Erika Sivarajan Froelicher

• RN, MA, MPH,PhD
• Professor Emeritus at University of California, San Francisco

Introduction So far, the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale have not been assessed in Iran. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale among a group of Iranian patients in Amol. Methods This methodological study...

Introduction: So far, the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale have not been assessed in Iran. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale among a group of Iranian patients in Amol. Methods: This methodological stu...

Kinesiophobia, the fear of movement, can significantly impede an individual’s ability to engage in daily activities. This fear often stems from past traumatic experiences or witnessing others in pain, leading to an increased fear of injury. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesi...

Background and Aims Recognizing the ability to adapt coping mechanisms in response to the unique issues present in various Iranian societies underscores the importance of considering culture and religion when interacting with diverse groups of individuals. The objective of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the fear of progres...

Introduction Fear-avoidance beliefs (FAB) play a crucial role in the treatment outcomes of post-surgery patients. These beliefs can lead to activity avoidance, increased pain, and decreased quality of life. Therefore, accurately measuring these beliefs in Iranian patients is of significant importance. The Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FABQ)...

Background: Given the importance of quality of life, especially in women with breast cancer, it is essential to have a valid scale to measure their quality of life. Objectives: Therefore, we conducted a study to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the quality of life questionnaire for women with breast cancer within the cu...

Introduction The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is commonly used to measure stress levels in postoperative patients, as research shows that high levels of stress can affect postoperative outcomes. By using the PSS-10, healthcare providers can understand patients’ psychological well-being before and after surgery, helping improve recovery a...

Hemodialysis is a conservative treatment for end-stage renal disease. It has various complications which negatively affect quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to examine the relationship between fatigue, pruritus, and thirst distress (TD) with QOL of patients receiving hemodialysis, while also considering the mediating role of treatment adheren...

Background Psychometrical evaluation of persons of diverse contexts, and different populations, including general or clinical. Objective This review study aimed to evaluate the psychometrics quality of resilience scales. Methods International and Iranian databases were searched with MESH terms included “psychometric”, “validity”, “reliability”, “...

Background and Purpose: Patients on hemodialysis often struggle with their body image. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the body image concern questionnaire for the first time in hemodialysis patients in Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 hemodialysis patien...

Background and Purpose: This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the Persian version of Positive Body Image among Adolescents Scale (PBIAS-P) in Tehran, Iran, in order to better understand adolescents' positive perceptions of their physical selves and the accompanying thoughts and emotions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carrie...

Background and aim: The correlation between eating attitudes, positive body image, and body esteem is a pivotal area of research that has garnered substantial attention in recent years, given its implications for both mental and physical well-being. The objective of this study was to examine the interplay between positive body image, body esteem, a...

Background and aim The correlation between eating attitudes, positive body image, and body esteem is a pivotal area of research that has garnered substantial attention in recent years, given its implications for both mental and physical well-being. The objective of this study was to examine the interplay between positive body image, body esteem, an...

Introduction The psychometric properties of the body esteem scale have not been assessed in Iran. Therefore, the aim of this study was to translate and determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the body esteem scale among Iranian adolescents. Methods The sample of this methodological study consisted of 504 adolescents [mean...

Background: Resilience is a measure of the ability to cope with stress and the accurate measurement of it is critical. This study aimed to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the ConnorDavidson Resilience Scale in Iranian adolescents during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, after...

Background: Resilience is a measure of the ability to cope with stress and the accurate measurement of it is critical. This study aimed to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale in Iranian adolescents during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, after...

Background/aim: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is an alternative treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered high-risk for surgery. Determine the anxiety levels of patients, who will undergo TAVI surgery, and factors affecting anxiety in the pre- and postoperative period. Materials and methods: This cross-s...

Background: Nursing care is one of the main tasks of nursing. Currently, organizations are trying to improve the quality of nursing care to satisfy their patients and reduce the cost and length of hospital stays. Psychological ownership (PO) is intended to be a shortcut to achieving this goal through cognitive-emotional changes in nurses. Objective...

