Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Syrian Refugee Mothers In Jordan: Perceived Social Support And Postpartum Depression, Marya Rana

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many women suffer from postpartum depression; migrant women experience postpartum depression at rates almost triple that of the general population. This study investigated the associations between perceived social support and postpartum depression among Syrian refugee mothers living in Amman, Jordan. Eleven mothers completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) - Shortened Version. Four of those mothers also participated in individual interviews, and four others were included in a focus group. Multiple recurring themes were identified from the interviews and focus group, including: perceived differences in child and social support in …

“Para Nunca Más Vivirlo, Nunca Más Negarlo”: El Legado De Violencia Sexual Durante La Dictadura, Isabel De La Torre

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: What are the mental health effects of sexual political violence against women during the dictatorship and during the current socio-political movement?

Objectives: The general objective of this study is to identify how sexual political violence has been used in Chile against women and to analyze its consequences on the mental health of survivors. More specifically, this study attempts to investigate the mechanisms sexual political torture during the dictatorship and now, visibilize the unique damages to mental health caused by this type of violence, and analyze the dictatorial legacy in regards to sexual violence and the current socio-political climate. …

Adolescent And Young Adult Mental Health Is Better In States That Mandate More School Mental Health Policies, Stephanie Spera, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Mental health problems and suicide rates have increased among adolescents and young adults over the past several years. This research brief shows that adolescent and young adult mental health is better in states that mandate more school mental health policies, including school-based mental health centers, professional development in suicide prevention, and social-emotional curricula.

Pathways To Homelessness: Exploring The Mental Health Experiences Of Refugees Experiencing Homelessness In Canada, Bridget Annor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

BACKGROUND: Homelessness among refugees continues to be a growing issue in Canada. Recent reports indicate the rapidly growing population of refugees, most especially refugee claimants, accessing emergency shelters in Canada. Research to date has been limited on how the diversity of factors, such as refugee’s mental health experiences, could potentially play a role as pathways to shelter. The purpose of this study therefore is to explore the mental health experiences of refugees through their pathways to homelessness in Canada.

METHODS: This study, a secondary analysis, is framed within the critical theoretical perspective and an intersectional lens. The study sample …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Non-Communicable Disease Risk: A Narrative Review, Catherine M. Phillips, Ling-Wei Chen, Barbara Heude, Jonathan Y. Bernard, Nicholas C. Harvey, Liesbeth Duijts, Sara M. Mensink-Bout, Kinga Polanska, Giulia Mancano, Matthew Suderman, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

There are over 1,000,000 publications on diet and health and over 480,000 references on inflammation in the National Library of Medicine database. In addition, there have now been over 30,000 peer-reviewed articles published on the relationship between diet, inflammation, and health outcomes. Based on this voluminous literature, it is now recognized that low-grade, chronic systemic inflammation is associated with most non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancers, respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as impaired neurodevelopment and adverse mental health outcomes. Dietary components modulate inflammatory status. In recent years, the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII^®), a literature-derived …

Characterizing Participation And Perceived Engagement Benefits In An Integrated Digital Behavioral Health Recovery Community For Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey, Brenda Curtis, Brandon Bergman, Austin Brown, Jessica Mcdaniel

Faculty and Research Publications

Background: Research suggests that digital recovery support services (D-RSSs) may help support individual recovery and augment the availability of in-person supports. Previous studies highlight the use of D-RSSs in supporting individuals in recovery from substance use but have yet to examine the use of D-RSSs in supporting a combination of behavioral health disorders, including substance use, mental health, and trauma. Similarly, few studies on D-RSSs have evaluated gender-specific supports or integrated communities, which may be helpful to women and individuals recovering from behavioral health disorders. Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the SHE RECOVERS (SR) recovery community, …

Effects Of Multivitamin-Mineral Supplementation On Mental Health Among Young Adults, Ya-Hsuan Chang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The percentage of young adults who had mental illnesses has increased from 2008 to 2015. However, few existing studies investigating the potential benefits of multivitamin-mineral (MVM) supplementation on mental health focused on young adults (18-24 years of age), whose eating behaviors are often unhealthy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a MVM supplement on mental health in young adults. One hundred and thirty-three college students (Mage=20.59, SD=1.77; 80.15% female) participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants consumed either a MVM supplement or a placebo for 30 days. The supplement contained B Vitamins, Vitamin C, …

Barriers Of African American Football Student-Athletes In Seeking Mental Health Services, Todd Andrew Wilkerson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nearly half (48%) of collegiate football student-athletes are African American (NCAA, 2018). African American student-athletes face adversity at their respective institutions in the forms of racism and unfair treatment (Hill, Hall & Appleton, 2010). African American male student-athletes face educational stressors, campus stressors and athletic stressors. These stressors consist of academics, family, athletics and social relationships (Miller & Hoffman, 2009). Many African American student-athletes do not seek mental health treatment due to their status on campus (Watson, 2006). However, few studies have examined mental health and barriers for African American male student-athletes when seeking mental health services. As such, the …

A Letter To My Departed Niece, * Anonymous *

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The following piece was written in the weeks following the death of the author’s niece. It is an attempt to explore how we as a society handle health crises differently for medical versus mental health diagnoses.

