Martha G Meraviglia

Bio: Martha G Meraviglia is an academic researcher from University of Texas at Austin. The author has contributed to research in topics: Quality of life (healthcare) & Cancer. The author has an hindex of 13, co-authored 18 publications receiving 855 citations.

Critical analysis of spirituality and its empirical indicators. Prayer and meaning in life.

Abstract: Spirituality for holistic nursing is defined after a critical analysis of the literature. Spirituality is defined as the experiences and expressions of one's spirit in a unique and dynamic process reflecting faith in God or a supreme being; a connectedness with oneself, others, nature or God; and an integration of all human dimensions. Prayer and meaning in life are described as empirical indicators for appraising spirituality. Prayer is an indicator of the defining attribute of connectedness with God, and meaning in life is an outcome of spirituality.

The Effects of Spirituality on Well-Being of People With Lung Cancer

Abstract: Purpose/objectives To examine the effects of spirituality on the sense of well-being of people with lung cancer. Design Descriptive, correlational study. Setting Urban and rural oncology and radiation centers. Sample 60 adults ranging from 33-83 years of age. Most participants had non-small cell lung cancer and were female, Caucasian, and older than 50. Methods Participants completed a questionnaire composed of six survey instruments: Life Attitude Profile-Revised, Adapted Prayer Scale, Index of Well-Being, Symptom Distress Scale, a background information sheet, and a cancer characteristics questionnaire. Correlations among study concepts were examined, and multiple regression analysis was used to determine the effects of spirituality. Main research variables Meaning in life, prayer activities and experiences, symptom distress, and psychological well-being. Findings Higher meaning in life scores were associated with higher psychological well-being and lower symptom distress scores. Higher prayer scores were associated with higher psychological well-being scores. Regression analysis indicated that meaning in life mediated the relationship between functional status and physical responses to lung cancer and explained 9% of the variance in symptom distress. Prayer mediated the relationship between current physical health and psychological responses and explained 10% of the variance in psychological well-being. Conclusions Aspects of spirituality, meaning in life, and prayer have positive effects on psychological and physical responses in this group of people with lung cancer. Implications for nursing This research provides knowledge about spirituality and sense of well-being to guide the care of people with lung cancer.

Effects of spirituality in breast cancer survivors.

Abstract: Purpose/objectives To examine the effects of spirituality (meaning in life and prayer) on a sense of well-being among women who have had breast cancer. Design Descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional. Setting Rural and urban communities in central Texas. Sample Convenience sample of 84 women, 34-80 years of age diagnosed less than one year previously (36%), within the previous one to five years (38%), and more than five years previously (26%). Methods The study approach consisted of completing a questionnaire assessing personal and cancer characteristics, aspects of spirituality (meaning in life and prayer), and physical and psychological responses to breast cancer. Main research variables Meaning in life, prayer, and physical and psychological responses to breast cancer. Findings Meaning in life was positively related to psychological responses and negatively related to physical responses. Prayer was positively related to psychological well-being. Women with higher prayer scale scores reported lower education levels, less income to meet their needs, and closer relationships with God. Meaning in life mediated the impact of breast cancer on physical and psychological well-being. Conclusions Strong relationships exist among spirituality and personal and cancer characteristics. Meaning in life mediated the effects of breast cancer on well-being in breast cancer survivors. Implications for nursing The findings support healthcare providers encouraging women diagnosed with breast cancer to explore their spirituality as an effective resource for dealing with the physical and psychological responses to cancer.

The Expect Respect Project Creating a Positive Elementary School Climate

Abstract: The Expect Respect Project, a violence prevention program, was developed to reduce the incidence of bullying and sexual harassment by creating a positive school climate in which inappropriate behaviors are not tolerated and staff members respond consistently to incidents. The project implemented an educational intervention for students, parents, and staff members on expecting respect in student relationships and strategies for responding to inappropriate student behaviors. This article describes the educational intervention and evaluation of the project. Findings from the project showed a significant increase in awareness of bullying following the educational intervention. Bullying was reported to have occurred in areas with less adult supervision such as the playground, cafeteria, hallway, and buses. Students thought staff would respond to inappropriate behaviors by telling students to ignore verbal bullying or sexual harassment. In contrast, staff at the elementary schools thought adults would respond to inappropriate behaviors by telling the bully to stop, calling his or her parents, or giving a specific punishment.

Health Status and Self-care Outcomes After an Education-Support Intervention for People With Chronic Heart Failure.

