Background: The incidence of needle stick injuries is higher among nurses with a low level of knowledge on the prevention of needle stick injury, and who have not received the relevant training during their undergraduate study. The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge of the prevention guidelines and the prevalence of needle stick injury among students in Oman. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey using a questionnaire and involving 167 students from a governmental university was conducted. The questionnaire consists of 30 questions; eight general questions, knowledge related questions, and questions about risk factors, prevention measures, and actions in a case of needle stick injury. Ethical approval was obtained and the link to the survey was shared with students using their university email portal. Results: Of the participants, 81.2% were females; mean age was 23.3 (SD = 4.5) years. The mean total knowledge score was 6.6 out of 10 (SD = 2.1). In addition, 18.2% (n = 32) of the students experienced needle stick injury. Most of the injuries 71.9% (n = 24) occurred during medication preparation and administration. The main cause of NSI as reported by students was recapping the needles (59%, n = 19). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that student nurses have a moderate level of knowledge about needle stick injury prevention measures and lack many facets of safe infection control practice. These findings require the collaborative effort of nursing administrators from both academic and clinical areas, to develop effective strategies to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of needle stick injury.

Aim: The current study aimed to assess and compare the level of knowledge and attitude towards mental illness between secondary school students and their teachers in Oman.Methods: An online survey was carried out to collect data from 400 students and 411 teachers about their knowledge and attitudes toward people with mental illness. Two independent case studies about depression and schizophrenia were also tested.Results: Students have a poor knowledge of mental illness compared with their teachers, as more than half scored less than 60% compared with 16.5% of the teachers. More than two-thirds of the students (80%) and teachers (76.4%) have a low or minor positive attitude toward people with mental illness. The study identified significant differences in knowledge in favour of teachers, although the opposite was found regarding attitudes.Conclusions: Since students spend a significant amount of time in school, bridging the gap between teachers' and students’ knowledge and attitudes toward mental illness is an essential part in enhancing the knowledge and attitudes of the students. In addition, knowledgeable teachers with positive attitude can assist in early identification of mental illnesses and help students when needed. In turn, students who possess knowledge and positive attitude toward mental illness can share their concerns with their teachers. In the presence of such accepting and cooperative environment, the stigma can be decreased and early detection of mental illness and help-seeking behaviour can be promoted.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the lives of individuals from all different age groups. In particular, the prolongation of COVID-19 and the emergence of virus variants, such as Omicron, Delta and Alpha, have caused trauma to university students amid expectations that the associated economic, social, and psychological outcomes could affect their future careers. The current study, therefore, examines how the fear of COVID-19 prolongation may affect future career anxiety (FCA) among adolescents and to what extent depressive symptoms may determine such a relationship. Using a cross-sectional design, a survey was conducted to assess depressive symptoms, FCA, and fear of COVID-19 prolongation among 605 university students in Oman, an Arabic-speaking country located in the Gulf region. Using structural equation modeling, the results showed that there were significant standardized direct effects (unmediated) of fear of COVID-19 on depression from COVID-19 and of depression from COVID-19 on FCA. Additionally, depression from COVID-19 mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and FCA. The results are discussed within the Omani context of mental health service accessibility challenges and the dominant culture of perceiving mental health services with social stigma.

The aim of this study was to test the causal relationship among fear of Covid-19, loneliness, and depression from Covid-19. The study sample consisted of 605 undergraduate students recruited from a public university. They completed three scales: fear of Covid-19, depression from Covid-19, and loneliness. The results revealed a good fit index for the proposed path model. The fear of Covid-19 predicted two types of loneliness emotional and social negatively. A positive association between depression and emotional as well as social loneliness was found. A total of 43% of the variance in depression was explained by loneliness. Depression was potentially a mediating factor between a fear of pandemic and the feeling of loneliness. A counseling intervention can be designed based on these results.

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of person fit indices (Wright’s weighted index, Drasgow index and Almehrizi’s weighted index) in item response models with different degrees of item local dependence (0.0, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9) using simulated item parameters. Item responses for 40 samples each with 10000 subjects (a total of 400000 subjects) were simulated on a test of 60 items. Item discrimination parameters ranged between 0.19 and 1.79 and item difficulty parameters ranged between -2 and +2. 20% of test items were manipulated to show local dependence for each level of local dependence degrees. Student ability was generated to follow a standard normal distribution. Assumptions of item response theory were examined in all data sets using exploratory factor analysis and residual analysis using NOHARM platform for unidimensionality and Q3 index for local independence. Results showed that there was an increase in the percentages of non-conforming persons when increasing the degree of items local dependence for the three person fit indices (Wright’s weighted index, Drasgow index and Almehrizi’s weighted index). Results showed also that the percentages of non-conforming persons were larger with Wright’s weighted index than with Drasgow index and Almehrizi’s weighted index. The distributional properties of the three indices showed relatively consistent in distributional properties. Drasgow index and Almehrizi’s weighted index were very similar distributional properties. Also, there was a larger agreement index between Wright’s weighted index and Drasgow index.