Digital Commons Network^™

The Covid-19 Pandemic As A Catalyst For Integrated Global Mental Healthcare And Tuberculosis Care, Alexander L. Chu, Aneeta Pasha, Carmen Contreras, Leonid Lecca, Annika C. Sweetland, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Mental disorders are common among persons with tuberculosis (TB), and the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified the mental and physical health consequences of this deadly synergy. Here, we call to attention the immense vulnerability of people with TB to mental disorders during the pandemic and highlight the unique challenges and opportunities that the pandemic brings to the future integration of global TB and mental healthcare. We argue that the pandemic era is an ideal period to accelerate this integration and we provide research and policy recommendations to actualise this urgent need.

Section Iii: Collections (Evidence), Usf Libraries

SACSCOC 2025

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Conversational Agent For Individuals Ambivalent About Quitting Smoking: Protocol For A Proof-Of-Concept Study, Uma S. Nair, Karah Yeona Greene, Stephanie Marhefka, Kristin A. Kosyluk, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Despite the availability of a plethora of evidence-based smoking cessation resources, less than one-third of individuals who smoke seek cessation services, and individuals using these services are often those who are actively contemplating quitting smoking. There is a distinct dearth of low-cost, scalable interventions to support smokers not ready to quit (ambivalent smokers). Such interventions can assist in gradually promoting smoking behavior changes in this target population until motivation to quit arises, at which time they can be navigated to existing evidence-based smoking cessation …

Retention And Viral Suppression Among Adolescents Newly Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy In Adult Hiv Care In Lima, Peru: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Miyu Niwa, Eduardo Matos, Carly Rodriguez, Milagros Wong, Renato A. Errea, Alicia Ramos, Liz Senador, Carmen Contreras, Jerome T. Galea, Andrew Lindeborg, Carlos Benites, Sonya S. Shin, Leonid Lecca, Molly F. Franke

Social Work Faculty Publications

Purpose: Published data on outcomes among adolescents newly initiating antiretroviral treatment in the Latin American context are sparse. We estimated the frequency of sustained retention with viral load suppression (i.e., successful transition) and identified predictors of successful transition into adult care among youth (aged 14–21 years) with recently acquired HIV in Lima, Peru.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 184 adolescents and young adults who initiated antiretroviral therapy in an adult public sector HIV clinic between June 2014 and June 2019. Sustained retention (no loss-to-follow-up or death) with viral suppression was calculated for the first 12 and 24 …

Establishing A Dignity Scale - Measuring Intrinsic Value Within Social Contexts, Michael Pirson, Ralph L. Piedmont, Noemi Nagy, Donna Hicks

Department of Leadership, Policy, and Lifelong Learning

In this paper we describe the basics of the measurement of human dignity at the individual level, as well as within social contexts such as teams and organizations. In accordance with the prevailing literature, we define human dignity as the unconditional belief in the intrinsic value of life. Based on this, we established a model that understands dignity as a latent construct by evaluating personal sense of worth as well as behaviors that either violate or honor such an intrinsic value in social contexts. We developed and tested a 3-factor measure of dignity. The first factor assessed a personal sense …

Section Vi: Subject Area Report Cards (Evidence), Usf Libraries

SACSCOC 2025

No abstract provided.

Perinatal Depression And Implementation Of The “Thinking Healthy Program” Support Intervention In An Impoverished Setting Of Lima, Peru: Assessment Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Margot Aguilar, Carmen Contreras, Giuseppe Raviola, Alejandra Sepúlveda, Maricielo Espinoza, Leydi Moran, Lourdes Ramos, Jesús Peinado, Leonid Lecca, Gloria A. Pedersen, Brandon A. Kohrt, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Socios En Salud (SES) implemented the Thinking Healthy program (THP) to support women with perinatal depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima Norte. We carried out an analysis of the in-person (5 modules) and remote (1 module) THP intervention. Depression was detected using PHQ-9, and THP sessions were delivered in women with a score (PHQ-9 ≥ 5). Depression was reassessed and pre- and post-scores were compared. In the pre-pandemic cohort, perinatal depression was 25.4% (47/185), 47 women received THP and 27 were reassessed (57.4%), and the PHQ-9 score median decreased from 8 to 2, p < 0.001. In the pandemic cohort, perinatal depression was 47.5% (117/247), 117 women received THP and 89 were reassessed (76.1%), and the PHQ-9 score median decreased from 7 to 2, p < 0.001. THP’s modalities helped to reduce perinatal depression. Pregnant women who received a module remotely also reduced depression.