Call For Submissions Special Issue - July 2020: Patient & Family Experience In Behavioral Health, Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is excited to announce the call for submissions for its July 2020 special issue on the topic of patient & family experience in behavioral health. With a continued focus on the critical role of behavioral health in society today and a growing recognition of the importance of experience for those in behavioral health settings, a conversation on the practices in place and the identification of evidence of efforts leading to positive outcomes will be essential expanding the experience conversation in this setting. This special issue is open to all authors conducting cutting-edge research, implementing innovative practices …

Exploring The Mental Health Care Experiences Of Youth Transitioning From Paediatric To Adult Psychiatric Services Using The Photovoice Method: A Participatory Analysis Of The Photostream Project, Brianna Jackson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The transition from adolescence to adulthood brings with it many new challenges and stressors that may negatively impact psychosocial wellbeing. Unfortunately, the disjointed progression from paediatric to adult psychiatric services leaves transitional-aged youth (TAY) vulnerable to its deleterious sequelae, including social isolation, self-harm, substance use, and suicidal ideation. As devised, the Canadian mental health sector is ill-equipped to meet the care demands of emerging adults, resulting in undue suffering. Current evidence validates the need for clinical practice reform and policy revision to address this issue, yet the perspectives of young people are consistently underrepresented in conversations regarding youth-oriented psychiatric program …

Black Women’S Wellbeing: The Intersections Of Race, Immigrant Status, And Mental Health Among African Diasporan Women In Houston, Texas, Sianneh Vesslee

African American and Africana Studies Summer Fellows

My central research question is: how has white supremacy impacted African Diaspora women’s mental health, access to mental healthcare, and identities as mental health patients in the United States as discernible in advertisements and state policies for psychological wellness? More specifically, I will investigate whether and/or how white supremacy shapes the ways in which advertising and state policies for mental healthcare address the particular needs of black women who immigrate to Houston, Texas from Lagos, Nigeria and Coahuila, Mexico. I choose those geographies because Houston is a U.S. city with one of the highest populations of black immigrants from Nigeria …

A Collaborative Effort To Assess Disparities Associated With Behavioral Health In The North Texas Region, Sushma Sharma

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: This study aimed to provide an assessment of 16 North Texas Counties’ behavioral health access disparities and provide details of the percentage of hospital patient visits from each county diagnosed with mental health and drug issues. The gender, age, race-ethnicity and insurance status of each patient, the zip codes where they live and patient migration between different providers was also detailed. Furthermore, the number of psychiatric beds for each county is listed.

Methods: This study utilized the DFWHC Foundation's data warehouse which contains comprehensive hospital visit data from 96 partner hospitals, to understand the clinical trends of mental health …

Audience Response Systems And Missingness Trends: Using Interactive Polling Systems To Gather Sensitive Health Information From Youth., Tammy Toscos, Michelle Drouin, Mindy Flanagan, Maria D. Carpenter, Connie Kerrigan, Colleen Carpenter, Cameron Mere Mba, Marcia Haaff

Health Services and Informatics Research

BACKGROUND: The widespread availability and cost-effectiveness of new-wave software-based audience response systems (ARSs) have expanded the possibilities of collecting health data from hard-to-reach populations, including youth. However, with all survey methods, biases in the data may exist because of participant nonresponse.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to (1) examine the extent to which an ARS could be used to gather health information from youths within a large-group school setting and (2) examine individual- and survey-level response biases stemming from this Web-based data collection method.

METHODS: We used an ARS to deliver a mental health survey to 3418 youths …

Barriers To Mental Health Treatment In Patients Referred By Primary Care, Rebecca Palmer

Dissertations

Problem: Limited access to mental health treatment is one of many potential barriers to treating mental illness in the United States. Where resources are readily available, reportedly high no-show rates for established mental health appointments suggests further investigation is necessary to identify frequent barriers within that population. This was a quality improvement project to identify common themes in patient-reported barriers to care.

Methods: A 4-question phone survey was offered to individuals that did not appear at their mental health appointment. Data was analyzed to identify the most commonly reported barriers to mental health treatment. Additional data collected includes reported history …

Disparities In Quality Of Life By Appalachian-Designation Among Women With Breast Cancer, Robin C. Vanderpool, Ann L. Coker, Heather M. Bush, Sarah E. Cprek

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Few studies have examined the association of geography and quality of life (QOL) among breast cancer patients, particularly differences between Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky women, which is important given the cancer and socioeconomic disparities present in Appalachia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether women with breast cancer residing in Appalachian Kentucky experience poorer health outcomes in regards to depression, stress, QOL, and spiritual wellbeing, relative to those living in non-Appalachian Kentucky after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related factors.

