Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Acculturation, Psychological Well-Being And Substance Use Behaviors In Asian Indian Americans, Sonia Y. Amin

Dissertations

The American population is becoming more diversified with increases in the number of immigrants and refugees entering the country. These new Americans bring distinct cultural values, traditions, and worldviews. With this diversity, an important need has arisen to better understand the interplay of culture, physical, and mental health concerns that affect specific racial and ethnic populations. This increase in knowledge and awareness will aid in the development and provision of culturally-sensitive mental health services. The stress of immigration and the multifaceted sociocultural and psychological adaptations involved in adjusting to living in a new country with a Eurocentric dominant culture can …

Demystifying First-Time Mothers’ Postpartum Mental Health: A Phenomenological Study Of The Transition To Becoming A Mother, Megan Dooley Hussmann

Dissertations

Becoming a mother is a significant life event that can greatly impact maternal mental health. Understanding maternal mental health is an important interdisciplinary goal because it could lead to mother’s receiving better care and support from both mental health and medical professionals. Seven first-time mothers with a baby under the age of one were interviewed for a phenomenological qualitative study, which investigated first-time mothers’ postpartum mental health experiences. This study was guided by two research questions: How do new mothers experience their postpartum mental health in comparison to how they experienced their mental health before having their baby, and how …

Comorbidity And Quality Of Life Of Hiv-Positive Adults Living In Supportive Housing, Rose Sharp

Dissertations

Problem: Life expectancy for people living with HIV significantly increased with widespread use of antiretroviral therapy, resulting in population increases in comorbidity prevalence. The increased burden of living with both HIV and comorbidities lowers health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: Using a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional design, a convenience sample of HIV-positive adults was selected from seven supportive housing communities. Comorbidities were assessed using a modified Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire, and HRQoL using the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Scale v1.2 – Global Health.

Results: A sample of 17 (N = 17) adults reported a mean of 4.2 (SD = …

Predictors Of Positive Outcomes In Treating Individuals Diagnosed With Idd And Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders, Jacob Omondi Wasonga

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the use of a new treatment protocol, the systemic treatment plan (STP) by identifying the predictors of positive treatment outcomes for individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and comorbid mental health conditions. This study examined the relationship between challenging behaviors, psychiatric conditions, and positive treatment outcomes for individuals with IDD and co-occurring disorders, particularly those individuals whose treatment was driven by the STP. A linear regression analysis was conducted to determine which challenging behaviors and psychiatric disorders best predict positive outcomes in systemically engaged treatment. The results from this study …

Building A Resilient Workforce: Programming For Commercial Content Moderation Staff, Miriah Steiger

Dissertations

Commercial content moderators (CCM) review and remove controversial content from social media platforms, leading to potentially adverse mental health effects through secondary trauma exposure. Due to the problematic nature of their work, a U.S. based company hired mental health clinicians to design and instruct a resiliency program, developed based upon the psychological resilience literature. Regrettably, there is scarce peer-reviewed literature providing guidelines for best practices in program development or evaluations specific to this population to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. Therefore, this study investigated whether the resiliency program provided to CCM workers predicted resilience and well-being outcomes by use of the …

Donor Families’ Experiences From Initial Loss Forward: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Linda Meeker

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lives of those who have consented to organ donation at the time of an unexpected death of a loved one. The qualitative data illuminated participants’ experiences as members of donor families as they shared their observations and experiences from the initial loss forward. The participants in this study included eight women and one man who were the primary next-of-kin and the individual who provided consent to donate the organs. The results indicated that there are steps in the care of these families that could be improved, allowing for better care of …

Relationships Between Professional Development And Attitudes, Knowledge, And Skills In Play Therapy Among Counselors, Cynthia Ann Anderson

