Digital Commons Network^™

Adolescent Vaccination Rates And Pharmacists' Ability To Prescribe And Administer, Paul Jake Faulkner

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Vaccines are arguably the most significant advancement in healthcare in the prevention of diseases. The CDC has created a series of recommendations to help guide providers and patients toward a healthier future with vaccines. These recommendations were adopted by the Health People Goals 2020 and 2030 to increase each state's rates of completing specific vaccination series by defined age thresholds. This capstone aims to assess if there is a correlation between vaccination rates and pharmacists; specifically to see if states that give less restrictions about vaccinating would have higher rates. It is also important to see if states with more …

Self-Care Through Nature For Adolescents, Sumiko Strachan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Self-care is defined as actions or activities done by an individual to improve their own health; most often referring to mental health. This project focused on giving tools for self-care and mindfulness through nature. These tools included ways to self-soothe through meditation, mindfulness and nutrition. The project’s activities were conducted at MEarth, an outdoor learning facility located in the Carmel Valley. MEarth is a prime location for this project as it is still a place of learning, but it is not a traditional classroom and teaches in a more engaging way for presenting information. The self-care project lessons aimed to …

Smartphones For Smart Eating: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Smartphone Applications On Improving Adolescent Food Knowledge, Heather A. Jantzi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Many Canadian adolescents have unhealthy eating habits which are risk factors for developing chronic diseases later in life. Food literacy plays a role in healthy eating habits but teens in Ontario currently lack sufficient nutrition education learning opportunities in home and school environments. Across health research, smartphones have been utilized as a novel medium to promote learning and alter behaviour. This thesis seeks to understand the effectiveness of smartphone applications at improving food knowledge in adolescents through (i) a systematic review of published interventions, and (ii) by investigating the efficacy of a novel location-based smartphone application. Findings from this thesis …

Acceleration Profiles Of Adolescent Soccer Players Across A Season, Jake A. Melaro

Doctoral Dissertations

The injury risk inherent to soccer can be affected by external training loads and intrinsic factors. These intrinsic factors (sex, mass, strength, coordination, etc.) in young athletes can be rapidly altered the near their peak height velocity (PHV) during puberty, modifying their movement complexity and, potentially, their injury risk. While quantification of movement complexity through multiscale entropy analysis have been used in past biomechanical investigations, no studies have incorporated this analysis on tibial accelerometry signals collected in these maturing athletes. The purpose of this study is to collect tibial acceleration data from youth soccer athletes during several discrete drills and …

Implementation Of A Mindfulness Intervention To Increase Adolescent Resilience In An After-School Program: A Quality Improvement Project., Katie Thomas

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Background: Globally, fourteen percent of adolescents ages 10 to 19 years old suffer from mental health problems (World Health Organization, 2021). Resilience is a fundamental concept of the mental health promotion framework (CAMH, 2022).The WHO (2020) “Guidelines on Mental Health Promotive and Preventive Interventions for Adolescents” includes the recommendation that universal interventions to promote mental health and reduce mental disorders should include social and emotional learning (SEL), such as emotional regulation, mindfulness, stress management, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are one evidence-based method of accomplishing this goal (Sapthiang et al., 2018). Purpose: The purpose of …

Presenting Issue Agreement And The Therapeutic Alliance In Family Therapy, Emilee Oldroyd

Theses and Dissertations

Research has consistently shown a positive association between the therapeutic alliance and family therapy outcome. Theory and preliminary research suggest that parent and adolescent agreement on the presenting problem would be a significant predictor of the therapeutic alliance in family therapy. This study used de-identified data from the Marriage and Family Therapy Practice Research Network. The presenting problem was assessed at the first session, and agreement in presenting problems was determined by matching the responses between the parents and adolescents. The within-system alliance item of the Intersession Alliance Measures-Family (IAM-F), assessed at the fourth session, was used to measure the …

Pediatric Streptococcal Pharyngitis Testing And Treatment Practices, Amanda Welch

Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this pilot quality improvement study was to implement SmartPhrases and assess its impact on adherence to the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) guideline for Group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis testing and treatment in pediatric patients ages 1-16 years old. The aim was to use SmartPhrases to improve adherence with the IDSA guideline by 30% for GAS pharyngitis swabbing and 10% for appropriate antibiotic prescribing in three months.

