Digital Commons Network^™

Genome-Wide Association Studies Of Depression And Alzheimer’S: Identifying Pleiotropic Snps, Yara Ahmed Kamel Abdelsalam

Public Health Theses

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been rising globally, making it important to understand risk factors. Depression has been identified as a risk factor in epidemiological studies and meta-analysis. The possible mechanism could be pleiotropic. This study sought to identify the pleiotropic SNPs associated with depression and AD so that can understand the relationship between the two diseases more evident.Methods: The sample was from the UK biobank population, using the White European subpopulation. Depression was defined using self-reported depression status and electronic medical records. Proxy AD was defined by biological mother and father’s AD status. Two univariate association analysis was conducted …

Decolonizing Humanitarian Aid: Addressing Racism And Health Inequities In The Context Of Africans Displaced From Ukraine, Nassim J. Ashford

Public Health Theses

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to one of Europe's largest humanitarian crises since World War II. With over 14 million people forcibly displaced from Ukraine, this thesis delves into the lesser-known aspect of anti-Black discrimination impacting displaced Africans and those of African descent during the conflict. This thesis research has two primary objectives: (1) to explore the personal experiences and struggles of displaced African persons as they encountered barriers to safety while escaping the war-torn region, and (2) to examine NoirUnited International's efforts to create a framework that addresses humanitarian crises with a focus on racial …

Community Perspectives On Mental Health Stigma In American Samoa, Vanessa Luzmila Blas

Public Health Theses

Despite reports of mental health concerns among adolescents in American Samoa, little is known about the current mental health burden. Furthermore, previous literature has identified mental illness-related stigma as a significant barrier to mental health care access and treatment. By gathering various perspectives of adult stakeholders and adolescent participants, this community-partnered qualitative study aimed to describe the perceived stigmatization of mental health in American Samoa.

This study stems from a larger qualitative project on adolescent mental health in American Samoa. Employing the Fa’afaletui research framework, 28 adult informants of differing professions, ages, and gender participated in semi-structured, in-depth virtual interviews …

Exploring The Perceptions Of Genetics, Genetics Testing, And Science In People Of African Descent, Maame-Owusua Boateng

Public Health Theses

Background: Historical injustices towards Black populations in the United States have impacted how communities interact with medicine and public health such as medical experimentations, scientific racism, medical racism, and eugenics. Black communities are underrepresented in human genomics projects compared to those that identify as white or of European ancestry. Prior research has demonstrated that Black people are less likely to know about the availability of genetic testing for diseases and have less confidence in the benefits of genetic testing. These disparities make it imperative to understand the perspectives of people of African descent. Methods: The Black Genome Project is an …

“You Need To Give All Of Yourself To This Field Or It's Not Enough”: A Qualitative Study Of The Medical Education Experience Among Medical Students With Chronic Health Conditions, Peyton Cabaniss

Public Health Theses

Medical students with chronic health conditions are an underrepresented and often overlooked population in medical education. Previous research has described the dual roles these students hold as both health care recipients and providers and has detailed challenges they face related to accommodations and accessibility. However, less is known about how these students navigate the day-to-day requirements of medical school and how having a chronic health condition shapes the medical education experience on an interpersonal level. To address this gap in knowledge, I conducted semi-structured interviews with eighteen medical students with chronic conditions and examined data using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings …

Honoring The Household: A Multi-Method Examination Of Family Structure, Harmony, And Conflict Among Asian Americans, Monica Jing Chen

Public Health Theses

The Asian American community is the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S. (Budiman and Ruiz, 2022), however, mental health research and practice often fail to accurately capture the scope of mental wellbeing across Asian subgroups. Despite shortcomings in the literature on Asian American mental health, researchers have still found concerning mental health outcomes within the community. Key considerations in supporting and understanding Asian American mental health include family harmony and family conflict; many of these communities greatly value family harmony but also are at risk of intergenerational conflict and other stressors within the household. A primary analysis examined the relationship …

