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Acculturation, Well-Being And Identity Of Oromo Immigrants, Hawi M. Wako

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between racial and ethnic identity, acculturative stress, and well-being for first generation Oromo immigrants. Studies regarding immigration, acculturative stress, identity, and well-being have primarily centered on Hispanics, Asians, and Caribbean individuals, but there has been a lack of attention toward Black African immigrants, including Oromo immigrants. The lack of inquiry into Black African immigrants, especially Oromo immigrants, creates a perception that all immigrants are the same, leading to a generic approach toward immigrant interventions and falls short of meeting the unique mental health needs of specific African communities.

Immigrants must …

Examining Ethnic-Racial Socialization As A Predictor Of Resilience And Ethnic-Racial Stress In Hispanic/Latine Young Adults, Adrian Josue Hernandez

Dissertations

Multiple scholars have emphasized the importance of elucidating how Hispanic/Latine individuals are socialized to navigate issues pertaining to ethnic-racial identity, such as ethnicracial stress from racism and discrimination (Ayón et al., 2020; Umaña-Taylor & Rivas-Drake, 2021). Ethnic-racial stress has been linked to numerous adverse physical and mental health outcomes among Hispanic/Latine people, including poor health-related quality of life and increased depressive symptoms (Alamilla et al., 2010; Andrade et al., 2021).

Attention to the role of ethnic-racial stress in exacerbating health disparities within Hispanic/Latine communities has also stimulated increased interest in understanding Hispanic/Latine resilience (Arce et al., 2020; Bosma et al., …

Counselor Education Doctoral Student Supervisors’ Preparedness To Address Indirect Trauma: Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, And Vicarious Trauma, Dynetta Clark

Dissertations

Hearing the painful stories of clients (indirect trauma) has been described as an occupational hazard for professionals working with trauma survivors and is becoming more common among mental health professionals. This might include counselors struggling with intrusive thoughts and having flashbacks of victimization, counselors viewing the world as an unsafe and unpredictable place, and/or counselors experiencing a loss of ability to empathize with clients. Clinical supervision is documented as an effective strategy to reduce the adverse effects of indirect trauma symptomology. A signature component of most counselor education and supervision doctoral programs is the training and preparation of students to …

Black Women’S Instagram Usage And Body Dissatisfaction, Shirlee Buchanan Moore Jr.

Dissertations

Within U.S. culture, girls and women of all ages are subject to experiencing body dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction often results from direct comparison of one’s body to others, often via media depictions. Viewing these images prompts women of all cultures to engage in social comparison and learn to view themselves through an observer’s perspective. The advent of contemporary social media has increased the accessibility of images of others and, subsequently, social comparison of one’s body to others. Research has noted that women of all racial backgrounds utilize social media and experience varying degrees of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with their bodies. Despite …

Relationship Enhancement With New College Dating Couples: An Examination Of Self-Report And Observational Data, Kyra Katte

Dissertations

The present dissertation project investigated relationship enhancement following a brief self-disclosure task (i.e., the Fast Friends Procedure; FFP) via self-report and observational data. Thirty-three undergraduate couples dating for less than six months asked and answered questions that required increasingly higher levels of self-disclosure for 45 minutes. Interactions were recorded and coded for fondness/admiration, experiential avoidance, interdependence, reciprocity, and relationship satisfaction. Relationship outcomes were assessed pre-FFP, post- FFP, and at a six-month follow-up timepoint. Variables measured via observation demonstrated correlations with and predicted relationship outcomes, though most findings were nonsignificant. Nonsignificant findings may be attributed to the virtual administration of the …

A Comparison Of Training Approaches On Skill Acquisition Among Direct Care Staff At An Adult Day Program, Sandra Wagner

Dissertations

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are often dependent on direct care staff to engage in daily activities, such as personal care, eating, and engaging in leisure activities. One way direct care staff can support adults with IDD to become more independent is by using prompting strategies. Often times, however, direct care staff have not been trained on how to use prompts to encourage independence. Current studies have demonstrated success in teaching direct care staff prompting strategies in personal care tasks (e.g., Engelman et al., 2002; Parsons et al., 1993) through behavioral skills training. Although the trainings produced an …

