About

Dr. Sharon D. Horner is a Professor at the School of Nursing with expertise in Nursing Research, Parent/Child health, and Clinical Nurse Specialist practices. She received her PhD in Nursing and MSN in Parent-Child Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia. Her research primarily focuses on improving the health of families with children, with a particular emphasis on managing chronic diseases such as asthma in school-aged children living in rural areas. Dr. Horner has been awarded a total of $7.6 million as principal investigator or co-principal investigator from extramural funding sources, including significant grants from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute for Nursing Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, among others. Her recent work includes a study funded by NIH that tested an intervention to improve asthma management behaviors, which resulted in significant improvements in children’s quality of life, self-management behaviors, and reductions in asthma severity and hospital visits. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and was inducted into the Sigma International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2022. Dr. Horner held the Dolores V. Sands Chair in Nursing Research from 2011 to 2024. She has been actively involved in the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, serving in leadership roles including President-elect, President, and Immediate Past President from 2015 to 2018. Her honors include the 2014 Sue B. Davidson Service Award, the 2013 Award for Research in Minority Health from the Southern Nursing Research Society, and the 2013 Researcher of the Year from the Texas Rural Health Association.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Computer Science
• Virology
• Veterinary medicine
• Biology
• Environmental health
• Family medicine
• Nursing
• Genetics
• Physics
• Clinical psychology
• Psychiatry
• Environmental science
• Pathology
• Pediatrics
• Internal medicine
• Ecology
• Physical therapy

Selected publications

• Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile Health Stress Management Intervention for Latino Millennial Caregivers: Usability Study (Preprint)

  2025-10-07

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Latino Millennial caregivers face unique challenges and elevated stress due to cultural, structural, and economic burdens. Culturally responsive, technology-based stress management interventions are needed to support emotional well-being in this population. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally tailored mobile health (mHealth) intervention to support stress management and emotional regulation for Latino Millennial caregivers. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> A four-week feasibility and acceptability pilot study was conducted with 21 Latino Millennial caregivers. The intervention included daily mindfulness exercises and journaling prompts, delivered via a custom mHealth platform. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> The intervention was feasible, with enrollment completed in 12 weeks and 70% retention. Participants showed differential adherence with 60% of participants completing a daily journal activity and 30% completing a daily mindfulness activity. Adherence patterns were reflected in acceptability findings, with journaling being preferred more than mindfulness due to flexibility and cultural fit. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> Findings support the intervention’s feasibility and highlight the importance of flexible, culturally responsive features. Tailoring mHealth tools to match caregivers’ stress demands and preferences can enhance engagement and emotional well-being. </sec> <sec> <title>CLINICALTRIAL</title> N/A </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• Stress and Well-Being Intervention and mHealth Delivery Adaptation for Latinx Millennial Caregivers: A Qualitative User-Centered Approach (Preprint)