Since spiritual well-being has a significant role in individual and social health, using a valid scale to identify these properties is essential. Comparing factor structure and differences in the number of dimensions and items of subscales could be an indicator of differences in individuals' attitudes toward spirituality among diverse cultures. The...

Background and purpose Recent new mutations and increases in transmission of COVID-19 among adolescents and children highlight the importance of identifying which factors influence parental decisions regarding vaccinating their children. The current study aims to explore whether child vulnerability and parents' attitudes toward vaccines mediate the...

Background The resilience construct is considered a personal trait composed of multiple aspects. Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale is a standard tool composed of five factors and 25 items. This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of this scale. Methods In this cross-sectional study, after the scale translation, the factorial struct...

Background Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease is stressful for caregivers. So that, considering all the emotional and financial costs imposed on the families of Alzheimer’s patients, stress from caring is an issue that cannot be ignored and plans need to be developed to help these caregivers to manage the care properly. The current study...

Background The resilience construct is considered a personal trait composed of multiple aspects. Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale is a standard tool composed of five factors and 25 items. This study aimed to determine the psycho-metric properties of this scale. Methods In this cross-sectional study, after the scale translation, the factorial struct...

Background The rising burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and its associated complications is affecting the functional capacity of the individuals, their quality of life and demand for healthcare services with significant economic impact on health care systems and the national economies. Given the enormous health and economic impact, preventing...

Background Having meaning in life is a protective factor for psychological well-being. Accurate assessment of this construct needs a valid and reliable tool. Purpose This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the meaning of life questionnaire in patients with cancer. Method In this cross-sectional study, after...

Background Patient-centered care in diabetes self-management might be a significant factor in improving health outcomes of adults with type 2 diabetes, yet the supporting evidence is inadequate. This review aimed at assessing the effectiveness of patient-centered self-management care interventions on glycemic control (HbA1c) and self-care behaviors...

Purpose Fear of progression or recurrence is assumed as a rational response to the threat of cancers and types of cancer treatment. However, the elevated levels of fear in cancer patients can become dysfunctional. Therefore, a valid and reliable questionnaire is unquestionably required for this purpose. This study aimed to translate the Fear of Pro...

Purpose Fear of progression or recurrence is assumed as a rational response to the threat of cancers and types of cancer treatment. However, the elevated levels of fear in cancer patients can become dysfunctional. Therefore, a valid and reliable questionnaire is unquestionably required for this purpose. This study aimed to translate the Fear of Pro...

Aim: There has been growing concern about the nurses' turnover intention as well as life satisfaction during COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. The past research has provided evidence on the effect of organizational support on nurses' job satisfaction and turnover intention. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism behind these associations...

Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and debilitating disorder that strongly affects people with AD and their families. The changes in signs of the disease and its treatment lead to many challenges in people with AD that affect the performance and the ability of caregivers, their social life, and physical, emotional, and psychologic...

The crisis of the COVID-19 prevalence in Iran, as well as the world, caused mental disorders and anxiety syndrome. The COVID-19 anxiety syndrome scale (C-19ASS) assesses conceptually and psychometrically the nature of the COVID-19 threat experience instead of a response to the threat, fear, and COVID-19 anxiety. Therefore, the aim of this study is...

Background Hardiness is one of the personality traits that can help individuals in stressful situations. Since human beings are constantly under stressful situations and the stresses inflicted on people in each situation are different, various scales have been developed for assessing this feature among different people in different situations. Henc...

Background: Pain assessment in unconscious patients is a major challenge for healthcare providers. This study aims to compare the diagnostic value of the critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT) and the behavioral pain scale (BPS) for pain assessment among unconscious patients. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in...

Background: Although poor dietary habits have a great effect on the health status of children, especially in toddlers, a few questionnaires exist for the assessment of dietary imbalances. This study aims to assess the validity and reliability of the NutriCHEQ in Iranian healthy toddlers. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, first, the NutriCHEQ...

