Health Promotion And Illness Prevention, Kelly Atnip, Kelly D. Atnip

Integrated Studies

Abstract

Those with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are likely to have a shorter life expectancy and experience an onset of disability sooner. An unhealthy lifestyle also increases the chance of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. We can decrease our chances of all of those by taking care of our physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual, and environmental health. Health promotion and illness prevention gives us the choice to better our own lives and the quality of our lives. This can be done by the actions we take daily that influence our health and prevent illness. Some of these actions include activities such …

Benefits Of Early Childhood Education And Family Support, Daisha Best

Integrated Studies

Abstract

There have been misconceptions about the purpose of early childhood education and early childhood centers and how the program is designed. Many people believe that the early childhood education process is easy because young children do not really learn, but simply spend their time playing at early childhood centers. As a result, many people believe they can teach their child without the assistance of an early childhood center but what caregivers don’t know is that there is more to Early Childhood Education than just playing games. Early Childhood Education helps young children give them a head start on giving …

The Benefits Of The Affordable Care Act, Melanie Ramage

Integrated Studies

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a health care reform law enacted in March 2010. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The ACA has been the most all-inclusive reform of healthcare in the United States. It is the first time that the government has mandated health insurance. The ACA has significantly expanded public insurance, both Medicare and Medicaid. The government also provides payment assistance for individuals who seek their own health insurance coverage through the health insurance marketplaces. While the poor has benefited the most, the middle class have been forced to make major …

Prescription Drug Abuse In America, Je'vonte Hughes

Integrated Studies

Prescription drug abuse in America is responsible for over 70,000 deaths a year in the U.S. in 2017 and 2018. This issue is the result of Americans misusing prescribed drugs and medicine for personal use and illegal distribution. If started as a teenager prescription drug abuse can become an uphill battle for their later years. This study tackles the issues that are causing these numbers and found that there is a relationship between drug dealers and doctors who write illegal prescriptions and how Americans are getting their hands on these medications. This study also found that depression, lack of work/low …

Hospital Closures And The Impact On Rural America, Misti Minter

Integrated Studies

Abstract

It has been projected that by the year 2020, there will be approximately 120,000 physicians that we will lack in the United States. Smaller town hospital closures are prevalent in the United States. The shortage of physicians in rural communities is on the rise. The number of students interested in a potential medical physician career has become limited. Those that pursue the medical career path are most often not enticed to practice in rural areas. These increasing factors are directly and negatively impacting the average rural community, as quality patient care is compromised. The correlation exists between physician shortages, …

Green Manufacturing For The Win! A Look At The United States Versus The World, Christopher I. O'Neal

Integrated Studies

This paper looks into the history of manufacturing in the United States of America (U.S.A.) and compares the evolution of manufacturing systems of the U.S.A. to other industrialized and industrializing nations. It explores the ground-breaking technologies developed throughout the history of modern manufacturing and how government regulations have helped and hindered in certain sectors. This paper also looks at the way companies are using green technologies and ideas to meet regulations and help curb carbon emissions for a healthier planet.

The second idea behind this paper is to show the economic impact of green technology in the manufacturing industry and …

Healthcare Barriers For The Undocumented Immigrant In The United States, Anita Gipson

Integrated Studies

Abstract

We are taught early in our education that the United States of America was founded by immigrants. The United States is a very diverse country that people of other countries see as a land of opportunity. However, not everyone that enters into our beautiful country enter legally. Many residents of other countries are so desperate to provide a better life of opportunities to their families that they will do anything to make that happen. Even if it means breaking, the immigration laws in place by the United States and enter illegally by crossing the border. Many reasons play a …

Medication-Assisted Treatment: Barrier Or Facilitator, Justin Colley, Justin Colley

Integrated Studies

Abstract

Using medications in the treatment of substance abuse disorders has become as an important part of available treatment options offered by medical practitioners. In this paper data will be presented to show the benefits and barriers associated with using several types of medication-assisted treatment to treat opioid use disorder. There are three drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid dependence: Buprenorphine, Methadone, and Naltrexone. There has been limited adoption of pharmacotherapies in the treatment of substance use disorders. In treatment of addiction, medications are used to reduce the intensity associated with withdrawal symptoms, reduction of cravings …

