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Biomedical subjects

M M Mahon

Publications and source records attributed to M M Mahon.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Children's concept of death and sibling death from trauma.

Factors influencing children's concept of death (their understanding of finality, inevitability, and universality) were examined. A bereaved group of 29 siblings (5 to 12 years of age) of children who died from trauma were interviewed 13 to 17 months after their sibling's death. A comparison group (n = 29) of nonbereaved siblings who had not experienced a sibling's death was matched for age, race, gender, and sociodemographic background. Demographic data, a Piagetian developmental assessment, and a concept of death assessment incorporating vignettes were used to collect data. The experience of sibling death from trauma did not significantly influence acquisition of an accurate concept of death; developmental level (p = 0.0001) and age (p = 0.0003) were significant predictors. Of the 5-year-old subjects in this study, 45.7% had an accurate concept of death, as did > 60% of 6-, 7-, and 8-year-old subjects, 100% of 9-, 11-, and 12-year-old subjects, and 90% of 10-year-old subjects. This reflects an understanding of death at a much younger age than reported by previous researchers.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

Therapeutic play and the hospitalized child.

It has long been recognized that there are many and varied definitions of play. This article briefly reviews normative play theory, differentiating it from its counterpart, therapeutic play. Three forms of therapeutic play (emotional outlet play, instructional play, and physiologically enhancing play) are described and clinical examples are given.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A reflection on values in turbulent times.

We discuss how organizations, as cultures, react to times of turbulence, stress, and the importance of their foundational values during those times. By adapting the framework pioneered by the organizational analyst Manfred Kets de Vries, we use psychodynamic concepts to discuss a descriptive typology of behavior in which persons and organizations engage under stress. We also discuss the hazards inherent in losing sight of common core values, the dangers in the disconnects between stated values and behaviors, and how those disconnects can be destructive to organizations and to persons. We conclude with a plan that involves achieving insight, trust, and open communication on which members of organizations can base discussion and find common ground in articulating common core values. Throughout the article, we make applications to nursing organizations to focus attention on the currency of this topic for the profession.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sibling bereavement: a concept analysis.

Investigators of sibling bereavement contend that the death of a sibling represents a unique and intense loss experience. The empirical literature, however, lacks conceptual clarity about the characteristics of sibling bereavement. Metaphors of siblingship are widely applied and may compromise the integrity of theory development specific to sibling bereavement, particularly as this knowledge base is broadened. There is an immediate need to extend the descriptive knowledge base for sibling bereavement beyond adolescence, in large part to prepare to address the needs of the great number of adults whose brothers and sisters have died as a result of AIDS. The purpose of this article is to examine the concept of sibling bereavement by reviewing the empirical literature and by applying the Wilsonian Method (1963) of concept analysis. A preliminary model addressing the factors of critical attributes and personal outcome variables for bereavement research specific to sibling loss is presented.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Concept of death in a sample of Israeli kibbutz children.

The study of children's concept of death and factors that affect its acquisition continue to evolve. In this study, the concept of death of 22 Israeli children (aged 5-12 years), were assessed using vignettes. Participants' understanding of finality, universality, inevitability, and total concept of death were explored using the Concept of Death Assessment (CODA). The child's developmental level was assessed using an interactive developmental tool based on a Piagetian/constructivist framework (R. B. Sund, 1976). Development was scored as a continuous, rather than as a dichotomous variable. In this sample, age was the only significant predictor of concept of death (p less than .01). Children had an accurate concept of death as young as 6 years, however, it was not possible to determine an upper age limit by which children had an accurate concept of death. The mean developmental score was 64.8% +/-18.7. Still, 45% of this sample had an accurate concept of death, and 95.5% had an accurate understanding of finality. Environmental factors unique to an Israeli sample that might affect concept acquisition are explored. Questions remain about the interrelationship of development and concept acquisition.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oral history of Florence Downs; the early years.

BACKGROUND: Florence Downs is a well-recognized nursing leader, educator, editor, and scholar who helped shape nursing as an intellectual discipline, and wrote extensively about the importance of links between research and practice. OBJECTIVES: Through the use of oral history data garnered over 15 hours of interviews, we constructed a narrative that describes some of Downs' formative experiences. METHODS: Oral history is used to place the "stories" of an individual into a social and cultural context, in this case, the development of the profession of nursing. RESULTS: From the interviews, several strands emerged that defined Downs' extended career, including the importance of developing a community of scholars both in and outside of nursing, the dangers of parochialism, and the necessity of a perspective on life that melded a keen sense of humor. Factors that affected Downs' style and choice, especially her mother, and her educational experiences, were revealed. DISCUSSION: From the interviews we gained a sense of how Downs constructed her conceptual universe of nursing, as well as the language and political effectiveness to overcome barriers confronting the intellectual growth of nursing mounted by other nursing leaders as well as traditional academic disciplines.

Education, Nursing, Graduate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Death of a sibling: primary care interventions.

The death of a child is difficult for nurses and other health care professionals. Responses of children who have experienced the death of a sibling have both affective and cognitive components. Practice considerations from both of these domains are addressed here.

Adolescent↗