Former TRIP Scholars

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This community contains collections of works by authors formerly affiliated with IUPUI and the Center for Translating Research into Practice (TRIP)

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Impact of Schools' Social Bonding on Chronic Truancy: Perceptions of Middle School Principals
(2009-03-18T18:34:05Z) Gentle-Genitty, Carolyn Sherlet; Westhuis, David; Barton, William H., 1949-; Adamek, Margaret E.; Anderson, Jeffrey; Jarjoura, G. Roger
No longer is the family the only unit of care for children and their education; schools are now the primary unit of education and are responsible for at least 6-8 hours of student connectedness. Yet, one in every 100 US students is truant. Among students ages 14-17, the number of truants is one in 10. In one township in Indiana, one in every three students is a chronic truant. Understanding why children disengage from school before reaching the compulsory attendance age of 16 is essential. This study explored the relationship of schools’ social bonding opportunities and principals’ perceptions of students’ social bond on rates of chronic truancy in middle schools. Chronic truancy was defined as 10 or more absences reported to the Indiana Department of Education during the 2006-2007 school year. Methods. A cross-sectional online survey consisting of 81 items was administered using Survey Monkey™. The list of participants was generated from the Indiana Department of Education’s online database of middle and junior high schools in Indiana. Of the 429 principals invited to participate, 144 responded. The final sample consisted of 99 public schools. Secondary data was used to compare school demographic characteristics. Results. Using multiple regression analyses, the results showed that schools’ social bonding opportunities and principals’ perceptions of students’ social bonding in middle school were positively but not significantly related to rates of chronic truancy. The variables in the model of best fit accounted for 16% of the change in rates of chronic truancy. Principals reported doing well at creating opportunities for students to attach and be involved in school but that they needed to improve on building relationships to effectively increase social bonding in their middle schools. Conclusions. Student success is dependent on not only what the student brings to the school environment but what the school environment provides to the student. Creating an environment for students to thrive and succeed relies on the opportunities for social bonding in the middle school. Truancy prevention and school engagement is a shared responsibility.
The Potential of Community-Oriented Policing: A Report to the MidNorth Public Safety Committee
(2009-09-09T20:21:35Z) Drury, Benjamin; Leech, Tamara G.J.; Drury, Benjamin
This report assesses the academic literature on community-oriented policing (COP) in regard to three shared goals of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) and the MidNorth Public Safety Committee (MPSC): decreasing crime rates, limiting fear of crime, and increasing community empowerment. The report recommends specific strategies that can be integrated into IMPD’s community policing efforts. It also identifies the appropriate role for MPSC to play.
Predicting Treatment Response of Adolescents with Serious Emotional Disturbance
(2012-03-19) Oruche, Ukamaka Marian; Gerkensmeyer, Janis E.; Austin, Joan Kessner; Wright, Eric R.; Rawl, Susan M.; Perkins, Susan M.
Serious emotional disturbance, including disruptive disorders (i.e., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder), affects large numbers of adolescents, with costly and tragic consequences. Adolescents with disruptive disorders are likely to be arrested, drop out of school, and have poor treatment outcomes. There is an urgent need to identify strengths-based factors associated with improvement in adolescents’ behavioral and social functioning to help them achieve their full potential. The purpose of this study was to determine whether change in adolescent personal strengths and change in family functioning over 12 months predicted changes in behavioral and social functioning for adolescents with disruptive disorders who participated in a System of Care (SOC) program and if findings varied by race. De-identified data from 179 adolescents, aged 12-17 years, with disruptive disorders and their caregivers were included in this secondary analysis. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations, t-tests, chi-square tests, and multivariate multiple regressions. Upon admission to the program, caregiver ratings indicated that African American adolescents had greater personal strengths (p = .001), fewer behavior problems (p < .001), and less functional impairment (p < .001) compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Girls had more behavior problems (p = .05) and fewer personal strengths than boys (p < .001). Increase in caregiver-rated adolescent personal strengths was significantly associated with improvement in caregiver-rated adolescent behavioral and social functioning (p < .001). Change in caregiver-rated family functioning was not significantly associated with change in caregiver-rated adolescent behavioral and social functioning (p = .171). The strength and direction of predictors did not vary by race. The adolescents in the study participated in a SOC program that emphasized their strengths versus, primarily, focusing on their deficits. Change in caregiver ratings of adolescent personal strengths was a significant predictor of change in adolescent behavioral and social functioning over a 12 months period. Findings provide evidence for psychiatric mental health professionals to focus on enhancing adolescent personal strengths to improve behavioral and social functioning in adolescents with disruptive disorders. Future research is needed to understand the impact of family variables on adolescents’ treatment outcomes.
