Nursing Commons^™

Co-Morbid Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety And Bio-Behavioral Response To Stress In Patients With Heart Failure, Abdullah S. Alhurani

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem throughout the world. It accounts for one death certificate among nine in the United States. Heart failure and sudden death combined are responsible for the largest number of deaths in America. The total costs of HF in the United States are estimated to be $37 billion each year. Despite substantial medical and surgical advances related to treatment of HF, it remains a very costly condition with high mortality and morbidity rates. Although biological factors contribute to high morbidity and mortality in HF, there are many unexplored psychosocial factors that also likely …

Stress And Exercise In Undergraduate Health Professions Students, Kristin R. Weismantel, Meghan G. Brickner, Leah N. Rosler

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Background: Stress is prevalent among undergraduate students, especially students in health professions majors. Exercise as a health promoting behavior decreases stress. At the same time, increased stress may decrease exercise. This study described exercise and stress among undergraduate health professions students. More specifically this study described the intensity and duration of each exercise and the frequency of exercise during a typical week of the semester for students in health professions majors.

Theoretical framework: Pender’s Health Promotion Model guided this study.

Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive survey.

Methods: A convenience sample of 437 undergraduate students in a college of health professions (N =2,700) …

The Relationship Between Stress And Social Support In Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Hannah M. Greczanik, Vincent A. Lupico

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Nursing students experience high levels of stress throughout their college career. When it comes to managing this stress, the use of social support as a coping mechanism may be a factor. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social support and stress in undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students and to compare social support and stress across levels of education. The study was guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. This study used a non-experimental descriptive design and a cross-sectional data collection with an online survey. The sample was a convenience sample of second, third, and …

Self-Care Activities And Nurse Manager Well-Being, Gretchen Eileen Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The role of the nurse manager is important in organizations and influences outcomes such as the safety and quality of care provided on a unit, satisfaction, turnover of nursing staff, and overall health of the work environment. Stressors for managing nurses can impair physical and emotional health and lead to poor patient and staff satisfaction, safety, and outcomes. The evidence-based practice project will explore nurse managers' well-being and self-care activities. The theoretical framework of the project is the Relationship-Based Care Model as well as Kotter's change theory. The literature suggests that self-care activities can reduce stress and improve well-being. A …

The Effects Of Perceived Stress, Sleep, And Stress Response On Cancer Related Fatigue In 8- To 12-Year-Old Central Nervous System Cancer Survivors, Ann Johnson

All ETDs from UAB

Survivors of childhood cancer are a growing population, and knowledge of persistent cancer related fatigue (CRF) is integral to survivorship. CRF in central nervous system (CNS) cancer is multifactorial and may be unique based on treatment and stage of survival. There is a gap in evidence for school-age survivors, especially during early survivorship. Aims: The aim of this study was to examine factors that influence CRF in child CNS cancer survivors at least 6 months and less than 6 years post treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between select factors and CRF and to determine effect …

The Use Of Peer Mentoring To Decrease Stress In Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Elise G. Head

Doctoral Projects

Nurse anesthesia programs throughout the nation are extremely competitive with strict admissions criteria and demanding curriculum. Students enrolled in these programs, termed Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs), experience high average daily stress levels throughout their enrollment in a nurse anesthesia program (NAP). This quantitative study examined whether there is a decrease in SRNA average daily perceived stress when peer mentoring is employed. Inclusion criterion was all SRNAs enrolled in a single 3 year, post-baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) NAP at a comprehensive Carnegie research university with Southern Regional Education Board-Level 1 designation. Fifty-six SRNAs were surveyed using a modified …

Utilization Of A Focus Group To Evaluate The Perceived Stress Levels And Coping Mechanisms Of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Cillora Hicks

Doctoral Projects

Each year, thousands of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) matriculate into a nurse anesthesia educational program, confronted with unforeseen challenges and stressors. Although a certain amount of stress is essential to stimulate learning, excessive stress can have dire consequences in delaying a students’ academic and clinical progression. The purpose of this Capstone Project was to explore and describe the perceptions of 12 SRNAs relevant to their stress levels and coping behaviors in the management of academic and personal stress. The clinical research questions guiding the study examined the stress levels and coping behaviors of the SRNAs as measured by the …

The Effect Of Education On Compassion Fatigue As Experienced By Staff Nurses, Kathryn L. Zehr