  2025-03-14

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> The study aimed to adapt a stress and well-being intervention delivered via a mobile health (mHealth) app for Latinx Millennial caregivers. This demographic, born between 1981 and 1996, represents a significant portion of caregivers in the United States, with unique challenges due to higher mental distress and poorer physical health compared to non-caregivers. Latinx Millennial caregivers face additional barriers, including higher uninsured rates and increased caregiving burdens. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> We used a community-informed and user-centered design approach to tailor an existing mHealth app to better meet the stress and well-being needs of Latinx Millennial caregivers. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> We employed a two-step, multi-feedback approach. In step one, Latinx Millennial caregivers participated in focus groups to evaluate wireframes for the proposed mHealth app. In step two, participants engaged in usability testing for one week, concluding with short interviews for feedback. Participants were recruited through various channels, including social media and community clinics. Data were analyzed inductively using a rapid qualitative content analysis approach </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> A total of 29 caregivers (69% women, mean age 31) participated in the study. Participants had a mean age of 31 (SD=4.10), with most (n=28, 96%) caring for an adult and one (4%) caring for children with chronic conditions. All participants completed the step one focus groups, with a subset of 3 caregivers completing usability testing in step two. The most liked features included the: 1) stress rating scale because it helped them understand stress and mental health, 2) mindfulness options because it allowed for flexible timing of activities, 3) journaling prompts because it was a way to address daily challenges and contemplate positives, and 4) resource list for its employment and financial content. One concern was that the journaling prompts may take too much time or effort to complete after a long and hard day. Some suggestions for improvement included: a better tracking system, gamification, caregiving education, a checklist of emotions to use on the journal, tailored resources, and ways to connect with a community of similar caregivers. During step two, participants noted the app was user-friendly but had some glitches and unclear privacy policies. Participants liked the meditation options, resource variety, and daily stress log but wanted more journaling space, longer meditations, and additional relaxation activities. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> Caregivers highlighted the need for tailored resources and additional stress-relief activities. Future iterations should consider integrating more personalized and community-specific resources, leveraging platforms like podcasts for broader engagement, and the use of information-based videos to support caregiver skill acquisition. Caregivers expressed needs beyond the scope of the app, such as resource access, demonstrating the need for upstream and downstream interventions. The study underscores the importance of ongoing user feedback in developing effective mHealth interventions for diverse caregiver populations. </sec> <sec> <title>CLINICALTRIAL</title> N/A </sec>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Stress and Well-Being Intervention and mHealth Delivery Adaptation for Latinx Millennial Caregivers: Qualitative User-Centered Design Approach

  JMIR Nursing · 2025-08-27

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: The study aimed to adapt a stress and well-being intervention delivered via a mobile health (mHealth) app for Latinx Millennial caregivers. This demographic, born between 1981 and 1996, represents a significant portion of caregivers in the United States, with unique challenges due to higher mental distress and poorer physical health compared to non-caregivers. Latinx Millennial caregivers face additional barriers, including higher uninsured rates and increased caregiving burdens. OBJECTIVE: We used a community-informed and user-centered design approach to tailor an existing mHealth app to better meet the stress and well-being needs of Latinx Millennial caregivers. METHODS: We employed a two-step, multi-feedback approach. In step one, Latinx Millennial caregivers participated in focus groups to evaluate wireframes for the proposed mHealth app. In step two, participants engaged in usability testing for one week, concluding with short interviews for feedback. Participants were recruited through various channels, including social media and community clinics. Data were analyzed inductively using a rapid qualitative content analysis approach. RESULTS: A total of 29 caregivers (69% women, mean age 31) participated in the study. Participants had a mean age of 31 (SD=4.10), with most (n=28, 96%) caring for an adult and one (4%) caring for children with chronic conditions. All participants completed the step one focus groups, with a subset of 3 caregivers completing usability testing in step two. The most liked features included the: 1) stress rating scale because it helped them understand stress and mental health, 2) mindfulness options because it allowed for flexible timing of activities, 3) journaling prompts because it was a way to address daily challenges and contemplate positives, and 4) resource list for its employment and financial content. One concern was that the journaling prompts may take too much time or effort to complete after a long and hard day. Some suggestions for improvement included: a better tracking system, gamification, caregiving education, a checklist of emotions to use on the journal, tailored resources, and ways to connect with a community of similar caregivers. During step two, participants noted the app was user-friendly but had some glitches and unclear privacy policies. Participants liked the meditation options, resource variety, and daily stress log but wanted more journaling space, longer meditations, and additional relaxation activities. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers highlighted the need for tailored resources and additional stress-relief activities. Future iterations should consider integrating more personalized and community-specific resources, leveraging platforms like podcasts for broader engagement, and the use of information-based videos to support caregiver skill acquisition. Caregivers expressed needs beyond the scope of the app, such as resource access, demonstrating the need for upstream and downstream interventions. The study reinforces that user-informed design is an ongoing and iterative process, which requires balancing the needs of stakeholders and the feasibility of recommended adaptations.

