Methamphetamine-Induced Modulation Of Anxiety/Depressive-Like Behaviors And Hpa Axis Output : Contributing Factors Within Stress Associated Brain Regions, Jason Jacobskind

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Methamphetamine (MA) is a psychostimulant drug of addiction that induces a wide range ofeffects. Among its many side effects is the potentiation of cellular, physiological, and behavioral changes in the stress response system. Upon exposure, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is initiated. This process entails many factors. Receiving input from other brain regions, the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus secretes corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and arginine vasopressin into the anterior pituitary gland. These together stimulate the synthesis and release of adrenocorticotropic hormone, which circulates via the blood stream to cause the release of glucocortoicoids, the stress hormone (CORT). Binding of glucocorticoids …

Behavioral, Endocrine, And Neural Responses To Stress In Postpartum And Nulliparous Rats : Potential Mechanisms Of Postpartum Stress Resilience, Joanna Medina

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Major depressive disorder is one of the most pervasive psychiatric illnesses in the United States. Women are at greater risk for developing depression, particularly during their childbearing years. Approximately 17% of new mothers develop postpartum depression within 4 weeks after parturition. The risk for postpartum depression is even greater in women who do not breastfeed or stop breastfeeding early. Major depressive disorder and postpartum depression share the same symptomology and common etiological bases. Dysregulated stress responses, dopamine activity, and neuroinflammation are recognized mechanisms for depression. The transition to motherhood encompasses physiological and behavioral adaptations in the brain essential for ensuring …

Black Women Social Workers : A Qualitative Exploration Of Stress And Coping, Collina D. Cooke

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Black women social workers (BWSW) represent essential workforce members. They are burdened by overlapping expectations associated with their multiple marginalized and unique identities. Their definitions of stress and creation of strategies to deal with highly stressful situations have been absent from the research literature, leaving intervention strategies to support highly stressed BWSW unknown. This study was developed to explore stress perceptions and holistic manifestations of stress. A primary focus was to highlight the coping responses used by BWSW to decrease stress levels. In addition, the researcher sought to investigate various ways organizations have created stressful situations for BWSW and identify …

The Effects Of Humor When Coping With Stress, Rahmel Dixon

CMC Senior Theses

Although humor is often used in professional, social, and political settings, its empirical importance is usually laughed at. I argue that scholars should give more attention to the topic. Building on prior research, the present work will explore the relationship between stress relief and the use of humor. Specifically, it will reveal the usage of humor to cope among historically stressed groups of people. Lastly, as stress and marginalization are linked, the study will also look at the relationship between a racially marginalized group, Black people, and their use of humor to relieve stress or cope.

Viability Of Physiologically Timed Relaxation Interventions In Children With Asd, Nicholas Mendez

CMC Senior Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an increasingly common developmental disorder that changes how people experience the world and affects individuals’ social interactions and often leads to many adverse behaviors. Current literature dictates that a primary contributor to these adverse behaviors is that those with ASD have difficulty determining their own emotional states and determining the physiological signals that their body sends them. A study by Dr. Sarabadani et al. determined that it was possible to monitor the physiology of an individual with ASD and correlate certain signals to emotions, such as stress. These findings indicate the feasibility of establishing a …

Implementing The Mothers And Babies Program To Reduce Preterm And Low Birth Weight Deliveries, Tan Frison

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Georgia ranks fourth (4th) in the nation for the highest low birth weight rate at 10%, and sixth (6th) in the nation for preterm birth rate at 11.7%, among the states. Based on statistical data Bulloch county has maintained an average low birth weight statistic of 10% for over a decade. In 2019, there were 107 preterm and 79 low weight births in Bulloch county, Georgia. These numbers confirm there is a need for more preventive resources for mothers and children within this community. To address this burden, the Bulloch County health department has decided to implement the Mothers and …

Designing A Program To Help Urban Pastors Cope With Compassion Stress, Valerie Andrews

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

Clergy are in a unique position as emotional and spiritual first responders to individuals and families during times of crisis including the current global pandemic due to COVID-19. While the most rewarding part of ministry is helping people by offering spiritual direction, these services can also be the very things that threaten and inflict harm on their personal, physical and spiritual lives (Ferguson, 2007). The purpose of this dissertation is to help clergy effectively cope with and manage the stressors of ministry that can lead to compassion stress, fatigue or vicarious trauma and other distress responses. To this end, I …

Novel Machine Learning And Wearable Sensor Based Solutions For Smart Healthcare Monitoring, Rajdeep Kumar Nath

