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The Relationship Of Self-Efficacy, Social Support, Self-Esteem, And Hope With Sex Related Health Promotion Behaviors In Hiv-Infected And Uninfected Women, Shirley Mae Timmons

Dissertations

The Sex Related Health Promotion Behaviors Model (SRHPBM), suggesting a positive relationship between self-efficacy, social support, self esteem, hope, and sex related health promotion behaviors, was used in this descriptive study to guide the investigation of five research questions: (1& 2) are variables in the (SRHPBM), (self-efficacy, hope, social support, self esteem) significantly associated with sex related health promotion behaviors in HIV+ and HIV- women? (3 & 4) are there significant differences in self-efficacy, social support, self esteem, hope, and sex related health promotion behaviors in HIV+ and HIV- women and (5) Do self-efficacy, social support, self esteem, and hope …

Relationships Among Nurses' Professional Identity, Career Satisfaction, Occupational Commitment, And Intent To Stay, Sheila M. Sharbaugh

Dissertations

The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States continues to be of major concern in the healthcare industry. This shortage is expected to intensify as the current workforce ages, the general population ages, and the need for healthcare grows. It has become increasingly important to investigate the factors that contribute to nurses' commitment to the profession of nursing and intent to stay in the profession. The first purpose of the study was to describe RNs' professional identity, career satisfaction, and occupational commitment and intent to stay. The second purpose was to discover how the professional identity of nurses, …

Variables That May Affect Physical Activity Levels In African American Females With Type 2 Diabetes, Melanie K. Samardzija

Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes continues to pose a significant health challenge for the United States. The incidence and prevalence rates for type 2 diabetes are higher for certain at risk populations such as African American females. Personal behaviors including high-fat, high-caloric diets and physical inactivity result in obesity and insulin resistance that are associated with type 2 diabetes. Physical inactivity is particularly common in African American females, and this places them at an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. Certain variables have been shown to influence physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine how selected …

Teaching The Spiritual Dimension Of Nursing Care: A Survey Of Associate Degree Nursing Programs In The Southeast United States, Nancy L. Labine

Dissertations

Spirituality is a subject which is often neglected in nursing education. The purpose of this study was to determine associate degree nursing faculty's perception of their ability to teach the spiritual dimension in the delivery of nursing care. The study explored whether faculty have received training related to spiritual care, how and where nursing programs integrate spirituality education into the curriculum, nursing faculty's understanding of the terms spirituality and spiritual care, and faculty members perception of whether they receive sufficient support and guidance in teaching related to spirituality and spiritual care. Survey research was used in this study.

Missionary Nurse Dorothy Davis Cook, 1940-1972: "Mother Of Swazi Nurses", Susan E. Elliott

Dissertations

Dramatically absent from nursing's historical knowledge and professional recognition are the lives, roles, contributions, and legacies of Christian faith-based nurses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ministry and service of Sister Tutor Dorothy Davis Cook, Church of the Nazarene missionary nurse in the African country of Swaziland 1940 to 1972. The multi-dimensional, multi-task expanded roles manifested in her integration of Christian missionary and nurse were explored and her legacy identified.

Deciding To Engage In Advance Care Planning: A Comparison Of Participants' Experiences, Karen Joy Vander Laan

Dissertations

Advance care planning (ACP) is a dynamic decision-making process that assists people to construct and communicate their preferences for end of life care. Two decades of research have shown that when preferences are not known, undesirable outcomes may occur for individuals and other surrogate decision-makers. Barriers to advance planning can be addressed through educational programs, especially through existing community-based groups. The purpose of this study was to examine internal and external influences within the decision-making context that may affect individuals' decisions to engage and re-engage in ACP. The Decision Process Model for Advance Care Planning provided the conceptual framework for …

An Emergency Department Patient's Perception Of Safety, Paul R. Clark

Dissertations

Because the patient's perception of safety in the healthcare system has not been adequately examined, the purpose of this study was to discover an Emergency Department patient's perception of safety so as to add an element currently absent in safe patient care provision.

The Lived Experience Of Non-English And Limited English Speaking Hispanic Persons Associated With A Past In-Patient Hospitalization In The United States: A Phenomenological Study, Jana Goodwin

Dissertations

The Hispanic population in the United States faces many challenges such as differences in language, culture, education, and socioeconomics. Research findings suggest that poor acculturation, language barriers and healthcare provider biases are associated with decreased access to care, lack of insurance or underinsurance, underutilization of services, feelings of isolation and powerlessness, which may lead to poor health outcomes. This hermeneutical phenomenological study explored the lived experience of non-English and limited English speaking Hispanic persons associated with past in-patient hospitalization in the United States.

