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Suicide Ideation And Its Associated Risk Factors Among Adolescent Students In The Eastern Mediterranean Region, Rabia Khalid

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The intention of this study is to examine and compare the prevalence and correlates of suicide ideation among the youth in four Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries, namely Morocco, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. The results from this study are a valuable resource for further understanding suicidal behavior among youth in a region where the subject is often understudied and considered taboo. Additionally, findings from the study are important in prevention efforts in order to reduce suicide related behaviors and injuries among youth in EMR countries. The study also examined the correlates and variables associated with suicide …

Addressing Client Mental Health Within The Personal Training Relationship, Alana R. Honigman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

I undertook this study to expand the literature regarding connections between mental and physical health to include ways in which client mental health arises and is addressed within the personal training relationship. My research was guided by an ethical framework with the purpose of improving best care practices for clients. The four research questions I posed concerned the frequency with which mental health issues are addressed, typical interventions personal trainers utilize in response to these issues, the reasons personal trainers choose specific interventions, and the training personal trainers receive regarding client mental health. Participants (N = 58) were recruited through …

An (In)Active Pursuit Of Healing, Sara Roik

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to raise a discussion and reflection of the current state of psychiatry in an intensely globalized world. As a result of globalization, many individuals have a lack of enculturation and a shallow connection to tradition. I take both a subjective and objective approach to understand how this has an effect on an individual’s perceptions and efficacy of treatment as many healing methods come to coexist. The subjective will be explored through my own reactions to treatment methods after becoming diagnosed with an anxiety disorder that leads to periodic states of depression. The objective will focus on two …

Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Descriptive Study, Erica Jex Gergely

Dissertations

The current study seeks to examine the program operations and treatment practices of individuals and organizations providing equine-assisted therapy services nationwide. Currently, there are several hundred programs across the United States that utilize equine-assisted therapy to treat common mental health problems in children, adolescents, and adults. Not all equine therapy programs function under the same theoretical model and therefore do not deliver treatment services using equivalent principles or techniques. In addition, program policies, procedures, and ethical guidelines of each provider vary. To date, there exists a paucity of research regarding equine-assisted therapy including both qualitative and quantitative data.

The present …

Psychosocial Concerns In Pediatric Obstetric Brachial Plexus Injury Patients, Janelle M. Mentrikoski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Obstetric brachial plexus injuries (OBPI) occur during childbirth when the child's shoulder blade gets stuck on the mother's pubic bone, resulting in damage to nerves in the child's shoulder. Due to the possible visible nature (e.g., injured arm may be shorter than the non-injured arm) and mobility limitations (e.g., difficulties in raising the injured arm to brush one's teeth) associated with these injuries, youth with OBPI may experience psychosocial difficulties. However, little research has examined the psychosocial functioning in this population. The current study sought to investigate possible predictors of social functioning and self-concept in youth with OBPI. This study …

Why Wait? The Effects Of Waiting Time On Subsequent Help-Seeking Among Families Looking For Children’S Mental Health Services, Kyleigh E. Schraeder

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The influence of wait-list duration for child and adolescent mental health services on families seeking help elsewhere was examined. Survival analyses, modelling time from being initially placed on a wait-list to when a family contacted a new agency, were conducted separately for families that did not receive help prior to contacting a new agency (n=159) and those that received help (n=114). Survival analyses examined effects of wait-time along with predisposing (e.g.,age), need (e.g.,child psychopathology), and enabling (e.g.,number of agencies) factors on time to contact a new agency. Almost half of families contacted a new agency after having been wait-listed. Of …

Expanding The Healthy Schizotype Model: Profiles Of Schizotypy As Predictors Of Creativity, Religion And Mental Health, Naomi Tuchman

Open Access Dissertations

Converging evidence suggests that schizotypal personality traits exist on a continuum (Rawlings, Williams, Haslam, & Claridge, 2008). In fact, although scant research has been conducted on this topic to date, some evidence suggests that there may be a subset of schizotypes (“healthy schizotypes”) who function well in spite of unusual experiences and proneness to the development of psychosis (McCreery & Claridge, 2002). In the present study, a latent profile analysis was conducted on a sample of 420 undergraduates, using data from the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE) scale. Six profiles emerged from the analysis. Confirming study expectations, with …

The Mental Health Implications Of Experiencing Racial/Ethnic Microaggressions Among Latina/Os: Cognitive, Affective, And Behavioral Components, Kelly M. Moore

