Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Byrd, Maya Dangerfield

Capstones

In April 2015, William Byrd Wilkins or ‘Byrd’, 50, a theatre and television actor, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In August, his friends crowd-funded an all expense paid trip to New York for Byrd who wasundergoing chemotherapy in his rural hometown of Louisburg, North Carolina. Originally described as ‘an opportunity to reconnect’ the trip soon developed into a ‘living funeral’ as Byrd and his friends grappled with Byrd’s terminal prognosis. As he visited his favorite New York haunts and met with friends, Byrd wrestled with the decision to end his chemotherapy upon his return home.

Battle Echoes Never Fade: Soldiers' Trauma At The End Of Life, John E. Eller

Capstones

Soldiers suffer moral injuries when wartime experiences go against their own moral compass, such as killing innocent civilians or mutilating the bodies of enemies. Many soldiers bury the shame and guilt leftover from battle for years or decades, but these memories can surface unbidden as veterans near death.

The War At Home, Joseph A. Altobelli Mr.

Capstones

This site was made to show how the cuts to and politics behind the Veterans Affairs Hospital in New York affects the veterans it is set up to care for.

Association Between Depression And Aggression In Rural Women, Laetitia Meyrueix, Gabriel Durham, Jasmine Miller, K. Bryant Smalley Phd, Psyd, Jacob C. Warren Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Rural women represent approximately 20% of women living in the United States, yet research on the specific mental health needs of rural women is limited. Given the well-recognized gender-linked disparity in depression, its correlated symptoms in women still need much investigation. While emerging notions of depression in men embrace potential symptoms related to irritability and aggression, less research has focused on the potential role of aggression in depressed women. This connection may be particularly relevant for rural women who face unique mental health stressors in comparison to their urban counterparts. The purpose of this study was to examine if aggression …

Hawai‘I’S Caring Communities Initiative: Mobilizing Rural And Ethnic Minority Communities For Youth Suicide Prevention, Jane J. Chung-Do, Deborah A. Goebert, Kris Bifulco, Tasha Tydingco, Antonia Alvarez, Davis Rehuher, Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda, Bridget Arume, Pohai Wilcox

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Youth suicide is a serious, yet preventable, public health concern for ethnic minorities and rural communities. This paper describes the youth leadership model utilized by Hawai‘i’s Caring Communities Initiative (HCCI) and provides reflections on the important factors for success in implementing a youth and community advocacy project for youth suicide prevention. HCCI partnered with six youth and community organizations who serve ethnic minority and rural communities across the State of Hawai‘i to train youth leaders and community members in suicide prevention, in order to develop community awareness activities that are grounded in each community’s strengths and needs. The work of …

Factors Associated With Providers’ Perceptions Of Mental Health Care In Santa Luzia’S Family Health Strategy, Brazil, Angela R. Ghesquiere, Rogerio M. Pinto, Rahbel Rahman, Anya Y. Spector

Publications and Research

Brazil has a unique mental health care system, characterized by universal coverage delivered by interdisciplinary teams both in the community and in specialized centros de atenção psicossocial (CAPS—psychosocial care centers). Provision of patient-centered mental health care is an important principle of Brazilian mental health care, but this topic has not been well-studied. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey of 151 community health workers (CHWs), nurses, and physicians in Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Chi-squares, t-tests and multivariate regression analyses examined differences in socio-demographics, caseload, engagement in evidence-based practices (EBPs), and transdisciplinary collaboration between providers who reported providing high …

When Free Is Not For Me: Confronting The Barriers To Use Of Free Quitline Telephone Counseling For Tobacco Dependence, Christine Sheffer, Sharon Brackman, Charnette Lercara, Naomi Cottoms, Mary Olson, Luana Panissidi, Jami Pittman, Helen Stayna

Publications and Research

Remarkable disparities in smoking rates in the United States contribute significantly to socioeconomic and minority health disparities. Access to treatment for tobacco use can help address these disparities, but quitlines, our most ubiquitous treatment resource, reach just 1%–2% of smokers. We used community-based participatory methods to develop a survey instrument to assess barriers to use of the quitline in the Arkansas Mississippi delta. Barriers were quitline specific and barriers to cessation more broadly. Over one-third (34.9%) of respondents (n = 799) did not have access to a telephone that they could use for the quitline. Respondents reported low levels of …

Finding The Resilient Teacher Within: A Workshop To Address K-12 Teacher Well-Being, Laura Jones

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Teacher stress comes from a variety of sources: accountability pressures, lack of time to relax, students who are not motivated, excessive duties and responsibilities that go beyond the classroom, testing pressure, large class size, lack of administrative support, and general concern for the safety and well being of their students (Richards, 2012). As a result of the constant high stress, more teachers are reporting mental/physical health issues and leaving the profession (Richards, 2012). One way to help deal with the stress teachers are feeling is to strengthen the teacher from within by using the resources they have already. This paper …

