Depression has been linked to greater mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients, but this issue has not been adequately studied in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This cross-sectional study described the prevalence of depression in patients attending a diabetes clinic in Urmia and determined the associated sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical factors. Of 295 patients, 128 (43.4%) had depression scores (≥ 15) on the Beck Depression Inventory. The mean score for all patients was 15.4 (SD 9. 5). Those with depression were significantly older and less educated than those without depression, had a longer duration of diabetes and were more likely to suffer complications. On logistic regression analysis, older age was the only variable significantly associated with depression.

BackgroundSchizophrenia (SC) and bipolar disorder (BD) are among the most devastating diseases worldwide. There are several lines of evidence suggesting that viruses may play significant roles in the etiology of these mental disorders. The aim of this study was the detection of HHV-6A/B in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of SC and BD patients versus the healthy control (HC) subjects using a new method of type-specific Real time PCR analysis.MethodsA type-specific Real time PCR was performed for simultaneous detection and typing of HHV-6A/B in the PBMCs of 120 SC and BD patients and 75 HCs.ResultsOnly one case of HHV-6B out of 120 (0.8 %) SC and BD patients and two cases of HHV-6A (2.7 %) in 75 HCs were detected.ConclusionsThe low levels of HHV-6 detection in PBMCs, severely limited the capacity of this study to investigate the association between the presence of HHV-6 and BD or SC in this population, thus no conclusions can be drawn in this regard. Meanwhile this study introduces a Real time PCR based method for type specific detection of HHV-6A/B in clinical samples.

Background The present qualitative study was conducted to explain the experiences of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and its related factors in midwives working in maternity wards. Methods Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 11 midwives working in the maternity wards of hospitals in Urmia, Iran, through in-depth interviews with open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach. Results The results of data analysis led to the extraction of three themes, seven main categories, and 18 subcategories. The first theme was “STS stimuli,” with the two categories of “Discriminatory approach to midwifery” and “The nature of the midwifery profession”. The second theme was “Traumatic outcomes”, which included the subcategories of “Psychological-emotional trauma”, “Physical trauma” and “Social trauma”. The third theme was “Risk management”, which had the two subcategories of “Reactive approach” and “Proactive approach”. Conclusions The results showed that, in addition to the traumatic nature of events that midwives experience during work as the secondhand victims, factors such as governance-organizational structure, unbalanced distribution of power, and poor supportive laws undermine their professional role and provide conditions conducive to STS. Therefore, avoiding traumatic situations and scientific and skill self-empowerment were the most important strategies adopted by the midwives in this study to prevent risky situations and cope with the consequences of STS. The participation of midwifery stakeholders in policy-making and adopting supportive legislation in redefining the position and role of midwives can play a major role in reducing STS and sustaining their role and position in maternal care.

Background Delivering high-quality midwifery services requires a professional, educated and competent workforce. The challenges of clinical training and education for midwives in Iran have prevented midwifery students from fully gaining the clinical competency required of midwifery graduates. Methods This qualitative study was conducted to identify and explain the challenges of clinical training for midwives in Iran and to determine their underlying factors within the sociocultural and educational context of this country. Data were collected from a purposive sample in a western province of Iran, which included clinical midwives working in public and private maternity units, midwifery instructors working at educational institutes, and midwifery students. After receiving an ethics approval for the project and informed consent from the participants, data were collected through focus group interviews held with midwifery students (n = 9) and semi-structured interviews held with midwifery instructors (n = 6) and clinical midwives (n = 7). Data were then analyzed using the framework proposed by Graneheim and Lundman using MAXQDA-10. Findings The analysis of the data led to two themes: “Discriminatory approach in the health system” and “Professional nature of midwifery”. The noted discrimination was caused by the insecure position of midwives in the health system, inequalities related to education and training opportunities, and the demotivation of midwives. The professional nature of midwifery discussed the community in transition, functional paradoxes and high-risk labor. Conclusion The findings revealed numerous challenges facing clinical midwifery education and training in the study setting, which may in part be explained by the sociocultural context of maternity services in Iran. The learning opportunities provided to midwifery students should be improved by making significant revisions to the structure of clinical settings where students are placed. Tackling discrimination against a profession and its students is essential, and it is equally important to value the contributions of midwifery students and midwives to their practice and their efforts to ensure safe maternity care for women and newborns. The quality of the clinical learning environment must therefore be improved for this group, and the active participation of competent and autonomous midwifery instructors in this environment can have a facilitatory role.

Introduction Professional quality of life is affected by various factors, such as people's perception of professional empowerment. This study aimed to investigate the role of midwives' personal perception of empowerment in their professional quality of life. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted with 380 midwives providing maternal and neonatal care services across five provinces of Iran. Data were collected using virtual platforms and analysed using descriptive and analytical tests including regression analysis. Results The mean professional quality of life was high (59.7%) in most participants. Midwives' personal perception of empowerment alone predicted 17% of professional quality of life. Conclusions Given midwives' role in maintaining and improving maternal and neonatal outcomes, it is important to devise policies and plans to enhance midwives' perception of empowerment, especially with regards to autonomous practice and management.

Background: The present qualitative study was conducted to explain the experiences of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and its related factors in midwives working in maternity wards.Methods: Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 11 midwives working in the maternity wards of hospitals in Urmia, Iran, through in-depth interviews with open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach.Results:The results of data analysis led to the extraction of three themes, seven main categories, and 18 subcategories. The first theme was “STS stimuli,” with the two categories of “Discriminatory approach to midwifery” and “The nature of the midwifery profession”. The second theme was “Traumatic outcomes”, which included the subcategories of “Psychological-emotional trauma”, “physical trauma” and “social trauma”. The third theme was “Risk management”, which had the two subcategories of “Reactive approach” and “Proactive approach”.Conclusions:The results showed that, in addition to the traumatic nature of events that midwives experience during work as the secondhand victims, factors such as governance-organizational structure, unbalanced distribution of power, and poor supportive laws undermine their professional role and provide conditions conducive to STS. Therefore, avoiding traumatic situations and scientific and skill self-empowerment were the most important strategies adopted by the midwives in this study to prevent risky situations and cope with the consequences of STS. The participation of midwifery stakeholders in policy-making and adopting supportive legislation in redefining the position and role of midwives can play a major role in reducing STS and sustaining their role and position in maternal care.