Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Mental Health Awareness In High School Athletes, Kaitlyn R. Melendez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Student-athletes often struggle to balance the demands of multiple academic and athletic responsibilities. These demands may harm student-athletes’ mental health by increasing anxiety, stress, and poor academic performance. When student-athletes develop effective coping skills, they can reduce their overall stress and enhance their overall well-being. To address this issue, I created a 45-minute workshop for the cross-country team at Marina High School in Marina, California.

The Teaam: The Development Of A Trauma Assessment Measure For Late Adolescents And Emerging Adults, Jessica Wimmer

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Exposure to potentially traumatic events is common among adolescents and emerging adults. While outcomes to trauma exposure may vary, development of maladaptive symptoms and disorders, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is of great concern to clinicians, researchers, and advocates for youth. However, recent research has identified that existing trauma measures and the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition Text Revision criterion for event exposure for PTSD, Criterion A, fail to address specific types of events and experiences that may elicit post-traumatic stress responses. Subsequently, this dissertation aimed to review the existing literature regarding trauma and how it is measured in adolescents …

Penny For Your Thoughts: Exploring Mechanisms Linking Socioeconomic Status And Cognition, Colton Hunter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Socioeconomic status is a complex psychological construct linked to a number of professional and personal barriers, including cognitive deficits. Throughout this dissertation, I seek to examine the mechanisms that link socioeconomic status and cognition. First, I explore potential mediators in the link between adolescent family income and cognition in adulthood, identifying education, stressful life events, inflammation, and family education expectations as significant mediators. Next, I examine the effects of writing-based stress manipulations on long-term memory and working memory, as these effects may mimic stress from financial worry. In doing so, I identify potential effects on working memory parameters. Finally, in …

A Family Matter: An Analysis Of Adult Children’S Conflict Communication, Abby Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship of parental conflict styles, family type, stress levels, and parent-child closeness on adult children’s conflict communication. Using Rahim’s conflict management framework and family communication patterns (FCP) theory, this research examined how family dynamics shape conflict behaviors of adult children, specifically within two parent and divorced/separated families. The survey gathered approximately 315 family experiences covering six family types. Separated/divorced and two-parent family types had sufficient numbers to further analyze the differences between these two types.

The findings indicated a significant positive relationship between parental and adult children’s conflict styles, as well as notable differences in conflict …

Circulating Epstein-Barr Virus Antibody Levels As A Biomarker Of Socioecological Adversity In Amazonian Ecuador, Tyler M Barrett, Melissa A Liebert, Geeta N Eick, Julia G Ridgeway-Diaz, Felicia C Madimenos, Aaron D Blackwell, Tara J Cepon-Robins, Samuel S Urlacher, Lawrence S Sugiyama, J Josh Snodgrass

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Circulating Epstein-Barr virus antibodies (EBV-Ab) are used as a biomarker of chronic stress in high-income settings, but their relevance in environments with a high burden of infectious disease, nutritional constraints, and limited resources is less clear. We investigated EBV-Ab as a biomarker of adversity in a setting where local ecology and economy may affect immune development differently than in wealthy countries.

Methods: We measured EBV-Ab in finger-prick dried blood spots collected from Indigenous Shuar (n = 433) and non-Indigenous Colonos (n = 84) ranging from < 1 to 87 years old in Amazonian Ecuador. For a subset of adults (≥ 15 years, n = 210), we collected socioeconomic information (income, education, and occupation) and assessed household-level market integration. We determined the most important predictors of EBV-Ab for adults and children using multi-model averaging of linear regression models.

Results: Male children (< 15 years) had lower EBV-Ab than female children (model averaged β [SE]: -0.238 [0.066]). For adults, Shuar had higher EBV-Ab than Colonos (model averaged β [SE]: 0.235 [0.113]), and high systolic blood pressure was an important predictor of elevated EBV-Ab (model averaged β [SE]: 0.088 [0.047]). Individuals who reported unpaid domestic work as their primary occupation had higher EBV-Ab than agricultural workers (model averaged β [SE]: 0.302 [0.113]). Individuals living in houses with more market-sourced infrastructure had lower EBV-Ab (model averaged β [SE]: -0.088 [0.068]).

