Cultural safety in New Zealand and the United States: looking at a way forward together

Cultural safety emerged in Aotearoa, New Zealand as a nursing response to bicultural interactions between indigenous Maori and other New Zealanders. The purpose of this research is to describe the meaning and experience of cultural safety as depicted by nurses in New Zealand and to illustrate the potential for this to inform U.S. nursing education and practice. This interpretive hermeneutic study explored cultural safety as described by 12 experienced nurses who were selected through snowball and purposive sampling. Audiotaped interviews were conducted after ethics approval. Interpretive analysis uncovered five themes that are described with data and paradigm cases. Cultural safety considers the perspective of the patient as the norm in contrast to the culture of health care. Understanding historical power differences and personal biases can help challenge victim-blaming responses by health care providers. Incorporating these understandings into reflective practice enhances the possibility of culturally safe learning for students and culturally safe care for patients.     

抑郁症患者的心理防御方式

目的探讨抑郁症患者的心理防御机制,为心理治疗打下基础。方法利用明尼苏达多项人格调查表(MMPI)和防御方式问卷(DSQ),分别检测抑郁症组和正常对照组,并将两组进行比较。结果抑郁症组患者MMPI多项指标异常,与对照组比较主要是存在明显的性格缺陷和心理防御机制的不健全,DSQ结果表明抑郁症的心理防御机制以不成熟防御机制为主,大多防御机制与对照组比较有显著性差异。结论抑郁症患者心理防御机制不成熟,在心理治疗过程中要注意纠正。     

Graphs: looking at relationships

Research articles often incorporate data in the form of graphs. This article acts as a study guide to enable readers to understand and interpret the data produced in this way.     

Standing at the doorway looking in

The challenges and opportunities for nurses who work with people from diverse backgrounds are considered. The task for a nurse from the dominant culture working with persons from minority cultures requires patience, sensitivity, humility, and imagination, but it can be well worth the effort for all involved.     

A different way of being: adolescents' experiences with cancer

Adolescents with cancer face many challenges that may impact negatively their psychological well-being. In evaluating the psychosocial functioning of adolescents with cancer, research suggests that an altered self-image may emerge in those who have difficulty adjusting. However, little is known about adolescents' perceptions of how cancer affects their sense of self. Part of a larger study, this article addresses findings specific to understanding the impact that cancer and its symptoms had on adolescents' sense of self. To help discover meaningful interpretations of their experiences, a longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted. Data collection methods included open-ended, individual and focus group interviews and participant observation. The constant comparative method of data analysis yielded theoretical categories that were supported by the adolescents' narratives. Findings revealed that adolescents experienced changes in their lived bodies because of the symptoms and this, in turn, impacted their sense of self and way of being in the world. Six ways of being in the world were identified: life as a klutz; life as a prisoner; life as an invalid; life as an alien; life as a zombie; and life as a kid. In helping adolescents deal with the changes, it was important to family and friends to respond to them like they were the same person, but also to treat them special at times. Although adolescents spoke to the significance that cancer had on their lives, they described themselves as "still being pretty much the same person."     

The genetics of acute lung injury: looking back and pointing the way forward

Individual genetic factors have long been suspected of playing a major role in susceptibility to acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Flores and colleagues evaluate the quality of published studies testing the relationships between variation in candidate genes and susceptibility to lung injury syndromes or worsened outcome in patients with these conditions. Their results demonstrate that while important advances have been made in this area, attention should be paid to improving the methodology of future studies in order to minimize the chances of publishing false-positive results.     

体外受精-胚胎移植不同阶段焦虑、抑郁情绪与治疗结局的相关性

目的探讨体外受精—胚胎移植(IVF-ET)周期女性不同阶段焦虑、抑郁情绪变化及其与治疗结局的相关性。方法对117例体外受精—胚胎移植患者应用焦虑自评量表(self-rating anxiety scale,SAS)、抑郁自评量表(self-rating depression scale,SDS)在患者进入周期时(T1期)、取卵前1 d(T2期)、胚胎移植后5~7 d(T3期)进行问卷调查。比较不同时期患者SAS和SDS评分情况;妊娠与未妊娠组不同时期SAS和SDS评分情况,用Logistic回归分析不同治疗阶段SAS评分与是否妊娠的相关性。结果患者T1、T2、T3期SDS评分比较,差异无统计学意义(均P0.05),T1、T2、T3期SAS评分比较,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05),T2、T3期SAS评分明显高于T1期(均P0.05),T2期SAS评分高于T3期(P0.05)。不同治疗阶段两组比较,T2期未妊娠组SAS评分明显高于妊娠组(P0.05)。Logistic回归分析显示,T2期SAS评分为预测妊娠因素(OR=0.685,P0.05),低评分预示高妊娠率。结论行IVF-ET治疗的女性患者取卵前期焦虑评分最高;取卵前期未妊娠患者焦虑评分明显高于妊娠者;取卵前期焦虑评分与治疗结局相关,评分较低者临床妊娠率较高。提示在IVF-ET周期中需特别关注取卵前期不孕妇女的焦虑情绪。