Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Dirfloortime® On Mother’S Depression, Anxiety, And Stress, Hailey Vanderleest

Dissertations

This paper reports the results of a retrospective record review and qualitative questionnaires of mothers of children with neurocognitive disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim was to examine the relationship between DIRFloortime® use in children with ASD and ADHD and PHQ-8 scores for depression, GAD-7 scores for anxiety, and PSS-10 scores for perceived stress among the children’s mothers. The results showed no statistical significance between DIRFloortime® use in children and PHQ-8, GAD-7, and PSS-10 scores for mothers. Qualitative questionnaires did report improvements in quality of life. Implications for the need of evidence-based developmental …

An Evaluation Of Mindstrong™ Implementation With Graduate Nursing Students, Angela B. Sabblut

Dissertations

Problem: Nursing graduate students are at increased risk of greater stress, anxiety, and depression (Hoying, 2020; Melnyk et al., 2020). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the gold standard in the treatment of anxiety and depression (Hoying et al., 2020; Melnyk et al., 2015; Melnyk et al., 2020). MINDSTRONG™, a CBT-based training program, has been proven in many studies to be effective in helping individuals prevent or cope with these issues (The Ohio State University College of Nursing, 2020).

Methods: This Quality Improvement (QI) project was a descriptive-observational, pre-post design. Sample and setting were nursing graduate students from a Midwestern, middle-sized urban, …

Nursing Anxiety Self-Evaluation And Resiliency Methods, Dianne Deck

Dissertations

Abstract

Introduction: Nurses are stressed due to the demands of their job. This study aims to determine whether MICU nurses at a large Midwestern hospital would have reduced stress and anxiety after a 30-day meditation and exercise intervention.

Design and Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post pilot study design was adopted. The convenience sample consisted of eight Medicine Intensive Care Unit (MICU) nurses in a large Midwestern urban tertiary medical center. Data collected included demographics, pre- post-Beck Anxiety Inventory Scale (BAIS), pre- and post-Single Item Stress Scale (SISS), and weekly diaries on exercise and meditation.

Results: The pre- post-SISS showed statistical significance …

Impact Of Parent Presence On Stress In Infants In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Susan M. Horner

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine potential relationships between cumulative stress exposure in infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), as measured using a resting salivary cortisol level at NICU discharge, and the amount (hours per week) or frequency (days per week) of parent presence and skin-to-skin care (SSC). This descriptive study was conducted via a secondary analysis of a dataset representing 78 NICU families from a tertiary level NICU in the Midwest. Median length of stay was 33 days, and a resting salivary cortisol level collected at one month of age was used for infants not discharged …

Psychological Distress During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Nursing Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Mayantoinette Watson

Dissertations

During such an unprecedented time of the largest public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing students are of the utmost concern regarding their psychological and physical well-being. Questions are emerging and circulating about what will happen to the nursing students and the long-term effects of the pandemic, especially now that hospitals are being overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases and patients as well as a significant need for nursing staff (Jividen, 2020). Expectations, demands, change, and the fear of the unknown during this unprecedented time can only contribute to the many stressors that accompany nursing students through laborious clinical and didactic courses …

Evaluation Of Depression, Anxiety And Stress In Graduate Nursing Students, Rachel Dunston

Dissertations

Mental health issues are growing in the United States. Postgraduate school is widely known to increase the level of psychological difficulties (Dyrbye et al., 2006) experienced by students. There is a need to address mental health care in graduate nursing students. This project was a descriptive observational comparison pre-post-intervention design used to see if online modes of delivery would aid in decreasing mental health issues for nursing graduate students. Participants were provided with access to three podcasts and encouraged to use the Sanvello mobile application provided to all students at this university. The first podcast focused on using the Sanvello …

Examining Treatment Acceptability Of An Eight-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Protocol, Blake William Palmer

Dissertations

The goal of this study is to examine whether levels of perceived stress, experiential avoidance, personality traits including openness to experience and agreeableness, and demographic variables will predict the treatment acceptability (indicated by responses on the Treatment Acceptability and Adherence Scale) of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This study collected data in the Spring of 2019. The final number of participants in the study was 116 (40 females, 76 males, Mage = 36, age range: 22-69 years). Participants completed measures including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), the agreeableness and openness to Experience domains …

Coping Skills, Emotional Intelligence, Attachment, And Resilience On Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Private Sector Emergency Medical Technicians, Brenda-Joyce Gonzales Orozco Markert-Green

Dissertations

Problem

Private sector Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are first responders who respond to traumatic incident scenes along with firefighters and police officers. However, news agencies and the public do not acknowledge private sector EMTs with the same vigor or accolade as public sector EMTs, nor are the risks to life, health, and mental well-being recognized among this population. Thus, the research literature has been sparse regarding how private sector EMTs experience PTSD, and what unique risk factors and needs may be present.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between PTSD symptoms and coping skills, …

The Relationship Among Perfectionism, Perceived Stress, And Coping In Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Amanda Finley

Dissertations

Perfectionism in nursing students is an understudied problem that may affect student and workforce success. Perfectionism has been linked to increased stress and less effective coping styles, as well as depression, anxiety and other psychological alterations. However, it has rarely been studied in nursing students. Studying perfectionism in this population is important because it may increase the likelihood that new nurses will struggle with the stress of practice and it could be a significant factor in early career attrition. The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to gain a better understanding of the incidence of perfectionism in a nursing …

Impulsivity As A Trait Predictor In Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Jennifer Bertucci

