A staged causal model was used to examine the nature of the family relationships between two groups of frail elderly subjects who resided at home and were cared for by a related caregiver. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of (1) the subject's and caregiver's characteristics; (2) the elderly person's perceptions of the relationship; (3) the elderly person's role perception; and (4) the elderly person's expectations and perceptions of the caregiver on the nature of the caring situation and on the subject's affective tone. One group in this study was composed of individuals whose relationships with their caregivers were judged to be "Good" (N = 44) and the other group was composed of individuals whose relationships with their caregivers were judged to be "Abusive and/or Neglectful" (N = 30) by a referring public health nurse. Using elements of intrafamily violence theory and the child abuse literature, the variables that were predicted to impact on abuse and/or neglect and on neglative mood states were identified in a theoretical model. The sample was selected from individuals who were defined as frail elderly by virtue of physical or psychological disabilities. In addition, each subject met other criteria including: was over sixty years of age, was Anglo-American, was not confused, and was English speaking. A blind interview technique was used and each subject was interviewed in his home setting. Data were analyzed in several phases. First, descriptive data were analyzed to determine the characteristics of the two groups of subjects and to determine the similarities between the two groups. The descriptive analysis included consideration of the subjects, their caregivers, the relationships between the two, and the refusers in the study. Second, the reliability and validity of the tools were tested. Third, the casual hypotheses were tested using regression analysis testing full and reduced models for both groups. The dependent variables included anger, tension, depression, and abuse. An empirical model was generated and tested as well. Last, a comparison between the groups using difference of the means tests were completed for the major variables. The results of this study demonstrated that there were significant differences between the two groups in the causal models, the amount of explained variance, and three major variables: social supports, expectations of the caregivers, and perceptions of the caregivers. A number of descriptive variables were statistically significant as well. Among the most important study outcomes were the identification of issues involved in the study of abuse and/or neglect among the elderly, the identification of issues involved in the study of older individuals, the identification of potential areas for future study, and the identification of the implications of this type of study for nursing and for health care of older people in general.

Seventeen well siblings of chronically mentally ill (CMI) individuals were studied to examine effects associated with having a CMI sibling and factors associated with variations in effects. The respondents were largely better-educated, white, middle class, and age 21 years or older, recruited through a local family support group, and an acute care mental health facility. A self-report questionnaire was developed for use in this study utilizing a Likert scale for standardization. Areas of focus were self-esteem, relationships, and emotional and financial burden. All areas except self-esteem showed some negative effects. The main concerns identified were a "Don't Talk" attitude about mental illness, active mourning, fear of having a CMI offspring, and future financial responsibility. Differences in effects were observed between groups by gender, birth-order, likeness (same sex/opposite sex), and proximity. Diagnosis and level of functioning also appeared to be associated with variations in effects.

No description available.

No description available.

This study explored the relationship between perceived familial support to self-esteem in gay and bisexual men along a continuum of infection with the AIDS virus. Subjects were primarily obtained from two HIV/AIDS care coordination, education and social support centers. All participants completed the Coopersmith (1967) Self-Esteem Inventory, the Perceived Social Support-Family (PSS-Fa) questionnaire by Procidano and Heller (1983) and a demographic questionnaire. Two hypotheses were proposed: 1) Self-esteem will increase with strength of perceived Perceived Familial Support familial support. 2) Self-esteem will decrease as the stage of HIV infection worsens. Significant support was found for the first hypothesis. The second hypothesis was not supported; however, some reasons are postulated. The continuum of HIV infection and self-esteem as it relates to stages of death and dying are discussed. Implications and suggestions for counseling HIV-infected persons are addressed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

This phenomenological study was conducted in a rural area serviced by a small community hospital to answer the research question , "what is the lived experience of the spouse of the critically ill patient." The informants were three female spouses who had experienced critical care as the spouse of a critically ill male patient within the past year. Once verbal consent was obtained, written consent was obtained by sending a letter explaining the study, along with a consent form describing the risks and the benefits.Data were collected by means of tape-recorded unstructured forty-five minute interview. The study was strictly voluntary and all tape-recorded data collected were identified by numbers only and destroyed at the completion of the study. The informant was asked the question, "Tell me what it was like for you when your husband was critically ill?" Data were analyzed via the hermaneutical process of Heidegger as outlined by Giorgi.Each informant was provided the opportunity to reflect and recall this lived experience. The informants shared seven common themes even though each experience was individually unique and separate. The seven themes that emerged were (a) fear, (b) educational needs, (c) self-sacrifice, (d) center of focus shift, (e) family event, (f) the need to discuss system contact and, (g) tomorrow.The themes suggest that closure has not occurred for the spouse of the critically ill person. The findings indicate that the event is not limited to the initial hospitalization, but that long term changes and perceptions are apparent from the informants' perspectives.Implications for the nurse clinician, nursing education and research were described. Recommendations for further research include further study on the long term effects of critical illness on the spouse of the critically ill client. / School of Nursing

