Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Concept analysis : loneliness(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 1996) Brophy, Maureen Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Therese SullivanItem Drawings(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1989) Rausch, Selisa ClaireThe chair first appeared as subject matter in my earlier works, where it came to represent the absence of another individual. Looking back, it marked a point in my life when I needed to reevaluate my sense of self and accept being alone. My thesis works in culmination of that search for personal (as well as aesthetic) identity. The chair now serves as my partner in silent conversation. Acting as a stand-in for a human figure, it personifies the visual dialogue between artist, and subject. The chair is removed from its original environment and drawn in a studio situation. With its back to the wall and raised up on boxes, I humbly address it face to face. In the process of drawing, when I transfer all my attention to a form that seems to be looking back at me, I end up searching not for the character of the chair, but for the uniqueness of myself. This physical condition is also a kind of therapeutic situation. Having the actual chair in front of me, my hand automatically responds to what I see. My conscious mind is then free to explore the problems and questions I have in my life and my work. It offers me the chance to assess my predicament and work toward change and personal growth. Ultimately, my drawings are more a personal meditation than an outward expression of ideas. The neutrality of my subject matter enables me to concentrate more on the manipulation of pictorial elements. I initially choose a chair by how well it lends itself to drawing. Sometimes the dirty yellow color or slick pink vinyl the chair is made from, the pattern on the sofa or the compositional structure of the form itself will suggest different ways of manipulating the drawing surface. Because the chairs are more a vehicle for a creative process, I am not interested in giving them a specific environment or story line. Rather, they exist in the drawing in timeless space. The chairs are not cropped, but drawn life-size, or on a human scale, which to me gives them a sense of physicality or presence of. form. Most of the drawings are monochromatic where figure and ground are united by an overall surface pattern, color, or texture. Repetition within the form as well as the repetition of marks add to the visual harmony. Repetition is also evidence of the amount of time spent in visual dialogue with the object.Item An investigation of the relationship of loneliness of the hospitalized patient to continuity of contact by nursing personnel(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 1974) Tracy, Marlene EllenItem Loneliness as experienced by women living with chronic illness in rural areas(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2008) Marcille, Lisa Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Clarann Weinert; Elizabeth S. Kinion (co-chair)Chronic illness is often accompanied by multiple life altering challenges for individuals especially those living in rural locations. Rural dwellers generally do not have readily accessible healthcare resources; as a result, there is a risk for poor heath related outcomes. Loneliness is one such outcome. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the existing body of knowledge related to loneliness as experienced by women living with chronic illnesses in rural areas. This was accomplished by identifying and exploring factors related to loneliness. The aims of this study were to: (a) to describe the levels of loneliness, depression, stress, and social support for a group of rural women with a chronic illness; (b) identify the factors associated with loneliness; and (c) explore participants' shared conversations to gain further insight into the rural chronically-ill woman's experience of loneliness. This study was conducted as a secondary analysis of data previously collected by the Women to Women (WTW) research team at Montana State University. The WTW study provided rural women with chronic illnesses computer training and support through an online forum. The data for the secondary analysis were generated by 57 women. The key concepts were: loneliness, depression, stress, and social support. Age, education, degree of rurality, employment status, and length of chronic illness were the demographic characteristics of interest. Degree of rurality was assigned using the MSU Rurality Index. These characteristics and the key concepts were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analytic techniques. Content analysis was the method used to analyze the women's conversations in the online forum. The data were obtained from 12 women who were identified as the most vulnerable to loneliness. Three categories were defined using this method: longing for loved ones, "listening" from the background, and changing relationships. Results of this study supported previous researchers' findings of correlations between loneliness and depression, social support and stress. There was no significant relationship between loneliness and degree of rurality; however, length of chronic illness was significant. Level of education was identified as an area of interest for further nursing research.