Social Environment As A Determinant Of Coping Self-Efficacy In Men And Women Living With HIV Under The Auspice Of A Large Healthcare Provider In Kenya

Kenya faces a severe, generalized HIV epidemic that continues to have a devastating impact on men and women living with HIV and, generally, all sectors of the population. HIV-related stress based on living with HIV, fear of progression of HIV to AIDS or to death, stigma, and discrimination among others are constant stressors afflicting people living with HIV. There are two ways to help people face these stressors - changing the internal characteristics of a person or changing the social environment. A major healthcare provider engages a therapeutic coping model based on stress, appraisal, and coping theory that aims not only directly at changing internal dynamics of the person, but also changing these dynamics by altering the environment of men and women living with HIV. The interplay of a person’s effort with a socially supportive environment is believed to foster coping self-efficacy (CSE). However, the efficacy of this therapeutic model has not been assessed and documented. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of the social environment in shaping CSE among men and women living with HIV enrolled in the treatment and care program under the auspices of a large healthcare provider in Kenya. Three types of social support are: 1) emotional, which reduces anxiety and promotes self-esteem; 2) informational, which provides needed knowledge and skills useful in solving problems; and 3) belonging, which helps to distract a distressed person from disturbing thoughts significantly predicted CSE. The results support interventions that strengthen a person’s character while encouraging family members, friends, and other social ties to act and react favorably, thereby creating a supportive environment. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Translation Of Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) And Coping Self-Efficacy (CSE) From English Into Kiswahili For Use In Kenya

There is a growing body of international research focusing on social factors and their impact on mental health of people living in developing countries. Because of the novelty of these studies and high cost associated with developing survey tools, researchers may choose to translate pre-existing survey tools instead. Research findings are only reliable if a translated instrument is equivalent in content, semantics, and concept to the original instrument. The objective of this study was to translate the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) and the Coping Self-Efficacy (CSE) from English into Kiswahili. The original version of each instrument was translated from English into Kiswahili (forward translation) and then the Kiswahili version was translated back into English (back-translation). The Kiswahili version was reviewed against the original version by a committee of experts. The committee corrected and modified the translated version to create the final Kiswahili version. The final versions were pre-tested by ten bilingual individuals living in New York to determine the instrument’s face-validity. The raters accepted the Kiswahili version as equivalent to the original English version. The Kiswahili versions were then administered to a sample of 212 people living with HIV in Kenya. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients for the composite measures of ISEL and CSE were 0.905 and 0.860, respectively. The step-wise process of creating an equivalent translated version of a proven survey instrument may require adjustments specific to the cultural background of each target population of interest. Based upon the scientific rigor with which the translations took place, the authors support that both translated versions of the ISEL and CSE questionnaires are valid and reliable instruments to measure the social support and beliefs of Kiswahili-speaking people in Kenya

Interrater reliability of the mind map assessment rubric in a cohort of medical students

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Learning strategies are thinking tools that students can use to actively acquire information. Examples of learning strategies include mnemonics, charts, and maps. One strategy that may help students master the tsunami of information presented in medical school is the mind map learning strategy. Currently, there is no valid and reliable rubric to grade mind maps and this may contribute to their underutilization in medicine. Because concept maps and mind maps engage learners similarly at a metacognitive level, a valid and reliable concept map assessment scoring system was adapted to form the mind map assessment rubric (MMAR). The MMAR can assess mind map depth based upon concept-links, cross-links, hierarchies, examples, pictures, and colors. The purpose of this study was to examine interrater reliability of the MMAR.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This exploratory study was conducted at a US medical school as part of a larger investigation on learning strategies. Sixty-six (<it>N </it>= 66) first-year medical students were given a 394-word text passage followed by a 30-minute presentation on mind mapping. After the presentation, subjects were again given the text passage and instructed to create mind maps based upon the passage. The mind maps were collected and independently scored using the MMAR by 3 examiners. Interrater reliability was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (<it>ICC</it>) statistic. Statistics were calculated using SPSS version 12.0 (Chicago, IL).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analysis of the mind maps revealed the following: concept-links <it>ICC </it>= .05 (95% CI, -.42 to .38), cross-links <it>ICC </it>= .58 (95% CI, .37 to .73), hierarchies <it>ICC </it>= .23 (95% CI, -.15 to .50), examples <it>ICC </it>= .53 (95% CI, .29 to .69), pictures <it>ICC </it>= .86 (95% CI, .79 to .91), colors <it>ICC </it>= .73 (95% CI, .59 to .82), and total score <it>ICC </it>= .86 (95% CI, .79 to .91).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The high <it>ICC </it>value for total mind map score indicates strong MMAR interrater reliability. Pictures and colors demonstrated moderate to strong interrater reliability. We conclude that the MMAR may be a valid and reliable tool to assess mind maps in medicine. However, further research on the validity and reliability of the MMAR is necessary.</p

Does the mind map learning strategy facilitate information retrieval and critical thinking in medical students?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A learning strategy underutilized in medical education is mind mapping. Mind maps are multi-sensory tools that may help medical students organize, integrate, and retain information. Recent work suggests that using mind mapping as a note-taking strategy facilitates critical thinking. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a relationship existed between mind mapping and critical thinking, as measured by the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT), and whether a relationship existed between mind mapping and recall of domain-based information.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this quasi-experimental study, 131 first-year medical students were randomly assigned to a standard note-taking (SNT) group or mind map (MM) group during orientation. Subjects were given a demographic survey and pre-HSRT. They were then given an unfamiliar text passage, a pre-quiz based upon the passage, and a 30-minute break, during which time subjects in the MM group were given a presentation on mind mapping. After the break, subjects were given the same passage and wrote notes based on their group (SNT or MM) assignment. A post-quiz based upon the passage was administered, followed by a post-HSRT. Differences in mean pre- and post-quiz scores between groups were analyzed using independent samples <it>t</it>-tests, whereas differences in mean pre- and post-HSRT total scores and subscores between groups were analyzed using ANOVA. Mind map depth was assessed using the Mind Map Assessment Rubric (MMAR).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no significant differences in mean scores on both the pre- and post-quizzes between note-taking groups. And, no significant differences were found between pre- and post-HSRT mean total scores and subscores.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although mind mapping was not found to increase short-term recall of domain-based information or critical thinking compared to SNT, a brief introduction to mind mapping allowed novice MM subjects to perform similarly to SNT subjects. This demonstrates that medical students using mind maps can successfully retrieve information in the short term, and does not put them at a disadvantage compared to SNT students. Future studies should explore longitudinal effects of mind-map proficiency training on both short- and long-term information retrieval and critical thinking.</p

The Effects of Lower Body Positive Pressure Treadmill Walking on Fat Oxidation in Overweight/Obese Males

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The Impact of High Intensity Interval Training on Neurogenesis and Angiogenesis in the Dentate Gyrus

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