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Aim: The study aimed at evaluating the effect of posture correction and stretching movements on lordosis and lumbar pain in pregnant women. Background: An increased lumbar lordosis during pregnancy is considered one of the most common causes of lumbar pain. Methods: This quasi‐experimental study was performed on 66 pregnant women referred to health centers in Tabriz, Iran, from November 2020 to June 2021. The participants were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received training of posture correction movements and stretching exercises during pregnancy from 16 to 18 to 35–37 weeks of pregnancy in six sessions for 45–60 min. The data were collected using a flexible ruler and a visual analog scale. Independent t‐tests, repeated measures ANOVA, and ANCOVA tests were used. Results: The mean (standard deviation: SD) of lumbar lordosis increased from 45.12 (2.07) to 54.97 (2.20) in the intervention group at 35–37 weeks and changed from 44.28 (2.03) to 55.54 (3.39) in the control group at 35–37 weeks (adjusted mean difference: −1.24, 95% confidence interval: −2.48 to −0.005, P = 0.04). The mean (SD) of lumbar pain at 28–30 weeks was 2.80 (1.72) in the intervention group and 3.74 (2.23) in the control group (P = 0.09). However, the mean (SD) of lumbar pain at 35–37 weeks in the intervention group 4.38 (2.45) was significantly lower than that in the control group 5.83 (2.96) (P = 0.04). Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the potential health benefits of training posture correction and stretching movements on controlling lumbar lordosis and reducing lumbar pain during pregnancy. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? One of the most common causes of low back pain refers to the enhancement of lumbar lordosis.The standard corrective movements and stretching exercises approved during pregnancy increase muscular strength and reduce the severity of lordosis if they are done regularly. What this paper adds? This is the first study that investigates the impact of a childbirth preparation program including posture correction and stretching movements on lordosis and lumbar pain in pregnant women.The findings indicate that the posture correction movements and stretching exercises delivered in childbirth preparation classes are effective in controlling the enhancement of lumbar lordosis during pregnancy and reducing lumbar pain. The implications of this paper: Training of posture correction and stretching movements during pregnancy is recommended for all pregnant women with no contraindication to exercise during pregnancy and even for women with a history of caesarean section who may decline to participate in the preparation classes for physiological birth.Evidence‐based posture correction/exercise guidelines during pregnancy should be developed and embedded in prenatal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a lifestyle training package that consisted of a 60‐ to 90‐min session of group training, educational booklet and text messages on physical activity and nutritional status in obese and overweight pregnant women. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 140 obese or overweight women (gestational age: 16–20 weeks) covered by health centres in Tehran, Iran, were equally randomized into two parallel groups using block randomization and stratified by the body mass index. Participants completed the Food Frequency Questionnaire and International Physical Activity Questionnaire at baseline and fourth and eighth weeks after intervention. Participants were 38 obese and 102 overweight women who were later followed‐up. Results: After the intervention, the mean weekly intake of the vegetable and fruit subgroups was significantly higher; and intake of fats and oils and the confections subgroups were significantly lower in the intervention compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Although physical activity was higher in the intervention group, 8 weeks after the intervention, this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The training package appears to offer a suitable strategy for adjusting the intake of the recommended food subgroups in obese and overweight pregnant women. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Many studies have demonstrated the positive correlation between women's obesity and overweight and the increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.Obese and overweight pregnant women require specific planning to regulate their gestational weight gain and improve their nutritional quality. What this paper adds? The lifestyle training package consisted of a 60‐ to 90‐min session of group training, educational booklet and text messages. The package significantly improved the intake of the vegetable and fruit subgroups and significantly decreased the intake of the fats and oils and confections subgroups in obese and overweight pregnant women. The implications of this paper: Appropriate and simple training packages about proper nutrition and physical activity should be provided to obese and overweight pregnant women to decease pregnancy complications and enhance their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate whether stress communication and supportive dyadic coping moderate the effects of occupational stress on dyadic adjustment and the quality of work‐life of nurses. Background: Nurses are at higher risk for occupational stress, work–family conflict, and the challenge of balancing job and family roles. However, in recent studies, the impact of dyadic coping strategies in dealing with work–family stress in those couples has not received adequate attention. Design This study was a cross‐sectional study. Methods: The research sample comprised 591 nurses recruited through announcements in hospitals and health centres in Iran between May 2018 and February 2019. They completed the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale, the Dyadic Coping Inventory, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and the Quality of Nursing Work Life questionnaire. Hierarchical regression was utilized. Results: Results indicated that there was a negative relationship between occupational stress and dyadic adjustment, and quality of work‐life. Stress communication and supportive dyadic coping moderated the association between occupational stress and dyadic adjustment as well as the quality of work‐life. Conclusion: The current findings suggest that the nurses who use dyadic coping strategies to deal with occupational stress report a higher level of adjustment and quality of work‐life. