Related Educational Programs Research Articles

The Couples Coping Enhancement Training – Sexual Minority Stress (CCET-SMS) Relationship Education Program: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Evidence of Effectiveness

Individuals with diverse and traditionally underrepresented sexual orientations – those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) – experience compounded stress due to their marginalized identity in a heteronormative society. Such stressors, which include but are not limited to discrimination and internalized heterosexism, increase risks for various affective disorders and negatively impact relationship functioning. Empirically supported relationship education programs, including the Couples Coping Enhancement Training (CCET), have been found efficacious in increasing psychological and relationship well-being; however, the original CCET and related education programs do not specifically target how couples can identify, communicate, and cope with sexual minority stressors. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evidence of effectiveness of the Couples Coping Enhancement Training – Sexual Minority Stress (CCET-SMS) relationship education program. Results from nine couples showed trends in decreased reports of sexual minority stress and general distress, and significant increases in reports of positive dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction. Additional results based on the program feasibility and acceptability along with limitations and suggestions for future directions are presented.

Business Management for Sustainability

The purpose of this paper is to address a fundamental flaw in prominent approaches to managing businesses for sustainability. Current management strategies fail to recognize the fundamental differences between economic, social, and moral or ethical values. Economic values are instrumental, individual, and impersonal. Social values are reciprocal, communal, and personal. Moral values are altruistic, spiritual, and universal. These are not arbitrary definitions but expressions of basic differences among the three types of value. These differences reveal the fundamental flaws in attempts to assign economic value or objectively quantify the social and ecological costs and benefits of economic enterprises. The transactional, social, and moral economies are defined in ways that avoid compromising the differences in values. In addition, a natural hierarchy exists among nature, society, and economy that requires a corresponding hierarchy of moral, social, and economic values in managing sustainable organizations. The strategies, motives, and metrics that have dominated sustainable business management for the past several decades, and the related research and educational programs that support them, fail to reflect differences among economic, social, and moral values that are critical to sustainability.

Status of Healthy Choices, Attitudes and Health Education of Children and Young People in Romania—A Literature Review

Background and Objectives: This study aims to assess the health status and factors influencing healthy choices among children and young people in Romania, as well as the efficacy of related health education programs. Through understanding these dynamics, the study seeks to provide insights that can shape targeted interventions, policies, and educational strategies to improve this demographic’s overall health and well-being. Materials and Methods: For this study, we performed a literature review of original published papers on the health status, healthy habits, health education, predisposition to making healthy choices in the future, and accessibility to the paediatric health system of Romanian children and young people, as well as the effects of different types of educational interventions on this demographic in Romania. Results: The prevalence of dental caries is high in Romania. In terms of eating habits and nutritional status, a worrying proportion of children are overweight or obese, which can lead to a variety of future physical and psychological problems. In terms of physical activity, few adolescents demonstrate regular fitness practices. Romania presents an increase in alcohol and tobacco consumption among adolescents. The mental health of students has become a pressing public health concern, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of social networks is linked to mental health issues among young people. Romania still has one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases and faces a high incidence of cervical cancer, with a mortality rate three times higher than the EU average. High rates of teenage pregnancies are linked to limited information about sexuality and a lack of access to family planning at a young age. There are large discrepancies in the accessibility of medical services between urban and rural areas. Conclusions: Romania faces significant obstacles to providing high-quality healthcare to children and young people. Improving nutrition, immunisation rates, and access to medical services represent essential areas for enhancing the health of children and young people in Romania.

Academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing practice: A theory-guided scoping review.

