Digital Commons Network^™

Critical Care Nurses' Perceptions Of End-Of-Life Care: Comparative 17-Year Data, Nicole Lamoreaux

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) frequently care for patients and their families at the end-of-life (EOL). Providing high quality EOL care is important for both patients and families, yet ICU nurses face many obstacles that hinder EOL care. Researchers have identified various ICU nurse-perceived obstacles, but no studies have been found addressing the progress that has been made over the last 17 years.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the most common and current obstacles in EOL care as perceived by ICU nurses and then to evaluate whether or not meaningful changes have occurred since data were first gathered in …

Ethical Dilemmas In Clinical Social Work Practice : How Are Social Workers Affected And How Do We Respond?, Jennifer S, Graves

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed-methods exploratory research was undertaken to gain insight into how social workers perceive, are affected by, and respond to situations in which they are not able to enact social work ethics, or are asked to facilitate perceived injustice because of workplace restrictions. Seventy-four social workers responded to my online mixed methods survey. In quantitative responses, Likert scaled responses rated participants’ frequency and level of distress when encountering ethical dilemmas involving structural racism, classism, cultural insensitivity, sexism, heterosexism, protocols prioritizing funding over client care, protocols interfering with the treatment relationship, and protocols interfering with client self-determination. Participants also rated their …

Sensory Processing Disorder, Invalidating Childhood Environments, And Mental Health Outcomes In Adulthood, Emma Ross

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study examined the interpersonal and mental health outcomes of children with sensory processing difficulties or Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). SPD occurs when the ways in which we interpret sensory input in over-sensitive or under-sensitive ways. This can create a variety of difficulties, including impairment in the areas of touch, taste/smell, auditory, visual, proprioceptor, vestibular, and activity level/emotional reactivity. Previous studies have focused on the biological underpinnings of SPD, however few have looked at the interpersonal relationships of children with sensory processing difficulties as well as the mental health outcomes as those children mature into adults.

Methods:

This mixed methods …

Child And Parent Report Of Parenting As Predictors Of Substance Use And Suspensions From School, Charles B. Fleming, W. Alex Mason, Ronald W. Thompson, Kevin P. Haggerty, Thomas Jai. Gross

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This study examined how child and parent reports of parenting were related to early adolescent substance use and school suspensions. Data were from two time points six months apart on 321 families with an eighth grade student attending one of five schools in the Pacific Northwest. Child- and parent-report measures of family management practices were moderately correlated (r = .29). Child report, but not parent report, of more positive family management practices uniquely predicted a lower likelihood of adolescent substance use. Also, discrepancies between child and parent report of parenting predicted substance use, with child positive report of family …

Commencement Program 2016, Loma Linda University

Commencement Programs

CONTENTS

1 | Message from the President

3 | 2016 Events of Commencement

5 | The Academic Procession

7 | Significance of Academic Regalia

9 | The Good Samaritan

10 | University History Highlights

12 | Loma Linda University Song - "Healing Love"

13 | The Speakers

21 | The University Honorees

36 | The School Honorees

56 | The President's Award Recipients

66 | The Program

• School of Medicine, 67
• School of Pharmacy, 90
• School of Dentistry, 98
• School of Allied Health Professions - Allied Health Studies, Cardiopulmonary Sciences, Clinical Laboratory Science, Health Informatics and Information Management, Nutrition and …

Financial System Stability Review 2015, Central Bank Of Sri Lanka (Cbsl)

Documents

Part 8 Financial Sector Performance and System Stability

North Douglas County Community Needs Health Assessment (Phase 1), Callie H. Lambarth, Diane Reid, Beth L. Green

Early Childhood

Beginning in February 2016, the North Douglas County (NDC) communities of Drain, Elkton, and Yoncalla, Oregon engaged in a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) planning process, focusing on children ages birth-to-8 and their families. The purpose of this process was to explore, understand, and integrate linkages between early learning and young child and family health; identify health-related resources currently available and accessible to NDC families; and prioritize health areas of interest to be explored during the CHNA.

