Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Mechanisms Of Value-Biased Prioritization In Fast Sensorimotor Decision Making, Kivilcim Afacan-Seref

Dissertations and Theses

In dynamic environments, split-second sensorimotor decisions must be prioritized according to potential payoffs to maximize overall rewards. The impact of relative value on deliberative perceptual judgments has been examined extensively, but relatively little is known about value-biasing mechanisms in the common situation where physical evidence is strong but the time to act is severely limited. This research examines the behavioral and electrophysiological indices of how value biases split-second perceptual decisions and the possible mechanisms underlying the process. In prominent decision models, a noisy but statistically stationary representation of sensory evidence is integrated over time to an action-triggering bound, and value-biases …

Foundational Knowledge And Other Predictors Of Commitment To Trauma-Informed Care, Stephanie Anne Sundborg

Dissertations and Theses

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach to service delivery based on the understanding of the prevalence of psychological trauma among service users, knowledge about the impact trauma has on engagement to services, and recognition that service settings can be re-traumatizing. For more than a decade, momentum has been building on this topic. Practitioners are pursuing the knowledge and skills needed to implement trauma-informed service delivery, while organizations are building infrastructure and processes aimed at supporting this approach. Disciplines across many human service sectors are eager to incorporate TIC into policy and practice. Despite this enthusiasm, implementation efforts are slow. Acquiring …

Social Support And Depression Symptomatology Post Injury In Division 1 Athletes, Alyssa Catherine Tiedens

Dissertations and Theses

The way in which an athlete responds to the injury--emotionally, behaviorally, and cognitively--can significantly affect the athlete's mental health in a negative way if not handled appropriately. There are different forms of social support that are known to be helpful with coping during specific stages of injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived levels of social support and depression symptomatology post injury in Division 1 collegiate athletes at Portland State University (PSU).

Participants were PSU student athletes (n=115). Variables: social support amount (SSQN), social support satisfaction (SSQS), and depression symptomatology (CESD-R) score. Selected injured …

Transgender Patients' Experiences Of Discrimination At Mental Health Clinics, Corrine Ann Stocking

Dissertations and Theses

The transgender population is makes up about 0.3% of the U.S. population (Gates 2011). The term transgender is both an identity and an umbrella term used to describe people who do not adhere to traditional gender norms (Institute of Medicine 2011). Transgender people experience many barriers to services, negative health outcomes, and discrimination (Fredrikson-Goldsen et al. 2013; Institute of Medicine 2011; Eliason et al. 2009; Hendricks & Testa 2012). Mental health clinics are an important site for understanding transgender peoples' experiences due to being a gatekeeper for other medical services and their role in helping transpeople with issues surrounding coming …

Insights And Blind Spots: A Qualitative Analysis Of Risk In Psychiatric Security Review Board Hearings, Abby Kealani Balfour

Dissertations and Theses

The prevalence and consequences of the insanity plea, titled "guilty except for insanity" in the State of Oregon, are fraught with misconceptions. The use of the plea requires a complex set of interactions between the mental health and criminal justice systems, and comes with severe costs for people who use it. Most of the research on the psychological aspects of the insanity plea emphasizes empirical validity in the form of risk assessment instruments and/or the biomedical model with its focus on disease and illness. This thesis analyzes from community psychology and critical theory perspectives the decision process of hearings held …

Risk Factors For Homelessness Among Community Mental Health Patients With Severe Mental Illness, Rupert Talmage Van Wormer

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors associated with homelessness, assess the relationship between housing status and consumption of costly publicly funded resources, to identify characteristics associated with service retention, and to evaluate whether length of treatment is associated with better outcomes. The target population was homeless and formerly homeless adults with SMI enrolled in community mental health services at the Downtown Emergency Service Center SAGE mental health program located in Seattle. The sample consisted of 380 SAGE patients who had continuous enrollment in 2005. These patients formed the cohort for the study. Agency records for these …

Scl-90 Characteristics Of The Borderline Personality Disorder In A Day Treatment Setting, Jeananne Theresa Feagan

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this present study was to examine test performance of the Borderline Personality Disorder on the Symptom Checklist .(SCL-90). This investigation addressed whether the Borderline Personality Disorder has a distinctive profile on the SCL-90, and whether the profile is distinguishable in comparison with two other groups with mental disorders.

