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Biomedical subjects

A I Meleis

Publications and source records attributed to A I Meleis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Matching versus cultural competence in research: methodological considerations.

Researcher/participant matching has been used in nursing research as a strategy for the development of culturally competent knowledge. In this manuscript, the complexities inherent in matching in nursing research are discussed. In raising and discussing issues and questions related to matching, we argue that although matching may be one of the strategies used to generate culturally competent knowledge, it is frequently too complex for operationalization. Therefore, we propose that researchers reflect on questions related to their knowledge of culture, their cultural sensitivity, and the nature of collaboration during every phase of the research. Reflecting on and responding to these questions in every research project may facilitate the development of more culturally competent knowledge.

Cultural Diversity↗
PubMed1995

Being a mother and a por día domestic worker. Companionship and deprivation.

This article presents qualitative findings concerning women's maternal roles, based on interviews conducted in a study on role integration and health, in a Colombian sample of 60 women who are "por día" domestic workers. The results describe the women's worldview as they discuss the stresses and the satisfactions of their mothering roles. The results also include the coping strategies used to deal with the stresses inherent in the maternal role. Women describe how the companionship of their children, watching their children grow, and the nurturing they give their children provides them with pride and deep satisfaction. These satisfying aspects of their role are burdened by the stress related to worry about children's bad behavior, their illness, and a pervasive generalized sense of constant worry. Being single parents adds more stress to these women's lives. Participants coped emotionally through distraction and through talking with friends. Other coping strategies included calming self, problem solving, talking with children, and substance use. The authors conclude with a discussion of the relationship between poverty and work situation as contexts for understanding maternal roles.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

The stress of immigration and the daily lived experiences of Jordanian immigrant women in the United States.

Literature specifically focused on women as immigrants and on the nature and quality of the immigrant experience is limited. Similarly, in spite of early Arab immigration to the different regions of the world, there is a limited knowledge base regarding the dynamics and problems involved in their integration into their new society. In this article we describe the lived experiences of Jordanian women who immigrated to the United States and the focus is on providing an in-depth account of their perceived stressors as related to their immigration experience. Thirty Jordanian American women, all wives and mothers with a mean age of 45, were interviewed. Three major themes of the sources and contexts of stress emerged from the narrative and qualitative data analyses of their responses. Women experienced many challenges and stressors surrounding their work in the daily living of settling in, in their quest for ethnic continuity, and in their attempts to re-create familiarity. Social and health support resources cannot be created without careful attention to these themes.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1995

Self care actions of Colombian por día domestic workers: on prevention and care.

This is a report of a phenomenological study of Colombia's "por día" domestic workers that examined their actions in promoting their health, in preventing illnesses, and in caring for themselves. A cross sectional sample of 60 per diem female domestic workers in one large city in Colombia were interviewed using open-ended interview questions about their health, self-care actions, health care resources, and patterns of utilization. We argue that knowledge of women's experiences with the health care system, their knowledge of their bodies, and the daily demands on their time and life are vital in defining and planning health care services that women need. We demonstrated that the structural conditions in and for health care services and the lack of knowledge of their bodies act as barriers to women's utilization of health care services and to maintaining their health. Our findings support the need for considering women's health from a development perspective and for offering more integrated and cohesive health care services for women.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Domestic workers in Colombia as spouses: security and servitude.

The article presents the qualitative findings about the spousal role of women who are in per diem domestic work in Colombia. Sixty participants obtained through a random sample of employer homes were interviewed about the nature and the quality of their roles. The results provided are based on the participants' descriptions of their subjective experiences as spouses within the larger context of women's roles and daily life experiences. The results suggest that the women find many aspects of their spousal roles satisfying. On top of these experiences are their feelings that the spouses' role provides them with cariño (being loved and cared for). Additionally, sharing parenting was an important aspect of the satisfaction in the relationship. On the other hand, the women identified many stresses including a constant sense of demoralization and being fearful of abandonment. Being, or fearing, the other women and living with their spouse's aggressions were also described as stressful aspects of their role. Strategies to cope with the stress included taking time out alone, having emotional reactions, blaming the spouse for the stress, and talking with others. The meaning of the need for security and the price of servitude are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Marginalization: a guiding concept for valuing diversity in nursing knowledge development.

This article explicates marginalization as a guiding concept for the development of nursing knowledge that values diversity. The seven key properties of marginalization as it applies to the domain of nursing are (1) intermediacy, (2) differentiation, (3) power, (4) secrecy, (5) reflectiveness, (6) voice, and (7) liminality. Through examination of each of these properties, the relationship between marginalization and vulnerability is clarified, and by this means the relevance of marginalization for health is established. The implications for shaping future nursing research, theory, and practice related to the health of diverse populations are discussed.

Cultural Characteristics↗
PubMed1994

Veiled, voluminous, and devalued: narrative stories about low-income women from Brazil, Egypt, and Colombia.

The first purpose of this article is to argue the significance of using international and culturally diverse exemplars in developing nursing knowledge. The second is to identify some urgent priorities in the development of nursing knowledge, particularly as related to women's health. The lived experiences of three women from Brazil, Egypt, and Colombia who are in low-income, devalued, but important jobs are presented through their voices. These storied accounts highlight nursing's mission in dealing with the marginalized client as a human being whose context is historical and sociocultural. The implications for knowledge development as driven by international exemplars, diverse experiences, and narration of stories are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Scholarly caring in doctoral nursing education: promoting diversity and collaborative mentorship.

