Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Caring For Our Colleagues: A Guide For Compassionate Action, Karen Foster Dds

Articulator Magazine

This article emphasizes the importance of prioritizing mental health in the dental profession, offering strategies for recognizing warning signs and encouraging proactive support for colleagues in distress, with resources available for assistance.

The Impact Of Stress During Adolescence And The Prevalence Of Pediatric Obesity, Olatunbosun Olakunri, Venkat Venkataraman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Obesity is a chronic condition that can be attributed to myriad factors including socioeconomic status, biological risk factors, and various environmental factors. These factors can be considered stress factors, and exposure to various levels of stress can impact the development of stress within the pediatric patients. The purpose of this study is to assess the association between the environmental, mental, social, physical, and psychological stress adolescents are exposed to and how they contribute to the prevalence of pediatric obesity throughout the United States. Understanding these risk factors can help us as a community and most importantly as clinicians develop better …

Incorporation Of Mindfulness Application Use In Doctoral Nurse Anesthesia Curricula For Mitigation Of Stress And Anxiety In Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Kerrie Rodgers

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

The nurse anesthesia specialty is highly stressful, with educational training being no exception. High didactic demands and intensive clinical experiences are placed on student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs), increasing stress and anxiety in their personal and professional lives. High levels of psychological distress can lead to inadvertent consequences in students’ mental, emotional, and physical health and can contribute to illness, burnout, substance use, and compromise in patient safety. Some degree of stress is necessary for motivation to succeed and perform at high levels, and encountering stress while enrolled in a doctoral nurse anesthesia program is expected and unavoidable. A search …

A Manualized Occupational Therapy Communication Skills Module For Clients With Ptsd, Lacey Kinard, Steven M. Gerardi

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience a variety of barriers and challenges that impact their daily occupational performance, engagement, well-being, and quality of life. There is a lack of research in the area of manualized occupational therapy (OT) treatment options for people with PTSD. Literature has expressed a need for the development of a manual-based OT treatment program for people with PTSD with communication skills training as an intervention component. The purpose of this project is to create a manualized OT communication skills intervention module for occupational therapists to implement with clients with PTSD for improved occupational performance and …

Comparison Of Perceived Stress In First-Year Pre-Med Students And First-Year Medical Students At Usd, Maggie Derner

Honors Thesis

Stress can be caused by many factors, including money, relationships, promotions, grades, and responsibilities. In college, these stressors can be exacerbated. This research dives into stress in both undergraduate students as well as medical students. Previous literature has indicated that high levels of stress are present in students, and it is likely to have negative effects on the students, whether that is their mental or physical well-being. Schools have put interventions in place to help combat the stress levels present in their students. At the University of South Dakota (USD) and USD Sanford School of Medicine (USD SSOM), perceived stress …

The Effects Of Covid-19 Stressors And Supervisor Support On Emotional Exhaustion And Work Engagement, Meiqiao Gu

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, working conditions have worsened, subjecting employees to numerous stressors. Analyzing the impact of COVID-19 stressors on employees‘ well-being and work motivation is crucial. The job demands-resources model (JD-R; Demerouti et al., 2001a) provides a framework for evaluating how COVID-19 stressors affect employees‘ well-being and motivation in the workplace. Given the complexity of job characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with challenges in obtaining adequate support from supervisors who are also facing considerable work pressure, this study examines the continued relevance of the JD-R model in this evolving work environment. Specifically, four hypotheses were …

Balancing Wellness And Leadership: Exploring Black Women Administrators’ Subjective Well-Being, Resilience, And Radical Self-Care In Higher Education, Lashae Grottis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leaders in higher education experience high and unrealistic demands for their skills, time, and energy, causing stress, competing priorities, burnout, compromised health, and attrition. However, unlike other racial and gender groups, Black women higher education administrators experienced these challenges more intensely. As a result of chronic stress associated with being undervalued and overworked, discriminatory and unwelcoming workplaces, and intersectional biases, Black women leaders are leaving higher education workplaces. Despite the link between gendered racism and unwellness, little is known about the problem from a positive leadership perspective. This study addressed the lack of knowledge of the wellness strategies Black women …

