Digital Commons Network^™

Demographic Characteristics And Trauma Symptomology In Juvenile Justice Residents At Echo Glen Children's Center, Britta L. Bergan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Exposure to traumatic and stressful events has become increasingly commonplace and the impact of such experiences has been well documented. Trauma events in childhood have been associated with a number of factors, including maladaptive emotional and behavioral responses, increased vulnerability for exposure to additional traumatic events, and adverse experiences later in life. Juvenile justice youth have been found to have higher rates of trauma exposure, when compared to community samples of same-aged peers. The population of youth residing at Echo Glen Children’s Center, in Snoqualmie, Washington, exhibit unique characteristics for a juvenile justice population, including age (the youngest juvenile offenders …

Examining The Spanish Maysi-2 Translation Among Mexican Americans, Yolanda Denise Ochoa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Due to the increasing Latino population in the U.S., Spanish translations of mental health screening tools are needed to better serve Latinos, particularly those in juvenile justice settings. Screening tools are measures that flag mental health symptoms and indicate if further evaluation is needed. The most widely screening tool used in juvenile justice settings that has been translated into Spanish is the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2). To date, research has focused only on the English version of the MAYSI-2. The present study examined the equivalence of the Spanish translation of the MAYSI-2 to its English version in 18- …

Mindfulness - Finding Focus In A Distracted World, Heather Simmons, Kyle K. Courtney

Scholarly Works

Law school and law practice can be an intense and chaotic experience. Library outreach can include programs that support the growing movement within the legal profession toward personal wellness; that is, valuing self-care and paying attention to our emotional, psychological, and physical health while practicing law. Mindfulness and meditation fall squarely within this movement’s mission

Finding The Resilient Teacher Within: A Workshop To Address K-12 Teacher Well-Being, Laura Jones

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Teacher stress comes from a variety of sources: accountability pressures, lack of time to relax, students who are not motivated, excessive duties and responsibilities that go beyond the classroom, testing pressure, large class size, lack of administrative support, and general concern for the safety and well being of their students (Richards, 2012). As a result of the constant high stress, more teachers are reporting mental/physical health issues and leaving the profession (Richards, 2012). One way to help deal with the stress teachers are feeling is to strengthen the teacher from within by using the resources they have already. This paper …

Gender And Attitudes About Mental Health Help Seeking: Results From National Data, Douglas Wendt, Kevin Shafer

Faculty Publications

Men often express less emotion than women do, are hesitant to express weakness, and seek professional help much less frequently than do their female counterparts. The lack of help seeking is common across characteristics such as age, race, ethnicity, and nationality. Authors used data from the 2006 General Social Surveys mental health module to suggest that the gender gap in help seeking may be rooted in attitudes regarding help-seeking behaviors generally. Using structural equation modeling, we linked vignette type (depression and schizophrenia) to the endorsement of help seeking from informal and formal sources. Men showed similar support for informal help …

Faculty Perspectives Of A School-Based Mental Health Program In A Rural School District, Jennifer Lynn Massey

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

School-based mental health centers provide promising solutions to the nationwide problem of high school dropouts and help students tackle the many barriers that may not only impede their health and well-being, but also their chances for completing high school (Center for School, Health, and Education, 2014). Therefore, gaining and understanding the perspectives of educators will influence the course initiative. The study showed that the services were needed because every participant (n=130) had experienced students who exhibited behaviors associated with mental health problems in the classroom or school environment. Duties regarding the provision of counseling services and behavior-related issues were perceived …

The Role Of Trauma And Mental Health Problems In The Perpetration Of Intimate Partner Violence In Post-Genocide Rwanda, Sarah Myers Tlapek

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to political violence or war is associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) in post-conflict settings (Clark et al., 2010; Gupta, Reed, Kelly, Stein, & Williams, 2012), and civilians and veterans who develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to combat or violence are more likely to perpetrate violence against an intimate partner (Taft, Watkins, Stafford, Street, & Monson, 2011). Rwandan health professionals estimate that after the 1994 genocide more than one-quarter of the country’s population now suffers from PTSD (Munyandamutsa, Nkubamugisha, Gex-Fabry, & Eytan, 2012). Although the majority of Rwandan women (56%) have experienced IPV in their lifetime (National …

