Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Psychological Control, Parental Support, Adolescent Grades And School Engagement, David Brian Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

As we examined research on the effects of parental psychological control and support on adolescents, we noted that these variables have not been widely studied in relation to academic achievement. Using Flourishing Families data, we examined a subsample of females and males who reported parental psychological control and support as well as school engagement variables from adolescents, fathers and mothers. We also used observed variables of grade point average (GPA). Structural equation modeling was used to determine whether parental psychological control and support would negatively or positively relate with academic achievement outcomes of GPA and school engagement. Psychological control and …

Approaches To Mental Illness In Madagascar: A Case For Reconciling Reason With Faith, Raisa Tikhtman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper expounds the shortcomings of the mental health provisions inherent in the current primary health care system in Madagascar in light of its limited accessibility to the Malagasy. Integrating traditional medicine with allopathic psychiatric care is proposed, with attention to prevailing Malagasy beliefs in spiritual possession as the basis for mental illness, in order to accommodate the discrepant worldviews espoused by physicians and their Malagasy patients that inhibit the efficacy of public mental health care. Through an integrated system based on the model piloted at the Clinique de Manongarivo in northwestern Madagascar, the financial, physical, and epistemological barriers that …

Poverty, Wealth, And How Traditional Medicine Would Benefit The United States, Becky Darin Goldberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper seeks to discover and address the various reasons as to how traditional medicine, “the sum total of knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures that are used to maintain health, as well as to prevent, diagnose, improve or treat physical and mental illnesses” (WHO 2013), would benefit the U.S. Within the United States, health disparities from race and geographic location are worsening, and traditional medicine could be a viable way of reversing this. Madagascar and the U.S. face similar issues within allopathic medicine such as distance to a doctor and …

Putting Regulatory Data To Work At The Service Of Public Health: Utilizing Data Collected Under The Clean Water Act, Jyotsna S. Jagai, Barbara J. Rosenbaum, Suzanne M. Pierson, Lynne C. Messer, Kristen M. Rappazzo, Elena N. Naumova, Danelle T. Lobdell

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Under the Clean Water Act, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collects information from states on intended use and impairment of each water body. We explore the feasibility of using these data, collected for regulatory purposes, for public health analyses. Combining EPA impairment data and stream hydrology information we estimated the percent of stream length impaired for any use, recreational use, or drinking water use per county in the US as exposure variables. For health outcomes we abstracted county-level hospitalization rates of gastrointestinal infections, GI (ICD-9CM 001-009 excluding 008.45) and gastrointestinal symptoms, GS (ICD-9CM 558.9, 787) among US adults aged …

Alcohol In The Life Narratives Of Women: Commonalities And Differences By Sexual Orientation, Laurie A. Drabble, K. Trocki

Faculty Publications

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore social representations of alcohol use among women, with a focus on possible differences between sexual minority and heterosexual women. Methods: This qualitative study was part of a larger study examining mediators of heavier drinking among sexual minority women (lesbian identified, bisexual identified, and heterosexual identified with same sex partners) compared to heterosexual women based on the National Alcohol Survey. Qualitative in-depth life history interviews were conducted over the telephone with 48 women who had participated in the 2009–2010 National Alcohol Survey, including respondents representing different sexual orientation groups. Questions explored the …

A Randomized Trial Evaluating A Parent Based Intervention To Reduce College Drinking, Diana M. Doumas, Rob Turrisi, Anne E. Ray, Susan M. Esp, Amy K. Curtis-Schaeffer

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a parent based intervention (PBI) in reducing drinking among first year college students (N = 443). Students were assigned to one of three conditions: PBI, PBI plus booster brochures (PBI-B), and an assessment only control group (CNT). At a 4-month post-intervention follow-up, results indicated students in the PBI-B group reported significantly less drinking to intoxication and peak drinking relative to the PBI group and CNT group. No significant differences were found between the PBI group and CNT group. Results provide further support for PBIs to reduce college student drinking and suggest that a booster …

Chhs July E-Newsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, College Of Health & Human Services, Western Kentucky University

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Efficacy Of A Modified Therapeutic Community On The Reduction Of Institutional Write-Ups In A Medium Security Prison, Lee Wayne Maglinger, Aaron W. Hughey, Monica Galloway Burke

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

This study explored the impact a modified TC (Therapeutic Community) had on reducing institutional disorder as documented by institutional write-ups. The number of institutional write-ups exhibited by clients participating in a modified TC was compared with the number of write-ups exhibited by inmates in five non-treatment units over a four-year period. ANOVA (analysis of variance) revealed that the number of write-ups exhibited by clients in the TC was significantly lower than the number exhibited by inmates in the other five dorms (F_{(4, 24)} = 5.61, p < 0.002).Further, when examined by category of offense (major/minor), it was found that the write-ups of clients in the TC generally were not as severe as those exhibited by inmates in the general prison population. The implications of these findings for corrections administrators are discussed and specific recommendations are provided.

