Sevim Savaser

Comparison of the health-promoting lifestyles of nursing and non-nursing students in Istanbul, Turkey.

Undertaking a health-related course at university can facilitate an awareness of health-promoting lifestyles. We carried out a descriptive and cross-sectional study with 1616 university students in Istanbul, Turkey. Students from the nursing schools were compared to those from the schools of social sciences using a Turkish version of the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II after a validation study. The nursing students had more positive health-promoting lifestyles than those of the non-nursing students. Furthermore, fourth-year nursing students had higher scores in most of the subscales of the HPLP II than did the students from the lower years; conversely, the fourth-year non-nursing students had lower scores. The sociodemographic variables, self-perceived health status, relations with family and friends, and self-perceived academic performance were associated with the HPLP. The implications are discussed for the curricula and on-campus facilities that focus on health promotion activities.

Cyberbullying among primary school students in Turkey: self-reported prevalence and associations with home and school life

The current study examined the self-reported prevalence and nature of cyberbullying and victimization among second, third, and fourth grade students (N=372) and explored associated features of home and school life. Of the children in the current sample, 27 percent had been victims of cyberbullying, 18 percent had been aggressors, and 15 percent had been both cyberbullies and victims. Boys were significantly more likely to carry out cyberbullying than girls. Cyberbullying exposure (as both a bully and a victim) was significantly associated with low levels of self-reported school satisfaction (bullies odds ratio [OR]: 2.45; victims OR: 2.10; p<0.05) and achievement (bullies OR: 3.85; victims OR: 3.47, p<0.05). Paternal unemployment was also associated with a three-fold increase in the likelihood of being a cyberbully. Increased awareness and regulation is now required within schools and within the home to tackle this escalating problem.

Prevalence of Peer Bullying in High School Students in Turkey and the Roles of Socio-Cultural and Demographic Factors in the Bullying Cycle

This research was conducted as a descriptive and relational study to determine the frequency of bullying among high school students and the relationships between some of their characteristics and their roles in the bullying cycle. The research data were obtained from 1670 students in the 9th and 10th grades of six high schools in Istanbul province. The data were analyzed with percentage distribution, Chi square, t test, correlation and Tukey test.The Determination of Peer Bullying Scale and a Personal Information Form were used for data collection in the research. According to the Determination of Peer Bullying Scale 17% of the students were in a bullying cycle (5.3% as bully, 5.9% as victim, and 5.8% as both bully and victim). The boys used more direct methods of bullying and girls more indirect methods of bullying. The rate of bullying behavior was also higher in boys and being a victim was higher in girls; the majority of the girls were bullied by girls and the majority of the boys were bullied by boys. More of those involved in bullying incidents had unexcused absenteeism from school and stated that they did not like school. The results obtained from this research show that the prevalence of bullying in high schools in Turkey is similar to the results in other countries. Determination of the causative factors that support and maintain bullying behavior for implementation of prevention programs is required.

Pediatric Nurses' Information and Applications Related To Ethical Codes

Background: Ethics is defined as the entirety of moral principles that form the basis of individuals’ behavior; it can also be defined as “moral theory” or “theoretical ethics”. Objectives: To determinate information and applications related to ethical codes of pediatric nurses. Patients and Methods: Participants were nurses attending the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nursing Course and the Pediatric Nursing Course conducted in Istanbul between September 2011 and December 2012. A total of nurses attending the courses at the specified dates and who agreed to participate in the study were included in the analysis. Data were collected through a questionnaire that we developed in accordance with current literature on nursing ethics. Results 140 nurses participated in this study. Information and applications were related to ethical codes of nurses including four categories; autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice. The principle of confidentiality/keeping secrets. Exactly 64.3% of nurses reported having heard of nursing ethical codes. The best-known ethical code was the principle of justice. Furthermore, while the rates were generally low, some nurses engaged in unethical practices such as patient discrimination and prioritizing acquaintances. Conclusions: We conclude that most nurses working in pediatric clinics act in compliance with ethical codes. We also found that the majority of nurses wanted to learn about ethical codes. For this reason, we recommended that nurses working in clinics and future nurses in training be informed of the appropriate ethical behavior and codes.