Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Prosthesis Use Versus Non-Use On Forward Reach Distance In Children Ages 5 To 15 With Unilateral Upper Extremity Amputation As Measured By The Functional Reach Test, Mary E. Weber, Scot G. Smith

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible differences in maximal forward reaching distance in children with unilateral upper extremity amputations while wearing and not wearing a prosthesis using the Functional Reach (FR) test. Trends were noted between FR scores of these children and children without disabilities.

Four children, ages 5-8, completed the FR test using the intact arm under two conditions, “prosthesis-off” and “prosthesis-on”. A paired, two-tailed t test (a = .05) was used to determine the statistical significance of the means of differences in FR scores between the two conditions.

No statistically significant difference was found …

What Are Female University Students' Perceptions Of Their Healthcare Needs?, Kathleen K. Loose

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a greater awareness of the self-perceived healthcare needs of female university students. An anonymous questionnaire was sent to a random sampling of the total female enrollment at a midwest university. A Healthcare Concern Score was tabulated on 230 completed questionnaires. There were 21 items identified as concerns. Students in the 17-24 year old age bracket had a higher healthcare concern score than individuals in the 24-53 year old age bracket. Orem’s Self-care Deficit Theory (1991) was the conceptual framework for this study. The majority of identified concerns fell within the category of …

Efficacy Of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Evidence Collection: A Northern Michigan Study, Camille J. Griswold

Masters Theses

King’s Theory of Goal Attainment provided the basis for this descriptive, two group comparison study design to determine if sexual assault evidence kits prepared by sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) would be more complete than evidence kits prepared by non-sexual assault nurse examiners. A convenience sample of 100 evidence kits (41 SANE and 59 non-SANE) were analyzed using the Evidence Kit Audit Tool consisting of 18 questions that reflect the standards for submission of evidence.

The kits submitted by SANEs were significantly (t=5.6, df=71, p<.001) more complete (mean=93%) than those completed by non-SANEs (mean=77%). Corrected Chi-square comparisons of the two groups on whether or not individual items of evidence were complete indicated significant differences in 11 out of 18 items. A higher percentage of SANEs completed each item. Therefore, the hypothesis of sexual assault evidence kits prepared by a SANE will be more complete than sexual assault kits prepared by a non-SANE was supported.

Impact Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) On Parents And Children: What Are The Lived Experiences Of A Parent With A Child With Adhd?, Deborah K. Taylor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to seek a fuller understanding of and to identify and describe the underlying themes of the lived experiences of a parent with a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Husserelian phenomenological and Giorgi methods of research were utilized in this study. Four meanings emerged: 1) discovery, 2) searching for control, 3) struggling for normalization/overcoming obstacles, and 4) hope. The synthesized structural description of the experience that emerged was described as an emotional experience that progressed in stages that were cyclic and ongoing in nature. The data suggests that chronic sorrow, as it …

Does The Method Of Treating Bacterial Vaginosis In Early Pregnancy Affect The Re-Occurrence Rate Near Term?, Karen Taylor

Masters Theses

There is no significant difference in the relationship between oral or vaginal metronidazole and oral clindamycin in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in early pregnancy and the re-occurrence rate of BV at 35 to 37 weeks gestation. Treatment of BV in pregnancy has been shown to decrease the preterm delivery rate saving millions of dollars and improving the health of infants. This was a descriptive, correlational study using a retrospective chart review. A constructed checklist was used for collecting data from 186 charts.

Age, parity, and insurance were comparable in each of the three drug groups. The re-occurrence rate …

Paraplegic Functional Ambulation With Long Leg Braces And Upper Extremity Support: Predicting Long Term Usage Patterns Utilizing The Functional Independence Measure, Karin Copenhaver, Matthew Sherman

Masters Theses

Individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) are frequently taught to ambulate with long leg braces and upper extremity support during their post-acute rehabilitation. In many cases this training fails to carry over once these individuals return to their homes after their rehabilitation course has ended. Subsequently, these individuals rely on their wheelchair as their primary mode of ambulation. Is ambulation training an expropriate intervention for patients in these cases? The purpose of this study was to investigate whether utilization of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) may serve as a predictor of long term functional ambulation with long leg braces …

Concurrence Of Decreases In Barometric Pressure And Spontaneous Rupture Of Membranes In Term Gravid Women, Linda M. Owen

Masters Theses

A retrospective design was used to examine the relationship between spontaneous rupture of membranes in term gestation gravid women and decreased barometric pressure of ten millibars or greater in the twenty-four hours proceeding the rupture of membranes. Delivery logbooks and charts of all women who were admitted to a Midwestern Hospital in 1997-1998 with spontaneous rupture of membranes (N-533) were examined and data from the Midwest Climate Center was utilized to determine the changes in barometric pressure within the twenty-four hours proceeding the documented rupture of membranes.

