Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Occupational Therapy's Role In Maternal Mental Health Within Transition From Nicu To Home, Victoria Briltz, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott

San Marcos, Fall 2019

The purpose of this capstone project is to identify OT’s role in maternal mental health following the transition home from a NICU setting. This capstone project focused on mothers’ roles, routines, and environment during the transition from the NICU to home. Mothers may feel unprepared for the discharge home when their babies are ready to leave the NICU (Boykova, 2016). Occupational therapists address occupational performance through skilled interventions for women during the perinatal period; however, there is a lack of evidence guiding occupational therapy for providing services for maternal wellness (Slootjes, 2016). This capstone project will help share information, ideas, …

A Review Of The Association Between Vitamin D And Postpartum Depression, Christa Fernando

Other Undergraduate Research

Vitamin D (specifically vitamin D3) is a lipid soluble essential nutrient. It is found in few foods naturally but can be synthesized upon skin exposure to sunlight. Its intermediate structure in the blood is serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, also called calcidiol, and is formed in the liver. Vitamin D receptors have been found in numerous areas of the brain that are involved in mood-related hormone production. It has also been found to be protective against the brain degradation of Alzheimer’s. Numerous studies have found a significant relationship between vitamin D and major depressive disorder. This review summarizes research on the connection …

Antidepressant Dosing In Major Depression: A Pharmacogenomic Approach, Morgan Homan, Haval Norman, Victoria Cho, Yousif Rojeab

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most predominant mental disorder in the United States, with serious and costly health risks if not successfully managed. Pharmacotherapy is a standard option for MDD treatment, but patients often require extensive therapy adjustments to find a suitable regimen. Pharmacogenomics may enable greater precision in antidepressant therapy. Genotypic variations in CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 metabolic enzymes are reliable predictors of serum drug concentration, but the complex dose-response relationship of antidepressants prevents such variations from predicting therapy success. Additionally, ABCBl has been examined for its role in P-glycoprotein efflux of antidepressants in the brain, yet it is …

Breaking Under/Grad - Assessing And Addressing Stress, Anxiety, And Resiliency Among Undergraduate And Graduate Students Via Motivational Interviewing And A Smart, Healthy Campus Intervention, Rebecca R. Fried

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this dissertation was to assess mental health among students, as well as innovative interventions designed to provide tools to cope with the mental health challenges of stress and anxiety while building resiliency. Three distinct, yet related, studies were conducted. Study I: This academic-year-long pilot study explored senior students’ (‘mentors’; N= 30) experiences interacting with first-years to build resilience via physical activity (PA) and mentorship. Mentors’ psychosocial experiences were tracked via qualitative interviews and validated questionnaires at pre-, mid-, and immediate post-intervention. Inductive content analysis revealed the program’s positive influence on PA, resilience, and mental health; …

To Meme, Or Not To Meme: Applying The Theory Of Motivated Information Management To The Provision Of Support After Depressed Individuals Share Suicidal Memes, Jacki Paige Willenborg

Theses and Dissertations

Social media sites are increasingly where individuals seek and share information on a range of topics. The focus of this thesis is on suicidal memes and how individuals interpret them. Suicidal memes are memes that suggest suicide through either text or visual images. No research has investigated interpretations of suicidal memes to date as well as why individuals post them. It is important to study such issues as the interpretations of these memes can mean the difference between depressed individuals, for example, receiving the help they need or those same individuals alienating themselves from their loved ones. Informed by the …

Animal Assisted Therapy And Support Animals, What Mental Health Professionals Know And Understand, Alexandro H. Velez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Animal-assisted therapy can greatly benefit mental health professionals with clients in and out of the school settings in many ways. It is believed mental health professionals are successfully implementing Animal Assisted Therapy, even though some are not. Mental health professionals who are not using Animal Assisted Therapy are not doing so as the result of various variables, such as lack of information, knowledge, training, certification and policies, which prevents them from using Animals Assisted Therapy with clients and the community. It is also believed some mental health professionals are using animals as part of therapeutic interventions without proper training. The …

Protocol For A Study Investigating The Influence Of Graded Levels Of Human Support On Adherence And Outcomes Of An Online, Multimodal Lifestyle Intervention To Improve Mental Health, Mel Renfrew, Darren Morton, Lillian Kent, Peter Beamish, Jason Hinze, Geraldine Przybylko, Bevan Craig

Peter Beamish

Introduction: Mental health is in global jeopardy and devising effective preventative and curative solutions are vital. Lifestyle interventions have been shown to be efficacious for improving mental health; however, in a progressively digital culture, face-to-face (F2F) interventions are being replaced by online and mobile options.¹ While online delivery can overcome ‘hurdles’ of inaccessibility and may also be more ‘scalable’, it poses unique challenges, as decreasing levels of human support can affect adherence to lifestyle interventions and associated outcomes.^2,3,4 Research is needed to better understand the importance of human support in online interventions and the type and dosage of …