Conclusions: Circulating EBV-Ab may capture context-specific aspects of socioecological adversity …

The Effect Of Nursing Students' Level Of Readiness For Professional Practice On Self-Efficacy And Clinical Stress Perception: A Cross-Sectional Study, Uğur Öner, Dilek Yılmaz, Sinan Aslan, Ercan Çınar

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: It is essential to evaluate students’ readiness before graduation and support them with education accordingly. This study investigates the effect of the level of readiness for professional practice as a purpose on the self-efficacy and clinical stress perceptions of nursing students.

Methods: The data for this cross-sectional study were collected between May and July 2024. The study included 733 3rd and 4th-year students studying nursing departments at state universities in Turkey. The Student Identification Form, Casey-Fink Readiness for Practice Scale (CFRPS), Student Self-Efficacy Scale (SSS), and Nursing Students Perceptions of Clinical Stressors Scale (NSPCSS) were used.

Results …

Protective And Risk-Related Factors Associated With College Student Burnout, Dominic X. Chavez

Honors Theses

Burnout is an occupational phenomenon commonly defined by the exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of efficacy a person experiences with regard to their role (i.e., educator, healthcare worker, student, etc.). Despite the prevalence of burnout in academia, very few research studies have attempted to examine the variables associated with burnout’s severity in the case of American college and university students. Thus, the current study sought to analyze the protective and risk-related factors previously determined to be associated with academic burnout within a college population. Specifically, burnout self-ratings were compared to perceived burnout stigma, resilience, perceived social support, help-seeking attitudes, and perceived …

The Impact Of Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy (Foat®) On College Students Experiencing Stress, Anxiety, And Depression, Mikki H. Lane

Expressive Therapies Theses

This arts-based research explores how Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy (FOAT®) supports college students in coping with stress, anxiety, and depression. Due to academic pressures, social transitions, and developmental milestones, college students are especially vulnerable to mental health challenges (Schaufeli et al., 2002). This arts-based approach to the research explores the impact of Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy (FOAT®) on college students experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression. Specifically, the study looked to determine if FOAT® could lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in college students who were experiencing these challenges. The research approach included the case study of one college student, …

Stress (Personality Types), Alison Datoc, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Both stress and personality types are multifaceted topics that have been defined in multiple ways.  Examining the relationship between stress and personality types is complex; however, literature on this relationship is well-established. While early research on the relationship between personality and stress focused on unidimensional personality traits, such as the relationship between stress and Type A personality, optimism, and hostility, research in this field today takes a comprehensive approach conceptualizing personality in five dimensions. The most widely accepted method of defining personality today is the Big Five model, consisting of five independent factors of personality: Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Openness to …

Toy Gaacareer Plateauing, Victor Tran, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

A career plateau can be defined as a phenomenon in which an individual’s career becomes stagnant. It is imperative to distinguish the two types of career plateaus: (1) content (job content) plateauing and (2) structural (hierarchical) plateauing. Content plateauing refers to a situation in which an individual’s job content (i.e., knowledge, skills, duties, responsibilities, etc.) stops changing. While structural plateauing assumes content plateauing, it also refers to a situation in which an individual can no longer progress, advance, or be promoted within the hierarchical framework of an organization. Career plateauing is not a novel phenomenon; however, it has progressively become …

Job Satisfaction (Motivation / Work / Employee / Satisfaction), Veronica Stelzer, Jonathan Proctor

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Satisfaction is a multifaceted emotional state of being that is derived from the fulfillment of expectations, wants, and needs. Reaching a level of satisfactory creates contentment, pleasure and even pride, but in order to achieve this state of well-being the task must be reasonably challenging, purposeful and appreciated. Today, job satisfaction is a topic that interests many. Satisfaction surveys are completed yearly, if not quarterly, to assure employees are feeling heard and understood. Some businesses such as Facebook and American Express have employee satisfaction ratings that top the charts, other places of work, suffer from high turnover rates and lack …

