<p> The ability to self-regulate cognitive, emotional, and physiological activity is integral to mental and physical health. Teaching these skills in early childhood is a promising preventative health intervention. Mindfulness-based Social Emotional Learning (MBSEL) programs aim to enhance social-emotional competencies and improve academic outcomes in classroom children. Barriers to implementing MBSEL programs include the need to alter existing classroom curricula, and allocating resources towards training classroom teachers or hiring an experienced mindfulness facilitator. Inner Explorer (IE) is a MBSEL program that uses audio-guided MP3 tracks to teach mindfulness in 10-minute daily sessions, minimizing classroom interference and negating the need for a facilitator. The current study evaluated the impact of IE on self-regulation skills and academic outcomes in 2^nd-4^th grade students and teachers in two Southern California elementary schools. Eighty-four students and seven teachers were assigned to either the IE or control group. Students were measured on mindfulness, executive functioning (EF), emotion regulation, and heart rate variability (HRV) at pre- and post-intervention. Teacher-rated grades (School 1 only), days absent and tardy (School 2 only), and social-emotional learning (SEL) scores were provided at the end of trimesters 1-3 (School 1) and semesters 1-2 (School 2). Teachers were measured on mindfulness at pre- and post-intervention. Students in the IE group did not show any pre-post differences in mindfulness, executive functioning, or emotion regulation compared to the control group. Contrary to hypothesis, the IE group showed a significant reduction in HRV from pre- to post-intervention; however, HRV changes were not significant between groups. The IE and control groups did not show any significant differences in grades, SEL scores, or days absent or tardy. Neither teachers in the IE nor control group reported significant changes in mindfulness. Children with lower levels of emotion regulation and mindfulness at baseline were more likely to report &ldquo;uncomfortable experiences&rdquo; when practicing mindfulness. Results are discussed in the context of methodological challenges in MBSEL research and future directions are suggested. Teaching self-regulation in early childhood is a promising approach to mitigating future mental and physical health problems, however this study raises questions about the most effective format, delivery, and measurement of MBSEL curricula.</p><p>

HIV-positive gay men face unique, and extreme, psychological stressors. They know they are infected with a virus of lethal and immedicable potency. They must tolerate the tremendous uncertainty of not knowing when, if, or to what extent their immune systems will falter. Additionally, many have experienced multiple bereavements (Martin, 1988), a trend that will escalate as the epidemic worsens. Given these profound psychological challenges, how, if at all, have HIV-positive gay men made sense of, or found meaning in, AIDS and their own HIV infection? Nineteen HIV-positive gay men participated in intensive semi-structured clinical interviews, to determine the strategies by which they ascribed meaning to their situation. The men ranged in age from 27 to 50 years old, and had known of their HIV status for between 18 and 106 months. Most were asymptomatic. Several had experienced some HIV-related health impairments. None had AIDS. All lived in urban settings with established gay communities. Interview data were analyzed primarily within the framework of Assumptive World theory (Janoff-Bulman, 1989), which holds that the ability to ascribe meaning to one's life is necessary for optimal psychological functioning. Such a perspective is consonant with data on a vast array of traumatic life experiences (e.g., Frankl, 1959; Janoff-Bulman, 1989; Lifton, 1968, 1980; Parkes, 1988; Schwartzberg & Janoff-Bulman, in press; Wortman & Silver, 1987, 1989). The interviews revealed ten "representations" by which participants attributed specific meanings to HIV and AIDS: catalyst for personal or spiritual growth; belonging; relief; strategy; punishment; self-contamination; confirmation of powerlessness; isolation; and irreparable loss. Four general patterns typified the participants' attempts to integrate HIV into a larger framework for ascribing meaning to the world: "shattered meaning" (inability to integrate HIV into a new worldview); "high meaning" (successful integration of HIV into a new worldview); "defensive meaning" (superficial integration of HIV into a new worldview); and "irrelevant meaning" (the minimization or denial of the impact of AIDS). Many subjects identified at least some beneficial aspects of their situation. For some, HIV was a dramatic catalyst for growth. Most had adapted well, suggesting that many HIV-positive gay men are coping effectively with the enormous challenges they face.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1996. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-07, Section: B, page: 4723.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on December 14. 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

