Digital Commons Network^™

Family Health In The Families Of The Young Chronically Mentally Ill, Mary Molewyk-Doornbos

Dissertations

Although the family plays a major role in the care of young adults with serious and persistent mental illness, there has been limited research on the impact of these ongoing caregiving responsibilities on the health of the family unit itself. The specific objective of the study was to explore the relationship of family stressors, family coping, family perception of the client's level of health, and time since diagnosis of mental illness to the outcome of family health. In so doing, it also sought to empirically test a middle range theory that was deduced from King's Open System's Model. A predictive, …

Culturally Responsive School Leadership: How Principals Use Culturally Responsive Leadership Strategies To Develop Engaging And Inclusive School Environments For All Students, Cherilynne Hollowell

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic investigation was to identify and describe culturally responsive leadership practices and strategies principals of Title I high schools, in suburban contexts, of the Inland Empire in Southern California use to develop schools that engage and include all students.

Methodology: This qualitative study identified and described the practices and strategies of 15 Inland Empire principals of Title I comprehensive high schools in Southern California, used to develop schools that engage and include all students, particularly students that have been historically and traditionally marginalized. Participants were purposively chosen based on specific criteria. The researcher collected data …

Predictors Of Quality Of Life In The Chronic Hemodialysis Patient, Pamela B. Simmons

Dissertations

This was a descriptive, correlational, predictive study designed to investigate the relationships between treatment-related stress, satisfaction with nursing care, and depression in the chronic hemodialysis patient and to determine which were predictive of quality of life (QoL). Demographic variables and selected clinical indicators were also assessed for their ability to predict QoL.

The Use Of Guided Imagery To Enhance Power For Smoking Behavior Change, Christine A. Wynd

Dissertations

Cigarette smoking is known to be a risk factor in several fatal disease syndromes. Despite increasing knowledge of the danger, thirty-one percent of all Americans continue to smoke (Thornberry et al., 1986). Individual responsibility for behavioral change is indicated for successful, long-term smoking abstinence. However, there is need for continued systematic study of interventions which assist clients in their pursuit of healthier lifestyle change. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of guided imagery for enhancing client power relevant to smoking behavior change.

Determinants Of Psychological Well-Being In Immigrants, Kimberly A. Christopher

Dissertations

Immigration accounts for nearly half of US population growth in the past 20 years. This trend is expected to continue. To improve the nursing care of this vulnerable group, investigations have focused on clinical issues related to the increased incidence of physical and mental health problems, culturally specific health belief models and self-care practices, and how the resettlement experience effects psychosocial adjustment. Analyses have identified key demographic and migration characteristics, coping resources, and perceptions of life circumstances which influence immigrant health and psychological well-being. However, the association between such factors has not been explored nor has the relative importance of …

African-American, Hispanic, And Caucasian Parents' Perception And Management Of Chronically Ill Children In The Home, Patricia D. Joffe

Dissertations

Advances in technology and knowledge have contributed to a growing population of children with chronic illness. Nurses caring for chronically ill children and their families in the home environment have witnessed a rapid increase in the occurrence and complexity of care that children receive at home. A challenge for pediatric nurses is to develop, teach, and deliver health care that is sensitive to a multicultural population. There is a lack of research regarding the experience of caring for a chronically ill child from a cultural perspective. The purpose of this study was to examine how African-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian families …

Exploring Older Adults' Perceptions Of The Utility And Ease Of The Use Of Personal Emergency Response Systems, Patrica Ann Mclean

Dissertations

The aim of this study was to explore and describe perceptions of the utility and ease of use of a personal emergency response system (PERS) among older adults who are aging in place. Research Question: "What is the meaning of a PERS use for functionally impaired older adults?"