Racism-Related Stress And Health Behaviors And Outcomes Among Emerging Adult Sexual Minority Men Of Asian Heritage, Lauren Li-Min Chin

Public Health Theses

Rationale: Acts of racial discrimination impart racism-related stress on the individual and have been linked to decreased psychological well-being and physical health. While there are numerous studies of other groups of sexual minority (SM) men of color in this area, little research has focused on HIV-negative, Asian-identifying SM men. Objectives: This study investigates whether racism-related stress is associated with substance use, general and oral health outcomes, and attitudes towards PrEP in a sample of emerging adult Asian SM men. The study also evaluates whether these behaviors affect the relationships between racism-related stress and the other outcomes. Methods: This secondary data …

Childhood Parental Bonding, Perceived Caregiver Burden, And Relationship Quality Among Adult Child Caregivers Of A Parent With Early-Stage Dementia, Denise Chow

Public Health Theses

Objectives – The objective of this paper was to investigate the associations between childhood parental bonding with current perceived caregiving burden and levels of perceived support from the parent among adult children of a parent living with early-stage dementia.Methods – One hundred and forty-four adult children completed self-report questionnaires that included the following measures: the Parental Bonding Inventory (PBI), Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale (PPRS). Multiple linear regression models were conducted to investigate the relationships between the parental bonding subscales (care, overprotection, and optimal parenting), caregiving burden, and relationship quality scores. Results – Adult children who …

Depression And Anxiety Among Plurisexual Teens In The U.S., Olivia Goodwin

Public Health Theses

Background: Little research focuses on the mental health consequences of stigma for plurisexual teens, with even less research comparing cisgender plurisexual youth to nonbinary plurisexual youth.Aims: To assess whether having both a marginalized sexual orientation and a marginalized gender identity is associated with greater risk or greater resilience in depression and anxiety outcomes among teens in the US. Methods: Data was analyzed from the 2022 LGBTQ Teen Survey. Inclusion in the study required being an English speaker living in the US, being 13-18 years old, and identifying as cisgender and plurisexual (n=1547) or gender nonbinary and plurisexual (n=1867). Statistical tests …

Psychosocial Experiences And Genetic Knowledge In Individuals With Pathogenic And Uncertain Tp53 Variants In The Prospective Registry Of Multiplex Testing (Prompt) Cohort, Dana Kahle

Public Health Theses

Germline mutations in the TP53 gene confer increased risk of diverse malignancies in children and adults in the Li Fraumeni cancer susceptibility syndrome, a rare condition with estimated prevalence of about 1 in 3,555 in the population. The Prospective Registry of Multiplex Testing (PROMPT) study is a registry of individuals undergoing genetic testing for inherited cancer susceptibility using multi-gene panels regardless of test results and agreeing to participate in questionnaire studies about their experience. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the psychosocial experience of genetic testing and level of genetic understanding and knowledge differs for those who …

Longitudinal Associations And Trajectories Of Cognitive Decline By Blood Pressure Categories, Namuunaa Juramt

Public Health Theses

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional, longitudinal associations and trajectories between cognitive decline and blood pressure (BP) categories defined by the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline and to explore sex differences in cognitive decline trajectories in each BP category.Design, setting, and participants: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study is a longitudinal cohort study (1987-2018). 10,456 of 15,792 participants (female 55.5%) were included in the analysis with a median follow-up time of 22.2 years. Exposures: Blood pressure (BP) was measured at 6 of the study visits and was categorized as normal BP (Systolic BP [SBP] < 120 and Diastolic BP [DBP] < 80 mmHg; n = 930), elevated BP (SBP 120-129 and DBP < 80mmHg; n = 853), hypertension stage 1 (SBP 130-139 mmHg, or DBP 80-89 mmHg; n = 1,142), and hypertension stage 2 (SBP >=140 …

Psychological Resilience In U.S. Military Veterans: Results From The 2019-2020 National Health And Resilience In Veterans Study, Michael Georgescu