Methods: Women, aged 18–79, recruited from the Kentucky Cancer Registry between 2009 and 2013 with an …

How Well Do We Understand Mental Health?, Ashley Van Slyke

Population Health Research Brief Series

Roughly 9.8 million adults in the United States, representing 4% of the U.S. adult population, have a diagnosis of a serious mental illness (SMI). An additional 16.1 million (6.7%) have a diagnosed depressive disorder. Millions more know people with serious mental illness or depression. Poor mental health is a massive and growing public health crisis. Its looming presence begs the question: Do we, as a society, truly understand different mental illnesses?

Working With Youth As Stakeholders In Mental Health System Transformation: An Institutional Ethnography Of A Service Organization In Access Open Minds, Eugenia Canas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As national system- and research-agendas invest heavily in the improvement of youth mental health services delivery, the discursive and policy impetus for the inclusion of youth as advisors has increased. However, we know little about the work of youth engagement (YE) in the everyday realities of a care-delivery organization. Does the engagement of youth advisors ultimately inform care?

This dissertation addresses the knowledge concerns of YE with a detailed account of the experiences of youth advisors, service providers, and an organization in the process of services reform. I used institutional ethnography to (1) reveal the day-to-day work of engaging young …

A Systematic Review And Analysis Of Racial Differences In Treatment For Depression, Elli D. R. Parisi

DePaul Discoveries

Mental health affects a large proportion of the population across the world. Though many mental health studies exist, they are inconsistent in methodology, conceptualization of terms, and populations studied; as a result, many studies are incomparable with each other. Further, there is arguably too few studies that focus on marginalized or underrepresented populations. The current study aims to address some of this gap in knowledge. The differences in the way depression is diagnosed and treated in various racial and ethnic groups were identified, and the findings of previous studies were analyzed to help improve the way mental health, and specifically …

Teens Using Screens For Help: Impact Of Suicidal Ideation, Anxiety, And Depression Levels On Youth Preferences For Telemental Health Resources., Tammy Toscos Phd, Amanda Coupe, Mindy Flanagan, Michelle Drouin, Maria D. Carpenter, Lauren Reining, Amelia Roebuck, Michael Mirro Md, Facc, Fhrs, Faha

Health Services and Informatics Research

BACKGROUND: High rates of mental illness, stress, and suicidality among teens constitute a major public health concern in the United States. However, treatment rates remain low, partially because of barriers that could be mitigated with tech-based telemental health (TMH) resources, separate from or in addition to traditional care.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze TMH resource usage by high school students to establish current user characteristics and provide a framework for future development.

METHODS: A total of 2789 students were surveyed regarding demographics, recent anxiety and depression symptoms, suicidality, and stress; people with whom they could openly and honestly discuss …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Sleep Quality In Southern Italian Adults, Justyna Godos, Raffaele Ferri, Filippo Caraco, Filomena Irene Ilaria Cosentino, Sabrina Castellano, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Fabio Galvano, Giuseppe Grosso

Faculty Publications

Background: Current evidence supports the central role of a subclinical, low-grade inflammation in a number of chronic illnesses and mental disorders; however, studies on sleep quality are scarce. The aim of this study was to test the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and sleep quality in a cohort of Italian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of the Mediterranean healthy Eating, Aging, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study was conducted on 1936 individuals recruited in the urban area of Catania during 2014–2015 through random sampling. A food frequency questionnaire and other validated instruments were used to calculate …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Sleep Quality In Southern Italian Adults, Justyna Godos, Raffaele Ferri, Filippo Caraci, Filomena I. I. Cosentino, Sabrina Castellano, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Fabio Galvano, Giuseppe Grosso

Faculty Publications

Background: Current evidence supports the central role of a subclinical, low-grade inflammation in a number of chronic illnesses and mental disorders; however, studies on sleep quality are scarce. The aim of this study was to test the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and sleep quality in a cohort of Italian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of the Mediterranean healthy Eating, Aging, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study was conducted on 1936 individuals recruited in the urban area of Catania during 2014-2015 through random sampling. A food frequency questionnaire and other validated instruments were used to calculate …

Our Criminal Justice System Should Not Be Our Mental Health System (But It Is), Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Our criminal justice system is like the silt layer at the bottom of the ocean. If a problem isn’t taken care of higher up in society, it will eventually find its way down to the criminal justice system."