The Relationship Between Stress, Burnout, Attendance, And Methods Of Self-Care Among Teachers, Jennifer M. Sturm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers exposed to prolonged stress have been documented at higher risk for poor physical and mental health, including high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression. To ameliorate the effects of prolonged stress, teachers have employed a variety of coping strategies, and some sought medical care. To date, little research exists regarding absenteeism and medication usage among teachers. This study sought to determine the relationship between stress, burnout, and medication usage in relation to absenteeism. This study also sought to determine the role of thriving in the above relationships. An internet-based survey was distributed to U.S. teachers via social media and email. …

Unique Stress, Cultural Resources, And Psychological Resilience In Young African American Women: Insights For Effective Intervention And Cvd Prevention, Sparkle Springfield-Trice, Cara Joyce, Penny Williams-Wolford, Dinishia Wolford, Destiny Onyeise, Natalie Battles, Dionne V. Milton, Chineze Mogbo, Raigine Robinson, Dave Stovall, Lena Hatchett, Ursula M. Staudinger

Biostatistics Collaborative Core: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Objective: Psychological resilience, defined as one’s self-reported ability to bounce back from stress, is understudied in young African American women (YAAW). Guided by community feedback, this study examined the associations between resilience and the following three constructs from Staudinger’s 2015 resilience and aging model: perceived stress, non-psychological resources, and psychological resources. We aimed to identify cultural resources that can enhance resilience in the face of unique stressors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 512 self-identified YAAW aged 18–35 years. Resilience was measured by the Brief Resilience Scale, ranging from one to five, with higher scores indicating greater resilience. We …

Unmet Supportive Care Needs In Patients With Advanced Cancer And Its Impact On Distress, Kayla W Miranda, Benjamin L Musher, Hoda J Badr

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Patients with advanced cancer endure considerable physical and emotional distress without sufficient supportive care. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between cancer-related symptoms, supportive care needs, and distress levels in patients with advanced lung, head and neck, or gastrointestinal cancers.

Methods: 158 patients were assessed for symptom burden and distress levels using the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) and unmet needs using the Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-34) within one month of treatment initiation. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to explore associations between supportive care needs and distress.

Results: Distress levels were moderate across the study …

Sanctification Of Marriage And Positive Religious Coping May Help Couples Be Resilient From Stress's Negative Influence, Amanda Sue Bills

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Marriage is the building block of society and as such is an important developmental stage. Unfortunately, studies suggest that stress could be harmful to marriages. However, many resilient factors have been found to protect marriages from stress such as good communication, secure attachments, gratitude and optimism, and religion. The Bible teaches that marriage was founded by God and is a sacred institution. Further, stress should be expected in life, is useful for learning and growth, and God will help his followers to cope with it. The current quantitative study sought to discover if viewing marriage as sacred and using positive …

Teacher Stress, Resilience, And Experience: A Correlational Study, Kelsey D. Valente

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The teaching profession is one of the most critical, yet challenging occupations. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify and articulate the importance of the study exploring the teaching occupation and stress. Specifically, the purpose of the quantitative study was to explore the relationship between self-report educator stress, self-report of resilience, and years of teaching experience. The minimum sample size, determined by a priori power analysis, was 67; however, there were 68 participants in the study. Participants included current, public school educators ages 18 and older licensed to teach in South Carolina. Data collection was completed through three self-report …

The Effectiveness Of A Race-Based Stress Reduction Intervention On Improving Stress-Related Symptoms And Inflammation In African American Women At Risk For Cardiometabolic Disease: Protocol For Recruitment And Intervention For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Karen L. Saban, Cara Joyce, Alexandria Nyembwe, Linda Janusek, Dina Tell, Paula De La Pena, Darnell Motley, Lamise Shawahin, Laura Prescott, Stephanie Potts-Thompson, Jacquelyn Y. Taylor

Biostatistics Collaborative Core: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background: In recent years, the prevalence of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) in African American women has risen; the risk also increases with age, in comparison to men. Evidence demonstrates that stressful life events, including experiences of racism and perceived discrimination, contribute substantially to inflammatory diseases, such as CMD. Despite this evidence, few evidence-based interventions are available to assist individuals from minoritized communities in coping with the chronic stress related to their racial or ethnic identity.

