Digital Commons Network^™

Affective Learning Opportunities For Gifted Adolescents, Jessica Anne Howard

Teaching and Learning Sciences: Doctoral Research Projects

The importance of teaching children and adolescents about affective content has recently become more of a priority in the realm of education, especially when working with gifted learners. The Colorado Department of Education requires that students on Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs) write an annual academic and affective goal. The problem of practice guiding this research is the lack of services and support for gifted adolescents to achieve healthy affective development and to write affective goals. It appears that opportunities for students, especially secondary students, to learn about affective content are limited. This multiple case study examined factors contributing to gifted …

Sensory-Based Group Treatment In Reducing Physically Acting-Out Behaviors And Perceived Levels Of Distress, Tiffany Barnette

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Mental health legislation over the last several decades has focused on restricting the use of seclusion and restraints within facilities receiving federal financial assistance. Facilities serving psychiatric populations have looked for strategies to eliminate the need for these forced interventions. One strategy is the use sensory-based treatment in occupational therapy intervention. Sensory approaches that have been adopted as ‘best practice’ include the use of sensory rooms, groups and kits to help users learn how to regulate psychological and emotional states of arousal.

Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone Project was to examine the effectiveness of a sensory-based …

Insomnia, Psychiatric Disorders And Suicidal Ideation In A National Representative Sample Of Active Canadian Forces Members, Don Richardson, A. Thompson, Lisa King, B. Corbett, P. Shnaider, K. St Cyr, C. Nelson, J. Sareen, Jon Elhai, M. Zamorski

MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre

Background

Past research on the association between insomnia and suicidal ideation (SI) has produced mixed findings. The current study explored the relationship between insomnia, SI, and past-year mental health status among a large Canadian Forces (CF) sample.

Method

Data was obtained from the 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey (CFMHS), and included a large representative sample of Canadian Regular Forces personnel (N = 6700). A series of univariate logistic regressions were conducted to test individual associations between past-year mental health status, insomnia, and potential confounds and SI. Mental health status included three groups: 0, 1, or two or more …

Preparing To Parent: Mindfulness In Expectant Parents Exposed To Adversity, Laurel Marie Hicks

Wayne State University Dissertations

Expectant parents who have been exposed to psychosocial risk encounter deleterious psychological (Ashley et al., 2016), and physiological (V. H. Pereira, Campos, & Sousa, 2017) effects. This not only affects the parent-to-be, but also may affect the developing fetus (E. P. Davis et al., 2011) and is linked to poorer infant development (Lefmann & Combs-Orme, 2014). However, not all risk-exposed individuals experience this, many are resilient and still thrive in the face of adversity. Understanding potential risk and resiliency factors in expectant parents is advantageous, so tailored interventions can be devised to improve outcomes. One potential resiliency factor, mindfulness, is …

Age Of Language Acquisition And Prevalence Of Suicidal Behavior In A Deaf Population With Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorder, Jared A. Embree, Nicole R. Kinzeler, Susan Fraker, Sandra Castle, Josephine F. Wilson

JADARA

If language is delayed through developmental milestones in childhood, individuals may have less access to the resiliency tools necessary to build social support and positive social identity. Suicide attempts may represent a maladaptive form of communication stemming from delayed ability to express unmet emotional needs. To evaluate the relationship between age of language acquisition and suicidality, analysis was conducted on self-reported data from prelingual deaf adults in substance use disorder treatment. Suicidal ideation was reported by 50.5% of consumers, and lifetime suicide attempts were reported by 42.1%. Individuals with significantly delayed language acquisition presented with the highest rates (61.1%) of …

Sensory-Based Services In Adult Mental Health, Leslie Reed

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone Project was to evaluate the sensory room program used by occupational therapy to determine whether use of the sensory room and the elements within the room reduced perceived levels of distress and acting out and/or aggressive behaviors of patients with mental illness. Methods: This Capstone Project was an outcome evaluation of a routine clinical program using retrospective analysis of existing patient records to ascertain physical aggression episodes, sensory modulation ability, and self-ratings and staff ratings of patient distress levels pre- and post-sensory intervention. Results: Through analysis of quantitative data, the results of the project …

