Nursing Commons^™

Older Single Women In Transition: Moving To A Supportive Retirement Community, Linda L. Hansen-Kyle Phd

Dissertations

This study explored role changes, resilience, social, and health challenges encountered by older women who transitioned to a retirement community that provided social, health, and safety support structures. The aim of this study was to analyze and describe the transition from the viewpoint of the participants. Although previous research has shown transitions lead to psychosocial, emotional, physical, and health changes, the importance of this study stems from the lack of research on older women moving to supportive communities and their unique challenges. A convenience sample of 39 women, aged 70-94, who had been living alone before moving to a church …

Resilience And Quality Of Life In Taiwanese Survivors Of Childhood Cancer, Li-Na Chou Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Survivors of childhood cancer are at risk to develop physiologic-psychosocial complications that affect their quality of life. This study explored how the independent variables of illness-related risk (ILLRK), individual risks (IRK), protective factors (PF) and resilience (RS) affected the dependent variable---quality of life (QOL)--in Taiwanese survivors of childhood cancer. Triangulated research methodology was employed to (1) identify the statistical relationships between the variables and (2) explore qualitatively what these variables meant to the subjects and how their perceptions further explained the statistical results. Haase's (2004) Adolescent Resilience Model was used as the theoretical framework. Ninety-eight Taiwanese adolescent cancer survivors, diagnosed …

Creativity Fostering Behaviors In The Nurse Educator, Barbara Neher Taylor Phd

Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive study of 93 BSN nurse educators in the State of California was to examine the relationship between creativity fostering behaviors in the nurse educator and intrinsic motivation, creativity fostering behaviors and the teaching/learning goals, and creativity fostering behaviors and class size, number of years teaching, and university type. This sample included 93 participants, 93% were female, Caucasian (91%), with a mean age of 53 and worked in a public university (65%). Medical/surgical was the most common clinical specialty (26%), with a mean of 29.15 years in nursing practice, and 15 years as a nurse educator. …

Exercise Self-Efficacy, Stages Of Exercise Change, Health Promotion Behaviors, And Physical Activity In Postmenopausal Hispanic Women, Pamela Wolfe Kohlbry Phd

Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational research is to understand the relationships among the variables of exercise self-efficacy, stages of exercise change, health promotion behaviors, body mass index (BMI), health problems, and the level of physical activity in postmenopausal Hispanic women. The significance of this study is to contribute research that enhances the understanding of the relationship of psychosocial and health promotion correlates and physical activity in postmenopausal Hispanic women. On a national level, this is important because Hispanic women make up one of the fastest growing minority populations and they experience the second highest level of obesity. This research is …

Effects Of Organizational Trust, Pablo Velez Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between levels of organizational trust (OT) and nursing turnover rates, turnover expenditures, patient satisfaction scores, nurse managers' job satisfaction, and nurse managers' perception of fair compensation. An OT inventory and demographic questionnaire were used to collect data from 57 nurse managers working for not-for-profit hospitals in California. Pearson correlations analysis showed that OT was statistically significantly (p = .05) related to overall hospital patient satisfaction scores, nurse managers' job satisfaction, nurse managers' perception of fair compensation, and executives' tenure. OT was not correlated with nursing turnover rates or nursing turnover expenditures. By focusing on developing …

Changes In Functional Status Of Home Health Cardiac Patients From Admission To Discharge, Mary Rita Mcgoldrick Phd, Mph, Msn, Rn, Anp-Bc

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine the functional status (ADLs and IADLs) in patients with a primary/secondary diagnosis of cardiac disease in the home health setting. The independent variables of dyspnea and service were examined for the effect on discharge functional status while controlling for the effects of age, gender, race, admission functional status, primary and secondary diagnosis. A descriptive correlational, non-experimental study of cardiac patients in an urban home health agency from January 2003 to December 2004 was conducted using data collected through a retrospective chart review. Seventeen areas of OASIS (ADL and IADL) were assessed for …

Clients' Expectations Of Public Health Nurses' Home Visits, Eva G. Miller Dnsc, Ms, Rn, Phn

Dissertations

Although there is considerable research on the relationship between client expectations and outcomes of care in acute care settings, less is known about clients' expectations for public health nurses' home visits. The aim of this study was to understand clients' expectations of public health nurses' home visits as a first step in making explicit how expectations affect client responses to, and ultimately, outcomes of public health nurses' care. Interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 19 primary caretakers of high-risk infants admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and voluntarily enrolled in a High-Risk Infant (HRI) Program in …

Homeless Mothers' Perceptions Of Parenting In Shelters, Sarah E. Young Whitaker Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Descriptions of parenting in a homeless shelter were obtained from nine single mothers housed in one of two shelters in a major southwestern border metroplex. Case study methodology was used to obtain their perspectives on parenting in this unique context. Content analysis was used to organize and analyze emerging themes. Major themes that emerged from the study were (a) a lack of autonomy, (b) gaining access to material resources, (c) lack of privacy, (d) constant change and insecurity in the environment, (e) differing values, and (e) psychosocial support.

