What Inez Knows: A Qualitative, Longitudinal Case Study of One Woman\u27s Journey Through the Maze of Living with Hiv and a Serious Mental Illness

WHAT INEZ KNOWS: A QUALITATIVE, LONGITUDINAL CASE STUDY OF ONE WOMAN\u27S JOURNEY THROUGH THE MAZE OF LIVING WITH HIV AND A SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS by Linda Austin The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014 Under the Supervision of Professor Patricia E. Stevens Although more than thirty years have passed since AIDS was first diagnosed in the U. S., the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues and the prevalence and incidence statistics remain alarming. Twenty-five percent of the people living with HIV in the United States are women, but only half of these women are in care and even fewer women (42%) have viral suppression. Women of color continue to carry a disproportional disease burden with African American women comprising 64% of newly reported HIV cases in women in 2010. HIV prevalence among adults with a serious mental illness range from 3-23% compared to the general population prevalence (.4-.6%). Based on these facts, there is continuing need to explore the dual experience of HIV infection and serious mental illness in women. Research that focuses on the women and seeks to understand the particulars of their lives may offer greater insight into how the health care community can improve their outcomes. Inez (pseudonym) is an African American woman dually diagnosed with HIV infection and a severe and persistent mental illness. She was one of 55 participants in the qualitative study, In-Depth Longitudinal Study of HIV-Infected Women (National Institutes of Health, Grant #R01NR004840, Principal Investigator, Patricia E. Stevens, PhD, RN, FAAN). In this secondary analysis, her narrative data were segregated from the original study, analyzed, and used to develop an in-depth, longitudinal case study. The purpose of this study was to uncover Inez\u27s perceptions of what it means to live with HIV and a serious mental illness. Through this single case study replete with experiential detail from two years of interviews, we are given an extraordinary view into how one individual lives with HIV and a serious mental illness, what she needs from the health care community to successfully manage her illnesses, and how mutually respectful relationships built over time are key to overcoming internalized and enacted stigma. Inez\u27s story confirms the importance of therapeutic, respectful communication, and stability of care provided in an environment of cultural safety where the perspectives of health care consumers are prioritized. In addition to these practice implications, this research-based case study could be used in problem-based classroom learning environments to inspire students to consider ways to improve the experiences of women who are similar to Inez

#BlackWorkersMatter

Asserting that Black lives matter also means that the quality of those lives matters, and economic opportunity is inextricably linked to quality of life. Decades after the Civil Rights Movement and the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, structural barriers still hold back African Americans in the workplace.The authors of this report provide some broader context on the black jobs crisis, including its origins and effects; the particular impact of the crisis on African American women; the declining state of black workers and their organizations, particularly within the labor movement; and the implications of the twin crises of joblessness and poverty-level wages for organizing. This report also features examples of how black worker organizations are combining strategic research, services, policy advocacy, and organizing to help black workers weather the economic storms and improve the quality of jobs that are open to African Americans over the long term

Bench Book for Assessing Parental Gatekeeping in Parenting Disputes: Understanding the Dynamics of Gate Closing and Opening for the Best Interests of Children

This Bench Book summarizes theory, research, and a forensic assessment model of parental gatekeeping relevant for understanding and resolving child custody disputes. This concise format is geared primarily as a resource for judges, though it may be equally valuable to evaluators, parenting coordinators, and others. Gatekeeping encompasses a common statutory factor of support for the other parent-child relationship. The gatekeeping model includes a continuum ranging from facilitative to restrictive gatekeeping. Behavioral examples are presented. Implications of a gatekeeping analysis for crafting parenting plans are described, including in relocation cases and when there has been a history of intimate partner violence

Habits of Mind and the Split-Mind Effect: When Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software is Used in Phenomenological Research

When Marshall McLUHAN famously stated "the medium is the message," he was echoing Martin HEIDEGGER's assertion that through our use of technology we can become functions of it. Therefore, how does adopting computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software affect our research activities and, more importantly, our conception of research? These questions are explored by examining the influence NVivo had upon an interdisciplinary phenomenological research project in health ethics. We identify the software's effects and situate our decision to use it within the Canadian health sciences research landscape. We also explore the challenges of remaining true to our project's philosophical foundations, as well as how NVivo altered our being-in-the-world as researchers. This case demonstrates McLUHAN's claim that new technologies invariably initiate new practices and modes of being, and urges researchers to attend to how we are both shaping and being shaped by software.URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs120227Cuando Marshall McLUHAN afirmo "El medio es el mensaje" estaba haciendo eco a la afirmación de Martín HEIDEGGER de que a través de nuestro uso de la tecnología podemos convertirnos en funciones de ello. Por consiguiente, ¿Cómo afecta el análisis cualitativo de datos con asistencia de una computadora nuestras actividades de investigación y aún más importante, nuestra concepción de la investigación? Se exploran estas preguntas al examinar la influencia que NVivo tuvo sobre un proyecto de investigación fenomenológica interdisciplinaria en ética de salud. Identificamos los efectos del software y situamos nuestra decisión de usarlo en el horizonte de la investigación de ciencias de la salud canadienses. Exploramos los desafíos de mantenernos fieles a los fundamentos filosóficos del proyecto, así como también la forma en que NVivo alteró nuestro ser-en-el-mundo como investigadores. Este caso demuestra la afirmación de McLUHAN sobre que invariablemente las nuevas tecnologías inician nuevas prácticas y modos de ser, y urge a que los investigadores pongan atención sobre como forman, a la vez que se van formando, por el software.URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs120227Als Marshall McLUHAN seinen berühmten Satz "Das Medium ist die Botschaft" formulierte,  fand sich eine ähnliche Vorstellung in Martin HEIDEGGERs Behauptung, dass wir durch die Nutzung von Technologie zu deren Teil werden.  Unsere Frage ist – von hier ausgehend – in welcher Weise die Nutzung computergestützter qualitativer Analyse-Software unsere Forschungsaktivitäten affiziert und  – noch zentraler – unser Konzept von Forschung? Zu deren Beantwortung haben wir uns mit dem Einfluss von NVivo auf ein interdisziplinäres phänomenologisches Forschungsprojekt befasst, das in der Gesundheitsethik angesiedelt ist. Wir identifizieren die Effekte der Software auf unsere Forschung, indem wir bereits unsere Entscheidung für ihre Nutzung in dem aktuellen Stand der kanadischen Gesundheitswissenschaften situieren. Wir befassen uns auch mit der Herausforderung, den philosophischen Grundlagen unserer Forschung treu zu bleiben und mit der Frage, wie NVivo unser "In-der-Welt-sein" als Forschende verändert hat.  Unser Beispiel zeigt, McLUHAN folgend, dass neue Technologien notwendig neue Praktiken und Seinsweisen hervorbringen, und es verweist Forschende darauf zu reflektieren, wie Software für Forschungsarbeiten angepasst wird und wie sie umgekehrt uns selbst "anpasst".URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs12022