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Historically, nursing has been perceived as a highly rewarding profession. Yet, due to the increasing complexity of today’s healthcare, nurses are faced with greater challenges in their work environments. Registered nurses who work in tertiary care settings are exposed to disturbing patient situations including trauma, death, abuse, or chronic disease. Joinson (1992) described this experience as compassion fatigue and symptoms include headaches, short attention span, or fatigue. A review of literature has identified that nurses should be educated about risk factors and coping strategies to combat compassion fatigue. Guided by the Model for Evidence-Based Practice Change and Jean Watson’s Theory …

Effect Of Perceived Stress On Cytokine Production In Healthy College Students, Vorachai Sribanditmongkol, Jeremy L. Neal, Laura A. Szalacha, Donna O. Mccarthy

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Chronic psychological stress impairs antibody synthesis following influenza vaccination. Chronic stress also increases circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines and glucocorticoids in elders and caregivers, which can impair antibody synthesis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether psychological stress increases ex vivo cytokine production or decreases glucocorticoid sensitivity (GCS) of peripheral blood leukocytes from healthy college students. A convenience sample of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Whole blood was incubated in the presence of influenza vaccine and dexamethasone to evaluate production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon-gamma …

Stress In Parents Of Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Megan B. Carter

DNP Projects

Pediatric healthcare providers across the country care for many children with complex chronic diseases. Many of these children are not developmentally mature enough to manage their disease process, leaving the parent of the chronically ill child to manage their disease. The parent of the chronically ill child may experience stress related to their child’s illness, termed pediatric parenting stress, and may have difficulty dealing with this stress (Streisand, Kazak, & Tercyak, 2003). The manuscripts in this Practice Inquiry Project further investigate the relationship between pediatric parenting stress and the health of the parent and the chronically ill child. The instruments …

Stress Factors Among Caregivers Of Children With Thalassemia, Valliammal _. Shanmugam Ms, Ramachandra

Manipal Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences

Introduction: Thalassemia is one of the most common genetic diseases known to mankind. Children with Thalassemia require medical, surgical and nursing care. Family members and caregivers of the affected children play a vital role during treatment. Moreover, they also undergo abundant stress and emotional changes concerning their children’s lives. Objective: To identify factors associated with stress and to correlate the factors with selected demographic variables in caregivers of children with Thalassemia. Materials and Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted among sixty caregivers of children with Thalassemia, admitted in the Thalassemia ward of a selected hospital in Bangalore. Demographic data of …

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends: A Qualitative Study Of Nurse Close Work Friendship And Social Support, Jennifer Ptacek

Masters Theses

The nursing profession is laden with numerous job, emotional labor, and communication stressors, which come from both patients and healthcare organizations. These frequent and simultaneous pressures can result in nurse burnout and turnover (Tracy, 2009). Socially supportive workplace communication has been identified as a solution to reducing nurse stress, burnout, and turnover (Apker & Ray, 2003), but has not specifically considered social support in nurse work friendships. A mixed qualitative method study was conducted with five nurse best friend pairs, using job observations of participants’ work friendship communication and individual and joint interviews. Two major communication themes emerged from the …

Predictors Of Uncertainty, Stress, Anxiety, And Depressive Symptoms Of Parents Of Preterm Infants In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit., Maryam Isa Alaradi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Admission of a sick neonate to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be a very stressful experience for the parents. Parents strive to deal with stress, uncertainty, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in this potentially threatening environment. Research on parental uncertainty in the neonatal population is limited. Moreover, very few studies examined predictors of stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms in parents of NICU infants. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of uncertainty, stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in parents of preterm infants in the NICU. A cross-sectional explorative design was used to recruit a convenience sample of …

The Use Of Stress Reduction Techniques In Nursing Education, Jennifer S. Bauer

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Stress is a complex phenomenon that has significant effects on students which may disturb their physiological, psychological, and spiritual health and well-being. Nursing students have been identified to be at high risk for stress during their education. Stress can arise from new clinical experiences, academic load, and personal stressors (Jones & Johnston, 2006). This increase in stress can lead to the student’s inability to assimilate and learn within the classroom and clinical settings. A review of the literature provided evidence that reported a positive relationship between guided imagery and a decrease in stress and anxiety. This evidence-based practice (EBP) project …

Humor As A Buffer For Stress In Nurse Anesthesia Students, Kayla C. Forbis

Honors Theses

This simple, quantitative study was carried out on 18, first-year, CRNA students to determine if humor could act as a buffer for some of his or her perceived stress. Before an impending final exam, when stress levels would most likely be at their highest, the students were broken into three groups: a control group, a non-humorous group, and a humorous group. The students in the control group ranked their level of stress on a 0-10 scale without any other intervention. The other two groups watched a video clip, either humorous or non-humorous, while ranking their perceived stress on a scale …

