Digital Commons Network^™

Stress Management Podcast Capstone Project, Jessica A. Thomas

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

The Stress Management Podcast Capstone Project sought to answer the question of how I might raise awareness about integrating holistic mental health services into my health coaching practice. This relevant topic centered on developing an innovative solution by drawing together two opposing perspectives from public health opinions and holistic health mindset. Launching a podcast proved to be a creative means for offering value to all stakeholders involved. Listeners received free holistic stress support, community and mental health professionals gained additional tools for their clients, while I established myself as an expert on mental health coaching. Exercising emotional intelligence regarding the …

The Toll Of Our New Reality: Analyzing College Students’ Health In A Pandemic & Attitudes Towards Covid-19 Vaccinations, Ciara M. Ochoa

Honors Theses

Since the beginning of March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected several populations in the United States with many different hardships. With COVID-19 came the threat of a new disease, job insecurity affecting a large amount of our population, increased financial instability, and misinformation surrounding the new COVID-19 virus, the pandemic left an overwhelming majority of the United States population feeling mentally, physically, and overall exhausted. This study focuses on the already vulnerable and often overlooked population that is college students, and the aim of this study is to better assess the physical and mental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic …

Equine Assisted Therapy For Veterans, Nicole M. Krum

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

Equine-assisted activities and therapy have been proven to be highly effective in assisting veterans with mental health conditions. This project aimed to provide information and resources about these services to Treasure Valley veterans. In order to do this, an in-person open-house was hosted, to connect veterans to equine therapy. By completing this project, it can be asserted that there is a general lack of accessible and affordable services.

A Mobile App To Identify Lifestyle Indicators Related To Undergraduate Mental Health (Smart Healthy Campus): Observational App-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment, Chris Brogly, J. Kevin Shoemaker, Daniel J. Lizotte, Jacqueline K. Kueper, Michael Bauer

Paediatrics Publications

Background: Undergraduate studies are challenging, and mental health issues can frequently occur in undergraduate students,straining campus resources that are already in demand for somatic problems. Cost-effective measures with ubiquitous devices,such as smartphones, offer the potential to deliver targeted interventions to monitor and affect lifestyle, which may result inimprovements to student mental health. However, the avenues by which this can be done are not particularly well understood,especially in the Canadian context.Objective: The aim of this study is to deploy an initial version of the Smart Healthy Campus app at Western University, Canada,and to analyze corresponding data for associations between psychosocial factors …

Abuse, Mental State, And Health Factors Pre And During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Comparison Among Clinically Referred Adolescents In Ontario, Canada, Shannon L. Stewart, Ashley Toohey, Angela Celebre, Jeff W. Poss

Paediatrics Publications

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, population surveys revealed increased levels of anxiety and depression, while findings from large-scale population data analyses have revealed mixed findings with respect to the mental health consequences for children and youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being and health-compromising behaviors of adolescents (12–18 years) previously referred for mental health services. Data were collected (pre-pandemic n = 3712; pandemic n = 3197) from mental health agencies across Ontario, Canada using the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health assessment. Our findings revealed no increased incidence of witnessing …

Children's Sleep During Covid-19: How Sleep Influences Surviving And Thriving In Families, Nicole E. Mackenzie, Elizabeth Keys, Wendy A. Hall, Reut Gruber, Isabel M. Smith, Evelyn Constantin, Roger Godbout, Robyn Stremler, Graham J. Reid, Ana Hanlon-Dearman, Cary A. Brown, Sarah Shea, Shelly K. Weiss, Osman Ipsiroglu, Manisha Witmans, Christine T. Chambers, Pantelis Andreou, Esmot Begum, Penny Corkum