Consumers, Clergy, And Clinicians In Collaboration: Ongoing Implementation And Evaluation Of A Mental Wellness Program, Glen Milstein, Dennis Middel, Adriana Espinosa

Publications and Research

As a foundation of most cultures, with roots in persons’ early development, religion can be a source of hope as well as denigration. Some religious institutions have made attempts to help persons with mental health problems, and some mental health professionals have sought to engage religion resources. These programs have rarely been sustained. In 2008, the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) developed a program to assess the utility of religion resources within mental health care. In response to positive feedback, MHCD appointed a director of Faith and Spiritual Wellness who facilitates community outreach to faith communities and spiritual integration …

The Third Tier In Treatment: Attending To The Growing Connection Between Gut Health And Emotional Well-Being, Joseph Verdino

Publications and Research

The microbial environment of the human gut has powerful influence on immunity, metabolism, and obesity. There is now emerging evidence that the microbiome of our gastrointestinal system may also be a key factor impacting our emotional and behavioral health. The purpose of this article is to elucidate how this emerging area of science can further educate and encourage mental health professionals to explore an additional means to treatment. Since much of this research is found in the biological and neuroscientific literature, it can be quite cumbersome for clinicians to digest and apply, who would critically benefit from a concise discussion …

The Delicate Process And Relational Style Of Solution Focused Brief Therapy: Ericksonian Hypnotherapy Resemblances In Sfbt, Annette Bovee-Akyurek

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) is an approach that facilitates movement of problems toward solutions. If applied as Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer intended, this approach requires a “delicate process” of attentive observational skills and use of language. This delicate process can be seen in SFBT with several resemblances of Ericksonian hypnotherapy. Through James Paul Gee’s discourse analysis, these resemblances were explored in two commercially available videos of SFBT sessions facilitated by Insoo Kim Berg. Both SFBT features and Ericksonian features were noted in these sessions, as well as an overlap of both approaches, and Ericksonian resemblances in …

Faculty Perceptions Regarding The Inclusion Of Military-Connected Children Into Educator Preparation Curriculum, Brianna Conway, Connie L. Schaffer

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The current study researched university faculty members’ knowledge and perceptions regarding military-connected children in the public-school setting. Faculty members from seven departments at a local university participated in the study. Faculty members completed a short survey regarding general knowledge of military-connected children and their families, as well as their inclusion of information about this population of students into their curriculum. Results suggest faculty members at the university received little to no educational training regarding military-connected children in their pre-service education. Furthermore, many faculty members at the university did not include information on military-connected families in their coursework, but were open …

Religiosity And Depression In College Students By Year In School, Ciara Saylor

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze if there is a relationship between levels of religiosity and levels of depression in college students. This study particularly looks at how this link changes depending on students' year in school. The study in this paper was conducted by surveying 100 college students on their levels of religious attendance, importance of prayer, importance of religious communities, and their feelings towards religious news and events. The study also employed the Zung depression scale to survey the student's mental health and levels of depression. This research can be used to identify what …

Medical Student Burnout: A Social Cognitive Learning Perspective On Medical Student Mental Health And Wellness, Robert Lubin, Michael Hamlin

Touro University Worldwide Publications and Research

Medical students' mental health is a topic of great interest as it has implications not only for medical students but also for the patients of these future doctors. Medical students face many academic pressures and burnout is one possible consequence of these stressors with some studies suggesting that burnout affects up to 50% of medical students. Our own study of American students in a medical programme located outside of the U.S. showed that student perceptions of the medical learning environment were linked with burnout suggesting that reducing burnout requires a pedagogical approach that addresses academically related stress factors. This chapter …

