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Sandra K Plach
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ABSTRACT: I performed this study to examine whether the quality of women's social roles influences the impact of heart failure (HF) on their psychological well-being. Survey questionnaires measuring social role quality, physical health, and psychological well-being were completed by 169 midlife, older, and late-life women. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated that, after controlling for age, income, and physical health, social role quality accounted for a significant proportion of variance in multiple well-being outcomes. The quality of women's social roles may be an important consideration in the development of interventions to help women with HF live satisfying and productive lives.
Health Care For Women International 02/2008; 29(1):54-75. · 0.63 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Self-care management of symptoms for persons with heart failure (HF) may only be successful when their representations regarding their symptoms are accurate and linked to appropriate behavioral strategies. The purpose of this secondary data analysis (N = 169 women with HF) was to describe representations of one HF-related symptom, fatigue, and examine whether representations were related to physical health status, health care utilization, and psychological well-being and whether they differed by age. Overall, women agreed that fatigue was chronic, caused by HF, and had serious consequences. Midlife women reported more emotional distress and severe consequences from fatigue than older women. Higher levels of emotional distress due to fatigue from HF were associated with higher levels of health care utilization.
Research in Nursing & Health 11/2006; 29(5):452-64. · 1.71 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this report is to describe the ways older women living with HIV perceive of and practice self-care. Data are taken from a culturally diverse subsample of 9 women age 50 years or older who participated in a larger longitudinal qualitative study of women who were HIV infected. During a period of 2 years, 10 semistructured narrative interviews were conducted with each of the 9 participants to gain an in-depth understanding of their experiences with symptom management, adherence to medical regimens, reduction of HIV risk, access to health care and social services, and personal efforts to maintain their health. Transcribed data were managed using Nvivo software and analyzed using multistaged narrative analysis. Findings suggest that mature women living with HIV integrate actions to maintain bodily comfort and improve physical well-being with actions that champion and conserve the existential self. Excerpts from their interviews illustrate this dialectical understanding of self-care.
Western Journal of Nursing Research 09/2005; 27(5):534-53; comment 554-8. · 1.19 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This report describes patterns of cigarette smoking and interest in smoking cessation programs among employees in a public worksite (n = 6,000) and a private worksite (n = 14,000). Of the 622 employees who attended an employee assistance program (EAP) orientation, 110 (18%) were current smokers. A significantly greater proportion of public employees smoked cigarettes, smoked more heavily, and evaluated their health more poorly compared to private employees. Smokers in both sites were over-represented in unskilled positions. Regardless of worksite, respondents who smoked had similar desires to quit or cut down and were annoyed by the comments of others, felt guilty about smoking, awakened with a desire to smoke, and felt they had a smoking problem. Overall, more than one third of individuals were interested in joining a smoking cessation program. Occupational health nurses may use these findings to design and implement smoking cessation interventions in their workplaces.
AAOHN Journal 07/2005; 53(6):249-56. · 0.51 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Depression in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be related to social role experiences, physical health, and age. The purpose of this study was to examine the social and health factors contributing to depression in two age groups of women with RA. One-hundred and thirty-eight midlife and late-life women with a diagnosis of RA participated in this cross sectional survey study. Multiple regression analysis indicated that social role balance, functional status, number of co-existing health problems, and age were significant predictors of depression in midlife and late-life women with RA. Role balance was the strongest factor contributing to a woman's depression score. Compared to midlife women, late-life women reported significantly higher role balance and lower depression scores, despite poorer functional status and more concomitant health problems.
The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 02/2005; 61(3):179-94. · 0.62 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research report is to describe women's experiences living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Twenty women diagnosed with RA participated in semistructured interviews that were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings indicated that how women with RA experience life in their physical bodies is fundamentally important. Corporeality, the name we chose for this phenomenon, is quite literally being one's body. This experience of the reality of being in or being of a body or corpus was central, not only to participants' perceptions of well-being but also to the impact rheumatoid arthritis was having on their lives and the actions they took to contend with the illness. The authors identified three themes that described what corporeality was for women with RA: relating to a noncompliant body, body out of synch, and private body made public. These results are discussed in light of other research about embodied experience in persons living with chronic illness.
