Developing Nurses and Interdisciplinary Teams in Caring Science.

This program evaluation assessed a caring science program's impact on nurse and interdisciplinary professionals' self-reported caring, compassion satisfaction, and intent to leave at an academic-affiliated community hospital. A 3-session program resulted in self-caring and intent to leave significant increases at 60 days post intervention. Findings demonstrated caring science interventions alone are insufficient to impact staff engagement and intent to leave. Further actions for organizational culture changes are discussed.

Birthplace, culture, self-esteem, and intimate partner violence among community-dwelling Hispanic women.

The purpose of this study was to explore variations in demographics, culture, self-esteem, and intimate partner violence among Hispanic women according to birthplace, and to identify factors associated with these differences in intimate partner violence (IPV). Baseline data from a randomized control trial testing the efficacy of an HIV prevention program were used. Path analyses identified differences in IPV between Colombian women and women from other Central/South American countries. Self-esteem was the only factor associated with these differences. Interventions addressing the unique needs of Hispanic women from different subgroups are needed.

Exploring the concept of HIV-related stigma.

BACKGROUND: HIV infection is a chronic, manageable illness. Despite advances in the care and treatment of people living with HIV infection, HIV-related stigma remains a challenge to HIV testing, care, and prevention. Numerous studies have documented the impact of HIV-related stigma among various groups of people living with HIV infection, but the concept of HIV-related stigma remains unclear. PURPOSE: Concept exploration of HIV-related stigma via an integrative literature review was conducted in order to examine the existing knowledge base of this concept. METHODS: Search engines were employed to review the existing knowledge base of this concept. CONCLUSION: After the integrative literature review, an analysis of HIV-related stigma emerged. Implications for future concept analysis, research, and practice are included.

CULTURAL PHENOMENA AND THE SYNDEMIC FACTOR: SUBSTANCE ABUSE, VIOLENCE, HIV, AND DEPRESSION AMONG HISPANIC WOMEN.

Researchers exploring the health of Hispanics in South Florida utilizing a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods have identified that substance abuse, violence, risky sexual behavior, and depression are not only conceptualized as tightly interrelated health and social problems, but also hold together in a measurement model to represent an underlying phenomenon (i.e., the Syndemic Factor). The purpose of this study is to test hypothesized relationships between cultural phenomena and the Syndemic Factor among community-dwelling Hispanic women. Standardized questionnaires assessing Acculturation, Hispanic Stress, Familism, and the Syndemic Factor were administered to a cross-sectional sample of 548 Hispanic women from South Florida. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze relationships. The model explained 61 percent of the variance in the Syndemic Factor. There was a large positive relationship between the Syndemic Factor and Hispanic Stress, and a small inverse relationship between the Syndemic Factor and Familism. Women with high Hispanic Acculturation and low U.S. Acculturation scored lower on the Syndemic Factor than Integrated/Bicultural women. Familism buffered the relationship between Hispanic Stress and the Syndemic Factor. Structural, community, family, and individual prevention strategies that address underlying conditions associated with the Syndemic Factor must be developed and formally evaluated.

A syndemic model of substance abuse, intimate partner violence, HIV infection, and mental health among Hispanics.

Hispanics are disproportionately affected by substance abuse, HIV infection, intimate partner violence, and mental health conditions. To address health disparities among Hispanics and other vulnerable groups, it is necessary to understand the complex interactions between health conditions clustering together (e.g., substance abuse, intimate partner violence, and HIV) and the social ecology in which these conditions exist. A syndemic orientation, a consideration of clustering epidemics and common individual, relationship, cultural, and socioenvironmental factors linking these conditions, may be helpful in developing comprehensive models that expand our ability to understand and address health disparities. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a Syndemic Model of Substance Abuse, Intimate Partner Violence, HIV Infection, and Mental Health among Hispanics, and provide evidence from the research literature to support the central relationships and risk and protective factors (i.e., potential links between conditions) depicted by the model. The development and evaluation of interventions aimed at the prevention of substance abuse, intimate partner violence, HIV/AIDS, and mental health problems as a syndemic affecting Hispanics is urgently needed. Public health nurses can initiate this endeavor with the guidance of a Syndemic Model.