A Correlative Analysis Of Mystical Experiences And Lasting Symptom Improvement From Mdma-Assisted Psychotherapy For Treatment-Resistant Ptsd : A Project Based Upon An Investigation Sponsored By Multidisciplinary Association For Psychedelic Studies (Maps), Michiko A. Mitsunaga-Whitten

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Before the Controlled Substance Act of 1985 categorized psychedelic substances as criminalized schedule I drugs, psychiatrists used ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) as a catalyst to psychotherapy. Over two decades later, this project seeks to contribute to the renaissance of psychedelic research. Specifically, this study focuses on participants’ experience of treatment in the recent FDA approved Phase 2 clinical study, “A Randomized, Triple-Blind Phase 2 Pilot Study Comparing 3 Different Doses of MDMA in conjunction with manualized psychotherapy in 24 Veterans, Firefighters, and Police Officers with Chronic, Treatment-resistant PTSD.” The current study presents results from correlation analyses of the Mystical Experience Questionnaire …

A Path Towards Abuse - The Decline Of Moral Treatment In The Utica Lunatic Asylum, Stefanie C. Bartlett

Global Tides

This paper explores the deterioration of institutionalized mental health care by conducting a case study on the reasons why moral treatment methods declined in the Utica Lunatic Asylum, later renamed Utica State Hospital. The Utica State Hospital serves as a concrete example of how the general causes of decline in the United States varied among individual asylums. In the late nineteenth century, mental health care in the United States evolved from the personal, therapeutic environment that moral treatment promoted, to one of systematic abuse and neglect. In general, the reasons for this change were overcrowding, insufficient funding, and a decline …

Extended Family Relationships: How They Impact The Mental Health Of Young Adults, Kayla Jansen

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This study bridges the gap in literature about the impact of extended family relationships on young adult depression and self-esteem. A sample of 304 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 21 at the University of Kentucky was recruited to complete an online survey about their immediate and extended family relationships and their mental health. The largest predictor of self-esteem and depression in early young adults is perceived social support from the family of origin, which is also moderately correlated with perceived support from extended family members. This indicates that extended family support collaborates with family of origin support …

Role Stress, Coping Style, And Mental Health In Late Adolescence And Early Adulthood: An Empirical Analysis Of The Age-Linked Effects Of Coping Style On Depressed Mood And Anxiety, Jordan C. Burke

Master's Theses and Capstones

To what extent does age—that is, late adolescence and young adulthood—influence depressed mood or anxiety? To what extent are age differences between late adolescents and emerging adults explained by differences in coping style? To what extent does coping style moderate the effects of age on depressed mood and anxiety while controlling for chronic stress? I examine data from the Coös Youth Study, a longitudinal research project examining the life-course trajectories of two youth cohorts living in rural New England. Significant differences exist between late adolescents and emerging adults in coping style, stress exposure, and mental health. Relative to late adolescents, …

A Mixed Methods Study Examining Parent Impressions Of A Psychoeducational Program On Common Issues During Childhood, Erika Rajo

Theses and Dissertations

The rate of youth suffering from untreated emotional and behavioral problems has risen in recent years. Various barriers to treatment utilization of youth and their families have been identified in the literature, including logistical factors (i.e. transportation, lack of child care), financial barriers, as well as system barriers (i.e. limited knowledge of mental health difficulties among parents of young children). Parents/caregivers are often the primary gatekeepers to treatment for children suffering from mental health problems. Additionally, psychoeducational programs have increasingly gained support as an effective evidence-based practice that may bolster treatment utilization among youth. A psychoeducational program for parents of …

Exploring Clinical Best Practices For Working With The Co-Occurrence Of Psychosis And A Trauma History, Sierra Leah Black

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative research study explored clinical practices most effective in helping people who experience co-occurring psychosis and a trauma history. The research was conducted through interviews with nine mental health professionals, who reported they created their own skill base in working with clients with a co-occurrence of psychosis and trauma. Although every respondent reported this co-occurrence as common, they all expressed a lack of confidence and expertise in treating the population. Best practices for treatment were found to be a combination of psychiatric medication, psychotherapy, and community support. Themes of treatment included the need to establish trusting relationships, appreciate client …

