Adult Protective Services Perspectives on Responding to Elder Abuse and Serving Clients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The initial COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health measures dramatically impacted Adult Protective Services (APS), requiring rapid adjustments. Our goal was to describe challenges for APS and strategies developed to respond. We conducted six focus groups and seven interviews during March-April 2021 using a semi-structured topic guide, with 31 participants from APS leadership, supervisors, and caseworkers in New York City, a community hard hit by the initial COVID surge. Data from transcripts were analyzed to identify themes. Participants identified challenges faced by APS (e.g., clients less willing to engage with APS, inability to perform necessary job tasks remotely, and low staffing levels) as well as strategies APS used in response (e.g., increasing collaboration with other community-based programs and service providers, enabling remote court hearings through technology and in-person facilitation, and ensuring staff had access to personal protective equipment). These findings may inform APS planning for future large-scale societal disruptions.

Diné (Navajo) Female Perspectives on Mother-Daughter Cultural Assets Around the Transition to Womanhood: A Qualitative Study

INTRODUCTION

American Indian (AI) people have protective factors embedded in cultural teachings that buffer against high-risk behaviors. This study applies a qualitative, grounded theory approach to identify cultural assets for a Diné (Navajo) mother-daughter intervention aimed at preventing substance abuse and teen pregnancy.

METHOD

Focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 AI females' ages 8 years and older from the Navajo Nation.

RESULTS

Key themes were (a) preserving the Diné way of life, (b) cultural assets related to being a healthy Diné woman, (c) matrilineal networks as a source of strength/pride, (d) historical trauma as a source of resilience, (e) male influences as protective health factors, (f) Western education as a measure of success, and (g) integrating different belief systems.

DISCUSSION

Study findings may be applied as foundational elements for culturally grounded AI substance abuse and teen pregnancy prevention strategies, as well as culturally safe nursing practice.

Experiences of Adult Men Who Are Homeless Accessing Care: A Qualitative Study

INTRODUCTION

Homeless individuals experience increased rates of chronic physical and mental health conditions. They also experience difficulty accessing care and poor health outcomes compounded by social and economic factors, such as housing insecurity, unemployment, and limited social support. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of homeless individuals related to their health and experiences accessing care.

METHOD

Qualitative descriptive methods and content analysis were used to gather, analyze, and interpret the data and identify themes.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified: men who are homeless experience bias throughout their health care and interpersonal relationships, the best care is person-centered and considers patients' priorities, and care coordination resources are inadequate.

DISCUSSION

The housing needs of homeless individuals are best contextualized by their health and social needs. In addition, their priorities must be taken into consideration to develop culturally congruent services that are appropriate and effective care for this population.

The Influence of Confucianism on the Perceptions and Process of Caring Among Family Caregivers of Persons With Dementia: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Scant evidence reveals the influences of Confucianism on family caregiving in dementia. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of Confucianism on the perceptions and process of caring among the Chinese family caregivers. Method: A qualitative study was conducted using semistructured interviews with 15 Chinese family caregivers of persons with dementia in three elderly care centers in Hong Kong. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed, while a thematic analysis was performed to analyze the transcript at the latent level. Results: Three themes emerged from the interviews: (a) setting family as a top priority, (b) growth and development in families, and (c) enhancing family relationships. Discussion: Our findings provided insights into how Confucianism influences the experience of family caregivers in caring persons with dementia in Chinese communities. These findings help develop culturally adapted interventions to improve the support for family caregivers of persons with dementia.

Cultural Perspectives on Tobacco Use and Cessation Among Chinese American Immigrants: A Community-Engaged Qualitative Study

INTRODUCTION

Tobacco use is a preventable cause of death among ethnic minorities. Chinese Americans have high smoking rates and underutilize evidence-based cessation therapies. Community members' perspectives on tobacco use and cessation may help bridge treatment gaps and ensure that cessation approaches are aligned with cultural values.

METHODS

Focus group methods were used to explore cultural factors influencing tobacco use and cessation among 50 Chinese immigrants. Emerging themes were identified using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The three emerging themes are (a) tobacco use is influenced by Chinese American immigrants' socioecological environment, (b) self-discipline determines the ability to quit, and (c) complex family dynamics influence quitting.

DISCUSSION

Cessation approaches framed within cultural perspectives may help bridge treatment gaps. Innovations such as leveraging soft technologies that are widely used in the community may extend the reach of health promotion campaigns and treatments.

Healthy Eating for Obese Children From Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Families: Its Ecological Factors and Strategies

INTRODUCTION

Researchers explored the meanings of "eating" for obese children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families and identified multilevel factors and strategies for their healthy eating based on ecological perspectives.

METHODOLOGY

Grounded on a qualitative research design, focus group interviews were conducted with each group of key stakeholders: obese children, their mothers, and social workers from public welfare systems in South Korea.

RESULTS

"Eating" and "healthy eating" were defined as "fulfilling deprivations" and "integrating balance into their lives," respectively. Eight factors and four strategies for their healthy eating were identified at intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and community/political levels.

