Digital Commons Network^™

A Survey Assessing The Contributing Factors To Substance Abuse Treatment In U.S. Corrections Settings, Michael Soule

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

In light of the dramatic rise in incarceration due to the "War on Drugs," we explored the contributing factors to substance abuse treatment (SAT) programming - in particular, evidence-based treatments like medication assisted therapy (MAT) - implementation in United States correctional settings (including jails, prisons, and community corrections facilities). We hypothesized that current funding availability would be the primary factor preventing and contributing to program implementation, but further hypothesized that an array of secondary factors such as overcrowding, geographic location, facility type, and attitudes and knowledge about MAT would also play a role. We mailed a survey to an enriched …

Client-Provider Relationship And Treatment Outcome: A Systematic Review Of Substance Abuse, Child Welfare, And Mental Health Services Research, Christina Andrews

Faculty and Staff Publications

This systematic review reports on the association of the client-provider relationship with service outcomes across 3 service sectors: substance abuse, child welfare, and mental health. The review includes 60 research reports meeting inclusion criteria: 25 in substance abuse, 7 in child welfare, and 28 in mental health. For each social service sector, we analyze the association of the client-provider relationship to intermediate and ultimate outcomes. In addition, we examine potential moderating mechanisms of rater type (i.e., client, provider, and observer) and treatment setting (i.e., inpatient, outpatient, other). Social services research increasingly seeks to identify the active elements that affect outcomes …

A Review Of Developmentally Appropriate Evidence-Based Effective Parenting And Resources For Parents, Kari Schwecke

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Krisma Counseling, a counseling center located in rural southern Minnesota, offers high quality and affordable consumer-centered mental health services to individuals, families, couples, including in-home therapy. In order to provide adequate services and care that abides by the Nation Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, there needs to be standard ethical practice rooted in evidence based literature. The purpose of this project was to research developmentally appropriate evidence-based effective parenting and create a resource guide for clinicians to use in their work with parents of children ages two to 17.

Mental Health Policy Through The Lens Of A Social Worker, Rebecca Marie Boog

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Due to stigma and lack of education, mental health agencies are often the first to receive budget cuts. After conducting research on mental health policy and policy advocacy, the researcher identified an opportunity for social work practitioners to improve mental health policy advocacy, based upon their unique perspective to witness the direct impact of policies on this population. This in-depth literature review encompassed the origins of mental health advocacy, an overview of the mental health system in the United States, barriers to effective service, and best practices in the field of social work. From this research, the author developed a …

Headway Emotional Health Services: A Parent Satisfaction Survey And Needs Assessment, Eowyn T. Gatlin

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Headway Emotional Health Services seeks to transform lives and restore families by providing a variety of quality mental health services to children and families in the Twin Cities Metro Area. The Vision Program is a partnership between Headway and the Bloomington Public School system. The Vision Program serves K-12 students who qualify for level 3 Emotional and/or Behavioral Disability (EBD) services. All students are in a classroom at their mainstream school and receive daily support from the Vision Mental Health Specialist, a special education classroom teacher, and a paraprofessional. Many students are able to participate in some mainstream programing through …

Effect Of Environmental Conditions On Perceived Psychological Restorativeness Of Coastal Parks, J. Aaron Hipp, Oladele A. Ogunseitan

Brown School Faculty Publications

We investigated the hypothesis that perception of psychological restorativeness during visits to coastal parks is modified by objective and perceived environmental conditions. Visitors (n=1,153) to California beaches completed a survey on perceived weather, environmental quality, and perceived restorativeness. We used generalized ordinal logistic models to estimate the association between environmental parameters and odds of perceiving higher levels of restorativeness. Visitors perceived greater restorativeness at beaches when ambient temperatures were at or below mean monthly temperatures and during low tides. The odds of perceiving the environment as more psychologically restorative were three times greater when visiting on days defined by government …

Association Between Mental Health Disorders And Juveniles' Detention For A Personal Crime, Patricia A. Stoddard Dare, Christopher A. Mallett, Craig Boitel

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Youth involved with juvenile courts often suffer from mental health difficulties and disorders, and these mental health disorders have often been a factor leading to the youth’s delinquent behaviours and activities.

Method: The present study of a sample population (N= 341), randomly drawn from one urban US county’s juvenile court delinquent population, investigated which specific mental health disorders predicted detention for committing a personal crime.

Results: Youth with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder diagnoses were significantly less likely to commit personal crimes and experience subsequent detention, while youth with bipolar diagnoses were significantly more likely.

