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Effects Of A Physical Activity Intervention On The Stress Reduction Of Underserved Adolescent Youth, Gwenyth C. Asbury

Senior Theses

Stress levels of American teenagers are rising. Studies show that teens are reporting higher stress levels than what they perceive to be healthy and that these levels are higher than the levels of perceived stress reported by adults (APA, 2013). In addition to reporting unhealthy levels of stress, adolescents are reporting feeling overwhelmed and depressed due to their stress (APA, 2013). These findings are especially true for underserved adolescents who are more likely to have exposure to violence, discrimination, racism and conditions of poverty in addition to experiencing the typical stressors associated with adolescence (American Academy of Child and Adolescent …

Assessing Test Anxiety And Resilience Among Greek Adolescents During Covid-19 Pandemic, Sofia Sakka, Vasiliki Aliki Nikopoulou, Eleni Bonti, Paraskevi Tatsiopoulou, Panayiota Karamouzi, Aikaterini Giazkoulidou, Virginia Tsipropoulou, Eleni Parlapani, Vasiliki Holeva, Ioannis Diakogiannis

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of school year’s extension due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) by addressing test anxiety and by studying the coping strategies adolescents used to overcome it. For the majority of the adolescents the final exams can be a powerful source of stress, since the entrance examinations are required for admission into higher education and further reflect the transition to adulthood. The sample consisted of 67 High School students and the data collection was conducted online due to the imposed measures by the Greek government. Results showed normal or average levels …

Mechanisms Study: Using Game Theory To Assess The Effects Of Social Norms And Social Networks On Adolescent Smoking In Schools—Study Protocol, Ruth F. Hunter, Felipe Montes, Jennifer M. Murray, Sharon C. Sanchez-Franco, Shannon C. Montgomery, Joaquín Jaramillo, Christopher Tate, Rajnish Kumar, Laura Dunne, Abhijit Ramalingam, Erik O. Kimbrough, Erin Krupka, Huiyu Zhou, Laurence Moore, Linda Bauld, Blanca Llorente, Olga L. Sarmiento, Frank Kee

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

This proof of concept study harnesses novel transdisciplinary insights to contrast two school-based smoking prevention interventions among adolescents in the UK and Colombia. We compare schools in these locations because smoking rates and norms are different, in order to better understand social norms based mechanisms of action related to smoking. We aim to: (1) improve the measurement of social norms for smoking behaviors in adolescents and reveal how they spread in schools; (2) to better characterize the mechanisms of action of smoking prevention interventions in schools, learning lessons for future intervention research. The A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial (ASSIST) …

Investigating The Impact Of The Fava Well-Being Protocol On Perceived Stress And Psychological Well-Being With At-Promise High School Students, Renee L. Fensom

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

An elevation in stress levels can be caused by many contributing factors, which can ultimately interfere with the learning of young people. Fortunately, an increase in well being can help promote resilience, creating a buffer to stress. Therefore, the current study investigated the influence of a positive psychology intervention aimed at lowering perceived stress and increasing well-being among at-promise students. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Ryff’s Model of Psychological Well-Being (PWB). The specific intervention used was the Well-being Therapy School Protocol developed by Fava and associates, based off of Carol Ryff’s Model of PWB (Fava, 2016). …

Changing The Narrative For Lgbtq Adolescents: A Literature Review And Call For Research Into Narrative Therapy To Improve Family Acceptance Of Lgbtq Teens, Felicia Jordan

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

A large body of existing research has demonstrated the importance of family acceptance as a protective factor for LGBTQ youth facing increased risks of low self-esteem, depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental-health problems. However, little research has been done on therapeutic interventions for families specifically to address stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ adolescents. In particular, narrative therapy, with its focus on deconstructing and re-storying oppressive cultural narratives, seems a natural fit, but little to no quantitative research has been done on family-based narrative therapy for LGBTQ adolescents, and only a handful of qualitative studies have been published. Therefore, the paper …

Mental Health Screening For Low Income Adolescents: An Evidence-Based Project, Allison Bryden

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

TITLE: Mental Health Screening For Low-Income Adolescents

BACKGROUND: Nearly 80% of adolescents in the United States will suffer from a mental illness and not receive evaluation or services. Children from low socio-economic backgrounds have an increased risk of mental health disorders which permeate into adulthood, leading to additional negative sequel and lower quality of life. Among adolescent mental health conditions, depression and anxiety are the most common. Literature has suggested provider intuition alone has low sensitivity and specificity for detecting mental illness and that screening tools are indicated.

PURPOSE: The aim of this project is to implement standardized routine …

Unplugging: An Evidence-Based Project To Reduce Screen Time And Improve Healthy Media Use In The Adolescent Population, Erica Persichetti

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

Background:Excessive media use is an emerging health concern amongst the pediatric population. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends less than 2 hours per day of recreational screen time, yet the national average is between 7 to 9 hours per day for adolescents. A media-saturated lifestyle has consequences on a child’s mental, physical, and emotional health. Despite guidelines stating media use should be assessed at annual well-visits, only 16% of providers are following this recommendation. This gap in care leaves many families with a limited understanding of the impact of media on their child's health and represents a …

Mental Health And You, Sierra Salvatierra

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Latinx community at the Epicenter in Salinas dealt with mental health illnesses, as well as were brought up with machismo attitudes. This population has a strong stigma against getting help with their mental health. Being faced with immigration, poverty, discrimination and inadequite conversations about health, drives a spike in anxiety levels. Consequences of not dealing with mental health illnesses include unresolved emotions are generational trauma, self harm, substance abuse, and unhealthy relationships. The project created to get in front of this problem was a dialogue series of conversation starters for people who want to open up. The purpose of …

Mental Health In The School System: Providing Tools And Resources For Teachers, Hannah Skinner

Student Capstone Papers

This capstone project's aim was to look at the mental health needs of school aged children, and how Occupational Therapists can help to meet their needs in the school system. The doctoral student completed a background on mental health statistics and needs in children, and also completed a literature review on occupational therapy’s role in mental health and schools, mindfulness, and current practices in the United States.

