Digital Commons Network^™

Social Relationships And Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review, Timothy B. Smith, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, J. Bradley Layton

Faculty Publications

Background: The quality and quantity of individuals' social relationships has been linked not only to mental health but also to both morbidity and mortality. Objectives: This meta-analytic review was conducted to determine the extent to which social relationships influence risk for mortality, which aspects of social relationships are most highly predictive, and which factors may moderate the risk. Data Extraction: Data were extracted on several participant characteristics, including cause of mortality, initial health status, and pre-existing health conditions, as well as on study characteristics, including length of follow-up and type of assessment of social relationships. Results: Across 148 studies (308,849 …

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 …

Violence, Depression, Parental Stress, And Child Neglect Among High Risk Postpartum Women, Kristen D. Lambert Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to characterize a vulnerable population of postpartum women at risk for family violence and maladaptive outcomes and to determine the degree the identified attributes increase the risk of child neglect and psychological aggression. Lazarus' Appraisal Theory and Scaer's Traumatic Spectrum framework provided a conceptual basis to examine the interrelationships between intimate partner violence (IPV), depression, previous traumatic history, and child neglect. A descriptive correlation design using secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected for the Healthy Families San Diego Clinical Trial was used. Standardized measures including the CTS, CTS2, CTSPC, CES-D and PSI were administered …

The Provision Of Mental Health Services By Rural Health Clinics, John A. Gale Ms, Stephanie L. Loux Ms, Barbara Shaw Jd, David Hartley Phd, Mha

Rural Health Clinics

The number of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) providing specialty mental health services remains limited. This study examined changes in the delivery of mental health services by RHCs, their operational characteristics, barriers to the development of services, and policy options to encourage more RHCs to deliver mental health services. Key Findings: Approximately 6% of independent and 2% of provider-based RHCs offer mental health services by doctoral-level psychologists and/or clinical social workers. Models used to provide mental health services include contracted and/or employed clinicians housed in the same facility as primary care providers. A key element in the development of mental health …

Associations Between Sport And Screen-Entertainment With Mental Health Problems In 5-Year-Old Children, Lucy J. Griffiths, Marsha Dowda, Carol Dezateux, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: Few studies have examined the benefits of regular physical activity, and risks of sedentary behavior, in young children. This study investigated associations between participation in sports and screen-entertainment (as components of physical activity and sedentary behavior), and emotional and behavioral problems in this population.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of data from 13470 children (50.9% boys) participating in the nationally representative UK Millennium Cohort Study. Time spent participating in sports clubs outside of school, and using screen-entertainment, was reported by the child's mother at child age 5 years, when mental health was also measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Results …

Church, Sex, And Communal Bonds: How Religion And Sexual Activity Affect The Mental Health Of Older Adults, Kathryn Ganong

Sociology Honors Projects

How does physical, emotional, and spiritual intimacy affect the mental health of older adults? Can participation in collective religious gatherings or sexual activity provide older adults with a sense of acceptance and belonging to a community? Due to the potential ability of these two activities to spark an individual's spirit through social interaction, I analyze how both religion and sexual activity affect states of depression among older adults. I propose that church attendance and sexual activity negatively correlate with levels of depression because they both provide meaning and a sense of belonging in relation to the ideas of collective effervescence …

Depression [Brochure And Video], Mandy Skinner, Sara Pitts

Counseling Concepts and Applications for Student Affairs Professionals (CNS 577)

Depression is an illness that can affect someone in any socioeconomic level and at any stage in life. By the year 2020 depression will be the second most common health problem in the world (depression statistics). This video will make you aware of some of the warning signs of depression as well as give you places you can go for help for depression. Depression is not your fault and you don’t have to deal with it alone.

Unmasking The Moving Threat: Reckless Driving, Borderline Personality Disorder, And The Impact On Motor Vehicle Accidents, Charlene Lam

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), a leading cause of mortality in the United States have an enormous impact on public health. Researchers contend that approximately 90% of all MVAs are, to some extent, a result of driver characteristics and behavior (Lewin, 1982). One of the least researched driver characteristics is psychiatric comorbidity, especially borderline personality disorder (BPD), a disorder that is characterized by impulsivity and emotional volatility.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between BPD and driving citations.

