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Histomorphology Of Trauma In Charred And Decomposed Remains, Mariya Bezugly

Student Theses

Decomposition and burning of human remains are frequently encountered in forensic cases, and pose a challenge at determining an accurate cause of death. At autopsy, macroscopic techniques fail to reach beyond superficial layers of degraded tissue to identify wound morphology that characterizes blunt-force gunshot, and sharp-force trauma. The postmortem damage imparted on tissue with pre-existing injuries, obstructs the external features of trauma. Exploring beyond charred and decayed superficial tissue, histo-morphological patterns of injury are still identifiable as shown in this thesis. With detailed observation to the pattern of tissue disruption- an understanding of the type of trauma imposed can be …

Parents Of Children With Complex Trauma: Occupations Viewed Through Photovoice, Margaret Ingolia

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study represents a project idea that shifted focus during the three-year doctoral program. The original idea was to develop an intervention model in response to an identified need within a clinical setting. Specifically, within a clinic that specialized in services for people with sensory processing disorders, a trend was observed that suggested a more traditional sensory processing approach was no longer as effective as it had been in the past. Further investigation into potential factors revealed that the children who did not demonstrate expected improvements presented some common factors. Many of the children were adopted, some from orphanages …

Mediation And Moderation Of Intergenerational Epigenetic Effects Of Trauma, Stefanie Renee Pilkay

Doctoral Dissertations

Trauma and early-life stress have been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes. In fact, research has identified trauma and stress can influence epigenetic marks on genes that can alter gene activity. It is suspected that epigenetically altered gene activity is involved in behavior and mental health. This may help explain why some individuals don’t experience great benefit from treatment for the effects of stress, and severe mental health symptoms can be chronic for decades or a lifetime. Moreover, some trauma-related mental health symptoms have shown generational patterns that appear linked to epigenetic marks. Therefore, this study sought to …

An Examination Of The Factor Structure Of The Trauma Inventory For Partners Of Sex Addicts (Tipsa), Heidi A. Vogeler

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the underlying latent factor structure of the Trauma Inventory for Partners of Sex Addicts (TIPSA), a 53-item assessment designed to assess for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the context of sexual addiction. It was theorized that the factor structure mirrored the 5 core criteria for PTSD as constituted in DSM-5. Data were gathered from 3,199 self-selected respondents (ages 21 to 55) who completed an online version of the TIPSA. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed utilizing Mplus in order to confirm the hypothesized factor structure of the TIPSA. Several modifications were …

A Risky Business : Examining The Prevalence And Correlates Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology And Social Support In Kentucky's Adult Correctional Staff., Ashley Terrell French

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology among correctional staff, using a sample of staff who work in an adult facility for the Kentucky Department of Corrections (KY DOC). Participants (N=775) were asked to complete a written survey to indicate not only demographic variables (age, race, education, and gender) but also the amount of violent and traumatic events experienced, the duration of employment within the KY DOC, whether they were assigned to a custodial/security role, and whether they worked in a maximum security facility. Furthermore, their perceived level …

Get Out: Preparing Families For Emergencies, Megan Fletcher

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone project is on the effects of natural disasters on families and young children. This is an important issue because parents have to prepare to take care of themselves and their children if an emergency strikes. An argument is made that preparing children for emergencies can reduce the negative physical and emotional impact of the traumatic event. Considerations of the issue, should include the perspective of parents at Mimi’s Daycare in California because they are primary caregivers of young children. Three action options emerged from the data and explored as ways to address the issue presented: …

Because We Have To: Flamenco As Survival Strategy Against Detrimental Effects Of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dolores Garcia

Theatre & Dance ETDs

Can daily practice in flamenco training help mediate the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the brain and body? This thesis focuses on the inner-workings of the brain and how it processes stress and trauma. This is discussed through the idea of the Fear Circuit, which is a habitual response to reminders of the original trauma; the review of a current therapy for PTSD patients-Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); the theory that throwing (skill in speed and precision –based throwing activities), music, and dance can all work to increase strength in areas of the brain that atrophy …

The Impact Of Traumatic Event Exposure In The Emergency Medical Services: A Weekly Diary Study, Stephanie A. Andel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emergency Medical Service (EMS) professionals are consistently exposed to a variety of traumatic events on the job, such as cases that involve the death or injury of a patient, being physically threatened, or encountering a mass casualty incident. Not surprisingly, research has found that such traumatic exposure has major implications, as it has been related to a plethora of negative strain outcomes such as posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and burnout. However, at this point, research has not empirically examined the mechanisms by which these traumatic events lead to strain. Therefore, this study aims to further investigate these mechanisms by incorporating …

