Digital Commons Network^™

Bisexuality In 21st Century Media, Bethany Abrams

Audre Lorde Prize

This paper sets out to examine bisexuality in 21st century media in order to highlight the importance of good bisexual representation. Media that perpetuates harmful stereotypes only adds to the discrimination that bisexual individuals experience. This paper begins by discussing stereotypes and types of discrimination that are particularly relevant to the bisexual community. After this, pieces of media are analyzed thoroughly for how they portray bisexuality. The three main pieces that are analyzed are Alex Strangelove, Atypical, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. After analyzing each piece, the paper continues to examine audience reactions and discusses the implications of representing bisexuality …

Introduction To Symposium Issue: Military Veterans And The Law, Timothy E. Lynch

Faculty Works

Upon discharge from the military, veterans must transition from living and working in the military to fully integrating into the civilian world. At a minimum, this means veterans must heal their physical and psychological wounds, find adequate housing, maintain healthy familial relationships, access necessary healthcare, and secure stable civilian employment. Although these needs are often wrought with legal complexities, veterans are often miscategorized and misunderstood by the legal community. This Symposium seeks to understand and address some of these legal issues, and the UMKC Law Review is proud to be publishing several pieces from prominent legal scholars with expertise in …

Understanding Boundary Turbulence And Privacy Rules From The Receiver’S Perspective In Mental Illness Disclosures, Ian Maltas

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The present study aims to address a gap in current research focusing on relational outcomes of mental illness disclosures by studying the perspective of people who listen to the disclosures (called “receivers”). This study uses Communication Privacy Management Theory to analyze the process of disclosure, and its main research focus is on motivations for disseminating private information, and how that impacts relationships and privacy rules between co-owners of information. A thematic analysis was conducted to answer this inquiry, and a data conference was held to determine relevant themes in the data. The present study finds that people chose to tell …

Mental Health Professionals' Beliefs About, Reactions Toward, And Overall Impression Of Stuttering, Elise Anne Nasser

Masters Theses

The purpose of the current study is to better understand mental health professionals' beliefs, reactions, overall impression, and familiarity with stuttering to gain insight into areas where they may need more support. Some people who stutter develop increased levels of anxiety because of negative evaluation from the public (Iverach & Rapee, 2014). It is likely that a sub-group of people who stutter may benefit from mental health services; however, misinformation about stuttering may serve as a barrier in effective service provision for those who work with people who stutter (Ginsberg & Wexler, 2000). Quantitative survey data (Public Opinion Survey of …

Improving Mental Health Among Undergraduate Nursing Students: Increasing Resilience In Nursing School, Hannah Hilliard

Senior Honors Theses

Nursing students face a unique set of obstacles during their time in school. Beyond the normal stressors of college life, they are required to spend several hours in the hospital per week, study for exams, and complete high acuity simulations, and they struggle with coping with these new demands. Undergraduate nursing students need to be supported in their mental health and coping strategies to improve their resilience in nursing school and, hence, their ability to function as a nurse in the future. This study has ascertained what students believe is helpful in supporting their mental health while in nursing school. …

Implementing Nutrition Education During Advisory Periods To Decrease Obesity And Increase Students’ Social Emotional Well-Being, Matthew Niemeier

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Childhood obesity rates are at an all time high, and mental health issues are rising every day. Recently, Carl Sandburg High School has seen a steady increase of the number of students’ with high Body Mass Index (BMI) and mental health struggles. This school improvement plan addresses the impact and role the school environment can have in decreasing students’ BMI and increasing students’ quality of life. The plan contains information on developing a nutrition education intervention program, as well as making changes to the school breakfast and lunch program and the food choices it provides students.

Mental Health Disorders Among Post Graduate Residents In Kenya During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sayed Karar, Jasmit Shah, Katie Du, Nidhi Leekha, Zohray Talib

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Healthcare workers, including residents, are prone to various mental health disorders especially given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents, particularly, are already under undue stress due to their respective training program demands.

