Brigitte Manteuffel

Social cognitive factors associated with mother-adolescent communication about sex.

To better understand why some mothers talk to their children about sex and others do not, we examined the role of two social cognitive variables--self-efficacy and outcome expectancies--in explaining sex-based communication. The present study was part of a larger study to test the efficacy of two HIV prevention programs for mothers and their adolescents. Mothers and their adolescents were recruited from a large community organization that serves youth who live in disadvantaged circumstances. The sample for the present study included 486 mothers who averaged 38.4 years of age (SD = 6.73). The majority were African American (97.7%), not married (66.7%), and had a high school degree (89.5%). Their adolescents ranged in age from 11 through 14 years of age and most were male (61.3%). The results of the analysis revealed that mothers who expressed higher levels of self-efficacy and more favorable outcomes associated with talking to their children about sex were more likely to do so. In a regression analysis, we learned that the mothers degree of efficacy beliefs, along with her expected outcomes associated with talking about sex, the importance of religious beliefs to her, and the age and sex of her adolescents were important factors associated with talking with them about sex.

EPILEPSY SELF-MANAGEMENT : A TEST OF A THEORETICAL MODEL

This study examines the role of social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and anxiety as predictors of medication management in persons with epilepsy. A model based on social cognitive theory was constructed to explain managing medications under conditions of scarcity. A survey instrument was sent to 450 individuals who participated in job training programs for persons with epilepsy. One hundred ninety-five completed questionnaires were returned and met the inclusion criteria. The proposed structural model was tested using structural equation modeling procedures. The assistance aspect of social support was positively related to regimen-specific support. The paths from self-efficacy to outcome expectancy and anxiety were significant and in the predicted directions, as was the path from anxiety to self-management.

The Development and Testing of an Instrument to Measure Self-Efficacy in Individuals with Epilepsy

The purpose of this study was to develop and test an instrument to measure self-efficacy in persons with epilepsy. With Banduras self-efficacy theory serving as the conceptual basis for instrument development, the study was divided into two phases, an instrument development phase and a reliability and validity assessment phase. In phase one, self-efficacy and epilepsy literature along with discussions with epilepsy patients served as sources for item derivation. A panel of experts reviewed the instrument for content validity. In phase two, testing of the instrument for reliability and validity was done using different groups of epilepsy patients. Reliability coefficients ranged from .81 for test-retest reliability to .93 for internal consistency. A strong positive correlation between self-efficacy and social support (r = .48, p less than .001) and between self-efficacy and self-management (r = .50, p less than .001) provided evidence to support the construct validity of the instrument.

Patterns of Nausea during First Trimester of Pregnancy

This descriptive study examined pregnancy nausea to determine whether nausea occurred more frequently during the morning hours than during other times of day and if certain patterns of nausea exist. The 19 women who participated in the study kept daily diaries of their nausea experiences over a 7-day period, noting the time of occurrence. Nausea was reported most frequently during waking hours, ranging from 40.3% of the time between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. and 43.9% between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Most nausea reported by subjects was mild, although 18% of the nausea reported between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. was severe. Four patterns of nausea were identified: morning peak, evening peak, bimodal, and all day. Whereas some women displayed fairly consistent daily patterns of nausea, others reported variations in the occurrence or severity of nausea over the 7-day study period.

Nurse Practitioners' Reactions to Persons With HIV/AIDS: The Role of Patient Contact and Education

&NA; Attitudes about caring for patients with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) were investigated in a survey mailed to all nurse practitioners (NPs) in Georgia. There was a 53% response rate to the survey (286 of 539 questionnaires were returned). It was hypothesized that exposure to continuing education on HIV/AIDS and to HIV‐positive patients would be associated with more positive attitudes and less extreme behavioral changes associated with fear of transmission. Factor analytic procedures were used to generate three scales: resentment of PWAs (RESENT), anxiety or fear about contact with PWAs (FEELINGS), and changes in personal life related to fear of transmission after contact with PWAs (CHANGE). Descriptive findings indicated that a significant minority of NPs were worried about risk, harbored some resentment toward PWAs, and had changed their behavior out of concern about the possible transmission of HIV. Differences of means and stepwise regression analyses (with several potentially confounding variables controlled) found exposure to continuing education associated with less fear and anxiety, less resentment, and less behavioral change. Exposure to HIV‐positive patients was associated with less behaviora, change, as predicted, but not with less fear/anxiety or resentment. The cross‐sectional survey design limits the attribution of causality, but offers some support for the role of continuing education in improving attitudes toward PWAs.

Recommendations by Clinicians for Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy

The purpose of this study was to assess both the current use of relief measures for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy among clinicians and the basis for their decisions regarding method of treatment With the permission of conference sponsors, questionnaires on nausea and vomiting of pregnancy relief measures were distributed at a national conference for obstetrical health care providers. Of the 600 conference participants, 130 completed questionnaires. The findings of the study indicate that clinicians generally recommend eating small, frequent meals; that clinicians modify their recommendations slightly based on the severity of the symptoms; that clinicians perceive varying degrees of effectiveness of relief measures, with no one measure being totally effective: and that clinicians look to patients as the primary resource for information about nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.