Emotion Regulation: The Role Of Trauma, Emotion-Related Parenting, And Resilience, Na Zhu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is robust evidence that some people achieve resilience despite adverse experiences (Cicchetti, 2013). The purpose of the present study was to examine if resilience as a trait predicted emotion regulation abilities, and if it moderated the relations between risk and parenting history and emotion regulation abilities. Another aim of the present study was to explore the concept of resilience as an outcome and process through narratives of redemption sequence. Participants consisted of 234 undergraduate students (age ranged from 17-30 years, M = 20.12, SD = 2.17, 79.1% women, 71.37% White) who have experienced a major stressful or traumatic event. …

Preparing Teachers To Support Syrian Refugee Students Through Awareness Of The Impacts Of Trauma And Interrupted Education, Shane Brian Koch

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Trauma brought about by war and displacement impacts all affected people in lasting ways; however, its effects can often be felt most by the children exposed to it. This project examines the impacts of trauma experienced through the process of being a refugee, specifically focusing on children who have fled the violence in Syria since 2011. An extensive review of literature on the topic is present in the paper, which has been

turned into a professional development presentation. The aim was to create a three- module professional development presentation that could better prepare teachers in the

United States who may …

Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Through Body Adornment, Linore Huss

Honors Projects

I conducted a series of interviews with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder survivors or their family members and completed an interactive body of work in body adornment and jewelry that reflects their stories. Last year I decided to focus on the people behind the trauma rather than the trauma itself, which I feel connects the survivor and the viewer more deeply than presenting a general image. Each piece draws from a survivor's personal story, the titles pulling from interview quotes, and the interaction with the viewer representative of each personal struggle.

Minding The Baby®: Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences And Treatment Outcomes In A Mother-Infant Home Visiting Program, Jessica G. Albertson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in a sample of women participating in Minding the Baby® (MTB), a mother-infant home-visiting intervention known to have positive effects on mother-infant attachment. In addition to documenting maternal childhood trauma exposure within the sample, this study explored whether such exposure affected the intervention outcome or service delivery. We looked specifically at whether maternal childhood trauma exposure affected mother-child attachment or frequency of contact with home-visitors. We also examined the relationship between maternal early childhood trauma exposure and reflective functioning capacity (RF), a potential resiliency-promoting factor.

Methods: The study’s participants were 29 first-time …

The Transgenerational Transmission Of Emotion Regulation: The Effect Of Maternal Coping On Child Executive Functioning, Devon J. Harrison

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There is a recognized link between maternal trauma history and adverse child outcomes, however the mechanisms underlying this intergenerational relationship are less clearly understood. Maternal emotion regulation, as measured by coping style, may help explain this cross-generational transmission, implicating the role of a mother’s coping in her child’s capacity to plan, attend, and self-inhibit. Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the association between maternal coping style and child executive functioning (EF) in a sample of 188 urban mothers and their pre-adolescent and adolescent children. Data was analyzed from a larger cross-sectional and cross-generational study of maternal difficulties …

The Impact Of Spirituality And Trauma On Appraisals Of Psychotic-Like Experiences, Kathleen Isaac

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: A substantial portion of the general population (2.5% to 31.4% internationally) reports psychotic-like experiences, which are paranormal, psychic or bizarre perceptual experiences such as voice hearing, or holding strong beliefs (i.e. superstitions) that are neither experienced as pathological nor indicative of a psychotic disorder. Cognitive models of psychosis suggest that the cognitive appraisal (i.e. personal interpretation) of the experience may help distinguish non-clinical psychotic-like experiences from clinical psychotic symptoms. This dissertation attempted to add to cognitive models by assessing whether cultural and personal factors such as spirituality and trauma inform the appraisals of anomalous experiences. This study used a …

Mental Health And Academic Outcomes Among Adolescents In South Korean Orphanages, Hollee Ann Mcginnis

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research conducted over the past 100 years in Western nations support the adverse effects of orphanages on children’s emotional, developmental, and social well-being as well as economic costs to society (Save the Children UK, 2009; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Van IJzendoorn & Juffer, 2008; Williams & Greenberg, 2010). Globally, the number of orphaned and abandoned children is conservatively estimated to be around 143 million, of whom the majority reside in Asia, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (UNICEF, UNAIDS, & USAID, 2004). South Korea (hereafter “Korea”) is an exemplary nation for study because it has a well-established child welfare system, including family-based alternatives (domestic and …

Experiences Of Racism And Race-Based Traumatic Stress: The Moderating Effects Of Cyberracism, Racial/Ethnic Identity, And Forgiveness, Terrence A. Jordan Ii

