Digital Commons Network^™

Puerto Rican Cultural Arts And Expressive Arts Therapies: Mental Health And Collective Resilience Post-Hurricane Maria, Stephanie Soler-Martinez

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The research aimed to study how integrating Puerto Rican popular cultural arts with the expressive arts therapies could assist the recovery process post Hurricane Maria. During post-disaster recovery efforts, access to formal psychological services are not always viable to survivors and the services available are usually not enough to cover the demand. The literature review examined the relationship between: mental health in the aftermath of natural disasters; cultural relevancy within the field of psychology in Puerto Rico; resilience in post-disaster communities; and psychosocial community interventions. Findings encouraged for programing for Puerto Rico’s psychosocial recovery from Hurricane Maria, or any future …

Assessing Trauma In A Transcultural Context: Challenges In Mental Health Care With Immigrants And Refugees, Lloy Wylie, Rita Van Meyel, Heather Harder, Javeed Sukhera, Cathy Luc, Hooman Ganjavi, Mohamad Elfakhani, Nancy Wardrop

Paediatrics Publications

The growing numbers of refugees and immigrants from conflict-prone areas settling throughout the world bring several challenges for those working in the mental health care system. Immigrants and refugees of all ages arrive with complex and nuanced mental health histories of war, torture, and strenuous migration journeys. Many of the challenges of addressing the health care needs for this growing population of immigrants and refugees are often unfamiliar, and thus practices to address these challenges are not yet routine for care providers and health care organizations. In particular, complex trauma can make mental health assessments difficult for health care organizations …

Ptsd In U.S. Veterans: The Role Of Social Connectedness, Combat Experiences And Discharge, Sara Kintzle, Nicholas Barr, Gisele Corletto, Carl A. Castro

Social Work Faculty Research

Service members who transition out of the military often face substantial challenges during their transition to civilian life. Leaving military service requires establishing a new community as well as sense of connectedness to that community. Little is known about how social connectedness may be related to other prominent transition outcomes, particularly symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to explore the role of social connectedness in the development of PTSD, as well as its relationship to the known risk factors of combat exposure and discharge status. Data used were drawn from a needs assessment survey …

"People Don't Know How I Feel": Developing A Mental Health Curriculum For Latinx Adolescents, Selina Flores

Master's Projects and Capstones

As rates of mental health issues worsen for Latinx adolescents, many barriers to utilizing mental health services increase. Mental health education shows promise in improving outcomes and decreasing potential barriers to utilization of mental health services among Latinx high school students. The purpose of this project was to pilot a mental health education course with Latinx (gender neutral term for Latino/a) high school students in Marin County and to evaluate its outcomes. A mental health curriculum and evaluation surveys were constructed, which focused on mental health knowledge, help-seeking, and attitudes and beliefs. Seven Latinx female high school students from Marin …

Predicting Help-Seeking Attitudes And Intentions In A Diné Sample, Chesleigh N. Keene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between cultural factors, psychological distress, barriers, and attitudes toward seeking psychological help among Diné tribal members. This study is in response to calls to consider psychological and cultural factors in the underutilization of mental health services by ethnic minorities. The present study examines psychological and cultural antecedents to seeking professional psychological help among Diné tribal members (N=119). It examined the mediating role of attitudes toward help seeking in the relationship between psychological distress, barriers to care, three acculturation variables, and intentions to seek counseling. Mediation was assessed with …

A Structural Equation Analysis Of The Relationships Between Ptsd, Depressive Symptoms And Suicidal Ideation : Is General Strain Theory A Viable Framework For Explaining Suicide Risk Among Correctional Staff?, Wm. Clay Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a large body of evidence, which suggests PTSD is strongly related to increased suicide risk, however, some studies suggest the true nature of their relationship is better explained through the development of depression due to the effects of PTSD. While a majority of the studies examining this relationship focus only on general populations, a growing body research suggests that high-risk occupations such as police, firefighters and correctional staff are developing PTSD at rates as high as 8 to 10 times that of the rate of these general samples. This study, then, aims to fill a small gap in …

