Psychometric evaluation of Suicide Management Competency Scale for nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

Suicide management skills are essential for nursing students, as they are often the initial healthcare contact for individuals at risk of suicide. Recognising signs of suicidal ideation and behaviour is critical for initiating timely interventions. This study aimed to develop and access the psychometric evaluation of the Suicide Management Competency Scale (SMCS) for nursing students. A first draft of the SMCS was initially developed following literature and focus group, and a scale containing 28 items was constructed. We recruited 216 participants from two nursing schools. Construct validity was evaluated with exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Internal consistency reliability was determined with Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability was examined with intra-class correlation. After four rounds of EFA and item analysis, we reduced the number of items to 16. We deleted 12 items, including 4 items for communalities less than 0.40, 3 items for cross-loading, 3 items for factor loading less than 0.40, and 2 items for low corrected item-total correlation. The final 16-item SMCS resulted in three subscales, which explained 55.813% of the total variance: emotional challenges in suicide risk assessment, delivering suicide interventions, and suicide risk nursing competence and confidence. Cronbach's alpha was 0.854 for the total score and 0.748 to 0.847 for the subscales. The newly developed SMCS was found to have good reliability and validity, suggesting that this scale could be used to evaluate nursing students' perceived competency in managing suicide, which might help cultivate competence in nurses' ability to effectively manage and prevent suicide, thus contributing to saving lives.

Effects of Baduanjin Qigong in Individuals With Schizophrenia: A Preliminary Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study.

The current quasi-experimental study explored the effects of Baduanjin qigong on body mass index (BMI) and five metabolic indexes in people with schizophrenia. Inclusion criteria were body mass index >25 kg/m2 or metabolic syndrome. Twenty-two service users were recruited from a psychiatric center and were assigned to the experimental group (EG) or control group (CG) using blocked randomization. The EG performed Baduanjin qigong lasting 1 hour for 12 weeks three times per week, whereas the CG received routine care. Generalized estimating equations showed that the EG achieved a greater decrease in BMI and waist circumference (WC) than the CG post-intervention. Baduanjin qigong may provide an effective nonpharmacological approach to reducing BMI and WC in people with schizophrenia. This study showed that performing Baduanjin qigong for 12 weeks is a feasible and effective strategy for improving the body shape of individuals with chronic schizophrenia, thus providing results that can serve as a reference for health professionals working in psychiatry departments. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62(4), 41-48.].

Characteristics associated with the adoption of consumer-based -self-sampling methods for sexually transmitted infection screening.

Objective: To identify theory-based innovation characteristics associated with the adoption of consumer-based self-sampling methods for sexually transmitted infection screening. Participants: Guided by the Diffusion of Innovation, survey data from people assigned female at birth (AFAB) (n = 92) were analyzed. Methods: Forward regression models and a path analysis were used to predict adoption by characteristics, using maximum likelihood estimation. Measures included acceptability, comfort, addresses healthcare needs, willingness to adopt self-sampling methods, and innovation characteristics. Results: Predictors of willingness to adopt were no clinic visit (relative advantage), convenient pick-up (relative advantage), and low cost. Variables with direct effects on adoption included: addresses healthcare needs, comfort, acceptability, and no clinic visit. Conclusions: Relative advantage was a salient factor and prioritizing this construct in intervention development may facilitate adoption. Results can guide the development of an innovative, theory-based intervention that promotes adoption of self-sampling methods, ultimately improving STI screening rates.

Fatigue-related symptom clusters and functional status of older adults in hospice.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is frequently co-existing with other symptoms and is highly prevalent among patients with cancer and geriatric population. There was a lack of knowledge that focus on fatigue clusters in older adults with cancer in hospice care. OBJECTIVES: To identify fatigue-related symptom clusters in older adult hospice patients and discover to what extent fatigue-related symptom clusters predict functional status while controlling for depression. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study in a sample of 519 older adult hospice patients with cancer, who completed the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression, Boston Short Form Scale, and the Palliative Performance Scale. Data from a multi-center symptom trial were extracted for this secondary analysis using exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Data from 519 patients (78 ± 7 years) with terminal cancer who received hospice care under home healthcare services revealed that 39% of the participants experienced fatigue-related symptom clusters (lack of energy, feeling drowsy, and lack of appetite). The fatigue cluster was significantly associated positively with depression (r = 0.253, p < 0.01), and negatively with functional status (r = -0.117, p < 0.01) and was a strong predictor of participants' low functional status. Furthermore, depression made a significant contribution to this predictive relationship. CONCLUSION: Older adult hospice patients with cancer experienced various concurrent symptoms. The fatigue-specific symptom cluster was identified significantly associated with depression and predicted functional status. Fatigue should be routinely monitored in older adults, especially among hospice cancer patients, to help reduce psychological distress and prevent functional decline.

Measurement Invariance of the Hospice Quality of Life Index-14 in Lung Cancer and Nonlung Cancer Patients Admitted to Hospice.

Background and Purpose: Establishing measurement invariance (MI) is important in the questionnaire validation process. This study examined the MI of the Hospice Quality of Life Index-14 (HQLI-14) when comparing hospice patients with lung cancer and those with non-lung cancers. Methods: The HQLI-14 contains 14 items to measure multidimensional concepts of quality of life. A series of confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test configural, metric, and scalar invariance. Results: The MI of the HQLI-14 was supported by increasing equality constraints on item parameters between groups. Although the configural and metric invariances were both supported, one item regarding breathlessness was noninvariant between the groups with lung and nonlung cancers. Conclusions: The HQLI-14 shows early evidence of meeting the requirements for configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance. It may be used to make meaningful comparisons between patients with lung cancer and nonlung cancers.

On making forecasts from binary sequences: Uncovering implicit cues.

The purpose of this article is to examine the statistical characteristics of binary sequences with the aim of uncovering the implicit cues that people use when making forecasts of what comes next. Information theory was used to quantify these statistical characteristics. In 2 experiments people were presented with 100 intact sequences of 20 Xs and Os and simply asked to forecast whether the 21st event in each sequence will be an X or an O. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds associated with these forecasts under different experimental manipulations. In a third experiment people judged the forecastability of sequences in a paired-comparison task. The results from the first 2 experiments showed that third-order redundancy (i.e., information provided by knowledge of the preceding pairs of events) was the most salient cue influencing forecasts. Experiment 3 showed that judgments of forecastability were based on this cue as well. When examining intact sequences with the goal of forecasting what comes next, people are more sensitive to higher-order transitional probabilities than has been previously suggested. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Depressive symptoms and quality of life in people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia: An exploratory study of the potential mediating role of health-promoting lifestyles.

PURPOSE: To examine health-promoting lifestyles mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in people with schizophrenia. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study design was conducted. Two-hundred and seventy-three participants were administered demographic data, health-promoting lifestyle profile, Beck Depression Inventory II, and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. The Hayes PROCESS macro was employed to analyze data. FINDINGS: The results showed self-actualization fully mediated the environmental domain of QOL, physical health, psychological health, and social relationships domains were partial mediation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study recommends that professionals reinforce persons' self-actualization when the QOL is affected by depressive symptoms in people with schizophrenia.

"I'll Just Pick It Up ": Women's Acceptability of Self-Sampling Methods for Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening.

BACKGROUND: Rates of sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening are suboptimal among college women. Self-sampling methods (SSMs) may improve STI screening rates, but critical gaps remain regarding the influential characteristics of SSM to prioritize in intervention development. The purpose of this study was to explore intervention characteristics influencing the decision to adopt SSM among college women. METHODS: In-depth interviews (n = 24) were conducted with sexually active college women aged 18-24 years to explore preferred intervention characteristics of SSM. Interviews were stratified by screening status (screened or not screened). The instrument was guided by constructs from the Diffusion of Innovation theory and included characteristics of SSM, such as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, adaptability, and risk and uncertainty. RESULTS: Overall, women felt that the SSM was not complex and that the instructions were straightforward. Participants discussed their strong preference for receiving their results via text or e-mail rather than via telephone. In addition, women described their concerns about mailing their sample and described their concern about potential contamination and tampering. The most salient advantage to use of SSM was avoiding an interaction with a health care provider. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to an understanding of the salient intervention characteristics influencing the use of SSM for STI screening, which can be leveraged to improve the health of students and improve rates of screening. Findings can be used to inform the development of a future innovative, theory-based intervention that promotes the use of SSM to improve STI screening rates, and ultimately decrease the burden of STI-related disease.

Social interaction skills and depressive symptoms in people diagnosed with schizophrenia: The mediating role of auditory hallucinations.