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

Race is a source of trauma that may result in a wide range of mental and physical health consequences (Pieterse, Todd, Neville, & Carter, 2012). In Chapter 1, I conduct a systematic review of research on race-based traumatic stress. Although studies have documented the link between perceived discrimination and race-based traumatic stress, there is a need to explore factors that can amplify or buffer this relationship. Thus, in Chapter 2, I examine three theorized moderators of the relationship between racial discrimination and race-based traumatic stress: cyberracism, racial/ethnic identity, and trait forgivingness. Data was collected from a sample of 397 African …

"The River's For Everybody": The River Chronotope And Trauma Healing In Melvin Dixon's Trouble The Water, Keith D. Freeman Jr.

English Theses

This thesis broadly explores river imagery, which undergirds narrative, plot, and character trajectory in Melvin Dixon’s Trouble the Water. In the novel, the Pee Dee River, with its multi-directional flow, reflects the personal journey of the protagonist, Jordan Henry, and figures as a spatialized metaphor by which time and space are organized and articulated. Additionally, this thesis identifies correlations between river imagery and articulations of trauma and trauma recovery in the novel. Ultimately, this thesis argues that via Jordan’s simultaneous geographical and psychological, literal and symbolic journey, the novel offers an African-centered spiritual framework for moving through and healing …

Non/Disclosure: Documentation And Participant Observation As Hybrid, Nonfiction, Artistic Research Methodology For Ethnographic Media Production, Contemplative Discovery, Social Practice And Catharsis, Cyle P. O'Donnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As if presaged by the physical, fine and philosophical arts that preceded it, the amelioration to the process of documenting the wonted human existence, political strife, and sundry cultural phenomena through the neo-normative medium of film (and eventually digital video) inaugurated the true scope and importance of anthropological research among a vastly wider audience who would use it, and its intrinsic capacity for the augmentation of artistic expression, to proliferate an expansive accompaniment to the field which would all become recognized platforms for demonstrative presentation of individual oeuvres.

Intermedia has worked in this way to amalgamate concepts like Futurism, Dadaism, …

Cultural Correlates Of Ptsd In Latinos Residing In The U.S., Gabriela A. Nagy

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the associations between cultural variables (i.e., acculturative stress, discrimination, social support, migration planning, and reasons for migrating) and exposure to trauma and PTSD in a sample of Latinos (N=2,554) residing in the United States, who participated in the National Latino and Asian America Study (NLAAS). Results showed that there were significant positive associations between trauma exposure and migrating because of political reasons, migrating in search of medical attention, migrating due to

marital or family problems, and forced migration, suggesting they may be risk factors for being exposed to trauma. There was a negative association between trauma …

Traumatic Induced Coagulopathy, Paul Devore

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Trauma is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. For years patients have been resuscitated in a similar method without improvement in survival of the most severely injured cohort. While acidemia, hypoxia, and hypothermia have long been recognized as complicating factors in the care of trauma patients, it is only recently that research has led to a greater understanding of the pathophysiology of this deadly trio. Coagulopathy of trauma is a multi factorial process which is now being recognized as the proximate cause of death in many patients. This poster examines the pathophysiology and nursing interventions …

Asunder, Rachel Ballard

Art and Design Theses

Traumatic triggers come in many forms: the smell of a rose, the taste of a warm pie, the sound of music, the gaze of a loved one, and the touch of soft soil. What appears ordinary to one may repel another, but the tension between these two opposing reactions is what entices me as an artist. Every trigger is tied to a specific memory which causes me, as a survivor, to question my reality and what I believe to be true. Is this love or is this abuse? What happens when I succumb to the memory that haunts me? My …

A Moment Became The Season: An Exploration Of Trauma Narrative Within The Community Development Context, Lydia Berry

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

This research explores current methods of psychological trauma intervention within the community development context, namely the understandings that bound the clinical and diagnostic side of trauma, and the more recent victim centered approach: the trauma informed care method. The shortcomings of these approaches is that they individually lack the ability to establish the victim back into their sense of self or community, accordingly. This research argues that a narrative approach, a process by which a survivor of trauma has full agency to express their experience, used in conjunction with existing practices can rectify the shortcomings of both methods. The researcher …

Remembering As Resurrection: Transgenerational Trauma And Memory In J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter Series, Erika Beckstrand

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

What does it mean to bear witness to the memories of previous generations’ trauma victims? What lessons should we learn from those who came before us to ensure a happier future?

