Deanne Karen Hilfinger Messias

• PhD, RN, FAAN
• Professor (Full) at University of South Carolina

Non-profit organizations that address gender-based violence must create diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplaces for advocates so that they can adequately serve diverse survivors. Despite recent efforts, differential treatment and high turnover among minority advocates continue. Further strategies to eliminate discriminative organizational prac...

Non-profit organizations that address gender-based violence must create diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplaces for advocates so that they can adequately serve diverse survivors. Despite recent efforts, differential treatment and high turnover among minority advocates continue. Further strategies to eliminate discriminative organizational prac...

Despite historic existence of campus ministries at universities, little is known about the roles of campus ministry leaders. This research explored campus ministry leaders’ engagement with students through interviews (n = 19). Analysis indicated interviewees’ work includes building relationships with students, navigating the secular context of a pu...

Guided by the Anderson Behavioral Model, the researchers in this study examined the association between emotional violence and HIV testing uptake among women, using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Only 3,637 women between the ages of 15 and 49 years were included. In the bivariate analysis, emotional violence, reported by 42.6% of...

HIV testing is a cornerstone for early HIV diagnoses which can improve quality of life, survival, and reduce forward transmission. This study examined socioeconomic determinants of HIV testing among women in Ethiopia using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. The sample was collected using stratified cluster sampling design and was sel...

Despite the widespread, historic presence of campus ministries at public universities, there is limited research exploring campus ministers’ role in student mental health. Prior research on campus ministries focused on student perspectives and organisational social norms. Conducted at a large public university in the Southeast, this research consis...

Purpose: To explore receptivity of and preferences for risk-reducing health behavior changes among African American survivors of early-stage lung cancer and their family members. Participants & setting: 26 African American non-small cell lung cancer survivor-family member dyads were recruited from two cancer programs in the southeastern United S...

Advocates who work for nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that address gender-based violence (GBV) experience a wide range of psychosocial health and well-being risks due to the emotionally demanding nature of the work they engage in. Most recommendations for advocates’ self-care focus on individual-level activities, failing to hold the NPOs accountabl...

We conducted an online survey to examine religiosity, sexual health knowledge, and behavior and sexual health information sources among undergraduate students affiliated with student religious organizations (n = 45) and unaffiliated students (n = 82). Analyses included Fisher’s exact tests, t-tests, and exact regression models. Students reporting r...

Background The increasing incorporation of high-fidelity simulation (HFS) in nursing education warrants further exploration of the contribution of HFS to subsequent development of nurses' clinical judgment. Method A thematic analysis was performed of in-depth audio-taped interview data from 20 registered nurses with one to three years of work expe...

Utilization of mobile applications in collaborative patient-provider monitoring of chronic health conditions: A theoretical framework to guide the use of mobile applications in collaborative patient-provider monitoring of chronic health conditions

Peer teaching provides students with opportunities to experience the educator role and increase self-confidence and problem-solving skills. To address the shortage of meaningful leadership experiences for senior baccalaureate nursing students, faculty implemented an alternative leadership experience involving senior students taking on the role of p...

This chapter describes the collaborative analysis of artwork created by first-time female offenders participating in a juvenile justice program. Using a feminist intersectional framework, the authors identified sociocultural obstacles and inequalities represented in the teenage girls’ art and digital media work and generated a conceptual rhizomatic...

Purpose: Language asymmetry between patients and providers may influence the context, content, and quality of health care communication, affecting patient outcomes and contributing to health disparities. This research examined interpreter-mediated, primary care encounters between English-speaking nurse practitioners and Spanish-speaking adult pati...

Purpose Tummy Time is preventive positioning designed to strengthen an infant's neck and upper body muscles and minimize musculoskeletal disorders, including positional plagiocephaly. Latino parents with limited English proficiency (LEP) may experience barriers to receiving instruction on this important health-promotion strategy. Study aims include...

Background: Language, culture, geographic, social, and economic factors are associated with health disparities. Among more recent Hispanic immigrants, limited English proficiency and immigration status are barriers to health information and healthcare access. Improved access to culturally and linguistically tailored health information through techn...

2017) Conversations about sexuality on a public university campus: perspectives from campus ministry students and leaders, Sex Education, 17:1, 103-118, a department of Health Promotion, education, and Behavior, university of South carolina, columbia, Sc, uSa; b college of nursing and Women's and Gender Studies, university of South carolina, columb...

