Ozden Dedeli

Spirituality and religion in pain and pain management

Pain relief is a management problem for many patients, their families, and the medical professionals caring for them. Although everyone experiences pain to some degree, responses to it vary from one person to another. Recognizing and specifying someone else’s pain is clinically a well know challenge. Research on the biology and neurobiology of pain has given us a relationship between spirituality and pain. There is growing recognition that persistent pain is a complex and multidimensional experience stemming from the interrelations among biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors. Patients with pain use a number of cognitive and behavioral strategies to cope with their pain, including religious/spiritual factors, such as prayers, and seeking spiritual support to manage their pain. This article provides an overview of the complex phenomenon of pain, with a focus on spiritual and religious issues in pain management.

Assessment of anxiety, depression, loneliness and stigmatization in patients with tuberculosis

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess anxiety, depression, loneliness, and stigmatization in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: A descriptive and cross sectional study was conducted with 208 out-patients in a state hospital due to PT. A patient identification form, Tuberculosis Patients Stigma Scale (TPSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) and University California of Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale were used as data gathering forms. Arithmetic averages, standart deviation (SD), pergentage, and correlation were used in statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of anxiety (26.0%), depression (60.5%), and loneliness (49.0%) was observed to be among patients with PT. It was found that patients with PT suffered from stigmatization (47.6%). Conclusion: In conclusion, patients with PT experience high level of depression, moderate-high level of loneliness, mild level of anxiety, and moderate level of stigmatization.

Perceptions of Elder Abuse, Neglect and Attitudes toward Ageism: Volunteers Public Non-Health Staff and Tradesmen in Manisa/Turkey

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes towards ageism, perceptions of elder abuse and neglect in working and profession groups which have potential sources of help and support for elders. This is a descriptive and a cross sectional study that was carried out between January and May 2012 in Manisa/Turkey. With working and profession groups face to face interviews were conducted with volunteers from: the police; the imam/hodja; the constabulary; and the tradesmen. The total numbers of participants were 339 from Center of Manisa/Turkey and fieldwork took place. Participants believe that elderly abuse and neglect is a social problem and they have professional and individual responsibilities to prevent it. The mean (± SD) of the Ageism Attitude Scale score was 71.4 ± 9.7 and their attitudes toward senility and ageism were positive. Results of this study, volunteer public non-health staff and tradesmen have a quite sensitive about elderly abuse and neglect and, a positive attitude toward senility and elderly.

The eating experiences of patients hospitalized in a muscular dystrophy ward in Japan: A phenomenological study

The aim of this study was to explore the life experiences of patients hospitalized in a muscular dystrophy ward in Japan, with particular focus on their eating experiences. Participant observation and unstructured interviews were conducted, and data analyzed by employing Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology. Nine patients agreed to participate in this study, although only five were included in the analysis. The overarching theme of patients’ eating experiences was “cultivating new eating habits,” which patients nurtured according to their surrounding environment and in response to the increasing medical support and their progressive functional decline. The new eating habits were organized into five sub-themes: “moving my body at my own will,” “eating independently,” “learning to accept the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube,” “an alternative to having meals” and “using tube feeding.” These new eating habits engendered in patients a “richer,” multisensory perception of eating, one where they do not merely rely on taste. Key words: Muscular dystrophy ward, patients, eating experiences, phenomenology.