PROCESS OF GOAL FULFILLMENT: MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS.
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1984
Number of pages: 202
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The process of goal fulfillment, progress to or toward an event or state that is desired by individuals, is an inherent facet of conscious human life. A child with sleep problems is a significant problem in ambulatory pediatrics. Mothers who cope with the consequences of living with children who sleep poorly desire assistance in resolving their children's sleep problems (CSP).

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of nursing intervention based on the Goal Fulfillment Process Model (GFPM) in resolving CSP. Subjects for this experimental study consisted of 30 mothers of children 4-months to 36-months of age with sleep problems. Fifteen mother-child teams were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. At the initial visit, the Sleep Goal Inventory (SGI) and Seven Day Sleep Record (SDSR) were administered to all mothers. Mothers in the experimental group received nursing intervention and follow-up contact by phone one, two, and three weeks after the intervention. One month after the initial contact, mothers in the sample were administered the Sleep Goal Inventory Follow-up (SGIF) and SDSR.

Significant findings were that sleep goals were achieved to a greater extent by mothers who received nursing intervention than those who did not, and that a difference existed in duration of night awakenings between children whose mothers received nursing intervention and children whose mothers did not. There was no significant difference in the number of categorical restraining or attaining forces, concepts from the GFPM, between the experimental and control groups. Even with the deletion of items with high negative correlations from SGI and SGIF, no significant differences existed for the number of categorical restraining forces between the experimental and control groups.

Based on the findings, recommendations for research include: investigations to determine if the lack of continuous night sleep is a valid indicator of CSP; quantification and operationalization of restraining and attaining forces to enhance the utility of the GFPM; revision of items from the SGI and SGIF; investigations to evaluate the reliability and validity of specific nursing intervention based on the GFPM for restraining and attaining forces; and continued investigation of CSP.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-02, Section: B, page: 0476.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1984.

School code: 0005.