From Yellow Peril To Model Minority : ǂB Deconstruction Of The Model Minority Myth And Implications For The Invisibility Of Asian American Mental Health Needs, Lynda Anne Moy

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The model minority myth is a racial stereotype imposed upon Asian Americans, often depicting them as a successful and high-achieving monolithic group in the United States. This paper examines sociopolitical functions of the term “model minority” and implications for this broad and diverse racial group by reviewing existing literature and conducting an analysis of qualitative interviews with 12 Asian Americans. The findings of this study suggest that while the model minority myth appears to be a positive stereotype, it may lead Asian Americans to experience distress through (a.) a sense of confinement, (b.) treatment as foreigners, and (c.) …

Long-Term Effects Of Early Parental Divorce On Parent-Child Relationships, Mental Health, And Alcohol Use, Tuba Demir Dagdas

All ETDs from UAB

The primary objective of this study was to fill a gap by examining the effects of early parental divorce on multi-dimensional views of parent-child relationships (e.g. support, strain, contact), mental health, and alcohol consumption among adult children. Many studies have shown that parental divorce has impacts on children’s well-being, however, few studies have examined the long-term effects of parental divorce on adult health. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effects of early parental divorce on adult children’s depressive symptoms and alcohol use via relationships with parents. Drawing from the life course paradigm and the stress process model, I examined …

The Impact Of Islamophobia On The Muslim American Community : Accounts Of Psychological Suffering, Identity Negotiation, And Collective Trauma, Areeza Ali

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The rise of Islamophobia has undoubtedly disrupted the identity and way of life of Muslim Americans in the last decade and half. This study centers the voices of eight Muslim Americans discussing the mental health impact of anti-Muslim discrimination and prejudice, the pervasiveness of xenophobic and Islamophobic perspectives in the U.S., and the normalization and acceptance of discrimination as evidenced by the presidential victory of Donald Trump.

The major findings of this study indicate that the marginalization and othering of Muslim Americans have manifested in adverse psychological symptoms including fear, stress, worry, isolation, numbness, desensitization and insecurity. In addition, this …

Self-Reported Pain In Male And Female Iraq/Afghanistan-Era Veterans: Associations With Psychiatric Symptoms And Functioning, Jennifer C. Naylor, H. Ryan Wagner, Mira Brancu, Megan Shepherd-Banigan, Eric Elbogen, Michelle Kelley, Teresa Fecteau, Karen Goldstein, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Christine E. Marx

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective. To examine pain symptoms and co-occurring psychiatric and functional indices in male and female Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans.

Design. Self-reported data collection and interviews of Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans who participated in a multisite study of postdeployment mental health.

Setting. Veterans were enrolled at one of four participating VA sites.

Subjects. Two thousand five hundred eighty-seven male and 662 female Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans.

Methods. Nonparametric Wilcoxon rank tests examined differences in pain scores between male and female veterans. Chi-square tests assessed differences between male and female veterans in the proportion of respondents endorsing moderate to high levels of pain vs no pain. Multilevel …

The Influence Of Social Support And Mental Illness On Punishment For Rule Violations Among Male Prisoners, Missy T. Malone

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mental illness among prisoners is higher than the general population (James & Glaze, 2006). The purpose of this exploratory-descriptive study was to investigate the social support and mental health factors that best predict punishment severity for institutional rule violations among prisoners. I conducted a secondary data analysis on 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The survey participants in this study consisted of a sample of 11,569 male prisoners. Bivariate analyses of interrelationships were conducted to assess whether significant relationships exist between the severity of punishment …

Personality Traits And Mental Health Of Local And International Students In A Public University In Malaysia: A Comparative Study / Nafiseh Kananifar, Kananifar Nafiseh

Student Works (2010-2019)

