Mind-body therapies for sleep disturbances in women at midlife.

Multiple factors contribute to sleep disturbances in women at midlife. Poor sleep is a common occurrence in women transitioning through midlife and is associated with significant morbidity. Factors that are known to disturb sleep in women at midlife include vasomotor symptoms, nocturia, sleep apnea, and stress. Stress in particular has a significant impact on sleep. Various treatments, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic, are available to treat sleep disturbances. One nonpharmacologic option includes mind-body medicine, which encompasses several therapies. Practices within this realm have been shown to moderate the experience of stress and help restore sleep quality. Each woman's experience of disturbed sleep and transition through midlife is unique. By having a broad awareness of all evidence-based therapeutics, the clinician is able to present a diverse set of options for women at midlife who are affected by poor sleep.

The STARS program: social empowerment training for preadolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there has been a dramatic increase in the number of children being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the last several years. School nursing interventions need to be developed, implemented, and evaluated to address complexities experienced by this population. The STARS curriculum (Social Empowerment Training and Responsibilities for Students with ADHD) is a nursing intervention designed to improve perceptions of scholastic competence, social acceptance, and behavioral conduct in preadolescents diagnosed with ADHD. It consists of eight sessions with the theme of social empowerment training woven throughout the curriculum. The support group concept, with children helping children, initiated dynamic conversation as the participants creatively problem-solved and developed solutions to their difficulties.

Intervention, intervene, interfere ... what are we doing?

TOPIC: A concept analysis of the meaning and attributes of the term intervention. PURPOSE: To define the essence of the term intervention and the role of nurses in nurse-facilitated interventions. SOURCES: Literature review of journals, texts, and popular periodicals from 1983 to the present via CINAHL and Medline. CONCLUSIONS: A more accurate specification of the meaning and relevant attributes of the term intervention as it relates to nursing may lead to more effective clinical applications, as well as a more realistic definition of the term intervention and how it applies to the role.

Reading nursing research: easy as ABCD.

Professional practice is built on sound knowledge specific to each discipline. This knowledge is developed and validated through a process of scientific investigation or research. However, lack of knowledge about the research process acts as a barrier to applying evidence-based practice within the school setting. Understanding the components that make up a research study facilitates critical analysis and application in school nursing practice. This article describes a straightforward method for analyzing research studies, enabling school nurses to understand and apply current research in their daily practice.

Increasing perceptions of self-worth in preadolescents diagnosed with ADHD.

PURPOSE: To test the effectiveness of a school-based, nurse-facilitated support group in increasing perceptions of scholastic competence, social acceptance, behavioral conduct, perceived athletic competence, perceived physical appearance, and perceived global self-worth in preadolescents diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). DESIGN: A quasi-experimental design with 65 preadolescents diagnosed with ADD or ADHD in an upper-middle class community in the United States. METHODS: Participants randomly assigned to either the control or experimental group completed Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Children instrument at the beginning of the study and 4 weeks later. Students in the experimental condition participated in a school-nurse facilitated support group which met twice weekly for 4 weeks. FINDINGS: Participants in the support group had increased scores on each of the six subscales, with significant increases on four of the subscales, including perceived social acceptance, perceived athletic competence, perceived physical appearance, and perceived global self-worth. CONCLUSION: Participation in a school-based, nurse-led support group was positively associated with perception of self-worth in preadolescents diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.

Empowering preadolescents With ADHD: demons or delights.

This study tested the clinical utility of the Frame Model of Preadolescent Empowerment as a means of enhancing the self-perception of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The intervention, which has theoretical roots in Roy's Adaptation Model, Harter's Developmental Perspective, and Murrell-Armstrong's Empowerment Matrix, was administered to children with ADHD in a pretest/posttest design. Findings indicate that this model significantly increased the perceptions of self-worth in preadolescents with ADHD.