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The Mental Effect Of Obesity On Active-Duty Service Members In The United States: A Phenomenological Approach, Tegan M. Quigley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological research was intended to explore the impact that obesity has on the mental health of soldiers in the U.S. military. The U.S. military has stringent physical fitness standards that must be met by each soldier regardless of sex. These standards can be challenging to maintain. Obesity is an increasing issue in the United States, and soldiers are not immune. Research regarding the physical issues that occur from obesity has been performed, but this study aimed to explore the behavioral or mental health effects that obesity can have within the military community. This study explored the following questions: In …

Differences In Stress Among Healthcare Workers In Rural And Urban Healthcare Settings--The Role Of Spirituality, Lisa Yancey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In recent years, stress has become an unspoken epidemic that has affected many working adults. Many adults spend much of their waking hours working, contributing to their stress. This quantitative study examined the relationship between spirituality and stress among rural and urban healthcare workers. The data for this study was collected through social media platforms, email, and word of mouth. An online survey consisting of ten demographic questions, twenty questions from the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and ten questions from the Perceived Stress Scale was administered to healthcare workers at least 18 years old through an anonymous survey. Pearson correlations were …

When The Tide Comes: A Critical Examination Of The Novel-Screenplay Hybrid With Example Chapters, Morgan F. Taylor Moore

Masters Theses

This thesis presents my research on the psychological realism genre, the stream of consciousness narrative technique, the usage of second person and the present tense, the biblical reasoning behind depicting the ordinary as extraordinary, the role of the demonic in domestic violence, the incorporation of screenplay styles, the scientific reasoning and personal findings of my project’s formatting, the examination of primary sources (novels) that have inspired my project, and finally, the research on ADHD, PTSD, and C-PTSD as the results of domestic abuse. Sample chapters of my project are included.

A Quantitative Survey Exploring The Types Of Internet Accessible Mental Health Resources Recognized By U.S. Long-Haul Truck Drivers, Cristal Angela Reyna

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Long-haul truck drivers (LHTDs) are an important part of the supply chain in the United States. Their work schedules include holidays, weekends, night shifts, and can last anywhere from 60–70 hours for a single 6- to 8-day run to meet the demands of society. Poor work–life balance, high job demands, and poor sleep quality that can be experienced on the job as an LHTD can negatively affect not only their physical health but also their mental health. Depression, anxiety, and stress are three psychological effects that can develop from an unhealthy lifestyle and inability to maintain any healthcare appointments, despite …

Disparities And Protective Factors In Pandemic-Related Mental Health Outcomes: A Louisiana-Based Study, Ariane L. Rung, Evrim Oral, Tyler Prusisz, Edward S. Peters

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide-ranging impact on mental health. Diverse populations experienced the pandemic differently, highlighting pre-existing inequalities and creating new challenges in recovery. Understanding the effects across diverse populations and identifying protective factors is crucial for guiding future pandemic preparedness. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the specific COVID-19-related impacts associated with general well-being, (2) identify protective factors associated with better mental health outcomes, and (3) assess racial disparities in pandemic impact and protective factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Louisiana residents was conducted in summer 2020, yielding a sample of 986 Black …

You Never Walk Alone: Bts As A Symbol Of Light For Youth, Aaliyah Robinson

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

This essay examines how the South Korean music group, BTS, has utilized their platform to bring awareness to mental health in youth. I specifically analyze the use of their personal stories and experiences as a means of communication or outreach to their fans, also known as the ARMY. Exploring the theory of identification, or a direct sense of connectedness between a speaker and an audience, I argue that through their music and personalized rhetoric speech patterns, BTS seeks to allow their fans to view their experiences as the same. This has created a dynamic encompassing a sense of friendship and …

Unmc Quick Checks: An “Opt-Out” Model For Health Profession Student Appointments With Mental Health Counseling Services, Hannah K. Tandon Md, Taylor J. Kratochvil Md, Ms, Katherine L. Keiser Ms, Limhp, Nicole J. Kent Bs, Kaitlyn E. Schultis Bs, Jeffrey W. Knapp Msw, Jeffrey P. Gold

Innovations in Health Sciences Education Journal

Background: Health professions trainees experience high rates of anxiety and depression but are often reluctant to seek help. Institutional outreach during pre-clinical training may identify vulnerable students, improve resource awareness, and destigmatize psychological counseling. The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Quick Check program is a novel opt-out program connecting health professions students to mental health counselors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate student perceptions and utilization of mental health resources after participation in the UNMC Quick Check program.

