Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of A Facebook Group Intervention To Increase Health-Promoting Self-Care Among Primary Caregivers Of Children With Developmental Disabilities, Emily Auerbach Iovino

Doctoral Dissertations

Primary caregivers of children with developmental disabilities (DD) are critical for supporting the development of the children for whom they provide care. In order to most effectively provide care, caregivers of children with DD need to be physically and psychologically healthy. However, caregivers of children with DD can experience challenges in these areas as a result of stress. Health-promoting self-care and social support can mediate the stress process to influence health outcomes. Given that a lack of social support is a barrier to engaging in health-promoting self-care, social support is needed for caregivers to engage in health-promoting self-care and together …

Covid-19: A New Chapter In The Loneliness Epidemic, Nancy Zhu

Social Space

We live in an era of increasing innovation and connectivity. It's said that we have the world is at our fingertips, with social media granting us the ability to link up quickly and easily with anyone across the globe. Yet the irony is that loneliness is a trusty companion in a modern and interconnected world.

Stress In Groups: Lessons From Non-Traditional Rodent Species And Housing Models, Annaliese K. Beery, Melissa M. Holmes, Won Lee, James P. Curley

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

A major feature of life in groups is that individuals experience social stressors of varying intensity and type. Social stress can have profound effects on health, social behavior, and ongoing relationships. Relationships can also buffer the experience of exogenous stressors. Social stress has most commonly been investigated in dyadic contexts in mice and rats that produce intense stress. Here we review findings from studies of diverse rodents and non-traditional group housing paradigms, focusing on laboratory studies of mice and rats housed in visible burrow systems, prairie and meadow voles, and mole-rats. We argue that the use of methods informed by …

Exploration Of Pet Ownership Related To Stress In Social Work Students, Aly Vancil

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The problem statement is: Does pet ownership contribute to social work student’s mental health as indicated by stress levels? The significance of this study is that further studies must be conducted in order to determine if there are long term benefits between human and animal interactions. In the research, there are many limitations that we explore because each study was done on a specific campus, or on a selective study body, or on an animal owner or non-animal owner. The research design used for the study was a quantitative survey design on Qualtrics that was sent to all the students …

Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Multilevel Intervention To Address Social Determinants Of Refugee Mental Health, Jessica R. Goodkind, Deborah Bybee, Julia Meredith Hess, Suha Amer, Martin Ndayisenga, R Neil Greene, Ryeora Choe, Brian Isakson, Brandon Baca, Mahbooba Pannah

Pediatrics Research and Scholarship

Understanding processes that support the well-being of the unprecedented numbers of forcibly displaced people throughout the world is essential. Growing evidence documents post-migration stressors related to marginalization as key social determinants of refugee mental health. The goal of this RCT was to rigorously test a social justice approach to reducing high rates of distress among refugees in the United States. The 6-month multilevel, strengths-based Refugee Well-being Project (RWP) intervention brought together university students enrolled in a 2-semester course and recently resettled refugees to engage in mutual learning and collaborative efforts to mobilize community resources and improve community and systems responsiveness …

Campus Design And The Community College Experience: An Exploration Of Stress, Belonging And Scholarly Identity, Vanita Naidoo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This mixed methods research study examines factors that influence the development of scholarly identity at a community college campus. It uses survey methods and a focus group with undergraduate students at the Bronx Community College (BCC) campus to examine how campus design relates to a sense of belonging, the process of reflection, and the development of a scholarly identity. Academic attrition and low performance are challenges at urban community colleges. The study aims to address how campus design, specifically green space, impacts undergraduate students at a community college. It seeks to better understand the experience of the diverse student population …

Calm: A Mindfulness Mobile App For Stress Reduction In The Workplace, Gizzele Valencia

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

This evidence-based pilot (EBP) project was implemented to decrease stress among employees who work in a financial-based occupational health setting. According to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Stress in America online survey, 64% of survey-respondents reported that work is a significant source of stress (2018). Mindfulness meditation is a spiritual practice that helps a person acknowledge how to experience emotions and events without judgment (Luken & Sammons, 2016). A mobile app-guided mindfulness program could reduce perceived stress and increase mindfulness levels. These practices might improve work productivity, decision-making skills, organizational relationships, self-care, and perspective taking development (Jayawardene, Lohrmann, Erbe, & …

Abstract Art And Its Effects On Stress In High School Students: Development Of A Method, Shera Weintraub

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Stress in schools has become an increasing problem within the United States. Adolescents struggle with high rates and high levels of anxiety due to many pressures surrounding them, especially expectations from school. Due to their growing brains, stress and anxiety during this time can affect future functioning. It is crucial that teens learn ways to manage stress levels now, so they can develop healthy coping skills that can continue into adulthood. There has been plenty of research on art therapy and its benefits for mental health in this population. This study investigates the effects of abstract art on stress …

