Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Palliative Care's Sacramental And Liturgical Foundations: Healthcare Formed By Faith, Hope, And Love, Darren M. Henson

Dissertations (1934 -)

Medical history identifies Dame Cicely Saunders as the founder of modern hospice and palliative care for the unique care she gave to the incurably and terminally ill. Less known is how her Christian faith, combined with her knowledge of medicine, influenced her vision. This work retrieves the Christian roots of palliative care and asserts that the practice of faith preserves the practice of medicine from succumbing to medicalized dying--a phenomenon that excessively relies on technology with the implied hope that it will ultimately conquer illnesses and even death. Efficiency and effectiveness ground modern medicine's epistemology. These concepts follow the philosophical …

Hispanic Mothers' Normative Beliefs And Intentions About The Discussion Of Sex-Related Topics With Their Adolescent Daughters, Dana M. Rodriguez

Dissertations (1934 -)

Hispanic adolescent females continue to have rates of pregnancy and STIs, which exceed those of white non-Hispanic peers. When mothers engage in the discussion of sex-related topics (DSRTs) with their adolescent daughters, it has been shown to delay or decrease sexual intercourse. However, it has been found that Hispanic parents talk less with their daughters about sex-related topics (SRTs) when compared to other ethnic groups. Understanding why Hispanic mothers may or may not intend to engage in DSRTs is important in order to design culturally appropriate programs aimed at increasing their DSRTs. A sequential mixed-methods predictive correlational design framed by …

Antecedents Of Regular Exercise Among Women Who Do And Do Not Achieve Weight Loss Over Six Months, Heather Vartanian

Dissertations (1934 -)

In the United States, 35.5% of adult women are classified as obese, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of > 30 kg/m2. The health risks associated with obesity can be mitigated through losing even 5-10% of initial body weight. Evidence shows that reductions in caloric intake alone without increases in caloric expenditure leads to a decline in resting metabolic rate, thereby impeding attainment or maintenance of weight loss. The purpose of this cross-sectional, mixed-methods study was to explore the antecedents of regular exercise among women with obesity who did and did not achieve weight loss over six months. The antecedents …

Interpersonal Communication In The Context Of Dementia: Examining Family Caregivers' Appraisals And Burden, Stacy Lynn Barnes

Dissertations (1934 -)

Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore dementia family caregivers' appraisals of communication behaviors and strategies, and their relationships to caregiver burden. Study objectives were to investigate: 1) the relationship between frequency of dementia-related communication behaviors and caregivers' appraisals of frustration; 2) the relationship between caregivers' use of communication strategies and appraisals of helpfulness; 3) the structural relationships between communication behavior appraisal, communication strategy appraisal, problem behaviors, and caregiver burden; and 4) caregiver education level as a moderating variable of the final structural model. Methods: A written, mailed questionnaire was developed to capture dementia family caregivers' …

Relationships Among Uncertainty, Coping, And Psychological Distress In Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Jennifer Sjostedt Avery

Dissertations (1934 -)

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has an average prevalence of 18.9% and most often affects people 60 years of age or older. It is a cognitive stage between normal functioning and dementia (Petersen, 2003; Petersen, 2011; Petersen et al., 2014). MCI can be broken into two subtypes classified by the presence of memory impairment (amnestic MCI) or the lack thereof (nonamnestic MCI). Medical diagnostic criteria are commonly used to guide research with older adults with MCI. A theoretical framework that addresses the antecedents and consequences of MCI, specifically one examining the relationships among MCI, uncertainty, coping and psychological distress, is essential …

Mechanisms Of Isometric Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia In Young And Older Adults, Kathy J. Lemley

Dissertations (1934 -)

Pain reduction following exercise (exercise-induced hypoalgesia; EIH) is well-established in young adults. Specific to isometric exercise, the greatest EIH follows low intensity contractions held for long duration. The EIH response of older adults is not known; and the mechanisms for EIH are unclear at any age. This dissertation aimed to address these unknowns through a series of three studies. In study one, repeatability of pressure pain reports (pain threshold and pain ratings) was assessed in healthy older adults, including the impact of psychological factors. Pain reports, measured before and after quiet rest, did not change following quiet rest. Higher state …

Spirituality And Religiosity In Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease: A Descriptive Qualitative Study, Dora L. Clayton-Jones

Dissertations (1934 -)

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious debilitating chronic illness and global health problem. Spirituality and religiosity have been shown to have positive correlations with their health outcomes. Research addressing the spiritual and religious needs of adolescents living with SCD is limited.

The aim of this descriptive qualitative study was to examine how adolescents (Mage = 16.2 years) with SCD describe and experience spirituality and religiosity. Nine adolescents completed two semi-structured interviews. Sickle Cell Disease Interview Guides were developed using the Spiritual Development Framework developed by Benson & Roehlkepartain (2008) as a guide. The framework provided a foundation for conceptualizing …

The Influence Of Patient Activation And Social Facilitation On Engagement In Postpartum Weight Self-Management Behaviors, Jennifer Marie Ohlendorf

Dissertations (1934 -)

Aims: To explore factors that influence the process of women's engagement in postpartum weight self-management (PPWSM) behaviors (eating and physical activity). Transitions Theory and the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change guided the selection of salient variables including transition conditions, level of patient activation, and social facilitation, to be examined for association with PPWSM behaviors.

Background: Women who do not lose their pregnancy weight are at higher risk of being overweight or obese later in life. Little is known about what women do to self-manage the return to pre-pregnant weight and how providers can influence PPWSM.

Design: Prospective, longitudinal, correlational …

A Feminist Perspective On Listening To Women: Birth Stories Of Vaginal Birth Following Previous Cesarean Delivery, Elizabeth Hill-Karbowski

Dissertations (1934 -)

Women's perspectives of their experiences are important, and worthy of study. However, there have been no qualitative comparative investigations of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) experiences of American women using their birth stories as data. Furthermore, there have been no studies where women's experiences of cesarean have been compared with their own subsequent VBAC.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the comparative experience of VBAC and cesarean, valuing women and their experiences through the use of a feminist research perspective. By contributing new and valuable insight into an area of research that has been identified as …