Conclusion: Co-ordinated youth …

Can Prevention Programs Work Together? An Example Of School-Based Mental Health With Prevention Initiatives, Hank Bohanon, Meng-Jia Wu

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

Personnel addressing mental health in schools are required to provide supports in settings that have decreasing resources and multiple initiatives. While competing initiatives in schools can pose problems, integration of prevention systems and data may lead to more efficient supports and effective outcomes. Mental health service providers must consider how the integration of schoolwide initiatives such as positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), response to intervention (RtI), and social and emotional learning (SEL) can improve their work. This article will provide an example showing varying levels of integration of schoolwide models in one state. This example will include (a) the …

Seeing The Light In Psychotherapy : Exploring Transformational Change Through Object Relations, Self Psychology And Transpersonal Psychology, Tiffany Anne Romer

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study examines the phenomenon of transformational change (TC) and explores how mental health clinicians can use object relations theory and self psychology along with transpersonal psychology to increase understanding of TC. Initially an established conception of TC is presented. Next, TC is compared with similar phenomena; spiritual awakenings, mystical experiences and quantum change. Then the history of spirituality and religion within the fields of psychology, social work, and substance abuse are reviewed. From this historical review it is inferred that a predominantly disparaging view of religion has created a therapeutic environment inhospitable to exploration profound spiritual experiences. This …

Let's Get Physical: The Role Of Physical Activity In The Training Of Graduate Mental Health Students, Cassandra Pasquariello

Theses and Dissertations

There is growing awareness of the role of physical activity (PA) in the prevention and treatment of health disorders. Mental health practitioners are well positioned to provide PA counseling and may have ethical obligations to address PA. Researchers have cited insufficient training as a barrier to PA counseling, yet little is known about training in mental health. This exploratory study examines the need for training students in PA counseling. A national sample of 361 current graduate students in psychology, social work, rehabilitation counseling, and psychiatric nursing completed a Web-based survey on their training, knowledge, attitude towards PA, personal PA, and …

Explicating Correlates Of Juvenile Offender Detention Length: The Impact Of Race, Mental Health Difficulties, Maltreatment, Offense Type, And Court Dispositions, Christopher A. Mallett, Patricia A. Stoddard Dare, Mamadou M. Seck

Social Work Faculty Publications

Detention and confinement are widely acknowledged juvenile justice system problems which require further research to understand the explanations for these outcomes. Existing juvenile court, mental health, and child welfare histories were used to explicate factors which predict detention length in this random sample of 342 youth from one large, urban Midwestern county in the United States. Data from this sample revealed eight variables which predict detention length. Legitimate predictors of longer detention length such as committing a personal crime or violating a court order were nearly as likely in this sample to predict detention length as other extra-legal predictors such …

Postpartum Depression And Help‐Seeking Behaviors In Immigrant Hispanic Women, Lynn Clark Callister, Renea Beckstrand, Cheryl A. Corbett

Faculty Publications

Objectives: To describe perceptions of immigrant Hispanic women experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) and to identify barriers to seeking mental health services.

Design: Qualitative descriptive.

Setting: Community health clinic.

Participants: Twenty immigrant Hispanic women scoring positive for symptoms of PPD receiving health care at a community health clinic who declined mental health services participated in audiotaped interviews held in their homes.

Methods: Following Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent, interviews were conducted with study participants. Transcribed data were analyzed as appropriate for qualitative inquiry.

Results: Some of the women did not recognize and/or denied their symptoms attributing their …

Perceived Racism And Mental Health: A Meta-Analytic Review, Hokulea D. Conklin

Theses and Dissertations

The present study provides a synthesis of extant research examining the association between perceived racism and mental health. The aims of this study were to identify the overall magnitude of this association and to elaborate on the possible influence of participant characteristics (acculturation level, age, gender, race, education, and socioeconomic status) and study characteristics (year of data collection, geographic region of the study, and research design) in moderating this association. A total of 130 studies were included in the final analysis. The omnibus effect size for this meta-analysis was r = -.188 (p < .001), which indicates that higher instances of perceived racism were associated with lower levels of mental health. The overall magnitude of this association suggests a moderately small relationship between these two constructs. None of the participant characteristics moderated the results. However, studies conducted in more recent years appeared to be associated with effect sizes of greater negative magnitude than studies conducted in previous years. The implications of these findings for multicultural psychology are discussed and suggestions regarding future research in this area are presented.