Methods: For this limited pilot study, second-year pharmacy students were assigned to UNMC Quick Check appointments with UNMC …

Understanding Athletes’ Experience When Transitioning To Life Beyond Sport: A Pilot Study, Alyssa L. Moore

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

It’S More Than Skin Deep: Evaluating Mental Health Care In Dermatology Settings, Emma Kraft

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: There is a high prevalence of mental health comorbidities in those with dermatologic conditions given the visible nature of many conditions. However, mental health often fails to be addressed due to lack of mental health education, stigma around mental health, and lack of mental health resources for patients. Purpose: This research study aims to assess how patients and providers experience and address mental health in dermatology settings. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed analyzing the relationship between dermatologic conditions and mental health. Additionally, a survey was conducted to assess how dermatology providers approach mental health in dermatology settings. …

Occupational Therapy And Self-Awareness For Adolescents With Mental Health Concerns, Deriyon Johnson, Rebecca King

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The project created an occupation-based program to address the unique needs of adolescents at risk of mental health concerns and promote improved occupational success. The problem presented is the lack of support available to assist adolescents experiencing profound emotional and behavioral challenges, triggering negative impacts on social participation, academics, self-care, and leisure. In addition, the program will introduce coping strategies and improve daily functions to increase motivation for engagement in desired activities. The purpose of the program was to improve these areas through a series of structured activities focusing on mental health awareness, emotional regulation, and personal development. The results …

Occupational Therapy And Expressive Strategies For Youth Trauma Recovery, Darin Lewis, Rebecca King

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this capstone project was to develop a program to address youth mental health concerns through expressive strategies and interventions.

An Anxiety And Coping Mechanism Educational Program For Children And Adolescents, Amanda Garrett

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The following capstone project encompassed creating and implementing an educational program focusing on anxiety and coping mechanisms for adolescents 12-15 years of age at the YMCA in Largo, Florida. The academic program focuses on six different types of anxiety, which are generalized anxiety, social anxiety, test anxiety, feelings of panic, feelings of stress, and health anxiety, all in a PowerPoint format. Each of these topics also included a coping mechanism that the teens completed after learning about each different type of anxiety. These coping mechanisms included journaling, creating a stress ball, participating in a yoga class, completing a scavenger hunt …

Development Of An Intensive Outpatient Program (Iop) For Adolescents Of American Military Members Deployed Overseas To Support Mental Health, Aaron N. Brion, Tyler J. Russo

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Advocating For The Role Of Occupational Therapy In A Community-Based Setting Through The Use Of Journaling For Individuals With Chronic Mental Illness, Taylor Muzik-Eversdijk

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

Individuals who battle severe mental illness (SMI) experience a range of deficits that affect various aspects of daily life, including activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), social participation, sleep and rest, education, work, leisure, and play. Research suggests that journaling can help individuals with SMI express their emotions and provide a healthy outlet for coping with symptoms. This doctoral capstone project aimed to identify the unique needs of individuals with SMI and explore how journaling and other occupational therapy (OT) interventions could expand the scope of practice within Boley Centers' assertive community treatment (ACT) teams …

A Qualitative Study On Workplace Mental Wellbeing In The Singapore Context, Chad C E Yip, M. Anthony Machin, Yong Wah Goh

The Qualitative Report

Workplace wellbeing is essential for the employee as well as the organisation, but it may not adequately capture the way wellbeing is experienced in Singapore due to its diverse multi-ethnic society imbued with Eastern and Western values. The present study explores Singaporean employees’ understanding and perspectives in relation to how they experience wellbeing at the Singapore workplace. With a total of 31 participants consisting of full-time Singaporean employees from 17 industries, we used reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2013) to interpret the data and develop the themes. These 13 themes are: accomplishment, autonomy, co-worker relationship, employee recognition, fairness, learning …

A Qualitative Description Of Graduate Students’ Perceived Decline In Physical Activity From Undergraduate School, Kristin M. Jett, Bryce T. Daniels, Max Brigance, Jessica L. Passarelli, Erin Howie