Navigating Mental Health Care Access In Louisville : An Ethnography Of Local Resources And Care Assemblages., Laura Drabelle Valentine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines barriers to care access present in Louisville, Kentucky's community mental health care infrastructure, and how individuals who seek mental health care experience and navigate those barriers. This thesis expands research about the impacts of health care reform following the Affordable Care Act and adds to literature about the political economy of health-seeking behaviors. Drawing on assemblage theory and ethnographic research with both care-providers and care-recipients of Community Mental Health Care Organizations, I argue that both groups attempt to alleviate barriers to care access and facilitate mental health recovery through the development of formal and informal strategies. Examining …

Examination Of A Screening Tool For Athletes’ Mental Health And Its Direct Implications To Sport Training And Competition, Jesse Scott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Sport Interference Checklist (SIC) is a psychometrically validated instrument designed to assess how often cognitive and behavioral factors interfere with athletes performance during training and/or competition as well as the extent to which athletes are interested in pursuing sport psychology to address these problems. The success of this scale inspired an interest in developing new items that assess the influence of specific mental health concerns on sport performance using the SIC format. The Sport Interference Checklist’s Sport Specific Screen for Mental Health (SIC-SSSMH) was empirically developed using 259 athletes to assist in the identification of mental health problems explicitly …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Birthing Practices On Long-Term Health And Reproductive Outcomes From The 1970 British Cohort Study: Insights From Evolutionary Theory, Elizabeth Turner

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A wealth of research has been amassed and continues to grow through efforts to understand the complex nature of the relationship between the colonization and development of the human gut microbiota, its influence on the development of the immune system, and its role in both health and disease. Since previous research has demonstrated early life conditions can influence the colonization and development of the human gut microbiota, it is critical to understand how circumstances around the birthing process affect long-term outcomes beginning at this crucial stage in our development. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, this thesis examines the relationship …

Protecting And Serving Yourself: The Mental Health Of Police Officers In Kaukauna, Wisconsin, Caina Weiner

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The service learning hours performed at the Kaukauna Police Department served as a valuable learning experience to better understand an organization that is involved in public health. Although some may view this as non-traditional, the police department is quite involved in the community’s health. They work closely with public health officials and are also involved in certain public health programs, such as drug and alcohol programs. The health of a police officer must also be considered as a public health topic. A police officer is part of a vulnerable population of individuals that are “first responders.” These individuals are at …

Influence Of Built Environment And Social Capital On Mental Health Of Residents Of Assisted Living Communities In Louisville, Ky., Sarah E. Walsh, A. Scott Lajoie

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Objectives: Prior research has shown social capital and built environment quality are associated with overall health status and the incidence of mental illness. This study explores the relationship between social capital, built environment, and quality of life specifically for assisted living residents, currently a gap in the literature. Method: A total of 76 assisted living residents were interviewed for the study using researcher-administered questionnaires. In addition, site audits were conducted to quantitatively evaluate the built environment surrounding 12 assisted living communities in the Louisville Metro region. Results: There was a moderate, positive correlation between social capital and mental health, r …

Changes In Sedentary Time Are Associated With Changes In Mental Wellbeing Over 1 Year In Young Adults., Laura D. Ellingson, Jacob D. Meyer, Robin P. Shook, Philip M. Dixon, Gregory A. Hand, Michael D. Wirth, Amanda E. Paluch, Stephanie Burgess, James R. Hebert, Steven N. Blair

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Excessive sedentary time is related to poor mental health. However, much of the current literature uses cross-sectional data and/or self-reported sedentary time, and does not assess factors such as sedentary bout length. To address these limitations, the influence of objectively measured sedentary time including sedentary bout length (i.e.min, ≥30 min) on mood, stress, and sleep, was assessed in 271 healthy adults (49% women; age 27.8 ± 3.7) across a 1-year period between 2011 and 2013 in Columbia, SC. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States and the Perceived Stress Scale, and wore a Sensewear Armband to assess sedentary time, physical …