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The advent of IoT has enabled the design of connected and integrated smart health monitoring systems. These health monitoring systems can be utilized for monitoring the mental and physical wellbeing of a person. Stress, anxiety, and hypertension are the major elements responsible for the plethora of physical and mental illnesses. In this context, the older population demands special attention because of the several age-related complications that exacerbate the effects of stress, anxiety, and hypertension. Monitoring stress, anxiety, and blood pressure regularly can prevent long-term damage by initiating necessary intervention or clinical treatment beforehand. This will improve the quality of life …

Effects Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Pt150 On Stress-Induced Fentanyl Seeking In Male And Female Rats, Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Emily D. Denehy, Benjamin A. Carper, Tracy L. Nolen, Mark A. Prendergast, Michael T. Bardo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Rationale Opioid use disorder (OUD) is highly comorbid with stress-related disorders, and stress can serve as a trigger for reinstatement of drug seeking. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonists such as mifepristone (RU-486) may be effective against stress-induced drug seeking. In the current study, PT150 (formerly ORG-34517), a more selective GR antagonist, was tested using two models of stress-induced drug seeking, namely footshock and yohimbine.

Methods Adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer fentanyl (2.5 μg/kg/infusion, i.v.) in a model of escalation. Rats then received 7 days of abstinence, followed by extinction; PT150 (0, 50 or 100 mg/kg in …

Developing A Nomological Network To Incorporate Learned Helplessness Into Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Nicholas Kovacs

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Employees are facing personal traumas, higher stress, and work pressures that are likely to result in both short- and long-term impacts. To mitigate these negative impacts, organizations should focus on applying research related to employees’ responses to trauma and stress. Learned helplessness, which is well-established within clinical psychology and less established within the industrial-organizational literature, occurs as a direct response to perceived control over trauma and could thus relate to the ability to overcome trauma. In relation to control-related constructs, industrial-organizational researchers have focused on resilience, hardiness, and work locus of control (LOC). However, each of these constructs account for …

The Relationship Between Stress And Quality Of Life In People With Multiple Sclerosis: The Mediating Role Of Resilience, Byung Jin Kim

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system encompassing the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve, in which the patient’s immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues. Due to the unpredictable characteristics of the disease, MS can lead to an unusually high level of stress and may negatively impact the individual’s QoL. Resilience is a psychological structure that shows positive coping and adaptive ability from difficult or stressful situations. Resilience also indicates a buffering effect on the stressors of individuals with disabilities and serves to protect psychological health and function from disability. The purpose of this …

A Comparative Study Of Stress, Trauma, Well-Being, And Future Orientation Among Community College Students, Melinda A. Lemaster

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This study measured perceived stress, past trauma, well-being, and future orientation in a sample of community college students located in the Southeast United States. The sample included 412 participants (78%) female; 59% of student participants reported living in a rural community and 41% in a non-rural community. The mean age was 22 for 70% of participants, while 30% were over age 30. Framed by Family Stress Theory and Human Ecological Systems Theory, the study tested whether rural college students would report higher levels of stress, more past trauma, lower well-being and future orientation when compared with non-rural students. In addition, …

The Comfort Watch: Psychology And Media Theory Perspectives On Nostalgia And Film, Sohni Kaur

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explored the relationship between nostalgia, film, and coping mechanisms,

using both media theory and psychological lenses. Nostalgia, a concept with roots in both media theory and psychology, is best defined as homesickness for a time rather than a place. Nostalgia, when combined with film, leads to the concept of “comfort watches”, a scarcely researched topic. From a psychological standpoint, research suggests that nostalgia and media usage are commonly used coping mechanisms, yet there has been little to no research combining the two. The psychological study included in this thesis was conducted online in the United States using 83 …

Frontal Alpha Wave Asymmetry In Regard To Affect, Monica Leigh Sewell

All Master's Theses

This study examines frontal alpha brain wave asymmetry (FAA) in relation to emotion processing. Previous research has shown that differences between left versus right FAA could exhibit a neurological marker for emotional intelligence (EI), mental health, and stress. Behavioral data were collected using Profile of Emotional Competence Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. This was followed by a series of resting EEG recordings. This study hypothesizes that participants who are mentally healthy, have higher EI scores and lower stress will display greater left FAA. The hypothesis is partially supported; participants with depression had greater …

The Role Of Hardiness And Autonomy Support On College Student Engagement, Kevin Douglas Cherry

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The gap between college student enrollment and graduation rates remains a problem for college students and administrators. Literature on persistence in college suggests that factors such as hardiness and autonomy support may contribute to student perseverance through degree attainment. The current study focused on these constructs using a framework based on self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 1985). Factors related to student persistence, namely hardiness and autonomy support, were expected to positively predict college student engagement. Furthermore, hardiness was expected to moderate the relationship between autonomy support and college student engagement. College students from a university and a community college …

