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Background: Hypertension is prevalent in older women and is associated with increased cognitive impairment. Exercise has demonstrated beneficial effects on cognitive function, but the impact of exercise on older hypertensive women remains unclear. We investigated the effects of an aerobic walking program on memory, subjective cognitive complaints, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in older hypertensive women. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest design was conducted. Older hypertensive women were randomly assigned to the aerobic walking group or a control group with routine care. The intervention group received a 24-week aerobic walking program. Data were collected at baseline and 24 weeks after enrollment. Participants' characteristics, memory, subjective cognitive complaints, and plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor were analyzed. Results: The aerobic walking group (n = 30) reported improvements in total recall, delayed recall, and subjective cognitive impairment after 24 weeks of aerobic walking. Compared to the control group (n = 28), the aerobic walking group showed significantly greater improvement in delayed recall at 24 weeks. However, aerobic walking had no significant effect on subjective cognitive complaints or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Conclusion: The aerobic walking training significantly improved memory performance among older women with hypertension. A longer randomized controlled trial with a larger sample is necessary to confirm and further explore the effects of this intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mental health is a major concern among migrant workers worldwide. More than 200,846 female migrant workers in Taiwan are from Indonesia. The study's purpose was to investigate mediating effects of coping strategies on the relationship between mental health problems and the quality of life (QoL). Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Taiwan. In total, 500 Indonesian female migrant workers completed four questionnaires. A mediation test was conducted to estimate direct and indirect effects. Results: Coping strategies, namely substance use, behavioral disengagement, denial, and religious dedication, partially mediated the relationship between mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and stress) and QoL among Indonesian female migrant workers in Taiwan. Discussion: Health promotion programs should be developed for Indonesian female migrant workers in Taiwan to help them detect and overcome their mental health problems. Interventions that facilitate effective coping strategies should be administered to improve their QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major objective of this study was to investigate how smoking behavior mediates the relationship between life stress and depressive symptoms in adolescents. A descriptive correlational study was conducted from February to June 2017 at a vocational high school in northern Taiwan, and 226 students were recruited through convenience sampling. Results indicated that smoking behavior played a pivotal role by partially mediating the relationship between life stress and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Life stress in adolescents significantly increased the risk of experiencing depressive symptoms, and adolescents who smoked were also at a greater risk. Assessments between the objective and self‐reported smoking behavior were significantly correlated. Therefore, integrated methods for assessing life stress, smoking behavior, and depressive symptoms in adolescents are needed for teachers and clinical professionals. Implementing appropriate policies for discouraging tobacco use for adolescents experiencing life stress in order to decrease depressive symptoms in school settings is paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) as an intervention for anxiety, psychotic symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Design and methods: Eighty patients were recruited from a Taiwanese psychiatry ward. The intervention group received group PMR; control group received treatment‐as‐usual. Results: The results indicated that PMR might have a short‐term effect on reducing anxiety, improving psychotic syndromes, and QOL among patients with chronic schizophrenia; however, the effectiveness at the 3‐month follow‐up was not evident. Practice Implications: Both the psychiatric patients and the health institutions may be able to list PMR as a clinical routine care, and then become a mental health practice strategy for mental patients to improve the quality of mental care. Implications for Nursing Practice: Our studies suggest that prevention of severe mental illness among patients with schizophrenia requires PMR interventions. PMR had an immediate effect, and it is possible that a shorter intervention period using this approach would also be successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To investigate the distribution and risk factors associated with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea among hypertensive patients. Background: Obstructive sleep Apnoea has been deemed a cardinal risk factor affecting cardiovascular event, and the condition is still frequently overlooked clinically. The lack of advanced diagnosis often causes hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnoea to miss opportunities for preventing chronic diseases. Design: A cross‐sectional design. Methods: A total of 215 hypertensive participants were recruited from the cardiovascular outpatients of medical centre in northern and middle Taiwan. The Chinese version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Chinese version of the Epworth Sleep Scale and a portable sleep monitoring device were used for data collection. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors affecting hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, and a multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the major influence factors for each obstructive sleep apnoea severity level. Results: 81.9% of the hypertensive participants were found having obstructive sleep apnoea. Concerning to the obstructive sleep apnoea severity, 50.0% of participants had mild obstructive sleep apnoea. After controlling the confounding variables, the supine position (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01–1.07), SO2 (odds ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38–0.89) and oxygen desaturation index (odds ratio, 2.70; 95% CI, 1.18–6.18) were significantly associated with obstructive sleep apnoea. Furthermore, severe obstructive sleep apnoea was significantly correlated with gender (odds ratio, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.00–0.66), excessive daytime sleepiness (odds ratio, 20.27; 95% CI, 1.58–26.97) and oxygen desaturation index (odds ratio, 4.05; 95% CI, 1.86–8.81). Conclusions: Nearly 82% of the hypertensive participants were found having undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea, and 80% of them were mild or moderate severity. Oxygen desaturation index, SO2 and the supine position were found to be major predictors for obstructive sleep apnoea. Remarkably, oxygen desaturation index was the most significant predictor for mild, moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea. Relevance to clinical practice: Healthcare providers should enhance their sensitivities to hypertensive patients at a high risk for obstructive sleep apnoea by actively assessing common obstructive sleep apnoea symptoms and providing strategies to alleviate obstructive sleep apnoea symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives. To examine the psychometric properties of the Menopausal Symptoms Distress Affecting Sleep Quality Scale. Background. Sleep disturbances are an extensive and common problem among menopausal women. However, no unique and specific scale has yet been developed to detect the inductive symptoms distresses that cause poor sleep quality for menopausal women. Design. A cross-sectional design. Methods. The Menopausal Symptoms Distress Affecting Sleep Quality Scale was based on in-depth interviews with menopausal women and literature review. Convenience sampling was employed. One hundred and fifty three women participated in this study. Exploratory factor analysis, concurrent validity and contrasting group validity were used to examine the validity of the Menopausal Symptoms Distress Affecting Sleep Quality Scale. Cronbach's a was conducted to test the reliability. The accuracy of the scale was analysed with the receiver operating characteristic from MED CALC version 10.4.8.0 software. The scale's sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were analysed to locate the best cut-off point. Results. One factor was generated by Exploratory factor analysis, and this factor explained 49-07% of total variance. In addition, the Menopausal Symptoms Distress Affecting Sleep Quality Scale had significant positive correlations with the Greene Climacteric Scale and the self-evaluation of menopausal symptoms scale. Cronbach's a of the Menopausal Symptoms Distress Affecting Sleep Quality Scale was 0-89. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy probability of the scale's receiver operating characteristic curve was 0-85. The best cut-off point was three with a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 87%. Conclusions. The Menopausal Symptoms Distress Affecting Sleep Quality Scale had good reliability and validity, as well as refined indicators for assessing the tool's accuracy. Relevance to clinical Practice. The Menopausal Symptoms Distress Affecting Sleep Quality Scale is easy to use, can quickly detect the sleep conditions of menopausal women who suffer from menopausal symptom distress, and provide efficient nursing interventions to relieve menopausal symptom distresses, and then improve sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives The specific aims of this study were as follows: (1) to describe psychosocial adjustment in adults with end-stage renal disease who underwent maintenance peritoneal dialysis; (2) to explore the influence of demographics, clinical variables, symptom distress and social support on psychosocial adjustment and (3) to determine predictive factors of psychosocial adjustment. Background Proper psychosocial adjustment is important for patients with end-stage renal disease to cope with multiple stressors of their disease and to balance their lives within the restrictions imposed by peritoneal dialysis treatment. Knowledge on psychosocial adjustment in patients receiving long-term peritoneal dialysis has been limited. Design The study was based on a predictive correlational design. Method One hundred peritoneal dialysis patients were recruited from outpatient peritoneal dialysis clinics of a general hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. Data were collected with the study questionnaires, including the Physical Symptom Distress Scale, the Social Support Scale and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale - self-report. Results The mean score on the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale was 359·7 ( SD = 40·0), indicating that these participants were moderately struggling in adjusting to their illness. Symptom distress, family social support and financial status explained 38·3% of the variance in psychosocial adjustment ( F3,96 = 21·5, p < 0·001). Conclusions The level of psychosocial adjustment in peritoneal dialysis patients is suboptimal. Overall, the patients with high physical symptom distress, weak family social support and poor financial status reported deficient psychosocial adjustment to their illness. Implications for practice The findings of this study are relevant to the understanding of preconditions that enable peritoneal dialysis patients to successfully adjust to the disease and its diverse consequences. Patients with insufficient income, higher symptom distress and less family social support have a greater risk of psychosocial maladjustment. Medical professionals may use these variables to identify higher risk groups for early intensive intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Culture serves as an adhesive to bind the lives of people. There are no objective, useful tools to assess cultural competence and practice. In this study, we evaluated whether the cultural competence of nurses was strengthened through the Cultural Competence Cultivation Programme. Methods: A quasi-experimental research design was used to evaluate nurses working at a medical centre in Taiwan. They were randomly allocated into an experimental group (n = 47), which received the Cultural Competence Cultivation Programme, or a control group (n = 50), which did not receive the educational programme. After the intervention, learning efficacy of the participants was assessed using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). The research data were statistically analysed on SPSS. Results: The average score of the experimental group was significantly higher in the 'communication ability and skill' category. Furthermore, OSCE scores and Standardised Patient Survey assessment and total scores were significantly and positively correlated. Conclusion: The findings of this study can serve as a reference for designing future clinical education programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]