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Rural Vets: Their Barriers, Problems, Needs, John A. Gale Ms, Hilda R. Heady

Access / Insurance

Evolving population trends--the aging of rural veterans, the growing number of female veterans and rates of homelessness among veterans--place significant demands on VA and rural delivery systems. Coordination among health care providers is essential to increasing the availability of services and expanding veteran outreach programs.

Access To Services, Quality Of Care, And Family Impact For Caregivers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A National Perspective Using 2009-2010 Children With Special Health Care Needs (Cshcn) Survey, Rini Vohra

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The main objective of the study was to examine health care disparities for children with autism spectrum disorders utilizing two studies.;Study 1. A cross sectional study was conducted using the 2009-2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (N = 18,702). Chi-square analyses and logistic regressions were performed to examine the likelihood of reporting problems with access to services, quality of care, and family impact and compared across ASD, DD (cerebral palsy, down syndrome, developmental delay, or mental retardation), MHC (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, behavioral/conduct problems, or depression) and DD & MHC (those who had both DD …

An Evaluation Of Culture-Specific Risk Factors And Emotion Regulation Strategies On Psychological Distress And Maladaptive Behaviors Among Asian Americans, Joo-Hyun Lee

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Cultural context is fundamental in cross-cultural conceptualizations of risk factors for mental health status among ethnic minorities. Existing studies indicate that acculturation level predicts psychological adjustment, but findings remain inconclusive. This study, consisting of university students of Asian descent, evaluated the relationship between acculturation level and internalizing/externalizing problems via the incorporation of more proximal measures of risk factors associated with acculturation (e.g., acculturative dissonance and acculturative stress). In addition, the predictive values of non-culture specific risk factors, such as emotion dysregulation and experiential avoidance, were examined. Acculturation-related stressors and difficulties with emotion regulation increased risk for maladjustment within the study’s …

Notions Of Spirits As Agents Of Mental Illness Among The Akan Of Ghana: A Cultural-Psychological Exploration, Annabella Opare-Henaku

Theses and Dissertations

The study explores lay conceptualizations of mental illness among the Akans of Ghana as influenced by their cultural worldview. Akan, the largest ethnic group in Ghana, is noted for the use of supernatural attributions for various health-related issues. The supernatural attributions are based on Akan ontological belief that the universe is unitary such that there is no clear distinction between physical and spiritual occurrences. This worldview guides Akans in how they deal with a wide range of issues including their mental health. Clinicians and other mental health professionals who rely solely on biomedical approaches to mental health fail to meet …

Pornography Addiction And Mental Health Disorders, Tabitha Cassidy

Senior Honors Theses

This study aims to understand the differences between mental health disorders in a sample of pornography users, addicts, and non-users. Participants in the study included males and females who visited a paraprofessional counseling center on a college campus (n=1048). Between non-users and users of pornography, one-way analysis of variance planned comparison results indicated that participants significantly differed in scores of Depression, Anxiety, and Global Severity Index as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI 18). Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious behaviors as measured by the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory; and Grandiosity/Narcissism as measured by the Spiritual Assessment Inventory. Independent sample t-test scores indicated …

Mental Health Service Utilization Among African American Emerging Adults, Sha-Lai Williams

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Mental illness affects 25-30% of US adults ages 18 years and older in a given year. Of those individuals, about 41% fail to utilize mental health services. Research indicates that being African American and between the ages of 18 and 29 are associated with decreased rates of service utilization. Yet, less is known about the factors related to mental health service utilization among a specific subset of these groups, namely, African American emerging adults. Using empirically-tested theoretical frameworks as its foundation, this dissertation study aimed to address this gap in literature by examining specific predisposing, enabling, and need factors: e.g., …

Advocacy In Health Proceedings In New York State, Kia C. Franklin

Touro Law Review

Individuals and communities navigating the healthcare system without an advocate often experience devastating outcomes and become burdened with unnecessary costs. These negative outcomes undermine the very utility of our healthcare system. The creation of a legal right to counsel for individuals with critical health related claims would meet an important and unmet need in our health and legal systems by empowering patients, improving the quality of health for many, and preventing unnecessary costs to the health care system.

