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Biomedical subjects

E R Lenz

Publications and source records attributed to E R Lenz.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Application of Cox's interaction model of client health behavior in a weight control program for military personnel: a preintervention baseline.

This study represents a limited application of Cox's Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior in a weight control program for enlisted US Army soldiers. Relationships of client singularity variables (demographic characteristics, motivation, psychological distress, and designation as overweight or normal weight) to one another and to preintervention measures of client outcomes (health status, health risk) were examined in a sample of 154 soldiers. Hypotheses deduced from the model were tested using multiple regression. The Cox model received partial support, in that some client singularity variables were interrelated; they explained nearly half of the variance in health status, but less than 25% of the variance in health risk. Demographic characteristics were not effective predictors in the present study, perhaps because of the homogeneous sample. The model has potential utility for providing baseline information for preventive health programs in occupational settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A comparison of the health risk, health status, self-motivation, psychological symptomatic distress, and physical fitness of overweight and normal-weight soldiers.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the assumptions underlying the Army's Weight Control Program (AWCP) and to determine whether overweight and normal-weight soldiers differed with respect to health risk, health status, self-motivation, psychological symptomatic distress, and physical fitness. The sample consisted of 154 active-duty male and female enlisted Army soldiers assigned to the Maryland and District of Washington area: 77 overweight soldiers and 77 normal-weight soldiers were randomly selected from a gender-stratified, unit-specific list. To test the hypothesis that the two groups would differ, data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The hypothesis was supported. The overweight and normal-weight soldiers differed, with the former having greater health risk, lower health status, and lower physical fitness; but the two groups did not differ in self-motivation or psychological symptomatic distress. These results support the concept that obesity is associated with increased morbidity. Further studies are necessary to examine the mechanisms by which endogenous physiological factors contribute to the expression of obesity.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Relapse among ex-smokers: an example of theory derivation.

Theory derivation, the use of analogous concepts from other disciplines to derive theory about a particular phenomenon, has been described as an effective strategy for building nursing theory, especially where existing theory bases are limited. This article provides a detailed, step-by-step description of how the theory derivation process was used to develop a theory of smoking relapse from an analogous theory of recovery after alcohol abuse. Empirical testing revealed partial support for the derived theory. Advantages and limitations of theory derivation as a strategy for constructing nursing theory are described.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

Life change and instrumental support as predictors of illness in mothers of 6-month-olds.

The extent to which life change after birth of a baby and instrumental support of parenting predict the occurrence of illness in mothers of 6-month-olds was studied. Mothers (N = 155) were selected from an urban clinic and from the birth records of a suburban hospital. All data were collected with questionnaires and interviews in mothers' homes when infants were 6 months old. Age, race, socioeconomic status, and prior illness were used as control variables in the analyses. Life change and intensity of support were positively related, and size of the support network was negatively related to illness. There was no evidence for the buffering effect of support. Findings confirmed that life change helps predict postpartal illness, and revealed that characteristics of instrumental support differ in their importance as predictors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Sex-role attributes, gender, and postpartal perceptions of the marital relationship.

The relationships of sex-role attributes and gender to perceptions of changes in intimacy and in the overall marital relationship were examined, as was the quality of that relationship following the birth of an infant. For a sample of 165 couples, positive changes in intimacy and in the overall relationship following delivery were positively related to marital quality at four months postpartum. Of gender and sex-role attributes, only femininity contributed significantly to the prediction of overall change and quality. None of the variables predicted perceived change in intimacy.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Disciplinary boundary maintenance in nursing education.

This paper reports the results of two small-scale surveys examining the extent to which nursing education is reflecting patterns of insularity from other disciplines. One survey examined employment of non-nurse faculty and mechanisms for delivering non-nursing content in 16 baccalaureate and higher degree nursing programs; the other examined the disciplinary origins of required readings in 44 nursing courses. Non-nurse faculty were employed in half of the schools surveyed; however, non-nursing content was delivered primarily by nurses with advanced preparation in another discipline. There was heavy, but not total reliance on nursing authorship and journals in the courses surveyed. A pattern of relatively high insularity was inferred from reported and anticipated decreases in non-nurse faculty, the rarity of joint appointments, heavy reliance on nurses to deliver non-nursing content and use of high proportions of nursing literature.

Authorship↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of social support and stressors for mothers and infants.

This correlational study of mothers and their 6-month-old infants examined the importance of social support and stressors for parenting and infant development. Mothers (n = 79) were primarily White, married, and ranged in socio-economic status from low to high. All data were collected in mothers' homes when infants were 6 months old. Diversity of sources of social support and diversity of father support were positively related to parenting (quality of stimulation in the home). Diversity of sources of social support buffered the negative relationship of maternal fatigue (stressor) to parenting. Parenting was related to social, hearing-speech, locomotor, and general development. Additionally, social support and aggravation (people in the mother's said network who make life difficult) were related to infant development, independent of parenting.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in sexual relationships in postpartum couples.

To assess perceived changes in intimacy and sexuality in postpartum couples, an Intimate Relationship Scale was developed, tested for reliability (alpha = 0.86), and administered by mail. Sixty-eight, middle-class couples responded at four months postpartum and 126 couples at 12 months postpartum. Data revealed declines in the frequency of and desire for sexual activity, especially for mothers, when compared to sexual activity before the infant's birth. At four months postpartum, most women reported physical discomfort with sexual intercourse, a decline in physical strength, dissatisfaction with bodily appearance, and fatigue which interfered with sex. Strategies and techniques to promote and maintain intimacy and sexuality in postpartum couples are suggested to assist their transition to parenthood and may positively influence parenting behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Father-newborn interaction: effects of social competence and infant state.

Indicators of both father and infant social competence were explored as predictors of four types of paternal interaction behavior: touch-affection/comfort, talk-affection/comfort, touch-stimulate, and talk-stimulate. Data collected from 114 father-newborn pairs 2 to 4 days after birth included perceived competence as a father, the infant's orientation and range of state scores on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, and the infant's behavioral state during a structured paternal-infant interaction. Infant state at the time of interaction was the best predictor, particularly of affection/comforting behavior. Infant orientation scores helped predict touch-stimulating behavior and range of state scores helped predict touch-affectional behavior. Paternal competence was a predictor of stimulating behavior. Results emphasized the importance of considering state behavior when observing fathers interacting with their newborns.

Adult↗