Digital Commons Network^™

An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Perinatal Depression And Anxiety Among Pregnant And Parenting Adolescents In The Tampa Bay Area Of Florida, Olajumoke Adetoun Ojeleye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Perinatal depression (PND) and perinatal anxiety (PNA) are increasing among pregnant and parenting adolescents (PPAs), with PNA often underrecognized. This leads to significant socioeconomic costs and adverse maternal consequences if untreated. Hence, this dissertation explores the experiences of PND and PNA among PPAs, focusing on their knowledge gaps, perception, mental health needs, care preferences, and access to PMH care. The research employs a qualitative design (free-listing and in-depth interviews) to gather participant insights. Key findings reveal that many PPAs possess limited knowledge about PNA when compared to PND. Lack of support from partners, family, and peers emerged as the topmost …

Aiding Counseling Services To Increase Cultural Knowledge About Black And Lgbtq+ Populations, Brianna L. Walden

Public Health Capstone Projects

OBJECTIVES: The capstone project I would like to undertake is the creation of a quality improvement plan for the counseling and social work department of The Children’s Home to help them expand to reach vulnerable populations. A quality improvement plan, along with graphics reflecting the current data about mental health, will be delivered to The Children’s Home which they will be able to use in future projects and grant applications.

METHODS: The methods and research will be based on the 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and Community Counseling Needs Assessment conducted by The Children’s Home in August 2024 to …

Effects Of Social Isolation On Locus Coeruleus Opioid Receptor Expression And Affective Behavior, John Tkaczynski, Jordan Riser, Maya Patel, Nicole Shellenbarger, Jin Park, Daniel Manvich, Daniel J Chandler

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Social isolation is a stressor that impairs homeostatic neuroendocrine functions and is associated with the development of several mood disorders characterized by persistent negative affect. Persistent feelings of loneliness have been growing public health concerns for several years and were greatly exacerbated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem has grown so severe the U.S. Surgeon General recently declared loneliness to be an epidemic health concern that is associated with poor mental and somatic health outcomes. Therefore, identifying mechanisms of neuroadaptation that contribute to the development of persistent negative affect is a critical step in the identifying better …

In Case I Make It: An Autoethnographic Argument For Care, Space, And Utopia, Faelyn T. Cowan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Taking an autoethnographic and autotheoretical approach I examine within this project TomboloBooks’ Queer Comic Book Club. Drawing from José Esteban Mun֮oz’s ideas of queer utopia and Jen Jack Gieseking’s framework of constellations, and analyzing my own experiences, I present the Queer Comic Book Club (QCBC) as a moment of utopic queer worldmaking and argue for it’s potential as a site of alternative mental health care. Though I cannot provide here a generalizable model of book clubs as care, what I offer here is a series of possibilities, arguing for the potential of these spaces as community resources and sites of …

Preoperative Brain Volume Loss Is Associated With Postoperative Delirium In Advanced Heart Failure Patients Supported By Left Ventricular Assist Device, Iván Murrieta-Álvarez, Jacob P Scioscia, José M Benítez-Salazar, Jason Uwaeze, Zicheng Xu, Guangyao Zheng, Shiyi Li, Vladimir Braverman, Carl P Walther, Alexis E Shafii, Camila Hochman-Mendez, Todd K Rosengart, Kenneth K Liao, Nandan K Mondal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Delirium is a common neurological complication in patients with advanced heart failure (ADHF) following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, significantly impacting recovery. This study aimed to analyze non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scans of the brain in ADHF patients undergoing LVAD implantation to determine the association between pre-existing brain atrophy and postoperative delirium. A study involving 166 ADHF patients was conducted from March 2020 to July 2023. Non-contrast CT scans were analyzed using advanced quantitative neuroimaging techniques before implantation. The primary marker assessed was the lateral ventricle fraction (LVF), with secondary markers including cortical gray matter fraction (cGMF), white matter …

Exploring Creative Arts Therapists' Experiences With Online Therapy In South Korea During Covid-19, Changho Song

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of creative arts therapists (CATs) in South Korea who conducted online therapy sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global crisis forced a rapid shift to virtual platforms, raising concerns about the effectiveness of online creative arts therapy (OCAT) and its impact on therapeutic relationships. Grounded in phenomenological and arts-based research (ABR), this study examined the challenges, adaptations, and effectiveness of OCAT. The research addressed the following questions: (1) How did CATs experience the transition to online therapy? (2) What challenges did they encounter, and how did they adapt? (3) How did online therapy affect therapeutic …

