Development of an Adolescent Inpatient Sexual Abuse Group: Application of Lewin's Model of Change

The development and implementation of an adolescent sexual abuse group on an inpatient psychiatric unit is described. Steps of Kurt Lewin's model of change are used as a framework for this planned change. Specific issues concerning group procedure and process are detailed. Recommendations for this group and broader use of the Lewin model are included.     

The extension of 4 degrees C storage time of frozen-thawed red cells

Blood was drawn from volunteer donors and frozen using the high glycerin, mechanical freezing procedure accepted by the United States Navy. Subsequently, the units of blood were thawed and washed. Various anticoagulants were added, and the red cells were stored in a refrigerator at 4 degrees C for periods of up to 28 days. Chemical analyses were performed periodically. These showed that the addition of the anticoagulants ACD, CPD and CPDA-1 caused the red cells to be preserved better than the currently accepted 0.9-percent NaCl, 0.2-percent glucose solution. In vivo 51Cr viability studies performed on blood stored with CPDA-1 for 14 days showed a 24-hour viability of 78.8 +/- 8.4 percent. In a subsequent study, the blood was stored for 21 days prior to freezing and then was rejuvenated and frozen. The cells were thawed, washed, and stored at 4 degrees C with CPDA-1 for an additional 14 days. The 24-hour viability of these cells was determined to be 74.0 +/- 5.1 percent. These findings show that the postthaw storage time of red cells can be increased greatly over the now-accepted 24 hours, if bacterial sterility can be assured.     

Planning a Continuum of Care in Child Psychiatric Nursing A Collaborative Effort

A guide for providing a continuum of care for children in need of psychiatric services from the least restrictive services (outpatient care), to a moderately restrictive setting (partial hospitalization), to the most restrictive setting (inpatient care) is described. Movement along the continuum is facilitated by the nurse case manager. Concepts from three theoretical frameworks are integrated to define goals, criteria, and expected outcomes for each level of care along the continuum. They are Neuman's (1982) systems model for nursing practice and education, Caplan's (1961) model for primary prevention of mental disorders in children, and Frances, Clarken and Perry's (1984) differential therapeutics. The continuum provides a guide for nurses and other health care providers to achieve high quality care as economically as possible. It also enhances self-care and self-responsibility for families of disturbed children by offering a sequential graded system of care along the health-illness continuum.     

Sibling Incest

Child sexual abuse has gained national attention within the last decade. The most reported and studied form of intrafamilial child sexual abuse is father-daughter incest However, it is believed that sibling incest may be a more widespread form of intrafamilial sexual abuse. Yet, it has received the least amount of documentation and study. The purpose of this article is to describe sibling incest, including family dynamics. Implications for nursing intervention and research are proposed.     

Catchers in the Rye: Treatment Foster Parents as a System of Care

PROBLEM: Similar to the children in J. D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, youth in foster care face the specter of "going over the cliff." METHODS: The empirical basis for "treatment foster care" is reviewed, concluding that treatment foster care is both a clinically and cost-effective form of community-based treatment. FINDINGS: Treatment foster parents prevent the fall of foster youth into the chasm of school failure, involvement with juvenile justice, and dependent living as adults. CONCLUSION: Treatment foster care is an evidence-based approach that is less restrictive and offers troubled youth an opportunity to engage and grow within a family setting.