On Contradiction, Piper Harron

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Parenting, across species, is a clumsy, all-consuming, and often exasperating endeavor. Yet in many parts of the human world, we somehow expect to contain and control this part of ourselves. We idealize the separation of work and family. This seems to be especially true in mathematics where many of us hold space in our minds for the Devoted Genius Mathematician who has no other responsibilities but to their own passions, and no obstacles beyond the difficulties of their own pursuits. The unavoidable fact is that life with children is full of absurdities and contradictions. Unless we're willing to embrace that, …

The Efficacy Of Coaching Interventions Forundergraduates To Increase Positive Coping Behavior: A Quantitative Quasi-Experiment, Anthony Jackson

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Across the United States, many administrators on college campuses are attempting to respond to the increased student need for mental health services; however, there is concern about colleges’ ability to meet the demand for mental health services in the long term. Using Folkman and Lazarus’ theory of transactional stress and coping, this quantitative quasi-experimental study attempted to determine if a significant difference in coping existed among participants both taking part and not taking part in a life-coaching program across time and if there was a significant mean difference in coping scores between participants who participated in a life coaching program …

Interventions To Promote Mental Health Literacy In University Students And Their Clinical Educators. A Systematic Review Of Randomised Control Trials, Kristin Lo, Tanvi Gupta, Jennifer L. Keating

Health Professions Education

Purpose: The effects of interventions for improving mental health literacy of health professional students and their clinical educators have not been established. This review analysed interventions to: support mental health literacy, deal with stigma, encourage help-seeking behaviour and improve attitudes towards providing help to those experiencing mental health issues. Method: The full holdings of Medline, PsycINFO, EBM Reviews, Cinahl Plus, ERIC and EMBASE were searched until 16th November 2016. Inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials of interventions to support mental health delivered to groups or using face to face and / or online delivery methods compared to alternative education, usual …

Engaging "Seldom Heard" Groups In Research And Intervention Development: Offender Mental Health., Charlie Taylor, Laura Gill, Andy Gibson, Richard Byng, Cath Quinn

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND: People subject to the criminal justice system often have substantially different life-experiences from the general population. Patient and public involvement (PPI) of "seldom heard" groups provides valuable experiential knowledge, enhancing research. OBJECTIVE: To share our jointly developed techniques to ensure the meaningful engagement and contribution of people with lived experience of the criminal justice system (PWLECJS) in research, trial science, intervention theory development and dissemination. METHODS: Commitment to adequate financial resources, appropriate staff skills and adequate time were combined with previous learning. PWLECJS were approached through local community organizations. A group was established and met fortnightly for ten months …

The Patriot Talon (July 16, 2018), University Of Texas At Tyler

The Patriot Talon/The Patriot

The official newspaper for the University of Texas at Tyler before it was changed back to the UT Tyler Patriot. Articles in this issue include: Breaking News! UT Tyler Accepted into NCAA Division II; Bike Share, Beware!; Meet the New Editor; Summer Blockbusters 14,000,605 different emotions; 14 years; Catch me if ya can!; It's getting hot in here; Dead in the Water; The iGen: On the Brink of a Mental Health Crisis; Do C's really get degrees? A closer look; Interest in inclusivity at UT Tyler; Free Parking: The Joys of nature that we are missing; Men and PERIOD; Bad …

Evaluation Of A Youth Emergency Room Enhancement Program For Behavioral Health, Anne Thatcher

Dissertations

Problem. Pediatric mental health complaints and subsequent hospitalizations have been steadily increasing. The Behavioral Health Network (BHN) developed an intensive outreach case management program aimed at reducing youth mental health emergency department (ED) visits and inpatient psychiatric admissions. The Youth Emergency Room Enhancement (YERE) program was a process improvement initiative to provide immediate case management to youth and caregivers for mental health care.