Paediatrics Publications

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to disrupt the lives of families and may have implications for children with existing sleep problems. As such, we aimed to: (1) characterize sleep changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in children who had previously been identified as having sleep problems, (2) identify factors contributing to sleep changes due to COVID-19 safety measures, and (3) understand parents and children s needs to support sleep during the pandemic. Methods Eighty-five Canadian parents with children aged 4 14 years participated in this explanatory sequential, mixed-methods study using an online survey of children s and parents sleep, …

Shy Or Anxious? Examining The Efficacy Of School-Based Interventions For Childhood Social Anxiety, Samantha Neuhaus

Honors Theses

Social anxiety disorder and shyness share many overlapping features, leading to debate over where they become distinctive from each other. The theory of a shyness and social anxiety continuum has been suggested, depicting shyness on one end and social anxiety disorder as the more severe and maladaptive opposite end. Considering additional factors such as comorbidity and cultural differences, school based interventions can be implemented as a preventative and treatment measure for social anxiety across the continuum. Multiple intervention methods are utilized across school based interventions, and of eleven interventions specifically analyzed, it was found that the interventions are most often …

Nonprofits And Government Agencies Addressing The Needs Of Mental Health Community, Wyatt Ulrich

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Nonprofit organizations have been utilizing cross-sector collaboration to address problems that are not able to be solved on their own. A partner to make said collaboration can be with any organization, business, or volunteer who has the same goals as the nonprofit organization. Mental health nonprofit organizations specifically need more partners due to how little the world knows about mental health and mental illnesses. The government is one partner many mental health organizations aim to collaborate with. Government contracts have been known to help with the many challenges nonprofit organizations face like funding and services. Previous research has suggested this …

Work The Heart, Train The Brain, Monica Sciturro, Jenna Knafo

be Still

No abstract provided.

The Path To Balance, Snigdha Ila, Pallavi Velagapudi, Vishal Ila

be Still

No abstract provided.

Promoting Personal Growth In Young People Experiencing Homelessness Through An Outdoors-Based Program, Benjamin John Parry, Janice Thompson, Mark Holland, Jennifer Cumming

Journal of Youth Development

Outdoors-based youth development programs demonstrate the efficacy to improve indicators of personal growth and mental health in a range of disadvantaged young people. However, the most marginalized young people in society, who stand to benefit the most from such initiatives, remain underrepresented in the research. My Strengths Training for Life (MST4Life) is a positive youth development (PYD) intervention for young people experiencing homelessness that incorporates a life skills program and an outdoor adventure education (OAE) course. The current study presents a qualitative investigation of the OAE course to understand its role in promoting positive changes for participants. Reflexive thematic analysis …

Puerto Ricans And Mexican Immigrants Differ In Their Psychological Responses To Patterns Of Lifetime Adversity, Daniel K. Cooper, Mayra Bámaca-Colbert, Eric K. Layland, Emily G. Simpson, Benjamin L. Bayly

Faculty Publications

Background Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants are often exposed to multiple types of adversity across their lifetime (e.g., maltreatment, household dysfunction, discrimination) and this exposure can increase the risk for adult mental health problems. Purpose The objective of this study was to (a) identify subgroups of individuals exposed to unique combinations of childhood adversity and lifetime discrimination among Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants, and (b) compare the prevalence of mental health problems across different risk profiles. Method We used existing data from the HCHS/SOL Sociocultural Ancillary Study. Participants included Puerto Rican (N = 402) and Mexican adults (N = 1351) …

The Lifelong Effects Of Childhood Trauma, Jacayla Litwiller

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) continue in a cycle, as evidence in research literature. Those who have experienced ACEs are likely to continue the cycle with their own children. As a result, children with ACEs are an increasing reality for educators who often see the immediate and short-term effects of trauma. What is not commonly understood among educators are the significant lifelong health effects of ACEs. This literature review examines the life-long effects of ACEs on physical, mental, intellectual, and occupational health. The effects include a shorter life expectancy and a lower quality of life.

