Mary D. Lagerwey

Phenomenological Examination of the Mealtime Experience for Mothers of Children With Autism and Food Selectivity

Many children within the autism population also have food selectivity, and it is not clear how this comorbid difficulty affects the mealtime experience for families. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to gain an understanding of the mealtime experience of mothers of children with autism and food selectivity. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using a phenomenological approach. Mothers in this study described mealtime as difficult and stressful. Reasons for mealtime stress included the childs self-restricted diet and difficulty sitting at the table. The mothers described attempts to improve mealtime but little success. Implications of the findings are discussed in the context of the literature.

In their own words: nurses' discourses of cleanliness from the Rehoboth Mission

Despite some recognition that Aboriginal women who have experienced breast cancer may have unique health needs, little research has documented the experiences of Aboriginal women from their perspective. Our main objective was to explore and to begin to make visible Aboriginal womens experiences with breast cancer using the qualitative research technique, photovoice. The research was based in Saskatchewan, Canada and participants were Aboriginal women who had completed breast cancer treatment. Although Aboriginal women cannot be viewed as a homogeneous group, participants indicated two areas of priority for health-care: (i) Aboriginal identity and traditional beliefs, although expressed in diverse ways, are an important dimension of breast cancer experiences and have relevance for health-care; and (ii) there is a need for multidimensional support which addresses larger issues of racism, power and socioeconomic inequality. We draw upon a critical and feminist conception of visuality to interrogate and disrupt the dominant visual terrain (both real and metaphorical) where Aboriginal women are either invisible or visible in disempowering ways. Aboriginal women who have experienced breast cancer must be made visible within health-care in a way that recognizes their experiences situated within the structural context of marginalization through colonial oppression.

Association Between Attitude Toward Death and Completion of Advance Directives

Advance directives provide health-care instruction for incapacitated individuals and authorize who may make health-care decisions for that individual. Identified factors do not explain all variance related to advance directive completion. This study was an analysis of an association between advance directive completion and death attitudes. Surveys that included the Death Attitude Profile—Revised were completed anonymously. Comparisons of means, chi-square, and logistic regression tests were conducted. Among individuals who did not consider themselves religious, the mean death avoidance attitude scores differed significantly among those with advance directives (mean = 1.93) and those without (mean = 4.05) as did the mean approach acceptance attitude scores of those with advance directives (mean = 5.73) and those without (mean = 3.71). Among individuals who do consider themselves religious, the mean escape acceptance attitude scores differed significantly among those with advance directives (mean = 5.11) and those without (mean = 4.15). The complicated relationships among religiosity, advance directives, and death attitudes warrant further study.

Optimizing the Experience of Flow for Adults with Aphasia: A Focus on Environmental Factors

Flow has been described as positive experiences of intense concentration, distorted time passage, and a loss of self-consciousness that result from matching task difficulty to a person’s skill level. It has been studied in many different populations and has been associated with a number of positive outcomes, including improved life satisfaction and well-being, enhancement of identity, and the development of skills. Although flow has been identified as being important for adults with aphasia, it had not been studied in this population until recently. In this article, the authors describe the concept of flow and explain why it is important for clinicians to consider when working with adults with aphasia. Next, the authors review the literature related to barriers and facilitators that influence the experience of flow for adults with aphasia and conclude by identifying clinical implications for optimizing the experience of flow in this population.

Measurement of nurses' attitudes and knowledge regarding acute care older patients: Psychometrics of the OPACS-US combined with the KOP-Q

ABSTRACT In clinical practice, identifying positive and negative attitudes toward older patients is very important to improve quality of care provided to them. The Older People in Acute Care Survey – United States (OPACS‐US) is an instrument measuring hospital nurses attitudes regarding older patients. However, psychometrics have never been assessed. Furthermore, knowledge being related to attitude and behavior should also be measured complementing the OPACS‐US. The purpose of this study was to assess structural validity and reliability of the OPACS‐US and assess whether the OPACS‐US can be complemented with the Knowledge about Older Patients‐Quiz (KOP‐Q). A multicenter cross sectional design was conducted. Registered nurses (n = 130, mean age 39,9 years; working experience 14,6 years) working in four general hospitals were included in the study. Nurses completed the OPACS‐US section A: practice experiences, B: general opinion and the KOP‐Q online. Findings demonstrated that the OPACS‐US is a valid and reliable survey instrument that measures practice experiences and general opinion. Furthermore, the OPACS‐US can be combined with the KOP‐Q adding a knowledge construct, and is ready for use within education and/or quality improvement programs in the USA.

Coverage and representation of condoms in conjunction with HIV/AIDS in the Kenyan Daily Nation Newspaper from 1989-2003: a qualitative content analysis to inform health promotion.

HIV/AIDS has been a pressing problem in the East African country of Kenya for over 20 years. Promotion of condom use is one prevention strategy embraced in global health prevention of HIV, but use remains relatively low in Kenya. In order to better understand the socio-historic context of discourses about condoms in Kenya, this study explored how condoms were covered and represented in the Kenyan Daily Nation newspaper from 1989–2003. Qualitative content analysis was conducted for 91 items from the Daily Nation including articles, letters to the editor, columns, opinion and editorial pieces, advertisements, and cartoons. These items were systematically examined for the manner and content of manifest and latent references to condoms. Researchers found four major themes, “controversy and confusion,” “we need to do more: condoms might help,” “not for Kenyans or from Kenyans,” and “stigmatized associations.” Findings provide needed insight into the socio-cultural context surrounding condoms in Kenya that is often lacking within health promotion and HIV prevention programs.

Reading anne frank and elie wiesel: voice and gender in stories of the holocaust

I consider two life stories, Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl and Night, that have played major roles in shaping collective memories of the Holocaust in the United States. These collective representations, including I argue, widely read personal accounts of the Holocaust, add to and surpass personal experience as a source of knowledge. The two stories are examined through lenses of gender. I draw from the Durkheimian tradition of collective representations and argue that the reception and popularity ofthis pair of stories have been constituted by their gendered nature