Academic-practice partnerships have the potential to solve many challenges in evidence-based nursing practice which is crucial for high-quality care. To identify the existing knowledge on academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing practice. We conducted this review following the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology. We performed a comprehensive literature search of nine databases as well as five websites for gray literature. Two researchers independently conducted literature screening and data extraction and analysis. A third researcher was involved when needed. Dedicated time, dedicated resources, and compatible goals were found to be the top three inputs in academic-practice partnerships for evidence-based nursing practice. Meeting and discussion were the most popular forms of activities. Sufficient resources were the most important facilitators. Insufficient resources, insufficient time, and communication issues were the top three barriers. The assumption proposed in the practice-academic partnership logic model (i.e., inputs plus activities can lead to outputs and outcomes) was preliminarily verified by the results of this review in the context of evidence-based nursing practice. Academic-practice partnerships can leverage the advantages of both sides to overcome barriers and promote evidence-based nursing practice. However, it is essential to conduct a broader range of high-quality studies. Such endeavors could offer more comprehensive evidence for refining the framework of academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING EDUCATION, PRACTICE, POLICY AND RESEARCH: The "theoretical framework of academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing practice" could theoretically guide academic and clinical nursing staff to collaborate on evidence-based nursing practice and related research and education programs. The academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing practice could lead to a win-win situation for both the academic and the clinical sides. Furthermore, the results of this study provide an evidence-based foundation for policymakers to develop supportive policies for academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing practice.

Moral Injury and its Correlates among Iranian Nurses in the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with various health-related issues among nurses, including mental health problems such as moral injury. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between moral injury, general health, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and type of hospital among Iranian nurses working in different clinical settings during the COVID-19 outbreak. This cross-sectional study employed convenience sampling to recruit 334 nurses working in various clinical settings, including teaching and referral hospitals, in Kerman, Southeastern Iran from October 2021 to February 2022. The study used three measures, including the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and The Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Healthcare Professionals version (MISS-HP). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS25. The results indicated that moral injury was highly prevalent among Iranian nurses, with 47% of the participants reporting experiencing it. A total, 26.9% of the participants reported experiencing mental health disorders and 57.2% of the participants reported experiencing this disorder. Significant correlations were found between moral injury, general health, and PTSD. Specifically, moral injury levels were higher among female nurses with a history of mental disorders and those designated to treat all kinds of cases, compared to other participants. The results suggest that Iranian nurses are at a high risk of experiencing moral injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers and health authorities should establish related health educational programs, provide counseling services to promote general health, and pay particular attention to moral injury and PTSD. Additionally, nurse educators should integrate materials related to moral injury into the nursing curriculum.

Cybersecurity Workforce Landscape, Education, and Industry Growth Prospects in Southeast Asia

Given the chronic lack of qualified professionals in the cybersecurity industry, the present paper seeks to evaluate the current interest in cybersecurity across Southeast Asia nations and then compare it with the available educational offerings of related degrees in each country to identify eventual gaps in the market. The goal is to assess whether there is a need for additional degree programs in cybersecurity and to evaluate the potential for future growth in the industry by providing a solid educational foundation for aspiring professionals. To estimate current interest from prospective students and profesionals in cybersecurity across each country, leaderboards from the popular TryHackMe gamified cybersecurity training platform are referenced. We further discuss issues by considering the related formal education programmes offered by the top universities in each country, identified by their presence in the QS world university rankings. The data are then used to propose two new metrics: the ‘Cybersecurity Education Prospects Index’ (CEPI) and the ‘Cybersecurity Industry Prospects Index’ (CIPI), which show how most of the eleven countries in Southeast Asia do have an unmet demand for cybersecurity education and only a few of them have already developed an educational infrastructure that is ready to support the growing needs of the local and international industry.

Young children and families’ home literacy and technology practices before and during COVID-19

The home is an important setting for young children’s learning and development. We examined home literacy practices and technology usage among families with children ages 5–6 years old ( N = 47) before as compared to during COVID-19 with bivariate analyses. Variations by household income were also investigated. Parents completed surveys on home literacy and technological practices and demographic information in the spring of transitional kindergarten and the following kindergarten year. Results demonstrated an increase in child technology usage for school related educational programs, from pre-COVID-19 to COVID-19 and a decrease in home book reading, storytelling, writing, and playing games during COVID-19 home learning. Transitional kindergarten parents from the upper-income bracket reported significantly lower technology use of educational games compared to those in the lower-income group pre-COVID-19. Kindergarten parents from the upper-income bracket reported significantly higher technology use of educational games and lower technology use in watching TV to fall asleep, compared to those in the lower-income group during COVID-19. Findings suggest that there are few differences in home learning environments across family income groups. By characterizing how parents utilize technology and literacy practices with their children, we can better understand how to support families through COVID-19 and beyond.

