Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Use Of Deception In Dementia-Care Robots: Should Robots Tell "White Lies" To Limit Emotional Distress?, Samuel R. Cox, Grace Cheong, Wei Tsang Ooi

ROSA Journal Articles and Publications

With projections of ageing populations and increasing rates of dementia, there is need for professional caregivers. Assistive robots have been proposed as a solution to this, as they can assist people both physically and socially. However, caregivers often need to use acts of deception (such as misdirection or white lies) in order to ensure necessary care is provided while limiting negative impacts on the cared-for such as emotional distress or loss of dignity. We discuss such use of deception, and contextualise their use within robotics.

Social Media & Mental Health: An Examination Of Tiktok & Mental Health Outcomes, Jessica Maddox

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The goal of this research study was to examine the relationship between amount of Tiktok use and the results of various mental health scales. The hypothesis was that increased Tiktok use would be correlated with a decrease in self-esteem, and an increase in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and overall loneliness. Participants were recruited on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and paid a small monetary benefit in exchange for completion of the study. There were a total of 285 participants. Correlations and linear regression analysis were used to determine statistical significance; results showed no statistical significance and none of the hypotheses were …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Well-Being Of People Incarcerated In United States Prisons, Kimberly Rivera

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the population as a whole. However, the incarcerated population (which also experiences a variety of health disparities) has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Due to overcrowding, poor ventilation, and lack of resources, the incarcerated population already is at a heightened risk for negative health outcomes, made worse by the recent pandemic. To adapt to the rapidly changing conditions during the pandemic in 2020 and into 2022, new safety measures were implemented, but the unintended consequences associated with the implementation of these procedures have yet to be examined empirically. I conducted a qualitative content …

Anxiety Severity And Prescription Medication Utilization In First-Time Medical Marijuana Users, Karen L. Dugosh, Megan M. Short, Paulina Syracuse, Thomas R. Mccalmont, Michelle R. Lent

PCOM Scholarly Papers

Background

Anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are qualifying psychiatric conditions for medical marijuana (MM) treatment in Pennsylvania. This study examined baseline prevalence and changes in prescription anxiety medication use three months following MM treatment initiation among individuals with these qualifying conditions.

Methods

The study sample was comprised of 108 adults with anxiety or PTSD as a referring condition; they were enrolled in a longitudinal study evaluating biopsychosocial outcomes in new MM patients. Consenting participants completed an assessment battery at baseline and Month 3 (n = 94, 87 % follow-up rate) that included a measure of anxiety severity and …

What Is The Prevalence Of General Anxiety Disorder And Depression Symptoms In Semi-Elite Australian Football Players: A Cross-Sectional Study, Anthony Henderson, Sarah A. Harris, Troy Kirkham, Jonathon Charlesworth, Myles C. Murphy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in semi-elite Australian footballers is unknown. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and depressive symptoms in semi-elite Australian Football players. Our secondary objective was to explore the association between demographic and football-specific factors with GAD and depressive symptoms. A cross-sectional epidemiological study including 369 semi-elite Western Australian Football League (WAFL) players from the Men and Women’s 2022 season (n = 337 men, 91%) was conducted. Symptoms of depression were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale (PHQ-9) and symptoms of GAD with …

Consumer Perspectives Of Quality Care: Exploring Patient Journeys From Remote Primary Healthcare Clinics To Alice Springs Hospital, Emslie Lankin, Amanda Graf, Rebecca Schultz, Richard Johnson, Kylie Mccullough

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Problem or background: Residents of Australia's remote regions have lower life expectancies and poorer health outcomes than other Australians. Access to hospital and specialist care frequently requires transport via road or air and time spent away from family and community. Question, hypothesis or aim: To explore consumer perspectives of the journey from remote communities to regional health services and identify areas for improvement. Methods: Individual interviews (n = 16) and yarning circles were used to collect and interpret stories of patient's journeys. Findings: Travel for medical care was common and often required multiple journeys. Complex social and financial barriers to …

The Psychological Science Accelerator's Covid-19 Rapid-Response Dataset, Erin M. Buchanan, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with …

