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The Role Of Visa Status And Acculturation In The Health Of Us Immigrants, Serra Sevde Hatipoglu
The Role Of Visa Status And Acculturation In The Health Of Us Immigrants, Serra Sevde Hatipoglu
All ETDs from UAB
Using data from the 2003 New Immigrant Survey, I examined the association between visa status and acculturation with physical, mental, and self-rated health among immigrants residing in the United States. The primary predictor variable in the study is immigrant visa status. The outcome variables of interest include physical health as any morbidity (chronic diseases), mental health as depressed (as defined by the DSM-IV) and self-rated health (poor self-rated health). Using logistic regressions, I found those with unfavorable visa statuses have worse mental, physical, self-rated health compared to the favorable visa holders. I used inverse odds ratio weighted (IORW) mediation method …
Genome-Wide Mirna Regulation Of Stress Susceptibility Across The Brain In A Rodent Model Of Early Life Stress, Lauren Alexis Allen Mckibben
Genome-Wide Mirna Regulation Of Stress Susceptibility Across The Brain In A Rodent Model Of Early Life Stress, Lauren Alexis Allen Mckibben
All ETDs from UAB
Early life stress (ELS) affects a significant portion of the US population in the form of various types of abuse and neglect, as well as household dysfunction and loss of a loved one, among others. Although these experiences happen early in life, they increase risk for mental health disorders, especially major depression (MDD), across the lifespan. MDD is a debilitating psychiatric disorder marked by periods of depressed mood and loss of pleasure in once enjoyable activities. Patients with MDD also report trouble sleeping, unintentional weight loss or gain, feelings of worthlessness, and suicidal ideation. MDD is associated with annual $100 …
Cognitive Factors And Treatment Adherence In Individuals With Cystic Fibrosis, Benjamin Edwin Burgess
Cognitive Factors And Treatment Adherence In Individuals With Cystic Fibrosis, Benjamin Edwin Burgess
All ETDs from UAB
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-threatening chronic illness which requires adherence to a many complex and time-consuming treatments. Adherence is suboptimal in this population. Thus, it is important to consider predictors of treatment adherence. Research has evaluated a number of cognitive factors that are related to adherence in groups with chronic illnesses, including those with CF. The present study considers three factors (health locus of control (HLC), perceived social support, and perceived disease severity) in order to address important gaps in the literature evaluating their relationships with treatment adherence. For each of these factors, the current research is limited by …
Examining The Role Of The Unfolded Protein Response In Depression, Matthew Timberlake
Examining The Role Of The Unfolded Protein Response In Depression, Matthew Timberlake
All ETDs from UAB
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and impacts nearly 350 million people with a disproportionate representation in women with a 1:1.7 ratio of occurrence compared to men. This disorder is characterized by shifts in mood to include feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and lethargy as well as changes in diet, motivation, and sleep patterns. Further, over 50% of patients who struggle with depression also have suicidal ideation and as many as 10% of those commit suicide. At present, treatment plans include behavioral therapy (often) in conjunction with antidepressant medications which act on monoamines and their circuits in the central …
Biopsychosocial Correlates Of Pain In Youth With Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Comparison To Other Pediatric Patients, Mary Kenna Lynch
Biopsychosocial Correlates Of Pain In Youth With Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Comparison To Other Pediatric Patients, Mary Kenna Lynch
All ETDs from UAB
EoE is a chronic, clinico-pathological, esophageal disease with symptoms that include dysphagia, reflux, vomiting, feeding aversion, and epigastric pain. Diagnosis requires clinical symptom presentation and histologic findings of eosinophil-predominant inflammation of the esophagus. While the pediatric patient’s epigastric pain is predictive of their quality of life, little is known about their pain experience. Through two studies, the pain experience, sleep quality, and internalizing symptoms of youth with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) have been examined. Through individually evaluating each of these factors as well as testing their relations with each other, the model proposed by Lynch and colleagues (2015) to understand the …
Examining Factors That Contribute To Motives For Marijuana Use Among African American Adolescents, Vinetra Loette King
Examining Factors That Contribute To Motives For Marijuana Use Among African American Adolescents, Vinetra Loette King
All ETDs from UAB
Marijuana is the most frequently used illicit substance by adolescents in the United States. African American adolescents tend to use marijuana at higher rates and suffer from more severe consequences compared to Caucasian adolescents. Additionally, African American adolescents may be more vulnerable to psychosocial factors, such as depression, post-traumatic stress, and associating with substance using peers that may cause them to use marijuana for specific reasons. These vulnerabilities may contribute to African American adolescents using marijuana at a higher rate than their Caucasian counterparts. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of mental health problems …
