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Major Stressors (major + stressor)
Selected AbstractsFatigue and associated factors in hemodialysis patients in TaiwanRESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 1 2006H.E. Liu Abstract The number of patients suffering from end-stage renal disease is increasing rapidly around the world, including in Taiwan. Hemodialysis (HD) patients report fatigue as a major stressor. The purpose of this correlational study with systematic sampling was to explore fatigue and associated physiological, psychological, and situational factors in 119 Taiwanese HD patients. Results indicate that levels of fatigue were mild. Three variables (gender, employment, and depression) had a significant impact on fatigue. Some differences in physiological factors by depression, gender, and employment were found. Stepwise regressions showed that depression, age, and urea reduction ratio were significant predictors for overall fatigue and two of its dimensions. Some relationships from the theory of unpleasant symptoms were supported. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 29:40,50, 2006 [source] Development of the cognitive processing of trauma scaleCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 5 2002Rhonda M. Williams We developed a 17-item scale to measure cognitive processing of traumatic experiences in two samples of college students. The Cognitive Processing of Trauma Scale (CPOTS) measures five aspects of cognitive processing: (1) Positive Cognitive Restructuring, (2) Downward comparison, (3) Resolution, (4) Denial and (5) Regrets. Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the factor structure of the scale, and reliability was further established by computing the internal consistency and test,retest reliability of each subscale. Discriminant and convergent validity for the CPOTS were demonstrated by correlating the subscales with two existing measures, the Impact of Event Scale and the Stress Related Growth Scale. The scale is recommended for use in empirical studies incorporating written or spoken disclosure about a trauma as an intervention, and should also be considered for clinical use in populations who have experienced a major stressor or trauma. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Limits of life in MgCl2 -containing environments: chaotropicity defines the windowENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007John E. Hallsworth Summary The biosphere of planet Earth is delineated by physico-chemical conditions that are too harsh for, or inconsistent with, life processes and maintenance of the structure and function of biomolecules. To define the window of life on Earth (and perhaps gain insights into the limits that life could tolerate elsewhere), and hence understand some of the most unusual biological activities that operate at such extremes, it is necessary to understand the causes and cellular basis of systems failure beyond these windows. Because water plays such a central role in biomolecules and bioprocesses, its availability, properties and behaviour are among the key life-limiting parameters. Saline waters dominate the Earth, with the oceans holding 96.5% of the planet's water. Saline groundwater, inland seas or saltwater lakes hold another 1%, a quantity that exceeds the world's available freshwater. About one quarter of Earth's land mass is underlain by salt, often more than 100 m thick. Evaporite deposits contain hypersaline waters within and between their salt crystals, and even contain large subterranean salt lakes, and therefore represent significant microbial habitats. Salts have a major impact on the nature and extent of the biosphere, because solutes radically influence water's availability (water activity) and exert other activities that also affect biological systems (e.g. ionic, kosmotropic, chaotropic and those that affect cell turgor), and as a consequence can be major stressors of cellular systems. Despite the stressor effects of salts, hypersaline environments can be heavily populated with salt-tolerant or -dependent microbes, the halophiles. The most common salt in hypersaline environments is NaCl, but many evaporite deposits and brines are also rich in other salts, including MgCl2 (several hundred million tonnes of bischofite, MgCl2·6H2O, occur in one formation alone). Magnesium (Mg) is the third most abundant element dissolved in seawater and is ubiquitous in the Earth's crust, and throughout the Solar System, where it exists in association with a variety of anions. Magnesium chloride is exceptionally soluble in water, so can achieve high concentrations (> 5 M) in brines. However, while NaCl-dominated hypersaline environments are habitats for a rich variety of salt-adapted microbes, there are contradictory indications of life in MgCl2 -rich environments. In this work, we have sought to obtain new insights into how MgCl2 affects cellular systems, to assess whether MgCl2 can determine the window of life, and, if so, to derive a value for this window. We have dissected two relevant cellular stress-related activities of MgCl2 solutions, namely water activity reduction and chaotropicity, and analysed signatures of life at different concentrations of MgCl2 in a natural environment, namely the 0.05,5.05 M MgCl2 gradient of the seawater : hypersaline brine interface of Discovery Basin , a large, stable brine lake almost saturated with MgCl2, located on the Mediterranean Sea floor. We document here the exceptional chaotropicity of MgCl2, and show that this property, rather than water activity reduction, inhibits life by denaturing biological macromolecules. In vitro, a test enzyme was totally inhibited by MgCl2 at concentrations below 1 M; and culture medium with MgCl2 concentrations above 1.26 M inhibited the growth of microbes in samples taken from all parts of the Discovery interface. Although DNA and rRNA from key microbial groups (sulfate reducers and methanogens) were detected along the entire MgCl2 gradient of the seawater : Discovery brine interface, mRNA, a