Greater Traditionalism Predicts Covid-19 Precautionary Behaviors Across 27 Societies, Theodore Samore, D. M. T. Fessler, A. M. Sparks, C. Holbrook, L. Aaroe, Norman P. Li, Kai Lin Lynn Tan, Et Al

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

People vary both in their embrace of their society’s traditions, and in their perception of hazards as salient and necessitating a response. Over evolutionary time, traditions have offered avenues for addressing hazards, plausibly resulting in linkages between orientations toward tradition and orientations toward danger. Emerging research documents connections between traditionalism and threat responsivity, including pathogen-avoidance motivations. Additionally, because hazard-mitigating behaviors can conflict with competing priorities, associations between traditionalism and pathogen avoidance may hinge on contextually contingent tradeoffs. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a real-world test of the posited relationship between traditionalism and hazard avoidance. Across 27 societies (N = 7844), we …

Immunoassay Urine Drug Testing Among Patients Receiving Opioids At A Safety-Net Palliative Medicine Clinic, John M Halphen, Joseph A Arthur, Soraira Pacheco, Linh M T Nguyen, Nikitha N Samy, Nathaniel R Wilson, Gregory Sattler, Shane E Wing, Rex A D Paulino, Christine Feng, Pulin Shah, Simbiat Olayiwola, Bradley Cannell, Supriyanka Addimulam, Riddhi Patel, David Hui

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the use of immunoassay urine drug testing of cancer patients in palliative care clinics.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the frequency of immunoassay urine drug test (UDT) abnormalities and the factors associated with aberrancy at a safety-net hospital palliative medicine clinic.

METHODS: A retrospective review of the electronic medical records of consecutive eligible patients seen at the outpatient palliative medicine clinic in a resource-limited safety-net hospital system was conducted between 1 September 2015 and 31 December 2020. We collected longitudinal data on patient demographics, UDT findings, and potential predictors of aberrant results.

RESULTS: Of the 913 patients …

Awareness With Paralysis And Symptoms Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Mechanically Ventilated Emergency Department Survivors (Ed-Awareness-2 Trial): Study Protocol For A Pragmatic, Multicenter, Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial., Brian M Fuller, Brian E Driver, Michael B. Roberts, Christa A Schorr, Kathryn Thompson, Brett Faine, Julianne Yeary, Nicholas M Mohr, Ryan D Pappal, Robert J Stephens, Yan Yan, Nicholas J Johnson, Brian W Roberts

PCOM Scholarly Papers

BACKGROUND: Awareness with paralysis (AWP) is memory recall during neuromuscular blockade (NMB) and can cause significant psychological harm. Decades of effort and rigorous trials have been conducted to prevent AWP in the operating room, where prevalence is 0.1-0.2%. By contrast, AWP in mechanically ventilated emergency department (ED) patients is common, with estimated prevalence of 3.3-7.4% among survivors given NMB. Longer-acting NMB use is a critical risk for AWP, and we have shown an association between ED rocuronium use and increased AWP prevalence. As NMB are given to more than 90% of ED patients during tracheal intubation, this trial provides a …

Taking Songs To Heart: An Investigation Into Musical Appreciation, Anna Kate Lockhart, Eric A. Febles, Valeria Draine, Kaitlin Pendasulo

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Abstract

Music cross-culturally occupies a central part of day-to-day living (Trehub et al., 2015). Research has demonstrated music’s consistent ability to modulate emotional states, through the investigation of properties like tempo and key (Res, 2011; Bella, 2001; Jongwan,, 2018; Schellenberg, 2010). Heartbeat is a steady rhythm that each human alive and well experiences daily, and heart rate, specifically the resting heart rate, has been suggested to set a baseline rhythm that may influence perception of musical valence (Koelsch & Jancke, 2015). The current study aims to investigate this hypothesis by establishing a resting heart rate level and modulating the speed …

Editorial: Resilience, Quality Of Life And Psychosocial Outcomes Of Cancer Patients And Their Caregivers, Nida Zahid, Nargis Asad, Ashraf El-Metwally

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

Impaired Discourse Content In Aphasia Is Associated With Frontal White Matter Damage, Junhua Ding, Erica L. Middleton, Daniel Mirman

Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Papers

Aphasia is a common consequence of stroke with severe impacts on employability, social interactions and quality of life. Producing discourse-relevant information in a real-world setting is the most important aspect of recovery because it is critical to successful communication. This study sought to identify the lesion correlates of impaired production of relevant information in spoken discourse in a large, unselected sample of participants with post-stroke aphasia. Spoken discourse (n = 80) and structural brain scans (n = 66) from participants with aphasia following left hemisphere stroke were analysed. Each participant provided 10 samples of spoken discourse elicited in three different …

"You Get What You Need When You Need It": A Mixed Methods Examination Of The Feasibility And Acceptability Of A Tailored Digital Tool To Promote Physical Activity Among Women In Midlife., Danielle Arigo, Jonathan Mathias Lassiter, Kiri Baga, Daija A Jackson, Andrea Lobo, Timothy C Guetterman

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

During midlife (ages 40-60), women experience myriad changes that elevate their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including decreased physical activity (PA). Women cite lack of social support for PA and lack of active peers who can serve as role models as key barriers. Digital tools such as web applications can provide exposure to these social inputs; they are also accessible in daily life and require modest time investment. However, as few tools have been designed to meet the unique needs of women in midlife with CVD risk, our research team previously built a web application that is tailored for this …

Examining The Evidence Base For Burnout, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Burnout has elicited growing interest among occupational health specialists in recent decades. Since 2019, the World Health Organization has characterized burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic, unmanageable workplace stress. Accordingly, three symptoms define the entity: (i) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; (ii) increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism towards one’s job; and (iii) a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment. We call into question the definition of burnout embodied in the Maslach Burnout Inventory and incorporated into the ICD-11. We draw stakeholders’ attention to the fact that burnout’s symptoms and etiology …

Examining The Evidence Base For Burnout, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Burnout has elicited growing interest among occupational health specialists in recent decades. Since 2019, the World Health Organization has characterized burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic, unmanageable workplace stress. According to the ICD-11, three symptoms define the entity: feelings of exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and a sense of ineffectiveness at work, all of which correspond to the structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The ICD-11 includes burnout among the factors that influence health status. This paper calls into question that conceptualization based on a number of lines of evidence. The evidence includes the following: burnout was …

Epidural Catheters For Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections To Target Higher Cervical Pathology: Clinical Images In Practice, Peter D Vu, Christopher L Robinson, Grant H Chen, Jamal J Hasoon

Journal Articles

Cervical radicular pain is commonly treated with cervical epidural steroid injections. The transforaminal approach allows for direct treatment of the steroid at a particular nerve root or level. Still, it carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality with thromboembolism or injury to cervical vasculature. The interlaminar approach is commonly utilized as it avoids vascular structures. However, the epidural space becomes narrower at higher levels, limiting the ability to perform this approach at higher cervical levels. Cervical epidural catheters can be used and advanced to target higher cervical pathology through the interlaminar approach. We present clinical images demonstrating the utility …

Making Decisions "In The Dark": Learning Through Uncertainty In Clinical Practice During Covid-19, Urvashi Vaid, Henriette Lundgren, Karen E. Watkins, Deborah Ziring, Grace A. Alcid, Victoria J. Marsick, Dimitrios Papanagnou

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore how decision making and informal and incidental learning (IIL) emerged in the clinical learning environment (CLE) during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors' specific interest was to better understand the IIL that took place among frontline physicians who had to navigate a CLE replete with uncertainty and complexity with the future goal of creating experiences for medical students that would simulate IIL and use uncertainty as a catalyst for learning.

METHOD: Using a modified constructivist, grounded theory approach, we describe physicians' IIL while working during times of heightened uncertainty. …

Outbreak Communication: Exploring The Relationships Between Health Information Seeking Behaviors, Vested Interests, And Covid-19 Knowledge In U.S. Midwest Populations, Alicia Mason, Josh Compton, Elizabeth Spencer, Kaitlin Barnett

Faculty Submissions

On February 15, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director, General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated at a Munich Security Conference, “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” (Zarocostas, 2020, p. 676). The term ‘infodemic’ refers to the onslaught of both accurate and inaccurate health information surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of an ‘infodemic’ was quickly integrated into mass media, popular culture (i.e., documentaries, podcasts), and eventually scholarly literature. In response to COVID-19, health communication scholars have centered on understanding specific messaging strategies such as the use of fear appeals (Stolow et al., 2020), nature of advertising …

