Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Effects Of Mindful Nature Walks On College Student Anxiety, Grace Young

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals pursuing a degree in higher education face challenges that lead to greater levels of anxiety than that of the general U.S. adult population. This disparity, further heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, presents a need for higher education institutions to search for ways to address this spike in student anxiety and other mental health concerns. This mixed-methods study explored mindful nature walks as a low-cost and easily accessible way for college students to reduce levels of experienced anxiety. Using validated quantitative measures, this study examined the impact of three weekly, consecutive 30-minute mindful nature walks on state and general anxiety …

Exploring The Intersection Of Masculinity, Mental Health, And Mass Shootings, Kaitlyn Campbell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have explored how intersecting challenges to masculinity and mental health can precipitate mass shootings. This study examines how responses to strained masculinity and mental health disorders combine across varying situational and social contexts to explain why and how offenders commit mass shootings. Data come from the U.S. Extremist Crime Database, Bias Homicide Database, and other open-source data on mass shootings. Drawing from Allison and Klein’s (2021) concept of “strained masculinity”, this study utilizes a qualitative narrative approach to uncover themes of strained masculinity and mental health issues among perpetrators of mass shootings. Different storylines emerge capturing ways some …

A Content Analysis Of Common Relationship Challenges Among People Who Practice Polyamory, Kalyn Su, Sophie Camilleri

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Approximately 1 out of 9 people in the U.S. have engaged in polyamory (Moors et al., 2021), a relationship type in which all involved agree to have multiple romantic and/or sexual partners. Despite the commonness of polyamory, there are many misconceptions about the polyamorous experience. However, research has yet to examine common challenges that people engaged in polyamory endure. The goal of the present qualitative study was to identify the disadvantages and stressors of polyamory in order to shed light on the unique experiences of people in these relationships. 219 adults who were currently in a polyamorous relationship were asked …

Improving Mental Health And Well-Being In Elementary School Students Through Stress Management Activities, Shya Vasquez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The number of students who are experiencing mental health issues is on the rise. There is a variety of reasons that contribute to the increasing numbers which include the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of support from teachers, the kinds of mental health activities that have not been incorporated into classrooms, and much more. Given this, this capstone project examines how to improve mental health and well-being of elementary school students through stress management activities through the use of literature review, interviews with two teachers, two parents, and two prospective teachers, and classroom observations. The results indicated the many benefits and different …

Mental Health Awareness In Adolescents And The Impact Of Social Media, Vanessa Clark

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project focuses on informing parents of the effects of social media on adolescents’ mental health. Adolescents are frequent users of social media as they are more likely to explore online content and be unaware of the potential dangers that can pose a threat to their mental health (Rapee et al. 2019). Due to social media being difficult to monitor at all times, along with advances in technology through school curriculums, we want to acknowledge its presence and usage. Social media allows the opportunity to connect with others digitally but there needs to be awareness of the potentially harmful …

The Effect Of Crime On Mental Health In South Africa, Magda Tsaneva, Lauren-Kate Laplante

Economics

This paper examines the impact of district-level crime rates in South Africa on individual depression symptoms. We use panel data from the National Income Dynamics Survey collected between 2008 and 2014 and estimate an individual fixed effects regression model, thus controlling for characteristics of the individual's environment that could affect crime and mental health. We find that an increase of one standard deviation in property (violent) crime is associated with a 7.2 (8.7) percentage point increase in the probability of depression symptoms. Analysis of potential mechanisms suggests that indirect exposure to crime likely affects mental health by increasing stress rather …

The Silent Killer: Anorexia Nervosa, Sierra Malterud

Psychology Student Publications

Notice the warning signs! What do you need to look out for when those around you may be struggling with Anorexia nervosa?

Social Media Impact On Adolescent Mental Health, Jayla Owen-Lafontaine

Psychology Student Publications

This paper is about how social media has an impact on adolescents mental health. it discusses the negatives of social media on mental health as well as some positives.

The Effect Of Aerobic Exercise On The Mental Health Of People With Cancer Aged (18-20), Bushra Kadhim Al-Hamash, Rusul Ali Jabur

Modern Sport

Physical fitness is one of the necessities of life. It is part of the general fitness of a person and one of the components of comprehensive fitness that qualifies the individual to live in a balanced manner within society. It aims to prepare an individual who has physical competence in facing the requirements of life. The problem of the research is that cancer patients who were unable to obtain their needs. It is necessary that this hinders their access to mental and physical health and to highlight the importance of practicing sports activities and its impact on the mental health …

The Relationship Between Clinical Presentation And The Nature Of Care In Adults With Intellectual Disability And Epilepsy - National Comparative Cohort Study, Sarah Badger, Lance V. Watkins, Paul Bassett, Ashok Roy, Mogbeyiteren Eyeoyibo, Indermeet Sawhney, Kiran Purandare, Laurie Wood, Andrea Pugh, Joanne Hammett, Rory Sheehan, Samuel Tromans, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND: A quarter of People with Intellectual Disabilities (PwID) have epilepsy compared with 1% of the general population. Epilepsy in PwID is a bellwether for premature mortality, multimorbidity and polypharmacy. This group depends on their care provider to give relevant information for management, especially epilepsy. There is no research on care status relationship and clinical characteristics of PwID and epilepsy.

