Search

Although there is literature that describes coping strategies of women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV), the definitions of common coping strategies and the two-dimensional model of coping styles (emotion-or problem-focused) may not fully delineate how these women manage their day-to-day lives. Using an Interpretive Description method and feminist standpoint principles, in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 Thai women regarding how they managed living in the context of IPV. Data were analyzed using an iterative thematic analysis procedure. In this study, the highly changeable and adaptive strategies use by participants could not be easily categorized into emotion-or action/problem-focused. Indeed, the strategies used by Thai women in this study were better described as survival focused. Based on our analysis, the process of managing their day-to-day life in the context of IPV revealed six major themes: keeping silent, disconnect between the fantasy of love and reality, seeking emotional support, ambivalence surrounding leaving, living with negative emotions, and despair and suicide. An undercurrent that was woven throughout multiple themes was the dominant lens of motherhood through which women made day-to-day decisions. These data also highlight the specific impacts that Thai society and religious beliefs have on increasing the risk of IPV and maintaining its duration. All levels of government, religious leaders, and public policy makers must engage in intersectoral initiatives to make public what is now private. Social and health service providers must create safe spaces where women can disclose IPV and where they can get funded multilevel supports to help them live independent of violence. The participants' stories give voice to why Thai health professionals need to fully engage with women to understand the past and current contexts of women's lives and how their experiences impact their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic injuries in Thailand are the major cause of death and disabilities in young adults. The presence of shock plays an important role in clinical outcomes. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the incidence of shock and to identify factors predicting the presence of shock on discharge from the emergency department in patients sustaining moderate to serious road traffic injuries in Thailand. Five hundred and three patients (N=503), who scored at least 16 on the Injury Severity Score on admission to an emergency department were recruited. Population and contextual variables were collected from patients' medical records and patients and triage nurses' interviews. Two standardized tools were used to measure the severity of injury and the presence of shock. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, univariate analysis and multivariate logistical regression. Results indicated that the majority of patients were males, wearing no safety devices and had consumed alcohol prior to driving their motorcycle. The incidence of shock on discharge from the emergency department to the operating room, intensive care unit or general ward was 35%. Transport time, injury severity, shock on arrival and time spent in the emergency department all made significant contributions to whether patients were in shock on discharge from the emergency department. Our findings suggest that emergency nurses should perform routine ongoing calculation of Modified Shock Index scores for monitoring the moderately to severely injured. Further studies examining the superiority of the Modified Shock Index over cardiorespiratory parameters alone could provide evidence to consider the inclusion of this Index into best practice guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]