Centros De Inclusión Social Bajo Gestión Asociada Y La Salud Mental De Las Personas En Situación De Calle, Kien Phan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación se enfoca en analizar las acciones del gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA) para abordar la salud mental de las personas en situación de calle en 2023. Se examina el estado actual de esta población, identificando factores clave y evaluando las medidas gubernamentales. El marco teórico aborda determinantes sociales y derechos humanos, subrayando la importancia de cambios legislativos para abordar la falta de vivienda. La metodología combina análisis de datos gubernamentales, estudios previos y entrevistas con profesionales de Centros de Inclusión Social. Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, como Cáritas y la Asociación Civil Isauro …

Mixed Method Approach Towards The Life Of University Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Raihan Khan, Andrew White, Tony Jehi

Department of Health Sciences - Faculty Scholarship

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the higher education system. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess COVID-19 fear, anxiety, and stress among Shenandoah Valley college students.

Methods

An online survey was fielded and completed by n=680 students. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 students.

Results

The mean participant age was 22.14±5.48 years, and primarily White (81.9%), women (80.4%), and undergraduate (78.0%) students. Approximately 41% were enrolled in health-related majors (41.4%). Women students had significantly higher anxiety, depression, and fear of contracting COVID-19 than men. Undergraduate students had significantly higher depression than graduate students. Qualitative analysis revealed several major themes: …

One Size Doesn’T Fit All: Attitudes Towards Work Modify The Relation Between Parental Leave Length And Postpartum Depression, Christine Y. Chang, Sabrina R. Liu, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between parental leave length and maternal depressive symptoms at six- and twelve-months postpartum and whether this relation was influenced by women’s attitudes towards leave, whether leave was paid or unpaid, and the reason they returned to work. The sample included 115 working women recruited during pregnancy as part of a larger longitudinal study. Analyses revealed that maternal attitudes toward leave influenced the association between leave length and depressive symptoms. Specifically, longer leaves were associated with increased depressive symptoms for women who missed their previous activities at work. Furthermore, women who missed work …

Theories Of Consciousness And A Life Worth Living, Liad Mudrik, Myrto Mylopoulos, Niccolo Negro, Aaron Schurger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

What is it that makes a life valuable? A popular view is that life’s moral worth depends in some way on its relationship to consciousness or subjective experience. But a practical application of this view requires the ability to test for consciousness, which is currently lacking. Here, we examine how theories of consciousness (ToCs) can help do so, focusing especially on difficult cases where the answer is not clear (e.g. fetuses, nonhuman animals, unresponsive brain-injured patients, and advanced artificial systems). We consider five major ToCs and what predictions they offer: Integrated information theory, Higher-Order Thought Theory, Recurrent Processing Theory, Global …

Developing A Game (Inner Dragon) Within A Leading Smartphone App For Smoking Cessation: Design And Feasibility Evaluation Study., Justin S White, Marie K Salem, Séverine Toussaert, J Lee Westmaas, Bethany Raiff, David Crane, Edward Warrender, Courtney Lyles, Lorien Abroms, Johannes Thrul

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

BACKGROUND: Several stand-alone smartphone apps have used serious games to provide an engaging approach to quitting smoking. So far, the uptake of these games has been modest, and the evidence base for their efficacy in promoting smoking cessation is still evolving. The feasibility of integrating a game into a popular smoking cessation app is unclear.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to describe the design and iterative development of the Inner Dragon game within Smoke Free, a smartphone app with proven efficacy, and the results of a single-arm feasibility trial as part of a broad program that seeks to …

Academic Motivation Decreases Across Adolescence For Youth With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Effects Of Motivation On Academic Success, Zoe Smith, Marcus Flax, Stephen P. Becker, Joshua Langberg

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This longitudinal study examined growth trajectories of academic motivation in youth with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across the important developmental transition from middle school to high school, and associations with academic success. Consistent with self-determination theory (SDT) of motivation, trajectories of amotivation, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation were modeled.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Adolescent Girls In Residential Treatment: Relationship With Trauma Symptoms, Substance Use, And Delinquency, Akemi E. Mii