Using primarily grounded theory methodology, the purpose of this study was to understand how the experience of cancer affects communication patterns in married couples where one spouse has been diagnosed with cancer. Nine couples, five in which women were diagnosed with cancer and four in which men were diagnosed with cancer, were interviewed individually. They were asked questions pertaining to changes in their relationship and communication patterns since the diagnosis of cancer. Potential barriers and facilitators to communication were explored. Additionally, gender differences that could play a role in these marital communication patterns were examined. Participants were also administered a measure of mood states, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and, a measure of family cohesion, flexibility and communication, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale-version IV (FACES IV). Findings from both qualitative and quantitative methods were triangulated.Information gathered from the interviews generated eight themes: initial reactions to diagnosis, the experience of cancer, coping strategies, impact of cancer on the spousal relationship, spousal communication prior to cancer, spousal communication since the diagnosis of cancer, barriers to communication, and impact of gender and gender role on communication and adjustment. These categories and their subcategories generated an integrated grounded theory on the dimensions of communication. The theory consisted of three interactive elements: facilitators of communication, barriers to communication and the role of gender.Findings from this study confirmed existing trends in the current literature on communication among couples facing cancer. Results demonstrated that the experienceof cancer and its treatment brought couples closer to each other, where they experienced increased intimacy and communication with their spouses. There were several factors that facilitated these changes. On the other hand, barriers to communication were also identified; however, some of these barriers also served as coping strategies for participants. Furthermore, although there were differences and similarities noted among men and women in the study, results highlighted the importance of viewing them within the context of each participant's role as a patient and a caregiver, and not merely as a result of gender.Several research and practice implications are presented. Results of this study can help health care and mental health professionals gain a better understanding of the needs of cancer patients and their families. Couples and families can also benefit from an awareness of specific facilitators and barriers to communication. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Many authorities believe that our relationship with our parents has an effect on later relationships. Attachment theory and the more recent "men's movement" have focused on parents and their role in the development of the child. To study fathers' influence, 122 male undergraduate students were surveyed at a mid-sized Indiana university regarding their relationships with their father, friend, and romantic partner. The average age of the participants was 20.7 years, and the majority of the students were either Black (11.5%) or White (85.2%). Although 70.5% of the participants had married parents and 23.8% had divorced parents, most men (89.3%) referred to their biological father in completing the survey.The present study found that closeness to fathers while growing up did not predict closeness within the men's friendships. Father closeness was predictive of romantic relationship closeness but did not predict whether or not the men would be involved in such a relationship. Individual differences prevail, however, as information obtained from personal interviews indicated that some men believed their father influenced both their friendships and their romantic relationships. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of this paper was to look at selected parental traits (i.e. cohesion, commitment, coping, and communication) and determine if they positively affected a student's involvement in extracurricular activities. Also, parental support and pressure were assessed by the athlete in relation to how much of each of these qualities the athlete felt one's parents exhibited. The researcher also examined family categories such as biological parents, step parents, mother only, and an "other" category which combined all other family types. The study took place at a conservative mid-sized institution in the Midwest with 126 males and 106 females participating. All of the participants were in their freshman year of college.Based on the results of the study, parental support and parental pressure were not contributing factors to how well an athlete did in one's sporting event. Also, family type was not a major factor in determining the amount of support and pressure an athlete receives from one's parents. Finally, families that seemed to have higher cohesion, commitment, coping, and communication skills were more likely to be associated with athletes which came from a two parent biological family type. / School of Physical Education

The thesis was designed to identify adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) among a sample of Ball State University students. The prevalence of common characteristic behaviors among adult anonymous survey was administered to two large sections of the Health Science, Fundamentals of Human Health class to obtain a representative sample.The results of the survey identified 21.9 percent of the 288 subjects to be adult children of alcoholics. A combined total of 31.6 percent of the 288 subjects were identified be adult children of problem drinkers and ACOAs. The most prevalent characteristic behavior identified by the ACOA population is statement number six, “I take myself very seriously.” This behavior characteristic was checked by 49.2 percent of the 63 identified ACOAs. The remaining 19 statements also were analyzed to enable the investigator to develop an accurate ACOA profile. / Department of Physiology and Health Science