Male Arab-Muslims Health And Health Promotion Perceptions And Practices, Abdel-Raheem O. Yosef Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The Arab Muslim population is one of the dramatically increasing minorities in the United States. In addition to other factors, gender, religion and cultural background influence individuals' beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes to health and illness. Little is known about Arab American male immigrants, how they perceive illness, how they promote their health, and the stressors they experience and barriers they face in accessing the American health care system. The purpose of this study was to develop knowledge about the male Arab-Muslims' health perceptions and health promotion perceptions and practices. This qualitative exploratory study used a grounded theory approach to gain …

Navigating The Rules Of Clinical Practicum Work: An Interpretive Study Of The Experiences Of Associate Degree Nursing Students, Leonie L. Sutherland Phd

Dissertations

Responding to changes in technology, economics, and the demographics of society, nurse leaders incorporate new ideas and systems into clinical practice. Nurse educators are challenged to adopt these ideas and systems and make them part of the nursing curriculum. Educators develop tools and strategies to help students gain knowledge and skills to work with patients in the clinical setting. The ways in which students use these tools and perceive and manage their clinical work is not understood. The dearth of research related to what students actually do in clinical practicum settings provided the backdrop for this study. This is a …

Access To Care: The Experience Of Community-Dwelling Older Adults Receiving Medicare And Medicaid, Mary Ann Simanello Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Access to care represents a leading health indicator for meeting the complex healthcare and social needs of an exploding population of older adults living in the United States. This qualitative study was undertaken to discover the essence of access to care by community-dwelling older adults with Medicare and Medicaid. Participants were recruited from a metropolitan area in Southern California. Thirteen women and men aged 65 to 91 described their experiences with accessing care during a face-to-face, audio-recorded interview. The study aimed to: describe experiences of access to care, identify facilitators and barriers to care, and describe the effects of facilitators …

Being Whole: Aligning Personhoods To Achieve Successful Childbirth With A History Of Childhood Sexual Abuse During Perinatal Services, Karla Kendall Richmond Phd, Msn, Rnc, Cns

Dissertations

Being a pregnant female is a temporary condition. A woman with a history of childhood sexual abuse aligns the personhoods of child victim, adult survivor and pregnant female to achieve a successful pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum experience. Female survivors desire to be recognized and function as whole being during the perinatal experience. It is estimated that 15 to 32 percent of females prior to the age of eighteen have unwanted sexual contact. Female survivors carry this history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with them throughout their lives which may involve childbirth. There are many long-term psychological consequences that can …

Psychosocial Responses By Adolescent Male Victims To Peer Bullying, Karin Eve Reuter-Rice Phd

Dissertations

Bullying remains a pervasive problem in most schools throughout the nation. Peer-bullied victims report higher levels of depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and concerns regarding their safety in school. Reactions of victims to peer bullying have been extreme, as in the cases of the rampage school shooters. Primarily, current research has not focused on the high school adolescent, although most school shooters arise from that age group. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the psychosocial responses by adolescent male victims to peer bullying. Research questions addressed the frequency and severity of peer-victimization, distress, anxiety, and their perception of …

Chronically Ill Adolescents' Involvement In Health Treatment Decision Making, Edna B. Domingo Phd

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to explore preferences for involvement of chronically ill adolescents in health treatment decision-making; describe, explain and predict relationships and differences in self-confidence in decision-making between older and younger chronically ill adolescents; and explore relationships between severity of symptoms and self-confidence in health treatment decision-making among chronically ill adolescents. Ten to twenty million American children have some type of chronic illnesses with 90% survival to adulthood. There is lack of current literature on adolescent preferences for involvement in health care decisions. Courts and legislators assume that minors lack the requisite capacity for information, and lack …

Nursing Students' Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Pain And Pain Management, Ruth L. Schaffler Phd

Dissertations

Pain is a universal human experience and is a primary reason people seek health care; however, undertreatment of pain has been reported in the literature as a significant clinical problem for more than three decades. Researchers have concluded that nurses have inadequate knowledge of pain assessment, are misinformed about opioids, and have inappropriate attitudes about pain and pain management that lead to the undertreatment of pain. One question is whether those misconceptions are acquired in nursing school or whether they are present when students enroll in nursing programs. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the attitudes regarding …

Incidence And Clinical Predictors Of Risk Factors For Inappropriate Shock In Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators, Shu-Ling Lo Phd

