The purpose of this study was to explore the marital adjustment of older adult couples with breast cancer, prostate cancer, and couples who have experienced neither. Participants were 64 couples in which at least one of the spouses was over 55 years of age, including 19 breast cancer couples, 20 prostate cancer couples, 25 couples who had experienced neither of these cancers. Most participants were young-old, Protestant, Caucasians from a high socioeconomic class. The breast cancer and prostate cancer participants had completed treatment an average of 39.5 months prior to participation. The methodology was a mail survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire for Older Adults (MSQFOP) (Haynes et al., 1992), Primary Communication Inventory (PCI) (Navran, 1967), Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSIS) (Miller & Lefcourt, 1982), and the Index of Sexual Satisfaction (ISS) (Hudson et al., 1981).There were no differences in the amount of discordance between the couples groups' level of marital satisfaction, communication, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction. In addition, there were no differences in the level of marital satisfaction, communication, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction between the participant groups. There was a significantly greater correlation between the prostate cancer couples' scores on the ISS than the correlation between the breast cancer couples' scores and the scores of the couples who had not experienced breast cancer or prostate cancer.The level of marital satisfaction, communication, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction reported was similar to that of the normative samples. There was no difference between the marital adjustment of the cancer couples and older couples who had experienced neither type of cancer. These results are good news for breast and prostate cancer survivors, and professionals. Older adults may be better able to incorporate the experience of cancer into their lives or are better prepared for chronic illness through anticipatory socialization. The high degree of agreement between the prostate cancer spouses on the ISS may be related to the sexual dysfunction that frequently accompanies treatment for this cancer. Future research should be qualitative and longitudinal and continue to explore the psychosocial implications of prostate cancer. / Center for Gerontology

There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Previous research suggested that sleep onset insomnia was significantly reduced with the use of relaxation techniques; however, the majority of these studies used college student populations with mild to moderate insomnia. The objective of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of using muscle relaxation training in a clinical population known to have sleeping difficulties—cancer patients. Results of this study suggest that muscle relaxation training is an effective technique to reduce sleep onset insomnia in cancer patients, and perhaps also in any clinical group. The technique seems especially promising since it was shown to be effective with severe insomniacs suffering severe medical problems. Results of the study were discussed in terms of possible explanations for the efficacy of the treatment, potential uses of the technique with other clinical populations, and ease of teaching nonpsychologist health professionals to treat with muscle relaxation training.

Please read the abstract (Summary) in the section, 00front, of this document / Thesis (PhD (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / PhD / unrestricted

Self-help groups have emerged as a system of care for groups of people sharing a common problem or condition. Most of the interest in research came from professionals in mental health and social services. Educators have traditionally viewed self-help groups as outside their domain. The focus of this study is the phenomenon of personal change within self-help groups. This is viewed as “learning with peers.” The subject of the study was HOPE Cancer Health Centre, a non-profit community based self-help organization in Vancouver, B.C. Appropriate to the study of phenomena in their natural surroundings, data collection methods were qualitative in nature. Fourteen in-depth interviews were carried out with members and leaders of the self-help group. Two introductory workshops were attended for participant observation and several pertinent documents were reviewed. A full description of HOPE Cancer Health Centre as a self-help group and as a context for adult learning was developed. To clarify the description of HOPE, a framework of characteristics of self-help groups was developed. It was used to organize data collection and analysis. Compilation and analysis of the findings created a description of HOPE that adds to the understanding of self-help groups as organizations in a larger system of care provision. It also adds to the understanding of HOPE as an organization with the purpose to assist cancer patients who are interested in actively participating in their cancer treatment and recovery. In order to enhance understanding of adult learning in the context of a selfhelp group, three perspectives from the literature on adult learning were selected for their potential to organize and explain the resulting data. Four important themes emerged from the data on the learning experiences of the members of HOPE. First, the ideology of HOPE, “self as participant in healing,” is the framework of learning and within that frame there are four forms of learning, the forms of transformative learning being the most significant. Second, for the learners of HOPE, the basis of knowledge is their personal experience; therefore, processes of experiential learning are important as well as those of perspective transformation. Third, the affective dimension of the experiential learning process was found to be integral in the process of learning. The fourth theme is “learning with peers,” the innate characteristic of self-help groups. All members interviewed placed high value on their experiences of learning with peers and of learning at HOPE. Meaningful interpretation of the data resulted from application of concepts and theoretical propositions from three perspectives on adult learning: experiential learning, transformative learning and situated learning. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / VIGILANCE EXPERIENCES: CANCER PATIENTS, FAMILIES, AND NURSES Cancer disease, treatment, and errors in health care put patients at increased risk for poor outcomes. To improve outcomes and protect patients, researchers recommend increased vigilance; yet, research on vigilance in health care is minimal. There are even fewer studies on patients, family members, and nurses’ experiences of vigilance, although such studies could contribute to understanding mechanisms that foster vigilance within and across groups. The purpose of this study was twofold: Aim 1 was to describe the experiences of vigilance as perceived at the individual levels of patients receiving treatment for cancer, family members of a patient with cancer, and oncology nurses. Aim 2 was to evaluate commonalities in the lived experience of vigilance as described by patients receiving treatment for cancer, one of their family members, and a nurse caring for them. A qualitative, empirical phenomenological method guided this research. The sample consisted of 7 cancer patients, 6 family members of cancer patients, and 7 oncology nurses. Broad, data generating questions were constructed to elicit rich, narrative descriptions of participants’ experiences with vigilance, which were audio-taped and transcribed. Each participant group data were individually analyzed, using Colaizzi’s method. Significant statements from each participant were identified, restated in the language of science, and interpreted for formulated meanings. From formulated meanings, theme categories were constructed and merged across participants within the groups. A narrative of the commonalities of the experience within each group was developed. The across group commonalities were analyzed in a matrix. A total of 5,272 total significant statements were derived from three participant groups. Eleven themes were derived from patient data, ten from family member data, and ten from nurses’ data. Vigilance appeared as a complex, multidimensional phenomenon, which is implicitly shared within and across these three groups. Common vigilance themes found across all 3 groups included: identification of threats, the key importance of knowledge, trust, hope and connectedness, the beyond the call of duty nature of vigilance, ways vigilance takes energy and effort, what promotes and interferes with vigilance, and vigilance as a shared phenomenon. Implications were found for the healthcare system and nursing care.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

Abstract not available

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)