Neda Asadi

Introduction: Intensive care unit nurses are faced with a large number of equipment alarms daily, which can increase the likelihood of errors and threaten their professional quality of life. Today, the use of virtual reality to create relaxing experiences in stressful environments has received attention. This study aimed to determine the effect of virtual reality relaxation on alarm fatigue and the professional quality of life among ICU nurses. Methods: This is an intervention study with a pretest‐posttest design with a control group. ICU nurses who met the inclusion criteria were selected conveniently and were randomly assigned to two intervention and control groups (30 people in each group). The intervention was implemented as three 20‐min virtual reality relaxation sessions over a week. The data collection tools included the Alarm Fatigue Scale (AFS) and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) questionnaire. The questionnaires were completed before and immediately after the intervention. Results: The results showed that the mean AFS score improved significantly after the intervention ( p < 0.001), and there was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups ( p = 0.014). The mean dimensions of ProQOL also improved significantly in all three dimensions of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary trauma stress after the intervention ( p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between two groups in all dimensions after the intervention ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: The significant improvement in AFS and ProQOL scores indicates that the use of new technologies, such as virtual reality can be considered as a complementary tool in promoting the mental and professional health of nurses in stressful environments.

Background and Aim: Iran, like many other countries, faces declining population growth and concerns about aging. Rising female participation in higher education and the labor market has positioned education and employment as factors that may conflict with childbearing. Most studies on fertility motivations have focused on childless individuals or one‐child families, while little attention has been given to larger families. This study aimed to explore the motivations of childbearing among Iranian working mothers with two or more children. Method: This qualitative content analysis was conducted among 27 working mothers affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences, in southeastern Iran. Participants were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation. Inclusion criteria required participants to be married for ≥ 5 years, have ≥ 2 biological children, and express intent for further childbearing. Data were collected via semi‐structured interviews and Guba and Lincoln's criteria were applied to increase the trustworthiness and rigor of the study. Data were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman's method and MAXQDA 2020. Results: The motivations of working women with two children in childbearing are comprehensive, and four main themes emerged from the responses: (1) positive reproductive memories and support, (2) concerns about single‐child outcomes, (3) personal and religious beliefs, and (4) demographic concerns and pronatalist influences. Conclusion: Fertility intentions among working women in Iran are shaped by emotionally embedded and culturally situated factors. Understanding these motivations is essential for designing responsive and targeted population policies. The findings support the need for mixed‐method research to deepen theoretical insight and enhance generalizability across regions and contexts.

Background and Aims: Oncology nurses are frequently exposed to emotionally demanding situations that may compromise their psychological well‐being and the quality of patient care. This study aimed to assess the levels of occupational stress and caregiver guilt among oncology nurses and to explore the relationship between these two variables. MethodS: This descriptive‐analytical cross‐sectional study was conducted from April to May 2024 among oncology nurses affiliated with the University of Medical Sciences. A total of 140 nurses were selected through convenience sampling. Data collection instruments included the Caregiver Guilt Questionnaire and the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale. Statistical analyses were performed using analysis of variance, independent t tests, and multivariate logistic regression to examine associations between stress, guilt, and demographic variables. Result: The mean score of occupational stress was moderate (2.77 ± 0.56), while caregiver guilt was relatively low (32.63 ± 9.73). A significant positive correlation was found between job stress and guilt ( r = 0.51, p = 0.01). Gender ( p = 0.001) and level of education ( p = 0.01) were significantly associated with job stress. Marital status was significantly related to caregiver guilt ( p = 0.012). Conclusion: On the basis of the results and considering the significant relationship between job stress and guilt, it is of great importance to employ job stress reduction techniques among oncology nurses. It is necessary for healthcare system policymakers to take action to reduce job stress among nurses by using factors such as eliminating consecutive work shifts, adding welfare services, and improving the physical working environment.

