Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Adolescent Suicide : A Review Of Contributing Risk Factors And Issues Of Assessment, Joe S. Rich

Graduate Research Papers

Over the past decade, there has been an alarming increase in the rate of suicide among the adolescent population. It has been reported that among the 15 to 24- year-old population, the incidence of suicide has increased 200 percent since 1960. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death among adolescents and adults, ages 15 to 24- year-olds.

The purposes of this literature review are to (1) examine and identify factors that contribute to suicidal ideation in adolescents, (2) evaluate the adequacy of assessment measures of suicidal behavior including self-report, projective, and interviewing techniques, and (3) evaluate the general …

Autism : A Look Into Cause And Treatment, Sarah Chase Ferguson

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews the literature on the etiology and treatment of autism in an attempt to answer three questions. First, what are the main theories on the cause of autism? To answer this the theories of the psychoanalytic, behavioral, and biological perspectives are examined. Second, what treatment methods are available for children with autism? Ideas on treatment are discussed from each of. the three perspectives. In addition, UCLA's Young Autism Project and Project TEACCH are covered. Third, what is the nature of treatment? The importance of specific treatment in the areas of language, social skills and daily living skills is …

School-Based Primary Prevention Programs For Eating Disorders, Suzanne D. Holmes

Graduate Research Papers

The primary purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive review of the literature and research related to anorexia nervosa, and to emphasize the importance of prevention programs in school settings and the role of school psychologists in the prevention and intervention process. Chapter two of this paper covers anorexia nervosa and the theories regarding its etiology, complications, co-morbidities, risk factors, and treatment. Because anorexia nervosa is a disorder which most frequently begins during adolescence, chapter three addresses the specific factors of adolescence that can lead to eating disorders.

Throughout the paper, there is an emphasis on the lack …

Interventions For Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Justin M. Larson

Graduate Research Papers

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) continues to be widely studied within the literature and researchers continue to investigate interventions and environments which allow for success. Whalen and Renker (1991) argue that multiple intervention methods are needed for success of children and adolescents in social situations. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature, and review interventions used to facilitate appropriate behaviors in children, aged six to eleven, with a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Aids Education On College Campuses, Lauretta A. Dienberg

Graduate Research Papers

Many researchers have examined the issue of college students and AIDS. Most have come to the same conclusion, that students know how to protect themselves but don't see AIDS as personal threat to their lives. As colleges become more diverse and more students are able to attend college, these issues probably will become more complex. Coupled with diversity issues, AIDS has now become known as a chronic rather than deadly disease, as a result of progress made toward treating AIDS and through early detection.

Adolescent Depression : A School Perspective, Kayann Lilja

Graduate Research Papers

The path from adolescence to adulthood is ever-changing and often extremely challenging. There is growing consensus that today it is an even more difficult journey than ever before. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize current knowledge regarding adolescent depression and its relationship to normal adolescent development. In addition, the origin, nature and characteristics of adolescent depression will be discussed. The paper will conclude with suggested interventions for educators to address the issue of adolescent depression in a preventative as well as treatment manner.

Asperger's Syndrome : A Review Of Literature, Tracy L. Gappa

Graduate Research Papers

This paper contains a review of literature on Asperger's Syndrome (AS). This disorder is characterized by deficits in social interaction skills and communication skills (such as the absence of eye contact or facial expressions). Individuals with AS also insist on routines in behaviors, and pursue a relatively narrow range of interests and activities. Etiology is thought to be multifactoral. Studies have indicated that AS may be influenced by genetic factors as well as pre-, peri-, and postnatal trauma. The disorder is also more common among boys than girls.

In this paper, the general clinical features of AS are reviewed, with …

Rebuilding Little Lives : Using Play Therapy With Traumatized Children, Denise E. Maas

Graduate Research Papers

In this paper, the author will attempt to assist therapists with their work with traumatized children using play therapy. The discussion includes signs and symptoms that a traumatized child may exhibit. In addition, the paper will contain selected therapeutic powers of play and how they can aid in the treatment of traumatized children. The case examples provided throughout this paper are actual experiences taken from the author's clinical practice in a hospice setting.

Caregiver Burden: The Impact On Aging Parents Who Care For Adult Children, Joan Klekacz West

Graduate Research Papers

Contemporary research on caregiving has focused mainly on caregiver burden experienced by children caring for elderly parents. Most gerontological research (e.g., Greenberg, 1991; Greenberg & Becker, 1988) has stressed the movement of caregiver burden and related stress down through the intergenerational family system from parents to children. This research has ignored the impact of caregiver burden and stress on aging parents whose adult children have experienced major life stressors. In this situation, the movement of the caregiver burden moves up through the intergenerational family system as parents assume the caregiving role for adult children.

Combining Adventure Therapy And Reality Therapy As A Treatment Approach With Adolescents, Shawn C. Becker

Graduate Research Papers

Adolescence is often considered a time filled with emotional conflict and stress. That stress often gives rise to psychological and behavioral problems for a large number of adolescents (Zigler & Stevenson, 1993). Teens experience poor self-concepts, decreases in self-esteem, depression, and a general inability to cope with the stress experienced during this time period. It is reported that many youth also lack support and guidance from their peers, families, and schools which would normally provide security in the development of successful personal identities (Clagett, 1992).