One of the most significant, yet not fully developed goals of doctoral education is the graduation of scholars who can make a major contribution to the discipline of nursing. There have been many discourses and debates about the essential criteria for quality in doctoral programs that create and promote scholarliness. Scholarliness in nursing includes critical thinking, a connection to practice, a commitment to the discipline's mission, substantive mastery areas, philosophical analyses, rigorous investigations, and a social awareness of the relationship between knowledge development and impact on society. Promoting scholarship necessitates the development of a culture of scholarly caring. Scholarly caring can be developed through promotion of diversity and through collaborative mentorship. Features of collaborative mentorship are negotiated relations, mutual interactions, facilitative strategies, and empowerment. To develop these properties of a scholarly doctoral program, attention must be paid to actions that compromise scholarly quality of programs such as the lack of resources and lowered expectations of students.

Cooperative Behavior↗
PubMed1994

Transitions: a central concept in nursing.

Transition is a concept of interest to nurse researchers, clinicians, and theorists. This article builds on earlier theoretical work on transitions by providing evidence from the nursing literature. A review and synthesis of the nursing literature (1986-1992) supports the claim of the centrality of transitions in nursing. Universal properties of transitions are process, direction, and change in fundamental life patterns. At the individual and family levels, changes occurring in identities, roles, relationships, abilities, and patterns of behavior constitute transitions. At the organizational level, transitional change is that occurring in structure, function, or dynamics. Conditions that may influence the quality of the transition experience and the consequences of transitions are meanings, expectations, level of knowledge and skill, environment, level of planning, and emotional and physical well-being. Indicators of successful transitions are subjective well-being, role mastery, and the well-being of relationships. Three types of nursing therapeutics are discussed. A framework for further work is described.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

Health is empowerment.

A consideration of health in relation to global and diverse social and economic contexts forces nurses to reexamine the centrality of health in the discipline of nursing and to confront the issue of whether health is a personal matter. In this article, the authors review development of the concept of health in nursing science, discuss the limitations of some current definitions in addressing diverse clients, and challenge members of the discipline to develop a contextualized definition of health congruent with societal needs and the mission of nursing.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Developing the construct of role integration: a narrative analysis of women clerical workers' daily lives.

There is a gap in nurses' knowledge about how women integrate their multiple roles on a daily basis amidst the economic, social, political, and cultural contingencies of their environments. Quantitative results from a triangulated study of work, maternal, and spousal role experiences of 87 women clerical workers from five ethnic/racial groups indicated that role integration was important in predicting health outcomes. This prior work is extended in this article with an indepth secondary analysis of the qualitative interview data from the same study to develop a theoretical understanding of the construct of role integration. Using techniques of narrative analysis, a theoretical framework was derived to identify and relate aspects, processes, and patterns of role integration as they are experienced in women's everyday lives. Concepts are identified, defined, and visually represented, propositions are elaborated, and implications for further research and practice are suggested.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

The cultural consultant in mental health care: the case of an Arab adolescent.

Limited understanding by mental health providers of an immigrant's cultural background can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. A case involving the psychiatric hospitalization of an adolescent from Iraq is described, as are the role of a cultural consultant in clarifying cultural issues and the positive consequences for diagnosis and treatment. Implications for the training and function of cultural consultants in mental health care are discussed.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1992

Experiences of women clerical workers in patient care areas.

Nurse managers at all levels have a stake in the well-being and job satisfaction of clerical workers in patient care areas. The authors discuss the results of a qualitative interview study of 46 women employed as unit clerks and clinic clerks. As these women described their work experiences, they identified interactional dynamics in the workplace, issues of relative powerlessness, stresses involved in dealing with ill clients, organizational problems, and occupational hazards.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Directions for nursing theory development in the 21st century.

The development of the discipline of nursing has gone through four stages: theorizing, developing a syntax, concept development, and philosophical debate. These stages helped in shaping the characteristics of the discipline as a human science, a practice science, a science with social goals to empower nurses to provide effective and quality care, and one in which gender differences and the need for understanding minorities are areas of primary concern. Further theoretical development in the discipline will be driven by population needs and will be characterized by reaching out to meet the integrative and interdisciplinary nature of these needs. Sources of theories of the future are practice, theory and research. It is anticipated that two models will evolve to guide the development of phenomenon-driven theories in the future and that third generation theorists will utilize these models.

Forecasting↗
PubMed1992

Women in clerical jobs: spousal role satisfaction, stress, and coping.

Little is known about the qualitative components of women's multiple roles or about women's perceptions and subjective feelings about their occupational and domestic roles, although all of these factors modulate health outcomes. The research upon which this manuscript is based was designed to respond to the need for understanding the daily experiences of women in clerical jobs. The data about spousal role satisfactions, stress and coping strategies, as perceived and articulated by them, indicates there are almost an equal number of satisfying and stressful aspects of the spousal relationship. Examples of the satisfying aspects are companionship, reciprocity, and interaction; while stressful aspects are inequality of tasks, disagreements and domination. Women in this study cope by using strategies that are more solitary in nature. They identify very little power to negotiate support and tangible assistance.

Adaptation, Psychological↗