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Introduction: The use of the antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid has positive effects on bleeding control, but our knowledge is still limited regarding how fibrinolysis suppression changes the process of bone formation and the quality of bone. Because of the several side effects of systemic tranexamic acid, topical usage has been established in several procedures. This study aimed to investigate the effect of local tranexamic acid on vertebral fusion by using macroscopic, radiologic, and microscopic techniques. We also attempted to determine the safe dose range in case some doses had negative effects on fusion. Methods: Twenty-eight Wistar albino rats underwent intertransverse fusion. All rats were randomized into four groups: groups treated with local tranexamic acid doses of 1 mg/kg (D1), 10 mg/kg (D10), and 100 mg/kg (D100) and the control group with no drug (D0). At the end of the eighth week, all rats were sacrificed for evaluation in terms of palpation, mammography, and histopathologic analysis. Results: The manual palpation results presented with lower fusion rates in D10 and D100 groups than in the control group. Radiological examination results were significantly higher in the control group. The histopathologic examination revealed no significant differences between groups in the percent of new bone formation. Conclusions: Our results showed that local administration of tranexamic acid reduced the quality and stability of fusion without a delay in bone formation. However, doses of 1 mg/kg did not reduce the stability in the palpation test. Our findings suggest that 1 mg/kg dose is a critical threshold above which tranexamic acid reduced the bone healing process of fusion and that surgeons should consider the doses of local tranexamic acid during surgery.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between attachment styles and stigma in adults. Participants were 361 adults (186 females and 175 males) aged between 18 and 69 (M=31.77, SD=9.45). Participants completed the measurement instruments for determining their stigmatizing tendencies and attachment styles. Study results showed that, stigma tendencies of people with the secure attachment style are lower for the discrimination and exclusion, prejudgment and psychological health dimensions, and are higher for people with the fearful attachment style for the discrimination and exclusion, labeling and psychological health dimensions. Preoccupied and dismissive attachment styles are also positively associated with prejudgment tendency. Finally, stigma tendencies of males are more likely to be higher than females for the discrimination and exclusion, labeling and psychological health dimensions. Because different attachment styles are related variously to the subscales of stigma in this study, interventions to decrease stigma of individuals can verge to enhancing the quality of mother-child interactions.

This study presents a reduced version of the Perception of Family Support Scale (PFSS)--a measure of family support designed for research and clinical purposes--and examine construct validity, invariance, and reliability evidence for scores obtained from the instrument. Data collection occurred in 2019. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with college student samples from Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, and Turkey (N = 1,256), we identified an oblique three-factor model corresponding to the original scale's internal structure (e.g. affective consistency, family maladaptation, and family autonomy). We also found configural, metric, and scalar invariance, good reliability coefficients, and significant relationships with distress (e.g. depression, anxiety, and stress) across the four studied countries. These results indicate good validity evidence for using the brief version of the PFSS. Applications of the PFSS and implications of the current results are discussed.

Abstract Cancer is a deadly disease that affects millions of people worldwide and is a source of great difficulty, stress, and trauma not only for patients but also for their caregivers. The physical and emotional suffering that patients experience by patients can lead their caregivers to cope with constant anxiety, sadness, and uncertainty. Moreover, during the cancer treatment process, caregivers must make a great effort to meet the needs of patients and support them. This situation may negatively affect the quality of life and psychological health of cancer patients’ caregivers and may lead them to experience trauma. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine posttraumatic growth’s relationship with age, the transformative power of suffering, and hope in family caregivers of cancer patients. Participants consisted of 314 Turkish family caregivers of cancer patients (73.2% women; M age = 39.89 years) selected by using convenience sampling method. Participants answered a data collection tool consisting of a demographic information form, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Trait Hope Scale, and Transformative Power of Suffering Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient analysis, simple mediation analysis, and moderated mediation analysis. The results of this study revealed that hope mediated the association between the transformative power of suffering and posttraumatic growth in family caregivers of cancer patients, whereas age moderated this relationship. Psychosocial support programs for cancer caregivers could benefit from incorporating interventions that explore the transformative potential of suffering and cultivate hope. Tailoring these interventions to address the specific needs of different age groups may enhance their effectiveness. Future researchers should investigate the factors associated with posttraumatic growth in caregivers across diverse cultures, age ranges, and cancer diagnoses.

Couple burnout has been linked to several negative consequences for both individuals and couples. Identifying the factors that predict couple burnout is essential for developing effective interventions to prevent or lessen its detrimental impact on marital relationships. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate sociodemographic factors, relationship self-efficacy, happiness, and self-compassion as predictors of couple burnout in Turkish married individuals. A convenient sample of 401 married individuals completed a questionnaire that comprised a Personal Information Form, Couple Burnout Measure—Short Version, Relationship Self-Efficacy Scale, Self-Compassion Scale, and Single-Item Happiness Scale. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation analysis, linear multiple regression analysis, and relative importance analyses. The results of this study suggest that being women, having a higher number of offspring, and lower levels of relationship self-efficacy, self-compassion, and happiness were significant positive predictors of couple burnout among married individuals. The type of marriage, monthly income, and duration of marriage were not significant predictors of couple burnout. Moreover, the results of the relative importance analyses consistently demonstrated that happiness was the strongest predictor of couple burnout among married individuals. The research findings demonstrate the multidimensional nature of couple burnout and provide a more nuanced understanding of its predictive factors. These results have potential implications for the development of evidence-based and targeted interventions in relationship education programs.