Brokering Student Well-Being: Understanding The Work Of School Health Administrators, Samantha Blackburn

Dissertations

Despite a well-documented need for school health programs (SHPs) among school children who have chronic conditions, require medically complex interventions at school, or experience socio-emotional health issues, there is little school health funding in California. There is limited research on the role of those who manage SHPs.

This qualitative study investigated the work of a selected group of school health administrators (SHAs) in California. Study aims were to explore SHA job pathways and responsibilities, the contextual factors influencing their work, and how they get their work done given limited funding for SHPs.

The Impact Of Debriefing Sessions Following Viewing Of Recorded High Fidelity Simulation Scenarios On Knowledge Acquisition, Self-Confidence, And Satisfaction: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Kristen D. Zulkosky

Dissertations

The role of the nurse educator is complex and it is imperative that educators design pertinent learning activities including implementation of innovative teaching strategies while using the latest pedagogical techniques, and evaluating that learning occurred. This study utilized a quantitative, quasi-experimental, comparison group, crossover design and compared teaching strategies using simulation in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to determine if fourth semester Associate of Science in Nursing students who participated in debriefing sessions after watching recorded high-fidelity simulation scenarios in a nursing class obtained higher examination scores than those who received the same content through traditional lecture …

Impact Of An Active Learning Strategy On Learner Engagement In A Transition To Practice Program, Janiece Paulat

Dissertations

Research is abundant in the use of active learning rather than lecture. The effect on engagement on knowledge retention is also abundant. Most of the studies focus on secondary and higher education. Less research has been found on the link between active learning and engagement especially in transition to practice programs (TTP). Guidelines on content delivery in TTP is minimal. In this prospective, cross-sectional, quasi experimental project, the impact of an active learning strategy on learner engagement was studied. The sample was 14 new nurse graduates of mostly female gender of Millennial generation in a local transition to practice program. …

Hemodynamic Changes Associated With Manual And Automated Lateral Rotation In Mechanically Ventilated Intensive Care Patients, Shannan K. Hamlin

Dissertations

Objective: To investigate hemodynamic responses to lateral rotation. Design: Time-series within a randomized controlled trial pilot study.

Acculturation And Health Status Among Hispanic American Elders, Charles P. Buscemi

Dissertations

Hispanic Americans are at risk for health-related problems. Disparities in diseases such as diabetes and obesity, access to health services and health insurance have placed Hispanic Americans at a disadvantage. Sociocultural factors such as acculturation and its relationship to health requires further development. This study was a secondary analysis of a parent study titled Culture Bias in Testing Expressive Ability in Dementia (Tappen, Williams, Loewenstein, Rosselli, Touhy, & Morgan, 2000). The primary purpose of this dissertation was to identify the relationship between acculturation and health in Hispanic American elders. Specific aims were (1) identify the relationship between acculturation and cigarette …

Development And Testing Of A Measure Of Patient Satisfaction With Nursing Care, Lee A. Schmidt

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to test an empirically derived measure of patient satisfaction with nursing care. Existing measures of this important phenomenon lack adequate validity and a strong theoretical base. A grounded theory study was completed with patients discharged from medical surgical units of a tertiary care facility.

United States Resident, Jordanian And Palestinian Women's Participation In Breast Cancer Screening, Lina N. Kawar

Dissertations

Breast cancer is a threatening disease to women worldwide. Breast cancer screening (BCS) is a key to early detection and reduced mortality. Factors predicting women's participation in BCS have been well studied in the United States (US), including among major US racial and ethnic minority groups. Factors predicting participation in BCS among immigrant ethnic groups, such as Arab women, are less well studied, especially cultural factors that may be barriers to BCS. The purposes of this cross-sectional, predictive, correlational study were to: (1) describe US resident-Jordanian and Palestinian women's psychological variables (feelings, attitudes, and habits) toward participation in BCS, (2) …

Perceived Political Styles Of School Board Members And The Strategies Superintendents Employ To Work With Them, Roni Jones

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to identify and describe perceived political styles of school board members and the strategies superintendents employ to work with them.