No correlation was elucidated between the timing of spontaneous rupture of the amniotic …

Quality Of Life In The Hospice Patient, Sidney S. Brush

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if terminally ill patients experience a change in perceived quality of life between admission to a hospice program and after having been in the hospice program for three weeks.

A repeated measures design with a convenience sample was used The sample consisted of 56 subjects who completed the Missoula-Vitas Quality of Life Index (MVQOLI). Twenty completed the second MVQOLL Data were obtained from the scores of this self-assessment tool. Data analysis included a comparison of the relationship of the first and repeated scores. No significant differences were found between the MVQOLI scores …

Early Nursing Interventions And Their Effect On Fatigue In Patients Receiving Chemotherapy, Karla J. Baker

Masters Theses

Fatigue is the number one side effect that patients experience when they receive chemotherapy. They do not always expect it or know what to do when it effects their entire life. This study described the affect of early nursing interventions on fatigue caused by chemotherapy. This descriptive, two group comparative study used a convenience sample of patients, receiving chemotherapy for the first time, to determine the degree of fatigue they experienced. A tool by Barbara Piper RN (1997) was used to describe the effect of early intervention on fatigue experienced by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Internal consistency of this tool …

The Experience Of Nurse Practitioners With Peer Support: A Phenomenological Study, Carol J. Prinzo

Masters Theses

As nurse practitioners move into non traditional roles they sometimes lack a social and professional support. Lack of peer support can cause a feeling of isolation and frustration for advanced practice nurses.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to discover the lived experience of nurse practitioners with peer support. Four nurse practitioners described their experiences. These descriptions were analyzed for meaning using the Girogi method.

Four common themes emerged: support throughout the educational process, professional support, support from family and friends and frustration. The description of peer support was unique according to level of experience, practice setting and …

Fetal Infant Mortality In Kalamazoo, Lisa A. Wullschleger

Masters Theses

The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the incidence rates of five pre-selected perinatal variables that existed within the white and non-white groups of fetal, infant deaths that occurred in Kalamazoo County between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 1997. The variables were prenatal care, birth weight, estimated weeks of gestation, and maternal, fetal, infant medical complications. The question posed was as follows: Is there a difference in incidence rates of the variables between the white and non-white perinatal deaths in Kalamazoo County?

A sample size of 50 cases was studied. Kotelchuck's instrument tool (1994), the Adequacy of …

Needs Of Families Of Severe Traumatic Brain Injured Individuals During The Critical Care Experience, Victoria L. Meyers

Masters Theses

Traumatic brain injury occurs without warning, disrupts the life of the individual and family, causing stress. The purpose of this descriptive study was three part: to identify the needs of families of severe traumatic brain injured (TBI) individuals during the critical care experience, to identify who met those needs, and to obtain qualitative data regarding nursing care. Family Systems Theory provided the theoretical framework to support this study.

A convenience sample from a large Midwestern teaching institution consisted of 28 family members of severe TBI individuals. The sample received by mail a demographic profile, a questionnaire (Critical Care Family Needs …

The Relationship Of Selected Health Beliefs And Exercise Adherence 8 To 12 Months After A Cardiac Event, Jill Stone

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between health beliefs and cardiac exercise adherence at 6-12 weeks after a cardiac event as compared to 8-12 months post event. Twenty five subjects participated at time one and time two by answering mailed questionnaires designed to measure perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, exercise adherence, and demographic data.

Data analysis did not reveal a significant difference in exercise adherence or perceived benefits, but results did support a statistically significant difference in perceived barriers (p=.02) and self-efficacy (p=.03) from time one to time two. Subjects perceived higher levels of barriers related to …

Reading The Maelström: Narrators, Texts, And Language In Edgar Allan Poe's "A Descent Into The Maelström", Salwa Khoddam, Randall E. Auxier

Short Story

No abstract provided.

