Exploring the Relationship Between Spiritual Well-Being and Death Anxiety in Survivors of Acute Myocardial Infarction: Moderating Role of Sex, Marital Status and Social Support.

Previous empirical studies have shown that both spiritual well-being (SWB) and death anxiety (DA) significantly affect the mental health of patients with acute diseases. In this regard, our paper contributes to the extant literature by scrutinizing the conditional relationship between SWB and DA as well as the various mechanisms underpinning such a relationship in patients with acute myocardial infraction (AMI). A descriptive, correlational methodology was utilized. Our main sample consisted of 300 patients with acute myocardial infraction who were hospitalized in a specialized medical institution in Iran throughout a two-month period (i.e. August-October 2015). Patients completed Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and Templer's Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS). Even though our study showed that the relationship between SWB and DA in patients with AMI is non-significant, we found that (1) single patients with higher SWB have lower DA, (2) single patients with higher SWB as well as social support have significantly lower DA, and (3) for single men/men without social support, there is a negative relationship between SWB and DA. The relationship between SWB and DA is influenced by factors such as sex, marital status and social support. In addition, the specific nature of this relationship (i.e. strength and sign) is dependent upon the sociodemographic characteristics of patients as well as other contextual influences. Result revealed that although relationship between SWB and DA is non-significant, this is influenced by factors such as sex and social support. In addition, the specific nature of this relationship (i.e. strength and sign) is dependent upon the sociodemographic characteristics of patients as well as other contextual influences.

Effect of acupressure on pain in Iranian leukemia patients: A randomized controlled trial study.

Nonpharmacological methods of pain relief such as acupressure are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Practitioners often claim that such methods are highly effective and less invasive than analgesic drugs, but available empirical evidence is largely inconclusive. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that, postacupressure intervention, the amount of pain experienced by sampled leukemia patients, who received acupressure in addition to standard care, will reduce substantially compared to patients who received only routine treatment. This controlled trial was undertaken with hospitalized leukemia patients between February and June 2015. Our primary sample consisted of 100 participants who were randomly allocated to 2 groups. One (intervention) group underwent 12 acupressure sessions in addition to standard treatment while the control group received no intervention apart from being given the standard treatment for leukemia. The visual analogue scale was used to measure the levels of pain experienced. No significant differences were found between the 2 groups across 12 interventions. However, each group reported significantly different pain level changes before and after each intervention, suggested that the acupressure method was effective in reducing pain in the short term. Nurses are able to apply this complementary therapy alongside other procedures to manage these patients' pain. It is recommended that further studies be conducted to better understand the specific conditions under which acupressure can provide effective pain relief.