An Exploratory Study Using Cortisol to Describe the Response of Incarcerated Women IPV Survivors to MAMBRA Intervention.

Objective. To determine if incarcerated women survivors of IPV had a physiological response to the Music and Account-Making for Behavioral-Related Adaptation (MAMBRA) intervention, as measured by cortisol levels. Methods. A single-group repeated measures designed exploratory study was used to pilot-test MAMBRA. A convenience sample (n = 33) was recruited in a Midwestern women's correctional facility. Serving as their own control, participants provided demographics and pre-/post-MAMBRA salivary samples while attending four MAMBRA sessions. Baseline data were compared to participants' data collected over the remaining 3 MAMBRA sessions. Data were analyzed with descriptive and univariate statistics with an alpha of .05 and post-hoc power of .65. Results. Participants were predominantly White (52%), single (80%), and early middle-aged ([Formula: see text]), with a history of physical/nonphysical spousal abuse. Using a subsample (n = 26), salivary cortisol decreased between the pre-/post-MAMBRA over the sessions (F(3,75) = 4.59, p < .01). Conclusion. Participants had a physiological response to the MAMBRA intervention as evidenced by the decreased cortisol between the pre-/post-MAMBRA. This is the first step in examining MAMBRA's clinical utility as an intervention for female IPV survivors. Future longitudinal studies will examine MAMBRA's effectiveness given this change in cortisol.

MAMBRA's impact on IPV symptoms of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women.

This repeated measures, descriptive study investigated the effect of Music and Account-Making for Behavioral-Related Adaptation (MAMBRA), a group psychoeducation music intervention, on symptoms reported by 41 incarcerated and community women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Psychosocial measurements included: the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; Speilberger State Anxiety Inventory; Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale; the UCLA Loneliness Scale, version 3; and the Index of Spouse Abuse. MAMBRA was administered over four sessions for five groups of women. Through descriptive and univariate statistics, psychosocial measures positively changed across the MAMBRA sessions. These findings suggest MAMBRA impacted IPV symptoms and may be an efficacious intervention. Future longitudinal studies with diverse samples are warranted.

The self-stigma of depression for women.

BACKGROUND: Self-stigmatizing women who avoid seeking treatment for depression could believe that they have pragmatic personal reasons for their decision. As a preliminary step towards testing this hypothesis, the aim of this study was to assess diverse, low-income working women for shared self-stigmatizing beliefs about depression. METHODS: Depression and depression self-stigma were assessed in a targeted sample of African American, Caucasian and Latina women who qualify for public health services and have access to health care services. RESULTS: Depression and self-stigmatizing beliefs about depression were positively correlated (r = .30-.64). Over one third of the women in the study (37.5%) said they would do what they could to keep their depression secret. Over half (55%) indicated that the person they normally would disclose depression to is their best friend. A majority (80%) of the women in the study said they would choose not to disclose personal depression to a health care professional. Pairwise t tests for group differences showed that Caucasian women, women recently seen by a health care professional and women with more years of education had higher self-stigma scores. CONCLUSION: Self-stigmatizing women who feel depressed could knowingly decide to keep their depression secret with the hope of avoiding loss.

Engaging racial autoethnography as a teaching tool for womanist inquiry.

Racial autobiography, self-narratives on how one learned about the idea of race, has been underutilized as a tool to familiarize and orient students in the process of critical inquiry for nursing research. The aims of this article are to explore how racial autoethnography: (1) repositions students to effect an epistemological change, (2) challenges dominant ideology, and (3) functions as a link between the student and critical theories for use in nursing research. Students engage in and share reflective narrative about a variety of instructional materials used in the course. Reflective narratives are presented in a framework that addresses white racial identity development.

Academic freedom: protecting "liberal science" in nursing in the 21st century.

Generating new knowledge through science is one of the most valued contributions of American universities, and is wholly dependent on the tenets of academic freedom. This article provides an overview of academic freedom in the United States, lack of attentiveness to academic freedom in the discipline of nursing, and its relevance for advancing nursing science. Three issues are critically evaluated as they relate to "the free search for truth" that is imperative for scientific progress to occur, including (a) its importance in a liberal science system, (b) recent trends to politically manipulate science, and (c) movements to restrict speech on campus.

