Ruth Ann Belknap

Predictors of Depression in Battered Women

The sample for this study consisted of 164 women recruited from newspaper advertisements and bulletin board postings asking for volunteers with serious problems in intimate relationships with men. Women were screened for battering using the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). Of 164 battered women, 28% were moderately to severely depressed and 11% were severely depressed on the Beck Depression Inventory. Significant predictors of depression (accounting for 44% of variance) by multivariate analysis were childhood physical abuse, self-care agency, physical abuse by partner, and daily hassles. In addition to these analyses, the influence of self in relationship on depression was examined. The findings from this study suggest that physical abuse is an important part of the etiology of depression in battered women and that the abuse in combination with daily hassles supports a stress explanation of depression, with a womans ability to take care of herself a protective factor.

Te Contaria Mi Vida : I Would Tell You My Life, if Only You Would Ask

Universal screening for domestic violence is recommended in many health care settings. This qualitative study was undertaken to explore the thoughts and feelings of Mexican American women regarding being asked questions about domestic violence by a health care provider. We wanted to further explore what characteristics about a nurse, or other health care provider, would give a woman confianza, the trust necessary to discuss this issue. Seven women, who self identified as abused or formerly abused, were recruited from a pool of Spanish-speaking women receiving services from a rural domestic violence agency in the midwestern United States. The researchers found that, given certain characteristics and actions of the health care provider, women welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue. The implications for practice are these: be sincerely present for the client, ask about her life, listen to her response, and when necessary assist her to connect with appropriate domestic violence community services.

Mexican American Female Adolescents’ Perceptions of Relationships and Dating Violence

PURPOSE This study fills a gap regarding the perspectives of Mexican American female adolescents on dating relationships and dating violence (DV). METHODS This was a qualitative descriptive study. Focus groups included 20 Mexican American young women, primarily first and second generation, mean age 14.5 years (SD= 2.5). Data were analyzed with categorical analysis. FINDINGS Participants described key components of DV and identified cultural aspects that may serve to promote healthy dating relationships. CONCLUSIONS Family-based interventions to promote exploration of gender roles and parent-child communication may foster biculturalism as well as promote healthy dating relationships and prevent violence within this cultural group. CLINICAL RELEVANCE In the United States, 10% to 40% of teens experience DV. Hispanic females experience more physical DV than their White peers.

Short of Transformation: American ADN Students' Thoughts, Feelings, and Experiences of Studying Abroad in a Low-Income Country

ADN students are a large yet distinct subgroup of nursing students who require research and understanding. The purpose of this study was to describe the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of American associate degree nursing (ADN) students who participated in a short study abroad course in a low-income country. A qualitative, narrative method was used. Three categories emerged from the analysis. Participants revealed thoughts of “constant comparisons”, feelings of an “emotional journey”, and they experienced “learning”. Participants did not demonstrate perspective transformation as defined by Mezirow as participants signified no intent for social action. Several potential blocks to perspective transformation were identified: egocentrism/emotional disconnect, perceived powerlessness/being overwhelmed, and a vacation mindset. The findings provide insight into the student experience of studying abroad. Transformative learning is not a guaranteed result. Nurse educators must consider strategies to foster transformation including discussing global systemic oppressors, international relations, coping, connecting, and social action.

Transformative Learning Through Study Abroad in Low-Income Countries

Study abroad in low-income countries is an emerging trend in nursing education, yet student outcomes vary from positive to negative. Study abroad in low-income countries can be transformative because it has the potential to increase student awareness of socioeconomic relations, structural oppression, and human connectedness. The authors discuss 10 strategies to facilitate transformative learning in students who study abroad.

Spirituality and Religiosity in Adolescents Living With Sickle Cell Disease

This study purports to address paucity in the literature regarding how adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) describe and experience spirituality and religiosity (S/R). This was a qualitative descriptive study. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine adolescents (Mage = 16.2 years). Data were analyzed using a template analysis style and a concurrent analysis process of data reduction. Three major themes encompassed the participants’ descriptions of the relationships between S/R, health and illness in their lives including S/R as sources for coping, influence of S/R beliefs on health and illness, and sharing S/R with Health Care Providers (HCPs). S/R as coping mechanisms included six threads: interconnecting with God, interconnecting with others, interconnecting with creative arts, scriptural metanarratives, transcendent experiences, and acceptance and finding meaning. Expectations of health providers included two threads: Religiosity is private/personal and sharing spiritual and religious beliefs is risky. S/R are particularly salient for adolescents with SCD.

When I Was in My Home I Suffered a Lot: Mexican Women's Descriptions of Abuse in Family of Origin

In this descriptive study we employ episodic narrative interviews and narrative analysis to explore experiences of abuse and violence within the families of origin of Mexican women entering adulthood. Twenty-four Mexican women, 18 years of age and about to graduate from a residential school in central Mexico, were interviewed about life in their families of origin. Participants were from several Mexican states and of low socioeconomic status. Nineteen of the participants described either witnessing or experiencing violence or abuse within their families. We present an analysis of the interviews in which violence or abuse was disclosed. Women who witnessed violence against their mothers did not see this as prescriptive of their own future relationships and articulated strategies for avoiding entering an abusive relationship. Women who experienced nonsexual physical violence described physical violence as punishment. Women who experienced sexual abuse did not provide explanations for the abuse and described being silent in response to the abuse.

Translation and Adaptation of the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised With Colombian Women

We undertook the translation and adaptation of an instrument developed to measure womens lifetime trauma exposure, the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSC-R), in order to determine its utility and cultural appropriateness with Colombian Spanish-speaking women. The LSC-R was forward and backward translated and administered to a sample (N = 217) of community-based women volunteers in Medellín, Colombia. Open-ended questions were included to assess the construct validity and cultural appropriateness of the LSC-R. The LSC-R was found to be valid and easily understood. Trauma exposure was common, but its assessment was not overly distressing to Colombian women.

The Relationship of Two Types of Trauma Exposure to Current Physical and Psychological Symptom Distress in a Community Sample of Colombian Women: Why Interpersonal Violence Deserves More Attention

Our purpose in this study was to examine the relationship between interpersonal violence and background traumas and symptom distress in a community sample of Colombian women (N = 217). We utilized the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSC-R) to measure lifetime interpersonal violence (IPV) and background trauma exposure and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) to measure current symptom distress. Although both exposures were common in this sample, IPV was strongly correlated with current symptom distress; background traumas made no unique contribution to the variance in current symptom distress. Based on our findings, it is suggested that interpersonal events may be particularly distressing.

Teaching Social Justice Using a Pedagogy of Engagement

Teaching an undergraduate level diversity course with a health focus requires specific teaching methods. A pedagogy of engagement provides an effective strategy for exploring issues of race, class, gender, and structural inequalities that underlie health disparities. Engagement learning enhances understanding of theories of oppression and liberation presented in the course and highlights social justice issues.