Female Criminal Agency In Early Fourteenth-Century Norfolk, Anna K. Davis

Masters Theses

Medieval women who were on the wrong side of the law expressed agency in a specific and unusual manner. Criminal agency, as it were, was a way for them to express their wants and desires in a way that is no less valid a subject of study than actions that were legally permissible. However, this agency was constrained by medieval notions of women’s capability. This thesis examines women and their crimes found in an early fourteenth-century Norfolk gaol delivery roll to further understand how the men who ran gaol delivery “allowed” women to be criminal. As gaol delivery rolls were …

White Counseling Psychology Doctoral Trainees’ Experiences Broaching Whiteness With White Clients: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study, Zari Koelbel Carpenter

Dissertations

This research builds upon scholarship of critical theorists and critical whiteness studies. The “invisibility” of whiteness has been increasingly acknowledged and attended to in counseling psychology. Further, prominent scholars have continuously urged the field of counseling psychology to acknowledge race as a psychological characteristic of white people (Helms, 2017; Helms & Carter, 1990a). Attention to whiteness is needed, as the majority of the counseling workforce, including doctoral students (55%), identifies as white (American Psychological Association, 2020). As racial identity development can advance the personal and professional development of white counseling psychologists and benefit clients, increased attention is merited for the …

A Qualitative Study On The Role Of Companion Animals For Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Fariha Tabassum

Masters Theses

This research study explores the role that companion animals play in the lives of women who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Intimate partner violence has biopsychosocial repercussions. Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse causes trauma, which worsens mental health issues, and cognitive function. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was used for this study. I conducted ten interviews to examine the perspectives of professional advocates working with IPV survivors. Recognizing the crucial role social interactions play in trauma recovery, the study investigates the therapeutic benefits companions may have for survivors who have experienced intimate partner violence. Despite much research has been …

The Embedded Scaffolded Writing Mini-Course (Teswmc): An Approach To Improve Teacher Candidates’ Writing Skills And Attitudes, Vicky Giouroukakis Ph.D., Laurie Bocca

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

High-quality academic writing is critical to student success in graduate-level education courses and professional advancement in our field. The Embedded Scaffolded Writing Mini-Course (TESWMC) was designed to both improve teacher candidates’ skills in writing critically and effectively and to positively influence teacher candidates’ attitudes towards writing. The 7-week mini-course was taught by the teacher educator/researcher as a “push-in” into a semester-long graduate Education course. The mini-course also served as a pilot study to determine its efficacy. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Data revealed that teacher candidates reported that their writing skills and attitudes towards writing improved. …

Clinical Application Of The Soil Model: A Practical Case Consideration, Shivani B. Vij

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Cultural Respect In Academia, Alondra Ammon

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Given the aim to increase diverse representation in health care to promote equitable health care outcomes, occupational therapists must critically examine how we respect cultural diversity. This opinion piece intends to highlight the importance of creating academic spaces where students can thrive and carry over those teachings beyond the classroom and into the communities they serve. The author, who identifies as a person of color, is a Ph.D. candidate and academic occupational therapy educator who integrated their constructionist epistemological lens and reviewed literature to inform a working definition of cultural respect and recommendations. Cultural respect involves recognizing, understanding, and appreciating …

Primary Care Occupational Therapy: Diagnoses, Outcomes, Reimbursement, And Team Satisfaction, Sue Dahl-Popolizio, Tina M. Sauber, Mandi Ogaard, Martina Mookadam, Shanthi V. Cambala, Felicia E. Trembath

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Literature supports including occupational therapists on primary care teams. Few occupational therapists practice in this setting. The health care community needs more information regarding the benefits of occupational therapists on the team.

Method: We completed an 18-month pilot integrating an occupational therapist in a primary care team, tracking conditions treated by the occupational therapist, visit duration, reimbursement, and level of primary care providers’ (PCP) satisfaction. We then evaluated outcomes via a retrospective chart review.

