Visayas State University

About: Visayas State University is a education organization based out in Baybay, Philippines. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Government & Population. The organization has 550 authors who have published 581 publications receiving 3128 citations.

COVID-19 anxiety among front-line nurses: Predictive role of organisational support, personal resilience and social support.

Abstract: AIM: This study examines the relative influence of personal resilience, social support and organisational support in reducing COVID-19 anxiety in front-line nurses. BACKGROUND: Anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic is prevalent in the nursing workforce, potentially affecting nurses' well-being and work performance. Identifying factors that could help maintain mental health and reduce coronavirus-related anxiety among front-line nurses is imperative. Currently, no studies have been conducted examining the influence of personal resilience, social support and organisational support in reducing COVID-19 anxiety among nurses. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 325 registered nurses from the Philippines using four standardized scales. RESULTS: Of the 325 nurses in the study, 123 (37.8%) were found to have dysfunctional levels of anxiety. Using multiple linear regression analyses, social support (s = -0.142, p = .011), personal resilience (s = -0.151, p = .008) and organisational support (s = -0.127, p = .023) predicted COVID-19 anxiety. Nurse characteristics were not associated with COVID-19 anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Resilient nurses and those who perceived higher organisational and social support were more likely to report lower anxiety related to COVID-19. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: COVID-19 anxiety may be addressed through organisational interventions, including increasing social support, assuring adequate organisational support, providing psychological and mental support services and providing resilience-promoting and stress management interventions.

Fear of COVID-19, psychological distress, work satisfaction and turnover intention among frontline nurses.

Abstract: Aim To examine the relative influence of fear of COVID-19 on nurses' psychological distress, work satisfaction and intent to leave their organisation and the profession. Background The emergence of COVID-19 has significantly impacted the psychological and mental well-being of frontline health care workers, including nurses. To date, no studies have been conducted examining how this fear of COVID-19 contributes to health, well-being and work outcomes in frontline nurses. Methods This is a cross-sectional research design involving 261 frontline nurses in the Philippines. Five standardized scales were used for data collection. Results Overall, the composite score of the fear of COVID-19 scale was 19.92. Job role and attendance of COVID-19-related training predicted fear of COVID-19. An increased level of fear of COVID-19 was associated with decreased job satisfaction, increased psychological distress and increased organisational and professional turnover intentions. Conclusions Frontline nurses who reported not having attended COVID-19-related training and those who held part-time job roles reported increased fears of COVID-19. Addressing the fear of COVID-19 may result in improved job outcomes in frontline nurses, such as increased job satisfaction, decreased stress levels and lower intent to leave the organisation and the profession. Implications for nursing management Organisational measures are vital to support the mental health of nurses and address their fear of COVID-19 through peer and social support, psychological and mental support services (e.g. counselling or psychotherapy), provision of training related to COVID-19 and accurate and regular information updates.

COVID-19 anxiety among frontline nurses: predictive role of organisational support, personal resilience and social support

Abstract: Aim This study examines the relative influence of personal resilience, social support and organisational support in reducing COVID-19 anxiety in frontline nurses. Background Anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic is prevalent in the nursing workforce, potentially affecting nurses’ well-being and work performance. Identifying factors that could help maintain mental health and reduce coronavirus-related anxiety among frontline nurses is imperative. Currently, no studies have been conducted examining the influence of personal resilience, social support and organisational support in reducing COVID-19 anxiety among nurses. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 325 registered nurses from the Philippines using four standardised scales. Results Of the 325 nurses in the study, 123 (37.8%) were found to have dysfunctional levels of anxiety. Using multiple linear regression analyses, social support (β = −0.142, p = 0.011), personal resilience (β = −0.151, p = 0.008) and organisational support (β = −0.127, p = 0.023) predicted COVID-19 anxiety. Nurse characteristics were not associated with COVID-19 anxiety. Conclusions Resilient nurses and those who perceived higher organisational and social support were more likely to report lower anxiety related to COVID-19. Implication for Nursing Management COVID-19 anxiety may be addressed through organisational interventions, including increasing social support, assuring adequate organisational support, providing psychological and mental support services and providing resilience-promoting and stress management interventions.

UAV aerial imaging applications for post-disaster assessment, environmental management and infrastructure development

Abstract: This paper discusses the use of a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing system for different applications, namely post-disaster assessment, environmental management and monitoring of infrastructure development. A collaborative research consortium was established to promote the acquisition, post processing, analysis and sharing of UAV-based aerial imagery. A streamlined workflow - flight planning and data acquisition, post-processing, data delivery and collaborative sharing - was created in order to deliver acquired images and orthorectified maps to various stakeholders within this consortium. Various use case examples of UAV aerial imagery work are still in ongoing development. Initial experience shows that the combination of aerial surveys, ground observations and collaborative sharing with domain experts results in richer information content and a more effective decision support system.

Land-use change affects phosphorus fractions in highly weathered tropical soils

Abstract: Deforestation and land-use change in tropics have increased over the past decades, driven by the demand for agricultural products. Although phosphorus (P) is one of the main limiting nutrients for agricultural productivity in the tropics, the effect of land-use change on P availability remains unclear. The objective was to assess the impacts of land-use change on soil inorganic and organic P fractions of different availability (Hedley sequential fractionation) and on P stocks in highly weathered tropical soils. We compared the P availability under extensive land-use (rubber agroforest) and intensive land-use with moderate fertilization (rubber monoculture plantations) or high fertilization (oil palm monoculture plantations) in Indonesia. The P stock was dominated by inorganic forms (60 to 85%) in all land-use types. Fertilizer application increased easily-available inorganic P (i.e., H 2 O-Pi, NaHCO 3 -Pi) in intensive rubber and oil palm plantations compared to rubber agroforest. However, the easily-available organic P (NaHCO 3 -extractable Po) was reduced by half under oil palm and rubber. The decrease of moderately available and non-available P in monoculture plantation means that fertilization maintains only the short-term soil fertility that is not sustainable in the long run due to the depletion of P reserves. The mechanisms of this P reserve depletion are: 1) soil erosion (here assessed by C/P ratio), 2) mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM) and 3) P export with yield products. Easily-available P fractions (i.e., H 2 O-Pi, NaHCO 3 -Pi and Po) and total organic P were strongly positively correlated with carbon content, suggesting that SOM plays a key role in maintaining P availability. Ecologically based management is therefore necessary to mitigate SOM losses and thus increase the sustainability of agricultural production in P-limited, highly weathered tropical soils.