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Quality Of Life And Mental Health: A Qualitative Exploration Of Perceived Factors That Impact Older Adults, Chasiti Herring

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enhancing quality of life and well-being is a universal phenomenon across the lifespan. As the population ages, older adults are in great need of supportive services to enhance quality of life and their ability to manage their mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of life (QoL) of older adults. This study aimed to provide valuable research in the area of QoL through the exploration of perceived factors that impact the older adult population. This exploratory qualitative research study consisted of 10 older adult participants between the ages of 65 and 95. Research recruitment prioritized …

Mindfulness As A Buffer Against Death Anxiety: Implications For End-Of-Life Care, Chad Alexander

University Honors Theses

Death anxiety, defined as the distress associated with the awareness of mortality, has profound psychological and cultural impacts. Western societies often respond to death salience through avoidance and medicalization, reinforcing defensive strategies described by Terror Management Theory. This project aimed to investigate whether mindfulness can serve as a buffer against death anxiety. A structured literature review was conducted using PsycINFO, PubMed, the Portland State University Library, and Google Scholar between January 2025 and April 2025. One study found that mindfulness moderated the effects of death anxiety on health-related quality of life in people living with HIV. Two experiments linked mindfulness …

Hope After Grief And Loss: A Needs Assessment Of Peer-Led, Non-Denominational Bereavement Support Services At Laurel’S Grief Center, Julia A. Lange

Public Administration Master’s Projects

This needs assessment examines the grief support services provided by Laurel’s Grief Center (LGC), a nonprofit organization in Buffalo, New York, and identifies opportunities to expand tailored services for grieving adults in Western New York. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, this study collected data through semi-structured interviews with LGC board members and surveys with clients and peer volunteers. Key findings highlight the importance of peer-led, non-denominational grief support and creative approaches, such as art therapy, while identifying barriers, such as stigma, limited awareness, and fragmented regional services.

Based on these findings, this study recommends expanding healing arts programs, enhancing outreach …

The Perspectives Of Provisionally Registered Psychologists On Voluntary Assisted Dying In Australia: An In-Depth Qualitative Investigation, Ker-Ni Vivienne Heng, Eyal Gringart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In Australia, voluntary assisted dying (VAD) is now widely legalised, and VAD uptake is on the rise. Thus, the demand for psychological support in the context of VAD is expected to grow. Despite their relevant expertise, psychologists remain underrepresented in end-of-life (EOL) literature and practice. The current in-depth qualitative study examined the perspectives of 20 provisionally registered psychologists in Australia on VAD, using reflexive thematic analysis grounded in social constructionism. Four main themes (‘Values’, ‘Fit-for-Role’, ‘Exposure’, and ‘Contributions’) and 14 sub-themes were generated from the data. Participants supported availing VAD for terminally ill patients and expressed the potential for its …

Grief On The Margins: The Death Of A Family Member To Substance Use, Adair Shaw

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite Canada's high death rates from substance use, there is limited research on the sociopsychological impact on families, who often face stigma and disenfranchised grief. This study explores how family members make meaning of a substance-related death. Through qualitative inquiry, eleven family members were interviewed on their experience of grief from substance death. The imprint of losing a family member to mental illness and substance use is fraught with intergenerational grief, ambiguity, prolonged mental-emotional distress, and relationship challenges. Substance death was also associated with stigma, social withdrawal, and shame for many participants. However, grievers reconstructed the socially prescribed negative perceptions …

How Do Older Adults Define A Good Death? A Scoping Review, Ellen L. Csikai, Quentin R. Maynard

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

A scoping literature review of the concepts of ‘good death’ and ‘dying well’ among older adults was conducted. The purpose was to identify aspects that older adults specifically considered important in defining a ‘good death’. The search revealed five articles published between 2005 and 2019 that met inclusionary criteria for the review. Primary among the views of the older adults in these studies of a ‘good death’ was the desire to avoid being a burden to families; done so by dying pain-free/peacefully (preferably in sleep) and preparing in advance by involving family in decisions and funeral/estate planning. Family support throughout …

Bridging Education And Service Learning Through Palliative Care, Jamie Borchardt

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Service learning can bridge the gap between traditional and transformational learning, as students are able to relate the course terminology directly to field experience. This project was set up to determine if volunteering for a semester at Hospice had any effect on emotional intelligence and positivity. A paired samples t-test compared differences in pre- and post-test scores on the Positivity Scale (PS) and the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT). The PS revealed a significant difference in pre- and post-test surveys: t(5)=-2.4, p=.03.

