Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Agentive Theory As Therapy: An Outcome Study, Daniel K. Judd

Theses and Dissertations

The present study evaluated the efficacy of a four-week seminar which emphasized the principles of Agentive Theory. This theory, which is compatible with theories of a phenomenological/ existential perspective, was first developed by C. T. Warner, an American philosopher. Agentive Theorists/Therapists emphasize that our negative emotions, ie., depression, anger, etc. , are assertions or judgments we make and not merely feelings we are responsible for controlling or expressing. Forty-eight outpatients who sought help with personal/emotional problems from a department of behavioral medicine were assigned to either a treatment or waiting-list control Group. Following a four-week treatment phase, the treatment group …

Affect, Cognition And Attention In The Chronic Alcohol Abuser: A Hemispheric Laterality Perspective, Edward P. Kehrwald

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the performance of chronic alcohol abusers and controls on attention, memory, cognition, and emotion from a hemispheric laterality perspective. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between these variables and their role in processing of experiences. Measures which are believed to be predominantly a function of the right hemisphere were explored in some depth.

The subjects in the experimental group were chronic alcohol abusers recently admitted to an inpatient addiction facility. The subjects in the control group were volunteers from the community who d1d not have any significant alcohol problem. Only right-handed males …

An Assessment Of Pain Responses During Stages Of Pregnancy, Ann H. Dunbar

Theses and Dissertations

As physical therapists are becoming more involved with the pregnant population both in traditional patient care as well as in childbirth education, a better understanding of the influence of pregnancy on the pain system is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine if an endogenous analgesia system is present in pregnant humans as has been shown to be present in animals (Ginzler, 1980). Women's affective and intensity responses were measured during late pregnancy, labor and post-partum. Using a repeated measures design, fifteen women responded to thermal stimuli (43-52 degrees C) by marking a visual analogue scale. No significant …

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of A Substance Abuse Awareness And Prevention Program Developed For Use With University-Level Varsity Student-Athletes, Robert Joseph Marcello

Theses and Dissertations

Substance abuse problems affect all segments of society including collegiate athletics. Drug testing programs are viewed as one method of combating this problem, however, more emphasis should be placed upon developing effective prevention programs. Towards this end, the first purpose of this study was to draw from available literature to design a prevention program which would cater to the specific needs of student- athletes. The position is taken that since multiple factors such as genetic predisposition, the pharmacological properties of various substances, psychological variables, and environmental/socio-cultural influences are implicated in the etiology of substance abuse difficulties, multi-focused/broad-spectrum intervention programs would …

Alternative Pharmacokinetic Models In End Stage Renal Disease During Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis, Eugenio Cefali

Theses and Dissertations

An important principle of pharmacokinetic modeling is to use the least complicated model possible that adequately describes the process studied. Pharmacokinetic studies in peritoneal dialysis often attempt to describe the time course of drug concentration in the dialysate. Peritoneal dialysis patients are subjected to the inconvenience and risk of infection associated with sampling peritoneal fluid. Alternative pharmacokinetic models were used to study drug distribution during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Efficient pharmacokinetic models of distribution in the peritoneal cavity were described for three drugs and the classes they represent.

Procainamide pnarmacokinetics were determined in six CAPD patients. The time course …

Extent Of Participation In The Strategic Planning Process By Executive Nurses In Virginia's Acute Care Hospital, Mary R. Pippin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which executive nurses participate in strategic planning for their institutions,and the extent to which these executive nurses utilize the strategic planning process for their nursing departments. The effect of ownership, size, and educational level of the executive nurse on the extent of participation in institutional strategic planning and the utilization of the strategic planning process for their nursing departments was also examined.

The population of the study included all executive nurses employed in short-term, nonmiltary, Virginia hospitals, which were members of the Virginia Hospital Association. Questionnaires were mailed to …

Comparison Of Virulent And Avirulent Legionella Pneumophila And Evaluation Of Fish As A Potential Environmental Reservoir/Experimental Model, Sandra Reading Sommer

Theses and Dissertations

Legionella pneumophila was first recognized as a cause of human pneumonia in 1976 . Since then, much has been learned about the microbiology, pathophysiology and epidemiology of this organism. The features which permit one strain but not another to invade human lung tissue and produce disease remain incompletely understood. This study e valuated several attributes of a virulent and an avirulent strain of L. pneumophila in an attempt to identify characteristics which would distinguish the two. Evaluation of a new medium, buffered egg yolk agar, showed that virulence was maintained after 26 passages, which was the same as the buffered …

The Effect Of A Cardiovascular Risk Factor Education Program On Health Behaviors Of Selected School Age Children, Terry M. Tuck, Sharon K. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This study, using a quasi-experimental design, was conducted to explore the effect of a cardiovascular risk factor education program on the health behaviors of a group of fifth grade children. The following hypothesis was tested:

There will be a statistically significant improvement in self-reported health behaviors of school age children who receive a cardiovascular risk factor education program as compared to the self-reported health behaviors of those school age children who do not receive a cardiovascular risk factor education program.

