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Biomedical subjects

B J Lowery

Publications and source records attributed to B J Lowery.

50 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychiatric rehospitalization of the severely mentally ill: patient and staff perspectives.

Research findings about psychiatric rehospitalization of severely mentally ill persons have provided few insights into its meaning for patients and staff. An attributional analysis of the causes schizophrenic patients and their staff gave for rehospitalization was used to test the limits of attributions theory in predicting how the event would be viewed. Results indicated that patients tended to give internal attributions for their readmission and believed that the cause was not under their control. Staff also attributed the problem to something internal to the patient, however, they were likely to see the cause as patient effort, which is under patient control.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Linkages between community mental health centers and public mental hospitals.

Directors of community mental health centers and superintendents of public mental health hospitals in one state were surveyed to gather data on interagency linkages. Implementation of affiliation agreements, exchange of staff training, and exchange of patient information were investigated. Affiliation agreements tended to be implemented with little difficulty and there was more interagency cooperation than that reported in earlier research. However, exchange of training and staff were still areas of minimal interaction. Geographic proximity was found to have a positive influence and competition a negative influence on cooperation. Further attempts at interagency linkages in the interest of continuity of patient care are recommended.

Community Mental Health Centers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Three sides of the same coin: the analysis of paired data from dyads.

Three types of research questions are commonly asked about data from dyads: (1) What are the overall group differences between the two sets of measurements? (2) What is the association between paired data? and (3) What is the agreement between pairs? These three types of questions about the same dyad dataset lead to different analyses, and the answer to one question does not necessarily help in answering the other questions. The purpose of this article is to highlight the differences among these questions and their respective methods of data analysis. The intent is to stress the necessity for congruence between research questions and the analysis, rather than to present a review of all possible methods of analysis of paired data.

Bias↗
PubMedDate not supplied

On the prevalence of causal search in illness situations.

The prevalence of causal search was examined in two samples, one of chronically ill patients, the other of acutely ill patients. In contrast to the assumption that causal search occurs in important or unexpected life events, the results indicated that such a search was reported by only about half of 296 long-term diabetic, hypertensive, and arthritic patients and 83 newly diagnosed myocardial infarction patients. Moreover, in both samples, affect and expectancies for the future were better for those who had not engaged in causal search. Further research to examine the questions used to elicit causal responses and to test the assumption that causal thinking takes place is suggested.

Acute Disease↗
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Patient and situational factors that affect nursing students' like or dislike of caring for patients.

The purpose of this study was to identify certain characteristics of the patient or the helping situation that evoke in nursing students positive or negative feelings about caring for patients. Causes nursing students spontaneously gave for their feelings about caring for patients were examined. Results provided some support for the perception that nurses may not be responsive to certain patients. The nursing students liked best caring for patients who were cheerful and communicative. They also liked to care for patients who were in pain, patients they viewed as needing high levels of nursing care, and patients who responded positively to their attempts to minister.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Attributional analysis of chronic illness outcomes.

The Weiner et al. attribution model has generated a great deal of research on attributions for success and failure in academic achievement situations. Studies of success and failure attributions in real-life situations of high personal concern are limited. If the attribution model is to lead to a general theory of motivation, such tests in real-life situations are critical. In this study, causal attributions for success and failure outcomes of chronically ill patients were examined. Results indicated at least partial support for the model. Patients tended to attribute success internally and failure externally, but stability and expectations were not linked in this sample. Moreover, a tendency to respond with no cause to an open-ended measure and to hold little commitment to any causes on a closed-ended measure was characteristic of failure subjects.

Arthritis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An exploratory investigation of causal thinking of arthritics.

Research in academic achievement situations suggests that the causes people give for achievement events are linked to subsequent behaviors, emotions, and expectations. An attributional analysis of the causes arthritics gave for their condition tested the limits of the attributional model in the situation of chronic illness. Results indicated that the assumption that causal thinking occurs needs further testing. Fifteen percent of the subjects did not give causes. Those not giving causes were significantly more anxious, more depressed, and more hostile than those who had constructed causes. In terms of the dimensions of attribution theory, the results suggest that when causes are given, they do not easily fit within the classification scheme currently proposed. Suggestions for testing of the attributional model in clinical situations are offered.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

On the consequences of overturning turnover: a study of performance and turnover.

The possibility that turnover may have a good side has been given increased attention in recent literature. The purpose of this investigation was to study whether turnover, defined as voluntary exit from employment, among newly hired nurses displaces poor performers. Routine performance ratings of 92 leavers and 184 stayers were compared for differences in overall ratings and for ratings on 10 job factor subscales. Results indicated that those who left employment were judged as significantly lower on overall ratings and on 7 of the 10 job factors on which overall ratings were based. The performance factor that best discriminated between leavers and stayers was the variable of interest and motivation, with those leaving being lower on the scale than the stayers. Further study of the performance-turnover relationship and study of other possible consequences of turnover are suggested.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Misconceptions and limitations of locus of control and the I-E scale.

Since 1966, locus of control as measured by the I-E scale has been shown predictive of many different dependent variables in both health and nonhealth situations. In hundreds of articles, expectancies have been reported to mediate perceptual, cognitive, and motivational processes. However, in many other investigations, locus of control has failed to predict the dependent variable being studied. Therefore, it is clear there are limitations to the predictive power of the construct. In recent years published research highlighting these limitations has resulted in a decrease in research about locus of control and the use of the I-E scale. Yet many investigators do not know or perhaps choose to ignore the criticisms published in recent years. Nurses who are interested in locus of control are encouraged to understand the construct and the frequent misapplications of it which occur, to realize the limitations of the I-E scale when considering instrumentation, and to consider multidimensional attribution theory as more appropriate to understanding behavior than locus of control.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Adjustment to breast cancer using downward comparison.

Downward comparison is a cognitive process that is used when events such as illness threaten a person's self-esteem. The afflicted person feels better about his/her situation when he/she compares himself/herself with another whose condition is worse. This study identified the presence of downward comparison in 195 women with recently diagnosed breast cancer and determined the impact of such comparison on adjustment. The results indicate evidence of downward comparison. In comparison to others with breast cancer, most patients indicated they thought that they were better in regard to physical condition, coping, medical condition, and life experience. Clinicians should assess for the presence of downward comparison at the time of diagnosis or when there is any change in the treatment plan that may be threatening to a patient. Future research of downward comparison and its relationship to self-esteem is indicated.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Self-blame and adjustment to breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between self-blame and illness adjustment in women with breast cancer. DESIGN: Descriptive, correlational design. SETTING: Outpatient facilities of two metropolitan medical centers. SAMPLE: 234 women diagnosed with stage I or II breast cancer. METHODS: Structured and semistructured interviews using the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS), the Global Adjustment to Illness Scale (GAIS), an attributions and blame interview, and several questions about control over the cause and course of the cancer. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Self-blame, controllability, and adjustment to illness. FINDINGS: 39% of the sample reported some self-blame. Analysis of variance indicated that subjects with high levels of self-blame had poorer scores on the PAIS and GAIS. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate the need for further study of the self-blame/adjustment relationship. Researchers must clarify the characteristics that compromise adjustment in patients with breast cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The findings support the importance of assessing self-blame and providing information to discourage its use by patients with breast cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