Results: Visits were brief, averaging 35 min. Longer visits did not improve outcomes. Occupational therapists were reimbursed by Medicare (47%), commercial (47%), …

A Retrospective Study Of Healthcare Needs Of Unpaid Caregivers In The United States, Ranelle M. Nissen, Jessica Mchugh Conlin, Mackenzie L. Feldhacker, Whitney Lucas Molitor, Allison J. Naber

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Introduction: Demand for caregivers is on the rise. In the US, 53 million individuals provided care in 2020. Older adults constitute nearly half of all care recipients and often receive care from a family member. This study identified the health care needs of caregivers regarding health care use, access to resources, and unmet needs.

Methods: We used a retrospective, cross-sectional design to examine existing data collected between 2013 and 2018 regarding caregiver experiences. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test of independence.

Results: Caregivers were primarily female, White, between the 18 and 64 years …

Breastfeeding As Co-Occupation: Occupational Therapy’S Role In Promoting Health And Well-Being, Lisa Joelle Sutton, Julie D. Kugel, Dragana Krpalek, Arezou Salamat

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Even with efforts to encourage mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months, the majority of women are not able to undertake breastfeeding as the sole means of infant nutrition provision for various reasons. The role of occupational therapists working with mothers who breastfeed is complex and not strongly supported in the literature. Therefore, this qualitative study was designed to examine the role that occupational therapists may engage in supporting mothers and infants in the co-occupation of breastfeeding.

Method: A qualitative phenomenological study design was applied and included 11 occupational therapists working with breastfeeding dyads. The …

Preparation And Use Of Physical Agent Modalities Among U.S. Occupational Therapists: A Mixed-Methods, Exploratory-Descriptive Study, Keith Gentry, Tammy Lesage, Devin Hebble, Lilly Adams, Ashlyn Watts

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Physical agent modalities (PAMs) are used by occupational therapists to prepare for or facilitate participation in purposeful activities. However, little has been published in the last quarter century regarding how U.S. occupational therapists use and are prepared to use of PAMs in contemporary clinical practice. In this study, U.S.-based occupational therapists were surveyed regarding their use of PAMs, preparation for use, and perceptions of that preparation.

Methods: Survey data was collected from a purposive sample of 141 U.S.-based occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants as part of this exploratory-descriptive, mixed-methods study. Thematic and descriptive statistical analyses were …

Pawsitive Purpose: The Impact Of Autism Assistance Dogs On The Occupations Of Autistic Children, Morgan Starkweather, Amie E. Germain, Christine A. Kivlen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background. The World Health Organization recognizes that participation is important to individuals’ well being; yet, autistic children participate in fewer activities compared to neurotypical children. This article aims to describe the role of autism assistance dogs (AADs) in promoting participation and engagement in occupations and activities of daily living (ADLs) for autistic children.

Method. A qualitative interpretative phenomenological design was used. Two semi-structured interviews from a narrative perspective were conducted with each participant. Four volunteer parents and primary handlers of their child’s AAD participated in the study. Inductive analysis was used to interpret open-ended questions. Following transcription, Creswell’s …

Current Landscape Of Interventions That Promote Self-Determination In Adolescents With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities In Secondary Transition: A Scoping Review, Chia-Yang Chiang, Tsu-Hsin Howe

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Purpose: Although promoting self-determination in secondary transition is an important goal when working with adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the conceptualization and definitions of self-determination and its associated skills are not consistent. The aim of this scoping review was to examine how self-determination and its associated skills have been conceptualized and defined in interventions that support secondary transition in adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and how self-determination is operationalized accordingly in those interventions.

Method: Studies published between 2006 and 2021 were searched using databases, including MEDLINE, PubMed, ERIC, PsycINFO, Education Source, and OTseeker. Hand-searching of bibliographies was …

Understanding The Needs Of Gender-Diverse Youth And Young Adults And Their Staff Members In Homeless Shelters And Supported Housing, Sharon Gutman, Ashley Choi, Alexis Kearney, Margaret Swarbrick Dr

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Gender-diverse youth experience twice the risk for homelessness as their same-age cisgender peers and report experiencing discrimination in homeless shelters and supported housing.

