Master's Papers
http://hdl.handle.net/10755/620733
2024-02-26T15:13:56ZThe effects of an educational/support program on the attainment of maternal role competence in adolescent mothers: A program evaluation
http://hdl.handle.net/10755/23625
<p>The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of an educational/support program on the quality of adolescent maternal role competence. Teen parenthood changes the developmental options of adolescents, placing enormous demands on an already insecure and often immature population. It also increases the risk of behavioral and developmental problems in their children. Support, received either from the community or family, may be valuable and instrumental in providing a more optimal mother/child outcome. </p>
<p>A review of the literature on teen pregnancy in the United States today, factors affecting the adolscent decision-making process, and maternal role attainment in adolescent mothers. Also examined was Mercer's theoretical framework for maternal role acquisition. Finally, the potential for child abuse and depression in teen mothers and the benefits of community-based educational and support programs for this population was explored. </p>
<p>The target population consisted of 30 teens, aged 16 to 18 who are expecting their first baby and are healthy without a history of physical abuse or depression. An 8 week program offering emotional support and instruction on infant care and parenting skills will be presented. All subjects will be tested using the WBPB questionnaire at the end of the sessions. A control group receiving standard pre and postpartum care will be utilized as a basis for comparison. The WPBP is a 25 item self-administered instrument used to measure parents' perceptions of themselves with the parenting process.</p>
Carers of the care-seekers: The lived experiences of primary caregivers of patients with stroke
http://hdl.handle.net/10755/23603
<p>This phenomenological study was designed to develop an understanding of the lived experiences of the primary caregivers of patients with stroke to discover what their experiences are as partakers of the burden of stroke, and to know how these experiences mean to them. Participants were selected purposively, and was limited to caregivers who were at least 18 years old, and who have been a caregiver for at least 6 months. The stroke patients were those who have had stroke for at least 6 months, and are living with some form of disability. Data gathering done through in-depth interview was conducted at a tertiary healthcare This phenomenological study was designed to develop an understanding of the lived experiences of the primary caregivers of patients with stroke to discover what their experiences are as partakers of the burden of stroke, and to know how these experiences mean to them. Participants were selected purposively, and was limited to caregivers who were at least 18 years old, and who have been a caregiver for at least 6 months. The stroke patients were those who have had stroke for at least 6 months, and are living with some form of disability. Data gathering done through in-depth interview was conducted at a tertiary healthcare institution in Panabo City. The following themes, after utilizing Colaizzi’s method of qualitative data analysis, were generated: Prologue: Taking Up the Mantle, The Adventure: Living the Life of a Hero, The Achilles’ Heel, and Heroes Prevail, revealing that as these caregivers embodied the role of becoming a carer to patients with stroke, they considered that their experiences as primary caregivers to these patients is similar to being heroic, as they went through instances which are similar to the experiences of persons who become heroes – those experiences being: expressing hesitancy towards accepting the role of being a carer at first, learning to accept and to live with the role of being a carer afterwards, facing the challenges and hurdles of being a carer along the way, and, ultimately, overcoming these difficulties and finding meaning in being and continuing to become a carer to a care-seeker. institution in Panabo City. The following themes, after utilizing Colaizzi’s method of qualitative data analysis, were generated: Prologue: Taking Up the Mantle, The Adventure: Living the Life of a Hero, The Achilles’ Heel, and Heroes Prevail, revealing that as these caregivers embodied the role of becoming a carer to patients with stroke, they considered that their experiences as primary caregivers to these patients is similar to being heroic, as they went through instances which are similar to the experiences of persons who become heroes – those experiences being: expressing hesitancy towards accepting the role of being a carer at first, learning to accept and to live with the role of being a carer afterwards, facing the challenges and hurdles of being a carer along the way, and, ultimately, overcoming these difficulties and finding meaning in being and continuing to become a carer to a care-seeker.</p>
Nurses' experience of family-centered rounds in the intensive care unit
http://hdl.handle.net/10755/23576
<p>A paradigm shift in the Canadian healthcare system has transitioned the patient and family from care recipients to integral and valued members of the multidisciplinary team. Implementation of family-centered care within the context of the adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU) remains slow to adopt in Canada despite evidence that open visitation and family presence offer many benefits to improve the delivery of quality care, and satisfaction with the overall patient experience. The COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated the ability of the healthcare team to effectively include patients and families into their daily multidisciplinary rounds. Restricted visitation policies, infection control and social distancing concerns, physician variability, and a healthcare staffing crisis are among a few barriers to practice that hinder the ability to reintegrate families into a process that was once successful pre-pandemic.</p>
<p>This qualitative study uses a phenomenological approach guided by the philosophical underpinnings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty to describe frontline ICU nurses’ lived experience of family-centered rounds. Eight ICU Registered Nurses were recruited from across two adult Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Southwestern Ontario over six weeks between April and May of 2021. Three themes have emerged from the data and provide both a pre-pandemic and intra-pandemic view from the perspective of participants: (1) Family presence during rounds versus family updates after rounds; (2) Nursing the patient versus nursing the family; and (3) Then and now – pre-pandemic versus intra-pandemic implications. Recommendations for future implications and additional research are explored, including nursing education, practice, and policy development, as well as leveraging the use of technology, such as iPads and conferencing software, to conduct virtual rounds and create a hybrid model of family-centered care.</p>
The impact of leadership behavior on employee engagement: A qualitative study
http://hdl.handle.net/10755/23174
<p>Employee engagement has been shown by previous researchers to improve the quality of work that is produced. Previous researchers have focused on how various leadership styles impact engagement. Researchers have revealed that the concepts of structural empowerment, authentic leadership, transformational leadership, and leader-empowering behavior have positively impacted employees’ levels of engagement. The knowledge gap includes what behaviors lead to improved employee engagement, resulting in an upbeat team climate and decreased intention to leave a position. This study was designed to glean knowledge from experienced nurse managers regarding employee engagement and understand what skills could be taught to novice managers to facilitate staff engagement. The main research question addressed was, what behaviors performed by nursing leadership are believed to influence employee engagement? This researcher found the following themes revealed by participants (a) accountability and commitment, (b) initiative, (c) attention to safety, (d) transparency and communication, and (e) employee recognition and creating a positive work culture. Participants revealed that you could identify employees more likely to be engaged through behaviors like accountability and commitment to one’s position, taking the initiative, and that attention to safety results from higher engagement. Participants also revealed that leaders could foster engagement using transparency and communication, employee recognition, and positive work culture.</p>
Hopelessness and spiritual well-being in persons with HIV infection
http://hdl.handle.net/10755/23109
<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hopelessness and spiritual well-being in a population of persons diagnosed to be Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive. Demographic variables were examined to determine their potential relationship to hopelessness and spiritual well-being. The Neuman Systems Model was used as the conceptual framework for the research. The sample was similar in gender to the national population of persons diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). A sample of 67 was obtained from a community multi-service agency which provides services for HIV positive clients. Significant negative correlations were found between levels of hopelessness and spiritual well-being. Both the religious and existential well-being subscales of the spiritual well-being scale were found to have significant negative correlations with hopelessness, however existential well-being had a higher level of significance. Age, religious affiliation, having a marriage or significant relationship that is generally positive, and education were found to have significant correlations with one or all of the variables of hopelessness, spiritual well-being, existential well-being, and religious well-being.</p>