Method: Using two measures for BPD, we surveyed a consecutive sample of patients who were being seen …

Traveling Exhibit: The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases From A State Hospital Attic, Laura J. Hall

Posters and Presentations

The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic was a traveling exhibit that explored the stories of patients from the Willard Psychiatric Center in New York, whose personal belongings were discovered after the institution closed in 1995. The exhibit highlighted the intersection of mental health, poverty, and systemic failures in care. Through a series of public events including panel discussions on homelessness, health equity, and mental health policy, the exhibit aimed to raise awareness and promote dialogue on mental health issues. Curated locally by Laura J. Hall and funded by the New Mexico Humanities Council, it was …

Incompetence To Maintain A Divorce Action: When Breaking Up Is Odd To Do, Douglas Mossman Md, Amanda N. Shoemaker

Faculty Articles and Other Publications

The law has well-established provisions for handling divorce actions initiated on behalf of persons already adjudged incompetent or by competent petitioners against incompetent spouses. But how should a court respond if a mentally ill petitioner who is competent to manage most personal affairs seeks to divorce a spouse for bizarre, very odd, or crazy-sounding reasons?

Several recent social developments - better psychiatric treatment, wider acceptance of divorce, population trends, and the advent of “no-fault” and unilateral divorce laws - have made it more likely that mentally ill petitioners will seek divorces. Yet the question of whether to allow a divorce …

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 …

The Essential Role Of Social Work In Addressing Victims And Survivors Of Trafficking, Nancie Palmer

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

"All persons held as slaves ... are and henceforth free."' The orders from President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation first issued on September twenty-second in 1862 while limited in scope freeing certain slaves, served to ignite imagination and pride in those who now look back in history at this defining event.

Availability Of Treatment To Youth Offenders: Comparison Of Public Versus Private Programs From A National Census, Rebecca A. Yazzie

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

Across the United States, the availability of mental health, substance abuse, and recidivism reduction programs in the juvenile justice system (JJS) varies from none or few to a rich variety of programs. Within the last decade, prison privatization in the adult correctional system has influenced the onset of privatization in the JJS. The differences between public and private sectors in their availability of mental health services and treatment programs to juvenile offenders are understudied. In this article, a secondary analysis of a national census of 3163 juvenile facilities was conducted to determine differences in treatment availability as well as the …

Rethinking Guardianship (Again): Substituted Decision Making As A Violation Of The Integration Mandate Of Title Ii Of The Americans With Disabilities Act, Leslie Salzman

University of Colorado Law Review

In every state, when an adult has a diminished capacity to make decisions about personal affairs or property management, a court may transfer the individual's right to make decisions to a guardian. This Article argues that, in most cases, it would be preferable to support decision making rather than supplant it through guardianship, and then seeks to locate a right to receive such support as a less restrictive alternative to the substituted decision making that characterizes guardianship. Building on the reasoning in Olmstead v. L.C. and subsequent decisions interpreting the Americans with Disabilities Act's integration mandate, this Article argues that …

An Analysis Of South Africa’S Mental Health Legislation, Natalie Latoya Mccrea

Legal Writing Competition Winners

If one were to measure a society’s health by its historical environment, then something can indeed be said of South Africa. This nation is known for its long abhorrent history with apartheid entrenched with a political and human rights struggle. In 1995, the world witnessed the evisceration of apartheid and the birth of a new democratic South Africa. In light of the struggle endured by a visible portion of the South African population, a question asked is, what about the forgotten and somewhat invisible individuals, those who suffer with mental illness. The purpose ­of this work is to discuss South …

Extending The Benefits Of Alcohol And Drug Treatment: An Exploration Of Volunteer Utilization And Delivery Of Recovery Services, Leonard L. Bade