Religion/Spirituality And Mental Health/ Well-Being Among Women Living With Hiv, Haley Medved Kendrick
Religion/Spirituality And Mental Health/ Well-Being Among Women Living With Hiv, Haley Medved Kendrick
All ETDs from UAB
Depression among people living with HIV (PLWH) is associated with social factors such as employment, poor adherence to HIV medication and treatment, and HIV disease progression. However, estimates of prevalence rates of depression among PLWH vary widely, from 1% to 48%. Women living with HIV (WLWH) often report spirituality as an important factor in coping with stressors associated with HIV infection. Spirituality has been found to be associated with social involvement, effective coping, decreased stress, psychological adjustment, and positive mental health outcomes among PLWH. The current study aims to longitudinally examine trends of spirituality and mental health/well-being in the lives …
Religiosity And Spirituality As Predictors Of Substance Use In Patients With Cystic Fibrosis, Benjamin Edwin Burgess
Religiosity And Spirituality As Predictors Of Substance Use In Patients With Cystic Fibrosis, Benjamin Edwin Burgess
All ETDs from UAB
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a degenerative chronic illness that results in pulmonary and gastrointestinal impairment. Because health-related behaviors, such as substance use, impact health outcomes in this population, it is important to understand factors that predict substance use in patients with CF. Thus, this study aimed to examine the unique roles of spirituality and religiosity in alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. Higher religiosity was expected to predict lower substance use directly, reflecting a direct regulation of health behavior. Higher spirituality was expected to predict less substance use through lower depression, reflecting an indirect regulation of health behavior through emotion regulation. …
Investigating Gender Differences In The Metabolism Of Ketamine, Elise Erb
Investigating Gender Differences In The Metabolism Of Ketamine, Elise Erb
All ETDs from UAB
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that was developed for use as a short-acting anesthesia. It has a history of being a drug of abuse and is currently a Schedule III drug. Ketamine is being investigated as an antidepressant due to its fast-action and long-lasting effects in comparison to other antidepressants. The exact mechanism of action of ketamine on the brain that results in the antidepressant effects is currently unknown, as is the reason for differences in the way males and females respond to ketamine. Dr. Lori McMahon, Allie Widman, and Nateka Jackson in the Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology Department …
Internet Use And Depression: The Roles Of Emotional Support And Online Support Groups, Aowen Zhu
Internet Use And Depression: The Roles Of Emotional Support And Online Support Groups, Aowen Zhu
All ETDs from UAB
This paper explores the mediating mechanisms between internet use and depression among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks. The hypotheses are that emotional support and online support groups (OSGs) mediate the association between internet use and depression. Data come from the National Survey of American Life conducted between 2001 and 2003 that includes a nationally representative sample of African Americans and Black respondents of Caribbean descent (N=4771). Depression is measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale with 12 questions. Internet use is measured as frequency of use. Emotional support is measured by a scale of 3 questions. OSGs are measured …
The Effects Of Subjective And Objective Caregiver Burden On The Depressive Symptomology Of A Disabled Older Adult Care Recipient, Deborah Blessing Ejem
The Effects Of Subjective And Objective Caregiver Burden On The Depressive Symptomology Of A Disabled Older Adult Care Recipient, Deborah Blessing Ejem
All ETDs from UAB
Depression is a leading mental health issue effecting the aging population. The current body of research contends that stress, social disconnectedness, and disability are possible causes of depression. Research, however, widely neglects the study of caregiver burden as other probable causes of depression in this group. This study investigates subjective and objective caregiver burden as possible causes of adverse mental health for a non-institutionalized older adult care recipient. Additionally, the conditional effects of race/ethnic background of the care recipient are evaluated using the most recent wave of the National Long Term Care Study (NLTCS) and using both the life stress …
Depression And Alcohol Use Disorders As Gendered Phenotypes Of 5-Httlpr, Bryant Walker Hamby
Depression And Alcohol Use Disorders As Gendered Phenotypes Of 5-Httlpr, Bryant Walker Hamby
All ETDs from UAB
The serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been associated with both depression and alcohol use disorders in previous gene-environment interaction studies, but these associations have not been consistent. Previous research on mental health has posited that depression and alcohol use disorders are functionally equivalent manifestations of distress, with men displaying alcohol use disorders and women displaying depression in response to stress. This paper assesses whether the presence of the risk-conferring serotonin gene alleles increase an individual's chance of expressing distress as either depression or alcohol use disorders, depending on gender. The hypotheses that more symptoms of depression would be …
Understanding The Relation Between Routines And Problem Behaviors In Children With Clinical Diagnoses, Mark Ryan Pennick
