Nursing Practice Today

Determination of the relationship between nurses' spiritual orientation and compassion fatigue and the factors affecting them: A cross-sectional correlational study

2026-02-21T11:00:44+0330

Background & Aim: In the nursing profession, which is in intense emotional interaction with people, spiritual orientation is thought to be an effective factor in compassion fatigue. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing nurses' spiritual orientation and compassion fatigue, and to examine the relationship between these two variables.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 346 nurses between July 2023 and October 2023. The data were collected through a web-based questionnaire created on Google Forms. The "Introductory Information Form", "Compassion Fatigue Scale", and "Spiritual Orientation Scale" were used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 statistical software.
Results: It was determined that the spiritual orientation scores of the nurses were high(93.180±20.51) and their compassion fatigue levels were moderate(66.110±22.04). Nurses’ spiritual orientation was affected by sex, educational status, working unit, attitude towards profession, and doing the profession with love. Compassion fatigue scores were affected by having children, working unit, working time in the unit, attitude towards profession, and doing the profession with love(p<0.05). No statistically significant relationship was found between nurses' spiritual orientation and compassion fatigue(p>0.05). A weak negative relationship(r=-0.142;p=0.008) was found between nurses' occupational burnout and spiritual orientation levels.
Conclusion: These results suggest that factors influencing compassion fatigue are not limited to spiritual orientation alone, but may include other factors besides it. In this context, it would be important to conduct more comprehensive follow-up studies to examine the relationship between the two concepts and to address the factors that may influence it.

The effect of the nurse-led ROOTS program and soft skills training on emotional regulation to prevent bullying in high school students in Bandung city

2026-02-21T14:30:05+0330

Background & Aim: Bullying is a significant issue affecting adolescents' mental well-being, with emotional regulation playing a key role in preventing such behavior. In Bandung, high rates of bullying among high school students indicate the need for effective prevention strategies. Nurse-led interventions, combined with soft skills training, offer a promising approach to improving emotional regulation and reducing bullying. This study examined the effect of the Nurse-Led ROOTS Program integrated with Soft Skills Training on emotion regulation among high school students in Bandung City.
Materials & Methods: A class-cluster randomized pretest–posttest control-group study was conducted in July 2025 in two high schools in Bandung, Indonesia. A total of 100 students aged 13-18 years were randomly assigned at the class level to an intervention group (n= 50) or a control group (n= 50). The intervention was delivered over 8 weeks through nurse-led face-to-face sessions. Emotion regulation was measured using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA) at baseline and post-intervention. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and mixed-effects ANCOVA.
Results: Baseline ERQ-CA scores did not differ significantly between groups (p> 0.05). The intervention group showed a significant improvement in total ERQ-CA scores (28.9±4.7 to 36.2±4.3; p< 0.001; r= 0.72), with the largest gains observed in the cognitive reappraisal dimension, whereas the control group showed no significant change (p= 0.218). At posttest, the intervention group had significantly higher ERQ-CA scores than the control group (p< 0.001; r=0.69).
Conclusion: The Nurse-Led ROOTS Program integrated with Soft Skills Training significantly improved emotion regulation among high school students in Bandung. This nurse-facilitated, peer-leadership approach may represent a scalable strategy to strengthen adolescent mental health and support violence prevention in school settings.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT07261397.

The effect of extended PLISSIT model-based counseling on sexual satisfaction in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: A randomized controlled trial

2026-02-21T11:16:41+0330

Background & Aim: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus has physiological, cognitive, and mental effects on sexual satisfaction in afflicted women. This study aimed to investigate the effect of sexual counseling based on the EX-PLISSIT model on sexual satisfaction in this group of patients.
Materials & Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 120 married women with SLE in Ahvaz, Iran. Eligible women were randomly assigned to the intervention group (four weeks of psychosexual counseling sessions based on EX-PLISSIT) and the control group, using block randomization with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Before the intervention and eight and twelve weeks after the completion of counseling sessions, the Larson Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire was administered. Data was analyzed using independent t-tests, paired t-tests, Chi-square test, and repeated measures ANOVA.
Results: There was no significant difference in sexual satisfaction scores between the two groups before the intervention (p₌0.718). Following the intervention, the mean sexual satisfaction score in the intervention group significantly increased (from 93.8±15.59 to 104.5±13.32 after 12 weeks), while a significant decrease was observed in the control group. At the 12-week follow-up, the mean satisfaction in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.0001). Repeated Measures ANOVA confirmed a significant difference in the trend of changes between the two groups over time (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: The results demonstrated that sexual counseling based on the EX-PLISSIT model significantly enhanced sexual satisfaction in married women with SLE compared to the control group. Therefore, this type of counseling is recommended as an effective and simple adjunctive therapeutic service for enhancing sexual satisfaction in women with SLE.

Trial registration: This study has been registered with the Iranian Registry for Clinical Trials (IRCT20230626058592N2).

Nurses’ experience of work interruption during the medication administration: A qualitative study

2026-01-25T10:45:35+0330

Background & Aim: Work interruptions during medication administration increase the risk of errors, compromising patient safety and underscoring the need to examine the complex challenges nurses face in ensuring medication safety. The purpose of this study was to examine nurses’ experiences with interruptions during medication administration, their sources, impacts, and how nurses responded to and managed these situations.
Methods & Materials: A qualitative design was used, and in-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen nurses from tertiary hospitals in Korea using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using directed content analysis based on an initial coding scheme.
Results: Three main themes and 10 sub-themes emerged from the analysis. Nurses reported interruptions from various sources, including healthcare colleagues, external departments, patients and caregivers, and environmental factors. These interruptions resulted in workflow fragmentation, elevated medication error risk, and significant emotional burden. In response, nurses employed various individual coping mechanisms while also identifying the need for organizational support.
Conclusion: Interruptions during medication administration stem from multiple sources and impose significant risks for errors, workflow disruption, and emotional burden on nurses. This study suggests that context-sensitive strategies, such as standardizing communication, delegating non-urgent requests, and enhancing education for healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers, are essential to reduce avoidable interruptions while supporting safe medication practices.

Postnatal mothers’ perceptions and experiences of kangaroo care: A qualitative study in a low-resource setting

2026-02-17T09:06:01+0330

Background & Aim: Prematurity is the leading cause of death among children under five years of age globally. Alarmingly, in low-income countries, more than 90% of extremely preterm-born babies die within the first few days of life. Kangaroo care is an effective method in the management of preterm babies. The study aimed to explore perceptions and experiences of postnatal mothers on Kangaroo care at a selected hospital in Sri Lanka.
Methods & Materials: This exploratory descriptive qualitative study was carried out with seventeen purposively selected postnatal mothers who were practicing Kangaroo care in the Neonatal Care Unit at District General Hospital in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. Data collection was done through in-depth interviews using an interview guide between the period of July 2021 and November 2021. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The inductive content analysis method described by Graneheim and Lundman was employed for data analysis.
Results: Participants were mainly Sinhalese, married, and aged between 20-40 years. The analysis revealed one overarching theme: ‘Despite the obstacles, Kangaroo care is a blessing,’ which was further characterized by two main categories: positive perceptions and experiences, and negative perceptions and experiences. Positive perceptions and experiences are described under good practice, supportive role, and benefits. Negative perceptions and experiences are described under separation and obstacles.
Conclusion: The participating mothers’ perceptions and experiences of Kangaroo care blended with both positive and negative dimensions, which were shaped by contextual factors; hence, addressing these factors is imperative for the successful implementation of Kangaroo care.