Public Health Theses

Psychological resilience is the most common response following exposure to traumatic life events. To date, most research has focused on factors associated with adverse post-trauma mental health outcomes rather than understanding those associated with psychological resilience. In particular, little is known about factors associated with resilience in veterans, despite their high rates of trauma exposure, such as combat and military sexual trauma. To address this gap, we used a discrepancy-based psychiatric resilience (DBPR) analytic approach to operationalize resilience and to identify modifiable health and psychosocial factors associated with resilience in a nationally representative sample of U.S. veterans (N = 4,069). …

Are News Media Organizations Protecting Youth Mental Health? A Content Analysis Of The Top 4 News Organizations On Tiktok, Caroline Ann Pastrana Helsen

Public Health Theses

Background: In response to worsening mental health among adolescents, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on December 7, 2021 calling for action to address the youth mental health crisis. The advisory makes several recommendations, including actions media organizations can take to protect viewers’ mental health. The advisory specifically mentions news coverage that can negatively impact mental health, such as depictions of mental illness and traumatic events including natural disasters, pandemics, and mass violence. High rates of youth consume news on social media, with TikTok as one of the most popular apps for this demographic. Although research indicates that both …

A First Look Into Cognitive Impairment In The Republic Of Armenia: A Population With A History And Present Reality Of Collective Trauma, Patelle Jivalagian

Public Health Theses

The Republic of Armenia, a largely homogenous population burdened with a history of collective trauma, presents a unique opportunity to explore aging and cognition. The population survived a genocide in 1915 but, continues to face threats to existence today due to geopolitics. Studying the Armenian population can provide insight about the role of mental health in cognitive impairment. This study aimed to examine characteristics associated with cognitive impairment at mobile clinics across 6 provinces in Armenia and provided a first look into the national health profile of the likelihood of dementia progression in Armenia.Participants consisted of 262 subsample of older …

A Systematic Review Of The Effect Of Maternal Circadian Disruption During Pregnancy On Adverse Fetal Outcomes, Siyu Jiang

Public Health Theses

Exposure to a suboptimal pregnant environment can raise the risk of offspring experiencing a variety of diseases in later life. Circadian rhythms play an important role in endocrine system, physiological and psychological functions. Potentially, interruption of the circadian rhythm in pregnant women might impair fetal growth and lead to adverse effects on the children. In the modern world, millions of women experience circadian disruption during pregnancy due to night shift work, excessive light at night, and jet travel across time zones. However, the impact of maternal chrono-disruption during pregnancy on the health of the second generation remains largely unknown. The …

"Hair-Esteem Toolkit For Black Girls": The Development Of A Self-Esteem Toolkit For Black Adolescent Girls Centering Hair As A Tool For Empowerment, Sydney Hussett-Richardson

Public Health Theses

Background: For Black adolescent girls, hair is a strong staple of gender and ethnic identity, influencing intrapersonal and interpersonal interactions. Gendered racism and Eurocentric beauty standards pathologize Black girls and their hair, leading them to experience high rates of hair harassment and discrimination. These experiences negatively impact the self-esteem of Black girls, which has important implications for a host of health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-esteem and hair among Black girls and integrate findings into a culturally relevant digital toolkit to promote and develop hair-esteem and self-esteem among Black girls.Methods: This study …

The Ethical And Legal Considerations Of Ai-Driven Healthcare In Infectious Diseases, Natalie Makableh

Public Health Theses

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been rapidly growing in the healthcare sector, with the potential to improve patient outcomes, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. However, as with any technological advancement, AI-driven healthcare presents ethical and legal challenges that must be addressed to ensure the responsible and beneficial use of the technology. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to examine the ethical and legal considerations of using AI technology in healthcare, with a particular focus on infectious diseases. With the growing use of AI in healthcare, it is crucial to evaluate its potential benefits and challenges in …

The Fountain Of Youth?: Calorie Restriction And Its Relationship With Hand Grip Strength As A Marker Of Longevity And Aging, Arion Mete

