Accessing Untapped Research on Women’s Health

1. Accessing Untapped Research on Women’s Health Jonathon Erlen, PhD; Judith Erlen, PhD, RN, FAAN; and Ammon S. Ripple, MLS University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

2. Location of URL for Database for Women’s Health http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/guides/histmed/researchresources/ dissertations/index_html

3. Background: Women’s Health • Focal area for multidisciplinary research • Recognizes that women’s health needs • are distinctly different • are not solely the result of gender differences

4. Background: Databases • Starting point for scholarly work • Subject access to database for dissertations is very recent • Until 2001 there was no database yielding comprehensive access to dissertations on women’s health

5. Purpose Describe the scope of dissertations harvested from Dissertation Abstracts since 2001 on health issues experienced by women worldwide

6. United States Canada Far East Africa Latin America Western Europe Examples of Dissertations “Unwilling mothers and unwanted babies: ‘Infanticide and medico-legal responsibility in 20th century Canadian legal discourse” “Cognitive-personality vulnerability and event perception in the prediction of depression in Chinese women of Hong Kong” “’Mas me pegas, mas te quiero?’: Gender violence, resistance, and poverty in women’s lives in Lima, Peru” Sites of Studies

7. Primary Prevention Rape/Intimate Partner Violence Reproductive Health Issues Breast Cancer Mental Health Issues Self-care Practices Examples of Dissertations “Community based women’s health education: A conceptual model and a case study” “Meaning reconstruction and recovery in rape survivors” “The holding environment: Considerations for healthy birthing care” “The efficacy of three interventions for increasing mammography utilization” Foci of Dissertations

8. Asians African Americans Native Americans Hispanics Examples of Dissertations “Married Korean women’s responses to domestic violence within a framework of socio-cultural context” “Self-care behaviors in African American women with type 2 diabetes” “Acculturation, coping style and decision making about genetic testing in Hispanic women at risk for breast and ovarian cancer” Populations Studied

9. Lesbians Homeless Uninsured Examples of Dissertations “Older lesbian perspectives on advance care planning for the end of life” “Promoting the health needs of homeless women residing in a shelter in an urban community: A participatory action research study” Populations Studied

10. Nursing Psychology Social Work Women’s Studies Anthropology History Public Health Examples of Dissertations “Narratives of facing personal mortality in the breast cancer experience of Mexican-American women” (nursing) “Mujeres inegniosas [resourceful women]: HIV+ Puerto Rican women and the urban health care system” (anthropology) “Fit to be tied? Sterilization and reproductive rights in America, 1960-1984” (history) “Treating women as mothers: The policy and practice of prenatal HIV testing” (public health) Discipline of Investigator

11. Conclusions • This database provides an efficient means of accessing subject content of Dissertation Abstracts. • This database provides a means by which to build the science related to global women’s health issues.

12. Implications • Increase use of the HSLS homepage that includes women’s health dissertations • Facilitate expansion of research demonstrating • the importance of the discipline of women’s health • causes and consequences of women’s health issues • basis for improved quality of care

13. Procedure • Harvesting • Monthly review of Dissertation Abstracts • Assigning “subject” • Entering into database • http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/guides/histmed/ researchresources/dissertations/index_html

14. Sample • Representative dissertations on women’s health from institutions of higher learning around the world • Compiled since 2001