Assessing Available Adolescent Self-Reported Measures for Asthma Management: A Systematic Literature Review.

Objective: Asthma is a common chronic disease and a substantial public health problem for children, adolescents, and adults. Adolescence, a period of increased independence and striving for autonomy, is an opportune time for youth transitioning to adulthood to assume more responsibility for their own asthma self-management. However, accurate measures of adolescent asthma outcomes are limited. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify self-reported asthma measures currently available in the empirical literature focused on adolescent populations. Methods: Search terms were based on the National Library of Medical Subject Headings and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Databases searched included CINAHL, Nursing Allied Health Prevention, Medline, ProQuest, and PubMed. Included studies were peer reviewed and published in English between 2010 and 2022. All studies reported on asthma measures for adolescents between 10 and 19 years old. Results: Nineteen studies were included, comprising 15 experimental and 4 quasi-experimental. This review revealed the following asthma measure domains: asthma knowledge, self-efficacy, attitudes, self-care, self-regulation, symptom prevention and management, medication adherence, asthma disease control, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) for evaluating psychosocial, behavioral, clinical, and QOL outcomes. Conclusion: This review revealed the necessity of developing a comprehensive measure to assess the asthma self-management behaviors of adolescents. A comprehensive tool related to adolescent asthma self-management behavior would enhance the assessment and evaluation of adolescent asthma self-management behaviors and extend the science and clinical practice around adolescent self-management. Present measures for asthma self-management behavior for adolescents are limited; therefore, developing a valid and reliable measure is necessary not only to assess adolescents' asthma self-management behavior outcomes but also to identify and evaluate the essential components to include in educational interventions for adolescent self-management.

Parents voice their experiences of caring for children with special healthcare needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of parents and caregivers of children with special healthcare needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this descriptive phenomenological study, the researchers used purposive and snowball sampling to recruit nineteen participants, ranging in age from 21 to 55 years of age until saturation was established. Colaizzi's method guided data analysis. Iterative examination of the interview transcripts, an audit trail, bracketing, and validation of findings with a subset of participants established trustworthiness. RESULTS: Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic was the overarching theme. Four major themes emerged under Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic as follows: Disruptions in Daily Life, Shifts in Daily Life, Innovations in Daily Life, and Surprising Silver Linings. CONCLUSION: This study elucidated an in-depth understanding of the positive and negative impacts of the pandemic on the lives of families living with a child with special needs. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected families and parenting approaches. Parents of children with special healthcare needs in this study found day-to-day living especially difficult in similar and unique ways. For virtually all parents the pandemic added new challenges in meeting their child's physical, mental, social, and educational needs. Parents and caregivers revealed innovative ways of maintaining a sense of normalcy during the height of the pandemic. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These findings demonstrate the importance of developing interventions and creating public health policies as we move beyond the current pandemic and plan for potential outbreaks in the future.

Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory to Improve Children's Self-Care: An Integrative Review.

Often school-age children are thought of as dependent on their parents and not necessarily involved in behaviors related to their own self-care. It is important to implement and advance self-care performance early in life to promote healthy lifestyles. This review examined the use of Orem's Self Care Deficit Nursing Theory in relation to children's self-care behaviors. This integrative review followed the Whittemore and Knafl guidelines. A systematic search was conducted using the nursing databases. The sixteen study articles were identified for the review, and five themes were identified. Children can develop skills and actively participate in maintaining health and wellbeing. Self-care programs based on Orem's theory are well suited to assist individuals including children to improve self-care skills that lead better self-care practices. Nurses guided by Orem's SCDNT will be well equipped to promote children's knowledge and self-care skills for maintaining health and preventing negative health outcomes.

A School Nurse-Led Asthma Intervention for School-Age Children: A Randomized Control Trial to Improve Self-Management.

Asthma is a common disease in children, and obtaining basic knowledge and skills to manage asthma symptoms is critically important. This study examined the effectiveness of a theoretically based school nurse-led asthma intervention on asthma symptoms, self-management, peak flow meter usage, daily activities, and school absences in children 7-12 years old. A randomized controlled, two-group, repeated measures design was conducted in eight public schools. Data collection occurred at three time points. The treatment group had statistically significant differences in reported symptoms (p < .001), asthma control with a peak flow meter usage (p < .001), and daily activities (p < .001) at 6 weeks and at 12 weeks. Although difference in school absences was not statistically significant, the treatment group missed fewer school days than the control group. Self-management is a complex process, and school nurses can provide essential learning steps and continuity of care for school-age children living with asthma.

School and Community-based Nurse-led Asthma Interventions for School-aged Children and Their Parents: A Systematic Literature Review.

