Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is the most prevalent and debilitating type of social anxiety, limiting academic performance, work attendance, and social involvement. Objective: This narrative review addresses the psychosocial basis of PSA and summarizes psychometric and biological strategies to capture the stress and anxiety that arise from public speaking. According to contemporary theoretical models, specifically cognitive-behavioral, evolutionary, and acceptance-based perspectives, PSA is a multidimensional condition that is characterized by maladaptive cognitions, avoidance, and sympathetic arousal. Standard test tools, including the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA), the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS), the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE) and the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE), have played a critical role in the evolution of research on PSA. Conversely, the majority of these measures provide only minimal contextual specificity and have not necessarily been extensively validated across various cultural contexts. Newer tools have greater sensitivity to performance-related situations and cognitive self-evaluations throughout the speaking tasks [38, 39]: for example, Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAS) Public Speaking Class Anxiety Scale (PSCAS) , Self-Statements During Public Speaking Scale (SSPS), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI). Besides the subjective self-report instruments, biological assessment techniques offer objective data related to the physiological correlates of public speaking anxiety. Among these are cardiovascular monitors, electrodermal activity, neuroendocrine profiling, and other similar multimodal indices, acquired via wearable sensor technologies. Combining physiological indicators with psychometric assessments may enhance diagnostic specificity, which may in turn help to elucidate biological mechanisms and allow for more tailored interventions. Standardization of biological reference ranges and assessing their responsiveness to therapeutic approaches should offer further opportunities to optimize treatment. Future research is called upon to establish culturally appropriate, multimodal measures able to assess anticipatory anxiety, in-task experience, and post-event processing. More attention should be paid to stress profiles predicted by various speaking contexts and to the delivery of just-in-time adaptive interventions. This review emphasizes the importance of multimethod assessment frameworks which integrate self-report, behavioral, and physiological measures of public speaking anxiety to enhance our ability to accurately identify, manage, and effectively treat individuals suffering from public speaking anxiety.
Background: Family caregivers are key players in the provision of support to mentally ill patients, especially in low-resource and community-based care facilities. Aim: The objective of the proposed study was to investigate the experiences of family caregivers concerning persons with mental illness and their knowledge and perceptions of the caregiving role. Methods: The qualitative descriptive design was adopted in the form of the six phases in the thematic analysis framework by Braun and Clarke. A total of 20 family caregivers of the outpatient psychiatric clinics of Azadi Teaching Hospital were recruited using purposive sampling. The data were gathered using semi-structured face-to-face interviews in Arabic, audio-taped, transcribed in their verbatim, and English translations. The collection of data was done until saturation was reached. Results: There were six high-level themes, including caregiver duties and stress, emotional and psychological impact, role transformation and altered family relationships, coping strategies and lack of support, knowledge and misconceptions, and resiliency and new outlook. Caregivers reported they spent many hours a day supervising, the person didn't take medication, risked their safety, became emotionally exhausted, placed financial burdens on the family and felt stigmatized . Poor mental health literacy and cultural models of explanation were affecting behaviors of seeking help and management of crisis. Conclusion: Mental illness family care is a multidimensional and transforming experience that may be associated with a high burden and considerable resilience. It is critical to enhance family-focused psychoeducation, diminish stigma, increase access to services and enhance culturally competent support systems .
Background: patient-controlled analgesia (PCA device ) is one of the most efficient method for relieving pain ,such as pain result from tissue injury after surgery ,labor pain ,chronic pain in patient how experience sever pain for a long period such malignant pain in cancer patients .the aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of PCA device in reliving post cesarean pain at maternity hospitals. Method :quantitative descriptive study was conducted at two hospitals (Al- Salam and Al- Bahthy ) located in Mosul city ,from 1st November 2025 until 1st march 2026. A non-probability purposive sample consist of 60 women who use PCA device for managing post-cesarean pain. the questionnaire consist of socio-demographic variables , analgesia being used in the device and analgesia mechanism of action, general information related to PCA device ,pain intensity after PCA device use women opinion about the device .Data were analysis using SPSS version 27. Result :the participants age groups distribution were near to be the same ,the majority of the participants have bachelor degree 61.7% in term of educational level, 50.0% of the participants were employment and 98.3% of the study participants live in the urban area. pain intensity after cesarean has been reported as intolerable .the pain intensity decrease from 4.57 to 2.53 after one hour of using the device and continuous to decrease. Conclusion :PCA device decrease the women pain intensity at frequent periods and increase the women ability to perform the required activity such as (breastfeeding, bounding , rest and sleep)
Background: Second and third-degree burn wounds are an ideal environment for colonization by bacterial pathogens due to damage to the skin barrier, where S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii predominate. They are characterized by high resistance to antibiotics and the ability to form biofilms, which increases infection and sepsis rates. Therefore, early diagnosis of pathogens can facilitate rapid recovery and prevent them from penetrating the body. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of bacterial pathogens in burn wounds at our center to inform local infection control and empiric treatment protocols. Methodology: Cross-sectional study of 60 patients, ages ranging from 1 to 60 years, for both sexes. Swabs were processed via culture on standard and selective media, with identification via biochemical tests and VITEK-2. Results: All patients suffered from second and third degrees of burns, and most of them were women at a rate higher than that of men. As for the age group, 21–30 had the highest percentage of burned people under study compared to the rest of the age groups. 44 bacterial isolates were identified, 29 isolates from patients with second-degree burns and 15 isolates from patients with third-degree burns, including 19 isolates of Pseudomona aeruginosa, 13 isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii, and 9 isolates of Staplylococcus aureus. At the same time, there were 3 isolates of klebsiella pneumonia bacteria. Conclusion: Early detection prevents the progression of local wound infections to septic shock, the leading cause of death in burn units. These types of bacteria, known as hospital-acquired bacteria, possess complex defense mechanisms and are classified as multidrug-resistant. Their presence in the burn area often leads to skin graft failure, as they inhibit the growth of new cells responsible for adhesion. Furthermore, knowing this allows doctors to choose the appropriate antibiotic instead of relying on guesswork, thus reducing the exacerbation of resistance.
Background: Primary caregivers or parents play critical role in managing broad group of children who require particular educational, social, and medical treatments due to physical, cognitive, and mental disabilities, which may contribute to impairment in family well-being and impairments in quality of life for both child and their family. It is common for caregivers of children with special needs to feel more psychological stress. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess of psychological distress among caregivers of children with special needs and find out the relationship among psychological distress and socio-demographic characteristics. Methodology: The current study utilized a descriptive (cross-sectional) design was conducted on (111) study sample included all caregivers who attended seven institutes (Al-Amal Institute for deaf, Al-Noor Institute, Al-Raja Institute, Al-Rayahin Institute, Al-Mustakbal Institute, Al-Saada Institute for Autism, and Al-Amal Institute for Impaired hearing) from 12 November 2025 to 15 January 2026. A purposive non-probability sampling was used. Furthermore, a adopted two tools used: Kessler scale, a personal and clinical characteristics for child and personal characteristics for caregivers questionnaire sheet was added. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis H test to determine the statistical differences and relationship. Results: The results of the study revealed the majority of caregivers of children with special needs who participated in this study have moderate level of psychological distress with mean of scores (25.64). There is a non-significant relationship between Psychological Distress for caregivers and their socio-demographic trait such as age, sex, level of education, monthly income at (P<0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study conclude caregiving for child with special needs stress factor in itself, regardless of the social, economic background of caregivers. Therefore, providing families with educational programs helps increasing caregivers' awareness about causes, signs and symptoms and how to relief stress by using Coping strategies.