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explored what treatment providers can learn from community-based organizations about volunteerism as a way to support long-term alcohol and drug recovery. In particular, this thesis used 11 structured interviews with staff at community-based organizations and treatment centers to determine the level of resource allocation of volunteers, the utilization of volunteers in program and service delivery, and the motivation of volunteers to get and stay involved in recovery activities. Gaining a better understanding of volunteerism as a strategy for extending care beyond a treatment setting had benefits for both treatment center alumni and volunteers. Findings supported previous anecdotal and …

A Qualitative Analysis Of School-Based Mental Health Professionals’ Views On The Use Of Self-Disclosure And Humor, Robert Felloney

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

There is some controversy in the therapeutic community over the use of therapist self-disclosure and humor. On one hand, there are those who contend that use of these therapeutic techniques can have both relational and outcome benefits. On the other hand, there are those who indicate employment of these counseling methods can interfere with the counseling process by being a distraction, as they take the focus away from the client. Relatively little research has been done on the effectiveness of utilizing these techniques, especially the use of therapeutic humor.  Review of the research shows there are relational and consequent outcome …

Phenomenology Of Embodied Dreamwork With Puerto Rican Women: A Dissertation, Lourdes F. Brache-Tabar

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The author investigated the experience of embodied dreamwork. Participants were eight Puerto Rican women who were chronically ill, of low socioeconomic status, who lived in Boston. The data were analyzed using transcendental phenomenology. Each participant engaged in one embodied dreamwork–unstructured interview session lasting approximately 1.5 hours. In addition, each participant drew a picture of how she felt after the dreamwork interview. This snowball, purposive sample gave detailed information about how they experienced embodied dreamwork. The participants’ statements were grouped into themes: (a) sense of place—environment, surroundings, spatiality; (b) the players—self, others; (c) plot; (d) in the sea of emotions—naming affective …

Evaluating The Patient-Centeredness Of Medicare Part D, Melissa Hensley

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit: "Part D") has brought about many changes in the provision of prescription medications to adults with serious mental illness. Existing research on the impact of Part D on this population, for the most part, examines the benefit from the perspective of the physicians who treat these individuals. This research seeks to use a framework of patient-centered care to examine the impact of the Part D benefit on adults with mental illness, from the viewpoints of beneficiaries themselves and the case managers: "community support workers") who serve them. In addition, data from the …

Contributions Of Neglect Subtypes And Family History In Dsm-Iv Disorders: Findings From The Ncs-R, Leanne Heaton

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the prevalence of neglect in the child welfare system, understanding of the etiology of neglect remains limited in scope. Limitations are driven by the frequent reliance on child protective services (CPS) data which consists of identified cases and consequently, the most serious of all cases, or through a few population based studies that operationalize neglect as a homogenous phenomenon rather than as distinct subtypes. Furthermore, most studies of neglect focus on maternal deficiencies while paternal factors are largely ignored. This study is meant to address these considerations by utilizing the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a broad population based …

The Use Of Behavioral Agreements By Senior Student Affairs Officers And Counseling Center Directors To Manage Student Mental Health Concerns And Minimize Threatening Behavior, Douglas A. Geiger

Dissertations

This qualitative investigation examines the use of behavioral agreements by Senior Student Affairs Officers and Counseling Center Directors to manage student mental health concerns and minimize behavior that poses threats to campus communities. Six pairs of Senior Student Affairs Officers and Counseling Center Directors at the same institution were interviewed for this study. In addition, documents concerning mental health and threat assessment policy and protocols are also examined and discussed. An expanded theory of practice known as Student Intervention Facilitators is presented as an option to mandated psychotherapy.

