Western Journal of Nursing Research

Sickle cell trait (SCT) places individuals at risk of passing an abnormal hemoglobin gene to biological children and is associated with rare but serious complications. The present study sought to examine knowledge of SCT and awareness of personal trait status among 258 young African American adults. Participants were surveyed regarding demographics, medical history, and sources of sickle cell information before completing a trait knowledge questionnaire. Overall, participants possessed significant misinformation about the condition. Women and those who had learned about sickle cell from families displayed higher levels of knowledge. Most participants were uncertain of personal trait status, and many did not wish to be informed of it. Health care providers should be alert that individuals with SCT may be unaware of their condition and potential reproductive and health implications. Screening and reporting procedures should be examined to ensure individuals have access to and control of this vital health information.

This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted with adolescents to examine the correlation between Internet addiction and social phobia. The population of the study consisted of 24,260 students aged between 11 and 15 years. Sampling method was used from population with known number, and 1,450 students were calculated as sample of the study. In this study, 13.7% of the adolescents had an Internet addiction, and 4.2% spent more than 5 hr on the computer every day. There was a positive correlation between Internet addiction and social phobia. The form of time spent on Internet was examined in terms of addiction and social phobia; although Internet addiction was related to games, dating sites, and web surfing, social phobia was related to homework, games, and web surfing. It was hypothesized that adolescents with social phobia were Internet addicts, and the participants used the Internet to spend time rather than socialize.

This study evaluated qualitative reports of stressful life events from young rural adolescents and examined the relationship between stressor themes and depressive symptoms. A phenomenological approach guided content analysis of qualitative data. Number of themes within each response was tabulated, and association with depressive symptoms was then examined. Stressors were categorized into four thematic domains: family, peers, academics, and intrapersonal. Individual themes within each domain varied, but the themes of conflict and loss were predominant in most domains. Higher number of themes were associated with elevated depressive symptoms (p = .045). Study findings provide insight into the lived experience of adolescent stressors and provide additional empirical evidence regarding the association between stressors and depressive symptoms. The ubiquitous themes of conflict and loss, and the implications of these themes for adolescents’ mental health provide insight for nurses as they advocate for quality mental and physical health care for adolescents and their families.

The electronic health record is a potentially rich source of data for clinical research in the intensive care unit setting. We describe the iterative, multi-step process used to develop and test a data abstraction tool, used for collection of nursing care quality indicators from the electronic health record, for a pragmatic trial. We computed Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ) to assess interrater agreement or reliability of data abstracted using preliminary and finalized tools. In assessing the reliability of study data (n = 1,440 cases) using the finalized tool, 108 randomly selected cases (10% of first half sample; 5% of last half sample) were independently abstracted by a second rater. We demonstrated mean κ values ranging from 0.61 to 0.99 for all indicators. Nursing care quality data can be accurately and reliably abstracted from the electronic health records of intensive care unit patients using a well-developed data collection tool and detailed training.

Questionnaire development involves rigorous testing to ensure reliability and validity. Due to time and cost constraints of developing new questionnaires, researchers often adapt existing questionnaires to better fit the purpose of their study. However, the effect of such adaptations is unclear. We conducted cognitive interviews as a method to evaluate the understanding of original and adapted questionnaire items to be applied in a future study. The findings revealed that all subjects (a) comprehended the original and adapted items differently, (b) changed their scores after comparing the original to the adapted items, and (c) were unanimous in stating that the adapted items were easier to understand. Cognitive interviewing allowed us to assess the interpretation of adapted items in a useful and efficient manner before use in data collection.