University students are an important pillar in building the society as they represent how the society is shaped generation after generations. Various challenges during study period have been found affecting the students, resulting in an increment of mental health issues. Therefore, student mental health requires a special concern by the educational authorities to avoid undesirable consequences that may accrue due to severe mental health issues. This research presents a cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence of mental health among the University of Malaya (local and international) students based on their personality traits. According to statistical information given by Information System …

Life History Of Dr. Sheri Montgomery, Ort/L, Otd, Mikaela Karpen, Stacy Sigmond

Oral History Posters

This life history one of 29 life history interviews that are a part of a larger project, Life Histories of Individuals Who Have Been Influential in Developing Occupational Therapy (OT) in North Dakota and Wyoming. The purpose of the project is to gather information about the history and evolution of occupational therapy (OT) practice in North Dakota and Wyoming through life histories of individual who have been influential in developing OT in these two state. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information. This study is intended to provide current and …

Impact Of Social Support Networks On Level Of Stress And Self-Esteem Among Canadian Immigrants, Jackie Williamson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigration may be an effective survival strategy for individuals from countries involved in war or political unrest.However, the immigration process may exacerbate a number of physical and psychological health symptoms. There are limited data on the health status of new Canadian immigrants, and some social support networks are not formally connected to settlement programs.The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to assess the level of stress and self-esteem of 400 recent and older immigrants in Canada, and to investigate the impact of social support networks on the mental well-being of recent immigrants.Cultural care and general adaptation theory provided the …

Analyzing Songs Used For Lyric Analysis With Mental Health Consumers Using Linguistic Inquiry And Word Count (Liwc) Software, Ashley M. Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Lyric analysis is one of the most commonly used music therapy interventions with the mental health population, yet there is a gap in the research literature regarding song selection. The primary purpose of this study was to determine distinguishing linguistic characteristics of song lyrics most commonly used for lyric analysis with mental health consumers, as measured by LIWC2015 software. A secondary purpose was to provide an updated song list resource for music therapists and music therapy students working with the mental health population. The researcher emailed a survey to 6,757 board-certified music therapists, 316 of whom completed the survey. Respondents …

Return To Sender, Katherine Noelle Nypaver

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Return to Sender is a fictional short story that illustrates the potential consequences of neglecting to take others seriously. River Ellison, a high school senior at St. Jude’s Academy struggling with depression and habitual self-harm, receives a note from his peer regarding his thoughts on suicide. His ordinary school day transforms into twenty-four hours of repercussions that force River to see his peer for what she is—an equal. Prefacing the short story, my critical essay explains why I find C.D. Payne, John Green, Jesse Andrews, and J.D. Salinger so inspiring to the young adult literature world. I also analyze how …

Effects Of The Protective Factor Of Therapy And Risk Factor Of Alcohol Use On Psychological Outcomes Among Racially Ethnic Female Survivors Of Sexual Victimization, Annie M. Varvaryan

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examines the utilization of therapy as a protective factor and alcohol use as a risk factor for racially ethnic diverse female survivors of sexual victimization against the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Irritable Depression (ID), and sexual revictimization. A sample of ethnically diverse female adult participants who endorsed sexual victimization from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) were included in the study (n = 1115). Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the probability of the predictor variables of therapy and alcohol use impacting the outcome variables and whether or not the …

Using Cultural Relevancy To Promote African American Brain Health, Miya Walker

University Honors Theses

African Americans are disproportionately more likely than older whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias (ADOD). Despite these disparities, there is difficulty in motivating African Americans to engage in activities suitable to maintaining cognitive health (walking, social engagement, physical activity). The Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-imagery (SHARP) walking program (Croff, PI) combines these proactive activities in a culturally relevant way to create a motivational force to preserve cognitive health. SHARP engaged 19 African Americans aged 55 and older on 72 themed, 1-mile walks over 6 months in Portland, Oregon’s historically Black neighborhoods. This study examines participant responses …