Dissertations

Most counselors receive inadequate training in play therapy, through university counselor education programs, to counsel children using the method, which leaves novice counselors searching for workshops, institutes, conferences, or self-training to effectively meet the mental health needs of children with play therapy. In this first-of-its-kind study, the researcher investigated relationships between professional development and play therapy among working counselors and measured attitudes, knowledge and skills, and types of training in play therapy. A nonrandom sample of counselors were recruited from relevant online sources in this quantitative study. Attitudes, knowledge, and skills were measured by the self-reported Revised Play Therapy Attitude-Knowledge-Skills …

First-Time Practicum Students' Lived Experiences Of Case Presentations In Group Supervision: A Phenomenological Study, Jason Blakely Fischer

Dissertations

Although best practices of group supervision advise that supervisory methods match the developmental level of supervisees, research has shown that novices typically receive group supervision in the same manner as more experienced trainees. The prevalent use of case presentations in group supervision regardless of learners' level of clinical experience suggests contemporary practicum courses may be overlooking beginning students' unique, developmental characteristics and needs. Fifteen counseling students enrolled in CACREP-accredited master's degree programs across the United States were interviewed for a phenomenological study exploring their experiences of case presentations in practicum. Synchronous interviews conducted over video conferencing examined participants' emotional experiences …

Life After Menopause: Quality Of Life In Women Diagnosed With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome After The Childbearing Years, Katelyn Baker

Dissertations

Very little research has been conducted in regards to what happens after a woman diagnosed with PCOS is menopausal or post menopausal. This study researched the quality of life in women with PCOS before and after menopause in an attempt to compare the two groups.

Can A Brief Online Intervention Change Low-Income Caregivers’ Reported Use Of Spanking? A Randomized Controlled Trial, Hilary L. Richardson

Dissertations

Spanking is commonly used by parents (64-94%) in the United States as a strategy for managing undesirable child behaviors. Research has found that the use of spanking is particularly high among young mothers, low-income parents, and African American families. Decades of literature on the use of spanking has identified abundant detrimental outcomes for children such as increased externalizing behaviors, decreased long-term compliance, and less guilt following misbehavior, as well as serious outcomes in adulthood such as depressed mood and alcohol/drug use. There is also a risk for spanking to escalate to physical abuse. Thus, safer, more effective discipline strategies are …

Compassion Fatigue And The Emergency Department, Alexandra Myers

Dissertations

Problem The emergency department (ED) is a high-stress environment. Nurses exposed to this stress for prolonged periods are subject to compassion fatigue (CF). The purpose of this quality improvement project was to identify and reduce the level of CF in ED nurses by implementing Real Time Transformative Response^© (RTR). RTR^© is a technique that uses combinations of neurofeedback response awareness, biofield therapy intervention, and clearing of unwanted energy.

Method A purposeful sample of ED nurses working at a moderately-sized, suburban, Midwestern hospital ED who were scheduled to work 24-hours or more per week completed a Professional Quality of …

Mitigating Suicide Risk Post-Discharge From Inpatient Crisis Stabilization: Safety Planning Intervention, Leighia M. Mcghee

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this program evaluation is to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly implemented safety planning intervention (SPI) tool, comparing patient outcomes relating to suicide attempt rates, emergency department (ED) encounter rates, and inpatient rehospitalizations rates pre and post its integration to care in a suburban behavioral health hospital.

Methods: A descriptive cohort design utilizing a retrospective chart review was completed over six months, three months pre, and three months post implementation of the SPI program. A convenience sample of inpatient charts was reviewed to assess the rate of suicide attempts, ED encounters frequencies, and hospitalization rates …

Bridging The Gap: Understanding Non-Offending Parental Responses To Their Children's Sexual Abuse., Jennifer Latreill, Psy.D.