Mindful Mustangs: A Mindful Meditation App For Cal Poly Slo, Neha Jagannath

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

This report discusses the creation and research behind a new mindfulness meditation application called Mindful Mustangs, which is created for the students of Cal Poly SLO. The goal of this mobile website is to use the various techniques used in mindful meditation to reduce the stress and anxiety that college students regularly face. With the onset of iOS and Android applications, similar health and behavioral applications are on the rise. The increase of these applications calls for a certain type of design and a robust analysis must be done to ensure the psychological health of the user. Mindfulness applications such …

Special Needs Children And Mental Health, Nancy J. Carbonell

Faculty Publications

What do these stories have in common? They are representative of many students who experience learning difficulties while at the same time struggling with mental or emotional issues. Special-needs teachers see children like Brandon, Carmen, and Jake in their classrooms every day. It is estimated that in the U.S., 37 percent of children with special needs also need mental-health care. That is approximately one in every three special-needs students! This is particularly challenging for teachers whose training did not include how to deal with children experiencing mental-health issues.

Alaska State Trooper Critical Incident Response Team And Peer Support Program Development, Cari Miller

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Law enforcement officers experience enormous job-related stress burdens in comparison to other career fields. Officers routinely encounter stressful situations from sources specific to their occupation, particularly their frequent exposure to dangerous situations, violence, and witnessing human suffering and depravity. Negative effects of occupational stress are exhibited in physical, physiological, emotional, and psychological changes. Law enforcement stress management programs are developed to provide resources to offset the negative effects, provide positive coping strategies to reduce stress, and increase the officer’s quality of life. This project developed program documents, policies, and procedures for the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and Peer Support …

How Mental Health, Sojourner Adjustment, And Drinking Motives Impact Alcohol-Related Consequences For College Students Studying Abroad, Laura Kay Thompson

Dissertations - ALL

The topic of college student drinking has been widely addressed in the literature. Traditional-aged college students are considered to be an at-risk population in terms of the problematic use of alcohol, putting them at risk for a wide range of negative consequences. College students who study abroad are a sub-group of students who may be vulnerable to increased alcohol-related consequences due to variables associated with being in an unfamiliar environment where alcohol is often more accessible. While previous studies have explored the impact that a range of factors has on alcohol-related consequences for students abroad, none has examined the impact …

The Relationship Of Spirituality And Depression On The Subjective Well-Being Of Jamaican College Students: A Cross Sectional Study Of Teacher Training Institutions In Jamaica, Claudette A. Brown-Smythe

Dissertations - ALL

Abstract

Spiritual is an integral component of one’s well-being and can serve as a barrier to our wellness as well as a protective factor from ill health. Spirituality helps one to make meaning of life’s circumstances and can be an intrinsic motivator helping to regain balance in our world. This study examined the relationship between spirituality, depression, and subjective well-being in 214 students enrolled in teachers’ colleges in Jamaica. Researchers (Campbell, Roberti, Maynard & Emmanuel, 2009; Kameel & Kamal, 2011; Lipps, Lowe & Gibbons, 2004; Lowe, Lipps & Young, 2009) have documented depression as an issue for college students in …

A Longitudinal Examination Of The Effects Of Acculturation And Mental Health Problems On Immigrant Father Involvement: A Cross-Cultural Study, Keitaro Yoshida

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined how acculturation, mental health problems, and parenting stress are associated with two dimensions of father involvement longitudinally for Latino and Chinese immigrant fathers using a nationally representative sample of young children and their resident fathers from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). After controlling for a variety of individual and demographic characteristics and previous levels of father involvement, results from multiple group structural equation modeling revealed that immigrant fathers' English proficiency is negatively associated with care-taking involvement at 2 years, but positively associated with care-taking involvement at 4 years. Interestingly, mothers' English proficiency is also …

Research Brief: "Impact Of Parents' Wartime Military Deployment And Injury On Young Children's Safety And Mental Health", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the relationship between the mental health of military children and parental deployment. In policy and practice, healthcare providers and teachers should understand the risks during the post-deployment period and the DoD should implement programs to help military families during the post-deployment period. Suggestions for future research include conducting a study over time on this topic, as well as expanding the sample to include longer and multiple deployments and various age groups of children within military families.

Gwu Psychology Grad Learned Real-World Lessons From His Professors’ Experiences, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

One of the more valuable lessons Jamie Hughes learned as a psychology major at Gardner-Webb University kept him from making the wrong career choice. His professors in the School of Psychology came from different backgrounds and shared their personal experiences with students. He also heard from a variety of guest speakers who could shed light on possible jobs and career paths.

