BACKGROUND As the prevalence of online nursing education increased, so did the need for faculty t... more BACKGROUND As the prevalence of online nursing education increased, so did the need for faculty to understand student perceptions of faculty behaviors that demonstrate caring and promote student success. Literature from both education and nursing journals supported this study. OBJECTIVES Primary objectives were to identify how the value of caring is made visible in online learning, to understand how students prioritized faculty caring behaviors and to identify any significant differences in perceptions related to student demographics. A secondary objective was to provide professional development tools for faculty who teach nursing students in the online environment. DESIGN Mixed methods. SETTING A College of Nursing within a large public university in the Southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS One hundred and forty-one (141) nursing students pursuing graduate degrees (MSN or DNP) participated in the student survey and 15 participated in the focus groups/interviews; 28 faculty members responded to the survey. METHODS A validated survey tool was used to identify how students prioritized faculty caring behaviors. Facilitator-led focus groups were used to gain additional insights. Faculty members were surveyed to compare faculty and student priorities. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed. RESULTS Graduate nursing students perceived a course that is well-designed, with clear instructions and communication, and a supportive environment, to be evidence of faculty caring. There were significant differences in student responses when analyzed by demographic characteristics such as gender and race. Student perceptions aligned with previous research on this topic; faculty and student perceptions differed in some areas. CONCLUSION Quantifying graduate student perceptions about faculty caring behaviors provided information that is used for faculty professional development. Further research is needed to explore perceptions of faculty caring in different student populations. Multi-site studies to explore race and gender differences in perception are also recommended.
African American women are reported to be less physically active than other population groups. Th... more African American women are reported to be less physically active than other population groups. This study examined personal behavioral and psychosocial and environmental factors associated with physical activity in African American women living at or below poverty. Most participants engaged in some moderate physical activity through housework and child care; 71% engaged in activity such as walking from one to seven times per week; but only 5% were vigorously active. Seventy-seven percent were active in the past, but 80% dropped out within 6 months, citing "lack of time and feeling bad" as the main reasons. Exercise self-efficacy was positively correlated with beliefs about physical and social outcomes of activity, with more active than inactive women believing that physical activity had more physical health outcomes. One-third of the women reported that family or friends disapproved of their spending time being physically active, and 45% had never been encouraged to be active by a health professional. However, health professionals' influence was positively correlated with weight reduction but not physical activity participation.
Data management strategies have become increasingly important as new computer technologies allow ... more Data management strategies have become increasingly important as new computer technologies allow for larger and more complex data sets to be analyzed easily. As a consequence, data management has become a specialty requiring specific skills and knowledge. Many new investigators have no formal training in management of data sets. This paper describes common basic strategies critical to the management of data as applied to a data set from a longitudinal study. The stages of data management are identified. Moreover, key components and strategies, at each stage are described.
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nursing at Trace: Tennessee Resear... more This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nursing at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nursing Publications and Other Works by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact
Data management strategies have become increasingly important as new computer technologies allow ... more Data management strategies have become increasingly important as new computer technologies allow for larger and more complex data sets to be analyzed easily. As a consequence, data management has become a specialty requiring specific skills and knowledge. Many new investigators have no formal training in management of data sets. This paper describes common basic strategies critical to the management of data as applied to a data set from a longitudinal study. The stages of data management are identified. Moreover, key components and strategies, at each stage are described.
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 2019
ObjectivesWarrior Transition Units (WTUs) are specialized military units co‐located with major mi... more ObjectivesWarrior Transition Units (WTUs) are specialized military units co‐located with major military treatment facilities providing a Triad of Care involving primary care physicians, case managers, and military leadership to soldiers needing comprehensive medical care. We describe the rationale and methods for studying behavioral health care in WTUs and characterize soldiers assigned to WTUs.MethodsThe Army Warrior Care Project (AWCP) analyzes U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System data to examine behavioral health problems and service utilization among Army soldiers who were assigned to WTUs after returning from Afghanistan and Iraq deployments, FY2008–2015.ResultsWTU members (N = 31,094) comprised 3.5% of the AWCP cohort (N = 883,091). Almost all (96.5%) had one WTU assignment for a median of 327 days; 77.3% were assigned before deployment ended, ≤30 or >365 days post‐deployment; 59.4% had deployment‐related behavioral health diagnoses.ConclusionsAn overwhelming m...
