ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Effects of maternal employment for preschool children vary based on specific characteristics of the mother's employment, the family's economic status, and the mother's attitudes about employment. However, there is limited research on a growing group of children at developmental risk-those born prematurely and living in a single-parent family. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of maternal employment and prematurity on child cognition and behavior in single-parent families. METHODS: Sixty preterm and 61 full-term preschool children were recruited through NICU admission records and birth records. Data were collected with the Kaufmann Assessment Battery for Children, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Child Behavior Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, and the Life History Calendar. RESULTS: Greater hours employed was related to higher achievement and mental processing scores only. Less discrepancy between actual and desired employment was related to higher achievement, mental processing, and language scores and lower behavior scores. Prematurity was not related to child cognitive and behavioral performance. Only the relationship between discrepancy and language remained after statistical control. CONCLUSIONS: The concerns about negative effects of maternal employment on young children may be overstated, especially in low-income, single-mother families. These findings are especially important in the context of welfare reform.
Subject(s)
Child Development , Developmental Disabilities/prevention & control , Employment , Infant, Premature , Single Parent , Achievement , Child Behavior , Child, Preschool , Cognition , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Mother-Child Relations , Multivariate Analysis , Regression Analysis , Risk Factors , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Although unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) have been a part of health care teams for decades, today's UAP are assisting in the care of more acutely ill clients who are being discharged after shorter hospital stays. This qualitative study examined nurses' narratives of patient outcomes after delegation of activities to UAP and identified the factors leading to the outcomes.
Subject(s)
Nursing Assistants , Nursing Staff/organization & administration , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Nursing Research , Personnel Staffing and Scheduling , Quality of Health Care , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Changing models of nursing care have resulted in a more diverse work force composition. Nurses (RNs and licensed practical and vocational nurses) have greater responsibilities for delegation and supervision of unlicensed assistive personnel providing direct nursing care. This study describes nurses' beliefs about their abilities to delegate and supervise direct nursing activities and explores differences based on professional and job-related factors. A national sample of 148 licensed nurses working in three practice settings was surveyed. In general, nurses reported a high level of comfort, frequency, preparedness, confidence, competence, and control. Differences found in nurses' beliefs were based on education, practice setting, and type of work responsibilities.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Job Description , Models, Nursing , Nurse's Role , Nursing Assistants/organization & administration , Nursing Staff/organization & administration , Nursing Staff/psychology , Nursing, Practical/organization & administration , Nursing, Supervisory/organization & administration , Professional Competence/standards , Self Efficacy , Acute Disease/nursing , Adult , Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Home Care Services , Humans , Long-Term Care , Middle Aged , Nursing Assistants/education , Nursing Staff/education , Nursing, Practical/education , Organizational Innovation , Surveys and Questionnaires , United StatesABSTRACT
The authors discuss a national survey of licensed nurses that describes factors associated with patient outcomes when nursing activities are delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Licensed nurses' overall experience and UAP's experience in the current work setting were associated with more positive events. When the outcome of the delegated activity was determined by routine observation, more positive events occurred. However, when there was no direct supervision of the UAP, more negative events occurred. Recognition of the importance of the supervisory process has implications for educational opportunities that focus on strengthening licensed nurses' delegation competencies.
Subject(s)
Nursing Assistants , Nursing Staff/organization & administration , Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care , Personnel Staffing and Scheduling , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Middle Aged , Models, Nursing , United StatesSubject(s)
Diffusion of Innovation , Information Services/organization & administration , Models, Nursing , Nursing Research/organization & administration , Publishing/organization & administration , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Needs Assessment , Planning Techniques , Public RelationsABSTRACT
The nature of perinatal education has been transformed, reflecting the changes in health care and health care consumers. Because of short maternity stays, the venue of most perinatal education, especially postpartum education, has moved from hospitals to other areas, including the home. In light of conflicting findings of past research examining the effectiveness of prenatal education as well as gaps in the literature, there is a need for research on the content, methods, providers, and dose effect of perinatal education.
Subject(s)
Mothers/education , Perinatal Care , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Prenatal CareABSTRACT
The bulk of menopause research has been conducted on samples of middle-class White women. In this study, attitudes toward menopause in a sample of 66 low-income women at a women's clinic were studied using Bowles's (1986) Menopause Attitude Scale (MAS) and the attitude segment of Millette's (1981) survey of attitudes and knowledge about menopause. The typical participant was a single, 34-year-old Black woman with a yearly income below $10,000. Research questions examined general attitudes toward menopause, and MAS scores of Bowles's middle-income, White sample were compared with those of the present low-income, predominantly Black sample. Results indicated a somewhat positive attitude toward menopause in the low-income sample. Although the trend was toward higher scores in the low-income group, only the 18- to 25-year-olds in the low-income group had significantly higher MAS scores than the corresponding age group in Bowles's sample. Nursing implications pertain to teaching and support group leadership.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , Black or African American/psychology , Menopause/psychology , Poverty , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Health Education/standards , Humans , Middle Aged , Surveys and Questionnaires , White People/psychologyABSTRACT
The structure of the Asn102 mutant of trypsin was determined in order to distinguish whether the reduced activity of the mutant at neutral pH results from an altered active site conformation or from an inability to stabilize a positive charge on the active site histidine. The active site structure of the Asn102 mutant of trypsin is identical to the native enzyme with respect to the specificity pocket, the oxyanion hole, and the orientation of the nucleophilic serine. The observed decrease in rate results from the loss of nucleophilicity of the active site serine. This decreased nucleophilicity may result from stabilization of a His57 tautomer that is unable to accept the serine hydroxyl proton.