Dissertations

The parental response to children's disclosure of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is the most critical and important factor regarding the child's post trauma trajectory and overall trauma resolution. Understanding parental responses and the factors that prompt acceptance versus disbelief among the non-offending parent (NOP) is vital to children's success following disclosure given the weight of the NOPs response and its impact on long-term consequences of CSA. This literature review provides a comprehensive summary of what may deter the NOP from recognizing intrafamilial sexual abuse, factors that may contribute to the NOPs disbelief following disclosure, and possible clinical implications of such …

Social-Ecological And Protective Factor Approach To Managing Parental Incarceration, Jacquelyn Harris

Dissertations

Mass imprisonment does not only impact the incarcerated individual; it also affects approximately five million children in the United States. Researchers identified and compare the impact of parental incarceration on child development. They acknowledged the protective factors across the lifecycle from a social-ecological perspective and specifically related to parental incarceration. The comprehensive literature review inspired an innovative model, the social-ecological and protective factor approach to managing parental incarceration. The primary goal of this model is to combat the detrimental effects of parental incarceration by identifying protective factors across the lifecycle and throughout the microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem. This model is …

Exploration Of Physician Attitudes About Self-Care And Personal Mental Health: Possible Barriers To Physician Well Being, Candich Farrar

Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine physicians’ mental health, attitudes, and behaviors toward self-care and the utilization of mental health services. As the medical field can be very demanding and exhausting, it is believed that many physicians suffer from mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. However, it was theorized that many physicians do not engage in adequate self-care regimes or seek support and suppress their symptoms, which may further exacerbate their illnesses. A thorough literature review was performed to explore the following: possible barriers to physicians seeking mental health services to address high rates of mental illnesses, physicians …

Barriers And Facilitators To Opioid Use Treatment And Recovery Services During Pregnancy, Loralie Woods

Dissertations

Purpose: To identify barriers and facilitators to opioid use treatment and recovery services among pregnant and nonpregnant women who misuse opioids.

Background: Over 130 Americans die daily after overdosing on opioids. Women have not been immune from opioid use disorders (OUDs), with a 4-fold increase from 1999-2010. The prevalence of opioid use among pregnant women increased from 1.5 per 1,000 hospital deliveries to 6.5. Although the annual National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has provided information on risk factors for OUD related to socioeconomic and demographic factors, no studies using this data have identified barriers to opioid use …

Anxiety, Attributions, And Marital Quality: A Mediation Model, Tara Vossenkemper

Dissertations

Marital quality plays a significant role in the physical and mental health of many people. The purpose of this study was to examine anxiety, attributions, and marital quality in a sample of females. The first two hypotheses aimed to assess the relationship between anxiety and marital quality, and the relationship between attributions and marital quality. The primary research question aimed to assess attributions as a mediator in the relationship between anxiety and marital quality. Participants (N = 358) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Quality Marriage Index (QMI; Norton, 1983), the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT; Locke & Wallace, 1959), the …

A Meta-Synthesis Of The American And The European Standards For The Accreditation Of Counseling Training Programs, Natalia Zapolsky

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the European Standards for the accreditation of counseling training programs compare to CACREP standards and to each other. The differences and commonalities between standards have been defined through a meta-synthesis of integrated findings from a large body of inter-related qualitative studies and reinterpretation of the synthesized data.

This qualitative meta-synthesis research was intended to contribute to the process of counseling globalization by exploring the unique cultural features and aspects of the European and the U.S. accrediting systems for counseling training programs. This research revealed 1) the commonly recognized areas that …

Ethnic Identity Salience, Socioeconomic Status, And Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Treatment As Predictors Of Receptivity To Community-Based Psychoeducation Among African American Men, Hadiya Suzanne Dubose-Smith

Dissertations

Problem

Distrust and socioeconomic barriers are widely recognized as contributors to disparities in the healthcare system, particularly as it relates to mental health care (Lindinger-Sternart, 2015; National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.). African Americans continually experience societal pressures to disassociate with African American culture and to assimilate into mainstream culture. Perhaps accessing mental health services via a counselor is an extension of that pressure. In this way, the traditional counseling model for mental health intervention is a culturally counterintuitive approach for developing mental health among African American men. Men are a subset of the African American community that tends to …