Race, Substance Abuse, And Mental Health Disorders As Predictors Of Juvenile Court Outcomes: Do They Vary By Gender?, Chiquitia Welch-Brewer, Patricia A. Stoddard Dare, Christopher A. Mallett

Social Work Faculty Publications

Predicting juvenile court outcomes based on youthful offenders’ delinquency risk factors is important for the adolescent social work field as well as the juvenile justice system. Using a random sample of 341 delinquent youth from one Midwestern urban county, this study extends previous research by examining if race, substance abuse, and mental health disorders influence important delinquency outcomes (number of court offenses, felony conviction(s), probation supervision length, detention length, and number of probation services) differently for male and female juvenile offenders. Multivariate analysis findings revealed that race was significant only for males, and having a substance use disorder was a …

Jan Greenriver Interview For A Wright State University History Course, Fred Coventry, Jan Greenriver

Dayton and Miami Valley Oral History Project

On February 16, 2011 Fred Coventry interviewed Jan GreenRiver, Projects Coordinator at Mental Health America, for a class project dealing with oral histories and capturing the history of the Miami Valley. During the interview Jan discussed her early life, her work with Mental Health America and Pave, and more.

Mental Health Service Access Among Children And Adolescents Involved With Child Welfare Services, Junqing Liu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Most research on children's access to mental health has focused on child and family factors (e.g. child's age and ethnicity), with little attention being paid to service system factors such as service referrals and insurance. Furthermore, most research conducted to date on mental health service access has been cross-sectional without considering how service access and needs change over time. This dissertation study aims to address these oversights by examining over time service system change and the impact of service system factors on the relationship between service needs and access. The study employs multilevel and longitudinal regression analyses (STATA) using five …

The Dirty Work Of Law Enforcement: Emotion, Secondary Traumatic Stress, And Burnout In Federal Officers Exposed To Disturbing Media, Amanda Harms

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The present study adds to past research on exposure to disturbing media as a driver of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Research has shown that exposure to this type of media can lead to secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout, as well as other negative outcomes (Burns, Bradshaw, Morley, & Domene, 2008; Divine, 2010; Krause, 2009; Perez, Jones, Englert, & Sachau, 2010; Stevenson, 2007). In addition, I discuss this type of work as a form of "dirty work" (Ashforth & Kreiner, 1999). I examined the role of various emotional responses and stigma as mediators and moderators of the relationship between exposure …

Recovery And The Role Of The Certified Peer Specialist : An Historical Analysis Of An Evolving Concept And Paradigm, Patricia Susan Kruglak

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The last decade of the twentieth century signaled a major shift in United States' mental health care, with 'recovery-oriented care' the new paradigm for mental health policy and services. While there is a consensus on the need to focus on recovery, the concept of recovery remains an evolving construct. This study examined the evolving conceptualization of recovery, focusing in particular on the role of the Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Movement in altering social discourses concerning mental illness, recovery and the power dynamics within the extant mental health system. This study concludes with an examination of the recent Certified Peer Specialist position, concluding that …

Incarcerated Motherhood, Duchess Harris Phd, Jd

Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity

No abstract provided.

The Integration Of Psychoeducation About Healing Environments And Placemaking And The Effect On Mental Health For Clients, Christienne D. Constabile

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of integrating psychoeducation about healing environments and placemaking in the therapeutic setting. Additionally, this researcher and clinician proposed that if clinicians can empower clients to create a healing environment for themselves both in their private spaces and in their larger community, then such integration would facilitate improved mental health for clients. This researcher engaged in a theoretical study by examining the data on healing environments and placemaking on individuals and communities. At the basis of the study is the premise, as espoused by Kurt Lewin, that behavior is a function of the …

Clinical Social Work And The Biomedical Industrial Complex, Tomi Gomory, Stephen E. Wong, David Cohen, Jeffrey R. Lacasse

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines how the biomedical industrial complex has ensnared social work within a foreign conceptual and practice model that distracts clinical social workers from the special assistance that they can provide for people with mental distress and misbehavior. We discuss: (1) social work's assimilation of psychiatric perspectives and practices during its pursuit of professional status; (2) the persistence of psychiatric hospitalization despite its coercive methods, high cost, and doubtful efficacy; (3) the increasing reliance on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, despite its widely acknowledged scientific frailty; and (4) the questionable contributions of psychoactive drugs to clinical …

Feasibility Study Among Military Personnel With Traumatic Amputation During Military Combat Or Training, Michele (Shelly) R. Burdette-Taylor Phd, Msn, Rn-Bc, Cwcn, Cfcn