God, Human Nature, And Psychology, Mark Christians

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"God created humans to think, act, and feel and to be in relationship with other humans."

Posting about exploring the many realms of human expression­­­­­­­­ from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/god-human-nature-and-psychology/

The United States Could Use A Therapist General, Barry Mauer

UCF Forum

Lately I have been imagining the creation of a new office in the executive branch: a Therapist General to advise the president and the nation about psychological problems affecting American citizens, groups and institutions. The person assuming this role could issue an annual report about the state of the nation’s mental health, investigate and report on the likely psychological costs and benefits of proposed laws, and issue recommendations for therapies to improve the nation’s psychological health.

'At-Risk' Places: Inequaties In The Distribution Of Environmental Stressors And Prescription Rates Of Mental Health Medications In Glasgow, Scotland, Juliana A. Maantay, Andrew Maroko

Publications and Research

Using geospatial analytical methods, this study examines the association between one aspect of the built environment, namely, the concentration of vacant and derelict land (VDL), and the prevalence of mental health disorders (using the proxy variable of mental health medication prescription rates) in Glasgow, Scotland. This study builds on our previous research, which demonstrated the spatial correspondence between the locations of VDL in Glasgow and several physical health outcomes. Numerous studies of other locales have found similar correspondence between different elements of the built environment and various health outcomes. This is the first study of its kind to look at …

Strengthening Executive Function Development For Students With Add, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

What are the root causes of Attention Deficit Disorder in our children and youth, and how do we address these challenges? According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 percent of children in the United States age 4-17 (6.4 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011.

Dr. Russell Barkley, clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina and medical expert in ADD, shares that this disorder is primarily about emotional regulation and self-control. It is not just about inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Emotional regulation, which is foundational to social, emotional, and …

The Effects Of Stress On The Lives Of Emerging Adult College Students: An Exploratory Analysis, Justin W. Peer, Stephen B. Hillman, Emma Van Hoet

Adultspan Journal

No abstract provided.

Health And Mental Health Of Older Asian Americans: A Comparative Study Of Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, And Other Asian/Pacific Islander Elders, Jing Tan

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

Purpose: This study examined the health and mental health status among U.S. Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, other Asian/Pacific Islander (API), and non-Hispanic White older adults, using nationally representative data. Method: An aggregated data file from the National Health Interview Survey from 2000 to 2009 was analyzed. The sample included 848 Chinese, 823 Filipino, 337 Asian Indian, 1,488 “other API,” and 74,042 non-Hispanic White older adults aged 65 and older. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare the health and mental health status among different ethnic groups of older adults and to identify related factors. Findings: The descriptive statistics reveal …

The Association Between Mental Health And Violence Among A Nationally Representative Sample Of College Students From The United States, Joesph A. Schwartz, Kevin M. Beaver, J. C. Barnes

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Objectives

Recent violent attacks on college campuses in the United States have sparked discussions regarding the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and the perpetration of violence among college students. While previous studies have examined the potential association between mental health problems and violent behavior, the overall pattern of findings flowing from this literature remain mixed and no previous studies have examined such associations among college students.

Methods

The current study makes use of a nationally representative sample of 3,929 college students from the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) to examine the prevalence of seven violent behaviors and …

Agonizing Identity In Mental Health Law And Policy (Part I), Sheila Wildeman

Dalhousie Law Journal

In this two-part paper, the author explores the significance of identity in mental health law and policy In this as in other socio-legal domains, identity functions to consolidate dissent as well as to effect social control. The author asks: where do legal experts stand in relation to the identity categories that run so deep in this area of law and policy? More broadly, she asks: is "mental health" working on us on the mental health disabled, legal scholars, all of us-in ways that are impairing our capacity for social justice? In the first part of the paper, the author considers …

Linking Emotional Distress To Unhealthy Sleep Duration: Analysis Of The 2009 National Health Interview Survey, Azizi A. Seixas, Joao V. Nunes, Collins O. Airhihenbuwa, Natasha J. Williams, Seithikurippu Ratnas Pandi-Perumal, Caryl C. James, Girardin Jean-Louis