Adolescent, Caregiver And Provider Perspectives On Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence: A Qualitative Study From Lima, Peru, Silvia S. Chiang, Liz Senador, Elmer Altamirano, Milagros Wong, Catherine B. Beckhorn, Stephanie Roche, Julia Coit, Victoria Elena Rapoport, Leonid Lecca, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objectives: To understand the perspectives of adolescents (10–19 years old), their caregivers and healthcare providers regarding factors that impact adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment among adolescents.

Design: We conducted in-depth interviews using semistructured interview guides based on the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Five Dimensions of Adherence framework, which conceptualises adherence as being related to the health system, socioeconomic factors, patient, treatment and condition. We applied framework thematic analysis.

Setting: Between August 2018 and May 2019, at 32 public health centres operated by the Ministry of Health in Lima, Peru.

Participants: We interviewed 34 adolescents who completed or were lost to …

Enhancing Competency-Based Social Work Skills Through Service Learning And Interprofessional Education In A Student-Run Free Healthcare Clinic, Christopher Simmons, Amy Fisher, Roxann Mcneish, Karah Y. Greene, Melissa Thompson, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Student-run free clinics (SRFC) offer students the opportunity to learn and work with students from other disciplines; however, there is very little research on the benefits of SRFC to social work students. The purpose of this article is to describe the qualitative student outcomes of a service learning (SL) and interprofessional education (IPE) experience in a SRFC designed to enhance the interprofessional competencies of BSW social work students. Students (n=38) enrolled in a service-learning course and participated in a semester-long SL and IPE experience at a university-affiliated interdisciplinary SRFC. Qualitative findings from student reflections indicated that students perceived that the …

Editorial: Noncommunicable Diseases And Mental Health Experiences Before And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rahul Shidhaye, Annika C. Sweetland, Jerome T. Galea, Mir Nabila Ashraf, Malay K. Mridha, Hannah Maria Jennings, Aliya Naheed

Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lessons Learned In Co-Creating A Virtual Village For People Ageing With Hiv, Jasmine L. Lopez, Andrea N. Polonijo, Annie L. Nguyen, Karah Y. Greene, Jerome T. Galea, Moka Yoo-Jeong, Jeff Taylor, Brandon J. Brown

Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Mixed Methods Evaluation Of A World Health Organization Competency-Based Training Package For Foundational Helping Skills Among Pre-Service And In-Service Health Workers In Nepal, Peru And Uganda, Gloria A. Pedersen, Pragya Shrestha, Josephine Akellot, Alejandra Sepulveda, Nagendra P. Luitel, Rosco Kasujja, Carmen Contreras, Jerome T. Galea, Leydi Moran, Vibha Neupane, Damodar Rimal, Alison Schafer, Brandon A. Kohrt

Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Travel Motivations And Constraints Of Solo Women Travelers In Turkey, Egemen G. Tukenmez

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

Developments in the field of technology and transportation have accelerated people to travel and encourage consuming tourism products. For this reason, interest of people for individual travels increases year by year along with package tours. Solo travel, which has important parts of individual travel, is one of the crucial elements in travel industry. An important part of this travel is composed by women. Women interest travel solo with different motivations. In this way, they tend to consume different types of touristic products. However, travel constraints that experienced during solo travels affect satisfaction level of solo women travelers. For this reason, …

An Examination Of Parental Coping Strategies During Catastophic Events, Vivian K. Mills

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

On March 11, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Sars CoV-2 a global pandemic. The virus that originated in Wuhan, China, had spread to several other countries causing governments to shut down and issue safety mandates to slow and stop the spread. The pandemic caused global changes to normal routines and highlighted the importance of coping during these tough times. Although the global COVID-19 pandemic encompassed much of the news during the past few years, it is not an isolated catastrophic event to have impacted society. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires, wars, and other disasters have …

Adapting The Montessori Method In Saudi Early Childhood Classrooms, Lila A. Alhashim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how teachers have adapted the Montessori method in Saudi early childhood classrooms to align with Saudi socio-culture and Islamic practices. The study was framed using the socio-cultural theory. A qualitative multi-case study design was used to collect data from semi-structured interviews and on-site observations for four Saudi early childhood teachers in two Montessori classrooms in Saudi Arabia. The data were thematically analyzed manually and with NVivo software. The study results showed that the teachers encouraged children’s independence and freedom of choice in work time and during the classroom day, but limited their freedom during mini-lessons and circle …