Effectiveness of an Educational Program on Awareness of Breast Cancer Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Barriers to Seeking Medical Help among Adolescent Omani School Students—An Interventional Study

Women in Oman and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are usually diagnosed with BC at a younger age and more advanced stage, with poor five-year survival. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of breast cancer (BC) related educational programs among female Omani adolescents. Six female-only public schools were randomly selected from three governorates of Oman and assigned to the control or interventional group. An Arabic version of the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure questionnaire was used to evaluate students attending grades 10 and 11 at baseline (T0) and after 4 weeks (T1). After T0, the intervention group participated in a one-hour BC education program involving group discussions, a slideshow presentation, leaflets, and online access to program materials and videos. Non-parametric tests were used to compare scores between intervention and control groups and within each group across time (T0 vs. T1). A total of 1106 students participated, of which 547 (49.5%) and 559 (50.5%) were allocated to the control and intervention groups, respectively. Recognition of BC risk factors (Z = 18.67; p < 0.001) and symptoms (Z = 20.01; p < 0.001) increased significantly in the intervention group between T0 and T1 and compared to the control group at T1 (U = 27.27; p < 0.001, and U = 25.75; p < 0.001, respectively). Anticipated time to seeking medical help (Z = 18.67; p < 0.001) and barriers to help-seeking (Z = 7.91; p < 0.001) decreased significantly between T0 and T1 in the intervention group and compared to the control group at T1 (U = 15.78; p < 0.001, and U = 3.44; p = 0.001, respectively). The program increased knowledge of BC risk factors and symptoms and promoted early medical help-seeking among Omani female adolescents. Healthcare strategic planners and policy-makers in Oman and low- and middle-income countries should consider incorporating cancer education programs in the national school curriculum to minimize delays in BC diagnosis and improve the survival rate.

Digging Up Jericho: Past, Present and Future

Digging Up Jericho: Past, Present and Future

Effects of Clinical Nurses' Job Crafting on Organizational Effectiveness Based on Job Demands-Resource Model

This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of clinical nurses' job crafting on organizational effectiveness based on the job demands-resources model proposed by Bakker and Demerouti (2017). The participants consisted of 393 nurses working in nursing units of a tertiary general hospital located in Cheongju region. The data, collected using questionnaire from August 9 to August 20, 2021, were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 27.0. The goodness-of-fit (GoF) test results on the modified model (χ² = 2.7, GFI = .94, SRMR = .03, RMSEA = .06, NFI = .92, CFI = .94, TLI = .92, AGFI = .90), indicated that the GoF index satisfied the recommended level. Regarding the effects of each variable on organizational effectiveness, job crafting showed statistically significant direct (β = .48, p < .001), indirect (β = .23, p < .001), and total effects (β = .71, p < .001). Burnout showed statistically significant direct effect (β = -.17, p < .001). Work engagement showed statistically significant direct (β = .41, p < .001) and total effects (β = .41, p < .001). The factors explaining organizational effectiveness were job crafting, burnout, and work engagement, which had an explanatory power of 76.7%. Nurses' job crafting is an important mediating factor for enhancing the organizational effectiveness of nursing organizations. Hospitals should develop job-crafting success cases and related education and training programs as a strategy for enhancing the job crafting of nurses and, consequently organizational effectiveness.

