{"title":"Mothers' assessments of the impact of children with spina bifida on the family.","authors":"M Loebig","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This exploratory, descriptive study examined mothers' assessments of the impact of children with spina bifida on the family. A review of the literature indicated that families can be conceptualized as systems and that the impact of a child with spina bifida is experienced throughout the system. The subjects were a convenience sample of ten mothers of children ages 5 to 11 with spina bifida. Three instruments were used to collect data. The Child Health History and Demographic Questionnaire; the Impact on Family Scale (Stein & Riessman, 1980); and the Parent Concern Questionnaire. The instruments were administered to subjects in fixed order. Demographic and family impact data were collected in writing. Parent concern data were collected through audiotaped interviews. Demographic data were summarized for frequencies. Impact on Family scores were tabulated and compared to the score of a reference group using a two-tailed student's t-test and a p value of p less than or equal to .05. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were run on the Impact on Family scores to examine for differences by income, presence of siblings, child's educational setting, and marital status. Parent concern data were content analyzed for themes. Mean scores of Impact on Family dimensions were not significantly different from a reference sample of mothers of children with chronic conditions. Within the sample, positive relationships were found between financial impact and the presence of siblings, impact on social relations and both single parenthood and having a child in special education, and coping and higher incomes. Mothers' concerns included their children's social development, rehabilitation, and independence issues. Impact issues included sibling protectiveness, conflicts with grandparents over the child with spina bifida, and financial costs. Most mothers reported optimism about their child with spina bifida.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"19 3","pages":"251-64"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1990-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13291805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emerging family forms: single mothers by choice--demographic and psychosocial variables.","authors":"B Pakizegi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recent years there has been a dramatic rise in the number of adult women who choose to be mothers while they are single. Research suggests that many of these mothers seek information and support from professionals such as nurses, psychologists, and physicians. This literature review focuses on the social-historical background of this family form. A descriptive analysis of these mothers in terms of the variables of age, race, socioeconomic status, marital and pregnancy history, and methods of becoming a single mother by choice is presented. The correlation of the methods of becoming a single mother by choice, with psychosocial variables about the mother, and their implications for the family are examined. Finally, the literature in relation to society's reactions and the social support available to these mothers is reviewed. Implications for professional practice and research are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"19 1","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1990-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13289734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Individual and family factors impacting diabetic control in the adolescent: a preliminary study.","authors":"M K Lawler, R Volk, N Viviani, M B Mengel","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The focus of this preliminary study is the impact of family and individual factors on diabetes control for the adolescent. Adolescents between the age of 15 and 18 years and their parents participated in this study. Questionnaires completed by subjects included FACES III, FILE, Social Support Inventory, and the Kvebaek Family Sculptures. Diabetic control was determined by measuring glycosylated hemoglobin. Subjects were asked to identify how they perceived family cohesion, family dysfunction, relationship distance, and social support. Initial analysis, utilizing bivariate correlations because of the small sample size, revealed statistically significant correlations between the adolescent's perception of family cohesion and diabetes control. Moreover, the more dysfunctional the parents perceived the family system, the worse the diabetic control of the adolescent. Adolescents with better diabetic control had fathers who perceived a greater distance between the mother-father relationship as well as a greater distance between the ideal father-patient relationship. Patients who perceived their mothers as nonsupportive experienced worse diabetic control. Yet patients who perceived they had more social support experienced better control of their diabetes. The more disengaged the family system, the worse the diabetic control for the adolescent.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"19 4","pages":"331-45"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1990-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13291712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parental uncertainty in critical care hospitalization of children.","authors":"M A Turner, P S Tomlinson, B L Harbaugh","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the dimensions of uncertainty, including the source, family effect, and parental response, of parents whose child was hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A convenience sample of 13 parents of 8 critically ill children served as subjects for this study. Data were collected using a modified grounded theory method with 1 to 1-1/2 hour interviews of parents within 2-4 days after admission of their child to the PICU. A model of PICU uncertainty was derived which identified four areas in which ambiguity, conflicting information, or perceived inefficiency gave rise to uncertainty. These areas included: environmental uncertainty, illness uncertainty, caregiver uncertainty, and family systems uncertainty. Findings are related to Mishel's Theory of Uncertainty (1987) and implications for pediatric nursing research are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"19 1","pages":"45-62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1990-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13289736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessment of quality of life in school-aged children: a method--phase I.","authors":"E J Neff, J C Dale","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This is part one of a programme of research directed toward the assessment of the Quality of Life (QOL) in chronically ill school-aged children. Phase I empirically derived QOL indicators of specific value to school-aged children. The ultimate purpose is to help health care professionals reduce or eliminate adverse consequences of chronic illnesses and their treatment in school-aged children through systematic identification and evaluation of these consequences as perceived by children. A convenience sample of 96 well children, aged 7 through 12 years, were interviewed to identify QOL indicators. Data collected included: demographic profiles of the child and parents; three wishes projective question (obtains data about the child's fantasies and wishes); semi-structured interviews (obtains information regarding the physical, psychosocial, and social development while focusing on the child's activities, family life, and home environment); and What Worries You (Your Child) the Most Questionnaire (lists 30 anxiety-provoking childhood experiences). Descriptive and nonparametric statistics will be used to describe the sample and compare the child and parent's responses, respectively. Data from the interviews will be analyzed to identify common themes. A category system was inductively derived to from the themes. The specific QOL indicators will be derived from the categories to provide a foundation for an instrument to psychometrically tested. This instrument will then be modified for use with children with chronic illness.