The importance of family support in pediatrics and its impact on healthcare satisfaction.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink belowTo evaluate predictors of healthcare satisfaction for parents whose children received hospital-based healthcare services at the Children's hospital at Landspitali University Hospital.In this cross-sectional study, data on perceived family support, family quality of life, expressive family functioning, coping strategies and healthcare satisfaction were collected from 159 mothers and 60 fathers (N = 177 families) of children and adolescents from 2011 to 2012.Logistic regression analysis revealed that, for mothers, 38.8% of the variance in satisfaction with healthcare services was predicted by perceived family support and their coping strategies, while for fathers, 59.9% of the variance of their satisfaction with healthcare service was predicted by perceived family support, family quality of life and whether the child had been hospitalised before.Perceived family support was the one factor that was found to predict both the mothers' and the fathers' satisfaction with healthcare services. Knowing which factors predict satisfaction with health care among parents of hospitalised children with different chronic illnesses and health issues can inform the delivery of effective family-focused interventions and evidence-based practice to families.LUH Research Fund Science Fund of the Icelandic Nurses' Association Science Fund of Ingibjorg R. Magnusdotti

Psychometric testing of the Iceland Health Care Practitioner Illness Beliefs Questionnaire among school nurses

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink belowBACKGROUND: Beliefs have been found to have an effect on how people deal with illness. Therefore, knowing healthcare practitioners' beliefs about specific high frequency illnesses are vital when caring for vulnerable populations such as school-age children with chronic illnesses or disorders. AIM: To psychometrically test the Iceland Health Care Practitioner Illness Beliefs Questionnaire for healthcare professionals who are working with families of school-age children with asthma and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. DESIGN: The Iceland Health Care Practitioner Illness Beliefs Questionnaire is a 7-item Likert-type instrument with four additional open-ended questions that was developed from the Iceland Family Illness Belief Questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed to measure a provider's beliefs about their understanding of the meaning of the illness situation for families. The questionnaire was administered to 162 school nurses in Iceland and the state of Minnesota. METHOD: Two condition-specific versions of the Iceland Health Care Practitioner Illness Beliefs Questionnaire were developed in this study: one to measure beliefs about families of children with asthma and one to measure beliefs about families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Higher scores on the questionnaire indicate that healthcare professionals are more confident in their illness beliefs. After initial development, the questionnaire was translated into English. Participants completed the questionnaire using an online survey platform and parallel study procedures in both countries. RESULTS: Based on exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis, the Iceland Health Care Practitioner Illness Beliefs Questionnaire was found to have a one-factor solution with good construct validity (Cronbach's α = 0.91). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the one-factor solution (Cronbach's α = 0.91). CONCLUSION: This instrument is a promising tool for measuring illness beliefs among healthcare practitioners in clinical and research settings.Icelandic Nursing Association University of Iceland School of Nursing Foundation, University of Minnesota National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH

Environmental, Social, and Personal Correlates of Having Ever Had Sexual Intercourse Among American Indian Youths

Objectives. We examined the correlates of having ever had sexual intercourse among American Indians aged 13 to 18 years in Minnesota. Methods. To assess key environmental, social, and individual correlates of sexual experience, we analyzed data from 4135 American Indian youths who participated in the 1998 and 2001 Minnesota Student Surveys. Results. Forty-two percent of those aged 13 to 15 years and 69% of those aged 16 to 18 years reported that they had ever had sexual intercourse. Correlates of sexual experience varied by age and gender. School connections had the strongest negative associations with sexual experience in young girls, and living with a father had negative associations with sexual experience for younger, but not older, youths. Sexual experience was most strongly and positively associated with risk behaviors such as substance use, violence exposure, and violence perpetuation. Conclusions. The strongest correlates of sexual experience for American Indian youths were high-risk behaviors and exposure to violence. Future work is needed to develop and employ measures that reflect youth assets and that specifically reflect the experiences of American Indian youths

Circular yards at Cranmore Park, Walebing, Western Australia, August 1983 [picture] /

Title devised by cataloguer from caption list.; "Although commonplace later, when these were built in the 1950's from old 44 gallon drums they were a remarkable innovation... Cranmore Park, Walebing, Western Australia. August 1983."--On caption list.; Part of: Pastoral properties of Australia Collection.; Condition: Good.; Also available in electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4226320; Purchased from Peter Taylor, 2007.; Published in: Pastoral Properties of Australia by Peter Taylor. Sydney : George Allen and Unwin, 1984, p.98 & 99

Youth report of healthcare transition counseling and autonomy support from their rheumatologist

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To increase understanding of the healthcare transition (HCT) process for young people living with Juvenile Idopathic Arthritis (JIA) by examining: 1) the extent to which youth report discussing HCT topics with their rheumatologist and 2) the association between youth perceptions of autonomy support from their rheumatologist and HCT discussions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data are from an online survey of youth in the United States with rheumatologic conditions (n= 134). HCT discussion was measured by 4 questions from the <it>National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs.</it> Youth perception of autonomy support was measured using a validated 6-item scale<it>.</it></p> <p>Results</p> <p>One third of the youth (33.7%) reported talking to their rheumatologist about transferring to adult medicine. Less than half (40.8%) of respondents talked with their rheumatologist about adult healthcare needs, and less than a quarter (22.0%) discussed acquiring health insurance as an adult. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (62.7%) reported that their rheumatologist usually/always encourages self-care responsibility. Multivariate analyses revealed significant associations between rheumatologist support for youth autonomy and HCT counseling.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The low frequency of HCT counseling reported indicates a continuing need to increase awareness among rheumatologist in the USA. The strong associations between rheumatologist’s support for youth autonomy and HCT counseling suggest that developmentally “in-tune” providers may deliver the best guidance about transition planning for youth living with arthritis.</p