Donia Baldacchino
University of Malta
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Publication
Featured researches published by Donia Baldacchino.
Nephrology | 2013
Mohsen Saffari; Amir H. Pakpour; Maryam K. Naderi; Harold G. Koenig; Donia Baldacchino; Crystal N. Piper
The number of haemodialysis patients globally is increasing and spiritual resources may help overcome adjustment problems among such patients. This study examined the relationships between spiritual/religious, demographic and clinical variables and quality of life among Iranian Muslims undergoing haemodialysis.
International Journal of Nursing Studies | 2002
Donia Baldacchino; Gerald S. Bowman; Anton Buhagiar
This paper discusses the translation of the hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) scale (Zigmond, Snaith, Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 67 (1983) 361) into the Maltese language. The HAD scale is a well-validated and reliable measure of anxiety and depression originating in the United Kingdom. To ensure accuracy in the translation of the tool, the translation process was based on the Maltese Translation Guidelines issued by Chetcuti (Tahrig ghall-ezamijiet tal-Malti. Biex taghmel traduzzjoni tajba, Veritas Press, Malta, 1975, pp. 9-10) and those of Sechrest et al. (J. Cross-Cultural Psychol., 3 (1) (1972) 41). The composition of the Maltese language, which is Semitic in nature, is described and examples from different languages are given. The Maltese version of the HAD scale will facilitate the investigation of mood states in future studies on patients. Reliability testing of the HAD scale is then performed on the English version, the Maltese version and on the back-translation. The test-retest reliability of the three versions is examined using cross-tabulations of each item (pre values with post values), all of which gave highly significant values of chi-squared (p=0.0000). These cross-tabulations also yielded high values for the Kappa measure of reliability and for Spearmans coefficient of correlation ( kappa > or =0.8 and rho > or =0.9 for most items of anxiety and depression in all the three versions). The internal consistency of the three versions is also examined statistically using Cronbachs alpha and factor analysis. Both the anxiety and the depression subscales in the Maltese version can each be parsimoniously described by one factor. Each subscale therefore has a dimensionality of one. This explains why good levels of internal consistency are observed for the Maltese translation of the HAD scale ( alpha=0.79 for the anxiety subscale, 0.70 for depression, and 0.85 for both subscales together). This validates the Maltese version of the HAD scale, which can thus be used safely in future studies on Maltese patients. The anxiety subscale is also unidimensional in the original and in the back-translation, and also showed satisfactory values for Cronbachs alpha (0.73 and 0.74, respectively).Unfortunately, for the depression subscale, correlations between its items were rather low, thus leading to low alphas (about 0.45 and 0.51, respectively) for the internal consistency of this subscale in these versions.
Western Journal of Nursing Research | 2012
Donia Baldacchino; Josette Borg; Charlene Muscat; Cassandra Sturgeon
This descriptive exploratory study explored illness appraisal and spiritual coping of three groups of individuals with life-threatening illness. These were hospice clients with cancer (Ca; n = 10), clients with first myocardial infarction (MI; n = 6), and parents of children with cystic fibrosis (CF; n = 16). Qualitative data were collected by audiotaped face-to-face interviews (parents) and focus groups (MI and Ca). Similarities in illness appraisal and spiritual coping were found across the three groups except appreciation of crafts, which was found only in clients with Ca and causal meaning of parents (CF). Overall, illness was appraised negatively and positively, whereas spiritual coping incorporated existential and religious coping. These findings confirm the psychological theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and theological theory (Otto, 1950), which guided this study. Recommendations were proposed to integrate spirituality and religiosity in the curricula, clinical practice and to conduct cross-cultural comparative longitudinal research.
Journal of Renal Care | 2016
Jonas Preposi Cruz; Donia Baldacchino; Nahed Alquwez
BACKGROUND Patients often resort to religious and spiritual activities to cope with physical and mental challenges. The effect of spiritual coping on overall health, adaptation and health-related quality of life among patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) is well documented. Thus, it is essential to establish a valid and reliable instrument that can assess both the religious and non-religious coping methods in patients undergoing HD. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Spiritual Coping Strategies Scale Arabic version (SCS-A) in Saudi patients undergoing HD. METHOD A convenience sample of 60 Saudi patients undergoing HD was recruited for this descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data were collected between May and June 2015. Forward-backward translation was used to formulate the SCS-A. The SCS-A, Muslim Religiosity Scale and the Quality of Life Index Dialysis Version III were used to procure the data. Internal consistency reliability, stability reliability, factor analysis and construct validity tests were performed. Analyses were set at the 0.05 level of significance. RESULTS The SCS-A showed an acceptable internal consistency and strong stability reliability over time. The EFA produced two factors (non-religious and religious coping). Satisfactory construct validity was established by the convergent and divergent validity and known-groups method. CONCLUSION The SCS-A is a reliable and valid tool that can be used to measure the religious and non-religious coping strategies of patients undergoing HD in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim and Arabic-speaking countries.
