Carol McVeigh

Publication syndicates: in support of nursing scholarship.

BACKGROUND Within the university sector, ones corporate worth is, to a great extent, measured by research output, including refereed publications. Currently, only 7% of nurse academics publish each year. If nurses are to be competitive in the university arena and close the research-practice gap, they must be encouraged to publish. METHOD This article examines publication rates within nursing, explores the role publication syndicates can play in supporting manuscript development, and offers a case study on the development of a publication syndicate within a School of Nursing at Griffith University, Australia. RESULTS Syndicate members increased their publication rates two-fold, engaged in additional collaborative ventures, and demonstrated a renewed interest in writing for publication. DISCUSSION Case study results confirmed that publication syndicates can decrease manuscript development time, increase the quality of work, influence productivity, and support collaborative faculty activities.

Anxiety and functional status after childbirth

This prospective longitudinal study explored the relationship between anxiety and functional status after childbirth. Two hundred new mothers aged 20 to 35 years who experienced a normal pregnancy and delivered a healthy term infant were surveyed using the Inventory of Functional Status After Childbirth and Spielbergers State Anxiety Inventory. All participants attended maternal child health centres in regional New South Wales, Australia. Results revealed a significant increase in functional status during the first six months postpartum and significant correlations were found between functional status and maternal anxiety at six weeks, three months and six months postpartum. The more anxious mothers were also significantly more likely than less anxious mothers to have an unsettled baby, a baby that slept fewer hours at night and were significantly less satisfied with motherhood. Assessing maternal anxiety levels may assist midwives identify women at risk of parenting difficulties and psychological distress postpartum.

Perimenopause: More Than Hot Flushes and Night Sweats for Some Australian Women

OBJECTIVE To identify the most common perimenopausal symptoms experienced by a group of Australian women and explore the extent to which those symptoms were distressing. DESIGN A quantitative survey. SETTING All womens health centers listed with the New South Wales Womens Information and Referral Service. PARTICIPANTS A convenience sample of 200 healthy women, aged 45 to 55 years, drawn from a statewide population of women residing in Australia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The Womens Health Assessment Scale. RESULTS Most frequently occurring perimenopausal symptoms included forgetfulness, lack of energy, irritability, and weight gain. The most distressing perimenopausal symptoms included weight gain, heavy bleeding, poor concentration, leaking of urine, and feeling as though life were not worth living. Current use of hormone replacement therapy contributed to the prediction of both symptom occurrence and symptom distress. CONCLUSION Perimenopause is marked by more than hot flushes and night sweats; cognitive and affective changes are other distressing symptoms. The relationships between hormone replacement therapy use and both symptom occurrence and symptom distress warrant further investigation. In addition, practitioners should address concerns related to urinary incontinence, weight gain, cognitive and affective dysfunction, and general health status.

Teenage mothers: A pilot study

This paper presents the findings of a pilot study carried out in one regional center in Queensland, Australia. The study aimed to develop a snapshot image of teenage mothers. Of the thirty mothers who participated; just over half (16/30; 53%) reported using contraceptives, less than a third (8/30; 27%) used condoms to protect themselves from STDs and the majority (23/30; 77%) said their pregnancy was unplanned. Despite this, 16 (53%) attended prenatal classes, 16 (53%) breast-fed their infants and 27 (90%) were satisfied with motherhood. On average the fathers were almost four years older than the mother were (range 17 to 29 years), most fathers (23/30; 77%) were not teenagers themselves and only 11 (37%) were resident fathers following the birth of the baby. Exploratory analysis suggests that the fathers were significantly older than the teenage mothers were (t = -6.73, df 29, p = 0.0001). Although these preliminary results are similar to those reported in the American literature further research is needed to confirm if the findings presented are representative of teenage mothers in Australia. While we await the results of future studies, practitioners are encouraged to continue to educate young women about appropriate and safer sexual practices.

Withdrawal of synthetic hormones during the perimenopause: A case study

A single case study was used to explore the experiences of a perimenopausal woman following withdrawal of synthetic hormones. The respondent, aged 51 years, had experienced severe physiologic, affective and cognitive dysfunction following withdrawal of synthetic hormones. She was approached while attending a family planning clinic in regional New South Wales, Australia. Information was obtained through a retrospective chart review and in-depth interview. The findings suggest that affective and cognitive dysfunction may be triggered by the sudden withdrawal of artificial hormones in perimenopausal women. Practitioners should be aware that some women, especially those unable to produce sufficient natural hormones, might experience severe physiologic, affective and cognitive dysfunction when hormone supplements are withdrawn. Detailed history-taking and close monitoring following the withdrawal or introduction of hormones may alert practitioners to the incidence of withdrawal symptoms or side-effects. Moving beyond the scientific interpretations, future research should address these concerns and investigate the potential for addiction when hormones are prescribed.

Clinical StudiesFunctional Status After Childbirth in an Australian Sample

Objective: To investigate changes in functional status after childbirth from 6 weeks to 6 months post-delivery. Design: Prospective, longitudinal survey. Setting: Maternal-child health centers and immunization clinics in regional New South Wales, Australia. Participants: Two hundred Australian mothers from culturally diverse backgrounds, ages 20-35 years, who had experienced normal pregnancies, labors, and deliveries and delivered healthy singleton infants between 37 and 42 weeks gestation. Main Outcome Measures: The Inventory of Functional Status After Childbirth. Results: Significant increases in functional status were noted in household (t= -6.871, df= 311, p= .0001), social (t= -5.856, df= 311, p= .0001), and self-care activities (t= -3.469, df= 313, p= .0006). However, none of the mothers had achieved full functional status by 6 months postdelivery. Conclusions: A gradual resumption of past role-related activities may reflect the normal adjustments required when a woman becomes a mother. Mothers not only resume most aspects of previous roles, but also add to their multiple role demands by assuming primary responsibility for infant care. Further investigations are required to identify why aspects of certain roles are resumed and others are discarded either temporarily or permanently. JOGNN, 27, 402-409; 1998.