제3문화 아이들(Third Culture Kids)의 성 건강과 관련된 중국 내 한국 어머니의 양육 경험

Objectives The purposes of this study were to explore Korean mothers’ parenting experience related to the sexual health of youth from Third-culture kids in China.&#x0D; Methods A qualitative study was conducted to explore the parenting experience of 10 Korean mothers’ raising youth in China, and the data from individual interviews were analyzed using the content analysis method.&#x0D; Results As a result of qualitative analysis of individual interviews, mother’s parenting experiences related to sexual health were derived into 3 categories and 7 subcategories. The first category is ｢Mothers’ parenting experience their youth's sexual health｣, and as subcategories, “Limited experience of attending an international school” and “Experience open sexual culture among various cultures and races” were derived. The second category is ｢Mothers’ coping skill with concerned behavior｣, and the subcategories are “Avoiding sexual health-related conversations” and “Providing related educational materials (books, videos, etc.)”. The third category is ｢Mothers' educational needs for their youth's sexual health｣, and the subcategories are ‘Lack of information about their youth's sex education’, ‘Necessity of sexual health education in their native language’ and ‘Requirements for practical sexual education needs through the experts.&#x0D; Conclusions From these research results, practical sexual education is necessary so that third-cultural kids can form a healthy gender identity, and research on the development of related educational programs is suggested as a follow-up study.

Graduate Education in Counseling and Related Educational Programs and the Stigma of Mental Illness

Negative attitudes and stigma associated with mental illness have a profound impact on individuals who experience them. Limited research has been conducted to evaluate attitudes and beliefs associated with individuals with mental health issues among graduate students in counseling and related educational programs (CREPs). All participants were current graduate students enrolled in CREPs and were randomly assigned one of two groups which differed by type of vignette. Data were collected from 79 participants using two attitude scales: the Mental Health Provider Stigma Inventory (MHPSI) and the Attribution Questionnaire-27 (AQ-27). The vignettes were identical except for the mental health diagnosis of the individual: generalized anxiety disorder in one vignette and schizophrenia spectrum disorder in the other. Results of this study suggested that subjective feelings of blame, dangerousness, fear, avoidance, and segregation varied based on exposure to one of the two vignettes. For example, participants reported more feelings of blame toward the individual depicted as having generalized anxiety disorder compared to the one depicted as having schizophrenia. The data also showed a significant difference between the mean scores of rehabilitation counselors and the mean scores of other counselors in training on the MHPSI, indicating that rehabilitation counselors reported fewer stigmatizing attitudes. These results contribute to the body of knowledge surrounding mental health stigma among graduate students in CREPs with implications the role of stigma and training.

Interlacing China and Taiwan: Tea Production, Chinese-language Education and the Territorial Politics of Re-Sinicization in the Northern Borderlands of Thailand

AbstractWhile most ethnic Chinese in northern Thailand are Thai citizens now, their everyday lives are a site where we can witness the political power entanglement of China, Taiwan and Thailand. With this in mind, this paper aims to look into the relationship between global China and overseas Chinese from the perspective of the ethnic Chinese in the northern borderlands of Thailand. The purpose is not just to disclose the multiplicity of global China in people's everyday lives, but also to complicate the picture of overseas Chinese as portrayed in top-down grand narratives about global China. I argue that the ongoing re-Sinicization in South-East Asia and the territorial geopolitics among China, Taiwan and Thailand have opened a conceptual space for the ethnic Chinese in northern Thailand to flexibly articulate themselves within the changing geopolitical economy. I use tea production and related Chinese-language education programmes, two separate but intertwined cases, to address these issues. By looking beyond the competition, conflict and dilemmas between China and Taiwan, I argue that Taiwan's previous engagement with agricultural transfer to Thailand and the rooting of pro-Taiwan identity and discourse in language education have paradoxically paved a way for China to stretch its influence into the everyday lives of the Chinese communities in the northern Thai borderlands.