Factorial Structure Of The Hamilton Rating Scale For Depression, Kevin Page O'Brien

Dissertations and Theses

The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRS), a 17-item observer-rated scale, was first developed in 1960 to assess the severity of depressive symptomatology in patients diagnosed as suffering from depression. The HRS has since demonstrated high inter-rater reliability (with coefficients ranging from .87 to .94), and has proven useful in measuring changes of severity following treatment.

Since its development, the HRS has been the focus of several factor analytic investigations, four of which attempted to assess the instrument for factorial invariance. Factorial invariance refers to the generalizability or applicability of dimensions developed from one sample to another. While some consensus …

The Process Of Short-Term Psychotherapy With Mentally Deficient Adults, Joan Emily Carpenter

Dissertations and Theses

This paper explores the process of individual short-term ego-supportive psychotherapy with mentally deficient adults. The literature on clinical research, case studies, process research, short-term psychotherapy, and therapy with the mentally retarded is selectively reviewed. Four case studies are presented with clients at the Portland Habilitation Center, a sheltered workshop which trains mentally deficient adults in socialization, practical living, and job skills. Finally, the case studies are discussed in terms of the selected literature.

An Evaluation Of A Data-Based Sex Education Training Program For Mentally Retarded Adults, Patricia Ann Riley

Dissertations and Theses

The study determined that twenty-three mildly to moderately retarded adults living within the community increased their sexual knowledge after attending a twelve month, data-based sex education training program. The Lane Community College-Adult Basic Education (LCC-ABE) Pre/Post Test was administered to each subject when he/she began and finished the training program. The Intermittent Probe Tests were administered to each subject after instruction in each of thirteen topic areas in the curriculum. The main conclusions were that: (a) the subjects significantly increased their sexual knowledge after training; (b) class, sex, ability level, age, type of residence, and length of time in that …

Washington County Aftercare Service Utilization Study, James Richard Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

Broadly speaking, the purpose of this study is to:

1. Assess the functioning of the psychiatric hospital aftercare service delivery system by examining community service utilization patterns of Dammasch Hospital releases.

2. Obtain descriptive information relating to Washington County's chronic aftercare population.

3. Provide an objective data base that can be used to further develop the Aftercare Service Delivery System in Washington County.

A Study Of Multnomah County Community Support Services For The Chronically Mentally Ill, Karen Albers, Barbara Bransford, Diane Bunn, Joyce Kilpatrick, Ann Kramer, Douglas Mclin, Elly Patella, Barbara Pittman, Rod Pulliam, Janet Rickert, Deena Rosenbaum, Alanna Ruonavaara, Nancy Weston, Clarence Widerburg

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years attention has been given to the problems of the chronically mentally ill in regard to the effects of deinstitutionalization and a need for community supports. In this study, 77 service providers to the chronically mentally ill of Multnomah County (Portland), Oregon were interviewed to assess the components of the existing community support system for this population, as well as to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the system. Ten chronically mentally ill clients were interviewed in a similar manner.

A Survey Of Mental Health Clients Admitted To General Hospital Emergency Rooms, Marsha J. Beale

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this survey was to obtain information from hospital emergency room staff on each mental health admission during the period of December 15, 1977 to January 15, 1978. Mental health admissions were broadly defined to include those people who were experiencing an observable mental health difficulty, but who may have initially presented primary medical problems. At the request of Multnomah County Mental Health Division's Management Team, and with the approval of the Emergency Department Nurses Association (EDNA), questionnaires were distributed among 16 general hospitals in the Portland, Oregon, Tri-County area. These hospitals are located in Multnomah, Clackamas, and …

A Descriptive Study Of Demography & Transportation Issues Of Chronically Mentally Ill In The Eastern Oregon Comprehensive Community Mental Health Catchment Area, Tom H. Brubaker, David Emmons, John Meade

