Joan Fowler Shaver

Symptoms and self-care strategies in women with and without dysmenorrhea.

We compared the self-reports of women who reported either none-mild (N = 34) or moderate-extreme (N = 27) pain from uterine cramping regarding, (a) gastrointestinal, perimenstrual, and other symptoms during the 5 days before and after the beginning of menstrual flow; (b) smoking, alcohol use, exercise behaviors, and number of reported stressors; and (c) self-care strategies used for symptom management. Although there were significant differences between the two groups in reported symptoms, there were no significant between groups differences in smoking, alcohol use, exercise behaviors, and number of stressors reported. Despite the number of symptoms reported, relatively few self-care strategies were used. The most commonly reported strategy was the use of medication for cramping pain. The results confirm prior observations that dysmenorrhea is associated with a variety of symptoms and extend our understanding of how women manage these symptoms.

Psychophysiological responses after sudden cardiac arrest during hospitalization

A sample of 21 sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors were interviewed every 48 hours during hospitalization to determine emotional, cognitive, and physiological parameters of recovery. On the average, SCA survivors were not excessively anxious, depressed, angry, or confused during hospitalization, but they did report high levels of denial and uncertainty. The two most predominant cognitive impairments at the time of hospital discharge were loss of short-term memory and construction ability. Both the number of cardiac arrhythmias and the types of interventions used to manage them decreased as hospital discharge approached.