Reducing The Risks Of Contaminated Flexible Endoscopes And Improving The Margin Of Safety With The Reprocessing Process, Lisa Greenwell

Integrated Studies

Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is a minimally invasive, medical procedure that is an important tool for the identification and treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Contaminated flexible endoscopes pose a significant risk to patients. Endoscopy associated infections and outbreaks have been reported with multi-drug resistant microorganisms. Inadequate endoscope reprocessing has been associated with infectious outbreaks, but some outbreaks have occurred despite strict adherence to established guidelines. To lessen the risk associated with endoscopy, it is imperative to identify problem areas within current reprocessing standards and develop, evaluate, and implement evidence-based solutions.

Overcoming The School To Prison Pipeline, Revonda Slaughter

Integrated Studies

Statement of the Problem

This paper will explore the following question: How can teachers, schools and communities prevent a myriad of minority students from entering the school to prison pipeline? The exact essence of what the school to prison pipeline is, will also be analyzed within this paper. An exploration will be conducted as to why minorities are becoming the main target in the school system. This paper will give examples and explanations of why the school to prison pipeline should not be over looked.

Review Of Broke And Patriotic: Why Poor Americans Love Their Country, Peter A. Kindle

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Review of Broke and Patriotic: Why Poor Americans Love Their Country

Rural Community Development As A Teaching Environment For Cross-Professional Training In Macro Social Work And Community And Regional Planning, Elizabeth Shay, Maureen Macnamara

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

A rural community development project combined faculty and students from two courses (community and regional planning, and social work practice in groups, communities, and organizations) housed in different colleges (Arts and Sciences, and Health Sciences, respectively) at a medium-sized public university in a small Appalachian community. The project required students from two different courses to cooperate on data collection, and collaborate on analysis and recommendations, in an exploratory effort at cross-professional training focusing on social work and community development in a rural region.

School Social Workers: Important Assets In Rural Areas, Dana C. Branson

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

As the American educational system continues to evolve and take on more social service responsibilities for students, their families, and the community, the need for school social workers has intensified. However, the demand considerably exceeds developed positions for school social workers. The increase in awareness of childhood trauma, toxic stress, poverty, and potential to spill over into the classroom places schools in a position where they need to be responsive to students’ multi-faceted needs. This conceptual article will discuss the overwhelming need for school social workers, barriers to obtaining school social workers, and the benefits school social workers can bring.

A Review Of Literature: Identifying Barriers To Academic Success Among Students With Disabilities Attending College In Rural Regions, Kaycee Lynn Bills

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

College students who have disabilities are an oppressed population that faces many challenges related to accessibility barriers in higher education located in rural environments. The number of adults with disabilities attending college has been steadily increasing over the past decade. As the number of college students with disabilities continues to rise, it is essential for researchers to identify the barriers education attainment barriers they face in rural college settings. This study is a systematic review of literature that analyze past studies in order identify the challenges students with disabilities face in higher education settings located in rural regions. It also …

Rural Social Work And Environmental Justice, Pamela C. Twiss

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

While social work education and literature includes a growing body of work focused on environmental justice and the role of social work in addressing environmental injustices, limited attention has been paid to the disproportionate impact of these issues in rural areas. Many rural places can be more accurately described as rural-industrial in character. They produce the world’s food through highly mechanized agro-businesses, its timber, and much of its fossil fuels through large mining and drilling operations, each presenting threats to the surrounding environment and local peoples. This work describes environmental issues and injustices common to select large-scale rural industries, discusses …

Voices From The ‘Holler’: Implementation And Analysis Of An Advanced Advocacy Practice Course In Rural Appalachia, Leah Hamilton, Rachel L. Wright, Kellie Reed-Ashcraft

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The availability of quality macro education is a critical determinant to policy engagement among social workers, especially for those in geographically isolated areas. This mixed methods, pilot study compares self-assessed CSWE policy competencies of graduating MSW students who completed an Advanced Advocacy Practice course with a comparison group. Student course reflections were also analyzed for common themes. Results indicate that students who completed the course rated themselves higher across policy competencies than graduating MSW students who had not completed the course. They were also more likely to see policy advocacy as a “primary skill” for social workers. Qualitative analysis suggests …

