Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Downeast Maine Mat Expansion Project: Year 2 Data Summary, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd, Evelyn Ali Bs, Tyler Egeland Ba

Substance Use Research & Evaluation

This report summarizes the Year 2 activities of the Healthy Acadia Downeast Maine MAT Expansion Project. Through a collaborative effort of Healthy Acadia, its providers, the Downeast Substance Treatment Network and Downeast Substance Use Response Coalition, the project utilized multiple evidence-based strategies to combat opioid use disorder (OUD) in Downeast Maine.

FMI: M. Lindsey Smith, PhD, m.lindsey.smith@maine.edu

The Effects Of Military Sexual Trauma And Depressive Symptoms On Reintegration, Rachel L. Davies

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Reintegration is a challenge for many veterans returning to civilian roles after military service. Difficulties range from an assortment of issues such as self-care to community participation. Military sexual trauma may be an experience that alters or changes veterans and result in difficulty in reintegration. Specifically, it was predicted that military sexual trauma would indirectly affect reintegration, via depressive symptoms. In addition, locus of control was predicted to play a role in how military sexual trauma impacts reintegration with external locus of control acting as a buffer. Participants were a cross-sectional community sample of both female veterans who reported having …

Wicked Problems: Depression, Sebastian Wendolowski

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Depression is a disorder that can affect anybody and is the leading cause of disability and disorders in the United States. This year, due to COVID-19, it has hit an all time high, affecting many more people. Suicide rates have been steadily growing across all ages, and this year is at a record high too, showing correlation with depression. There are two types of depression, major depressive disorder and chronic depressive disorder. Diagnosis of depression is typically done physically or through a questionnaire, which is compared into a DSM-5. There are many risk factors for depression and other common mental …

Why Can't Homeless Addicts Get Help Too, Rachael D. Causland

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Homeless people today struggle more with addiction than people who have stability in their life. Whether it’s due to financial issues, or not having a support system, homeless people struggle to get the help they need for both their addiction and their homelessness. A high number of homeless people report to have started an addiction since being homeless, and they do so to stay alive, in turn people are continuing to stay homeless and many of these people are dying of overdoses or just staying stuck in the situation they are forced to deal with alone. There are some states …

Substance Use Among Rural And Urban Youth And Young Adults, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Nathan Paluso Mph, Erika C. Ziller Phd

Mental Health / Substance Use Disorders

Rural youth and young adults have historically had higher use rates of alcohol and other substances than their urban counterparts. Recent research suggests that rates of youth and young adult alcohol and other substance use have declined over the past two decades, but we have limited knowledge of whether and how current rural and urban substance use patterns may differ. As national substance use rates decline, it is important to re-assess differences in use among rural versus urban youth and young adults. This study uses data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine rural-urban differences …

Improving Health Care In Nevada, Ember Smith, Kaylie Pattni

Policy Briefs and Reports

Across the United States, improvements in health outcomes lag while health care costs rapidly rise. Medical personnel and resource shortages combined with high underinsured and uninsured rates further complicate access to quality, affordable health care. In order to better understand state-level solutions, we explore factors that contribute to health care deficiencies and emphasize Nevada’s unique obstacles.

Blood Transfusion: Knowledge, Perspectives, And Experiences Of Individuals With Sickle Cell Disease, Raymona H. Lawrence, Ashley Singleton, Jane Branscomb

Department of Health Policy and Community Health Faculty Publications

Patient voice and perspective were needed to inform effective, comprehensive strategies for reducing preventable transfusion-associated complications. This report presents the results of interviews with sickle cell disease (SCD) patients and implications for strategies to reduce transfusion complications in this population. Twenty-two participants were recruited from 2 comprehensive SCD treatment centers in Georgia and interviewed regarding knowledge about transfusions and potential complications, attitudes about data storage and sharing, and the transfusion experience. Participants had general knowledge of physiology, blood products, and blood transfusions, including knowing the risk of complications, but varied in comprehension of complex health information and level of misinformation. …

Hs-4100 - Global Health Issues, Jose Nanin

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus includes OER materials and college policies for a fully online course that takes a comprehensive look at global health issues. In this course, the assessment of health issues are analyzed from various perspectives including geographic, ethnic, religious, human rights, socioeconomic, social, cultural, and political influences. Students learn about global environmental causes and consequences of infectious diseases, major diseases, mental illness, natural disasters, malnutrition, drug and alcohol addiction, violence and injuries.