Current therapeutic approaches need to address these adolescent issues and needs in order to help …

Mental Health Services For The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing, Laura Scheffert James

Graduate Research Papers

In an effort to help increase the reader's understanding of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, the author of this paper will attempt to describe and define this population. Specific mental health concerns of this population reviewed in the literature will be noted, and mental health needs of the population will be identified. Ethical and legal considerations found in the literature will be reviewed. Characteristics of specialized training programs for counselors working with the deaf and hard-of-hearing will be discussed, and recommendations for the establishment of more effective, comprehensive, and specialized training programs for counselors working with deaf and hard-of-hearing clients …

Childhood Physical Or Sexual Abuse As A Possible Indicator Of Subsequent Adult Anxiety Disorders, Lynn Merry Cornwell

Graduate Research Papers

In recent years, there has been a growing acceptance that childhood physical and sexual abuse lead to higher rates of psychiatric morbidity in adulthood. Childhood abuse experiences have been reported to be highly prevalent among patients with anxiety disorders. Similarly, childhood incest victims have been found to suffer from a significantly higher rate of anxiety disorders in adulthood especially agoraphobia, than a non-victimized, matched comparison group. Epidemiology studies also support a relationship between childhood abuse and the subsequent development of anxiety disorders. Two separate community surveys found that childhood sexual victimization predicted the later onset of agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and …

Peer Relations Of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Joan Elizabeth Licari

Graduate Research Papers

This paper's main focus is on the peer relations of children with ADHD. Many interventions are used with children who have ADHD. One of the most widely used intervention is medication. The drug that is most associated with ADHD is methylphenidate or Ritalin. Medication, which can reduce some problematic behaviors associated with ADHD, has not been found to be very beneficial in peer relations.

Children who have ADHD are at risk for later psychopathology (mental disorders), among other problems, and thus early interventions are critical to reduce the onset of later pathologies.

This paper is intended to provide an overview …

Two Treatment Approaches For Young Children With Autism : Common Ground?, Jodi Suzanne Bronson

Graduate Research Papers

Students with autism display extreme difficulties with communication skills, social interactions, and often engage in restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior (DSM-IV, 1994 ). As a result of these behaviors, and the often comorbid mental retardation, students with autism have many complex educational needs.

This paper will provide a complete literature review of the historic development of autism, possible etiologies of autism, and current diagnostic criteria. In addition, specifically the literature regarding one current behavioral approach to intervention, the Lovaas Method, and one method of antecedent controlled intervention, the TEACCH model will be reviewed. Additionally, research on other successful interventions …

A Comprehensive Review Of Treatment Options For Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Kristin Vanderah

Graduate Research Papers

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a disorder affecting between 3 and 5 percent of school-age children, manifests as a combination of three core skill deficits: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The deficits have been found to present children with many difficulties in both home and school settings. Thus, comprehensive treatment for individuals with ADHD is of paramount importance to their development and their academic and social experiences. The content of this paper is comprised of a review of the recent research that has been published regarding the three major theoretical orientations of ADHD interventions (pharmacological, behavioral, and multimodal treatment). All of …

Alcohol Prevention Programs, Laura Becker

Graduate Research Papers

Alcohol consumption is a problem on almost every college campus. The problem not only affects the drinkers, but also the roommates who have to put up with the behavior, the faculty who try to teach these students, and the support services staff who does what it can to reduce the behavior, or at least its negative effects

Because of the problem of drinking, many programs have been developed to try to get students to drink responsibly or to refrain from drinking. Despite these programs, the amount of drinkers on college campuses remains astoundingly high. What types of programs really do …

A Descriptive Study Of Breastfeeding Promotion In Iowa Hospitals, Joyce Kay Hansel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to describe the practices of selected Iowa hospitals in the promotion of breastfeeding. Routine hospital policies, procedures, and patient education programs regarding breastfeeding mothers and their infants were investigated.

The study sample consisted of hospitals in the state of Iowa which had 200 births or more for the reporting year as listed in the 1989 American Hospital Association Guide to the Health Care Field. Based on this criterion the sample size was 44. A 20 item self-reporting questionnaire was designed and used as the tool for data collection. Frequencies and percentages were reported for …

Health And Safety Practices In Three Art Classrooms, George Wade Killian

Graduate Research Papers

Each day art teachers and their students use clay, glazes. paints, solvents, aerosols, and adhesives that may be slowly poisoning their bodies. In most cases there are safe art material substitutes or alternative working methods which may be used. Unfortunately, many art teachers and their students still may not be fully aware of the dangers posed by a variety of hazardous materials and processes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of teacher concern about health and safety in the classroom.

The Sex Variable And Reactions To A Peer With An Orthopedic Disability By First- And Second Graders, Virginia Lynn Ruark

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Prior research has indicated that people react differently to a person with a physical disability than to a person without a disability, and that these different reactions vary with age and sex. While paper-and-pencil measures of reactions to persons with a disability have questionable validity, actual face-to-face interaction studies have yielded inconsistent results on measures of interaction time, eye contact, physical distance, and impression formation. Moreover, few studies have been conducted in which children were used as subjects. The purpose of the present study was to assess the behaviors of first- and second-grade children when reacting to peers of the …

Placing A Parent In A Nursing Home: Factors Related To Adult Children's Decisions, Ruth Cordle Hatch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify alternatives and factors considered in the decision to place parents in nursing homes and to Identify feelings, relationships, needs, and satisfaction levels of the adult children involved in the decision. The researcher also sought suggestions of ways adult children's needs might be met.

Procedure. Adult children who were listed as next-of-kin of parents residing in Black Hawk County, Iowa intermediate care nursing homes were sent questionnaires developed by the researcher. Structured interviews were conducted with 12 of the 106 respondents to obtain information of greater depth. Instruments included multiple …