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Biomedical subjects

K R Puskar

Publications and source records attributed to K R Puskar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Adolescent research recruitment issues and strategies: application in a rural school setting.

This report discusses adolescent research recruitment strategies in general and specifically, those developed by a research team for a rural school setting. Recruitment of adolescent subjects involves the consideration of several complex issues. These issues include adolescent development, ethical and legal guidelines, and access to school settings. Specific strategies are discussed regarding access and culture of the rural setting, collaboration, and recruitment procedures in relation to their use to recruit adolescent subjects from rural schools.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Screening and predicting adolescent depressive symptoms in rural settings.

Adolescent depression with related suicidal behavior is a serious health problem. This article describes depressive symptoms, reported life events, and demographic risk factors in 846 rural adolescents. The results indicate that self-reported depressive symptoms in rural adolescents is significantly (p < .05) related to gender, death in the family, and the perceived positive and negative impact of life events, as well as the specific events of losing a close friend, an increase in number of arguments with parents, trouble with classmates, and trouble with police. The type of school program and trouble with siblings was marginally significant (p < .10). These demographic factors and life events may assist health-care professionals in identifying adolescents at risk for depressive symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

School relocation and stress in teens.

Geographical relocation, with transfer to a new school, is a life transition experienced by many adolescents. The normal developmental tasks of adolescence may complicate the transition for relocated teens, particularly those with inadequate coping skills. This 2-year study, conducted in an upper-middle-income suburban community in the Northeast, with highly mobile students, compared the effects of relocation on 43 teens with matched non-relocated controls. While statistical significance was found in differences between the relocated and non-relocated groups, the relocated teens were only mildly anxious. There were no significant differences between the groups for depression, hostility, life events, or coping. Implications for schools and school nursing regarding health promotion interventions with relocated adolescents are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Health concerns and risk behaviors of rural adolescents.

Although much has been written about the health status of adolescents, little is known about adolescents' perception of their own health. The purpose of this article is to describe the health concerns of rural adolescents. Two national studies, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health Project), are used as comparisons. Data from the rural survey represent 624 community adolescents attending 4 rural Pennsylvania schools. The students were in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. The Adolescent Health Inventory was used to report concerns related to general health, psychosocial issues, and risk behaviors. Overall, rural adolescents in the study reported an average of 6.5 (SD = 3.2) health concerns with frequencies of occurrence being always or often and reported an average involvement in 1 (SD = 1.3) risk behavior. Psychosocial issues were reported by 28%, and 23% worried about their general health. Frequently reported risk behaviors included alcohol use, drug use, and a lack of exercise. There was minimal concern expressed regarding venereal disease or AIDS, whereas 12% expressed concern about the possibility of pregnancy. These results suggest the likelihood that adolescents perceive health from a holistic perspective and that health promotion programs should consider involving adolescents in planning, both (a) to ensure congruence of the plan of care with adolescents' concerns and (b) to clarify the interpretation and meaning of their concerns. We present implications for the community health nurse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Nursing research in a school setting.

As more nurses are expanding their role and moving beyond traditional staff nursing, it is becoming increasingly common to find nurses conducting research. The utilization of schools as research sites is on the rise. Life events in families, such as divorce, unemployment, and geographic relocation, predispose school-aged children to high levels of stress, and nurse researchers are in a position to examine students' responses to these stressors. The purpose of this article is to discuss four issues inherent to research in schools, and to share some strategies which were effective. The issues include recruitment of subjects, informed consent, interviewing subjects, and coping with the unpredictable.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Examining the common stressors and coping methods of rural adolescents.

