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Aims To report a systematic review of the psychometric properties of self-report instruments to identify the symptoms of anxiety in pregnancy to help clinicians and researchers select the most suitable instrument. Background Excessive anxiety in pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, developmental and behavioural problems in infants and postnatal depression. Despite recommendations for routine psychological assessment in pregnancy, the optimal methods to identify anxiety in pregnancy have not been confirmed. Design Psychometric systematic review. Data sources A systematic literature search of the multiple databases (1990-September 2014). Review methods Identification of self-report instruments to measure anxiety in pregnancy using COSMIN guidelines to assess studies reporting a psychometric evaluation of validity and reliability. Results Thirty-two studies were included. Studies took place in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain and the Netherlands. Seventeen different instruments were identified. Measures of validity were reported in 19 papers and reliability in 16. The overall quality of the papers was rated as fair to excellent using the COSMIN checklist. Only one paper scored excellent in more than one category. Conclusion Many instruments have been adapted for use in different populations to those for which they were designed. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale have been tested more frequently than other instruments, yet require further assessment to confirm their value for use in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A student's accuracy on drug calculation tests may be influenced by maths anxiety, which can impede one's ability to understand and complete mathematic problems. It is important for healthcare students to overcome this barrier when calculating drug dosages in order to avoid administering the incorrect dose to a patient when in the clinical setting. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of maths anxiety on healthcare students' ability to accurately calculate drug dosages by performing a scoping review of the existing literature. This review utilised a six-stage methodology using the following databases; CINAHL, Embase, Medline, Scopus, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, Trip database ( http://www.tripdatabase.com/ ) and Grey Literature report ( http://www.greylit.org/ ). After an initial title/abstract review of relevant papers, and then full text review of the remaining papers, six articles were selected for inclusion in this study. Of the six articles included, there were three experimental studies, two quantitative studies and one mixed method study. All studies addressed nursing students and the presence of maths anxiety. No relevant studies from other disciplines were identified in the existing literature. Three studies took place in the U.S, the remainder in Canada, Australia and United Kingdom. Upon analysis of these studies, four factors including maths anxiety were identified as having an influence on a student's drug dosage calculation abilities. Ultimately, the results from this review suggest more research is required in nursing and other relevant healthcare disciplines regarding the effects of maths anxiety on drug dosage calculations. This additional knowledge will be important to further inform development of strategies to decrease the potentially serious effects of errors in drug dosage calculation to patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from the Patients and Families Psychological Response to the Home Automated External Defibrillator Trial were used to examine the relationship between biopsychosocial variables and patients' coping strategies postmyocardial infarction. This study is the secondary data analysis of longitudinal observational study. A total of 460 patient-spouse pairs were recruited in January 2003 to October 2005. Hierarchical linear regression analysis examined biological/demographic, psychological and social variables regarding patients' coping scores using the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale. Lower social support and social support satisfaction predicted lower total coping scores. Being younger, male gender and time since the myocardial infarction predicted lower positive coping strategy use. Higher anxiety and lower social support were related to fewer positive coping methods. Lower educational levels were related to increased use of negative coping strategies. Reduced social support predicted lower total coping scores and positive coping strategy use and greater passive coping style use. Social support from a broad network assisted with better coping; those living alone may need additional support. Social support and coping strategies should be taken into consideration for patients who have experienced a cardiac event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]