Clinical Nursing Research 06/2004; 13(2):137-55. · 0.88 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating and moderating effects of women's social role quality on the psychological well-being of women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One hundred and fifty-six women with a diagnosis of RA (M age = 59, SD = 11) completed self-report measures of arthritis history, physical health, psychological well-being, and role quality. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that role quality mediated the effects of physical health on depression and purpose in life, moderated the effects of health on depression, and moderated the effects of pain on purpose in life. Women in poor health with high role quality were significantly less depressed than women in poor health with poor role quality. Women with high levels of pain and high role quality had more purpose in life than women with high levels of pain and low role quality. Despite difficulties with their physical health, women who had high role quality had higher levels of psychological well-being. Findings from this study may aid in the development of meaningful interventions to help women with RA manage their daily lives to optimize well-being.
Research in Nursing & Health 07/2003; 26(3):190-202. · 1.71 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Theories and studies about the psychological processes of midlife propose a transition that may result in a more integrated personality structure throughout the second half of life. This more integrated structure includes concepts such as generativity, self-assertion, and independence. However, this structure, especially in early middle-age, can be affected by a life-threatening health disruption such as heart disease. One hundred and fifty-five women participated in a cross-sectional survey designed to investigate depression in early middle age, midlife, and elderly women who had undergone heart surgery. Women aged 40-55 years composed the early middle-age group, women aged 56-65 years composed the midlife age group, and women aged 66+ years were identified as the elderly age group. Affective components of depression were measured by asking participants to respond to three items regarding frequency of sadness, depression, and "the blues." Affective depression scores were summed and a mean score derived. Mean scores significantly differed by age group (F [2, 152] = 3.05, p =.05). Older women in the study fared better than their younger counterparts in terms of depression scores after a major cardiac health disruption. Post hoc comparisons indicated that mean scores for the early middle-age participants were significantly higher than for the midlife and older participants. Depression in the context of a cardiac health disruption appears to be linked to the developmental stage of a woman's life trajectory on which it is superimposed.
Health Care For Women International 05/2003; 24(4):327-39. · 0.63 Impact Factor
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AORN journal 12/2002; 76(5):765-6.
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ABSTRACT: Women's social role quality may be an important factor in their adaptation after heart surgery. Relationships among different dimensions of role quality, physical health, and psychological well-being were examined in 157 midlife and older women who had undergone heart surgery. Overall, older women (n = 89) were similar to younger women (n=68) in physical recovery from heart surgery. Poorer health outcomes were associated with number of health problems, not age. Women with more health problems and lower subjective health perceptions had lower role quality. Multiple regression analyses indicated that, in general, role quality mediated the effects of physical health on psychological well-being. Regardless of the extent of physical health problems, women with higher role quality had higher levels of psychological well-being.
Research in Nursing & Health 07/2002; 25(3):189-202. · 1.71 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this report is to share results from a pilot study about the social role experiences and health of women living with HIV/AIDS. This pilot was designed as part of a larger study undertaken to ensure cultural competence of measures and methods proposed for testing a model of role quality and health in culturally diverse low-income women. Thirteen women participated in the study (69% African American; 77% less than dollar 10,000 annual income; range of years since HIV diagnosis, 3-21). Measures of physical health, role quality, and psychological well-being previously used to test relationships among the variables in women with chronic illness were administered using a face-to-face interview format. Results indicated that the women experienced a number of HIV symptoms and coexisting health problems, moderate physical limitations, positive perceptions of their roles, moderate levels of well-being, and high depression scores. The pilot study represents the first step in the development of a theory-based approach to understanding linkages among health and role quality in women with HIV.
Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care 17(2):58-64. · 1.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this article is to share how a simulated research project was used as an experiential learning activity to demystify research and engage nurses in the research process. The step-by-step approach can serve as a model to help staff development specialists facilitate a similar learning activity among nurses in other settings.
Journal for Nurses in Staff Development - JNSD 23(1):45-8.
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Sandra K Plach
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ABSTRACT: This cross-sectional, descriptive study examined patterns of referral of women to cardiac rehabilitation programs after heart surgery, their adherence to those programs, and whether their participation differed according to their age ranges. A Cardiac Rehabilitation Participation questionnaire was mailed to 157 women who were selected from the records of 4 hospitals and 7 physician groups. Of the 157 women, 122 had been referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program. Ten (8.3%) of 122 did not attend the program at all, and 25 (29%) did not attend as often as had been recommended. Women who had bypass surgery were more likely to have been referred than were those who had valvular surgery. Patterns of referral and adherence were similar in older women (66 years or older) to the patterns for women in midlife (32 to 65 years). Study participants indicated that health, convenience, work or time constraints, or personal preferences were factors that most interfered with their attending the programs. Age was not a factor.
Rehabilitation nursing: the official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses 27(3):104-9. · 0.55 Impact Factor
