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Wiley InterScience | ||
  Journal of Nursing ScholarshipVolume 33 Issue 3, Pages 225 - 230 Published Online: 23 Apr 2004 © 2009 Sigma Theta Tau International Published with Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing
Abstract | References | Full Text: PDF (Size: 156K) | Related Articles | Citation Tracking  Discourses of Worry, Stress, and High Blood Pressure in Rural South Louisiana This research was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research (F31NR07249-01); Hoffman Endowed Fellowship Award; Magnuson Scholar Award; Nurses Educational Fund, Inc.; University of Washington Retirement Association, Washington State Nursing Foundation; Washington State Credit Union; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U48/CCU009654-06); and Hester McLaws Award. A special thank you to the research community consultants, Helane Adams, David Allen, Joseph Fletcher, III, Beverly Horn, Rebecca Kang, Clarence Spigner, and Onyema Nweze for their suggestions on this manuscript. Copyright 2001 Sigma Theta Tau International KEYWORDS hypertension • worry • stress • critical discourse analysis • critical social theory • African American health ABSTRACTPurpose: To explore how a sample of rural Louisiana residents constructed accounts about worry and stress in relationship to their high blood pressure. Design: Qualitative study combining critical social theories, African American studies, and critical discourse concepts. Study participants consisted of a convenience sample (N=30) of African American women (n=15) and men (n=15) with high blood pressure. Methods: Over a 4-month period in 1999 a community-based population sample was interviewed twice. Field experiences in the community and the assistance of community consultants were critical to data analysis. Based on 60 interviews, 191 passages about worry and 58 passages about stress were analyzed using discourse analysis. Findings: Participants not only distinguished between worry and stress in their everyday lives, but they also highlighted how those concepts were interrelated. Participants' concerns about themselves as well as their children, kin, and community were emphasized in passages about worry. Stress was primarily associated with doing multiple tasks and confronting multiple prejudices in the workplace and surrounding community. Conclusions: Participants perceived worry and stress as important health-related concepts that affected their high blood pressure. Nursing strategies designed to address these concerns may better facilitate holistic health. Accepted for publication May 15, 2001. |