<p> Heart failure patients who visit the Emergency Department often because of chronic nature of their illness require a specific plan of care. Successful engagement requires that nurses identify and act on factors to facilitate transition across the care continuum. This study was undertaken to examine the relationship of three major quality care indicators: social support, perception of nurse caring, and patient satisfaction among patients with heart failure admitted to the emergency department. The study further explored the association of these indicators with demographic and illness variables of the study participants.</p><p> The Quality Caring nursing framework was used as the theoretical framework for the study. A total of 115 adult participants, 71 males and 44 females who were admitted in the emergency department of two public hospitals in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States were recruited. Data were collected using a survey package consisting of four instruments: the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey measuring perceived social support, the Caring Assessment Tool (CAT) measuring nurse caring, and the Consumer Emergency Care Satisfaction Scale (CESS) measuring satisfaction with care in the emergency department.</p><p> Although the major study hypotheses that high levels of social support would be associated with caring and with patient satisfaction were not supported, there were significant associations found between aspects of social support, caring measure and the demographic and illness measures such as marital status and the number the number of household members. Also, those who were employed perceived more social support than those who were unemployed and those who were retired had a significantly higher perception of caring.</p><p> These findings challenge nurse clinicians, educators, and administrators to further investigate the roles of social support, caring and patient satisfaction in multiple aspects of chronic illness.</p>

<p> The abstract is not available from PDF copy and paste.</p>

<p> The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a construct that describes the motivations of physicians to lead multidisciplinary prostate cancer clinics (MPCCs). Medical leaders play a key role in increasing the number of MPCCs, which are not yet widely available to patients in the United States. Understanding what motivates these physicians to lead is an important dimension of developing, recruiting, and retaining MPCC leaders. </p><p> This study collected qualitative, empirical data from 12 MPCC medical leaders located throughout the United States. Utilizing theoretical sampling and constant comparison, the data derived from face-to-face interviews were used to create a new construct of MPCC medical leaders' motives called <i> Leader-Stage Motivation</i> (LSM). </p><p> In the LSM construct a physician experiences 11 motivational factors while leading a multidisciplinary prostate cancer clinic. These 11 factors are grouped into 5 motivational patterns: mentored self-efficacy, purpose-driven goal, multidisciplinary relatedness, time-moderated challenge, and achievement-driven goal. Each of these 5 patterns is directly related to the leader's role during 3 stages of MPCC development: leader-creator, leader-sustainer, and leader-renewer. </p><p> The LSM construct is distinct from other leadership motivation theories such as leadership motive pattern (McClelland, 1975), role motivation theory (Miner, 1978) and motivation to lead (Chan &amp; Drasgow, 2001). Unlike these previous theories LSM establishes a relationship between the leader's motivations and changing leadership roles during the life cycle of an organization. The LSM construct also provides a new model of leadership motivation that is specific to medical leaders. </p><p> This study contributes to leadership motivation research by modeling physicians' motivations to lead in one type of multidisciplinary, patient-centered environment. The LSM construct gives health care providers a development, recruitment, and retention framework for future multidisciplinary prostate cancer clinic medical leaders. Results of this study may also contribute more broadly to an understanding of what motivates physicians to lead their peers. </p>

