Healthcare

Background/Objectives: Mindfulness is a meditative practice that increases levels of awareness and attention. Introducing this practice into the curricula of nursing students could improve the relationship with patients and promote students’ well-being. This scoping review aims to map the literature on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) administered to nursing students to promote their psychological well-being. Methods: The review was conducted according to Peters’ framework. PCC eligibility criteria were used. The PCC mnemonic stands for Population (nursing students), Concept (mindfulness-based interventions applied with positive and negative outcomes for psychological well-being), and Context (undergraduate, pre-licensure). The search was conducted in March 2024 by consulting PubMed, ERIC (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (Ovid), and ProQuest databases. Additional sources have been identified from Google Scholar. Results: Of the 763 articles that emerged, 55 were included in the scoping review. The interventions depicted are heterogeneous in terms of content and timing. The most investigated outcomes remain stress and anxiety; self-efficacy and empathy emerge as positive indicators of psychological well-being. In the post-COVID period, there is an increase in the online delivery method. Conclusions: In order to provide guidance for practice and institutional policies, future research could focus on a systematic review that identifies the most appropriate MBIs for the well-being of nursing students. In addition, it would be useful to conduct feasibility studies to introduce structured mindfulness-based practices into the nursing degree programmes, with standardized and adaptable pathways tailored to the needs of different academic realities.

Background/Objectives: The transition to higher education is a critical phase of human development that makes adolescents and young adults particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) among first-year undergraduate nursing students. Methods: A methodological study was conducted with 225 undergraduate nursing students, aged 17 to 18 years, from a higher education institution in central Portugal. Data were collected using the Google Forms platform. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test three competing models: a single-factor model, a three-factor correlated model, and a second-order factor model. Reliability was assessed using composite reliability, and validity was evaluated using average variance extracted and the Fornell–Larcker criterion for discriminant validity. Results: Factor analyses revealed that the three-factor correlated model fit the data best overall, showing superior fit indices compared to the competing models (χ²/df = 2.37; CFI = 0.90; and RMSEA = 0.08; TLI = 0.88 and SRMR = 0.04). Composite reliability was high across all tested models, ranging from 0.84 to 0.94. The analysis of score distributions by category revealed a high prevalence of severe or extremely severe symptoms of anxiety, stress, and, to a lesser extent, depression. A statistically significant association was found between higher symptom severity and prior familiarity with mental illness. Conclusions: The DASS-21 proved to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing psychological distress in higher education students. These findings underscore the urgent need for mental health programs in higher education institutions that focus on early detection and intervention, particularly for students initiating their studies and those with a history of mental health problems.

Background/Objectives: Telerehabilitation is intended for remote treatment, but studies on group training after stroke performed in the patient’s home have not yet been conducted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate adherence rates, safety, usability and enjoyment and preliminary clinical effects of home-based remote group training for balance and mobility in chronic stage after stroke. Methods: Community-dwelling patients in chronic stage after stroke who walked independently and had mild balance deficits participated. Over a 6-week period, they completed 60-min sessions of balance and mobility training twice a week in a group from their home. Adherence rates, adverse events and technical problems were recorded. Participants’ satisfaction was assessed using Modified Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. The primary outcomes were Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (mini-BESTest), 5TSTS and 10MWT and secondary outcomes were limits of stability, weight-bearing symmetry and Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC Scale), measured before, immediately after and six weeks after remote group training. Results: Participants expressed a very high level of satisfaction with training. There were no adverse events and dropouts, but some minor technical challenges. Results showed significant improvements in primary outcomes (mini-BESTest, 10MWT fast walking speed, 5TSTS; all p < 0.001), however there were no significant improvements in secondary outcomes (weight-bearing symmetry, limits of stability and ABC Scale). All improvements persisted six weeks after training. Conclusions: Remote group training at home is feasible, safe and efficient to improve balance and mobility in patients in the chronic phase after stroke.