Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Nursing

Date of Defense

5-11-2015

Graduate Advisor

Jessica Taylor, Ph.D.

Co-Advisor

Bachman, Jean

Committee

Maserang, Judith

Ahrens, Tom

Abstract

Family members of ICU patients may experience anxiety, depression, and acute stress disorder symptoms. A need identified by the multi-society task for critical care research was to study the usefulness of interventions to quantify and treat anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms experienced by family members of ICU patients (Deutschman et al., 2012). This task force encouraged investigating using technology to address this need. (Deutschman et al.). The purpose of this prospective, quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group (pretest/posttest) design study was to compare the effect of standard ICU education and a web-based education program about the ICU environment on the level of anxiety, depression, and acute stress disorder symptoms among family members of ICU patients. Participants (n = 127) included 63 enrolled in standard ICU education and 64 in web-based education. This study found family members of ICU patients experienced anxiety, depression, and acute stress disorder symptoms, reinforcing findings of previous studies. This study was unable to conclude if a web-based education program could reduce anxiety F(1, 49) = .60, p = .444 , partial η2 = .01, observed power = .12.; depression F(1, 49) = 1.39, p = .244 , partial η2 = .03, observed power = .21; or acute stress disorder symptoms ASDS F(1, 48) = .65, p = .425 , partial η2 = .01, observed power = .12 IES-R F(1, 48) = .00, p = .988 , partial η2 = .00, observed power = .05 experienced by family members of ICU patients. This study reinforced that family members with lower education levels experienced statistically significantly increased levels of stress compared to family members of ICU patients with higher education levels Λ = .84, F (12, 317.78) = 1.86, p = .039, partial η2 = .06, observed power = .84. Family members of ICU patients who had a prior experience within the past two years were found more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and acute stress symptoms than family members who had not had an ICU experience within the past two years Λ = .92, F [4,122] = 2.70, p = .034, partial η2 = .08, observed power = .74.

OCLC Number

915788215

Included in

Nursing Commons

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