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Rest For The Weary Soul: A Mixed Methods Psychospiritual Exploration Of Faith As A Path To Mental Health Recovery Among Students, Fremativo A. Vergara, Melvin G. Barete, Evan P. Taja-On

Journal of Catholic Education

Many individuals turn to faith for strength, guidance, and resilience, particularly at times of emotional hardship. As concerns continue to grow about mental health, particularly that of students, exploring how faith influences coping mechanisms and recovery offers valuable insights into alternative approaches to emotional wellbeing. The study found that students exhibit high levels of resilience and spiritual intelligence, suggesting that faith-based beliefs are crucial in students’ ability to cope with adversity. A strong positive correlation between resilience and spiritual intelligence indicates that students who integrate faith into their lives are more likely to develop the psychological strength needed to navigate …

Finding Belonging In A Religious Dominant Society: Religion Among African Migrants In Türkiye, Garrett L. Wride, Stacey A. Shaw

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

As global migration increases each year, so does the need to understand the crossroads between inclusion, wellbeing, and religion. The experience of African migrants living in Türkiye presents itself as a unique case to study migrant wellbeing. Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, this study shows that African migrants in Türkiye belonging to the religious minority have lower scores of wellbeing and social support. Findings point to the need for policy makers and mental health practitioners to ensure migrants can access their religious communities.

Can The Implementation Of The Pause Decrease Death Anxiety And Poor Mental Health In Practicing Nurses?, Lilli Meyer

Undergraduate Theses

Practicing nurses are frequently exposed to patient death, placing them at increased risk for death anxiety and compromised mental health. Despite this, there remains a lack of structured, in-the-moment interventions to support emotional processing within clinical settings. This study evaluates whether the implementation of “The Pause,” a brief moment of silence following a patient’s death, may reduce death anxiety and improve mental health outcomes among practicing nurses. A quantitative survey consisting of eight questions was distributed to nurses in the Louisville, Kentucky area over a three-month period, yielding 26 responses. Findings indicated that 80.8% of participants reported no improvement or …

Understanding Servicewomen's Barriers Experienced Throughout Military Sexual Assault Help-Seeking Process: A Phenomenological Study, Brittany Rae O'Leary

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the current barriers experienced by women MSA victims throughout their help-seeking process of unrestricted reports through the institutional blindness and social-ecological model theories. Furthermore, the victims’ perception of the organizational climate’s influence on the help-seeking process, including command support and the judicial component of unrestricted reports, and the victim’s desire to seek additional military-setting services are also examined. Inductive coding and thematic analysis will be used to identify any reoccurring patterns experienced amongst the participants. The theories guiding this study are Meyer, Rowan, and Freyd’s institutional blindness and Bronfenbrenner’s social-ecological model …

An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Vulnerable Young People Participating In A Stand-Up Paddle-Boarding Therapy Course; A Phenomenological Study, Claire Hornsby, Alison Warren, Rosi Raine, Alun Morgan

School of Health Professions

Nature-based interventions have been advocated as an approach to support mental health and well-being in young people. The Wave Project, a United Kingdom–based charity, has an established surf therapy intervention for vulnerable children and adolescents which has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. However, this intervention provides challenges in terms of accessibility for young people located away from the coast. Stand-up paddle-boarding is an aquatic activity which can be conducted on inland waters, which therefore has the potential to address this barrier. Semistructured interviews (n = 6) utilizing video and photo elicitation were conducted …

Exploring The Impact Of Mental Health On Academic Performance And Engagement: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study Of Title I High School Upperclassmen In Northeast Alabama, Nataysia A. Holloway

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the intersection of student mental health and academic success within a Title I school context, particularly the lived experiences of students navigating mental health challenges while facing psychological, social, and educational barriers. Drawing on qualitative data, the study explores how mental health challenges influence student academic performance, engagement, and overall educational outcomes. Chapter one introduces mental health as a prevalent concern for adolescence, and chapter two examines existing research and details the methodological approach and supporting frameworks for this study. Subsequent chapters are devoted to the lived experiences of students and their perception of support and resources …

Physical And Behavioral Health Diagnoses And Comorbidities Associated With Transition From Military Health System To Veterans Health Care Among Post-9/11 Veterans, Nikki R. Wooten, Megan E. Amaun, Madeleine Myers, Price N.O. Addo, Jeffrey Bowers, Felicia R. Carey, Rudolph P. Rull, Edward J. Boyko, Nathaniel Bell Ph.D., Ana Defede-Lopéz, Mary Jo V. Pugh

Publications

Objective

To identify factors associated with transitioning from Military Health System (MHS) to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care in post-9/11 veterans.

