Date of Award

5-1991

Degree Type

Master's Essay - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Christing R. Shaw

Abstract

It has been estimated that one million people suffer from Parkinson's Disease with 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year (Delgado and Billo, 1988). The main or "classical" symptoms of Parkinson's Disease are tremor, muscular rigidity, bradykinesia, and gait and balance disturbances. These symptoms may cause embarrassment, depression, and severe physical disabilities which often lead to social isolation, impaired individual and family coping, self-care deficits, and impaired home maintenance management. Social support is essential in order to minimize the effects of these problems associated with Parkinson's Disease and promote independence as long as possible. Social support is thought to have an effect on health outcomes in two ways. These are a direct effect on health and a buffering effect on health (Dimond and Jones, 1983). Lin, Ensel, Simeone, and Kuo (1979) described the direct effects as antecedent factors that reduce the chance that undesirable life changes will occur. The buffering effects follow life changes and serve to interpret the event and control the response to that event. Social support is a multidimensional concept which includes many different types of support. These include emotional, appraisal, instrumental, and informational support (House , 1981). There has been a variety of research examining social support. The multidimensionality of social support makes studying the concept difficult methodologically. The conceptualization and operationalization of social support have also been a problem in past studies. Although there remains a need for further research, there has been a sufficient amount done to warrant the incorporation of social support interventions into nursing practice. In this essay, the concept of social support is explored as is the research done on social support. Suggestions for nursing interventions incorporating social support into the care of the patient suffering from Parkinson's Disease are described.

Comments

An essay submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Nursing. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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