Medicine and Health Commons^™

Maternal Immune Activation (Mia) In Mice: A Study To Phenotype Asd-Related Communication Behaviors And Analyze Maternal Health Outcomes In The Us, Komalpreet Gulati

Honors Scholar Theses

Core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) include deficits in social/communicative behaviors, and repetitive/stereotyped behaviors. Mouse models are a highly established paradigm used to study the phenotypic deficits that result from various inducible genotypic or environmental risk factors for ASD. Previous studies have demonstrated a link between maternal immune activation (MIA) and ASD-like behaviors in mouse models. In this model, the maternal immune system is activated during pregnancy by injecting the viral mimic poly(I:C). The resulting offspring are phenotyped and analyzed with regards to their communicative behaviors.

Previous studies have demonstrated that male pups born to dams with immune activation …

Health Behavior Among Men Occupying Multiple Family Roles And The Moderating Effects Of Perceived Partner Relationship Quality, Nicole Depasquale, Courtney A. Polenick, Jesse Hinde, Jeremy Bray, Steven H. Zarit, Phyllis Moen, Leslie B. Hammer, David M. Almeida

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Men in the U.S. are increasingly involved in their children’s lives and currently represent 40% of informal caregivers to dependent relatives or friends aged 18 years or older. Yet, much more is known about the health effects of varying family role occupancies for women relative to men. The present research sought to fill this empirical gap by first comparing the health behavior (sleep duration, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, fast food consumption) of men who only occupy partner roles and partnered men who also fill father, informal caregiver, or both father and informal caregiver (i.e., sandwiched) roles. The moderating effects …

The Micro-Politics Of A New Mental Condition: Legitimization In Maladaptive Daydreamers' Discourse, Orit Bershtling Ph.D., Eli Somer Ph.D.

The Qualitative Report

This study illuminates legitimization efforts in the discourse of individuals who suffer from excessive, uncontrolled daydreaming: a contested mental condition that has not yet been recognized by the medical establishment. It aims to explore the rhetorical maneuvers employed by these “Maladaptive Daydreamers” in 35 email exchanges with the second author and two petitions, submitted to the American Psychiatric Association and to the UK Parliament, with a demand for recognition. Our analysis, anchored theoretically and methodologically in Critical Discourse Analysis, identified several verbal strategies employed by the participants to persuade their interlocutors about the realness of their suffering. The main strategies …

A Military Chronic Pain Interdisciplinary Outpatient Program’S (Iop) Approach To Reducing Pain And Disability And Increasing Functional Ability, Paris N. Mcdonald

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

The present study employed self-report measures to assess pain intensity, self-report perception of disability, and patient activation, and objective functional measures to explore the outcomes of a military interdisciplinary chronic pain intensive outpatient program. Seventy-three Active Duty Service Members (SM) with chronic pain completed baseline measures (pre-IOP) and graduation day measures, 60 SMs completed one-month follow-up measures, and 28 completed three-month follow-up measures. Results indicated that self-report pain levels decreased from pre-IOP to graduation day. The decrease was maintained; however, no additional significant decrease in pain occurred following program completion. Further, participant’s self-reported perception of disability due to back pain …

Measuring Women's Empowerment In Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory And Confirmatory Factor Analyses Of The Demographic And Health Surveys, Ibitola O. Asaolu, Halimatou Alaofè, Jayleen K. L. Gunn, Akosua K. Adu, Amanda J. Monroy, John E. Ehiri, Mary H. Hayden, Kacey C. Ernst

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Women's status and empowerment influence health, nutrition, and socioeconomic status of women and their children. Despite its benefits, however, research on women's empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is limited in scope and geography. Empowerment is variably defined and data for comparison across regions is often limited. The objective of the current study was to identify domains of empowerment from a widely available data source, Demographic and Health Surveys, across multiple regions in SSA.

Methods: Demographic and Health Surveys from nineteen countries representing four African regions were used for the analysis. A total of 26 indicators across different dimensions (economic, …

El Impacto De Las Artes Visuales En Personas Afectadas Por Cáncer, Bettina Ingham

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

El impacto de las artes visuales en el bienestar y la mejora de la calidad de vida de personas afectadas por cáncer.

Un programa diseñado para poner en práctica e investigar el alcance que tienen las artes visuales y el método de Estrategias de Pensamiento Visual para el desarrollo de habilidades de pensamiento que promueven la identificación y expresión verbal de las emociones, minimizando, en el caso de las personas convalecientes, el sufrimiento que va desde el dolor de la enfermedad hasta el miedo a la muerte.

Los efectos que la contemplación (percepción estética), el análisis y la práctica(proceso creativo) …

Facebook As A Social Outreach And Advocacy Tool In Intersex/Dsd Groups, Emelie J. Ali Ms

Publications and Research

My project includes a netnography of a Facebook intersex group called Families and Friends of Intersex People. I observed the group’s forms of communication within the group and which topics they discussed. It appears one of the major concerns the group has is the use of nonconsensual, sex assignment surgery on infants to “correct” their body to match a gender identity. I have also discovered a link between being intersex and affiliated with the LGBT+ community. Since the 20th century, intersex people have been stigmatized due to their assumed ability to engage in sexual, same-sex relations. I have concluded that …

The Impact Of Prosthetics On Amputee Quality Of Life, Courtney Tabor

Liberal Arts Capstones

After someone has a limb amputated, their lifestyle must be rearranged to accommodate for the loss of the limb. This can include adjusting to an inability to do tasks that used to come easily and a drastic reduction in mobility. They may now require assistance with caring for themselves. As a side effect, amputees often experience a significant level of depression and anxiety related to their situation. A selection of literature was analyzed for the physiological, psychological, and sociological effects of losing a limb, and then for the ways in which a prosthetic limb would alleviate some of these issues. …

Allopathic Medicine’S Influence On Indigenous Peoples In The Kumaon Region Of India, Eliana M. Blum

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper focuses on the use of western medicine in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, India. The goal of this research is to understand which healing practices are preferable in rural villages. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 53 participants, including two spiritual healers, two doctors, and one pharmacist. Results indicate that allopathic medicine, otherwise known as modern medicine or western medicine, has become the go-to remedy for even the most remote people in India. Nearly all participants use allopathic medicine, but less than half of the participants experiment with other forms of healing, such as Ayurveda, homeopathy, meditation, and yoga. …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

The Impact Of Beauty, Body Image, And Health Discourses On Eating Disorder Risk In South Asian-Canadian Women, Nazia Bhatti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explores socio-cultural influences that impact South Asian women’s self-perceptions and eating behaviours. The findings revealed that cultural gender ideologies played a substantial role in shaping the way women view themselves and their bodies. The analysis of interviews conducted with seven South Asian-Canadian women between the ages of 19-29 years, demonstrate that women’s perceptions of their own physical appearance is framed within the context of their South Asian cultural identity and cultural norms. This study was approached through the lens of post-colonial feminism by examining cultural factors that contribute to South Asian women’s increased risk for developing eating disorders. …

How Graduate Experience Changes Beliefs In Working With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Populations: A Survey Study, Stephanie Bove

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Speech-language pathologists work in a variety of settings that require savvy transitions between patients from many cultures and backgrounds. Graduate students may get little practice working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations depending upon where they perform their practicum and internships. Researchers at a mid-western university developed a survey to collect student perspectives regarding cultural competence. A single cohort received the survey at three intervals to track a change in responses from the beginning of their first year of graduate school through their clinical fellowship. Students took a Multicultural Issues class between their first and second survey responses. Data collected …