Methods. A Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method utilizing a retrospective case record review occurred over a six-month period. A convenience sample of youth aged 6-20 years presenting to one of eight healthcare facilities for either ED or inpatient hospitalization …

Perspectives Of Older Blacks And Whites Living With Serious Mental Illness About Outpatient Mental Health Services, Rosalyn Roker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, over three million adults, age 50 and older, reported a diagnosis of serious mental illness (SMI) in the past year. Most of them live in community-settings and are less likely than younger adults to utilize mental health treatment. Lack of and insufficient treatment for SMI places them at increased risk of morbidity, earlier mortality, cognitive decline, and diminished quality of life. The current study aimed to: (1) examine the factors that influence Black and White older adults, who live with SMI, to seek and engage in outpatient mental health treatment; (2) identify the perspectives of Black …

Academic Stress, Depression, And Social Support: A Comparison Of Chinese Students In International Baccalaureate Programs And Key Schools, Wenjun Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how academic stress affects Chinese high achieving secondary students’ mental health. Potential moderating effects of perceived social support and gender on the relationship between academic stress and depression were also examined. Current literature suggests Chinese high school students report greater academic stress and depression than their counterparts overseas (Sun, Dunne, Hou, & Xu, 2013), but it is unclear about the status of high achieving Chinese students as well as how social support works as a protective factor on this particular population. In order to fill this gap, the current study recruited a …

Depression, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And A History Of Pervasive Gender-Based Violence Among Women Asylum Seekers Who Have Undergone Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Retrospective Case Review, Hazel Lever, Deborah Ottenheimer, Jimmitti Teysir, Elizabeth Singer, Holly G. Atkinson

Publications and Research

We sought to evaluate the frequency of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and any experiences of violence in women who had undergone Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and were seeking asylum in the United States. We undertook a retrospective qualitative descriptive study of FGM/C cases seen in an asylum clinic over a 2-year period. Standardized questionnaires provided quantitative scores for anxiety, depression and PTSD. Clients’ personal and physician medical affidavits were analyzed for experiences of violence. Of the 13 cases, anxiety and depression were exhibited by 92 and 100% of women, while all seven women screened for PTSD had symptoms. Qualitative analysis revealed …

School Psychologists And Suicide Risk Assessment: Role Perception And Competency, Kristen Herner Erps

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

As the second leading cause of death for adolescents, suicide has become one of the biggest concerns for school personnel. School psychologists are often expected to be the most competent and able to lead in suicide prevention efforts, however, studies have shown a lack of preparedness in crisis intervention and, more specifically, suicide risk assessment. This study surveyed practicing school psychologists (N = 92) to explore their perception of both their role and competency in suicide risk assessment. While school psychologists reported having varying roles within their district related to suicide risk assessment, the majority endorsed having a role at …

Health Information On Firefighter Websites: Structured Analysis, Mostin A. Hu, Joy C. Macdermid, Shannon Killip, Margaret Lomotan

Bone and Joint Institute

© Mostin A Hu, Joy C MacDermid, Shannon Killip, Margaret Lomotan, FIREWELL. Background: Owing to the fact that firefighters have unique health risks, access to firefighter-specific internet-based health information is a potential mechanism for achieving better health and work outcomes. Objective: The objective of our study was to identify the amount and nature of health information resources available on Canadian firefighter-specific websites and the extent to which resources are consistent across websites as a surrogate indicator of diffusion of information. Methods: A search of health resources on firefighter websites (union and employer) for all Canadian provinces, major cities and a …

Hope For Utah:? Exploring The Long-Term Impacts Of Peer-Based Suicide Prevention Among Adolescents, Meagan Rose Rainock

Theses and Dissertations

Current research studies on the success of peer-based outreach programs for adolescent suicide prevention are inconclusive (Mann et al. 2005; Gould et al. 2003). Fewer still have measured the feelings and experiences of the peers who are responsible for reaching out to suicidal friends within such a program. This exploratory research study examines the experiences and perspectives of past participants of an adolescent peer-based outreach program, Hope4Utah. Findings from this mixed-method study of Hope4Utah support that peer-outreach suicide prevention programs have far-reaching benefits, on both the participants and their surrounding communities, which extend into adulthood. Themes that emerged from analysis …

Associations Among Different Types Of Prosocial Behavior Toward Friends, Friendship Quality, And Mental Health Outcomes During Adolescence, Daye Son