The North Douglas County CHNA builds on community partnerships already established in the region through initiatives that aim to coordinate and align early …

Child Prostitution: Inadequate Response By The Church, Gabrielle Alexis

Masters Theses

Child sex trafficking is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of commercial sex act that is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained eighteen years of age. Based on that definition, there is an alarming number of children that are being sexually enslaved. This paper specifically focuses on child sex trafficking or child prostitution. It presents a detailed analysis of the extent of child prostitution worldwide, discusses the long-term effects of child prostitution, analyzes the adequacy of the Church’s …

Youth Residing In Out-Of-Home Placements: Examination Of Behavior And Academic Achievement, Calli G. Lewis, Lyndal M. Bullock

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

A data set from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II was analyzed to determine if significant relationships existed between participants’ internalizing and externalizing scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and their (a) scores on assessments of academic achievement and (b) behavior problems leading to suspension or expulsion. Results indicated that participants’ scores on the CBCL were not predictive of their academic achievement but were predictive of their numbers of behavior problems leading to suspension or expulsion.

Current And Prospective Foster Parents’ Perceptions Of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Foster Youth, Shay B. Alvarez, Stephanie K. Funston

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into foster parents’ perceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) foster youth through a self-administered survey in an attempt to provide better care for these children. The pool of participants were varied in most areas including age, gender, ethnicity, education levels, and religiosity. However, the majority was heterosexual and had less than 2 years of experience fostering. The results showed no particular demographics, trainings, or level of experience that contribute to more or less acceptance or preparedness. This may be due to response bias, however, it is more likely due …

Predictors Of Gang Affiliation Among Adolescents: Implications For Social Work Students, Caroline G. Mcloughlin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what current Master of Social Worker Students in their advanced year know about adolescent gang affiliation, including statistics, predictive factors, and possible interventions. Adolescent gang involvement is a very serious issue that historically has had very problematic effects on society, as well as serious and troublesome effects on the life course of the individual. Despite the knowledge that has been gained in recent years regarding predictive factors of adolescent gang involvement, many intervention programs designed to address this issue are still rarely effective. Despite the fact that there are conflicting findings in …

Predictors Of Gang Affiliation Among Adolescents: Implications For Social Work Students, Caroline George Mcloughlin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what current Master of Social Worker Students in their advanced year know about adolescent gang affiliation, including statistics, predictive factors, and possible interventions. Adolescent gang involvement is a very serious issue that historically has had very problematic effects on society, as well as serious and troublesome effects on the life course of the individual. Despite the knowledge that has been gained in recent years regarding predictive factors of adolescent gang involvement, many intervention programs designed to address this issue are still rarely effective. Despite the fact that there are conflicting findings in …

Do Mothers Have A More Difficult Time Coping With Their Child's Challenging Behaviors When They Were Using Drugs, Than They Do When They Are Sober, Antonia V. Mata

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The research focus of this study hoped to answer: “Do mothers have a more difficult time coping with their child’s challenging behaviors when they were using drugs, than they do when they are sober?” Mothers using street drugs may have challenges with their children after using drugs, whether illegal or legal (like alcohol or methadone). Mothers may have challenges during drug use with these children, but are the challenges the same once mothers are clean and sober? This research took on the positivist paradigm in hopes to answer this question. The researcher got an understanding of these challenges by asking …

Factors That Contribute To Foster Parent Turnover, Tricia M. Favela, Cristina Velazquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Foster parents play a key role in providing care to children that have been removed from their families. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify factors that contribute to foster parent turnover. A self-administered survey included 6 questions in each section of the following sections; interaction with agency staff, communication, and foster parent training. The study’s findings indicated that over 36% of the study’s participants reported that they were hesitant to discuss concerns with agency workers, and almost 45% were unsure of or did not believe that their worker was open and honest in providing relevant background information …

Perceived Life Satisfaction Among Gay Males: The Coming-Out Process, Kimberly D. Carter

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project was a mixed method of both a quantitative and qualitative design to examine the perception of 38 gay male’s life satisfaction post coming out. In the past few years, laws affecting the gay community have been at the forefront of policies and debates, given all communities an insight into the specific challenges that are endured. As the gay community starts to openly live their lives as a gay man, there has been a need to accept and understand not only the challenges, but to give acceptance.

