IntroductionMental health inequalities are an increasingly important global problem. This study examined the association between mental health status and certain socioeconomic indicators (personal social position and the socioeconomic status of the family) in Slovenian 15-year-old adolescents.MethodsData originate from the WHO-Collaborative cross-national ‘Health Behavior in School-aged Children’ study conducted in Slovenia in 2010 (1,815 secondary school pupils, aged 15). Mental health status was measured by: KIDSCREEN-10, the Strength and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), a life satisfaction scale, and one question about feelings of depression. Socioeconomic position was measured by the socioeconomic status of the family (Family Affluence Scale, perceived material welfare, family type, occupational status of parents) and personal social position (number of friends and the type of school). Logistic regression and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were performed.ResultsGirls had 2.5-times higher odds of suffering feelings of depression (p < 0.001), 1.5-times higher odds of low life satisfaction (p = 0.008), and a greater chance of a lower quality of life and a higher SDQ score than boys (p = 0.001). The adolescents who perceived their family’s material welfare as worse had 4-times higher odds (p < 0.001) of a low life satisfaction, a greater chance of a low quality of life, and a higher SDQ score than those who perceived it as better (p < 0.001). Adolescents with no friends had lower KIDSCREEN-10 and higher SDQ scores than those who had more than three friends.ConclusionsDespite the fact that Slovenia is among the EU members with the lowest rates of social inequalities, it was found that adolescents with a lower socioeconomic position have poorer mental health than those with a higher socioeconomic position. Because of the financial crisis, we can expect an increase in social inequalities and a greater impact on adolescents’ mental health status in Slovenia in the future.
Background One challenge a modern society faces is this: providing those vulnerable and ageing groups of adults who have intellectual disabilities with appropriate support for improving static and dynamic balance. Balance is a crucial component of physical fitness and, consequently, of fall reduction and prevention. The aim of the present randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy, after 16 weeks, that three different Special Olympics physical activity programmes had on balance and on fall reduction in adults with intellectual disabilities. Method A convenience sample of 150 persons with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities was recruited from the accessible Special Olympics Slovenia population of physically inactive adults with intellectual disabilities. The sample was randomised to the experimental group 1 (multicomponent balance-specific exercise programme group with additional workshops on such social gerontology topics as active and healthy ageing; N = 50), the experimental group 2 (multicomponent wellness programme group; N = 50) and a control group (regular Special Olympics athletic training; N = 50). Results Significant differences were found between groups in the balance scores throughout the study period and in the ability to decrease fall frequency. Conclusions Balance assessment is a high predictor of frequency of falls, and among adults with intellectual disabilities, it significantly correlates with exercise.The results indicate that a multicomponent balance-specific exercise programme with a significant sociogerontological component on active ageing could be a useful intervention for intellectually disabled adults who have poor balance and who experience frequent falls.
Aim: To describe attitudes towards caring for older people among nurses and student nurses in six participating countries. Background: Working with older people has historically had a negative profile and with a global rise in the numbers of older people and a global shortage of nurses, it is essential to recruit nurses into this area. This study gathered data from six countries to explore nurses and student nurses attitudes to nursing older people and to gerontological nursing as a career. Method: A convenience sample of 1064 nursing students and 2585 nurses in six countries answered the Multifactorial Attitudes Questionnaire (MAQ) designed to elicit attitudes towards caring for older people and to the esteem that comes with working in this field. The MAQ consists of seven positive and 13 negative statements and uses a Likert scale. A higher total score indicates a more positive attitude. Results: Differences in attitudes among the six counties was observed for both nursing students and for nurses (<.001). Nursing students in Scotland and USA had the highest mean scores and Slovenia and Sweden were the countries with the lowest mean score. The highest score for nurses were reported in Scotland and Sweden and lowest in Germany and Japan. Conclusion: From the findings, it is suggested that formal nursing education to students between 18-29 years of age has high importance for positive attitudes towards working with older people.
Background: Croatia and Slovenia are neighboring countries with marked differences in high school and undergraduate nursing curricula. The aim was to assess and compare attitudes toward the elderly among undergraduate nursing students in Croatia and Slovenia and identify factors associated with positive/negative attitudes.Subjects and methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted between September, 2017 and July, 2018 among undergraduate nursing students at five higher education institutions: three in Slovenia and two in Croatia. The following data were gathered: age, sex, year of study, previous education, employment status, previous education in gerontolgy, desired professional role after graduating, previous experience with the elderly. Kogan`s Attitude Towards Old People Scale (KATOPS) score was the primary outcome measure. Pairwise comparisons were conducted between Croatian and Slovenian students. KATOPS score was dichotomized with values above the 3rd quartile considered excellent - the dichotomized score was used as the dependent variable in a binary logistic regression model.Results: Overall, 825 students completed the questionnaire, 85.5% were women, 417 from Slovenia, 408 from Croatia, and 80% were under 22 years of age (80%). The average score on the KATOPS was 127.4, 95% CI 126.6-128.2. Variables associated with excellent scores on the KATOPS, based on the binary regression were: studying in Slovenia (OR=2.05, 95% CI 1.39-3.03), age group 28-32 years (OR=3.9, 95% CI 1.53-9.98); previous education gerontic nursing (OR=2.45, 95% CI 1.34-4.47), and full-time study (OR=2.12, 95% CI 1.38-3.55). Variables not associated with excellent scores were: being married (OR=0.44, 95% CI 0.22- 0.92) and having previous experience in working with the elderly (OR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.86). Conclusion: Attitudes toward old age are mildly positive in Slovenian and Croatian nursing students. Slovenian students have significantly more positive attitudes toward old age and these differences are most probably due to marked differences in undergraduate nursing curricula between the two countries.
Background: Increasing numbers of people are delaying retirement. Studies of their motives are scarce and biased to Western contexts. Aims: The aim was to explore internal and external motives of older Slovenians who continue to work after becoming eligible for retirement. Methods: Nine workers, aged 59-72, were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Three main themes were extracted. The 'Foundations' described the prerequisites for continued work engagement that were often non-negotiable. The 'Rewards' included the benefits of working and suggested a strong pull towards the non-material aspects of work. 'Negotiating occupational challenges' summarized an internal crisis that was experienced when faced with a potential occupational void of retirement. Conclusions: Although the participants' motivations were not homogenous, we identified a pattern in the way they constructed their motives in relation to the occupational life trajectories and contextual factors. Based on our findings and multidisciplinary theories, we proposed a hierarchy of motives for prolonged work activity. Significance: The study offers an occupational perspective of the phenomenon of delayed retirement and argues that the efforts of the discipline of occupational therapy should be directed at different levels of motives, including empowering people to nurture higher level occupational motives.
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