Harm Reduction In Prison Settings: A Relevant Approach To Reduce Hiv Transmission?, Amine Ghrabi

English Language Institute

Harm reduction defines a set of policies and interventions aiming to address the adverse health consequences associated with drug use. Compared to the general population, prisoners are disproportionally affected by HIV. Thanks to its strong emphasis on public health and human rights principles, harm reduction can effectively reduce transmission of HIV inside prison settings.

A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Abortion Attitudes And Perceptions Among Women Living In Alabama And South Carolina, Anthony Peluso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Legal induced abortion is a safe option for terminating a pregnancy for women of reproductive age in the United States (U.S.), though access has varied since the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton cases in 1973. Information is lacking on women’s attitudes toward and perceptions of abortion as well as on related constructs such as pregnancy attitudes and contraceptive use. Exploring these constructs is important in that it can provide much needed context to women’s reproductive life planning. This research aimed to explore perceptions of abortion access and safety and examine the potential associations between attitudes toward abortion access …

Publication Of Data Collection Forms From Nhlbi Funded Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium (Scdic) Registry, Jeffrey Glassberg, Elizabeth A. Linton, Katrina Burson, Tabitha Hendershot, Joseph Telfair, Julie Kanter, Victor R. Gordeuk, Allison A. King, Cathy L. Melvin, Nirmish Shah, Jane S. Hankins, Axel Yannick Epié, Lynne D. Richardson

Department of Health Policy and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessive blood disorder affecting approximately 100,000 Americans and 3.1 million people globally. The scarcity of relevant knowledge and experience with rare diseases creates a unique need for cooperation and infrastructure to overcome challenges in translating basic research advances into clinical advances. Despite registry initiatives in SCD, the unavailability of descriptions of the selection process and copies of final data collection tools, coupled with incomplete representation of the SCD population hampers further research progress. This manuscript describes the SCDIC (Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium) Registry development and makes the SCDIC Registry baseline …

Long-Term Impact Of Child-Centered Play Therapy On Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Examination Of Academic Success In At-Risk Elementary School Students, Brittany D. Massengale

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the long-term impact of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) implemented through Primary Project on at-risk second-grade elementary school students. The qualifying group received ten 30-minute play therapy sessions during one academic semester during their second-grade year. In a longitudinal analysis for academic growth, MAP testing was used to determine if there was a long-term impact on both the third grade and fourth-grade years for the original qualifying students. The findings reveal implications for identification of and interventions for at-risk elementary students and CCPT as an intervention for academic achievement; specifically, reading and mathematics scores. Recommendations for future research …

Workshop #6: Psychological Adjustment For The 2020 Hurricane Season During Covid-19 Pandemic: After-Action Report (Aar), Converge Nsf Working Group, Joshua G. Behr, Wie Yusuf, Jennifer Marshall, Elizabeth Dunn

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

Participants in the CONVERGE COVID-19 Working Group’s Workshop #6 on Psychological Adjustment breakout sessions discussed the critical threats to psychological health and well-being facing shelter staff, volunteers, and clients in the 2020 hurricane season.

It is widely recognized that people are approaching the 2020 hurricane season under unusual levels of stress. The COVID-19 pandemic has created chronic stressors that individuals are already managing in addition to addressing new acute fears like –will I get sick if I go to a shelter? These new and exacerbated stressors are a risk for higher levels of burnout, compassion fatigue, and ill-being. …

The Role Of Social Work In Health Care For Veterans In The United States Of America (Praca Socjalna W Lecznictwie Weteranów Służby Wojskowej W Usa), Jaroslaw Richard Romaniuk