Posting about the need for criminal law reform from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/our-criminal-justice-system-should-not-be-our-mental-health-system-but-it-is/

Psychosocial Well-Being And Efforts To Quit Smoking In Pregnant Women Of South-Central Appalachia, Brittney Stubbs, Valerie Hoots, Andrea D. Clements, Beth Bailey

ETSU Faculty Works

Introduction: Psychosocial well-being variables from the Tennessee Intervention for Pregnant Smokers (TIPS) study, a longitudinal smoking cessation study in South-Central Appalachia, were investigated as potential predictors of smoking status.

Methods: A sample of 1031 pregnant women participated in an expanded 5A's (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) program, from 2008 to 2011. Measures of stress, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and disordered eating collected by interview during the first trimester, or during the third trimester in a combined interview if participants began prenatal care late, were hypothesized to differ among three groups of participants: pregnant women who never smoked, pregnant women who smoked …

"We've Always Been Like Kind Of Kicked To The Curb." A Qualitative Analysis On Experiences Of Discrimination And Its Effect On Self-Esteem Among College Students, Cindy Mahoney

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Objective: The goal of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the relationship between mental health, discrimination, and self-esteem among college students. To further explore this concept, focus group interviews were conducted as a follow up.

Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a total of five existing literatures was systematically analyzed. Data analytic tables were used to collect information on population and study characteristics for the first part. The focus groups were transcribed verbatim and results were thematically analyzed to identify emergent constructs.

Results: There is a substantial relationship between mental …

Gratitude As An Antidote To Anxiety And Depression: All The Benefits, None Of The Side Effects, Mary Kate Schutt

Population Health Research Brief Series

Despite efforts among health care professionals, schools, and workplaces to address mental health issues, anxiety and depression remain pervasive public health concerns. This issue brief discusses how emerging research suggests practicing Gratitude may be an alternative antidote to battling anxiety and depression.

College Students’ Mental Health: Exploring The Relationship With Resilience And Academic Performance, Bailey Hart

MSU Graduate Theses

Negative mental health outcomes are becoming increasingly prevalent in college students. Depression, anxiety, and stress have been previously shown to negatively impact academic motivation and performance. Resilience and social support can serve as preventative factors to protect students from this adversity. Resilience is a dynamic process that changes based on environmental factors. An individual’s perceptions of social support can be influenced by friends, family, and significant others. Another possible influence in the perception of social support and resilience is race/ethnicity. Social support especially has been viewed differently based on culture. The purpose of this study was to examine the links …

Ten Questions Concerning The Built Environment And Mental Health, Andrew J. Hoisington, Kelly A. Stearns-Yoder, Steven J. Schuldt, Cody J. Beemer, Kerry A. Kinney, Teodor T. Postolache, Christopher A. Lowry, Lisa A. Brenner

Faculty Publications

Most people spend the majority of their lives indoors. Research over the last thirty years has focused on investigating the mechanisms through which specific elements of the built environment, such as indoor air quality, influence the physical health of occupants. However, similar effort has not been expended in regard to mental health, a significant public health concern. One in five Americans has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder in the past year, and, in the United States, the number of suicide deaths are similar to the number of deaths due to breast cancer. Increases in mental health disorders in …

Addiction Panel Discussion: Finding Support, Karen Yost, Matthew Q. Christiansen M.D., M.P.H., Lyn M. O'Connell Ph.D., Dan Curry, Amy Saunders, Michelle Perdue, Sabrina Thomas

Matthew Christiansen

“Addiction Panel Discussion: Finding Support,” is the third of five in the, “Don’t Call Me Crazy: MU Mental Health Initiative,” panel discussion series, which was held on January 24, 2019. This initiative is comprised of three major components: “Resiliency through Education;” which includes: panel discussions with mental health professionals and a research guide, “Resiliency through Art;” an art exhibition that featured works form MU students, faculty and staff, and community members, and “Resiliency through Community;” an extensive collection of campus, local, state, and national mental health resources. Libraries hold a unique position as places to hold civil conversations on challenging …

Addiction Panel Discussion: Finding Support, Karen Yost, Matthew Q. Christiansen M.D., M.P.H., Lyn M. O'Connell Ph.D., Dan Curry, Amy Saunders, Michelle Perdue, Sabrina Thomas

Sabrina Thomas

“Addiction Panel Discussion: Finding Support,” is the third of five in the, “Don’t Call Me Crazy: MU Mental Health Initiative,” panel discussion series, which was held on January 24, 2019. This initiative is comprised of three major components: “Resiliency through Education;” which includes: panel discussions with mental health professionals and a research guide, “Resiliency through Art;” an art exhibition that featured works form MU students, faculty and staff, and community members, and “Resiliency through Community;” an extensive collection of campus, local, state, and national mental health resources. Libraries hold a unique position as places to hold civil conversations on challenging …