Clinical trials

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Intervention in reducing secondary traumatic stress among undergraduate social work students completing their field practicum. During field education, social work students may have direct professional contact with individuals affected by child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, poverty, loss, and other potentially traumatic experiences. Repeated indirect exposure to clients' traumatic experiences may place students at risk for secondary traumatic stress. A total of 80 fourth-year undergraduate social work students will participate in the study. Participants will be allocated to an intervention group (n=40) or a control group (n=40) according to the geographic location of their routine field practicum. Students completing their field practicum in Manisa Province will constitute the intervention group, whereas students completing their field practicum outside Manisa Province, including İzmir and other provinces, will constitute the control group. The intervention group will receive a two-hour Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care workshop before or at the beginning of field practicum, followed by three structured self-help and peer-sharing group sessions during the practicum period. The control group will continue the routine field practicum process and standard university internship orientation without receiving the study-specific intervention during the study period. Secondary traumatic stress will be assessed repeatedly in both groups throughout the approximately four-month practicum period. Psychological resilience will be assessed at baseline as a supportive participant characteristic. Intervention-related knowledge and skills will also be assessed in the intervention group. The primary hypothesis is that students participating in the Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Intervention will demonstrate a more favorable change in secondary traumatic stress over time compared with students in the control group.

Introduction and Aim: Pressure ulcers are preventable complications that are common, particularly in individuals with dementia cared for at home, reducing quality of life and creating significant costs for the healthcare system. The risk of pressure ulcers increases in individuals with dementia due to mobility limitations, communication difficulties, and caregiver dependency; in a home care setting, the knowledge and skill deficiencies of caregivers further exacerbate this risk. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-component training, monitoring, and reminder intervention developed for caregivers of individuals with dementia cared for at home in reducing the risk of pressure ulcers and the development of new pressure ulcers compared to standard care. This study goes beyond the predominantly institution- and hospital-based approaches in the literature on pressure ulcer prevention, offering a structured, experimental intervention model specific to individuals with dementia cared for at home and their caregivers. This study aims to present a caregiver-based, feasible, and low-cost model for the prevention of pressure ulcers in individuals with dementia receiving home care, and to contribute the findings to scientific publications and home care services. Method: The study was designed as a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled experimental design. Patient-caregiver pairs (PCGs) consisting of individuals diagnosed with dementia and their primary caregivers receiving home care were randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention group (n=60) received a 12-week multi-component program consisting of structured training sessions for caregivers, daily pressure ulcer prevention checklists, weekly coaching sessions, and text message reminders. The control group (n=60) received standard care and general information. The primary outcomes of the project were pressure ulcer risk (Braden Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment Scale) and the development of new pressure ulcers. Secondary outcomes included caregiver knowledge level, adherence to preventive care practices, and changes in caregiver burden. The obtained data were statistically analyzed.