Dissertations and Theses

The CMI (Chronically Mentally Ill) experience many problems in obtaining services in both rural and urban environments. Such problems include community resistance to the mentally ill, inadequate treatment services, support systems, a lack of service utilization, and a lack of follow-up studies concerning this population, especially in rural areas. While these problems are generally characteristic of all areas of the country, whether urban or rural, they tend to have extreme manifestations in rural areas. Such problems are also conjoint in rural areas with rural life poverty, isolation, transportation difficulties, and sparse populations. In order to understand the possible barriers to …

A Descriptive Study Of The Relationship Between Age And Problems Expressed By Women Seeking Out-Patient Mental Health Services, Linda M. Rodgers, Joyce Carey

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive analysis of the problems presented by a specific group of women seeking out-patient mental health treatment and to relate these problems to the ontogenetic (age-related) developmental issues presented in a study of the literature. The researcher's involvement in this area developed from interest in current literature on adult development, and a personal commitment to life-long growth and acceptance of the inherent changes. In order to investigate whether developmental issues exist for this group of women, and if so to describe them, two distinct age groups--the decades of the 20's and …

The Relationship Of Weight Loss To Self Concept In The Mentally Retarded Adult, Pauline Bunting Wall

Dissertations and Theses

The major part of this study was a treatment program designed to motivate mentally retarded adults to lose weight within a small group setting. Subjects were tested pre- and posttreatment on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale to ascertain any improvement in self-esteem. A 50-question diet quiz was constructed by the experimenters and administered pre- and posttreatment to find out if the subjects would improve their knowledge of health and nutrition through the study.

The Use Of Dance As A Tool For Personality Integration, Barbara Throckmorton Rankin

Dissertations and Theses

This study is exploratory in nature. The material was highly individualistic and subjective, so I have deviated from the traditional empirical research approach. My purpose is to grasp what kind of person was attracted to attending a dance workshop. How does Halprin’s use of dance assist people in learning about themselves? What kinds of information do people learn about themselves through her dance process? What techniques does Halprin combine with the medium of dance to get results? Are people enhanced, or better integrated by the Halprin process? Finally, my intention was to be stimulated by the Halprin process to explore …

A Study Of Requests For Voluntary Admission To Oregon State Hospital, Julie Kern, Jeanne Miller, Alice Plummer

Dissertations and Theses

This study was undertaken in February and March of 1975 in order to provide in depth analysis of those seeking hospital admission. It is a descriptive study of requests for voluntary admission to Oregon State Hospital. Special care was taken to incorporate the study in such a way that the current admitting procedures would not be rearranged or changed in any way.

Essentially the study asks the questions:

• Who makes self-requests for hospitalization?
• Where do they come from? When? How do they get there? Why do they come?
• What is the history of their contact with other community agencies for …

An Exploratory Study Of Depression In Adolescents Placed In Residential Treatment Centers, Shirley D. Hale, Kermit C. Jeffrey, Gerald J. Moneke

Dissertations and Theses

Concerned that depression might be a common malady among youth who are placed in treatment centers for delinquents, we undertook an exploratory study to determine the validity of this premise. The authors of this study have all worked with youth who, for various reasons, have been placed in residential treatment centers. The authors have observed that symptoms of depression seem to be more prevalent in these youth than in non-institutionalized adolescents, and that these symptoms are often perceived as individual pathology rather than emotional responses common to institutionalized youth. We thus began questioning if these were common emotional responses, and …

A Study Of A Token Economy Program Initiated At Oregon State Hospital, Helenjane R. Kudelko

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a token economy program at Oregon State Hospital in terms of patients’ behavioral improvement during the first seventy days of the program. As the study progressed, it became apparent that a study of the problems involved in initiating this program would be significant. Thus an attempt has been made to evaluate both the patients’ behavioral improvement and the problems involved in setting up an effective token economy program.

Prior to the June 1, 1972 reorganization of the hospital, the county geographical unit system had been in effect for approximately eleven years. On …