The aim of this study was to examine the severity of the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in a nationally representative sample of secondary boarding school counselors and their association with sociodemographics, school counselor self-efficacy, self-esteem, happiness, and stressful life events. Participants consisted of 181 (52.5% women; M = 26.91) school counselors working at different secondary boarding schools across Turkey who completed the measures related to sociodemographics, happiness, self-esteem, school counselor self-efficacy, stressful life events, depression, anxiety, and stress. After confirming construct validity and reliability of the self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and stress scales, data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation analysis, and multivariate multiple regression analysis. The study results suggested that depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms are prevalent among school counselors, approximately 23% of whom experience at least moderate symptoms of depression and stress, and approximately 31% experience at least moderate symptoms of anxiety. Moreover, the results indicated that the most commonly experienced symptoms were dysphoria in depression, situational anxiety in anxiety, and impatience in stress among school counselors. This study also found that sociodemographic factors and school counselor self-efficacy were not associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. However, higher levels of happiness and self-esteem and fewer stressful life events experienced within the past year consistently showed a negative association with exhibiting decreased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among school counselors. Self-care activities focusing on increasing self-esteem and happiness and teaching skills to cope effectively with stressful life events may help to diminish the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among secondary boarding school counselors.

Introduction: Stigmatization of people with substance use problems have been reported to be high among young adults in Western countries. It is not clear if this finding could be replicated among emerging adults in non-Western countries. Thus, the aim of this study was to firstly explore stigmatizing attitudes of undergraduate students in Turkey towards people with alcohol, marijuana and heroin addiction, and then test a mediation model to explain stigmatizing attitudes among college students. Method: A total of 513 undergraduate students participated in the study. They completed a set of questionnaires to measure perceived stigma towards substance use, perceived danger and feeling fearful towards people with substance addiction (i.e., alcohol, heroin, marijuana), and a willingness to engage in relationships with people who are addicted to these three substances. Results: Females, compared to males, reported being more fearful of people who are addicted to alcohol, marijuana and heroin. Younger compared to older participants perceived people who are addicted to these substances as more dangerous. Younger participants also had higher social distance towards people who are addicted to alcohol and marijuana than older participants. Perceived dangerousness and fearfulness partially mediated the relationship between perceived stigma and social distance in alcohol, marijuana and heroin. Conclusion: Research findings may help determine potential correlates of stigmatizing attitudes as well as developing models to explain stigmatizing attitudes among Turkish college students.

The aim of the current study was to examine the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of hopelessness among Turkish elderly people. A convenience sample of 100 elderly people (51 women, 49 men) living in a city in the central Black Sea region of Turkey completed the Beck Hopelessness Scale and a data collection instrument to identify their socio-demographic information. The data was analyzed using Chi-Square, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The study results revealed that 81% of the elderly, or approximately eight out of 10 elderly people, experience hopelessness, ranging from mild to severe levels, and that severe hopelessness is more prevalent among elderly people living in nursing homes. No gender differences were found in terms of the severity of hopelessness among the elderly. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis also showed that hopelessness scores were positively associated with living in a nursing home, being widowed/a widower, and having a low monthly income. Considering the fact that hopelessness levels are correlated with suicidal thoughts, depression, and adverse health conditions, the mental health professionals who aim to increase the well-being of the elderly should conduct screening studies to determine hopelessness levels among this population. Mental health support is also recommended to increase hope among elderly Turkish people, specifically those living in nursing homes and those who are widowed/widowers and low-income individuals.

Although a number of studies have attempted to determine the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of students’ academic performance, there are few studies in the literature that examine the correlates of academic achievement for physical education and sports undergraduate students. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the academic achievement of first-year physical education and sports students and their sociodemographics, attitudes towards the teaching profession, personality traits, and achievement goal orientations. The participants of the study consisted of 127 (67% male) physical education and sports students, ranging in age from 16 to 30 years old when they began their studies. Participants responded to a questionnaire to determine their sociodemographic characteristics, their attitudes towards the teaching profession in their high school years, their core self-evaluations, and their achievement goal orientations. Pearson correlation analysis results showed that students’ first year grade-point average (GPA) was associated with gender, high school GPA, core-self evaluations, and mastery-approach achievement goal orientation. Results of the regression analysis suggested that the three variables that predicted the students’ first year GPA were their mastery-approach scores, attitudes towards the teaching profession in high school years, and high school GPA. In order to prevent academic failure in physical education and sports students, those who do not have a mastery-approach goal orientation and who had a low high school GPA should be identified at the beginning of the academic year, so that educational interventions can be directed at these students.