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Parents' Experience Raising A Child With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Charlotte D. Strahm

Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobiological disorder affecting 3%-11% of children leading to 30%-50% of child referrals for mental health services. Symptoms include diminished attention span, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, behaviors that can negatively affect family relationships and functioning. The purpose of this study is to describe aspects of perceived family quality among those with and without a child diagnosed with ADHD. The convenience sample consisted of 11 families of 6-12 year old children with ADHD and 12 families of children with no known physical or emotional disabilities.

Using Information Technology To Reduce A Health Risk: Effect Of A Mercury Calculator On Consumer Fish Choices And Test Of A Model For Technology Acceptance By Fish Consumers, Sharon D. Wallace

Dissertations

Research indicates consumers lack adequate information about the mercury content of fish to make informed choices about eating fish. Information technology can be used to fulfill this unmet information need. To examine this matter, a two-part study was conducted using a convenience sample of fish eaters. Three-hundred forty-one participants responded to this on-line study. The Theory of Planned Behavior served as the framework for a one-group, pre-test-post-test design to investigate the effect of a web-based mercury calculator on perceived behavioral control and simulated fish choices.

The Influence Of Self-Esteem And Self-Silencing On Self-Efficacy For Negotiating Safer Sex Behaviors In Urban Bahamian Women, Shane L. Neely-Smith

Dissertations

The rapidly increasing rate of HIV/AIDS among Bahamian women is daunting for the future of Bahamian society. Despite many concerted efforts, scientists are unable to find a cure for HIV disease and are faced with the multiple challenges that treatment and management strategies bring for persons living with AIDS. As a result, there is a major focus on HIV prevention. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics that put urban Bahamian women at risk for HIV/AIDS so that gender appropriate and culturally sensitive prevention interventions could be developed and implemented. A cross-sectional, correlational survey design was used …

The Effects Of Resiliency On Adaptation Of African-American Caregivers Of Chronically Ill Elderly, Cheryl P. Franklin

Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to determine relationships among family demands, established patterns of functioning, family resources, situational appraisal, family problem solving and coping skills and adaptation of African American caregivers of chronically ill elderly. Secondly, this study was designed to determine the validity of the Adaptation Phase of the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, Adaptation and the Relational Processes of Balance and Harmony (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996) in African American caregivers who manage chronically ill elderly. A convenience sample of 104 subjects completed a demographic questionnaire. Caregiver resiliency was measured using The Family Index of …

Evaluation Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Perceived Health Competence Scale In Elderly African American Populations, Mary J. Polchert

Dissertations

Previous research supports that the eight item Perceived Health Competence Scale (PHCS) is a reliable measurement tool to understand individual competency beliefs of health management ability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PHCS in elderly African Americans because the tool had not been used in this population. It is known that health status predicts health competence beliefs.

Predictors Of Quality Of Life Of Elderly End-Stage Renal Disease Patients: An Application Of Roy's Model, Celia G. Hay

Dissertations

There is increasing recognition that what matters most to chronically ill patients is how well they are able to function and how they evaluate the quality of day-to-life. Understanding the impact of chronic illness and associated treatment on functioning and well-being in the physical and psychosocial dimensions of older people's lives is essential. In 2004, over half of all new patients starting dialysis were 65 years of age or older (USRDS, 2004). The physical and psychosocial impact of end-stage renal disease may lead older hemodialysis patients to withdraw from treatment and die from uremia, rather than live with seriously diminished …

The Effect Of Social, Family And Individual Conditioning Factors On Self-Care Agency And Self-Care Of Adult Mexican Women, Esther C. Gallegos

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to test the theoretical relationships between the self-care agency (SCA) and self-care (SC); and the influence of selected basic conditioning factors (BCFs) on women's self-care agency, and self-care actions. The Self-care Deficit Theory (SCDT) of Nursing (Orem, 1995) was the conceptual framework for this theory testing research. Both theoretical and practical relevance were achieved by testing the relationships among factors explaining adult women's preventive and health promotion behaviors. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used to test 12 hypotheses and four research questions, with a random sample of well adult Mexican women (18 to 85 …

An Investigation Of Suffering Through The Examination Of The Lived Experiences Of Hospice Patients, Junko M. Mills