The Cost Effectiveness Of Collaborative Mental Health Services In Outpatient Psychotherapy Care, Ashley Ann Maag

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the differences in treatment length, cost, cost effectiveness, dropout, and recidivism between a biomedical, talk therapy, and a collaborative mental health model for outpatient psychotherapy insurance claims. A biomedical model was the most cost effective with fewer sessions, but had a significantly higher dropout rate. Collaborative care had the least dropout, but also had higher costs and recidivism rates. Within collaborative care, differences between modality type, diagnosis, and provider type combinations were also examined. Within collaborative models, mixed modes of therapy had the lowest dropout, but at significantly higher costs and recidivism rates. Family therapy had the …

Payments For Ecosystem Services And The Fatal Attraction Of Win-Win Solutions, R. Muradian, M. Arsel, L. Pellegrini, F. Adaman, B. Aguilar, B. Agarwal, E. Corbera, D. Ezzine De Blas, J. Farley, G. Froger, E. Garcia-Frapolli, E. Gómez-Baggethun, J. Gowdy

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

In this commentary we critically discuss the suitability of payments for ecosystem services and the most important challenges they face. While such instruments can play a role in improving environmental governance, we argue that over-reliance on payments as win-win solutions might lead to ineffective outcomes, similar to earlier experience with integrated conservation and development projects. Our objective is to raise awareness, particularly among policy makers and practitioners, about the limitations of such instruments and to encourage a dialogue about the policy contexts in which they might be appropriate. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Intrinsic Religiosity And Adolescent Depression And Anxiety: The Mediating Role Of Components Of Self-Regulation, Brent Charles Black

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the possible mediating role of the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive components of self-regulation as they relate to adolescent intrinsic religiosity and the internalizing problems of teen depression and anxiety. The sample included 459 adolescent respondents from one wave of the Flourishing Families Project, an ongoing longitudinal study. Through the use of Structural Equation Modeling, results showed that cognitive self-regulation partially mediated the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and adolescent depression. Additionally, emotional self-regulation, but not behavioral self-regulation was found to be negatively linked with both depression and anxiety. These findings provide clinicians with greater direction when working with …

Guadalupe Avalos - Filling Caskets More Quickly Than Cribs?: A Comparison Of Infant Mortality In Milwaukee And Costa Rica, Guadalupe Avalos

Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program 2013

Metropolitan Milwaukee had infant mortality rates at 9.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010, according to the Milwaukee Health Department. This rate is a reversal of earlier decades. Between 2005 and 2008, Milwaukee experienced its highest infant mortality rate at 11 deaths per 1,000 live births. Disparities are most evident between African-Americans and Whites. Therefore, most explanations of infant mortality rates are compared between the two backgrounds. Since 2008, infant mortality rates have dwindled; however, the rates remain unacceptably high. A rate of 9.5 deaths per live births is detrimental and a public health issue.

By analyzing causes that …

Interpreting Children's Dreams Through Humanistic Sandtray Therapy, Karrie L. Swan, April A. Schottelkorb

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Children’s dreams often depict waking-life events and experiences. Although dream work therapy for adults is fairly established, recommendations for processing children’s dreams appear fractional. Because of the distinct developmental needs of children, we postulated that sandtray therapy might assist children to express and discover enlarged meanings in dreams. In this article, we present the Sandtray for Interpreting Childhood Dreams (SICD) intervention for the purpose of potentially helping children gain insight into how their dreams may be related to past and present waking-life experiences. An explanation and application of the model is presented, and the developmental rationale for using the SICD …

Treatment Of Psychiatric Inpatients With Relationship Dysfunction Using A Short Term Cognitive Interpersonal Intervention: A Pilot Study, Tamra Rasberry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Relationship conflict for the psychiatric patient can have significant detrimental effects. There are specific types of interactions that can increase conflict and predict the potential for relapse; these have been identified by research and designated as components of Expressed Emotion (EE). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) have been very effective when targeting specific psychiatric diagnoses, but less effective when addressing relationship conflict. The majority of studies addressing relationship conflict have taken place in an outpatient, long-term setting. There is limited research that utilizes an inpatient short-term intensive therapy with relationship conflict as its sole focus, targeting areas …

Human Milk Cortisol Is Associated With Infant Temperament, Katherine R. Grey, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The implications of the biologically active elements in milk for the mammalian infant are largely unknown. Animal models demonstrate that transmission of glucocorticoids through milk influences behavior and modifies brain development in offspring. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between human milk cortisol levels and temperament of the breastfed infant. Fifty-two mother and infant pairs participated when the infants were three-months old. Milk cortisol levels were assessed and each mother completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ), a widely used parent-report measure of infant temperament. Analyses revealed a positive association between milk cortisol and the negative affectivity …

A Community-Based Wellness Program To Reduce Depression In African Americans: Results From A Pilot Intervention, Christina Nicolaidis, Corliss Mckeever, Sandra Meucci

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

African-Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to find antidepressants acceptable or seek care for depression.