Theses and Dissertations

The current study used a multidimensional approach to prosocial behavior by a) exploring various types of adolescent prosocial behavior toward friends (physical helping, sharing, defending, emotional support, including) using both qualitative and quantitative data, and b) examining longitudinal associations among prosocial behavior toward friends, friendship quality, and mental health (anxiety, life satisfaction, depression). The data were taken from Waves 8, 9, and 10 of the Flourishing Families Project. Participants at Wave 8 consisted of 470 adolescents (M age = 18.4 years, SD = 1.04, 49% male, 32% high school students, 33% single-parent families) from the United States. Results revealed that …

Gray Space And Green Space Proximity Associated With Higher Anxiety In Youth With Autism, Lincoln R. Lawson, Brian Barger, Scott Ogletree, Julia C. Torquati, Steven Rosenberg, Cassandra Johnson Gaither, Jodie Marie Bartz, Andrew Gardner, Eric Moody, Anne R. Schutte

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

This study used ZIP code level data on children's health (National Survey of Children's Health, 2012) and land cover (National Land Cover Database, 2011) from across the United States to investigate connections between proximity to green space (tree canopy), gray space (impervious surfaces), and expression of a critical co-morbid condition, anxiety, in three groups of youth: children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n=1501), non-ASD children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN, n=15,776), and typically developing children (n=53,650). Both impervious surface coverage and tree canopy coverage increased the risk of severe anxiety in youth with autism, but not CSHCN or typical …

Anxiety: An Epidemic Through The Lens Of Social Media, Holly M. Wright

Honors College Theses

Anxiety: An Epidemic was originally inspired by the mental health crisis in my hometown, Palo Alto, California, and evolved to specifically focus on social media-related anxiety. I examined the question: How has social media evolved over the last decade and what effect does the proliferation of social media have on the young adult population? I hypothesized that social media would have a predominately negative effect, especially on young women, and set out to create a theatrical piece inspired by my research. In my meta-analysis of studies conducted, I found that more data needs to be collected on the relatively new …

The Power Of P.E.: Evaluating A P.E. Program For An Urban Middle School, Matthew Tarape

Master's Projects and Capstones

This research study was aimed at developing an evaluation survey tool to measure the effects of physical activity and physical education on middle school students’ physical, mental, emotional, and social health and well-being. This study was conducted in a middle school in the challenging, underserved Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California in April to June 2018. Data for this research was obtained by questionnaires distributed electronically to students. The questionnaire, sent to the students in the month of April and June, had them select the response that best described how they felt on the days they had P.E. and days …

Adult Experts' Perceptions Of Telemental Health For Youth: A Delphi Study., Abigail Howard, Mindy Flanagan, Michelle Drouin, Maria D. Carpenter, Elizabeth Chen, Catherine Duchovic, Tammy Toscos

Health Services and Informatics Research

OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to measure experts' opinions and develop consensus via the Delphi process on the barriers, applications, and concerns associated with telemental health (TMH) for youth.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We delivered 3 online surveys over 2 months in Summer, 2016-2025 adult experts, including adults who experienced youth depression or suicidality, parents of youth with lived experience, and professionals (ie youth mental health researchers, clinicians/staff, or educators). We used the Delphi method to construct Likert and open-ended questions, developing expert consensus over 3 iterative surveys on the barriers and benefits of TMH for youth.

RESULTS: Adult experts identified stigma …

Pathways Over The Life Course: Patterns Of Depressive Symptoms In Adolescence And Their Potential Impact On Educational Attainment, Stephen Carneiro Fernandes

MA Research Paper

This analysis draws on life course sociology to investigate the association between depression in adolescence and postsecondary completion in young adulthood. Three gaps in the mental health and education literature are addressed: lack of attention to the duration and timing of depressive symptoms, the overuse of high school degree receipt and college entry as outcome variables, and the exclusion of theoretically important confounders, such as self-rated health. Using panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, distinct mental health pathways that are based on a 12-item revision of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale are …