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N Ricard

Publications and source records attributed to N Ricard.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[Relevance of the stress-coping paradigm in the elaboration of a stress management model for schizophrenics].

Studies having used the stress-vulnerability model of schizophrenia as a conceptual framework demonstrate from different perspectives the contribution of stress when symptoms and deteriorations associated with this illness appear. The stress-coping paradigm provides an explanation of the effects of stress on health according to a contextual approach underlining how the coping process allows to diminish the negative effects of stress and favour adaptation in difficult or conflicting situations. This article proposes the integration of these two dominant currents and presents the Stress management model for schizophrenics. This new model provides the opportunity to favour the comprehension of the process of rehabilitation for schizophrenics and the development of new methods of intervention in rehabilitation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

[Conceptual and theoretical bases of an instrument developed to identify self care needs in women treated for depressive disorders].

Nursing research in the field of psychiatry and mental health must be based on nursing models if it is to make a real contribution to the development of a body of knowledge specific to nursing. This article describes the conceptual foundations and different stages involved in the development of an instrument (The Self-care Needs Inventory) in the framework of a study based on the Orem self-care nursing model (1991, 1995). The objective of this comparative descriptive study was to describe self-care requisites of women treated for depression. The concept of self-care requisites, the fundamental aspect on which this research is based, refers to the expression of a general goal that individuals pursue or should pursue in order to maintain or improve their health and well-being (Orem, 1991). To study the concept and pinpoint its major components, we correlated the concept with intermediate-level theories: social adjustment of women during and after an acute depressive episode, self-affirmation and realization, clinical manifestations of depression and how they are treated. These components were then made operational, i.e. measurable in concrete terms. A list of statements of specific self-care requisites was put together from various measurement tools used to evaluate identified components. The list was submitted to experts to establish its nominal validity. The instrument thus constituted was used with two groups : a group of women treated for depression (n = 30) and a group of women not treated for depression (n = 30). The women were asked to assign a value to each statement to reflect the importance they attached to the statement. The values were then compared to identify self-care requisites specific to women treated for depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[A comparative study on the self-care needs as perceived by women treated for depression].

Nurses' knowledge of the help they can offer women being treated for depression are primarily based on models borrowed from other disciplines rather than on those from nursing itself. Using Orem's nursing model (1991), this comparative, descriptive study (a) described the requisites for self-care, according the value ascribed to them by women being treated for depression; (b) compared these to those of women not being treated for an emotional problem; and (c) identified the types of assistance that would fulfil the self-care requisites perceived by women being treated for depression. The results indicated that, compared to women not being treated (n = 30), those being treated (n = 30) ascribed significantly higher values to self-help requisites related to assertiveness, mood, and self-esteem. In contrast, women in the comparison group attributed more importance to various means of improving their interpersonal relations. Women being treated for a depressive episode felt they needed assistance in areas mainly related to self-esteem, mood, and knowledge of depression to fulfil their self-care requisites. Only rarely did they consider the nurse or social network to be valuable sources of help. The implications of these results for nursing interventions is discussed. Recommendations are made on directions for further research.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[The development of a research program based on a conceptual model for the discipline of nursing].

The purpose of this article was to illustrate the development of a team's research program based on a conceptual model for the nursing discipline: Roy's Adaptation Model. The ongoing research program includes studies of psychosocial factors, theoretically known for their potential for explaining health. Four groups of people are the focus of these studies: aged spouses in the community, family caregivers of ill elderly people, family caregivers of mentally ill people, and nurses as professional caregivers for elderly people in institutions. The studies are articulated using the three-level structure proposed by Fawcett & Downs (1986) and Fawcett (1991): conceptual-theoretical-empirical. This research program aims to renew understanding of the person's adaptation processes to various environmental stimuli, adaptive responses that influence health, and nursing interventions that promote health (i.e., biopsychosocial integrity). In order to specify the research variables and relations to be studied between these variables in the first phase of the program, each research project is also guided by a middle-range theory compatible with Roy's Adaptation Model. Elaborated within related disciplines, these theories are variations of the Stress and Coping theory of Lazarus & Folkman (1984). The results of these studies will be compared and articulated in a model that integrates the patterns of relations between the variables. The resulting empirical model together with Roy's conceptual model will be used to guide the development of nursing interventions intended to promote adaptive responses and biopsychosocial integrity. The second phase of the research program includes the implementation and evaluation of nursing strategies that promote adaptation among the four groups of people. This research program is a nursing contribution to certain social issues recognized as priorities by the governments of Canada and Québec. This article is an illustration of one of the various ways of developing nursing knowledge.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

{State of health and social support networks of natural female caregivers of mentally ill persons}.

Studies of the health and family situation of natural caregivers of the mentally ill do not indicate the gender of the principal caregiver. Consequently, they do not provide details about the health or the social support networks of women, who, in general, are the ones who assume the caregiving role. The purpose of this study of 61 female natural caregivers living with mentally ill patients was to describe the state of health of these natural caregivers as well as their social support from both neighbours and professionals. Another purpose was to verify the existence of relationships among these variables. Four health variables are studied: emotional distress, well-being, perception of general health, and number of health problems. Support from both neighbours and professionals is examined from the point of view of the caregivers' needs and the satisfaction felt by the caregivers, and according to several functions of social support. Descriptive analyses show that at least half of the natural caregivers suffer from emotional distress, diminished well-being, and various health problems. When support from neighbours is considered, the caregivers express numerous needs; two thirds of the caregivers declare themselves satisfied except in regard to their need to socialize. Regarding professional support, caregivers express fewer needs and seem less satisfied by the support received. Regression analyses demonstrate that two of the four predictors of neighbour support contribute significantly, though modestly, to the variations of emotional distress; one of those predictors also contributes to variations in the perception of general health. No significant relation was found for professional support. Recommendations are made for future research and for preventive interventions with women who are natural caregivers.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[French validation of the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale-VSSS-54F].

