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Biomedical subjects

E Hamera

Publications and source records attributed to E Hamera.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Internal and external environment of individuals with schizophrenia during alcohol and drug use.

Explanations for the high prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse in schizophrenia purport that substance use is related to social-affiliative needs or to symptom regulation. Neither explanation was adequate in describing substance-use episodes in the present longitudinal study. The study involved repeated interviews of 10 individuals with schizophrenia about their internal and external environment during substance use. Qualitative analyses of interview responses showed variability in multiple versus single episodes in a day and categories labeled Activities Prior to Use and Social Context of Use. Individual subject's responses each had a unique pattern that characterized their substance-use episodes.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, and caffeine use and symptom distress in schizophrenia.

The high prevalence of substance use, e.g., alcohol and illegal and nonprescribed drugs, in schizophrenia is widely recognized. One explanation for this high prevalence is that substance use may be a self-initiated method for managing symptoms. To test whether the intake of four substances--alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, and caffeine--would increase with increases in symptom distress, daily self-reports of symptom distress and substance intake over 12 weeks were analyzed with pooled time series analyses. Compliance with neuroleptic medication was added to the analyses to control for any changes in prescribed medication compliance while using nonprescribed drugs or alcohol. Of the four substances studied, only nicotine was significantly related to symptom distress. Higher distress with prodromal symptoms was related to decreases in nicotine use. Analysis of caffeine did not meet the criteria for significance but does provide direction for further research. Higher distress, with neurotic symptoms, was related to increases in caffeine use. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between nicotine and symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Diabetes mellitus.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Diabetes Mellitus↗
PubMed1986

Illness experience in a chronic disease--ALS.

The representative case study method was used in a 1-year longitudinal study of two individuals with a chronic, degenerative, terminal neurological disease, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). Participants were interviewed in their homes every 2 months to examine the effects of the illness on relationships with family, friends and the health care system. Changing ideas regarding causation, the use and evaluation of various therapies, use of illness role models, spiritual changes and symptom experience were also explored. Kleinman's concept of explanatory models guides the analysis of the data, although we argue for a greater emphasis on evaluation of therapies within this model.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Use of symptoms by schizophrenics to monitor and regulate their illness.

Interviews with 62 outpatients with chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder indicated that many patients monitor symptoms that they associate with changes in their illness and alter their behavior based on their symptoms. Ninety-eight percent of the subjects identified symptoms, two-thirds of which were nonpsychotic, that indicated to them they were getting worse. Eighty-two percent of those who identified symptoms of decompensation responded by altering their behavior, either by self-treatment (such as self-medicating, engaging in a diversionary activity, or attempting to ignore the symptoms), by seeking mental health assistance, or both. The authors compare their findings with those of other studies and discuss the study's implications for research on and care of schizophrenic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Patient-centered variables in primary and team nursing.

Patient-centered variables and their relationship to primary and team nursing have rarely been studied. In the present study the investigation focused on the following patient-centered variables: nurturance received, patient involvement, and frequency of nurse-patient contacts. Baseline observational data were collected on 12 adult medical patients experiencing team nursing care. A primary nursing care approach was then implemented on the same nursing unit, and 6 months later 12 patients were observed under this system. Patients were directly observed 24 hours a day for 5 days of hospitalization and audiotaped, using a specimen record method. This method produced transcripts that were coded for nurturance, involvement, and nurse-patient contacts. Results of the study showed that there were no differences between primary and team nursing care groups in the number of contacts, nurturance, or patient involvement with all nursing personnel or with professional nurses. However, when the primary group was adjusted to include only those patients for whom primary nursing care was fully implemented, the primary group received more nurturance (p less than .05) and had a tendency to be more active involved than did the team group (p less than .10). These findings indicate that the institution of primary nursing care is related to increased quality of nursing care.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Developing a context-based performance measure for persons with schizophrenia: the test of grocery shopping skills.

OBJECTIVE: This article describes how authenticity and directness, desired characteristics of performance measures, were applied to the development of a context-based Test of Grocery Shopping Skills (TOGSS) for persons with schizophrenia. METHOD: The steps used in developing the measure included interviewing consumers with schizophrenia to identify issues in grocery shopping, conceptualizing how authenticity and directness could be applied to shopping performance, and selecting grocery items to be used in the test. The two forms of the TOGSS were administered to 26 persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders to evaluate reliability (stability, equivalence, interrater) and validity (convergent, generalizability) of the TOGSS. RESULTS: The correlations between the two forms of the TOGSS over two different testing periods were significant, ranging from .64 to .83. Subscale scores were moderately correlated (R = .52 to .94) with a similarly constructed test of drugstore shopping. CONCLUSION: A systematic method can be used to develop a context measure of performance. The TOGSS has beginning evidence of reliability and validity. With further study, the test will be useful in assessing the independent living skill of grocery shopping in persons with psychiatric disorders.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Self-regulation in individuals with type II diabetes.

A model for self-regulation of diabetes was tested which proposed that individuals monitor their disease status by comparing their current state with their standard of well-being. When a discrepancy is experienced and associated with a change in blood glucose, action is taken to relieve the symptom and thereby regulate blood glucose. Two variables of the self-regulatory process (symptom-associating and action-taking) were tested through semi-structured interviews of 173 subjects who had Type II diabetes. Most (85%) subjects associated their symptoms with a change in blood glucose levels. Of subjects who associated symptoms with elevated blood glucose, 77% took action; of subjects who associated symptoms with lowered blood glucose, 89% took action. Only sex and insulin use were related to symptom associating and action taking. There was no relation between metabolic control measured by glycosylated hemoglobin and symptom association and action taking.

Adult↗