Mental Health Delivery Method Outcomes For The Postsecondary Student: A Quantitative Quasi-Experimental, Non-Equivalent Control Group Pretest-Posttest Study, Mallory Nicole Ball

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact that a virtual mental health intervention has on distance education postsecondary students. This study utilized a quantitative quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest study design. The study design was used to determine if there is a statistically significant difference in the pretest and posttest scores for the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). Furthermore, how these differences impact distance education postsecondary students utilizing online delivery method of mental health interventions compared to postsecondary distance education students who did not. The study setting was at …

A Quantitative Study Of Child Sexual Assault Survivors’ Struggles With Poor Marital Satisfaction: Mediated By Loneliness And Depression, Thomas Litzinger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Child sexual assault (CSA) is growing at startling rates in the United States and is related to a staggering number of adult psychosomatic modification problems and outcomes. CSA has been a subject of interest in sexual health research for many years; however, research regarding the sexual health consequences of CSA has been hampered by methodologic changeability. CSA and the sexual victimization of boys and men has been understudied despite its prevalence and potentially detrimental outcomes in the U.S. and worldwide. A large body of research has revealed many adverse psychological and social impacts of CSA in samples of adult male …

Social Media Behaviors And Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Associations With Anxiety, Depression, And Stress, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Lori A. Spruance, Emily V. Patten

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The majority of research concerning public health crises and social media platforms has focused on analyzing the accuracy of information within social media posts. The current exploratory study explored social media users’ specific social media behaviors and experiences during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether these behaviors and experiences related to anxiety, depression, and stress. Data were collected March 21–31, 2020 from adults in the United States (N = 564) through snowball sampling on social media sites and Prime Panels. Online surveys included questions regarding social media use during the pandemic and the Depression Anxiety and …

The Grizzly, September 23, 2021, Layla Halterman, Ava Compagnoni, Morgan Mason, Brooke Hurley, Sean Mcginley, Amelia Kunko, Kathy Logan, Alena Deantonellis, Erin Corcoran, Katie Cressman

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Jalen Everette, Two Term Student Body President • Yellowjackets Have Made Ursinus Their Home • Hurricane Ida Leads to Flooding • New Club Feature: UC Possibilities • Inside Rush Week with Tri Sigma • Opinions: Students' Favorite Foods at the Collegeville Bakery • Sculpture Parade Around Campus • The Hidden Opponent Club • "Minding Your Mind"

Bringing Up Buddhas: How Mindfulness Can Impact The Next Generation, Alex Tzelnic

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The following presents both a rationale paper and a creative thesis on the topic of how mindfulness can meaningfully impact the next generation. Given the daunting issues faced by Generation Alpha (those born after 2010), including climate change, social justice, and mental health, understanding how the tool of mindfulness can best support children, as well as inform the caretakers most influential to them such as parents and educators, is crucial.

The following rationale paper outlines how mindfulness can make an impact in the fields of parenting and education, as well as in addressing the pertinent issues mentioned above. In surveying …

Exploring Identity Development Through The Expressive Arts Among Immigrant Youth, A Literature Review, Jessika De Castro

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

According to the APA’s Presidential Task Force on Immigration (2012), the immigrant population within the US increases every year. Immigration to a new country increases risk factors for young immigrants, resulting in a negative impact on their mental health. It has been shown in the literature that arts-based approaches can be extremely helpful in the treatment of mental health issues brought on by the stressors of immigration and when people are dealing with a sense of loss towards their country of origin. For first generation immigrants, coming to the US during their adolescence, as young adults, means that they are …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Asian Communities In The U.S. And A Treatment Intervention For Collective Trauma Through Art Therapy: A Literature Review, Elena Zhuoqian Li

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Acknowledging the Asian community’s racial trauma during the COVID-19 is extremely important for the mental health community to understand as the impact of collective trauma can be significant on an individual. Discussions on how racism could play a major role in aggravating collective trauma have been re-ignited due to the COVID-19. This literature review aims to introduce a different perspective from an Asian-identifying person as part of the minority groups that have been amid racial prejudice and hatred in the United States, what they are experiencing during this time, and how the pandemic impacts their mental health. By analyzing existing …