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) refer to negative events during childhood or adolescence including abuse, maltreatment, and exposure to household dysfunction (Kalmakis & Chandler, 2014). ACEs are associated with negative outcomes including mental and behavioral health concerns and offending (Fox et al., 2015). The risk of negative outcomes associated with ACEs increases when an individual experiences polyvictimization (experiencing multiple types of adverse events; Felitti et al., 1998; Finkelhor et al., 2011). A majority of adolescents served by residential treatment programs (RTPs) have experienced polyvictimization (Briggs et al., 2013). Research examining juvenile offending and youth delinquency has focused on boys. Thus, research …

All Chronic Rhinosinusitis Endotype Clusters Demonstrate Improvement In Patient Reported And Clinical Outcome Measures After Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, Nikita Chapurin, Rodney J. Schlosser, Jorge Gutierrez, Jess C. Mace, Todd Bodner, Timothy L. Smith, Jose L. Mattos, Vijay R. Ramakrishnan, Jeremiah Alt, Zachary M. Soler

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

It is unclear if chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) endotypes show differential response to endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). We explored mucus inflammatory cytokine expression in a cohort with CRS and associations with both patient-reported and clinically measured postoperative outcome measures.

Methods

Patients with CRS were prospectively recruited between 2016-2021 into a multi-center observational study. Mucus was collected from the olfactory cleft preoperatively and evaluated for 26 biomarkers using cluster analysis. Patient reported outcome measures included the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and Questionnaire of Olfactory Dysfunction (QOD). Additional clinical measures of disease severity included Threshold, Discrimination, and Identification (TDI) scores using Sniffin’ …

Describing Physical Activity Patterns Of Truck Drivers Using Actigraphy, Bradley Wipfli, Sean P.M. Rice, Ryan Olson, Kasey Ha, Caitlyn F. Trullinger-Dwyer, Todd Bodner

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Truck driving is a highly sedentary occupation that places workers at risk for chronic health conditions, such as obesity and high blood pressure. The primary purpose of this study was to objectively describe truck drivers’ typical physical activity (PA) patterns. Methods: We used w7e10-day baseline PA actigraphy data samples from drivers in the Safety & Health Involvement For Truckers (SHIFT) study (n ¼ 394). Driver PA patterns (e.g., average number of 10 minute Freedson bouts per week, time in bouts, and common days/times for PA) were summarized with descriptive analyses. We also compared objective accelerometer data to self-reports. Results: …

Sleep Health Of Young Adults In Western Australia And Associations With Physical And Mental Health: A Population-Level Cross-Sectional Study, Alexandra P. Metse, Peter Eastwood, Melissa Ree, Adrian Lopresti, Joseph J. Scott, Jenny Bowman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

OBJECTIVES: This article aims to report on the sleep health characteristics of a population-level sample of young Australian adults and examine associations with measures of physical and mental health. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using data from the Raine Study. Data from participants (n = 1234) born into the study (Generation 2) at the 22-year follow-up were used, including data from a self-report questionnaire and polysomnography. RESULTS: The highest prevalence of suboptimal sleep health was seen on measures of sleep duration (30%), onset latency (18%), satisfaction (25%) and regularity (60%). Dissatisfaction with sleep (physical health: =0.08; mental health: =0.34) and impaired …

The Role Of Cosmopolitan Orientation In Covid-19-Related Attitudes: Perceived Threats And Opportunities, Vaccination Willingness, And Support For Collective Containment Efforts, Angela K. Y. Leung, Brandon Koh, Verity Yu Qing Lua, James H. Liu, Sarah Y. Choi, I-Ching Lee, Michelle Lee, Mei-Hua Lin, Darrin Hodgetts, Sylvia X. Chen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Cosmopolitan individuals identify themselves as "citizens of the world." In the present research, we tested the idea that endorsing a cosmopolitan orientation (CO) is adaptive in the COVID-19 crisis. Cosmopolitan individuals more readily transcend national parochialism, show greater concern for all humanity, and prioritize collective interests. In a two-wave multi-region investigation with six samples from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the U.S., we first established longitudinal and cross-cultural measurement invariance of the CO scale. Next, we found that people with a higher CO tended to perceive over time a greater threat posed by COVID-19, take more safety measures, …