This exploratory, descriptive study examined involvement of family members and professionals in older women’s post-fall decision making. We conducted semistructured interviews with 17 older women who had recently fallen and 11 individuals these women identified as being engaged in their post-fall decision-making processes. Qualitative data analysis...

Community asset mapping (CAM) is the collective process of identifying local assets and strategizing processes to address public health issues and concerns and improve quality of life. Prior to implementing a community-based physical activity intervention with Latinas in the Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley, promotoras [community health workers] condu...

This research examined factors influencing older women's post-fall decision making. We surveyed 130 independent older women from continuing care retirement communities and non-institutional homes. We categorized women's post-fall decisions as medical, corrective, and social decisions, and examined the associations between post-fall decision categor...

In this descriptive qualitative research, we examined older women's responses and decisions after experiencing a fall. Falls were unexpected, sudden events that heightened these women's awareness of their physical, emotional, spiritual, and social independence. Interviewees reported assessing personal physical and emotional needs; feeling burdened...

With the aim of addressing inequalities and disparities in health care access and outcomes, in 2001 the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH) established National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS). In 2010 the OMH solicited public, private and government input whi...

Patient satisfaction reflects how an individual's expectations, goals, and preferences are met by health care providers or services. Most research on patient expectations and satisfaction has been conducted in developed countries; there was no Portuguese language instrument to measure pregnant women's expectations and satisfaction with prenatal car...

Language asymmetry between patients with limited English proficiency and health care providers increases the complexity of patient-provider communication. In this research, we used conversation analysis to examine the content and processes of five triadic clinical communication encounters between Spanish-speaking adult patients, English-speaking nu...

The aims of this overview are to provide a brief historical review of federal, state, and local immigration policies and to examine the historical origin and current constructions of the undocumented immigrant. We discuss how past and current policies promote, regulate, restrict, and deter immigration into the United States and access to health ser...

A nation of immigrants, the United States currently has more foreign-born residents than any other country; approximately 28% of these foreign-born residents are undocumented immigrants-individuals who either entered or are currently residing in the country without valid immigration or residency documents. The complex and constantly changing social...

The focus of this article is the health impact and implications of undocumentedness along the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly the Arizona/Sonora region. We describe the direct and indirect influences of immigration policies on the health of individuals, families, and communities. The Arizona border region maintains close social, cultural, and ling...

ENLACE is a community-based participatory research project designed to enhance Latina’s engagement in physical activity and promote social support and collective efficacy through access to culturally appropriate, economical physical activity resources in Lower Rio Grande Valley colonias. The multi-level approach to promoting physical activity among...

Background: Every year, one in three women aged 65+ experiences a fall. Falling can have a profound effect on how a woman perceives and maintains her health and independence. This study explored women's post-fall decision making (DM) and the role of their sources of information (SIs). Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted i...

The previous four articles in this series cover extensive geographic and temporal territory in addressing past and present immigration policies, the construction of undocumented immigration, and the implications for individual, family, and community health in the US and globally. This commentary identifies and examines ethical considerations for nu...

Workplace violence generally refers to interpersonal aggression, sexual harassment, bullying, and other forms of discrimination and oppression occurring within the confines of the paid workplace. Workplace violence affects women across the globe, resulting in a wide range of health, economic, and social problems. We advocate for broader, transdisci...

Objectives: To examine the relationship between English language proficiency (ELP), physical activity, and physical activity-related psychosocial measures (i.e., exercise self-efficacy, exercise social support, perceptions of environmental supports) among Mexican-origin women in South Carolina and Texas. Design: Adjusted robust regression and in...

There is widespread recognition of the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of promotoras de salud (a Spanish term for community health workers) in health education and outreach among Hispanic communities. Yet there are significant gaps in the literature regarding the preparation, implementation and evaluation of promotoras' engagement in resear...

The increasing interconnectedness of the world and the factors that affect health lay the foundation for the evolving practice of global health diplomacy. There has been limited discussion in the nursing literature about the concept of global health diplomacy or the role of nurses in such initiatives. A discussion of this concept is presented here...

The use of promotoras de salud is an increasingly widespread delivery approach for community-based health education and promotion programs targeting obesity-related lifestyle behaviors for Hispanic populations. Addressing a gap in the literature, this research examined the sustainability of promotora-led initiatives from the perspectives of those w...

