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Biomedical subjects

S L Ferketich

Publications and source records attributed to S L Ferketich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Experienced and inexperienced mothers' maternal competence during infancy.

In an exploratory study 136 experienced (multiparous) mothers and 166 inexperienced (primiparous) mothers were studied to determine differences in their self-reported maternal role competence, and variables predicting their competence at postpartal hospitalization, 1, 4, and 8 months following birth. The two groups did not differ in their maternal role competence over the 8 months. Inexperienced mothers' competence was higher at 4 and 8 months than at early postpartum and 1 month, indicating a developmental process in maternal role achievement, but no change was observed in experienced mothers' maternal competence. From 45% to 56% of the variance in experienced mothers' maternal competence was explained over the four test periods, and from 43% to 50% among inexperienced mothers. Self-esteem was a consistent, major predictor of maternal competence for both groups. Maternal fetal attachment, readiness for pregnancy, and pregnancy risk variables were explanatory of experienced mothers' maternal competence only. Sense of control was explanatory only of inexperienced mothers' competence at 1, 4, and 8 months.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The effects of child temperament, maternal characteristics, and family circumstances on the maladjustment of school-age children.

Eighty-nine mothers with children between the ages of 8 and 11 years reported perceptions of their child's adjustment and temperament, and described concurrent family circumstances such as socioeconomic status, level of parental distress, major life events experienced, maternal hassles, and their own psychiatric symptoms. A conceptual model hypothesizing the direct and indirect effects of family circumstances, maternal characteristics, and child temperament on the maladjustment of school-age children was tested using causal modeling with residual analysis. Fifty-six percent of child externalizing behavior was directly explained by the negative reactivity and nonpersistence of the child's temperament, and maternal hassles. A total of 33% of the variance of internalizing behavior was explained by the direct effects of negative reactivity of the child's temperament and maternal hassles. For both externalizing and internalizing behavior, a total of 54% of the variance in maternal hassles was explained by three variables: maternal psychiatric symptoms contributed 34%, major life events added 15%, and the intensity of the mother's temperament added an additional 5%. These three variables have a direct effect on maternal hassles and together had an indirect effect of .24 on child externalizing behavior through maternal hassles. Likewise, they have a direct effect on maternal hassles and together had an indirect effect of .31 on child internalizing behavior through maternal hassles.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Predictors of partner relationships during pregnancy and infancy.

The partner relationship of 153 women hospitalized for a high-risk pregnancy, 75 of their partners, 218 women who experienced a low-risk pregnancy and 147 of their partners was studied to determine risk-status or gender differences at pregnancy, the postpartal hospitalization, 1, 4, and 8 months following birth. A theoretical causal model predicting partner relationships was tested, followed by model respecification to derive the best explanatory model for each group. No differences were observed between low- and high-risk mothers' partner relationship; however, high-risk fathers scored lower than low-risk fathers. Partner relationships for all groups were significantly higher during pregnancy and at birth than at 4 and 8 months after birth. Respecified models explained from 26% to 63% of the variance in partner relationship during pregnancy, and from 31% to 52% at 8 months after birth.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Focus on psychometrics. Scaling stimuli with magnitude estimation.

Magnitude estimation has been shown to be a useful model for scaling physical and social stimuli. This scaling method holds promise for researchers who are interested in scaling the individual's perceptions of physiological states such as breathlessness as well as social phenomena such as intrusiveness or difficulty in performing a task. The purpose of this article is to provide information about magnitude estimation as a scaling method in general and about the use of magnitude estimation to scale the individual's subjective responses to stimuli.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Focus on psychometrics. Aggregating family data.

Instruments to collect data about families are often administered to all or some individuals within the family. Researchers may wish to use these individual scores to describe the family. The purpose of this article is to describe the special issues with aggregation of data when only a small number of family members are used as respondents. A refinement of the definition of aggregation for family researchers is proposed to assist researchers to focus on specific issues when data are to reflect subgroups within the family. A few examples of changes in findings are reported to illustrate the effects of different aggregation schemes when two members of the family are used as respondents.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1991

The multitrait-multimethod approach to construct validity.

The multitrait-multimethod matrix approach as proposed by Campbell and Fiske (1959) was an important contribution to our understanding of the nature of validation procedures. There are, however, problems encountered when using the Campbell and Fiske (1959) approach. The purpose of this article is to discuss the method and selected problems, and to propose an alternate approach to address those problems.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1991

More on MTMM: the role of confirmatory factor analysis.