'Translating scholarship into practice': An alternative metaphor
(http://trip.iupui.edu, 1999-05) Petronio, Sandra
Excerpt: Effectively translating scholarship can help people solve social problems. We may contribute to alleviating obstacles and dilemmas that people face. We may enhance the lives of others if communication scholars become translators of their own work or encourage others to function as transporters. Although we may initially concern ourselves with contributions that the communication discipline brings to the everyday world, this is a two-wy street. Not only might others benefit, but the discipline also stands to gain heartily from this investment. Showing how communication contributes to improve our understanding of the mundane and traumatic gives the discipline credibility in a wider arena. ... Through translation, we are able to preserve the integrity of the research and theory because it bridges knowledge production with knowledge utilization. Translating means that we take the knowledge discovered through research or theory and interpret it for everyday use.
The Described Experience of Primary Caregivers of Children with Mental Health Needs
(2012-10) Oruche, Ukamaka M.; Gerkensmeyer, Janis; Stephen, Linda; Wheeler, Corrine A; Hanna, Kathleen M.
About 10% of our nation's children have serious mental health needs that result in significant functional impairments. Although research has found that primary caregivers of children with mental health needs have high levels of depressive symptoms and distress, little is known about the challenges these caregivers face. Focus groups with 20 caregivers of children with mental health needs between 2 and 17 years of age revealed these themes: struggling with care systems, living in fear, being burdened and exhausted, worrying about the rest of the family, and having good things happen. Caregivers described extreme challenges and many unmet needs that are important to consider in efforts to improve both children's and caregivers' well-being.
Recruitment Strategies for Caregivers of Children with Mental Health Problems
(2012-07) Oruche, Ukamaka M.; Gerkensmeyer, Janis E.; Austin, Joan K.; Perkins, Susan M.; Scott, Eric; Lindsey, Laura M.; Mullins, Kristen
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe strategies for recruiting participants into an intervention study that focused on improving problem-solving skills in caregivers of children with mental health problems. BACKGROUND: Caregivers of children with mental health problems report feeling physically and psychologically overwhelmed and have high rates of depression because of the demands of caregiving. Research on the needs of these caregivers and interventions to ameliorate their stress is needed. However, recruiting this population can be particularly difficult because of the stigma of mental illness. Available literature on recruitment of caregivers of persons with physical illness cannot be transferred to caregivers of children with mental health problems because of the different caregiving situations. There is a need to identify effective recruitment strategies to reduce cost and answer research questions. Clinical nurse specialists have the skills to facilitate the recruitment of research participants. We revised and expanded health system referrals, community outreach, and recruiting advertisement (ads). When these strategies did not increase recruitment, radio ads were used. The Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization was selected as a guiding framework. OUTCOME: Radio ads were the most effective strategy for recruiting caregivers of children with mental health problems for this study. CONCLUSION: Recruitment was ultimately successful because we were flexible and made decisions consistent with the Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization. IMPLICATIONS: Clinical nurse specialists who study this population of caregivers should really consider the use of radio ads and systematically track which recruitment strategies lead to the greatest number of participants screened, eligible, and enrolled into studies.