A dedicated group of healthcare advocates, lawyers, public policy analysts, and other concerned individuals gathered together at Touro Law Center to strategize …

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Applying The Social Norms Approach To Help Seeking Behavior In The Military, Janette Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: The study assessed the applicability of the social norms approach to help-seeking behavior in the military by exploring whether Service Members are affected by perceptions of peers’ beliefs about stigma related barriers to mental health care. METHOD: Data were collected from members of the Virginia National Guard (N= 84) during Yellow Ribbon events. Using surveys, Service Members’ own perceptions and their perceptions of their peers’ beliefs about barriers to seeking psychological care were gathered. RESULTS: Participants’ own beliefs about barriers to care were positively correlated with perceptions of peers’ beliefs. Variance in help-seeking status was better accounted for by …

Isolated Confinement In Michigan: Mapping The Circles Of Hell, Elizabeth Alexander, Patricia Streeter

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

For the past twelve months, there has been a burgeoning campaign to abolish, or greatly reduce, the use of segregated confinement in prisons. Advocates for the campaign call such classifications "solitary confinement" despite the fact that in some states, like New York, prisoners in these cells are often double-celled. The Michigan Department of Corrections, as well as other prison systems, uses labels such as "segregation," "special management," "special housing," and "observation" for these classifications. Prisoners ordinarily use traditional terms, such as "the hole." In this Essay we will refer to such restrictive classifications as "segregation" or "segregated confinement." Our perspective …

The Federal Bureau Of Prisons: Willfully Ignorant Or Maliciously Unlawful?, Deborah Golden

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

The Federal Bureau of Prisons ("BOP") and the larger U.S. government either purposely ignore the plight of men with serious mental illness in the federal prison system or maliciously act in violation of the law. I have no way of knowing which it is. In a complex system comprising many individual actors, motivations are most likely complex and contradictory. Either way, uncontrovertibly, the BOP and the U.S. government, against overwhelming evidence to the contrary, continuously assert that there are no men with serious mental illnesses housed in the federal supermax prison, the Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado, also known …

Dark Days: For College Students, Depression Can Intrude On "The Best Four Years", Alicia Nemiccolo Macleay

Colby Magazine

For some college students, depression can steal “the best four years.” Stigma and guilt are obstacles, but treatment is available.

Research Brief: "Risk Of Incarceration And Other Characteristics Of Iraq And Afghanistan Era Veterans In State And Federal Prisons", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief examines data from The Health Care for Reentry Veterans (HCRV) to compare the risk of incarceration of veterans in order to identify socio-demographic and clinical characteristics in incarcerated veterans. OEF/OIF/OND veterans appeared to be at lower risk of incarceration than veterans of other service eras, but those who were incarcerated had higher rates of PTSD and would benefit from policies that fund accessible programing aimed at increasing vocational training and increasing educational opportunities. In future studies, researchers should focus on the implementation of PTSD treatment services for the incarcerated veteran population, including the success rate of various programs …

Research Brief: "The Influence Of Combat And Interpersonal Trauma On Ptsd, Depression, And Alcohol Misuse In U.S. Gulf War And Oef/Oif Women Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief summarizes a scholarly article of the same name. It reviews research which evaluates the impact of PTSD on women veterans, and the implications for alcohol misuse which might accompany such traumas.

An Exploratory Survey Of Some Christian Leaders' Views Re: Causes And Treatment Of Mental Health And Substance Abuse Problems : "Let Go And Let God?" Or More?, Katryn A. Little

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study was undertaken to determine the attitudes of leaders in Christian churches toward problems with mental health or substance abuse issues. As beliefs about causation of these problems may directly impact types of help offered to those suffering, leaders were also asked to identify particular types of treatment they recommended. This study was conducted in two parts. The first part involved a snowball sampling of known associates of the researcher who were asked for their help to enroll volunteers for an online survey. The survey asked about: how many and for what purpose the leaders met with congregants; …

Urban Teachers' Perspectives On Promoting Social And Emotional Well-Being In The Classroom, Sara Lipton-Carey