Method: Eighteen participants (9 gender-diverse residents and 9 staff members) were interviewed individually to understand their experience of and needs in these settings.

Results: The major findings included: (a) Gender-diverse service recipients felt unsafe and vulnerable in these facilities. Sharing space in which to carry out occupations of vulnerability often triggered anxiety and PTSD. (b) Gender-diverse service recipients felt that staff members did not understand how cumulative trauma adversely affected participation in programmatic …

Effectiveness Of An Occupational Therapy-Led Social Skills Group Using Parent Training: A Pilot Study, Sheryl Eckberg Zylstra, Yvonne L. Swinth, Aimee Sidhu, Julie Anderson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Social skills support the development of a positive self-concept and engagement in a variety of life roles, habits, and routines. The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework clearly defines the occupational therapist’s role in working with children with difficulties in social skills; however, little research exists examining the effectiveness of occupational therapy-led group interventions to support social skills development. Incorporating parent training into social skill development can improve overall outcomes and reinforce skill development across contexts.

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether an occupational therapy-led social skill group, combined with parent training, was effective …

The Use Of Occupational Therapy Interventions In A Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Lucy Weathers, Sarah Schwartzberg, Kenneth Pettit, Fang Wang, Shilpa Gorantla, Saad Ghafoor

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the role of occupational therapy (OT), including types of interventions that can be provided in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) setting, and to evaluate the use and safety of OT services in an early mobility program.

Methods: A retrospective review via medical records occurred between January 2019 and June 2020. The frequencies and adverse events of OT interventions were compared preimplementation (January–September 2019) and postimplementation (October 2019–June 2020) of an early mobility program.

Results: A convenience sample of 56 patients comprised the preimplementation group, and 83 comprised the postimplementation …

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session ,June 27, 2024, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Approval of the Minutes (April 25, 2024 Meeting)
• Remarks by the Chair of the Board
• Remarks by the President
• Updates by the Faculty Senate President
• Updates by the Western Student Association President
• Western Michigan University Employee Graduates
• WMU’s Investment in the Future – Academic Tenure and Promotion
• Public Comments Regarding Action Items

Action Items

• Resolution: Trustee Dr. William F. Pickard’s Leadership Legacy
• Academic Tenure and Promotion
• Student Room, Board, and Apartment Rates 2024-2025
• Tuition and Required Fee Rates Fall 2024
• General Fund Budget, Fiscal Year 2024-2025
• Five Year Capital Outlay Master Plan
• Lease Agreement with Formosa …

A Brief Self-Compassion Intervention For Survivors Of Sexual Trauma With Psychological Distress, Natalie Marie Hogue

Dissertations

Individuals who have experienced sexual trauma are at an increased risk of psychological disorders and psychological distress (Dworkin, 2020; Dworkin et al., 2017; Dworkin & Schumacher, 2018). Sexual trauma has one of the highest conditional risks for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (Domino et al., 2020; Perrin et al., 2014). Experiential avoidance, shame, and posttraumatic cognitions are associated with psychological distress after experiencing sexual trauma (Bhuptani et al., 2019; Domino et al., 2020; Foa et al., 1999; Merwin et al., 2009). Established research suggests that self-compassion-based therapies can be effective in reducing psychological distress and treating a wide range …

Long Covid Patients: A Phenomenology Study Exploring Mental Health And Psychosocial Adaptation To Disability, Tonia Joy Lans

Dissertations

In the United States, approximately 1 in 13 long COVID patients experience adverse complications two to three years post-recovery (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022), including physical, psychological, and cognitive impairment, issues with daily functioning, and difficulties returning to work (del Rio et al., 2020; Greenhalgh et al., 2020; Ladds et al., 2020; Logue et al., 2021). Moreover, collective research has indicated the debilitating complications of long COVID often result in impaired mental health, chronic illness, and disability. While significant research efforts have started to accumulate data to understand and treat the physical and neuro-logical manifestations of this chronic …

Dietary Probiotic Supplement Attenuates Methamphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference In Female Sprague-Dawley Rats, Kristen Powell

