Dolor crónico en personas mayores institucionalizadas: influencia del apoyo social y de variables afectivas / Chronic pain in the elderly nursing home population: the influence of social support and affective variables

Objetivo: Analizar si la ansiedad es la variable de mayor peso específico en la sensación de dolor, así como establecer de una manera clara el papel que desempeñan las variables de clima social y de interacción social en el proceso de dolor. Metodología: La muestra seleccionada fue de 74 ancianos (37 manifestaban dolor crónico y 37 no). Se recogieron también de cada sujeto datos demográficos, clínicos y test psicológicos (cuestionario STAI y Escala de MOS). Resultados: Las mayores diferencias entre los sujetos que manifiestan tener o no tener dolor se encuentran en las variables de ansiedad y en la ansiedad rasgo. Existe una alta correlación negativa entre la ansiedad y el clima social. El apoyo emocional y el clima social general son las variables de clima que más correlacionan negativamente con la ansiedad. Para el grupo de personas con dolor, la variable tenencia de familiares cercanos es la que actúa concomitantemente con las variables de clima social. Conclusiones: Se demuestra que la ansiedad es el predictor más importante del grado en que un sujeto informa tener dolor. Se considera que determinados instrumentos de medida del clima social, como es el caso de la Escala de MOS, son de gran ayuda para predecir la aparición de dolor crónico, y que manipulando sus variables integrantes el personal de los equipos de salud puede disponer de formas útiles que ayuden a mejorar positivamente a las personas mayores en la mejora de su calidad de vida (AU)

Objective: To analyse whether anxiety is the variable with the greatest specific weight in the sensation of pain, as well as to establish in a clear way the role that social climate and social interaction variables in the pain process. Methodology: The selected sample consisted of 74 elderly people (37 with chronic pain (37 had chronic pain and 37 did not). Demographic, clinical and and psychological tests (STAI questionnaire and MOS scale) were also collected from each subject. Results: The greatest differences between subjects who reported having or not having pain were found in the anxiety and trait anxiety variables. There is a high negative correlation between anxiety and social climate. Emotional support and general social climate are the climate variables that correlate most negatively with anxiety. For the group of people in pain, the variable having close relatives is the one that acts concomitantly with anxiety. Conclusions: Anxiety is shown to be the most important predictor of the degree to which a subject predictor of the degree to which a subject reports having pain. It is considered that certain instruments for measuring social climate, such as the MOS Scale, are the MOS Scale, are considered to be of great help in predicting the appearance of chronic pain, and that by manipulating its chronic pain, and that by manipulating its constituent variables, health team personnel can have ways to health care teams can have useful ways of helping to positively improve the elderly in the positively help older people to improve their quality of life (AU)

Types of love as a function of satisfaction and age.

Research studies on love have focused on the study of typologies, among which Sternberg's triangular theory of love and the typology of Hendrick and Hendrick deriving from that of Sternberg have been the most common and empirically verified. Love types have been linked to all types of sociodemographic and psychological variables. However, these studies possess shortcomings: When the data are analyzed according to age, only a few ranges are studied; with respect to other variables such as satisfaction, typically only two levels are studied, and no continuous study is conducted. This study attempts to overcome these limitations. It analyzes types of love according to the two systems noted earlier and based on two variables: age and satisfaction. For satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) by Diener et al. was used, and 439 subjects aged 15 to 89 years participated in the study. The results show that both of the variables-age and satisfaction-explain that love types occur in varying degrees; however, satisfaction is more predictive than is age. Possibilities for future research are discussed.

Cuidados paliativos gerontológicos: influencia de las condiciones laborales y burnout en el personal de enfermería / Gerontological palliative care: influence of working conditions and burnout in nursing