Using Dance/Movement As A Part Of A Self-Care Routine To Alleviate Stress In Parents And/Or Caregivers Of Children With Autism, Lori Reaves

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Parents and caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have more stress than parents of neurotypical children (Foster, Swain, and Scarpa, 2018). There is minimal research published exploring the effects of dance movement therapy (DMT) on stress reduction with parents or caregivers of children with ASD. This researcher explored the use of other modalities in studies involving parental and/or caregiver stress. Taking care of one’s self is important but, can be difficult for many people, especially parents and caregivers of children with autism. Movement is our first means of communication and plays an intricate part in our ability to …

Quieting The Buzz: Drama Therapy And Mindfulness In The Classroom, An Intervention, Karole A. Rose

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

From an incredibly young age, children in the United States of America are faced with significant stressors due to challenging life circumstances, parental pressures and ever increasing demands for success in all aspects of life including academics achievement, physical ability, and strong social skills (Allen & Klein, 1996; The Hawn Foundation, 2011). Yet, they often do not have the tools to manage the strong feelings and emotions that come along with these challenges and high expectations, leading to significant levels of stress and anxiety (Reilly, 2015). This thesis will explore the development of a drama therapy method in response to …

Exploring The Experience Of Psychological Distress For Young Adults With Cancer: Implications For A New Diagnosis Of Medical Traumatic Stress, Audrey Ryan

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how a serious medical diagnosis, such as cancer, can act as an acute or prolonged trauma. This was explored through the lived experiences of psychological distress of young cancer survivors. Participants were 12 men and women who had been diagnosed with cancer within the past seven years when they were between the ages of 18 and 39. From these interviews several themes emerged that describe the phenomenon of what I have termed medical traumatic stress.

Trauma from a medical event does not currently meet criteria for PTSD in the DSM-5 …

Emotional Labor, Stressors, And Librarians Who Work With The Public, Kelsey Simon

School of Information Student Research Journal

Service jobs require regular interaction with customers and have certain expectations of specific emotions that should be shown during transactions. This use of expected emotional displays during service transactions is called emotional labor and it is an important part of service work, but there are significant consequences for regular use. This paper reviews the literature on emotional labor, and the consequences of the repeated use of emotional labor within the service workforce. It also reviews the literature on stressors reported by librarians and job-related stress. Relationships can be seen between emotional labor, the work of librarian professionals, and stressors in …

Sources Of Anxiety In Emerging Adult Relationships: A Qualitative Analysis, Kayla Gay

Honors Projects

Anxiety is a fairly common experience for individuals, but when this anxiety is extreme or prolonged, it can have detrimental effects both emotionally and physically. Previous research has shown that romantic relationships can have both positive and negative impacts on the mental health and levels of anxiety for individuals and that a number of stressors can create anxiety between romantic partners. The aim of this study was to examine the causes and sources of anxiety experienced by emerging adults specifically within their romantic relationships. A sample of six respondents from the Toledo Adolescent Relationship Study (TARS) who had the highest …

Speaking Under Stress: Effects On Language Production, Perceived Anxiety, Physiological Arousal, And Cognitive Attention, Monica Mascellino

Theses - ALL

Communicating under stress can have many effects on our bodies and minds, as well as the way that we produce language. The current study employed a pseudorandomized group design to compare individuals’ perceived anxiety, physiological arousal, physiological cognitive attention, and language production during stressful communication and non-stressful communication. Results indicated that the stressful communication protocol did not seem to affect individuals’ self-reported anxiety, as there were no differences between the high stress and low stress groups. No between-group differences were found in physiological arousal; however, results demonstrated that the high stress group experienced an increase in physiological arousal while speaking. …

Effect Of The Establishment Of A 2-Week Brief Mindfulness Practice On Positive Nutritional Choices And Perceived Stress In College Undergraduates, Emily M. Larson

Honors Thesis

College students often experience weight gain, which appears to be associated with elevated levels of stress. This stress can be due to exposure to a new environment, increased responsibility, and newfound independence that comes with living away from home. As such, identification of interventions that increase healthy eating behaviors and reduce perceived stress may promote good physical and mental health for college students. Mindfulness meditation, which is associated with lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and subjective anxiety, may be one such strategy. However, no research has examined the effect of the establishment of a mindfulness meditation practice on nutritional choices. …

The Relationship Between Glucocorticoids And The Humoral Immune Response To Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Challenges In Eastern Bluebirds, Joshua Smith