Human- Animal Interaction To Support Well- Being At University: Experiences Of Undergraduate Students In The Uk, Aliya Khalid, Anne Rogers, Emily Vicary, Helen Brooks

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

In the context of increasing concerns about student mental health and the therapeutic value of companion animals for mental health, there is limited understanding of the potential contribution of human- animal interaction in relation to undergraduate well- being. This study aimed to develop an in- depth understanding of the meaning and well- being roles attributed to human- animal interactions by undergraduate students in the UK. Using a qualitative research design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 60 students aged be-tween 18 to 23 years at a UK university of whom 39 implicated the role of companion animals in their well- being …

Depression In Collegiate Runners And Soccer Players: Relationships With Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Ferritin And Fractures, Devin C. Tomlinson, Evan Eschker, Jade Callan, Tamara Hew-Butler

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(5): 1099-1111, 2021. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between depression versus serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (vitamin D), serum ferritin (ferritin), and fractures across a competitive season. The authors conducted a prospective observational study (both pre- and post-season testing) on 51 collegiate soccer and cross-country athletes from a Midwest University. Our main outcome measure was depression, measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). A CES-D score ≥ 16 represented the threshold value for clinical depression. Secondary outcome variables included vitamin D, ferritin, and fractures. Two athletes (3.9%; one female) …

أثر برنامج في الإرشاد والعلاج النفسي من منظور إسلامي في خفض القلق وتحقيق الصحة النفسية لدى طالبات كلية إربد الجامعية The Effect A Counseling And Psychotherapy Program From An Islamic Perspective On Reducing Anxiety And Achieving Mental Health Among The Students Female Of Irbid University College, Nayef Fadous Al-Hamad

Jordan Journal of Islamic Studies

ملخص

هدفت الدراسة تعرف أثر برنامج في الإرشاد والعلاج النفسي من منظور إسلامي في خفض القلق وتحقيق الصحة النفسية لدى طالبات الجامعة، وتكونت عينة الدراسة من (14) طالبة من كلية اربد الجامعية - جامعة البلقاء التطبيقية، تم اختيارهن بطريق قصدية ممن لديهن درجات مرتفعة على مقياس القلق ودرجات منخفضة على مقياس الصحة النفسية، وتم توزيعهن على مجموعتين متساويتين، مجموعة تجريبية تألفت من (7) طالبات، ومجموعة ضابطة تألفت من (7) طالبات، وتم استخدام مقياس القلق النفسي ومقياس الصحة النفسية وبرنامج الإرشاد والعلاج الإسلامي، بينما لم تتعرض المجموعة الضابطة للبرنامج الإرشادي، وتوصلت الدراسة في نتائجها إلى أنه توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية …

Trauma Informed E-Newsletter: Sept. 2021 Quarter 1, Jeanne Williamson, Brianca Smith-Austin

Student Counseling

No abstract provided.

Diary Of An Afghan Woman Collection - September 2021

TSOS Interview Gallery

Four women share with us their daily lives in Afghanistan. Join them as they express their love for the country, the people, and each other; and as they share with you their deepest fears and most intimate moments.

They refuse to be silenced as they journey through this new, uncharted chapter in Afghanistan's history.

We at TSOS are honored to provide a platform for their voices to be heard. We will post entries as we receive them. For safety purposes, names have been changed and only avatars (designed with input from each woman) will be used.