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored urban elementary school teachers' perspectives on promoting mental health in the classroom. Despite the increased research indicating the value of classroom-based mental health interventions and the growing availability of social and emotional health curricula, there is yet to be a widespread adoption of mental health promotion practices in classrooms. As there is little empirical research on what teachers believe their role is regarding the promotion of social and emotional well-being, this study attempts to reduce the research to practice gap by eliciting teachers' perspectives on this topic. Teachers increasingly need to meet the social and emotional …

Relationship Between Psychotropic Drugs And Falls In The Geriatric Population, Lauren E. Fletcher Crotts

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Falls in the geriatric population are extremely common and the risk for falls continues to increase with age. Falls are a leading cause of mortality in the geriatric population, and it is the number one reason for institutionalization in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of the prescribing effects of psychotropic medications such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics on falls in the geriatric population who live in a long term care community with a diagnosis of depression, dementia, anxiety, delirium, and Alzheimer's disease. The literature provided mixed conclusions on the effects of psychotropic …

All Roads Lead From Vietnam To Your Home Town: How Veterans Have Become Casualties Of The War On Drugs, Susan Stuart

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Chaplaincy And Mental Health In The Department Of Veterans Affairs And Department Of Defense, Jason A. Nieuwsma, Jeffrey E. Rhodes, George L. Jackson, William C. Cantrell, Marian E. Lane, Mark J. Bates, Mark Dekraai, Denise Bulling, Keith Ethridge, Kent D. Drescher, George Fitchett, Wendy N. Tenhula, Glen Milstein, Robert M. Bray, Keith Meador

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Chaplains play important roles in caring for Veterans and Service members with mental health problems. As part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) Integrated Mental Health Strategy, we used a sequential approach to examining intersections between chaplaincy and mental health by gathering and building upon: (1) input from key subject matter experts; (2) quantitative data from the VA/DoD Chaplain Survey (N = 2,163; response rate of 75% in VA and 60% in DoD); and (3) qualitative data from site visits to 33 VA and DoD facilities. Findings indicate that chaplains are extensively involved in …

Factors Related To Recidivism For Youthful Offenders, Christopher A. Mallett

Social Work Faculty Publications

Little is known about youth who were previously placed in a detention facility and what factors predict a subsequent recidivism to placement. This study of a two-county juvenile offender population (one urban and one rural) investigates what demographic, educational, mental health, substance dependence, and courtrelated variables predict recidivism to detention placement. Findings from logistic regression analysis indicate that seven variables significantly predict juvenile offenders’ recidivism placement, some expected and some unexpected. Predictors that made recidivism more likely include youth with a previous conduct disorder diagnosis, a self-reported previous suicide attempt, age, and number of court offenses. Conversely, predictors that made …

Work-Related Stress And Mental Health Of Child Care Center Workers, Sarah Lietzow Witherell

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what factors are associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, somatization, and general psychological distress in a sample of child care center workers. A sample of 101 employees from 14 different child care centers in the southeastern Michigan area were administered questionnaires that asked about work and home life, social support, and mental health. Data was also collected from center directors regarding the type and size of the child care program and the annual turnover rate of each facility. One of the key findings of the study was that a significant number of …

Ripples Against The Other Shore: The Impact Of Trauma Exposure On The Immigration Process Through Adjudicators, Kate Aschenbrenner

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

News Media Influence On Perceptions Of Veteran Mental Health, Elizabeth Faye Weber

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated how news media communications affect public awareness and perceptions of the mental health concerns of post-deployed military of the recent Iraq war. Focus group research included 22 adult participants from the same geographic location with discussions on news media consumption behaviors and their perceptions of the mental health issues of veterans. Results revealed that news media consumption is preferred at a national level versus a local level, and that online news sources are utilized more frequently than television or print news sources. Participants with the least news media exposure admitted to the lowest awareness of veteran mental …

The Effect Of Maternal–Fetal Attachment Education On Maternal Mental Health, Elieh Abasi, Mahin Tafazzoli, Habibolah Esmaily, Hossain Hasanabadi