Honors Theses

Numerous studies have examined relationships between adrenal glucocorticoids and the immune system’s ability to fight disease. The relationship can vary, with glucocorticoids having either stimulatory or inhibitory effects. The pathogenic bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) elicits an adaptive immune response in birds, in which B cells produce MG-specific antibodies to fight the infection and prevent reoccurrence. Previous research found that Eastern Bluebirds that produce the most antibodies in response to MG infection also have the highest glucocorticoid levels. This finding led to the current study investigating whether corticosterone, the primary glucocorticoid in birds, stimulates production of antibodies in response to immune …

Effects Of Repeated Intermittent Episodes Of Social Stress On The Acquisition And Extinction Of A Reward-Seeking Task, Nikki Sullivan

Honors Theses

Repeated exposure to stress is known to have a myriad of effects on the brain, contributing to the development of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and drug addiction. For example, rats undergoing repeated social stress develop increased cocaine self-administration. These effects of stress are not well-understood and are related to changes in the brain reward system. This study investigated the effects of repeated social stress on reward-seeking behavior via the acquisition and extinction of a discriminative stimulus (DS) task and on anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM). Male rats underwent intermittent social defeat (4 sessions in 10 …

A Qualitative Exploration Of A Kung Fu Character-Based Intervention And Third-Grade Students’ Perceptions, Kameron Shook

Honors Theses

Students are experiencing higher levels of stress in and out of the twenty-first century classroom. Stress can affect a student’s ability to interact with their peers, interact with their teacher, and interact with the material they are learning. Different interventions involving physical activities related to martial arts have been successful in improving student empathy and confidence in an anti-bullying intervention (Law, 2004; Rajan, 2015; Twemlow et al., 2008). However, few studies have addressed utilizing physically active standards-based lessons rooted in martial arts alongside focus vocabulary words as a means of developing the whole child, inclusive of the social, emotional, physical, …

The Correlation Between Personal Stressors, Anxiety And Caffeine Consumption Among Jmu Faculty, Erica B. Larocca

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This study investigates the relationships between caffeine consumption, stress and anxiety among faculty at James Madison University. This was examined using a mixed methods study with a sample of twenty undergraduate faculty members from all Academic Colleges besides the College of Education. Quantitative data serves to provide descriptive statistics as well as data from the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale and the Caffeine Expectancy Scale. Qualitative data serves to learn about the motivations and habits surrounding caffeine, and about the stressors and anxieties specific to faculty members. Anxiety and caffeine are reported to have an association (p=0.656). It was found that …

Examining Black Art Therapy Graduate Students' Experiences With Racial Battle Fatigue, Marilyn Holmes

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

ABSTRACT Examining Black Art Therapy Graduate Student’s Experiences with Racial Battle Fatigue by Marilyn Holmes Chairperson: Jayashree George, DA, ATR-BC, LMFT, SEP Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF) is a term used to describe the psychological and physiological symptoms Black students experience after repeated exposure to microaggressions in higher academic settings (Smith, Yosso, & Solorzano, 2006). In this study, I sought to explore the specific experiences with RBF of current and former Black art therapy in their graduate programs and supervision. Supervision is an essential and necessary aspect of art therapy education that involves power dynamics that can be complicated by race. …

The Effects Of Generalized Stress And Anxiety On Clinical Athletic Training Students: A Qualitative Study, Morgan E. Dumont

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Stress and anxiety are present and acknowledged on our society as seven out of 10 United States adults deal with moderate stress or anxiety on a daily basis (Beiter et al., 2015). Sport research has primarily focused on student-athletes, how they struggle, and the resources that can be provided to help this population cope and manage their stress. However, there is lack of research about stress and anxiety among those individuals who provide the care to student-athletes, specifically the athletic training students within their clinical assignments. Athletic training students lead similar schedules to student-athletes by devoting time to prepare for …

Reducing Stress In Creative Spaces: Art Therapy With Adults Living With Physical Disabilities, A Literature Review, Kelly Brennan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Historically and currently, adults living with physical disabilities encounter life dilemmas, triggering high levels of stress. Despite the seriousness of these situations, the support and recognition of the struggle such obstacles cause tend to go ignored by society. Since persons living without disabilities do not personally feel or even perceive the gravity of the stress, accessibility demands remain overlooked. Monumental changes in political and societal constitutions take time, however, current methods that are often used with individuals coping with stress are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based therapy. These treatments reduce stress among varied populations, specifically when treating individuals living …

The Effects Of Perceived Religious Support In Childhood On Internalizing Symptoms In Early Adulthood, Ashley Sexton, Victoria Jones, Robyn Dolson, Diana Morelen

Appalachian Student Research Forum

Research suggests those with high religiosity have better social support and lower stress levels (Gao, 2015), and more frequent attendance of religious services is related to larger social networks and higher variety and perceived quality of social support (Ellison & George, 1994). Furthermore, research has shown that the quality of religious social support protects against symptoms of anxiety and depression (Desrosiers, 2012; Lewis, 2019). However, the relationship between perceived religious support in childhood and internalizing symptoms in adulthood have not been thoroughly investigated in the literature. Therefore, we hypothesize that perceived religious support in childhood correlates with lower levels of …