INTRODUCTION: The Verona Service Satisfaction Scale-French version (13) was translated and adapted from the Italian version of Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (27). The VSSS makes it possible to evaluate the satisfaction of people with serious mental illness with respect to the services. The original VSSS-54 contained 7 dimensions: 1) Overall satisfaction, 2) Professionals' skills and behaviour, 3) Information, 4) Access to services, 5) Services efficacy, 6) Relatives' involvement and 7) Types of interventions. According to factorial analyses carried out by Ruggeri et al., the dimensions Information and Access to services were aggregated. However, no factorial analysis was carried out in order to verify the six dimension-structure of the VSSS. From an international perspective, the study entitled "The European Psychiatric Services: Inputs linked to Outcome Domains and Needs (EPSILON)" achieved the standardisation of different questionnaires in several languages (2). A new version of the VSSS entitled "Verona Service Satisfaction Scale-European version" (VSSS-EU) was developed and is now available in the following languages: Italian, Danish, German, English and Spanish. In order to compare in different countries the satisfaction of people with serious mental illness with respect to services, we undertook from 1998 to ascertain the psychometrical properties of the French version of the VSSS. (13). Confirmatory Factorial Analysis (CFA) was carried out on the six dimension-structure of the VSSS-54F: 1) Overall satisfaction, 2) Professionals' skills and behaviour, 3) Information and Access to services, 4) Services efficacy, 5) Relatives involvement and 6) Types of interventions. For each dimension, consistency analysis (Cronbach's alpha) was computed in order to bring forth additional psychometrical properties of the VSSS-54F. METHOD PARTICIPANTS: 150 clients involved in an intensive case management program and supported by 30 mental health workers, filled out the VSSS-54F questionnaire. These clients were comprised of 110 women and 40 men, their ages ranging from 22 to 90 years (M = 51.7, SD = 14.7). Among them, 65 (43.3%) had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or another form of psychosis, 56 (37.3%) had an affective disorder, 17 (11.3%) had anxious disorders and 7 (7.7%) other. DATA ANALYSES: Using the EQS Software (3), Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were carried out in this study. Thus, 'the evaluation of the models' fit with the empirical data was carried out by taking into account various statistical indices. In addition to the Chi square/df ratio, the indices of adjustment such as the "NonNormed Fit Index" (NNFI), the Comparative Fit Index (CFI), robust CFI (calculated starting from the Satorra-Bentler Chi Square) as well as the RMSEA (Root Mean Standard Error of Approximation) were used to measure the fit of the models. Moreover, the estimation method "Maximum Likelihood-Robust" was carried out in order to evaluate the models. RESULTS: The original model with 6 dimensions (M1) does not present satisfactory fit indices. Indeed, the Chi Square/df ratio is above 2, the NNFI, CFI and CFI robust indices are lower than. 90 and the RMSEA is higher than. 08. Most items from Types of intervention dimension presented saturation lower than.30, and consequently indicate that these items are not correlated significantly with their dimension. We notice also some correlations between error terms of the three items of Overall Satisfaction scale and other items of the VSSS questionnaire. Considering these last results and the direction taken in VSSS-EU by breaking down by profession items of Professionals' skills and behaviour scale, we obtained a new model (M2). The five dimensions of this model are as follow: 1) Psychiatrists/Psychologists' skills and behaviour (7 items), 2) Nursing staff/social workers' skills and behaviour (7 items), 3) Information and access to services (3 items), 4) Services efficacy (5 items), 5) Relatives' involvement (3 items). When we test this model, the fit indices are satisfactory: the Chi Square/df is 1.36, the NNFI, CFI and robust CFI indices are near or higher than 0.90, respectively 0.88, 0.89 and 0.94. Finally, the RMSEA index is 0.08. In addition, the correlations between five dimensions are significant and vary from 0.58 to 0.87 (p < 0.05). The internal consistency coefficients for each new scale are all satisfactory, and vary from .83 to .91, except for the Information and access to services scales. But this latter finding shall be evaluated knowing that acceptable alpha can be close to .60 when scales count less than four items (16). CONCLUSION: This study confirms with some adjustments the factorial structure of the VSSS. The results indicate five dimensions (25 items): Psychiatrists/Psychologists' skills and behaviour, Nursing staff/social workers' skills and behaviour, Information and access to services, Services efficacy, Relatives' involvement. Even if the Type of interventions dimension was not retained in the model, we suggest preserving it for eventual clinical evaluation based on each item. We also suggest, for future studies, the adaptation of the VSSS-54F to the European version, VSSS-EU. Indeed, the results of our study sustain the European version because the VSSS-EU is more focused since it separates the skills and behaviour of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and social workers (e.g. items 3a and 3b or items 22a and 22b). The next step in the validation process would be to measure Inter-rater and test-retest reliability as well as concurrent, convergent and discriminant validity of the VSSS-EU. Furthermore, a multicultural comparison of the VSSS-EU would be required if the instrument is used for interesting comparisons of survey.

Adult↗