Academic freedom and academic duty to teach social justice: a perspective and pedagogy for public health nursing faculty.

Public health nursing practice is rooted in the core value of social justice. Nursing faculty whose expertise is in public health are often the content experts responsible for teaching this essential, yet potentially controversial, value. Contemporary threats to academic freedom remind us that the disciplinary autonomy and academic duty to teach social justice may be construed as politically ideological. These threats are of particular concern when faculty members guide students through a scientific exploration of sociopolitical factors that lead to health-related social injustices and encourage students to improve and transform injustices in their professional careers. This article (a) reviews recent challenges to academic freedom that influence social justice education, (b) explores academic freedom and duty to teach social justice within the discipline of nursing, and (c) proposes a praxis-based approach to social justice education, which is grounded in transformative pedagogy.

Uncontested categories: the use of race and ethnicity variables in nursing research.

Classifying human beings according to race and ethnicity may seem straightforward to some but it, in fact, belies a difficult process. No standard procedure exists for categorizing according to race and ethnicity, calling into question the variables' use in research. This article explores the use of race and ethnicity variables in the nursing research literature. Content analysis was conducted of a sample of 337 original research studies published in Nursing Research from the years 1952, 1955, and then every 5 years through to 2000. Of the 337 research articles reviewed, 167 mentioned race, ethnicity, or their 81 code words or phrases. Out of the 167 articles, 153 used race or ethnicity to describe the study sample, and 45 of the 167 articles included race or ethnicity as an element of data analysis. Throughout the sample, there was substantial inconsistency related to race and ethnicity categorization, meanings of the terms, and use of these variables. Specificity related to conceptual assumptions, definitions, and context was missing and, as a result, data interpretation and understanding are suspect. The integrity of nursing knowledge requires that nurse researchers recognize and address the difficulties inherent in using race and ethnicity in health research.

No resting place: African American women at the crossroads of violence.

Seeking safe places after leaving abusive relationships is often an intricate process for African American women. Survivor-victims of gender violence frequently experience ongoing trauma because of race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and other stigmatizing social identities. All too often, women of color must handle leaving the gender violence simultaneously with the ongoing threat of cultural violence. The intersection of gender and cultural violence (e.g., racism, discrimination) complicate African American women's ability to obtain and sustain safe environments. These intersections are critical crossroads in African American women's lives. The results of this womanist and Black feminist study are presented in an alternative way to highlight the primacy of respondents' voices. In addition, suggestions to inform the practice of research with African American women are included.

Assessing intimate partner violence in incarcerated women.

The purpose of this study to assess the psychometric qualities of a screening instrument for intimate partner violence, the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA), for use with incarcerated women. Principal components factor analysis was conducted on data collected from 149 incarcerated women. The ISA demonstrated excellent internal consistency with this population and appears to be a psychometrically sound instrument that can be given in a short period of time.

Moving from surviving to thriving: African American women recovering from intimate male partner abuse.

In this ethnographic study, a womanist framework was used to investigate the process of recovery from domestic violence. A purposive sample of African American women (N = 21) was interviewed to gain understanding of their recovery process. Survivorship-thriving was the overarching process. Six themes related to survivorship-thriving were identified: (a) Sharing secrets/Shattering silences--sharing information about the abuse with others; (b) Reclaiming the Self-defining oneself separate from abuser and society; (c) Renewing the Spirit-nurturing and restoring the spiritual and emotional self; (d) Self-healing through Forgiveness--forgiving their partners for the abuse and violence; (e) Finding inspiration in the Future-looking to the future with optimism; and (f) Self-generativity by Engaging in Social Activism--participating in prosocial activities to promote social change. This article presents recovery oriented towards survivorship-thriving as a transformative process overall characterized by resilience and self-generativity. This represents more than just recovery as return to homeostasis or "back to normal." Implications for survivor-informed practices are included.