Public Health Theses

Background and Purpose: Evidence supports a beneficial effect of calorie restriction on longevity within numerous animal models, while data for humans is limited to intermediate biomarkers of aging. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between calorie restriction in humans with respect to hand grip strength, a biomarker of aging and longevity, that has been understudied in relation to caloric restriction. Methods: We analyzed hand grip strength among 184 individuals enrolled in the Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE), a 2-year randomized trial of 25% calorie restriction vs. control. Peak hand grip …

Informal Electrical And Electronics Waste Recycling And Its Health Impacts: Evidence From Developing Countries, Zhen Liu

Public Health Theses

E-waste informal recycling poses severe threats to the environment and public health. This review provides an update to the 2013 and 2021 reviews, which systematically assessed adverse human health impacts associated with e-waste exposure. For this review, e-waste population health studies published between Jan 29, 2020 and Feb 23, 2023 were included. Databases including PubMed, Web of Knowledge, PsycNET, CNKI, Wanfang Data were searched, and the languages were not limited to English. Of the 4097 identified records, 58 studies examined the association between e-waste exposure and health, and are original studies based on population health outcomes. Current studies consistently support …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Outbreak On Mental Health And Public Practices In Rural Communities In China, Wenxin Liang

Public Health Theses

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has significant impact on people’s mental health. However, no nationwide study has investigated the mental health among rural residents during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. This study was aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health and public practices for controlling and preventing the COVID-19 in rural communities in China. An anonymous online survey was sent to participants through WeChat, the most widely used Chinese social-networking app, from March 2 to 11, 2020. We recruited 4607 individuals from 11 representative provinces in mainland China. The analytical sample was 2159 rural residents. The …

Sexual Show-And-Tell: Correlates Of Sex Communication And Active Modes Of Consent, Samantha Nardella

Public Health Theses

Sexual consent communication is a critical component in ensuring healthy and satisfying sexual experiences. The communication of consent can take many forms and be affected by a variety of factors, ranging from gender and sexual orientation, to type of sexual behavior and familiarity with a partner. The current study sought to examine the ways in which different factors affected how one communicated consent in their last sexual encounter. College students (N = 211) completed an online cross-sectional survey examining engagement in sexual behaviors, feelings in sexual encounters, and aspects of their most recent sexual experience. Individual- and situational-level correlates were …

Exploring The Experiences Of Intergenerational Trauma And Coping Mechanisms Among African American Women: A Qualitative Study, Esthel Nam

Public Health Theses

This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of intergenerational trauma and coping mechanisms among African American women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 9 participants, and the “Transactional Model of Stress and Coping” was used to analyze the data. The results revealed complex and interconnected forms of trauma, including historical trauma, adverse childhood experiences, death, and sexual abuse. Participants also utilized a range of coping mechanisms, including spirituality, social support, self-care, and therapy. The identified codes and subthemes provide a comprehensive understanding of the different forms of trauma that participants experienced, and the various strategies they adopted and utilized to …

Missing The Forest For The Trees: The Causes Of The Obesity Epidemic, Acree Mcdowell Cook

Public Health Theses

Arguably the most pressing public health issue in the United States today is the obesity epidemic, which has affected children, adolescents, and adults alike. A lack of longitudinal research on distinct factors related to obesity in different groups has made addressing the epidemic difficult. Many lifestyle and environmental factors, including nutrition, sleep, stress, the gut microbiome, screen time, and marketing, are all related to obesity, but many of these factors are also related to each other. The current study investigates these systemic relationships, presents a hypothesis on the complementary causes of obesity, and contributes to contemporary longitudinal research by investigating …

Examining The Impacts Of Stress And Negative Affect On Eating And Weight Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis, Taylor Spadory