Dissertations

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major unresolved medical problem worldwide. Although Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICD) are highly effective in diagnosing and treating life threatening arrhythmias, inappropriate shock therapy (IST) occurs in approximately 5-20% of ICD recipients. IST results in pain, anxiety, induction of ventricular arrhythmias, decreased battery longevity, and even death. Researchers studying clinical predictors of IST have drawn findings based on single case studies with small samples or with outdated data. This study filled this gap by describing the incidence and co-existing clinical predictors of IST. Methodology This descriptive, retrospective study analyzed the incidence and clinical predictors of IST …

An Exploratory Study Of Functional Status In Post Cardiac Arrest Survivors Discharged To Home, John J. Whitcomb Phd

Dissertations

Cardiopulmonary arrest is a major health problem, claiming 350,000 to 450,000 lives per year in the United States, but survival has increased to 49% from the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) by lay personnel. Leidy's work on functional status is a comprehensive framework to describe functional status and has not been used in this population. The specific aims of the project were to describe perceived functional capacity, physical functional performance, mental health, symptom distress, and demographic factors in survivors of cardiopulmonary arrest after discharge to home and to examine the relationship among perceived functional capacity, mental health and physical …

Managing Susceptibility To Hereditary Breast And Ovarian Cancer, Cynthia E. Perry Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The recent identification of Breast Cancer 1 (BRCA1) and BRCA2 genes offers an opportunity for high-risk individuals to learn whether they may be genetically predisposed to develop breast and/or ovarian cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine how unaffected women, identified as BRCA positive and variant of uncertain significance (VUS) mutation carriers, managed their susceptibility to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC). Thirty North American women ranging in age from 22 to 60 years responded to open-ended interviews. These interviews were analyzed using constant comparative method to generate a grounded theory. Managing Susceptibility was identified as the basic …

Unintended Pregnancy Prevention And Active Duty Women, Min S. Chung-Park Phd, Msn, Whnp

Dissertations

Studies have shown that a structured education program for women decreases risky sexual behavior identified as vulnerable for AIDS. However, the outcomes from a structured, repeated, educational intervention in reducing the rates of unintended pregnancies have not been studied in military females who are considered as a high risk. The purpose of this quasi-experimental longitudinal study was to implement and evaluate the effects of a reproductive health educational program regarding knowledge, attitudes, decisional balance, self-efficacy, stages of change, and contraceptive use, and to identify independent variables most likely to predict behavior change in the use of contraceptives among single, active …

From Presence To “E-Presence” In Online Nursing Education, Lisa M. Kaiser Phd, Msn, Bsn, Rn

Dissertations

Online web-based course offerings are now common in many institutions of higher education In response to the current and severe nursing shortage, estimated to represent a 20% vacancy rate by the year 2015, (Tarkin, 2003) many more universities have created online nursing courses for registered nurses wishing to continue their education in nursing. The National League for Nursing (NLN) set research priorities that urged exploration of the impact that technology has on the content and nature of teaching and learning in nursing education (1999). Using a series of separate synchronous, online focus groups and 1:1 interviews with nurse educator experts …

Navigating The Change Of Life: The Menopausal Transition Of Thai Immigrant Women, Bulaporn Natipagon-Shah Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Given that women continue to live more than three decades after menopause and their health and well-being in later life are determined by quality of health during the menopausal transition, menopause has become an important issue in the healthcare arena. The growing number of immigrant women in the United States signifies a need for healthcare providers to develop cultural knowledge and sensitivity toward each immigrant group regarding the issue of menopause. The purpose of this qualitative study was to build a substantive grounded theory of the experiences of menopausal transition among Thai immigrant women in the United States. Data collection …

Reconciling Temporalities: A Substantive Explanation Of The Origins Of Difficulty In The Nurse Patient Encounter, Marilyn Theresa Macdonald Phd

Dissertations

Nurses describe patients as difficult on a regular basis. Nursing research to date has assumed the existence of this phenomenon. Most studies have listed descriptors of the difficult patient and offered interventions for nurses to use to alter patient behavior. Locating of difficulty within the individual and failure to consider the context of the nurse patient encounter is problematic. The practice of locating difficulty in the individual absolves organizations and society of responsibility to work to change factors that contribute to the construction of difficulty. The purpose of this research was to move beyond a focus on the patient as …

Think First For Kids (Tffk): A Longitudinal Analysis Of A School-Based Injury Prevention Curriculum, Dorothy L. Zirkle Phd