Methods: A retrospective data analysis approach was used, in reviewing SmartPhrases data from the electronic health records (EHR) in a metropolitan Urgent Care. This data were collected from …

Adolescents & Social Media Use, Wendy Shoot

M.Ed. Literature Reviews

This research explores the effects of social media use by adolescents. Five themes were identified: [1] social media and adolescent mental and physical well-being, [2] social media and adolescent problematic usage, [3] social media and adolescent academics, [4] social media and adolescent family connections, and [5] social media benefits for adolescents. The paper goes on to analyze how practices at the Middle School where I teach could be aligned with research and then questions implications for future research and transformed practice.

Adolescent's Perceptions Of The Parent's Marital Relationship And The Impact On Their Suicide Risk, Savannah Heaton Hurt

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide risk is rapidly increasing in children and adolescents. It is vital that research explores the causes in child and adolescent suicide risk. Research has failed to identify if the marital relationship may be correlated with this increase in suicide ideation in children. This study set out to determine if a child's perception of their parents' marital conflict impacts the child's suicidal risk. Using the Family Foundations of Youth Development project this study analyzed 1,692 parent and child participants to test if the child's perceptions of the marital conflict impacted their suicide risk and if the parent's own report of …

School-Based Development And Implementation Of Adolescent Mental Health Educational Toolkits, Chantel M. Kilford Ms

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

After the onset of the COVID pandemic, there were significant increases of adolescents with anxiety, behavioral and conduct problems. These disorders have devasting individual, social, and economic ramifications and school-based staff play a key role in identification, assessment, and treatment. Evidence suggested that healthcare providers, school counselors and teachers were not confident or knowledgeable about adolescent mental health. The purpose of the change in practice project was to increase knowledge and confidence among school-based healthcare providers, school counselors and teachers by providing an adolescent mental health tool kit. The toolkit focused on disruptive behavior and other prevalent mental health disorders …

A Lifestyle Modification Intervention In Hispanic Adolescents With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Brianne Miller

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

U.S. population studies have confirmed that the Hispanic population has the highest prevalence and the worst prognosis for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (Katz et al., 2021). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to implement a multicomponent, lifestyle modification intervention in Hispanic pediatric primary care patients to combat the disease process and sequela of NAFLD. The PICOT question for this project was: In Hispanic adolescents aged 10-21 with obesity and NAFLD (P), what is the effect of a multicomponent, lifestyle modification intervention (I), on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (O), over a 12-week time period (T)? A comprehensive literature search …

The Psychological Impact Of Adolescent Violence Exposure: The Roles Of Coping And Social Support, Kelsey Gnade Coulthard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research demonstrates that children and adolescents experience a wide range of exposure to violence with rates ranging from 20% and 50% (Finkelhor & Dziuba-Leatherman, 1994; Finkelhor et al., 2005; Zimmerman & Posick, 2016). Violence exposure has been associated with several negative outcomes including biological, psychological, family-based, and academic problems. Further, studies have examined potential protective factors that may buffer against these consequences, with inconsistent results surrounding the roles of coping and social support. However, many of these studies use either an overly generalized definition of both violence exposure and/or social support or use very specific type of violence within a …

School-Based Development And Implementation Of An Educational Toolkit, Chantel M. Kilford Ms

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The purpose of this evidence-based change in practice is to increase knowledge and confidence among healthcare providers and teachers within a high school setting by providing an educational tool kit about behavioral disorders in children. The disorders that will be focused upon are conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and common co-morbidities of these disorders. There will be education about an appropriate childhood, evidence based mental health assessment tool that assesses childhood mental health, including how to score the tool and interpret the results. Evidence suggests that healthcare providers and teachers are not confident or knowledgeable about identification, assessment, and behavioral …

Creating Goals With Adolescent Teenagers, Laura Carpenter

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper uses James Marcia's Adolescent Identity Development Theory to expand high school juniors and seniors' awareness of the importance of setting goals for themselves. Goals provide accountability, a healthy mindset, and the practice of self-regulation. This project provided juniors and seniors time to reflect and set their goals for their future plans as they embark on a life without the systematic structure the public school has provided.

