This pilot study tested the feasibility and effectiveness of a social support intervention with women (n = 24) while they were in a domestic violence shelter. Health outcomes were examined pre and postintervention using a randomized control design. The intervention group had greater improvement (p = .013) in psychological distress symptoms and greater improvement in perceived availability of social support (p = .016) than the control group. The intervention group showed less health care utilization (p = .032) than the control group. Social support interventions for women in shelters are effective in improving health outcomes. Further research should be aimed at testing the effectiveness of different types of interventions on health and abuse outcomes in women who experience interpersonal violence.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of three versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; American Sociological Association) in adults who had survived the death of a family member or significant other by suicide. Reliability and validity were examined. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to assess dimensionality of the underlying constructs. All three versions of the PSS demonstrated acceptable reliability. Two shorter versions retained good psychometric properties and demonstrated convergent and concurrent validity with measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms and mental health quality of life. Factor analysis provided further evidence of their usefulness as brief and valid measures of perceived stress in acutely bereaved adult survivors of suicide. In a sub-sample of closely related survivors, the psychometric properties of the 4-item version of the PSS were retained.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the factors that affect women's attendance and adherence to a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program after a myocardial infarction (MI). We used in-depth interviews and a health survey form to collect data. The purposive sample consisted of 40 women who had experienced a first MI within the previous 6 weeks to 12 months. Of those 40, 18 women were not offered the program, 8 declined it, and 14 attended. Using content analysis and constant comparison, we identified three distinct phases: "initial decision," "CR attendance," and "reevaluation." Four data clusters positively influenced the continuation of CR attendance: "Psychological Appraisal," "Program Components," "Staff Behaviors," and "Outcomes." When women encountered a fifth cluster--"Barriers"--they entered the reevaluation phase. Results of this study support specific interventions for each phase.

Background Minority women, especially black and Hispanic women, have higher rates of coronary heart disease and resulting disability and death than do white women. A lack of knowledge of minority women's symptoms of coronary heart disease may contribute to these disparities. Objective To compare black, Hispanic, and white women's prodromal and acute symptoms of myocardial infarction. Methods In total, 545 black, 539 white, and 186 Hispanic women without cognitive impairment at 15 sites were retrospectively surveyed by telephone after myocardial infarction. With general linear models and controls for cardiovascular risk factors, symptom severity and frequency were compared among racial groups. Logistic regression models were used to examine individual prodromal or acute symptoms by race, with adjustments for cardiovascular risk factors. Results Among the women, 96% reported prodromal symptoms. Unusual fatigue (73%) and sleep disturbance (50%) were the most frequent. Eighteen symptoms differed significantly by race (P <.01); blacks reported higher frequencies of 10 symptoms than did Hispanics or whites. Thirty-six percent reported prodromal chest discomfort; Hispanics reported more pain/discomfort symptoms than did black or white women. Minority women reported more acute symptoms (P < .01). The most frequent symptom, regardless of race, was shortness of breath (63%); 22 symptoms differed by race (P < .01). In total, 28% of Hispanic, 38% of black, and 42% of white women reported no chest pain/discomfort. Conclusions Prodromal and acute symptoms of myocardial infarction differed significantly according to race. Racial descriptions of women's prodromal and acute symptoms should assist providers in interpreting women's symptoms.

In this qualitative study the researcher identified symptoms women experienced prior to and during an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The purposive nonprobability sample for this descriptive naturalistic study consisted of 40 women. Using content analysis and constant comparison, the researcher identified specific symptoms and grouped them according to time of occurrence, prodromal and acute. Thirty-seven women experienced prodromal symptoms, beginning from a few weeks to 2 years prior to their AMI and ranging from 0 to 11 symptoms per woman. The most frequent prodromal symptoms were unusual fatigue (n = 27), discomfort in the shoulder blade area (n = 21), and chest sensations (n = 20), whereas the most frequent acute symptoms were chest sensations (n = 26), shortness of breath (n = 22), feeling hot and flushed (n = 21), and unusual fatigue (n = 18). Only 11 women experienced severe pain during their AMI. Conclusions of this study are threefold: (a) women identified classic and unique symptoms of AMI, which challenge the content of current educational literature; (b) women experienced a gradual progression of number and severity of AMI symptoms; and (c) women need sufficient time to recognize their prodromal symptoms of their AMI.

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The tool is comprehensive, has high content validity, and acceptable test-retest reliability. Low kappas were related to few women having those symptoms. The symptom scores remained stable across administrations.

This study described women's prodromal and acute symptoms associated with myocardial infarction (MI) based on interviews with 76 women who had experienced an MI in the previous year. Sixty-eight women experienced prodromal symptoms including unusual fatigue (70%), shortness of breath (53%), and pain in the shoulder blade/upper back (47%). All women experienced acute symptoms including chest pain/discomfort (90%), unusual fatigue (59%), shortness of breath (59%), and shoulder blade/upper back discomfort (42%). Although women in this study reported numerous prodromal symptoms, none had received a new diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD) prior to MI. Practitioners must develop an awareness of and a more comprehensive approach to treating women at risk for CHD. Further research to elucidate prodromal and acute symptom clusters is needed to assist practitioners in early diagnosis of CHD in women.