A gap was identified after a literature search was completed: While the school systems understand mental health is an area that should be addressed, there is a gap in providing these tools and …

The Effect Of Grooming And Therapeutic Riding By Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder On Equine Salivary Cortisol Concentrations, Morgan Shields

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The use of horses in therapeutic riding programs, especially for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has grown, yet the impact of grooming and riding on equine stress levels remains unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of grooming and therapeutic riding on salivary cortisol concentrations of 10 horses in a therapeutic riding program. Samples were taken pre and post over two control and grooming days and over two series of nine therapeutic riding lessons for adolescents with ASD. On grooming days, each horse was groomed using a set protocol. On riding days, horses were ridden …

Economic Burden And Mental Health Of Primary Caregivers Of Perinatally Hiv Infected Adolescents From Kilifi, Kenya, Patrick V. Katana, Amina Abubakar, Moses K. Nyongesa, Derrick Ssewanyana, Paul Mwangi, Charles R. Newton, Julie Jemutai

Institute for Human Development

Background: Eighty per cent of perinatally HIV infected (PHI) adolescents live in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA), a setting also characterized by huge economic disparities. Caregiving is crucial to the management of chronic illness such as HIV/AIDS, but the economic costs and mental disorders borne by caregivers of PHI adolescents often go unnoticed. In this study, we evaluated economic costs, coping strategies and association between economic cost and mental health functioning of caregivers of perinatally HIV infected adolescents in Kilifi, Kenya.

Methods: We used a cost of illness descriptive analysis approach to determine the economic burden and Patient Health Questionnaire …

Neighborhoods And Mental Health: Understanding The Social, Environmental And Structural Factors To Better Support Our Youth And Communities, Meghan Murtagh

Community Engagement Student Work

The social, structural and environmental characteristics of neighborhoods can have a significant impact on the social, emotional, behavioral and cognitive development of children and adolescents. The Center for Disease Control reports every 1 out of 5 children (22%) living below 100% of the federal poverty level have a mental, behavioral and/or developmental disorder (CDC, 2019). Through the utilization of ecological frameworks and a “place” based framework called The Social Determinates of Health, research was conducted to examine the link between neighborhoods and health outcomes in children and adolescents. These findings were then shared through a workshop with the target audience …

The Impacts Of Loyola Marymount’S Summer Arts Workshop From The Perspective Of The Adult Facilitators, Alexandria C. Loiseau

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at the Summer Arts Workshop (SAW) and its impacts on the adult facilitators that are involved in the workshop’s programming and implementation. The study seeks to gain an understanding of how the workshop could be improved in order to strengthen the workshop so that its adolescent participants could continue to benefit from attending it. The research question is: What are the impacts of a therapeutically informed summer arts workshop/camp with adolescents according to participants? Strengths? Space for improvements? This study is a qualitative approach utilizing a semi-structured interview. The analysis of the data from the four interviews …

Effect Of Mindfulness On Empathy And Self-Compassion: An Adapted Mbct Program On Filipino College Students, Reginald Paul R. Centeno, Karina Therese G. Fernandez

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

Attending college is meaningful for many young adults. This period is marked by physical, emotional, and psychological changes that can have both positive and negative effects on college students. The last two decades have seen an alarming increase in the number of college students who suffer from mental health conditions, such as depression, suicide, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. It is recommended that actions to support the students’ wellbeing must be creative and evidence-based. Research suggests that a mindfulness-based intervention may be an effective strategy to address mental health conditions among college students. This study was done to examine the efficacy …

Search For The Cause Of Vaping Associated Lung Injury In Adolescents, Alexandra E. Krueger

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In August 2019 an unexplained, exponential rise in severe respiratory illnesses in previously healthy young adults, swept across America catching the attention of medical providers. Hospital admissions for lung injury increased 10-fold over two months’ time leaving practitioners scrambling for answers. All affected patients were found to have used e-cigarettes prior to symptoms and endorsed using nicotine and marijuana vape pens. The medical community quickly began to search for the cause of these vaping associated lung injuries. Understanding the mechanism of injury is important in order to assist in educating the public about the risks associated with e-cigarettes. The aim …

Childhood Anxiety, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And/Or Pharmacological Treatment, Jennifer S. Mccarthy

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Objective: Evaluate best practice in managing anxiety in the pediatric population, including both school age children and adolescents. This literature review compared pharmacological treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)’s effectiveness on the management of anxiety within the pediatric population.

Background: Up to 25% of children in the United States are affected by a mental health disorder, anxiety being the most prevalent. Childhood anxiety can have a distressing impact on social, family, and academic functioning. If persisting into adulthood it increases the risk of developing other co-occurring mental health conditions, substance abuse issues, and contributes to impaired employment retention and socioeconomic …

Addressing Adolescent And Young Adult Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Megan Boyer

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This quality improvement project at South Burlington Family Medicine aimed to investigate the mental health of individuals ages 13-25 in our practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible patients received a PHQ-9 questionnaire with two additional questions related to COVID-19. Recommendations for future interventions to serve this population were made based on these preliminary findings, with the goal of doing a full PDSA cycle in the near future.