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Salvaging Self: A Grounded Theory Study Of Pregnancy On Crack Cocaine, Margaret H. Kearney Mar 2019

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.

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An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Self-Disclosure, Interpersonal Dependency, And Life Changes To Loneliness In Young Adults, Noreen E. Mahon Mar 2019

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.

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Home Apnea Monitoring: Family Functioning, Concerns, And Coping, Betsy Mickey Mcdowell Mar 2019

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 …

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When Worlds Collide: The Meanings Of Work And Fathering Among Fathers Of Premature Infants, Shawn Pohlman Mar 2019

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).

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Relationships And Patterns Between Expert And Nonexpert Critical Care Nursing Practice And Patient Outcomes, Sandra Kathleen Hanneman Mar 2019

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 …

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Predicting Certification Success For The Family Nurse Practitioner, Tammy Lee Gravel Mar 2019

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 …

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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 Mar 2019

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.

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The Nature Of Power Experienced By Individuals Manifesting Patterning Labeled Schizophrenic: An Investigation Of The Principle Of Helicy, Laura Cox Dzurec Mar 2019

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 …

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Predictors Of Role Identity And Role Attainment In Mothers Of Premature Infants, Mary O'Pray Mar 2019

Predictors Of Role Identity And Role Attainment In Mothers Of Premature Infants, Mary O'Pray

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify whether stress, social support, maternal age and infant birthweight contributed to role identity and role attainment in mothers of premature infants: (1) when the infant was being discharged from the hospital and maternal caretaking had been limited, and (2) when the infant had been home for four weeks and maternal caretaking had increased. Prior work implied that mothers of term infants had achieved a level of psychological preparedness. Similar information was needed about mothers of premature infants. The framework guiding this study proposed that the mother who experiences the birth of a …

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Creativity And Cognitive Style Of Creativity: A Description Of Graduate Nursing Faculty And Construct Validation Of The Kirton Adaption-Innovation Theory, Amy C. Pettigrew Mar 2019

Creativity And Cognitive Style Of Creativity: A Description Of Graduate Nursing Faculty And Construct Validation Of The Kirton Adaption-Innovation Theory, Amy C. Pettigrew

Dissertations

This study utilized traditional measures of creativity and Kirton's Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI) to describe both level of creativity and cognitive style of creativity in faculty and administrators in National League for Nursing accredited graduate schools of nursing. The KAI measures a cognitive style of creativity. Traditional measures of creativity included measures of personality traits, perceptions of environment for creativity, demographic validity for the Adaption-Innovation Theory was demonstrated.

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The Behaviors Of Nurses Who Immunize Children, Thomas E. Stenvig Mar 2019

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).

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The Experience Of Post-Craniotomy Pain Among Persons With Brain Tumors, Rebecca Elizabeth Foust Mar 2019

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.

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A Brief Nursing Workload Scale: Development And Evaluation, Eve Lynn Layman Mar 2019

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) …

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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 Mar 2019

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.

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Ideals For Nurses: A Study Of The "American Journal Of Nursing" And "Rn", 1940-1960, Lembi Saarmann Mar 2019

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 …

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Women With Correctable Fetal Anomaly Participating In Perinatal Team Counseling: An Exploratory Study, Maria R. Reyes Mar 2019

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, …

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Effectiveness And Cost Efficiency Of Interventions In Health Promotion, Rosanne H. Pruitt Mar 2019

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.

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Anticipating Mothering In The Mexican Origin Woman, Susan M. Baxley Mar 2019

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.

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Influence Of Initial Nursing Educational Preparation On Patient Assessment, Carolyn J. Yocom Mar 2019

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.

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An Investigation Of Burnout In New Jersey Staff Nurses: The Effects Of Fear Of Success In Nursing And Narcissism, Kathleen M. Burke Mar 2019

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 …

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Carving A Niche For Australian Practice Nurses In Chronic Heart Failure Management, Elizabeth Jane Halcomb Mar 2019

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' …

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The Effect Of Gender On A Predictive Model Of Violent Behaviors In Rural Youth Using A Contextual Framework, Kathleen T. Patterson Mar 2019

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 …

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Nursing Students' Perceptions Of Briefing In Simulation, Beena Maret Mar 2019

Nursing Students' Perceptions Of Briefing In Simulation, Beena Maret

Dissertations

Briefing for a clinical simulation in nursing school is an information session that sets the stage for a meaningful simulation activity. Improper or inadequate briefing practices can impact the quality of learning nursing students receive through clinical simulation experience. The purpose of this study, guided by the novice to expert and social cognitive theories, was to explore accelerated baccalaureate nursing (ABN) students' perceptions of their briefing experiences and how the briefing experiences influenced the acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge. Twelve ABN students from a school of nursing in one of the Northeastern states were interviewed through e-mail correspondence. Thematic …

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Curricular Approaches To Teaching Ethics In Baccalaureate Nursing Programs, Amy S. Bennett Mar 2019

Curricular Approaches To Teaching Ethics In Baccalaureate Nursing Programs, Amy S. Bennett

