This qualitative descriptive study explores a parent’s sense of meaning and understanding in relation to the parenting of their children who are living with type 1diabetes. A collective case study design was used and ten interviews were conducted with parents of children living with type 1 diabetes. Recruitment took place through the Winnipeg Diabetes Education and Resource for Children and Adolescents and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Nine categories are identified using qualitative content analysis and are interpreted according to an ecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Data was triangulated through references to field notes and to the existing literature in this area. Implications regarding training and education for children and families have been discussed.

This qualitative descriptive study explores a parent’s sense of meaning and understanding in relation to the parenting of their children who are living with type 1diabetes. A collective case study design was used and ten interviews were conducted with parents of children living with type 1 diabetes. Recruitment took place through the Winnipeg Diabetes Education and Resource for Children and Adolescents and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Nine categories are identified using qualitative content analysis and are interpreted according to an ecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Data was triangulated through references to field notes and to the existing literature in this area. Implications regarding training and education for children and families have been discussed.

This study was designed to investigate psychological factors involved in the adjustment to Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). In particular, the study examined perceptions of control over daily symptoms, knowledge of RA and the use of coping strategies, and looked at how these factors related to emotional adjustment, clinical disease activity and subjective physical functioning in RA outpatients. The study also aimed to determine aspects of RA which patients perceived as most stressful. The main study was cross-sectional and designed in two parts. The first part was a quantitative design in which 50 participants completed questionnaires to assess perceptions of RA stressors; health locus of control beliefs over RA symptoms; levels of RA-related knowledge; coping strategies used; emotional adjustment and physical functioning. An objective measure of disease activity was also taken. The second part was a qualitative design consisting of semi-structured interviews with 14 participants, exploring perceptions of stress, control, knowledge, coping and adjustment. Quantitative data were statistically analysed and compared with previous research findings. Qualitative data were transcribed into predefined themes and compared with the quantitative data. Results showed that participants consistently rated fatigue and disability as the most stressful aspects of RA. Participants reported more symptoms of anxiety than depression and used a wide range of coping strategies. Quantitative data suggested that participants perceived high levels of chance control over their daily RA symptoms, however, qualitative findings did not support this view. Participants knew most about RA-related issues that were directly relevant to them. Significant associations were found between coping strategies and psychological outcome, particularly for positive affect. Associations were also found between maladaptive coping and positive physical adjustment and between adaptive coping and negative physical adjustment. Adaptive coping strategies were associated with `internal' and `doctor' locus of control and increased knowledge. Few associations were found between outcome and either control or knowledge. Regression analyses found coping strategies to account for some of the variance in outcome variables, particularly positive affect. The implications for clinical practice were considered. Methodological limitations of the study and implications for future research were also discussed.

The tick-borne Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, as well as some other Borrelia species, is the subject of a dispute as to whether its conditions persist following recommended antibiotic treatment lasting no more than three weeks. Advocates for the existence of chronic Lyme disease point to numerous animal models that show some traces of the bacteria remaining after treatment and call for both the long term use of antibiotics and for the disease to be recognized as chronic and to be diagnosed more expediently. Opponents of the existence of chronic Lyme disease argue that the scientific evidence for these arguments is insufficient, citing that long term symptoms are actually signs of other diseases erroneously grouped with Lyme, that current antibiotic regimens suffice for Lyme disease treatment, and that additional antibiotics beyond current treatments provide no increase in beneficial outcomes. The evidence currently is insufficient to support many of the claims by supporters of chronic Lyme disease and further studies must be done before evidence from the animal models can be applied to human patients. The fact that Borrelia burgdorferi in particular, and perhaps other members of the Borrelia genus, has evolved many singularly peculiar traits such as a lack of reliance on iron and a large extrachromosomal genome suggest that it is not outside the realm of possibility that there is some other facet of Lyme disease not currently recognized or understood. Future exploration is needed to fully understand mechanisms of pathogenesis of this bacterium in order to either confirm or deny the ability of Lyme disease to persist in humans following treatment.

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A collection of poems.

abstract: The prevalence of chronic illness among children in the United States is on the rise (CDC, 2014). Having a child with a chronic illness can be a substantial source of stress for a couple, including physical, emotional, and financial demands of caregiving as well as difficult decision-making regarding the child’s health (Mayo Clinic, 2015). Coping with such stressors can have a negative effect on the couple’s well-being, and, if not managed within the relationship, can lead to increased negative outcomes for both partners. Partners can, however, learn to cope with stress by engaging in the coping process together with dyadic coping (DC). Couples can engage in positive (i.e., supportive emotion-focused, supportive problem-focused, and delegated) or negative forms of DC. DC has been shown to mitigate stress for couples, while increasing reports of individual well-being (IWB) and relational well-being (RWB), but it has not been examined in the context of couples with a child with a chronic illness. To bridge this gap, the present study examined how couples cope with general stress as well as stress associated with their child’s diagnosis of a chronic illness (CI-related stress) and whether positive DC and negative DC moderate association between stress (general stress and CI-related stress) and well-being (IWB and RWB). Consistent with hypotheses, there were significant main effects of both types of stress (general and CI-related stress) on both types of well-being (IWB and RWB). Contrary to the hypotheses that DC (positive DC and negative DC) would moderate the associations between both types of stress and both types of well-being, only one significant interaction was found between CI-related stress and negative DC on IWB. Implications of these findings are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Counseling 2016

The grief experienced by mothers and fathers when their child is diagnosed with a life threatening chronic-illness was investigated in order to validate the presence of grief in these parents and look at the factors that influence it. More specifically, I was interested in whether the grief experience differed for mothers and fathers and the impact that perceptions and coping have on both these gender differences in grief and on grief in general. The particular population investigated in this study were parents of children with Cystic Fibrosis. Participants were recruited through questionnaires randomly sent out by the National Cystic Fibrosis Association. In all, 37 mothers and 15 fathers took part. Results not only confirmed presence of grief in these parents but also indicated that this grief differs for mothers and fathers, with mothers reporting significantly higher levels of physical distress. In line with the literature no gender differences were found in regards to perception of impact parents felt their child's chronic-illness had had on their lives. Contrary to what was expected, however, no differences were found amongst the coping strategies used by mothers and fathers. In regards to the question of which factors have the greatest impact on the grief experienced by mothers and fathers combined, the coping strategy of self-blame was found to be the most important, followed closely by negative perceptions. The significance of these findings and their implications for parents and the people who work with them was discussed.

No description available.