Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 17, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-163).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 422-432).

Psykiska besvär har de senaste åren framträtt som en av de ledande orsakerna till sjukfrånvaro för personal inom vård och omsorg, och det finns en tydlig koppling till den psykosociala arbetsmiljön. Känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) och self-efficacy har i tidigare forskning haft ett samband den psykosociala arbetsmiljön och syftet med nuvarande studie är att undersöka om sambandet återfinns även för anställda inom vård och omsorg. I undersökningen användes en enkät bestående av work related sense of coherence (WSOC), Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale (OSES) samt för psykosocial arbetsmiljö Karasek och Theorells krav, kontroll och stöd baserat på items från QPSNordic -34. Enkäten administrerades till 155 anställda inom vård och omsorg och 54 besvarades. Resultatet visade signifikanta positiva korrelationer mellan KASAM, self-efficacy och kontroll samt stöd. KASAM och self-efficacy korrelerade signifikant negativt med krav. En multipel regressionsanalys visade att self-efficacy bidrar med förklarad varians i krav och kontroll medan känsla av sammanhang bidrar med förklarad varians i stöd. Slutsatsen är att känsla av sammanhang och self-efficacy är användbara teorier för att arbeta strukturerat med att utveckla den psykosociala arbetsmiljön och främja en god hälsa hos de anställda.

Background: Breastfeeding frequency decrease in Sweden and infants born preterm is a particularly vulnerable group to not be breastfed according to current recommendations. Mothers of preterm infants have an extra need of support from the health care system. Mothers' self-efficacy in breastfeeding affects the outcome of breastfeeding. Health professionals' attitudes to breastfeeding have an impact on the breast feeding support they provide to the mothers.Aim: To investigate whether an intervention could strengthen self-efficacy in breastfeeding among mothers of premature babies. A further aim was to investigate whether the intervention influenced health professionals' attitudes to breastfeeding.Method/Design: An experimental study with quantitative approach in the form of questionnaire survey was conducted. The selection consisted of 14 mothers who were divided into control group and intervention group, in the health professional group the selection was 20 respondents.Results: Health professionals ' attitudes to breastfeeding was significantly more positive after the intervention. Also two statements on the survey demonstrated significantly more positive attitudes to breastfeeding among health professionals. Regarding mothers' breastfeeding self-efficacy no significant difference was detected between the control group and the intervention group.Conclusion: An evidence based intervention influenced the health professionals´ attitudes to breastfeeding. Further research is needed to demonstrate the connection between the intervention and mothers´ self-efficacy to breastfeed premature babies. / Bakgrund: Amningsfrekvensen sjunker i Sverige och prematurfödda barn är en extra sårbar grupp för att inte bli ammade efter rådande rekommendationer och mammor till prematurfödda barn har ett extra stort behov av stöd från hälso- och sjukvården. Mammors tillit till sin förmåga att amma påverkar utfallet av amningen och vårdpersonalens attityder till amning påverkar amningsstödet de ger. Syfte: Att undersöka om en intervention kunde stärka tilliten till att amma hos mammor till prematurfödda barn. Ett ytterligare syfte var att undersöka om interventionen påverkade vårdpersonals attityder till amning. Metod/design: En experimentell studie med kvantitativ ansats i form av enkätundersökning genomfördes. Urvalet bestod av 14 mammor som fördelades i jämförelsegrupp och interventionsgrupp, i vårdpersonalgruppen bestod urvalet av 20 personer. Resultat: Vårdpersonalens attityder till amning var signifikant mer positiva efter interventionen. Även på två påståenden på attitydformuläret visades en signifikant mer positiv attityd till amning hos vårdpersonalen. Gällande mammors tillit till sin förmåga att amma kunde ingen signifikant skillnad påvisas mellan jämförelsegrupp och interventionsgrupp. Slutsats: En evidensbaserad intervention förbättrade vårdpersonalens attityder till amning. Ytterligare forskning krävs för att undersöka om interventionen kan påverka mammors till att amma prematurfödda barn.