Dissertations

Impulsive personality traits have been linked to pathological decision making in individuals who possess the trait. Impulsive pathological decision making may include acts of aggression, divergence, risky behavior, lack of self-care, etc. The purpose of this study was to examine impulsive personality traits among nursing students. Traditional students are defined by the following characteristics: earns a high school diploma, enrolls full time immediately after finishing high school, are financially dependent on parents, and either do not work during the school year or works part-time (the exception to the rule) (Choy, 2002). A non-traditional nursing student is defined as students who …

A Correlational Model Of Burnout And Personality Among Clergy In The United States, Nathanael M. Stephens

Dissertations

Problem

This study explored the relationship between personality and burnout. The facets of personality detailed in the Factor Five Model served as the independent variables, with burnout as the dependent variable. Research exists on the relationship between personality and burnout for individuals in helping professions. However, there is little research on the interaction between burnout and personality factors among Protestant clergy members.

Method

A total of 602 participants who self-identified as living in the United States were recruited through an advertisement on Facebook. Participants all indicated they were Protestant members of the clergy and had been in the ministry for …

The Influence Of Stressful Life Events On The Development Of Type 2 Diabetes, Joshua Minks

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between distress and the development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the presence of established risk factors. Distress secondary to mental health disparities, stressful life events, and work conditions has been shown to promote insulin resistance and the development of T2DM.

Subjects (N=79) diagnosed with T2DM within the previous six months were recruited from SSM Health Centers and VA Medical Centers in the greater St. Louis area. They completed the Recent Life Changes Questionnaire, ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, and a demographic survey and analyses were conducted to determine differences between the veteran …

The Lived Experience Of Intersectionality Among African American Women With Breast Cancer, Teri D. Armour Burton

Dissertations

African American women (AAW) continue to have breast cancer mortality rates that are 42% higher than White women (De Santis et al., 2015). Researchers suggest that an epistemological approach that integrates the biomedical and feminist models would be more effective in addressing health disparities. The concept of intersectionality, which grew out of the Black feminist movement, provides a lens in which to view the lived experiences of AAW with breast cancer. The intersectionality paradigm attempts to address the marginalized, oppressive, intersecting social existence of AAW through the examination of identity, social class, and power.

This qualitative study applied a descriptive …

Caregivers Of Older Adults: Burden, Perception Of Strain, And Health, Juana Ferrerosa Phd, Msn, Rn, Phn

Dissertations

Background: By the year 2030, the older population in the United States is projected to double from 35 to 70 million. Consequently, increasing the number of informal caregivers required to care for an aging population. Research suggests that levels of caregiver strain and their ability to cope can impact the health of caregivers. Tsai's (2003) Middle-Range Theory of Caregiver Stress guided this study and was modified to present an innovative approach which used perceived caregiver strain as a specific stressor in the Control Process of the model; it provided a basis for examining caregiver strain and its effect on the …

The Use Of Humor For Emotion Management On The Job: An Exploration Of 911 Communication Centers, Jennifer Dell Mclaughlin

Dissertations

This study sought to understand how humor affects a person’s ability to cope and manage their emotions in a high stress organizational environment. 911 communication centers are work environments where stress is commonplace, and the work environment can instantly become erratic and chaotic.

This study explored the role humor has in assisting organizational members with emotion management in a high stress job and the types of humor used by members to handle their job and cope with the stress.

The results suggest that humor is pervasive in 911 communication centers, and dispatchers use humor for personal coping, co-worker bonding, and …

Study Of Stress, Housing Program Use, And Nursing Usage Among Homeless In Chicago, Henry Christian Cheung

Dissertations

Homelessness places people at risk of stressors that translate into stress and subsequently affect their health. Using Neuman Systems Model as a framework to identify modalities for nursing intervention among stressors and health problems of homeless people, this study compared stress levels among homeless people from three different homeless housing program types, investigated variables that predict the presence of stress among homeless, identified the degree of self-reported contact homeless people had with nurses, and measured to what extent nurses are preferred as health care providers by homeless people. This was accomplished through a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of data from …

The Relationship Of Level Of Traumatic Exposure, Perceived Stress, And Resilience With Salivary Cortisol And Salivary Alpha-Amylase Diurnal Rhythm In Palestinian Children 10-12 Years Exposed To Chronic War Violence, Mohammad R. Asia Phd, Rn

Dissertations

Political violence, war, and genocide exist across the world and often the innocent children and civilians become victims. War and long-term violence have potentially harmful psychological and physiological effects on children. There are limited studies on the effect of prolonged armed conflict on the child's physiologic and psychologic stress responses. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between level of trauma, stress and resilience with salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) diurnal patterns in Palestinian children, ages 10-12, living in a long standing war zone. Salivary cortisol, a surrogate marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) activity, and salivary …

Sense Of Humor, Stress And Coping, And Outcomes In Children's Lives, Lambertha Okhuizen-Stier Phd, Mph, Rn

Dissertations

Children are confronted with many stressors in their environment which may bring about symptoms such as anxiety, sadness, worry, aggressiveness, hyperactivity, restlessness, or low self esteem (Sharrer & Ryan-Wenger, 2002). To prevent the short and long term effects of stress, children may use coping strategies to manage or alter stressful life events (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). This study explores the relationships between stress and sense of humor among school-age children. A sample of 106 students (and parents/guardians) in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) returned self-report instruments packets containing the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale for Children, and the …