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Biomedical subjects

J H Flaskerud

Publications and source records attributed to J H Flaskerud.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
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Health problems of low-income female caregivers of adults with HIV/AIDS.

The purpose of this study was (a) to determine the mental and physical health status of low-income urban women who were providing informal home care to adults with HIV/AIDS, (b) to discover the best predictors of physical and mental health problems in the caregivers, and (c) to make recommendations for nursing interventions to assist these caregivers. The study was based on a conceptualization of female caregivers as a population vulnerable to increased morbidity. Personal interviews were conducted with caregivers (n = 36) of adults with HIV/AIDS who were attending HIV clinics in public hospitals. Caregivers had significant physical and mental health problems and experienced loneliness, loss, anger, isolation, and stigma. Caregiver distress over care receiver memory and behavior problems, anxiety, and lack of knowledge about AIDS were the best predictors of mental health problems. Caregiver depression, anger, and the number of care receiver illness symptoms were the best predictors of physical health problems.

Adult↗
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Longitudinal effects of an HIV testing and counseling programme for low-income Latina women.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of an HIV antibody testing, counseling and education programme on the knowledge and practices of low-income Los Angeles Latina women. METHODS: The study design was prospective and longitudinal involving pre-test, post-test and retest measures over a 2-year period. The study employed an experimental group and a comparison group which did not receive the intervention. The study group was comprised of a convenience sample of 508 low-income Latina women who were recruited from the Public Health Service nutrition programme for women, infants and children (WIC). The comparison group (n = 51) was recruited from the same setting. A battery of instruments was selected to measure HIV knowledge and practices, the social support received, self-esteem, the level of acculturation and sociodemographic characteristics. The instruments were administered at pre-test, 2 weeks post-test and 1 year retest. The HIV antibody serostatus was assessed at pre-test and retest. An intervention protocol based on cultural competence, women as traditional health care givers and the major transmission categories was provided after the pre-test and was reinforced post-test. Finally, qualitative data were collected from the focus group participants (n = 55) to evaluate the intervention protocol. RESULTS: The participants in the study made significant improvements in HIV knowledge and reported condom use practices from pre-test to post-test that were retained on retest. The comparison group subjects did not make significant pre-test-post-test improvements on these measures. CONCLUSIONS: It should be noted that the changes in practices made by the study group did not necessarily reduce their risk of HIV infection or transmission and were not related to the demonstrated knowledge and skills improvement. Of special significance to programme planners, educators and researchers, both the quantitative and qualitative data revealed problem areas with the intervention protocol related to cultural norms and the possible fragmentation of information based on the behavioral transmission categories.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
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Conceptualizing vulnerable populations health-related research.

BACKGROUND: A conceptual model for vulnerable populations research relates resource availability and relative risk to health status. The model has a population-based focus that places responsibility for the collective health status of its citizens with the community. Vulnerable populations are social groups who experience limited resources and consequent high relative risk for morbidity and premature mortality. There is considerable research evidence to support the major relationships in the model. Conceptual links that need additional research are identified. CONCLUSIONS: The implications for research include a variety of methodological problems related to recruiting and retaining participants, instrumentation, and data collection. Research designs are needed that move beyond descriptive and epidemiological approaches to interventional and outcome studies. Ethical considerations take on special significance with vulnerable populations.

Community Health Planning↗
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Distressing emotions in female caregivers of people with AIDS, age-related dementias, and advanced-stage cancers.

PURPOSE: To describe and compare the depressive mood, anxiety, anger, and sleep problems of informal female caregivers of people with AIDS, age-related dementias (ARD), and cancer (CA). METHODS: Caregivers recruited from clinics serving people with AIDS, ARD, and CA were interviewed using structured instruments measuring depressive symptoms, anxiety, anger, and sleep problems. Data analysis compared these emotions in the caregivers and related aspects of the caregiving situation to these emotions within each group. FINDINGS: Caregivers did not differ significantly in depressive mood, but did differ in anxiety and anger and sleep problems. Individual items on each scale were compared to provide more descriptive detail. In each group, distressing emotions were significantly related to each other and to sleep problems. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers of people with AIDS, ARD, and CA experience distressing emotions that may affect their mental and physical health. A comprehensive approach to mental health nursing therapy will best meet the needs of caregivers in relieving their distress.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
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Depression among Chinese Americans: a review of the literature.

The Chinese American population is among the fastest growing ethnic minority groups in the United States. Knowledge of the interaction between culture, disease expression, and utilization of psychiatric treatment by this population is limited. This article gives a general review of the literature on depression among Chinese Americans in order to clarify misconceptions, to increase knowledge of research on depression that has been done on one specific Asian-American group, and to set a direction for future nursing research and intervention.

China↗
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Mental health beliefs, practices, and knowledge of Chinese American immigrant women.

