Types and Sources of Social Support Accessible to University Students with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

University students with disabilities face an increased risk of experiencing negative implications in educational, psychological, and social spheres during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed at assessing various dimensions of social support and its sources during the COVID-19 pandemic that availed university students with disabilities. This cross-sectional descriptive study collected data from 53 university students with disabilities. We administered the Social Support Scale (SSC) to assess five dimensions: informational, emotional, esteem, social integration and tangible support, and access to social support from four sources: family, friends, teachers, and colleagues. Multiple regression analysis showed that university students with disabilities mainly relied upon their friends for informational support (ß = 0.64; p < 0.001), emotional support (ß = 0.52; p < 0.001), and social integration support (ß = 0.57; p < 0.001). Family members (ß = 0.406; p < 0.01) and colleagues (ß = 0.36; p < 0.01) provided esteem support to students with disabilities. Support from teachers demonstrated an association with informational support (ß = 0.24; p < 0.05). The findings from the current study suggest that students with disabilities primarily sought informational, emotional, and social integration support from their peers. Although teachers were the primary source of informational support, emotional and esteem support were not found to be significantly associated with them. These findings necessitate exploring the underlying factors and how to enhance them during unusual circumstances such as online distance education and social distancing.

Assessment of determinants predicting success on the Saudi Nursing Licensure Examination by employing artificial neural network.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to use the artificial neural network as a novel approach to explore factors that determine and predict successful performance of nursing interns in Saudi Arabia on the Saudi Nursing Licensure Examination (SNLE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional, analytic approach. A total of 62 nursing interns were recruited by convenience sampling from the University of Hail to participate. Data collection was conducted from September to December 2019. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the nursing interns and their responses regarding examination determinants. Neural network analysis was used to identify factors that are highly predictive of the success of the nursing interns on the SNLE. RESULTS: Overall, the nursing interns were undecided (3.94 ± 0.14) about the influential factors determining their success. Their study hours (100%) and grade point average (GPA) (96.9%) were identified as strong determinants reflective of the tenacity and vigor of the nursing interns, based on the predictive power of the model. Meanwhile, age (45.7%), marital status (21.3%), gender (15.2%), and the type of academic program (5.9%) were considered the least important of the sociodemographic variables. CONCLUSION: Exam preparation activities such as preparation programs, review classes, and exam simulations must be promoted and enhanced to increase the passing tendencies of the nursing interns in the SNLE. The GPA and increased study hours make the most significant contributions to success on the SNLE as compared to other variables such as age, gender, marital status, and the academic program. This study serves as a springboard for nursing educators and administrators in laying tailored strategies to strengthen the nurse interns' GPA and time management.

Association Between Perceived Resilience and Mental Well-Being of Saudi Nursing Students During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between nursing students' profile variables and their state of mental well-being and resilience during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic and how this impacts their understanding of holistic nursing care provision. Design: This study used a cross-sectional design and total enumeration sample (n = 439) from all enrolled nursing students in the College of Nursing of a state-run university. Method: The 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) were used to collect data from the participants. A correlational analysis was employed to determine the relationship between the responses of the participants to their profile variables. Findings: There were no significant differences in age, gender, and year level in the 10-item CD-RISC and WEMWBS. Regarding the WEMWBS, the mean total score of those with 61-100% of the allowed units was significantly higher than those with 31-60%. Finally, the CD-RISC scores revealed that participants with a general point average (GPA) of A were significantly higher than those with a GPA of B+ or B. Conclusion: Academically performing students (those with a GPA of B and above) are more resilient. In addition, there is an existing linear relationship between high mental well-being and the ability to pursue higher academic loads.

Quality of life of nursing internship students in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented negative impact on the usual way of life. The fight against this fatal virus demands the united force of healthcare workers, including nurse interns (NIs). Therefore, being unprepared for a crisis of this magnitude which never happened in a century, nurses and NIs experience stress, trauma, and mental health issues that affect their quality of life (QoL). OBJECTIVES: This study inquired the demographic of the NIs, the responses of the participants to the domains of Quality of Life Evaluation Scale (QOLES), and the relationship between the participants' responses to the scale to each of their demographic profiles. METHODS: This study used a quantitative cross-sectional design through an electronic survey form in the collection of data. Utilizing total enumeration as sampling technique, 152 NIs in Saudi Arabia completed the survey. RESULTS: Across the 22-item questionnaire, the NIs still feel safe being in the hospital, clinic, or other healthcare facilities with a mean of 3.32; while item 8, which is having abundant energy, had the lowest mean of 1.91. The overall mean is 2.61, interpreted as 'important,' signifying that the participants 'agree to some extent.' CONCLUSION: The QoL of the NIs focused more on their psychological wellbeing and social relationships while the environmental and physical domains had lesser emphasis. In terms of enhancing specificity, comprehensiveness, and generalizability of future studies in QoL, a larger sample and more rigorous design is recommended.