Background and Aim Hemodialysis treatment saves the life of people with end-stage renal disease (ERDS), but does not prevent the suffering of the disease, anxiety, hopelessness, and so on. Many studies have been performed on self-care behaviors as well as body image in different patients, but so far, no research has been done to investigate the rel...

Aim To investigate the accuracy, reliability and agreement between infrared forehead thermometers versus infrared tympanic thermometers temperature, a cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2020. Methods The forehead and tympanic temperatures of 615 subjects were measured simultaneously in three exposed SARS-COV-2 groups at one hospital in I...

Background: Several studies indicate a high prevalence of depression around the world during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a valid instrument to capture the depression of an individual in this situation is both important and timely. The present study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Center for...

Background Although various studies have been conducted on the effects of seasonal climate changes or emotional variables on the risk of AMI, many of them have limitations to determine the predictable model. The currents study is conducted to assess the effects of meteorological and emotional variables on the incidence and epidemiological occurrenc...

Background Older adults duo to circumstances of aging such as relationship losses, medical morbidities, and functional declines, are prone to social isolation and loneliness more than any other age group. Furthermore, with The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to quarantine, the possibility of feelings of loneliness, especially...

This paper reports on the psychometric properties of the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) with a sample of 311 Iranian patients who were suffering from cancer between September and December 2020. A cross-sectional study design was used, and convenience sampling was employed. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency Cronbach’s alpha, McDon...

Background: The coronavirus pandemic can cause unprecedented global anxiety, and, in contrast, resilience can help the mental health of people in stressful situations. This study aimed to assess anxiety, hyperarousal stress, the resilience of the Iranian population, and their related factors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic....

Purpose: This study tested a hypothetical model to evaluate the relationship between job satisfaction, abusive supervision, and psychological ownership with the quality of nursing care. Design and Methods: In this cross‐sectional study, a sample of 300 nurses from two public hospitals in Iran was selected. Exploratory factor analysis was used to as...

Background: Patient-centered care in diabetes self-management might be a significant factor in improving self-care outcomes yet the supporting evidence is inadequate. This review is aimed to assess the effectiveness of patient-centered self-management care interventions on self-care outcomes such as glycemic control (HbA1c) and self-care behaviors...

Abstract The current study targeted a sample of waterpipe (WP) exclusive smokers to identify the levels and predictors of dependence on this smoking pattern and to examine the relationship between WP smoking (WPS) dependence and depressive symptoms. A cross-sectional research design was employed with a community sample of 270 subjects who are curre...

Aim and Objectives This study aims to test the hypothesis that job satisfaction and organizational commitment might play a mediating roles between workload, quality of supervision, extra role behavior, pay satisfaction and intention to care of patients with COVID‐19. Background Given the high incidence of Coronavirus and shortage of nurses in Iran...

Background: Due to the urgent emphasis on quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, the possibility of feelings of loneliness, especially in older adults, became an important nursing priority. Therefore, is important to identify loneliness quickly and respond appropriately to prevent, reduce or treat it. In order to do so, the aim of this study was...

Aim: To investigate the accuracy, reliability and agreement between infrared forehead thermometers versus infrared tympanic thermometers temperature, a cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2020. Methods: The forehead and tympanic temperatures of 615 subjects were measured simultaneously in three exposed SARS-COV-2 groups at one hospital in...

Occupational standard is the result of the agreement between relevant stakeholders in the labor market and education on optimal content for a particular occupation. While drafting occupational standard, the primary instrument for researching competencies at a workplace is a survey on occupational standard. This study identifies key competencies, ro...

Background Given the high incidence of coronavirus and the shortage of nurses in Iranian hospitals, nurses’ intention to care for patients with COVID-19 is important. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the nurses’ intention to care scale (NICS) by Iranian nurses who care for patients with COV...

Introduction: Psychological aspects are important issues in patients that will have significant effects on disease progression. A new and important psychological concern is self-blame. This review was performed with the aim of systematic review on studies around patient’s self-blame. Methods: This is a systematic review using international database...