Public Health Theses

Overweight and obesity have become incredibly pressing public health issues in the United States. Rising rates of prevalence pose grave risks to population health and underscore the need for a greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms that contribute to increased eating and weight gain. While stress and negative affect (NA) have been recognized as possible predictors, the literature is inconsistent and experimental studies have produced mixed results. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive quantitative meta-analysis to assess the prospective effects of stress and NA on eating and weight outcomes, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). We …

Building The World We Want In An Era Of Climate Anxiety, Rebecca Bratspies

Chapman Law Review

"It is 'unequivocal' that human activity is driving climate change.2 For clarity, unequivocal means 'leaving no doubt: clear, unambiguous[.]'3 The mean global temperature is already more than 1.1ºC above pre-industrial levels.4 And the trajectory is heading in the wrong direction. Keeping temperature increases below 1.5ºC, the level generally agreed on as essential for preventing the worst climate catastrophes,5 seems increasingly out of reach.6 Moreover, even at current levels of warming, the global climate appears to have gone completely off the rails. Widespread, rapid changes ranging from extreme temperatures,7 violent storms,8 accelerating ice melt,9 and expanding wildfire zones10 have become commonplace."

The Dissonant History Of Tristan And Isolde, Amanda Persaud

Dissertations and Theses

This essay traces the historical evolution of the story of Tristan and Isolde through three distinct phases, highlighting the transformation of the story from a feudal version to a post-feudal rendition infused with courtly love doctrines and notions of Christian love. It examines the early versions of the story by Béroul and Gottfried von Strassburg and discusses the shift in the portrayal of the relationship between Tristan and Isolde from one that decries disloyalty to one that is more sympathetic to their love. The essay also analyzes Richard Wagner's opera version of the story, which celebrates individual desire over duty …

Paradoxical Insomnia, A Chronic Insomnia Subtype In Patients With Temporomandibular Disorder, Christy Chan

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this secondary data analysis study is to determine: 1) if individuals with Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) present subjective-objective discrepancies in sleep parameters derived from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to their respective polysomnography (PSG) counterparts for the presence of sleep misperception and 2) to examine specific PSQI-sleep measures that showed significantly higher rates of disturbance in TMD participants in relation to subjective daytime dysfunction and objectively short sleep. The first hypothesis is that there will be an absence of subjective-objective correspondence on specific sleep measures only in TMD participants, while in control participants, it is expected that …

Pillars For Nuclear-Weapon States To Make Material Progress On Nuclear Disarmament, Madina Zhetenova

Dissertations and Theses

The nuclear arms race in the twenty-first century hinders progress towards disarmament and greatly increases the risk of nuclear catastrophe. Nuclear disarmament is a global issue that is necessary not only to reduce the risk of war but also to strengthen world peace and security, and to prevent the waste of human and material resources. Through a comparative analysis of the experiences of nuclear-weapon states, this study identifies the behavioral factors underlying the retention of nuclear weapons as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by international treaties. I will do so while reviewing nations' declarations, social and economic factors, …

The Impact Of Perceived Social Support On Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Elizabeth Eng

Dissertations and Theses

Individuals who have experienced repeated and interpersonal trauma often develop symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), along with additional features relating to disturbances in self-organization (DSO), which is now known as Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). CPTSD has been seen to be associated with adverse outcomes such as somatic symptoms, attachment insecurity, and overall lower life satisfaction (Karatzias et al., 2018; Kuhar & Zager Kocjan 2022; Maercker et al, 2022). Due to these additional features relating to DSO, CPTSD has been identified as distinct from PTSD, and so it has been important to investigate these unique symptoms. One such symptom …

How Adults Use Reddit To Cope With Being Children Of Divorce, Tamera A. Joseph

Dissertations and Theses

How do adults on social media describe their experiences as a child of divorce? The purpose of this study was to explore how posts on the social media platform Reddit are used by people to reflect on their parents’ divorce when they were younger. Reddit is a social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. The platform allows users to post content such as links, posts, images, and discussion boards. Posts on the website are organized by subjects called “subreddits”. In these subreddits, users discuss topics from news, philosophy, entertainment, and life experiences. Existing public data of archived and …