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Promoting Wellness for College Athletes Through Mindfulness Meditation
Get PDFThe practice of mindfulness meditation may be beneficial for college athlete’s mental health and wellness. College athletes are in a period of significant personal growth and experience high amounts of stress related to athletic performance, academics, and peer relationships. Integrating mindfulness meditation for college athletes has been linked to improving relaxation, concentration, and performance while decreasing fatigue and negative emotions related to fear or anxiety. This scholarly project explores the implementation of four mindfulness meditation sessions on perceptions of stress, mental focus, athletic performance, and presence in female college track and field athletes. The participants were attending an urban college in Minnesota and were between the age of 18 and 22 years old. A holistic approach from the healing framework of nursing theorist, Jean Watson, was embraced throughout the project. Pre and post evaluations were given to guide the developmental evaluation. There was a high level of interest in learning mindfulness meditation and all the college athletes reported stress related to academics. Although the mean level of stress increased from the first to last session, secondary to outside influences, most college athletes would recommend the program. This scholarly project followed the Essentials of Doctorate Education for Advanced Nursing Practice and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Competencies. The scholarly project may be applied to nurse practitioner practice by improving the emotional wellness and healthy habits of colleges athletes’ responses to stressful situation while contributing to a decrease in medication usage and health care costs
Social Empowerment of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Get PDFAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorder, marked by symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. These symptoms contribute to difficulties with psychosocial functioning, often leading to feelings of inferiority. Several studies identify that those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have lower self-perceptions with risks for comorbidities and poor quality of life. However, few studies have attempted to provide interventions to increase the self-perceptions of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Most interventions for those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder focus on giving medications and implementing behavioral modification techniques to externally control behaviors. However, this scholarly project focuses on an internal approach of a social empowerment support group to provide insight or pattern recognition to motivate change or pattern transformation, aligning with Newman’s Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory. By developing higher levels of understanding and interactions, those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder will increase the perception of their ability to successfully navigate more complex challenges. The preadolescent participants of this social empowerment support group demonstrated increased self-perception scores after attending. Since attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is considered a chronic disorder and level of functioning determines life satisfaction, this scholarly project creates awareness of the importance for practitioners to assess self-perception of functioning and provide interventions that promote self-efficacy for ongoing improvement of functioning
Health Promotion of Adolescent sex Education With Hmong Youth
No full textSexual health is an important topic to discuss during the adolescent period to promote healthy decision making to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The topic of sexual health is not discussed in Hmong families due to cultural taboos leaving Hmong youth to not receive accurate information regarding sexual health to prevent unplanned pregnancies and STIs. Using Madeline Leininger’s culture care theory as a framework, a scholarly project was developed using lessons from an evidence-based sexual health curriculum. The presentation distributed sexual health information and resources to Hmong adolescents ages 13-18 in a community setting. A total of 7 participants attended the presentation. A pre and post survey was completed by the participants as a way to measure baseline knowledge and knowledge after the presentation. Participants who answered on the pre-survey about knowing, “nothing at all,” to “only a little,” improved on the post-survey as “some” knowledge, and “a lot” of knowledge. This scholarly project advances nursing practice by designing and implementing sexual health education using evidence-based curriculums. Future projects could include educating parents to give them the tools necessary to engage in conversations about sexual health with their adolescents
A Mindfulness Program With Youth Affected by Crime
No full textToxic stress and adverse childhood experiences can negatively affect the human mind, body, and spirit. Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) provide holistic and integrative care to a variety of populations. Mindfulness is an integrative and cost-effective means to increase self-esteem, regulate emotions, and decrease stress and anxiety across the lifespan. The purpose of this project is to bridge the resource gap and provide underserved youth affected by crime with a group mindfulness meditation program. Utilizing Jean Watson’s Caring Science as a theoretical framework and evidence-based literature, the DNP-FNP student adopted and implemented a three-week mindfulness program with a group of juvenile justice involved youth. Despite initial reports of low stress, the youth engaged in the program and thought they could use some activities in the future. This project uplifted a myriad of nursing and social issues, such as stress, adverse childhood experiences, resilience, mindfulness, and self-care, to add to the body of holistic nursing knowledge. Findings from this scholarly project uplift the need for further reflections and research in these areas to improve health outcomes for this population
The world is more than a stage: foreign policy, development and spatial performativity in Ethiopia
Get PDFThis paper seeks to reconcile performative theorizing, which captures the place of systems of thought on foreign policy practice, and broader sociological approaches that link networks and institutions across space, especially as they relate to the global economy. Once developed, the theory, which is termed here ‘spatial performativity’, is applied to recent efforts to promote industrialization through the development of special economic zones in Ethiopia. In doing so, attention is drawn to a burgeoning area of African and Chinese foreign policy and economic cooperation
Does Attending Community College Save You Money?
