Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Health Belief Model And Needle Recapping: A Replication, Rosemary M. Rackow Ham

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge of Universal Precautions, the attitudes and beliefs regarding the risk of AIDS among emergency room and critical care nurses and physicians, and the needle recapping behavior that places them at risk for acquiring HIV infection. The Health Belief Model was the conceptual model.; The sample (n = 80) consisted of nurses (n = 68) and physicians (n = 12) who practice in the emergency room (n = 19) or a critical care unit (n = 61) in a community hospital. They completed a 31 item questionnaire. In addition, needle disposal …

A Statewide Survey Of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Kathryn S. Bach

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Factors Affecting Psychosocial Adjustment Of Individuals Following Ostomy Surgery, Margot Knapp

Masters Theses

The literature has documented the traumatic effect of ostomy surgery. Individuals who need to integrate a new body image must go through a period of psychosocial adjustment. Several studies have been done to analyze components of adjustment and to ascertain variables which might affect adjustment. Psychosocial adjustment to ostomy surgery is a new field of study and previous research has been limited in scope.

The current study sought primarily to identify both demographic and categorical variables predictive of a broad range of adjustment factors, and by using a comprehensive sample. Independent variables included age, level of education, precipitating illness, type …

The Appropriateness Of Heart Rate And Rating Of Perceived Exertion As A Measure Of Intensity During Three Variations Of Aerobic Dance, Brendan Patrick Roach

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Knowledge Of Accrued Clinical Clock Hours On Supervisors' Evaluations Of Clinical Competence, Julie Ann Johnston-Palmer

Masters Theses

Supervision in speech-language pathology is one facet of the field in which all speech-language pathologists have had to engage. The more that is known about the process of supervision the better future speech-language pathologists can be prepared to interact in a professional setting. Many variables are present in supervision related to the field of speech-language pathology. One variable which has received only minimal attention relates to the effect knowledge about a student clinician's number of accrued clinical clock hours has on the evaluation of the clinician's skills. The assumption is often made that a student clinician with more clinical clock …

The Effect Of Genetic And Environmental Stress Factors On Alcohol Consumption In Rats, Sharon E. Pryor

Masters Theses

The etiology of alcoholism continues to be investigated. Heredity and environment have both been implicated as causes; however, the reason some people drink more than others has not been determined by science. Twin and adoption studies in humans yield evidence for genetic factors in alcoholism. Studies of possible markers in humans and studies of laboratory animal models have produced further evidence for the genetic transmission of alcohol preference. This animal study was done to further investigate the effects of heredity and environment on preference for alcohol in laboratory rats. Two genetic strains of rats, Wistar and Fischer-344, (n=39) were given …

Concerns/Problems Experienced After Discharge From An Acute Care Setting: The Patient's Perspective, Karen R. Peper

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the discharge planning process in terms of concerns that patients experience after discharge from an acute care setting. Betty Neuman's Health Care Systems Model was the conceptual framework. Aspects of secondary prevention were used to classify the concerns as either a lack of resources or a reaction to a stressor.; The sample (n = 146) consisted of medical and surgical patients, 18 years or older hospitalized at a community hospital for at least 24 hours.; Data were analyzed descriptively. Data revealed that patients do experience some concerns after discharge. The top four …

Acoustic And Perceptual Correlates Of Breathy Vocal Quality, Ronald Allen Cleveland

Masters Theses

Recordings were made of seven normal female and eight normal male talkers producing sustained vowels under normal, moderately breathy, and very breathy conditions. Twenty listeners judged the recorded vowel tokens for degree of breathiness using a direct magnitude estimation procedure. A Cronbach coefficient alpha revealed strong intrasubject agreement.

Several acoustic analyses were evaluated by measuring their correlations with the mean of the listeners' breathiness ratings. Measures of cepstral peak prominence in band limited signals were most strongly correlated with perceived breathiness. The height of the autocorrelation peak in highpass filtered signals and the relative amplitude of the first harmonic were …

The Effects Of Two Types Of Hypnotic Suggestions On Analgesic Responding In Moderately Hypnotizable Subjects, Gloria M. Haddad

Masters Theses

This study assessed the effects of two hypnotic suggestions on hypnotic performance in medium hypnotizable subjects. Subjects were exposed at separate intervals to either an hypnotic suggestion patter containing specific imagery or alternatively to a suggestion patter that provided only general problem-solving direction. Hypnotic performance was assessed using tolerance and threshold measures on a cold-pressor test.