Study Setting and Design

Retrospective cohort study from the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium Phenotype Study.

Data Sources and Analytic Sample

Population-level data were analyzed from MHS and VHA electronic health data (FY2000-2020). Participants received ≥ 3 years of MHS care and separated from the military before October 1, 2016. The primary outcome was transition from MHS to VHA care after military separation. Covariates included demographic, military, and deployment characteristics at military separation; physical, mental, and substance …

Encouraging A United Response: A Systematic Review And Mixed-Methods Collaborative Evaluation Of Co-Responder Model Effectiveness In Florida, Kelsey Greenfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Even before the deinstitutionalization movement caused the influx of state hospital patients into communities ill-prepared to navigate their needs, law enforcement has been responsible for responding to persons in crisis (PIC) due to mental illness. In response to the high rates of incarceration for persons with mental illness (PMI), a growing number of law enforcement agencies have adopted diversion strategies referred to as police-mental health collaboration (PMHC) models to divert PMI away from the criminal justice system and towards community mental health services. Despite nearly forty years of research, there are still considerable knowledge gaps regarding who benefits from PMHCs …

No Community Left Behind: Investing In Mental Health Service Access In Rural Minnesota, Keaton Anderson, Madison Demars, Trisha Graves-Petron, Cheyenne Munoz

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Much of Minnesota has a shortage of mental health providers due to specific problems around graduating workers, recruiting them and keeping them once they are hired. Lower salaries, older population bases, and inconsistent healthcare coverage all contribute to the shortage of providers in rural areas. Long distances between mental health facilities and stigma in mental health care exacerbate the shortage. More than 1.2 million Minnesotans live in rural communities and of those at least 25% do not have access to reliable broadband internet. Rural areas face significant behavioral health workforce shortages, as seen in Figure 1. Minnesota needs to invest …

No-Show Characteristics Of Rural Clients With Mental Health Conditions, Christy R. Collins, Jose Carbajal

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

The purpose of this study is to report demographic characteristics and appointment compliance factors associated with no-show appointments in a rural clinical setting in East Texas. Describing these variables will expand the existing literature and offer greater clarity not only on why appointments are missed, but also on who is missing them. Therefore, understanding how sociodemographic variables relate to missed appointments may enhance appointment adherence and improve healthcare outcomes for individuals. This study used cross-sectional archival data specifically collected to examine missed appointments among clients at a rural clinic (N = 134). The results indicate that Hispanic/Latino individuals, clients aged …

When Stress Matters Most: Developmental Timing And Socio-Ecological Stressors Among Mexican-Origin Adolescents From Low-Income Immigrant Families, Ka I Ip, Wen Wen, Sujin Lee, Wei Xiang Sim, Su Yeong Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study investigates the dynamic, time-varying associations between multiple socio-ecological stressors and internalizing symptoms among Mexican-origin youth from low-income immigrant families. Grounded in a socioecological framework and employing time-varying effect modeling (TVEM), we examine how stressors at the interpersonal, family, and neighborhood levels differentially influence anxiety and depressive symptoms across early adolescence (ages 11–13), middle adolescence (ages 14–17), and late adolescence/emerging adulthood (ages 18–20). Participants included 604 Mexican-origin adolescents (54% female) from low-income immigrant families, assessed across three waves spanning nine years. Five distinct stressors were identified: discrimination, foreigner stress, economic stress, language brokering stress, and neighborhood violence/non-safety. Results from …

Shifting Focus: Youth Sports And Mental Health, Tara Boer

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Ultimately, athletes should be encouraged to develop their identity holistically. They are athletes, but they are first and foremost children of the King."