Abstract Sickle cell disease is the most common genetic disorder in the United States. Approximately 90% of the hospitalizations in this patient population occur due to the most common complication, pain crises. Prevention of these crises is therefore essential and requires the patient to assume an active role in his or her disease management. Studies suggest that further research is needed to examine the self-care management process and to identify factors influencing self-care behaviors. The relationships among these factors must be clearly defined before interventions to improve self-care management can be determined. The aims of the study were threefold. The first aim was to evaluate the relationships among psychosocial variables (SCD self-efficacy and social support) and socio-demographic variables (age, gender, education, employment status, income, and living situation) in understanding individual differences in self-care management variables (perceived self-care ability and self-care actions). It was hypothesized that higher SCD self-efficacy, greater social support, being employed, living with family or friends, increased age, more years of education, higher income, and being male are each associated with having higher perceived self-care ability and more frequent self-care actions. The second aim was to evaluate the relationships among psychosocial variables (SCD self-efficacy and social support), socio-demographic variables (age, gender, education, employment status, income, and living situation), and self-care management variables (perceived self-care ability and self-care actions) in understanding hospital visits for crises. It was hypothesized that higher perceived self-care ability and more frequent self-care actions are associated with fewer hospital visits for crises. The third aim was to evaluate the mediational role of perceived self-care ability and self-care actions in the relationships among psychosocial variables (SCD self-efficacy and social support), socio-demographic variables (age, gender, education, employment status, income, and living situation), and the number of hospital visits for crises. It was hypothesized that SCD self-efficacy, social support, and the socio-demographic variables have both a direct and an indirect relationship with the number of hospital visits for crises. In 103 young Black adults (ages 18-30) with sickle cell disease (SCD), an exploratory , correlational study was conducted, via secondary analysis of data, to examine the relationships among SCD self-efficacy, social support, socio-demographic variables, self-care management (self-care ability and self-care actions), and the number of hospital visits for crises. Bivariate correlations and regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationships among the variables and to examine the mediational role of self-care management. Sickle cell disease self-efficacy, social support, years of education, and income were significantly related to perceived self-care ability and self-care actions. Social support accounted for the majority of the variance in each self-care management variable. The hypothesis that higher SCD self-efficacy and greater social support are associated with higher perceived self-care ability and more frequent self-care actions was supported. Education was also associated with higher perceived self-care ability and self-care actions as hypothesized. The overall model with SCD self-efficacy, social support, years of education, income, perceived self-care ability, and self-care actions was not significant in predicting the number of hospital visits for crises. There were no significant associations noted among age, annual household income, living situation, employment status, and the self-care management variables. The hypothesis that higher perceived self-care ability and more frequent self-care actions are associated with fewer hospital visits for crises was not supported. Further, there was no adequate evidence to support a direct relationship between SCD self-efficacy, social support, years of education, and the number of hospital visits for crises. The indirect relationship, through self-care management, among the variables was also non-significant. There was however a significant direct relationship noted between income and the number of hospital visits for crises. The outcomes of the study may be important for clinical care, patient education, and health outcomes in the SCD population. Findings may be used to conduct larger confirmatory studies and to develop interventions that may be used to supplement therapy in the clinical setting and to enhance patient self-care management at home. Additional studies are needed, however, to clarify what additional variables may affect the number of hospital visits for crises and to identify specific pain prevention and management strategies used by SCD patients.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has been shown to facilitate positive outcomes in language learning environments, including greater motivation, positive attitudes, and increased interactive quantity and quality of language use. This study posits that CMC can serve as an affordance that allows for increased opportunities for deaf students to engage in direct, collaborative learning and meaningful interaction in English that then allows for increased motivation, improved visualizations of the self, attitudes, and self-efficacy in English language learning. Changes in these outcomes due to the intervention of CMC in college English classes designed for the deaf student will be assessed with pre- and post-tests, using hierarchical linear modeling as a statistical methodology to capture class effects. Qualitative analyses will also capture greater levels of complexity in instructor and student experiences with CMC through interviews, observations, and transcript analysis. This report also includes an evaluation plan with an outline of the essential program components, a logic model, and analysis plan based on stakeholder questions. / text

One of the most challenging aspects of being a parent is managing the many emotions that are aroused in the context of caring for a child. This dissertation explores the relationships among self-compassion, affective distress, parenting self-efficacy, and negative parenting behaviors in a sample of mothers of preschool-aged children (n = 139). Participants completed several self-report measures on-line including the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), and the Parenting Scale (PS). Higher levels of self-compassion were associated with fewer negative parenting behaviors and higher levels of parenting satisfaction. Initial data analyses revealed the relationship between self-compassion and negative parenting behaviors was partially mediated by affective distress and parenting self-efficacy. However, when lax and overreactive parenting behaviors were examined separately, only overreactive parenting behaviors were significantly related to self-compassion. Self-efficacy---but not negative affect---continued to partially mediate this relationship. The results of the study suggest that self-compassion, as a way of being and as a strategy of emotion regulation, is an asset when facing the challenges and emotional tide of parenting. Limitations of the study and future areas of research are discussed. / text