Objetivos: Debido al envejecimiento de la población, existe un incremento de personas mayores de 65 años que necesitan cuidados paliativos. El personal de enfermería está en contacto continuo con este tipo de pacientes. La satisfacción laboral y los distintos factores laborales pueden alterar la manera de llevar a cabo su trabajo, influyendo directamente sobre el paciente. El objetivo principal del estudio es observar si el grado de satisfacción laboral influye en el grado de estrés laboral del personal de enfermería que trabaja en unidades de cuidados paliativos con pacientes gerontológicos terminales. Metodología: Se autoadministró a 162 profesionales de enfermería de las unidades de cuidados paliativos del Servicio Público Gallego de Salud, del Servicio Canario de Salud y centros gerontológicos residenciales gallegos, un instrumento de evaluación constituido por un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos y el Maslach Burnout Inventory, formado por tres dimensiones (cansancio emocional, despersonalización y realización personal reducida). Resultados: Al aumentar el grado de satisfacción laboral en el puesto de trabajo, existirá una reducción del cansancio emocional de los trabajadores. El hecho de disminuir el grado de satisfacción en relación con la capacidad de conciliación del trabajo con la vida familiar hace que el grado de cansancio emocional del trabajador se vea incrementado. Conclusiones: Existe cansancio emocional y despersonalización en el personal de enfermería de las unidades de cuidados paliativos que trabajan con pacientes gerontológicos terminales. Se ha creado un perfil laboral ideal para poder trabajar en estas unidades sin manifestar un grado de estrés laboral elevado (AU)

Objectives: Due to the aging population, there is an increase in people over 65 who need palliative care. The nursing staff is in continuous contact with these patients. Job satisfaction and laboral factors that surround the worker can alter the way of carrying out their work directly influencing the patient. The main objective of the study is to see if the degree of job satisfaction influences the degree of job stress of nurses working in palliative care units with geriatric patients terminals. Methodology: A questionnaire was administered to 162 nurses from the palliative care units of the Galician Public Health Service, the Canary Islands Health Service and Galician residential gerontology centers; an assessment instrument consists of a questionnaire of sociodemographic data and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, formed by three dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment). Results: By increasing the degree of job satisfaction in the workplace, there will be a reduction of emotional exhaustion workers. By decreasing the degree of satisfaction in relation to the ability of reconciling work and family life, it makes the degree of worker looks emotional exhaustion increased. Conclusions: emotional exhaustion and depersonalization exist in the nursing staff of the palliative care units working with geriatric terminal patients. It has created an ideal to work in these units without showing a high degree of work stress job profile (AU)

Self-efficacy and Health: The SEH Scale.

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to design an instrument to measure coping self-efficacy as manifested by patients experiencing health problems. METHODS: A total of 2784 individuals were interviewed while attending primary healthcare centers in the Autonomous Community of Galicia in Northwest Spain. Of these persons, 54% were women and 46% were men, with a minimum age of 18 years, and a mean age of 37.4 years. A questionnaire was administered comprised of sociodemographic variables, items related to the use of healthcare resources, and a coping self-efficacy scale of health problems (SEH), based on the self-efficacy test by Baessler and Schwarzer. Statistical analysis determined reliability, and whether the SEH scale was efficacious in detecting changes in the use of specific health resources. A parametric ANOVA was performed on 4 groups based on the quartiles of self-efficacy in health, as measured by the SEH scale. RESULTS: The reliability and validity of the 10-item coping self-efficacy scale of health problems (SEH) was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Its compliance with relevant psychometric requirements means the SHE scale may have more general utility.

La calidad de vida de los sujetos usuarios de un centro social de personas mayores / The quality of life of the users of a community center for elderly

En esta investigación hemos intentado comprobar si la asistencia a los centros sociales de personas mayores es un medio eficaz para la mejora de la calidad de vida de las personas mayores, es decir, si los usuarios de dichos centros tienen una mejor calidad de vida que aquellos que no acuden a ellos. Para ello, hemos contado con un grupo experimental y un grupo control. A continuación ambos grupos han pasado dos pruebas: una que valora la calidad de vida y otra, el deterioro cognitivo. Una vez pasadas las pruebas y obtenidas las puntuaciones, hemos concluido que los usuarios del centro social tienen una mayor calidad de vida que los sujetos que no acuden a él

In this investigation we have tried to verify if the assistance to the community centers of major persons is an effective way for the improvement of the major persons's quality of life, that is to say, if the users of the above mentioned centers have a better quality of life that those that do not come to them. For it, we have possessed an experimental group and a group control. Later we have gone on to them to both groups two tests: one that values the quality of life and other one the cognitive deterioration. Once spent the tests and obtained the punctuations we have concluded that the users of the community center have a major quality of life that the subjects that do not come to it

Perception of spanish nursing staff on the use of physical restraints.