Affective Response And Cognition In Hiv, Roger C. Mcintosh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Resource allocation theory, Polich (2007) suggests cortical measures may attenuate when processing demands increase. Thirteen HIV-negative women (M = 36.5) and 15 HIV-positive women (M = 36.1) infected were instructed to view neutral and negative IAPS images and then to detect rare tones in a subsequent auditory oddball task. A 2 x 2 ANOVA for the auditory P3 did not indicate a main effect for picture valence however an interaction was found between picture valence and serostatus at location Fz, F(1,24) = 18.99, p<.001. During the visual ERP sequence an interaction between valence and serostatus was found at the Pz location, F(1,24) = 18.99, p<.001, meaning the late positive potential (LPP) was not modulated between viewing neutral and negative images in HIV-positive women. These findings suggest that the manifestation of HIV in women may alter the neural processing of emotions, though not to the detriment of a subsequent cognitive task.

Parental Timing And Depressive Symptoms In Early Adulthood, Christina D. Falci, Jeylan Mortimer, Harmonijoie Noel

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Using data from a panel of 459 women, we find that early parents (birth) report higher levels of depressive symptoms in young adulthood (roughly age 29) compared to later parents (first birth in their 20s) or nonparents. Early parenting is also associated with more stressors and fewer resources in young adulthood. As young adults, early parents have lower educational attainment, less secure employment and a weaker sense of personal control; they also experience greater financial strain and more traumatic life events than later and nonparents. By the end of their 20s, early parents are also more likely to be single …

Day Therapy Programs For Adolescents With Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review, Yamini Deenadayalan, Saravana Kumar, Zuzana Machotka, Luke Perraton

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Day therapy programs are one of many interventions available for adolescents with mental health issues. Day therapy programs utilise a multi-disciplinary community-based approach to the treatment of mental health issues and allow adolescents to remain under the care of their family. To date, no review has specifically investigated the effectiveness of day therapy programs for adolescents. This review aims to investigate both the effectiveness of day therapy programs for adolescents with mental health problems and highlight the key components underpinning these programs. A systematic review of peer- reviewed literature was undertaken, using recognised processes. Eight studies were included in this …

Psychosocial Problems Of Homeless Sexual Minority Youths And Their Heterosexual Counterparts, Maurice Gattis

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Abstract The purpose of this dissertation was to better understand the psychosocial problems: mental health problems, substance use problems, and sexual risk behaviors) and the associated contextual risk factors by comparing homeless sexual minority youths with their heterosexual counterparts. This study used an ecological perspective: Bronfenbrenner, 1989) and a risk and protective factors framework: Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992) to identify contextual risk factors at the microsystem, mesosystem, and macrosystem levels that are associated with the psychosocial problems of homeless sexual minority and homeless heterosexual youths. Individuals aged 16-24 were recruited from three drop-in programs serving homeless youths in downtown …

From Infanticide To Activism: The Transformation Of Emotions And Identity In Self-Help Movements, Verta Taylor, Lisa A. Leitz

Peace Studies Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Taylor and Leitz trace processes of collective identity construction and politicization among women suffering from postpartum psychiatric illness who have been convicted of infanticide. Joining a growing body of research suggesting that self‐help and consumer health movements can be a significant force for change in both the cultural and political arenas, Taylor and Lietz examine one such movement, a pen‐pal network of women incarcerated for committing infanticide. Taylor and Leitz show how a sense of collective identity fostered by the pen‐pal network triggered a profound emotional transformation in participants, allowing them to convert shame and loneliness into pride and solidarity, …

Romantic Relationships And The Physical And Mental Health Of College Students, Scott R. Braithwaite, Raquel Delevi, Frank Fincham

Faculty Publications

This study tested the hypothesis that, analogous to married individuals, college students in committed romantic relationships experience greater well-being than single college students. In a sample of 1,621 college students, individuals in committed relationships experienced fewer mental health problems and were less likely to be overweight/obese. There were no significant differences between groups in frequency of physical health problems. Examination of 2 models suggested that being in a committed romantic relationship decreases problematic outcomes largely through a reduction in sexual partners, which in turn decreases both risky behaviors and problematic outcomes. These results are discussed in the context of how …

Nebraska's Youth Need Help--But Was A Safe Haven Law The Best Way?, Diane K. Donnelly

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.