Background and Purpose: Due to adverse effects of cancer on children's mental health, relaxation, chemotherapy side-effects and positive effects of music therapy on stress, this study was performed with the goal to determine the effect of music therapy on children's stress after chemotherapy. Methods: The present study is a randomized clinical trial done on 32 children undergoing cancer chemotherapy in Bu-Ali Sina hospital in Sari in the 2012-2013. By convenience sampling method and then allocation, they were randomly divided into two groups (16 people) as control and experimental. The data included the demographic questionnaires and self-assessment questionnaire stress of Sharrer -Wenger. In the intervention group, after recounting how to perform music for the child and the mother and select the songs chosen by the child for 20 minutes, half an hour before and after starting and completing chemotherapy, based on child's bearing, the was music of relaxing sounds of nature and the music for children was played. In the test group, the stress questionnaire was executed before and after music therapy before chemotherapy and after the treatment course. In the control group, before starting chemotherapy and after a course of chemotherapy treatment, the questionnaire was completed. The data was analyzed using statistical software SPSS 18 and the t-test and ANOVA with repeated measures and Pearson correlation. Results: No Significant difference was found between the control and experimental stress scores in the two groups (after a music therapy session) before chemotherapy (p=0/240), but after chemotherapy, the average stress score in the experimental group, after the music therapy was significantly lower, and the difference was statistically significant (p=0/000). Conclusion: Due to a substantial reduction in stress scores of music therapy in children undergoing chemotherapy, the music therapy can be an effective intervention for reducing stress and helping the children to better cope with life after being afflicted by cancer.

[ABSTRACT]   Full text not available  [PDF] [CITATIONS]

Background and Purpose: Heart disease death rates have increased worldwide.Family-oriented empowerment model improves the quality of life in the patients with chronic diseases. This study aims to determine the effect of family-oriented empowerment model on the life quality of the patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was performed on the patients undergoing CABG in both experimental and control groups before and after the surgery. Samples were put in the groups with a random arrangement and family-oriented empowerment model was applied for the experimental group. Firstly, Mac New Quality of Life Questionnaire was completed for both of them. The four-stage model of threat perception, problem solving, collaboration and training was carried out for the experimental group. One month later, the tools for both groups were completed and the data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney nonparametric test, sign test and SPSS17 software. Results: The mean score of the control group before and after implementing the model was 137.5 ±11.6 and 143.7 ± 9.6 (p = 0.001), respectively. They were 133.4 ±13.3 and 148.2 ±10.5 (p = 0.00), respectively in the test group. Conclusions: These empowering models will lead to improved life quality by developing the inherent capacity of the individuals to take responsibility in life and help to make rational decisions and evaluate them.

[ABSTRACT]   Full text not available  [PDF] [CITATIONS]

Background and Purpose: The thesis provides an opportunity for the students to conduct a study and thus to get ready for future research cases. Medical students have faced numerous challenges for their thesis including the selection of the subject, the study approval, equipment and supplies shortage and etc. We have conducted the present study to determine the attitude of medical interns towards the challenges they encounter when performing their thesis study in Mazandran Medial Sciences University in 2010. Methods: This is a descriptive study on 96 medical interns of Medical School. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire about demographic characteristics, the students' status, thesis and their attitude towards challenges they encountered when conducting it. Results: 40.6% of the medical interns in our study confirmed the necessity of thesis for general medicine program. The students (44.8% of the study units) agreed with the thesis being necessary for a general medicine program; it is best to offer it during the final 2-3 years of the program. The most important challenges were lengthy bureaucratic procedure and lack of organization among different levels of decision-making in order to approve the thesis. 34.4% of the students relatively believed that the supervising and consulting professors spend enough time on guiding and supervising the students. Conclusions: It is necessary to reconsider the onset, the approval procedure, as well as the regular supervision of its progress.

[ABSTRACT]   Full text not available  [PDF]

Background and Purpose: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the major cause of limitation in adults' life. But it can be prevented by controlling its risk factors, modifying life style and educating the population about general health. Besides, health education is one of the important issues about changing life style. Nurses play an important role in health education .Thus this study was performed to determine Nursing Students' Attitudes towards the Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease. Methods: The samples of this cross-sectional study have been 136 of freshman to senior nursing students of Guilan University in the north of Iran selected by available sampling method. A questionnaire consisting of two sections was used to gather data. In the first section, the samples socio-demographic data were asked and the second section with 15 questions about nursing students' attitude to coronary artery disease prevention .Data analysis was done by SPSS16 software using descriptive and inferential statistics such as Chi square, ANOVA and Pearson tests as appropriate. Results: The findings displayed that the samples mean age was 21.34±2.52. The majority of them were female (57.4%) and the freshman students (36%) and without the history of chronic disease (94.9%) and the majority of the students and their family didn't have cardiac disease background (77.2%). But the relationship between the score of the attitude and socio- demographic variables in the students was not significant. The finding showed that the attitude score of 48.5% students was lower than the tool's mean score but the mean score of attitude increased as the educational years increased. Conclusion: Our findings showed that about half of the samples did not have the desired attitude towards the prevention of coronary artery disease; it is necessary to provide educational programs to create deep belief about the prevention of coronary artery disease, its importance and the students' responsibility about it.