Abstract: Background The rising cost of hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) care mandates intervention models to address education for self-care success. The effectiveness of memory enhancement strategies to improve self-care and learning needs further examination. Objective The objective of this study was to examine the effects of an education-support intervention delivered in the home setting, using strategies to improve health status and self-care in adults/older adults with class I to III HF. Our secondary purpose was to explore participants' subjective perceptions of the intervention. Methods This study used a randomized, 2-group design. Fifty people were enrolled for 9 months and tested at 4 time points-baseline; after a 3-month education-support intervention; at 6 months, after 3 months of telephone/e-mail support; and 9 months, after a 3-month period of no contact. Advanced practice registered nurses delivered the intervention. Memory enhancement methods were built into the teaching materials and delivery of the intervention. We measured the intervention's effectiveness on health status outcomes (functional status, self-efficacy, quality of life, emotional state/depressive symptoms, and metamemory) and self-care outcomes (knowledge/knowledge retention, self-care ability). Subjects evaluated the usefulness of the intervention at the end of the study. Results The mean age of the sample was 62.4 years, with a slight majority of female participants. Participants were well educated and had other concomitant diseases, including diabetes (48%) and an unexpected degree of obesity. The intervention group showed significant improvements in functional status, self-efficacy, and quality of life (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire); metamemory Change and Capacity subscales (Metamemory in Adulthood Questionnaire); self-care knowledge (HF Knowledge Test); and self-care (Self-care in Heart Failure Index). Participants in both groups improved in depressive scores (Geriatric Depression Scale). Conclusions An in-home intervention delivered by advanced practice registered nurses was successful in several health status and self-care outcomes, including functional status, self-efficacy, quality of life, metamemory, self-care status, and HF knowledge.

A Review of School Climate Research

Abstract: For more than a century, there has been a growing interest in school climate. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute for Educational Sciences, a growing number of State Departments of Education, foreign educational ministries, and UNICEF have focused on school climate reform as an evidence-based school improvement strategy that supports students, parents/guardians, and school personnel learning and working together to create ever safer, more supportive and engaging K–12 schools. This work presents an integrative review on school climate research. The 206 citations used in this review include experimental studies, correlational studies, literature reviews, and other descriptive studies. The review focuses on five essential dimensions of school climate: Safety, Relationships, Teaching and Learning, Institutional Environment, and the School Improvement Process. We conclude with a critique of the field and a series of recommendations for school climate...

Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: a systematic and meta-analytic review

Abstract: This article presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs in schools. Studies were included if they evaluated the effects of an anti-bullying program by comparing an intervention group who received the program with a control group who did not. Four types of research design were included: a) randomized experiments, b) intervention-control comparisons with before-and-after measures of bullying, c) other intervention-control comparisons, and d) age-cohort designs. Both published and unpublished reports were included. All volumes of 35 journals from 1983 up to the end of May 2009 were hand-searched, as were 18 electronic databases. Reports in languages other than English were also included. A total of 622 reports concerned with bullying prevention were found, and 89 of these reports (describing 53 different program evaluations) were included in our review. Of the 53 different program evaluations, 44 provided data that permitted the calculation of an effect size for bullying or victimization. The meta-analysis of these 44 evaluations showed that, overall, school-based anti-bullying programs are effective: on average, bullying decreased by 20–23% and victimization decreased by 17–20%. Program elements and intervention components that were associated with a decrease in bullying and victimization were identified, based on feedback from researchers about the coding of 40 out of 44 programs. More intensive programs were more effective, as were programs including parent meetings, firm disciplinary methods, and improved playground supervision. Work with peers was associated with an increase in victimization. It is concluded that the time is ripe to mount a new program of research on the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs based on these findings.

Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index

Abstract: Five subscales were derived from the Nursing Work Index (NWI) to measure the hospital nursing practice environment, using 1985-1986 nurse data from 16 magnet hospitals. The NWI comprises organizational characteristics of the original magnet hospitals. The psychometric properties of the subscales and a composite measure were established. All measures were highly reliable at the nurse and hospital levels. Construct validity was supported by higher scores of nurses in magnet versus nonmagnet hospitals. Confirmatory analyses of contemporary data from 11,636 Pennsylvania nurses supported the subscales. The soundness of the new measures is supported by their theoretical and empirical foundations, conceptual integrity, psychometric strength, and generalizability. The measures could be used to study how the practice environment influences nurse and patient outcomes.

Towards clarification of the meaning of spirituality.

Abstract: Background. Rhetoric about spirituality and nursing has greatly increased, as scientific-based approaches are not fully able to address many human problems, such as persistent pain. Despite the renewed interest and growing literature on spirituality, there is no consensus on a definition of this concept. There is also ambiguity on how this concept is incorporated into nursing practice, research, and education. Aim. This paper aims to contribute toward clarification of the meaning of spirituality in relevance to health and nursing today through a conceptual analysis process. Methods. Information was obtained through dictionary definitions and electronic database searches of literature on spirituality spanning the past 30 years. The criteria for selection included scholarly articles and books with a definition of spirituality, and research studies that investigated the meaning of spirituality to individuals' health. A total of 76 articles and 19 books were retrieved for this analysis. Findings. Spirituality is an inherent component of being human, and is subjective, intangible, and multidimensional. Spirituality and religion are often used interchangeably, but the two concepts are different. Spirituality involves humans' search for meaning in life, while religion involves an organized entity with rituals and practices about a higher power or God. Spirituality may be related to religion for certain individuals, but for others, such as an atheist, it may not be. Conclusion. In order to provide clarity and enhance understanding of this concept, this analysis delineates antecedents, attributes, constructed case examples, empirical referents, and consequences of spirituality. A proposed definition of spirituality emerged from this process, which may be applied broadly. Implications for nursing practice, education, and research are discussed.