Biomedical subjects

Heather Beanlands

Publications and source records attributed to Heather Beanlands.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A group intervention to promote healthy self-concepts and guide recovery in first episode schizophrenia: A pilot study.

The stress associated with managing a first episode of schizophrenia and the secondary psychological sequelae may predispose young people to the phenomenon of illness engulfment, whereby personal identity is lost and replaced with a sense of self defined entirely by the illness. The overall objective of this pilot project was to provide an initial evaluation of the impact of a novel group intervention targeting improvement of self-concept (engulfment) and overall quality of life for young adults recovering from a first episode of schizophrenia. Fifty-two young adults diagnosed with a DSM-IV schizophrenia spectrum disorder were sequentially assigned to either a 12-week group intervention that provided members with opportunities to attain healthy self-concepts or a control group that received high quality treatment as usual. The two groups were compared on pretreatment, post-treatment, and 3-month post-treatment measures of engulfment, quality of life, and psychiatric symptoms. Allowing for dropouts, 26 subjects remained in the treatment group and 14 subjects in the control group after the 3-month follow-up. Participants in the treatment group demonstrated significant improvement in engulfment, quality of life (intrapsychic subscale) and symptoms, while the comparison group did not change. These preliminary results provide support for the benefits of a group intervention designed to enhance self-concept and to minimize the engulfing effects of illness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

Strategies for moving beyond the illness in early schizophrenia and in chronic kidney disease.

Although the literature suggests that loss of self is a universal concern across chronic illnesses in general, little consideration has been given to loss of self across physical and mental illnesses. The authors compare loss of self in individuals with a mental illness (early schizophrenia) and in those with a physical illness (chronic kidney disease). In this secondary analysis, focus group data from 2 samples are examined for similarities and differences in the emergent themes. While striving to be my best self getting on with life was an overarching goal for both groups, the strategies for achieving it differed. The participants engaged in activities related to approaching the illness, accommodating, and connecting in order to strike a balance between the demands of the illness and non-illness aspects of their lives. The commonalities in the wish to be my best self that were found in both groups indicate that the wish to preserve a sense of self beyond the illness may not be illness-specific. The preliminary results of this secondary analysis suggest that building a positive sense of self in the face of illness is a critical part of illness adjustment and that there are opportunities for nurses and researchers to learn about the spectrum of strategies employed by individuals as they strive to move beyond the illness.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Qualitative research.

A well thought out and conducted qualitative study provides a rich source of knowledge that can be used to provide new information about a phenomenon, promote insight and awareness of human experience and support the development of formal frameworks and tools (Kearney, 2001). At the most basic level, qualitative findings can encourage insight and empathy by raising nurses' awareness of "what it feels like to be in a given situation" (Kearney, 2001, p. 150). The study by Nagle (1998), for instance, draws nurses' attention to the disembodiment patients feel as they undergo hemodialysis and their struggle to develop a meaningful relationship with the technology they encounter on a daily basis. More formally, qualitative findings can also serve as the basis for assessment tools that allow nurses to compare the status of their patients with knowledge of a particular experience or illness trajectory (Kearney, 2001). For example, the grounded theory developed by Gregory et al. (1998) has served as the foundation for a quantitative measure of patients' perceptions of hemodialysis (Way, O'Brien, Gregory, Barrett, & Parfrey, 1999). This overview was intended to provide a general introduction to the main qualitative methods used in nursing research, and to briefly highlight some differences between qualitative and quantitative research. We hope that this review stimulates interest in qualitative approaches for nephrology nursing research.

Anthropology, Cultural↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Caregiving by family and friends of adults receiving dialysis.

This study examined the activities of caregivers of adults on dialysis and explored how these behaviors evolved over time. Using a grounded theory methodology, interviews were conducted with 37 caregivers. Caregivers shared a rich repertoire of caregiving abilities and activities that were often supported by a strong knowledge base. Caregiving activities fell into in five interdependent dimensions: appraising, advocating, juggling, routinizing, and coaching. Caregivers also described specific caregiving tasks, including dialysis- related activities, management of diet, medications and symptoms, and personal care. These findings have important implications for nephrology nurses in planning care that acknowledges and supports the contributions of "lay" caregivers.

Activities of Daily Living↗