Examining The Role Of Pretrial Detention On The Juvenile Plea Process, Isabelle May Clough

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Plea bargains are a necessary part of the criminal justice system as a whole, and the juvenile justice system more specifically. However, juveniles may be at a particular disadvantage when entering into a plea bargain as a result of their developmental capacities. Pretrial detention in particular might influence the quality of the final plea agreement that a juvenile accepts, as adolescents would be motivated towards the short-term goal of being released from detention. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between juvenile pretrial detention and plea discounts through mediating relationships with number of attorneys and time to plea. Data …

Educational Environments And Children's Physical Activity And Sedentary Behaviors, Nathan R. Tokarek

Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents spend the majority of their day engaged in sedentary behaviors (SB), while also not meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations. The failure to develop and maintain health enhancing behaviors from a young age may impact an individual throughout their life. With children and adolescents spending a large proportion of their waking hours in a school setting, the educational environment presents an opportunity in which children and adolescents’ PA and SB can be positively influenced. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to explore how children and adolescent’s school time PA and SB are associated with the educational setting, …

Raising The Roar: A Case Study Of Early Adolescent Student Voice On Service-Learning And Catholic Identity, April Beuder

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined early adolescent students’ perceptions of their service-learning program experiences at one Catholic elementary school in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (ADLA). The purpose of the study was: (a) to understand how the powerful tradition of the Church related to doing works of social justice and outreach was experienced by students in one ADLA Catholic elementary school in the form of experiential service learning, and (b) to explore whether associations exist between the students’ perceptions of their Catholic identities and their service-learning experiences. This study gathered research from student voice and work samples and utilized Carver’s …

Impressions And Arrows: Forming Faithful Preteen Hearts, Wes Gallagher

Doctor of Ministry

This project seeks to address the following NPO: Christian parents in today’s culture need resources and training to face the challenge and have conversations with their pre-teen children about matters of God and faith. Today's Christian parents often struggle to share their faith and values with their children. Parents feel that their own relationship with God is too shallow, that their calendar is too full, and that their relationship with their children is inadequate. Several reassurances surfaced from this research. First, parents and extended families really do have an impact on the faith of their children. Of course, involvement in …

Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Cognitive–Behavioral Interventions In The Classroom For Adolescent Autistic Students With Anxiety, Kasey Jane Aposhian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often struggle with comorbid disorders like anxiety. However, special education teachers may lack the training to implement specific interventions in the classroom setting for adolescents with ASD and anxiety. This qualitative action research study was conducted to examine how special education teachers work with adolescents diagnosed with both ASD and anxiety. Bandura’s reciprocal determinism concept guided this study by explaining that the classroom environment and adolescents’ cognition and behavior should be considered when implementing cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) for students with ASD and anxiety. The two research questions asked participants to describe their ability to …

Program Evaluation Of A Type 1 Diabetes Transition Process For Emerging Adults, Anna J. Shashura

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Purpose: To evaluate a structured transition program, Preparing Emerging Adults with Knowledge and Skills (PEAKS), for pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in an outpatient pediatric endocrinology center.

Design and Methods: Program evaluation was completed following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health, focusing on implementation adherence, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), and provider satisfaction for the first three visits of the PEAKS program. Satisfaction was assessed using the Got Transition Sample Health Care Transition Feedback Survey for Clinicians. Implementation adherence and HbA1C were gathered using retrospective chart review.

Results: Less than half …

The Inventory Of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version: The Development And Validation Of A Psychometric Test For The Measurement Of Cognitive Distortions In Youth, Kelsey Jones

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Cognitive distortions are systematic biases in an individual’s thinking that maintain a person’s belief in their negative views of themselves or others, even in the presence of contradictory evidence. The Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (ICD), created by Yurica and DiTomasso, measures distorted thinking in adults. Currently, there is not a youth measure of distortions that adequately encapsulates the range of distorted thinking that may be present in youth. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to create and validate a newly designed instrument of cognitive distortions, The Inventory of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version (ICD-YV), with youth ages 11 to 17. …

Nursing Interventions To Decrease Depressive And Anxious Symptoms In Hispanic-American Youth, Vanessa C. Hernandez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Introduction: Hispanic-American youth are less likely to receive mental health services despite being at increased risk for depression and anxiety. Having depression and anxiety at a young age can have detrimental long-term effects such as sexual risk behavior, delinquency, and suicide. Various kinds of nurses interact with this age group which can be a missed opportunity to intervene for the welfare of these youth. Interventions exist for depression and anxiety; however, they are not specific to nurses who care for young Hispanic-American patients. Methods: An integrative literature review was performed to identify nursing interventions for Hispanic American youth with depression …

Moments Of Excess: Type 1 Diabetes And The Myth Of Control In Adolescent Fiction For Girls, Michelle E. Legault