College Education Can Induce Stress, Anxiety, And Depression – Are You Sad?, Nathan L. Boyd

2020 Symposium Posters

College students must manage a great deal of stress, including heavy loads of coursework, deadlines, finances, families, working part-time or full-time, and choosing their lifelong careers. The Center for Collegiate Mental Health has reported that stress, anxiety, and depression (SAD) are the leading reasons that students reach out for mental health services. However, stigma has been identified as the primary barrier to treatment. Students should be encouraged to seek the help of medical professionals and develop healthy habits because these serious conditions can negatively affect educational performance, work performance, and quality of life. Secondary research methods will be used to …

Diabetes As It Relates To Stress, Anxiety And Lifestyle Choices, Kayla C. Dedloff

2020 Symposium Posters

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that impacts 29 million people in the United States. Diabetes is a disease that develops when one's body becomes resistant to insulin, resulting in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates, and the blood glucose levels are increased. If hyperglycemia is not managed, it will result in complications. Management of stress is significant in diabetic patients because stressing intensifies diabetes. The majority of type 2 diabetes patients are overwhelmed with managing the disease, and when they can’t control their blood glucose, it results in depression and anxiety. There is a link between lifestyle choices and type …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Covid Stress Scales, Steven Taylor, Caeleigh A. Landry, Michelle M. Paluszek, Thomas A. Fergus, Dean Mckay, Gordon J.G. Asmundsone

Covid-19 Digital Research

Research and clinical observations suggest that during times of pandemic many people exhibit stress- or anxiety-related responses that include fear of becoming infected, fear of coming into contact with possibly contaminated objects or surfaces, fear of foreigners who might be carrying infection (i.e., disease-related xenophobia), fear of the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic, compulsive checking and reassurance-seeking regarding possible pandemic-related threats, and traumatic stress symptoms about the pandemic (e.g., nightmares, intrusive thoughts). We developed the 36-item COVID Stress Scales (CSS) to measure these features, as they pertain to COVID-19. The CSS were developed to better understand and assess COVID-19-related distress. …

Impulsivity As A Trait Predictor In Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Jennifer Bertucci

Dissertations

Impulsive personality traits have been linked to pathological decision making in individuals who possess the trait. Impulsive pathological decision making may include acts of aggression, divergence, risky behavior, lack of self-care, etc. The purpose of this study was to examine impulsive personality traits among nursing students. Traditional students are defined by the following characteristics: earns a high school diploma, enrolls full time immediately after finishing high school, are financially dependent on parents, and either do not work during the school year or works part-time (the exception to the rule) (Choy, 2002). A non-traditional nursing student is defined as students who …

Managing Burnout And Secondary Traumatic Stress In Human Service Organizations, Naomi Ingram

School of Professional Studies

This Case Study explores how burnout and secondary traumatic stress impact staffing, service delivery, and organizational effectiveness in a human service agency. The Case Study is focused around Ascentria Care Alliance’s Children & Family Services in Massachusetts, which encompasses three foster care programs: the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM), Division of Children’s Services (DCS), and Intensive Foster Care (IFC) programs. Both individual and organizational approaches are needed to most effectively address burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Individual workers need to build resilience factors such as self-compassion and mindfulness, set appropriate boundaries with clients, engage in ongoing training, support, consultation, and supervision, …

An Assessment Of Occupational Heat Stress In A Central Utility Plant, Abdoulaye Abdoulaziz

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Global climate change has been declared a threat to human health, which includes occupational safety issues. As temperatures continue to increase, heat stress and heat-related illness are occupational safety issues that need to be better understood. Assessments of workplace heat exposures are key to implement appropriate health and safety interventions. This study attempted to assess whether workers’ perception of work environment temperature in a Central Utility Plant was associated with heat-stress prevention behaviors. Therefore, we used a questionnaire to collect Central Utility Plant employees’ demographic characteristics, data regarding their perceived work environment temperatures, and their behaviors related to preventing heat-related …

Lesioning Of The Nucleus Of The Hippocampal Commissure Followed By Food Deprivation Stress In Birds Demonstrates Simultaneous Involvement In Both The Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis And The Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis, Michael Thomas Kidd Jr.

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the regulatory system for the neuroendocrine stress response within vertebrates. Within the HPA axis corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is a major regulator and driving hormone. A structure named the nucleus of the hippocampal commissure (NHpC) has been found to contain CRH neurons and also these neurons respond to early food deprivation stress significantly prior to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), the major driving nucleus of the classic neuroendocrine HPA axis. The objective of this study was to perform a knock down of the NHpC via electrolytic lesioning, thus eliminating a significant portion of its population of …