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

A mother's mental health during pregnancy has a considerable effect on her infant's wellbeing. Therefore, various methods have been studied to improve maternal mental health with the purpose of reducing problems for mothers and babies. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) education during the third trimester on the mother's mental health. Materials and methods: This interventional study was conducted on 83 pregnant women attending 6 healthcare centers in Sari, Iran, for routine antenatal check-ups. Data collection tools included interview checklists, the Cranley MFA Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire 28. The treatment …

Interpersonal Power In The Criminal System, Kimberly A. Thomas

Articles

This Article identifies the workings of interpersonal power in the criminal system and considers the effect of these cases on criminal theory and practice. By uncovering this phenomenon, this Article hopes to spark a legal academic dialogue and inquiry that has, until now, been unspoken. This Article has roots in my former work as a Philadelphia public defender and in my current work as a clinical professor with students who appear in criminal and juvenile court. As an advocate for the poor in a busy courthouse, one of a lawyer's tasks is to discover the multiple "real" stories behind the …

United States: Mental Health Issues In An Adolescent Medicine Clinic Patient Population, Abdel Salous, Linah Al-Alem, Hatim A. Omar

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

The correlation between exposure to forms of violence and development of mental disorders in victims is well established. The purpose of this chapter was to identify mental health problems in an adolescent medicine clinic population in Lexington, Kentucky and to investigate potential correlation of mental disorders with psychosocial factors. Data were gathered from the charts of 169 adolescent clinic patients (age 10-22) seen in the clinic for mental health care and analyzed using Excel. Of the patient population, 68% were urban, whereas 32% were rural. In terms of gender, 40% of the patients were male and 60% were female, 80% …

A Community Based System Of Integrated Clinical Care: Primary Care, Mental Health And Substance Use Treatment, Terri Reuvers

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Our segregated medical and mental health care system misses opportunities for early detection of physical disease. Missed opportunities lead to increased costs. Colorado’s Medicaid health plan estimates that an integrated health program will reduce costs for patients with psychiatric disorders by 10%. The cost of doing nothing may exceed $300 billion per year in the United States (NCCBH, 2010). The purpose of this Capstone project is to critically examine existing models of Integrated Primary and Mental Health care. These models will then be evaluated to identify those most compatible with rural communities in Southern Minnesota.

Interventions That Help The Helpers: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Interventions Targeting Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress And Vicarious Traumatization In Mental Health Workers, Melissa Lynn Bercier

Dissertations

Compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress and vicarious traumatization have received widespread attention in the literature due to an increased awareness of negative effects mental health workers experience when working with people who have been traumatized. Mental health workers become more vulnerable to significant stress when they work with trauma victims, which can lead to many negative consequences that can affect their own health as well as their treatment of their clients. While there is much that we are learning about the causes and outcomes of mental health workers' exposure to their clients' trauma, there has been less focus on effectiveness …

Effects Of The Proactive Personality On The Levels Of Job Satisfaction And Burnout For Licensed Mental Health Counselors, Pamela F. Spina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Personal wellness and burnout have been common themes in research studies regarding professional satisfaction and career success. Personality characteristics in relation to job and career success among professionals have also been included in countless studies. However, Bateman and Crant (1993) defined and began research on the specific construct of the proactive personality and how it related to personal achievement, satisfaction, and success among executives. This dissertation study is an extension of their research in that the relationship between proactive personality, job satisfaction and levels of burnout among Licensed Mental Health Counselors in Florida specifically, is being examined. While proactive personality …

Investigating Developmental Patterns Of Symptom And Impairment Change Among Youth With Adhd, Subthreshold Adhdand Youth Without Adhd, Lorie Love Geryk

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. Despite a substantial prevalence of subthreshold Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and research indicating that many youth with this disorder have impaired functioning and negative outcomes, few studies have considered patterns of symptom and functioning change for youth with probable ADHD, subthreshold ADHD and youth without ADHD transitioning from childhood to adolescence. Additionally, we are not aware of any studies examining predictors of impairment severity among youth with subthreshold ADHD, and few studies have examined predictors of treatment utilization and patterns of symptom and functioning change based on medication status for youth with subthreshold ADHD compared to youth with ADHD. Methods. …