The problem-solving suggestions were shown to increase both threshhold and tolerance of noxious stimulation. The imagery suggestions proved to be effective only for the threshhold measure.

These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the use of hypnosis with subjects who do …

Reinforcement Effects On The I.Q. Scores Of Institutionalized Children And Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Jody Robin Lewis

Masters Theses

Eighteen institutionalized school-age and adult subjects with severe/profound developmental disabilities were evaluated for the effects of self-selected reinforcement for correct responding on their I.Q. scores when tested with the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Terman & Merrill, 1960) or the Leiter International Performance Scale (Arthur, 1952). Subjects were tested under both standard and reinforcement conditions. The results indicated that overall, subjects when tested under reinforcement conditions showed a significant increase in mean I.Q. scores when compared with the same subjects tested one month previously under standard conditions. Several features of the data reveal intriguing results with regard to subjects and related preexisting …

Time Delay Neural Networks And Speech Recognition: Context Independence Of Stops In Different Vowel Environments, Gregory Andrew Makowski

Masters Theses

A series of speech recognition experiments was conducted to investigate time-dynamic speech recognition of stop consonants invariant of vowel environment using data from six talkers. The speech preprocessing was based on previous studies investigating acoustic characteristics which correlate to the place of articulation (Blumstein and Stevens 1979). The place of articulation features were statistically abstracted using four moments and the energy level of the speech sample.

Both statistical and neural network pattern recognition methods were used. Statistical methods included linear and quadratic discriminant functions, maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) and K-nearest neighbors (KNN). The neural network approach used was Time Delay …

Total Blood Cholesterol, Blood Triglyceride, And Blood Hdl Correlation, Rebecca Lynn Babler

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between total blood cholesterol levels, blood triglyceride levels, and blood HDL levels in men and women 20 to 80 years of age. All subjects fasted for 12 hours prior to having their blood drawn.

The computer program SPSSX (SPSSX, Inc., 1988) was used along with subprograms CONDESCRIPTIVE, CORRELATION, and ANOVA. Pearson Product Moment Correlations were calculated for all subjects, for male subjects, and for female subjects.

The study revealed a low correlation coefficient between blood cholesterol levels and blood triglyceride levels for all subjects, female subjects and male subjects. There …

Added-Purpose Versus Rote Exercise For Dynamic Standing Balance Training In Hemiplegia, Ching-Lin Hsieh

Masters Theses

Adding purpose to daily occupation in order to promote performance is a basic premise of occupational therapy. This study investigated the hypothesis that in individuals with hemiplegia, two added-purpose occupations would elicit more exercise repetitions than a rote exercise occupation. In a counterbalanced order, twenty-one hemiplegic patients aged 51 to 78 experienced all three conditions of a dynamic standing balance exercise involving bending down, reaching , standing up, and extending the arm. One condition of added purposes involved materials (small balls and a target); another prompted imagery of those materials; the third involved the same physical exercise without added purpose. …

Test-Retest Reliability Of The Levels Of Rehabilitation Scale Iib, Maura Katherine Murphy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate test-retest reliability of the Levels of Rehabilitation Scale IIB (LORS IIB), developed by Carey and Posavac in 1982. Reliability is an important concept when a therapist begins to assess a client's activities of daily living skills. If a test is reliable, the therapist will have a dependable means by which to measure client progress with stability and accuracy.

This study was conducted with eight volunteer post-stroke victims. The study found that the LORS IIB assessment was highly significant in test-retest reliability.

The Effectiveness Of Auditory Bombardment In The Remediation Of Phonological Processes, Lisa M. Gangloff

Masters Theses

Current research examining the efficacy of different stages of phonological remediation is limited to the use of minimal pairs and the integration of language therapy to assist children with accompanying language deficits. Auditory bombardment, however, although frequently used, has not been researched as to its effectiveness in the remediation of phonological processes. Auditory bombardment is currently being presented through word lists. This researcher suggests that a language-based bombardment, in the form of children’s stories, would aid in the reduction of phonological processes and the acquisition of language skills.