Additionally, this project sought out to determine if the gay community …

Beliefs About Respite Among Caregivers, Guero Nunez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The emphasis of this research was to evaluate the beliefs about respite among caregivers of the clients associated with Inland Caregiver Resource Center. The caregivers of the elderly and those who suffer from Alzheimer’s and dementia, or suffer from traumatic brain injury that was organic in nature were the population of interest. These caregivers were unpaid persons who help to keep those with such conditions at home as long as possible. This study used an exploratory pilot survey instrument to assess the perception of benefit of respite used as seen from the view of the caregiver. The primary theory used …

Do Holistic Practices As An Adjunct To Traditional Psychotherapy Affect Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (Gad-7) Scores?, Samantha Suyon Woo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effect of holistic practices on anxiety. The study used a pre-experimental design and measured any differences in outcomes in Generalized Anxiety Disorder clients as measured by General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) between the two following groups: 1) the experimental group who received holistic services in addition to traditional treatment such as psychotherapy and/or medication as compared to 2) the control group who received psychotherapy and/or medication alone. Pretest of GAD-7 at intake and post-tests at about 4 months into treatment were measured along with a holistic practice survey and analyzed post-hoc through SPSS data analysis. This …

Perceptions Of Mental Health Amongst Pakistani-Americans, Arifa K. Ashraf

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Out of 14.4% of Asian Americans in the state of California, and 5.4% in the United States, Pakistani-Americans are one sub-group, out of ten. Pakistani- Americans are either born in, or have familial ties back to the country of Pakistan. This research emphasizes on the lack of knowledge or awareness of mental health, and more importantly, the perceptions of mental health amongst Pakistani-Americans. The topic of mental illness within the Pakistani community is almost taboo and never spoken about with individuals outside of the family. With Islamic laws having a huge a huge influence on the Pakistani culture, people tend …

Identification Of Relapse Factors Of Alcoholics After Their First Twelve Step Program, Mirna V. Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project is intended to assist with the identification of relapse factors for alcoholics who have relapsed after their twelve‑step program. It is beneficial to understand relapse factors for alcoholics in order to provide effective treatment plans, services, and goals that will assist in attaining sobriety from alcohol. The research study used a qualitative approach; the data was collected through interviews from participants at the Cedar House agency in Bloomington, CA. The data was collected and then analyzed for possible themes of relapse factors. Themes that developed from interviews conducted with alcoholics that had relapsed after their twelve‑step programs …

The Beliefs Of Self-Esteem Among Biracial Individuals, Rebekah Brittany Harmon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

With the increase in interracial marriage researchers have begun to thoroughly assess how self-esteem and racial identity are affected. Recent studies have revealed that the construct of biracial identity is complex in forming a sense of self and racial identity. This inability to identify with a specific race is not only an issue to our entire population but especially to the biracial community. The social work profession has an array fields and services that become flexible to diverse populations; yet, the biracial population has not be explored in depth which may result in not fully understanding the dynamics of the …

Beliefs About Religion And Spirituality Among Social Workers, Aida Araceli Pelayo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study focused on the social workers perspectives regarding the integration of religion and spirituality in therapy. Understanding these components will expand the knowledge of social workers and it will enhance the therapeutic relationship among clients and clinicians. It also allows social workers to provide a comprehensive service to a multicultural and diverse population. In order to provide a holistic approach, social workers need to address the issues of clients through a biopsychosocial perspective that includes religion and spirituality. For the most part, religious and spiritual people use these components in their daily lives to cope with unanswerable questions …

Examining Perceived Outcomes Of Foster Youth, Lakenya Cerraine Jones, Sneshia Mekeda Stribling

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored the perceptions of former foster youth as a means to analyze the factors that contribute to the positive and negative outcomes of foster youth once aging out of the foster care system. Ten former foster youth were identified for the purposes of understanding how prepared foster youth feel towards aging out and transitioning into adulthood. The study utilized qualitative interviewing for data collection in efforts to gather the information about the experiences of each foster youth. Participants were recruited through San Bernardino County Children and Family Services Extended Foster Care (EFC) unit, as well as the local …

How Does Social Media Impact The Postpartum Depression Experience, Connie Marie Stringfellow

