Dilek Avci

Alexithymia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: the role of anxiety, depression, and glycemic control

Objective This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of alexithymia in patients with type 2 DM and the factors affecting it. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted with 326 patients with type 2 DM. Study data were collected with the Personal Information Form, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Glycemic control was assessed by glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) results. The analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Pear-son’s correlation, and logistic regression analysis. Results Of the patients, 37.7% were determined to have alexithymia. A significant relationship was determined between alexithymia and HbA1c, depression, and anxiety. According to binary logistic regression analyses, alexithymia was 2.63 times higher among those who were in a paid employment than those who were not, 2.09 times higher among those whose HbA1c levels were ≥7.0% than those whose HbA1c levels were <7.0%, 3.77 times higher among those whose anxiety subscale scores were ≥11 than those whose anxiety subscale scores were ≤10, and 2.57 times higher among those whose depression subscale scores were ≥8 than those whose depression subscale scores were ≤7. Conclusion In this study, it was determined that two out of every five patients with DM had alexithymia. Therefore, their treatment should be arranged to include mental health care services.

Suicide Risk in the Hospitalized Elderly in Turkey and Affecting Factors

Objective This study aimed to investigate the suicide risk among the elderly hospitalized and treated because of physical illnesses, and the factors affecting the risk. Methods The study has a cross‐sectional design. It was conducted with 459 elderly people hospitalized and treated in a public hospital between May 25, 2015 and December 4, 2015. Data were collected with the Personal Information Form, Suicide Probability Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. For the analysis, descriptive statistics, the chi‐square test, Fishers exact test and logistic regression analysis were used. Results In the study, 24.0% of the elderly were at high risk for suicide. Suicide risk was even higher among the elderly in the 60–74 age group, living alone, drinking alcohol, perceiving his/her religious beliefs as weak, being treated for cancer, having the diagnosis 11 years or over, having a history of admission to a psychiatry clinic, and being at risk for anxiety and depression. Conclusion In the study, approximately one out of every four elderly people was at high risk for suicide. Therefore, older people should be assessed for suicide risk and programs targeting to prevent the elderly from committing suicide should be organized.

The Magnitude and Determinants of Emotional-Behavioral Problems in Working Adolescents in Turkey

OBJECTIVE: Working adolescents are at a greater risk of mental disorders than are non‐working adolescents. The present study was aimed at determining the magnitude and determinants of emotional and behavioral problems in working adolescents. METHODS: This cross‐sectional study was conducted with 343 adolescents attending two vocational training centers in the province of Balikesir between January 2016 and March 2016. The data were collected with the Personal Information Form, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. In the analysis, descriptive statistics, the t‐test, Mann Whitney U test and one way ANOVA were used. RESULTS: In the study of the adolescents, 16.9% were determined to have abnormal emotional and behavioral problems. Of the participating adolescents, girls, those with physical illnesses, living in fragmented families, perceiving their economic status as good, having fathers with primary school education and/or having mothers with high school or higher education had significantly higher emotional and behavioral problem scores (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, approximately one‐fifth working Turkish adolescents had abnormal mental status. Based on the aforementioned results, it can be suggested to develop intervention programs for the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of emotional and behavioral problems in working adolescents. HIGHLIGHTSEmotional and behavioral problems in adolescents are of great importance, especially among working adolescents.There is a gap in the literature related to studies on the evaluation of mental problems of working adolescents.Psychiatric nurses are responsible for protecting and improving adolescents’ mental health.

Smoking Addiction among University Students, Willingness and Self-Efficacy to Quit Smoking

Amac: Arastirmada ogrencilerin sigara bagimliligi derecesinin, sigarayi birakmaya yonelik istek ve oz-etkililik duzeyinin belirlenmesi ve etkileyen etmenlerin saptanmasi amaclanmistir. Yontemler: Kesitsel tipteki arastirma Ekim-Aralik 2016 tarihinde bir hemsirelik bolumunde ogrenim goren 301 ogrenciyle yurutulmustur. Veriler Kisisel Bilgi Formu, Fagerstrom Nikotin Bagimlilik Testi, Oz Etkililik/Tesvik Eden Faktorler Olcegi kullanilarak toplanmistir. Cozumlemede tanimlayici istatistikler, ki kare, Kolmogrow Smirnow, Mann Whitney U testleri ve Kruskall Wallis varyans analizinden yararlanilmistir. Bulgular: Ogrencilerin %18,3’u sigara icmekte olup, %56,4’u hafif, %30,9’u orta, %12,7’si yuksek derecede sigara bagimlisidir. Yuksek derecede sigara bagimlisi ogrenciler icerisinde erkeklerin, bes yil ve daha uzun sure sigara icenlerin orani yuksektir (p<0,05). Ogrencilerin %38,2’si sigarayi birakmak istemektedir, Oz-Etkililik/Tesvik Edici Faktorler Olcegi toplam puan ortalamasi 23,71±5,89’dur. Annesi ilkokul ve altinda ogrenim duzeyine sahip, gunluk 11 ve daha fazla sayida sigara icen ogrencilerde Oz-Etkililik/ Tesvik Edici Faktorler Olcegi toplam puan ortalamasi anlamli duzeyde dusuktur (p<0,05). Sonuc: Ogrencilerin yaklasik yarisinin orta ve yuksek derecede sigara bagimlisi oldugu, ucte birinden fazlasinin sigarayi birakmak istedigi ve sigarayi birakmaya yonelik oz-etkililiklerinin orta duzeyde oldugu tespit edilmistir. Bu dogrultuda ogrencilerde sigara bagimliliginin erken mudahalesine yonelik kurumlar arasi isbirligi yapilarak girisimler planlanmalidir.

Investigation of the relationship between suicide probability in inpatients and their psychological symptoms and coping strategies

Objective: To investigate the relationship between suicide probability and psychological symptoms and coping strategies in hospitalized patients with physical illness. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2014 in Bandirma State Hospital, Balikesir, Turkey. The sample of the study consisted of 470 inpatients who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the study. The data were collected with the Personal Information Form, Suicide Probability Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory and Ways of Coping with Stress Inventory. Results: In the study, 74.7% were at moderate risk for suicide, whereas 20.4% were at high risk for suicide. According to the stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, sub-dimensions of the Ways of Coping with Stress Inventory and Brief Symptom Inventory were the significant predictors of suicide probability. Conclusions: The majority of the patients with physical illness were at risk for suicide probability. Individuals who had psychological symptoms and used maladaptive coping ways obtained significantly higher suicide probability scores.