Kastytis Šmigelskas

Smoking during pregnancy in association with maternal emotional well-being

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate psychosocial predictors of smoking during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS It was a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective birth-cohort study. The participants were 514 mothers of full-term infants. Women completed questionnaires during hospital stay after delivery. Questionnaire included items on sociodemographic characteristics, planning and emotional acceptance of pregnancy, reproductive history, health-related behavior, emotional well-being, and relationships with a partner. RESULTS Smoking during pregnancy was reported by 14.8% of the participants. Prenatal smoking was associated with secondary or lower education, maternal age less than 20 years, childbirth outside of marriage, history of elective abortion, unplanned pregnancy, lack of positive emotional acceptance of pregnancy by mother and father, emotional distress and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy remained significantly associated with prenatal alcohol consumption, previous elective abortion, and lack of positive emotional acceptance of pregnancy by mother even after adjustment for maternal age, education, and family structure. CONCLUSIONS Results support an idea of complexity of the relationships among smoking, alcohol use, and emotional well-being. Lack of positive emotional acceptance of pregnancy by mother and history of elective abortions can be considered as possible associates of smoking during pregnancy and suggest that strengthening of positive attitudes toward motherhood could add to lower smoking rates among pregnant women.

Limits of professional competency in nurses working in Nicu

Abstract Our study aimed to find out the views of nurses working in neonatal intensive care units about the limits of professional competencies and to identify situations where the limits are crossed. Methods The research employed the focus group method. For this research we had three focus groups with nurses working in neonatal intensive care units. The results of the study were analysed using the thematic analysis described in Braun and Clarke. Results and conclusions Based on our research findings, it can be stated that the limits of professional competence of nursing staff working in neonatal intensive care units are defined and clear, but nurses often perform actions exceeding their competencies. This is usually done on the initiative of the nurses themselves, in cases of the deterioration of the state of the newborn, or when doctors delegate their functions to them. Confidence expressed by doctors leads to conflicting feelings of concern and, at the same time, pride in themselves.

Sufficient Social Support as a Possible Preventive Factor against Fighting and Bullying in School Children

Background: This study aims to explore how sufficient social support can act as a possible preventive factor against fighting and bullying in school-aged children in 9 European countries. Methods: Data for this study were collected during the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. The sample consisted of 9 European countries, involving 43,667 school children in total, aged 11, 13 and 15 years. The analysed data focus on social context (relations with family, peers, and school) as well as risk behaviours such as smoking, drunkenness, fighting and bullying in adolescents. The relationships between social support and violent behaviour variables were estimated using multiple regression models and multivariate analyses. Results: Bullying, across 9 countries, was more prevalent than fighting, except for Armenia, Israel, and Poland. The prevalence among countries differed considerably, with fighting being most expressed in Armenia and bullying—in Latvia and Lithuania. The strongest risk factors for bullying and fighting were male gender (less expressed for bullying), smoking and alcohol consumption. In addition, for bullying the social support was similarly strong factor like above-mentioned factors, while for fighting—less significant, but still independent. All forms of social support were significantly relate with lower violent behaviour of school children, and family support was associated most strongly. Regardless the socioeconomic, historical, and cultural differences among selected countries, the enhancement and reinforcement of the social support from possible many different resources should be taken into consideration in prevention programs against school violence behaviours.

Professional burnout and concurrent health complaints in neonatal nursing

Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze nurses’ professional burnout and health complaints and the relationship between the two components. Methods The anonymous survey included 94 neonatal intensive care nurses from two centers of perinatology. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used to evaluate professional burnout; it consisted of 3 components, Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishments, with 22 items in total. Health complaints were evaluated by 21 items, where nurses were asked to report the occurrence of symptoms within the last year. Scale means were presented with standard deviations (SD). Inferential analysis was conducted with multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for age, residence, and work experience. Results The mean score of professional burnout on the Emotional Exhaustion subscale was 14.4 (SD=7.91), Depersonalization 3.8 (SD=4.75), and Personal Accomplishment 29.1 (SD=10.12). The health assessment revealed that sleeplessness, lack of rest, nervousness, and tiredness were the most common complaints. The regression analysis revealed that tiredness was independently associated with significantly increased odds of professional burnout (OR=4.1). Conclusions In our study, more than half of the nurses in neonatal intensive care had moderate or high levels of emotional exhaustion, while levels of depersonalization were significantly lower. In contrast, the level of personal accomplishment was low in more than half of the nurses. The most common health complaints were sleep disturbances, nervousness, and tiredness. Tiredness was most strongly associated with professional burnout.