Recollections And Voices: An Appalachian Community Revisited, Kristina M. Hash, Christine E. Rittenour, Catherine Gouge, Tamba M'Bayo, Lori Hostuttler, Tyler Redding

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Scott’s Run has a rich history as a tight-knit, coal-built community in the heart of rural Appalachia. To learn more about the lives of the community members during the Depression Era, an interdisciplinary research team from five departments at a major university in the state conducted an oral history project focused on historical photos of the community. Individuals who grew up in the area reviewed photographs taken early in the 20^th century and provided information and shared stories related to the time and place of the images for context. The interviews uncovered key themes that told a much more …

Promoting Environmental Justice Research And Practice For Social Workers In A Rural State: Methodology And Findings Of A Pilot Qualitative Study, Monika Leininger, Kirsten Havig

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Environmental justice work is an emerging field of practice that recognizes the interrelationship between social, economic, racial, gender, and environmental injustice and the impact social workers can have for policy and practice. Despite inclusion of environmental justice knowledge and practice as critical elements of ethical social work, little research exists on the topic in the professional knowledge base. Additionally, little research exists to date that specifically examines environmental justice knowledge and practice in a rural area. This pilot study examines awareness and knowledge of environmental justice issues and practice amongst licensed social workers in a rural western state using focus …

Food Pantries And Stigma: Users’ Concerns And Public Support, Peter A. Kindle, Mckayla Foust-Newton, Marissa Reis, Margaret Gell

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study compares the perception of stigma measured as social distance between users (n = 40) and non-users (n = 202) of local food pantries in the Upper Midwest. Utilizing the concept of social distance to measure social disapproval and stigma with a new Food Pantry Stigma Scale, these nonprobability results indicated that users’ perception of stigma was significantly higher than the non-using public (Cohen’s d = 1.56). These findings suggest that public support for need-based use of local food pantries in the Upper Midwest is substantially higher than those facing food insecurity anticipate.

Mindful Awareness Training: A Pilot Study Integrating Mindfulness Practices Into A Rural Jail-Based Substance Abuse Program, John Paulson, Veronica Huggins, Douglas A. Gentile

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Mindfulness practices are now utilized in a variety of behavioral healthcare settings, including the criminal justice system. This article summarizes the findings of a pilot project incorporating mindfulness practices into a jail-based substance abuse program in a rural county jail. Participants that engaged in a psychoeducational mindfulness group that utilized practices adapted from the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) curriculum had improved scores on measures of mindfulness, self-compassion, and quality of life. A mediated path model suggested that the length of time participants were involved in the group and their estimated amount of mindfulness practice outside the group was related to …

The Impact Of Prescription Pain Reliever Misuse And Heroin Use On Morbidity And Mortality By Level Of Urbanicity: 2002-2014, M. Fe Caces, Peter J. Delany, Michael A. Cala

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Non-medical use of prescription pain relievers (PPRs), heroin, and more recently fentanyl, continue to have major public health consequences in the United States. This article analyzes trends in PPR and heroin use, emergency department and hospital stays, substance use treatment services, and mortality to assess the relative impact of the opioid crisis on rural versus more urbanized counties in the United States. Our findings suggest that while more urbanized counties have had greater increases in opioid use, rural and less urbanized counties tended to be more negatively impacted than larger and non-rural counties. Disparities in service availability highlight the need …

Rural Social Work In Scotland, Colin Turbett

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The idea that social work in rural areas in Scotland might best be based on different approaches to those used in urban areas (where the vast majority of the population live) has received scant attention in recent years. There is a dearth of research on which to plan services that fit with such a notion. However, given the Scottish Government’s emphasis on community engagement, this is of interest. This Insight looks at the particularities of the rural context, the policy framework, and goes on to describe approaches that can be used to help social workers living and working in rural …

Contemporary Mental Health Care In Rural Areas: Challenges And Strategies, Whitney Cassity-Caywood

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Mental health care and illness prevention present distinct challenges in rural areas with limited resources. This paper examines rural-specific mental health care concerns and uses a public health prevention model to discuss the most current and prolific strategies to address these issues. The unique role of the social work profession in implementing these strategies is highlighted.