Dissertations

Although there is a historical and philosophical link between nursing and the suffering of people, a review of literature revealed that there are only a limited number of articles treating suffering conceptually or analytically, and the experience of suffering is under-analyzed. Further, a review of literature also revealed that the lived experiences of hospice patients, which were identified to be an appropriate place to begin an investigation of suffering, have not been well investigated. Accordingly, the two aims of this study were to describe the lived experiences of hospice patients, and to understand what their experiences can inform us about …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Among Social Support, Motivation, Perceived Competence, And Pursuit Of A Baccalaureate Degree Among Associate Degree Nurse Graduates, Margaret Joyce Reilly

Dissertations

The Institute of Medicine Reports of the last ten years highlight the increased complexity of health care and the need for new ways for health providers to respond. While other professional programs have adapted to the growing complexity of the healthcare system and implemented increased educational requirements for entry to practice, notably pharmacy and physical therapy, nursing has not, and remains the least educated among health professionals. The growing trend towards a two year Associate Degree as the initial nursing education degree is increasing at the same time that patient needs are becoming more complicated and health care is becoming …

Patients' Perceptions Of Patient Education As Enablement, Lynnette Leeseberg Stamler

Dissertations

The efficacy of nursing interventions such as patient education from the recipient's or participant's viewpoint has been studied infrequently. This qualitative study examines perceptions of participants in childbirth classes, represented by Lamaze classes. Semi-structured interviews are conducted at three points during the pregnancy/birth/recovery process. The seven participants were asked questions intended to elicit responses to the following research questions: (1) what are the reasons given for selecting and attending Lamaze classes when interviewed prior to attending; (2) what are the reasons given for selecting and attending Lamaze classes when interviewed after attending one or two classes; (3) what are the …

Clinical Nurses' Perceptions Of Nursing Informatics Competencies, Steven D. Hobbs

Dissertations

This is a descriptive study undertaken to identify competencies and supporting knowledge and skills in informatics perceived to be necessary by nurses for nurses engaged in clinical practice. This study applied a non-experimental, descriptive research design to a quantitative survey performed through web-based technology. Based upon the foundational work of Staggers, Gassert, and Curran (2001, 2002), the goal was to substantiate with clinical nurses and their direct nurse supervisors the clinical competencies that Staggers' identified for Beginning and Experienced clinical nurses through a Delphi methodology of nursing experts. All study facility Registered Nurses received an e-mail inviting their participation. Respondents …

Patient Satisfaction With Postpartum Teaching Methods Used By Nurses, Debra L. Wagner

Dissertations

Background. Maternity nurses have a responsibility to provide extensive teaching to new mothers after they deliver their babies prior to discharge from the hospital. Since patient satisfaction is an important indicator of nursing care quality, it is incumbent upon nurses to know which method of discharge teaching enhances satisfaction.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between new mothers' interaction with nurses using different methods to provide postpartum discharge teaching and their satisfaction with nursing care. The relationship between new mothers' background variables and the level of their satisfaction with nurses' teaching methods was also explored. …

Predictors Of Overall Perceived Health In Patients With Heart Failure, Beverly A. Carlson

Dissertations

Overall perceived health (OPH) is a powerful and independent predictor of negative health outcomes and low health-related quality of life and is conspicuously low in patients with HF (HF).

The purpose of this study was to determine the key variables associated with OPH in persons with HF and to evaluate the variability in OPH attributable to each.

Factors That Influence Health-Related Quality Of Life And Satisfaction With Care Among Adults At A Community-Based Aids Service Organization, Robert T. Dodge

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to describe health-related quality of life and satisfaction with care among adults at a community-based AIDS service organization, and (b) to identify the socio-demographic variables that influence health-related quality of life and satisfaction with care. The theoretical frameworks that guided this study were the Wilson and Cleary's (1995) health-related quality of life conceptual model of patient outcomes and Ware's (1978) taxonomy of patient satisfaction. The research design consisted of a nonexperimental, descriptive and correlational study that was designed to describe health-related quality of life and satisfaction with care among adults at a …

The Mirror Behind The Mask: Experiences Of Five People Living With Hiv/Aids Who Practice Santeria, Theresa A. Varela

