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The African American church is held in the highest esteem by most African Americans. Although the influence of the African American church has been underestimated by physicians and nurses, it could be pivotal in optimizing health status among African Americans. Because of this influence, health care practitioners, including nurses, are now recognizing the important role that the African American church plays in improving the health status of individuals in the African American community. This article illuminates the health and health care concerns of the African American community by considering the traditional lack of equal access for this population and the role that the church can play in not only offering church-based health care services but also improving the health status of church congregations. Future roles of the African American church for improved health status are also suggested.

The purpose of the current study was to assess the practical and psychosocial needs of rural women with early breast cancer in Australia and recommend strategies to ensure equity in availability and access to cancer treatment for all women. A random sample of 204 rural women diagnosed with early breast cancer was recruited to participate in a telephone survey via state and territory cancer registries. Although the majority of women were satisfied with their provision of information overall, less than a third of participants were provided with specific information on assistance for rural women. Findings also revealed that only 47% of the women who had to travel for treatment received financial assistance, and 13% of these women had difficulty organizing or claiming financial assistance. Furthermore, only 10% of women found social workers to be a source of support.

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Prostate cancer, Australia's leading cancer, has treatment side effects that reduce the quality of life for both survivors and partners. Limited partner research exists. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature by gathering data directly from partners to obtain a deeper understanding of their experiences of prostate cancer survivorship that helps inform healthcare service providers. A qualitative approach was taken to explore participant views (N = 16) through three focus groups and two in-depth interviews. Five themes emerged relating to caregiver burden, knowledge deficit, isolation, changes of sexual relations, and unmet needs. Possible implications for practice may include the need for specific partner-related information and interventions to assist couples to cope with the emotional distress caused by treatment side effects.

There are gaps in research regarding medication adherence, self-efficacy in proper medication adherence, and health literacy among breast cancer survivors. This pilot randomized controlled study was conducted to provide information addressing health literacy with respect to medication adherence and self-efficacy in African American breast cancer survivors. The study sample consisted of an intervention group (n = 24) of medication adherence skills training (MST) and a control group (n = 24), with a total sample population of 48 participants. The MST workshop was a collaborative intervention between pharmacy and social work and was designed to address issues that may be encountered while taking multiple medications for various acute and chronic conditions, increase participant confidence in accessing necessary resources for improved medication usage, and enhance personal self-efficacy regarding health care. A statistically significant relationship was detected between initial health literacy and medication adherence, as well as initial health literacy and self-efficacy. These findings indicated that individuals with higher health literacy were more likely to have higher levels of self-efficacy and were more likely to adhere to medication instructions. Analysis of the intervention and treatment groups did not show a statistically significant effect on health literacy, medication adherence, or self-efficacy from pre-test to post-test.

Previous research has emphasised social media adoption by students and the implementation of social media by educators, yet few studies have explored whether students are using it to facilitate engagement in offline environments with peers within university communities. Studies suggest engagement in educational communities and extra-curricular activities can reduce student attrition. This study surveyed 106 undergraduate students to investigate whether students using social media to interact online with their university felt: (i) connected to the broader university community, and (ii) social media helped them engage offline by meeting up with peers and attending university events. The results indicated that the majority (82%) never or rarely used the technology to facilitate offline engagement within their academic communities. Fourth year students were most likely to use social media to engage offline (66.7%). However, more than half of students (52.8%) felt that university social media profiles helped them to feel part of their academic community.  

Little is known about the psychological status of older refugees who have immigrated from war-torn areas in the Middle East. This study examined the nature and predictors of depression among older Kurds living in one city in the United States. Older Kurds (N = 70) were recruited and surveyed by trained Kurdish interviewers in their native dialect. The majority of participants had very low incomes; had no education; were illiterate in their own language; and had little to no ability to speak, read, or write English. Elevated levels of depression were found, with 67.1 percent scoring above the clinical cutoff for depression and 25.7 percent scoring in the severe depression range. Depression was associated with demographic (age), stressor (migratory grief, death of spouse, number of medical conditions, functional disability, and income), and coping (English proficiency and social support) variables. Health conditions exerted the greatest effect. Migratory grief and social support were also significant predictors of depression. Results suggest substantial psychological distress among this understudied population of older refugees. Implications for research and practice with older members of newly established refugee populations are discussed.