Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Nursing Back Rub On Pain And Wound Cytokines And The Relationship Between Pre-Cabg Mood And Post-Cabg Wound Cytokines, Kathlene D. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

This study, guided by psychoneuroimmunology theory, examined the effects of a 10-minute nursing back rub in 20 coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients on pain and four proinflammatory wound cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α). It also examined the relationships between the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the proinflammatory cytokines. A control group (n = 8) received time with the researcher, and an experimental group (n = 12) received a slow stroke effleurage back rub. All participants initially completed the POMS and after surgery, wound fluid was collected from the mediastinal chest tube before and after the intervention. Analysis …

The Experience Of Menopausal Transition Among Amish Women, Desiree R. Batson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the meaning of the menopausal transition in Amish women. Using in-depth interviews, 10 Amish women who were transitioning into menopause were asked to responds to the question, “As you think of your experiences going through the ‘change of life,’ what specific things stand out for you?”

Three themes emerged: “This is such a natural thing.” a descriptor of natural/unnatural; “I don’t know if what I have has been normal, but what is normal?” a descriptor of change, the expected and unexpected; and “We finally figured it out.” a descriptor of a …

The Meaning Of The Death Of Adult Child To An Elder, Latricia Diane Weed

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this inquiry is to develop an initial understanding and description of the meaning of the experience of an elder after the death of an adult child. A significant research gap exists in studying elder bereavement and the death of an adult child. The research sample was obtained from elderly participants who were known by the researcher to have had the experience of the death of an adult child. A snowball

Responses to the qualitative questions in this study were analyzed using the existential phenomenological method as described by Thomas and polio (2002). Data was reviewed by the …

"Crying Alone With My Child": An Existential Phenomenological Exploration Of The Meaning Of Being A Parent Of A School Age Child With Bipolar Disorder, Josephine Wade

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent years have seen a rise in the number of children diagnosed at an early age with bipolar disorder. Additionally, prescription of psychiatric medications to young children has sharply increased. Parents must assume the responsibility for medication management and behavioral monitoring because inpatient care is brief. This, combined with a changing political arena, may mean continued stress and burden for caregivers and parents of children diagnosed with a psychiatric illness.

The purpose of this existential phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of parents of children ages 6-11 years, who are diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. An existential phenomenological research …

Physical Activity And Immunity In Hiv-Infected Individuals, C.M. Bopp, Kenneth D. Phillips, L.J. Fulk, W.D. Dudgeon, R.L. Sowell

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationship exists among physical activity levels and viral load and CD4+ cell count in HIV-infected individuals. Increased viral load is associated with disease progression and symptom severity. A convenience sample of 66 male and female subjects between the ages of 18 and 64 years of age (mean 399/8) was recruited from a hospital-based HIV/AIDS clinic. Components of PA were assessed for three continuous days using a mini-motion logger wrist actigraph. These components included mean PA level, and PA index and acceleration index. Pearson’s correlational analysis was used to test the strength …

Psychological And Physiological Correlates Of Sleep In Hiv Infection, Jennifer L. Robbins, Kenneth D. Phillips, Wesley D. Dudgeon, Gregory A. Hand

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

Insomnia, a common problem associated with HIV disease, is most likely caused by a multitude of factors. This study investigated the correlations between a selected group of physiological and psychological factors and sleep quality in an HIV-infected population. A convenience sample of 79 ethnically diverse HIVpositive adults, ages 24 to 63, completed a number of questionnaires and released their laboratory records for CD4+ cell count and viral load information. Variables significantly related to sleep quality were HIV-related symptoms, total pain, fatigue, depression, state anxiety, and the number of adults in the household. Findings support the need for health care providers …

"A Fly In The Buttermilk:" Descriptions Of University Life By Successful Black Undergraduate Students At A Predominately White Southeastern University, M. Davis, Y. Dias-Bowie, K. Greenberg, G. Klukken, H.R. Pollio, Sandra Thomas, C.L. Thompson

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

Although many predominantly white universities exert great effort to recruit minority students, statistics regarding retention and graduation for these students are disturbing. Previous research indicates that academic concerns are not paramount in the attrition of minority students, suggesting that greater attention must be given educational experiences of black students over and above academic matters. Using in-depth phenomenological interviewing, 11 graduating seniors from diverse majors were asked to describe salient incidents of their university experience. These interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to hermeneutic interpretation by an interdisciplinary research group. Dominant in student descriptions of their experiences were five themes: (1) …

Physiological And Psychological Correlates Of Fatigue In Hiv/Aids, Kenneth D. Phillips, R.L. Sowell, M. Rojas, A. Tavakoli

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

Fatigue is a frequent symptom reported by persons living with HIV disease and one that affects all aspects of quality of life. To improve quality of care of persons with HIV disease, it is important to address all factors that contribute to fatigue. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations of physiological, psychological, and sociological factors with fatigue in an HIV-infected population. With Piper’s integrated fatigue model guiding selection, factors examined in this study were hemoglobin, hematocrit, CD4+ cell count, HIV-RNA viral load, total sleep time, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, HIV-related symptoms, anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. …

Physiological And Psychological Effects Of Exercise Interventions In Hiv Disease, Kenneth D. Phillips

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

No abstract provided.

The Interaction Model Of Client Health Behavior As A Conceptual Guide In The Explanation Of Children's Health Behaviors, C.H. Robinson, Sandra Thomas

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

This study used the Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior (IMCHB) as a conceptual guide to explain the correlates of children's diet and physical activity and explore the relationships of sex with their diet and physical activity of the school-aged child. A descriptive correlational study was conducted on 371 fifth-grade students and their parents. Information on the family's demographics, health experience, social influence, and environmental resources was collected, as well as data on the children's intrinsic motivation, cognitive appraisal, and affective response to food/physical activity. Children's self-reports on diet and physical activity were collected, as were parents' self-reports on health …

School Connectedness, Anger Behaviors, And Relationships Of Violent And Nonviolent Youth, Sandra Thomas, H. Smith

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

PROBLEM: Youth violence research often focuses on risk factors arising from early familial interactions rather than school-related factors. METHODS: Via an Internet questionnaire, 282 girls and boys (ages 7-19, mean 15.3) from 47 states and Washington, DC, reported on school connectedness, interpersonal relationships, and anger behaviors. FINDINGS: Substantial percentages of violent youth did not perceive themselves to be liked by classmates and reported loneliness. If not liked by classmates, 80% hated school. Likers and haters of school differed on seven variables (all p < or = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient attention is paid to the alienation experienced by disliked and lonely students. Mental health nurses could play a pivotal role in fostering change in the social climate of schools and helping youth to achieve better anger management and social skills.

Men's Health And Psychosocial Issues Affecting Men, Sandra Thomas

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

Contemporary scholars are calling on men to rethink "the male deal." As Samuels describes it, "In the male deal, the little boy, at around the age of 3 or 4. strikes a bargain with the social world in which he lives. If he will turn away from soft things, feminine things, maternal things...then the world will reward his gender certainty by giving him all the goodies in its possession." But the "deal" can have damaging effects, as shown in the studies reviewed in this article. Clinicians can help men to rethink the restrictions of the "male deal" so that they …