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Nurses face much stress in their workplace.Occupational stress can negatively affect the quality of work‐life and marital adjustment of nurses.Coping strategies can reduce the negative effects of occupational stress on couples' life. What this paper adds? Negative associations between occupational stress and dyadic adjustment, and quality of work‐life were found.Stress communication and supportive dyadic coping moderated the association between occupational stress and dyadic adjustment.Stress communication and supportive dyadic coping moderated the association between occupational stress and the quality of work‐life. The implications of this paper: The results of the current study suggest the importance of adding teaching dyadic coping skills to the nursing curricula.This finding is relevant for clinical experts to consider training coping skills as a beneficial way to experience higher dyadic adjustment.Efforts towards increasing dyadic coping in nurses may influence the effects of work–family stress on dyadic adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To identify the factors pertaining to the quality of life (QOL) among the mothers of patients with cerebral palsy. Methods: In this cross‐sectional study, 203 mothers of children with cerebral palsy were selected using convenience sampling. The World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL‐BREF), the Beck Depression Inventory, the Caregiver Difficulties Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, and a demographic information questionnaire were administered to these caregivers. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to detect the factors associated with QOL. Results: Moderate to high significant negative correlations were observed between all WHOQOL‐BREF domains and the other measures. The demographic/clinical variables were controlled, and hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was run. The results indicated that depression, the burden of care, fatigue, and the type of cerebral palsy could significantly predict QOL in these mothers. Furthermore, QOL was lower in the mothers of children with tetraplegia than those of children with other types of disabilities (P <.05). Conclusion: QOL of mothers of children with cerebral palsy is negatively impacted by various factors such as burden of care, fatigue, and psychological symptoms. Thus, a holistic approach, including training (carrying, positioning, feeding, and how to manage the self‐care of children) and psychological interventions, is required to improve QOL among this population. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Unlike developed countries, there are a few studies conducted on caregivers of patients with cerebral palsy in developing counties.The lack of any supporting systems in developing countries caused most of the burden of care to be on the shoulders of caregivers. What this paper adds? This paper showed that the burden of care of mothers caused psychological symptoms such as depression, stress, and decrease in QOL. The implications of this paper: Considering the chronicity of cerebral palsy and that caregivers may provide care long‐term, interventions are needed in order to decrease the burden of care and psychological symptoms and enhance QOL.The significant relationship between severity of cerebral palsy and burden of care indicates special training packages could be targeted to decrease the burden of care, physically, emotionally, and financially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Working as a nurse, by its nature, causes a high degree of stress. Nurses are exposed to the higher levels of occupational, physical, and mental stresses in critical care units than the nurses in other units of a hospital. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of training for resilience on the intensive care unit nurses' occupational stress and resilience level. Methods: This study is a quasi‐experimental intervention study that was done by recruiting 30 nurses who were selected from critical care units of an educational hospital in Sari City, Iran, through convenience sampling between April 2015 and February 2016. The resilience training was provided in 5 sessions of 90 to 120 minutes. The pretest‐posttest approach was used in this study, and the nurses completed the Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale, and Expanded Nursing Stress Scale, before and 2 weeks after the training program. Results: The mean score of the occupational stress of the participants decreased significantly after the intervention (P = .001), and the mean score of resilience increased significantly after the intervention (P = .001). Conclusion: The results confirm the effectiveness of resilience training on occupational stress and resilience level of nurses working in the intensive care units. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Intensive care unit nurses experience stress in their workplace that results in staff turnover and burnout.Intensive care unit nurses' stress results in low quality of nursing care. What this paper adds? Resilience training for intensive care unit nurses increases nurses' resilience level.Resilience training can reduce nurses' occupational stress. The implications of this paper: Hospital administrators and nursing managers can minimize occupational stress through providing training programs on resilience to intensive care unit nurses.Intensive care unit nurses should be encouraged to increase their resilience level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to Florence Nightingale's hypothesis, the environment can play a central role in the healing of the patient's body and mind. The nurse should, therefore, strive to provide a healing and stress‐reducing environment for patients about to undergo invasive procedures. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effects of environmental factors on anxiety as experienced by patients in waiting rooms prior to coronary angiography. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 200 patients undergoing coronary angiography in an urban area of Iran were assigned randomly to the following intervention groups: (1) nature sounds; (2) nature sounds and daylight; (3) nature sounds, daylight, and colour enhancements; and (4) control. Portable monitors were used to measure the patients' physiological indices upon admission and 30 and 60 minutes thereafter. Results: Patients who experienced environmental affecting interventions had significantly lower physiological indices of anxiety than the control group (P < 0.001). Some significance was demonstrated between the three interventions groups, with patients in the intervention group that experienced maximum environmental interventions demonstrating the most overall reduction in anxiety indices. Conclusion: Environmental factors were shown to have a positive effect on the indices of anxiety experienced by patients waiting for the procedure of coronary angiography; this is therefore an area of study and practice worthy of further development. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Waiting for coronary angiography is a source of anxiety for patients.Anxiety can influence patients' physiological responses.People have an inherent tendency to respond positively to nature sounds, daylight, and colour.What this paper adds? Environmental factors had positive effects on the physiological indices of anxiety among patients undergoing coronary angiography.Environmental factors can reduce the physiological indices of anxiety before coronary angiography.Nature sounds, daylight, and colour can affect positively physiological indices of anxiety. The implications of this paper: Environmental factors should be considered, alongside other interventions, during the provision of nursing care to prevent adverse physical and psychological affects in patients.Environmental changes help nurses to relieve patients' anxiety when they are waiting for invasive procedures.Environmental factors can help create a relaxing waiting time and improve the physiological indices of anxiety among patients undergoing coronary angiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorder that may be effective in reducing the quality of life. This study aimed to determine the predictors of quality of life in women with PCOS. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 174 women with PCOS who attended in public and private fertility clinics in Urmia (West Azerbaijan, Iran), 2015. The data were collected through the questionnaires of sociodemographic and obstetrics characteristics, quality of life and Beck depression inventory-II. Multivariate linear regression was used to estimate the effect rate of the independent variables (depression and sociodemographic characteristics) on the dependent variable (quality of life). In this study, the mean (standard deviation) of total score of the quality of life was obtained, 45.8 (11.3) in the range 0-100. The highest and lowest mean scores were in the subdomains of weight and hirsutism. The variables of depression, body mass index, woman's job, menstrual cycle intervals, and sexual satisfaction were predictors of the quality of life in women with PCOS. Because of various effective factors on quality of life in these women such as depression, necessary strategies must be implemented to control these factors and improve the quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitalized neonates usually undergo different painful procedures. This study sought to test the effects of a familiar auditory stimulus on the physiologic responses to pain of venipuncture among neonates in intensive care unit. The study design is quasi-experimental. The randomized clinical trial study was done on 60 full-term neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between March 20 to June 20, 2014. The neonates were conveniently selected and randomly allocated to the control and the experimental groups. Recorded maternal voice was played for the neonates in the experimental group from 10 minutes before to 10 minutes after venipuncture while the neonates in the control group received no sound therapy intervention. The participants' physiologic parameters were assessed 10 minutes before, during, and after venipuncture. At baseline, the study groups did not differ significantly regarding the intended physiologic parameters ( P > .05). During venipuncture, maternal voice was effective in reducing the neonates' heart rate, respiratory rate, and diastolic blood pressure ( P < .05). Maternal voice is effective in reducing some physiologic parameters during and after performing the painful procedure of venipuncture. Nurses are recommended to use familiar sounds to effectively manage neonates' physiologic responses to procedural pain of venipuncture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep disorders are a common problem during pregnancy and may affect quality of life. This study aimed to determine the status of sleep quality and its relationship with quality of life in Iranian pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 565 women recruited using 2-stage cluster sampling methods. Data were collected using sociodemographic characteristics; quality of life; and Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire between March and May 2015. About 6% of the women had a sleep disorder. There were significant correlations between quality of life and total score of sleep quality, subdomains of habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, and daytime dysfunction. Paying attention to the sleep quality as an effective factor of quality of life can promote sleep quality and hence quality of life of pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful pain management relies on pain assessment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of establishing pain committee on pain assessment skills of paediatric nurses. We used a quasi-experimental design. The study was conducted in surgery, emergency and orthopaedic wards of two teaching hospitals selected through simple random sampling. The intervention consisted of establishing a pain committee, the steps of which included organizing (3 months), holding workshop (five sessions) and clinical training (1 week). We found that the scores in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Therefore, establishing pain committee in the management level of nursing improves nurses' pain assessment skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]