The purpose of this study was to describe the mental health beliefs and practices of Chinese American immigrant women. A two-part design using both qualitative and quantitative techniques was employed. The first step utilized focus group (n = 14) and key informant (n = 2) interviews to discover the beliefs, practices, and knowledge about mental health of this population. Content analysis was used to examine and condense the qualitative data. After completion of the qualitative component, 72 women were recruited to complete a set of questionnaires, which included a demographic questionnaire, culture and work subscale, and the mental health portion of the Health Behavior Scale of the Survey of Chinese American Mental Health (NRCAAMH, 1993). Pearson product-moment correlations and regression analysis were used to analyze the quantitative data. Content analysis found that the cultural value placed on the avoidance of shame, pragmatism that results in the use of both Western and traditional Chinese practitioners and treatments, and the inadequacy of Western-type services to meet the needs of the Chinese American immigrant population act as barriers to utilization of these services. These results are cross-validated by the quantitative findings. The importance of culture in determining the pathway to care was supported by the finding that higher levels of acculturation are related to greater use of mental health services.

Acculturation↗
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Changing nurses' AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes through continuing education.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) continuing education conference on nurses' knowledge and attitudes. Subjects in the study (N = 125) were participants in a one-day conference held at a major medical center in southern California. Content of the program included AIDS epidemiology and etiology, infection control, psychosocial and institutional support for health care workers, sexual history taking and counseling, attitudes toward risk behaviors and the major transmission groups, and legal and ethical issues. Subjects were pretested and posttested using a structured questionnaire that measured AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes, and satisfaction with the conference. Participants were retested 2 to 3 months after the conference. There were significant pretest/posttest differences in knowledge and attitudes that were retained on retest. Subjects with lower levels of knowledge made the greatest gains in knowledge. There was also a tendency for knowledge levels to increase between posttest and retest suggesting that subjects were continuing to learn. Participants indicated satisfaction with the conference speakers and content.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
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A psychoeducational model for changing nurses' AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

A review of the research literature over the last five years reveals that nurses' knowledge of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has improved dramatically. However, attitudes and fears about HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have not changed commensurately with nurses' knowledge. Also, there is evidence that nurses' clinical practice is not always safe. This paper summarizes the research literature and proposes a three-tiered psychoeducational model for changing knowledge and clinical skills, knowledge and attitudes, and attitudes alone. These approaches include information and demonstration, expression of attitudes and fears, role-playing, group discussions, practice in designing policies, and exposure to various sociocultural groups, to persons with HIV, and to religious, legal, and ethical spokespersons.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
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Beliefs about AIDS, health, and illness in low-income white women.

A sample of 42 low-income white women were interviewed to describe their beliefs about AIDS and its treatment and to determine whether these beliefs were related to the subjects' general framework of beliefs about illness and its treatment. Content analysis was used to classify data. The causes and treatment of AIDS were categorized as professional sector, popular sector, and traditional sector health care beliefs. Professional sector beliefs included the cause and major modes of transmission and prevention identified by the biomedical system and the public health service. Popular sector misconceptions included beliefs about casual transmission and immunizations. Traditional sector beliefs concerned causes such as contamination and impurities and remedies such as herbs and diet. The respondents' explanations for the causes and treatment of AIDS in these three areas were integrated into a lay explanatory model of illness involving germs, resistance, and the immune system.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

AIDS and traditional health beliefs and practices of black women.

This study examines whether traditional health beliefs and practices of black Americans reported in the literature were consistent with those of a target population of low-income black women in Los Angeles County and describes how these traditional classifications of illness and healing practices were related to their understanding of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). A qualitative approach was used to gather the data in unstructured interviews. Content analysis was used to classify data. Sources of illness and remedies identified by the women were divided into two categories: natural and supernatural. Natural sources included cold, impurities, diet, weakness, lack of moderation, and stress. Supernatural sources included illnesses allowed by God, witchcraft, and evil influences. Remedies included antidotes, food, medicines, prayer, and healing. Analysis of the relationship of AIDS to traditional beliefs revealed that AIDS had been integrated into the traditional conceptualization of illness, health practices, and healing, and was attributed to both natural and supernatural causes. Prevention, prayer, and spiritual healing were recommended as remedies. Implications were that AIDS education, prevention, and treatment programs be within the context of traditional belief system.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mexican American, nurse practitioner, and lay control group beliefs about cause and treatment of chest pain.

This study compared the health beliefs of Mexican Americans concerning the specific symptom of chest pain to beliefs of a group of predominant culture nurse practitioners and a lay predominant culture control group. Two hypotheses were examined; The health beliefs of groups differ significantly with culture and the health beliefs of groups differ significantly with professional education. A 43-item structured questionnaire was developed, based on literature review and unstructured interviews with Mexican American respondents. the questionnaire was administered to three nonprobability samples of 30 subjects each: Mexican Americans, nurse practitioners, and lay controls. Significant differences were found between Mexican Americans and the predominant culture groups of nurse practitioners and lay controls on folk beliefs regarding chest pain. On some items significant differences between nurse practitioners and the lay groups of Mexican Americans and predominant culture controls were based on professional education.

Adolescent↗
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A comparison of perceptions of problematic behavior by six minority groups and mental health professionals.

This study compared the perceptions of problematic behavior and the suggested management of those behaviors by six minority groups and mental health professionals. Minority respondents (N = 159) included Chinese-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Filipino-Americans, Native-Americans, Black-Americans, and Appalachians. Mental health professional respondents (N = 68) were from Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and California. All respondents were interviewed using a structured interview schedule. Groups were compared on responses to 10 vignettes. There were significant differences between minority and mental health professional groups, both in the labels placed on problematic behaviors and in the suggested management of the behaviors. The relationship of sample variables to response revealed that minority group status was the strongest descriptor of group response.

Adult↗