Six subjects were included in the research study. The subjects ranged in …

Mmpi Profiles Of Sexual Perpetrators, Steven G. Vaupel

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare MMPI scores of 60 men referred for assessment and/or counseling at community mental health facilities. No MMPI protocols were excluded due to elevated validity configurations (70T or above). Forty of the referrals were referred for suspected child sexual abuse. Twenty of the referrals admitted (Admitter) to sexually abusing a child at the time of referral and twenty did not admit (Nonadmitter) to sexually abusing a child when referred. A control group of the remaining twenty subjects were referred for various offenses, none of which included sexual offenses against children. Significant differences were …

The Validity Of Studies That Test The Effectiveness Of Psychotherapy, Ian K. Isaacs

Masters Theses

This thesis is a review of the validity of studies on the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Ten randomly selected studies are examined to determine if the validity of the study was affected by threats to statistical conclusion, internal, construct, and external validity. All of the studies examined were published after 1985. The results indicate that validity of the research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy is affected by some threats to validity: History, Testing, and Selection bias, (ie. internal validity). In addition, external validity was affected by the lack of use of appropriate control group, lack of a description of the therapy …

A Comparison Between Physiological And Perceived Exertion During Maximal And Submaximal Treadmill Exercise At Three Menstrual Cycle Phases, Kathleen M. Mccune

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in physiological and subjective perceived exertion levels at maximal and submaximal treadmill exercise between three phases of the menstrual cycle in eumennorheic women.

Nine females of varying fitness levels were subjects in the study. None of the subjects were using oral contraception or hormone altering medications at the time of the study.

The subjects performed three separate maximal graded exercise tests (GXT) using the Balke protocol. During each GXT, oxygen uptake (VO₂), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory quotient (RQ), rate of perceived exertion, and total time …

An Investigation Into Physiological Responses And Ratings Of Perceived Exertion To Submaximal Cycle Ergometry When Using Aerodynamic And Drop Handlebars, Haydn Jarrett

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Osteoporosis Health Beliefs And Knowledge To Calcium Intake, Karen L. Boyer

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health beliefs (susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, health motivation and self-efficacy) and knowledge, to calcium intake. The study used a descriptive correlational design and a convenience sample of 201 women was selected. Data collection took place in a metropolitan area of west Michigan and a structured interview method was used. The subjects ranged in age from 35 to 95. Ninety-six and one half percent of the sample was white. The hypothesis--"knowledge and the health beliefs account for a significant amount of variance in calcium intake" was partially supported. Self-efficacy and …

Patients' Perceptions Of Being Prepared For Self-Care Following Discharge From An Acute Care Setting, Linda L. Lawton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to evaluate patients' perceptions of being prepared for discharge from an acute care setting. An instrument to look at patient perceptions of discharge preparation in 10 categories was developed. Orem's self-care model provided the conceptual basis for this study.; The study used a convenience sample of 146 adult patients hospitalized for 24 hours or more on a 35 bed surgical unit. Data were collected via telephone interviews on the third day following discharge. Perceived preparation was measured using a 5 point Likert scale.; The findings indicated a positive perception of being prepared for …

Relationships Of Osteoporosis Health Beliefs To Practiced Exercise Behaviors Of Women, Sandra J. Esch

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of health beliefs contained in the Health Belief Model to practiced exercise behavior of women. A descriptive correlation design was used with a convenience sample of 201 women. The revised version of the Osteoporosis Health Belief Exercise Scale developed by Kim, Horan, Gendler and Patel (1991b) was used to measure health beliefs related to osteoporosis. The ARIC/Baecke questionnaire of Habitual Physical Activity was used to measure life style physical activity. Health motivation and exercise benefits were found to be positively correlated to exercise behavior. However, susceptibility and exercise barriers were …

Perceived And Actual Level Of Knowledge Of Diabetes Mellitus Among Nurses, Gayla M. Kupris