Methods: This cross-sectional, online survey-based study from August to November 2020 collected demographic and mental health measurements from all residents at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. The questionnaire investigated demographic variables, information regarding direct care of COVID-19 patients, prior history of mental health and mental health outcomes using the Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, Insomnia Severity Index, Impact of Event Scale–Revised …

Associations Between Child Characteristics And Maternal Mental Health In Families Of Children With Autism, Fragile X Syndrome, And Autism Associated With Fragile X Syndrome, Tiffany Nicole Worley

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the association between various child characteristics and maternal mental health concerns in three high-risk groups of mothers ± those of children with non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (NSASD), mothers of children with fragile X syndrome (FXS), and mothers of children with fragile X syndrome and autism (FXS+ASD). Research has shown that mothers of children with NSASD and FXS are thought to share a degree of genetic vulnerability to mental health concerns it is key to examine the various other factors that may contribute to difficulties within the family system and maternal stress, depression, and anxiety.

Participants for …

Race, Racial Matching, And Cultural Understanding As Predictors Of Treatment Engagement In Youth Mental Health Services, Wendy Chu

Theses and Dissertations

Racially marginalized youth experience barriers that impact their ability to maximally benefit from mental health services; thus, efforts to identify strategies that support youth treatment engagement may address mental health and treatment disparities. This study examined the role of youth race, youth-therapist racial matching, and youthreported therapist cultural understanding on youth’s early treatment engagement in mental health services. The youth sample (n = 1159; M_age = 13.8 years, SD = 2.9; 52.1% female) comprised of 778 (67.1%) Latinx, 221 (19.1%) African American, 139 (12.0%) White, and 21 (1.8%) Asian American clients. The therapist sample (n = 126; Mage …

Protect Your Patients And Yourself: The Complete And Honest Medical History, Mitchell Gardiner Dmd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This feature article emphasizes the critical role of obtaining a complete and honest medical history in dental practice. Reflecting on the evolution of clinicians' diligence since dental school, the article underscores the potential risks associated with inadequate medical histories. The legal and ethical responsibilities in gathering comprehensive patient information are highlighted, emphasizing the impact on patient well-being and the dentist's vulnerability to legal challenges. The complexities of patients' truthfulness, especially regarding sensitive topics, are discussed, urging clinicians to establish trust for accurate disclosures. The article concludes with practical recommendations, stressing the ongoing need for thorough medical history reviews and the …

Autism Camouflaging In Relation To Views About Autism, Mental Health, And Gender Identity, Joshua A. Evans

Global Tides

This study examined relationships between autism camouflaging behavior, personal views about autism, community support, camouflaging emotional impact, depression, anxiety, ability to be one’s authentic self and gender in autistic adults. Participants were recruited through Facebook groups. There were 248 participants (174 cisgender women, 22 cisgender men, and 43 nonbinary people). It was hypothesized autism camouflaging behavior, its emotional impact and authentic self would correlate with depression and anxiety. Gender and camouflaging emotional impact were correlated with depression levels, but camouflaging behavior was not correlated with depression or anxiety. Participants with lower self-reported acceptance of authentic self had higher depression and …

Exploring The Relationship Between Student Expected Engagement And Referrals To The Behavioral Intervention Team, Makenzie R. Schiemann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education administrators are tasked with supporting and retaining students with increasing needs. These needs often include emotional and mental health issues but can worsen to include suicidality and violence toward others. Traditional campus approaches for supporting students and intervening for violence, such as counseling and campus safety, have been reactionary rather than proactive. Behavioral Intervention Teams (BITs) have emerged as a mechanism for heading off violence before it occurs while also supporting students who may never engage in violence but need support. These teams were born out of the concept that violence is preventable and have grown into a …

Hypertension, Physical Activity And Other Associated Factors In Military Personnel: A Cross-Sectional Study, Lilian Cristina Xavier Martins