DISCUSSION

These findings may help nurses in Western culture understand the cultural context of obese children's eating embedded in socioeconomically disadvantaged families and public welfare systems in Asian culture. Furthermore, these findings provide specific guides to culturally relevant, multilevel strategies for promoting healthy eating in the field of childhood obesity prevention.

Facilitators and Barriers of Cervical Cancer Screening and Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination Among Somali Refugee Women in the United States: A Qualitative Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Eastern Africa has the highest rates of cervical cancer incidence (42.7 per 100,000) and mortality (27.6 per 100,000), substantially higher than worldwide incidence (14.0 per 100,000) and mortality (6.8 per 100,000). The purpose of this study was to explore facilitators and barriers to cervical cancer screening and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination among Somali refugee women and their children.

METHOD

Focus group discussions were conducted in August of 2016. Investigators performed systematic, comparative, and thematic data analyses.

RESULTS

The 31 Somali refugee participants ranged from 23 to 64 years old. Four major themes emerged: (1) knowledge, (2) facilitators, (3) decision making, and (4) views on intervention strategies. Doctor recommendation and family support were important facilitators. Community education was the most popular strategy in promoting screening and vaccine uptake.

DISCUSSION

Multilevel targeted interventions should increase knowledge and include family members to increase cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination uptake in the Somali community.

Sharing for Health: A Study of Chinese Adolescents' Experiences and Perspectives on Using Social Network Sites to Share Health Information

PURPOSE

This exploratory qualitative study examines Chinese adolescents' health information sharing habits on social network sites.

METHOD

Ten focus group meetings with 76 adolescents, ages 12 to 17 years, were conducted at community-based organizations in Chicago's Chinatown. The research team transcribed the recording and analyzed the transcripts using ATLAS.ti.

RESULTS

Chinese adolescents are using different social network sites for various topics of health information including food, physical activity, and so on. Adolescents would share useful and/or interesting health information. Many adolescents raised credibility concerns regarding health information and suggested evaluating the information based on self-experience or intuition, word-of-mouth, or information online.

CONCLUSION

The findings shed lights on future intervention using social network sites to promote health among Chinese adolescents in the United States.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Future interventions should provide adolescents with interesting and culturally sensitive health information and educate them to critically evaluate health information on social network sites.

Factors Influencing Pap Screening Use Among African Immigrant Women

PURPOSE

Papanicolau (Pap) screenings disparities exist for immigrant women in the United States. This study sought to have an understanding of factors influencing Pap screening among sub-Saharan African immigrant women.

METHOD

This is a qualitative descriptive study. Women were recruited from the community and by word of mouth following institutional review board approval. Data were gathered through in-depth focus group and demographic questionnaires. Interview sessions were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed for themes.

FINDINGS

Twenty-two women aged 24 to 65 years were interviewed. Barriers to screening included low knowledge of screening, cost, cultural beliefs, fear and communication issues. Motivators to improve Pap use include provider's recommendations, enlightenment, and family support.

DISCUSSION

Interventions addressing the barriers peculiar to this population may alleviate these barriers and improve Pap screening use in this population. Providers have the opportunity to influence screening attitudes of African-born women by providing awareness and patient-targeted interventions.

Development of Participant-Informed Text Messages to Promote Physical Activity Among African American Women Attending College: A Qualitative Mixed-Methods Inquiry

The purpose of this study was to develop a participant-informed technology-based physical activity (PA) promotion tool for young overweight and obese African American (AA) women. A mixed-method 3-phase study protocol design was used to develop text messages to promote PA in AA women attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the Spring of 2013. Nominal focus groups and a 2-week pilot were used to generate and test participant-developed messages. Participants ( n = 14) had a mean age of 19.79 years ( SD = 1.4) and mean body mass index of 35.9 ( SD = 5.926). Focus group data identified key themes associated with the use of text messages to promote PA including message frequency, length, tone, and time of day. Participants preferred text messages that were brief, specific, and time sensitive. Results showed that text messaging was a feasible and acceptable strategy to promote PA in overweight and obese AA women in a university setting.

User involvement in the ergonomic development of a medical instrument: a longitudinal case study

In this study the focus is on the continuous ergonomic-focused development of a medical instrument that is capable of performing blood group serological tests. Primarily, a medical device must be clinically effective and safe. At the same time it must also meet the needs of its users. This calls for consideration of numerous ergonomic aspects. The development process of the product line in question was supported by a longitudinal series of carefully designed focus groups. Altogether, the 23 focus groups conducted included 245 participants from 72 laboratories. The aim of the empirical research was to collect users' experiences, ideas and needs as inputs for the following phase of the product development process. During the mentioned focus group analyses, around 100 development proposals were conceived. Besides presenting more of the mentioned development proposals, the focus group analysis was shown as a proper methodology to involve end-users in the development and implementation of new technology or devices.

Can Faith and Hospice Coexist: Is the African American Church the Key to Increased Hospice Utilization for African Americans?