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explores the impact Social media has on the postpartum depression experience. To date, no work has examined the association between social media and postpartum depression. This research is an exploration into the use and impact of social media on individuals with postpartum depression. One hundred and three participants provided information about their demographics, experience with depression, treatment options, use of social media and preferred method of support. This information was gathered and analyzed via a web-based survey instrument. Descriptive statistics was used to compare responses on the internet based questionnaire. The study findings show that Social Media has …

Law Enforcements Perceptions Regarding Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking And The Involvement Of Social Workers In These Cases, Adriana Lopez Baca, Melissa Marie Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is a significant issue that affects children, families, and communities throughout the United States. Due to the illegal nature of the problem, it is difficult for law enforcement to identify victims of DMST and when they are identified it is challenging to provide them with services. Because law enforcement often encounter DMST victims through first response calls or within juvenile hall, it is important to understand the collaboration efforts between social workers and law enforcement in order to provide effective services for this population. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain an understanding …

The Perception Of Vicarious Trauma Among Master Of Social Work Students, Breyana De Sha Jackson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social workers are being sought out more often to treat traumatized individuals. In turn, social workers are at risk of vicarious traumatization. Vicarious trauma is a form of indirect trauma that may occur by working with traumatized clients. Master of Social Work (MSW) students should be educated on vicarious trauma as they will have many responsibilities when they begin their work in the field; including treating traumatized individuals. Education on vicarious trauma could lessen the risks of experiencing the pathology. The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of vicarious trauma among MSW students. Sixty-seven students from the …

Exploring The Experiences Of Same-Sex Foster And Adoptive Parents, Richard Christopher Meza, Cynthia Anna Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Foster and adoptive parents are crucial in the child welfare system, with the large number of foster children in the system at any time. Same-sex foster and adoptive homes are underrepresented in the child welfare system, despite the shortage and need for more certified foster and adoptive homes. There are limited studies documenting the experiences of gay and lesbian foster and adoptive parents. Some research has demonstrated that "non-traditional," or same-sex couples are met with more obstacles to become certified foster and adoptive parents, in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. This qualitative study explores the experiences of same-sex foster and …

A Glimpse Into The Experience Of Family Reunion In The Lives Of Immigrants From El Salvador, Ana Cristina Diaz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explores the impact family separation had on both the child and the parent after reunification. Semi-Structured qualitative interviews were conducted. One participant was left behind by parents while they immigrated without proper documentation and eventually reunited with them. There was one mother who immigrated to reunite with her children. There were also four parent participants who left their children behind while immigrating into the United States. This study provides a glimpse of what an undocumented family reunification looks like

Minorities' Perceptions Of Child Protective Services, Vernae Elaine Hicks

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study examined minority persons’ views and experiences with Child Protective Services (CPS) in the community. This study used a qualitative design with face‑to‑face interviews with 12 participants in the community. This study used the “Post‑Positivist” data analysis, which is qualitative in evaluation and explained each participant’s subjective reality.

The study found that most participants were satisfied with the results and were dissatisfied with the process in and of itself. Overall the study found that most participants felt that there was some sort of a disconnect with social workers in reference to cultural competency. Miscommunication between the social workers at …

Treatment Of Mental Illness Co-Occurring With Intellectual Disabilities, Natalie Nevarez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Past literature has showed that there have been several misdiagnosis of mental illness due to client’s delays in speech or introspection caused by an intellectual disability. It is believed that the intellectual disability is either interfering with the proper mental health diagnosis or a mental health diagnosis is unnecessarily being added to an intellectual disability. The study used a qualitative design that asked four psychiatrists on how they are treating their clients with an intellectual disability in addition to their mental illness. The interview guide asks about the difficulty in diagnosing individuals with a mental illness and a co-occurring intellectual …

Understanding Service Utilization Within Co-Occurring Population, Ildelisa M. Zapata

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A specialized system of care for co-occurring clients can be an asset to this population, if the services offered deliver adequate results that contribute to the overall wellbeing of this community. Therefore, providers, including social workers and other professionals to determine the effectiveness of these programs, should routinely assess established programs that are design to meet the most basic needs of co-occurring populations. This will permit an increase the knowledge and understanding of outcomes and perhaps develop alternative resources to connect gaps in the delivery of services. This research evaluated the effectiveness of services that co-occurring clients received from Cedar …