments; Sociodemographic and clinical data tools, Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS-AH), and Voices Acceptance and Action Scale (VAAS). RESULTS: Most patients have moderate to severe levels of AVH (95.5 %), with a mean score of 25.34. The emotional characteristics reflected the high mean score (11.24). A highly statistically negative correlation was found between the total Voices Acceptance and Action Scale and severity of AVH (P = -0.448, sig = 0.000). A predictable significant effect of user acceptance and autonomous actions response coping with decreasing the severity of AVH was found (adjusted r square = 0.196, sig = 0.000) and model equation = Severity of Verbal auditory hallucinations = 31.990-0.257 X Total of Voice Acceptance and Autonomous Action Scale (VAAS). CONCLUSION: The severity of all phenomenological characteristics of AVH can be successfully reduced by using voice acceptance and autonomous action responses rather than resistance or engagement responses. Subsequently, it must be improved and learned by psychiatric nurses the patients with schizophrenia in the hospitals by applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a crucial intervention.

Assessing perceptions about critical thinking, motivation learning strategies in online psychiatric and mental health nursing education among Egyptian and Saudi undergraduate nursing students.

BACKGROUND: The pandemic context prompts nursing students to be involved in online learning. Researchers indicated that critical thinking develops through the learning process, but the link between critical thinking and online learning in nursing does not have sufficient evidence. AIM OF STUDY: This research examines student perceptions about critical thinking, motivation, and learning strategies in online psychiatric nursing education among nursing students at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University in Saudi Arabia and Alexandria University in Egypt. SUBJECT AND METHODS: An online survey was designed to collect data anonymously. A total of 75 Saudi undergraduates and 105 Egyptian nursing students who met the inclusion criteria participated. The online survey assessed three parts: socio-demographic data, critical thinking motivational, and cognitive processing strategy scales. RESULTS: The current study found that using a motivating method for online learning inspired students to engage in critical thinking and cognitive processing strategies in a psychiatric and mental health nursing course, even in two different contexts. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that using motivational methods for online learning encourages students to engage in critical thinking and cognitive processing strategies in psychiatry and mental health care courses, even in two different settings.

The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale: its psychometric properties and invariance among women with eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Facebook addiction is increasing, giving rise to limited real-life social networks, loneliness, poor work and academic performance, psychopathology, and low well-being. Facebook entails numerous factors that increase the risk for disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (e.g., use time and Facebook activities such as social grooming and photo sharing). This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) among patients with eating disorders (EDs) given lack of validation of Facebook addiction measures in this population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 123 inpatient and outpatient women with EDs (Mean age = 27.3, SD = 10.6, range = 14-59 years) used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), multigroup CFA, structural equation modeling (SEM), Spearman's rho Spearman's analysis, McDonald's Omega (ω), Cronbach's alpha (α), and item-total correlations to examine the structure, invariance, criterion validity, reliability, and discriminant validity of the BFAS. RESULTS: Correlating the residuals of items 2, 3, and 5 resulted in an excellent fit of a one-factor structure of the BFAS (χ2(7) = 8.515, p = .289, CFI = .998, TLI = .996, RMSEA = .042, SRMR = .0099). The BFAS was invariant at the configural, metric, and scalar levels across groups of EDs, age, education, and marital status. High values of ω and α (.96) as well as item-total correlations (.851-.929) indicated excellent reliability and high discrimination index of the BFAS.  Criterion validity is noted by strong positive correlation with the Six-item Internet Addiction Test (S-IAT, r = .88) and SEM using the S-IAT to predict the BFAS (χ2(49) = 103.701, p = .001, CFI = .975, TLI = .966, RMSEA = .096, SRMR = .0317).. CONCLUSION: The BFAS is a reliable unidimensional measure. Its high discrimination index and invariance across different groups make it useful for detecting Facebook addiction among patients with ED.