Objective: Our proposed randomized controlled trial will test a novel, race-based intervention tailored to African American women, called Resilience, Stress, and Ethnicity (RiSE).

Methods: In this …

Student Misbehavior Influencing The Stress And Burnout Levels Of Elementary Teachers Within A Suburban Public School District: A Qualitative Case Study, Ashley Jane Enright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover how managing student misbehavior influences the stress and burnout levels among elementary teachers within a suburban public school district located in Northern Virginia. The theory guiding this study was the job demands -resources theory. Every job includes demands and resources, but for teachers the job demand of managing student misbehavior may lead to negative outcomes including stress, emotional exhaustion, and reduced personal accomplishment, leading to burnout. The central research question guiding this study was: How does managing student misbehavior influence the stress and burnout levels of elementary teachers in suburban …

Lead Pastor Stress: A Quantitative Study Of The Effects On Mental Health, Marriage, Family, And The Church, Sherri Lee Bergeron

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The church’s lead pastor has many roles and responsibilities, from teaching the Word of the Lord, baptisms, counseling sessions, and leading a staff. These are not the lead pastor’s only role; the majority also have a family, children, and a spouse at home who also need their attention. A balance must be considered between the ministry, family, and marriage. If this balance is off or the pastor becomes overwhelmed with any or all the three, their mental health may suffer and can cause depression and anxiety if not dealt with appropriately (Christianity Today, 2022). Lead pastors, while in ministry, have …

Multiple Platform Social Media Engagement Correlation With Perceived Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Among Active Church Members, Penny K. Hampton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social media has remained an area that each person has related to in their everyday experiences. The growth of social media has continued and expanded to include a wide range of varying platform opportunities for users. Given the variances with social media engagements, everyone differs with their resulting overall mental health characteristics. This study explored the relationship between the user engagement on multiple social media platforms and self-reported depression, stress, and anxiety. The variables included the number of social media platforms and the self-reported responses to the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS21). For this study, the participants included 117 individuals …

Correctional Officer Stress: The Effects Of Supervising Mentally Ill Inmates, Samuel T. Akers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The work of correctional officers goes unnoticed and unappreciated even though the job is one of the most stressful and dangerous in the United States and worldwide (Pittaro, 2017). Correctional officers work with a population that has proven their propensity to commit offenses against others, such as assaults, rapes, and murders. Officers are on constant alert for threatened or realized personal attacks. Witnessing daily violence and mayhem causes work stress and adversity experienced by no other occupation, yet correctional officers’ occupation lacks research concerning stress on officers and how that stress negatively affects inmate supervision (Lambert et al., 2018). Without …

Themes Of Moral Injury In The Field Of Asl Interpreting, Samantha Michaelson

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

This research project explores connections between a moral injury framework and the recognition and mitigation of ethical stress and trauma experienced by ASL-English interpreters. I have employed strategies such as thick description, textual analysis, and a narrative synthesis of existing literature on moral injury and ethical stress in interpreting to arrive at my findings. The study explains Demand Control Schema (DCS) and the Code of Professional Conduct (CPC) as valuable tools for interpreters to discuss and address ethical stresses that arise in their work. Additionally, I examine the concept of role space and its relevance to the experience of ethical/moral …

Mindful Lawyering: Incorporating Mindfulness Into The American Bar Association’S Model Rules Of Professional Conduct, Lyda Creus Molanphy

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

No abstract provided.