The Benefits Of Art Therapy On Stress And Anxiety Of Oncology Patients During Treatment, Helen Shiepe

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Within the last ten years research on art therapy and its positive impact on oncology patients’ stress and anxiety during treatment has been minimal. Oncology patients whether they are children or adults when diagnosed experience similar reactions due to their diagnosis, treatment, and in some cases end of life care. The current question is whether or not art therapy does have a positive impact on decreasing the stress and anxiety with oncology patients while undergoing treatment. Deane, Fitch & Carmen (2000), discussed art therapy as a healing art that is “intended to integrate physical, emotional, and spiritual care by facilitating …

Survey Of Attitudes Toward Performing And Reflecting On Required Team Service-Learning (Sasl): Psychometric Data And Reliability/Validity For Healthcare Professions Students In Preclinical Courses, Lon J. Van Winkle, Shane L. Rogers, Bradley O. Thornock, Brian D. Schwartz, Alexis Horst, Jensen A. Fisher, Nicole Michels

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Previously we assessed healthcare professional students’ feelings about team-based learning, implicit bias, and service to the community using an in-house paper survey. In this study, we determined whether this survey is a reliable and valid measure of prospective medical students’ attitudes toward required service-learning in an Immunology course. To our knowledge, no published questionnaire has been shown to be dependable and useful for measuring such attitudes using only eight survey items. Methods: Fifty-eight prospective medical students in Colorado (CO) and 15 in Utah (UT) completed the same Immunology course using remote technology. In addition to the usual course content, …

The Caregiver's Conflict: The Toll Of Death And Dying On Nurses' Mental Health And Wellbeing, Madison Brown

Student Works

A major responsibility for nurses is caring for patients during the end-of-life process, as well as helping families and patients cope with the death and dying process. It is well known that death and dying greatly impacts families, but little holistic research has been done on how death and dying impacts nurses’ mental and emotional wellbeing. Using databases Google Scholar, Web of Science, and EBSCO, 14 articles were analyzed regarding the impact of death on nurses’ mental health. Results show that the age of a patient plays a bigger role on death impact than nursing specialty does, as younger patients’ …

Integration Of Morphine And Virtual Reality: Pain Management For Adult Hospice Cancer Patients, Arlisa Hurd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is currently a problem in that cancer patients engaging in hospice may experience an excessive amount of perceived pain and a decreased quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore an intervention that could lessen the perceived pain experienced by, and increase the quality of life of, cancer patients engaging in hospice. Immersion music virtual reality (IMVR) allows a user to interact with a realistic, computer-generated environment. 3D music (IMVR) is likely suited for pain management with patients in hospice and was used for this study. The theory for the study is the gate control theory. …

Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Catholic Priests, Richard Ehusani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests that the clergy could be at the risk of developing secondary traumatic stress (STS) because of their secondary exposure to trauma within pastoral work; however, there has been no explicit discussion of STS related to Catholic priests who may be more at the risk of developing STS than their counterparts in other churches. The requirement of priestly celibacy often leaves Catholic priests with little to no immediate social and emotional support network of family. Because of their sacred vow to keep the confessional seal unbroken in whatever circumstance, Catholic priests also may not share confessional information, even when …

The Lived Experience Of Work Stress And Coping In Eldercare Hospice Nurses, Yvette Abraham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of elderly people living with terminal diagnoses has increased, along with the need for hospice nurses with specialized training to provide high-quality personal care that addresses their unique, critical needs. Research on nurses and other professionals who function in a demanding environment has demonstrated the experience of work stress, and negative physical and psychological consequences. However, little is known about the unique work stress and challenges of hospice nurses who care for the dying elderly. This study explored the meaning of hospice nurses’ experience of work stress and coping. Giorgi’s empirical phenomenological approach guided the development of the …

Urban And Rural Alaskan Physicians’ Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors Regarding Palliative Care, Mary Bernadette Cavalier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Palliative care provides multidisciplinary treatment of the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of patients and families with serious illnesses. Alaska has the highest per capita rates of serious illnesses in the United States, but many Alaskans lack access to palliative care. Using Engel’s biopsychosocial model of care, Saunders’ total pain theory, and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, the purpose of this study was to assess the role of physicians regarding palliative care access in Alaska. This quantitative multivariable regression analysis examined the relationship between 133 Alaskan physicians’ knowledge and attitudes (independent variables) and their behaviors (dependent variable) regarding palliative care; …

Nurse-Led Positive Psychology Intervention Is Feasible In Patients With Heart Failure, Erin Taylor

DNP Projects

Introduction:  Prevalence of heart failure (HF) in the US is projected to rise 46% by 2030, resulting in more than 8 million people with HF.  Negative psychologic states including depression and pessimism (negative future expectations) have been linked with poor cardiovascular outcomes, including HF.  Despite the fact that optimism (positive future expectations) and other positive affective states have been associated with superior outcomes, there has been little focus on interventions designed to increase positive psychological states in patients with HF.