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gather information about the various curricular approaches used by baccalaureate nursing programs for teaching ethics. Specific information sought included: faculty preparation in ethics; use of an ethical framework; goals and objectives for ethics; ethics content and learning experiences included; sequencing of content and learning experiences; placement of ethics into a separate course, integrated into the curriculum, or both; identification, integration, and linkage of ethics content across the curriculum; hours of ethics content; learning resources used; who teaches ethics; and faculty experience with ethics. Beauchamp's curriculum process (1981) was used as a theoretical framework. …

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The Tenderness Process In Mother-Infant Couples: The Relationship Of Maternal Perception And Anxiety To Infant Satiety And Anxiety, Deidre Marion Blank Mar 2019

The Tenderness Process In Mother-Infant Couples: The Relationship Of Maternal Perception And Anxiety To Infant Satiety And Anxiety, Deidre Marion Blank

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify what impact, if any, maternal perception and anxiety had on an infant at the time of feeding. The framework for testing the relationship was Harry Stack Sullivan's interpersonal theory of psychiatry, as it related specifically to mother-infant tenderness. For the study, tenderness was restricted to a reciprocal process in which the infant had a physiochemical need for milk and the mother a complimentary need to satisfy the infant. Of importance to Sullivan was the fact that an infant had to depend on the intervention of others for survival and therefore manifested a …

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The Effect Of Ethnicity And Residential Setting On Cultural Factors Of Low-Income Pregnant Adolescents, Cynthia S. Selleck Mar 2019

The Effect Of Ethnicity And Residential Setting On Cultural Factors Of Low-Income Pregnant Adolescents, Cynthia S. Selleck

Dissertations

Much research has been conducted on adolescent pregnancy; however, culture, as it relates to adolescent pregnancy, has been cited as an area in need of further study. This research focused on the effect of ethnicity and residential setting on cultural factors of low-income pregnant adolescents. The cultural factors studied were social support, knowledge of prevention of pregnancy, and importance of becoming pregnant. These variables were described and compared in white, black, rural, and urban pregnant adolescents. Relationships among these variables were also investigated.

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Development And Testing Of A Cognitive Task Complexity Model, Marsha L. Lewis Mar 2019

Development And Testing Of A Cognitive Task Complexity Model, Marsha L. Lewis

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were (a) to develop a model of cognitive task complexity and (b) to test the extent to which four content characteristics in the model represent the complexity of decision-making tasks in the domain of nursing. A model of the defining characteristics of cognitive task complexity constitutes a first step toward understanding the relationship between the task itself and the decision maker's information processing, and offers direction for the teaching of clinical decision making-skills. The Cognitive Task Complexity Model has its roots in Newell and Simon's (1972) Information Processing Theory. The Cognitive Task Complexity Model includes …

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Testing The Efficacy Of A Nurse-Led, Patient Self-Management Intervention To Decrease Rehospitalization In Older Adults, Merrily W. Evdokimoff Mar 2019

Testing The Efficacy Of A Nurse-Led, Patient Self-Management Intervention To Decrease Rehospitalization In Older Adults, Merrily W. Evdokimoff

Dissertations

Rehospitalization rates of 20% within 30 days of hospital discharge and 27% within 60 days are one of the highest strains on the federal Medicare budget. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has responded by imposing financial disincentives in reimbursement regulations directed to those providers deemed responsible for preventable rehospitalizations. Identifying cost-effective interventions that are appropriate for individuals with chronic illnesses that may be provided within the current home health care system of reimbursement is critical. The purpose of this quasi-scientific intervention study was to test the efficacy of a cost-effective, nurse-led intervention to decrease rehospitalizations of community …

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Online Faculty Mentoring And Transition Balance In Family Nurse Practitioner Students, Cathlin B. Poronsky Mar 2019

Online Faculty Mentoring And Transition Balance In Family Nurse Practitioner Students, Cathlin B. Poronsky

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of online faculty mentoring on Registered Nurse (RN) to Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) role transition balance during graduate education. Making the transition from RN to an FNP can seem daunting and there is limited information in the literature about RN to FNP role transition during graduate education. Nurse faculty may be in a position to aid graduate students to better balance their transition in role from RN to FNP. However, for faculty who seek to do this, there is little information available on methods that have proven successful. Factors that …

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The Concept Of Interprofessional Collaboration In Baccalaureate Nursing Education Programs: A Descriptive Survey, Sylvia Kleiman Fields Mar 2019

The Concept Of Interprofessional Collaboration In Baccalaureate Nursing Education Programs: A Descriptive Survey, Sylvia Kleiman Fields

Dissertations

In response to multiple social and political forces towards interprofessional collaboration in health care delivery, professional educators and others have espoused the need for educational programs which prepare future health practitioners for team practice. A descriptive survey was conducted of National League for Nursing accredited baccalaureate programs during 1975 and 1976 to identify the current status of interprofessional learning for baccalaureate nursing students, to describe specific characteristics of these programs, and to identify the factors perceived as promoting and/or inhibiting interprofessional learning opportunities by nurse educators in programs providing such experiences and in programs not currently offering such opportunities. The …

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