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis is the first academic work to analyze the stories of the Type 1 diabetic teen girls of adolescent fiction. In novels for adolescent readers, these girls are often White, female, heterosexual, and middle class—resulting in a collective disability narrative that portrays an “every girl” and lacks cultural or political dimensions. This thesis explores the narratives of five fictional teen protagonists with Type 1 diabetes. They are: Stacey McGill from the Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin, Rachel Deering in Lurlene McDaniel’s Will I Ever Dance Again? (1982), Mackenzie “Zie” Clark in Sarah White’s Let Me List the …

Mental Health Outpatient Services And Hospital Readmissions Among Adolescent Patients In Louisiana, Whitney Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital admissions and readmissions among Medicaid patients significantly impact increased healthcare costs for the state of Louisiana and are associated with poor quality of care. The specific research problem under study was the relationships, if any, between mental health outpatient services in Louisiana, either individual therapy or home and community-based services post-hospital discharge, gender of the patient, and age of the adolescent patient with the number of hospital readmissions over 1 year. Secondary quantitative data analysis was performed using the Island Peer Review Organization Annual External Quality Review Technical Report and data from the managed care organization in Louisiana. No …

Relationship Between Screentime And Depressive Symptoms And Associated Mediators For African American Adolescents In The United States, Brittney Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of adolescent depression in the United States is increasing as adolescents’ use of electronic screen devices increases. Some studies have found associations between screentime and adolescent depression, and other researchers have posited that screentime is not intrinsically harmful. High screentime in African American adolescents may place them at risk for worse depressive symptom outcomes, but the relationship between screentime and depressive symptoms for this population is unknown. The three research questions of this study addressed whether there is a relationship between screentime and depressive symptoms in African American adolescents, and whether sleep duration and the frequency of physical …

Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Cognitive–Behavioral Interventions In The Classroom For Adolescent Autistic Students With Anxiety, Kasey Jane Aposhian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often struggle with comorbid disorders like anxiety. However, special education teachers may lack the training to implement specific interventions in the classroom setting for adolescents with ASD and anxiety. This qualitative action research study was conducted to examine how special education teachers work with adolescents diagnosed with both ASD and anxiety. Bandura’s reciprocal determinism concept guided this study by explaining that the classroom environment and adolescents’ cognition and behavior should be considered when implementing cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) for students with ASD and anxiety. The two research questions asked participants to describe their ability to …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Hope, And Well-Being Among Rural Latine Adolescents, Danielle Moss Gettings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Considerable research has demonstrated that minority at-risk youth in rural environments experience more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and are more likely to suffer from poor academic performance and severe mental health issues. Results of recent studies of resilience and social support as potential mitigators of ACEs suggest that hope could also mediate these adverse effects. Hope is a component of motivation critical to goal attainment and coping with loss. This study was conducted to examine the role of hope as a mediator of the relationship between ACEs and well-being among rural Latine adolescents. Using Washington State Department of Health Healthy …

Associations Between Substance Use And Obesity Among Native American Adolescents, Joseph Jude Janosky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity and substance use are two significant public health issues among Native American adolescents. Despite much evidence linking obesity and substance use during adolescence to several long-term health conditions and increased morbidity and mortality, evidence describing the relationship between current substance use and obesity among Native American adolescents is lacking. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate associations between current substance use – specifically alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco products – and obesity among Native American high school students, when adjusted for sex, soda consumption, and physical activity. Rosenstock’s health belief model served as the theoretical foundation for this …

Critical Literacy: Meeting Twenty-First Century Literacy Demands For Adolescent Learners, Molly Blew

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Adolescents’ critical text interpretation skills are important to college, career, and citizenship demands. At present, the literature reflects concerns with adolescents’ ability to interpret academic and internet-based texts critically. The pedagogical framework of critical literacy is presented as an instructional approach that may support the development of adolescents’ critical text interpretation skills. The objective of this study was to understand the perceptions of secondary teachers concerning student proficiency in critical text interpretation, teachers’ current level of implementation of instructional practices consistent with the critical literacy framework, and perceived barriers to implementation. Three hundred thirty four (334) high school teachers were …

Participation In A Positive Education Curriculum And Symptoms Of Anxiety In Students, Aleida Silva-Garcia

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety is among the most common mental health problems in children and adolescents in the United States (Bhatia & Goyal, 2018). Children and adolescents spend most of their day in the educational setting (Slemp et al., 2017). Positive education curricula may help students increase their well-being while increasing academic performance. This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of a positive education curriculum in lowering anxiety levels in high school students. In addition, this study investigated the relationship among anxiety, happiness, optimism, perseverance, and academic outcomes. Through an independent samples t-test, archival data were utilized to determine the relationship between participation …