Faculty Scholarship

Clinical social work in the American system of health care and its specific features in the Veterans Affairs (VA) of veterans are described in this paper. VA hospitals are the largest employers of social work worldwide. Because health care for veterans is paid for from government funds, VA hospitals are subject to regulations developed on the basis of research into the system’s effectiveness and efficiency. Clinical social workers cooperate with physicians and nurses to comprise an integral part of the health care team. Social workers fulfill the usual tasks related to social well‑being but also act as health educators and …

Formative Research To Design A Culturally-Appropriate Cancer Clinical Trial Education Program To Increase Participation Of African American And Latino Communities, Jennifer Cunningham-Erves, Claudia Barajas, Tilicia Mayo-Gamble, Caree R. Mcafee, Pamela Hull, Maureen Sanderson, Juan Canedo, Katina Beard, Consuelo H. Wilkins

Department of Health Policy and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: Addressing knowledge deficiencies about cancer clinical trials and biospecimen donation can potentially improve participation among racial and ethnic minorities. This paper describes the formative research process used to design a culturally-appropriate cancer clinical trials education program for African American and Latino communities. We characterized community member feedback and its integration into the program.

Methods: We incorporated three engagement approaches into the formative research process to iteratively develop the program: including community-based organization (CBO) leaders as research team members, conducting focus groups and cognitive interviews with community members as reviewers/consultants, and interacting with two community advisory groups. An …

Engagement Of Community Stakeholders To Develop A Framework To Guide Research Dissemination To Communities, Jennifer Cunningham-Erves, Tilicia Mayo-Gamble, Yolanda Vaughn, Jim Hawk, Mike Helms, Claudia Barajas, Yvonne Joosten

Department of Health Policy and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: Dissemination of research findings to past study participants and the community-at-large is important. Yet, a standardized process for research dissemination is needed to report results to the community. Objective: We developed a framework and strategies to guide community-academic partnerships in community-targeted, dissemination efforts.

Methods: From 2017 to 2019, a community-academic partnership was formed in Nashville, Tennessee, and iteratively developed a framework and strategies for research dissemination using cognitive interviews. A deductive, constant comparative analysis was conducted on interview responses to examine framework and strategy content. Feedback was used to finalize the framework and strategies for the evaluation. …

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 …

The Abodamfo: Ghana’S Marginalization Of Their ‘Other’, Rockling Afariwaa

Student Writing

Traditional practices and thinking of most Ghanaians, has kept them from accepting and adapting to the social needs of their mentally ill population. The mentally ill are no longer accused of being witches, hung, or killed, and although the way people perceive and react to the mentally ill, in general, has evolved since the periods of Sigmund Freud, other forms of persecution against them exist in today’s societies. These persecutions are in the form of stigmatization, discrimination, and marginalization. Through Individual stigmatization and structural stigmatizations of mentally ill people in Ghana, by the societies and communities in which they are …

Marginalization And Criminalization Of People With Mental Illness, Ariana Walker

Student Writing

It is worth noting that people with a mental illness or disorder have a stigma around them that dictates how others treat them. With this stigma comes discrimination stemming from an already established opinion and experience with a person who has a mental illness. People who have a mental illness that affects their life are marginalized within our society, which means they get treated differently than the majority. This essay will serve as a discussion of the treatment history of mental disorders, forced institutionalization of the people, the impact deinstitutionalization had, and how this led to today’s problem of criminalization. …

The Cultural And Systemic Influence On Substance Use Disorder, Christina Seery

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The opioid epidemic is an extensive global problem, but it is not random that it is most severe in the United Sates. It is commonly believed that the individuals with substance use disorder and the health care system are at fault, however many people disregard the impact culture and systems have on substance use disorder. I tackled this gap by conducting formal qualitative interviews with experts in the field of addiction and dissecting academic work. After this research it is apparent that the American culture and institutions has made individuals vulnerable to become addicted to opioids while other similar European …

Mhpaea & Marble Cake: Parity & The Forgotten Frame Of Federalism, Taleed El-Sabawi

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

No abstract provided.