Get PDFCommunity colleges are inclusive institutions that make higher education available to students. The cost of attending a community college is much less than a four year university. The average annual tuition of a community college in 2017 was 10,230. Students looking to minimize education debt could save tuition cost by going to community college first. However many students do not realize that successfully transitioning from a 2 year college to a 4 year one and graduating in a timely fashion can be a challenge. Only 14% of students who enrolled in community college in the fall of 2007 seeking a bachelor’s degree actually succeeded in earning one within six years. Among those who transferred, only 42% earned a bachelor’s degree in six years compared to the 58% of students who enroll into a four-year institution as freshmen.https://idun.augsburg.edu/zyzzogeton/1015/thumbnail.jp
Increasing Mental Health Awareness among Somali Youth in Minneapolis
No full textMental health issues affect the quality of life of the Somali community who live in Minneapolis, MN. The primary purpose of this quality improvement project is generate mental health awareness among Somali youth living in Minneapolis through interviews on the stigmatization surrounding the metal health problems within their community in order to increase their awareness of proper treatment. The quality improvement project employs interviews to develop findings that were used to develop themes that might be used in help guide the practice of advanced practice nursing. The developed themes include vulnerability, cultural, and religious worldviews, lack of access to health insurance, unemployment, possession by spirits, stigmatization, fear of the perceptions from the society about mental health concerns, the fear of being labeled as being insane as well as avoidance of shame to the family. The Somali youth that participated in this project were presented based on the levels of knowledge, the basic understanding of mental health problems, and how to access appropriate treatment for mental health. The project also provides a discussion of the potential challenges that nurses experience in their efforts to increase access to proper mental health treatment for immigrants, specifically Somali immigrants. The project also discusses the Inter-professional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes and Advanced Nursing Practice that are identified as the essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (AACN, 2006). Finally, the project explains the future steps in relation to mental health awareness, the expansion of the project and areas for further research. In summary the quality improvement project clarifies the misconceptions about mental illness, and provides mental health awareness to Somali youth with the aim of increasing their knowledge an access to proper mental health treatment
Assessing Trauma in Adolescents With Chronic Pain
No full textChronic pain in America is a major health concern. Literature reveals a correlation between chronic pain and previous exposure to trauma and adult health. Early assessment of previous traumatic experiences and chronic stress in adolescents within chronic pain management is a necessity. In an adolescent chronic pain rehabilitation intensive outpatient program at a large Midwestern teaching medical institution, nurse assess adolescents experiencing chronic pain, but have no standardized approach to screen for trauma. A multi-disciplinary team was formed to determine the best approach to assess for trauma and implement a standardized measurement tool for nurses. Using Newman’s concepts of authentic presence, pattern recognition, and higher level of consciousness, nurses will be educated on creating a caring presence to create an environment where adolescents will feel comfortable sharing their stories. In addition, the use of resiliency training throughout the adolescent’s chronic pain management treatment will help them face life’s adversity. Assessing trauma in adolescents with chronic pain is essential to nursing practice. If nurses feel comfortable and are thoroughly educated in trauma assessment, it allows the patients to have early referral to Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, improves their health outcomes, and helps to manage their chronic pain
Adjunctive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Diabetic Foot Ulcers
No full textBackground: People with diabetes are predisposed to developing foot ulcers that result in morbidity and mortality. Standard wound care is the gold standard for treatment of DFUs however, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has been FDA-approved as an adjunctive therapy. HBOT has been theorized to increase oxygenation to the wound and therefore increase healing.
Method: PubMed was searched to identify randomized control trials (RCTs), systematic and meta-analysis comparing HBO plus standard wound care for DFUs to standard wound care alone. The main outcomes included healing of the ulcer and reduction in major amputations. Additionally, an interview with a hyperbaric Nurse Practitioner was performed to collect information on current clinical practice.
Results: The majority of studies suggested that adjunct therapy with HBO increases the healing process of DFUs. However, there is conflicting data as to if HBOT reduces amputation rates. While some studies stated that HBOT reduced major amputations in patients with DFUs, others determined there was no statistical significance.
Conclusion: It was analyzed that the conflicting evidence in the efficacy of HBOT and DFUs is primarily reliant on patient population. When the study specifically focused on Wagner Grade 3 and 4 ulcers, the studies reported increased healing with HBOT. The studies that did not classify the DFU or allowed a broad range of Wanger Grade ulcers, the reports often showed no significant benefit with HBOT. To establish a more concrete approach on the efficacy of HBOT for this condition, more studies should be performed specifically utilizing one of the classification systems
Cobalt Release from a Nanoscale Multiphase Lithiated Cobalt Phosphate Dominates Interaction with Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and Bacillus subtilis SB491
No full textCobalt phosphate engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are an important class of materials that are used as lithium ion battery cathodes, catalysts, and potentially as super capacitors. As production of these nanomaterials increases, so does the likelihood of their environmental release; however, to date, there are relatively few investigations of the impact of nanoscale metal phosphates on biological systems. Furthermore, nanomaterials used in commercial applications are often multiphase materials, and analysis of the toxic potential of mixtures of nanomaterials has been rare. In this work, we studied the interactions of two model environmental bacteria, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and Bacillus subtilis, with a multiphase lithiated cobalt phosphate (mLCP) nanomaterial. Using a growth-based viability assay, we found that mLCP was toxic to both bacteria used in this study. To understand the observed toxicity, we screened for production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and release of Co2+ from mLCP using three abiotic fluorophores. We also used Newport Green DCF dye to show that cobalt was taken up by the bacteria after mLCP exposure. Using transmission electron microscopy, we noted that the mLCP was not associated with the bacterial cell surface. In order for us to further probe the mechanism of interaction of mLCP, the bacteria were exposed to an equivalent dose of cobalt ions that dissolved from mLCP, which recapitulated the changes in viability when the bacteria were exposed to mLCP, and it also recapitulated the observed bacterial uptake of cobalt. Taken together, this implicates the release of cobalt ions and their subsequent uptake by the bacteria as the major toxicity mechanism of mLCP. The properties of the ENM govern the release rate of cobalt, but the toxicity does not arise from nanospecific effects—and importantly, the chemical composition of the ENM may dictate the oxidation state of the metal centers and thus limit ROS production