PROBLEM: Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the world. Lack of asthma knowledge can lead to asthma exacerbations, more emergency room visits, school absences, and decreased quality of life. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of educational intervention programs on asthma management for school-aged children and their parents beyond inpatient clinic settings. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Educational asthma interventions for school-aged children and their parents with comparison with usual asthma care and the outcome related to asthma management. Studies included were peer-reviewed and published in English within the last five years. SAMPLE: The eight study articles were identified in ProQuest, Medline, CINAHL, and PubMed databases. RESULTS: The review demonstrated that educational asthma interventions for children and their parents significantly improved knowledge and skills related to asthma self-management. CONCLUSIONS: School and community-based asthma educational intervention programs are key components for good management of asthma condition. Well-planned asthma education programs are valuable and should go beyond inpatient clinic settings for promoting and maintaining health for children with asthma and their parents. IMPLICATIONS: School nurses are well-positioned to assume a more prominent role in asthma care to improve child health and academic outcomes. School nurses have an opportunity to establish a trusting relationship that is foundational for collaborating with parents and students for better asthma management.

Behavioral functioning of children of abused women who seek services from shelters or the justice system: new knowledge for clinical practice.

Millions of women worldwide are victims of partner violence annually and their children are at-risk for psychological and physical dysfunctions. A total of 300 children (ages 18 months to 16 years), whose abused mothers sought safe shelter or a protection order for the first time, were studied. Data revealed internalizing behaviors, such as depression and externalizing behaviors, such as bullying decreased 4 months after mothers obtained help. Children's scores from the shelter group indicated more dysfunction. Although no direct program was offered to the children studied, routine child care presents opportunities for nurses in pediatric settings to assess mothers for abuse and intervene with guided referrals and safety information that may promote better child functioning.

Nurturing healthy relationships through a community-based interactive theater program.

Promoting healthy relationships and preventing unhealthy behaviors, such as bullying and teen dating violence, among young adolescents was the goal of this study. This developmentally appropriate project used interactive theater to deliver a healthy message. Students in 7th grade health classes (N = 114) participated in the interactive theater intervention, a program that consisted of three consecutive performances and one follow-up day. This article reports on community-based research related to the development of a theater script in collaboration with a local theater group, the feasibility of using this innovative format as an intervention method, and lessons learned in collaborating with community partners.

Sexual bullying: addressing the gap between bullying and dating violence.

Millions of youth in the United States are involved in some aspects of bullying behavior. Increasing rates of youth violence, including horrific violent school events, have brought national attention upon the phenomenon. Bullying is a broad construct that covers a wide variety of behaviors from name calling to physical abuse, and it is associated with serious negative health outcomes. Sexual bullying appears to be antecedent to more severe forms of relationship violence, and it is proposed as a conceptual link between bullying and more advanced forms of sexualized violence, such as teen dating violence and adult forms of intimate partner violence.

Effect of violence exposure on health outcomes among young urban adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Although youth are exposed to many forms of violence, most studies have been concentrated on only one type of violence exposure and focused on older adolescents or very young children. Little is known about direct and indirect effects of violent stressors on the health of African American adolescents in urban middle schools or the cumulative effect of multiple forms of exposures. OBJECTIVE: To test theoretically derived relationships between the types and levels of violence exposure and experiences; coping; and physical, behavioral, and mental health outcomes. METHODS: A structural equation modeling approach was used in this cross-sectional predictive correlational model testing design. Youth's experiences with exposure to and witnessing of violence were examined on three levels-community, family, and peer-in relation to physical, behavioral, and mental health outcomes. The sample (n = 309) consisted almost entirely of African American seventh graders from four urban middle schools. Forty-two percent of students were boys. More than 80% said that they had been in a boyfriend or girlfriend relationship, and 55% were currently in such a relationship. RESULTS: Eight of the 15 paths tested in the hypothesized model were found to be statistically significant, indicating an average fit (chi = 133.06, df = 40, ratio of 3.3, p <.001, root mean square error of association =.087, normed-fit index =.89, comparative-fit index =.92, goodness-of-fit index =.93). Removing nonsignificant paths statistically improved model fit, resulting in an adequate fit (chi = 146.78, df = 47, chi/df = 3.1, p <.001, root mean square error of association =.083, normed-fit index = .88, comparative-fit index =.91, goodness-of-fit index =.93). Although coping did not demonstrate a mediating effect on health outcomes, it had a direct effect on physical and mental health. DISCUSSION: The findings partially support the hypothesized model. Violence at home, personal violence, and coping had significant direct effects on health outcomes. Community violence did not have a significant effect, and coping was not an intermediary variable in this sample.

Nurturing hostile environments: the problem of school violence.

Although school violence directly affects the overall health and well-being of children and adolescents, clear priorities have not been identified for dealing with the problem. Horrific events such as the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colo, and recent shootings at Virginia Tech have focused the nation on high-profile, media-worthy school violence to the detriment of addressing everyday forms of violence in schools. Policies that have been developed to reduce school violence have mixed reviews. To raise the consciousness of healthcare professionals, educators, legislators, and the general public, the most salient issues are discussed.