Dissertations

Military operations have resulted in a significant number of mangled extremities leading to traumatic amputations. Extremity injuries predominate, representing 50% to 70% of all injuries treated (Melcer, 2010). The majority of injuries sustained in Operation Endearing Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) are combined penetrating, burn and blast injuries, traumatic amputation, and infections from the multi-drug resistant organism, Acinetobacter (Melcer, 2010). The purpose of this study was to measure the quality of well-being and impact of events in a group of adults who served in the U.S. armed forces and sustained the loss of one or more limbs during any combat or …

Asian Americans And Cultural Values : Encountering And Overcoming Sociocultural Barriers To Community Mental Health Services : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, William Lee

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the narrative experience of Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AA/PIs), who have received or are currently receiving community mental health services. This study was an attempt to illuminate their experience of encountering and overcoming socio-cultural barriers to these services. Historic underutilization of mental health services among AA/PI communities motivated the need to explore what cultural and/or institutional factors reduce barriers to services. Four AA/PIs, with an average length of 7.25 years in treatment, were recruited from a community mental health agency in San Francisco, CA. They participated in 45- minute to one hour semi-structured interviews discussing their experience …

The Influence Of Collective Self-Esteem And The Impact Of Perceived Stigma From Others On Sorority Women's Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Lauren Michelle Baron

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Although researchers are aware of the fact that public and group stigma affect mental health help-seeking behavior, there has been no research on level of collective self-esteem and stigma within specific social networks related to members' attitudes toward seeking mental health services. This study aimed to identify a relationship between sorority women's collective self-esteem, or how much they value their membership in the sorority, and their perceived stigma from their fellow sorority members on their overall attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Fifty-one sorority women between the ages of 18-24 self-selected to participate in an online survey composed of three …

How Tibet Buddhists In The United States Negotiate Mental Health Concerns, Paul Peter Sireci

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

No abstract provided.

What The Governor’S Panel Learned, Aradhana "Bela" Sood

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Client Therapist Racial And Ethnic Matching: A Meta Analytic Review Of Empirical Research, Raquel Cabral Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

In a widely cited 2003 report, the U.S. Surgeon General criticized mental health and social services within the United States for failing to adequately serve the needs of clients of color. The report highlighted the fact that therapists often do not adequately account for cultural variables in their evaluations or interventions. Clients of color are rarely seen by therapists who adequately understand their cultural values and backgrounds. To address this discrepancy, researchers have explored a variety of therapy process and outcome variables across clients seen by therapists of their same race vs. another race (often called "ethnic matching"). Over 200 …

A Feminist Analysis Of Mental Health Providers' Perspectives Of Latina Women, Caroline Ruth Smith

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have documented that Latina women involved in the mental health system face a number of barriers to access to services and ongoing use of services. Latina women involved in the mental health system are often viewed as at-risk. This study challenges traditional pathological views of Latina women in the mental health system. This study uses a feminist analysis to examine mental health providers’ perception of Latina women. It views Latina women as mental health system survivors and suggests that resilience and strength-based perspectives can transform the treatment of Latina women. Secondary data from twenty-two interviews with agency directors, psychiatrists, …

Disclosure, Social Reactions To Disclosure, And Mental Health Outcomes Among Adult Child Sexual Abuse Victims., Holly E. Hopson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a frequent problem in American society associated with a wide range of negative mental health outcomes. Some evidence suggests that disclosure may moderate the relationship between CSA and mental health. However, the specific reactions a victim receives following disclosure may directly affect the impact that disclosure has on mental health. The current study directly and simultaneously evaluated the roles of disclosure and social reactions in relation to mental health outcomes. The sample consisted of 652 undergraduate students at East Tennessee State University who completed an on-line, self-administered questionnaire. Forty-four (6.75%) of the participants reported experiencing …

Acculturation Of Russian Refugee Adolescents: The Life Domain Of Peer Relationships, Andrew A. Morozov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover the meaning of acculturation as experienced by the Russian refugee adolescents in the domain of peer relationships. This qualitative study implemented a purposeful sampling strategy. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 refugee adolescents from Russia (3 ethnic Russians and 9 Meskhetian Turks), male and female, aged 15-18, who resided in Denver, Colorado. Applying Moustakas's (1994) phenomenology method of analysis, 8 main themes emerged. The essence of the phenomenon can be described in terms of the refugee adolescents' need for self-worth and belongingness. Belongingness is understood as identification with and acceptance by …