Incidence of surgical site infections cannot be derived reliably from point prevalence survey data in Dutch hospitals

Copyrigh

Use of progressive relaxation training for chronic alcoholics with insomnia

To assess the effect of progressive relaxation training on insomnia in institutionalised chronic alcoholic men, 22 subjects between the ages of 20 and 60 years, were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups. The treatment group received 10 sessions of progressive relaxation training over a 2-wk. period after which both groups completed a postexperimental questionnaire. Analysis showed a significant improvement in the sleeping patterns of the treated group, but no changes in the sleeping patterns of the control group. In addition, a distribution-free two-sample permutation test to compare mean differences of the groups confirmed that a significantly greater change occurred in the quality of the sleeping patterns of the treated group.Articl

Parental bereavement: A panoramic view

Please help us populate SUNScholar with the post print version of this article. It can be e-mailed to: [email protected]

Resilience in Families of Husbands with Prostate Cancer

This study identifies qualities associated with the successful adaptation of families with a husband diagnosed with prostate cancer. Both qualitative and quantitative measures were used in this cross-sectional survey research design. Twenty-one husbands and their spouses independently completed six questionnaires and a biographical questionnaire, and they answered an open-ended question. The qualitative findings revealed the importance of intrafamilial support, spiritual/religious beliefs, and professional support and knowledge, while the quantitative results indicated that family adaptation was fostered by the family's internal strengths and durability, affirmative communication, and the experience of social support. The findings could be used to develop interventions that promote family resilience and affirm the reparative potential of families. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Individual characteristics associated with resilience in single-parent families

This study identified individual characteristics as a resource to enhance the resilience of a family dealing with the loss of a parent, 25 white single-parent families who had lost a parent between 1 and 4 yr. previously were identified by four postgraduate students in the Western Cape, South Africa. Each single-parent, 19 women and 6 men (M age = 48 yr., SD=7.65), were asked to state the personal qualities which helped the family adapt after the loss, after the Family Attachment and Changeability Index 8 and the Ego-resiliency Scale were completed. The expected positive relationship between personal resilience and family functioning could not be confirmed. However, the qualitative results indicate that optimism, perseverance, faith, expression of emotions, and self-confidence were prominent individual characteristics of resilience viewed as resources in promoting resilience in these single-parent families. © Psychological Reports 2005.Articl

Indications of Resilience Factors in Families Who have Lost a Home in a Shack Fire

The aim of this study was to explore the presence of resilience factors in families living in an informal settlement on the outskirts of a rural town that have lost their homes in a shack fire. A mixed methods research design was utilised. Qualitative data were obtained through responses to an open-ended question, and quantitative data were obtained through the completion of questionnaires by an adult representative of each of the 38 African families that were identified through convenience sampling. To identify resilience factors, content analyses (on the qualitative data) were performed and Spearman correlations (for the quantitative data) were calculated. The results show that supportive communication, a sense of being in control and having internal strengths and dependability, while working together as a family, are vital to the resilience of the families that took part in this study. Furthermore, material support from the municipality and extended family, shelter provided by members of the extended family, and financial support from the extended family were also indicated as essential in overcoming the crisis and being resilient. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Spirituality and resilience in families in which a parent has died

This preliminary study explored the prevalence of spirituality in family resilience in the adaptation process after the loss of a parent. Twenty-five families who lost a parent between one and six years previously were identified by four postgraduate students in their respective neighborhoods in Cape Town, South Africa. Each of the single parents (M age=48.3 yr., SD=7.7), 19 women and six men, were asked to indicate verbally in what way spirituality or religion had contributed to family adaptation after the death of the spouse. The semistructured interviews supplied evidence that a relationship between spirituality and family resilience does indeed exist. © Psychological Reports 2007.Articl

Resilience in parents of young adults with visual impairments

Abstract: This article reports on a study of the adaptation of parents with children with visual impairment in South Africa. The results showed that familial values (such as attitude toward the disability, religious faith, and familial closeness) permit a process of inclusion (through the use of resources and acceptance of help) and the development of a sense of accomplishment. ©2011 AFB, All Rights Reserved.Articl

Resilience among families where a parent accepted a voluntary teacher's retrenchment package

Teachers who accepted the voluntary severance package from the South African Department of Education between 1996 and 1998 were approached to take part in this study on behalf of their families. Thirty participants completed a biographical questionnaire and the Family Index of Regenerativity and Adaptation (FIRA-G) developed by McCubbin and Thompson (1991). The results confirmed the relationship between family Stressors, family strains and family distress, implying that if stressors and strains are not managed, they pile up, deplete resources and lead to family tension and stress. The results also highlighted the protective nature of good financial management, suggesting that there are measurable factors which act as crisis-meeting resources, diminish the negative impact and degree of the stressor and ultimately foster resilience and facilitate recovery. Social support was highlighted as a resilience variable.Articl

Parents' and adolescents' perceptions of a strong family

Perceptions of family strengths of 40 parents and 20 adolescents were investigated by means of semistructured interviews and Likert-type ratings on commitment, appreciation, spending time together, communication patterns, religious values, and crisis management. Significant differences were found between the perceptions of parents and adolescents for the family characteristics of commitment, time spent together, and crisis management. Although family strength correlated positively with all six identified characteristics, time spent together and appreciation for each other had the highest correlation with family strength. This result supports the notion that sufficient quality time together may be a prerequisite for well-being in family relationships.Articl