Biomedical subjects

Deborah Winders Davis

Publications and source records attributed to Deborah Winders Davis.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Lead exposure and attention regulation in children living in poverty.

This study examined the relationship between lead exposure and attention regulation in children from low-income families. Children with lead exposure were expected to have lower attention regulation abilities than children who were not exposed. The 57 participants (39% male, 61% female) were children aged 4 and 5 years (mean age 4y 7mo [SD 5mo]); 24 children were lead-exposed (10-29microg/dl) and 33 were non-exposed comparisons (1-6microg/dl). Both groups qualified to be enrolled in programs for low-income families. A puzzle-matching task was completed in parent-child and child-alone conditions. Attention allocation and puzzle-matching performance were assessed in the two conditions. Children who were lead-exposed demonstrated less self-regulated attention than comparisons and had poorer puzzle performance in the child-alone condition. Attention patterns did not differ in the parent-child condition. This study extends previous knowledge concerning effects of lead exposure on preschool children from disadvantaged environments and suggests that lead exposure affects specific attention regulation abilities.

Attention↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Social and professional support for pregnant and parenting women.

PURPOSE: A literature review to contrast the role of social and professional support in improving maternal and infant outcomes in pregnant and parenting women. In addition, recommendations are made for future research and policy and program development concerning support needed by pregnant and parenting women. DATA SOURCES: Data were limited to published studies. Searches of computerized databases, hand searches of journals, and backward searches from reference lists of studies were conducted. Nursing, medicine, psychology, public health, sociology, and social work literatures were searched (CINAHL, Medline, PsychLit, Social Sciences Abstracts, Social Sciences Citation, and Social Work Abstracts). STUDY SELECTION: The studies focused on outcomes of social support and professional support to pregnant and parenting women. The samples of the studies included pregnant women and parenting women up to 2 years postpartum. Studies reviewed were conducted in the United States or Canada and included maternal and/or infant outcomes. All ages and races of pregnant and parenting women were considered. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted from each study concerning the theoretical framework, variables, sample, design, measuring instruments, interventions, and outcomes. DATA SYNTHESIS: Social support outcomes were summarized in paragraphs while a table was used to summarize professional support intervention outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes associated with specific support interventions should be clearly identified, informed by theory, and include assisting the pregnant and parenting woman to improve her social support.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Paraprofessional support for pregnant & parenting women.

PURPOSE: To review evidence regarding the role of paraprofessional support in improving maternal and infant outcomes in pregnant and parenting women. Although support provided by significant others (social support), by professionals, and by paraprofessionals are frequently considered together in literature reviews, this is inappropriate because the components of the support in each case differ. DATA SOURCES: Data were limited to published studies. Searches of computerized databases (CINAHL, Medline, PsychLit, Social sciences abstracts, Social sciences citation, and Social work abstracts), hand searches of journals, and backward searches from reference lists of studies were conducted. Nursing, medicine, psychology, public health, sociology, and social work literatures were searched. STUDY SELECTION: The studies included had statistically significant outcomes of paraprofessional support to pregnant and parenting women. Studies were published in 1985 or later, were conducted in the United States or Canada, and included maternal and/or infant outcomes. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted from each study concerning the theoretical framework, design, sample, measuring instruments, interventions, and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Programs providing paraprofessional support to childbearing women are clearly providing an important service, but empirical evidence is not adequate to determine which specific paraprofessional program works for a specific population of women to achieve the best long-term outcomes for both women and children. Although proponents of paraprofessional support programs for pregnant and parenting women have reported some successes, more data are needed. Researchers should continue to conduct well-designed and controlled studies to compare outcomes from the three types of support. Nurses in practice should build on services provided by paraprofessionals in order to meet women's need for support and to achieve desired outcomes.

Community Health Services↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Parent-child interaction and attention regulation in children born prematurely.