Masters In Nursing Students' Experiences As A Member Of A Virtual Classroom On The Internet, Carla L. Mueller

Dissertations

There is a growing demand for masters prepared nurses to meet the health care needs of the population. However, adult students find that multiple role responsibilities make it difficult to participate in the leisurely pace of the youth-centered model of traditional higher education. Courses in virtual classrooms on the Internet have been established to provide more convenient access to graduate nursing education. However, few attempts at systematically investigating and rigorously assessing the experiences of graduate students involved in courses in virtual classrooms on the Internet have been published. Disciplined investigation of students' experiences is warranted in order to fully explore …

Meaning Makers: A Mixed-Method Case Study Of Exemplary Small Business Owner Leaders And The Strategies They Use To Create Personal And Organizational Meaning, Margaret S. Ohlhaver

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this replication of a thematic, mixed-method case study was to identify and describe the behaviors that small business owner leaders use to create personal and organizational meaning for themselves and their followers through character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration.

Methodology. Qualitative interviews with exemplary small business owners were conducted to capture their insights on how they used behaviors associated with character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration to create personal and organizational meaning. In a quantitative survey, followers of each small business owner leader participants were asked to assess how important each of the variable behaviors were …

A Qualitative Self-Study Of Educational Philosophy Within The Context Of A Structured Educational Framework, Tiffany Young

Dissertations

This study came about as the result of my belief that my philosophy as an educator was no longer in alignment with that of the school district in which I taught. As a result, I decided to conduct a self-study that incorporated my own reflections of myself and my teaching, as well as those of my then-current and previous colleagues and thencurrent and previous administrators/building leaders. Participants varied in their positions and in their number of years of teaching experience, roles, age, gender, and then-current teaching status. It was important to me that I had people with whom I had …

Salvaging Self: A Grounded Theory Study Of Pregnancy On Crack Cocaine, Margaret H. Kearney

Dissertations

To explore the experiences and concerns of pregnant women who use crack cocaine, 60 pregnant and postpartum women who had used crack cocaine an average of at least once weekly during pregnancy were recruited in a West Coast urban area using flyers and snowball sampling. Confidentiality was assured and informed consent carefully obtained. In single interviews lasting two to three hours, the women were invited to describe their histories, life contexts, and experiences of pregnancy, drug use, and prenatal care. Data collection and analysis were directed by the grounded theory approach.

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Self-Disclosure, Interpersonal Dependency, And Life Changes To Loneliness In Young Adults, Noreen E. Mahon

Dissertations

The literature suggests that loneliness is widely distributed, severely distressing, and a painful, frightening experience (Frorm-Reichmann, 1959; Weiss, 1973). Despite the ubiquity and poignancy of loneliness, clinically observed relationships among variables associated with loneliness have had little systematic investigation. This study attempted to identify whether or not both personal variables and disruptive changes experienced by a person vary with the loneliness experience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of self-disclosure, interpersonal dependency, and life changes to loneliness in young adults.

Home Apnea Monitoring: Family Functioning, Concerns, And Coping, Betsy Mickey Mcdowell

Dissertations

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death in infants between one week and one year of age. The mainstay of therapy to reduce SIDS mortality is evaluation and subsequent home monitoring of infants at risk for SIDS. This study explored the concerns and responses of families of 13 infants to having an infant on a home apnea monitor. These concerns and responses were reported by the mother at three time points in the home apnea monitoring experience. The Neuman Systems Model served as the theoretical basis for the investigation. The study design was longitudinal with event …

When Worlds Collide: The Meanings Of Work And Fathering Among Fathers Of Premature Infants, Shawn Pohlman

Dissertations

This interpretive phenomenological study examined the meanings, concerns, and practices of eight fathers of pre-term infants. Fathers were interviewed six to eight times over a 6 month period, beginning within a month after birth and continuing at home after infant discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Relationships And Patterns Between Expert And Nonexpert Critical Care Nursing Practice And Patient Outcomes, Sandra Kathleen Hanneman

Dissertations

It is well accepted that expert nurses improve patient outcomes when delivering direct patient care. It has been hypothesized that expert nurses also improve patient outcomes by developing the knowledge and skills of nonexpert nurses. A previous study demonstrated improved patient outcomes, defined as reduced incidence of preventable pulmonary complications, in a medical critical care unit patient population after the unit staff nurses were exposed to a unit-based expert nurse for six months. Field notes of the participant observations of the expert nurse and informal interviews with unit staff were collected. Using the grounded theory field approach, the field notes …

Predicting Certification Success For The Family Nurse Practitioner, Tammy Lee Gravel

