ABSTRACT
A community approach to the integration of health and social services for low-income pregnant women is being addressed through Community Integrated Service System (CISS) initiatives of the Maternal Child Health Bureau. This particular CISS program model was designed to enable low-income mothers to function in a Community Health Worker (CHW) role providing social support for at-risk pregnant women. Using Riessman's notion of "helper therapy," the model was also developed to enhance the potential for CHWs to gain helper benefits. The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe perceived helper benefits and stressors associated with the CHW role and to examine the usefulness of an instrument developed to assess benefits and stressors. The study findings revealed that the majority of CHWs perceived helper benefits that included positive feelings about self, a sense of belonging, valuable work experience, and access to health information and skills through training or contact with program staff. Stressors such as feeling inadequate to help, however, were associated with the helper role for some CHWs. Preliminary analysis of the Helper's Perception Measure indicated that it may be an effective measure and should be tested with a larger sample of CHWs.
Subject(s)
Burnout, Professional/diagnosis , Burnout, Professional/psychology , Community Health Workers/psychology , Helping Behavior , Job Description , Pregnancy, High-Risk , Psychological Theory , Social Support , Adult , Burnout, Professional/etiology , Community Health Workers/education , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Job Satisfaction , Nursing Methodology Research , Pregnancy , Psychometrics , Surveys and Questionnaires/standardsABSTRACT
Previous methods for measurement of the autokinetic effect have several drawbacks, including limited accuracy and limited information. A new computer technique for measurement of the autokinetic effect is presented. A computer and computer mouse record tracing movements every tenth of a second, yielding a permanent record that can be analyzed further. The method is flexible, sensitive, and stable, as shown by test-retest correlations using 26 subjects. Correlations and medians for latency, total distance traveled, number of stops, straight line distance from origin to end-point, maximum speed, maximum acceleration, percent of time in motion, and speed and percent of motion in each of eight compass directions were computed. The results are similar to previously reported values.