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(5): 1038-1055, 2024. Many university students, especially graduate students, are experiencing poor physical and psychological health. Thus, universities are initiating programs like Exercise is Medicine-On Campus (EIM-OC) to promote positive physical activity behavior to improve physical and mental health for primarily undergraduate university students. However, the influences on physical activity when transitioning from an undergraduate to a graduate student are unknown. To explore perceptions of if and how the physical activity levels of graduate students changed from their time as undergraduate students while considering environmental and lifestyle factors. METHODS: Using a qualitative, phenomenological research design, …

Examining The Dual Nature Of Post-Mission Mental Health: An Analysis Of Mental Health Symptoms And Positive Well-Being Among Returned Missionaries Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Blaise Dobson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study explores mental health and general well-being amongst returned missionaries who served and completed full-time proselyting missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Through a combination of survey data and semi-structured interviews with 15 participants, the research investigated emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental changes experienced during their missions, and how those experiences affected them post-mission. Findings show that majority of participants viewed their mission as a positive experience overall, with few reporting on negative experiences. Very few studies have explored returned missionaries and their mental health; not touching on the specific population of missionaries who finish …

Yoga-Based Occupational Therapy For People With Upper Extremity Dysfunction: An Educational Video Series, Bianca Salgado, Steven Gerardi, Mary Smith

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The upper extremity (UE) is essential for daily activities and occupational tasks. The inability to perform these tasks can negatively impact self-efficacy and hinder injury recovery. Current hand therapy often focuses on biomechanical approaches, neglecting these psychosocial aspects and deviating from core occupational therapy (OT) principles. Integrating yoga into OT for UE injuries and disorders can fill the gap in hand therapy needed to address psychosocial factors. However, Certified hand therapists who are occupational therapists lack the knowledge to integrate yoga-based interventions into OT practice for clients with UE conditions. The purpose of this project was to create an educational …

Mental Health Services & Implementation Science, Cole Hooley

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Areas of Interest: Scaling up mental health services, Dissemination and implementation science, Systems science

Hightower Library Hosts A Mental Health Day For Campus Community, Angiah L. Davis

Georgia Library Quarterly

This article describes a Mental Health Awareness Day event hosted by the Dorothy W. Hightower Collaborative Learning Center & Library at Gordon State College (GSC) during Mental Health Awareness Month. The purpose of the event was to help alleviate stress for the GSC college community during the final exam period by providing mental health resources and low-stress activities participants.

Autism Stigma And Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression: An Exploration Of Rumination And Camouflaging As Mediating Factors, Emma Wilkinson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A small body of evidence indicates autistic people experience stigma related to autism that predicts mental health outcomes. Among other stigmatized populations, use of emotion regulation process and strategies are mechanisms by which stigma leads to negative outcomes. However, these mechanisms have not yet been explored in relation to autism stigma. In a sample of autistic adults, the present study sought to evaluate whether rumination and camouflaging mediated the relationship between autism stigma and internalizing symptoms utilizing a brief longitudinal design. Participants completed measures of stigma, rumination, camouflaging, and internalizing symptoms at baseline, one month, and two month timepoints. Results …

Environmental Factors (Rurality, Distribution Of Prescribers, And Altitude) Of People Who Died By Suicide In Montana, 2013- 2022, Anne N. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Suicide is increasingly prevalent in rural areas across the United States, especially in the western Rocky Mountain states. The connection between suicide and rural residency is not well understood, nor is the relationship between the distribution of prescribers, altitude, and suicide. Purpose: This retrospective quantitative study aimed to describe the characteristics of individuals who died by suicide in Montana and investigate the associations among rurality, distribution of prescribers, altitude, and suicide rate. Methods: Montana suicide mortality data for 2013-22 was used to describe individual characteristics. A second dataset was created for each Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level in …

Beneath The Badge: Exploring The Complexities Of Police Culture And Mental Health, Kymberly Briggs

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Dissertation-in-Practice (DiP) endeavours to address the intricate challenges embedded within police culture regarding their approach to responding to mental health alteration. Within the context of the Blue Virtue Police Service (BVPS; a pseudonym), the ramifications of mental health alterations among officers are profound and influence various aspects of the organization, such as sick leave utilization, leaves of absence, officer performance, community relations, and incidents involving the use of force. This DiP aims to tackle the specific problem of practice (PoP) question: What strategies can the BVPS adopt to encourage help-seeking behaviour and foster mental wellness among its officers? A …

