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Biomedical subjects

M Perreault

Publications and source records attributed to M Perreault.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Systematic family nursing intervention applied to the birth of a disabled child: effects on the parents' adaptation].

This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of a new systemic family nursing intervention to facilitate the adaptation of parents with a handicapped child, as well as variations in effectiveness according to the gender of the parent, family income, and type of handicap. Conducted over a 6-month period, the intervention began immediately after birth and included the participation of 198 mothers and fathers of 6-month-old babies with Down syndrome or a cleft lip and/or palate. Half of the group received the intervention, while the other half, constituting the control group, received regular services. Emotional distress was measured, as were various aspects of parental stress. The results confirm the program's effectiveness. Almost all parental stress indicators showed less stress among parents who received the intervention. For some indicators, the effect of the intervention varied with the parent's gender. No significant correlation was found to exist between the program's effectiveness and family income or type of handicap. These results are discussed in light of the goals of the intervention, various aspects of parental adaptation, and a number of factors that may be linked to the effectiveness of the intervention.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

[Perception of social support given by health professionals according to the participants in a prenatal prevention program who live in extreme poverty].

One of the essential elements of the "Programme intégré de prévention en périnatalité--Naître-égaux-Grandir-en-san t" (Born Equal--Brought up Healthy) is to have a health professional offering general support to pregnant women living in poverty. This research is based on a secondary analysis of the transcriptions of interviews done in order to implement the program. The thematic content analysis was employed to analyze the women's perception of the support provided by the health professional, the relationship between client-professional, and the perceptions of these women about the impact that the social support had on their pregnancy experience. The categories of support that emerged from the analysis are: information support, emotional support, instrumental support, changing life style support, recreational support, and availability of support. The categories of impact perceived by the participants are: learning, changes in life style, to be in a good mood, and the use of community resources. A key element in the perception of support by the participants is the establishment of a relationship of trust between professional and client. This relationship of trust is important to the development of intimacy and to foster the perception of a more intense kind of support. Hence social support and the relationship of trust work in synergy and reinforce each other.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1996

Patients' requests and satisfaction with services in an outpatient psychiatric setting.

OBJECTIVE: Patients in four major diagnostic categories were compared to determine if their satisfaction with outpatient services varied. Both overall satisfaction and the degree to which clients and therapists agreed on the importance of 16 aspects of treatment were examined. METHODS: The Patient Request Form (PRF) and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire were used to interview 464 outpatients. The professional who was the primary contact for each patient filled out a therapist version of the PRF. Diagnoses were grouped into four major categories: anxiety disorders, affective disorders, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders. RESULTS: The diagnostic groups differed in overall satisfaction with treatment, treatment characteristics, patients' reasons for coming to the clinic, therapists' descriptions of treatment, and patient-therapist agreement on the importance of different aspects of treatment. Agreement between patients and providers was associated with higher levels of patients' satisfaction. Patients with schizophrenia or with other psychotic disorders had the lowest level of agreement with their therapists and also were the least satisfied. In all patient categories, therapists underestimated the importance to patients of having a reliable source of help. CONCLUSIONS: The greater dissatisfaction expressed by patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders may be related to their therapists' undervaluing the nonbiological aspects of treatment such as social support. Combining medication with psychosocial approaches that have been adapted for patients with psychotic disorders is likely to improve the patients' satisfaction and compliance and increase the overall effectiveness of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Residents' perceptions of transcultural psychiatric practice.

A questionnaire was distributed to 190 psychiatry residents to analyze the impact of three factors on residents' perceptions of their transcultural practice: cultural identity of residents; degree of exposure to patients from different cultures; and training in cultural psychiatry. Results suggest that residents' perceptions vary according to the resident's cultural origin. The training in psychiatry and the degree of exposure to patients from different cultures had no significant influence on the residents' perceptions. Overall these results emphasize the necessity to revise the cultural content of residents' psychiatry curriculum to, among other things, raise residents' awareness of their own cultural identity.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Prenatal peer counseling: an answer to the persistent difficulties with prenatal care for low-income women.

Our intention in this article is to provide the reader with the theoretical framework of prenatal peer counseling. A second article describing a prenatal peer program that is functional in the province of Quebec will be presented subsequently with its outcomes and recommendations. However, before planning the implementation of such a program or even assessing its effectiveness, one must understand how peer counseling can be used as an assistive strategy and why it is perceived to be a community approach worth considering with pregnant women from poor socioeconomic backgrounds. This approach addresses most problems encountered when prenatal programs fail to meet the specific needs of these women. Principles of the therapeutic community and its derivatives are put forward to lay the theoretical foundation of prenatal peer counseling. The studies reviewed show that psychosocial variables associated with pregnancy outcome and poverty such as anxiety, social support, and self-esteem can be positively influenced through a prenatal peer counseling program. We strongly recommend that nurses working with low-income families consider prenatal peer counseling as an empowering strategy for mothers within a given community.

Counseling↗
PubMed1995

[Concepts of AIDS in relation to health and illness in homosexual men living in Quebec with AIDS].

Herzlich's (1969) theoretical framework was used to explore Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) from the point of view of affected individuals. Content analysis was performed on transcripts of interviews with eight French Canadian gay men living with AIDS. Results indicate that health and illness are socially constructed concepts and that health can coexist with illness. The authors discuss how Herzlich's framework can be used by nurses to better understand the individual's experience of illness and to guide the individual towards making behavioural changes that will generate health throughout the course of the illness.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

[Adoption of health promotion behaviors in first-year baccalaureate nursing students: pilot study].