The major objective of this study was to explore and examine common stressors and coping strategies of rural adolescents. Coping was defined as a cognitive and transactional process between a person and the person's environment. A survey of 222 normal adolescents attending a rural southwestern Pennsylvania high school reported experiencing stressful events related to school, family, friendship, health, and transportation. The coping strategy reported as being the most commonly used was optimistic. However, the coping strategy reported to be most effective in dealing with stressful events was supportant. The results of this study contribute to the limited information on adolescent coping in rural areas. This study should help health care providers further their understanding of this vulnerable population. Clinicians can enhance the effective coping and overall health of the rural adolescent by screening for and discussing coping strategies.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Psychiatric nursing management of medication-free psychotic patients.

This article discusses how a team of psychiatric nurses manages acutely psychotic patients on a clinical research unit without the use of psychotropic medications. The article describes a schizophrenia research unit, identifies the behaviors of acutely psychotic patients, and provides examples of effective nursing interventions used on the unit. These interventions are grounded in principles of interpersonal psychiatric nursing practice and milieu therapy. The discussion is directed to psychiatric nurses and other health care professionals who are employed on research units.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

International relocation: womens' coping methods.

This article focuses on how corporate and military wives cope with international relocation. Specifically, the coping behaviors of women who exhibited signs of depression and anxiety and those women who did not in a convenience sample of 28 military and corporate women were studied. Six instruments were used: (a) the Relocation Survey, (b) the Beck Depression Inventory, (c) the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, (d) the CAGE Questionnaire, (e) the Sarason Life Experience Survey, and (f) the Coping Questionnaire. Coping and adaptation formed the conceptual framework. The findings revealed that women who coped well used active coping behaviors and women who coped poorly used more passive coping behaviors. This study offers some direction for health care providers who may use anticipatory guidance and counseling for women prior to international moves.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Relocation support groups for corporate wives.

Nurses can provide relocation support groups to focus on coping skills, stress management, and peer support for relocated women. Support groups can promote a healthier adjustment to relocation. Although depression and anxiety scores were not statistically decreased by participating in support groups, verbal responses from respondents indicated that the support groups were a valuable intervention.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1989

Management of the psychiatric emergency.

This article provides concrete, practical information designed to increase the knowledge base of the health care provider who works with psychiatric emergencies. Psychiatric emergency intervention is differentiated from crisis intervention. Numerous treatment aspects are addressed, including assessment of psychiatric emergencies and intervention principles. The specialized emergency situations of environmental disasters, families of dying patients, and psychiatric emergencies with children are discussed. The article includes a discussion of frequently used psychiatric emergency medications and their effects and side effects. Legal issues integral to psychiatric emergency care, including confidentiality and involuntary commitment, are addressed.

Crisis Intervention↗
PubMed1983

Infant anxiety.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Anxiety↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Optimism and its relationship to depression, coping, anger, and life events in rural adolescents.

Optimism is a stable personality trait that has important implications for behavior, yet little attention has been given to examining optimism in adolescents. This article describes levels of optimism in rural adolescents and the relationship of optimism with depression, coping, anger, and life events. The identification of optimism may be a vulnerability factor when screening adolescent mental health and, as such, has implications for the psychiatric nurse clinician.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

School-based intervention to promote coping in rural teens.

PURPOSE: To evaluate a program designed to help high school students with depressive symptomology to effectively cope. DESIGN: Two-phase experimental study. METHODS: Rural high school students (N = 222), ages 14 through 19 years, were surveyed to identify teens with depressive symptomatology, identify stressful life events and coping styles of at-risk subjects, and evaluate a cognitive-behavioral group intervention to enhance students' coping and affect levels of depression. Students with depressive symptomatology were randomized into control (n = 18) or intervention (n = 23) groups. Intervention subjects were treated with a nurse-led, 8-week cognitive skills group, conducted at school. RESULTS: On posttesting, the intervention groups demonstrated reduced depressive symptoms in females and a wider range of coping compared with controls. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: School-based nurses are in an ideal position to provide assessment, referral, and intervention programs in the natural setting of the school. Results of this study indicate that such programs can be implemented successfully in schools and have the potential to promote mental health in teenagers.

Adaptation, Psychological↗