This thesis explores the trauma and memories of the deceased or older generation found in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I intend to analyze the character of Harry Potter as he interacts with the memories of the previous generation, which he is able to resurrect in embodied forms through the use of magic. By testifying to the memories of the previous generations’ trauma, Harry is able to break the …

Early Childhood Adversity And Chronic Illness: An Examination Of A High Risk- Forensic Inpatient Population, Courtney L. Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals exposed adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at increased risk of developing chronic illnesses in adulthood including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic pain. A relationship between ACEs and health risk factors contributing to chronic disease such as smoking, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle has also been established in prior literature. There is evidence that higher that individuals in forensic inpatient mental health samples are disproportionally exposed to ACEs, which may increase odds of chronic disease development. Despite this evidence, little research has examined the prevalence of ACEs and relationships between ACEs and chronic health conditions and risky health behaviors in …

Moving From Trauma To Healing: Black Queer Cultural Workers’ Experiences And Discourses Of Love, Durryle N. Brooks

Doctoral Dissertations

Within the US context, there is a considerable misunderstanding of what love is. Normative discourse on love within our society is almost exclusively relegated to romance, familial relations, and or sexual connections. However, many scholars (Fromm, 1956, 1976; hooks, 2000, 2001; Tillich, 1952, 1954) have explored love within a critical theoretical construction, which has linked contemporary discourse on love to power, privilege, and oppression. In that sense, normative discourses on love are not innocuous but instead are hegemonic and serve as an ideology to perpetuate individualism and oppression. This qualitative study explores the impact of normative discourses of love at …

Early Trauma Exposure And Marijuana Use As Well As Dependence From Adolescence To Emerging Adulthood, Ian Andru Marsee

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of two types of trauma exposure, mistreatment by an adult as a child and exposure to stressful life events as an adolescent, and their impact on marijuana use as an adolescent and emerging adult and marijuana dependence as an adult. This study also investigates the mediating role of depressive symptoms on the relationship between trauma exposure and marijuana use and dependence. The AddHealth dataset, a nationally representative and longitudinal dataset, was used to assess these relationships. Results show that both types of trauma predict marijuana use and dependence. Results also show that there are indirect …

An Examination Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Trauma Inventory For Partners Of Sex Addicts (Tipsa), Steven Scott Stokes

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Trauma Inventory for Partners of Sex Addicts (TIPSA). Using the Nominal Response Model (NRM), I examined several aspects of item and option functioning including discrimination, empirical category ordering, and information. Category Boundary Discrimination (CBD) parameters were calculated to determine the extent to which respondents distinguished between adjacent categories. Indistinguishable categories were collapsed through recoding. Empirically disordered response categories were also collapsed through recoding. Findings revealed that recoding solved some technical functioning issues in some items, and also revealed items (and perhaps option anchors) that were probably poorly conceived initially. In addition, nuisance …

Breaking The Silence: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Secondary Traumatic Stress In U.S. College Student Affairs Professionals, Robert Jason Lynch

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Breaking the Silence: A Phenomenological Exploration of Secondary Traumatic Stress in U.S. College Student Affairs Professionals is a qualitative-intensive mixed methods study using phenomenology and art-based research techniques to uncover the essence of secondary traumatic stress in U.S. college student affairs professionals. Researchers in the fields of psychology, counseling, social work and other helping professions suggest that repeated exposure to individuals experiencing trauma, or hearing repeated details of an individual’s trauma, have negative outcomes on professional helpers. Coined secondary traumatic stress, this phenomenon may be defined as “the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering …

Trauma Therapy For Very Young Children Living In Poverty: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Joanna Ruth Love

Dissertations (1934 -)

This study used a randomized control design with immediate treatment and wait list control conditions to evaluate the efficacy of the New Hope program, a home-based, parent-and-child therapy program that has been developed for very young children living in poverty who experienced one or more potentially traumatizing events. Within a three-phase model of treatment, the New Hope program is designed to establish safety, build the caregiver child relationship, create a nurturing environment, teach coping skills, address trauma-related thoughts and feelings, and develop prosocial skills. Training in this program included discussions regarding the cultural implications of providing therapy services in the …

An Exploration Of Trauma Markers In The Artwork Of Serial Killers, Kiran M. Haynes

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This research is a qualitative art-based study exploring trauma markers found in the artwork of serial killers through the participation of licensed art therapists trained in the identification and treatment of trauma. The literature review covers a broad range of variables that influence the development of mass murderers, and how art therapy may be useful in working with serial killer populations. The study offers a unique, non-verbal exploration of the trauma experienced by serial killers through the art therapy lens. The three participants provided invaluable data through their responses to a questionnaire and creation of response art that demonstrates evidence …