Biomedical subjects

Rebecca S Bernard

Publications and source records attributed to Rebecca S Bernard.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Traumatic stress disorders following first-trimester spontaneous abortion.

Provide counsel and support to women after a spontaneous abortion. Research indicates that many women will talk with their physician about their emotional distress and that physicians provide good information after the spontaneous abortion. Evaluate women for acute stress disorder (ASD) after a spontaneous abortion. Research found that women reporting physical, emotional, or sexual abuse are more likely to experience ASD. Patients should be assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder in follow-up visits 1 month after the initial visit. Research has found that up to 25% of women meet criteria for PTSD 1 month post the spontaneous abortion and 7% met criteria at 4 months. Physicians should refer women who are experiencing traumatic stress to a behavioral health professional.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

PubMed2004

Increasing adherence to cystic fibrosis treatment: a systematic review of behavioral techniques.

Cystic fibrosis is a fatal chronic illness that primarily affects the respiratory and pancreatic systems. Treatment includes daily medications, enzyme and vitamin supplements, a high-calorie diet, and airway clearance sessions (e.g., chest physiotherapy, exercise). Although this regimen is essential to longevity, families have difficulty adhering to the multiple treatment components. Adherence is especially problematic with diet, chest physiotherapy, and exercise. Studies utilizing behavioral techniques to increase adherence to cystic fibrosis treatment components have been conducted with varying results. In this paper, a critical review of these treatment studies and suggestions for future work are presented.

Behavior Control↗

PubMed2004

Pediatric procedural approach-avoidance coping and distress: a multitrait-multimethod analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the construct validity of children's approach-avoidance coping and distress during immunizations, and to examine the instruments used to assess these domains. METHODS: We used a multitrait-multimethod matrix to examine the validity of the approach-avoidance coping and distress constructs for 62 4- to 6-year-old children receiving immunization injections. Assessment instruments of both constructs consisted of child, parent, and nurse ratings, and three behavior observation scales. RESULTS: Pediatric procedural distress demonstrated adequate convergent and discriminant validity, and it can be assessed in a valid manner. Whereas most approach-avoidance measures demonstrated good convergent validity, several measures did not adequately distinguish between avoidance and distress. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible that children's approach-avoidance coping may be qualitatively different than adult's approach-avoidance. Researchers should be cognizant of these differences when designing treatments for child procedural distress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

A child-focused intervention for coping with procedural pain: are parent and nurse coaches necessary?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of training children to cope with immunization pain without the assistance of trained coaches and determine whether untrained parents or nurses are more effective at decreasing children's distress. METHODS: We compared the procedural coping and distress behavior of 31 3- to 7-year-old children trained in coping skills to 30 who did not receive training. The behavior of the untrained parents and nurses was evaluated as it related to child coping and distress. RESULTS: Children demonstrated understanding of the training, but they did not use the coping skills during the procedure. In general, the nurses' behavior was associated with child coping and parents' behavior with child distress. CONCLUSIONS: More extensive child training or the involvement of coaches for procedural distress might be necessary. Nurses' behavior appears to center on encouraging child coping, and parents tend to comfort child distress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