Responses of pregnant women to potential preterm labor symptoms.

Objective: To examine the knowledge that healthy pregnant women have of appropriate actions to take in response to hypothetical symptoms of preterm labor.

Design: This was a descriptive, correlational study using a convenience sample.

Setting: Subjects were recruited from the private practices of obstetricians and nurse-midwives.

Back transport: exploration of parents' feelings regarding the transition.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore parents' perceptions and the concepts involved in their preterm infant's back transport from a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit to their home community hospital. A convenience sample of fourteen parents were interviewed five to seven days after the back transport. Following data collection, the analysis of the parents' perceptions regarding the back transport of their premature infant identified a crisis theme that was influenced by several concepts.

Social support and lactation outcomes in postpartum women.

Questionnaires were mailed to 45 primiparous lactating women at six weeks postpartum to measure their perceived social support and its influence on lactation outcomes. Also evaluated were the size and structures of their support networks. Subjects were asked to share their thoughts and feelings regarding breastfeeding.

An analysis of theory-research linkages in published gerontologic nursing studies, 1983-1989.

The extent to which theory and research were interrelated in 142 gerontologic nursing studies was examined using the Theory-Research Linkage Inventory, an instrument developed by the authors. Forty-six percent of the studies reviewed were related in varying degrees to a specific theory or model. Strengths and limitations were identified for the conceptual, empirical, and interpretive phases of the studies.

Peptic ulcers in the elderly: unique features and management.

Contrary to the general trend, peptic ulcers are on the rise in the elderly in terms of frequency, complications, and mortality, possibly due to the use of and complications from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Unfortunately, the infrequency of abdominal pain and the frequent presence of serious concomitant diseases complicate both the diagnosis and management of peptic ulcers in the elderly. Ulcers heal equally when treated with H2-receptor antagonists, antacids, or sucralfate.

Relation of somatic symptoms to degree of paternal-role preparation of first-time expectant fathers.

This study was conducted to determine the association between the presence of somatic symptoms (couvade syndrome) and the amount of paternal-role preparation attained by 64 expectant fathers. Thirty-five men in the sample identified more than two symptoms; most frequently, restlessness, increased appetite, and difficulty sleeping. Men experiencing symptoms scored higher on scales measuring paternal-role preparation than men not experiencing symptoms.