African Americans are twice as likely as Caucasian Americans to choose aggressive hospital treatment when death is imminent. Repeat hospitalizations are traumatic for patients and drain patient and health system resources. Hospice care is a specialized alternative that vastly improves patient quality of life at end-of-life. This study was conducted to determine if hospices partnering with African American churches to disseminate hospice education materials could increase utilization of hospice services by African Americans. Members of two African American churches (N = 34) participated in focus group discussions to elicit beliefs about hospice care. Focus group transcripts were coded and comments were grouped according to theme. Six themes were identified. Lack of knowledge about hospice services and spiritual beliefs emerged as the top two contributing factors for underutilization of hospice services. Study findings support partnerships between hospices and African American churches to provide hospice education to the African American community.

Perceptions of Insulin Treatment Among African Americans With Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE

Little is known regarding perception of insulin treatment among midlife and older African American (AA) adults with type 2 diabetes, or how perception affects self-management behaviors. Using the Roy adaptation model, this qualitative descriptive study explored the perception of insulin treatment in midlife and older AAs living with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.

METHOD

Three 1-hour focus groups were conducted with a total of 13 participants. Thematic analysis of transcribed audio recordings used the constant comparative method.

RESULTS

Themes identified include (a) insulin as instigator of negative emotions, (b) adapting to a lifestyle with insulin, and (c) becoming an insulin user: a new identity.

CONCLUSION

Adapting to insulin is a psychosocial process that commonly results in negative emotions, identity conflict, and new roles.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Further research is needed to understand how AA adults perceive insulin treatment, understand the role of perception in self-management behaviors, and determine whether interventions to change perceptions may be effective in improving adaptation to diabetes.

Storytelling: A Qualitative Tool to Promote Health Among Vulnerable Populations

Storytelling is a basic cultural phenomenon that has recently been recognized as a valuable method for collecting research data and developing multidisciplinary interventions. The purpose of this article is to present a collection of nursing scholarship wherein the concept of storytelling, underpinned by cultural phenomena, is explored for data collection and intervention. A conceptual analysis of storytelling reveals key variables. Following a brief review of current research focused on storytelling used within health care, three case studies among three vulnerable populations (American Indian teen mothers, American Indian cancer survivors, and African American women at risk for HIV/AIDS) demonstrate the uses of storytelling for data collection and intervention. Implications for transcultural nursing regarding storytelling are discussed.

Cultural Awareness: Nursing Care of Iraqi Patients

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to describe the cultural factors that have an impact on military nursing care for Iraqi patients. The results were part of a larger study in which the purpose was to understand nurses' experiences of delivery of care for Iraqi patients.

METHOD

Three focus groups, consisting of military registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, were used to generate rich descriptions of experiences in a military combat support hospital in Iraq. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis methods.

FINDINGS

Culturally, the differences between the Iraqi patients and the nurses included variations in communication, diet, and beliefs and values in reference to gender and patient dependency.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicated that the nurses need language skills and cultural customs and beliefs training to provide care to culturally diverse patients. In addition, support services, such as dieticians, need to be involved in the plan of care to address applicable cultural issues.

IMPLICATIONS

Implementation of learning to provide nurses language skills and cultural awareness of the diet, customs and beliefs of Iraqi people as well as the economic, political, and social factors that have an impact on their lives will promote quality nursing care and optimal health outcomes.

Practices of traditional birth attendants in Sierra Leone and perceptions by mothers and health professionals familiar with their care

STUDY PURPOSE

Describe practices of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in assisting women in childbirth and the perceptions of TBAs by mothers and health professionals familiar with their work.

METHODOLOGY

Qualitative design using focus groups conducted in urban and rural settings in Sierra Leone. Separate audiotaped focus groups conducted for each group of participants lasting between 45 and 90 minutes.

PARTICIPANTS

Purposive sample of 20 TBAs, 20 mothers, and 10 health professionals who met the following criteria: (a) at least 18 years of age, (b) TBAs currently practicing, (c) mothers who delivered at least one child assisted by a TBA, and (d) health professionals currently practicing in the hospital and familiar with TBA practices.

FINDINGS

TBAs are valued by mothers, health professionals, and the community because they provide accessible and affordable care to mothers who may otherwise have no access to health services. TBAs need training, supervision, and resources for effective referral of mothers. Systemic problems in the health care system create enormous barriers to effective care for mothers and children independent of TBA practices that contribute to high maternal and infant mortality rates. The study findings have implications on broad public policy in improving maternal and child health in the country.

Measuring the impact of health education modules in Cameroon, West Africa

Each year, more than two million people die from diarrhea-associated diseases. Although there is a global need for safe drinking water, culturally appropriate health teaching is essential to behavior change. This study evaluated the impact of a health education program in a small rural community in Cameroon. Flash cards and a modified version of the CDC-KPC 2000 survey were used to collect data in 57 homes. Children who lived in households with working Manz BioSand filters were less likely to have had diarrhea in the 2 weeks prior to the evaluation. There remained a gap between health knowledge and healthy behaviors for hand hygiene and malaria prevention. This gap was significant in the diarrheal treatment (McNemar's test, p < .000). The interdisciplinary program and 7-year time frame were crucial to sustainability. Faculty and students learned the importance of pairing service learning and research that respect local cultures in fostering a healthier global community.