highly labile indicator of active microbes, was recovered only from the upper part of the chemocline at MgCl2 concentrations of less than 2.3 M. We also show that the extreme chaotropicity of MgCl2 at high concentrations not only denatures macromolecules, but also preserves the more stable ones: such indicator molecules, hitherto regarded as evidence of life, may thus be misleading signatures in chaotropic environments. Thus, the chaotropicity of MgCl2 would appear to be a window-of-life-determining parameter, and the results obtained here suggest that the upper MgCl2 concentration for life, in the absence of compensating (e.g. kosmotropic) solutes, is about 2.3 M. [source] Programme-related stressors among part-time undergraduate nursing studentsJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2005Honor Nicholl BSc MEd RN RSCN RM RCT RNT PGDipG&C AdDip Teaching Studies Aim., The aim of this paper is to report a study exploring the perceived stressors identified by a group of 70 students who undertook a part-time degree at one Irish university. Background., In the literature on stress, part-time nursing students who are undertaking continuing education programmes appear to have received little attention. Stress amongst nurses is evident within the nursing literature but little information is available on the specific stressors that affect Registered Nurses who undertake further academic study. Anecdotally, students attending part-time programmes while working full-time report high levels of stress. Method., Quantitative methods were used. While many instruments exist to measure overall stress, this study aimed to explore student's perceptions of specific stressors associated with academic study. We used a questionnaire developed from the literature on the topic. Results., Factors related to writing assignments at degree level, fulfilling personal needs and academic demands, were perceived as major stressors by these students. Factors of little concern were financial issues and attendance on the programme. Individual items receiving highest mean scores were: trying to balance work commitments and the required study (mean 3·89, sd = 1) and the prospect of the final examination (mean 3·86, sd = 1). This study was limited by the use of convenience sampling and self-report methods. Larger studies are required to support the findings. In addition, student stress was not observed or measured. Conclusion., Those involved in the delivery of nurse education programmes to part-time students need to consider the impact of the workload on student welfare, and to prepare students for demands of the programme. [source] Stress-inducing factors in ICUs: What liver transplant recipients experience and what caregivers perceiveLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 8 2005Gianni Biancofiore The aim of this study was to compare a number of potentially stress-generating factors related to an intensive care unit (ICU) stay from the points of view of patients undergoing liver transplantation or elective major abdominal surgery and their caregivers in order to identify differences and similarities that may help to optimize patient care. The ICU Environmental Stressor Scale questionnaire was administered to 104 liver transplant recipients, 103 major abdominal surgery patients, 35 nurses and 21 physicians. The ICU staff were asked to complete the questionnaire on the basis of their perception of patient stressors. Both patient groups identified Being unable to sleep, Being in pain, Having tubes in nose/mouth, Missing husband/wife, and Seeing family and friends only a few minutes a day as the major stressors; the healthcare providers correctly identified the most stressing factors for the patients, but gave them higher scores. The mean scores were 71.9 ± 18.7 for the transplant recipients, 66.3 ± 20.9 for the patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery, 99.7 ± 19.2 for the nurses, and 92.7 ± 16.1 for the physicians (P < 0.001). The qualitative evaluations of potentially stress-inducing ICU situations were substantially the same in the 2 patient groups, but the transplant recipients seemed to feel them more acutely. Although the caregivers identified the most discomforting situations, they overestimated the degree of stress they cause. The staff of each ICU should therefore seek to understand and reduce (even by means of simple interventions) the particular causes of psychophysical stress felt by their patients. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:967,972.) [source] Living Donor Adult Liver Transplantation: A Longitudinal Study of the Donor's Quality of LifeAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 11 2005Jennifer E. Verbesey We report the results of a prospective, longitudinal quality of life survey on our adult right lobe (RL) liver donors. A total of 47 donors were enrolled; a standard SF-36 form and 43 questions developed by our team were completed before donation, at 1 week, and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after donation. There were no donor deaths. Twenty-nine complications occurred in 16 patients. Major complication rate was 12.8%. Employment status and personal finances were identified as major stressors. All donors who wished to return to work did so by 1 year (mean 3.4 months). Individuals reported between $0 and $25 000 in losses (wages, travel, lodging, etc.). Relationships with recipients and other family members were not altered significantly. Anticipated pain (predonation) was greater than actual pain reported. Donors indicated satisfaction with the donation process regardless of recipient outcome. Physical complaints were significant at 1 week and 1 month, but returned to baseline. Donor mental health remained stable. In conclusion, RL donors found the experience to be a positive one throughout the first postdonation year. The study identified areas (finances, employment and expected recipient outcomes) to be stressed as future donors are evaluated. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||