Protocol For A Study Investigating The Influence Of Graded Levels Of Human Support On Adherence And Outcomes Of An Online, Multimodal Lifestyle Intervention To Improve Mental Health, Mel Renfrew, Darren Morton, Lillian Kent, Peter Beamish, Jason Hinze, Geraldine Przybylko, Bevan Craig

Lillian Kent

Introduction: Mental health is in global jeopardy and devising effective preventative and curative solutions are vital. Lifestyle interventions have been shown to be efficacious for improving mental health; however, in a progressively digital culture, face-to-face (F2F) interventions are being replaced by online and mobile options.¹ While online delivery can overcome ‘hurdles’ of inaccessibility and may also be more ‘scalable’, it poses unique challenges, as decreasing levels of human support can affect adherence to lifestyle interventions and associated outcomes.^2,3,4 Research is needed to better understand the importance of human support in online interventions and the type and dosage of …

The Influence Of Human Support On The Effectiveness Of A Web And Mobile App-Based Multimodal Lifestyle Intervention Targeting Mental Health: A Randomised Comparative Study, Mel Renfrew, Darren Morton, Jason K. Morton, Jason Hinze, Peter Beamish, Geraldine Przybylko

Darren Morton

Introduction: There is a need for efficacious lifestyle interventions that promote the mental health and emotional wellness of both healthy and clinical cohorts. Evidence regarding the usefulness of adding human support (i.e. guidance) to improve the outcomes of web- and mobile app-based psychological interventions for clinical populations is mixed,^1-3 however little is known about healthy cohorts.

Methods: 458 self-selected participants registered to join a 10-week, web- and mobile app-based, multimodal lifestyle intervention. The participants were randomised into three groups, differentiated by support mode: standard, who received automated emails only (S); standard plus personalised SMS messages (S+pSMS); standard plus online …

Protocol For A Study Investigating The Influence Of Graded Levels Of Human Support On Adherence And Outcomes Of An Online, Multimodal Lifestyle Intervention To Improve Mental Health, Mel Renfrew, Darren Morton, Lillian Kent, Peter Beamish, Jason Hinze, Geraldine Przybylko, Bevan Craig

Darren Morton

Introduction: Mental health is in global jeopardy and devising effective preventative and curative solutions are vital. Lifestyle interventions have been shown to be efficacious for improving mental health; however, in a progressively digital culture, face-to-face (F2F) interventions are being replaced by online and mobile options.¹ While online delivery can overcome ‘hurdles’ of inaccessibility and may also be more ‘scalable’, it poses unique challenges, as decreasing levels of human support can affect adherence to lifestyle interventions and associated outcomes.^2,3,4 Research is needed to better understand the importance of human support in online interventions and the type and dosage of …

Understanding The Implementation Of Integrated Care For People Living With Hiv, Vickie A. Lynn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The integration of physical and behavioral health services is an innovative method of delivering health care services for persons dual or triply diagnosed with HIV, mental health and/or substance use disorders. Reducing the fragmented delivery of health services by integrating services into one setting is essential to providing holistic patient-centered care and address the complex health needs of this population. Although research shows integrated care improves health outcomes, little is known about the implementation of integrated care in real-world settings because the perspectives and experiences of those delivering and receiving integrated health and social services are underrepresented in the …

The Effects Of Participation In A Grief Choir On Perceived Grief, Coping, Energy, Social Support, And Health Among Bereaved Adults: A Mixed Methods Randomized Control Study, Lauren Dimaio

Crossroads of Music and Wellness

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of participation in a grief choir vs. verbal grief group on bereaved persons’ perceived grief, coping, energy, social support and health and to examine the experiences of those participating in both groups. In this mixed-methods study, the results from qualitative phenomenological focus groups were used to explain and interpret the findings of the Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Findings demonstrated that the grief choir may have been as effective as the verbal grief group when impacting the participants’ experience of grief.

Social Media's Affect On Self Image And Daily Life, Sarah Falkowski

Senior Honors Projects

In the US alone over 244 million people use social media daily. Social media has become a huge part of the world today, helping people stay connected, share, influence, and interact. Though social media has many constructive aspects, it can affect its users in many negative ways. This research looks deeper into the way people use social media, how it’s content can be damaging, and the emphasis people place on their social media image. The study conducted looks further into how social media’s effects vary between age groups and genders. Results show that females between 16-20 are most negatively affected …

Mental Health On Trial: An In-Depth Look At The Criminalization Of Mental Illness In The United States Criminal Justice System, Addison Elise Shemin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The criminal justice system was created to identify, incarcerate, and rehabilitate men and women that have broken the law. However, over two million people with mental illnesses are placed into jails every year. The lack of proper psychological evaluation and diagnosis coupled with misunderstood evidence and economic hardship has produced a system that treats these men and women as criminals rather than someone suffering from an illness. When an individual with mental health issues comes into contact with the criminal justice system they are often improperly evaluated by first responders, wrongfully convicted, and inappropriately sentenced. The lack of proper psychological …

Reducing Length Of Stay For Mental Health Patients, Faye Collins, Nancijean Goudey

Maine Medical Center

Background:

Our facility sees an average of over 200 mental health patients every month, with limited community resources. The length of stay (LOS) for these patients had slowly risen to unacceptable levels; the number of patients whose LOS was greater than 24 hours increased in fiscal year (FY) 2017, from 633 patients to 1145. Patients in crisis require expedited transfer to appropriate care locations. Our goal was to decrease the overall length of stay for mental health patients in the Emergency Department.

