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Biomedical subjects

L A Hall

Publications and source records attributed to L A Hall.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Moving beyond survival: coping behaviours of low-income single mothers.

The purposes of this study were to describe the psychosocial and environmental contexts affecting the lives of low-income, single mothers and to explore their everyday coping strategies. Nine mothers of preschool children participated in multiple, unstructured and semi-structured in-home interviews. Traumatic childhood experiences including death of a parent and abuse contributed to the mothers' depression and to their coping strategies for survival. The women used creative economic survival strategies such as bartering to meet their families' basic needs. Social isolation, downward social comparison, conflict avoidance, and self-reliance were the emotional self-protective survival strategies used. Strategies to move up economically and emotionally related to the women's desire for a better life for themselves and their families.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Oxygen requirements of Aspergillus species.

The growth of 24 Aspergillus isolates at low oxygen tensions was assessed. Isolates selected included A. fumigatus (10), A. terreus (6), A. niger (6), A. nidulans (1) and A. flavus (1). Three different agar media were used--potato dextrose agar (PDA), pH 5.6; brain heart infusion (BHI), pH 7.4; and a specially developed medium (Hall's) containing resazurin--with oxygen concentrations of 0, 0.025, 0.1, 0.5 and 2.5%. The CO2 concentration was 5%. Agar plates were inoculated with 2 x 10(7) conidia/ml, loaded into jars and flushed with a special gas mixture at 37 degrees C. The plates were inspected at intervals of 3, 5 and 10 days. On Hall's medium, none of the isolates grew at oxygen concentrations of 0 or 0.025%, but 21 (88%) of 24 grew at 0.1%. On PDA and BH1, all 14 isolates tested grew at oxygen concentrations of 0.5 and 2.5%. Three of these 14 conidiated on PDA at oxygen 0.5% and 12 of 14 conidiated on PDA at oxygen 2.5%. None grew without oxygen on these media. Thus, pathogenic Aspergillus spp. are capable of growth at low oxygen tensions, and this may have implications for pathogenicity and antifungal activity.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1993

Childhood physical and sexual abuse: their relationship with depressive symptoms in adulthood.

The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of childhood physical and sexual abuse among 206 low-income single mothers and to examine the relationship of childhood abuse to current maternal depressive symptoms. Severe physical abuse was reported by 36 percent of the women. The prevalence of sexual abuse was 22 percent; more than one-half of these women were violently abused. High depressive symptoms were reported by 51 percent of the mothers. Both severe physical abuse and sexual abuse in childhood were associated with high depressive symptoms. Women who experienced violent sexual abuse were almost four and one-half times more likely to report high depressive symptoms, compared to the women who were not sexually abused. These findings provide further evidence that childhood abuse may have long-term consequences for women's mental health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Community elders: prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms.

This pilot study examined the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling elders 75 years of age and older. Forty subjects were recruited from a research volunteer pool. Cross-sectional data were collected during structured in-home interviews. High depressive symptoms were reported by 10 (25%) of the elders; of these, 8 were males. Depressive symptoms were positively related to the need for instrumental support. Higher depressive symptoms were associated with poorer functional health status and self-rated health and with lower morale, life satisfaction, and quality of life. Nurses working with community-dwelling elders 75 years of age or older should be alert for depressive symptoms among those with indications of poor physical and functional health, and instrumental support needs should be assessed. Further investigation into the age/gender issue as it relates to the development of depressive symptoms is warranted.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

The high-risk infant environment. Part 2. The role of caregiving and the social environment.

Neonatal intensive care units are essential for the successful care of very immature and sick infants. The technology of NICUs has contributed significantly to the reduction of neonatal mortality and improvement of neonatal outcome. While the outcome for high-risk neonates has vastly improved over the past three decades, a number of infants sustain injuries and complications that result in long-term disabilities. It is now clear that some of the long-term problems of high-risk infants are a result of the environment and care practices and are not attributable to the original disease or condition that necessitated intensive care. There is accumulating evidence that environmental factors and care practices can interact with disease processes in ways that can increase morbidity, and possibly mortality. In addition to developmental and behavioral problems, there is growing evidence of effects on visual function and perhaps other sensory systems. Many of the environmental and care factors may cause delay in recovery and increase NICU time or unnecessary discomfort, yet not produce long-term disabilities or problems, as currently assessed. Many of the potential behavioral and developmental problems, as well as many of the potential problems with visual, auditory, and other modes of sensory discrimination, are not included in the usual follow-up assessments. The absence of data or the limitations of existing studies are not a cause for comfort or the assumption that the environment and care practices are safe or not harmful.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Environment↗
PubMed1991

Maladaptive mother-child relationships: a pilot study.

