PurposeHealth care professional education programs in the United States have been charged to devise strategies to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of the workforce (Health Resources and Services Administration, Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/grants/nwd.html, 2014). The purpose of this charge is to develop a healthcare workforce that can better provide culturally relevant care to meet the needs of diverse communities. The purpose of this study was to assess the cultural competency of students, faculty, and staff from a small Midwest-university college of nursing.MethodsThis study was part of a larger interventional study to enhance the cultural development of the College of Nursing faculty, staff, and students. The sample for this study included 314 participants (students, faculty, and staff) in phase one of the parent study. Phase one included the initial administration of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI®) over a two year period with analysis of the pre-test results. Phase two includes the implementation of cultural development interventions with a post-test IDI® survey and is currently in process.ResultsIDI® aggregate results were similar for students and faculty/staff in that most participants scored at the Minimization level according to the IDI®. Ninety-eight percent of student participants overestimated their level of cultural competency. Minority students had higher cultural competency scores in terms of developmental orientation (M = 98.85, SD = 14.21) compared to non-minority students (M = 94.46, SD = 14.96).ConclusionsOverall, the IDI® was a valuable self-reflection tool to assess cultural development. At the individual level, it has allowed for self-reflection and awareness to the reality of cultural development, attitudes, and values. At an institutional level, the aggregate results provided a framework for the examination of department policies, procedures, and curriculum design with the ultimate goal of graduating a more culturally competent nursing workforce to serve the greater community.

Aim This paper suggests and tests alternatives to the current research and clinical practice of assuming that married or partnered status is a proxy for positive social support. Background Having a partner is assumed to relate to better health status via the intermediary process of social support. However, women’s health research indicates that having a partner is not always associated with positive social support. Design An exploratory post hoc analysis focused on posttraumatic stress and childbearing was conducted using a large perinatal database from 2005–2009. Methods To operationalize partner relationship, four variables were analyzed: partner (‘yes’ or ‘no’), intimate partner violence (‘yes’ or ‘no’), the combination of those two factors, and the woman’s appraisal of the quality of her partner relationship via a single item. Construct validity of these four alternative variables was assessed in relation to appraisal of the partner’s social support in labor and the postpartum using linear regression standardized betas and adjusted R-squares. Predictive validity was assessed using unadjusted and adjusted linear regression modeling. Results Four groups were compared. Married abused women differed most from married, not abused women in relation to the social support and depression outcomes used for validity checks. The variable representing the women’s appraisal of their partner relationship explains the most variance in predicting depression scores. Conclusions Our results support the validity of operationalizing the impact of the partner relationship on outcomes by using a combination of partnered status and abuse status or using a subjective rating of quality of the partner relationship.

Purpose To extend testing of a relational theory that a low sense of belonging, delayed or impaired bonding, and loneliness are salient risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD) in women. Methods Data for this theory-testing analysis came from a larger prospective longitudinal cohort study and included women who were retained to the end of the study at the 6 week postpartum interview (n=564). Structural equation modeling was used to test the “fit” of the model and determine significance of direct and indirect paths. Results The model explained 35% of the variance in postpartum depression with impaired bonding and loneliness as the strongest indicators. Lower sense of belonging, less perceived social support from a healthcare practitioner and a partner, and lower parenting sense of competence were additional predictors. Conclusion Study findings challenge current thinking about the relationship between impaired bonding and PPD as this study raises the possibility that impaired bonding is a risk for PPD as opposed to the reverse relationship. The study provided evidence of the importance of healthcare practitioners’ alliance with patients. This paper contributes to advancing the science of women’s mental health in relation to depression by considering additional predictors which might be amenable to intervention.

No abstract

Background: Just culture is essential for quality improvement and patient safety. Method: This descriptive study measured perceptions of just culture among nursing students and faculty using the Just Culture Assessment Tool for Nursing Education (JCAT-NE). Results: There were no significant differences in JCAT-NE scores for students ( M = 133.43, SD = 19.12) and faculty ( M = 136.34, SD = 22.73) (t[159] = 0.82, p = .42); however, there were significant differences in JCAT-NE scores based on level of experience. For students, JCAT-NE scores were significantly higher for sophomores than for seniors (F[2, 114] = 4.9, p = .01). For faculty, advanced beginner and competent faculty had significantly higher scores compared with proficient and expert faculty (t[42] = 2.36, p = .02). Conclusion: More needs to be done to establish a fair and just culture in schools of nursing. [ J Nurs Educ . 2022;61(5):257–260.]