Emilene Reisdorfer

Background: Highly Educated Internationally Educated Nurses (HE IENs) face unique challenges when transitioning into Canadian nursing practice. Despite their advanced qualifications, they often encounter systemic barriers, including credential recognition issues, licensing complexities, cultural adaptation, and discrimination. Objective: To explore the lived experiences of HE IENs transitioning to practice in Canada, identify key challenges and facilitators, and offer recommendations to support their integration and retention. Methods: HE IENs were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Data was collected via semi-structured narrative interviews and analyzed using Deductive Qualitative Analysis (DQA), which combines deductive and inductive coding. Results: 14 participants shared that graduate education was both an asset and a barrier. While it enhanced confidence and academic preparedness, it was often undervalued by employers and regulatory bodies. Participants reported being labelled “overqualified,” facing opaque licensing processes, and experiencing racism and cultural exclusion. Many concealed their credentials to access employment or pursued Canadian degrees to gain legitimacy. Facilitators included peer networks, bridging programs, and personal resilience. Despite systemic challenges, participants remained committed to their profession and demonstrated adaptability and advocacy. Conclusions: HE IENs bring valuable expertise but face significant integration barriers in Canada. Their experiences highlight the need for inclusive, transparent systems that recognize international credentials and support equitable workforce participation. Tailored strategies—such as mentorship, centralized information platforms, credential recognition, and alternative registration pathways—are essential to improve HE IENs’ integration and retention.

About 8% of Ghanaians, including adolescents, have various types of disabilities. Although many legal and constitutional protections for people with disabilities, including adolescents, exist in Ghana, it is widely known that these persons face a variety of psychosocial issues. Several factors have been identified as contributing to the unremitting marginalisation of people with disabilities in general, but the extent to which these can be generalised to adolescents with disabilities is unknown. This study, therefore, sought to document the determinants, manifestations, and consequences of disability-related stigma among differently abled adolescents in three special schools in northern, middle, and southern Ghana. An exploratory descriptive qualitative design was used. Overall, 54 participants were purposively selected for a semi-structured interview and focus group discussions. Braun and Clarke’s procedure for thematic analysis was followed. The findings showed a variety of stigmatising experiences by adolescents with disabilities in their sociocultural context. More broadly, the cause of disability was linked to the ramifications of parental sins against the gods, being a descendant of river gods, and the consequences of bewitchment/curses by family members. Others included the perceived transmissibility of the disability and disability as a visible condition. Stigma manifested in the form of pejorative labelling, ableism, and social exclusion. The consequences of this stigma included negative psychological and emotional effects (i.e., depression, low self-esteem, and a lack of confidence) and suicidal ideation. There is an urgent need for stigma reduction interventions for adolescents with disabilities in Ghana as part of an effort to improve their wellbeing.

Social media platforms have increasingly influenced public perceptions and behaviours related to alcohol consumption. Peer-driven content, particularly in parenting communities, often normalizes and even glorifies drinking, potentially shaping attitudes and behaviours. This study aims to examine how alcohol-related parenting expressions were portrayed on social media before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive study was conducted using data from two large, public Facebook groups known for discussions on parenting and alcohol. Metadata from each post—including publication date, caption, reactions, comments, shares, and user tags—was collected. A total of 2,718 posts, 1,309,392 comments, 5,254,458 reactions, and 3,311,022 shares were analyzed. Thematic analysis was performed using NVivo software. Four overarching themes emerged: (1) Parenthood, (2) Excessive Drinking Behaviour, (3) Stress and Coping Mechanisms, and (4) Humour. No significant thematic differences were observed between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. However, a notable spike in engagement at the onset of COVID-19 suggests increased alcohol consumption among mothers, potentially influenced by content that normalizes excessive drinking. Social media plays a significant role in reinforcing alcohol use as a socially acceptable coping strategy during motherhood. The findings underscore the need for public health interventions that address the normalization of alcohol consumption in online parenting communities.