Efficacy of DiaLife, an Education Program for Relatives of Adults with Diabetes – A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveDiabetes affects the lives of patients and their close relatives. Considering the proven benefit of patient education programs, DiaLife was elaborated as the first German education program addressing the needs of relatives. The objective of this study was to investigate its efficacy. MethodsThe evaluation was implemented in the form of a cRCT with longitudinal design and waiting list condition.In total, 179 relatives were recruited. Participants’ diabetes-related knowledge was defined as the primary outcome. Diabetes-related strains, family interaction and other psychosocial factors were determined as secondary outcomes. ResultsA generalized estimating equation model showed a persistent increase of diabetes-related knowledge in the intervention group compared to the control group regardless of the type of diabetes. Concerning secondary outcomes, mixed linear models showed an improvement for relatives of people with type 2 diabetes who participated in the DiaLife program. ConclusionThis study provides evidence of DiaLife’s efficacy regarding a persistent increase of diabetes-related knowledge and a positive effect on psychosocial outcomes in relatives of people with type 2 but not in type 1 diabetes. Adding (an)other psychosocial module(s) might improve their well-being and psychosocial outcomes. Practice ImplicationsDiabetes centers should consider implementing an education program for relatives, such as DiaLife, in their curriculum. Trial registrationThe study was registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00015157; date of registration: 24.08.2018).

Predicting Students' Spiritual and Religious Competence Based on Supervisor Practices and Institutional Attendance

Counseling students report a lack of competence in spiritual and religious integration (SRI). As such, counselor educators and supervisors (CES) and students want to understand how to develop SRI competence. Although past research highlights SRI dialogue in training, there exists no clear understanding about the role of faculty supervisor SRI on perceived student competence. The supervision models used to inform the study included (a) the integrated developmental model, (b) the discrimination model, and (c) the spirituality in supervision model (SACRED). The purpose of this study is to determine if master’s-level graduate counseling student perceptions of faculty supervisor SRI practices predicts student perceived spiritual competence when considering attendance in faith-based and non-faith-based institutions accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP). A review of existing literature supports the use of a quantitative, cross-sectional design. An online survey was distributed to students (&lt;em&gt;n&lt;/em&gt; = 59) in master’s-level CACREP counseling programs, currently in field experience, to measure perceived SRI in supervision and perceived SRI competence. A multiple linear regression reveals a statistically significant predictive relationship between supervisor SRI and perceived student competence as measured by the Spiritual and Religious Competence Assessment and the Spiritual Issues in Supervision Scale. These results inform CES about the importance of SRI and student ability to work with the spiritual and religious beliefs of clients. On this basis, it is recommended that supervisors focus on SRI in supervision. Future research should focus on additional factors related to SRI competence during counselor training.

Nutritional Knowledge and Awareness of Primary Health Care Physicians Working in Hail Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrition and its awareness play an important role in medical education for the management, as well as in the treatment of various chronic illnesses. Moreover, it always has been a concern about the knowledge and awareness of nutrition among physicians. Therefore, we aimed to study the nutritional knowledge, as well as awareness of primary health care physicians (PHC) working in Hail City, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among PHC physicians working in Hail, Saudi Arabia from September 2019 to December 2019. The questionnaire was distributed to PHC physicians and responses were recorded and data were statistically analyzed by applying Chi-square tests using SPSS 21.0. Questionnaires were circulated to 124 physicians, participated in this study. However, out of 124 physicians only 41 physicians filled out the complete questionnaire, indicating a very poor response rate (33%). The mean percentage of correct answers was 71.56%. Physicians who described their knowledge as “good” were found to be 75%. Furthermore, physicians working in PHC centers were aware of the basic nutritional knowledge regarding food content, pregnancy, lactation, diabetes, hypertension, etc. Our assessment revealed that physicians working in PHC of Hail Region had average nutritional knowledge. Moreover, it was also found that addition of various nutrition related educational programs in medical schools and hospital premises would improve the knowledge and awareness among the physicians.