This article is the second of two on the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) as a method to assess construct validity. The construct validation criteria required by the conventional MTMM approach are satisfied only by certain ideal data sets, such as those in which the method variance of measures is very low. The CFA approach to multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data is more general, in that violations of those stringent criteria can be managed. Another limitation of the conventional MTMM approach is that only a relatively small number of indicators can be examined by bivariate analysis. The economy of the CFA approach permits the analysis of a much larger number of indicators. In this article, a data set is analyzed using the CFA approach. Results are presented that illustrate the application of this statistical method.

Electromyography↗
PubMed1990

Predictors of parental attachment during early parenthood.

Parental attachment of 121 high-risk women, 61 partners of high-risk women, 182 low-risk women, and 117 partners of low-risk women, was studied at the first week postpartum and 8 months following birth. The tests of theoretical models showed low predictive ability explaining from zero to 21% of the variance in parental attachment in the four groups over the two test periods. Empirical respecified models predicting parent-infant attachment at the first week postpartum and 8 months explained 31% and 29% of the variance among high-risk women, 69% and 45% among high-risk partners, 41% and 53% among low-risk women, and 35% and 38% among low-risk partners. Parental competence was a major predictor of parental attachment over all test periods for all four groups. Early parent-infant contact following birth was never a predictor except at 8 months when, among low-risk women, the opposite effect than that expected was observed; the later women held their infants the higher was their attachment. High-risk women scored significantly higher than low-risk women during the first week postpartum only.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Effects of antepartal stress on health status during early motherhood.

A group of high-risk women who were hospitalized for a pregnancy-risk complication, and a group of low-risk women experiencing normal pregnancy were compared for differences in health status and the effects of antepartal stress on their health status from pregnancy through early motherhood. High-risk women reported a statistically significant poorer health status during pregnancy, early postpartal hospitalization, and at eight months following birth. High-risk women reported greater stress from negative life events in addition to their greater pregnancy risk. Among both groups of women, negative life events' stress had indirect effects on health status over time through either self-esteem, family functioning, mate relationships or perceived support. The effects of a high-risk pregnancy on health status were evident at eight months following birth; high-risk women's feelings about their pregnancy and the extent of stress from hospitalization had direct effects on their health status, while negative life events had indirect effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Men's health status during pregnancy and early fatherhood.

The findings in this study of 147 men agreed with earlier research that health status declines over the first 8 months of fatherhood. The study extends previous work in that causes of this decline were tested. Empirical respecified models predicting health perception during pregnancy, early postpartum 1, 4, and 8 months were able to predict from 20 to 60% of the variance. These models were substantively more powerful than the hypothesized theoretical model that was tested, which explained from 12 to 38% of the variance. At all time periods there was a link between negative life events and a direct or indirect predictor of health perception. Other variables that consistently entered the models with either direct or indirect links were self-esteem, mastery, and either depression or anxiety. The empirical respecified models showed moderate to strong predictive power and provide a base for future model testing and subsequent intervention studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Stress and social support as predictors of anxiety and depression during pregnancy.

Four groups, 153 high-risk women, 75 high-risk mates, 218 low-risk women, and 147 low-risk mates, were studied during the 24th to 34th weeks of pregnancy. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to study the effect of stress, social support (perceived, received, and network size), self-esteem, and mastery on anxiety and depression. These variables predicted 26.25% of anxiety among low-risk women, 44.70% among low-risk mates, 10.04% among high-risk women, and 16.00% among high-risk mates. Prediction of depression was better for all groups except high-risk mates (15.50%); 31.93% of the variance in low-risk women's depression was predicted, with 51.91% for low-risk mates and 29.63% for high-risk women. Neither received support nor network size entered the regression models for any of the groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Theory development in a non-university service setting.

What is the role of the non-university service setting in theory development research? The authors discuss the importance of nursing theory to professional survival, economic necessity, and the generation of a knowledge base for practice. Motivational and contextual characteristics of the non-university setting that enhance or inhibit the conduct of research are identified. Common problems that arise from differing needs and goals of clinical nursing personnel and theoretical researchers are explicated. Specific strategies to facilitate theoretical research in a service setting are proposed.

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of family functioning eight months following birth.

A theoretical causal model was tested to determine the effects of stress on family functioning for four groups of parents at 8 months postpartum. High-risk women who had been hospitalized during pregnancy, their partners, low-risk women, and their partners were tested to find how predictors might differ by gender and risk-status. The proposed theoretical model had low predictive power among the four groups (20% to 24%); however, the exploratory, empirical models had moderate to strong explanatory power (33% to 58%). Depression had direct effects on family functioning among all four groups in the theoretical model, but the respecified models had direct effects only among the two groups of women. Antepartal stress in the form of negative life events stress had indirect effects on women's family functioning, as was hypothesized, but not for men. High-risk men's partners' pregnancy risk had direct effects on family functioning at 8 months, indicating long-term effects on the family of a high-risk pregnancy.

Adult↗