  PublisherDOI

• Experiences and Supportive Care Needs of Latinx Millennial Caregivers

  Journal of Transcultural Nursing · 2024-09-13 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: Latinx Millennial caregivers are an understudied minority group in the United States. Due to life stage and cultural values, these caregivers struggle to balance conflicting priorities with career, family, and caregiving. They also face systemic barriers and healthcare disparities. METHODS: = 29) were recruited locally and nationally. Qualitative data were collected using five focus groups and one individual interview. Interviews were analyzed by seven coders using thematic analysis with an inductive approach. RESULTS: Meta-themes included (a) the Latinx experience with culture, immigrant status, and structural barriers; and (b) being a super caregiver: being everything to everyone. Additional main themes were identified including family well-being, occupational and financial well-being, social support dynamics, challenges and rewards of family caregiving, and coping strategies. DISCUSSION: Clinical interventions for Latinx Millennial caregivers should address cultural background, value of family/community, and systemic barriers for care and support.

  PublisherDOI

• Predicting return of lung function after a pulmonary exacerbation using the cystic fibrosis respiratory symptom diary-chronic respiratory infection symptom scale

  BMC Pulmonary Medicine · 2024-07-24 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Pulmonary exacerbations (PExs) in people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) are associated with increased healthcare costs, decreased quality of life and the risk for permanent decline in lung function. Symptom burden, the continuous physiological and emotional symptoms on an individual related to their disease, may be a useful tool for monitoring PwCF during a PEx, and identifying individuals at high risk for permanent decline in lung function. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the degree of symptom burden severity, measured by the Cystic Fibrosis Respiratory Symptom Diary (CFRSD)- Chronic Respiratory Infection Symptom Scale (CRISS), at the onset of a PEx can predict failure to return to baseline lung function by the end of treatment. METHODS: A secondary analysis of a longitudinal, observational study (N = 56) was conducted. Data was collected at four time points: year-prior-to-enrollment annual appointment, termed "baseline", day 1 of PEx diagnosis, termed "Visit 1", day 10-21 of PEx diagnosis, termed "Visit 2" and two-weeks post-hospitalization, termed "Visit 3". A linear regression model was performed to analyze the research question. RESULTS: A regression model predicted that recovery of lung function decreased by 0.2 points for every increase in CRISS points, indicating that participants with a CRISS score greater than 48.3 were at 14% greater risk of not recovering to baseline lung function by Visit 2, than people with lower scores. CONCLUSION: Monitoring CRISS scores in PwCF is an efficient, reliable, non-invasive way to determine a person's status at the beginning of a PEx. The results presented in this paper support the usefulness of studying symptoms in the context of PEx in PwCF.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of Adapt 2 Asthma (A2A), a culturally relevant coping skills and asthma management intervention for Latinx Families

  Trials · 2024-10-22 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Latinx children in the United States experience disparities in asthma control and asthma-related functional outcomes compared to non-Latinx White children, including more school absences, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for asthma. Stress appears to play a role in asthma control, but interventions designed to address the role of stress in asthma control for Latinx children are limited. METHOD: The current randomized controlled trial tests the effects of Adapt 2 Asthma (A2A), a family-based coping skills and asthma management intervention tailored to the stressors, strengths, and cultural beliefs of Latinx families, compared to an asthma self-management control arm (the Asthma Plan for Kids; APK). Latinx families of children ages 8 to 14 years old with asthma (target N = 280) are identified and enrolled from primary care clinics and randomly assigned to either A2A or APK. The intervention is delivered by lay health workers trained and receiving ongoing consultation from the study team. The primary outcome is child- and parent-reported asthma control, while secondary outcomes are child's quality of life, lung function, school absences, and emergency department visits, and child and parent coping and family asthma management behaviors. Participants will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up timepoints. DISCUSSION: This study has the potential to provide new evidence regarding the effects of culturally relevant coping and asthma management intervention strategies for Latinx children with asthma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05118282 . Registered on 11 November 2021.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Leveraging digital health technologies in heart failure self-care interventions to improve health equity

  Nursing Outlook · 2024-06-29 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Microbial communities in rural and urban homes and their relationship to surrounding land use, household characteristics, and asthma status