Introduction: Family caregivers of cancer patients often face substantial psychological burdens, including feelings of guilt. Self‐compassion has been proposed as a protective factor, yet its relationship with caregiver guilt has not been well studied in Iran. This study aimed to examine the association between caregiver guilt and self‐compassion in family caregivers of cancer patients. Methods: This cross‐sectional study was conducted between October and December 2024 among 160 family caregivers of patients with cancer recruited from oncology‐related wards of three hospitals affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using the Caregiver Guilt Questionnaire (CGQ) and the Self‐Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS‐SF). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine bivariate associations. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the independent association between self‐compassion and caregiver guilt after adjusting for demographic and caregiving characteristics, including age, sex, marital status, employment status, and daily caregiving hours. Results: The mean age of caregivers was 41.9 ± 10.0 years, and the majority were female (53.1%), married (73.1%), and provided more than 8 h of care daily (90.6%). The mean caregiver guilt score was 55.58 ± 8.58, while the mean self‐compassion score was 34.74 ± 6.93. Total self‐compassion was strongly and inversely correlated with caregiver guilt ( r = −0.71, 95% CI: −0.77 to −0.63, p < 0.001). In the adjusted multiple linear regression model, higher self‐compassion was independently associated with lower caregiver guilt ( B = −0.62, 95% CI: −0.73 to −0.46, p < 0.001). Female caregivers had higher guilt scores than male caregivers ( B = 4.16, 95% CI: 1.70 to 6.62, p = 0.001), while caregivers who were children of the patient had lower guilt scores than those who were parents ( B = −3.93, 95% CI: −6.96 to −0.89, p = 0.012). Caregivers providing more than 8 h of care daily had higher guilt scores than those providing 8 h or less ( B = 5.93, 95% CI: 2.31 to 9.55, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Among family caregivers of patients with cancer, higher self‐compassion was associated with lower caregiver guilt after controlling for demographic and caregiving characteristics. These findings highlight the potential value of caregiver support programs focusing on self‐compassion development. However, due to the cross‐sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as correlational rather than causal. Longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to determine whether enhancing self‐compassion can reduce caregiver guilt over time.

Background: Nursing students experience significant academic and clinical stress, which contributes to psychological distress. Their ability to establish effective therapeutic communication (TC) with patients is also essential for high-quality patient care and patient satisfaction. Given the increasing use of yoga as an intervention for stress, this study investigated its effect on the therapeutic communication and psychological distress of nursing students in southeastern Iran. Methods: This quasi-experimental study recruited 90 eligible nursing students via convenience sampling and allocated them to either the yoga or control group using simple random allocation by drawing lots. Eighty students completed the study (yoga = 39, control = 41). The intervention was an offline yoga program consisting of 12 sessions (over a one-month period). Psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and TC was measured using the Nursing Student Therapeutic Communication Questionnaire (NSTCQ). Data were collected before and after the intervention. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests (within-group), independent t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests (between-group), and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for baseline scores and age. Results: The mean psychological distress score in the yoga group showed a significant reduction following the intervention (p = 0.002), and a significant difference was observed between the yoga and control groups post-intervention (p = 0.001). Similarly, the mean therapeutic communication score increased significantly in the yoga group after the intervention (p = 0.03). However, there was no statistically significant difference in therapeutic communication scores between the two groups post-intervention (p = 0.079). Conclusion: The findings suggest that yoga reduces psychological distress and may enhance therapeutic communication skills among nursing students. Yoga may therefore be considered a complementary strategy to support nursing students’ psychological well-being and professional communication.

Background and aim Alarms in ICUs are a major factor in causing fatigue in nurses. This can lead to a decrease in the quality of nursing care and patient safety culture. This study aimed to investigate the effect of diaphragmatic breathing training on Alarm fatigue and patient safety culture from the perspective of intensive care unit nurses. Methods This quasi-experimental study was conducted on ICU nurses in southeastern Iran, Kerman. Eligible nurses were selected through purposive sampling and allocated to either the intervention group (n = 25) or the control group (n = 25). The intervention group received diaphragmatic breathing training for four weeks. Data were collected using the Alarm Fatigue Symptoms Scale, and Patient safety culture questionnaire at pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention. Results The findings showed that the mean score of Alarm fatigue in the intervention group decreased from 67.62 before the intervention to 51.07 after the intervention (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the mean Patient safety culture score in the intervention group increased from 129.37 before the intervention to 154.82 after the intervention (P < 0.001). Between-group comparisons indicated that the Alarm fatigue score and Patient safety culture score significantly improve in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusion The results of this study showed that diaphragmatic breathing training can reduce alarm fatigue and increase patient safety culture in ICU nurses. Diaphragmatic breathing training is recommended as a simple, practical, and non-invasive method to maintain the mental and physical health of nurses and increase patient safety culture.

