Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PROBLEM: To compare depressive symptoms in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to those in healthy children, and to explore the influence of individual and family factors on level of depression. METHODS: Individual interviews with 68 children, ages 7 to 12 years, in order to complete the Children's Depression Inventory. FINDINGS: Children with ADHD reported significantly more depressive symptoms than did children without ADHD; 14.7% of children with ADHD reached the threshold of a 19 point score, which suggests clinical depression. No significant effects of individual and family factors on level of depression were found. CONCLUSIONS: Children with ADHD are more inclined to experience depressive symptoms than are healthy children. To plan appropriate interventions, nurses evaluating and working with children with ADHD should always consider a possible coexistence of depressive symptoms.     

Promotions and relegations in the psychiatric nursing league

This paper describes a complex set of patient and nursing data from 83 psychiatric wards. It explains how the data were collected and organized into a meaningful format using a quality league-table. The patient and nursing characteristics of high quality psychiatric wards ranking above the 74th percentile and the characteristics of low quality wards falling below the 26th percentile are compared and examined in detail. Startling similarities and differences in patient activity, nursing activity, and nursing quality in high and low quality wards are highlighted. Finally, some implications of the findings for nursing practice, management, and education are considered.     

The Stranger

J Emerg Nurs 1998;24:622.     

Elements of psychological support in nursing care

The paper presents the results of a pilot study which involved 50 nurses from several departments of internal medicine of The State Clinical Hospital of the Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University in Cracow. The results are based on the Statement Response Questionnaire. They show that the most common responses of the nurses in the face of anxiety expressed by patients are cheering up the patient, collecting information about the symptom, and offering explanation of the symptom. The least common responses included expressing one's own positive emotions and showing empathy towards the patient.     

Common Health Problems among Minority Elders

This article reviews the primary health problems of African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian/Pacific Islander-American, and Native-American elders. The goal is to familiarize practicing dietitians with the differences in longevity, disease spectrum, and functional status (where data are available) for each of these ethnic groups. These data should be of assistance in making decisions regarding dietary counseling for ethnic elders. It is acknowledged that most data accumulated according to race do not accurately measure ethnicity. The degree of acculturation may vary widely among individuals. Therefore, it is recommended that dietitians solicit clients’ perceptions of the factors that may contribute to illness and the barriers to implementing recommended remedies.     

Nutrition and Health for Older Persons in Rural America: A Managed Care Model

Health care services and resources for older persons living in rural areas may be highly variable, and integrated service-delivery models are often lacking. This article presents a managed-care model of nutrition risk screening and intervention for older persons in rural areas. Nutrition risk screening was implemented by the Geisinger Health Care System, Danville, Pa, to target all eligible enrollees in a regional Medicare risk program. A single remote clinic site participating in the managed health care system was chosen for further study of a linked screening and case-management effort for undernourished persons. Screening and intervention at the clinic site selected for this study were guided by centralized expertise and resources. Individualized evaluation and intervention plans were developed with the aid of a dietitian and implemented by the clinic case manager. Of the 417 subjects who completed screening at the remote site, 68 met the risk criteria for undernutrition and were selected for case management. Many of the targeted persons received interventions that included evaluations by a physician or physician extender (eg, physician assistant, nurse practitioner) at the clinic and consultations with nutrition, mental health, or social services professionals. Twenty-six of the subjects who took part in the intervention completed a follow-up screening 6 months later. Ten of those persons no longer exhibited risk criteria. This demonstrates the feasibility of a linked screening and case management program for nutrition risk in the managed-care setting. J Am Diet Assoc. 1997; 97: 885-888.