Background:The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous challenges for conducting the human ... more Background:The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous challenges for conducting the human subjects research needed to advance science and improve health.Objective:The purpose of this article is to discuss how a college of nursing at a large public university in the southeast United States has responded to the challenges of conducting research during the novel COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:Seven faculty researchers at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing share their experiences in overcoming the unique challenges of conducting research due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19 are presented within the context of the research process, career implications, communication, and maintaining morale.Results:Fears of COVID-19 and social distancing measures have hindered participant recruitment, enrollment, and involvement in ongoing studies. Increasing virtual technology use and enhancing safety precautions have assisted researchers to overcome barriers. Scholarly writing has increased for some faculty members whose studies have been stalled by the pandemic, yet others have seen a decline due to additional personal responsibilities. The careers of faculty members across all ranks have been uniquely affected by the pandemic. With most faculty working remotely, enhanced communication strategies at the university and college have supported the research enterprise. Morale has been adversely affected, but a variety of personal and collegial efforts have helped faculty cope and preserve a sense of normalcy during this devastating pandemic.Discussion:Faculty and their ability to conduct the research needed to inform clinical and public health practice have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges of conducting research during this unprecedented crisis, faculty and institutions are taking novel steps to ensure the continuity of scientific progress for improving the health and well-being of patients and populations.
Sexual risk behavior is a public health problem among adolescents living at or below poverty leve... more Sexual risk behavior is a public health problem among adolescents living at or below poverty level. Approximately 1 million pregnancies and 3 million cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are reported yearly. Parenting plays a significant role in adolescent behavior, with mother–adolescent sexual communication correlated with absent or delayed sexual behavior. This study developed an instrument examining constructs of mother–adolescent communication, the Mother–Adolescent Sexual Communication (MASC) instrument. A convenience sample of 99 mothers of middle school children completed the self-administered questionnaires. The original 34-item MASC was reduced to 18 items. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the 18-item scale, which resulted in four factors explaining 84.63% of the total variance. Internal consistency analysis produced Cronbach alpha coefficients of .87, .90, .82, and .71 for the four factors, respectively. Convergent validity via hypothesis testing was supported by significant correlations with several subscales of the Parent–Child Relationship Questionnaire (PCRQ) with MASC factors, that is, content and style factors with warmth, personal relationships and disciplinary warmth subscales of the PCRQ, the context factor with personal relationships, and the timing factor with warmth. In light of these findings, the psychometric characteristics and multidimensional perspective of the MASC instrument show evidence of usefulness for measuring and advancing knowledge of mother and adolescent sexual communication techniques.
Purpose: To evaluate the effects of iDecide on prostate cancer knowledge, informed decision-makin... more Purpose: To evaluate the effects of iDecide on prostate cancer knowledge, informed decision-making self-efficacy, technology use self-efficacy, and intention to engage in informed decision-making among African American men. Design: One-group, pretest/posttest. Setting: Community settings in South Carolina. Participants: African American men, ages 40 years +, without a prior prostate cancer diagnosis (n = 354). Intervention: iDecide, an embodied conversational agent-led, computer-based prostate cancer screening decision aid. Measures: Prostate cancer knowledge, informed decision-making self-efficacy, technology use self-efficacy, and intention to engage in informed decision-making. Analysis: Descriptive statistics, paired t tests, general linear modeling, Spearman correlations. Results: On average, participants experienced significant improvements in their prostate cancer knowledge ( P ≤ .001), informed decision-making self-efficacy ( P ≤ .001), and technology use self-efficacy ( P ≤...
BACKGROUND Although there is an abundance of empirical evidence on principals' leadership pra... more BACKGROUND Although there is an abundance of empirical evidence on principals' leadership practices and teacher satisfaction in K-12 settings, a paucity of publications explore nursing faculty job satisfaction as influenced by leadership styles of academic deans. This research examined leadership styles of nursing deans to determine whether they correlate with nursing faculty job satisfaction at public U.S. universities with high research activity. METHOD A descriptive, correlational study was conducted with electronic self-administered questionnaires. The sample was recruited from 24 universities; 303 questionnaires were returned. RESULTS Faculty perceived that nursing deans displayed transformational leadership style more frequently. Nursing faculty were moderately satisfied in their jobs, and they were more satisfied with nursing deans who practiced attributed idealized influence. CONCLUSION Three types of leadership behaviors explained significant variance in faculty job satisfaction, indicating the need for training and development focused on effective leadership behaviors. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(2):68-75.].
