Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue?
Tobacco use remains disproportionately high among adults living with mental illnesses, contributing to preventable morbidity and mortality, particularly in regions with high adult tobacco use prevalence rates.
To address these tobacco-related disparities, Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training improves behavioral health providers’ competency to deliver evidence-based tobacco treatment.
Tobacco cessation remains a challenge for patients in psychiatric settings, with behavioral health care providers (BHCPs) often lacking training in mindfulness-based interventions. This gap may limit BHCPs’ ability to offer holistic, evidence-based support to patients struggling with tobacco dependence. Experiential Learning Theory underpinned the mindfulness intervention, emphasizing hands-on learning. Through active participation, such as role-playing and discussion, BHCPs developed practical skills to incorporate mindfulness techniques into patient interactions. Incorporating mindfulness education may enhance tobacco treatment (TT) training, potentially improving outcomes for patients with psychiatric challenges.
Methods:
A pilot evaluation was conducted on a brief 1-hr online training on mindfulness-based TT strategies. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were used to assess changes in knowledge scores. Post-surveys assessed confidence and intent to apply the learned skills in practice. Changes in knowledge scores were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, and descriptive statistics were used to present results on confidence and intent to apply learned skills scores after the intervention.
Results:
Of 28 BHCPs attending the training, 18 completed pre- and post-test surveys. Among these, there was an increase in knowledge scores (t = −2.496, p = .012) post-intervention. After the intervention, on a scale of 0 to 4, participants (n = 18) rated the intervention as highly effective in supporting their learning (M = 3.57, SD = 0.59) and also reported moderate levels of confidence (M = 2.87, SD = 1.06) and high intention (M = 3.70, SD = 0.55) scores to integrate mindfulness practices to support TT.
Conclusions:
Our findings support the feasibility of a 1-hr mindfulness-based training to change BHCPs’ knowledge and support confidence and intention to enhance TT efforts.
Experimental studies suggest impairment in metacognitive accuracy, monitoring, and regulation, while observational studies show consistent associations with poorer metacognitive functioning.
To examine the relationships among spirituality, happiness, life attitude and posttraumatic growth in haemodialysis patients, and to test whether life attitude and posttraumatic growth acted as potential mediators in the association between spirituality and happiness.
Nurses are exposed to high rates of workplace violence worldwide. It is important to examine factors associated with workplace violence among nurses to develop strategies that minimize the risk of such exposure and ensure safe environments. This was a secondary analysis of survey data from nurses (n = 342) in a medical center in the southeastern United States to examine factors associated with workplace violence. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine sociodemographic, work-related, and behavioral factors associated with exposure to workplace violence. Approximately 62% of nurses reported exposure to workplace violence and there were significant differences in the exposure to workplace violence among nurses by primary practice location (p = 0.042). However, in the final hierarchical regression analysis, being older than 25 years (p < 0.001), single (p = 0.016), having a BSN degree (p = 0.022), and working on regular schedule (either day or night) shifts (p = 0.024) were associated with exposure to workplace violence. Exposure to workplace violence in our sample of nurses was relatively high. Sociodemographic and work-related factors which may confer such exposure risk may be targets for assessment and intervention. Such interventions can be important to mitigate the untenable role of workplace violence exposure to the nursing profession.
The nursing workforce shortage is a global problem, and nursing students represent a critical source for sustaining the nursing workforce. Understanding the reasons why nursing students choose to leave the nursing profession rather than entering the workforce is a critical issue
Introduction: Accessing mental health care remains challenging for Medicaid beneficiaries with mental illnesses (MI) in rural settings. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted telehealth service expansion through temporary policy changes and shifts in health care delivery. Despite the increased availability of telehealth as a modality to address disparities in health care access, telehealth adoption and associated use are inadequately explored among Medicaid beneficiaries with MI in Kentucky.
Objective: To examine trends and factors associated with telehealth use by residence status among Kentucky Medicaid beneficiaries with MI.
Design: A retrospective analysis of Kentucky Medicaid claims data obtained from 174,354 beneficiaries aged 18 years or older and diagnosed with MI. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine telehealth use over time and factors associated with its use.
Results: Telehealth use increased significantly from 0.3% in 2018 to 1.0% in 2022. Telehealth use was higher among urban residents (from 0.5% in 2018 to 1.4% in 2022) versus rural residents (from 0.2% in 2018 to 0.6% in 2022). Factors associated with increased telehealth use were being female, younger age, White non-Hispanic, having serious MI (SMI) or concurrent SMI and substance use disorders, and having a fee-for-service payor type. Rural residents were less likely than urban residents to use telehealth despite a similar trend of year-to-year increase.
Conclusion: Although telehealth use remains low, its utilization has increased among Medicaid beneficiaries with MI in Kentucky. Demographic characteristics, MI status, and payor type were associated with telehealth use, with notable disparities between urban and rural populations. These results highlight the need to further examine barriers that deter or promote telehealth use in rural states.
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Help-Seeking Scale (MHHSS) for measuring nursing students’ intentions to seek mental health services.
METHODS
An online survey with 148 nursing students was conducted. Factor analysis via principal components analysis was used to examine the scale’s factor structure. Convergent validity was assessed by comparing MHHSS scores with the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Kessler Psychological Distress scales. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach’s alpha.
RESULTS
Cronbach’s alpha was .924. Factor analysis identified a four-factor structure accounting for 83.2 percent of item variance. Convergent validity analysis showed significant positive correlations between MHHSS total and subscales (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions) and both the ACEs and psychological distress scales.
CONCLUSION
The MHHSS shows strong construct validity and reliability among nursing students; minor item refinement was recommended for improved attitude measurement.
The psychiatric nursing field faces challenges in recruiting, training, and retaining educated nurses. A Work-Learning Program (WLP) within an academic-practice partnership may address these issues.
Although graphical modalities have emerged as a potential medium to communicate health information, few studies have examined measurement instruments used to evaluate such modalities. This study examined the use of a Comic Book Rating Scale (CoBoRs) adapted from an existing Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) for assessing the quality of a comic book that delivers health information.