J Psychosoc Nurs Men
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The death of my mother taught me valuable lessons about life and death (Spear, 2002), and the years since have provided me with a first-hand understanding of the grieving process. These personal experiences have allowed me to develop insight about and sensitivity to the experiences of others who are faced with death and dying, and the resultant psychoemotional feelings associated with permanent loss. It is important for nurses and others to be responsive to the complex and individualized grieving process of those who live through the death of a loved one.
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Child abuse and neglect continue to be parts of a disturbing reality in both the United States and the world. Despite significant advances in the identification and treatment of child abuse, health care professionals are still attempting to grasp the extent of the physiological and psychological effects of child maltreatment and injury. ⋯ Shaken baby syndrome is one of the most deadly and devastating forms of child abuse and is characterized by a traumatic brain injury caused by the violent shaking of an infant. Recognition of high-risk families, combined with education of parents and other caregivers are key to prevention of shaken baby syndrome.
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J Psychosoc Nurs Men · Aug 2004
Dying patients' thoughts of ending their lives: a pilot study of rural New Mexico.
Forty-nine hospice patients in rural New Mexico were directly interviewed concerning their thoughts about ending their lives. Thirty-one patients (63%) did not have thoughts of ending their lives, whereas 18 patients (37%) reported having suicidal thoughts. There were no differences between patients with and without thoughts of suicide related to gender; ethnicity; age; education; disease; religion; importance of religion; location of hospice agency; remaining financial, family, or spiritual issues; satisfaction with hospice care; sum of hospice personnel seen; or sum of medical equipment used. ⋯ No other symptom, including pain and hopelessness, was significant. Seven (39%) of the 18 patients who thought of ending their lives told someone about these thoughts. There were no variable differences between patients who did and did not tell someone about these thoughts.