The Efficacy Of A Developmental Follow-Up Program For High-Risk Infants, Laurie M. De Jong

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a developmental follow-up program provided at a local community hospital. Efficacy was measured by the number of children referred to early intervention services and the cost effectiveness of the program. Design: This is a retrospective study of 174 children evaluated during 272 visits in the Follow-up Clinic from the inception of the program on November 22, 1994 through December 31, 1998. The data collected included referral rates and demographic information on all children. Financial information was also obtained on 74 children seen during a one year period to assess the financial implications of the …

Contract Construction And Interpretation: From The “Four Corners” To Parol Evidence (And Everything In Between), Keith A. Rowley

Scholarly Works

The pervasive use of computers has revolutionized both the practice of law and the conduct of business. Agreements once performed on the basis of an oral promise or a hand shake, at one end of the spectrum, or only following lengthy negotiations and exchanges of drafts of documents which had to be recreated from scratch at each stage, at the other, often are now governed by writings prepared with minimal effort, based on a computerized form used by a party to the contract, or its attorneys, in some prior deal. The ease of “block and copy” drafting of contracts and …

Book Review, David S. Tanenhaus

Scholarly Works

After missing an opportunity as a graduate student in the early 1970s to meet the aged Miriam Van Waters, whose distinguished career as a penal reformer spanned from the First World War to the launching of Sputnik, historian Estelle Freedman now attempts to capture her through biography. Freedman’s effort is a valiant one because Van Waters, a student of psychology, struggled with her own identity and sexuality, and repeatedly pushed away anyone who tried to get too close. One can only imagine how the intensely private Van Waters would have reacted to learning that her most personal conflicts would become …

Proactively And In The Heat Of The Moment: Administrative Advice For Communication Instructors To Help Students Cope With Crisis, Jennifer H. Waldeck

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article provides advice on helping students cope with crisis. The first section discusses communication research that is pertinent to helping students be prepared proactively to deal with relationship crises. Second, it focuses on strategies that teachers of interpersonal communication survey courses may use to deal with students who are already victims of these situations, and as a result, may be emotionally troubled, abusing drugs or alcohol, or have suicidal feelings. Although communication faculty often are perceived to be immediate and thus approached by troubled students, most are rarely qualified to dispense or perform counseling duties. Recommendations are made in …

"An Offering For The Sake Of Offering" : Invisible Work And Emotion Work In Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Mary Katherine Wiper

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Two Rooms, Jessica Gunderson

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Embracing Descent: The Bankruptcy Of A Business Paradigm For Conceptualizing And Regulating The Legal Profession, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Lawyers are said to travel in packs, or at least pairs, and in the popular parlance are often compared to hoards of locusts, herds of cattle, or unruly mobs. However, at least for purposes of assessing concerns with professionalism currently surrounding the bar and the public, whether attorneys are more or less social than other human animals does not matter. My point is simply that lawyers are social beings; like other human beings in social and occupational groups, lawyers behave largely in accordance with group norms, in much the same way peer pressure led Julian English toward juvenile delinquency in …

Trauma Stress Severity And Road Traffic Accidents: A Prospective Pilot Study Into 11 Causal Factors, Louise Horner-Baggs

School of Psychology Theses

Factors associated with the development of post traumatic stress symptomatology have frequently been reported in the literature over the last decade. However, of the empirical studies examining these factors, few have used appropriate methodological designs and most have examined one factor in isolation. This pilot study used a cross-lagged panel analysis design to investigate 11 factors previously identified in the literature as being causally related to the development of post traumatic stress symptomatology. The 11 factors investigated were: perceived controllability, perceived predictability, perceived threat, shattering and confirmation of core assumptions, causal attributions, supportive and unsupportive behaviour, peritraumatic dissociation and the …

An Exploratory Study Of Coping, Psychological Distress, Self-Esteem And Perceived Stress In Patients With Chronic Bowel Disorders, Georgina Cratchley

