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Biomedical subjects

M C Logsdon

Publications and source records attributed to M C Logsdon.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

A comparison of the level of hope in patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To compare levels of hope in patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent cancer. DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: Three oncology practices in two urban areas of the southern United States. SAMPLE: Convenience sample of 20 newly diagnosed patients with cancer and 16 patients with recurrent cancer (mean age = 56 years). The majority of the patients were Caucasian, female, and married; had a high school degree; and had a religious affiliation. METHODS: Subjects completed the Herth Hope Scale and answered the open-ended question "What gives you the most hope at the present time?" Analysis included descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency, means, standard deviations, percents), t-tests, Chi-square, and analysis of variance. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Level of hope each subject had in relation to the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. FINDINGS: Contrary to expectations, patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent cancer did not differ in regard to their level of hope. However, significant differences were found related to the type of hope utilized. Married patients and male patients experienced higher levels of hope. Recurrent themes in response to the open-ended question were family support, nonfamily support, faith, outlook, and health professionals/care. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with newly diagnosed cancer use their treatment and nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals as sources of hope and support. Patients with recurrent cancer reported drawing hope from faith. IMPLICATIONS AND NURSING PRACTICE: Heightened awareness of the patient-healthcare professional relationship will enable healthcare professionals to provide care that is more sensitive to one congruent with patients' needs. Healthcare professionals need to assess the meaning of faith for each individual patient and offer services to foster this source of hope.

Female↗
PubMed1996

The Postpartum Support Questionnaire: reliability and validity.

Support has been found to be related to perinatal health, resulting in the development of the Postpartum Support Questionnaire based on the four categories of support (informational, material, emotional and comparison) identified by House (1981) and Cronenwett (1985). Data from four studies (N = 207) provided evidence of the psychometric properties of the instrument. Internal consistency reliability was demonstrated (alpha = .90 to .94 for total instrument). Test-retest reliability ranged from .69 to .79 for total scores and .30 to .79 for for categories of support. Measures of concurrent validity with the Personal Resource Questionnaire .85 were .42 and .48 at 6 and 8 weeks postpartum. Confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL 7 supported the four categories of support, but the use of these factors separately remains to be demonstrated.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Exposure to blood and body fluid: factors associated with non-compliance in follow up HIV testing among health care workers.

Due to lack of previous research, this study examined the factors associated with non-compliance in follow up human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing among health care workers after blood and/or body fluid exposure. A descriptive correlation design was used with 178 health care workers who did not return for recommended follow up HIV testing post-blood and/or body fluid exposure at three urban hospitals. The 36 question Likert scale was designed to measure the five concepts of the Health Belief Model: susceptibility, seriousness, benefit, barriers, and health motivation. The internal consistency reliability measured .48. Forty five subjects (25%) returned the questionnaire. The most significant factor determined to affect return rate for follow up testing was related to benefits and susceptibility (F = 4.57, df = 2.42, R = .42, P = .02). Return rate was most significantly correlated with the idea of decreasing the chance of dying from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (r = .31, P = .04). Similar results of recommended future studies may indicate changes in post-exposure education or institutional policies and procedures.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Social support and postpartum depression.

Discrepancies between prenatal social support expectations and subsequent perceptions of support actually received were examined in relation to postpartum depression. Low-risk primiparous women (N = 105) were surveyed 1 month before and 1 month after delivery. Almost half of the women prenatally and one third postpartially had depression scores which would lead them to be classified as possibly depressed (CES-D scores of 16 or greater). In multiple regression, two social support discrepancy measures, prenatal depression and postpartal closeness to husband, correlated with postpartal depression and accounted for nearly 40% of its variance. The generalizability of the findings should be further explored, but the findings suggest the need for attention to prenatal expectations of postpartum support as a way to influence the incidence of postpartum depression. In addition, continued efforts to identify causes of postpartum closeness with the spouse are needed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social support and adjustment in women following coronary artery bypass surgery.

Social support expected, discrepancies in support (differences between support expected and received), and self-esteem were used to predict emotional (tension and depression) and functional outcomes (recreation, housework, and social life) in a sample of women who had coronary artery bypass surgery (N = 86). Women were interviewed before hospital discharge (T1) and 1 (T2) and 3 (T3) months later. Higher self-esteem was associated with lower depression and tension (T3) and less disruption in social interaction (T2 and T3) and recreation (T3). Results suggest that social support may influence outcomes through enhancement of self-esteem. Directions for further study are given.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Guiding mothers of high-risk infants in obtaining social support.

The purpose of this article is to describe how nurses can assist the new mother of a high-risk infant, especially a preterm infant, in identifying and obtaining the social support needed to help the family adapt in the first few weeks after the birth. The interventions recommended are based on a research study conducted by the authors and colleagues and summarized within this article. Because support was more important than these mothers expected it to be, it is important that nurses in prenatal, postpartum, neonatal, home health, and extended care settings recognize the need to assist women in identifying their support needs. In addition, nurses can help the mothers identify individuals within their social network who could assist them with those needs. Meeting the social support needs of a mother is important for her own mental and physical health and well-being. It also helps her meet the social and developmental needs of her infant.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Service-learning for graduate students.

Although service-learning is gaining momentum in academic settings across the country, it has not been described as a feature of graduate education. This project incorporated a ten-hour service requirement into a unit on theories of nurse caring as part of a course for graduate nursing students, Theories and Concepts of Nursing. The authors describe the service-learning experience, as well as the extensive class reflection process and written synthesis with caring theory and the University mission after completion of the service.

Altruism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Types of support expected and received by mothers after their infants' discharge from the NICU.

This descriptive study examined specific types of social support that mothers of preterm infants expected before, and received after, their infant's hospital discharge. The convenience sample consisted of 37 mothers of hospitalized preterm infants. The Postpartum Support Questionnaire, developed as a measure of perceived support specific to the postpartum situation, was used. The women found that material, emotional, and comparison support were more important than they had expected prior to bringing their infants home from the hospital. In addition, the women received less than they had expected of all types of support except comparison. In view of the results, mothers of preterm infants should be assisted in identifying individuals in their environments who can best meet their specific needs. In addition, maternity and pediatric nurses need to be involved in the follow-up care of these women and their infants.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The Neonatal Skin Risk Assessment Scale for predicting skin breakdown in neonates.

An instrument was developed to assess neonates at risk for skin breakdown, based on the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk in adults. Using such an instrument to predict, and thus prevent, skin breakdown could decrease costs associated with prolonged hospital stays in neonates. The Neonatal Skin Risk Assessment Scale (NSRAS) was piloted with 32 neonates. Reliability was high for the subscales of general physical condition, activity, and nutrition, but low in the other three subscales. For predictive validity, sensitivity was 83% and specificity was 81%. The NSRAS appears to be useful in predicting days most likely for skin breakdown to occur.

Humans↗