The effect of clients' family structure on nursing students' cognitive schemas and verbal behavior

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate if nursing students stereotype clients on the basis of family status. In addition, the influence of information about the client's family status on students' predictions about the client's behavior, information sought from the client, recalled information, and verbal responses directed toward the client were examined. The participants were 83 nursing students from a large Midwestern university. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Brief written information about a female adult client with a vaginal discharge was provided and, after listening to an audiotaped interview between a nurse and the client, students completed a battery of questionnaires. They also responded verbally to questions asked by the audiotaped client. All information given to both groups was identical except for the client's family status. Results indicated that the client who was a married mother was perceived somewhat more positively than the unmarried mother client. Participants' perceptions were only somewhat consistent with cultural stereotypes about these family statuses. Information sought and information remembered about the client were greater when she was an unmarried mother. There were no differences in predictions of patients' behaviors and verbal responses.

Performance in Nursing

“…However, there are few empirical studies of cognitive processes in nursing. We identified a few isolated studies that examined nursing students' stereotypes of patients' family status (Ganong & Coleman, 1992), schema to organize nurses' knowledge about patients (Dowding, 2001), relationship between patient stereotyping and memory of patient information (McDonald, 1996), nurses' cognitive representations of children's pain and pain management (Vincent, 2007), and nurses' mental models of a patient monitor system (Gilbert, 1997).…”

Delinquents' and Non-Delinquents' Perception of Family Functioning in the United Arab Emirates

“…By examining the relationships between family structure and high school students' achievements, Astone and McLanahan (1991) found that major differences were attributable to the parents' educational aspirations and parenting style. Family structure and parental conflict were related to social and psychological problems of some children (Ganong & Coleman, 1992). It was also found that children from nonintact families were more likely to have a lower level of satisfaction than those from intact families, which indicated an association between family structure and life satisfaction (Pardeck et al, 1991).…”

An investigation of the influence of research-based indicators of breast feeding duration on health visitors' visiting decisions

“…The vignette methodology circumvents the above problems b y providing the subjects with particular contrived instances to which they are asked to respond. The method has been used successfully with health professionals (McDonald & Bridge 1991, Ganong & Coleman 1992.…”