Masters Theses

Substance use disorders (SUD) represent a global public health crisis with limited effective treatment options. Recent findings implicate the gut microbiome and gut/brain axis in the pathophysiology of SUDs. Several preclinical studies have established that psychostimulants alter gut microbiome composition, but no published studies have assessed behavioral effects of dietary probiotic supplements on drug-induced behavioral changes. This study utilized rodent conditioned place preference (CPP) as a behavioral index of conditioned drug reward to determine if a dietary probiotic supplement alters the behavioral effects of (+)-methamphetamine (METH). Fifty-four adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to receive either a standard rodent …

Estimating And Applying Parameters Necessary To Plan Cluster Randomized Trials (Crts) And Multisite Cluster Randomized Trials (Mscrts), Dea Mulolli

Dissertations

Cluster randomized trials (CRTs) are commonly used to study the effectiveness of educational interventions. During the design phase of a study, it is critical for researchers to ensure their studies are adequately powered to detect meaningful treatment effects, including both main and moderator effects. Designing CRTs with adequate power to detect main and moderator effects requires accurate estimates of design parameters. This research aims to advance the literature on design parameters for power analyses, specifically focusing on empirical estimates of intraclass correlations (ICCs). The work consists of three research papers that examine the role of including the teacher level in …

A Microgenetic Learning Analysis Of Contextuality In Reasoning About Exponential Modeling, Elahe Allahyari

Dissertations

This work explores the complex cognitive processes students engage in when addressing contextual tasks requiring linear and exponential models. Grounded within Piagetian constructivism and the Knowledge in Pieces (KiP) epistemological perspective (diSessa, 1993, 2018), this empirical study in a clinical setting develops a Microgenetic Learning Analysis (MLA) of the reasoning of 14 students from an Algebra II course. It reveals the critical role of cognitive disequilibrium as an essential cognitive state for conceptual development and the process of reorganizing knowledge systems. The study uncovers the fluctuations in students’ reasoning patterns and the significant impact on students’ reasoning patterns of task-specific …

Infusing Values Into Written Exposure Therapy: A Comparison Study, Maegan Campbell

Dissertations

Written Exposure Therapy is a brief, efficacious intervention for the treatment of PTSD symptoms. The WET protocol calls for the infusion of values into therapeutic work, however, does not detail how to incorporate these values work into the highly scripted treatment. This study compared the standard WET protocol with WET infused with values. The study examined differences across the two conditions on seven variables (PTSD scores, depression scores, value importance and consistency, quality of life, psychological flexibility, customer satisfaction, and therapeutic alliance). The sample was largely homogenous in gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and reported index trauma. The sample was largely white …

Modeling Blue Mondays: A Preclinical Evaluation Of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Binge Dosing On Responding Maintained By A Progressive Ratio Schedule Of Food Reinforcement In Male Sprague-Dawley Rats, Candace Brenda Johnson

Dissertations

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has been abused recreationally in the rave scene for decades. As pharmacotherapy research has progressed to develop alternative medications to treat trauma-related psychiatric symptoms, MDMA has become a prime candidate for medication-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD and will soon be FDA approved for medicinal use. Despite convincing evidence for favorable clinical outcomes, this substance has been known to contribute to acute depressive states following excessive use. The sharp decrease in mood and cognitive impairment following MDMA use is colloquially termed Blue Mondays. Measuring lack of motivation or more broadly anhedonia through withdrawal of acute and chronic …

Brief Treatment For Ptsd: Promoting Trauma Recovery With A Five-Session Cognitive Processing Therapy Protocol, Sanela Kalakovic

Dissertations

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a first-line treatment for trauma. CPT is traditionally administered over 12 sessions. This open clinical trial examined the feasibility and efficacy of a 5-session CPT protocol. The abbreviated protocol moves more quickly to the proposed therapeutic mechanism of action, cognitive restructuring, to alter unhelpful traumarelated thoughts and beliefs. The goal is to maintain efficacy while making therapy more efficient and thereby reducing barriers to trauma treatment. Using a repeated measures open clinical trial design (with embedded multiple baselines), 67 adults (M age = 43 years, 90% female, 79% White) with clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder …