Behavioral Responses of Family Members during Critical Illness

Margo A. Halm, Marita G. Titler, Charmaine Kleiber, Susan K. Johnson, Lou Ann Montgomery, Martha J. Craft, Kaihleen Buckwalter, Anita Nicholson and Karen Megern
Additional contact information
Margo A. Halm: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Marita G. Titler: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Charmaine Kleiber: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Susan K. Johnson: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Lou Ann Montgomery: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Martha J. Craft: University of Iowa College of Nursing
Kaihleen Buckwalter: University of Iowa College of Nursing and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Anita Nicholson: University of Iowa College of Nursing
Karen Megern: University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics

Clinical Nursing Research, 1993, vol. 2, issue 4, 414-437

Abstract: This articles describes the behavioral responses of adult family members to critical illness and how these responses change over the course of the hospitalization. A convenience sample of 52 family members of patients in intensive units completed the Iowa ICU Family Scale, a self-report tool measuring sleep, eating, activity, family role, and support behaviors. Scales were completed by family members each day during the first week and then weekly throughout the patient's ICU stay. Family members reported sleeping less with a poorer quality of sleep, less nutritional intake, an increased use of cigarettes, alcohol, and over-the-counter and prescription medications, and spending more time talking, visiting the patient and waiting. Stress was highest at the time of the ICU admission, began to plateau at Day 6, and then dropped considerably by Day 28. These findings suggest that crisis intervention is important during the early phase of caring for critically ill patients and their family members.

Date: 1993
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/105477389300200405 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:clnure:v:2:y:1993:i:4:p:414-437

DOI: 10.1177/105477389300200405

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Clinical Nursing Research
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().