ISSUES AND PURPOSE: The goal of this pilot study was to understand attention behaviors in extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) children within the context of parent-child interactions and their relation to the child's independent performance. DESIGN AND METHODS: Parent-child and child-alone puzzle matching tasks, demographics, and IQ were measured in a sample of 15 4-year-olds who weighed <1000 g at birth and were free from major disability. RESULTS: A self-regulated and efficient strategy during the parent-child puzzle was related to using an efficient strategy when working alone. Attention regulation during the parent-child puzzle was related to accuracy in the child-alone task. Parents appeared to be regulating attention appropriately. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Understanding the mechanisms of attention regulation in ELBW children could lead to specific interventions to support parents in strengthening their children's self-regulatory functioning.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cognitive outcomes in school-age children born prematurely.

The purpose of this article is to discuss findings in the literature regarding long-term developmental outcomes of infants born prematurely, to examine potential causes of individual differences in these outcomes, and to explore directions for future research. An extensive table summarizes recent (1996-2002) international studies of developmental outcomes among children of school age and older who were born with low birth weight, especially as the studies relate to cognitive development and academic performance. The discussion then examines how characteristics of the child and the environment may interact to produce individual differences in outcomes. Processes of attention regulation within the context of the psychosocial environment are examined as an important possible direction for future research. When designing and implementing interventions aimed at improving outcomes in this and other groups of children at risk for delays and deficits, it is important to consider how various factors affect development.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Types of research designs.

An experimental design is necessary for making cause-and-effect judgments about study variables. Although most researchers would agree that the experimental design is desirable, such a design is not possible or appropriate for every study--and even without an experimental design for support of the hypothesis, enough evidence might exist for a researcher to feel somewhat comfortable that variable X causes Y. At the very least, it can be demonstrated that X is always related to Y in some number of settings, with multiple samples of subjects and with controls for as many variables as possible. Before deciding to change a practice based on research findings, however, the clinician must also determine if X is not related to Y in some cases. Without experimental findings, the amount and quality of evidence available must be considered. This column has described three major types of research: experimental, quasi-experimental, and nonexperimental. Each type of research can produce valuable scientific evidence if the study is designed and implemented carefully. The type of research design and its appropriateness for the specific research question is only one consideration in critiquing research findings and making decisions about the application of those findings in practice settings. Future columns will address other considerations.

Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Validity and reliability: part I.

Internal and external validity of a study determine the generalizability of its findings. Measurement reliability and validity, which also have an impact on the overall validity of the study, will be discussed in the next column. Although the concepts have been pulled apart for this discussion, all of these factors influence the overall confidence with which researchers can say that they have measured what was intended and that the findings can be applied to a larger population of individuals.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Selecting and using research instruments.

Many factors must be considered in planning and implementing research. Scientific reasons for decisions are important, but so are practical considerations. The suggestions made throughout this column are based on experience and may seem to some to be simply "common sense." However, the importance of these practical, common sense considerations cannot be minimized. These practical suggestions are intended to bring into focus the fact that the research process is not that different from other decision-making processes: In research as in life, there are multiple ways to get from point A to point B, and none of them is inherently right or wrong. The choices the researcher makes in designing and implementing a study must be clearly described and must be based on the research goals, the theoretical framework used, and the resources available. Potential nurse researchers should not be intimidated by the task at hand. Rather, they should be comforted by the fact that the same processes they use in making decisions about clinical practice can be employed in designing and implementing research studies.

Data Collection↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Data collection and study implementation.

Every step of the research process involves decisions that must be made. In almost all cases, there are many possible choices, and none of them is wrong. However, it is up to the researcher to consider all of the options and systematically eliminate possibilities based on a theoretical framework, previous findings and methods described in the literature, or circumstances specific to each research question. When the methods used are less than ideal for some reason, the researcher should identify the problems as limitations to the study. Sometimes the limitations restrict the population to which the data can be generalized. In other instances, the limitations identify new areas of study that the current investigation did not address, but for which the current data provide support.

Data Collection↗