School of Psychology Theses

This study had 4 aims. The first aim was to explore the relationships between personal control and coping responses in patients with the chronic bowel disorders of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The second aim examined coping in IBS and IBD patients as a process, by focusing on a specific episode of their primary symptoms. The coping profiles of the IBS and IBD patients were compared to establish whether differences in coping between the 2 groups were present. The third aim examined differences between groups and tested for linear trends across IBS, IBD patients and Non-patient …

Using A Personal Construct Approach To Explore Quality Of Life Issues With People With Learning Disabilities, Claire Marie Boyes

School of Psychology Theses

While an agreed definition of quality of life rennains elusive, research into the quality of life of people with learning disabilities has developed significantly. Following a discussion of this work, the author argues that these assessment processes should be refocused towards the views of people with learning disabilities themselves, particularly given the idiosyncratic nature of the quality of life issue. This study explores the use of the Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) approach in assessing quality of life with people with learning disabilities.'Ideal'elements were introduced into repertory grid production to measure differences between ideal and actual situations. The results indicate the …

Themes And Issues In The Experience Of Child Survivor Friends, Katherine Jane Adolphus

School of Psychology Theses

This study was interested in the experience of adults who had been bereaved of close friends during childhood (aged 5-12 years). This was identified as an area that was both underresearched and of potential importance to mental health professionals. Six participants were recruited through newspaper articles and requests placed in G.P. surgeries. All of the participants met with the researcher for an open-ended, unstructured interview lasting between 1 and 11/2 hours. The interviews were explored using the qualitative approach of 'Interpretative Phenomenologjcal Analysis'. Several themes and issues emerged as important in the experience of child survivor friends. These themes were …

Theory Of Mind In Children With Autism: Is There A Need For Better Tests Of What They Know?, Alex Karen Proto

School of Psychology Theses

This research looked at the ability of children with autism to understand theory of mind. This is the ability to attribute mental states (e.g. believing, thinking, knowing etc.) to oneself and to others. The main aim of the study was to provide evidence, contrary to a large body of previous research, that individuals with autism can exhibit a theory of mind, when the standard tests used in the past are simplified for this population. A further aim of the study was to show that language ability is significant in terms of theory of mind task performance. It was hypothesised, because …

Emotion Processing In Alzheimer's Disease: The Clinical Implications, Shirley Ann Radford

School of Psychology Theses

The purpose of this study is to extend the literature on recognition and identification of non-verbal communicative signals of emotion in those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. To date, there have been few studies in this area, yet emotion processing deficits may have an important effect on the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients and their families. The experimental condition consisted of a set of tasks involving face and prosody discrimination problems in which participants were asked to choose between a number of stimuli presented on cards (facial cues) or on audio-tape (prosody cues). In addition, a measure of general cognitive …

The Knowledge Of Dementia Among Nursing Staff Working In Special Care Units, Julia M. Gray

Theses

Dementia is a growing concern among the elder population. Special Care Units in long-term settings are becoming common placements for elders with dementia. The nursing staff within Special Care Units ideally have additional training in dementia. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the knowledge of dementia among nursing staff working in Special Care Units.

The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Caregiver Burden In Female Social Workers Who Care For An Elderly Relative, Joanne K. Kerns

Theses

This study examined the relationship between job satisfaction and caregiver burden in 29 female social workers employed full time at the Missouri Division of Family Services in St. Louis County. Because of multiple caregiving roles experienced by social workers who also care for an elderly relative, it was hypothesized that there would be a significant negative correlation between job satisfaction and caregiver burden. The Caregiver Burden Scale developed by Zarit, Reever, and Bach-Peterson was used to determine caregiver burden. Job satisfaction was determined by Holland and Guttfredson' s Career Attitudes and Strategies Inventory Job Satisfaction scale. No correlation was found …

The Rural Older Adult Population And Transportation Services, Penny L. Isenmann

Theses

OAT . incorporated provide transportation service throughout the state of Missouri. OATS initially began serving the rural population of older adults. OATS now provides transportation for non-emergency Medicaid patients. Head Start, and other organizations.

Demographics, mobility, gender differences, normal age related changes. cognitive and physical impairments and disabilities are discussed in relation with driving and mobility needs Transportation affects all aspects of the older adult's life.

The White House Conference on Aging and the OIder Americans Act were influential in legislation which began funding transportation services tor older adults. Federal. state and local governments. and private agencies are responsible for …