A Quality Improvement Project On The Evaluation Of A Community Gastroenterology Advanced Practice Providers’ Update On The Utilization Of The American College Of Gastroenterology (Acg) Recommendation For Annual Depression Screening In Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Yolanda Levy Dnp, Fnp-Bc

All Dissertations

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease that can result in chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract (Farbod et al., 2021). The two most common types of IBD are called Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. There have been several studies that have shown how the psychological disorders, including depression, can be associated with flares of IBD (Farraye et al., 2017). The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) published clinical practice guidelines in 2017, which recommended gastroenterology (GI) healthcare providers screen for depression in all patients with IBD at least once annually (Farraye et al., 2017). This quality improvement did show …

Instrument Not Ornament: Exploring Women’S Experiences Of Body Objectification And Belonging To An All-Women’S Mountain Biking Group In The Ozarks, Katherine Ketchum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Description: Despite the attention given to body positivity, body neutrality, and body appreciation, women are consistently and overwhelmingly experiencing body objectification and its harmful effects being normalized by society and internalized individually (Shorter et al., 2008). At the same time, the popularity of mountain biking for women and all-women's mountain biking groups in the Ozarks has grown exponentially in recent years, yet gender stereotypes and disparities for women remain (Irvin et al., 2021). The purpose of this study was to make meaning of (1) women’s experiences of body objectification and (2) women’s experiences belonging to an all-women's mountain biking group …

An Examination Of The Impact Of College Health And Wellness Courses On Mental Health – Two Paper Format: A Literature Review And A Comparison Of The Impact Of Two College Health And Wellness Courses On Affect, Perceived Stress, And Cognitive Distortions, Robin Phipps Woodall

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To compare the impact of two 15-week health and wellness courses on mental health measures in college students. Participants: College student volunteers were recruited after enrolling in one of two 15-week health and wellness courses. Methods: The control course (N=19) had an ethical emphasis, and the experimental course (N=21) had a cognitive behavioral emphasis. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and pre- and post-tests of the Perceived Stress Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-General Form, and the Cognitive Distortion Questionnaire. Pre- to Post-Changes were analyzed using a mixed model repeated measures ANOVA between the two courses. Results: Both courses …

Exploring Complete Mental Health Screening Using Adolescent Self-Reports, Stephanie A. Vinal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study comprises two separate papers that ultimately aim to create and support the use of a new school screening tool to identify student risk for a variety of school-based problems as well as identify their individual strengths. Complete mental health screening refers to a process by which the entire student body of a school is administered a screening tool in order to cast a wide net and increase the likelihood of identifying any student at risk for behavioral, social, emotional, or academic difficulties. By identifying student strengths as well as their risk for problems, schools are better aimed at …

Peer Victimization In College Student Mental Health And Well-Being: Moderating Effects Of Perceived Social Support, Erica Van Overloop

Dissertations

Peer victimization is associated with several short- and long-term psychosocial consequences for both children and adults. Although there is evidence that peer victimization negatively impacts college students, the degree to which it may affect students’ mental health and well-being remains unclear. Most studies of peer victimization among college students focus only on retrospective accounts of childhood victimization, leaving many unknowns about how recent or ongoing victimization may impact students. The present study examined both retrospective and recent experiences of peer victimization in a college student sample (N = 366, 18-29 years old) while considering the moderating role of perceived …

General Psychology 2e, Will Stutterheim

All Open Educational Resources

General Psychology 2e offers an insightful exploration into the complexities of the field of psychology and all that it has to offer. This book provides a thorough introduction to the foundational principles of psychology, covering essential theories, research findings, and applications that illustrate the intricate workings of the mind.

The text begins with a historical overview of psychology, tracing its evolution from philosophical roots to its establishment as a scientific discipline. It then delves into essential topics regarding stress and mental health disorders and concludes with therapy and treatment approaches. It then covers research in psychology, biopsychology, consciousness, and perception. …

Emotionality Stigma Scale: Measurement Development, Reliability, And Validity., Hayley D. Seely

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emotions are biological responses to stimuli that allow individuals to derive meaning, appraise experiences, and prepare to respond. However, individuals perceive emotions differently based on emotion socialization which not only dictates the way emotions are viewed and managed but also has been directly linked with mental health outcomes. Furthermore, research shows emotion socialization is informed by demographic variables such as gender such that the expectations of emotionality differ; where women are taught to express emotions, men are taught to conceal. Given the societal rules regarding emotionality, it is possible that emotionality stigma – the stigma around the experience and expression …