Nursing and Midwifery - Journal Articles
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Item The not so hidden effects of climate change related heatwaves on the cardiovascular system(Elsevier Ltd., 2023-10-25) Lee, Geraldine; Hendriks, JeroenItem Predictors of satisfaction and value of advanced training for mental health professionals in wartime Ukraine(Taylor & Francis, 2023-10-17) Velykodna, Mariana; Gorbunova, Viktoriia; Frankova, Iryna; Deputatov, Vladyslav; Happell, BrendaThe full-scale escalation of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2022 created a surge of mental health issues, requiring urgent, evidence-based interventions to reduce trauma and mitigate stress. Reflecting recommendations from leading specialists in the field, Ukrainian mental health professionals sought to develop appropriate skills and knowledge for working in wartime through advanced training programs. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of Ukrainian mental health professionals having completed advanced training in mental health topics in wartime. A survey design was adopted, using the purposefully developed, and validated ‘Wartime Learning Satisfaction Scale’. Regression analysis assessed the hypothesized contribution of four scales (Education, Educator, Learner, and War) to the perceived value of advanced training and learners’ satisfaction. Respondents (n = 271) were trained in up to 30 courses (M = 4.27, SD = 3.03) lasting from two to over 120 h. Regression analysis revealed different predictors for satisfaction and value of the courses. Advanced training resulted in higher satisfaction with learning if it matched professional goals of mental health professionals and perceived higher value when relevant to societal demand, consistently constructed, practically useful, and not solely focusing on war-related issues. Respondents who completed all advanced training courses they were interested demonstrated significantly higher confidence in working in wartime. These findings are essential for effective mental health practice during wartime.Item Inclusion: Key to quality of life in disability(MedMedia Ltd., 2022-05) Bourke , Julie; Flynn, AngelaFor people with disabilities, full social inclusion is one of the most crucial components of quality of life. Primary care nurses often feel under-equipped or unprepared to handle the unmet needs of people with disabilities. Increasingly, primary care services are recognised as being vital to the essential healthcare for people with disabilities.The term ‘quality of life’ refers to the physical, social, psychological and functional components of happiness. Being healthy is important for one’s quality of life, personal growth and community involvement. While health is a basic human right, not everyone enjoys the same degree of health and happiness. Maintaining quality of life is extremely important for people living with disabilities.Item Family members' perspectives of hope when supporting a relative experiencing mental health problems(John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2023-06-18) McCarthy, Joan; Higgins, Agnes; McCarthy, Bridie; Flynn, Angela V.; Gijbels, HarryCurrent research views hope as a process that plays a positive role in the recovery of individuals with mental health problems. However, little attention has been given to the role of hope in the lives of their families. We aimed to address that gap. We deployed a qualitative descriptive design and carried out individual interviews with nine family members who supported a relative with mental health problems. A cross-comparison of the data generated three major themes: understandings of hope; factors that diminish hope and factors that nurture hope. The participants viewed hope as a positive and productive feeling or attitude that was life-affirming, and empowering. They also associated it with behaviours and dispositions such as attentiveness and empathy and the possibility of a return to a more stable and ‘normal’ life. The participants experienced hope as initially eroded when their relative was first diagnosed and institutionalized. Hope was further diminished due to the poor communication practices of some mental health professionals and the stress of the caring role itself. On the other hand, hope was nurtured through the support of other family members, friends, neighbours and peers. Acquiring knowledge and understanding about the relative's state of mental health nurtured hope and enabled the participants to have a more meaningful role in their recovery process. Practices of self-care such as independent activities and counselling also strengthened hope and some mental health professionals played a positive role in supporting these. Most striking about the reports of many of the participants was their assertion of their abiding love for their relative. Their account of their ability to see beyond the illness of their relative was an insight that we did not find in other accounts of the experiences of family members. We highlight the need for family members to have timely access to relevant information about their relatives' illness. We conclude that hope is relational at its core because of the interplay of intrapersonal, interpersonal and social factors that diminish or nurture it over time. Specifically, we propose that friends, neighbours and peer support groups as key actors in nurturing the hope of both family members and their relatives.Item Mental health nurses' self-care at work, Searching for Equilibrium: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis(Taylor and Francis, 2023-05-09) O'Malley, Maria; Happell, Brenda; O'Mahony, JamesThe nursing workforce plays a central role in quality health care delivery. Nursing work is associated with high levels of stress due to often unmanageable workloads. The associated attrition poses a serious challenge for recruitment and retention strategies. Self-care is recognised as a tactic for addressing workplace stressors, shaping a sense of cohesion where the world is viewed as comprehensible, meaningful, and manageable, thereby mitigating the risk of burnout. Yet research suggests it is not widely utilised by nurses. The aim of this study was to understand mental health nurses’ lived experience of self-care at work. The research was undertaken using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology. In-depth individual interviews explored nurses’ attitudes to self-care and how they did or did not adopt self-care practices in the workplace. Data were analysed thematically. The Search for Equilibrium, was identified as the superordinate theme, developed from three subordinate themes, The past self: “tormented and spent”, the intricacy of self-care, and the trusted inner circle: “safe and supported”. These findings highlight the complexity of self-care and the importance of considering it as much broader than purely an intra-personal phenomenon, emphasising the importance of relationships and interpersonal connections. Time past, present, and future influenced how participants made sense of their workplace experiences. These findings provide a deeper understanding of self-care in response to workplace stress and could assist in developing strategies to promote self-care for nurses, and ultimately positively enhance recruitment.