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"19 4","pages":"313-20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1990-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13291808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Maternal cognitive themes during pregnancy.","authors":"D D Affonso, S Sheptak","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This preliminary study explored possible cognitive themes endorsed by pregnant women. A goal was to ascertain whether a concept proposed by Reva Rubin known as \"Cognitive Style of Pregnancy\" had beginning empirical support. A sample of 50 women with normal pregnancies responded to a 56-item questionnaire known as the Cognitive Adaptation to Pregnancy Scale, specifically developed to assess three constructs based upon a conceptual model known as \"Cognitive Adaptation.\" Items on this scale were obtained in a pilot study from open-ended interviews. Items endorsed suggest a process involving a search for meaning, sense of mastery, and self-enhancement as conceptualized in the model. Items suggestive of a search-for-meaning process supported Rubin's early descriptions of inconclusive questioning and a sense of uncertainty during the experience of being pregnant.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"18 2","pages":"147-66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1989-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13636972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M S Miles, M C Carter, J Hennessey, T W Eberly, I Riddle
{"title":"Testing a theoretical model: correlates of parental stress responses in the pediatric intensive care unit.","authors":"M S Miles, M C Carter, J Hennessey, T W Eberly, I Riddle","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was designed to evaluate a theoretical framework, based on stress theory, which identifies potential sources of stress in parents of children hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU). The framework suggests that personal, situational, and ICU environmental stress stimuli interactively impact on the overall parental stress response. Multiple regression techniques were used to evaluate the interaction of personal family factors, situational stimuli, and ICU environmental stressors and to assess their impact upon the overall parental stress response. Data were collected from 510 parents of children hospitalized in one of five midwestern ICUs. Instruments used were the Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric ICU (Carter & Miles, 1984), the State-Trait Anxiety Scale (Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Luschene, 1970), the Review of Life Experiences Scale (Hurst, Jenkins, & Rose, 1978), and a personal-experiential questionnaire. Results indicate that a number of personal and situational variables were predictive of higher stress. In addition two aspects of the ICU environment contributed the most variance to the overall stress of parents: alterations in the parental role and the child's behavioral and emotional responses. In evaluating the full framework, one personal variable (Trait Anxiety); two situational variables (perception of severity and type of admission); and three ICU environmental dimensions, (parental role alteration, the child's behavior and emotional response, and the child's appearance) significantly predicted stress (State Anxiety). The findings support the theoretical framework underlying this study as a useful model for studying and evaluating parental stress during a child's admission to an ICU. Results also suggest that additional personal family and situational factors, such as uncertainty, may need to be added to the model to more fully predict parental stress responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"18 3","pages":"207-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1989-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13634715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The maternal role in the pediatric intensive care unit and hospital ward.","authors":"A W Snowdon, L N Gottlieb","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Two issues were examined in this study, (1) the mother's parental role when a child is admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and then transferred to a hospital ward, and (2) the influence of situational factors (e.g., whether procedures were taking place, the presence of others such as family or friends) that could alter mothers' parenting role in the PICU and on the ward. Twelve mothers were observed at the child's bedside and were found to assume six parental roles (namely, Vigilant Parent, Nurturer-Comforter, Medical Parent, Caregiver, Entertainer, Protector). In both settings, the Vigilant Parent and Nurturer-Comforter roles were the most predominant roles. The Medical Parent role was assumed more often during procedures, particularly on the ward. Mothers assumed the Caregiver role more often on the ward than in the PICU. The Entertainer and Protector roles occurred infrequently in both settings. The child's condition and the presence of another person influenced the roles mothers assumed.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"18 2","pages":"97-115"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1989-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13636975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Postpartum depression: a clinical view.","authors":"S Landy, J Montgomery, S Walsh","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent studies identify a much higher incidence of postpartum depression than had previously been acknowledged and show that a mother's depression may have a highly deleterious effect on the early development of her infant. Although a variety of theories exist concerning the etiology of postpartum depression, many writers now accept a transactional model of causality. This article suggests that for many women early depriving or abusive experiences are necessary but not sufficient conditions to explain the development of severe postpartum depression. Four different types of postpartum depression are presented with widely differing prognoses and needs for treatment. It is suggested that a wide range of treatment modalities may be needed with the more serious depressions and that such services are lacking in most communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"18 1","pages":"1-29"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1989-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13844742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Decision rules for infant feeding: the influence of maternal expertise, regulating functions, and feeding method.","authors":"K Pridham, C B Knight, G Stephenson","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Decision rules used by mothers to determine actions for tasks and events of infant feeding were described and factors contributing to their use (mothers' functions in regulating the feeding, maternal experience, and feeding method) were explored. A telephone interview surveyed 122 mothers of healthy term infants 14-60 days old. Both Decision Rules and Regulating Function (Maternal-, Infant-, or Mutual-Regulation) varied by feeding task or event examined. Decision Rules and Regulating Functions were associated only for burping during a feeding. Maternal experience (primiparity, multiparity) was not associated with either Decision Rule or Regulating Functions. For several feeding tasks or events, Decision Rule was more likely to be predicted by Regulating Function when feeding method (breast, bottle) was controlled. A mother's agenda for the feeding may be an important component of her internal working model of infant feeding and a factor in making decisions for action.</p>","PeriodicalId":76125,"journal":{"name":"Maternal-child nursing journal","volume":"18 1","pages":"31-48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1989-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"13844743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}