Charge Nurse Levels Of Stress: A Baseline Assessment, Arielle Muffler, Dr. Katreena Merrill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When I first heard about Dr. Merrill’s interest in leadership styles and impact of stress, I was intrigued with the idea of how stress can greatly influence a working and healing environment. Due to personal experiences working under various healthcare leaders, I could attest to how a stressed boss could make work and the healing environment very unpleasant and negative. While conducting a literature review, I discovered that there is an increasing burnout rate and nursing shortage and that many hospital employers are interested in reducing stressors—especially for the charge nurses (Ilhan, Durukan, Taner, Maral, and Bumin, 2007). These charge …

A Support Group Proposal For Women Seeking Fertility Treatment, Emily Jazdzewski

Theses and Graduate Projects

lnfertility is the inability to conceive a pregnancy. Not being able to conceive or carry a child is a devastating reality for many women. Infertility causes both physical and emotional stress that can make it difficult to cope. A literature search revealed the need for a support group for fertility patients to share their journey to decrease the incidence of depression and anxiety. A proposal to develop a support group supported by a Reproductive Endocrinology Department will be explored. The proposal will describe benefits of a support group, integrating cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation and Mindfulness techniques to promote self-soothing …

Examination Of The Potential Association Of Stress With Morbidity And Mortality Outcomes In Patient With Heart Failure, Abdullah S. Alhurani, Rebecca Dekker, Elizabeth Tovar, Alison Bailey, Terry A. Lennie, David C. Randall, Debra K. Moser

Nursing Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: The high mortality and morbidity rates associated with heart failure are still not well explained. A few psychosocial factors have been studied and explain some of this risk, but other factors, like stress, remain largely unexplored in heart failure. This study aimed to (1) examine the association of stress with 6-month cardiac event-free survival, (2) examine the relationship of stress with salivary cortisol, and (3) examine the association of salivary cortisol level with 6-month cardiac event-free survival.

METHOD: A total of 81 heart failure patients participated. Stress was measured using the brief Perceived Stress Scale. Cortisol was …

Identifying Disease Characteristics, Parent Experience And Coping Strategies When Predicting Pediatric Illness-Related Stress In Parents Of Children With Mitochondrial Disease, Brenda Senger

Nursing Faculty Scholarship

Mitochondrial disease (mito) is a group of rare, inherited, chronic, life-limiting, incurable neurodegenerative disorders known to affect children early in life that result from failure of the mitochondria to turn food into energy. The diagnosis of mito is elusive and complex, with a variety of clinical manifestations, multisystem involvement and the lack of a reliable biological marker for screening and diagnosis. The unpredictable prognosis and erratic nature of this illness can be overwhelming to parents who bear the daily responsibilities of managing the child's care. Little is known about the experience of parents caring for a child with mito.

Objective …

The Relationship Of Perceived Trust And Perceived Stress Among Pregnant Women Receiving Care From A Certified Nurse Midwife, Maria Torchia Logrippo

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Effect Of Emotional Freedom Technique On Stress And Anxiety In Nursing Students, Susan L. Patterson

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Stress and anxiety have been identified as significant issues experienced by student nurses during their education. In fact, some studies have suggested that the stress experienced by nursing students is greater than that experienced by medical students, other non-nursing healthcare students, degreed nurses, and the female population in general. A recently introduced energy type therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), combines the tapping of meridian points with a focus on the feared object or negative emotion to provide desensitization to the fear. In addition, there is repetition of a statement of self-acceptance suggested to contribute to cognitive restructuring. The purpose of …

Integrating Mindfulness Meditation Into Undergraduate Nursing Curricula, Michelle Yankowiak

Theses and Graduate Projects

Stress and anxiety impact the lives of undergraduate nursing students. Learning how to cope with the stressful demands of nursing school is essential for student success. Watson's caring and healing philosophy notes that learning to care for self is foundational in learning to care for others. Literature also reports that nursing programs across the country are lacking instruction on alternative therapies as a self-care method. A need to integrate self-care into curricula was identified by personal knowing as a nursing clinical instructor and through a self-care questionnaire to undergraduate obstetric nursing students. The integration of mindfulness meditation, as a means …

Caregivers Of Older Adults: Burden, Perception Of Strain, And Health, Juana Ferrerosa Phd, Msn, Rn, Phn

