Nursing research
-
Leadership style has been defined as a two-factor construct composed of "consideration" and "initiating structure." Research has suggested that these factors affect the behavior and attitude of subordinates. This study's purpose was to quantify the relationships of head nurse leadership style with self-reported staff nurse burnout and job satisfaction in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Three instruments--the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Tedium Scale, and the Leadership Opinion Questionnaire--were voluntarily completed by 283 registered nurses employed by 14 level-III NICUs in the United States. ⋯ Satisfaction and burnout of staff nurses in each of the leadership-style groups were then compared. Analysis of variance for satisfaction (F(3,279) = 3.10, p = .03) and burnout (F(3,279) = 3.90, p = .01) were both significant. For both satisfaction and burnout, the head nurse leadership classification of low consideration-high structure was most deviant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
-
Comparative Study
Prepared childbirth and marital satisfaction during the antepartum and postpartum periods.
A longitudinal study of 105 couples, this study addresses whether there is a change in marital satisfaction throughout the perinatal period and whether any changes in the marriage or the labor and delivery might be attributable to the type of preparation for childbirth engaged in by the couple. Analysis of the demographic variables indicated that the groups were very similar. The only difference was that the Lamaze women had 16 years and the hospital-instructed women had 15 years of education (p less than 0.048). ⋯ With both the husbands and wives there was an improvement in the marital satisfaction from 24-36 weeks of pregnancy to 3-21 days postpartum. When the initial level of marital satisfaction was controlled statistically, no correlation was found between the couples marriage score and the male and female years of education, age, SES, length of labor, medication in labor, and choice of rooming-in. The labor variables indicated that the Lamaze group had a slightly longer labor than the hospital group, but they used significantly less medication (p less than 0.05) and chose rooming-in more often (p less than 0.06).
-
Twenty-eight articles representing 19 investigations of critical care unit stress were reviewed. Studies were chosen if the stated purpose was to explore, describe, categorize, reduce, compare, or manipulate stress experienced by nurses employed in critical care settings. types of critical care units included were the intensive care unit, coronary care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, and the neonatal intensive care unit. ⋯ Theoretical bases, implementation of interventive strategies, and evaluation of interventions were absent in all studies reviewed. Recommendations for further research directions are given, and a categorization scheme for classification of perceived stresses is offered.
-
This study examined the relationship between moral reasoning and moral behavior in 79 practicing nurses. Moral reasoning was measured by Rest's Defining Issues Test. Judgments about Nursing Decisions (JAND), developed by the investigator, was used to measure moral behavior. ⋯ The hypothesis that moral reasoning would be positively related to nurses' perception of realistic moral behavior was also tested by Pearson product moment correlation; the obtained coefficient of .19 was significant at the .05 level. Additional analyses showed significant differences in the knowledge and valuation component of JAND between educational groups, ethnic groups, age groups, and years of practice in nursing; but, there were no differences between these groups with respect to the perception of realist moral behavior component of JAND. Implications of the findings for nursing practice, education, and research are discussed.