AIM: Explore and compare the clinical characteristics of PwID with epilepsy across different care settings.

METHOD: A retrospective multicentre cohort study across England and Wales collected information on seizure characteristics, intellectual disability severity, neurodevelopmental/biological/psychiatric comorbidities, medication including psychotropics/anti-seizure medication, and …

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: The Hidden Issues And Entertainment Within The World Of Crime And Punishment, John Charlton, Christian Sorrells, Aaron Burney, Jonathan Yi

ENGL 1102 Showcase

An anthology diving into observing topics related to crime and punishment and determining the effect on the greater topic. Explains why people are so interested in crime, how PTSD can lead to violence and questioning how prisoners spend their time and all through provoking questions addressed in this anthology in the hope that it creates a greater understanding of crime and punishment as a whole.

Promoting Mental Health And Well-Being Among Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Practice Guideline, Armen Mailyan

DNP Projects

Poor mental health and well-being among undergraduate nursing students negatively affects social dynamics, communication, decision making, and stress management, thus compromising the quality of healthcare delivery and patient care outcomes. It is imperative that nursing programs support students to develop positive self-care, resilience, and mental health skills while in school to foster their well-being, enhance their academic success, and to promote high-quality, patient-centered care in their future practice. The purpose of this Doctor of Nurse Practice (DNP) project was to develop a mental health and well-being practice guideline with a comprehensive set of evidence-based interventions for academic nursing programs to …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Student Motivation In Secondary Instrumental Music, Martha Jane Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to provide strategies to improve student motivation in band and orchestra programs in Elkhart Community Schools. The problem for band and orchestra teachers was declining enrollment and student participation in outside music activities such as audition opportunities since the COVID-19 pandemic. The rationale for this study was to examine student motivation and provide educators with immediately applicable strategies to improve student participation in instrumental music programs. Educators must understand why students continued to struggle with returning to normalcy by seeking strategies as to how to reach and help these students. Early research following the …

Bridges And Barriers: Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Emerging Adults' Views On Integrating Their Sexual And Religious Identities, Rémy Roe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The existing literature highlights sexual and religious identity integration as a significant mediating factor in the relationship between religion and spirituality (R/S), and the LGBTQ population. This study explores outcomes associated with the integration of sexual and religious identities in a religiously diverse sample of seven lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) emerging adults ages 18-25. The sample included participants identifying with Buddhism (2), Christianity (2), Islam (1), Judaism (1), and Hinduism (1). Semi-structured interviews with participants identified eight key themes across their experiences: identity narratives, emerging adulthood exploration, interconnectedness of identities, evolving perspectives, social and cultural barriers, personal growth and …

Military Spouse Counselors: Exploring Mental Health, Resilience, Coping, And Burnout, Melinda Poteet Brinkley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military spouses (MLSPs) are an integral part of the military family and key mental health providers in military community. This study explores the mental health, resilience, coping, and burnout of MLSP counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors (CES). This study was grounded in resilience theory, investigating relationships between mental health and burnout, mediated by resilience, and conditioned by coping. An online survey was distributed through social media and email, open to MLSP counselors/CES of all branches and components of service (N = 68). This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional correlational research designed utilized PROCESS Models 4, 58, and 59, which determined that resilience …

Special Education Teachers' Experiences Addressing Mental Health Concerns In Students With Comorbid Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study, Alison L. Simmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of special education teachers in public schools regarding addressing mental health needs in their students experiencing comorbid disabilities. The theory guiding this study was contextual organizational framework as it applies to individual special education teachers addressing comorbid mental health concerns in their students. The research addresses the central research question: What experiences within the organizational context(s) do special education teachers describe with regard to working with special education students with comorbid mental health disorders? All participants were special education teachers in either elementary or secondary schools, who …

The Effects Of Mental Health On Emotional Intelligence Among Latino Church Leaders, Janice M. Torres