Understanding Collegiate Aviation Pilot Mental Performance Studies And Future Research Opportunities, Debra Henneberry, Stephanie Brown, Flavio Coimbra, Julius Keller

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (2022), fatigue is defined as “a condition characterized by increased discomfort with lessened capacity for work, reduced efficiency of accomplishment, loss of power or capacity to respond to stimulation, and is usually accompanied by a feeling of weariness and tiredness” (p. 2). Further outcomes of fatigue include tiredness, weakness, lack of energy, lethargy, depression, and lack of motivation (ICAO, 2016). Stress can release cortisol which can in turn cause sleep issues leading to fatigue (Harvard, 2021). In one study Mendonca, Keller, and Albelo (2023) found 69% (n = 192) percent of collegiate aviation pilots …

Chronic Adolescent Stress Alters Gr-Fkbp5 Interactions In The Hippocampus Of Adult Female Rats, Sydney Rowson, Mandakh Bekhbat, Sean Kelly, Molly M Hyer, Samya Dyer, David Weinshenker, Gretchen Neigh

Journal Articles

Chronic stress exposure during development can have lasting behavioral consequences that differ in males and females. More specifically, increased depressive behaviors in females, but not males, are observed in both humans and rodent models of chronic stress. Despite these known stress-induced outcomes, the molecular consequences of chronic adolescent stress in the adult brain are less clear. The stress hormone corticosterone activates the glucocorticoid receptor, and activity of the receptor is regulated through interactions with co-chaperones-such as the immunophilin FK506 binding proteins 5 (FKBP5). Previously, it has been reported that the adult stress response is modified by a history of chronic …

Prevalence Of Depression, Anxiety And Stress After The Covid-19 Pandemic Period Among Students At The Medical University Of Sofia; Significance Of Demographic, Educational, And Pandemic-Related Variables, Nadya Avramova

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate dental students at Sofia Medical University and to investigate its associations with some demographic, educational and pandemic-related variables. A self-reported questionnaire that included the validated DASS-21 scale was administered to a group of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th year students (n=70, response rate 95.7%). Results indicated abnormal levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in 34.3%, 65.7% and 59.7% of the participants, respectively. A much larger proportion of females suffered from abnormal levels of anxiety (56.6%) as compared with males (9%), p=.003. Single students exhibited significantly …

Risk Factors Associated With Occupational Stress Among Malaysian Construction Professionals, Nur Syafiqah Fauzan, Nur Alia Farahanin Mohd Tajuddin, Neroshini Thanarejee, Dayana Hazwani Mohd Suadi Nata, Ezrin Hani Sukadarin, Mirta Widia

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Construction industries that focus on project-based nature, pressure, and long hours may lead to job-related stress among workers. In many emerging nations, robust economic growth plans generate occupational depression, anxiety, and stress among construction industry personnel. This study aims to determine the relationship between these items and the risk factors (demographic) among Malaysian construction professionals.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 173 Malaysian construction professionals. A DASS-21 questionnaire is used to survey eligible respondents.

Results: Findings show that construction professionals have a high level of stress (54.9%), anxiety (48.5%), and depression (37%). Gender is …

Utilization Of Wellness Practices For Burnout And Stress During Covid-19 Among An Interdisciplinary Cohort Of Emergency Healthcare Workers, Michael J. Zdradzinski, Sheri-Ann O. Kaltiso, Roslyn Seitz, Timothy P. Moran, Jennifer Clements, Sheryl L. Heron, Michelle D. Lall