The Holistic Development Of Student-Athletes At Otterbein University, Timothy Bryant Mcknight

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Sanism And Mad Pride: Critical Perspectives On Mental Health, Karen Mccarthy, Bianca Doherty

Karen McCarthy

The issue of stigma surrounding mental health has received increasing attention within occupational therapy, however, the focus has been primarily limited to the individual(s) being stigmatized, rather than on the underlying processes that create and maintain stigma. This presentation will explore the concept of ‘sanism’ as a system of thought that provides a foundation upon which stigma is maintained against persons labelled with a mental health diagnosis. The Mad Pride movement will also be discussed as an alternative perspective of mental health and a way to combat the sanism and the negative impacts of stigma.

Mental Health Stigma In College Students By Academic Major, Kristen Miller

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Stigma is best defined as the disapproval and shame felt by people who display characteristics not widely accepted in society. Although mental illness has become more prevalent in society through advocacy and awareness campaigns, it fails to be accepted and often individuals may feel shame that prevents them from seeking help (Dyrbye, Eacker, Durning, Brazeau, Moutier, Massie, S., et al, 2015; Givens & Tjia, 2002). Physicians in particular have been shown to have decreased help-seeking behaviors for psychological issues due to fear of professional repercussions (Dyrbye et al., 2015). Physicians also show increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and elevated …

Absolutist Thinking And Depression, Katherine Cohen

Senior Theses

A key characteristic of depression is the presence of cognitive biases (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This study added to the growing literature examining absolutist thinking as a potential cognitive bias associated with depression. We used data from a survey conducted at the University of South Carolina Columbia campus which included 116 students to compare the use of absolutist words in participants’ writing with their depressive symptomatology. We further compared the difference in the use of absolutist words in participants’ responses about success versus their responses about failure. Results revealed that there was not a significant relationship between BDI scores ( …

Sanism And Mad Pride: Critical Perspectives On Mental Health, Karen Mccarthy, Bianca Doherty

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Conference Presentations

The issue of stigma surrounding mental health has received increasing attention within occupational therapy, however, the focus has been primarily limited to the individual(s) being stigmatized, rather than on the underlying processes that create and maintain stigma. This presentation will explore the concept of ‘sanism’ as a system of thought that provides a foundation upon which stigma is maintained against persons labelled with a mental health diagnosis. The Mad Pride movement will also be discussed as an alternative perspective of mental health and a way to combat the sanism and the negative impacts of stigma.

Opioid Abuse In Rural Communities Among Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder, Sherlina Daishernai Holland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Low population density in rural areas makes it difficult to deliver services to people with mental health problems and nonmedical prescription opioid abuse remains a problem in the United States. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether a parent's socioeconomic status affected care opportunities for children 12 to 17 years of age and whether bipolar disorder increased the likelihood of substance abuse in those children. The theory of reasoned action/planned behavior provided the framework for the study. Secondary data from the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research 36361 data system, specifically the National Survey on …

Social Workers' Experiences With Deaf And Hard Of Hearing People With Mental Illness, Makoto Ikegami

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social work practice problem for this study was a lack of knowledge about social workers' experiences of working with deaf and hard of hearing people with mental illness. This study was needed to fill a practice gap by increasing an understanding of the experiences of social workers to inform best practices and address the needs of deaf and hard of hearing population through culturally and linguistically competent mental health services. The research questions focused on the experiences and challenges of social workers working with deaf and hard of hearing people and best practices identified by these social workers. Ecological …

Using Word Embeddings To Explore The Language Of Depression On Twitter, Sandhya Gopchandani

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

How do people discuss mental health on social media? Can we train a computer program to recognize differences between discussions of depression and other topics? Can an algorithm predict that someone is depressed from their tweets alone? In this project, we collect tweets referencing “depression” and “depressed” over a seven year period, and train word embeddings to characterize linguistic structures within the corpus. We find that neural word embeddings capture the contextual differences between “depressed” and “healthy” language. We also looked at how context around words may have changed over time to get deeper understanding of contextual shifts in the …

Religious Coping And Ptsd Symptom Management Among African Americans: A Clergy Perspective, Barbra Talley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Data indicated that although African Americans reported fewer occurrences of traumatic events than that of their racial/ethnic counterparts, however, the degree of traumatic events experienced by African Americans tends to be more serious and violent in nature. More so, lower recovery outcomes associated with PTSD among African Americans have been attributed to varying factors, such as financial restrictions, strained health care access, ineffective coping strategies as well as a mistrust of medical and clinical approaches, thus leading African Americans to seek faith-based approaches. This phenomenological study investigated clergy perspectives on religious coping constructs relative to the management of PTSD symptoms. …