Identifying Factors Associated With Sleep Disorders And Treatment Avoidance Among Collegiate Student-Athletes, Allie Ziniti, Andrew W. Froehle, Brian A. Edwards

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

Introduction: Mental health concerns among collegiate students-athletes are exacerbated by poor sleep, and this population experiences elevated risk for irregular sleep patterns and associated sleep disorders. Interventions aimed at early identification of student-athletes experiencing sleep disorders and guiding them to treatment can contribute to improved mental health in this group. The present study’s objective was to clarify risk-factors associated with increased likelihood of sleep disorders and treatment avoidance in student-athletes. Methods: Data were self-reported survey responses related to sleep disorders, from US college/university varsity athletes (n=51,882) completing the 2011-2019 National College Health Assessments (NCHA). Outcomes: The primary outcomes that we …

Evaluating The Meditation Practices And Barriers To Adopting Mindful Medicine Among Physicians, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, Chelsea G Ratcliff, Christine Bakos-Block, Francine Vega, Marylou Cardenas-Turanzas, Aila Malik, Radha Korupolu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Chronic pain affects over 25% of U.S. adults and is a leading cause of disability. Mindfulness meditation (MM) is a nonpharmacologic approach to manage pain and improve well-being. Despite mounting evidence supporting its efficacy, MM remains underutilized in medical practice. Understanding physicians' engagement with MM and the barriers they face can inform strategies for integration into clinical care. This study assessed physicians' attitudes toward MM, including barriers to practice and their likelihood of recommending it to patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of U.S. physicians was conducted from April to July 2024. Participants provided information on demographics, health struggles, and …

Exploring The Effects Of Indoor Plants On Executive Function, Jose David Romero Silva, Aj Heritage

Master's Theses & Other Graduate Student Works

The link between greenery in schools and cognitive performance is underexplored, even with evidence of its benefits in other settings. Research indicates that adding green plants to an office can improve mood and lower stress (Bergefurts et al., 2021). This study explored the factors behind the psychological benefits of indoor plants on executive function in college students. The study proposed two competing hypotheses based on Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Enrichment Theory. Hypothesis I: Based on the Attention Restoration Theory, integrating plants into the classroom benefits students’ executive function by giving them a sense of relief from fatigue. Hypothesis II: …

A Qualitative Approach To Identifying Obstacles To Mental Healthcare In The Rio Grande Valley From The Perspective Of Mental Healthcare Professionals., Shania M. Linder, Cristian Botello, Raquel Villarreal, Nelda Rodriguez, Mario Gil, Dayana Zamora

Research Symposium

Background: There are many factors that prevent members of the Hispanic/Latino community from accessing mental health resources. This is important to investigate because there is a lack of knowledge on why residents of the Rio Grande Valley, an underserved region of South Texas, are unable to access and/or utilize mental health resources.

Methods: A focus group session was held at a mental health counseling clinic in Cameron County, Texas on February 1, 2024. The participants consisted of mental health professionals, such as two mental health clinicians, a clinical counselor, two school counselors, a licensed professional counselor supervisor, and a …

A Review Of Factors That Contribute To Negative Mental Health Among Health Profession Students And Current Interventions, Faith T. Allison, Acsw, Lindsay Gietzen, Phd, Pa-C

Pacific Journal of Health

The purpose of this literature review is to review literature surrounding behavioral health impacts of education on students seeking bachelor’s degrees or higher in the health care sector. The studies range from individuals in undergraduate programs to individuals in graduate programs such as medical school. This review aimed to identify commonalities in the existing literature pertaining to the contributing factors that have been shown to have a detrimental impact on the mental, emotional and physical well-being of the students. Students that are forced to navigate a complex academic landscape filled with rigor and intense competition may have difficulties coping as …

Impact Of Acute Stress On Circadian Rhythm Regulation Of Locomotor Activity In Syrian Hamsters, Raquel A. Villarreal, Laura E. Garcia, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: Disruptions of circadian rhythms, caused by factors such as environmental changes or stress, are linked to health conditions, including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and mood disorders. Circadian rhythm disturbances are particularly relevant for understanding the etiology of conditions like insomnia, depression, and anxiety. The circadian rhythm, primarily regulated by the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the hypothalamus, coordinates biological processes to align with daily environmental cycles. Acute stress, especially when experienced immediately upon waking, has been shown to disrupt these rhythms, impair sleep regulation, and exacerbate mood dysregulation. Given the significant clinical implications, understanding how stress impacts circadian rhythms is …

Harmony In Healing: Investigating The Impact Of Music Therapy Reduction, Literature Review, Joshua K. Mcelliott, Nina Mourao, Bethany Woolman, Shizue Mito, Ney Alliey Rodriguez

Research Symposium

Background: Various treatments exist for treating anxiety disorders, and a therapy that appears to show promise is music therapy (MT). This includes using methods such as listening to music, structured musical activities, and improvisational musical activities. MT has shown efficacy in a wide range of settings including individuals with severe mental illness, cancer patients1,2, children, adults, in-patient care, and out-patient care.

