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Biomedical subjects

B Given

Publications and source records attributed to B Given.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The caregiver reaction assessment (CRA) for caregivers to persons with chronic physical and mental impairments.

The development and testing of a multidimensional instrument to assess the reactions of family members caring for elderly persons with physical impairments, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer is reported. Forty items were administered to a sample of 377 caregivers of persons with physical impairments and Alzheimer's disease. Five dimensions of caregivers' reactions were identified through exploratory factor analysis. Using confirmatory factor analysis on an independent sample (N = 377), these dimensions were tested for factorial invariance across spouse and nonspouse caregivers and between caregivers of persons with cancer and those caring for persons with Alzheimer's disease. The subscales also had a high level of factorial invariance across a three-wave panel study (N = 185). The subscales appeared consistent with first order tests of construct validity.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) as a method to assess measurement equivalence.

Employing the example of a multidimensional caregiver reaction scale, the use of confirmatory factor analysis techniques to establish measurement equivalence across comparison groups is discussed. The discussion is organized around the key concept of factorial invariance which provides the yardstick for assessing measurement equivalence.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1991

Institutionalization of an elderly family member: reactions of spouse and nonspouse caregivers.

Although a prevalent clinical assumption is that the caregiver well-being improves following patient institutionalization, recent research challenges this assumption. In this article, the impact of patient institutionalization on the well-being of family caregivers is examined. Caregiver reaction, sense of general well-being and level of depression are compared pre- and postinstitutionalization and differences between spouse, adult child, and other caregivers are investigated.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Capturing and clustering women's judgment policies: the case of hormonal therapy for menopause.

Two hundred sixty-five women estimated the likelihood that they would take estrogen plus progestin to alleviate menopausal symptoms when faced with hypothetical cases varying in degree of hot flashes and risk of osteoporosis and cancer. Clustering of their judgment policies revealed four groups of women with respect to their approach to this decision. These groups of women were significantly different from each other on educational level, perceived experience of stress, and attitudes toward menopause and use of medications. Willingness to take hormonal therapy across all cases was related to attitudes about, and knowledge of, menstruation, perceived stress, mother's experience with menstrual problems, severity of symptoms, and use of vitamins. While there have been previous attempts to cluster rater policies, the current study represents a novel attempt to understand the differences between people who appear to have different policies about a decision problem, in this case, whether or not to take hormone therapy to counter menopausal symptoms.

Attitude↗
PubMed1990

Responses of elderly spouse caregivers.

In this paper three categories of variables were identified to predict spouses' reactions to caregiving roles: patient characteristics, the caregiving environment, and characteristics of the caregiver. Measures of these variables were administered to 159 spouse caregivers. Four domains of caregivers' responses were identified: negative emotional reactions, feelings of responsibility for the patient, feelings of abandonment by family, and impact of caregiving on daily schedules. These domains were influenced most by patient negative behaviors, physical health, and age, and by caregiver age, employment, and emotional status. Amount of assistance, affective support, and hours of care also were predictive of spouse responses.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Cancer nursing for the elderly. A target for research.

Using the stages in the cancer illness trajectory as an organizing framework, this article describes information available about the elderly individual with cancer. Areas lacking research and suggestions for proposed nursing research are identified.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

A structurally abnormal insulin causing human diabetes.

Insulin isolated from the pancreas of a diabetic patient with fasting hyperinsulinaemia showed decreased activity in binding to cell membrane insulin receptors and in stimulating cellular 2-deoxyglucose transport and glucose oxidation. Chemical studies suggest that the isolated hormone is a mixture of normal insulin and an abnormal variant which contains a leucine for phenylalanine substitution at position 24 or 25 of the insulin B-chain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Longitudinal studies as intervention.

The results of this descriptive study support the premise that through the research process researchers actively influenced the experiences of many of the family caregivers in the study. Caregivers seem to have been stimulated to evaluate and change their appraisals of their care-giving situation and, at times, their use of external resources and patient management strategies. We speculate that the predominant way subjects were influenced was through the opportunity to examine their experience relative to that of other caregivers as they completed the study instruments. Although it is possible that the effect was related to the specific behavior of the data collectors, we are reasonably confident that the structured interviewer training methods minimized this effect. Direct comments about interviewers were rare in responses to open-ended questions, and requests for information or help from interviewers were relatively infrequent, lending further support to the idea that interviewer effects were not a major influence on subjects. Although Rubin and Mitchell (1978) aptly described the unintended effect of study participation on their respondents, which was akin to counseling, little attention has been paid to this phenomenon in recent years. What family caregivers experienced as participants in our study, but failed to experience in their social network or formal contacts with the health care system, was an opportunity to: (a) examine their experience as a caregiver in depth, (b) anticipate what the future might hold for them, and (c) compare their personal experience to the experience of other families providing care to elderly members.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The design and implementation of a community breast cancer screening project.

A breast cancer screening program offers a community the opportunity to highlight and address an important health issue. This article has described the important elements of any such screening effort. To be successful, the program will require a multidisciplinary cadre of health care professionals working collaboratively throughout all phases of the planning, screening, and follow-up process. An agency should be identified to lead these professionals and monitor the progress of the screening effort. These screening programs can have direct and indirect benefits in the community. The direct benefits include improved access and delivery of health services, particularly those that meet state-of-the-art quality standards. The indirect benefits involve the promotion of breast cancer screening through education of women and providers about good breast health practices. As our experience in Michigan has shown, efforts featuring a broad coalition of forces can foster debate and discussion throughout the community and ultimately lead to improvements in the delivery of breast cancer screening services.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Patient and family caregiver reaction to new and recurrent breast cancer.

Exploratory data on the mental health (depression), symptoms, and functional status of breast cancer patients and the mental health (depression) and reaction to care of their caregivers are examined in this paper. How both are influenced by new and recurrent disease is also reported. Patients and family caregivers were followed over a six-month period to determine whether new or recurrent disease status altered their reaction to the cancer experience. The data suggest that psychological distress may be more marked in the family member than in the patient. Differences in caregiver reaction were not due to new or recurrent disease status, health status of the patient, or the care process of the caregiver. Future research is needed to isolate the cause of variations in mental health of women and their family caregivers experiencing new or recurrent breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationships of processes of care to patient outcomes.

This study examined relationships between process and outcome components of patient care. Relationships were determined between independent process variables--diagnostic approach, therapeutic approach, and patient compliance--and dependent outcome variables--functional status, clinical health status, perception of health and care, and knowledge and understanding of disease and therapy. Criteria for process and outcome dimensions were developed, based on a literature review. Data on 103 patients, followed for a five-month period, were collected by use of patient record audit and beginning- and end-of-study patient interviews. Cross-tabulations and multiple regression analysis were used to determine relationships between independent and dependent variables. Analysis of variance was used to determine difference in provider and patient process dimensions according to patient severity groups. Significant relationships were found between all independent variables and the dependent variables of clinical health status and knowledge and understanding of disease and therapy. Patient compliance level was found to be the most significant process variable.

Adult↗