Browsing by Author "Crowder, Sharron J."

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    Adolescents' qualitative expressions of functional seizure illness representation
    (Wiley, 2024) Tanner, Andrea L.; von Gaudecker, Jane R.; Crowder, Sharron J.; Buelow, Janice M.; Miller, Wendy R.; School of Nursing
    Introduction: Adolescents with functional (nonepileptic) seizures experience challenges self-managing this mental health condition, especially at school where adolescents experience stress, bullying, accusations of faking seizures, and stigma. According to the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation, adolescents' self-management decisions and outcomes may be shaped by their functional seizure illness representation (perceptions or mental depictions formed in response to a health threat). However, current research has only explored adults' functional seizure illness representation; little is known about adolescents. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents' expressions of illness representation characteristics (identity, cause, consequence, controllability/curability, and timeline) when describing their experience attending school with functional seizures. Methods: We analyzed qualitative data from 10 adolescents (age 12-19 years, 100% female) from the United States with functional seizures. Data collection occurred in 2019 via semistructured interviews about adolescents' school experiences. The theme of illness representation emerged without prompting adolescents to discuss illness representation or its characteristics. This study involved inductive analyses and magnitude coding of adolescents' unsolicited expressions of illness representation. Results: All five characteristics of illness representation were mentioned by adolescents; however, not all characteristics were mentioned by all adolescents. Adolescents' expressions of illness representation characteristics resulted in the following descriptive themes: clashing labels and mind-body façade for identity, stress for cause, gains and losses for consequence, control/lack of control for controllability/curability, and no end of seizures in sight for timeline. Conclusions: Adolescents' expressions of illness representation reveal perceptions considered "threatening" within the Common Sense Model, especially those expressing lack of controllability/curability and condition timelines with no end in sight. The Common Sense Model offers a framework for understanding how these threatening perceptions may impact health and academic outcomes or change with intervention.
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    Better together: Coalitions committed to advancing health equity
    (Elsevier, 2022-11) Crowder, Sharron J.; Tanner, Andrea L.; Dawson, Martha A.; Felsman, Irene C.; Hassmiller , Susan B.; Miller, Lisa C.; Reinhard, Susan C.; Toney, Debra A.; School of Nursing
    The Future of Nursing 2020–2030 report identifies coalitions as a driving force for advancing health equity. Five coalitions provided insight into their accomplishments, lessons learned, and role in advancing health equity. The exemplar coalitions included Latinx Advocacy Team and Interdisciplinary Network for COVID-19, Black Coalition Against COVID, Camden Coalition, National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations, and The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. While all exemplar coalitions, credited relationship building and partnerships to their success, they used unique strategies for striving to meet their populations’ needs, whether the needs arose from COVID-19, racial and/or ethnic disparities, socioeconomic disparities, or other barriers to health. Research and policy implications for coalitions are discussed. Nurses play a critical role in every highlighted coalition and in the national effort to make health and health care more equitable.
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    Enduring Uncertainty Through the Lens of Osteoporosis: A Mixed Methods Study
    (2024-06) Vlaeminck, Caitlin Mae; Miller, Wendy Trueblood; Carter, Gregory; Crowder, Sharron J.; Otte, Julie; Longtin, Krista
    Osteoporosis is a chronic illness that is underdiagnosed and often poorly managed. Uncertainty is a phenomenon experienced by individuals diagnosed with chronic illness. There are no published American studies describing whether women diagnosed with osteoporosis experience uncertainty. Experiencing uncertainty can lead to decreased quality of life (QOL), delays in decision-making, and negative impacts on relationships. A mixed methods approach was used using descriptive statistics and two scales, The Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale-Community Form (MUIS-C) and the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Health scale, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Significant negative correlations were found between levels of uncertainty and physical health status and between physical and mental health. The qualitative study focused on describing the experience individuals had with the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with fourteen Caucasian women who all had a diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis. Thematic analysis revealed five themes that could be chronologically processed: The Sentinel Event, Adapting to Chronic Disease, Navigating Uncertainty, Being Less Than, and What the Future Holds. The findings of this study have implications for how healthcare providers share knowledge and education about the disease of osteoporosis with individuals. Future research should include women and men from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. This inclusive approach is crucial for ensuring that preventive measures and management strategies are tailored to the diverse needs of all individuals, fostering equity and efficacy in osteoporosis care.
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    Experiences of African American students in pre-licensure schools of nursing: a qualitative descriptive study
    (2015-12-17) White, Barbara Jean; Ironside, Pamela M.; Dreifuerst, Kristina Thomas; Crowder, Sharron J.; Mutegi, Jomo W.
    Despite more than 40 years of research and governmental support, African Americans continue to be underrepresented in the nursing profession compared to the population it serves. Though some progress has been made over the past 20 years, the American Nurses Association (ANA), American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) and Institute of Medicine (IOM) continue to identify increasing diversity as a disciplinary priority. Further understanding of the experiences of African American nursing students is needed to inform decisions about recruitment, retention and successful matriculation of these students. This qualitative descriptive study focused on understanding the experiences, and the meaning those experiences had, for African American students who attended predominately European American schools of nursing. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with fourteen African American nurses who shared their experiences in pre-licensure nursing programs. Thematic analysis revealed two salient themes: "Standing out" and "It's not just about me." The findings from this study shed new light on this persistent issue and inform faculty members and nursing school administrators about the strategies and ways of framing the educational experience that may create environments that are welcoming to African American students to address the retention of African American students in pre-licensure nursing programs.
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    Factors Associated with Asthma Self-Management in African American Adolescents
    (Elsevier, 2015-11) Crowder, Sharron J.; Hanna, Kathleen M.; Carpenter, Janet S.; Broome, Marion E.; IU School of Nursing
    Few studies have focused on asthma self-management in African American adolescents, a group with high rates of the disease. This study examined factors associated with asthma self-management in 133 African Americans aged 14-16 years including gender, asthma impairment, prior asthma education, cognitive and emotional illness representations. Twenty-five percent of the variance in asthma self-management was explained by having attended an asthma education program, perceiving more asthma consequences (illness consequences), and reporting greater understanding of asthma as an illness (illness coherence). Findings suggest that these variables may be important targets of interventions to improve asthma self-management in African American middle adolescents.