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Biomedical subjects

Ellen Olshansky

Publications and source records attributed to Ellen Olshansky.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Maturity and adherence in adolescent and young adult heart recipients.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric transplant (txp) teams note high rates of non-adherence and risky behaviors linked to morbidity and mortality among adolescent and young adult recipients. Clinicians and parents alike report symptoms of social immaturity and failure to appreciate consequences of risky behavior; relationships between the two have not been studied in this population. METHOD: This two-phase mixed method study examined adherence, high-risk behaviors, and maturity in a sample of 27 heart recipients, aged 15-31, who underwent transplantation in childhood or adolescence at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. All subjects completed a projective ego development measure and a questionnaire about adherence to the post-txp regimen. Nine recipients, purposely selected for good or poor adherence according to criteria determined by the transplant team and matched on age, participated in phase 2 qualitative interviews and mood assessments. RESULTS: Sixty-three percent of the phase 1 sample missed medications, 67% missed appointments, 11% smoked, 37% had difficulty with diet, 89% exercised infrequently, 33% had tattoos, 26% had more than two body piercings, and 11% used street drugs. Six themes and a core construct of maturity were identified with qualitative methodology. Poor adherers were less mature on every theme and consistently scored at a less mature level on the projective measure of ego development. Chronological age was not related to the level of maturity in qualitative or projective data. Most interview subjects reported high levels of anxiety, and two reported clinically significant levels of depression and anger; mood was not related to adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Non-adherence and high-risk behaviors are prevalent among adolescent and young adult heart recipients. Level of maturity appears to be associated with ability to adhere to the treatment regimen and avoid high-risk behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Striving for therapeutic relationships: parent-provider communication in the developmental treatment setting.

The purpose of this grounded theory study is to develop a beginning substantive theory that explains the communication process between parents of children receiving center-based services for developmental delays and disabilities and the professional providers of those services. Communication is defined broadly as including both content and relationship dimensions. Twenty parents and 14 providers described their experience of communication with one another. The core phenomenon constructed from the data was striving for therapeutic relationships within a context of uncertainty. Both parents and providers operated in a context of uncertainty regarding the child and his or her development and prospects for the future as well as their expectations of each other. Both parents and providers used strategies of balancing, reading the cues, questioning, managing uncertainty, and managing the sessions. The outcomes were relationships that were valued by the extent to which they were perceived as therapeutic to parents and child.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

The transition from pregnancy to postpartum in previously infertile women: a focus on depression.

Women with previous infertility may be at risk for developing depression during pregnancy (Olshansky, E. (2003). A theoretical explanation for previously infertile mothers' vulnerability to depression. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 35(3), 23-268) and postpartum, a possibility often overlooked in this population. There is a dearth of research about depression in women during the transition from pregnancy to postpartum. This pilot longitudinal, cohort design study examined this transition, focusing on potential predictors of postpartum depression (PPD) in previously infertile women. Two significant variables, marital satisfaction and the "divided self," a condition in which women present an outer compliant self while experiencing internal anger, may be predictors of the development of PPD in new mothers with a history of infertility. Additional research is needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

The process of decision making about care practices for children by caregivers who are Taiwanese temporary residents in the United States.

People from diverse ethnic groups carry different cultural beliefs, values, and practices. The purpose of this study was to describe the process of decision making about care practices for children by caregivers who are Taiwanese temporary residents in the United States. Twenty-one caregivers were enrolled in this study. The grounded theory method was applied during data collection and analysis. This research revealed that physical context and environmental context influence the process of decision making. Five main phases of the decision-making process were found and described in this study.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

A theoretical explanation for previously infertile mothers' vulnerability to depression.

PURPOSE: To present a theoretical approach to understanding the potential vulnerability to depression in previously infertile new mothers. METHODS: This approach was developed by synthesizing results of a series of grounded theory studies of experiences of infertility and pregnancy and of parenting after infertility. These results were further synthesized with the relational cultural theory (RCT). FINDINGS: Previously infertile new mothers have experienced repeated and sustained interferences with significant relationships over the course of their infertility, which could lead to depression. CONCLUSIONS: Implications of this theoretical perspective include: (a) it is a new approach to understanding a significant and sometimes minimized issue in women's health; (b) it is a basis for designing an intervention for women coping with infertility and its aftermath; and (c) it might be applied to other women's health issues.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Participatory action research to understand and reduce health disparities.

Participatory action research (PAR) is an excellent way to systematically learn about the conditions under which people experience health disparities, what it is like from the perspective of those experiencing such disparities and, even more importantly, how to ameliorate this major public health problem and create a more equitable and effective health care system. This article describes the method of PAR, supports the appropriateness of PAR to learn about and reduce health disparities, and then presents some specific examples of research projects that have employed or are planning to employ PAR. These examples are from the work of several authors of this article, who are members of an interdisciplinary working group that serves as a forum for discussion of issues related to qualitative research methods and facilitates the development of qualitative studies. All of the authors of this article are part of a task force of this working group that is focusing specifically on community outreach with the goal of reducing health disparities within specific communities.

Adolescent↗