State Regulatory Responses To The Prescription Opioid Crisis: Too Much To Bear?, Lars Noah

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

In order to prevent further overuse of prescription opioids, states have adopted a variety of strategies. This article summarizes the growing use of prescription drug monitoring programs, crackdowns on “pill mills,” prohibitions on the use of particularly hazardous opioids, limitations on the duration and dosage of prescribed opioids, excise taxes, physician education and patient disclosure requirements, public awareness campaigns, and drug take-back programs. Although occasionally challenged on constitutional grounds, including claims of federal preemption under the Supremacy Clause, discrimination against out-of-state businesses under the dormant Commerce Clause doctrine, and interference with rights of commercial free speech, this article evaluates the …

Reflections On The Effects Of Federalism On Opioid Policy, Matthew B. Lawrence

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

No abstract provided.

“En Defensa Por La Salud”: Los Actores Sociales En La Construcción Del Movimiento Social En Chile, Karina Martinez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation aimed to describe the construction of the social movement for health demands in the frame of the social outbreak in Chile in October 2019. In addition to identifying the main health demands of this movement, it also had a focus on understanding the role of social organizations in the construction of the movement and placing it within the broader socio-political movement that arises from the social outbreak. The research design was qualitative and descriptive. Having been a remote investigation, it was largely based on literature review with the support of information from a semi-structured interview. Regarding the results, …

As Schools Close Due To The Coronavirus, Mental Health Care For Children Must Be Protected, Xiaoyan Zhang

Population Health Research Brief Series

This data slice highlights the expansive nation-wide school closings due to COVID-19 and encourages providers and government bodies to support the mental health needs of students across the country.

Pornography: Adolescent Brain Development & Addiction, William K. Canady

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation will explain the historical development of pornography. It will highlight three segments: 1- Porn’s impact on brain development of reward pathways, ultimately increasing the appetite for more porn. 2- Porn can be a false substitute for real intimacy, resulting in decreased sexual satisfaction with a real person and increased verbal and physical aggression. 3- Porn promotes sex trafficking, promotes multiple sex partners and reduced STD prevention.

Effect Of Influenza Vaccination On Mortality And Risk Of Hospitalization In Elderly Individuals With And Without Disabilities: A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study, Yu-Chia Chang, Ho-Jui Tung, Yu-Tung Huang, Chin-Te Lu, Ernawaty Ernawaty, Szu-Yuan Wu

Department of Health Policy and Community Health Faculty Publications

Purpose: The effects of influenza vaccines are unclear for elderly individuals with disabilities. We use a population-based cohort study to estimate the effects of influenza vaccines in elderly individuals with and without disabilities. Methods: Data were taken from the National Health Insurance Research Database and Disabled Population Profile of Taiwan. A total of 2,741,403 adults aged 65 or older were identified and 394,490 were people with a disability. These two groups were further divided into those who had or had not received an influenza vaccine. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to compare the relative risks (RRs) of …

A Health Disparity Action Plan: Achieving Equity Through Clinical Trials, Affordable Care, And Professional Development, Daniel Schafer, Shefa Moten, Ayesha Khan, Mauro Ferrari, Boris Lushniak, Edwin Burkett, Asad Moten

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Given the threatened nature of affordable care in the United States, it is crucial to underscore its importance. What is more, the reason such care is so important is the presence of an oft-unacknowledged disparity in access to quality care in this country and, indeed, around the world. A world without health disparities can be achieved and will be characterized by prompt and quality care available to all and at all stages of the care continuum. Further insurance reform is needed beyond the Affordable Care Act, while local care must be more accessible in rural, urban, and other underserved areas. …

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.

Access To Autism Spectrum Disorder Services For Rural Appalachian Citizens, Angela Scarpa, Laura S. Jensen, Denis Gracanin, Sharon L. Ramey, Angela V. Dahiya, L. Maria Ingram, Jordan Albright, Alyssa J. Gatto, Jen P. Scott, Lisa Ruble

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: Low-resource rural communities face significant challenges regarding availability and adequacy of evidence-based services.

Purposes: With respect to accessing evidence-based services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this brief report summarizes needs of rural citizens in the South-Central Appalachian region, an area notable for persistent health disparities.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data during focus groups with 33 service providers and 15 caregivers of children with ASD in rural southwest Virginia.

Results: Results supported the barriers of availability and affordability of ASD services in this region, especially relating to the need for more ASD-trained providers, …