Dissertations (1934 -)

The present study sought to elucidate the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components associated with the experience of racial/ethnic microaggressions among Latina/os, and the mental health outcomes of this form of discrimination. The study examined data from 175 Mexican and Mexican-American Latina/o adults recruited from a large Latina/o ethnic festival in a moderately-sized Midwestern city. Methodology of the present study incorporated innovative materials, including a quantitative measure of racial/ethnic microaggressions and a vignette to elicit an experience of a racial/ethnic microaggression. Results showed that past six-month experiences with racial/ethnic microaggressions are predictive of psychological distress. Overall, one's greater affective stress response …

Supporting Utah's Parents In Preventing Adolescent Suicide: A Literature Review And Handouts For Utah's Youth Suicide Prevention Manual, Jennifer L. Whicker

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide, a public health problem on a global scale, has become the focus in many domains across the United States. With the recent push to provide solutions to the adolescent suicide rate in the U.S., the school setting has become an important venue for prevention and intervention efforts. While there are many risk and protective factors, the majority of suicide completions are concurrent with psychiatric disorders among adolescents; as such, this is an area that warrants further investigation. Additionally, school resources are often overwhelmed by the magnitude of need among the student population; therefore, effective interventions must be identified that …

Deconstructing Children's Expectations For Psychotherapy: Understanding How Parents Prepare Their Children For Mental Health Treatment, Heather Nix

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Little research has investigated the effects of stigma on child psychotherapy. Because parents are a primary factor in determining whether children receive psychotherapy and how therapy progresses, understanding how parental perceptions of psychopathology and psychotherapy are associated with children’s mental health treatment seems to be an important step in investigating how stigma impacts child psychotherapy. Researchers have not closely examined, however, how parents might influence children’s experiences of psychotherapy. To address this topic, the current study examined how parents’ views of psychotherapy were related to how they prepared their children for psychotherapy and how this preparation was related to children’s …

Postpartum Depression In Immigrant Hispanic Women: A Comparative Community Sample, Laura Mae Shellman

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study was initiated to verify whether a remarkably high rate of postpartum depression (PPD), previously found in immigrant Hispanic women receiving health care at a community clinic, would also be found in a community sample with a similar demographic.

Data Sources: Sixty immigrant Hispanic women who had recently given birth were recruited from local community settings. The Beck Postpartum Depression Screening Scale-Spanish version (PPDS-S) and the General Acculturation Index (GAI) were used to screen for PPD symptoms and to collect demographic data. These data were then compared with previously published data from the community clinic sample.

Conclusions: Sixty …

Invisibly Wounded Warriors: The Psychological Repercussions Of War On American Soldiers, Maisy Bragg

Honors Theses

The demands that come with war can be both physically and mentally traumatizing and damaging to the soldier in many ways. These psychological injuries manifest themselves in what physicians call Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. The purpose of this paper is to examine Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in American Soldiers by analyzing the training methods, human’s natural aversion to killing, pre-deployment medical exams, type of warfare, and treatment options provided in war; specifically the Civil War, World War I and World War II, Vietnam, and the Iraq War. By taking into account the history of PTSD as a disease, as well as these …

Psychotropic Medication Use In Older Foster Youth: A Focus On Racial Differences, Sarah Carter Narendorf

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Problem: The use of psychotropic medications among foster youth has received growing national attention due to high rates of use and concerns about the appropriateness of prescribing. Understanding medication use in older foster youth is of heightened concern as these youth are preparing to transition out of the state custody and assume the management of their mental health care. While it has been established that rates of medication use are high among this population, little is known about the demographic and clinical factors associated with high rates of medication use and what patterns of use look like over time.

Methods: …

Identification Of Latent Subgroups Of Obese Adolescents Enrolled In A Healthy Weight Management Program, Cassie Brode

Theses and Dissertations

In obesity research, it is assumed that the population is homogeneous. While this approach has yielded important insights, testing this supposition might reveal information that could impact our understanding of the phenomena and its treatment. In this study, data from obese teenagers (N = 248, Mean BMI percentile = 99%; Mean age = 13.9, SD = 1.8) who were predominantly minority (n = 182), female (n = 169), and enrolled in a weight loss intervention were analyzed. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to segment patients into groups based on their scores on PedsQL 4.0 scales (physical-, emotional-, social-, and …

Coping With Homonegative Experiences Among Gay Men: Impacts On Mental Health, Psychological Well-Being, And Identity Growth, Seth T. Christman