Prescription For Critical Thinking: A Discussion Of Psychotropic Medication And Counseling, Barton W. Biggs

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This paper examines questions about the safety and efficacy of psychotropic medication, and looks at how these questions should impact the field of counseling. The paper first looks at increasing rates of use of psychotropic medication, and establishes that nearly every clinical mental health counselor will work with clients who are taking or considering taking such medication. The paper next examines the scientific literature and establishes that there is a legitimate basis for questions to be raised about the safety and efficacy of these medications. The paper goes on to establish that there is a foundation in ethical codes and …

Advocacy In Action: A Framework For Implementation Of The American Counselors Association Advocacy Competencies On A Local Level, Jeffrey M. Lown

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Despite calls from within the professional field and external forces, counselors have faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to be effective advocates for their clients and themselves. A review of the literature reveals that throughout the history of the profession, prominent figures have called on counselors to assume advocacy roles, and that some initiatives have been successful in fostering lasting change. However, as counselors and their clients’ needs continue to evolve, so too must strategies to address these needs be reevaluated and new initiatives put into place.

In this paper, I have outlined a committee structure and agenda that seeks …

Staff Education: Nutrition Education In The Intellectually /Developmentally Disabled Community, Claire C. Bradley-Davalos Msn Rn

Master's Projects and Capstones

The objective of my project is to develop staff education regarding a nutrition initiative developed to address the 44% obesity rate among clients in our care. My target population is direct care staff working in the Intellectually/Developmentally Disabled (IDD) community, and high functioning clients who live independently in the community. The staff knowledge was tested pre- and post-education to demonstrate knowledge retained. Staff are required to get a score of 80 or better to pass. Test results are interpreted to see which content areas need further teaching or clarification. Initial results indicate that four areas of education need to be …

Correction Of Verication Bias Using Log-Linear Models For A Single Binaryscale Diagnostic Tests, Haresh Rochani, Hani M. Samawi, Robert L. Vogel, Jingjing Yin

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

In diagnostic medicine, the test that determines the true disease status without an error is referred to as the gold standard. Even when a gold standard exists, it is extremely difficult to verify each patient due to the issues of costeffectiveness and invasive nature of the procedures. In practice some of the patients with test results are not selected for verification of the disease status which results in verification bias for diagnostic tests. The ability of the diagnostic test to correctly identify the patients with and without the disease can be evaluated by measures such as sensitivity, specificity and predictive …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Intentions Toward Fertility Awareness And Oocyte Cryopreservation Among Obstetrics And Gynecology Resident Physicians, L. Yu, Brennan Peterson, M. C. Inhorn, Julia K. Boehm, P. Patrizio

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

STUDY QUESTION What knowledge, attitudes and intentions do US obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residents have toward discussing age-related fertility decline and oocyte cryopreservation with their patients?

SUMMARY ANSWER Most OB/GYN residents believe that age-related fertility decline, but not oocyte cryopreservation, should be discussed during well-woman annual exams; furthermore, nearly half of residents overestimated the age at which female fertility markedly declines.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Oocyte cryopreservation can be utilized to preserve fertility potential. Currently, no studies of US OB/GYN residents exist that question their knowledge, attitudes, and intentions toward discussing age-related fertility decline and oocyte cryopreservation with patients.

STUDY …

Preserving Personhood In Individuals With Cognitive Impairment: A Caregiver's Role, Maren Legg

Honors Projects

This project consists of an educational program for informal caregivers in the Bowling Green community on preserving personhood in individuals with cognitive impairments through caregiving experiences. The program was based on a copious amount of research regarding personhood, how personhood relates to individuals experiencing cognitive impairment, and how care provided by caregivers can be provided in a way that promotes and preserves an individual’s personality, personhood, and selfhood.

The program was developed over the span of four months and incorporates models of personhood, behaviors that threaten and preserve or promote personhood, as well as practical suggestions for strategies in how …

Faculty Perspectives Of A School-Based Mental Health Program In A Rural School District, Jennifer Lynn Massey

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

School-based mental health centers provide promising solutions to the nationwide problem of high school dropouts and help students tackle the many barriers that may not only impede their health and well-being, but also their chances for completing high school (Center for School, Health, and Education, 2014). Therefore, gaining and understanding the perspectives of educators will influence the course initiative. The study showed that the services were needed because every participant (n=130) had experienced students who exhibited behaviors associated with mental health problems in the classroom or school environment. Duties regarding the provision of counseling services and behavior-related issues were perceived …

Adhd And Social Impairment Among Children: Problem Solving Skills As A Potential Mediator, Rebecca Mccord

