Disaster preparedness perceptions and psychological first-aid competencies of psychiatric nurses.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the disaster preparedness perceptions and psychological first-aid competencies of psychiatric nurses. BACKGROUND: Nurses must recognize the risks before a disaster occurs and have an action plan for providing effective physical and psychological care to patients and other affected individuals during and after the disaster. It is especially important for psychiatric nurses caring for a high-risk group, such as psychiatric patients, to be prepared for disasters and be able to support patients by recognizing the psychological reactions that may occur after a disaster and managing their care accordingly. METHODS: For this cross-sectional and correlational study, data on 122 nurses were collected using a personal information form, the preparedness perception scale of disaster in nurses, and the psychological first-aid application self-efficacy scale. RESULTS: The mean score for the participants' perception of overall disaster preparedness was 76.70 ± 8.30, the mean score for the preparation stage was 27.02 ± 2.82, the mean score for the intervention stage was 30.40 ± 5.15, the mean score for the post-disaster stage was 19.27 ± 2.88, and the mean score for psychological first-aid application self-efficacy was 140.28 ± 19.17. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that psychiatric nurses were above the medium level in terms of disaster preparedness perceptions and psychological first-aid application self-efficacy. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: It is important for nurses caring for high-risk groups, such as psychiatric patients, to be aware of disaster preparedness, to recognize psychological reactions that may be observed after a disaster, and to be aware of psychological first-aid practices that can be used to intervene in a disaster.

Attitudes of Emergency Department Staff Toward Individuals Who Have Attempted Suicide and Associated Factors.

PURPOSE: To determine the attitudes of emergency department (ED) staff toward people who have attempted suicide and the factors associated with these attitudes. METHOD: This study was conducted between January and February 2023 and included 147 participants working in an ED in a city in Türkiye. Data were collected using a personal information form and the Attitude Scale Towards Attempted Suicide Cases for Evaluating Emergency Medical Teams (ASETSA). RESULTS: Participants' mean years of experience in emergency services was 4.63 years (SD = 3.97 years) and mean perceived level of competence in intervening in suicidal behavior was 6.08 (SD = 2.16). Total mean ASETSA score of participants was 114.68 (SD = 12.31). Factors such as marital status, educational level, profession, working unit, working shift, having received training on how to approach a person who has attempted suicide, existence of a written procedure in the department, years of ED experience, and perceived level of competence in intervening in suicidal behavior were associated with positive attitudes toward people who have attempted suicide. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that formal education curricula address how to approach people who have attempted suicide, that randomized controlled trials regarding the impact of in-service training be performed, and that studies evaluating the contribution of trainings to improvements in patient outcomes be conducted. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(xx), xx-xx.].

Gameful Experience Scale: Reliability and Validity in Nursing Students.

Objective: Nursing students are among the groups where gamification applications are used effectively and frequently in educational technologies. This study aimed to adapt the Gameful Experience Scale (GAMEX) to the Turkish language and test its validity and reliability. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with 620 nursing students studying an undergraduate nursing program between March and May, 2023. Data were collected using a personal information form and GAMEX-Turkish Form. Results: The validity and reliability of the five-factor structure scale with 27 items were confirmed. In confirmatory factor analysis, all factor loads were found to be >0.56. The fit indexes of the scale were χ2/df = 2.8, goodnessof-fit index = 0.90, comparative fit index = 0.94, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.55. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the overall scale was 0.89. Conclusion: As a result of this study, the Turkish version of GAMEX was found to be a valid and reliable tool that can be used to evaluate the game experience in nursing students' training.

The relationship between childhood trauma and the course of disease in female patients with bipolar disorder.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the history of childhood trauma and the relationship between childhood trauma and the course of the disease in female patients with bipolar disorder. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study was conducted on 80 female patients in an acute women's psychiatric clinic in a psychiatric hospital in Turkey between April and July 2016. FINDINGS: Emotional abuse had a statistically negative effect on the onset of bipolar disorder (F = 7.830; p < 0.01). In addition, physical neglect had a statistically positive effect on the duration of treatment (F = 6.811; p < 0.05). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Psychiatric nurses must systematically assess childhood trauma and plan psychotherapeutic interventions accordingly.

Child sexual abuse knowledge/attitude scale for parents: Reliability and validity of the Turkish version.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the child sexual abuse knowledge/attitude scale for parents (CSAKAS). DESIGN AND METHODS: This methodological study was carried out with 193 parents in between February and May 2018. FINDINGS: The validity and reliability of the six-factors structure scale were confirmed. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the whole scale is 0.793, the item-total score correlations ranged between 0.341 and 0.719 and the test-retest coefficient was 0.841. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The CSAKAS Turkish scale was found to be a valid and reliable tool that can be used to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of parents about child sexual abuse.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Psychoeducation Given to Children with Parental Psychiatric Disorders.

This study was aimed to determine the effectiveness of psychoeducation program which was developed to improve the coping skills and to increase the psychological resistance of 12-18 years children/adolescents whose parents' have psychiatric disorders. The study was carried out between May 2018 - November 2019 with children of patients who applied to the outpatient clinic and inpatient treatment at Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Total of 40 children (experiment = 20 and control = 20), participated in the study. Data were collected using Personal Information Form, Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale and Kidcope. The mean age of the children/adolescents in the experimental group was 14.05 ± 1.90, 50% was male and the mean age of the control group was 15.35 ± 2.08, and 55% were male. It was determined that the mean duration of psychiatric disorders were 11.50 ± 6.39 years and 40% of the psychiatric diagnosis was schizophrenia in the experimental group, and the mean duration psychiatric disorders were 6.10 ± 5.16 years and 30% of the psychiatric diagnosis was a depression in the control group. After psychoeducation, the total scores of scales in the experimental group showed an increase compared to the control group and a significant difference in a statistical context. It was found that children/adolescents participating in the psychoeducation program had increased psychological resilience levels and improved coping skills. This result shows that the psychoeducation program for children/adolescents with psychiatric disorders in their parents is effective.