Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Socioemotional Selectivity And Psychological Health In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients And Caregivers: A Longitudinal, Dyadic Analysis, Suzanne C. Segerstrom, Edward J. Kasarskis, David W. Fardo, Philip M. Westgate

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Socioemotional selectivity theory predicts that as the end of life approaches, goals and resources that provide immediate, hedonic reward become more important than those that provide delayed rewards. This study tested whether these goal domains differentially affected psychological health in the context of marital dyads in which one partner had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a life-limiting disease.

Design: ALS patients (N = 102) being treated in three multidisciplinary clinics and their spouses (N = 100) reported their loneliness, financial worry and psychological health every 3 months for up to 18 months.

Main …

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 …

Refugee Women's Needs: The Athens Case, Melissa J. Diamond

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Medicins sans Frontiers estimates that twenty-five per cent of new asylum-seeking arrivals in Athens in 2016 were women [1]. Despite the sizable number of women asylum seekers arriving in Athens, women’s voices are often excluded from research on refugee needs. This research sought to understand the needs of women asylum seekers in Athens through the collection of qualitative data on their needs and experiences upon arriving in Athens. Twelve women from Syria, Afghanistan and other countries (background withheld for confidentiality) participated. The sampled women demonstrated an acute understanding of their own needs and the needs of their communities. While many …

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 …

Mental Health Disparities For Latino Immigrants & Its Impact On Psychological Well-Being, Ana Do Rosario Sousa

Counseling Psychology | Master's Theses

In the present study, the researcher sought to examine the factors associated with Latino immigrants and the barriers/challenges that are faced in mental health. The main question that the researcher focuses on in the present study is: What are some of the mental health challenges for Latino immigrants & how do these disparities further impact psychological well-being? Furthermore, the research focuses on highlighting the variables that are increasingly damaging to the minority population of Latinos in the United States. These variables include lack of health insurance, stigma, acculturation issues, legal issues, and biopsychosocial factors, such as socioeconomic class. In multiple …

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 …

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

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

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 ( …

Situation Analysis Of Reproductive Health Of Adolescents And Youth In Pakistan, Iram Kamran, Rehan M. Niazi, Kiren Khan, Faisal Abbas

Reproductive Health

This report presents a situation analysis of the reproductive health of adolescents and youth in Pakistan. It is intended to contribute to evidence-based policies and programs for realizing reproductive rights and choices for young people through health information and services, education programs, and strategic partnerships. The study included a literature review, secondary analysis of data from the Pakistan Demographic Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, and a qualitative study of perspectives of unmarried adolescent boys and girls (aged 15–19), including both school-going and out-of-school individuals, as well as boys and girls with disabilities, in peri-urban areas of Islamabad, Lahore, …

Examining The Impact Of Educational Modules On Self-Care, Burnout, And Professional Impairment On Graduate And Medical Students, Samantha Giangrande

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Graduate school is a time of academic rigor, personal growth, stress, change, fear, and confrontation. It is important for medical and other graduate students to prepare themselves to serve and treat their patients effectively. An important part of this involves learning skills to better manage challenges and demands through ongoing self-care. However, little research has examined what knowledge students have of self-care strategies and burnout or whether education about these constructs is lacking in higher education. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of self-care and impairment modules for medical and other graduate students enrolled in an …

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 …

Long-Term Use Of Beta-Blocker Medication In Pediatric Long Qt Syndrome Patients: Neuropsychological Profiles, Kara J. Rudisill

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heart rhythm disorder characterized by a disruption of the heart’s electrical activity that may cause accelerated and uncontrolled heartbeats referred to as ventricular fibrillation. LQTS is primarily treated with beta-blocker medications, which reduce the risk of experiencing an arrhythmia through regulating the heart rate. However, the potential neuropsychological side-effects associated with the use of beta-blocker medication may impact the executive functioning skills, mental health, and behavior of the affected pediatric population at home. As a result, a child’s academic performance and emotional regulation etiology may be misunderstood by his or her parents, caregivers, and …

The People Living With Hiv Stigma Index: Dominican Republic, Red Dominicana De Personas Que Viven Con Vih/Sida, Alianza Solidaria Para La Lucha Contra El Vih Y Sida, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

The People Living with HIV Stigma Index, developed in 2008, is a survey instrument used to highlight stigma and discrimination experienced by PLHIV. Developed and administered by and for PLHIV, the Stigma Index is not merely a measurement tool, its implementation is intended to be an empowering experience for PLHIV. In 2016–17, the Population Council–led research consortium Project SOAR updated the Stigma Index to reflect changes in the global HIV response in the past decade. The new version (Stigma Index 2.0) now has an increased focus on PLHIV’s experiences accessing HIV services; using and adhering to antiretroviral services; mental health …

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 …

Meeting The Needs Of Orphans And Other Vulnerable Children: Learnings From Project Soar, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC), including those living with HIV, often have a range of unmet needs, such as education, food security, psychosocial support, and access to health care. Project SOAR is documenting the unique vulnerabilities of OVC and their caregivers, and examining strategies to mitigate the impacts of HIV on them. This brief presents a summary of the SOAR portfolio, including a prospective cohort study of young people living with HIV in Zambia, an evaluation of an HIV risk screening tool among OVC in Tanzania, and a systematic review of promising interventions to support engagement and treatment adherence …

Índice De Estigma En Personas Que Viven Con Vih: República Dominicana, Red Dominicana De Personas Que Viven Con Vih/Sida, Alianza Solidaria Para La Lucha Contra El Vih Y Sida, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

El Índice de Estigma de las personas que viven con el VIH, desarrollado en 2008, es una encuesta utilizada para identificar el estigma y la discriminación que enfrentan las PVVIH. Desarrollado y administrado por y para las PVVIH, el Índice de Estigma es más que un simple instrumento de medición, e espera que su ejecución empodere a PVVIH. En 2016-17, el consorcio de investigación liderado por el Population Council, el Proyecto SOAR, actualizó el Índice de Estigma a modo de reflejar los cambios en la respuesta mundial ante el VIH durante la última década. La nueva versión (Stigma Index 2.0) …