Posting about protecting mental health while participating in sports from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Shifting Focus

Left Behind In Lockdown: A Scoping Review Of Covid-19’S Impact On The Lives Of Transition-Age Foster Youth, Johanna K P Greeson, Sarah Wasch, John Gyourko, Antonio R. Garcia, Hannah Bennett, Kate Greco, Liya Cha

Faculty Scholarship

This scoping review asked: What is known about the scope and nature of research on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on older youth with foster care experience in the United States, including the types of studies, samples and outcomes examined? Guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute framework and PRISMA-ScR, we searched 11 databases and grey literature sources (October2024 to January 2025). Eligible studies were United States based, published from 2020 onward and included primary data on foster youth or relevant professionals. Thirty-two studies met inclusion criteria. Most studies were descriptive or cross-sectional, reflecting early phases of the pandemic. Mapping …

Measuring Depression, Anxiety, Stress And Burnout In Paramedics, Dispatchers, And Call Takers Of Western Canada, Nahum Chi Heng Ip

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The following dissertation examines depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout in dispatchers and paramedics of Western Canada. This study is meant to bridge a research gap in mental health among emergency health workers in British Columbia, Canada. The samples were collected through two self-reporting surveys, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Maslach Burnout Index (MBI), both of which are strongly validated and widely used in similar research. Of the 948 dispatchers and paramedics who participated, 771 (81.3%) responses qualified to be included. The data was entered into the Intellectus software where a variety of tools were utilized to …

School Social Workers In Practice: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study On Understanding Role Navigation And Providing Mental Health Support In Educational Settings, Jennifer J. Bowers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of school social workers as they navigated their professional roles in supporting student mental health within educational settings. Grounded in Organizational Role Theory and Ecological Systems Theory, the study explored the meanings participants assigned to their roles, the challenges they encountered, and factors that supported or hindered their work. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 11 licensed and unlicensed school social workers employed in the South Florida Tri-County area. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed using epoché, horizontalization, and thematic clustering. Findings revealed four interrelated themes: navigating roles and …

Experiences Of Stigma And Barriers To Care Among Transgender And Gender Expansive Populations Seeking Mental Healthcare, Amanda Veldorale-Griffin, Elizabeth Banks, Elizabeth Patrick, Judith Cannon, Caidan Thomas Smith

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Transgender and gender expansive (TGGE) people experience increased risk for mental health issues and suicidality, as well as significant barriers to mental healthcare, due to stigma and discrimination, including from mental healthcare providers. A sample of 945 TGGE participants completed self-report surveys, measuring experiences of stigma and barriers to care, and counselor competence. Data were divided into two groups by age and analyzed through linear regressions and one-way ANOVAs. Across groups, participants (approximately 58% of younger participants and 49% of older participants) reported experiencing stigma from a healthcare provider, and all reported some barriers to care, with more than half …

Educating Medical Trainees On Mental Healthcare And Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Andrea Palmieri, Joan B. Beasley, Micah Peace Urquilla, Jennifer Mclaren

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Many children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience mental health conditions and commonly receive treatment with psychotropic medications. Prescribers often overuse these medications in children with IDD, who are frequently treated with polypharmacy and antipsychotics, a trend that continues into adulthood. Medical trainees receive little training regarding the IDD patient population. This paper describes the development and evaluation of an evidence-informed, easy-to-use training curriculum. The 6-hour training establishes a foundation for medical trainees regarding the treatment of mental health conditions in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD-MH) as part of an integrated health, interdisciplinary treatment approach. …

Counseling And The Neurodiversity Paradigm: A Call To Action, Emily Goodman-Scott, Rawn Boulden, Aaron Albright, Jenna Alvarez, Betsy M. Perez

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

The counseling profession is rooted in prevention, wellness, mental health, and a critical social justice approach to serving historically marginalized communities, including people with disabilities. The overarching construct of disability comprises subtypes, such as neurodivergence. Given the prevalence of neurodivergent individuals worldwide (approximately 15%-20%), the counseling profession must be prepared to support this community. At the same time, there is a dearth of peer-reviewed literature on neurodiversity specifically for the counseling profession. In this article, we address a timely topic in the profession. We discuss utilizing a critical counseling lens and centering marginalized identities, such as people with disabilities; prominent …

Aging On The Fringes: Understanding Inequities Among Older Adults Impacted By Poverty, Mental Health Challenges, And Drug Use, William O’Leary, David Howson-Jan, Marjorie Knight, Soo Chan Carusone

Lyle S. Hallman Social Work Faculty Publications

This report provides an overview of government reports and academic literature examining aging and its intersection with poverty, homelessness, drug use, and mental health challenges. It pairs national and Ontario trends with data from Waterloo Region to illustrate how aging on the fringes is unfolding locally.

