PhD Graduates – 2025

Study Rationale: This study aimed at examining the association among debriefer engagement, student engagement, debriefing quality, and student learning outcomes in ANP simulation-based education. Moreover, the study aimed to examine the mediating effect of debriefing quality on the relationship between engagement (debriefer and student) and student learning outcomes.
Methods: This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study. Data were collected using an anonymous, online survey of 218 ANP students, in which they responded regarding a recent debriefing experience after a simulation learning in their current or prior semester.
Results: The multivariate analysis showed that student learning outcomes (cognitive, affective, and behavior learning) are influenced by both debriefer engagement (debriefer contribution, skills, and guidance) and student engagement (cognitive, affective, and social engagement). It also showed that debriefing quality was a significant predictor of student learning outcomes (cognitive, affective, and behavior learning). The mediation analysis demonstrated that debriefing quality is a significant mediator in the relationship between engagement (debriefer and student engagement) and student learning outcomes (cognitive, affective and behavior). Students who had higher levels of debriefer engagement reported higher levels of cognitive, affective, and behavior learning with a high level of debriefing quality. Further, students who were more engaged in debriefing reported higher levels of cognitive, affective, and behavior outcomes with higher levels of debriefing quality. In addition to the indirect (mediation) pathways, debriefer and student engagement measures had direct effect on student learning outcomes learning, with a few minor exceptions.
Conclusions: The results of this study imply that debriefers and students engaged in simulation debriefing must understand the value of debriefer training and student self-awareness of learning styles for maximal learning. Simulation-based education programs need to address the debriefing quality of their simulations for a safer learning environment: (a) reducing the negative emotions that hinder learning, and (b) improving the active and reflective learning processes. This is possible through the debriefer’s timely and constructive loop feedback, continuous guidance, and goal-oriented conversations with the students. Effective debriefing by ANP educators can transform graduate nursing students into empathetic and reflective practitioners, which is required in the advanced nursing role to diagnose and treat patients
 

Background: Parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder experience significantly higher levels of stress compared to parents of typically developing children, leading to negative mental and physical health outcomes. Self-compassion has been shown to buffer the harmful effects of stress on health, but little is known about this relationship in parents of children with autism. Study Purpose: This study investigated the relationships among stress, self-compassion, fear of self-compassion, and health outcomes in parents of children diagnosed with autism, specifically exploring whether self-compassion moderated the impact of stress on mental and physical health outcomes.

Methods: A cross sectional, correlational design was conducted with 267 parents of children diagnosed with autism who completed anonymous online questionnaires. The measures assessed stress (general, parenting, autism-related), self-compassion, fear of self-compassion, and various health outcomes. Mental health measures include anty and depression. Physical health measures included health status, health conditions, and immune status. Health risk behaviors included sleep quality, BMI, smoking status, physical activity, and alcohol use. A moderation analysis was conducted to examine whether self-compassion buffered the effect of stress and health outcomes.

Results: The study found significant correlations between higher stress levels and poorer mental health, including elevated anxiety and depression. Parents who reported higher stress also had poorer physical health outcomes, including impaired immune function and a higher number of health conditions. Self-compassion total score was not found to significantly moderate the relationship between stress and health outcomes, but individual subscales were.

The subscales of self-kindness, self-judgment, and overidentification were found to moderate the relationship between depression and, risky alcohol use. Higher levels of self-compassion were found to be associated with improved sleep quality, increased levels of physical activity, lower BMI, less anxiety, less depression, better perceived health, less chronic conditions, and less risky alcohol use.

Fear of self-compassion was identified as a substantial barrier, with parents who reported higher fear of self-compassion showing lower fear of self-compassion. Socioeconomic factors such as lower income, unemployment, multiple children diagnosed with autism, and lower emotional support were also linked to linked to higher stress and poorer health outcomes.

Conclusions: Self-compassion mitigates the impact of stress on mental and physical health outcomes. Nurses and clinicians working with this population should prioritize interventions that promote self-compassion and help parents reduce fear of self-compassion. Future research should explore the long-term effects of self-compassion practices on health in diverse populations of parents of children diagnosed with autism.