The eight original articles featured in this issue of The Journal of Nursing Research (JNR) address the important three topics of administration and education, maternal-child healthcare and health promotion.
On the first topic, one article by business administration educators examines the influence of leader-member exchange (LMX) from a social exchange perspective and finds that a higher level of LMX can enhance nurse commitment, significantly reduce turnover, and promote organizational citizenship behavior in order to achieve greater organizational effectiveness. An action research study establishes a competency-based group health teaching performance examination model for baccalaureate graduates. Also, a cross-sectional research study finds that the frequency of an implemented task, years of work as a public health nurse (PHN), job position, education level and health station location all related significantly to PHN community healthcare competency scores.
On the topic of maternal and child healthcare, one paper evaluates the maternal and child healthcare needs of new immigrants. Another describes the experiences of three-shift nurses, with a particular focus on how they make arrangements for breastfeeding in relation to their workplaces and work breaks. Three predominant themes identified include managing to express milk, dealing with the conflict between work and milk expression, and viewing breastfeeding as a natural part of life.
On the topic of health promotion, one research team translates and develops a reliable, valid Taiwan version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. A survey in Pingdong County finds that parent marital status and having classmates who offer cigarettes are significant predictors of adolescent smoking behavior. Also, a correlational study finds that patients with diabetes with greater learned resourcefulness enjoy better qualities of life, with learned resourcefulness, gender, and HbA1C explaining 35.2% of variance in DM patient quality of life.
The many valuable studies first published here in JNR since it was launched in 1993 have earned it a prominent place on reference shelves and helped it secure five National Science Council Excellence Awards in recent years. We hope all nurses will continue supporting JNR and remain devoted to the advance of evidence-based practice.