Expectant fathers and labor epidurals.

PURPOSE: A qualitative research study was conducted to describe and explain expectant father's experiences during labor when their partners receive labor epidurals. DESIGN: Grounded theory. METHODS: Seventeen couples were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format. RESULTS: Two major concepts were identified: "Losing Her" and "She's Back." The men reported that these were the two critical points at which the epidural affected their experience. The theory, "Cruising through Labor," explained the fathers' experiences. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Childbirth preparation classes that describe and explain women's responses to the increasing pain of labor contractions, the exhaustion of labor, and the effect of epidural analgesia could possibly assist men in preparing for the changes they will witness in their partners during the labor experience. Knowing that these changes are normal responses to the effects of labor might reduce men's levels of anxiety, frustration, and sense of helplessness. The labor nurse is a major support to the expectant fathers. Labor nurses who remain in the room during this phase, explain what is happening, and include the expectant father in their nursing care provide the best support.

Prose recall in dementia. A comparison of delay intervals.

OBJECTIVE: To explore one methodological variation, delay length, that may contribute to contradictory findings in the literature regarding the use of delayed recall in the detection of early-stage dementia of the Alzheimer type. DESIGN: Comparison of participants with dementia and without dementia on a prose recall task at both 10- and 30-minute delay intervals. SETTING: Washington University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, St Louis, Mo. PARTICIPANTS: Participants with very mild dementia of the Alzheimer type (n = 136) and uncompromised elderly individuals (n = 197). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Results of the Logical Memory subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale with immediate recall and 10- and 30-minute delayed recall. RESULTS: Participants with dementia recalled significantly less material than elderly controls at both immediate and delayed recall (P < .001). Multiple regression analyses revealed that dementia classification failed to account for additional variance in the 30-minute delayed score beyond that which could be accounted for by the immediate score. A small but significant proportion of variance was accounted for in the 10-minute delayed score beyond that which could be accounted for by the immediate recall score. CONCLUSION: Delayed recall of a prose passage does not appear to enhance the differentiation of very mild dementia of the Alzheimer type from normal aging in a meaningful way, whether the recall delay is 10 or 30 minutes.

Expectant fathers' roles during labor and birth.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and explain the expectant father's experience during labor and delivery. DESIGN: A grounded theory methodology was used for data collection and analysis. SETTING: Semistructured interviews were held in the homes of participants, and data were collected from observations in the labor and delivery rooms. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty couples recruited from five hospitals in the San Francisco Bay area. MAIN OUTCOMES: The study identified three roles that expectant fathers adopted: coach, teammate, and witness. RESULTS: The roles adopted by expectant fathers were related to the degrees of understanding and mutuality within the couples' relationships. The majority of the men in the study adopted the role of witness. CONCLUSION: The current expectations of the father in the role of coach should be reevaluated.