Sexual harassment in nursing.

Sexual harassment is a problem faced by women in the workplace which can lead to adverse psychological consequences as well as impaired work performance. Sexual harassment is about the abuse of power and status rather then merely being about sex per se and has to be viewed in the context of institutionalized male power. Although there is a relative dearth of research, there is increasing evidence that sexual harassment of nurses is common and that it can have adverse effects on nurses physical and psychological health as well as a direct impact on patient care. Nursing, by its very nature of having to care for patients bodily needs, transgresses normal social rules regarding bodily contact. This is exploited by the perpetrator who relies on nurses' caring attitude to be able to harass. A descriptive model of the processes involved in harassment is presented which offers the possibility of being able to intervene at a number of points in the process. Interventions need to be aimed at both individual and organizational levels if there is to be a prospect of reducing a major occupational stressor for nurses.

Staff anxieties about death in residential settings for elderly people.

This study examined the relationship between death anxiety, the anxiety surrounding dealing practically with dying, and the level of experience of care assistants in residential settings for the elderly. It also examined the perception of the officer in charge of the establishment of the care assistants' level of anxiety. Age was the best predictor of both death anxiety and practical anxiety, the two being correlated. There was also a difference in perception of staff anxiety as a consequence of ethnic-group membership. The implications of this for training and practice are discussed.

The relationship between knowledge, attitudes and degree of contact with AIDS and HIV.

This study examined the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and degree of contact with AIDS and HIV for three groups of people: nurses, psychology students and design students using a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire differentiated between the groups on all three dimensions with nurses having most knowledge but least positive attitudes. There was no relationship between knowledge and attitudes for the three groups although contact and knowledge were related for the design students and attitudes and contact were related for the psychology students. For all groups the strongest relationship was between attitudes and contact. The implications of the results for training courses are discussed.

A profile of long-stay psychogeriatric patients.

An assessment of 106 long-stay psychogeriatric in-patients in an East London borough was made using the CAPE and supplementary items in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of their needs; 51 long-stay residents in the care of local authority social services provided a comparison. Patients in hospital were found to be more disturbed, more disabled and more dependent than residents in local authority care.

A study of variables associated with under-attendance at a psychiatric day centre.

This study examines the problems of client under-attendance at a psychiatric day centre. Demographic, psychiatric, psychometric and Semantic Differential measures were used. Several of these measures were significantly associated with under-attendance. Various methods are suggested for the identification of and reduction of the level of under-attendance.