Dissertations

This qualitative study was an exploration of the experiences of five persons living with HIV/AIDS who practice Santería. Santería is an Afro-Cuban religion derived from the Yoruba tradition in which African orishas (deities) are syncretized with Catholic saints for worship. Spirituality and religion have been described as essential to the well being and healing processes of people living with HIV/AIDS. Historically, persons with HIV/AIDS and practitioners of Santería, have experienced stigmatizing public reactions. Three areas explored were: how do persons with HIV/AIDS manage living with their disease, what role does the religion of Santería play in their experiences, and what …

The Relationship Of Stroke Patients' Functional And Cognitive Status And Caregivers' Resilience To Caregiver Burden, Margaret D. Nolan

Dissertations

Currently it is estimated that 795,000 persons experience a stroke every year. Of that number up to one-third of survivors will be permanently disabled. It is neither financially feasible nor desirable to place these disabled stroke survivors in long-term care facilities to provide them with the needed assistance if they can be cared for at home. Frequently, the care of these patients is assumed by family members or friends. However, providing care has been shown to be burdensome for some caregivers of stroke patients (Johnson, 1998; Scholte op Reimer, deHaan, Pijnenborg, Limburg, & van den Bos, 1998a; Van Puymbroeck, Hinojosa, …

The Process Of Adoptive Parenting, Julie A. Luetschwager

Dissertations

Nurses assist families as they shift and change over their lifecycle. Maternity nurses work closely with biological families as they integrate the infant into the family unit; however, the nurse's role with adoptive families focuses on caring separately for the birth mother and the infant being relinquished for adoption. This study seeks to describe the process of adoptive parenting from the perspective of the adoptive parent. An exploratory field design based on grounded theory methodology was used.

The Lived Experience Of The Primary Family Caregiver For A Person With Head And Neck Cancer, Ann E. Fronczek

Dissertations

Family caregivers are crucial persons in the successful rehabilitation of persons with head and neck cancer, as they are often providing needed physical and emotional care that these persons will require. Caregiving for a person with head and neck cancer is an experience that touches upon many potential physical, emotional, social and economic issues. The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the lived experience of primary family caregivers for persons with head and neck cancer. A qualitative, phenomenological study using van Manen's human science approach was conducted.

Psychoimmunological Outcomes Of A Dementia Caregiver Intervention: The Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold, Linda J. Garand

Dissertations

The goal of this study was to evaluate mood and immune outcomes of a community-based psychoeducational intervention (the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold, PLST Model) designed to teach family caregivers to manage behavioral problems of persons with dementia. A randomized, repeated measures, experimental design was used to evaluate immune and mood outcomes of teaching the PLST model to family caregivers.

The Experience Of Decision-Making Among Telephone Advice/Triage Nurses, Ann M. Mayo

Dissertations

The role of the telephone advice/triage nurse is both complex and demanding. All decisions are made while assessing patients without seeing or touching patients. In addition, the role is often developed to decrease health care costs which can be perceived by nurses as being in conflict with their nursing beliefs. The ambiguous nature of the role makes these nurses' daily experiences with decision-making a challenge. Using a phenomenological method, the lived experience of decision-making among telephone advice/triage nurses was explored by conducting multiple interviews with ten nurses.

Comparison Of Three Teaching Methods On Four-Through-Seven Year Old Children's Understanding Of The Lungs In Relation To A Peak Flow Meter In The Management Of Asthma: A Pilot Study, Cheryl K. Schmidt

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three teaching methods on 4-through-7-year-old children's understanding of the lungs in relation to a peak flow meter in the management of asthma.

Revisiting Rural Crime: The Contributions Of Labor Markets And Interdependency, Kristina J. Thompson

Dissertations

Although rural communities – which are home to nearly 20 percent of the U.S. – have experienced disruptive labor market restructuring, few studies examine how such events influence rural crime. Moreover, general methodological approaches to rural crime treat rural places as isolated and unaffected by the broader labor market conditions around them, despite a growing body of sociological literature which suggests that urban and rural communities have varying degrees of interdependence. Drawing from urban crime theories emphasizing the importance of place and systemic relations, this dissertation explores how shifting labor market conditions and extra-local labor market opportunities influenced crime in …