Senior Theses

This study tested the hypothesis that problem solving skills mediate the relation between ADHD symptoms and social impairment in children. Problem solving skills were evaluated by the Test of Problem Solving 3 – Elementary Version (TOPS), which separated problem solving skills into six different subtypes: making inferences, sequencing, negative questions, problem solving, predicting, and determining causes. ADHD symptoms were assessed through the parent report of the Disruptive Behavior Disorder Scale (DBD). Social impairment was assessed through the parent report of social skills using the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS). Three hundred seventy-two (372) children between the ages of eight and …

Smoking And Exercise: Mechanisms And Effects During Simulated And Genuine Quit Attempts, Stefanie De Jesus

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cigarette smoking is a leading agent for premature morbidity and mortality among the global community. Most individuals surrender to tobacco use disorder due to the inability to cope with cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Exercise appears to provide acute relief. Currently, it is unclear how exercise attenuates these reductions. Furthermore, the available evidence has focused on acute outcomes besides smoking behaviour and is limited to simulated quit attempts. Three experimental studies were designed to address these outstanding issues. Not surprisingly, a bout of moderate intensity exercise was found in study 1 (chapter 2) to reduce cravings associated with a temporary period …

Adhd, Major Depressive Disorder, And Simple Phobias Are Prevalent Psychiatric Conditions In Youth With Velocardiofacial Syndrome, Kevin Antshel, Wanda Fremont, Nancy Roizen, Robert Shprintzen, Anne Marie Higgins, Amit Dhamoon, Wendy Kates

Robert J. Shprintzen

Objective: To examine prevalence rates of psychopathology in children with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS).

Method: One hundred fifty-four children ages 6 to 15 participated in our between-group design with three samples, 84 children with VCFS (37 girls, 47 boys), 32 sibling controls (18 girls, 14 boys), and 38 community controls (12 girls, 26 boys). The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime version and several other parent report measures were used to assess for psychopathology.

Results: Compared to both control samples, children with VCFS had higher prevalence rates of major depressive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, simple phobias, and …

The Hidden Epidemic: Mental Health Epidemiology In Post-Conflict Populations And Implications For Conflict Transformation Practices, Jennifer Sato

Capstone Collection

This capstone explores the ramifications of unmitigated mental health illness in conflict populations, paying special attention to refugees and migrants. The intersection between conflict and mental health is explored and analyzed in order to highlight the implications of the findings and to make recommendations to both metal health and conflict transformation practitioners. This capstone depends predominately on secondary resources and personal interviews and is informed by my own practicum experience at a refugee health center. The need to improve mental health outcomes in order to pursue conflict transformation and peace building is a key focus and is supported by the …

The Macarthur Adjudicative Competence Study: The Development And Validation Of A Research Instrument, Steven Hoge, Richard Bonnie, Norman Poythress, John Monahan

Norman Poythress

Assessment of competence to stand trial is a common evaluation that can have substantial consequences for defendants and the criminal justice system. Despite a voluminous literature, much remains unknown. An obstacle to progress in understanding what is better termed ldquoadjudicative competencerdquo is the absence of structured, standardized research measures for assessment of defendants. This article presents the legal framework, assessment strategy, instrument description, psychometric properties, and construct validation of the MacArthur Structured Assessment of the Competencies of Criminal Defendants (MacSAC-CD). The measures meet or exceed accepted indices of internal consistency, and interscorer agreement. Observed patterns of correlations among measures support …

Correspondence Between Self-Report And Interview-Based Assessments Of Antisocial Personality Disorder, Laura Guy, Norman Poythress, Kevin Douglas, Jennifer Skeem

Norman Poythress

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is associated with suicide, violence, and risk-taking behavior and can slow response to first-line treatment for Axis I disorders. ASPD may be assessed infrequently because few efficient diagnostic tools are available. This study evaluated 2 promising self-report measures for assessing ASPD—the ASPD scale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4; S. E. Hyler, 1994) and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. Morey, 1991, 2007)—as well as the ASPD module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV Axis II (SCID-II; M. B. First, R. L. Spitzer, M. Gibbon, J. B. W. Williams, & L. S. Benjamin, 1997). The …

Mentally Ill And Non-Mentally Ill Defendants' Abilities To Understand Information Relevant To Adjudication: A Preliminary Study, Steven Hoge, Norman Poythress, Richard Bonnie, Marlene Eisenberg

Norman Poythress

The legal construct of competence to stand trial, or “adjudicative competence,” is based on the premise that some mentally disordered defendants have impaired abilities when compared with most defendants and that adjudication should be barred if these competence-related abilities are significantly impaired. Where the line is drawn between sufficient and insufficient abilities has important consequences: as a result of being adjudicated incompetent, defendants may be detained and treated involuntarily and their trials will be delayed. However, no studies have systematically compared the capacities of relevant groups of defendants. In this studv. 84 criminal defendants—42 of whom were hospitalized as incompetent …

Externalizing Disorders Of Childhood And Adolescence, P.J. Frick, Eva Kimonis

Eva Kimonis

No abstract provided.