One hundred and nineteen subjects, 63 in the experimental group and 56 in the control group, were tested using the …

Development Of The Analytical Methodology For Pyrimethamine And Its Application To Studies Of Partitioning And Binding In The Subcompartments Of Blood, Anita C. Rudy

Theses and Dissertations

An original HPLC assay was developed for pyrimethamine (PYR) in plasma, RBCs, and buffer for the purpose of studying its plasma protein binding and RBC partitioning.

Equilibrium dialysis (ED) was used to study protein binding. Isotonic phosphate buffer used in ED did not prevent small volume shifts. The pH of the plasma affected the protein binding of PYR although it was not significant for the comparison of binding at pH 7.4 vs. 8.0. PYR at 1000 ng/ml averaged 93.1% bound to plasma proteins. Binding to pure human albumin was 86.5% at lower levels of albumin and PYR (350 ng/ml). There …

Nurse Practitioners' Perceptions And Behavioral Intent Toward Private Practice And Professional Autonomy, Steven David Mitnick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) the perceptions of nurse practitioners toward private practice and professional autonomy, and 2) nurse practitioners' behavioral intent towards private practice and professional autonomy. Data were collected with a questionnaire designed by the researcher to measure demographic data, nurse practitioners' perceptions and behavioral intent toward private practice and professional autonomy, and knowledge of legal issues pertaining' to private practice. Of 153 possible respondents, 100 (64%) nurse practitioners in the State of Maryland participated in the study.

Data were presented descriptively by number and percentage. The typical nurse practitioner was 31 to 40 …

Health Locus Of Control Belief And Health Behavior In Patients With Job Related Injuries, Elnora H. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between an individual's health locus of control belief and four variables: previous job injury experience, the duration of work absence due to previous job injury, appointment keeping behavior, and the wage replacement ratio. Seventy-two subjects with job related injuries referred to an industrial physical therapist were administered the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC). There was an uneven distribution of subjects according to MHLC belief patterns with more subjects demonstrating a "pure internal" health locus of control belief. No significance (Q > .05) was found between our four variables associated with a job injury and …

Nosocomial Respiratory Tract Infections Associated With The Use Of Ventilatory Support Systems: Epidemiological And Bacteriological Study Of The Effect Of Changing Breathing Circuits At 24 Or 48 Hours, Virginia Archer Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

Nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pneumonia (HAP) continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the hospital. HAP is the third most common nosocomial infection after urinary tract and surgical wound infections. In addition, HAP is the nosocomial infection with the highest mortality rate. These infections are often difficult to treat, because most are caused by Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) that may be highly resistant to antimicrobial agents. HAPs frequently occur in intensive care patients with underlying lung and/or systemic diseases. Many patients are intubated and are on assisted ventilation. Several sources of infection associated with ventilators or respirators have been …

The Effect Of Utilization Controls On Hmo Enrollees' Health, Satisfaction With Care, And Disenrollment, Barbara Stewart Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this prospective study is to examine the effects of differences in utilization controls on HMO enrollees' health, satisfaction with quality of care and access, and disenrollment. Previous studies of alternative care systems have shown that they are able to decrease costs (Luft, 1981; Anderson, Herald, Butler, Kohrman, & Morrison, 1985), but have not examined the organizational structure within the organization that oversees utilization. No prior studies have examined the effects of different types and degrees of utilization controls on the health, satisfaction, and access of enrollees.

For this investigation, Williamson's (1975) theory of organizations, transaction costs economics, …

Control Of Hospital Strategy In Small Multihospital Systems, Lora Hanson Warner

Theses and Dissertations

Hospitals are joining multihospital systems (MHSs) with growing frequency. About 80% of MHSs are small, composed of 2-7 hospitals. An important management issue in MHSs is the extent to which member hospitals retain control over their own strategic directions.

Using a contingency framework, this study uses both system and hospital—level determinants to explain the extent to which hospital members of MHSs control their own strategies. Survey and secondary data from 272 member hospitals of 62 small multi hospital systems (size 2-7 hospitals) are analyzed. System dispersion, size, ownership, strategic type, and age along with hospital occupancy, size, relationship to the …

The Role Of Familial Conflict In The Adaptation To Menarche: Sequential Analysis Of Family Interaction, Grayson N. Holmbeck

Theses and Dissertations

Past research has suggested that temporary perturbations characterize parent-adolescent relations after the onset of pubertal change. The purpose of this study was to further delineate the characteristics of these disruptions in families with seventh-grade girls. Current operational definitions of family conflict in an observational context are inadequate and a potentially more useful definition was offered: conflict is believed to exist when there is the simultaneous occurrence of opposing interpersonal forces.

Two studies were conducted. A validation study was done to determine the psychosocial correlates of the following conflict variables: frequencies and reciprocal dyadic sequences of interruptions and disagreements. The affective …