Background Happiness and professional autonomy in nurses increase job satisfaction, reduce turnover and improve the quality of healthcare services. Aims The present study aimed to examine the correlation between happiness and professional autonomy in Iranian nurses. Methods This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 371 nurses in 2017. The participants were selected via two-step random sampling. Data were collected using the Oxford Happiness Inventory and Dempster Practice Behaviors Scale within the score ranges of 0–87 and 30–150, respectively. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16. Results Mean score of happiness among nurses was 43.1 ± 13.3 and the mean score of professional autonomy was 96.4 ± 13.5. According to Pearson's correlation coefficient, professional autonomy had a positive, significant correlation with happiness ( r = 0.481; p < 0.001). In addition, the results of regression analysis indicated that professional autonomy could predict 23% of the happiness variance in the nurses ( p < 0.001). Conclusions According to the results, the level of happiness in Iranian nurses was favourable, whereas the level of professional autonomy was moderate. Considering the significant correlation between happiness and professional autonomy, attention should be paid to the simultaneous enhancement of these variables to improve the efficiency of nursing care.

Background: One of the psychological complications of heart failure is anxiety, especially death anxiety, which leads to poor quality of life in patients and impaired prognosis of the disease. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to Investigating Death Anxiety and its Relationship with Some Demographic Variables in Patients with Heart Failure investigate death anxiety level and its association with some demographic variables in patients with heart failure. Methods: It was a descriptive-analytical study conducted on 80 patients with heart failure referring to Valiasr Hospital and Ayatollah Mousavi Zanjan between March 2018 and August 2018. A three-prat questionnaire was used to collect data: 1. Demographic characteristics, 2. Templer death anxiety scale 3. Beck anxiety scale (to determine patients' baseline anxiety). For analyzing the data, descriptive statistics and ANCOVA were used in SPSS v.22 software. Results: The age range of the patients was between 27 and 98 years, with the highest age group (65 years) with 83.8%. Fifty-two point five percent of the sample were female (n=42) and 47.5% were male (n=38). Seventy two point five percent were married, 61% were illiterate, 40% were unemployed and 55% reported poor financial status. The mean score of death anxiety in heart failure patients was 47.95. The highest score of death anxiety in these patients was 61 (1.3%) and the lowest score was 30 (1.3%). More than 90% of patients had moderate (82.5%) and severe (11.25%) death anxiety. The results of ANCOVA showed that the relationship between death anxiety level and employment status variable (P<0.04) was significant. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated a high death anxiety among the majority of studied population which can be due to lack of adequate training in coping with death anxiety in patients with heart failure. Accordingly, it is suggested that more attention should be paid to mental health authorities in order to improve the mental health of these populations in this area.

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Background: Exposure to death and the resulting anxiety is a significant dimension of the mental health of patients suffering from chronic diseases, including heart failure. Objectives: Illness perception affects adherence to health-promoting behaviors and health outcomes. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a perception-based intervention on death anxiety in patients with heart failure. Methods: Following a randomized clinical trial design, 120 patients suffering from heart failure, recruited using convenient sampling, were categorized into two groups of control and intervention using the randomized minimization method. The intervention group received three 30-minute sessions of training, while the control group only received routine interventions. Data were collected using a demographic information checklist, brief illness perception questionnaire (BIPQ), and Templer Death Anxiety Scale. Data analysis was administered by independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square, and Wilcoxon tests using SPSS version 22. Results: There was a significant difference between the study groups concerning anxiety scores before and after the intervention (P<0.001). Death anxiety scores before the intervention were not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.640), but there was a statistically significant difference in death anxiety scores after the intervention (P<0.001). Conclusion:Regarding the importance of death anxiety in patients with heart failure, this study demonstrated the importance of using perception-based interventions.