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Hypertension is a major concern in public health. In the world population over 25 years of age, its prevalence is of 40%, and studies on the amount of physical activity (PA) related to hypertension in active military personnel are scarce. To estimate the prevalence of hypertension in the Brazilian Army military personnel and to explore the association of PA levels and other risk factors.Material and methods:‪This is a cross-sectional study (N = 506). Self-reported prevalence of hypertension (outcome), PA and associated factors were examined (χ2, simple and multiple Poisson regression).Results:‪Prevalence of hypertension was lower (9.7%) than in the general population …

Age, Covid-19, And Mental Health In The Philippines: A Multidimensional Perspective, Hechanova Ma. Regina, Alvin Patrick Valentin, Karlos Pio Alampay

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many to become isolated, increased feelings of loneliness, and given rise to mental health issues. Using the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, this study looked at the predictors of mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic across age groups. Results showed that COVID-19 stressors, resilience, nonreactivity, and coping behaviors predicted stress, anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being. Cluster analysis revealed two age clusters—those between 16 and 35 years and those 36 years and above. The younger group reported greater depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms and poorer psychological well-being compared to the older group. The younger …

Mental And Physical Health Profile Of Syrian Resettled Refugees, Rahel S. Bosson, Monnica T. Williams, Victoria A. Powers, Ruth M. Carrico, Virginia Frazier, Julio A. Ramirez, Wei Shuang Schneider, Lisa M. Hooper

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Newly arriving Syrian refugees can present with specific health characteristics and medical conditions when entering the United States. Given the lack of epidemiological data available for the refugee populations, our study examined the demographic features of Syrian refugees resettled in the state of Kentucky. Specifically, we examined mental and physical health clinical data in both pre-departure health screenings and domestic Refugee Health Assessments (RHA; Kentucky Office for Refugees, n.d.) performed after resettlement. METHOD: The current study adopted a cross-sectional research design. We analyzed outcome data collected from participants from 2013 and 2015. Specifically, a comparative cross-sectional analysis was performed …

Depression And Factors Impacting Quality Of Life Among Adults With Asthma Presence In Nevada, Elizabeth D. Kahane, Lung-Chang Chien, Brian Labus, Dharini M. Bhammar, Jocy-Anna Chevalier, Sheniz Moonie

Epidemiology & Biostatistics Faculty Research

Background: Asthma, a chronic, non-communicable disease has been shown to negatively affect mental health and quality of life among adults. Annually approximately 8% of adult Nevadans report current asthma symptoms and 12.6% report having a lifetime diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between asthma and depression and explore quality of life factors affecting adult Nevadans with asthma. Methods: Using behavioral risk factor surveillance system (BRFSS) data, this study evaluated the association between self-reported asthma and depression in Nevada using weighted multiple logistic regression. BRFSS asthma call-back survey (ACBS) data were used to determine the frequency …

African American Doctoral Students’ Success: Experiences Affecting The Mental Health, Stress, And Satisfaction Of Doctoral Students At Pwis & Hbcus, Desarae Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the effect the institution type has on African American graduate student mental health and program success. The primary research question was how do phenomena/strategies, causal conditions, competing internal and external demands, coping strategies, and positive and negative consequences create stress that influences the mental health and success of African American doctoral students differently at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs)? This primary research question was addressed by the responses to seven sub-questions based on the constructs outlined in a conceptual framework derived from a graduate …

The Use Of Dining Data To Increase Retention And Academic Success In Residential First-Year Students, Hailey A. Manicone

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Higher education leaders have been conducting research over the last 50 years to pinpoint why students enroll in college and then end up leaving. Research shows that there is not a single factor that influences a student’s decision, but it is a variety of factors. Influential factors include class attendance, a sense of belonging, motivation, academic rigor and performance, finances, and more. A student’s physical wellness and mental state can also impact their academic success and life while in college. First-year students often experience depression, anxiety, and loneliness as they try to successfully transition to college. Most of these influential …