Mindfulness Meditation For Informal Caregivers Of Individuals Living With Alzheimer's Disease, Stacey Miller

Theses and Graduate Projects

Abstract

Caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease places significant emotional, physical, financial, and psychological burden on caregivers. Alzheimer’s disease is leading to an increase in family members becoming informal caregivers for their loved ones living with this disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association (2022), 66% of caregivers for people with dementia live in their homes with them. This scholarly project, through a literature review and qualitative data collection, explored the lived experiences of informal caregivers leading to feelings of stress. Mindfulness meditation provides proven benefits to stress management. Margaret Newman’s theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness lays the foundation for …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Nurses' Feelings, Stress, Coping, And Motivation In Palestinian Treatment Centers Of Corona, † Wafaa Menawi, Shatha Mari, Ahmad Adel Hanani

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Background: Frontline nurses of COVID-19 found themselves in an unfamiliar new disease work environment, fighting to adapt and control the stress while working at covid-19 centers in Palestine. Aim: To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on nurses' feelings, stress, coping, and motivation in COVID-19 Palestinian treatment Centers. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional design was conducted between Mid of July to the end of October 2021 by recruiting a purposive sample of 390 nurses who worked at the Ministry of Health during COVID-19 pandemic treatment centers. The nurses filled out the COVID-19 Health Personnel Questionnaire with Cronbach's Alpha > 0.9. Results: Palestinian frontline …

Dnp Final Report: Stress Less, Teach More: A Stress Reduction Initiative Utilizing A Mindfulness-Based Approach For Nursing Faculty, Jewelle Johnetta Welleh

DNP Final Reports

This paper explores the pervasive issue of stress among nursing faculty, particularly within the context of the Central Texas two-year college. Analyzing the nature, causes, and effects of stress experienced by nursing educators, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project emphasizes the important elements contributing to this phenomenon, including workload, administrative duties, and the most recent difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic. The initiative emphasizes the need for efficient stress management strategies to improve faculty well-being and job satisfaction by utilizing internal and external evidence. The DNP Scholarly project aims to reduce stress levels among nursing faculty by implementing …

An Analysis Of Burnout In Owner-Operated Businesses, Leslie Madison

M.S. in Leadership

This project explores what professional burnout is in the context of owner-operated businesses. The topic was selected based on my own experiences of burnout in my business. After just a few years of working without boundaries, I began to feel the lingering symptoms of stress. Pushing through the stress of running a creative business on my own eventually led to a state of debilitating burnout that caused me to stop all operations and allow my business to run on auto-pilot. Results of this study show a potential beginning of modern-day professional exhaustion which dates to the 17^th century when …

Mindfulness In Dental Education And Dentistry, Ellen Lee Dds, Brian Chin Mba, Melvin Lin, Jamie Chen, Daranthea Atmadja, Hazel Hong, Celine Lee, Yeonji Lee

The New York State Dental Journal

Healthcare professionals experience an enormous amount of stress. This can have a huge impact on their quality of life and may also affect their ability to manage patients. Mindfulness is one method that can be used to deal with stress. This method can be employed by practicing dentists, as well as dental students. Patients may also benefit from using mindfulness practices.

Supporting College Students’ Mental Health Through Occupational Therapy, Mallory R. Watts

Selected Honors Theses

The mental health of college students has emerged as a significant concern, particularly because of the pressures of academic, social, and personal demands intensify. This study investigates the role of Occupational Therapy (OT) in supporting the mental health of college students, exploring the potential need for integrating OT services into campus programs. By assessing the current mental health resources available to students and evaluating their effectiveness, this research aims to identify gaps in support and determine whether OT could serve as a valuable addition to existing services. Through a combination of surveys, interviews, and literature reviews, the study examines students' …

Workplace Stress For Licensed Practical Nurses And Registered Nurses In The Hospital Setting: A Quantitative Review, Dakota Zerman

Honors Projects

Nurses often work in stressful environments. These stressors can have many causes and may vary between specialties. Some examples of stressors are death and dying, conflict with others, and workload. One scale that analyzes these stressful factors is the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS). This survey uses the ENSS to examine stressors experienced by Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses who work in a hospital setting and continues by asking nurses if these factors cause continued stress at home. A survey was distributed online through social media to nurses who reside within the United States. The survey used a Likert …