BackgroundStigma is one of the most destructive features of mental illnesses that may affect the family caregivers. This study aimed to analyze the effect of training interventions of stigma on family caregivers of the mental illness patients.Materials and methodsThis quasi-experimental pre- and post-test study was performed on a single group of 43 family caregivers of mental illness patients in Hamadan Psychiatric Hospital, Iran, in 2015. The samples were taken through convenience sampling method and the data collection tool was a stigma questionnaire made by the researchers. The questionnaires were filled by the participants within pre-intervention and 1-month post-intervention. All the data were analyzed by SPSS version 16, and the mean and standard deviation by paired t test and Wilcoxon test.ResultsFindings of this study demonstrated that women included 60% of the family caregivers. The average age of caregivers and the duration of caregiving were 41.67 ± 11.62 years and 66.28 ± 7.99 months, respectively. The mean and standard deviation for pre-intervention stigma score were 82.47 ± 12.23 indicating that the family caregivers suffered from some problems arisen from living with mental patients. They include not getting married, unable to find a job, embarrassment, humiliation by others, disgrace, and shame. Our results revealed that the mean and standard deviation of stigma score decreased to 29.28 ± 7.52 after training, and this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001).ConclusionsAccording to the results of present study, training interventions reduce the issues caused by stigma and help the family members of mental patients to face and cope with the problem.

PurposeDespite its efficacy and safety, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is underutilized, in part, due to the stigma associated with the treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of counseling on stigma in patients with psychiatric disorders receiving ECT.Patients and methodsA total of 114 patients with psychiatric disorders undergoing ECT were randomly divided into two groups. Both the groups received routine care and treatment, but the intervention group (n=57) received four counseling sessions. At the beginning and end of the study (6 weeks, post-treatment), patients completed the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale. The data were analyzed using independent and paired sample t-tests.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the mean stigma scores of participants in the control and intervention groups before counseling (P>0.08). However, post-intervention, there was a significant difference in the mean stigma scores between both the groups (P<0.001).ConclusionThe findings demonstrate that the counseling intervention is effective in decreasing stigma in patients undergoing ECT. Therefore, it is recommended to use this therapeutic method in such patients.

Paying attention to and meeting the needs of people who are elderly helps to improve their health. Caring for the elderly includes addressing their spiritual needs which has been less investigated. This study aimed to examine the spiritual needs of the Muslim elderly living in nursing homes. A qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. Seventeen elderly people (nine women and eight men) were selected from four nursing homes in Iran using purposive sampling. The subjects were asked to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interview transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. First, semantic units were identified and then related codes were extracted and classified into categories and subcategories based on their similarities. Finally, themes were extracted from the data. The elderly’s spiritual needs were classified into three main themes: religious needs, existential needs, and communication needs. Religious needs were divided into religious beliefs, individual religious practices, and collective religious practices. Existential needs were categorized as meaning of life, purpose of life, and need for peace. Communication needs were conceptualized to include relationship with God and relationship with others. It is argued that caregivers of the elderly should recognize the elderly’s spiritual needs, including religious, existential, and communication needs, and attempt to maintain and promote the elderly’s spiritual health.

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Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of spiritual care on hope in patients undergoing dialysis. Background: The most common psychological problem in hemodialysis patients is low hope. Hope is an important source of adaptation for the survival of the patients with a chronic disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of spiritual care on hope in patients undergoing dialysis. Method: In this a randomized controlled trial that did in Iran in 2017. 60 hemodialysis patients with ending-stage of renal disease under hemodialysis treatment were randomly assigned into two groups of experiment (N=30) and control (N=30). Spiritual care consists of protectionist care, supporting the patient's rituals and using the support systems was administered in four sessions of 60 minute individually; twice a week , morning or evening in hemodialysis ward. Snyder’s hope questionnaire was completed before and after intervention in both groups. Data were analyses by SPSS16. Result: Before the intervention in the experiment and control groups was not significant different (p=0.262). Following the intervention, there was a statistically significant difference in hope mean scores between experiment (36.43±3.37) and control groups (35.20±7.00) (p=0.04). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Spiritual care increased hope in Muslim patients undergoing hemodialysis. Therefore nurses can use the spiritual care to increased hope of hemodialysis patients.

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Compared to the general population, patients with psychiatric disorders, especially patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy due to its nature, and lack of psychiatric nursing counseling have worse physical health and lower self-esteem. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of psychiatric nursing counseling on self-esteem and health-promoting behaviors of patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy in hospitalized patients.Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 114 patients undergoing ECT at Farshchian Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, in 2019. The participants were divided into two groups of intervention (n=57) and control (n=57) by block randomization. Data collection tools included demographic, Rosenberg self-esteem, and health-promoting behaviors questionnaires. The intervention in the experimental group was held in the form of 4 sessions of individual counseling. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation statistics, Chi-square and ttests in SPSS software version 20. Results:The mean (standard deviation) of self-esteem score before the intervention in the experimental group 21.60 (4.01) and control 21.95 (3.51) was not significantly different (P=0.542). But the mean score of self-esteem immediately after the intervention in the experimental group 25.47 (3.91) and in the control group was 19.11 (2.79) and two weeks after the intervention, which was significant (P<0.001). The mean and standard deviation of the healthpromoting behaviors before intervention in the control group 96.67 (6.028) and intervention group 92.44 (5.444) were statistically significant (P<0.05). Also, this difference was significant between the intervention group 91.30 (51.539) and the control group 83.12 (5.976) immediately and two weeks after the intervention (P<0.001). Conclusion:Psychiatric counseling increased self-esteem and prevented a decline in healthpromoting behaviors. Therefore, this method can be used in educational programs and nursing care for patients with mental disorders.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stress management training on stigma and social phobia among HIV-positive women. This quasi-experimental pre- and posttest study was performed on a single group of 55 HIV-positive females Hamadan city, Iran, in 2018. The samples were taken through a convenience sampling method and the data collection tool were Berger HIV Stigma and Connor Social Phobia Scale. The mean scores of the stigma were 119.98 ± 21.15 and 94.78 ± 16.34 and social phobia were 24 ± 17.4 and 11.2 ± 9.68 before and after the intervention, respectively. The results of the paired sample t test indicated a significant difference in the stigma and social phobia mean scores before and after the intervention in HIV-positive women ( P < .05). The results of the study revealed that stigma and social phobia are big challenges for HIV-positive women since these people are always judged by others and are subjected to labeling and rejection.