Methodology: This explanatory sequential mixed methods study analyzed quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to answer the research questions in regard to the political styles of exemplary rural elementary superintendents and school boards and the political strategies superintendents use to engage with their school board members.

Findings: Examination of mixed methods data from the five school districts participating in this study indicated a variety of findings. The major strategies exemplary …

Trust And Leadership: How Exemplary Superintendents Build Successful Principal Teams In Elementary School Districts, Louann Carlomagno

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe behaviors exemplary superintendents practice during leadership team meetings to build and maintain trust with their principals based on the facets of trust defined by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (benevolence, reliability, competency, honesty, and openness).

Methodology: The qualitative use of phenomenology was utilized in this study. Respondents were able to tell their stories, providing semistructured feedback in order for the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of trust building during leadership team meetings. The researcher interviewed 16 principals from Sonoma and San Mateo Counties.

Findings: Examination of qualitative data from …

Current Perspectives On The Gestalt Of Nursing Curricula, Brandi L. Venvertloh

Dissertations

This research study aimed to investigate the current gestalt of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curricula in the United States. Presently there is an emphasis in nursing education on the practice-education gap in order to ensure new graduate Registered Nurses are adequately prepared for entry into practice in a dynamic and complex healthcare environment. There has also been movement in nursing education to remove nursing theory from BSN curriculum guiding frameworks and replace them with essential educational standards. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore the lived experiences and perspectives of faculty curriculum leaders …

Functional Status Of Older Adults After Hip Fracture, Christina L. Garcia

Dissertations

This dissertation is composed of three manuscripts addressing functional status of adults age 65 years and older after hip fracture. The first manuscript is a review of the literature on the impact of gender, age, comorbidities, pain, depression, self-efficacy, cognitive status, and social support on functional status of older adults after hip fracture. Further research on the relationships among these factors will assist healthcare providers in early identification of adults age 65 years and older after hip fracture at risk of decline in functional status. Results of this literature review led to a concept analysis aimed to provide clarity of …

Low Income African American Adolescent Girl's Eating Choices, Sandra Kay Jenkins

Dissertations

The aim of this exploratory qualitative study is to identify the problems African American adolescent girls face in making eating choices and to learn how they make decisions about eating. Differences related to culture and socioeconomic status influences, and decision-making strategies were explored. Three sites in African American communities were selected for focus groups and individual adolescent girl-parent dyad interviews for data collection. Data were gathered in 5 focus groups and 4 individual adolescent girl-parent dyad interviews with African American adolescents (n=30). Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (EST) provided the conceptual framework for informing the analysis and interpretation of the data. …

The Experience Of Violence And Help-Seeking Among Mothers Of Adult Chronically Mentally Ill Individuals, Darcy A. Copeland

Dissertations

Mothers of mentally ill adults are frequently primary caretakers. If mentally ill individuals become violent, mothers are most often victims. In their role as primary caretakers, mothers are knowledgeable regarding their children's illnesses. They are also familiar with the mental health system, including criteria for involuntary hospitalization. Mothers can identify signs of decompensation in their mentally ill children and recognize their need for hospitalization. They cannot, however, always access mental health treatment due to their children's refusal and/or not meeting legal criteria for involuntary hospitalization. This is problematic, particularly for mothers whose mentally ill, adult children have a history of …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes - Part I: Patient-Centered Care Scale (Ksai-Pccs): A Pilot Study, Patricia E. Esslin

Dissertations

Recognition that adverse events are a significant cause for morbidity and mortality has led to a rise in global efforts to improve patient safety. Adaptations are needed in healthcare institutions and at the educational preparatory level for all healthcare providers. One change surrounds the significance of patient-centered care, an important concept new to healthcare over the last decade. The problem concerns the ability of healthcare educators to effectively measure knowledge, skills, and attitudes of student nurses in relation to the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) patient-centered care competencies. The primary purpose of this study was to test the …

Problem Behaviors In The Male Partners Of Adolescent Mothers: A Comparison Of Age-Discrepant And Age-Consistent Relationships, Julie K. Baylor

Dissertations

Adolescent girls in relationships with adult males are more likely to become parents than those involved with adolescent males. Studies are few and limited by confounding socioeconomic characteristics and considerable missing data. This study of low-income pregnant adolescents compares the problem behaviors of the babies' fathers who are at least 5 years older than the mother (age-discrepant) with those who are less than 5 years older (age-consistent).

