Volunteer and career firefighters are at risk of major depressive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol use disorder, and other mental health disorders due to the demanding and unpredictable nature of their employment. The mental health risks are exacerbated by the need to work extended hours, night shifts, and/or rotating schedules, or the competing demands of other employment, especially in volunteer firefighters. The mental health disorders and risk factors interact with altered sleeping patterns. In the current study, we examined volunteer and career firefighters regarding the association between mental health and sleep, drawing from a national Canadian mental health survey of 1217 firefighters. Most (69%) of the firefighters reported less than ideal sleep quality and 21% screened positive for clinical insomnia, with no significant difference between volunteer and career subgroups. Firefighters with insomnia had higher odds ratios (OR) and frequencies for PTSD (OR = 4.98), generalized anxiety disorder (OR = 7.15), panic disorder (OR = 6.88), social phobia (OR = 4.98), and major depressive disorder (OR = 7.91), than firefighters without insomnia. The burden of sleep disorders and their association with mental health disorders suggests that sleep should be considered in health monitoring and self-management, environmental design, fire service work-organization policies, and health programming.
Background: Nurses increasingly are identified as key health care members on global health initiatives, and nursing curricula should address this competency to prepare students to work in a global environment. This article will share how processes and structures were established for an international undergraduate nursing student exchange and service-learning experience between two schools of nursing. Method: The goals of the project were to (a) implement an annual nursing student exchange of approximately 3 weeks in length; (b) select eight students from each school, accompanied by a faculty member, to participate; and (c) provide opportunities for students to participate in service-learning assessments in identified communities. Results: To date, an annual exchange is in its fourth year of existence. Conclusion: An international service-learning opportunity is one way to improve nursing students' ability to provide culturally competent health care. [ J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(4):235–239.]
The families of public safety personnel (PSP) face demands that are unique to these occupations. Nonstandard work, trauma exposure, and dangerous work environments affect both workers and the families who support them. This narrative review aims to identify the stressors that PSP families experience and the support and resources needed to enhance family resilience. Due to a lack of research on PSP families, this review is a necessary first step to summarizing and interpreting a diverse body of research. The studies included addressed structural and emotional work-family conflict with reference to PSP sectors. A framework from the military family resiliency literature interprets the findings. Factors influencing family functioning and the availability and accessibility of resources provide clues about the type of skills and supports that PSP families rely on. Meaning-making, collaboration, a sense of coherence, and communication were identified as themes associated with intrafamilial processes. Extrafamilial themes included public perceptions, a lack of recognition for the roles families fulfill, and the need for information and education. The results suggest that the vulnerability of PSP families is variable and extrafamilial resources in the form of formal and informal supports are necessary to enhance family resiliency.
Background: Opportunities for meaningful engagement with the homeless can alter negative attitudes. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in attitudes towards the homeless among undergraduate nursing students participating in a service-learning foot soak experience.Methods: This was a prospective, pretest and posttest interventional study. Student attitudes were measured through: (a) the attitudes toward homelessness inventory and (b) thematic analysis of a guided reflection on the experience.Results: Mean posttest total scores (mean = 50.06; standard deviation = 7.004) were significantly (P = .001) higher from mean pretest scores (mean = 47.06; standard deviation = 5.455), indicating more positive attitudes towards the homeless (n = 47) after the clinic. Three categories of themes that reflected student experiences are as follows: (a) benefits, (b) context, and, (c) potential consequences. Conclusions:A foot soak clinic can increase studentsʼ understanding of experiences faced by homeless persons through genuine human interaction, and has benefits to community members and learners. K E Y W O R D S homelessness, nursing education, service-learning How to cite this article: Richmond R, Noone J. The impact of a service-learning foot soak experience on nursing students' attitudes towards the homeless. Nurs Forum. 2020;55: 236-243. https://doi.
Background The Biologic Abatement and Capturing Kids’ Outcomes and Flare Frequency in Juvenile Spondyloarthritis (BACK‐OFF JSpA) study is a randomized, pragmatic trial investigating different tumour necrosis factor inhibitor de‐escalation strategies for children with sustained inactive disease. In this project, we elicited concept rankings that aided in the selection of the patient‐reported outcome (PRO) measures that should be examined as part of the BACK‐OFF JSpA trial. Methods We conducted a discrete choice experiment to evaluate individuals' preferences regarding PROs. Stakeholders assessed a discrete list of 21 outcome concepts, each of which had a Patient‐Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measure associated with it. PROMIS measures are self‐ or proxy‐reported instruments that are universally applicable to the general population and all chronic conditions. Stakeholders were required to make choices instead of expressing the strength of a preference. Results Fourteen caregivers, 12 patients (9–22 years old), 16 rheumatologists and three executives from health insurance companies completed the exercise, which took approximately 10 min. The discrete choice experiment resulted in an estimate of the relative importance of each outcome and rank. All stakeholder groups agreed that the primary PRO should be ‘Pain Interference’, a measure that evaluates the effect of pain on a child's everyday activities, including its impact on social, emotional, mental and physical functioning. Patients and caregivers were mostly aligned in their top priorities, with patients valuing physical health (50% of the top 10) whereas caregivers were more interested in mental health (60% of the top 10). Rheumatologists and health insurance executives were most interested in physical health outcomes, which were ranked 80% and 60% of their top 10 PROs, respectively. Overall, the patients had the most diverse set of prioritized outcomes, including at least one of each category in their top 10 rank order of importance. Patients were also the only stakeholders to prioritize ‘social’ health. Conclusions Patients and caregivers were mostly aligned in their outcome priority rankings. The rank‐order list directly informed the creation of a profile of PRO measures for our upcoming trial. Patient or Public Contribution Stakeholder partners helped with acquisition of data and lead parent partners helped interpret data.
Background Public safety occupations are well-recognized to be dangerous and stressful. Despite recent attention on post-traumatic stress injuries among public safety personnel, there has been considerably less attention paid to the ongoing ways in which the risks and requirements associated with those occupations shape family life, and how families respond and adapt to those lifestyle dimensions. This systematic review aims to understand how day-to-day family life is affected and shaped when a family member works in a public safety sector, such as fire, police, paramedic, corrections, and emergency communications. Methods Qualitative studies that examine the experiences of families or family members of public safety personnel will be included in this review, with no date or language restrictions. An initial search of Embase and CINAHL will be conducted, followed by an analysis of text words contained in the title and abstract, and of the index terms used to describe the articles. Databases to be searched for published studies include MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Sciences, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts. Titles and abstracts will be screened by two independent reviewers. The full texts of selected studies will be assessed in detail, and findings and their illustrations will be extracted and aggregated. Any disagreements between the reviewers that arise at each stage will be resolved through discussion, or by a third reviewer. Further analysis of the synthesized findings will be informed by family systems theory. Discussion The ways that occupational risks and requirements shape family life have been better investigated within other high-risk occupation groups, which has led to productive advancements in organizational policies and supports in the respective sectors. An understanding of the experiences which typify family life ongoing within PSP sectors is a critical gap in the development of meaningful family-informed occupational initiatives and supports. Systematic review registration Submitted to PROSPERO for systematic review registration: CRD42020208126
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