Helicopter Parenting and the Mental Health of iGen College Students.

Helicopter parenting is a type of over-parenting in which parents hover over their college students, ready to intervene at a moment's notice to protect and micromanage their emerging adult's personal and academic life. Constant monitoring by parents may have a negative impact on mental health by decreasing a sense of independence and self-efficacy. Current traditional undergraduate students comprise the cohort of youth in the iGen generation. With the advent of smartphones, parents' surveillance adds to the "culture of safetyism" that predominates on college campuses, leading to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Psychiatric-mental health nurses need to be aware of the effects of helicopter parenting on the development of college students and encourage youth to engage in challenging educational and social activities that promote autonomy and independence. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(5), 16-22.].

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses' Exposure to Clients With Problematic Internet Experiences: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study.

The current study explored the type and number of problematic Internet experiences (PIE) encountered by psychiatric-mental health nurses (PMHN) in clinical practice and analyzed PMHNs' clinical cases of clients with PIE. A mixed-methods quantitative survey with a qualitative component measured the types and number of PIE cases via a descriptive survey and derived themes using narrative inquiry methodology from written case descriptions. A sample of 16 PMHNs provided quantitative data and nine participants summarized clinical cases. PMHNs reported 92 adult and 33 child cases of PIE. Six themes were derived from the narrative data: (a) searching for pornography; (b) developing online romantic relationships; (c) online gaming is ruining my life; (d) spending excessive time on the Internet; (e) coming to terms with online sexual behaviors and addiction; and (f) cyberbullying. Implications for PMHN practice include the need for further assessment and intervention as PIE increase in the future.

Bath salts: they are not what you think.

Psychoactive bath salts are a relatively new group of designer drugs sold as tablets, capsules, or powder and pur-chased in places such as tobacco and convenience stores, gas stations, head shops, and the Internet. Bath salts are stimulant agents that mimic cocaine,lysergic acid diethylamide, methamphetamine, or methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy). The most common bath salts are the cathinone derivatives 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone(MDPV), 4-methylmethcathinone(mephedrone), and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (methylone). The drugs cause intense stimulation, eu-phoria, elevated mood, and a pleasurable "rush" Tachycardia, hypertension,peripheral constriction, chest pain, hallucinations, paranoia, erratic behavior,inattention, lack of memory of substance use, and psychosis have been observed in those who have used bath salts. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently exercised an emergency authority to name three key ingredients in bath salts as Schedule I, thereby making them illegal to possess or sell in the United States. Nursing implications related to both clinical and educational settings are discussed.

Military sexual trauma.

Nurses' awareness of MST as a specific type of sexual assault within the military culture and sensitivity to the physical and psychological symptoms are important aspects of care. Nurses must treat the physical and emotional components of sexual assault in all settings; however, referral to the veterans administration programs and resources is key for the woman veteran to receive the specialized care developed by the healthcare system. Women veterans who have PTSD from MST and combat exposure are prone to depression, suicide and substance use/abuse. Nurses must not fear asking the woman if she is having suicidal thoughts or has a plan and intent to follow through with the plan. MST and PTSD may result in internalized anger, shame, self-blame, helplessness, hopelessness and powerlessness. Patient safety is of utmost importance. Assessing Patients for Sexual Violence, A Guide for Health Care Providers (2009) is a useful resource for nurses. The National Center for PTSD (2009) newsletter on the topic of MST includes a list of research studies. The work of Benedict (2007) and Corbett (2007) provide additional personal accounts of women soldiers who were in the Middle East conflicts. The nurse's referral to specialized services to treat MST and PTSD with evidence-based therapies is a crucial first step in the resiliency and well-being of these brave women who have served in all branches of the U.S. military.

Teaching baccalaureate nursing students in clinical settings: development and testing of the Clinical Teaching Knowledge Test.

Seasoned clinical teachers are in short supply and high demand. Although many nursing programs have developed orientation programs for new clinical teachers, many issues arise when students are assigned to health care and community agencies. This study developed and tested the Clinical Teaching Knowledge Test (CTKT), a 40-item multiple-choice test. Items were based on clinical teaching literature and clinical vignettes provided by experienced nursing faculty. A convenience sample (n = 160) of faculty who taught prelicensure students attending baccalaureate programs completed the second version of the test. Proportion correct index, point biserial correlation, and Kuder-Richardson 20 statistics are reported. Proportion correct indexes less than .75 revealed that items testing legal responsibilities to patients, student-faculty relations, counseling approaches, education theory in clinical teaching, students' legal rights, and nursing administrators' rights and responsibilities challenged participants. Results of future testing may help faculty members plan workshops that foster explorations of areas to improve clinical teaching and provide a stimulus for ongoing conversation and reflection about clinical teaching. Additional testing of the CTKT is necessary.

Clinical transition of baccalaureate nursing students during preceptored, pregraduation practicums.

Transition into the role of registered nurse after graduation from nursing education programs results in new nurses feeling overwhelmed and unprepared for the challenges of the workplace. The purpose of this triangulated, descriptive study was to describe the clinical transition experience of senior baccalaureate nursing students during pregraduation preceptored practicums, which took place three times per week for three weeks. Data were collected from student journal entries, liaison faculty, and clinical preceptors. Thematic analysis was performed on responses students recorded on the Daily Feedback Sheet on Transition to the Graduate Nurse Role and on preceptor- and liaison faculty-documented journals. According to students, preceptors, and liaison faculty, students' knowledge and skills increased during the preceptorship, and many students became integral members of hospital unit teams. Strategies to modify the preceptorship included maintaining consistency with liaison faculty and increasing communication between preceptors and liaison faculty.

Computer addiction: implications for nursing psychotherapy practice.

TOPIC: Nurse psychotherapists will encounter the impact of today's technology on the daily lives of people including computer addiction. Computer addiction may also present with comorbidities such as depression, gambling, substance abuse, and marital infidelity and divorce. PURPOSE: This overview article presents what is currently documented in the literature regarding the incidence, symptomatology, and nursing psychotherapy interventions relevant to computer addiction and its treatment. Issues presented include computer addiction, virtual relationships, online marital infidelity, and compulsive online sexual behavior. SOURCES: Review of literature from Medline, Psychoinfo, CINAHL, and current texts. CONCLUSIONS: Given the increased use of computers in today's society, there is the potential for overuse of technology and neglect of others and self as a result of computer addiction. Computer disorders also present themselves as marital or couple discord with the potential for online extramarital affairs and compulsive sexual online behavior. A summary and an assessment tool are provided to guide the nurse psychotherapist in practice.

Strengths and weaknesses of faculty teaching performance reported by undergraduate and graduate nursing students: a descriptive study.

The purpose of this study was to describe the patterns of strengths and weaknesses of faculty teaching performance as reported by undergraduate and graduate nursing students on a narrative section of a university faculty evaluation form. The study used a descriptive, retrospective, qualitative design. The summary forms represented a convenience sample of undergraduate and graduate nursing course sections (N = 317) taught by full-time and part-time nursing faculty from spring 1998 through fall 2002, including summer sessions. Course sections represented didactic and clinical education experiences. Content analysis was used to interpret the recorded comments representing strengths and weaknesses in faculty performance from students' perspectives. Patterns and associated themes were derived. Faculty performance strengths included patterns such as being a knowledgeable and strategic teacher, creating a positive learning environment, demonstrating professionalism, displaying scholarly traits, and being supportive. Weaknesses included patterns such as poor delivery of content, acting disorganized, being inaccessible, displaying weak teaching skills, being dishonorable, being unprofessional, and displaying negative traits. Implications for continuous quality improvement in teaching/learning processes are presented.