Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exercise Prescription Practices In University Counseling Centers: Testing The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model, A'Naja M. Newsome

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The co-occurence of physical inactivity and poor mental health in the college student population can lead to chronic health issues that have negative short-term (e.g., academic success and weight gain) and long-term (e.g., obesity, serious mental illness, and premature mortality) impacts. Integrating exercise prescription into the mental health treatment plan of college students could enhance the holistic care model described by The American College Health Association (ACHA) and Healthy Campus task force. Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and skills that mental health professionals (MHPs) hold regarding exercise prescription is important for policy formation and program development for college student health. The …

Mobile Response Teams And The Youth Emergency Behavioral Health System, Paige J. Alitz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: This dissertation includes three separate manuscripts that coalesce under the shared topic of mobile crisis response and the emergency behavioral health system. Method: The first manuscript includes a synthesis of the research on mobile crisis response from the 1960s to present day to assess whether mobile crisis services can improve mental health care access in the U.S. for youth and adults. The second manuscript includes bivariate and multivariate analyses of MRT participant data to characterize participants who receive an involuntary psychiatric evaluation versus those who do not, and to assess factors associated with involuntary psychiatric evaluation or referral to …

A Multi-Faceted Approach To Understanding Acceptability Of Docs K-5: A Qualitative Analysis, Andrea Guarnieri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the acceptability of DOCS K-5, a behavior parenting program adapted for parents of elementary aged children. Despite proven efficacy in preventing maladaptive behaviors, parenting programs have historically suffered from low attendance and engagement. Participants (N = 13) attending the pilot DOCS K-5 program took part in six group interviews while enrolled in the program to examine the facilitators and barriers to attendance, perceived effectiveness, and collateral benefits received from participation in the program. This study considered possible cognitive, affective, instructional, and pragmatic facilitators or barriers to attendance and engagement. Participants described motivations to learn various types …

Youth Mental Health First Aid: Educators’ Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, Aspirations, And Behaviors Change And Differences, Alexis M. Sanchez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine educator outcomes related to Youth Mental Health First Aid (Y-MHFA) professional development training. Educator outcomes in knowledge, attitudes, skills, aspirations, and behaviors (KASAB) were examined to evaluate the preparedness of educators to provide mental health support and the effectiveness of Y-MHFA. Additionally, this study aimed to assess educator outcomes depending on their role in the schools, including school-based educators, school-based mental health staff, and administration/district staff. The author conducted a secondary analysis of pre- and post-test questionnaires of 459 educators in a southeastern state of the United States. A repeated measures ANOVA, …

Serious Mental Illness In Nursing Homes: Quality Concerns, Dylan J. Jester

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective: This dissertation is made of two academic papers followed by a chapter discussing policy implications of the findings. The objective of this dissertation is to better understand if high-serious mental illness (SMI) nursing homes (NHs) provide poorer quality of care (e.g., operationalized as staffing levels, NH Compare quality star ratings, and health deficiencies) and whether quality in high-SMI NHs is confounded by payer mix (e.g., the proportion of residents who are Medicaid-reimbursed). A modified Donabedian Structure, Process, Outcome (SPO) Model was used as the main theoretical framework.

Methods: Data came from the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER) …

Of Body And Mind: Bioarchaeological Analysis Of Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Century Anatomization And Institutionalization In Siena, Italy, Jacqueline M. Berger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Institutional bioarchaeology is a growing sub-field within bioarchaeology, particularly social bioarchaeology as informed by the biocultural approach. However, the majority of studies in this vein have primarily addressed English-speaking contexts, to include analyses of institutional assemblages preserved archaeologically, and anatomical collections. The present study examines of the Siena Craniological Collection (SCC) - located in Siena, Italy. The collection was assembled between 1862-1931, and originally contained remains of 1,122 patients from both the general and mental hospitals in operation in Siena during this period (Brasili-Gualandi & Gualdi-Russo, 1989a). In addition to demographic analysis of the Siena Craniological Collection as a whole, …

Aspiring To “Make It Work”: Defining Resilience And Agency Amongst Hispanic Youth Living In Low-Income Neighborhoods, Sara Arias-Steele

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how Hispanic youth (ages 13-21 years) living in low-income neighborhoods of Florida defined resiliency and expressed agency navigating personal challenges and neighborhood adversity in pursuit of success. From the standpoint of the participants, this study focused on how youths: 1) judge the quality of life in their neighborhoods and the opportunities available for them, 2) identify personal aspirations for themselves and 3) identify what resilient factors allowed them to face the challenges and barriers of their daily lives to pursue this aspiration. This study takes into account the structural barriers that create inequities to examine how personal …

Mental Illness Diagnosis And The Construction Of Stigma, Katie Lynn Walkup

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how mental health legislation and related policy documents contribute to identification, diagnosis, and stigmatization. Using a mixed methods approach including content and stylometric text analysis with R as a heuristic for close and critical reading, I demonstrate how these documents normalize mental health concerns as a public threat. To do this work, I analyze how the Florida Mental Health Act (Chapter 394) and the Florida Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act (SB 7026) circulate and sustain dominant narratives about mental illness. I trace where these narratives are distributed into Florida school districts’ mandatory mental health …

Political Ideologies, Political Party Affiliation, And Treatment Decisions Of Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Aaron L. Norton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature in the counseling profession has emphasized the importance of recognition of the potential impact of counselor bias on clinical care for decades. A large body of research has been developed on the potential for the personal, social, and religious beliefs of clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) to impact their work with clients, but comparatively little research has been conducted on the potential impact of the political beliefs of CMHCs and their clinical practice, creating a gap in the professional literature. The present study sought to bridge the gap in CMHC literature by examining the relationship between the political ideologies, …