Health-Promoting Behaviors Of The Rural Well Older Adult, Shirley May Newberry

Dissertations

One of the greatest challenges facing nursing in the future will be promoting wellness among the increasing number of older adults, many of whom live in rural areas where they are isolated from access to medical facilities and information about health promotion. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived health status and the health promoting behaviors of the well older adult living in the rural setting. In addition, demographic variables were examined in relationship to the health promoting behaviors and self-perceived health status. A non-experimental research design using survey methods was utilized to explore the …

Taxonomy Of Nursing Clinical Credibility As Described By Nurses And Physicians, Claudia Disabatino Smith

Dissertations

Nursing clinical credibility, a complex, abstract concept is rarely mentioned in the clinical setting, but is implicitly understood by nurses and physicians. The concept has neither been defined nor explored, despite its repeated use in literature. A review of the extant literature formed the basis for a concept analysis of nursing clinical credibility, which is currently under review for publication.

Impact Of A Standardized Asthma Education Program For Children Ages 8-12 Years Old With Moderate To Severe Persistent Asthma On Health Outcomes: A Pilot Study, Felesia Renee Bowen

Dissertations

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood causing significant physical, emotional and financial burden. The purpose of this study was to pilot recruitment strategies, instruments and experimental protocols to determine the feasibility of conducting a larger randomized control trial (RCT) and to evaluate educational, behavioral and physiological health outcomes for children ages 8 to 12 years of age with moderate to severe persistent asthma.

The Process Of Nursing Partnership In Family Health, Merian C. Litchfield

Dissertations

The study was an exploration of the nature of nursing practice with families with young children in complex circumstances. The purpose was to further explicate the health patterning process of nursing partnership through praxis research. The theory of health as expanding consciousness was a priori, where consciousness refers to the informational capacity of the partnership between participants. Expressing a unitary transformative paradigm, a hermeneutic dialectic methodology was used. The form of research took the form of practice and the researcher was as if practitioner.

Navigating Troubled Waters: Chronic Illness Experience In A Health Care Crisis, Sally Thorne

Dissertations

This dissertation chronicles the complexity of chronic illness experience in a western biomedically-oriented health care system. It combines an exhaustive description of what it is like to be chronically ill in the current social context with an analysis of the implications of health care service delivery structures and ideologies for shaping that experience. In so doing, it applies an account of the chronic illness experience toward an understanding of some inherent flaws underlying modern health care delivery systems. The methodology for this research applies secondary analysis to an extensive data base derived from indepth qualitative investigations of chronically ill individuals …

Life After Prematurity: Special Health Care Needs, Working Memory, And Health-Related Quality Of Life Among 9- To 11-Year-Old Children Born Prematurely, Michelle L. Kelly

Dissertations

Premature birth, defined as birth before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation, places children at risk for medical, physical, psychosocial and neurodevelopmental impairments. These impairments may vary in severity. Beyond infancy, children born prematurely are typically not studied as a group, but rather fall within many other diagnostic labels and categories. Non-categorical research, using consequence-based measures, is a means of capturing the effect of prematurity. In this study three major areas of functioning were assessed in 9- to 11-year-old children born prematurely and a group of full-term controls: special health care needs, working memory capacity and health-related quality of …

The Effectiveness And Perceived Effectiveness Of Simple Reminiscence Therapy Involving Photographic Prompts For Determining Life Satisfaction In Noninstitutionalized Elderly Persons, Tommie L. Norris

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness and perceived effectiveness of simple reminiscence therapy using photographic prompts on the life satisfaction of noninstitutionalized elderly persons. The Self-Anchoring-Life Satisfaction Scale (SALSS) was used to measure life satisfaction. Erikson's Developmental Theory and the concept reminiscence formed the theoretical framework for this study.

Patient Satisfaction With Nurse Practitioner Care In Retail Health Clinics, Laura J. Tucco

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine if patients treated in retail health clinics reported satisfaction with nurse practitioner care measured with the Nurse Practitioner Satisfaction Survey Retail Health Care (NPSS-RHC), if there was a correlation between demographic characteristics or brand of retail health clinic system and level of satisfaction reported, and if the NPSS-RHC is a reliable and valid measure of patient satisfaction.