High School Student-Athlete Sleep Habits Using Activity Monitoring, Corey Thomas Ungaro

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Sleep research is an area of scientific inquiry that impacts all individuals due to sleep's effects on health, well-being, and performance. Healthy sleep habits have been shown to improve academic and athletic performance in collegiate student-athletes. Surprisingly, no sleep research has been conducted on high school student-athletes during a semester. High school student-athletes can benefit from understanding their sleep habits and how sleep can affect the development of the adolescent brain and improve performance giving athletes the potential for a competitive advantage. This retrospective analysis aims to examine the sleep habits of student-athletes while balancing their academic and athletic responsibilities …

Evaluating Students’ Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, And Physical Activity In Exercise Is Medicine® On Campus Student-Led Health Consultation Program, Nickolas Saade Rahawi, Aaron D. Espitita Gonzalez, Ellea E. Bachmeier, Joanna L. Morrissey, Lisa J. Leininger

Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The American College of Sport Medicine created the Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) initiative to improve health through the promotion and prescription of physical activity. The EIM-On Campus (EIM-OC) initiative uses physical activity as a vital sign for promoting healthy behaviors among students and employees on a college campus. The EIM-OC initiative was launched at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) in Fall 2019. The purpose of this research project was to promote and evaluate college students’ health behaviors associated with the implementation of the EIM-OC initiative at CSUMB. We hypothesized significant improvements in perceived stress, sleep quality, and total physical …

The Relationship Between Stress And Emotional Eating In Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Rachel Gasser, Sydney Dominek

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Nursing students consistently report high levels of stress. This replication study examined the relationship between stress and emotional eating in undergraduate nursing students and compared findings with the original 2012 study. The non-experimental study was guided by the Psychosomatic Theory. Sampling and data collection occurred using three waves of recruitment emails to all sophomore and senior nursing students in spring of 2021. Stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Tool. Emotional eating was measured with the Weight and Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire. Emotional eating was higher in seniors, there was no level difference in stress, and BMI was higher in sophomores, …

The Effectiveness Of Mixed Personality Trait Analysis With Multiple Stress Education Model In Coping With Stress Among International Students In American, Xiaoyang Mei

DNP Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Positive Reflective Journaling As A Tool For Managing Stress And Promoting A Healthy Work Environment In Nursing Academia, Roxanne Gall

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background: Teaching and nursing are consistently cited as the two occupations that work under the highest levels of occupational stress. Positive Reflective Journaling may be a tool that helps to manage stress and influence a healthy work environment in academic nursing settings.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Positive Reflective Journaling could be used as an adjunct to reduce stress and support a healthy working environment in

nursing academia.

Methodology: Eighty-six faculty and staff from a University based School of Nursing were invited to participate in the study. A positive reflective journaling exercise was evaluated …

The Effect Of Multimethodological Emotional Intelligence Training On Emotional Intelligence Levels In Nurses At An Academic Medical Center, Chad Eldridge

DNP Projects

Background: Stress levels associated with the nursing career can be amplified by hostile social environments in the workplace, horizontal aggression, lack of leadership support, and poor communication. This can lead to poor retention rates and increased burnout.

Conversely, supportive work environments positively influence nursing sensitive quality indicators such as patient satisfaction, nosocomial infections, patient falls, pressure ulcers, and medication errors. Strong relationships enhance workplace social capital leading to an increased sense of belonging, strengthened mental health, and improved job satisfaction ratings.

Executive nurse leaders can promote an empowering environment dedicated to the physical, mental, and social well-being of their staff …

An Examination Of The Impact Of The Covid-19 Health Threat, Stress, And Social Isolation On Lifestyle Habits As Analyzed Through The Protection Motivation Theory, Luciana Adib Soares

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 emerged in China in 2019 and quickly spread to other countries, leading to mandated lockdowns and social isolation. This cross-sectional study examined the impact of the COVID-19-generated stress, health threat, and social isolation on dietary, physical activity, and self-care habits of adults in Florida, utilizing the PMT as a framework. Participants (n = 478) completed online surveys about demographics, perceived stress, and changes in lifestyle habits. Significant positive changes were reported in cooking at home (p < .001) frequency, sweets (p < .001), and breakfast (p = .009) consumption, outdoors physical activity (p = .005), self-care (p < .001), relaxation (p < .001), and rest (p < .001) habits. Significant negative changes were reported in fast food (p = .004) and snack (p < .001) consumption. A significant relationship existed between self-reported stress, perceived threat, (r = .33, p < .001), and perceived efficacy, (r = -.15, p = .002). Perceived threat was the most important predictor of changes …

A Stress Process Approach To Assessing Caregiver Burden, Depressive Symptoms, And Quality Of Life: The Role Of Attachment In Adult Relationships, Ghislaine Celine Atkins