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare staff nurses perceived and actual levels of knowledge of diabetes mellitus. Little research has been done to study perceived diabetes knowledge.; This study used a descriptive correlational design. A convenience sample of 60 staff nurses from a 248 bed suburban teaching hospital was surveyed. The Diabetes Self-Report Tool (Drass, Muir-Nash, Boykin, Turek, & Baker, 1989), was used to assess staff nurses' perceived level of diabetes knowledge. The Diabetes: Basic Knowledge Test (Drass, et al., 1989), was used to measure actual level of diabetes knowledge. Subjects were found to have an …

Bedtime Routines And Sleep Patterns Of Hospitalized Elderly, Marie E. Vander Kooi

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine whether performance of a familiar bedtime routine was related to the self-reported nocturnal sleep pattern quality of the hospitalized elderly. A descriptive correlational design was used to analyze data collected on a convenience sample of 30 elderly patients. The Bedtime Routine Questionnaire was used to describe the bedtime routine at home and measure to what extent it was maintained in the hospital. The nocturnal sleep pattern quality was measured using the Richards Campbell Sleep Questionnaire. The most common bedtime routine activities of the elderly were found to be: going to the bathroom; …

Cancer Patients' Response To Chemotherapy Teaching On Side Effect Management, Kelly A. Guswiler

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate patients' responses to chemotherapy teaching on drug side effects and side effect management. Concepts of self-care from Orem's theory of Self-Care Deficits provided the conceptual framework.; Nineteen cancer patients were given specific information on chemotherapy side effects and side effect management prior to initiating treatment. Patients maintained a written log of experienced side effects and self-care behaviors that they initiated to manage these effects. Number of side effects, intensity and distress rating of side effects, reported self-care behaviors, and effectiveness of the behaviors were analyzed using percentages. Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, stomatitis, and …

Nursing Participation In Hospital Decision-Making, Sylvia J. Simons

Masters Theses

Nurse administrators may participate in predicting organizational trends and planning at various organizational levels, however, the degree of actual participation of the nurse administrator in hospital decision-making is a relatively new area of investigation. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was used to investigate the differences between nurse administrators' actual and preferred participation in hospital decision-making. A stratified random sample of 60 nurse executives and 60 nurse managers was selected from the Michigan Organization of Nurse Executives' membership list. The overall response rate was 67% (N = 81). Data were obtained from individual nurses by questionnaires. The responses from the nurse …

Recreational Sports Interests Of Faculty, Staff And Administration At Eastern Illinois University, Tammy J. Rees

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Market Medicinal Plants Of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Michael S. Nicholson

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to record the popular uses of various medicinal plants gathered in the vicinity of Monterrey, Mexico.

Two hundred medicinal plant specimens were collected from 11 hierberias of two mercados and two additional medicinal plant sources. Included is a total of 92 species in 86 genera of 50 plant families.

The plant vendors at the hierberias were interviewed to determine the folk uses of the plants. The reports were reviewed in the literature for comparison with previously published citations. Collections are retained in the Ethnobotanical Herbarium, Room 107, Klehm Hall, Eastern Illinois University along …

The Effects Of Discrimination Therapy Administered To Preschool Children, Steven E. Deal

Masters Theses

Recent research in the area of phonological development has indicated phonemes are mastered earlier than previous research demonstrated. Research has also indicated phoneme discriminatory skills are acquired with a similar pattern of development as phoneme production skills. Additionally, many research studies have demonstrated a relationship between children's ability to discriminate phonemes and their ability to articulate phonemes. Phonological skill development at younger ages implies that children will be eligible for articulation therapy at younger ages. Traditionally, articulation remediation begins with sensory/perceptual or discrimination training. Currently, available research has not addressed the effectiveness of discrimination training at pre-school age levels.

Six …

Maternal Employment Status Following The Birth Of An Infant, Julie A. Hyde

Masters Theses

A descriptive correlational study was conducted in partial replication of the Youngblut (1989) study for the purpose of determining the relationship between variables related to mothers' employment status and the infants' developmental status at three months. Families of the sample (n = 105) were termed working, non-working or leave of absence (LOA) depending on the mothers' employment status at the infant age of three months.; Variables examined included demographic, reproductive histories, mother-child interaction, employment status, family functioning, neonatal morbidity, developmental outcomes and home/work orientation. Findings revealed that despite a higher SES category than nonworking and LOA families, working mothers also …