Background: The prevalence of Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) varies from region to region caused by seasonal climate changes and temperature variation. This study aimed to assess the relationship between changing meteorological conditions and incidence of AMI in Iran. Methods: This retrospective prevalence study was based on medical records of...

Background: Meteorological parameters and seasonal changes can play an important role in the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, there is almost no evidence on a national level to suggest the associations between these variables and ACS in Iran. We aim to identify the meteorological parameters and seasonal changes in relationship...

Background: Past studies have found that depression is an independent predictor of death in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Our aim was to investigate whether the adverse effect upon mortality of depression, including mild levels, persisted up to 25 years. Methods: We used an historical design to study patients who had been con...

Purpose Hypertension (HT) is considered to be the most common disorder in the general population. Demographic data indicate that older adults commonly suffer from HT. Older age is one of the key factors affecting the adherence of patients with HT. The main purpose was to identify demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors that affect adherenc...

Background: Research indicates that the age of onset of first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an essential element in the life expectancy that has been decreasing in developing countries. There are various studies performed in Iran reporting a range of ages at time of AMI. Thus, this meta-analysis study is designed to determine the mean age a...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to validate a Persian version of the Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) in Iranian patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: The CDS was forward translated from English into Persian and back-translated to English. Validity was assessed using face, content, and construct validity. Also Cronbach's alp...

Abstract Background: The purpose of the study was to evaluate clinical manifestations of acute myocardial infarction as classified by age and gender. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in a coronary care unit of a regional urban medical center in northern Iran (Amol). A total of 366 patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarctio...

BACKGROUND: Research indicates that the age of onset of first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an essential element in the life expectancy that has been decreasing in developing countries. There are various studies performed in Iran reporting a range of ages at time of AMI. Thus, this meta-analysis study is designed to determine the mean age at...

Introduction Elderly adults with heart failure (HF) may have problems with self-care behaviors because of cognitive deficits. Self-care deficits have been found to be significantly associated with negative health care outcomes among HF patients. The aim of this paper was to assess cognitive deficits and the level of self-care ability in elderly pat...

Background: Widespread waterpipe smoking (WPS) is reported worldwide. Although remarkable numbers of waterpipe smokers do not smoke cigarettes, very few studies have explored the phenomenon of WPS in people who smoke water pipes exclusively. The aim of this study was to assess levels of knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and patterns of WPS among Jordan...

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. The prerequisites for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease are adequate levels of knowledge and being aware of the risk. In this study, the levels of knowledge about cardiovascular disease among patients with rheumatoid arthritis and the perception were eval...

The data file of 200 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. (XLS)

Background Without assistance, smokers being admitted to the hospital for coronary heart disease often return to regular smoking within a year. Objective This study assessed the 12-month effectiveness of a telephone and a face-to-face counselling intervention on smoking abstinence among cardiac patients. Differential effects for subgroups varying i...

The purposes of this study were to compare the perceived and actual 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to evaluate the influence of cardiovascular risk factors on perceived CVD risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Korea. Additionally, the attainment of CVD prevention guideline goals by 3 levels of CVD risk (low, moderat...

Background: Historically, models to describe disease were exclusively nature-based or nurture-based. Current theoretical models for complex conditions such as cardiovascular disease acknowledge the importance of both biologic and non-biologic contributors to disease. A critical feature is the occurrence of interactions between numerous risk factors...

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, and smoking cessation is a key component of secondary cardiovascular disease risk prevention efforts. Objectives: To examine the relationships between demographic, clinical and health factors, history and patterns of smoking, nicotine dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and willingness...

Poor adherence to treatment can have negative effects on outcomes and heath care cost. However, little is known about the factors that impact adherence to deferasirox chelation therapy. The aims of this study were to identify rates and predictors of non-adherence to medical regimen among thalassemia major adolescents on deferasirox oral chelation t...

Background: Smoking is the most preventable cause of death worldwide. Despite the high prevalence of smoking and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Jordan, little is known about smoking in hospitalized patients with CVD. Objectives: To describe the perceptions, history, and patterns about cigarette and water pipe smoking in hospitalized patients with...