Community Scholars: A Diversity Pipeline Program To Promote Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion For People With Disabilities, Laura M. Rodríguez López

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice documents the program evaluation of the Community Scholars (CS) program at the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC), a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at the University of South Florida (USF). CS is part of a diversity pipeline program that recruits youth with disabilities to engage in paid on-the-job training (OJT) with FCIC. Scholars are community members (youth with disabilities) that are enrolled as FCIC trainees and receive mentoring, development of basic administrative competencies, individualized career coaching, college counseling, and disability policy and self-advocacy training. Through the OJT experience, scholars gain skills that …

The Effect Of Covid- 19 Pandemic Process On Social Psychology And Nature-Based Therapeutic Activities, Aysun Yalvac, Esmahan Yalcin, Murad A. Kasalak

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Today, many scientists have stated that the use of nature-based products and activities at certain rates together with the healing effect of modern medical techniques during the epidemic that affects the whole world has health-supporting benefits. Based on these views, people's consumption of products obtained from natural resources has increased and the interest in outdoor activities in nature has increased. Due to the positive effects of these activities on mental health, socialization and rehabilitation processes, over time, it became necessary to consider these activities within the scope of therapeutic recreation applied to groups with health restrictions such as the disabled, …

Examining The Impact Of Work-Family Conflict On Organizational Commitment: Study Of Higher Education Sector In Northern Cyprus, Dilem Dana

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study examined the impact of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) on two forms of organizational commitment, namely affective commitment and continuance commitment on full-time academic staff of two universities in Northern Cyprus. Two main theories have been tested in the current study; one for Organizational commitment and one for Work-Family Conflict Concept. The organizational commitment has been operationalized by the Three Component Model by Meyer and Allen (1991) and work-family conflict concept (WFCC) has been operationalized by the integrative model of Gutek et al. (1991). An addition to that, social identity theory has been used as an …

Muslim-Friendly Medical Tourism, Noradiva Hamzah, Norlida H. M. Salleh, Izuli Dzulkifli, Tengku Wook

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

Tourism has emerged as an important socio-economic activity as it is a promising sector in the global economy. In every industry, intellectual capital (IC) is a crucial knowledge-based asset. It has become the most potent element in the production of organizational wealth. This article intends to shed some light on the Islamic value (IV) dimension of Muslim-friendly medical tourism (MFMT). This study employed a case study approach on five hospitals. The data was collected through in-depth discussions, hospital tours, and interviews. Within-case analysis was conducted to analyze the data. This study found that the hospitals’ management highlighted that taqwa (piety) …

Revisiting ‘Our’ Place On Campus: A Queer(Ed) And In-Depth Interview Study Of Qt Resource Professionals In Higher Education, Kristopher Andrew Oliveira

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation offers an interactional, structural, and theoretical analysis of the experiences of Queer and Trans (QT) resource professionals in higher education. Data from the empirical chapters draws on 41 in-depth semi-structured interviews that conducted with QT resource professionals from 19 different states across the United States. The interactional and structural chapters reveal tensions between institutional commitments to doing equity work on college campuses and the neoliberal and institutional barriers that QT resource professionals experience in promoting and fostering institutional equity on campus. The third substantive chapter offers a queer of color critique – through Muñoz’s (2019) notion of queer …

A Tale Of Two Art Programs: Art & Identity For People With Disabilities, Melinda Leigh Maconi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the relationship between disability and art in individual and organizational narratives told in the context of art programs that are designed to provide meaningful and inclusive experiences for people with disabilities outside of “art therapy.” Findings of narrative and thematic analysis of the websites of two non-profit disability centered arts education organizations, autobiographical sketches of disabled artists, and in-depth family history interviews with parents of people with disabilities suggest that the clear cut boxes created by scholarly and social movements narratives of disability do not map neatly onto the lived experiences of people with disabilities, their families, …

The Weekly Challenger, July 7, 2022, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The July 7, 2022, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

The Weekly Challenger, May 12, 2022, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The May 12, 2022, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Crow's Nest, April 4, 2022, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The April 4, 2022, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Never Mind Betrayal: America’S Indifference To The Kurds Is A Strategic Blunder, Jonathan Honigman