Past studies have presented evidence that depressive symptoms are affected in different ways by social interaction skills and auditory hallucinatory symptoms in people with schizophrenia. However, few studies have focused on examining the relationship among auditory hallucinatory severity, social interaction skills, and depressive symptoms. This study aimed to explore the mediating effect of auditory hallucinatory severity on social interaction skills and depressive symptoms in people with long-term schizophrenia. We propose that auditory hallucination severity functions as a mechanism through which impaired social interaction skills increase depressive symptoms. In this study, a convenience sample of 186 people with schizophrenia was obtained from hospital-based rehabilitation wards. Four instruments were used: A demographic data questionnaire, the Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills-Chinese version, the Characteristics of Auditory Hallucinations Questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory II. To investigate the mediating effect of auditory hallucinatory severity after controlling for six covariates, we tested an indirect effect in a simple mediation model using the SPSS macro PROCESS, which is a regression-based approach. The indirect effect and the results of Sobel's test were significant (Z = -2.824, P = 0.005), which confirms that auditory hallucination severity mediates social interaction skills and depressive symptoms. This finding suggests that psychiatric nurses must teach people with schizophrenia to use auditory hallucination management strategies to prevent them from becoming immersed in auditory hallucinations and reducing their social interaction with the real world, so that depressive symptoms can be improved.

The Patient Care Ownership Scale: Development of an Instrument to Measure Patient Care Ownership Among Internal Medicine Trainees.

BACKGROUND: Patient care ownership is essential to delivering high-quality medical care but appears to be eroding among trainees. The lack of an objective measure has limited the study of ownership in physicians. OBJECTIVE: To develop an instrument to measure psychological ownership of patient care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Internal medicine trainees in a large, academic hospital completing an inpatient rotation. MAIN MEASURES: Our scale prototype adapted an existing ownership scale (developed in the non-medical setting) based on themes identified in qualitative studies of patient care ownership. We conducted cognitive interviews to determine face validity of the scale items. Our finalized scale measures ownership's key constructs: advocacy, responsibility, accountability, follow-through, knowledge, communication, initiative, continuity of care, autonomy, and perceived ownership. We distributed an online, anonymous, 46-question survey to 219 residents; 192 residents completed the survey; and 166 responses were included in the analysis. We calculated Cronbach's α to determine the scale's internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis was used to explore possible subscales. We examined construct validity using bivariate and correlational analysis. KEY RESULTS: The 15-item ownership scale demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.89). We identified three possible subscales corresponding to assertiveness, being the "go-to" person, and diligence. Training level and prior intensive care unit experience significantly predicted ownership (p < 0.01). There was no significant relationship between ownership and age, gender, inpatient service type, call schedule, patient turnover, or supervisory experience of the attending physician. We found a significant negative correlation between ownership and perceived degree of burnout (r = - 0.33), depression (r = - 0.24), detachment (r = - 0.35), and frustration (r = - 0.31) and a significant positive association between ownership and fulfillment (r = 0.37) and happiness (r = 0.36). CONCLUSION: We developed an instrument to quantify patient care ownership in residents. Our scale demonstrates good internal consistency and preliminary evidence of validity. With further validation, we expect this to be a valuable tool to evaluate interventions aimed at improving ownership.

Association of auditory hallucination and anxiety symptoms with depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia: A three-month follow-up.

This study was to investigate the association of auditory hallucinations and anxiety symptoms with depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia for three months. The participants (N = 189) were evaluated using Characteristics of Auditory Hallucination Questionnaire (CAHQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory-II. Forty-two participants suffered from depressive symptoms at both baseline and 3-month follow-up. Higher CAHQ and BAI at both periods predicted depressive symptoms at three-month end. Being male, increased severity of CAHQ and BAI were risk factors of depressive symptoms. Psychiatric professionals must educate patients to manage auditory hallucinations and anxiety symptoms to decrease depressive symptoms.

Effects of a music-creation programme on the anxiety, self-esteem, and quality of life of people with severe mental illness: A quasi-experimental design.