The aim of this study was to develop strategies for enhancing community motivation and participation in smoking control in one municipality, in the North-eastern part of Thailand. The Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach was used whereby the researchers facilitate and empower a community. Community meetings were set up for exchange of exper...

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between psychosocial status, disease knowledge and adherence to deferoxamine treatment in adolescents with thalassaemia major. A purposive sample of 36 adolescents with transfusion dependence, ages 12-19 years, was recruited. A semi-structured interview and two structured questionnaires w...

Background: Various institution-specific guidelines have been developed to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia. However, the availability of guidelines does not ensure adherence to recommended strategies. Objective: To identify factors that influence adherence to guidelines for prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia, with a focus on o...

Introduction: Mexican American women in the US have the second highest prevalence of overweight or obesity (78.2%), 44.8% are obese, yet little research has examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body satisfaction among young, low-income Latina adults. Objective: To examine the relationships between knowledge, attitudes, belief...

Although prospective studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses have documented an association between depression and increased morbidity and mortality in a variety of cardiac populations, depression has not yet achieved formal recognition as a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome by the American Heart Associa...

Purpose: This study tested the long-term effectiveness of two smoking cessation interventions in cardiac patients and differential effects for socio-economic status (SES) and patients' motivation to quit. Methods: In this Dutch randomized controlled trial conducted from 2009 to 2012, hospitalized cardiac patient smokers were assigned to Usual Care...

Smoking cessation interventions for cardiac patients need improvement given their weak effects on long-term abstinence rates and low compliance by nurses to implementation. This study tested the effectiveness of two smoking cessation interventions against usual care in cardiac patients, and conditional effects for patients' motivation to quit and s...

Aim: This paper describes the methodological issues associated with secondary analysis of large national survey datasets. Methods: Issues about survey sampling, data collection, and non-response and missing data in terms of methodological validity and reliability are discussed. Results: Although reanalyzing large national survey datasets is an...

Purpose: To establish a stratification, using cultural predictors, for identifying Chinese immigrants at high risk for non-adherence to antihypertensive medications. Background: Limited studies were done on establishing a stratification for identifying Chinese immigrants who are at risk for non-adherence. Methods: A cross-sectional design was u...

Background: Nutritional support is important for maximizing clinical outcomes in critically ill patients, but enteral nutritional intake is often inadequate. Objective: To assess the nutritional intake of energy and protein during the first 4 days after initiation of enteral feeding and to examine the relationship between intake and interruption...

Objectives: To describe perceptions of smoking in men hospitalized with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Background: Smoking is a major risk factor and associated with the high prevalence of CVD in Jordan. Methods: The study design was cross-sectional with a convenience sample. A structured interview was conducted in 112 men who were hospitalized...

Elena Flowers, 2012 Finalist and Presenting Author

Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are the most important preventable risk factors that contribute to premature death from coronary heart disease (CHD). The US adult smoking prevalence rates decreased from 24% in 1998 to 21% in 2008 (Dube, Asman, Malarcher, & Carabollo, 2009), but during the past 5 years, smoking rates have not changed. Men a...

Enteral nutrition is frequently used to provide nutrients for critically ill patients. However, only about half of critically ill enterally fed patients receive their energy requirements. Underfeeding is associated with detrimental clinical outcomes including infection, pressure ulcers, impaired wound healing, prolonged hospital stays, and increase...

Aims and objectives: To evaluate the adequacy of energy and protein intake of patients in a Korean intensive care unit in the first four days after initiation of enteral feeding and to investigate the factors that had impact on adequate intake. Background: Underfeeding is a common problem for patients hospitalised in the intensive care unit and...

Purpose This study aimed to identify factors that influenced job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and the intention of staff nurses to quit nursing in three Jordanian healthcare delivery sectors. Design/methodology/approach A cross‐sectional design was used to answer the research aims. A purposive sample of 180 critical care nurses in three hospi...