Methods: This literature review aimed to evaluate current research on the efficacy of music therapy for treating anxiety. The guidelines for selecting which studies to review are as follows:

1. Publication date: only studies published after 2000 were included to …

   ---

   Go to article

Connectome-Based Predictive Modeling Of Ptsd Development Among Recent Trauma Survivors, Ziv Ben-Zion, Alexander J Simon, Matthew Rosenblatt, Nachshon Korem, Or Duek, Israel Liberzon, Arieh Y Shalev, Talma Hendler, Ifat Levy, Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, Dustin Scheinost

Staff and Researcher Publications

Importance: The weak link between subjective symptom-based diagnostics for posttraumatic psychopathology and objective neurobiological indices hinders the development of effective personalized treatments.

Objective: To identify early neural networks associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) development among recent trauma survivors.

Design, setting, and participants: This prognostic study used data from the Neurobehavioral Moderators of Posttraumatic Disease Trajectories (NMPTDT) large-scale longitudinal neuroimaging dataset of recent trauma survivors. The NMPTDT study was conducted from January 20, 2015, to March 11, 2020, and included adult civilians who were admitted to a general hospital emergency department in Israel and screened for early PTSD symptoms indicative …

Gatekeeper Perspectives On Suicide Prevention, Anne Woolston

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is a profound public health problem across the United States that has lasting effects on individuals, families, and their communities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.b). Suicide affects all ages and is a serious concern across the life span. However, rates of suicidality are higher among youth. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death among people 55 to 64 years of age, the fourth leading cause of death for people 35 to 54 years of age, and the second leading cause of death for people 10 to 34 years of age (CDC, n.d.a). Recently, more attention …

Profiles And Well-Being Of Older Adult Caregivers In Singapore, Yi Wen Tan, Rachel Wen Yi Ngu, Kenneth Choo, Lydia Ng, Wensi Lim

ROSA Research Briefs

In Singapore, the government espouses a “many helping hands” philosophy towards caregiving, where care for older adults is borne by three pillars: the family, the community, and the state (Mehta & Vasoo, 2000). Of these, the family is regarded as the “first line of support”, rendering family caregivers essential to the care of older adults (Ng et al., 2016). Many of these caregivers are themselves older adults, where the average age of caregivers was found to be 62 years (Tan, 2023). As Singapore’s population continues to age, alongside demographic trends of extended longevity and a shrinking population, many more will …

Contraceptive Hormone Influences On The Role Of Primary Reinforcement And Reinforcer-Enhancement In Nicotine Self-Administration, Kathleen Robin Mcnealy

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Hormonal contraceptives contain a synthetic estrogen (e.g., ethinyl estradiol/EE) and/or a synthetic progestin (e.g., levonorgestrel/LEVO) and can exacerbate nicotine intake. However, whether altered intake reflects changes in nicotine reinforcement or enhancement by nicotine of co-occurring reinforcers is unknown. This reinforcer-enhancement effect is evidenced in rats when nicotine self-administration is increased by the presence of a visual stimulus (VS) reinforcer. This dissertation examined the effects of EE and LEVO on nicotine reinforcement and reinforcer-enhancement in ovary-intact female Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were implanted with a jugular catheter and assigned to receive daily injections of EE (Vehicle, 0.125 [Low], or 0.18 [High] μg/day; …

A Study Of Secondary Traumatic Stress In Health Care Professionals In Long-Term Care., Bethany Proudfoot

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is a significant concern for healthcare professionals in long-term care (LTC) settings. This study explores the impact of STS on clinical staff, addressing the research question: How has STS affected employees within the LTC sector, and what resources or support can be provided to mitigate its effects? The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining survey data from clinical staff across five LTC facilities in Ohio, incorporating the survey data measuring levels of STS and qualitative responses. Findings revealed that 64% of participants experienced high to severe levels of STS, with symptoms including anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, …

Awareness On Environmental Air Pollution Among Adults In Rural Mysuru, Rakesh M, Jesymol Joy, Sunil Kumar D

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Introduction

Air pollution is a major environmental threat and one of the main cases of death among all risk factors known so far. Health effects also include preterm and low-birthweight, asthma as well as cognitive and neurological impairment basically having the potential to impact our whole body, way beyond our lungs. The proposed study focusses on to assess the awareness on air pollution and factors associated with it among adults in South Mysuru which can put a light on the preventive measures and policies to be taken by the individuals as well as the authorities.

Methodology

A Community-based cross-sectional study …

Individual Liberty, Safety And Police Liabilities Under The Mental Health (Care And Treatment) Act, Gary Kok Yew Chan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

How should a society strike a balance between the objective of ensuring safety from dangers that may be posed by individuals believed to have a mental disorder and the deprivation of their liberty? How should police officers discharge their duties in apprehending such individuals with a view to conveying them to a medical practitioner at a psychiatric institution? These legal issues took centrestage in the Singapore High Court decision of Mah Kiat Seng v Attorney-General in which the apprehended individual brought claims in false imprisonment against a police officer. The decision examined the underlying purposes of the Singapore Mental Health …

Management Of Aggressive And Disruptive Behavior In The Emergency Department Using De-Escalation Techniques And Simulation: A Quality Improvement Project To Improve The Knowledge And Confidence Of Emergency Department Nurses And Clinical Staff, Ernestine Darby-Littlejohn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Approximately 40% of all healthcare workers have reported episodes of violence by patients over the last 2 years. This Veteran’s Health Agency reported 824 disruptive events reported in the last 5 years, of which 56 occurred in the emergency department. Research shows that interventions are not always timely, resulting in the clinical staff requesting the Veteran’s Health Agency Police to intervene when a veteran’s level of stress is escalating. The gap in practice is shown to be related to a lack of knowledge in the clinical staff in managing high stress levels exhibited by some veterans, limited knowledge of …

Psychosocial Burden And Suicidality In Epilepsy: A Public Health Concern, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

The increased risk for psychosocial burden and suicidality in people with epilepsy compared to the general population is a well-established global public health concern. Suicidality risk is also increased in patients with functional seizures. The timely identification of patients at highest risk for psychosocial burden and self-harm is vital. This can pose a significant challenge for multidisciplinary clinicians caring for people with epilepsy. Early identification of social stressors and comorbid psychiatric contributors via screening are required to assist with the development of predictive models for self-harm in epilepsy; and subsequent options for treatment and the provision of adjunct supports in …

Pornography, Problematic Use And Academic Outcomes In College Students: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Promise Tewogbola, Victoria Bodunde, Deborah Odaudu

Journal of Graduate Education Research

Background: The prevalence of pornography consumption among college students has raised concerns about its potential impact on academic performance. This study aims to examine the relationships between pornography use, academic outcomes, and problematic pornography use among university students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 739 students from a Midwestern U.S. state university. Participants completed an online survey assessing demographics, grade point average (GPA), pornography consumption frequency, Academic Success Inventory (ASI) scores, and Problematic Pornography Use (PPU) scale scores. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to examine associations between variables.

Results: Pornography consumers had 41% lower odds of …

Sweet Lies: Influence Of Food Marketing On Childrens’ Health And The Need For Reform, Mollie M. Warrington

Honors Theses

Markedly, there is heavy marketing of unhealthy food to children. This has become a significant public health concern because of escalating rates of child obesity, which have long-term consequences for physical health and severe mental health repercussions, such as body image concerns and low self-esteem. This thesis explores how food marketing strategies, historically rooted in television ads and evolving through digital platforms, are linked to children's dietary choices and broader public health implications. It analyzes various manipulative tactics, such as digital advertising, influencer endorsement, and gamification, showing how companies take advantage of the cognitive vulnerabilities of children to propagate unhealthy …

Intersect Between Brain Mechanisms Of Conditioned Threat, Active Avoidance, And Reward, Muhammad Badarnee, Zhenfu Wen, Mira Z Hammoud, Paul Glimcher, Christopher K Cain, Mohammed R Milad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Active avoidance is a core behavior for human coping, and its excess is common across psychiatric diseases. The decision to actively avoid a threat is influenced by cost and reward. Yet, threat, avoidance, and reward have been studied in silos. We discuss behavioral and brain circuits of active avoidance and the interactions with fear and threat. In addition, we present a neural toggle switch model enabling fear-to-anxiety transition and approaching reward vs. avoiding harm decision. To fully comprehend how threat, active avoidance, and reward intersect, it is paramount to develop one shared experimental approach across phenomena and behaviors, which will …