Objective

To develop and pilot-test a culturally-tailored, community-based, psycho-educational wellness and exercise promotion program to reduce depressive symptoms in African-Americans.

Methods

Participants were African-Americans with moderate depressive symptoms, who were interested in exercise, but were not exercising regularly. They attended a 6-week psycho-educational group program during which they set personal activity goals and learned depression self-management skills. We conducted pre- and post-intervention surveys and post-intervention feedback sessions.

Results

21 African-Americans participated in the intervention. The program had excellent attendance and satisfaction. We found …

Experiences Of Resident Assistants With Potentially Suicidal Students: Identification, Referral, And Expectations, Katherine M. Bender

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Resident Assistants (RAs), living on campus and tasked with advising students while keeping them safe, are in a position to identify and refer students who may be at risk for suicide or other mental health issues. This study examined RA ability to identify students at risk for suicide, RA comfort in working with students at risk for suicide, RA actions taken when working with students who may be at risk for suicide, and RA expectations for shared information about students the RAs have referred for counseling because they may be at risk for suicide. The study found that RAs report …

Child Emotional Abuse And Its Relationship To Obesity, Kelly Anderson Driscoll

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Over the past 30 years in the United States childhood obesity has more than tripled (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). In 2008, 18.5% of adolescents of the age 12-18 years old were obese in the United States (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). With the increase of obesity Americans have spent approximately 9% of their total medical costs on obesity-related illnesses (Finkelstein, Fiebelkorn, &Wang, 2003). Previous research documented the relationship between virtually every form of child abuse and subsequent obesity. Restricting focus to child emotional abuse, while studies have linked emotional abuse to the long-term consequence of …

Dimensions Of Suicidality: Analyzing The Domains Of The Sis-Map Suicide Risk Assessment Instrument And The Development Of A Brief Screener, Megan Johnston, Charles Nelson, Amresh Shrivastava

Amresh Srivastava

This study aimed at validating the domains of suicidality assessed by the Scale for Impact of Suicidality—Management, Assessment and Planning of Care (SISMAP) and creating a brief screener based on the full scale. A total of 50 individuals with suicidal ideation were given the SIS-MAP interview. Support was found for these domains of suicide risk; in particular, the subscales of ideation and protective factors for suicide risk were highly reliable. For each domain of suicidality, items most predictive of total risk index scores were selected to create a brief screener aimed at expediting the assessment process. The screener was reliable, …

Cognitive, Affective And Social Processes Involved In Help-Negation After Critical Suicidal Thoughts, Coralie Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Help-negation is defined as the process of help withdrawal or avoidance found among those currently experiencing clinical and subclinical levels of different forms of psychological distress, including low and critical levels of suicidal ideation (Wilson, Bushnell, Caputi, 2011). Understanding the determinants of help-negation in suicidal samples that have not yet come to treatment provides a potent opportunity to target prevention and early intervention strategies to facilitate appropriate and timely help-seeking. Over 20 help-negation studies have ruled out variables that might explain the withdrawal process associated with suicidal thoughts. These results now point to biological and neurological underpinnings working together with …

Preventing Help-Negation For Suicidal Ideation: Implications For Social Network Size And Frequency Of Social Interaction, Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Help-negation is seen when the severity of an individual’s suicidal ideation increases and they become less likely to seek help as a result of their condition. Research has implicated distorted affect regulation and perceptual processes related to social support in the development of help-negation among suicidal individuals (Wilson et al., 2013). Future research needs to focus on psycho-social factors that can be linked to neurological processes that differentiate suicidal individuals from controls and are directly implicated in the help-negation processes associated with suicidal ideation. As suicidal individuals have interpersonal needs rejected they may cease to seek or accept help. The …

Role Of Assertiveness In Telephone Crisis Supporter Well-Being And Service Provision, Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Help-negation (reluctance to seek help as distress levels increase) occurs among Telephone Crisis Supporters (TCSs) who are exposed to suicidal, depressed and anxious callers, and impacts both personal wellbeing and TCSs intention to use recommended skills with callers (Kitchingman, Wilson, Caputi, Woodward, 2013). Assertiveness is a key clinical skill that facilitates the capacity to effectively and confidently deliver telephone crisis support. Due to the highly specific nature of the telephone counselling context, TCSs face challenges in communicating assertively and establishing of boundaries which are important in effective service provision and the maintenance of counsellor-wellbeing. This paper presents results of two …