Open Access Dissertations

While minority stress research increasingly show that high rates of homonegative experiences can contribute to negative mental health outcomes in gay men, less is known about the ways in which gay men cope with these experiences and their potential to experience positive outcomes such as well-being and identity growth. Understanding the strengths of gay men in coping with numerous, multi-faceted homonegative experiences is essential in creating an accurate understanding of gay men’s development and informing research, policy, and practice around gay men’s well-being and growth. This study seeks to describe the nature of gay men’s homonegative experiences, describe the coping …

Effects Of Unemployment On Health And Mental Health Based On Gender, Kelly Holland

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This research looks to explore three research questions: 1) What are the health concerns people believe are related to their unemployment? 2) What are the mental health concerns people believe are related to their unemployment? 3) Finally, do genders experience a difference in unemployment-related health effects and mental health issues? The research took place by an interviewing process. The respondents were found by advertising via informational flyers posted in a southern Minnesota community. Ultimately, three respondents were interviewed. The respondents discussed the financial effects of unemployment reporting that this was a deterrent in their job searching process. Additionally, all respondents …

How Can Western Providers Adapt Their Techniques When Working With The Hmong Population In A Mental Health Setting?, Joanna Johnson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Mental health is a common concern for Southeast Asian refugees who are struggling with acculturation. This study examined what therapeutic techniques Western clinicians use to assure cultural sensitivity during therapy. A qualitative study was conducted and nine clinicians were interviewed. The results of this study demonstrated it is imperative to include family, exhibit respect, and include traditional beliefs and values in an effort to be culturally sensitive. This maximizes optimal therapeutic interventions. The main diagnoses explored in this study were Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression. Both the study and the research displayed similar themes affecting clinicians when providing …

Effects Of Client Trauma On Interpreters: An Exploratory Study Of Vicarious Trauma, Mailee Lor

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This qualitative study explores the experiences of interpreters in mental health settings and examines how working with clients that have experienced torture, trauma, and war can impact their personal and professional lives. The findings from this study are not meant to be viewed as any form of incompetency that needs attention, but rather to shed light on the needs of this population within mental health settings. In working with interpreters, it is the intention of the researcher that mental health practitioners will use these findings to inform and guide their professional work with interpreters in a manner that is ethical …

Predicting Quality Of Life Based On Humor Style, Zachary M. Kasow

Master's Theses

Humor is a multifaceted construct commonly used in daily life. For centuries philosophers, healers, and religious figures have extolled humor as the “best medicine” for both the body and the mind. Recent research has shown humor can be adaptive or maladaptive (i.e., contribute to or subtract from well-being; Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray, & Weir, 2003). Empirical evidence supporting these claims for humor and physical health has been inconsistent; however, new evidence suggests there may indeed be a connection (Martin, 2001; Martin et al., 2003). At the same time, previous research has consistently supported the notion that using humor is related …

The Perceptions Of Principals And Teachers Regarding Mental Health Providers’ Impact On Student Achievement In High Poverty Schools, Teresa Perry

Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of principals and teachers regarding mental health provider’s impact on student achievement and behavior in high poverty schools using descriptive statistics, t-test, and two-way ANOVA. Respondents in this study shared similar views concerning principal and teacher satisfaction and levels of support for the use of mental health services. They believed that principals were highly supportive of mental health services in their schools and they themselves were supportive of mental health services in their school. Respondents believed that teachers were not as supportive. Principals and teachers combined seemed to agree that mental health providers impact student …

Male Counseling Students' Perceptions Of Female Clients, Peers, And Faculty, Jody L. Huntington

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Underemployment, Unemployment, And Mental Health, Heather L. Maddocks

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Inadequate employment, through unemployment or underemployment is expected to have consequences for the health and well-being of Canadians. This dissertation presents three studies centered on the relationship between underemployment and mental health. In the first study, ideal indicators for underemployment are described, and the stress process model is proposed as a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between underemployment and adverse health outcomes. The second and third studies use data from a community-based survey conducted in London, Ontario, Canada in 1994/5 and 1996/7. Four indicators of underemployment are used including: lower income or benefits than in a previous job, involuntary …

Silence Is Not Golden: Attitudes Towards Suicide In The African American Community, Latrice Wright

