Nursing Dissertations

Characteristics predictive of lifestyle change among older adults with hypertension

Brenda Melanson Douglas — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:16:04 PDT

Hypertension (HTN) affects 67% of adults age 60 and older, a disproportionate percentage when compared with other age-specific groups. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-7) cites the primary objective in the evaluation of individuals with HTN is to assess adherence to therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC). However, even with the well-known association between the performance of TLCs and lowered blood pressure levels, inadequate or inconsistent attention is given to lifestyle changes. The purpose of this cross-sectional correlational predictive study was to develop a prediction model of demographic and...

The relationship among diabetes self-care, psychological adjustment, social support and glycemic control in the Lebanese population with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Ola Ali Sukkarieh — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:38:31 PST

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. In Lebanon, the prevalence rate of type 2 DM was 5.9% (N= 1982). The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between diabetes self care, psychological adjustment and social support and glycemic control (A1C levels) among the Lebanese adults with diabetes mellitus. The study was descriptive correlational design with convenience sample of adults (N=140) diagnosed with type 2 DM recruited from two diabetes clinics. The participants completed a set of questionnaires: Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) translated to Arabic, Social Support - Arabic version and Problem...

Race, gender and age effects on the assessment of bipolar disorder in youth

Mary Ann McDonnell — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:01:10 PST

Background: Little is known about racial, age or gender disparities in the assessment and diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. Objectives: To assess the psychometric properties of five commonly-used screening instruments in detecting bipolar disorder in youth. Design: A secondary analysis will be used to determine if a test item bias (or differential item functioning) exists within each of these instruments. Data from Dr. Eric Youngstrom's existing database of 758 African American and White families, with 303 female and 456 male subjects) will be used. Results: Measurement variance was found in the instruments between different racial and...