Dissertations

High-stakes licensure or certification examinations are required for many health professions disciplines to ensure safe entry-level practice. Accrediting agencies set a benchmark for graduates' first-time licensure or certification success as a measure of program effectiveness. Failures of graduates on licensure or certification examinations may directly affect the school's recruitment and retention of qualified students and faculty, as well as institutional financial viability. A health science university has added Health Education System, Inc. (HESI) standardized examinations using computer adaptive testing into the family nurse practitioner (FNP) master's program to support certification success, although research on these advanced practice examinations as related …

Perceptions Of Instructor Caring Behaviors, Self-Esteem, And Perceived Clinical Competence: A Model Of The Attitudinal Component Of Professional Nurse Autonomy In Female Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Gail H. Wade

Dissertations

This model testing correlational study was designed to specify a model of predictors of the attitudinal component of professional nurse autonomy and to test three carative factors embedded in Watson's Theory of Transpersonal Caring. The carative factors tested were: transpersonal teaching-learning, sensitivity to self and others, and creative problem solving process. These factors were operationalized as perceptions of instructor caring, self-esteem and perceived clinical competence.

The Nature Of Power Experienced By Individuals Manifesting Patterning Labeled Schizophrenic: An Investigation Of The Principle Of Helicy, Laura Cox Dzurec

Dissertations

The nature of power experienced by individuals labeled 'chronic schizophrenic' was ascertained through hermeneutic analysis and further validated through multiple triangulation. The central themes that emerged from text were integrality and awareness. The structure of power to respondents was determined to involve integrality and awareness in addition to a wide range of themes regarding choices, freedom to act intentionally, and involvement in creating changes, field behaviors identified by Barrett (1983) as constituting power. Informants who viewed their integrality as a process, who recognized the advantages and limitations imposed by living in the world, and who made choices with regard to …

The Behaviors Of Nurses Who Immunize Children, Thomas E. Stenvig

Dissertations

This study examined the behaviors of nurses who immunize children as a factor affecting immunization coverage for prevention of VPDs. Ajzen's (1985) theory of planned behavior was used to construct an instrument called the Nurses' Childhood Immunization Belief Questionnaire (NCIBQ).

The Experience Of Post-Craniotomy Pain Among Persons With Brain Tumors, Rebecca Elizabeth Foust

Dissertations

Post-craniotomy brain tumor patients often experience pain in the post-surgical period which can negatively affect recovery and surgical outcomes. Research with this population has focused on pharmacological treatments of post-craniotomy pain and measurement of pain intensity. Little is known about how these patients experience the quality of their pain and how this pain is managed. The purpose of this dissertation was to provide an in-depth description of the experience of post-craniotomy pain during the post-surgical period.

A Brief Nursing Workload Scale: Development And Evaluation, Eve Lynn Layman

Dissertations

Growth of price competition among hospitals has renewed interest in nursing workload measures as administrative aids to control personnel costs. Nurse administrators use workload estimates primarily to justify daily staffing decisions across hospital units. The Individual Care Requirement Scale (ICRS) was designed as a brief generic direct nursing care workload scale for hospitals not currently using other standardized workload measures. The ICRS consists of three items, rated on 4-point response scale, that assess distinct aspects of care, assistance with activities of daily living, assessment of health status, and implementation of interventions. The total nursing workload (sum of the three items) …

The Relationship Between Moral Reasoning, The Relationship Dimension Of The Social Climate Of The Work Environment, And Perception Of Realistic Moral Behavior Among Registered Professional Nurses, Kathleen M. Nokes

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of moral reasoning and the work environment on moral behavior of registered professional nurses. One hundred fifty staff nurses employed in one tertiary care facility in Metropolitan New York participated.