Africana Studies Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the opinions of African American college students as they relate to suicide. A questionnaire was distributed to 92 individuals in a computer classroom setting. Their responses were then analyzed to investigate whether ethnic identity salience influenced the students’ perspectives of suicide. Regression analysis revealed that ethnic identity salience did not influence acceptability and normality of suicide in the African American students. Analysis also demonstrated that ethnic identity salience did not effect whether the African American students viewed suicide as being related to mental or moral illness. Seventeen of those who took the …

The Impact Of Guided Imagery On Sleep Quality In Mothers Of Preterm Infants, Linda M. Schaffer Phd, Mn, Rn

Dissertations

Background: Mothers who have given birth to preterm infants are at an increased risk for impaired sleep. Evidence based interventions are needed to assist mothers in improving their sleep quality as few are available. Purpose: Guided by the transactional framework of Lazarus and Folkman (1984), the purpose of this study was to: describe maternal and infant factors which influence sleep quality, examine the relationships between depression, anxiety, stress, social support, to sleep quality, and describe the influence of a R-GI intervention on sleep quality among a sample of mothers whose preterm babies were admitted to NICU. Methods: This prospective, descriptive, …

Factors That Predict Referrals For Behavioral Health Consultation In Children In A Primary Care Setting , Erika Anne Doty

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

"All You Think About...Is Being High" - Phenomenology Of Experiences Surrounding Heroin Detoxification, Michelle Therssen Joy

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Heroin addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder often attempted to be addressed through detoxification; nonetheless, it poses a substantial economic and societal burden. There has been little psychiatric research into the lived experience of persons struggling with this addiction. The aim of the present study is to characterize the subjective experience of heroin addiction in patients presenting for inpatient detoxification through methods of phenomenological inquiry. Narrative interviews of twelve participants presenting for detoxification were recorded and thematically analyzed for their meaningfulness to the individuals. The findings indicate that the experience of heroin addiction entails focusing on the present with a …

Stamp Out Stigma : Putting A Face To Mental Illness : Increasing Mental Health Knowledge For Local High School Students, Danielle Pacheco

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Adolescence is a critical time for mental, social, and emotional development. Untreated mental health problems among adolescents often result in negative outcomes. Mental illness can decrease an individual’s ability to function in the community, with consequences such as suicide, delinquency, truancy, and substance abuse. Adolescents face these determinate costs when they do not receive treatment; consequently, they may increase as the problem of untreated illnesses expands. The lack of resources, deficiency of mental health education, and fear of stigma discourages individuals and their families from seeking the help they need. The Stamp Out Stigma workshop provides information and education about …

A Survey Assessing The Contributing Factors To Substance Abuse Treatment In U.S. Corrections Settings, Michael Soule

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

In light of the dramatic rise in incarceration due to the "War on Drugs," we explored the contributing factors to substance abuse treatment (SAT) programming - in particular, evidence-based treatments like medication assisted therapy (MAT) - implementation in United States correctional settings (including jails, prisons, and community corrections facilities). We hypothesized that current funding availability would be the primary factor preventing and contributing to program implementation, but further hypothesized that an array of secondary factors such as overcrowding, geographic location, facility type, and attitudes and knowledge about MAT would also play a role. We mailed a survey to an enriched …

Factors Influencing Women’S Psychological Well-Being Within A Positive Functioning Framework, Krista Moe

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Women suffer a high prevalence rate of several mental disorders. National U.S. data (N = 9,282) shows that 23.4% of women meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder, 8.6% for depression, and 11.6% for a mood disorder (Kessler et al., 2005). Compared to men, women are two times more likely to be depressed (Lewinsohn, Rhode, Seeley, & Baldwin, 2001) and two to three times more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders such as panic disorders, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorders, and Posttraumatic Stress (Kessler et al., 2005). Due to experiencing a high number of mental disorders, women’s psychological well-being (PWB) …

Implementation & Evaluation Of A Peer Mentor Walking Program For Transitionally Housed Women In Missoula, Mt, Emily Jane Williams

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Single women and families with children are rapidly growing segments of the homeless population (NCH, 2009b). Homeless women generally report a lower quality of life, and are at a greater risk for various physical and mental health issues than their housed counterparts (NCH, 2009a). Mental illness, including depression and anxiety, impacts 20 to 25% of the homeless population in the United States, compared to 6% of the general population (NCH, 2009b). Social support can serve as a mediating factor between undesirable life events and depression (La Gory, Ritchey, Mullis, 1990). Unfortunately, the social support system among homeless individuals is sometimes …