Background & Aim: Self-care activity is a key factor in managing Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in order to reduce disability caused by the disease. Predisposing factors including knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy are introduced as determinants of self-care behaviors in the forth phase of PRECEDE model, i.e., ecological and educational assessment. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the predisposing factors and self-care behaviors in patients with RA in Yazd, Iran.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sampling was used to recruit 181 outpatients with RA referred to a rheumatology clinic in Yazd, Iran. Data were collected by conducting interviews with the participants using a survey questionnaire included knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy, as predisposing factors and self-care behaviors items. Reliability and validity of the instruments were examined and approved. The statistical tests included bivariate correlations, Mann-Whitney U test, and linear regression.

Results: Knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy scores were 71.7%, 66.9%, and 47.5%, respectively. The total predisposing factors score was 62.3%. There was a significant positive correlation between the self-care behaviors with attitude and self-efficacy. However, there was no significant correlation between the patients&apos knowledge and self-care behaviors. Totally, the measures explained 39.3% of total self-care behaviors variance within which the self-efficacy was the strongest predictor (β=0.41).

Conclusion: Regarding the high power of predisposing factors, especially self-efficacy, in predicting self-care behaviors and the low scores of self-efficacy, health promotion planners should pay more attention to predisposing factors of self-care behaviors especially the self-efficacy in designing health promotion programs.

Background & Aim: Childbearing is a potentially traumatic event in the lives of women and can lead to post traumatic stress disorder in some women. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predisposing factors of post traumatic stress disorder after childbearing in women in Bushehr.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 400 women who attended the medical centers 6-8 weeks after delivery were recruited to the study. Participants with traumatic delivery were included in the study. They completed the posttraumatic symptoms scale-I (PSS-I), and predisposing factors questionnaire. Data were analyzed in two groups of women with the PTSD and without PTSD using Chi-square and Fisher&aposs exact test with P=0.05.

Results: The results of this study showed that 54.4% of women had experienced a traumatic delivery and one-third of the women were affected to PTSD after childbearing. There were significant differences between obstetrical factors including complications of pregnancy, wanted pregnancy, post-partum complications, interval of the last two pregnancies less than two years neonatal factors including type of feeding, issues of child care, birth weight and psychological factors including stressful life events, and maternity social support with the PTSD (P<0.05). Income had statistically significant association with the PTSD (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Some of obstetrical, neonatal and psychological factors are associated with occurrence of the PTSD after delivery