Publications by authors named "Donna Freeborn"

Background And Purpose: The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends breast cancer risk-screening tools to help primary care providers determine which unaffected patients to refer to genetic specialists. The USPSTF does not recommend one tool above others. The purpose of this study was to compare tool performance in identifying women at risk for breast cancer.

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Thirty-one adults with type 1 diabetes participated in this qualitative study to explore reasons why they were willing (had an open attitude) or unwilling (had a closed attitude) to disclose diabetes-related information to others. Participants (61.3% female, mean age 38.

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Adults who have lived much of their life with type 1 diabetes have learned lessons that can benefit health care providers (HCPs), families, and young people who live with the condition. This study was undertaken to gain a better understanding of the challenges of growing up and living with type 1 diabetes from adults who have experienced those challenges and to recommend strategies for parents, caregivers, and HCPs who work with children or adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Thirty-five adults with type 1 diabetes participated in this qualitative study consisting of two in-depth interviews with each participant.

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Like other young people, those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an impact on siblings in both positive and negative ways. Research indicates positive attributes include maturity and responsibility; positive self-concept; less quarrelling and competition; admiration for the person with ASD; and satisfactory sibling relationships. Negative attributes include fear of frightening or violent behavior, decreased sibling intimacy, and social and emotional difficulties.

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Authors of this qualitative descriptive study interviewed 30 parents concerning their experiences raising a child or adolescent with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease (CD). Analysis revealed six themes: (a) health complications of T1D, (b) challenges of daily disease management, (c) financial concerns, (d) the young person's emotional/mental health, (e) experiences with healthcare providers, and (f) experiences with people outside the family and at school. Results suggest nurses need to be sensitive to challenges young people living with T1D and CD and their parents face, conduct ongoing assessments, and provide time during interactions to adequately address concerns.

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Background: Raising a child with a disability (CWD) in the home is increasing across the globe. Because of caregiver burden and the complexity of care, there is growing concern for typically developing sibling (TDS) outcomes.

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine whether caregiver burden, parenting style, and sibling relationships in families raising a CWD are associated with cooperative and externalizing behaviors in TDS.

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Using family systems theory as a theoretical framework, we investigated direct and indirect associations between type of disability, caregiver burden, and sibling relationships with structural equation modeling. We recruited 172 families raising typically developing children or a child with a disability. Participants volunteered at meetings and workshops for families of children with disabilities and were also recruited through snowball sampling.

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Purpose: To determine whether a high rate of postpartum depression (PPD), previously found in immigrant Hispanic women at a community clinic, would also be found in a community sample.

Data Sources: Sixty women from local community settings were given the PPDS-S instrument and the General Acculturation Index to screen for PPD symptoms. Data were then compared with previously published community clinic data.

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Young people with type 1 diabetes mellitus face a unique set of challenges: their own and their family's perspectives of the disease and treatment impact on how well they manage metabolic control. Hormonal changes, desire for autonomy and emotional distress can influence self-management. This study aimed to better understand the perspective of young people with diabetes and to find out whether metabolic rate affects how individuals' view the disease and treatment.

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Aims And Objectives: To identify challenges children and youth with type 1 diabetes encounter from their own perspectives.

Background: Type 1 diabetes requires lifestyle changes involving diet modification, monitoring blood glucose, counting carbohydrates and administering insulin. Learning self-care and developing positive attitudes can improve glucose management and promote long-term benefits.

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Aim: To explore if young people with higher and lower levels of metabolic control of type 1 diabetes have different perceptions about their lives and illness.

Background: Adolescence through emerging adulthood is a developmental stage made more challenging when the person has type 1 diabetes. Little research has investigated if individuals with high and low levels of metabolic control in this age group perceive their disease differently.

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Authors of this qualitative descriptive study interviewed 21 adolescent siblings of children with Down syndrome (DS) who also had additional health problems rated as requiring extensive care by parents. Analysis revealed positive/negative aspects of the experience; however, participants emphasized the positive rather than negative experiences and focused more on the fact that the child had DS rather than health problems requiring additional care. Most said they would not change anything about their experience and did not believe the child with DS would ever live independently.

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In order to discover if differences or relationships exist between religiosity, spirituality, and marital relationships, 111 parents raising a child with a disability (CWD) and 34 parents raising typically developing children independently completed self-report questionnaires assessing religiosity, spirituality, and marital relationships. Parents raising typically developing children scored higher on private and public religiosity and marital satisfaction than parents raising a CWD; mothers scored higher on religiosity variables than fathers. Mothers' ratings of spirituality and family type (disability or typically developing child) predicted their ratings of marital conflict.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the childhood experiences of women with cerebral palsy (CP), from the perspectives of these women. Using the feminist biographical method, eight women with CP participated in two in-depth interviews. Participants ranged in age from 22 to 55 years and had moderate to severe athetoid or spastic CP.

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Abuse and mistreatment of women with disabilities is a complex problem that affects their health and well-being. Previous studies have focused on heterogeneous groups of women with disabilities, with only small numbers of women with cerebral palsy included, but different disabilities may play specific roles in relation to abuse. Exploring mistreatment of women with cerebral palsy is important in determining the relationship between mistreatment and a specific disability.

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Purpose: To explore the lived experience of childbirth in Dutch women who had given birth at home in the Netherlands.

Methods: Qualitative study using audiotaped interviews with 14 women.

Results: Themes included the advantages of giving birth in the home, where the women felt more in control of their environment; the difficulty and normalcy of the pain associated with giving birth; the feelings of fulfillment and empowerment that come with childbirth and motherhood; and the importance of the supportive role of the midwife-caregiver.

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A grounded theory begins to explain parental practices in seeking social support. Interviews with 20 parents who had adopted children with special needs and 5 health care providers indicated that parents lacked awareness of available resources; preferred informal support systems; sought help only when "failing" to solve problems; and perceived that health care providers lacked knowledge of adoption issues, family dynamics, and common health issues. Parents preferred informal to formal supports, and felt upset when formal supports were judged ineffective or non-existent.

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