A current national priority is improving secondary school mathematics performance. National initiatives have attempted to help improve student achievement through curricular changes and stringent testing requirements; yet, these initiatives fail to consider the importance of student-teacher relationships in student motivation and achievement. High school students' trust in their mathematics teachers can lead to better relationships and increased feelings of competence, or mathematics self-efficacy, which is consistently linked to achievement. Student trust is based on perceptions of a teacher's competence, benevolence, openness, reliability, and honesty. The aim of my study is to determine the effect of trust in a teacher on student mathematics self-efficacy over the course of a school year, accounting for differences between individual students. The sample consisted of 230 ninth through twelfth grade students (57% girls) from a large high school in central Texas. Students reported their trust in their math teachers and their math self-efficacy at 4 time points. Growth curve modeling was utilized to model the effect of trust on self-efficacy over time. The results indicate that trust predicted self-efficacy over the course of the school year such that for a one point change in trust there was a corresponding .4 point change in self-efficacy. Gender was also a significant predictor of self-efficacy, with girls reporting lower self-efficacy on average. However, girls did not report lower trust, and the relation between trust and self-efficacy was not moderated by gender. Inasmuch as future studies should seek to expand on these findings, this study is an important first step into investigating the link between trust in teachers and self-efficacy. The results of this study serve to inform teachers, researchers, and policy makers of the importance of recognizing student-teacher relationships as an important factor in building student confidence and motivation. / text

Deaf individuals’ relationship with English has historically been problematic, in large part because of the lack of full accessibility to the language. However, language takes up not only communicative space, but also psychological space in our lives. The psychological dimensions involved with English language learning for deaf individuals are largely unknown. This study addressed this gap by exploring psychological dimensions involved with language learning for deaf individuals while concurrently exploring the role of computer-mediated communication in enhancing direct and interactive accessibility of English. The psychological dimensions of interest in this study originate from self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977), possible selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986), and the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009a). This study had three main goals: 1) to examine the motivational characteristics of deaf language learners, 2) to assess whether those characteristics would change over time, and 3) to assess the role of CMC in language learning experiences. This study took place over the course of a semester in college classes designed for deaf students studying English. Selected classes were asked to use online chat as an instructional tool. Measures were administered at the beginning and the end of the semester, and students were asked to participate in focus groups to discuss their experiences. A mixed methods approach that made use of quantitative and qualitative methods was used to capture the complexity involved in second language learning for the deaf student, including contextual influences. Overall findings indicate that deaf students’ self-images, self-efficacy beliefs, attitudes, and motivated behaviors about English were positive, but significantly influenced by the context in which language use occurs. When the environment was seen as accessible, beneficial, and enjoyable, deaf students were able to utilize greater levels of individual agency towards the aim of learning English. Computer-mediated communication emerged as an affordance that enabled “seeing English,” indicating dynamic, interactive engagement with English when ideal conditions were met. Thus, CMC appears to allow for a language learning experience that is available and accessible for deaf learners, and can provide opportunities to prime possible selves as English language users. / text

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of childbirth preparation classes on self-efficacy in coping with labor pain in Thai primiparas. The nonprobability convenience sample consisted of sixty primiparas assigned to either a control or an experimental group (thirty in each group). In order to prevent crosscontamination, all control group data were collected before initiating enrollment of the experimental group. The control group participants received standard care and education. Participants in the experimental group attended three childbirth classes over three consecutive weeks. Data were collected at the beginning of week 1 to establish a baseline (pretest), at the end of the third class which is the end of the intervention (posttest), and at 24-48 hours after delivery (follow-up) using a demographic form, postnatal data form, and the Childbirth Self-efficacy Inventory. Overall, experimental group self-efficacy expectancy increased dramatically across three data points. In contrast, control group self-efficacy expectancy decreased dramatically across three data points. There was an interaction between time of selfefficacy expectancy measurement and group, F(1.33, 71.77) = 6.34, p < .05. Selfefficacy expectancy in the experimental group was significantly different than that of the control group, F(1, 54) = 14.66, p < .001. Outcome expectancy findings were different than self-efficacy expectancy results. Control group outcome expectancy decreased dramatically across three data points while the experimental group selfefficacy increased after the class and then decreased after the birth but was higher than baseline. There was an interaction between time of outcome expectancy measurement and group, F(1.72, 935.18) = 4.83, p < .05. Data at the follow-up or 24-48 hours after delivery revealed that only one woman from the control group received an analgesic during the birthing process. The groups did not differ in duration of labor and type of delivery. These findings indicate partial effect of childbirth preparation classes on self-efficacy in coping with labor pain. The relatively small effect size reflects the high degree of variability in issues surrounding a woman's experience of pain and measures related to self-efficacy in coping with labor pain. Additional research in this population is needed. / text