Muayyad M. Ahmad

Health of grandmothers: a comparison by caregiver status.

Objectives:In this cross-sectional study, stress, coping, social support, and health were compared in 86 primary caregiver grandmothers, 85 partial/supplemental caregiver grandmothers in multigenerational homes, and 112 noncaregiver grandmothers. Whether support and coping reduced effects of stress on the physical and mental health of grandmother caregivers, including mediating and moderating effects, was examined. Methods:A convenience sample completed a mailed questionnaire that included measures of stress, health, support, and coping. Results:Primary caregivers reported worse self-assessed health, but partial/supplemental caregivers reported a tendency toward more depression and more instrumental support. Noncaregivers reported the least stress and less active and avoidant coping. Coping and subjective support added to the variance of depression and self-rated health. Subjective support and avoidant coping mediated between stress and health, and active coping moderated the effects of stress on health. Discussion:Implications of these findings relative to the health of grandmothers by caregiver status are discussed.

Patients’ satisfaction with nursing care in Jordan

This exploratory study investigated patients’ satisfaction with nursing care at a major teaching hospital in Jordan. A total of 266 in‐patients participated in the study. Patients were recruited from the medical, surgical, and gynecological wards. Pearson correlation, one‐way analysis of variance, and logistic regression analyses were used. The findings showed that patients in surgical wards had lower levels of satisfaction than patients in medical or gynecological wards. Gender, educational level, and having other diseases were significant predictors for patients’ satisfaction with nursing care. Methodological challenges, implications to nursing practice, and recommendations to nursing research are discussed.

Prostate Cancer: Appraisal, Coping, and Health Status

The purpose of this study was to identify how cognitive appraisal and types of coping affect the health status of men with prostate cancer. Lazarus and Folkmans model of stress and coping guided this correlational, cross-sectional study. The convenience sample was composed of 131 men with prostate cancer who completed the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale, the Ways of Coping Checklist, and the Short-Form Health Survey using mailed questionnaires. Participants who appraised more harm or loss experienced worse physical and mental health. When participants perceived their diagnosis as posing more harm or loss or a greater threat, they were more likely to use emotion-focused coping. When the diagnosis was perceived as a challenge, men were more likely to use more problem-focused coping. The findings of this study enable health care providers to be more attentive to the psychosocial needs of prostate cancer patients.

Nursing care and quality of life among Jordanian patients with cancer

Purpose – The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of life of patients with different types of cancer in Jordan and its relationship with nursing care.Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory approach utilizing cross‐sectional design with a structured questionnaire, administered to patients face‐to‐face, with specific questions about demographic and health status and two standardized scales: Patients Satisfaction with Nursing Scale (NSNS), and Function of Living Index‐Cancer (FLIC) were used. The study sample comprised 156 patients with cancer who were hospitalized in two governmental hospitals in Amman and Karak and two university‐based hospitals in Amman and Irbid cities.Findings – The sample of the study showed that the types of cancer distribution were close to the cancer distribution among the Jordanian population. The median age of the sample was 47 years with a range between 18 years and 80 years. Nearly two‐thirds of the participants perceived their current health as good. All variable...

Psychosocial Correlates of Parenting a Child with Autistic Disorder

Background: The lifelong experience of raising a child with a complex developmental disability such as autistic disorder is considered one of the most significant parenting stressors, with the potential to spill over into various areas of the life of parents. Therefore, studying the psychological functioning for parents of children with developmental disabilities requires the consideration of multiple factors acting and interacting concurrently. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between two sets of variables in a sample of parents of children with autistic disorder. The first set was composed of the parents’ characteristics and the coping strategies used. The second set was composed of three stress subscales—parental distress (PD), parent–child dysfunctional interaction (PCDI), and difficult child (DC)—and the parental quality of life (QOL). Methods: Canonical correlation multivariate analysis was used to examine the relationship between the sets of variables in 184 Jordanian parents of children with autistic disorder. Results: The analyses revealed that the parents who have higher incomes, use diverse problem-solving strategies, exhibit less escape–avoidance, and exhibit less responsibility acceptance behavior tended to report lower PD, PCDI, and DC scores and a higher QOL score. The analyses also revealed that being an older parent, having more time since the child’s autistic diagnosis, and using more distancing coping strategies were associated with lower PD scores, higher PCDI and DC scores, and better QOL. Conclusions: This study is the first to investigate a wide range of parental psychosocial impacts as well as several sociodemographic factors that are possibly associated with raising a child with autistic disorder. The results indicate that health professionals working with parents of children with autistic disorder need to consider holistically the factors that can potentially affect the parents’ health and well-being and provide care that focuses on the parents as both clients and caregivers.