Women Ascending To Leadership Positions In Rural Nonprofit Organizations, Jose Carbajal, Kristin Bailey-Wallace, Bonita B. Sharma, Tiffany Bice-Wigington, Wilma Cordova, Shanta Scott, Aparecida De Fatima Cordeiro Dutra

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study investigates women’s experiences as they ascended to leadership roles in nonprofit organizations in rural communities, primarily in East Texas. The aim of this study is to understand the lived experiences of women in top management as they ascend into leadership positions, as the characteristics and experiences of effective leaders in rural nonprofits may differ from those of urban nonprofit agencies. There is limited research regarding women’s leadership experiences in rural nonprofit organizations. Using a phenomenological inquiry approach, we interviewed 32 women currently serving in leadership roles in rural nonprofit organizations. The research question guiding this phenomenological study was: …

Labeling Sexual Assault Perceptions Associated With Ptsd Symptom Severity, Shania Cole

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Many agree that sexual assault is a common problem among females, but there is less agreement regarding how to label individuals who experience sexual assault. Most research has examined the connotations associated with the labels, most of which has associated “victim” with negative connotations and “survivor” with positive adjectives. Few studies empirically examine how individuals of sexual assault respond to these labels and how the labels relate to outcomes in these individuals’ lives. Unfortunately, individuals who have experienced an unwanted sexual encounter are at higher risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understanding how these individuals label themselves, and how …

A People So Different From Themselves: British Attitudes Towards India And The Power Dynamics Of The East India Company, Eric Gray

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Gray, Eric, A People So Different from Themselves: British Attitudes Towards India and the Power Dynamics of the East India Company. Master of Arts (History), April, 2019, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky.

Today, many characteristics of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century British Raj are well ingrained in the public consciousness, particularly Victorian Era Britons’ general disdain for numerous aspects of the many cultures found on the Indian Subcontinent. Moreover, while many characteristics of the preceding East India Company’s rule in India were no less exploitative of Indian peoples, evidence shows a much different relationship between British and Indian cultures during the …

Barriers To Change For Augmentative And Alternative Communication, Lauren E. Brown

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of counseling training on speech language pathologists’ (SLPs) perceived competency to address Attitude Barriers within the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment process as presented by Beukelman and Mirenda (2005). Counseling techniques, such as the use of the Readiness to Change© tool, are within the scope of practice for SLPs. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on how to apply these tools and techniques with individuals who use AAC .

A training seminar was conducted to educate participants in the use of the Readiness to Change© tool. Data was …

Matriculation Through Dual Credit, Lorry Beth Wilson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Earning college credit in high school has become a rising trend, while correlation of matriculation to credit hour accumulation, underrepresented minority population, and high school data is limited. State policies are redefining outdated rules and processes in order to provide access, affordability, and awareness to students throughout the United States. West Kentucky Community and Technical College, in partnership with area high schools, enroll students in dual credit courses, which assists with increasing college credential completion and the reduction of total college costs. Students must have guidance and planning before, during, and after earning dual credit. This helps the student to …

A Concurrent Validity Study Of The Missouri Adaptive Ability Scale And The Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition—Teacher Form, Lindsey Hansen

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study utilizes correlational data to demonstrate the construct validity of the Missouri Adaptive Ability Scale (MAAS) by comparing it to Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3) Teacher Form, a thoroughly researched and validated measure of independent living and adaptive functioning. The purpose was designed to extend research conducted to achieve construct validity of the MAAS. Twenty-six high school students with low incidence handicapping conditions (M = 17 years old) were included in this study. The ABAS-3 Teacher Form was obtained from archives and the MAAS was administered directly to the participants by the author. Pearson correlations revealed strong …

The Impact Of Gender Normed Scoring Of The Brief Symptom Inventory On Trans* Individuals, Ashley Megan Bieze Wilson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the significance of the choice of gender normed scoring on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) (Derogatis, 1993) when assessing cisgender and trans* or gender non-conforming individuals. This study compared two groups, cisgender and trans* individuals, on male and female gender normed scoring for the BSI. Each participant’s responses on the BSI were scored using both male and female norms and the number of clinically significant elevations (T-score ≥ 63) was counted. Results indicated that regardless of gender identity or sex-assigned-at-birth (SAAB), a higher mean number of elevations was found when using male …