Sources of Stress and Support and Maternal Resources of Homeless Teenage Mothers

PROBLEM: Homeless families headed by young mothers are increasing. This preliminary study describes the characteristics of 17 homeless teenage mothers (HTM). METHODS: HTMs completed questionnaires researching depression, self-esteem, maternal competence, and sources of stress and support. FINDINGS: HTMs had positive maternal competence and self-esteem scores. When compared to housed mothers, HTMs were younger, had more depressive symptoms and negative life events, and fewer social supports. CONCLUSIONS: HTMs represent a high-risk group with fewer available supports and many complex life stressors. School-based programs can benefit HTMs by offering support, helping them continue their education, and assisting with on-site school-based childcare.     

Internet Social Support for Parents: The State of Science

TOPIC: Parents of emotionally disturbed young children have expressed the need for more social support but societal constraints limit their ability to obtain adequate social support. PURPOSE: This paper discusses what is currently known about coping, social support and Internet social support. It proposes the use of electronic social support to meet the needs of parents of emotionally disturbed children. SOURCE: Review of literature. CONCLUSIONS: Electronic forms of social support have the potential to meet the identified needs of parents for more social support.     

Clinical Care Costing Method for the Clinical Care Classification System™

PURPOSE. To provide a means for calculating the cost of nursing care using the Clinical Care Classification System? (CCCS). DATA SOURCES. Three CCCS indicators of care components, actions, and outcomes in conjunction with Clinical Care Pathways (CCPs). DATA SYNTHESIS. The cost of patient care is based on the type of action time multiplied by care components and nursing costs. CONCLUSIONS. The CCCM for the CCCS makes it possible to measure and cost out clinical practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE. The CCCM may be used with CCPs in the electronic patient medical record. The CCPs make it easy to track the clinical nursing care across time, settings, population groups, and geographical locations. Collected data may be used many times, allowing for improved documentation, analysis, and costing out of care.     

Independent sleep EEG slow-wave and spindle band dynamics associated with 4 weeks of continuous application of short-half-life hypnotics in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVES: Habituation and adverse withdrawal reactions after prolonged medication with benzodiazepine (BZ) hypnotics are believed to play a role in dose escalation and the development of dependence. METHODS: In the current sleep EEG study in 43 healthy male subjects, the known property of BZ- and similar hypnotics to change the NREM sleep EEG spectrum is utilized for a detailed quantitative analysis across 4 weeks of continuous medication and a subsequent two-week withdrawal period. The BZ hypnotic triazolam and the non-BZ hypnotics zopiclone and zolpidem, differing in pharmacological properties and reported adverse effects, were examined in parallel to a placebo group. RESULTS: Reliably occurring spectral effects in the sleep stage 2 EEG were found in the 3 frequency bands 0.8-5 Hz, 5-10 Hz and 10-15 Hz. All 3 hypnotics showed the typical 'benzodiazepine signature', a 10-15 Hz increase and lower-frequency (<10 Hz) suppression relative to the preceding drug-free night. However, these effects developed differently across the first medication night, across the 4 medication weeks and after withdrawal: While the 5-10 Hz effect covaried with the blood presence of the drugs as estimated from the known plasma half-lifes, showed habituation and a rebound after withdrawal, the 10-15 Hz power increased across medication days and showed no rebound. Effects in the 0.8-5 Hz band in the first medication night correlated with the decrease of sleep efficiency at later withdrawal for triazolam and zolpidem.