Global Journal of Health Science | 2013
Jamil Sadeghifar; Mohammadkarim Bahadori; Donia Baldacchino; Mehdi Raadabadi; Mehdi Jafari
Background and Aims: Career motivation in university educators through efficient ways and appropriate with the educational system, is considered one of the important factors affecting education of students and their competence. This study aimed to determine the relationship between career motivation and spiritual leadership among a university of medical sciences in the west, Iran. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional correlation study was conducted among the university educators of medical sciences in the west, Iran in 2012. All of the educators (N=230) were selected and recruited according to census method. The data were collected by two established self-completed questionnaires on spiritual leadership (SL) and career motivation. Data were analyzed statistically by parametric tests: Pearson correlation, independent student t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The Pearson correlation test identified a significant relationship between educators’ career motivation and vision, altruistic love, hope/faith, meaning/calling and membership dimensions of spiritual leadership (p<0.05). The independent t-test detected a significant relationship between the ‘hope/faith’ (p=0.04) and organizational commitment (p=0.004) dimensions and the gender of educators. ANOVA revealed significant differences in educators’ years of work experience and their overall career motivation (p=0.003) and the dimension of ‘membership’ (p<0.04). A significant relationship was found in ‘altruistic love’ and ‘Hope/faith’, and the educators’ academic rank place in the university (p=0.03). Also a significant relationship was found in ‘vision’ (p=0.03) and ‘altruistic love’ (p=0.002) and ‘membership’ (p=0.04) dimensions, and the type of faculty. Conclusion: The results indicate that the dimensions of existence of spiritual leadership may have a positive relationship with educators’ career motivation.
British journal of nursing | 2014
Donia Baldacchino; Lilian Bonello; Clifford J Debattista
This descriptive sequential explanatory study, which forms part of a larger study, investigated the use of spiritual coping strategies by three cohort groups of Maltese older residents in three phases. The theoretical model of causal pathway for mental health based on monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) guided the study. Participants were recruited from four private homes: two in Australia (n=30), two in Malta (n=43) and two state residences also in Malta (n=64). The residents (n=137; men n=103, women n=34), mean (M) age 72.8 years, were all Roman Catholics, mobile and with a minimum residence of 6 months. The quantitative data (phase I) were collected by the Maltese version of the Spiritual Coping Strategies scale ( Baldacchino and Buhagiar, 2003 ). The qualitative findings in phase II derived from the face-to-face interviews and focus groups explain the use of spiritual coping strategies and how they contributed toward coping with institutionalisation. Significant differences were found in spiritual coping (F=11.434; p=0.001; degree of freedom (df)=2) whereby the cohort in Australia scored the highest scores in the total spiritual coping (M=48.60; standard deviation (SD)=6.251), religious coping (M=23.47; SD=2.145) and existential coping (M=25.13; SD=6.033). No significant differences were found in the total spiritual coping between subgroups of mobility and demographic characteristics except by gender (Students t-test (t)=2.455; p=0.015) whereby women (M=22.09; SD=4.325) scored higher than the men (M=19.67; SD=4.508). Australian private homes reported the highest (significant) mean scores in total spiritual coping, religious coping and existential coping. Recommendations were set for clinical practice and management, nursing education, and further research.
Journal of Advanced Nursing | 2001
Donia Baldacchino; Peter Draper
Journal of Clinical Nursing | 2006
Donia Baldacchino
Nurse Education Today | 2008
Philip Burnard; Deborah Edwards; Kim Bennett; H. Thaibah; Valérie Tóthová; Donia Baldacchino; Petrit Bara; Jetona Mytevelli
Nurse Education Today | 2008
Donia Baldacchino