Simple And Multiple Correlations Between Emotional Intelligence And General Health In Personnel Of Physical Education Offices, Farzad Maleki, Parvaneh Shafie Nia, Abdolhamid Habibi, Esmael Saemi

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The purpose of this study was to survey simple and multiple correlations between emotional intelligence and general health in personnel of physical education offices. Material/Methods: The descriptive survey research was adopted for the study. A total of 134 employees completed Schutte and Goldberg and Hiler questionnaires. The emotional intelligence questionnaire includes three subscales: Emotional Appraisal, Emotional Regulation and Utilization of Emotion. The general health questionnaire includes physical complaints, anxiety, social performance disorders and depression. Data was analyzed through Pearson correlation, Stepwise regression, One Way Analysis of Variance and the independent t-test (p ≤ 0/05). Results: The results showed that …

Accountability As A Key Virtue In Mental Health And Human Flourishing, John R. Peteet, Charlotte Vanoyen-Witvliet, C. Stephen Evans

Faculty Publications

We propose that accountability plays an implicit, important, and relatively unexamined role in psychiatry. People generally think of accountability as a relation in which one party is held accountable by another. In this paper, we examine accountability as a virtue, drawing on philosophy, psychiatry, and psychology to examine what it means to welcome being accountable in an excellent way that promotes flourishing. When people manifest accountability as a virtue, they are both responsive to others they owe a response, and they are responsible for their attitudes and actions in light of these relationships. Psychiatric treatment often aims to correct disordered …

Accountability As A Key Virtue In Mental Health And Human Flourishing, John R. Peteet, Charlotte Witvliet, C. Stephen Evans

Faculty Scholarship

We propose that accountability plays an implicit, important, and relatively unexamined role in psychiatry. People generally think of accountability as a relation in which one party is held accountable by another. In this paper, we examine accountability as a virtue, drawing on philosophy, psychiatry, and psychology to examine what it means to welcome being accountable in an excellent way that promotes flourishing. When people manifest accountability as a virtue, they are both responsive to others they owe a response, and they are responsible for their attitudes and actions in light of these relationships. Psychiatric treatment often aims to correct disordered …

A Macro Social Examination Of The Relationship Between Disabilities And Crime Using Neighborhood And County Level Data, Natasha A. Baloch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the last few decades, there has been a consistent increase in mental illnesses in the US population. This has also lead to increased interactions of those with mental illnesses and/or disabilities with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Despite these instances, there is limited research on the relationship between disabilities, mental health issues and crime in the large body of criminological research. Further, the current extant research is a) outside the field of Criminology, b) primarily focuses on those with only intellectual or developmental disabilities and/or c) does not examine this relationship at the macro level, despite evidence …

Food Consumption Frequency, Perceived Stress, And Depressive Symptoms Among Female University Students In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ohoud Mohamad, Haleama Al Sabbah, Linda Smail, Ehab W. Hermena, Rola Al Ghali

All Works

This study assessed whether perceived stress and depressive symptoms were associated with the frequency of consumption of specific food groups among female university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among female university students using a simple random sampling method. The response rate was 97%, with a total number of 385 participants. The associations between stress levels and most/least-consumed food groups, and between depressive symptoms levels and most/least-consumed food groups were assessed. The questionnaire included a 12-item self-administered food frequency questionnaire, Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. The study was approved by the University Ethical Committee prior to …

Climate Change, Air Pollution, And Children’S Mental Health, Wuyue Yu, Michael Weitzman

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Climate change and air pollution are twin global public health challenges of high priority. Sharing linked causes and solutions, both climate change and air pollution are suggested by a growing body of research to inflict negative mental health outcomes through multiple mechanisms. However, there are still gaps in understanding the links between climate change, air pollution and mental health, especially in children and adolescents, who are particularly at-risk. Current findings are summarized and their implications for future research as well as public health policies are discussed.

