Influential experiences: Practices of teaching and learning successes to increase pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy

Teaching is a complex yet rewarding career; still, 40% - 50% of teachers leave the field within the first five years of their career (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). Teacher preparation programs are often criticized for the lack of connection between theory and practice. Pre-service teachers who have more pedagogical courses and field experiences built into their coursework display higher levels of self-efficacy in their first year of teaching (Boyd et al., 2009; Clark, 2016). Through the lens of Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy, this case study examines what experiences are most influential in developing pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy

Case Study: Boulder County Healthy Kids - A Collaborative Community Approach to Public Health Insurance Enrollment for Children and Families

In the past decade, a number of national efforts have endeavored to increase enrollment of eligible children and families in public health insurance programs, but enrolling this population continues to be a struggle due to systemic barriers at the state, county and local levels. In response, foundations like The Colorado Trust have invested in community-based outreach efforts to improve the enrollment, retention and utilization of Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). This case study highlights the work of one such effort: employing a unique network model of county government and community-based organization coordination, Healthy Kids has successfully bridged the gap between the organizations targeting eligible but not enrolled children and families, the county technicians who process Medicaid or CHP+ applications in the Colorado Benefits Management System, and the health clinics that ultimately serve eligible clients

Values-based action in fibromyalgia: results from a randomized pilot of acceptance and commitment therapy

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain condition characterized by pain, fatigue, and nonrestorative sleep. The disruptive symptoms of FMS are associated with reductions in quality of life related to family, intimate relationships, and work. The present study was part of a randomized pilot study of an 8-week Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention compared to education in a sample of 28 women with FMS. The Chronic Pain Values Inventory was administered at baseline, postintervention, and 12 week follow-up. Both groups showed significant improvements in family success, which were maintained at follow-up. Groups showed a differential pattern of success in work. The ACT group demonstrated significant, maintained improvements in success in intimate relationships, while the education group reported no changes over time. Findings suggest that both interventions may lead to improvements in valued living; however different interventions may be best suited for certain valued domains. The results of this study indicate that FMS patients are able to improve their success in family and intimate relationships and losses in these areas are not necessarily permanent

Trajectory of Change in Pain, Depression, and Physical Functioning after Physical Activity Adoption in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is associated with widespread pain, depression, and declines in physical functioning. The study purpose was to examine the trajectory of these symptoms over time related to physical activity adoption and maintenance via Motivational Interviewing versus Education, to increase physical activity. There were no treatment group differences, we divided the sample (n = 184) based on changes in physical activity. Repeated measures analyses demonstrated differential patterns in depression, pain, and physical functioning at 24 and 36 weeks. Findings suggest increased physical activity may serve as a multiple-target intervention that provides moderate to large, long-lasting benefits for individuals with FM

Collaborating With University Faculty and District Partners to Provide Meaningful Field Experiences for Pre-service Teachers

The most effective teacher preparation programs require candidates to spend extensive time in the field practicing skills related to coursework (Darling-Hammond, 2010). When a candidate is provided opportunities to work alongside expert teachers to put coursework into practice, the candidate receives support and guidance along the way making he/she better equipped to problem solve, engage and impact student achievement. Effective teachers are the most influential factor on student achievement; students exposed to an ineffective teacher for three or more years, will never catch up academically (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Madda, Skinner & Schultz, 2012). Teacher candidates need to be exposed to effective teachers in the field in order to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to impact student achievement

Cognitive Appraisals, Coping and Depressive Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients

Depression in breast cancer patients and survivors is related to negative disease outcomes and worse quality of life. Factors that explain this depression can serve as targets of intervention. This study, guided by the Transactional Theory of Stress, examined the relationship between cognitive appraisals, coping strategies and depressive symptoms in a group of women with mostly advanced-stage breast cancer (N = 65), who scored mostly within the normal range for depressive symptoms. Path analysis was used to determine the relationships among variables, measured with the Cognitive Appraisals of Illness Scale, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. The results of the path analysis showed that higher appraisals of harm/loss and greater use of escape–avoidance coping predicted higher depressive symptoms. These findings enhance the prediction of depression among breast cancer patients and suggest the need to examine cognitive appraisals when attempting to understand depressive symptoms

Subjective assessments of comorbidity correlate with quality of life health outcomes: Initial validation of a comorbidity assessment instrument