Welcome to the Journal of the Society of Internationally Educated Nurses! Introducing a new journal to the public is no small feat, especially when the majority of readers are esteemed academics or professionals from the health and immigration sectors, who undoubtedly hold high expectations for this information platform. The Journal of the Society of Internationally Educated Nurses (JSIEN) stands as a beacon, offering a global stage for peer-reviewed research and scholarly works aimed at addressing pertinent issues concerning internationally educated nurses (IENs). Conceived by the Society of Internationally Educated Nurses in North America (SIENNA), the JSIEN is a vital component in the pursuit of fostering a tight-knit network and support system for all IENs who have migrated to North America or are contemplating doing so. As part of SIENNA, the JSIEN commits to the same ethical standards. We are an immigration neutral journal dedicated to supporting all internationally educated nurses who migrated or planning to migrate in North America (USA, Canada, and beyond) to ensure that they have a community of network, advocates, and resources throughout their journey. Our mission is to offer a platform for the dissemination of knowledge addressing pertinent issues concerning internationally educated nurses (IENs). Through our diverse publication formats, we aim to inspire and empower IENs in achieving their professional aspirations.

Background: Anxiety and stress are common mental health conditions reported by university workers. Practices of mindfulness represent one promising approach as an effective and feasible means to reduce stress, improve mental health and promote well-being; however, there are no clinical trials that have combined long-term stress biomarkers (hair cortisol) and psychometric assessments in a sample of university workers. Objective: This study investigated the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based program on long-term stress, by measuring hair cortisol concentration and perceived stress and anxiety among workers who were undergoing high levels of stress. Method: We conducted a randomized clinical trial at work among the employees of a public university. We compared a group that received the eight-week mindfulness intervention with the wait list group who received no intervention. Results: A total of 30 participants were included in the study, with n = 15 subjects in the intervention group and n = 15 in the control group. Hair cortisol, perceived stress and anxiety significantly reduced after the intervention compared to the control group, which had no appreciable decline in the measured variables. Conclusion: This clinical trial showed the effectiveness of a mindfulness program on mental health psychometric measures (perceived stress and anxiety) and on a long-term stress biomarker (hair cortisol). It can be concluded that an eight-week mindfulness program could be implemented as an effective strategy to reduce stress biomarkers (hair cortisol) as well as perceived stress and anxiety, improving the mental health of university workers.

Alcohol misuse is a common problem in many countries, where alcohol is often portrayed as a fun and interactive coping strategy for mothers to manage the demands of motherhood. Social media platforms have established themselves as a popular forum for mothers to share information and create an environment in which mothers may be exposed to and influenced by alcohol-related content. Given the increased social acceptance and normalization of drinking among mothers, especially during the recent pandemic, a critical analysis of social media influences on alcohol behaviours and consumption is warranted. A scoping review mapped the evidence on social media influences and alcohol consumption among mothers of children and teenagers younger than eighteen years old. Several databases were consulted, and the evidence was collated into two themes and seven subthemes. Factors related to alcohol consumption in motherhood include (1) community and social support, (2) coping and mental health, (3) motherhood expectations and identity, (4) alcohol consumption, (5) marketing strategies, (6) everyday issues, and (7) social media influence. Numerous social, economic, and health problems are associated with alcohol misuse. The current literature suggests that social media is a powerful tool to disseminate messages about alcohol and normalize mothers’ drinking behaviours.

This quantitative, before-after study was developed to evaluate the usefulness of an online mindfulness practices program to help nursing professionals deal with stress in the challenging context of the COVID-19 pandemic through the assessment of perceived stress, anxiety and depression, levels of mindfulness, and participants’ satisfaction with the program. Eligible participants were assessed at baseline to receive the online mindfulness training program for eight weeks and were appraised again at the end of the program. Standardized measures of perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and one-dimensional and multidimensional mindfulness were performed. Participant satisfaction was also studied. Adherence to treatment was 70.12%. The perceived stress, depression, and anxiety scores were significantly lower after the intervention. The mindfulness measure increased significantly, as well as the sense of well-being and satisfaction with life, study, and/or work. The participants showed high satisfaction with the program and would recommend it to other professionals. Our results indicate that mindfulness-based interventions represent an effective strategy for nurses in the face of the need for self-care with mental health and mechanisms that guarantee the sustainability of their capacities to continue exercising health care.