Journal of Strategic Security

Although they have proven themselves to be loyal and capable U.S. partners, America has refused to endorse either independence for Iraqi Kurds or autonomy for Syrian Kurds. That policy has been academically underscored by several Realism-based concepts including an offshore balancing approach to the Middle East. This paper argues that America can adjust to new realities in the region without having to forsake its worthwhile Kurdish partnerships. I first compare and contrast the costs of American support for Kurds and then refute the notion that Kurdish independence in Iraq or autonomy in Syria would cause instability or be nonviable. I …

Crow's Nest, March 21, 2022, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The March 21, 2022, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Numeracy And Financial Wellbeing During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nora Wikoff

Numeracy

This paper examines the role of numeracy in smoothing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that numeracy was associated with a 30% reduction in late or non-payment of bills and a 20% reduction in the odds of feeling financially squeezed. The effect of numeracy on financial wellbeing was remarkably consistent across levels of education, ethnicity, and gender, suggesting that improving numeracy levels in the population may be an effective strategy to increase financial capability across the board. However, while numerate individuals were less likely to experience financial difficulty, high numeracy did not predict narrower gaps between Whites …

Community-Based Accompaniment For Adolescents Transitioning To Adult Hiv Care In Urban Peru: A Pilot Study, Valentina Vargas, Milagros Wong, Carly A. Rodriguez, Hugo Sanchez, Jerome T. Galea, Alicia Ramos, Liz Senador, Lenka Kolevic, Eduardo Matos, Eduardo Sanchez, Renato A. Errea, Karen Ramos, Catherine Beckhorn, Andrew Lindeborg, Carlos Benites, Leonid Lecca, Sonya Shin, Molly F. Franke

Social Work Faculty Publications

We piloted a community-based intervention to improve outcomes among adolescents living with HIV who were transitioning to adult-oriented care in Lima, Peru. We assessed feasibility and potential effectiveness, including within-person changes in self-reported adherence, psychosocial metrics (NIH Toolbox), and transition readiness (“Am I on TRAC” questionnaire, “Got Transition” checklist). From October 2019 to January 2020, we enrolled 30 adolescents (15–21 years). The nine-month intervention consisted of logistical, adherence and social support delivered by entry-level health workers and group sessions to improve health-related knowledge and skills and social support. In transition readiness, we observed within-person improvements relative to baseline. We also …

Impact Of Prolonged Isolation On Adolescents With Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis In Lima, Peru: A Qualitative Study, Victoria Elena Rapoport, Elmer Altamirano, Liz Senador, Milagros Wong, Catherine B. Beckhorn, Julia Coit, Stephanie D. Roche, Leonid Lecca, Jerome T. Galea, Silvia S. Chiang

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objectives Patients with tuberculosis (TB) generally are instructed to isolate at the beginning of treatment in order to prevent disease transmission. The duration of isolation varies and may be prolonged (ie, lasting 1 month or more). Few studies have examined the impact of isolation during TB treatment on adolescents, who may be more vulnerable to its negative effects.

Methods This study took place from 2018 through 2019 in Lima, Peru, where the Ministry of Health mandates the exclusion of patients with TB from educational institutions for at least 2 months. Using semi-structured guides, we conducted individual in-depth interviews with adolescents …

A Role For Community-Level Socioeconomic Indicators In Targeting Tuberculosis Screening Interventions, Meredith B. Brooks, Helen E. Jenkins, Daniela Puma, Christine Tzelios, Ana Karina Millones, Judith Jimenez, Jerome T. Galea, Leonid Lecca, Mercedes C. Becerra, Salmaan Keshavjee, Courtney M. Yuen

Social Work Faculty Publications

Tuberculosis screening programs commonly target areas with high case notification rates. However, this may exacerbate disparities by excluding areas that already face barriers to accessing diagnostic services. We compared historic case notification rates, demographic, and socioeconomic indicators as predictors of neighborhood-level tuberculosis screening yield during a mobile screening program in 74 neighborhoods in Lima, Peru. We used logistic regression and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis to identify predictors of screening yield. During February 7, 2019–February 6, 2020, the program screened 29,619 people and diagnosed 147 tuberculosis cases. Historic case notification rate was not associated with screening yield in any …