PURPOSE: To examine the perception of registered nurses and nursing assistants regarding the use of physical restraints with residents of nursing homes located in four of the regions of Spain; and to evaluate the relationship of these perceptions to the staff respondents' level of training. DESIGN: Cross-sectional multicenter and correlational study. The research was conducted in 2013 in 19 Spanish nursing homes with 2,940 residential beds. A total of 785 nurses (170 registered nurses and 615 nursing assistants) participated in the study. METHODS: The Perception of Restraint Use Questionnaire (PRUQ), consisting of 17 of the most cited reasons for using these devices, was used, as was a questionnaire capturing the sociodemographic characteristics and educational or experience level of staff respondents. FINDINGS: Nurses reported the most important uses for restraints as prevention of falls and avoidance of medical device interference. As indicated by an average PRUQ score of 3.47, staff respondents supported restraint use, especially nursing assistants (3.59) as compared to registered nurses (3.00). With regard to training: 83.7% had participated in little, if any, training and only 29.2% had read three or more documents related to restraint use; 66.6% believed that their training was inadequate. No correlation was found between the results of the PRUQ and the respondents´ sociodemographic characteristics or participation in training activities. No differences were found among nurses by region. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to papers published in other countries, nurses in this study still consider it necessary to apply restraints in everyday practice. The education of nursing staff regarding restraint and knowledge of alternatives is needed; they should at least be aware of international standards of care regarding physical restraint use. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Most of the staff perceived their training related to the use of these devices as insufficient. Nursing assistants considered the use of restraints more important than did the registered nurses.

Factores de personalidad en el personal de enfermería de unidades de cuidados paliativos / Personality factors on nursing staff of palliative care units

En este estudio hemos tratado de evaluar si poseer un determinado factor de personalidad por parte de las enfermeras que trabajan en cuidados paliativos con pacientes terminales, influye sobre su trabajo. La muestra es de 94 enfermeras del SERGAS (Servicio Galego de Saúde), y se han utilizado como instrumentos de evaluación un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos y organizacionales y el cuestionario de personalidad Big Five (formado por cinco dimensiones de personalidad). De este modo sabremos que existen una serie de parámetros de nuestra personalidad que se ven influenciados por los diferentes datos sociodemográficos y organizacionales, en las enfermeras de cuidados paliativos (AU)

In this study we wanted to evaluate whether having a particular personality factor of nurses working in palliative care with terminal patients, influences their work. The sample was 94 nurses Sergas (Servicio Galego de Saude) and were used as screening tools, a questionnaire on demographic and organizational data and Personality Questionnaire "Big Five" (consisting of five dimensions of personality). Thus we know that there are a number of parameters of our personalities that are influenced by different socio-demographic and organizational, in the palliative care nurses (AU)

Niveles de estrés en el personal de enfermería de unidades de cuidados paliativos / Stress levels on nursing staff of palliative care units

Mediante este estudio, nos gustaría saber cuál es el nivel de estrés que padecen las enfermeras, que trabajan en unidades de cuidados paliativos. Para ello hemos elegido una muestra de 94 enfermeras del SERGAS (Servicio Galego de Saúde), de las distintas unidades de cuidados paliativos, utilizando un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos y organizacionales junto con el Maslach Burnout Inventory, como instrumentos evaluatorios. Después del análisis de los datos observamos que el personal de enfermería que trabaja en dichas unidades de cuidados paliativos, no presenta un nivel de estrés tan elevado como el que nosotros planteábamos al principio de nuestro estudio (AU)

Through this study, we would like to know what level of stress experienced by nurses working in palliative care units. We have chosen a sample of 94 nurses of SERGAS (Servicio Galego de las Saúde) of the different palliative care units, using a questionnaire on demographic and organizational data with the Maslach Burnout Inventory, for assessment tools. After analyzin the dat we note that the nursing staff working in this departament of palliative care, no estres levels as high as we posed at the beginning of our study (AU)