<p> Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Trainings such as Question Persuade and Refer (QPR) are used to increase suicide awareness and teach participants basic suicide intervention skills. Previous researchers showed that QPR training increases knowledge of suicide risk factors and increases participants' willingness to intervene with individuals at risk of suicide. It was hypothesized that completion of QPR would also increase positive attitudes toward the utilization of mental health services and that this outcome would be more pronounced among male participants. The examination of attitudes was rooted in the theoretical framework of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. The Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS) was the instrument used for the study. The study occurred in a rural community college in southern Oregon. Student attitudes were assessed prior to completion of a 1-hour QPR presentation followed by a 3-week post assessment. Analysis of Variance revealed significant effects of QPR training. IASMHS scores were significantly higher at post QPR training. A significant interaction between gender and QPR training showed that women scored significantly higher than men only at pre QPR training. There was no statistical gender difference in attitudes measured by the IASMHS at post QPR training. QPR increased help seeking attitudes in both men and women with the increase being more pronounced in men. Increasing positive attitudes toward help seeking can contribute to positive social change. Practitioners in the field of men's health should consider using gatekeeper suicide prevention training such as QPR as a means of increasing male help seeking.</p>

<p> Amid the uniformly low physical activity rates among children in the United State, practical solutions for increasing physical activity (PA) are needed. Whether interventions to increase PA need to account for individual demographic characteristics or safety context is unknown. </p><p> <b>Methods:</b> Study Design: This community based participatory research project used mixed methods, including secondary data analyses and concept mapping. Setting: Five demographically diverse, geographically contiguous, urban neighborhoods in Colorado, including one of the largest redevelopments in the United States designed for active living. Measures: Secondary data identified neighborhood safety contexts. Concept mapping participants identified, sorted and rated interventions to increase youth PA. Population: Participants were purposefully sampled households, including equal numbers of black, white and Latino adults from each safety context, and their 10-14 year-old children. Analysis: Cluster analysis using measures of social cohesion, incivilities, discrimination, and fear of crime and traffic safety identified homogenous safety subgroups. ANOVA, multivariable analyses and concept mapping pattern matching were used to compare ratings between safety contexts and demographic groups. </p><p> <b>Results:</b> Cluster analyses identified three distinct safety contexts. Concept mapping elicited 330 ideas, 100 of which were randomly selected for participants to sort and rate. Three intervention groupings were identified: 1) activity interventions, 2) safety interventions, and 3) infrastructure/access interventions. Participants residing in less safe contexts, and black and Latino adults, rated all interventions as more needed than participants from the safest context and white adults. Adults residing in the safest context thought infrastructure/access interventions were most needed, while adults from less safe contexts rated safety interventions as most needed. Youth across all contexts thought safety interventions were least needed; activity and infrastructure/access interventions were most needed. Community-led analyses identified that all youth across all contexts wanted safe, free and fun physical activity resources and opportunities. </p><p> <b>Discussion:</b> Safety context is an indicator of community need for youth physical activity interventions. Communities recommend framing and implementing interventions that are simultaneously safe, free and fun, rather than focusing exclusively on safety intervention needs that stigmatize neighborhoods. Top rated interventions are consistent with nationally recommended interventions.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research was to analyze a recreation therapy yoga meditation intervention, the Sanatana Yoga Prison Project (SYPP), at a California state prison. The SYPP had three interventions: pranayama (breathing techniques), asana (physical postures), and dhyana (meditation). The research question was, "What are the outcomes of a recreation therapy yoga meditation intervention on prison inmates' spiritual well-being?" This study used a mixed-method approach that included a modified Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), demographic data sheet, and semi-structured interviews that were face-to-face and audio-recorded. There were 31 participants in the control group and 31 participants in the experimental group. Spiritual Wellbeing (SWB) scores were analyzed using the SWBS manual and SPSS 20. The results indicated significant difference between the groups. That is, the experiment group scored high on SWB compared to the control group that scored moderate on SWB. Ten interviews from the experimental group were analyzed using an existential-phenomenological approach. Two overarching categories emerged with four themes each: (a) concrete outcomes with themes of physical benefits, escape, quieting the mind, and reflection, and (b) psychospiritual development outcomes with themes of epiphany, connection to self and others, psychological and behavioral change, and coping skills. </p>