The primary purposes of this pilot study were to identify maternal psychosocial correlates of unrealistic expectations of children and of child abuse potential, and to investigate the relationships of these factors with child behavior. A cross-sectional, two-group design was used. One group consisted of 20 low-income mothers whose preschool children were referred to a family care center for suspected abuse or neglect. A comparison group was made up to 20 low-income mothers whose children attended a university-based pediatric clinic and who were not referred for abuse or neglect. Data were collected during structured in-home interviews with the mothers. Measures of parental bonding, maternal depressive symptoms, unrealistic expectations of children, child abuse potential, and child behavior were obtained. Preschool teachers of the children also rated the children's behavior. Mothers with high depressive symptoms reported more unrealistic expectations of children and had greater child abuse potential scores than those with fewer symptoms. The more child behavior problems mothers reported, the greater their unrealistic expectations of the children and the higher their score for child abuse potential. Maternal depressive symptoms were not directly related to child behavior. Teacher reports of child behavior were moderately correlated with maternal reports, but no study variable was associated with teacher reports.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in mothers of young children.

Mothers of young children are at risk for depressive symptoms due to their gender and status as parents. The primary purposes of this study were (1) to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a sample of mothers with young children, (2) to identify sociodemographic correlates of depressive symptoms among the women, and (3) to determine if chronic stress is associated with depressive symptoms independent of other risk factors. In-home interviews were conducted with 196 mothers of 5- and 6-year-old children using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies--Depression (CES-D) Scale and the Everyday Stressors Index (ESI). High depressive symptoms (CES-D greater than or equal to 16) were reported by 49% of the mothers. They were highest among those who had never married, had less than a high school education, were under 25 years of age, were black, and had a low income. The ESI was a strong predictor of high depressive symptoms, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. In comparison to mothers reporting a low level of everyday stressors (score = 5), those scoring 15 were 3 times more likely to have high depressive symptoms; those scoring 35 were more than 30 times as likely to have high CES-D scores. The results suggest the importance of chronic daily stressors as correlates of depressive symptoms in mothers of young children and also point to the need for multivariate models when examining predictors of those symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Influences of the social network on choice and duration of breast-feeding in mothers of preterm infants.

A prospective analytic study was conducted to examine the influences of the social network on the choice and duration of breast-feeding among 125 mothers of preterm infants. The Influence of Specific Referents (ISR) Scale was used to measure mothers' perceptions of the wishes of seven social referents regarding feeding choice and to assess mothers' motivation to comply with their referents' wishes. Referents included family members, friends, and health care professionals. Mothers choosing to breast-feed reported greater influence from referents than those choosing to formula-feed. Among the 88 mothers who initiated breast-feeding or expression, the number of supports reported by mothers was the most influential factor on duration of lactation. Women with no source of support were six times more likely to cease lactation than women with six sources of support.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed1989

The effects of dredging and reclamation on metal levels in water and sediments from an estuarine environment off Trinidad, West Indies.

The levels of the metals Fe, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cu and Cd in marine sediments and sea-water were affected differently by dredging and reclamation activities carried out in a shallow coastal bay area. A two way ANOVA showed that the Mn, Ni, Pb and Cd sediment levels in the area sampled during the dredging period were significantly different (p=0.05) from the levels outside the dredging period. The levels obtained at stations along the paths of the undercurrents in the area showed similar variations to the stations close to where the currents originated for most of the metals monitored. This has been attributed to the translocation of loose dredged sediment by current action. The ANOVA also showed that the Ni and Pb sea-water levels obtained within the dredigng period were significantly different (p=0.05) from the levels obtained outside the dredging period. Marked increases in sea-water levels of Cu, Pb, and Ni occurred subsequent to dredging, apparently as a result of oxidative remobilisation of these metals in fill dumped on a reclaimed site in the vicinity. A comparison of the means of both sediment and sea-water levels within and outside the dredging period showed that the Mn sediment and Fe and Cu sea-water means were lower within the dredging period. Only Cd showed no significant difference in sediment levels between sites while CU and Cd showed no significant differences in sea-water levels between sites. Only Ni sediment levels showed a significant site-date interaction.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1987

Quality and quantity of social support as correlates of psychosomatic symptoms in mothers with young children.

Associations between psychosomatic symptoms and two measures of social support, the quantity of social ties and the quality of primary intimate relationships, were investigated. The sample consisted of 214 predominantly low-income mothers of young children. The quality of relationships with family members was inversely associated with psychosomatic symptoms, whereas the quality of husband and boyfriend relationships was not. In contrast, the quantity of social ties was inversely related to psychosomatic symptoms among all the women. The quantity of social ties, the quality of relationships as modified by type of intimate, and the baseline level of symptoms measured five years earlier were significant predictors of psychosomatic symptoms among this sample of women.

Adult↗