Throughout the report, “Local Lens: Waterloo Region” callouts highlight key regional indicators and their implications for programs and policy. The purpose of this report is to support discussion and action to advance equity-informed research and advocacy for people aging on the fringes. It is written for community members, service providers, and organizations seeking to …

Suicide Stigma In A Cross-Cultural Context: Comparison Between Mexican And Mexican American Communities., Robin E. Gearing, Micki Washburn, Kathryne Brewer, Luis R. Torres-Hostos, Pedro Isnardo De La Cruz, Miao Yu, Natalia Giraldo-Santiago, Alberto Cabrera, Adelaido Garcia Andres

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Suicide and suicide-related stigma are serious public health issues affecting Latine communities and often serve as a barrier to help-seeking Mexicans and Mexican Americans experiencing mental health concerns. Despite this, there are still gaps in our understanding of how suicide stigma specifically impacts Latines of Mexican heritage. While Mexicans and Mexican Americans share many familial, cultural, and religious values, their exposure to different societal norms may shape distinct perceptions of suicidal ideation and mental health. To better understand suicide-related stigma in these communities, we conducted a community-based survey with 248 Mexican Americans in Houston and 203 participants in Mexico City …

Financial Stress And Academic Disruption Among U.S. Postsecondary Students: The Mediating Role Of Anxiety, Tania Akter

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Given the growing mental health challenges among students in the United States, this study examines how financial stress is associated with anxiety and assesses whether anxiety mediates the relationship between financial stress and academic disruption among U.S. postsecondary students. Data from the 2023–2024 Healthy Minds Study were analyzed using survey-weighted linear regression models to assess the association between financial stress and anxiety, and a generalized structural equation model (GSEM) to test whether anxiety mediates the relationship between financial stress and academic disruption. Results showed that financial stress was significantly associated with anxiety. Mediation analysis indicated that anxiety significantly mediated the …

Harmony In Healing: Addressing The Psychosocial Needs Of Individuals Living With Lymphedema, Bria K. Brombacher

Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2026

Lymphedema is a chronic and incurable condition associated with significant physical and psychosocial challenges, including depression, anxiety, social isolation, and reduced quality of life. Despite increasing recognition of these concerns, limited interventions exist that specifically address the psychosocial needs of individuals living with lymphedema. Additionally, individuals within this population often report limited provider awareness of lymphedema within the healthcare system. The purpose of this doctoral capstone project, Harmony in Healing: Addressing the Psychosocial Needs of Individuals Living with Lymphedema, was to promote well-being, improve quality of life, and increase awareness of the psychosocial implications of lymphedema through occupational therapy intervention. …

Mental Health And Help-Seeking In Engineering Education: Beliefs, Norms, And Intervention Pathways For Undergraduate Students, Matthew D. Whitwer

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Engineering education is at a critical juncture where supporting student mental health is essential for fostering persistence, equity, and the development of a resilient and innovative workforce. While engineering students experience high levels of distress and low rates of mental health treatment seeking (known as a mental health treatment gap), there is a gap in knowledge around how this compares to that of students in other fields of study. Further, while efforts have been made to improve the mental health treatment gap in engineering, they are limited by a lack of actionable, theory-based targets. Therefore, this dissertation aims to characterize …

The Mental Health Mastermind: How Noah Kahan Reduces Stigma, Meghan Deeley

ENG 490 Senior Seminar Capstone

Mental health anti-stigma strategies have been largely studied; however, limited research examines how musicians integrate lyrics and marketing strategies to reduce mental health stigma. This study fills the gap by analyzing the work of Noah Kahan, whose cultural prominence places him as an influential individual in normalizing mental health discourse. Drawing on existing research in anti-stigma campaigns, social media storytelling, and lyrical analysis, this study examines The Busyhead Project Instagram content and “Stick Season” lyrics. Using qualitative methods, findings illustrate that Kahan's incorporation of open reading lyrics with contact-based content enhances effectiveness of anti-stigma messaging. This research is a framework …