BACKGROUND: Interventions to improve care for persons with chronic medical conditions often use quality of life (QOL) outcomes. These outcomes may be affected by coexisting (comorbid) chronic conditions as well as the index condition of interest. A subjective measure of comorbidity that incorporates an assessment of disease severity may be particularly useful for assessing comorbidity for these investigations. METHODS: A survey including a list of 25 common chronic conditions was administered to a population of HMO members age 65 or older. Disease burden (comorbidity) was defined as the number of self-identified comorbid conditions weighted by the degree (from 1 to 5) to which each interfered with their daily activities. We calculated sensitivities and specificities relative to chart review for each condition. We correlated self-reported disease burden, relative to two other well-known comorbidity measures (the Charlson Comorbidity Index and the RxRisk score) and chart review, with our primary and secondary QOL outcomes of interest: general health status, physical functioning, depression screen and self-efficacy. RESULTS: 156 respondents reported an average of 5.9 chronic conditions. Median sensitivity and specificity relative to chart review were 75% and 92% respectively. QOL outcomes correlated most strongly with disease burden, followed by number of conditions by chart review, the Charlson Comorbidity Index and the RxRisk score. CONCLUSION: Self-report appears to provide a reasonable estimate of comorbidity. For certain QOL assessments, self-reported disease burden may provide a more accurate estimate of comorbidity than existing measures that use different methodologies, and that were originally validated against other outcomes. Investigators adjusting for comorbidity in studies using QOL outcomes may wish to consider using subjective comorbidity measures that incorporate disease severity

Rates of Depression and Anxiety in Cancer Patients: A Review of Cross-National Findings

Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. In this paper, we examine the similarities and differences between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU-27) in the incidences, deaths, types of screening, and screening rates for breast, cervical, colorectal, prostate, and lung cancers. We highlight the differences between the health care, economic, and sociopolitical systems in the US and EU-27 that result in different types of coverage, access to health care, and cancer screening. Finally, we discuss patient-directed, provider-directed, community-directed, and system-directed interventions and the outcomes of these approaches

Dyadic influence of hope and optimism on patient marital satisfaction among couples with advanced breast cancer

PURPOSE: An estimated 10-40 % of breast cancer (BC) patients report negative changes to their partnered relationships. Literature suggests that for these patients, marital satisfaction is related to depression and other quality of life factors which are associated with survivorship and treatment response. However, existing literature does not provide a clear explanation of the factors that strengthen vs. create strain in couples facing cancer. Given the benefits of a satisfying relationship to patient quality of life, it is important to better understand factors that put patients at greater risk for marital difficulties. This study examined the differential and combined roles of hope and optimism among BC patients and their partners on patient marital satisfaction. METHOD: Fifty-six breast cancer patient-partner dyads completed study questionnaires as part of a larger study. Regression analyses were used to examine the main and interaction effects of patient and partner hope and optimism on patient marital satisfaction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Higher patient and partner hope predicted greater patient marital satisfaction, whereas optimism did not. These results are divergent from the literature on optimism and well-being, which shows the importance of studying these two traits concurrently. Interaction effects suggest certain combinations of patient and partner hope and optimism are more beneficial than others for patient marital satisfaction and suggest a dyadic approach is important for investigation of well-being in breast cancer

Competing risks of cancer mortality and cardiovascular events in individuals with multimorbidity

Background: Cancer patients with cardiovascular and other comorbidities are at concurrent risk of multiple adverse outcomes. However, most treatment decisions are guided by evidence from single-outcome models, which may be misleading for multimorbid patients. Objective: We assessed the interacting effects of cancer, cardiovascular, and other morbidity burdens on the competing outcomes of cancer mortality, serious cardiovascular events, and other-cause mortality. Design: We analyzed a cohort of 6,500 adults with initial cancer diagnosis between 2001 and 2008, SEER 5-year survival ≥26%, and a range of cardiovascular risk factors. We estimated the cumulative incidence of cancer mortality, a serious cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, or cardiovascular mortality), and other-cause mortality over 5 years, and identified factors associated with the competing risks of each outcome using cause-specific Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Following cancer diagnosis, there were 996 (15.3%) cancer deaths, 328 (5.1%) serious cardiovascular events, and 542 (8.3%) deaths from other causes. In all, 4,634 (71.3%) cohort members had none of these outcomes. Although cancer prognosis had the greatest effect, cardiovascular and other morbidity also independently increased the hazard of each outcome. The effect of cancer prognosis on outcome was greatest in year 1, and the effect of other morbidity was greater in individuals with better cancer prognoses. Conclusion: In multimorbid oncology populations, comorbidities interact to affect the competing risk of different outcomes. Quantifying these risks may provide persons with cancer plus cardiovascular and other comorbidities more accurate information for shared decision-making than risks calculated from single-outcome models. Journal of Comorbidity 2014:4(1):29–3