[ABSTRACT]   Full text not available  [PDF]

Background and Purpose: Special attention has been paid to instructor and preceptor in nursing and midwifery education. This study aims to explore the experiences and Perceptions of midwifery students about implementing Preceptorship Program in delivery setting. Methods: The current study is a qualitative research. The focus groups and in-depth interviews were used as data collection tools. Targetful sampling was employed to choose 10 midwifery students from Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in order for them to participate in two discussion groups and in-depth interviews. The content analysis method was used for data analysis. Results: 10 categories, 5 themes and 238 codes were conducted. The themes were: the characteristics of a good preceptor, relationship, motivation and self-esteem, the expectations of a preceptor, and preceptorship experience. Conclusion: The study showed that solving communication problems in educational environment, improving student-preceptor interaction, boosting motivation level and self-esteem among midwifery students, and coordinating procedures conduction are among the important principles of teaching and learning in clinical setting. The present study results can convey the essential knowledge to midwifery education planers on this aspect of educational process and benefit from the advantage of peer preceptors via the instructor's supervision.

[ABSTRACT]   Full text not available  [PDF]

Background and Purpose: Today, the increasing demand of computer technology & the vast internet technology penetration despite its plentiful benefits has exposed most people especially college goers to disorder in their psychological health & social communications due to being afflicted to computer addiction .Thus regarding the contradictory results of the studies conducted in this field, the present research has been done with the goal to investigate the Internet Addiction (IA) level in Sari Islamic Azad University students in 2013. Methods: In the present research, the descriptive method has been applied .The statistical community consists of all students of Islamic Azad University located in Sari in 2013. Out of the statistical community, based on sample size determination table from the community size or korjesi-Morgan table, 261 individuals have been selected by random stratified sampling. To collect data, a two-part questionnaire of demographic characteristics & IA test have been applied. To analyze data, descriptive -inferential statistics such as ANOVA & independent t have been employed by SPSS software. Results: According to the study findings, the students' mean age & standard deviation have been 24.3±3.7. 17.6% of the students have been included in average to severe IA range. The internet addiction in various ages has been meaningful among the students. Among girl & boy students, IA is meaningful at P=0.05. Based on the students using the internet, IA is significant at P=0.05. Conclusion: According to the present research findings, the internet addiction is common among the students and in order to prevent its dangers & complications in the students, it seems necessary to pay attention to the health & therapeutic considerations.

[ABSTRACT]   Full text not available  [PDF]

Background and Purpose: of the significant processes for educational quality promotion is to evaluate the teachers' competency. This study has been conducted with the goal for Designing and psychometric the Measure for Determining the Professional Competence of Nursing Faculty Members. Methods: the present research is the qualitative part of a sequential exploratory combined study of the concept known as competency where first through a qualitative study, a questionnaire with the appropriate items has been extracted from nursing teachers being evaluated by the students, and then this questionnaire has been psychometrically tested via a methodological study. The face validity has been evaluated by considering nursing students & nursing faculty staff & the content validity by nursing experts' judgment. The construct validity has also been done using exploratory factor analysis. Results: in the content validity stage, the total mean of tool validity index has been calculated 0.92.The minimum item impact score obtained in qualitative face validity was 3.4.The results of the construct validity brought about 4 factors: commitment & follow-up for making the theoretical & clinical education effective, student nurturing, mastership ethics & character, the capability for educational & research management.Alpha-Cronbach was achieved 0.96 & reliability with re-test as 0.94. Conclusion: the questionnaire has been designed using the main stakeholders' experiences & then psychometrically tested. And it can be employed for evaluating nursing faculty staff professional competency.

[ABSTRACT]   Full text not available  [PDF]

Background and Purpose: Cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of death worldwide and stress is the reason behind many negative emotions. Surgery is one of the most stressful situations. Coping styles and life expectancy affect people's mental and physical efficacy. The present study aims to determine the effectiveness of training life expectancy and effective coping styles to deal with negative emotions on cardiac surgery patients' mental health at Sari-based Fateme Zahra Hospital in 2013. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 30 candidates for coronary artery bypass surgery referring to this center was selected using the available sampling method. They were then randomly included into two 15-member groups as experimental and control group. Stress management, anger management, and hopefulness training courses were held individually for 7 sessions. Before and after the intervention, the patients of both groups answered the questionnaires including the Coping Manners Questionnaire (by Lazarus & Folkman), Snyder's Hope Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Results: Data analysis implied that there is a significant difference between the average general health in the experimental and control groups after training. Investigating the subscales of coping strategies in the experimental and control groups after training showed that there is a significant difference between direct coping, planned problem solving, and positive reappraisal in the two groups. Conclusions: In patients with coronary heart disease, high stress, and negative emotions (anger, anxiety, depression) also as the candidates of coronary artery bypass surgery, training raised life expectancy level and the practical methods for coping with life can be great help to their mental health condition.

[ABSTRACT]   Full text not available  [PDF]