ENLACE was a multi-site pilot intervention study designed to foster community participation and enhance physical activity (PA) among low-income Mexican-origin Latinas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas and the South Carolina Midlands. The promotora-delivered model aimed to enhance cultural congruence and receptivity, build and enhance community...

BACKGROUND: Health programs delivered by promotores de salud aim to empower and enhance the health of community members through health education and outreach. Little is known about program planners' approaches to sustainability other than through ongoing funding. OBJECTIVE: To examine how program planners' envision and plan for sustaining promoto...

Objective: Program planners work with promotoras (the Spanish term for female community health workers) to reduce health disparities among underserved populations. Based on the Role-Outcomes Linkage Evaluation Model for Community Health Workers (ROLES) conceptual model, we explored how program planners conceptualized the promotora role and the app...

Training is an essential component of health programs that incorporate promotoras de salud (the Spanish term for community health workers) in the delivery of health education and behavioral interventions to Hispanics. During training sessions, promotoras are exposed to information and skill-building activities they need to implement the health prog...

By disrupting the routine practices and social structures that support social hierarchy, disasters provide a unique opportunity to observe how gender, race, and class power relations are enacted and reconstituted to shape health inequities. Using a feminist intersectional framework, we examine the dynamic relationships among a government/corporate...

In this community-based research, we reveal social processes contributing to health inequities among the resident Latino population â–“ predominantly new immigrants â–“ in a working-class, urban community with an historical, social and political landscape defined by a Blackâ–“White social divide and its attendant racial tensions. Using the social d...

The International Council on Women's Health Issues (ICOWHI) is an international nonprofit association dedicated to the goal of promoting health, health care, and well-being of women and girls throughout the world through participation, empowerment, advocacy, education, and research. We are a multidisciplinary network of women's health providers, pl...

The aim of this qualitative research was to examine the dynamics of existing and emerging social networks among Latino survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Data were generated through individual, in-depth interviews conducted with 65 Latinos within six months of the storm striking the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005. The findings illustra...

The value of qualified language interpretation services for limited-English-proficient patients is gaining increasing recognition by policy makers and researchers in the United States. Yet the actual work experiences of health care interpreters have not been adequately studied. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the work experi...

Interventions to improve physical activity levels among Latinos must take into consideration the social, cultural, economic, and environmental contexts of Latino communities. We report findings of formative assessments related to Mexican-origin women's levels of readiness, willingness, and ability to participate in regular leisure time physical act...

To further understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors affecting health and health behaviors among Latinas, specifically focusing on physical activity, we conducted a descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study in South Carolina (SC) Midlands and Texas (TX) Lower Rio Grande Valley communities. Data were collected thro...

The South Carolina (SC) Midlands has one of the highest rates of increase in the Latino population in the southeastern United States. Health disparities among Latina women in SC are in part a function of a health care system unprepared to provide necessary culturally and linguistically appropriate services to this growing community. This community-...

This study is a comprehensive systematic review of research on health literacy (HL) among U.S. Hispanics. Twenty-eight studies published between 1992 and 2008 were examined for focus, HL definitions, and HL measurement tools. Findings revealed that Spanish-speaking, less educated, and foreign-born Hispanics had the lower levels of HL. The health is...

The U.S. Hispanic population experiences excessive cancer mortality, attributed in part to lower screening rates and higher incidence of late-state disease. Spanish-language health educational materials are an important resource for efforts to improve cancer screening behaviors among Hispanics. We evaluated the suitability of Spanish language cance...

BACKGROUND: National literacy survey data indicate that Hispanics comprise the lowest-scoring ethnic group in the U.S. Low functional literacy, limited-English-proficiency, and limited linguistic and cultural competence among health care providers affect Hispanics' health literacy skills, increasing health disparities for this population. This is t...

Health education materials that provide accurate and culturally and linguistically appropriate information play an important supporting role in cancer prevention and control. This research project aimed to evaluate the Spanish translation of the South Carolina Cancer Alliance Cancer Education Guide (CEG) and create a more culturally and linguistica...

Our aim in this study was to explore HIV/AIDS peer counseling from the perspective of women actively engaged in this work within the context of a community-based program in rural areas of the southeastern United States. Based on this research we suggest that the embodied work of HIV/AIDS peer counselors is constructed around their personal identiti...