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) introduced additional stress to the baseline occupational stressors of emergency care workers. The objectives of this study were to evaluate perceived stress and burnout and the utilization and perceived benefit of wellness practices among emergency healthcare workers (EHCWs), including: emergency physicians, advanced practice providers (APPs), nurses, and departmental administrative staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional 28-item electronic survey of EHCWs at three hospitals in a major United States city was used to measure participants’ utilization and perceived benefit of wellness practices, burnout (2-item measure), overall stress (perceived stress scale), and stress …

Exploring Methods To Reduce Stress In College Students: Dog-Assisted Therapy, Ashley A. Green

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many young adults find their college years to be highly stressful. The American College Health Association (2021) found 48% of college students reported moderate to severe levels of psychological stress. Research has found that chronic stress, commonly found in the college population, can adversely affect the health and academic performance of college students (Campbell & Svenson, 1992). Universities have begun experimenting with and adopting a variety of strategies to help students manage stressors associated with college attendance. These initiatives have included relatively well-researched procedures such as meditation and yoga as well as emerging practices. Recently, some colleges have begun testing …

Therapeutic Gardening For Addiction Recovery, Hugo A. Rivera Lopez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: The use of evidence-based alternative forms of therapy like horticulture therapy and therapeutic gardening is underutilized in substance use recovery programs in the United States. As the country continues to struggle with addiction, it is important that recovery programs look to and incorporate these alternative therapies into official curricula. Currently, 46.3 million individuals living in the United States are living with a substance use disorder (U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2022).

Context: The intervention was implemented at an all-male substance use treatment facility in San Jose, CA that houses up …

Electrodermal Activity In Response To Stress Reduction: Virtual Reality Experience In Hydrotherapy And Non-Hydrotherapy Environments, Nthabeleng Macdonald

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Hydrotherapy, a holistic alternative medicine, uses methods like water therapy, cold water immersion, and balneotherapy to treat physical and mental illnesses while inducing tranquility (Bahadorfar, 2014). In this study, the water therapy approach was used, but with a unique twist. Rather than traditional hydrotherapy involving direct contact with water, participants were fully immersed in a virtual reality water environment. This study investigated whether immersing individuals with psychological stress in an underwater environment via virtual reality (VR) reduces their stress levels as compared to a non-hydrotherapy virtual city environment. The effects of underwater scenery versus non-hydrotherapy city scenery individuals experiencing stress …

Stress And Stress Coping Strategies Among Foreign Bachelor’S Medical Interns In Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (Bma) Hospitals, Prakasit Wannapaschaiyong, Kraiwuth Kallawicha

Journal of Health Research

Background– Stress among medical personnel is crucial, as it can cause the adverse health outcome to individuals who suffer from the stress as well as their clinical practice performance, which may cause serious outcomes to patients. This study focuses on the interns who received their medical degree overseas because they may have more stress due to their required clinical work and license examination. We conducted our study to determine the stress level, coping strategies, and associated factors among foreign bachelor’s medical interns in Bangkok, Thailand.

Method – A cross-sectional study design was conducted among 49 interns from Bangkok Metropolitan …

Acupressure Modality Effectiveness: Research Results For Pain And Anxiety, Deanna Waggy Otr, Carroll Noel Mozer Otr/L, Marilyn Zurwaski Otr/L

Journal of Transformative Touch

According to recent studies, including Monson et all, JACM, 2019, there is growing evidence for the effective and safe use of acupressure as a non-pharmacological approach to reducing pain and anxiety. Acupressure can quiet the mind, promoting a sense of well-being by decreasing anxiety.

A collaborative retrospective analysis of self-rated pain and anxiety scores before and immediately after administration of a stress release protocol indicate that acupressure is a highly satisfactory complementary therapy. Results were clinically significant for a decrease in self-rated pain and anxiety scores.