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Latinos are a culturally based race whose mental health focuses on the foundation established by their cultural upbringing and religion. Stigma, religious values, and culture are essential in Latinos' perspectives regarding their emotional intelligence and mental health. This experimental study investigated the effect of mental health on emotional intelligence in Latino church leaders, utilizing The Emotionally Healthy Leader as an intervention. This study employed a pretest-posttest design where participants' emotional intelligence, mental health, and mental health awareness were assessed before and after the intervention. A randomized, controlled trial (RCT) encompassed a group of randomly assigned Latino church leaders who participated …

Exploring How Pentecostals Preach About Depression, Robert D. Mcbain

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

A qualitative analysis was completed on twelve sermons into how Pentecostal preachers talk about depression from the pulpit using the Assemblies of God (AG) as a purposive sample. Findings illustrate that preachers talked about faulty thinking as the source of depression and interpreted depression as a transformative journey occurring within the context of a God encounter where the believer fixed their faulty thinking. While the way the preachers interpreted depression is not without critique, the article suggests that preaching about depression as a journey of encounter may help listeners frame their depression experiences within a narrative framework that helps them …

The Effects Of Adverse And Positive Childhood Experiences On Childhood Mental Health And Behavior Problems, Jane Grace Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic childhood events with enduring repercussions on child well-being, while positive childhood experiences (PCEs) have been identified in emerging research as capable of offsetting the effects of ACEs. However, little research investigates the combined impact of ACEs and PCEs on child outcomes, which can inform better aid for children exposed to ACEs. The purpose of this study is to address these important gaps in existing ACE literature. Using data from the National Survey of Child Health (NSCH) 2020-2021 (N = 60,809), I examine the individual and interactive effects of ACE, PCEs, and gender on childhood …

Collegiate Student-Athlete Mental Health In West Virginia: An Occupational Perspective, Natalie P. Gates, Bailey A. Riggs, Drew D. Altizer

Graduate Student Scholarship

Collegiate athletes must take on multiple roles while they are attending a college or university, which can negatively impact their mental health. These student-athletes must not only follow the role demands and expectations of an athlete but also of a college student, all while emerging into adulthood in the college environment. This can be overwhelming for many collegiate athletes, and they often find it difficult to balance all their responsibilities to live a satisfactory life. Therefore, a role for occupational therapy exists in this realm. A quantitative study design using survey methods was chosen in hopes of identifying and describing …

Interventions To Modify Negative Perceptions Of The Need For Behavioral Health Care For African American Patients, Tiffany Jones

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Background: African Americans underutilized mental health care services, compared to other population groups, in the past decades. While African Americans have the same mental health needs and rates of mental health diagnosis as other races, for some groups, there are additional cultural or environmental factors that create additional barriers to utilizing care (Alang, 2019). Methods: This project will be a cross-sectional study using an online survey of behavioral health practitioners. Results: Respondents were predominantly females (69%) and African Americans (69%). Their work medical specialties included: licensed counseling social workers and clinical social workers, mental health therapists, and psychiatrists. The average …

Stepping Into Mindfulness: Enhancing Mental Health For Nursing Student Athletes, Amanda A. Marek

MSN Capstone Projects

This capstone project explores the impact of mindfulness practice on nursing student athletes, aiming to understand how mindfulness techniques can enhance their psychological well-being. The project investigates the intersection of mindfulness and addresses the unique challenges and stressors face by nursing student athletes. The project proposals a research study that focuses on how mindfulness can impact nursing student athletes. There is literature that shows how mindfulness can improve stress and mental disorders for nursing students and student athletes separately, but there is a lack of knowledge on how this may affect nursing students who are also student athletes. Mindfulness based …

Assessing The Need For A Mental Health Task Force For Aviation Science Students At Bridgewater State University, Cooper Castellone

Honors Program Theses and Projects

In the current landscape of aviation, the issue of mental health is of great concern, particularly among flight training students who have shown to grapple with depression in silence. A report issued by the Pilot Mental Health Aviation Rulemaking Committee in April 2024 underscored seven significant barriers impeding pilots from seeking necessary support for mental health concerns. Consequently, we completed a study aimed at understanding the prevailing mental health challenges among flight training students and identify strategies for institutions such as Bridgewater State University (BSU) to offer meaningful assistance. Our study consisted of a survey distributed to 14 institutions in …

Rebuilding Lives: Occupational Therapy's Crucial Role In Community Reintegration To Reduce Recidivism Rates, Julie Burgoon, Kari Joyce

MOT Student Capstones

The integration of occupational therapy (OT) in the criminal justice system provides a promising and unique approach for addressing community reintegration, thereby contributing to the reduction of recidivism rates in the United States. OT impacts recidivism rates by addressing three main areas; occupational deprivation, mental health, and community reintegration. OT addresses the negative consequences of incarceration by promoting engagement in meaningful activities, establishing routine, and assisting individuals in achieving a variety of skills necessary for successful reintegration. OTs can provide valuable interventions that support mental and occupational engagement to decrease recidivism rates. OT led community reintegration program not only improves …