The assurance that limited-English-proficient individuals have access to quality healthcare depends on the availability of competent healthcare interpreters. To further understand the complex work of interpreting, we conducted in-depth interviews with 27 formal and informal healthcare interpreters. Participants identified the technical conduit role...

Limited-English-proficient (LEP) Latinas encounter multiple barriers to healthcare access, ranging from language and communication difficulties, information and knowledge gaps, and culturally divergent values, attitudes, and practices to operational deterrents such as transportation, availability of services, and lack of health insurance. Lack of a...

In this paper, the authors explore representations and interpretations of images of youth that surfaced in discussions with groups of adolescents in four community youth organizations. As part of a larger multi‐method study, adolescents created photo‐essays on the theme ‘Youth Making a Difference in the Community.’ These projects then served as tri...

The report of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo Action Document) was sponsored by 180 national governments and 1,200 nongovernmental organizations during the United Nations' conference on women, population, and development in Cairo, Egypt 1994. Many international conferences preceded the one in Cairo but it was there...

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore women's experiences and perceptions of work during a first pregnancy. In this article we present findings related to women's personal work, one aspect of pregnancy work identified in the larger study (1996-2002). Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a purpose...

This research sought to elicit HIV/AIDS peer counselors' perspectives about delivery formats for a counseling intervention. Peer counselors identified personal contact as the major advantage of the face-to-face format. Personal contact afforded counselors better opportunities to understand and assess clients' physical, emotional, and environmental...

This article contributes to the development of a critical social theory of youth empowerment which emphasizes collective efforts to create sociopolitical change. It draws upon analysis of four youth empowerment models, and upon findings from a participatory research study which identified key dimensions of critical youth empowerment: (1) a welcomin...

Current literature on community-based youth empowerment programs provides few specific operational descriptions of adult roles. This research addressed that gap by exploring the perspectives and experiences of adults actively engaged with youth empowerment programs. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews, field observations, and interactive...

This qualitative study explored the community volunteer experiences of women living in the context of poverty. A feminist narrative perspective informed the interpretation of the data. The narrative themes identified and discussed were: volunteer work in the context of poverty; the invisible work of discovery and figuring things out; and the commun...

The relationships between poverty, empowerment, and health are of theoretical and practical interest to nurses, yet few researchers have examined volunteerism in poor communities from a holistic health perspective. This study explores the experiences of women engaged in community volunteer work in the context of economic poverty. Individual, in-dep...

La afinidad por la narrativa la comparten los investigadores de muchas disciplinas. Los estudios sobre narrativa son una opción para las enfermeras investigadoras interesadas en utilizar métodos cualitativos, para analizar sus experiencias en enfermería, salud y enfermedad. En este trabajo discutimos los retos metológicos y epistemológicos, las ten...

The purpose of this integrated review was to examine research on the relationships between immigration and health. The review was limited to studies of immigration into North America published since 1994. The results suggested that, although recent research has furthered the understanding of immigration and health, the multiple health effects of th...

La afinidad por la narrativa la comparten los investigadores de muchas disciplinas. Los estudios sobre narrativa son una opción para las enfermeras investigadoras interesadas en utilizar métodos cualitativos, para analizar sus experiencias en enfermería, salud y enfermedad. En este trabajo discutimos los retos metológicos y epistemológicos, las ten...

This paper examines the representations of transnational health resources, practices, and perspectives in the narratives of Brazilian immigrant women. The results of this qualitative narrative research indicated that in taking care of their health, these Brazilian immigrants often relied on a combination of personal and collective transnational res...

This article focuses on immigrant women's transnational experiences and perceptions of paid and unpaid domestic work. The dominance of work was an evident theme throughout the interviews with 26 Brazilian women who had been employed in domestic or food service work in the United States. Various intersections of gender, class, culture, and migration...

Keywords:globalization;health disparities;poverty;Health for All

Changes in health and illness of individuals create a process of transition, and clients in transition tend to be more vulnerable to risks that may in turn affect their health. Uncovering these risks may be enhanced by understanding the transition process. As a central concept of nursing, transition has been analyzed, its components identified, and...

Abstact Advances in diagnosis, medical management and surgical intervention have improved the longevity and quality of life for children with congenital heart disease. Despite this, research studies specifically examining the psychosocial concerns of adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease are few. To explore the subjective exper...