Dissertations

Despite years of legislative and public health efforts, unintentional injury continues to be a serious public health problem and is identified as a major priority on the national health care agenda. The high incidence of unintentional injury in the middle childhood age group is of particular interest due to immaturity of the cognitive, psychosocial, and neurophysical dimensions of the child. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a school-based curriculum on improving knowledge and self-reported safety behaviors over time among ethnically and socioeconomically diverse elementary school aged children. The social, cultural, cognitive, and behavioral learning theory …

Seeking Life Balance: The Perceptions Of Health Of Cambodian Women In Resettlement, Olivia Catolico Phd, Msn

Dissertations

This grounded theory study was an inquiry into the perceptions of health of Cambodian women in resettlement and the conditions that influenced their perceptions. Few studies of Cambodian women who escaped political conflict exist. Cambodian women were among the waves of Southeast Asian refugees who have resettled in the United States. The sequelae of significant life trauma upon the health of Cambodian women in resettlement have received little attention in the nursing literature. There is less information about their perceptions of health in resettlement as their beliefs about health and illness causation contrast with those of Western health care providers. …

The Efficacy Of A School-Based Support Group On Adolescent Self-Esteem And Social Support, Julia Ann Smith Phd

Dissertations

Adolescents are faced with daily obstacles that affect their ability to progress into adulthood successfully. Rising divorce rates and subsequent single parenting, adolescent pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, and lack of parental involvement represent only a few of the many issues teens confront. School nurses are on the front lines, attempting to educate youth against an alarming rise in personal and social controversies that impede their ability to come to school ready to learn. As part of the educational team, school nurses are in a prime position to develop and integrate intervention strategies aimed at assisting adolescents during this …

Revisiting Vaccine Hesitancy, Barriers And Motivators To Obtaining A Flu Vaccine In A New Covid-19 Pandemic World, Ann M. Mayo Rn, Dnsc, Faan, Steffanie R. Cobler Np

School of Nursing and Health Science: Faculty Scholarship

Purpose

To describe and compare patient perceived barriers and motivators and decision-making conflict between two groups of hospitalized patients, those who receive flu vaccines and those who do not.

Data Sources

Data collection during 2003 included extracting data from databases and mailing two surveys to 436 discharged patients. One hundred eight (108) patients participated in the study.

Conclusions

Top barriers included fear of side effects from vaccine (35%) and fear of contracting the flu (30%). Top motivators for obtaining a flu vaccine included previous vaccination (93%) and provider recommendation (62%). Barriers, motivators and patient decisional conflict differed depending upon patient …

Factors Influencing Middle-Aged And Older Latin American Women's Participation In Physical Activity, Stephanie Vaughn Phd

Dissertations

Ethnographic methodology was used to explore the factors that influence middle-aged and older Latin American women's participation in physical activity. Semi-structured interviews and field observations were used to elicit information from the twenty five Latin American women in this study sample. Perceptions of health, the health activities in which the women engage, and the factors that influenced their participation in physical activity comprised the three categories of responses. Facilitators and barriers were identified as the two primary groups and were further sorted into intrinsic or extrinsic factors. A sense of self, decreased feelings of stress, wellbeing, managing chronic disease, the …

Functioning Among Taiwanese Families With A Child Having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Jih-Yuan Chen Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

A cross-sectional study was designed to determine the factors with functioning among Taiwanese families with a child having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This research investigated the level of a child's mobility upon family hardiness, functioning, and support from a family perspective. A total sample of 126 of participants was parents of children with DMD. Parents completed basic demographic information, the Family Assessment Device, Family Hardiness Index, Duke Health Profile, and Family APGAR. Pearson Correlation Coefficient test was performed to examine relationships between independent and dependent variables. To determine if the levels of child's mobility, family characteristics, family hardiness, family health, …

Keeping Safe: Field Public Health Nurses' Perceptions, Karen Nielsen-Menicucci Phd, Ms, Rn, Phn

Dissertations

By the year 2005, there will be an estimated 1.25 million workers involved in providing nursing care to individuals in their homes (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1997). There is limited empirical data available on the issue of safety of nurses within the context of home visiting or in the public health venue. Recent research on safety in home visiting has focused on home health rather than public health nursing. The purpose of this study was to explore and explain the perception of safety among field public health nurses. A purposive sample of 19 public health nurses employed in an official …

The Effect Of A Nurse Practitioner Intervention On Women Referred For Screening Mammography, Susan Renee Carlson Phd

Dissertations

The use of mammography for the early identification of breast cancer when tumors are small and potentially curable has been well documented. Unfortunately, the rates at which women comply with their health care providers' recommendation for screening mammography remain low. Many reasons have been identified for the failure to adhere with this recommendation; pain with procedure, cost, lack of physician recommendation, perceived radiation exposure, and fear of results have been cited. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of a specific intervention by a nurse practitioner on adherence with screening mammography in a healthy population of women …