Research With Cognitively Impaired Participants
(2009-10) Oruche, Ukamaka M.
Illnesses that cause cognitive impairment are a considerable health problem in the United States. These include Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea, cerebrovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, chronic alcoholism, and AIDS dementia complex. Illness associated with cognitive impairment may cause great suffering to the affected patients and their families. Research involving individuals who may be at risk for or have cognitive impairment is necessary to improve our understanding of these illnesses. For example, this may occur during efforts to develop effective therapies to treat them. However, research with participants who have cognitive impairment presents additional ethical concerns because they may be vulnerable to coercion. Therefore, nurse researchers must not only understand the principles of informed consent (i.e., autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice), but also the additional safeguards provided in the common rule to protect cognitively impaired participants in research. These safeguards include advanced informed consent, legal representative, and assent. Gaps exist in federal regulations related to adhering to these safeguards such as how to assess for decision-making capacity and variations on who can be a legal representative. The nurse researchers have potential roles as educators and advocates in research involving participants with cognitive impairment.
Predicting Outcomes Among Adolescents With Disruptive Disorders Being Treated in a System of Care Program
(2013-08) Oruche, Ukamaka M.; Gerkensmeyer, Janis E.; Carpenter, Janet S.; Austin, Joan K.; Perkins, Susan M.; Wright, Eric R
BACKGROUND: “Systems of care” are strengths-based approaches to treating adolescents and others with disruptive disorders. However, little is known about why some adolescents improve and others do not. OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in personal strengths and family functioning as predictors of behavioral and social functioning among adolescents with disruptive disorders who participated in a system of care program. DESIGN: Secondary analyses of data from 114 adolescents (12-17 years of age) with disruptive disorders and their caregivers who participated in the Dawn Project Evaluation Study. Caregivers completed in-depth interviews conducted by trained data collectors using standardized questionnaires. Baseline and 12- month data are reported here. RESULTS: Improvement in personal strengths was a significant predictor of improvement in adolescent behavioral and social functioning, controlling for demographics (p < .001). CONCLUSION: In adolescents with disruptive disorders, psychiatric nurses should focus on enhancing adolescents’ personal strengths to improve behavioral and social functioning.
Barriers and facilitators to treatment participation by adolescents in a community mental health clinic
(2013-05-17) Oruche, Ukamaka M.; Downs, Sarah M.; Holloway, Evan D.; Burke Draucker, Claire; Aalsma, Matthew C.
An estimated 40–60% of children in mental health treatment drop out before completing their treatment plans, resulting in increased risk for ongoing clinical symptoms and functional impairment, lower satisfaction with treatment, and other poor outcomes. Research has focused predominately on child, caregiver, and family factors that affect treatment participation in this population and relatively less on organizational factors. Findings are limited by focus on children between 3 and 14 years of age and included only caregivers’ and/or therapists’ perspectives. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to identify organizational factors that influenced participation in treatment, with special attention to factors that contributed to dropout in adolescents. The sample included 12 adolescent–caregiver dyads drawn from two groups in a large public mental health provider database. Analysis of focus group interview data revealed several perceived facilitators and barriers to adolescent participation in treatment and provided several practical suggestions for improving treatment participation. Implications of the findings for psychiatric mental health nurses and other clinicians who provide services to families of adolescents with mental health concerns are discussed.
A nurse-physician led multidisciplinary team improves access, treatment, and management of diabetes and high blood pressure in adult residents of a rural community in Nigeria
(Sigma Theta Tau International, 2012-08-01) Oruche, Ukamaka M.; Obiadazie, Okwudiri O; Obeime, Mercy
Developing countries have limited resources contributing to high morbidity and mortality rates from chronic diseases. The purpose of this presentation is to describe an innovative nurse-physician led international collaboration to increase access to health care and improve treatment and behavioral management of diabetes and hypertension in adult residents of a rural community in Nigeria, West Africa.

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