Societal conceptualizations and images of women and work have an impact on the way health and social policies are formulated and how these policies affect the lives, health, and well-being of women. Nurses can expand the visibility of women's work and promote gender-sensitive policies related to women's work and health within the discipline of nurs...

In this article the authors examine the ways in which the definition of work as paid employment has affected women's health research, the knowledge and understanding of the relationships between women's work and health, and health and social policies. The authors argue for research and public policy based on an expanded definition of women's work,...

To provide a better understanding of parents' experiences as their children with congenital heart disease mature through adolescence and young adulthood. A qualitative pilot study. The physician practices of the pediatric cardiology service of a large university medical center. Eight parents of adolescents and young adults with congenital heart dis...

To explore the experience of fatigue from the perspective of patients undergoing chemotherapy. Qualitative research and secondary analysis of data from a larger study. Participants were recruited from 18 sites, including large outpatient chemotherapy clinics and private medical oncologists' offices. 127 adult patients who were beginning their first...

This qualitative study was based on individual interviews with 75 Brazilian women in an impoverished peri-urban squatter community (favela) in southeastern Brazil. The purposes of the study were to describe women's role involvement in domestic and employment contexts; identify stresses and satisfactions of maternal, spousal, and employment roles; a...

Examined coping in parent–adolescent dyads among 8 adolescents (aged 13–25 yrs) who have had surgical repairs for congenital heart disease. Single, separate interviews were conducted with 8 parents and their adolescent children. The interviews were transcribed and the data analyzed, in pairs, using Grounded Theory procedures. The analysis of the da...

Concept development involves multiple processes, one of which is concept exploration. The purpose of this paper is to present the process of concept exploration as exemplified in the case of undocumentedness. This particular exploration of undocumentedness was grounded in the discipline of nursing and approached from a feminist perspective. The exp...

This qualitative study was based on individual interviews with 75 Brazilian women in an impoverished peri-urban squatter community (favela) in southeastern Brazil. The purposes of the study were to describe women's role involvement in domestic and employment contexts; identify stresses and satisfactions of maternal, spousal, and employment roles; a...

Although women are participating more in the formal workforce, the majority are employed primarily in low-income and low-status occupations. While work roles may provide women with some rewards, employment may also create many stressful demands on their daily lives. As part of an international study, 60 female Brazilian clerical workers responded t...

This study was designed to explore the daily lived experiences of a group of employed, low-income Mexican women in their maternal and spousal roles The participants were 41 auxiliary nurses recruited from two large urban hospitals in Mexico Data were collected through the Women's Roles Interview Protocol (WRIP), which solicited the participants' pe...

Researcher/participant matching has been used in nursing research as a strategy for the development of culturally competent knowledge. In this manuscript, the complexities inherent in matching in nursing research are discussed. In raising and discussing issues and questions related to matching, we argue that although matching may be one of the stra...

This study reports the recollected stories of eight parents regarding their experiences of having an infant diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. The qualitative research design incorporated interactive interviews and thematic data analysis, using grounded theory techniques. The results describe various aspects of the parents’ transitional expe...

Este estudo objetivou realizar uma adaptação da escala Pregnancy Attitude Index (PAI) para a cultura brasileira. Tal instrumento constitui um recurso que a enfermeira obstétrica pode utilizar para conhecer as percepções das gestantes assistidas nos cursos de preparação psicoprofilática frente a experiência de parto, conduzindo dessa forma para uma...

This investigation is part of a transcultural research project on women and health, which has as its conceptual framework women's life experiences. This research is qualitative in nature, and the methodology utilized is a content analysis of the documented discourses of a group of lower class women in Ribeirão Preto (SP). The results demonstrate th...

Este estudo teve como objetivo testar a validade e confiabilidade do questionário de respostas ao auto cuidado (SCRQ) em outras culturas e países além dos Estados Unidos - especificamente, foi de avaliar a possibilidade de uso do instrumento entre mulheres brasileiras em perimenopausa. Durante o processo de tradução para a língua portuguesa, alguma...

Purpose: Longer time in the United States (US) is associated with increased risk of obesity in Hispanic immigrants, particularly for women. Although previous research has established an association between nutrition and acculturation, little attention has focused on physical activity. In this study, we examine the associations between acculturation...