ZOYA

Zoya is a …

College Student Sleep Quality And Mental And Physical Health Are Associated With Food Insecurity In A Multi-Campus Study, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Melissa D. Olfert, Lillian Macnell, Bailey Houghtaling, Lanae B. Hood, Mateja R. Savoie Roskos, Jeannine R. Goetz, Valerie Kern-Lyons, Linda L. Knol, Georgianna R. Mann, Monica K. Esquivel, Adam Hege, Jennifer Walsh, Keith Pearson, Maureen Berner, Jessica Soldavini, Elizabeth T. Anderson-Steeves, Marsha Spence, Christopher Paul

Faculty and Student Publications

Objective: To assess the relationship between food insecurity, sleep quality, and days with mental and physical health issues among college students. Design: An online survey was administered. Food insecurity was assessed using the ten-item Adult Food Security Survey Module. Sleep was measured using the nineteen-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Mental health and physical health were measured using three items from the Healthy Days Core Module. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to assess the relationship between food insecurity, sleep quality, and days with poor mental and physical health. Setting: Twenty-two higher education institutions. Participants: College students (n 17 686) enrolled …

Untreated Mental Illness Among Veterans In The United States, Erin Anderson

Ballard Brief

In the United States. less than half of the veteran population have received screening or diagnosis for mental illness or have received mental health counseling and treatment, resulting in many veterans with severe mental health issues living without a proper diagnosis. Many factors contribute to these statistics, including negative social stigmas surrounding mental health, mistrust of mental health professionals. a lack of publicity and communication about veteran benefits, and limited amount of resources available to treat such a large population. Mental illness at this level impacts not only the quality of life of each veteran but also the livelihood of …

An App-Based Surveillance System For Undergraduate Students' Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Protocol For A Prospective Cohort Study, Chris Brogly, Michael A. Bauer, Daniel J. Lizotte, Maclean L. Press, Arlene Macdougall, Mark Speechley, Erin Huner, Marc Mitchell, Kelly K. Anderson, Eva Pila

Paediatrics Publications

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency that poses challenges to the mental health of approximately 1.4 million university students in Canada. Preliminary evidence has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on undergraduate student mental health and well-being; however, existing data are predominantly limited to cross-sectional survey-based studies. Owing to the evolving nature of the pandemic, longer-term prospective surveillance efforts are needed to better anticipate risk and protective factors during a pandemic. Objective: The overarching aim of this study is to use a mobile (primarily smartphone-based) surveillance system to identify risk and protective factors for …

Mental Health During Covid-19 Pandemic Among Caregivers Of Young Children In Kenya’S Urban Informal Settlements. A Cross-Sectional Telephone Survey, Vibian Angweny, Margaret Kabue, Esther Chongwo, Adam Mabrouk, Ezra Too, Rachel Odhiambo, Carophine Nasambu, Joyce Marangu, Derrick Ssewanyana, Eunice Njoroge, Eunice Ombech, Mercy Mokaya, Emmanuel Obulemire, Anil Khamis, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

The emergence of COVID-19 has profoundly affected mental health, especially among highly vulnerable populations. This study describes mental health issues among caregivers of young children and pregnant women in three urban informal settlements in Kenya during the first pandemic year, and factors associated with poor mental health. A cross-sectional telephone survey was administered to 845 participants. Survey instruments included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disorder-7 scale, COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, and questions on the perceived COVID-19 effects on caregiver wellbeing and livelihood. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and univariate and multivariate analysis. Caregivers perceived COVID-19 as a threatening condition …

Mental Health And Well-Being Of Older Adults Living With Hiv In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review, Patrick Nzivo Mwangala, Adam Mabrouk, Ryan Wagner, Charles R J C Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Objective: In this systematic review, we aimed to summarise the empirical evidence on common mental disorders (CMDs), cognitive impairment, frailty and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people living with HIV aged ≥50 years (PLWH50 +) residing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Specifically, we document the prevalence and correlates of these outcomes.

Design, data sources and eligibility criteria: The following online databases were systematically searched: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase and Scopus up to January 2021. English-language publications on depression, anxiety, cognitive function, frailty and quality of life among PLWH50+ residing in SSA were included.

Data extraction and synthesis: We extracted …