Patricia Droppleman

It wasn't working. Women's experiences with short-term breastfeeding.

PURPOSE To investigate the lived experiences of women who initiate breastfeeding but stop within the first 2 weeks after birth. DESIGN Phenomenology. METHODS Interviews were recorded on audio tape, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes by an interdisciplinary group of researchers. RESULTS Women described a clash or incongruity between highly idealized expectations and early breastfeeding problems. This led to incremental disillusionment and cessation of breastfeeding attempts. Women spoke poignantly about a sense of failure, guilt, or shame and had lingering self-doubts about not continuing with breastfeeding. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Women need more accurate information about the process of initiating breastfeeding. Nurses should avoid teaching breastfeeding practices that can confuse infants and sabotage mothers and should work toward providing sensitive care that respects personal boundaries of mothers. Additionally, provisions need to be made for continued support and consultation after the mothers discharge from the hospital or birthing center. Finally, nurses and other health professionals should understand that women who stop breastfeeding at an early date may feel guilty about doing so, and may need assistance in resolving feelings about having made that choice.

Measures of salivary secretory immunoglobulin A and state anxiety after a nursing back rub

This study examined the effects of a 10-minute nursing back rub on salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and state anxiety in well older adult subjects. A control group (n = 14) received no intervention, and an experimental group (n = 18) received a slow stroke effleurage back rub. All subjects initially completed the state portion of the Spielberger State/Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and provided a timed, nonstimulated saliva sample. Control subjects lay positioned in bed for 10 minutes, and experimental subjects received the back rub. Both groups then provided a second saliva sample and completed the STAI again. Anxiety scores decreased for both groups, but not significantly, and s-IgA concentration increased in the experimental group. This study provides rationale for further research into the holistic benefits of the nursing back rub and should encourage nurses to continue to provide caring touch interventions to patients.

I felt violated: Women's experience of childbirth-associated anger

Purpose To investigate the lived experience of childbirth-associated anger. Design Descriptive phenomenology. Methods Open-ended interviews were conducted with 10 women who had experienced the phenomenon of interest and volunteered to participate. All of the women had experienced vaginal delivery of term or near-term infants without anomalies or birth sequelae of note. Interviews were recorded on audio tape, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes by an interdisciplinary group of researchers. Results Women’s narratives described violation of the implicit relational contract with their healthcare providers. Themes focused on the anger experienced when their expectations about trust, power, control, and being kept informed were not met. Clinical Implications Nursing implications include the need to educate women prenatally about the process of labor and delivery, establish relationships that convey care and concern, keep women informed about events and progress, and treat women as full participants in the decision-making process.

Anger and cancer: an analysis of the linkages.

The purposes of this article are to review literature on anger’s link to cancer, to analyze the state of the science in this area, and to propose some directions for future research. Extremely low anger scores have been noted in numerous studies of patients with cancer. Such low scores suggest suppression, repression, or restraint of anger. There is evidence to show that suppressed anger can be a precursor to the development of cancer, and also a factor in its progression after diagnosis. Some studies indicate that it may be beneficial for patients to mobilize anger to battle their cancer. However, there is a paucity of research on the outcomes of various anger interventions. Longitudinal studies that repeatedly measure anger and other moods over the disease trajectory are needed.

Physical health of today's school children

The health habits of todays children will largely determine their subsequent health as adults of the twenty-first century. Smoking, inactivity, poor dietary practices, drug and alcohol abuse, and other deleterious habits may develop early, yet exert lifelong influences. This paper contains a review of (a) statistics and research on major health status indicators in school-aged children, (b) behaviors that contribute to disease risk, and (c) school-based interventions designed to change risk behaviors and enhance wellness. Activities that can be initiated by classroom teachers are emphasized in the concluding section of the paper. Through early intervention, enhanced longevity and quality of life may be accomplished.

Using the Elementary Classroom as a Wellness Laboratory

Public elementary school classrooms are one of the clinical settings for the junior-level course “Children and Health” at the University of Tennessee College of Nursing. Before entering the classroom, nursing students evaluate their own life-styles and levels of wellness. They then teach concepts of wellness, including exercise, growth, stress management, and overall wellness life-style and habits, to third, fourth, and fifth grade children. The students also conduct a blood pressure screening program in the school setting. The course provides an important opportunity to interact with well children. An added benefit is that nursing students make some personal wellness assessments and decisions about their own life-styles early in their careers.