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Background & Aim: Maintaining and improving the health of the elderly through effective interventions requires the recognition of their lifestyle, including exercise using a valid and appropriate culture-specific tool. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate the psychometric properties of a tool for measuring exercise self-efficacy in the elderly.
Methods & Materials: A sequential exploratory mixed method study was performed in the form of a questionnaire with two qualitative and quantitative sections in 2019. The qualitative section consisted of item generation including three stages: theoretical stage (targeted search of existing literature), field work (semi-structured interviews with the elderly) and final analysis (integration of the results from the two previous stages). In the quantitative section, the psychometric properties of the questionnaire was evaluated using face, content and construct validity as well as the reliability through internal consistency and stability.
Results: Out of 37 initial items, four items were removed after calculating the item impact score.  Seven items were removed after assessing the content validity ratio and content validity index. Also, five items were omitted due to having a load factor less than 0.03. The result of exploratory factor analysis consisted of three factors “recognition”, “situational compatibility” and “self-control” which all together could explain 90.180% of the variance. The Cronbach’s alpha and the Intraclass correlation coefficient were found to be 0.957 and 0.949 respectively.
Conclusion: The data analysis approved that the designed tool can be used for measuring exercise self-efficacy among the elderly due to having acceptable reliability and validity, simplicity and a short completion time.
 

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Background & Aim: Anxiety is a significant psychological concern for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Orlando's nursing theory offers a framework for nursing interventions to mitigate this anxiety. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a nursing intervention based on Orlando's theory on the level of situational anxiety in patients undergoing CABG.
Methods & Materials: This clinical trial was conducted in 2023 at Fatemeh-Zahra Hospital in Sari. A convenience sample of 70 patients scheduled for CABG was recruited and randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n=35) or a control group (n=35). The intervention group received nursing care based on Orlando's theory the evening before surgery, in addition to standard care. The control group received only standard care. Situational anxiety was measured using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (assessing situational anxiety) before the intervention and again on the morning of the surgery. Data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test, Chi-square test, independent t-tests, and paired t-tests in SPSS version 21.
Results: Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in mean situational anxiety scores between the intervention and control groups (t=1.31, P=0.196). However, following the intervention, a statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups (49.29±5.29 vs 59.08±6.52; P<0.001). Specifically, the intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in situational anxiety compared to the control group.
Conclusion: The results suggest that a nursing intervention based on Orlando's theory can effectively reduce situational anxiety in patients undergoing CABG. Therefore, it is suggested that nursing managers consider implementing educational programs based on this model to address situational anxiety in CABG patients.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20230528058319N1

 

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Background & Aim: Emotional disclosure has been associated with improvements in psychological well-being, immune function, and physical health. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of written emotional disclosure on health behaviors and loneliness among family caregivers of cancer patients.
Methods & Materials: This is an experimental study with a pretest–posttest design and a control group. Seventy family caregivers of cancer patients who scored high on the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) and low on the health behaviors scale for family caregivers of cancer patients were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to Intervention or Control groups. The Intervention group engaged in written emotional disclosure by documenting their deepest and most acute feelings for 15–20 minutes per session, over four consecutive days. The Control group received no intervention. Post-intervention assessments were conducted in both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Comparative analyses included chi-square tests, independent samples t-tests, and paired t-tests.
Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences between groups in health behaviors or their components (P>0.05). Post-intervention, the Intervention group demonstrated significantly higher health behaviors scores and component scores than the Control group (P<0.001). Furthermore, the mean loneliness score in the Intervention group decreased significantly after the intervention (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Written emotional disclosure has a positive and significant effect on loneliness and health behaviors among family caregivers of cancer patients. Given its ease of learning, potential for unsupervised practice, and minimal need for therapist involvement, this method may be a practical adjunct in caregiver support programs.