BACKGROUND As the prevalence of online nursing education increased, so did the need for faculty t... more BACKGROUND As the prevalence of online nursing education increased, so did the need for faculty to understand student perceptions of faculty behaviors that demonstrate caring and promote student success. Literature from both education and nursing journals supported this study. OBJECTIVES Primary objectives were to identify how the value of caring is made visible in online learning, to understand how students prioritized faculty caring behaviors and to identify any significant differences in perceptions related to student demographics. A secondary objective was to provide professional development tools for faculty who teach nursing students in the online environment. DESIGN Mixed methods. SETTING A College of Nursing within a large public university in the Southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS One hundred and forty-one (141) nursing students pursuing graduate degrees (MSN or DNP) participated in the student survey and 15 participated in the focus groups/interviews; 28 faculty members responded to the survey. METHODS A validated survey tool was used to identify how students prioritized faculty caring behaviors. Facilitator-led focus groups were used to gain additional insights. Faculty members were surveyed to compare faculty and student priorities. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed. RESULTS Graduate nursing students perceived a course that is well-designed, with clear instructions and communication, and a supportive environment, to be evidence of faculty caring. There were significant differences in student responses when analyzed by demographic characteristics such as gender and race. Student perceptions aligned with previous research on this topic; faculty and student perceptions differed in some areas. CONCLUSION Quantifying graduate student perceptions about faculty caring behaviors provided information that is used for faculty professional development. Further research is needed to explore perceptions of faculty caring in different student populations. Multi-site studies to explore race and gender differences in perception are also recommended.
African American women are reported to be less physically active than other population groups. Th... more African American women are reported to be less physically active than other population groups. This study examined personal behavioral and psychosocial and environmental factors associated with physical activity in African American women living at or below poverty. Most participants engaged in some moderate physical activity through housework and child care; 71% engaged in activity such as walking from one to seven times per week; but only 5% were vigorously active. Seventy-seven percent were active in the past, but 80% dropped out within 6 months, citing "lack of time and feeling bad" as the main reasons. Exercise self-efficacy was positively correlated with beliefs about physical and social outcomes of activity, with more active than inactive women believing that physical activity had more physical health outcomes. One-third of the women reported that family or friends disapproved of their spending time being physically active, and 45% had never been encouraged to be active by a health professional. However, health professionals' influence was positively correlated with weight reduction but not physical activity participation.
Data management strategies have become increasingly important as new computer technologies allow ... more Data management strategies have become increasingly important as new computer technologies allow for larger and more complex data sets to be analyzed easily. As a consequence, data management has become a specialty requiring specific skills and knowledge. Many new investigators have no formal training in management of data sets. This paper describes common basic strategies critical to the management of data as applied to a data set from a longitudinal study. The stages of data management are identified. Moreover, key components and strategies, at each stage are described.
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nursing at Trace: Tennessee Resear... more This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nursing at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nursing Publications and Other Works by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact
Data management strategies have become increasingly important as new computer technologies allow ... more Data management strategies have become increasingly important as new computer technologies allow for larger and more complex data sets to be analyzed easily. As a consequence, data management has become a specialty requiring specific skills and knowledge. Many new investigators have no formal training in management of data sets. This paper describes common basic strategies critical to the management of data as applied to a data set from a longitudinal study. The stages of data management are identified. Moreover, key components and strategies, at each stage are described.
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 2019
ObjectivesWarrior Transition Units (WTUs) are specialized military units co‐located with major mi... more ObjectivesWarrior Transition Units (WTUs) are specialized military units co‐located with major military treatment facilities providing a Triad of Care involving primary care physicians, case managers, and military leadership to soldiers needing comprehensive medical care. We describe the rationale and methods for studying behavioral health care in WTUs and characterize soldiers assigned to WTUs.MethodsThe Army Warrior Care Project (AWCP) analyzes U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System data to examine behavioral health problems and service utilization among Army soldiers who were assigned to WTUs after returning from Afghanistan and Iraq deployments, FY2008–2015.ResultsWTU members (N = 31,094) comprised 3.5% of the AWCP cohort (N = 883,091). Almost all (96.5%) had one WTU assignment for a median of 327 days; 77.3% were assigned before deployment ended, ≤30 or >365 days post‐deployment; 59.4% had deployment‐related behavioral health diagnoses.ConclusionsAn overwhelming m...
Background:The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous challenges for conducting the human ... more Background:The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous challenges for conducting the human subjects research needed to advance science and improve health.Objective:The purpose of this article is to discuss how a college of nursing at a large public university in the southeast United States has responded to the challenges of conducting research during the novel COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:Seven faculty researchers at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing share their experiences in overcoming the unique challenges of conducting research due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19 are presented within the context of the research process, career implications, communication, and maintaining morale.Results:Fears of COVID-19 and social distancing measures have hindered participant recruitment, enrollment, and involvement in ongoing studies. Increasing virtual technology use and enhancing safety precautions have assisted researchers to overcome barriers. Scholarly writing has increased for some faculty members whose studies have been stalled by the pandemic, yet others have seen a decline due to additional personal responsibilities. The careers of faculty members across all ranks have been uniquely affected by the pandemic. With most faculty working remotely, enhanced communication strategies at the university and college have supported the research enterprise. Morale has been adversely affected, but a variety of personal and collegial efforts have helped faculty cope and preserve a sense of normalcy during this devastating pandemic.Discussion:Faculty and their ability to conduct the research needed to inform clinical and public health practice have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges of conducting research during this unprecedented crisis, faculty and institutions are taking novel steps to ensure the continuity of scientific progress for improving the health and well-being of patients and populations.