Occupational therapy practitioners as well as those who use the Kawa model of reference …

An Examination Of Discrimination On Stress, Depression, And Oppression-Based Trauma During The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Racial Awakening Of 2020, Ardhys N. De Leon, Jacqueline Woerner, Robert D. Dvorak, Jonathan Cox, Tatiana D. Magri, Emma R. Hayden, Manik Ahuja, Angela M. Haeny

ETSU Faculty Works

Background

Methods

A Scoping Review Of Campus-Based Animal-Assisted Interactions Programs For College Student Mental Health, Tanya K. Bailey

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Background: People have long found support by interacting with animals, which has developed into a health care modality called animal-assisted interactions (AAI). In the past 10 years, AAI has increased as a way to support college students’ mental health; however, there is no comprehensive evidence on the effectiveness of these programs.
Method: A scoping review was conducted using the JBI and PRISMA-ScR criteria. Empirical articles were identified through Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost), PsychINFO (Ovid), and Web of Science using three groups of keywords: AAI, college students, and mental health.
Results: Of the 1,195 publications identified, 37 met this study’s eligibility …

Promoting Well-Being Among Intercollegiate Student-Athletes: A Gratitude Intervention Using Positive Psychology, Laura Kruger

Dissertations and Theses

Intercollegiate student-athletes face rising stress and pressures which challenge their well-being and mental health, and sometimes with alarming concerns. Over the years, supportive services and resources specifically available to student-athletes have not evolved at the same pace as student-athlete needs. Also, barriers and stigmas hinder student-athletes from readily accessing supportive mental health services. The high stress of student-athletes can contribute to the development of negative mental health symptoms and impairs positive well-being. Evidence supports how outreach initiatives help student-athletes. Positive psychology, including gratitude as a positive psychological state, has shown benefits to well-being. This experimental study design researched if the …

What I Need: Self Care At The Unit Level, Jessica A. Tindal

Nursing Posters

Purpose:

Self-care is individualized and best done when awarded on a small scale.

Goals:

For all employees of the ICU to:

• Feel valued outside of work
• Be recognized for taking care of themselves
• Participate in positive discussions
• Be rewarded for work life balance
• Be reminded of self-care
• Not feel alone with their thoughts
• Pause and reflect
• Help others, spouses, kids, etc.

Future plans include:

• Seasonal questions of things to see, places to explore
• Recipe sharing
• Hobby experts
• Focusing on staffs' interests

Thirty-Second Mindful Body Scan Meditation For Bedside Nurses, Shruti Balwalli-Udyawer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue, or secondary traumatic stress, is a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by an inability to cope with the everyday environment that reduces the ability of the nurse to provide high-quality health care to a patient. The purpose of this staff education project, guided by Selye’s general adaption syndrome , was a 6-week, 30-second mindfulness exercise program to promote stress reduction for cardiac step-down and medical-surgical nurses. In this quantitative, pre- and posttest study, the Perceived Stress Scale was completed by a sample of 24 nurses who met the inclusion criteria. The practice focused whether educating nurses …

A Study Of Verbal Rumination, Relationships, Stress And Identity On Health Communication In Collegiate Athletics, Landon Mary Ellen Kemp

Dissertations and Theses

College athletes are a unique group of individuals as they face many positive and negative challenges when competing in a collegiate sport. Verbal rumination is repetitive talk about a particular issue, accompanied by adverse effects for an individual. Verbal rumination is a common strategy athletes use to cope with difficulties along with managing challenging situations in their athletic program. To explore factors that might inspire or impede verbal rumination in collegiate athletics, the present study examines the quality of coach and teammate relationships, perceived stress and athlete identity. Results revealed the impact of relationships between coaches and athletes in respect …

Flourishing With Chronic Illness(Es) And Everyday Stress: Experiences From Soweto, South Africa, Megan Schmidt-Sane, Lindile Cele, Edna Bosire, Alexander C. Tsai, Emily Mendenhall

Brain and Mind Institute

The pursuit of flourishing, or living a good life, is a common human endeavor with different meanings across individuals and contexts. What is needed is a further exploration of the relationship between flourishing and health, particularly chronic illness, which affects individuals across the life course and is affected by experiences of stress derived from social and structural vulnerability.