Skills and key education needed for clinical librarians: an exploratory study from the librarians' perspectives

BackgroundA clinical librarian is a member of the medical team in many countries. To strengthen this new job, librarians need to acquire professional skills in order to provide information services to medical staff. In this study, we aimed to explor the skills required for the presence of a clinical librarian in the treatment team.MethodsIn this study, we sonducted a qualitative study in which 15 experienced librarians were interviewed in connection with information services. Also, a treatment team was involved in this study using purposive-convenience and snowball sampling methods. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview that continued until the data was saturated; finally the data analysis was performed using thematic analysis.ResultsOut of the total interviews, 158 primary codes and, 107 main codes were extracted in 25 subclasses. After careful evaluation and integration of subclasses and classes, they were finally classified into 13 categories and four main themes, namely clinical librarian’s role, professional and specialized skills, communication skills, and training programs.ConclusionThe results showed that specialized skills and training programs for the clinical librarian are defined based on his/her duties in the treatment team. We also defined the most important key skills for the clinical librarian in two categories of professional and communication skills such as specialized information search, content production, resource management, familiarity with various sources related to evidence-based medicine, teamwork, and effective communication. To acquire these skills, officials and policy-makers should develop and implement related educational programs at medical universities and colleges.

Would walking hand-in-hand increase the traffic efficiency of children pedestrian flow?

Children group are particularly vulnerable when exposed to a crowd as their cognitive ability and mobility are largely undeveloped, especially for pre-school children. Studies specifically designed to understand the movement dynamics of children pedestrians are scarce and their walking behaviors are less investigated and understood in the literature. As for the pre-school children, holding another child’s hand is usually a recommended pattern by their teachers when walking along a street or crossing a street for the sake of safety. In this study, we aim to investigate whether it also has a positive effect on children traffic efficiency. To achieve this goal, a series of controlled experiments were conducted with 80 pre-school children aged 4∼5 years old, in which they were required to walk normally and walk hand-in-hand. Two typical flow scenarios in a corridor, namely, the unidirectional flow and the bidirectional flow were considered. It was found that the traffic efficiency of children flow was reduced with the walking hand-in-hand pattern both in the unidirectional flow and the bidirectional flow. In addition, the typical characteristics of children walking hand-in-hand was investigated. It is expected that the datasets and findings from this study will be valuable resources to the researchers and pre-school educators to understand children walking behaviors and develop related educational programs to enhance traffic efficiency of children flow while maintaining safety during collective movement.

Evaluation of a Health Informatics Postgraduate Program.

The 4th industrial revolution of informatics and data is an important factor of modern health care provision. The WHO, the EU and other governmental authorities have recognised the new needs. The health care professionals face this change in daily work. The higher education community has responded on time with a wide range of relevant programs. In order to achieve the best results for health care related educational programs an evaluation procedure is needed. In this work a brief part of the evaluation of a Health Informatics program is presented.

Readiness of physicians and medical students to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic in the UAE.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome–Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), is the defining global health crisis of this time. It is responsible for significant morbidity and has had severe socioeconomic consequences. This study aims to assess the knowledge, preparedness and attitudes of medical students, physicians and faculty members in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on COVID-19 and their perspective on the roles of educational and healthcare institution towards improving pandemic preparedness and enabling optimal care.MethodologyAn exploratory, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 444 participants, using a non-probability convenience sampling method. English-speaking participants from the medical field aged 18 and above were included in the study. The validated questionnaire was administered online and distributed across social media platforms from May-July 2020. T-test, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney-U test were used when appropriate. Responses were analysed and statistical tests applied using IBM SPSS, version 25.ResultsThe knowledge scores were calculated amongst different ages and professional status, and the mean was 59.08% (SD = 12.848%). Almost half of the participants obtained poor knowledge scores (less than 60%). Most of the participants followed the latest updates on COVID-19 (86.7%). The majority opted to obtain information from the national health authorities (63.4%). The mean preparedness score among the participants was 68.65% (SD = 17.456%). Being in contact with patients significantly increased the preparedness score (p < 0.001). Only 27.9% of the participants believed their college education provided adequate knowledge to deal with epidemics or pandemics. Several barriers affect willingness to work in a pandemic, with 80.6% of participants worried about posing a risk to family members.ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of establishing tailored COVID-19 related education programs to improve knowledge levels, especially in medical students. Efforts are still needed to promote effective control measures and address the barriers affecting willingness to work in a pandemic.