Objective: To test the acceptability and feasibility of a nurse-led positive psychology intervention, Best Possible Self (BPS).

Methods: A convenience …

Efficacy Of Concreteness Training With Persons Qualifying For Palliative Care: Piloting An Ios Application, Diana Zarb

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Palliative care services (PCS) seek to increase quality of life and manage symptoms of persons with chronic illnesses. Depression and anxiety are common concerns for persons receiving PCS. One intervention that has demonstrated some effectiveness and requires further research is a brief concreteness training (CT) intervention based on cognitive-behavioral techniques. This study piloted the implementation of a brief CT intervention via an iOS application for persons qualifying for PCS. Forty-one people completed all of the pretest measures, and 9 participants completed the entire study. Variables measured were anxiety, depression, spiritual well-being, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and patient activation. Participants …

Motivation For Volunteering With Older Adults In A Rural Community, Tonia Maria Truesdell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Baby Boomer generation in the United States is growing older, and the number of adults age 65 years or older is expected to double by 2050. The increase in older adults combined with the reduction in services to older adults has created a gap in available social services and volunteers are needed to fill those gaps. This quantitative, nonexperimental study was designed to identify the motivations of volunteers who served the socialization needs of isolated older adults in a rural U.S. community. The functional approach theory was utilized to explain how volunteers engage in the same volunteer activity for …

Ethical Decision Making Of Counseling Mental Health Practitioners Working With Clients Right-To-Die Issues, Amanda E. Johns

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose this study was to explore the relationship between counseling mental health practitioners’ attitudes toward euthanasia and their ethical decision making levels when confronted with clients facing end-of-life concerns. A review of literature indicated a series of complex ethical, moral, and societal issues surrounding clients’ right-to-die issues. Because of the lack of research in the counseling field and the growing prevalence of right-to-die issues with clients who have a diagnosis of a terminal illness, more research in the counseling field is needed (Hadjistavropoulos, 1996; Winograd, 2012). Participants for the present study were recruited from six state divisions of the …

Behavioral Adjustment In Children With Life Threatening Illness A Qualitative Study, E. Joseph Becher Jr.

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study investigated factors that affect adjustment in children with life-threatening illness from the viewpoint of the parents/caregivers. The data were collected from parents/caregivers whose children have a life threatening diagnosis. Parents/caregivers were interviewed and asked to complete the Parent Request Questionnaire (PRQ) which was given to them after the in-person interview. This newly developed PRQ was utilized into prior research to predict the levels of adjustment in children. It includes age, whether the child has been informed of the diagnosis, whether the child engages in age-appropriate activities, the child's prior experience with death, the child's family's involvement in treatment, …

Item Fairness Of The Nonverbal Subtests Of The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, Fifth Edition, In A Latina, Simone C. Harlow

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Quality Of Life In Hemodialysis Patients, Cynthia I. Taylor

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The increasing number of patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) has caused a substantial rise in the number of individuals receiving hemodialysis. One of the persistent questions with this group has been the influence of the procedure on quality of life. The present study explored the important factors that influence quality of life in hemodialysis patients. Participants were 160 (71 men and 89 women, mean age 62.84 years) community-dwelling, hemodialysis patients. Participants completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life questionnaire and mental health and physical health composite scores were created in order to examine factors that can be considered …

The Effects Of Parent's Religious Coping On Children's Functioning After Loss, Beatrice A. Tauber

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study explored how parent's religious coping styles influence their child's behavioral reactions following spousal bereavement. Fifteen participants were recruited from churches, bereavement groups, hospices, palliative care programs and from victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Individuals who lost a spouse within the past 3 years and who had a child between the ages of 7 and 14 years participated. Parents described the religious coping strategies they employed after the loss of their spouse on Pargament's Brief Religious Coping Scale as well as the symptoms of their child on the Child Behavior Checklist. Pearson correlations demonstrated a significant …