PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Kathryn R Puskar

Publications and source records attributed to Kathryn R Puskar.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

The impact of parental cancer on the adolescent: an analysis of the literature.

Research has revealed the impact of the diagnosis of cancer on an individual, their spouse, and their family. One dimension that has received little attention is the impact of the cancer diagnosis on the patient's adolescent. This article offers an analysis of descriptive studies, intervention studies, and databased book chapters, published between 1966 and 2006, that examined the impact of parental cancer on the adolescent. The results of 45 studies and three databased book chapters are organized around four themes: adolescents' (1) emotions and behaviors (2) perceptions and knowledge of parental cancer (3) changes in roles and (4) ways of coping. These themes will assist the reader in understanding the application of the knowledge gained from the analysis of the literature to directions for future research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Schizophrenia in college students in Korea: a qualitative perspective.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to identify the salient themes that characterize the life experiences of college students with schizophrenia. METHODS: Twenty-one schizophrenia patients enrolled in college underwent in-depth interviews employing semistructured questionnaires. The content of the interviews was analyzed for recurring themes and categories of experience. FINDINGS: Analyses revealed 25 themes and six categories of experience. Subjects reported the experiences of school life (23.6%), interactions with family (22.2%), interactions with friends (21.9%), a mental illness (20.5%), everyday life (6.1%), and social role performance (5.7%). CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the need for treatment options that meet the students' actual life experiences focusing on developmental characteristics and needs.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Comparing life experiences of college students with differing courses of schizophrenia in Korea: case studies.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to identify how daily experiences of college students with schizophrenia reflected the course of their disease. METHODS: The sample included 8 college students with schizophrenia. Comparisons of life experiences were made across disease courses using themes established in a prior study. FINDINGS: Subjects had different themes according to the following three disease courses: recovering, deteriorating, and fluctuating. CONCLUSIONS: This finding provides support for developing intervention strategies for college students in each disease course, such as the unique ways that psychiatric nurses can help college students with difficulties due to serious mental illness.

Achievement↗

Genetic susceptibility to psychiatric disorders.

Genetics contributes susceptibility to most psychiatric conditions and the understanding of these genetic factors is increasing rapidly. Because of such breakthroughs and their implications for patient care, professional nursing organizations support the incorporation of genetics into nursing curricula and the attainment of a working knowledge of genetics by all nurses. In this article, the basics of psychiatric genetics are presented to provide a foundation for the understanding of current and future findings in the field as well as information about family history assessment and appropriate references that the practitioner may find helpful.

Biological Psychiatry↗

Anger assessment in rural high school students.

Anger and aggression in school children are a major concern in American society today. Students with high anger levels and poor cognitive processing skills are at risk for poor relationships, underachievement in school, and health problems. This article describes characteristics of children who are at risk for high anger levels and aggression as well as those who are able to modulate their anger. Results of a survey are reported which describe levels of anger in 624 rural high school students. This sample reported lower levels of anger, compared to the normative group. Differences among the sample include higher internal anger expression in girls, higher trait anger in boys ages 15-16, and higher trait anger in girls ages 16-17. Recommendations are made for future research and specific steps that school nurses can take.

Adolescent↗

Trends in mental health: implications for advanced practice nurses.

PURPOSE: To examine current trends in mental health care for vulnerable populations and suggest how advanced practice nurses (APNs) can incorporate mental health care into primary care practice. DATA SOURCES: Original research and evidence-based clinical articles, government publications, and professional practice guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Vulnerable populations, such as racial and ethnic minorities, adults with chronic mental illness, the elderly, the incarcerated, and those living in rural areas have long been ignored as recipients of quality, integrated health care services. There is a compelling need for APNs to participate in the integrated delivery of physical and mental health care to all Americans, especially to vulnerable populations. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Under the umbrella of advanced practice nursing, a variety of nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) can offer a holistic approach to the provision of evidence-based health care in a wide variety of settings to an array of vulnerable and underserved people. By serving on provider panels, partnering with consumer groups, and advocating for the unmet health needs of vulnerable populations, APNs can have a positive impact on the health care delivery system.

Adult↗

Implementing information technology in a behavioral health setting.

The art and practice of nursing in today's health care arena is becoming increasingly complex. One of the newest challenges in the field of behavioral health is the integration of quality health care with information technology. The authors of this paper examine four emerging aspects of information technology: the electronic medical record, automated medication distribution systems, computerized charting, and hand-held computers. The benefits, costs, uses of these technologies, and the potential problems they can provide in the field of behavioral health are discussed. Implications for nursing practice also are explored.

Behavioral Medicine↗

Psychosocial factors and coping strategies of adolescents in a rural Pennsylvania high school.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the coping levels of rural adolescents and gender differences of coping strategies and psychosocial factors. To identify the relationships of coping strategies with psychosocial factors of rural adolescents. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SAMPLE: A convenience sample of 72 students attending a rural high school in southwestern Pennsylvania. MEASUREMENTS: Subjects completed the Coping Response Inventory-Youth (CRI-Y), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorder (SCARED), the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). RESULTS: Significant gender differences were found for psychosocial factors of depression, self-esteem, and anxiety. Several significant relationships were observed between coping strategies and psychosocial factors of rural adolescents. Additionally, using content analysis, seven categories were determined based on the content of the open-ended question on the CRI: familial factors, peer relationships, etc. CONCLUSIONS: These rural adolescents endorsed higher levels of avoidance coping than normative samples. Rural adolescents reported many problems needing proper coping skills in their everyday lives. This study provides information to public health professionals working with rural adolescents that could be used to help them attain more effective coping strategies.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Anxiety, somatic complaints, and depressive symptoms in rural adolescents.

PROBLEM: Undiagnosed and untreated anxiety in adolescents is often associated with greater rates of mood and behavior problems, somatic complaints, and risk for future psychiatric disorders. METHODS. A self-report anxiety instrument was administered as part of a community survey of 466 rural adolescents. FINDINGS: Anxiety symptoms were strongly correlated with both physical complaints and depression. Females had higher scores for total anxiety and the anxiety subtypes of generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, and school phobia. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for nursing practice are provided.

Adolescent↗