Dissertations

Background: By the year 2030, the older population in the United States is projected to double from 35 to 70 million. Consequently, increasing the number of informal caregivers required to care for an aging population. Research suggests that levels of caregiver strain and their ability to cope can impact the health of caregivers. Tsai's (2003) Middle-Range Theory of Caregiver Stress guided this study and was modified to present an innovative approach which used perceived caregiver strain as a specific stressor in the Control Process of the model; it provided a basis for examining caregiver strain and its effect on the …

Examination Of The Impact Of Race-Related Stress And Culture-Specific Coping On Burnout And Compassion Fatigue In Black Nursing Assistants, Marika A. Maris

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Hard On Your Heart: A Qualitative Description Of Adolescent Prenatal Stress, Candace Clayton Knight

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: Pregnancy during adolescence is potentially stressful due to the concurrent tasks of navigating the typically tumultuous adolescent stage of development and the life altering experience of pregnancy (Kaye, 2008). There is a growing body of research linking prenatal stress to poor birth and developmental outcomes such as premature birth and low birth weight infants (K. Keenan, Sheffield, & Boeldt, 2007; Mulder et al., 2002), which makes describing the relatively unexplored perceptions and experience of stress during adolescent pregnancy important. The life course framework, with its emphasis on social, environmental, and family risk factors, has implications for reducing disparities among …

Factors Associated With Stress Among Adolescents In The City Of Nawabshah, Pakistan, Yasmin Parpio, Salima Farooq, Saleema A. Gulzar, Ambreen Tharani, Tazeen Saeed Ali, Fawad Javed

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Objective: To identify the risk factors of stress among school-going adolescents in rural Nawabshah, Pakistan.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2005, comprising 800 school-going children of 10-16 years of age in Nawabshah, through simple random sampling. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire to assess the potential risk factors of stress. A modified version of Perceived stress scale was utilized to measure stress level. SPSS 12 was used for statistical analysis, while multiple linear regression analysis was run to identify the factors associated with stress in the study population.
Results: Of the total, 529 (66%) children belonged to …

The Health Impacts Of Nursing Shift Work, Amanda Maria Cason Shandor

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This descriptive pilot study was intended to evaluate negative outcomes of shift work stress in nursing. Objective analysis of waist-hip-circumference ratios (WHR) and subjective survey reports were utilized to assess whether differences existed in expressed stress, stress related health disorders, and stress associated behaviors among day shift, night shift, and rotating shift registered nurses (RNs). Statistical analysis of the WHRs indicates that no statistical difference exists in the results from this study across the three nursing shifts. Nonetheless, survey reports do suggest that variance exists between nursing shifts. For example, stress related health problems appear to be most prevalent with …

The Self-Described Experience Of Coping And Adaptation Associated With Workplace Stress Of Registered Nurses In The Acute Care Setting In Florida: An Ethnographic Study, Joyce Burr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about how nurses learn and use coping and adaptation skills in the workplace. Quantitative studies have identified the factors, nature, and outcomes of nursing stress. However, qualitative studies describing the human experience associated with workplace stress are lacking. The phenomenon of interest for this study using focused ethnographic method is the self-described experience of coping and adaptation associated with workplace stress of registered nurses working 12-hour shifts employed in acute care hospital facilities in east central and central Florida. Three aspects of the phenomena were examined: the self-described experiences of stress, the manner in which coping skills …

Biobehavioral Correlates In Fibromyalgia, Ann Trivigno Mcnallen

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by non-restorative sleep, and fatigue. Over 75% of individuals with FMS complain of poor sleep quality and fatigue. These have been ranked by patients with FMS as having great impact on quality of life. A literature review suggested that poor sleep quality may be a predictor of increased stress and FMS symptom onset in those affected. However, no experimental studies have demonstrated a causal relationship between poor sleep and stress in people with FMS. Methods: Using a single stage cross-sectional design, the primary study aim was to compare 25 women with …

Stressors Experienced By Emergency Department Registered Nurses At The Bedside: A Phenomenological Study, Stephen D. Heglund

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Emergency Department (ED) as a workplace for the Registered Nurse (RN) is a stressful environment. Reasons are thought to include interactions with other members of the interdisciplinary team as well as the situations associated with the environment of the ED such as trauma, death, sadness, joy and the general unpredictability of each moment. Studies have documented general health care workplace stress and its influence on staff, but a very limited number of studies have concentrated on the ED. No widely published studies have identified stressors from the perspective of the ED RN. This dissertation is an interpretive phenomenological study …