Stroke Caregiver Outcomes from the Telephone Assessment and Skill-Building Kit (TASK)

Purpose: Stroke caregivers often express the need for information about stroke and assistance with stroke-related care in the early discharge period. The Telephone Assessment and Skill-Building Kit (TASK) is an 8-week program that addresses caregiver needs. This study explored the efficacy of the TASK program in improving stroke caregiver outcomes. Method: Guided by a conceptual model, 6 outcomes (optimism, task difficulty, threat appraisal, depressive symptoms, life changes, general health perceptions) were measured in 40 caregivers randomized to the TASK (n = 21) or an attention control group (n = 19). Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for baseline scores and minutes spent with the nurse. Results: Significant increases in optimism at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks were found, with medium effect sizes for the TASK group relative to the control group (p < .05). Significant improvements in task difficulty at 4 weeks, and threat appraisal at both 8 weeks and 12 weeks were also found (p < .05). Conclusion: Caregivers receiving the TASK intervention improved in optimism, task difficulty, and threat appraisal. Further testing of an enhanced version of the TASK program is warranted, with attention directed toward more distal stroke caregiver outcomes

Children with new onset seizures: A prospective study of parent variables, child behavior problems, and seizure occurrence

OBJECTIVE: Parent variables (stigma, mood, unmet needs for information and support, and worry) are associated with behavioral difficulties in children with seizures; however, it is not known how this relationship is influenced by additional seizures. This study followed children (ages 4-14 years) and their parents over a 24-month period (with data collected at baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months) and investigated the effect of an additional seizure on the relationship between parenting variables and child behavior difficulties. METHODS: The sample was parents of 196 children (104 girls and 92 boys) with a first seizure within the past 6 weeks. Child mean age at baseline was 8 years, 3 months (SD 3 years). Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi-square tests, and repeated measures analyses of covariance. RESULTS: Relationships between parent variables, additional seizures, and child behavior problems were consistent across time. Several associations between parent variables and child behavior problems were stronger in the additional seizure group than in the no additional seizure group. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that interventions that assist families to respond constructively to the reactions of others regarding their child's seizure condition and to address their needs for information and support could help families of children with continuing seizures to have an improved quality of life

Content Validity and Satisfaction With a Stroke Caregiver Intervention Program

Background and Purpose Establishing evidence of content validity and satisfaction is an integral part of intervention research. The purpose of this article is to describe content validity and satisfaction relative to the Telephone Assessment and Skill-Building Kit (TASK), an 8-week follow-up program based on individualized assessment of stroke caregiver needs. Design and Methods The TASK intervention enables caregivers to develop skills based on assessment of their own needs. During the development of the TASK program, 10 experts rated the validity of the TASK intervention components for accuracy, feasibility, acceptability, and problem relevance. After incorporating feedback from the experts, a randomized controlled clinical trial was instituted using a convenience sample of 40 stroke caregivers to determine satisfaction (usefulness, case of use, and acceptability) with the TASK intervention (n=21) compared with an attention control group (n=19). Data collection occurred between March 2005 and June 2006. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t tests, and content analysis. Findings Expert ratings on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being strongly agree, provided evidence of content validity (accuracy 4.71, feasibility 4.46, acceptability 4.40, problem relevance 4.67). Caregivers in the TASK group scored significantly higher than the attention control group on all satisfaction measures (usefulness p=.02; ease of use p=.02; acceptability p=.05). Qualitative comments from caregivers provided further evidence of satisfaction. Conclusions Evidence of content validity and user satisfaction for the TASK intervention relative to an attention control group was found. Clinical Relevance The TASK program may be a viable telephone-based program that can be implemented by nurses to support family caregivers during the first few months after stroke survivors are discharged home

Page Length and Methodological Characteristics of Recently Published Doctoral Dissertations in Education

In this methodological review, we conducted a quantitative content analysis of a random sample of 107 education-related doctoral dissertations published in Proquest Dissertations and Theses database in 2011. Seven raters coded each article in terms of page lengths (overall and within each chapter), research method (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods), author gender, and university characteristics (online or traditional). We found that the median education dissertation length was 161 pages long, but those page lengths differed between research methods. The median page lengths of qualitative, mixed method, and quantitative dissertations were 210, 187, and 147 respectively. The median page length of education dissertations from online universities was 44 pages shorter than education dissertations from their traditional counterparts. Contrary to previous research, we found no statistically significant relationship between gender and methods choice