When They Just Don’T Sleep: Differential Impacts Of Reduced Child Sleep On Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Among Caregivers Of Children With And Without Neurogenetic Syndromes, Kimberly Galvez-Ortega, Kristine Marceau, Dan Foti, Bridgette Kelleher

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

Introduction: Children with neurogenetic syndromes commonly experience significant and pervasive sleep disturbances, however, associations with caregiver mental health remains unclear. Previous studies have linked sleep disturbances with increased caregiver depression in typically developing populations, and heightened caregiver stress among neurogenetic populations. The present study expands on findings by exploring the longitudinal association between child sleep duration and caregiver mental health (depression, anxiety, stress) throughout development (infancy to school-aged children) in dyads with and without a child affected by a neurogenetic syndrome.

Methods: Participants were drawn from the Purdue Early Phenotype Study, including 193 caregivers (Age: M = 34.40 years, SD …

Relating Preoperative Mcs-12 To Microdiscectomy Outcomes, Jeremy C. Heard, Yunsoo Lee, Teeto Ezeonu, Mark J. Lambrechts, Rajkishen Narayanan, Caleb Yeung, Justin Wright, John Paulik, Caroline Purtill, John J. Mangan, Mark F. Kurd, Ian D. Kaye, Jose A. Canseco, Alan S. Hilibrand, Alex R. Vaccaro, Gregory D. Schroeder, Christopher K. Kepler

Rothman Institute Papers

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of poor mental health on patient-reported and surgical outcomes after microdiscectomy.

METHODS: Patients ≥ 18 years who underwent a single-level lumbar microdiscectomy from 2014 to 2021 at a single academic institution were retrospectively identified. Patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) were collected at preoperative, three-month, and one-year postoperative time points. PROMs included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Visual Analog Scale Back and Leg (VAS Back and VAS Leg, respectively), and the mental and physical component of the short form-12 survey (MCS and PCS). The minimum clinically important differences (MCID) were employed to compare scores for each PROM. Patients …

Exploring Healthy Occupations For Adolescents At Risk For The Juvenile Justice System, Megan Vo, Dana Madalon, Mary Jan Greer

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Many youth who are at risk for the juvenile justice system are likely to have spent some time in the foster care system or child welfare system. This population is often found lacking in social skills and/or life skills that contribute to the difficulties with independent living. Occupational therapy practitioners can provide independent life skills training, such as cooking/meal prepping, budgeting, and job exploration as well as providing healthy leisure outlets to promote a successful transition into adulthood. This program aims to promote the development of skills this population requires for successful independent living as an adult such as basic …

Forgiving Childhood Hurt Biblically, Latisha Shearer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The profound impact of childhood experiences on an individual's mindset, emotional well-being, and transition into adulthood is a compelling problem addressed in this thesis paper titled “Forgiving Childhood Hurt Biblically.” This DMIN action research project is to implement biblical forgiveness as a transformative tool to address the physical, mental, and emotional wounds inflicted by childhood trauma. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), marked by early-life toxic stress, establish a foundation for the intergenerational transmission of trauma, significantly affecting the health and lives of adults. Given the vulnerability of childhood, addressing and forgiving the sources of trauma is crucial for effectively reprogramming and …

The World Of Dungeons And Dragons As A Therapeutic Approach To Complex Trauma, Dava R. Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative dissertation delves into the therapeutic potential of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) as an intervention for individuals coping with trauma and related mental health challenges. Drawing from a diverse sample of participants with varying gender identities, age groups, and D&D experience levels, this study employs a grounded theory approach to unravel the intricate interplay between D&D engagement and mental health outcomes. The study identifies several key implications, including the importance of creating inclusive therapeutic spaces, the lifespan relevance of D&D interventions, the potential for tailored interventions addressing relationship dynamics, and the accessibility of D&D as a therapeutic tool. Delimitations …

A Phenomenology Study- Vicarious Trauma Among School Counselors And Teachers Working With Students From The Northern Triangle In Elementary Title I Schools, Janeth B. Santiesteban

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The present phenomenological study aimed to describe the lived experiences of school counselors and teachers working at elementary Title I schools in Maryland with students from the Northern Triangle (a region of Central America comprising El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras). The assumption was that these education professionals may undergo struggles and demands that may put them at risk of vicarious trauma due to the trauma those students and their families have endured. The theory guiding this study was the transactional theory of stress and coping (Lazarus,1966; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and the stress theory (Cohen et al., 1997), which converge …