Despite the importance of social support for patients with diverse cancers, there has been no study to date that examines the differences and similarities between partner caregivers' report of communication support given to the patient and the patients’ perception and appraisal of that support. The purpose of this paper is to analyze partner caregiver communication support to wives’ diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer and compare it to the wives’ view of the support they receive from their partner caregiver. One of the most important measures of social support in the research literature is the form and type of communication the partner caregiver offers the wife regarding her feelings and emotions with the cancer. This paper will be a secondary analysis using data drawn from an ongoing clinical trial of women initially diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer and their partner caregivers [both genders]. Analyses will include patient-reported appraisal of received supportive communication using a standardized quantitative measure “What He/She Does for Me”, and the comparable measure of partner caregivers report on a standardized measure, "What I Do for Her." Data will be compared to assess the concordance or discordance between the enacted versus the perceived support. Results will have implications for nurses’ teaching partner caregivers types of communication that in the data are commonly misperceived by the diagnosed patient, including methods spouses can more effectively use to offer support that will be interpreted as support.

Ovarian cancer is the 2nd most frequent female cancer in the U.S. Among couples in which women have been diagnosed with stage III or IV ovarian cancer, the partner is often the caregiver, and his or her social support can greatly impact the diagnosed woman’s disease process. Despite advances in the study of the partner-caregiver’s role, there have been few nursing interventions specifically created to provide emotional healing and recovery for him or her during the disease process. Our study involves a 5-session nurse-delivered counseling intervention designed to address the partner-caregiver’s emotional care. The purpose of my research is to examine the data from before and after the intervention to determine the effect it had on the partner-caregiver’s depressed mood. Each participating partner-caregiver completed a CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression) scale before and after the intervention. The target sample was 10 partners of women diagnosed with stage III and IV ovarian cancer who were enrolled in the Taking Care of Her Program. The data analysis entailed comparing the partner-caregiver’s CES-D scale results before and after the intervention to evaluate the intervention’s impact on the respondent’s wellbeing. Due to the swift and terminal effects of ovarian cancer, and the time period needed to complete the sessions, only five partner-caregivers’ results have been collected to date. Of the five, four scored lower on the CES-D when their baseline scores were compared to their post-intervention scores. Although we are optimistic over these early results, caution is also in order, given the single group design (pre-posttest). There could be plausible other causes of these results. This early suggestive evidence argues the potential importance of this intervention but future research is needed within a more rigorous experimental design with a larger sample.

The postpartum period can be a challenging experience for many women as they adjust to the physical and social changes of new motherhood. Breastfeeding is one of the postpartum tasks that may be more difficult than expected. Additionally, many women may feel that their postpartum body fails to meet an idealized image, leading to body dissatisfaction. Mindfulness-based interventions have been developed for stress reduction in a variety of health contexts, including pregnancy. Mindfulness-based interventions may provide strategies for new mothers to handle the challenges of breastfeeding the infant and to improve their body image. The purpose of this study is to explore whether participants in a mindfulness based childbirth and parenting class (MBCP) during pregnancy found mindfulness skills beneficial to their breastfeeding experiences and postpartum body image. Women who participated in a ten week MBCP course during pregnancy were interviewed within the first year postpartum to discuss their experiences. The semi-structured interview guide included questions on how participants may have used mindfulness to approach a variety of positive and negative experiences. Findings demonstrate that women used mindfulness to appreciate the positive aspects of their postpartum experiences as well as handle the challenges they faced. During breastfeeding sessions participants deliberately focused on mindful attention on their infants. Women also used mindfulness to appreciate their postpartum bodies for the achievement of giving birth and to show self-compassion for the physical challenges of recovery. Findings have implications for future research on the postpartum experience and intervention design.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major public health concern associated with poor health outcomes (health-related quality of life (HRQOL), cognitive deficits). An estimated 1-4% of typically developing children have OSA. Less is known about the prevalence of OSA and co-morbid effects of OSA in children with chronic health conditions such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). JIA is an autoimmune disorder associated with joint inflammation, pain, fatigue, and disturbed sleep. A recent study reported a high prevalence of OSA in JIA, however the associations between OSA and health outcomes were not reported. The aims of this study were to: 1) compare the prevalence of OSA, HRQOL, and fatigue in JIA and control children; and 2) compare HRQOL and fatigue in JIA and controls with OSA to those without OSA. Participants included children 6-11 years, with JIA (n=68) and without JIA (n=75). Children underwent overnight polysomnography (PSG). Children and parents also completed the Pediatric Generic Core scale (HRQOL), Multidimensional Fatigue Scale; and parents completed the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). The analysis for aim 1 examined group differences in demographic and clinical characteristics, PSG OSA indices, parent-reported OSA symptoms, HRQOL, and fatigue. For aim 2, we categorized JIA and control children who met the clinical criteria for OSA by PSG and by PSQ. Mean scores for HRQOL and fatigue were examined in children with OSA confirmed by PSG and PSQ, to children without OSA confirmed by PSG or PSQ. We found that children with JIA have increased OSA by PSG and parent report, lower HRQOL, and increased fatigue severity compared to controls. Results of this study will inform clinical practice by highlighting the need to routinely screen children with JIA for OSA, and the impact of OSA on important patient-reported health outcomes in JIA.

In typically developing children, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with neurobehavioral performance deficits including impaired behavioral regulation and working memory. Less is known about the effects of OSA on neurobehavioral performance in children living with a chronic health condition, such as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Our recent study showed a high prevalence of OSA in children with JIA that was associated with slower reaction times and increased impulsivity. The purpose of this study is to compare the frequency of OSA, and the associations between OSA and neurobehavioral performance (behavior regulation [emotional control, inhibition], metacognition [working memory, organization]) in 150 school-age children with and without JIA. We hypothesized that OSA will be increased in children with JIA, and OSA will be negatively associated with emotional control, inhibition, working memory, and organization in comparison to an age, sex match group of control children. Children and their parents underwent an overnight polysomnography (PSG) in a sleep research laboratory. Parents completed neurobehavioral performance measures including Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Child Behavioral Check List (CBCL). OSA frequency between JIA and control children was examined with Chi-square analysis. Group differences (JIA vs. control) in neurobehavioral performance measures were examined with analysis of variance (ANOVA). Bivariate correlations were done to examine the associations between OSA and neurobehavioral performance tests. Findings from this study will provide new knowledge about the effects of obstructive sleep apnea on neurobehavioral performance in children living with a chronic health condition.