The Perfect Storm: Unexpected Birthing Experiences And Perinatal Mood Disorders, Joanne G. Goldbort

Dissertations

Intrapartum nurses play a significant role in shaping the lived experience of a woman's birth. Examining the lived experience of women's birth can serve as a critical component in nursing practice as a means to improve patient care outcomes with regards to the development of a perinatal mood disorder. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine women's unexpected birth experience in order to ascertain what contributions from these women's stories might be made to enhance nursing care. Husserl's descriptive phenomenology was the qualitative research design used to examine women's unexpected birth experience, defined as any or all of …

Parenting Behaviors, Perceived Competence, And Exercise Of Girls In Middle Childhood, Jane Cerruti Dellert

Dissertations

Parental socialization patterns (permissiveness, authoritarianism, authoritativeness), parental exercise, and perceived competence influence children's vigorous physical activity according to sport socialization theory. In this study of 155 healthy public school fifth-bade (51%) and sixth-grade (49%) girls and their parents, the parents were primarily Caucasian (60.4%), high school or college educated (88.9%), employed in professional, managerial, or technical support occupations (63%), and in good health (90.6%). Correlation, regression, and analysis of variance statistics revealed that girls' perceived athletic competence was significantly and positively related to girls' exercise (r = .27, p = .001); that girls' exercise and (a) perceived cognitive competence ( …

Partners Together In Health: Health-Related Quality Of Life Outcomes In Coronary Artery Bypass Patients And Partners, Lynda C. Macken

Dissertations

Coronary artery bypass (CAB) surgery patients experience profound declines in physical, psychological, and relational health-related quality of life (HRQOL) following surgery. The purpose of this study was to examine HRQOL outcomes in CAB surgery patients and partners enrolled in either the innovative Partners Together in Health (PaTH) intervention or usual care cardiac rehabilitation (CR). An experimental, two-group, repeated measures design was used to examine patients and partners randomly assigned to the groups. Instruments used to measure HRQOL were: the SF-36 Physical Functioning subscale, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale for marital quality.

Symptoms And Self-Care Strategies In Hiv/Aids: Application Of Web-Based Survey, Fang-Yu Chou

Dissertations

Efforts to understand the patterns of self-care strategies that are used by people living with HIV/AIDS are imperative in planning effective symptom management. Because the World Wide Web has been increasingly used as a tool for surveying patients' self-reported responses, discussing its use in health care research would help to integrate technology in research.

The purposes of this study are to categorize self-care strategies and self-care information resources, determine predictors of self-care strategies reported by people living with HIV/AIDS, and compare how web-based surveys and interview surveys may generate different results.

A descriptive, correlational design was used and secondary analysis …

Relationship Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea And Sickle Cell Disease Severity In Children, Valerie E. Rogers

Dissertations

Statement of the Problem. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) initiates hypoxemia and elevated inflammatory markers, events which contribute to vaso-occlusion in sickle cell disease (SCD) independent of OSA. Children with SCD are at increased risk of developing OSA due to SCD-related adenotonsillar hypertrophy, and OSA may increase vaso-occlusion and SCD severity through hypoxemia and inflammation. Identification of OSA-related factors influencing SCD severity is important to reduce SCD-related complications. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that SCD severity is associated with OSA, is associated with OSA-related changes in polysomnography parameters and treatment of OSA with adenotonsillectomy decreases …

Evolving Self-Care Among Individuals With Schizophrenia And Diabetes Mellitus, Peggy Louise El-Mallakh

Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus is more common among individuals with schizophrenia compared to the general population, yet little is known about their diabetic self-care. This grounded theory study was conducted to identify the process by which individuals with schizophrenia and diabetes develop an understanding of the diagnosis of diabetes, identify the factors that influence the development of their diabetic self-care skills, and generate a theory that describes the antecedents and outcomes of their diabetic self-care.

Families' Perceptions On Immunodeficiency Virus Hiv/Aids Phenomenon And Its Impact On Family Functioning Of Puerto Rican Families With Children: A Grounded Approach, Marta Rivero-Mendez

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to generate a detailed description of Puerto Rican families' perceptions of their experiences and processes of functioning when the HIV/AIDS phenomenon is present in the family unit. The sample consisted of six family units composed of 29 members who were followed for seven months. A grounded theory approach framed within the symbolic interactionism perspective was followed to answer the research questions and to generate a substantive theory of family functioning. Data were collected, coded, and analyzed concurrently using the method of comparative analysis.