Between Trends And Truths: Tiktok Therapy-Speak And Mental Health, Zoe Stephens

Scripps Senior Theses

The rise of therapy-speak on social media has introduced mental health terminology into everyday discourse among young adults, yet its psychological impacts remain unclear (Chevalier, 2024; Jain et al., 2025). The present study investigated the effects of TikTok videos containing therapy-speak on stigma toward mental illness, mental health awareness, and mental health literacy. Using a between-groups experimental design, 95 U.S. college students aged 18 to 24 were randomly assigned to view either therapy-speak TikTok content or neutral TikTok content. Participants subsequently completed three post-exposure measures: the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS; O’Connor & Casey, 2015), a self-constructed Mental Health Awareness …

Who Should Be Responding To Mental Health Crises: A Public Perception Study, Bryan E. Phillips

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project includes a survey which will be evaluating, out of Police Officers, Paramedics, and Mental Health Clinicians, who Intro to Psychology students believe are best fit to respond to Mental Health Crises as well as what factors may influence said belief. To do this they will be provided with a survey that collects demographic information, personal experiences with each profession, and detailed scenario-based questions with differing variables allowing the participants to decide which profession they believe is best equipped to deal with each scenario. This data will then be put into a research manuscript to be presented via posterboard …

Gratitude Journaling And Mindfulness To Mitigate Burnout In Mental Health Staff, Jennifer Davis

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Burnout among mental health professionals in inpatient behavioral health settings negatively affects staff well-being, job satisfaction, and patient care quality. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness and gratitude journaling program implemented on a rural behavioral health unit in North Carolina. Guided by Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, the intervention aimed to enhance resilience and workplace wellness through daily mindfulness and reflective journaling practices. A repeated cross-sectional design using anonymous pre- and post-intervention surveys was conducted with 30 staff participants. Thirty participants enrolled in the study, and 24 completed the …

Utilizing Youth Mental Health First Aid: A Community-Based Prevention Strategy To Increase Teh Confidence Levels Of Seventh-Day Adventist Adults In Assisting Youth With Mental Health Distress, Sarah Hillebert

DNP Research Projects

Abstract 

Objective: Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is an initiative from the National Council for Mental Wellness that trains adults in identifying and responding to adolescents exhibiting mental health distress. This DNP project evaluated the effectiveness of YMHFA in increasing the mental health literacy and confidence scores of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) adults. Method: quality improvement, pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used. Participants were SDA adults aged 22 to 74 who work with youth in school, church, or camp settings (n=19; Mean age = 48.5 years, SD = 10.5). The quantitative MHFA 2.1 measured mental health literacy and confidence to intervene, …

Navigating Mental Wellness: A Peer-Led Journey Into Adult Services, Kristin G. Haberek

DSW Capstone Projects

Students with severe emotional disturbances (SED) occupy one of the most underserved intersections in American education and mental health care. As they age out of children’s services, they face abrupt service discontinuation, disrupted therapeutic relationships, and adult systems ill-equipped to meet their needs. These vulnerabilities, including heightened risks of crisis, hospitalization, homelessness, and justice involvement, constitute a central practice problem. This capstone addresses these transitions across three scholarly products: a systematic literature review, a theoretical concept paper, and a practical application paper, tracing a unified arc from diagnosing structural failures to proposing an evidence-informed, equity-oriented clinical response. Synthesizing key findings …

Exploring The Knowledge Gap: Mental Health Crisis Identification Training For 911 Call Takers, Kayla L. Ralston, Emma Adcook, Gary Cuddeback, Rebecca Smith, Amy Adkins

UROP Posters

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) are more likely to come into contact with law enforcement and the justice system. Livingston (2016) found that 25% of people with mental illness have been arrested at least once in their lives.  Law enforcement officers often become the primary intervention in handling a mental health crisis, and most mental health-related training curricula (e.g., Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)) have focused on this group. However, the burden to initially ascertain if an emergency is mental health-related has fallen to 911 call takers and dispatchers, the first first responder. The performance outcomes outlined by the Virginia …