Athlete Identity And Mental Health Among Ncaa Division Iii Student-Athletes, Sarah Stokowski, Alison Fridley, Chris Croft, Peyton Stensland, Skye Arthur-Banning

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Student-athletes often identify with the athlete role and demonstrate high levels of athlete identity. High athlete identity leads to many unintended consequences such as low career maturity and difficulty adapting to a life beyond sport. Additionally, high athlete identity often leads to mental health concerns among the student-athlete population. Informed by self-categorization theory (Turner, 1982), the purpose of this study was to explore athlete identity and mental health among NCAA Division III student-athletes. The Athlete Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 were completed by 332 NCAA Division III student-athletes. The results demonstrated that Division III student-athletes …

Well-Being And Mental Health − Diet, Supplements, Exercise Or Sleep? A Review Of Reports From The Last Five Years, Elzbieta Grzywacz, Aleksandra Jaron

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

In the 2020s we are faced with a problem of an ageing society. Not only do we see it and struggle to provide care for the elderly, but we also focus on constantly maintaining a good form related to our well-being as well as physical, mental and social functioning. The publications used in this review were sourced from the PubMed database and from Google Scholar. The paper uses articles published in English which are not older than 5 years. Analysis of the latest literature has shown that there is evidence that modifiable factors have a positive effect on our well-being …

Trauma-Informed Care In The Emergency Department, Kayla Kvell, Kristin Oscarson

Nursing DNP Projects

Introduction: This project aims to analyze the effectiveness of trauma-informed care (TIC) education on attitudes of registered nurses (RNs) and psychiatric associates (PAs) towards TIC. The purpose of this project was to educate ED (emergency department) RNs and PAs on the effects of trauma and increase attitudes towards implementing a TIC approach to care for mental health (MH) patients in the ED.

Method: This project followed a pre–post-survey design with quantitative data. Participants included RNs and PAs newly hired to the ED, and/or if they had no previous TIC education. Data were collected utilizing a 10-question Likert scale survey.

Results: …

Physical Activity And Depression In Older Adults In Times Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, İnci Kesi̇Lmi̇Ş, Gülten Geçi̇Tli̇, Seda Kavak, Süleyman Kostal, Mehmet Melih Kesi̇Lmi̇Ş

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the whole world, individuals aged 65 and over were in the group of “leaving home restriction” for a long time. Evaluation of physical activity and depression variables gains importance in the older adults who are physically exposed to inactivity. Methods: The research was conducted on 97 male and 78 female participants aged 65 and over with the “non-probabilistic sampling methods with convenience sampling” method. The Physical Activity Scale for Elderly (PASE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale were used as data collection tools. Results: The difference between physical …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Healthy Lifestyles In Rural Families., Keisha M. England, Bethany Forseth Hanson, Maheen Bangash, Rohit Bhagat, Megan Murray, Dana Bakula, Ann M. Davis

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The purpose of the current study is to understand how the early portion of COVID-19 pandemic impacted the health behaviors of rural families participating in a healthy lifestyles intervention. Caregivers of rural children participating in a healthy lifestyles intervention were invited to participate in a structured interview regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their family and family health behaviors. Interviews were transcribed and the research team conducted a rigorous inductive thematic analysis. Structured qualitative interviews with caregivers (n=30) resulted in 5 saturated themes: (a) caregivers reported new or exacerbated mental health concerns and stress among family members, largely due to …

The Lived Experiences Of Vulnerable Youth, Their Resilience And The Implications Of Learning Post Covid19, Patrese A. Mason Dr.

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Brief Program Description: Everyone has lived experiences that they bring to the table and youth are no different. A strong sense of valuing those experiences are essential to the implications of one’s teaching and learning. To value students’ lived experiences cultivates sense of agency, self-compassion, self-efficacy thus builds and honors their capacity for resilience and more successful academic outcomes.