Help-Negation Among Telephone Crisis Support Workers: Impact On Personal Wellbeing And Worker Performance, Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Telephone crisis supporters (TCSs) provide front line mental health support to callers in crisis. TCSs often support callers with suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety, and the caller’s experience of the call will influence whether they will seek help from a crisis support service in the future. Despite their important role, little information on TCSs’ mental health and help-seeking behaviour exists – a structured literature search returned only 2 studies. This paper presents the results of the first study in a national research program that is aiming to inform the future training, preparation, supervision, and support of frontline health professionals who …

The Relationship Between Romantic Relationship Initiation Processes Of Single Lds Emerging Adults And Change In Attachment Working Models With Implications For Practice, Matthew Lloyd Call

Theses and Dissertations

Relationship initiation is an integral part of romantic relationship development and a key developmental task of emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2004). In addition, relationship initiation practices (such as dating) have the capacity to impact the fluctuating levels of attachment insecurity (whether anxiety or avoidance) that an individual experiences over the course of emerging adulthood (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007). In the present study, I utilized latent growth curve modeling to examine whether certain dating variables (first dates, second or more dates, relationship breakups, dateless weeks) compiled over a 32 week dating history, as well as age and gender could predict change in …

Research Brief: "Suicide Among Patients In The Veterans Affairs Health System: Rural-Urban Differences In Rates, Risks, And Methods", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the differences between rural and urban veterans in risks and rates for suicide. In policy and practice, communities should implement support programs for rural veterans, and veteran families should educate themselves about the risk factors for suicide and support veterans in their families; policymakers should increase VA outreach programs in rural areas, as well as programs educating rural veterans about the importance of mental health treatment for those at risk for suicide. Suggestions for future research include looking at the impact of social context on suicide rates, determining the relationship between suicide risk for rural veterans …

Rural Children Experience Different Rates Of Mental Health Diagnosis And Treatment, David Hartley Phd, Mph, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Nathaniel J. Anderson Ms, Mph, Samantha J. Neuwirth Md

Mental Health / Substance Use Disorders

Research indicates that privately insured, rural adults have lower use of office-based mental health services, but higher use of prescription medicines than their urban counterparts. Patterns for rural children may be different from urban children because of the limited supply of pediatric mental health providers in rural areas, which may lead to reduced access and lower use of mental health services in rural areas versus urban. Using data on children ages 5-17 from the 2002-2008 of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, researchers from the Maine Rural Health Research Center find that rural children are significantly less likely to be diagnosed …

Emotion Socialization And Ethnicity: An Examination Of Practices And Outcomes In African American, Asian American, And Latin American Families, Diana M. Morelen, Kristel Thomassin

Diana M. Morelen

An Exploration Of Art Therapy As A Treatment For Cumulative Trauma, Kristina Marie Naff

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study is informed by a grounded theory approach and explores the use of art therapy as a treatment for cumulative trauma. This paper reviews the current literature focusing on both cumulative trauma and related studies which address the nature and impact of “big T” and “little t” events and accumulated lifetime adversity. There are remarkably few studies which highlight the concept of cumulative trauma in both general psychology and art therapy literature, and there appear to be no existing studies addressing the treatment of the state of cumulative trauma to date. For this study, a series of …

Stigma And Identity Formation In Young Adults With Chronic Mental Illness: An Exploration Through Personal Narrative And Art-Making, Kerri Lynn Blackstone

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the experience of stigma and its effect on identity formation in young adults who suffer from chronic mental illness. Data was gathered in the form of personal narratives and art-making through a a semi-structured, qualitative focus group. It was categorized and coded in order to better understand the experience of both public and internalized stigma in relation to the developmental milestones that characterize the important transition from adolescence to adulthood. Analysis of the data resulted in the emergence of three overarching themes: 1) The challenges of coping with a stigmatizing system, 2) Internalized stigma as it relates …

Visual Sexuality: Integrating Art And Sex Therapies, Jillien Anne Kahn

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to understand the potential challenges and benefits of an integration between art and sex therapies. Three interviews were performed: two with certified art therapists, one with a certified sex therapist, in order to understand how each of these professionals has chosen to approach issues of sexuality and creative expression within his or her practice. The data from the interviews was critically compared within and between each interviewee, producing three overarching themes that provide a framework for understanding the potential benefits and challenges of this integration. These three themes are defined as: 1) The importance …