All ETDs from UAB

Aging adults (65 years and older) are projected to be the largest age group in the United States by around the year 2030. Importantly, the population of aging adults is expected to outnumber their adult children for the first time by the year 2033. The extant literature posits that the majority of carer-care-recipient relationships are between adult children/in law and their aging parent or a spouse/partner. Familial carers dealing with these multiple stressors are more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms, have higher appraisals of stress and have worse quality of life. This dissertation project utilized sociologist Pearlin’s Stress Process Model …

Examining The Pathophysiology Through Which Violence Exposure Varies With Functional Brain Connectivity And The Psychophysiological Response To Stress, Heather Elizabeth Dark

All ETDs from UAB

Violence exposure during childhood and adolescence is associated with susceptibility to internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety. The relationship between childhood violence exposure and internalizing disorders may be explained by changes in brain function. For example, childhood maltreatment, including violence exposure, is associated with changes in brain regions that are important for emotion regulation. Reciprocal connections among these brain regions are important for healthy responses to stress. Thus, examining how childhood violence exposure varies with acute stress-induced changes in functional brain connectivity and psychophysiological stress responses may elucidate how childhood violence exposure may contribute to susceptibility to internalizing disorders. …

Stress, Inflammation, And Mood: A Role For Leptin?, Kathleen Hodgin

All ETDs from UAB

Prior research has suggested a possible role for the proinflammatory adipokine leptin in depression. Leptin has also been associated with stress, a known predictor of depression. The purpose of this project was to investigate associations between stress, leptin, and depressed mood. We used data from a larger observational study that collected daily levels of plasma leptin and self-reported stress and depressed mood from 55 women over 25 days. Women with and without chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were included. We hypothesized the following: increased stress would be associated with both worsened mood and higher leptin, and that leptin would be positively …

Education Of Staff On Promoting Yoga Activities In Women With Depression, Ahaoma Roselima Nnebedum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Major depression is a serious global health issue and one of the most common mental health problems women face in the United States. The problem in this DNP project, Education of Staff on Promoting Yoga Activities in Women with Depression, was the lack of staff knowledge in using yoga activity to treat women with depression resulting in suboptimal care of women with depression. The DNP project questions were addressed by collecting evidence-based information from the literature to develop the education and to explore if the DNP project would improve the staff knowledge of yoga allowing for the application of the …

Stress, Coping, And Adjustment Of Young Adults Who Have Transitioned Out Of Foster Care, Helen S. Hogin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current research lacked information on the stress, coping, and adjustment of individuals transitioning to adulthood from foster care. Transitioning out of foster care when adulthood is reached can be challenging, resulting in mental and physical health problems, decline in overall wellbeing, and poor outcomes. Elevated stress can make coping and adjusting to social life more difficult. The purpose of this study was to explore former foster youths’ perspectives and experiences of stress and what coping strategies were effective as they adjusted to society. The transactional model of stress and coping served as the study’s framework. The research questions focused on …

Obesity-Related Health Behaviors And Stress Among Sexual Minority Women, Kristen Andrea Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adult obesity rates have continued to rise with 40% of the adult population in the United States currently being categorized as obese. Sexual minority women are more prone to obesity than heterosexual women. Obesity has been linked to several causes of premature and preventable death and has often been attributed to changeable health behaviors such as physical activity, diet, and sleep. Additionally, stress has been shown to impact health behaviors as well as rates of obesity. Sexual minority women are known to experience more stress due to their minority status, a concept described in minority stress theory which states that …

Reducing Stress And Burnout In Hospice And Palliative Care Through Education, Marvet Wint

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractBurnout, a syndrome described as a state of mental and or physical exhaustion, impacts the workforce of hospice and palliative nurses where employees’ behaviors and professional efficacy reflect poorly on their work. The prevalence of burnout among hospice nurses led to the development of this project. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) served as a reference guide for developing the content, which addressed whether a staff education program at this Southeastern United States facility, would affect a change in knowledge among hospice nurses reduce burnout. Knowles’s theory of adult learning framed this education program on self-care and stress management. Focus was …

Stress, Burnout, And Depression Among African Immigrant Direct Support Professionals Working With Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Mary A. Onyejose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractStress and burnout are recognized problems among staff working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). However, information on stress and burnout in African immigrant direct support professionals (DSPs) is lacking. The purpose of this correlational mediation study was to investigate whether burnout mediates the relationship between stress and depression among African immigrants working with adults with IDDs. Job stress theory and burnout theory served as the theoretical framework for the study. Overall, 111 DSPs completed self-report questionnaires: the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Parker and DeCotiis’ Job Stress Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results revealed that stress significantly predicted …