Sexual risk behavior is a public health problem among adolescents living at or below poverty leve... more Sexual risk behavior is a public health problem among adolescents living at or below poverty level. Approximately 1 million pregnancies and 3 million cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are reported yearly. Parenting plays a significant role in adolescent behavior, with mother–adolescent sexual communication correlated with absent or delayed sexual behavior. This study developed an instrument examining constructs of mother–adolescent communication, the Mother–Adolescent Sexual Communication (MASC) instrument. A convenience sample of 99 mothers of middle school children completed the self-administered questionnaires. The original 34-item MASC was reduced to 18 items. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the 18-item scale, which resulted in four factors explaining 84.63% of the total variance. Internal consistency analysis produced Cronbach alpha coefficients of .87, .90, .82, and .71 for the four factors, respectively. Convergent validity via hypothesis testing was supported by significant correlations with several subscales of the Parent–Child Relationship Questionnaire (PCRQ) with MASC factors, that is, content and style factors with warmth, personal relationships and disciplinary warmth subscales of the PCRQ, the context factor with personal relationships, and the timing factor with warmth. In light of these findings, the psychometric characteristics and multidimensional perspective of the MASC instrument show evidence of usefulness for measuring and advancing knowledge of mother and adolescent sexual communication techniques.
Purpose: To evaluate the effects of iDecide on prostate cancer knowledge, informed decision-makin... more Purpose: To evaluate the effects of iDecide on prostate cancer knowledge, informed decision-making self-efficacy, technology use self-efficacy, and intention to engage in informed decision-making among African American men. Design: One-group, pretest/posttest. Setting: Community settings in South Carolina. Participants: African American men, ages 40 years +, without a prior prostate cancer diagnosis (n = 354). Intervention: iDecide, an embodied conversational agent-led, computer-based prostate cancer screening decision aid. Measures: Prostate cancer knowledge, informed decision-making self-efficacy, technology use self-efficacy, and intention to engage in informed decision-making. Analysis: Descriptive statistics, paired t tests, general linear modeling, Spearman correlations. Results: On average, participants experienced significant improvements in their prostate cancer knowledge ( P ≤ .001), informed decision-making self-efficacy ( P ≤ .001), and technology use self-efficacy ( P ≤...
BACKGROUND Although there is an abundance of empirical evidence on principals' leadership pra... more BACKGROUND Although there is an abundance of empirical evidence on principals' leadership practices and teacher satisfaction in K-12 settings, a paucity of publications explore nursing faculty job satisfaction as influenced by leadership styles of academic deans. This research examined leadership styles of nursing deans to determine whether they correlate with nursing faculty job satisfaction at public U.S. universities with high research activity. METHOD A descriptive, correlational study was conducted with electronic self-administered questionnaires. The sample was recruited from 24 universities; 303 questionnaires were returned. RESULTS Faculty perceived that nursing deans displayed transformational leadership style more frequently. Nursing faculty were moderately satisfied in their jobs, and they were more satisfied with nursing deans who practiced attributed idealized influence. CONCLUSION Three types of leadership behaviors explained significant variance in faculty job satisfaction, indicating the need for training and development focused on effective leadership behaviors. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(2):68-75.].
Leadership and job satisfaction are two factors that have been regarded as fundamental for organi... more Leadership and job satisfaction are two factors that have been regarded as fundamental for organizational success. It has been shown that employees with high job satisfaction levels are likely to be more productive and exert more effort in pursuing organizational interests. The purpose of this study was to identify perceived leadership styles of nursing deans to determine whether they correlate with nursing faculty job satisfaction. The study used many SAS® procedures to analyze descriptive, correlational data. The sample for this national study consisted of 303, out of 1626 recruited, full-time nursing faculty members from 24 public, research universities with very high research activity in the United States. The result show there is positive significant linear relationship between transformation leadership style and transactional leadership with job satisfaction. Also, the result indicated that there is negative significant relationship between passive leadership style and job satisfaction (r=-.43). The result of multiple regression indicated that different leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and passive) are related to the job satisfaction after controlling with interaction with dean. The R square for transformational, transactional, and passive leadership on job satisfaction were .38, .13, and .26; respectively. SAS® is powerful software to analyze any types of data.
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