Pharmacological Interventions For Negative Symptoms In Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review Of Randomised Control Trials, Lorenzo Moccia, Francesca Bardi, Maria Benedetta Anesini, Sara Barbonetti, Georgios D Kotzalidis, Sara Rossi, Romina Caso, Flavia Grisoni, Giuseppe Mandracchia, Stella Margoni, Tommaso Callovini, Delfina Janiri, Marianna Mazza, Alessio Simonetti, Silvia Montanari, Gianna Autullo, Giovanni Camardese, Maria Pepe, Marco Di Nicola, Vassilij Di Giorgio, Fabio Conti, Gabriele Sani, On Behalf Of The Gemelli Repsy Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/Objectives: While positive symptoms of schizophrenia are often satisfactorily controlled, negative symptoms are difficult to treat, persisting despite treatment. Different strategies have been devised to deal with this problem. We aimed to review drug treatment for negative symptoms of schizophrenia in controlled trials of marketed drugs.

Methods: We searched the PubMed database and the resulting records' reference lists to identify eligible trials using schizophrenia[ti] AND "negative symptom*"[ti] as a search strategy. We determined eligibility through Delphi rounds among all authors.

Results: On 11 February 2025, we identified 1485 records on PubMed and 3 more from reference lists. Eligible were 95 …

Intraocular Pressure Changes Associated With Psychological Stress Or Anxiety In Both Healthy And Glaucoma-Diagnosed Patients, Triston Crook, Porter Biggs, James Fini, Zane Kingsbury

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Benefits Of Equilibrium Between Microbiota- And Host-Derived Ligands Of The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor After Stroke In Aged Male Mice, Pedram Peesh, Maria P Blasco-Conesa, Ahmad El Hamamy, Romeesa Khan, Gary U Guzman, Parisa Honarpisheh, Eric C Mohan, Grant W Goodman, Justin N Nguyen, Anik Banerjee, Bryce E West, Kyung Ae Ko, Janelle M Korf, Chunfeng Tan, Huihui Fan, Gabriela D Colpo, Hilda Ahnstedt, Lucy Couture, Solji Roh, Julia K Kofler, Jose F Moruno-Manchon, Michael E Maniskas, Jaroslaw Aronowski, Rodney M Ritzel, Juneyoung Lee, Jun Li, Robert M Bryan, Anjali Chauhan, Venugopal Reddy Venna, Louise D Mccullough, Bhanu Priya Ganesh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent studies have highlighted the crucial role of microglia (MG) and their interactions with the gut microbiome in post-stroke neuroinflammation. The activation of immunoregulatory pathways, including the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) pathway, is influenced by a dynamic balance of ligands derived from both the host and microbiota. This study aimed to investigate the association between stroke-induced dysbiosis and the resultant imbalance in AHR ligand sources (loss of microbiota-derived [indole-based] and increase of host-derived [kynurenine-based]) after stroke. Microbiota-derived AHR ligands decreased in human plasma and remained low for days following an ischemic stroke highlighting the translational significance. Transient-middle-cerebral-artery-occlusion was performed in …

The Potential Of Using Screening Tools For Bipolar Disorder To Predict Lithium Response, Delfina Janiri, Mario Pinto, Silvia Montanari, Ester Maria Marzo, Greta Sfratta, Guglielmo Donofrio, Alexia Koukopoulos, Giovanni Camardese, Alessio Simonetti, Lorenzo Moccia, Gianna Autullo, Gabriele Sani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/Objectives: Lithium is the gold standard for treating Bipolar Disorder (BD), but its effectiveness varies widely. While clinical and environmental factors may influence response, it remains unclear if screening tools can reliably predict lithium response outcomes. This study explores this potential using two widely used screening instruments for BD.

Methods: A total of 146 patients with BD were evaluated. Lithium response was assessed using the Alda Scale, while hypomanic and manic symptoms were characterized through the Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32) and the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). Group differences in HCL-32 and MDQ scores were analyzed using ANOVA, and a multivariate model …

Counseling Students’ Perceptions Of Support During The Covid-19 Crisis: A Qualitative Study, Breahannah Hilaire, Galaxina G. Wright, Lea H, Laurie O. Campbell

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the counseling programs in clinical instruction, mentorship, and student’s perception of the university. The qualitative data presented in this paper identifies eight counseling students’ beliefs of support during their time in counseling program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews. An interpretive phenomenological analysis resulted in four themes: including higher education response, personal resources, emotions in crisis, and transitions in crisis.