The Broward Mental Health Court: Process, Outcomes, And Service Utilization, Roger Boothroyd, Norman Poythress, Annette Christy, John Petrila

Norman Poythress

Mental health courts are one of a variety of special jurisdiction courts that have been created in a number of countries, including the United States (Petrila, 2003). While there is no prototypical mental health court (Steadman, Davidson, & Brown, 2001; Watson, Luchins, & Hanrahan, 2001), most of those in existence today share several common characteristics. These include (a) the creation of a special docket (usually, but not always, nonviolent misdemeanants with mental illness) that is (b) handled by a particular judge, with (c) a primary goal of diverting defendants from the criminal justice system and into treatment (Goldkamp & Irons-Guynn, …

Psychopathic Features In A Juvenile Diversion Population: Reliability And Predictive Validity Of Two Self-Report Measures, Diana Falkenbach, Norman Poythress, Kathleen Heide

Norman Poythress

The reliability and predictive validity of two experimental self-report versions of two measures of psychopathic features in youth, the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD: Frick & Hare, 2001) and a modified version of the Child Psychopathy Scale (CPS: Lynam, 1997) were examined in a sample of 69 arrested youth (M age¼14.4 years) referred to a juvenile diversion program. Parents or legal guardians completed parent-rating versions of the same measures. Reliability indicators for the APSD total measure were satisfactory although internal consistency indices (coefficient alpha) for the Callous/Unemotional and Impulsive/Conduct Problems scales were slightly lower than desirable. Reliability indicators for the …

Evaluation Of The Hare-Pscan In A Non-Clinical Population, Cristal Elwood, Norman Poythress, Kevin Douglas

Norman Poythress

Using 100 university undergraduates as participants, this study examined the structural reliability and construct validity of Hare and Hervé's P-SCAN (Hare & Hervé, 1999) a 90-item measure that purports to serve as an “… early warning system” or “rough screening device” (p. 1) for identifying individuals with substantial psychopathic features. Internal consistency indices (e.g. Cronbach's α, mean inter-item correlations) for the three P-SCAN subscales (Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle) suggested excellent reliability. Statistically significant, though modest correlations (range 0.21–0.33) were obtained in 5 of 6 comparisons with the self-report Primary psychopathy and Secondary psychopathy scales developed by Levenson, Kiehl, and Fitzpatrick (1995) …

Psychometric Properties Of Carver And White’S (1994) Bis/Bas Scales In A Large Sample Of Offenders, Norman Poythress, Jennifer Skeem, John Weir, Scott Lilienfeld

Norman Poythress

Contemporary motivational theories of psychopathy (Lykken, 1995) employ constructs from Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST; Gray, 1982), behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS) functioning, to explain etiologic differences in psychopathy subtypes. Carver and White’s (1994) BIS/BAS scales are the most widely used measures of these constructs, yet there is a dearth of research on how these measures perform with offenders. Using a sample of 1515 offenders, we found evidence that five, rather than the usual four factors, underpin the BIS/BAS scales. Importantly, BIS items that tap into anxiety and fear sensitivity, respectively, split to form separate factors, …

The Relationship Between Psychopathic Personality Features And Malingering Symptoms Of Major Mental Illness, Norman Poythress, John Edens, M. Watkins

Norman Poythress

This study examined the relationship between psychopathy and malingering in a subsample of male prison inmates (n D 55) participating in a larger study of the clinical utility of various assessment measures in correctional settings. Participants’ capacity to feign major mental illness successfully was evaluated using standard cutoff scores for the detection of malingering on a variety of instruments, including the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS; G. P. Smith & G. O. Burger, 1997), the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS; R. Rogers, R. M. Bagby, & S. E. Dickens, 1992), and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. Morey, …

The Self-Report Psychopathy Scale And Passive Avoidance Learning: A Validation Study Of Race And Gender Effects , M. Epstein, Norman Poythress, K. Brandon

Norman Poythress

SRPS; psychopathy; gender; race; validity; passive avoidance errors; trait anxiety; intelligence

Stability Of Psychiatric Patients' Perceptions Of Their Admission Experience, Michele Cascardi, Norman Poythress, Lee Ritterband

Norman Poythress

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the stability (i.e., consistency of patients’ responses over time) of newly developed scales to measure the admission experience of psychiatric hospitalization. Eighty-four psychiatric patients involuntarily committed to a crisis stabilization unit participated. All participants were admitted under an emergency petition or ex parte order for a psychiatric evaluation. Patients were interviewed soon after admission (M 5 3.33 days, SD 5 1.86 days). The test–retest interval was 24–48 hours with most (83.3%) re-evaluated at 24 hours. Overall, the measures showed acceptable levels of stability (r ’s range from .62 to .72). Factors …