Personal Resource Questionnaire: A Systematic Review

Background: Social support is a key nursing variable. No review has yet systematically assessed the effectiveness of the personal resource questionnaire (PRQ) as a measure of perceived social support. Purpose: This article reviewed nine previous studies that used the PRQ (Brandt & Weinert, 1981). Methods: Completed studies were identified through searches of indexes that included PubMed, the Cumulative Index for Nursing and EBSCO host, and Ovid. Studies that reported PRQ scores, sample descriptions, and sample sizes and that tested the relationship between the PRQ and study variables were included in the present review. Three other studies were included that did not report on PRQ correlations with other health variables. The included studies addressed a variety of health problems and different population in different settings. Results: Cronbach’s alphas for the included studies ranged from .87 to .93, supporting the internal consistency of the PRQ. Hypothesized relationships between the PRQ and study variables including health promotion behavior, self-care behavior, self-efficacy, self-esteem, stress, depression, loneliness, pain, and disability were supported, providing positive evidence for PRQ construct validity. Included studies used the PRQ to address disparate populations in terms of age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and educational background. Conclusion: This review found the PRQ to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring perceived social support across a wide range of populations. Further studies are necessary to examine the relationship between social support and selected demographics among populations with different cultural backgrounds.

The Effect of Cardiac Education on Knowledge and Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of cardiac educational program on the level of knowledge and adherence to healthy lifestyle among patients with coronary artery disease in the north of Jordan. Pretest–posttest design was used. Eighty-four patients completed the posttest questionnaire. Knowledge and adherence to healthy lifestyle were measured at baseline and at 1 month after the application of the program. Paired t-test was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the change in the mean knowledge scores (10.50), p < .01 was statistically significant 1 month after the application of the program. In addition, the change in the mean adherence to healthy lifestyle scores (33.30), p < .01 was statistically significant 1 month after the application of the cardiac educational program. Implementing cardiac educational programs help enhance knowledge and adherence to healthy lifestyle among patients with coronary artery disease in north of Jordan.

Validation of the Cognitive Appraisal Health Scale with Jordanian patients

The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties and the theoretical structure of the Cognitive Appraisal Health Scale for patients with acute and chronic diseases in medical and surgical wards. Previously, the Scale was validated with patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, in order to examine the psychometric properties of the scale with patients diagnosed with health problems other than prostate cancer, this study was conducted. The convenience sample of 140 male and 128 female patients was selected from an educational hospital and three private hospitals in Jordan. The factor structure for the Scale was examined by using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. The 13 item model with three factors yielded highly acceptable indices in all respects for patients with acute and chronic diseases and appears most useful for measuring their cognitive appraisal.

Hemodialysis: Stressors and coping strategies

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is an irreversible and life-threatening condition. In Jordan, the number of ESRD patients treated with hemodialysis is on the rise. Identifying stressors and coping strategies used by patients with ESRD may help nurses and health care providers to gain a clearer understanding of the condition of these patients and thus institute effective care planning. The purpose of this study was to identify stressors perceived by Jordanian patients on hemodialysis, and the coping strategies used by them. A convenience sample of 131 Jordanian men and women was recruited from outpatients’ dialysis units in four hospitals. Stressors perceived by participants on hemodialysis and the coping strategies were measured using Hemodialysis Stressor Scale, and Ways of Coping Scale-Revised. Findings showed that patients on hemodialysis psychosocial stressors scores mean was higher than the physiological stressors mean. Positive reappraisal coping strategy had the highest mean among the coping strategies and the lowest mean was accepting responsibility. Attention should be focused towards the psychosocial stressors of patients on hemodialysis and also helping patients utilize the coping strategies that help to alleviate the stressors. The most used coping strategy was positive reappraisal strategy which includes faith and prayer.

Cancer Prevention and Care: a National Sample from Jordan

This survey was designed to enhance cancer prevention and care in a sample from the Arab world. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. A representative sample of 3,196 individuals from the three main regions of Jordan (north, middle, and south) was used. Data were collected through interviews. The tool for the study included the following aspects: identification and background information; health status; participant’s lifestyle; general beliefs about cancer prevention; screening and early detection; and communication channels and seeking information about cancer. The participants believed that the three greatest factors related to cancer specifically in Jordan were active cigarette smoking, exposure to radiation, and exposure to chemicals. The majority of the participants agreed that getting regular cancer checkup helps diagnose the disease early with a good prognosis. Interestingly, cancer checkup was about seven times greater among females than males. Married individuals performed checkup four times more than singles. The findings indicate that knowledge gaps and improper practices toward cancer existed among the participants and, if corrected, could facilitate the care, prevention, and early detection of cancer. The findings help in defining key areas that should be addressed in national cancer policies in Jordan.