Healthcare providers in intensive care units face numerous moral distresses due to conflicts between professional principles, personal values, and the demands of patients’ families. In contrast, family satisfaction is considered one of the important indicators for evaluating the quality of medical services. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between healthcare providers’ moral distress and family satisfaction in intensive care units. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four intensive care units with the collaboration of 128 family members and 70 healthcare providers (16 physicians and 54 nurses). The samples were selected using an available sampling method according to the inclusion criteria. Data were collected using the moral distress scale and the family satisfaction-ICU questionnaire. The results showed that mean scores for the frequency and intensity of moral distress were 49.88 ± 3.25 and 62.27 ± 2.51, respectively, indicating a moderate level of moral distress among ICU healthcare providers. The mean FS-ICU score was 59.83 ± 3.19, suggesting a generally good level of family satisfaction. The results revealed a significant inverse relationship between the frequency of moral distress and family satisfaction. This indicates that as the frequency of moral distress among ICU healthcare providers increases, family satisfaction tends to decrease (P = 0.03, r = − 0.7). These results emphasize the importance of reducing moral distress in healthcare settings through organizational support, the development of specific ethical strategies, and strengthening the communication skills of the healthcare team. In order to improve the experience of patients’ families, it is suggested that educational and support programs be designed for healthcare providers to increase their ability to deal with ethical challenges and provide quality services.

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major global health issue. Injecting drug users (IDUs) are an important group at risk of HCV infection. Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine the related high‐risk behavioral factors and the effectiveness of addiction treatment centers in preventing the transmission of HCV among IDUs referring to governmental methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) centers in Southeast Iran.Methods: This analytical study was conducted as a pre‐ and post‐intervention assessment without a control group in first 6 months of 2022. 313 IDUs receiving methadone from five governmental MMT centers in Kerman were interviewed in the form of a census. Effectiveness was measured using mathematical formulas and patterns based on high‐risk injecting behaviors.Results: Of the 313 participants, 299 (95.84%) were men, the mean age ± SD was 41.06 ± 8.73 years and HCV prevalence was 113 (36.1%). The results showed that MMT centers avoided 23.55 new cases of HCV per 100 people. The studied IDUs reported minor rate of risky injecting and sexual behavior after participation in MMT program. The communal incidence of HCV per 100 IDUs due to shared injection and unsafe sexual connection with MMT program were 13.89 (95% CI: 5.43–19.63), 0.0003 (0.0002–0.0007) and without it 37.44 (24.34–46.78) and 0.0002 (0.0001–0.0004) respectively.Conclusion: The MMT program is an effective intervention to prevent HCV infection, a comparison of its effectiveness with other interventions is needed.

Objective During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for end-of-life care has increased. This type of care is different for patients with COVID-19 compared with other patients. This study aims to explain the experiences of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in providing end-of-life care to patients with COVID-19. Design Qualitative content analysis. Setting The study population consisted of ICU nurses working in hospitals affiliated with the Kerman University of Medical Sciences in southeastern Iran. Participants 14 ICU nurses, including 9 women and 5 men, participated in this study. Their mean age was 33.79±5.07 years, and their mean work experience was 8.64±3.5 years. Primary and secondary objectives The purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to explore the experiences of Iranian intensive care nurses using purposive sampling and semistructured in-depth interviews. Sampling was based on maximum variation (age, gender, professional experience and educational level) to obtain rich information. Guba and Lincoln’s criteria were applied to increase the trustworthiness and rigour of the study, and the data were analysed using Graneheim and Lundman’s method and MAXQDA 2020. Results ICU nurses’ experiences of caring for patients with COVID-19 at the end of life are comprehensive, and four main themes emerged from the responses: fear of death due to COVID-19 infection; physical and psychological consequences of caring for patients dying from COVID-19; confusion in caring for patients with COVID-19 at the end of life and unbelievable deaths. Conclusion The present study looked at the experiences of Iranian nurses providing end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggest that the nurses experienced anxiety, excessive fatigue and guilt during end-of-life care and that the high mortality and unbelievable deaths were traumatic experiences for them.

Background and Aims: Emotional intelligence (EI) and spiritual intelligence (SI) are critical for nursing students, enabling them to manage stressors effectively and deliver high-quality, compassionate care. Pranayama, a yogic breathing technique, is known to enhance psychological well-being. This study investigates the effects of ujjayi pranayama on EI and SI in final-year nursing students. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted among employed 46 final-year nursing students from Kerman University of Medical Sciences in southeastern Iran The participants were included in the study via a census method and were randomly assigned to either an intervention group ( n = 23) or a control group ( n = 23). The intervention group engaged in 15 min of guided pranayama daily for 20 consecutive days. The control group received no intervention during this period. Both groups completed the King Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaire, and the Schering Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and analytical statistics (chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test) were used. Results: EI significantly improved in the intervention group (from 100.17 ± 15.69 to 126.11 ± 16.81; p = .02; Cohen's d = 0.66), whereas the control group showed no improvement. No significant changes were found in SI ( p > .05). Conclusions: These findings suggest that short-term Ujjayi Pranayama practice is an effective, low-cost strategy to enhance EI in nursing students, potentially improving their readiness for emotionally demanding clinical environments. Incorporating such practices into nursing curricula may foster emotional resilience in future professionals.