Nursing Research 

About: Nursing Research is an academic journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Nursing research & Nurse education. It has an ISSN identifier of 0029-6562. Over the lifetime, 5218 publications have been published receiving 185370 citations. The journal is also known as: Nurs Res.

Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living

Abstract: THE use of formal devices for assessing function is becoming standard in agencies serving the elderly In the Gerontological Society's recent contract study on functional assessment (Howell, 1968), a large assortment of rating scales, checklists, and other techniques in use in applied settings was easily assembled The present state of the trade seems to be one in which each investigator or practitioner feels an inner compusion to make his own scale and to cry that other existent scales cannot possibly fit his own setting The authors join this company in presenting two scales first standardized on their own population (Lawton, 1969) They take some comfort, however, in the fact that one scale, the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS), is largely a scale developed and used by other investigators (Lowenthal, 1964), which was adapted for use in our own institution The second of the scales, the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), taps a level of functioning heretofore inadequately represented in attempts to assess everyday functional competence Both of the scales have been tested further for their usefulness in a variety of types of institutions and other facilities serving community-resident older people Before describing in detail the behavior measured by these two scales, we shall briefly describe the schema of competence into which these behaviors fit (Lawton, 1969) Human behavior is viewed as varying in the degree of complexity required for functioning in a variety of tasks The lowest level is called life maintenance, followed by the successively more complex levels of func-

The Delphi method

Abstract: The Delphi method was originally developed in the 50s by the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. This approach consists of a survey conducted in two or more rounds and provides the participants in the second round with the results of the first so that they can alter the original assessments if they want to-or stick to their previous opinion. Nobody 'looses face' because the survey is done anonymously using a questionnaire (the first Delphis were panels). It is commonly assumed that the method makes better use of group interaction (Rowe et al. 1991, Häder/Häder 1995) whereby the questionnaire is the medium of interaction (Martino 1983). The Delphi method is especially useful for long-range forecasting (20-30 years), as expert opinions are the only source of information available. Meanwhile, the communication effect of Delphi studies and therefore the value of the process as such is also acknowledged. During the last ten years, the Delphi method was used more often especially for national science and technology foresight. Some modifications and methodological improvements have been made, meanwhile. Nevertheless, one has to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the method so that it cannot be applied in every case. It is useful for an assessment of new things to come and in cases, which can be explained very shortly. This means for complex themes, it is better to use other methodologies like scenarios and to take into account what Delphi results can provide as single information pieces. Thus, Delphi studies were mainly applied in science, technology and education contexts, but one can think of different occasions. Delphi studies are rather complex procedures and require some resources depending on the breadth of the study planned. Delphi studies are processes that include the preparation, a survey in two or more rounds and some analyses and application (implementation) when the survey is finished. All three phases are important and are addressed during the course. For the preparation phase and the implementation, some practical exercises in small groups are conducted so that the participants gain a feeling for a Delphi procedure.

Predictors of postpartum depression: an update.

Abstract: Background Approximately 13% of women experience postpartum depression. Early recognition is one of the most difficult challenges with this mood disorder because of how covertly it is suffered. Objectives The purpose of this meta-analysis was to update the findings of an earlier meta-analysis of postpartum depression predictors that had synthesized the results of studies conducted mostly in the 1980s. Method A meta-analysis of 84 studies published in the decade of the 1990s was conducted to determine the magnitude of the relationships between postpartum depression and various risk factors. Using the software system Advanced Basic Meta-Analysis, effect sizes were calculated three ways: unweighted, weighted by sample size, and weighted by quality index score. Results Thirteen significant predictors of postpartum depression were revealed. Ten of the 13 risk factors had moderate effect sizes while three predictors had small effect sizes. The mean effect size indicator ranges for each risk factor were as follows: prenatal depression (.44 to .46), self esteem (.45 to. 47), childcare stress (.45 to .46), prenatal anxiety (.41 to .45), life stress (.38 to .40), social support (.36 to .41), marital relationship (.38 to .39), history of previous depression (.38 to .39), infant temperament (.33 to .34), maternity blues (.25 to .31), marital status (.21 to .35), socioeconomic status (.19 to .22), and unplanned/unwanted pregnancy (.14 to .17). Conclusions Results confirmed findings of an earlier meta-analysis and in addition revealed four new predictors of postpartum depression: self-esteem, marital status, socioeconomic status, and unplanned/unwanted pregnancy.