Many studies have shown that music therapy improves patients' symptoms. However, interventions using music creation as their core await further development for patients with severe mental illness (SMI). The current study investigated the effect of a music-creation programme on the anxiety, self-esteem, and quality of life of patients with SMI. A quasi-experimental design using convenience sampling was adopted to recruit patients with SMI from a psychiatric day care centre. Participants were grouped based on their willingness to undergo an intervention (26 patients in the experimental group and 23 patients in the control group). The control groups participated in conventional mental rehabilitation therapy activities. The experimental group participated in a music-creation session for 90 min every week over a 32-week period. The outcome indicators before and after the intervention were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Finally, the intervention effect was determined using generalized estimating equations (GEEs). After 32 weeks of intervention activities, the experimental group showed significant improvements in their HAM-A total scores (P < 0.001) and RSES total scores (P = 0.005). Regarding quality of life, the improvements of the experimental group in terms of the psychological (P = 0.016) and social relationship domains (P = 0.033) were superior to those of the control group. Music-creation programmes are recommended for inclusion in the routine rehabilitation activities of patients with SMI.

Sequential dependencies in categorical judgments of radiographic images.

Sequential context effects, the psychological interactions occurring between the events of successive trials when a sequence of similar stimuli are judged, have interested psychologists for decades. It has been well established that individuals exhibit sequential context effects in psychophysical experiments involving unidimensional stimuli. Recent evidence shows that these effects generalize to quantitative judgments of more complex multidimensional stimuli such as images of faces, chairs, and shoes. In this article, we test for the presence of sequential context effects by re-examining previously published data on categorical judgments of 234 complex radiographic images made by 20 experienced physicians and 20 medical students engaged in an online training task. We found that medical students, but not experienced physicians, displayed evidence of sequential context effects. We also found evidence suggesting that as the students learned over blocks of trials, they tended to shift from relative comparisons between consecutive images toward more independent comparisons of each image against (strengthening) internalized standards.

The Bifocal Lens Model and Equation: Examining the Linkage between Clinical Judgments and Decisions.

BACKGROUND: Brunswik's Lens Model and lens model equation (LME) have been applied extensively in medical decision making. Clinicians often face the dual challenge of formulating a judgment of patient risk for some adverse outcome and making a yes or no decision regarding a particular risk-reducing treatment option. OBJECTIVE: In this article, I examine the correlation between clinical risk judgments and treatment-related decisions, referring to this linkage as "cohesion". A novel form of the LME is developed to decompose cohesion. The approach is "bifocal" in that it focuses on 2 sets of linked responses from the same individual. METHODS: Data from 2 studies were analyzed to illustrate how individual differences in cohesion could be explained by differences in the parameters of the bifocal lens model equation (BiLME). RESULTS: Cohesion varied because of differences in cognitive control, similarities in the judgment and decision policies, and a possible reliance on a subjective threshold value applied to the judgments to make decisions. The parameters of the BiLME accounted for individual differences in cohesion; however, their relative influences differed between the two studies. CONCLUSION: The BiLME links the results from two regression models-one linear and one logistic-based on the same set of cases. In its current form, the equation holds promise for understanding cognitive individual differences that could underlie practice variation. With minor modifications, it becomes possible to apply the equation to traditional, dual-system judgment analysis studies, where continuous judgments are compared with an ecology composed of dichotomous outcomes, or vice versa. In this regard, the BiLME is quite flexible and adds to the set of tools available to judgment analysts.

A primer on the statistical modelling of learning curves in health professions education.

Learning curves are a useful way of representing the rate of learning over time. Features include an index of baseline performance (y-intercept), the efficiency of learning over time (slope parameter) and the maximal theoretical performance achievable (upper asymptote). Each of these parameters can be statistically modelled on an individual and group basis with the resulting estimates being useful to both learners and educators for feedback and educational quality improvement. In this primer, we review various descriptive and modelling techniques appropriate to learning curves including smoothing, regression modelling and application of the Thurstone model. Using an example dataset we demonstrate each technique as it specifically applies to learning curves and point out limitations.

Auditory Hallucinatory Beliefs in Patients With Schizophrenia: Association of Auditory Hallucinations With Social Interactions, Characteristics and Emotional Behaviors Over 3 Months.

The aims of this study were to explore social interactions, characteristics, and emotional behaviors to detect changes in auditory hallucinatory beliefs in patients with schizophrenia over a 3-month period. Participants (n=189) were evaluated using the Auditory Hallucinations Assessment Scale (AHAS) and the Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills (ACIS). The characteristics and emotional behaviors measured by the AHAS showed improvements, while auditory hallucinatory beliefs became less influential. Social interaction scores increased regardless of changes in auditory hallucinatory beliefs. Psychiatric professionals need to train those who hear voices to react to them with indifference.

