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Biomedical subjects

C Weinert

Publications and source records attributed to C Weinert.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Social support and the chronically ill individual.

Nurses caring for the chronically ill need to be alert for the problems of social isolation and social impairment. Families often respond initially to serious illness by becoming over-protective and fostering dependence and a sense of impaired competence in the ill person. As the illness continues, families often experience exhaustion because of the demands of new roles, depleted finances, and other aspects of a changed lifestyle. Feelings of anger, guilt, and helplessness occur in the network, often leading to withdrawal of support--especially as the ill person's ability to reciprocate support is impaired. Nursing interventions in situations of social isolation focus on reducing isolation by promoting social interaction as appropriate, and by directly or indirectly mobilizing or expanding the social network. The problem of impaired social interaction may occur secondary to the personality changes that often accompany chronic illnesses, or as a function of the chronic illness or disability itself, as in the case of mental illnesses. Social impairment is an appropriate nursing diagnosis in abusive families. Nursing interventions range from educational programs for social skill development to reduction of the amount of contact within the network to involvement of protective and psychotherapy services. Chronic illness has profound effects on social support and the social network of both the ill person and his or her family. As both long-term illnesses and family involvement in care giving increase, nursing care in situations of chronic illness must include attention to issues of social support. Nursing diagnosis provides a framework for nurses to include social support in their care of the chronically ill patient. Social isolation and social impairment can be reduced by nursing interventions.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1986

Resistance to natural killer cell-mediated cytolysis by a pleiotropic drug-resistant human erythroleukemia (K562-R) cell line.

K562-R, a pleiotropic drug-resistant cell line established in vitro, and K562-S, the chemotherapy-sensitive parent line, were used as targets in the natural killer cell (NK) system. At each of the effector:target ratios studied, the K562-R demonstrated a decrease in their susceptibility to both unstimulated and interferon-activated NK cells, as compared to the K562-S line. This difference did not appear to be related to a variable expression of NK target structures, as the number of effector:target conjugates was similar, and both lines competed equally well in cold target inhibition experiments. The K562-R cells were not resistant to complement or monocyte-mediated killing, suggesting a relatively specific resistance to cell-mediated killing. These results are compatible with an NK postbinding defect in the K562-R cells and suggest that greater tumorigenicity for pleiotropic drug-resistant cells may in part be due to altered susceptibility to host defense.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1984

Evaluation of the Personal Resource Questionnaire: a social support measure.

The purpose of this study was to further the psychometric evaluation of the Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ). The PRQ was developed to measure social support as a multidimensional construct. The PRQ is a two part measure of social support. Part 1 consists of life situations in which one might be expected to need some assistance. It provides descriptive information about the person's resources, whether or not they have experienced the situation in the past 6 months, and their satisfaction with these resources. Part 2 contains a 25-item Likert scale that measures the respondent's level of perceived social support. The questionnaire can be self-administered, requires approximately 10 minutes to complete, and is easily scored for use with various statistical techniques. Based on data generated by the author and on three additional data sets provided by collaborating researchers, psychometric properties of the PRQ were investigated. There was sound evidence to rule out the explanation that the respondent's answers on the PRQ reflect a reporting simply of socially desirable answers. There were no significant differences between the scores for women and the scores for men on either Part 1 or Part 2 of the PRQ. Evidence was provided to substantiate criterion-related validity. Part 2 of the PRQ was predictive of dyadic consensus. Likewise, initial validation of construct validity was evident. Part 2 of the PRQ is correlated with mental health indicators. Yet, the analyses indicate that there is reason to believe that the PRQ is not simply another way of measuring the construct of depression and anxiety. Consistently strong estimates of reliability, determined by the use of Cronbach's alpha, were obtained indicating a high level of internal consistency for the PRQ-Part 2. This report of the early psychometric evaluation of the PRQ can provide researchers with information which can guide their use of this social support measure. There are now some established base line profiles of responses for comparisons. The validity and reliability of the PRQ are sufficiently established so as to permit the continued use of the tool with some level of confidence in interpreting the results.

Family↗
PubMed1981

[Empirical comparative study on attitudes of dysmelic and non-disabled young people in the process of choice of occupation (author's transl)].