  Building and Environment · 2024-08-30 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  The relationships between the microbial communities that develop within homes and local outdoor features, household conditions and respiratory health outcomes are not well understood. In this study, high-throughput bacterial 16S and fungal ITS rDNA sequencing were coupled with a quantitative, GIS-based land use approach in a sample of 95 homes in adjacent urban and rural areas to investigate how local land use features surrounding homes relate to the home microbiome. Bacterial richness was higher in homes surrounded by less development while fungal richness was higher in homes surrounded by more development. Home mycobiomes in less developed areas were enriched with crop-associated taxa whereas in more developed areas human-associated bacterial taxa and wood decaying fungal taxa predominated. Not all vegetation had the same effect on the home microbiome and distinct differences were observed between bacterial and fungal communities, and the distance between home and vegetation. Crops and tree coverage were strongly related to indoor mycobiomes due to the abundance of crop-related taxa and wood decaying taxa, respectively. Regarding asthma, the microbiomes in homes with asthmatic children had greater bacterial diversity and lower fungal diversity compared to homes without asthmatic children. In addition, ‘protective’ taxa were enriched in non-asthmatic homes. The buffer-based approach used for quantitatively categorizing land use and development levels around homes identified specific outdoor environmental factors that affect the indoor microbiomes in urban and rural homes. The study also supports the growing body of scientific evidence that the indoor microbiome can affect health outcomes such as childhood asthma. • Indoor bacterial and fungal microbiomes assessed via HVAC dust. • Investigated effect of local land use on microbiome using GIS-based buffer approach. • Development and vegetation surrounding homes affect indoor microbiome differently. • Greater bacterial and lower fungal diversities in homes with asthmatic children. • ‘Protective’ taxa enriched in homes without childhood asthma.

  PublisherDOI

• Associated factors that contribute to readiness for healthcare transition in a population of adolescents and young adults with special healthcare needs

  Health Care Transitions · 2024-12-10 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background: Children with special health care needs (SHCN) are a growing population in the United States, who because of advancements in medicine, are surviving into adulthood and are expected to transition from pediatric care to adult care. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe which ecological variables (internal locus of control, self-efficacy, self-advocacy, adolescent responsibility, parental responsibility, or perceived healthcare provider communication) are most influential in preparing adolescents and young adults (AYA) with SHCN to transition into the adult healthcare system. Methods: A convenience sample of AYA with SHCN between the ages of 18-25, were recruited from specialty clinics, universities, local and national organizations. Flyers were placed at local establishments and businesses. The researcher also reached out to AYA with SHCN and those that worked with AYA with SHCN. Participants completed an online survey and multiple linear regression was used to answer the research question. Results: Self-advocacy (p=.013), self-efficacy (p=.007), adolescent responsibility (p<.001), and communication with healthcare provider (p=.014) significantly predicted transition readiness. The resultant model was significant (F (1, 78) =6.39, P=.014, Adj R 2 =.540 and R 2 =.573). Conclusion: This study addresses the gap in literature by examining factors from multiple domains that are theoretically seen as potentially influencing transition readiness. By determining which transition variables are the most important and necessary for transition readiness, then programs can be created to bolster them.

  PublisherDOI

• Symptom phenotyping in people with cystic fibrosis during acute pulmonary exacerbations using machine-learning K-means clustering analysis

  Journal of Cystic Fibrosis · 2024-06-12 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R15NR004475

  NIH · $110k · 2001

• NIH Grant R01NR007770

  NIH · $3.5M · 2014

Frequent coauthors

• Lynn Rew

  The University of Texas at Austin

  21 shared

• Melanie S. Percy

  Rutgers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

  11 shared

• Kerry A. Kinney

  9 shared

• Huey‐Shys Chen

  Hungkuang University

  9 shared

• Lou Riesch

  Health and Human Development (2HD) Research Network

  9 shared

• Roger Cauvin

  The University of Texas at Austin

  9 shared

• Juan P. Maestre

  7 shared

• David Jarma

  7 shared

Education

• PhD, School of Nursing

  Medical College of Georgia

  1992

Awards & honors

• Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing
• Inducted into the Sigma International Nurse Researcher Hall…
• Dolores V. Sands Chair in Nursing Research from 2011-2024
• 2014 Sue B. Davidson Service Award from the National Associa…
• 2013 Award for Research in Minority Health from the Southern…