Assessing Longitudinal Invariance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The longitudinal invariance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale among middle-aged and older adults is unknown. This study examined the factorial invariance of the CES-D scale in a large cohort of community-based adults longitudinally. METHODS: 1,204 participants completed the 20-item CES-D scale at 4 time points 1 year apart. Structural equation modeling was used to identify best fitting model using longitudinal data at baseline and at 1-, 2-, and 3-year follow-up. RESULTS: The 4-factor model showed partial invariance over 3 years. Two of the 6 noninvariant items were consistently noninvariant at the 3 follow-up points. CONCLUSION: Special consideration should be given to these 2 items when using the CES-D scale in healthy adults (45-75 years old).

The effects of auditory hallucination symptom management programme for people with schizophrenia: a quasi-experimental design.

AIM: To examine the effectiveness of an auditory hallucinatory symptom management programme in patients with chronic schizophrenia. BACKGROUND: Thirty per cent of chronic schizophrenia patients are still disturbed by hallucinations, which influence their psychological and social well-being, even when they take medication regularly. METHOD: Fifty-eight people experiencing schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations from psychiatric inpatient rehabilitation wards in northern Taiwan participated in the study, with 29 in the experimental group and 29 in the control group. The experimental group received an auditory hallucinatory symptom management programme. The auditory hallucinatory symptom management programme involved 60-minute meetings once a week, for a total of 10 meetings. The control group received routine care, which included free recreation for 40 minutes and walking for 20 minutes. The participants completed three self-report questionnaires: the Beck Depressive Inventory II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Characteristics of Auditory Hallucinations Questionnaire. Data were collected at baseline, immediately following the intervention and at 3 months and 6 months post intervention. Data collection occurred between March 2010-May 2013. RESULTS: The experimental group showed a non-significant improvement in anxiety symptoms over time. Generalized estimating equations revealed that the experimental group achieved a greater drop in Characteristics of Auditory Hallucinations Questionnaire score than the controls at three and 6 months post intervention. Beck Depressive Inventory II scores in the experimental group (n = 29) had significantly improved in 3 months. CONCLUSION: The auditory hallucinatory symptom management programme seems to be effective in improving auditory hallucinatory symptoms and depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

Relationship Between Toxoplasma gondii and Mood Disturbance in Women Veterans.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite with zoonotic potential that causes acute and chronic diseases, which has been associated with schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and suicidal behavior. Military personnel may be at increased risk for exposure to the parasite when deployed to countries with high prevalence rates. METHODS: Women Veterans were recruited to participate in the study at an event to recognize women Veterans and later through e-mails. Blood samples were collected from 70 women Veterans (mean age: 47 years) and analyzed for T. gondii IgG titer. Participants completed a demographic instrument, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, Profile of Mood States (POMS), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military. RESULTS: The infectivity rate was lower than the rate in the United States (11.4% [8 out of 70 were seropositive], but 6 of the 8 [75%] had been deployed outside the United States. Pearson correlations and t tests showed significant relationships between T. gondii seropositivity and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression score), POMS-depression, POMS-confusion, and POMS-anger subscale scores, and total mood disturbance score. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to describe biobehavioral relationships between chronic T. gondii infection, depression, and dysphoric moods in a military veteran population.

Identifying subgroups of care providers participating in a telehealth educational intervention: hierarchical cluster analysis of evaluation data.

UNLABELLED: Health care providers (HCPs) serving HIV-infected patients, especially in rural and underserved areas, have limited access to continuing medical education. OBJECTIVES: To identify subgroups of HCPs who might benefit from a telehealth training program focusing on HIV/AIDS care based on HCPs' objective for attending the training. METHODS: Hierarchical cluster analysis combined with thematic analysis identified the subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 56 HCPs attended between 1 and 9 of the 12 sessions conducted (mean ≈ 2, standard deviated = 1.6). Subgroups identified included knowledge (HCPs interested in gaining, increasing, or updating their knowledge in HIV care), learn-expert (HCPs interested in learning, obtaining, or providing expert opinion), and observe-apply-network (HCPs interested in observing the training, applying knowledge gained to practice, and networking). No group difference were found in the participants' reaction to the session, change in knowledge following the training, and other important characteristics. CONCLUSION: Methodological contributions of the study are discussed.