Ideals For Nurses: A Study Of The "American Journal Of Nursing" And "Rn", 1940-1960, Lembi Saarmann

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the ideals promoted in two major nursing journals, the AJN and RN, from 1940 through 1960. A thematic analysis of both journals was conducted. This analysis revealed that the AJN consistently represented the viewpoint of the ANA and the "elite" of nursing. It reflected the thrust toward professionalization desired by the nursing leaders. RN, on the other hand, represented the views of the rank and file of nursing. It reflected their more practical concerns. This difference was most pronounced in the conflict between the ideals of service and self-interest and in the …

Women With Correctable Fetal Anomaly Participating In Perinatal Team Counseling: An Exploratory Study, Maria R. Reyes

Dissertations

Fetal anomalies are the second leading cause of infant death, and a major cause of long-term infant disability. Approximately 3% of U.S. births are complicated by major fetal anomalies. Advances in prenatal technologies, changes to universal screening standards, and changes in maternal characteristics have increased the likelihood of fetal anomaly detection. However, currently, we lack the research necessary to evaluate current intervention strategies used to assess what women need to effectively cope with the emotional turmoil that accompanies a prenatal diagnosis. Likened to a significantly traumatic life-event, women diagnosed with a fetal anomaly describe negative emotional responses such as anxiety, …

Effectiveness And Cost Efficiency Of Interventions In Health Promotion, Rosanne H. Pruitt

Dissertations

There is a general lack of evidence of the efficacy and cost efficiency of interventions in the area of health promotion. The lack of evidence is frequently cited as a reason programs are not adopted. Resources are limited, and it is important that evidence be generated through research to allow for informed choices to be made. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a stress management program and determine overall effectiveness and cost efficiency. Two research hypotheses addressed effectiveness.

Anticipating Mothering In The Mexican Origin Woman, Susan M. Baxley

Dissertations

Not all women experience pregnancy and motherhood in the same way. There needs to be a greater understanding of how Mexican origin women experience pregnancy and anticipate mothering since Hispanics comprise the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive inquiry was to explore the meaning of attachment, commitment, and preparation during pregnancy as an anticipatory phase of mothering for the Mexican origin woman giving birth in the United States.

Influence Of Initial Nursing Educational Preparation On Patient Assessment, Carolyn J. Yocom

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect influence of the type of educational program attended on the data collection and nursing diagnosis (NDX) identification abilities of generic nursing students from associate degree (AD) and baccalaureate degree (BD) nursing programs. Secondary purposes were to determine if there were any differences between the AD and BD students with regard to (1) data collection efficiency, (2) data collection proficiency, (3) the type of patient data collected, and (4) the number and types of NDXes identified. A non-equivalent groups, post-test only design was utilized.

An Investigation Of Burnout In New Jersey Staff Nurses: The Effects Of Fear Of Success In Nursing And Narcissism, Kathleen M. Burke

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between success-fearing personality and burnout, and between narcissism and burnout in a sample of 192 staff nurses. Success-fearing personality in nursing was measured by the subscales of The Fear of Success in Nursing Scale (Buscherhof, 1982, 1988). A factor analysis, replicating two of the three subscales, was done on this scale due to the limited use of the instrument. Narcissism was measured by the subscales of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (Raskin & Terry, 1988). Burnout was measured by the Maslach and Jackson Burnout Inventory (1986). They hypothesis, positing a positive relationship between success-fearing personality in …

Carving A Niche For Australian Practice Nurses In Chronic Heart Failure Management, Elizabeth Jane Halcomb

Dissertations

Chronic and complex conditions are a significant concern within contemporary health care systems. The ageing population and improvements in survival from acute cardiac illness have seen an increasing incidence of heart failure (HF). Heart failure represents a significant burden on both the individual and the wider community. Despite effective pharmacotherapy and established evidence-based management guidelines, the overall prognosis from HR is poor. The complexity of the disease process and the highly developed evidence-base makes HR an excellent exemplar for the management of a range of chronic conditions. Studies undertaken as part of the 'Carving a niche for Australian practice nurses' …

The Effect Of Gender On A Predictive Model Of Violent Behaviors In Rural Youth Using A Contextual Framework, Kathleen T. Patterson

Dissertations

Adolescent violence is a serious health concern. It is manifest by aggressive and delinquent behavior in many of the contexts in which the adolescent is embedded: the family, peer group, school and community. Many research studies have focused on the risk behaviors of substance use, firearm availability and victimization in urban settings. Rural youth are also at risk, yet empirical efforts have been sparse with this population. The specific aims of this study with rural youth were: (1) to propose and test a predictive model of violent behavior that involves the individual characteristics of the adolescent, the risk/opportunity potential of …