Understanding The Relation Between Routines And Problem Behaviors In Children With Clinical Diagnoses, Mark Ryan Pennick
All ETDs from UAB
The current study investigated the impact of routines on problem behaviors in children with the clinical diagnoses of either PDD, ADHD, or depression/anxiety. Previous research has identified negative relations between externalizing behaviors and routines as well as a link between using routines and having positive parenting. The study extends these findings to children with these various diagnoses and also to internalizing symptoms. In our sample negative relations were found between routines, as measured by the Child Routines Inventory (CRI), and both internalizing and externalizing symptoms when all groups were examined together. Additionally routines were found to moderate the relation between …
Mental Health Disparities In Racial And Ethnic Minorities: The Impact Of Nativity And Ethnicity On Depression And Anxiety, Henna Budhwani
Mental Health Disparities In Racial And Ethnic Minorities: The Impact Of Nativity And Ethnicity On Depression And Anxiety, Henna Budhwani
All ETDs from UAB
This research examined factors associated with mental health outcomes for minority groups residing in the United States, with an emphasis on racial and ethnic minorities and a further segmentation between those born in the United States and those born outside the United States. Two theories were used: the Healthy Migrant Theory and Health Lifestyles Theory. In combination, they identified important elements, such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, exposure to discrimination, and health lifestyle behaviors, thought to influence mental health outcomes. Nine hypotheses were presented; support was mixed. Some support was found to support the idea that nativity, independently, influenced mental health …
The Impact Of Stressful Neighborhoods On The Mental Health Of Emerging Adolescents, Vicki P. Winstead
The Impact Of Stressful Neighborhoods On The Mental Health Of Emerging Adolescents, Vicki P. Winstead
All ETDs from UAB
Life within the ecological context of a disadvantaged and disordered neighborhood is characterized by daily exposure to chronic stressors which are often outside the realm of control of the individual and have negative consequences for the mental health of its residents and in particular, adolescents Using data from Healthy Passages, a multilevel, multi-method longitudinal study which examines health trajectories of adolescents over a ten year period, this paper examines whether daily exposure to a threatening environment in disadvantaged and disordered neighborhoods lead to depression in young people who are on the verge of adolescence. The current study tested the relationships …
Estrogen Increases Stress Resilience And Hippocampal Synaptic Physiology In The Learned Helplessness Model Of Depression In Female Rats, Teruko Michelle Bredemann
Estrogen Increases Stress Resilience And Hippocampal Synaptic Physiology In The Learned Helplessness Model Of Depression In Female Rats, Teruko Michelle Bredemann
All ETDs from UAB
A recent focus of psychiatric research is estrogen related mood disorders such as postpartum depression and major depressive disorder in women. It is now clear that women are more susceptible to depression in response to stress during reproductive events when ovarian hormones are low or fluctuating. Depressive episodes are characterized by feelings of helplessness and despair as well as learning and memory impairments that have been linked to the hippocampus. Thus, decreased functioning of hippocampal circuits likely contributes to the cognitive symptoms associated with depression. Preclinical research shows that stress, which triggers depressive episodes, decreases the ability of excitatory synapses …
Parental Well-Being And Child Outcomes Among School-Aged, Prematurely-Born Children., Desiree Maria De Jong
Parental Well-Being And Child Outcomes Among School-Aged, Prematurely-Born Children., Desiree Maria De Jong
All ETDs from UAB
Children born prematurely are at a significantly higher risk than their full-term peers for developing cognitive, behavioral, attention, and executive functioning difficulties by the time they reach school-age. Parents of children born prematurely are also at greater risk for developing symptoms of depression and stress compared to parents of full-term children. However, the literature is conflicting with respect to whether or not parental well-being remains compromised by the time the preterm child reaches school-age. Additionally, much of the research examining this relationship is conducted prior to school-age, with little research beyond these years. A primary purpose of the current study …
Effects Of Infant Massage On Hiv-Infected Mothers And Their Infants, Krista Lee Oswalt
Effects Of Infant Massage On Hiv-Infected Mothers And Their Infants, Krista Lee Oswalt
All ETDs from UAB
The current study aimed to determine whether HIV-infected mothers and their infants benefit from infant massage training. Because a number of risks, including maternal depression, high levels of maternal stress, decreased ability to perform parental tasks, involvement in risky behaviors such as drug use, inferior Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale performance, and externalizing behavior problems in the children, have been associated with HIV-infected mothers and their children, this population was a sensible choice for intervention. A great deal of information related to the benefits of infant massage for a variety of at risk infants is available in the literature, however, …