Drawing on data from the Soweto Syndemics study, including a locally derived stress scale and in-depth interviews, we explore the connections between flourishing and health for those living with multiple chronic illnesses in Soweto, South Africa within a syndemic of communicable and …

Thirty-Second Mindful Body Scan Meditation For Bedside Nurses, Shruti Balwalli-Udyawer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue, or secondary traumatic stress, is a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by an inability to cope with the everyday environment that reduces the ability of the nurse to provide high-quality health care to a patient. The purpose of this staff education project, guided by Selye’s general adaption syndrome , was a 6-week, 30-second mindfulness exercise program to promote stress reduction for cardiac step-down and medical-surgical nurses. In this quantitative, pre- and posttest study, the Perceived Stress Scale was completed by a sample of 24 nurses who met the inclusion criteria. The practice focused whether educating nurses …

The Human-Canine Bond: Levels Of Stress Among Military Spouses During Deployments, Angela L. De Leon-Muniz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has found that deployment may impact military spouses’ emotional wellbeing and attachment with family members. There remains a critical gap in the literature regarding difference in stress levels between military spouses who own canines and those who do not. The theoretical foundations for this study were Bowlby’s attachment theory and Bowen’s family systems theory. Research questions included exploring the relationships between (a) pet canine ownership, deployment length of time, and military spouses’ stress levels, and (b) pet canine owners’ pet attachment and stress experienced, when their significant others are deployed. The sample comprised 82 spouses with deployed military …

The Effect Of Educational Versus Recreational Screen Time On Depression Levels Among University Students, Gage Guettler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Despite the amount of people currently using technology and the overwhelming amount of data already presented on the topic of how technology affects a person's mental health, there seems to be little information on how the different types of activities on the different types of screens affect university student's mental states. This research study examined the amount of time that a University of Central Florida (UCF) student spends on what was defined as educational activities in front of screens and what was defined as recreational. The definitions of what is educational and what is recreational screen time came from a …

Thirty-Second Mindful Body Scan Meditation For Bedside Nurses, Shruti Balwalli-Udyawer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue, or secondary traumatic stress, is a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by an inability to cope with the everyday environment that reduces the ability of the nurse to provide high-quality health care to a patient. The purpose of this staff education project, guided by Selye’s general adaption syndrome , was a 6-week, 30-second mindfulness exercise program to promote stress reduction for cardiac step-down and medical-surgical nurses. In this quantitative, pre- and posttest study, the Perceived Stress Scale was completed by a sample of 24 nurses who met the inclusion criteria. The practice focused whether educating nurses …

Stress And Coping Among Sud Certified Peer Recovery Specialists, Cynthia June Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Certified Peer Recovery Specialists (CPRSs) are individuals with lived experience in the successful recovery of substance use or mental health disorders. CPRSs provide services for individuals seeking or enrolled in substance use disorder (SUD) recovery, provide mentoring and coaching, service and resource connections and lead recovery groups but, the job of a CPRS can have beneficial and detrimental impacts on the CPRS’s personal recovery. The purpose of this quantitative study, guided by Lazarus’s theory of coping and stress, was to determine whether there is (a) a relationship in stress and coping effectiveness among CPRSs, (b) a difference in the level …

The Human-Canine Bond: Levels Of Stress Among Military Spouses During Deployments, Angela L. De Leon-Muniz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has found that deployment may impact military spouses’ emotional wellbeing and attachment with family members. There remains a critical gap in the literature regarding difference in stress levels between military spouses who own canines and those who do not. The theoretical foundations for this study were Bowlby’s attachment theory and Bowen’s family systems theory. Research questions included exploring the relationships between (a) pet canine ownership, deployment length of time, and military spouses’ stress levels, and (b) pet canine owners’ pet attachment and stress experienced, when their significant others are deployed. The sample comprised 82 spouses with deployed military …