Publications and Research

Objective The objective of the study was to examine the independent association of emotional distress with unhealthy sleep duration (defined as <7 or >8 hours). Methods Data from the 2009 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a cross-sectional household survey, were analyzed to investigate the associations of emotional distress with unhealthy sleep durations, adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health risks, and chronic diseases through hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis. Participants A total of 27,731 participants (age range 18–85 years) from the NHIS 2009 dataset were interviewed. Measures Unhealthy sleep duration is defined as sleep duration <7 or >8 hours, whereas healthy sleep is defined as sleep …

We'll See You Tomorrow, Devin N. Garnick

SURGE

On July 14th, 2015, Hannah climbed to the top of Half Dome, a stunning rock formation that rises thousands of feet above the valley floor at Yosemite National Park. She had talked about wanting to climb to the top of this breathtaking cliff for years and frequently mentioned that she had to tackle this feat “before she died.” I was amazed and proud to see photos of her impressive accomplishment, and wondered what she might achieve next. On July 21st, 2015, Hannah committed suicide. [excerpt]

Research Brief: "Suicide Risk Among 1.3 Million Veterans Who Were On Active Duty During The Iraq And Afghanistan Wars", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about a comparison between the post-service suicide risk of recent wartime veterans versus the suicide risk of the general population in the US. In policy and practice, veterans at risk for suicide should seek counseling, counselors should be aware of military service-specific stressors, and family members should support veterans through readjustment periods; the DoD and VA should continue offering medical screening and counseling services to recent veterans and veterans who were deployed. Suggestions for future research include examining the reasons for lower rates of suicide within certain military branches, determining the reasons for an excess suicide rate …

Development Of A Technology-Based Behavioral Vaccine To Prevent Adolescent Depression: A Health System Integration Model, Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, Tracy Gladstone, Stephanie Cordel, Monika Marko-Holguin, William Beardslee, Sachiko Kuwabara, Mark Allan Kaplan, Joshua Fogel, Anne Diehl, Chris Hansen, Carl Bell

Publications and Research

Efforts to prevent depression have become a key health system priority. Currently, there is a high prevalence of depression among adolescents, and treatment has become costly due to the recurrence patterns of the illness, impairment among patients, and the complex factors needed for a treatment to be effective. Primary care may be the optimal location to identify those at risk by offering an Internet-based preventive intervention to reduce costs and improve outcomes. Few practical interventions have been developed. The models for Internet intervention development that have been put forward focus primarily on the Internet component rather than how the program …

Depressive Symptoms And Walking In African‐Americans, Elisa R. Torres, Carolyn M. Sampselle, Harold W. Neighbors, David L. Ronis, Kimberlee A. Gretebeck

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

Although increased frequency of physical activity is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in African‐Americans, most studies do not focus on a specific type of activity. Identifying the activity can provide helpful information for designing interventions that focus on depressive symptoms. The objective of this study was to examine the odds of depressive symptoms in relation to walking in African‐Americans.

Design and Sample

A secondary analysis was performed on the National Survey of American Life. The sample was made up of community‐dwelling African‐American women (n = 1,903) and men (n = 1,075) who did not meet the DSM‐IV‐TR …

Neighbourhood Context And Youth Mental Health: The Role Of Local Community Programming In A Mid-Sized Ontario Urban Centre, Monica Christine Bochus

MA Research Paper

Existing research indicates that neighbourhood disadvantage takes a cumulative toll on mental health across the life course beginning in childhood. This study used a qualitative approach to explore the role of local community resources on buffering the harmful effects of adversity for youth in a mid-sized Ontario urban centre. The following questions were addressed: 1) What role do youth-centered community resources play in child and adolescent mental health promotion and awareness, particularly for at-risk children? 2) How can they serve to improve child and adolescent well-being? By interviewing key informants, the study found that affordable youth-centred programming has the potential …

Mental Health Screening Of Veterans Diagnosed With Cancer: Analyzing Psychological Distress And Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help, Jessica Jean Baptiste

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Studies analyzing mental health care utilization in veterans with a co-occurrence of a medical and psychological diagnosis are still underrepresented in the literature. The primary purpose of this study is to examine psychological screening methods of veterans diagnosed with cancer and determining when these veterans are more likely to endorse psychological symptoms. This information can contribute to the discussion of effective ways of integrating mental health screening in specialty care settings. A correlational, causal-comparative research design is employed to answer the study research questions and hypotheses. The participants include Vietnam, Korean, and World War II veterans seeking oncology services at …