The present study deals with the question whether there are differences between disabled (n = 83) and non-disabled (n = 32) subjects concerning their ratings of (a) their subjective confidence in their potential for occupational activities and (b) the anticipated requirements of their intended jobs. No statistical differences have been found. Thalidomide-affected subjects however tend to choose an occupation the anticipated requirements of which are identical with their own subjective confidence in potential skills while ablebodied subjects ascribe themselves a wider range of potential skills their intended jobs. No statistical differences have been found. Thalidomide-affected subjects however tend to choose an occupation the anticipated requirements of which are identical with their own subjective confidence in potential skills while ablebodied subjects ascribe themselves a wider range of potential skills their intended jobs. No statistical differences have been found. Thalidomide-affected subjects however tend to choose an occupation the anticipated requirements of which are identical with their own subjective confidence in potential skills while ablebodied subjects ascribe themselves a wider range of potential skills and abilities, beyond those required by the chosen job. The second emphasis of the study dealt with the effects of the "induced" occurrence of events unrelated to the training itself on the remaining preparedness for activity (frustration tolerance). Disabled subjects demonstrate significantly higher frustration ratings in the "reactions of attachment figures" factor than the control subjects. This does however not diminish their preparedness for activity (i.e. to train for the chosen occupation). The study is based on the choice of occupation behaviour questionnaires by Bender-Szymanski (1976).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

[Functional and cosmetic results in thumb replacement surgery].

The operations to replace the thumb have been proved in thalidomide embryopathy both functionally and cosmetically. The best results are achieved in the pollicisation of dolichophalangeal triphalangeal thumbs. Simultaneously existing radial club hand impairs the operative results considerably.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Percutaneous in situ fixation of slipped capital femoral epiphysis using two threaded Steinmann pins.

Twenty-six patients with 34 slipped capital femoral epiphyses were treated by percutaneous in situ pinning with two 5/32-inch threaded Steinmann pins. Twenty-three patients with 31 hips were followed-up until the time of epiphyseal closure and pin removal. The average time to closure was 8.5 months (range, 3-25). The average operative time for pinning was 53 min (range, 18-115). The average operative time for pin removal was 42 min (range, 12-132). Complications included two progressive slips, two poorly placed pins, one pin breakage during removal, and one case of capital necrosis. This technique is a quick, efficient means of stabilizing the slipped capital femoral epiphysis, with case of hardware removal.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Telecommunication support for rural women with diabetes.

PURPOSE: The Women to Women Diabetes Project tested the use of telecommunication technology to deliver diabetes education and social support to rural women with diabetes. The aims were to (1) test the effects of the computer intervention in providing support, information, and education on selected outcomes, and (2) evaluate the women's attitudes toward and satisfaction with the intervention and the support provided. METHODS: Thirty women were randomized into computer and noncomputer groups and participated for 10 months. For 5 months, one group participated in a self-help support and educational group via the computer; the other group continued to use their usual modes of support and communication. Psychosocial well-being scales were administered and attitudes were surveyed. RESULTS: Improving health and higher educational levels positively influenced measures of social support and quality of life. Women who were married or who reported greater support had higher scores on the Personal Resource Questionnaire. The women expressed positive effects of the computer-based support group on their lives. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was enthusiastically accepted, and could be conducted effectively in isolated rural areas.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computer-based support groups. Nursing in cyberspace.

The focus of this article is on the nurse monitor role in a project whose overall goal is to use telecommunication technology to provide information and support to middle-aged rural women living with chronic illness. The impact of participation in these support groups on the women's psychosocial health is also discussed. The purpose of the project, the underlying conceptual framework of social support, a project overview, project philosophy and protocols, and the role of the Nurse Monitor are described.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Measures of social support: assessment of validity.

The evidence of construct validity that resulted from conjoint testing of two measures of social support, the Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ85) and the Cost and Reciprocity Index (CRI) is presented. Both instruments were used with two samples of adults, 333 who were part of a large health project and 99 who participated in a methodological study. The PRQ85 and CRI appear to tap the construct of support yet are not highly redundant. Both tools demonstrated similar curves of relationships to external criteria. Dissimilar patterns of relationships with negative mood states indicated an area of need for future study.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A social support measure: PRQ85.

The Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) was developed in 1981 to measure situational and perceived social support. This article presents the history of its development and the latest psychometric evaluation of the tool. Nurturance subscale items were rewritten to reflect a broader context of behaviors toward persons of any age. Content validity was further established by correlations between the PRQ and two mental health measures. Factor analysis indicated that a three-factor structure for the perceived social support scale may be more appropriate than the hypothesized five-subscale structure.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The PRQ--a social support measure.

The Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) is a two-part measure of the multidimensional characteristics of social support. Part one provides descriptive information about the person's resources, the satisfaction with these resources, and whether or not there is a confidant. Part two contains a 25-item Likert scale developed according to Weiss's relational dimensions and a five-item Self-Help Ideology scale. The PRQ was administered as the measure of one of the independent variables in a study of 149 male or female spouses of individuals with multiple sclerosis. Content and face validity procedures were completed previous to the study. An internal consistency reliability coefficient of alpha = .89 was obtained for the PRQ Part 2. Moderate intercorrelations for the dimensional subscales--intimacy, social integration, worth, and assistance--indicate that there is some overlap of these dimensions. Low intercorrelations between nurturance and the other four subscales suggest that nurturance is an independent scale. Modest predictive validity coefficients were obtained. At the present time the intended use of the PRQ is for research. Plans for tool development include obtaining further construct validity information and test-retest reliability.

Adult↗