The goal of this pilot study was to test the usefulness of Pender's (1987) theoretical model in predicting the adoption of health-promotion behaviours in 176 first-year undergraduate nursing students. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that the perception of self-efficacy, perception of one's state of health, the influence of professors, and place of birth are predictive variables of health-promoting behaviours in this group. The results of this study suggest, among other things, that it is important for professors to use strategies that foster and support students' confidence in their ability to commit to health-promoting behaviours. A longitudinal study currently in progress will examine whether a health-oriented program significantly influences the adoption of health-promotion behaviours in nursing students during their university education.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Validation of an eating attitude scale in a French-speaking Quebec population].

The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) is one of the most frequently used screening questionnaires for anorexia and bulimia nervosa for use with clinical and general populations. Although the psychometric qualities of the instrument have been reported for the English version, little has been done to date to validate a French version. A french version of the EAT-26 was distributed to anglophone students and francophone students, as well as anglophone and francophone patients. Overall, the results demonstrated that the authors' French version has the same psychometric characteristics as the English version when used with clinical and non clinical populations. The overall test and its subscales differentiated between patients and non patients similarly in both linguistic groups. The internal consistency of the two versions, as assessed by Cronbach's alpha, was comparable. Among female high-school students, 14.1% of the anglophone students and 14.3% of the francophone students scored above the cutoff score for significant eating disorders behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Autoimmune inflammation of astrocyte transplants.

Astrocytes have been shown to be capable of serving as antigen-presenting cells and as targets for encephalitogenic cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The role of astrocytes in central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune inflammation is unclear. To study this further, we transplanted astrocyte aggregates into the anterior eye chamber of the mouse. The astrocytic nature of these transplants was confirmed by immunohistochemical detection of glial fibrillary acidic protein and the inability to detect oligodendrocyte or microglial markers. When mice bearing transplants were induced to develop experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by either passive or active protocols, the astrocyte transplants developed a perivascular inflammatory response similar to that seen in the host CNS during the course of the encephalomyelitis. The data suggest that astrocytes could serve as targets for the autoimmune attack of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and support the possibility that the pathogenesis of this disease may involve an autoimmune reaction against a site other than the myelin sheath.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[Psychometric characteristics of the French Canadian version of a satisfaction scale for hospitalized psychiatric patients].

This paper presents the results of a content and convergent validity study of the French-Canadian version of a standardized satisfaction scale for hospitalized psychiatric patients. One hundred and twenty-two patients underwent an interview during which they completed the translated version of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, developed by Distephano et al, and answered open-ended questions on their satisfaction with the services they received. The results revealed strong correlations between these measures of satisfaction and a high level of internal consistency for the Distefano scale, suggesting satisfactory psychometric characteristics for this French version. As for the original questionnaire, the factorial structure yielded at least two distinct satisfaction dimensions. These results, and those of the content analysis, based on answers from the open-ended questions, helped to identify aspects mentioned by the patients but not covered by the items included in the satisfaction scales. The units' cleanliness, therapists' work and attitudes and privacy on the units are examples of these dimensions.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[The life experiences and the implication of caregivers in persons living with HIV].

This article focuses on a qualitative study, conducted in Montréal between March and July of 1990, whose aim was to understand the life experiences and the needs of close and supportive individuals that care for seropositive persons. The objective of the study is to help provide more direction to the scope of services dispensed by the Centre Pierre-Hénault, an organization created by a group of close supporters of HIV-infected persons. Eighteen individuals volunteered for the in-depth interviews: nine of these were caring for persons who had developed AIDS, four were providing support for persons who were HIV-positive, and the remaining five had assisted persons who passed away following AIDS-related diseases. The study shows that the risk of isolation is greater among those close supporters who provide care for HIV-positive persons. Although research does point to a number of fundamental traits that are shared among all types of supportive individuals, certain traits are specifically related to people caring for HIV-positive persons, including the taboo and the stigma that are linked to AIDS, as well as the rapid and unforeseen loss of people in their prime.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Severe paternal sexual abuse in early childhood and systematic aggression against the family and the institution.

This report examines incest and its sequela in individuals suffering from severe chronic mental illness. Descriptive data drawn from 11 cases paints a clinical picture characterized by severe chronic psychotic symptoms and aggressive behaviour that are often precipitated by the family's rejection. In all patients, the incest for occurred over a long period of time, was violent, and was perpetrated by the male parental figure. Health care professionals need to increase their knowledge of and skills in the identification and treatment of sexual abuse.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Recruitment of Montreal women of very low socioeconomic status for a randomized clinical study].

Studies show that it is difficult to recruit women of low socioeconomic status as clinical research participants. Such an objective was attained though as our results demonstrate in an evaluative study of a program implemented to lower the percentage of low birthweight in four CLSCs of the Island of Montreal between 1994 and 1996. The global recruitment strategy enabled us to reach 56.2% of our goal in 1994 and 77.4% in 1996. Two conclusions can be drawn from this result: the effectiveness of the three methods of recruitment varied according to each participating CLSC, and the global strategy, combined with the mobilization of community resources, was successful in enrolling women of low socioeconomic status.

Adolescent↗