Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Fulfilling Community Health Assessment Requirements: Lessons Learned From Facilitating State-Wide Community Health Forums, Ashley D. Walker, Angela Peden, Stuart H. Tedders, John S. Barron, Aaron Jackson, Nicholas Williams, Bethrand Ugwu

Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background: A prerequisite for National Public Health Accreditation is completion of a Community Health Assessment (CHA) that presents an exhaustive profile of the population served by a particular public health agency.

Methods: The Georgia Department of Public Health (GA DPH) contracted with the Center for Public Health Practice and Research at Georgia Southern University to facilitate five state-wide community health forums.

Results: Evaluation of the forums yielded qualitative data illustrating current challenges faced by Georgians, as well as assets that could be leveraged to improve health status.

Conclusion: Lessons learned from these state-wide community health forums can be applied to …

Mater: Innovative Programs For Maternal Addiction Education Treatment And Research, Meghan Gannon Phd Msph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Relationship Science And Interventions: Where We Are And Where We Are Going, Kieran T. Sullivan, Erika E. Lawrence

Psychology

Relationship distress and divorce often have profound effects on couples and their children. Relationship science has long sought to prevent and alleviate relationship distress; this chapter is a summary of many important recent developments in the field. Ongoing challenges in studying and assisting intimate relationships are also discussed.

Ptsd Symptom Severities, Interpersonal Traumas, And Benzodiazepines Are Associated With Substance-Related Problems In Trauma Patients, Jeffrey Guina, Ramzi W. Nahhas, Adam J. Goldberg, Seth Farnsworth

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Trauma is commonly associated with substance-related problems, yet associations between specific substances and specific posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSSs) are understudied. We hypothesized that substance-related problems are associated with PTSS severities, interpersonal traumas, and benzodiazepine prescriptions. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey methodology in a consecutive sample of adult outpatients with trauma histories (n = 472), we used logistic regression to examine substance-related problems in general (primary, confirmatory analysis), as well as alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug problems specifically (secondary, exploratory analyses) in relation to demographics, trauma type, PTSSs, and benzodiazepine prescriptions. Results: After adjusting for multiple testing, several factors …

Dietary And Physical Activity Acculturation And Weight Status In Chinese College Students, Yanni Zhang

Dissertations and Theses

This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between length of residence in the United States (U.S.) and dietary and physical activity acculturation, and the relationships between dietary and physical activity acculturation and weight status in 55 Chinese college students. Length of residence in the U.S. was positively associated with larger portion size, greater amount of physical activity, and change in BMI in male participants. Adoption of a Western diet was associated with weight gain. Portion size change was positively associated with BMI change. Lunch size change was positively correlated with BMI change in males while negatively correlated with BMI change in …

Understanding Neighborhood Satisfaction For Individuals With Psychiatric Disabilities: A Mixed Methods Study, Amy Leigh Shearer

Dissertations and Theses

Physical and social characteristics of neighborhoods are important to resident satisfaction for clinical and nonclinical populations. This study draws upon data collected from a sample of 172 individuals with psychiatric disabilities living in 16 supportive housing sites in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Research questions explore the extent to which subjective and objective measures of neighborhood physical and social environments contribute to neighborhood satisfaction for this population. Mixed methods were employed to construct a detailed understanding of the factors that influence satisfaction with one's neighborhood of residence. Predictor variables were neighborhood social climate, neighborhood physical quality, perceptions of safety, crime …

Beer Potomania: A Challenging Case Of Hyponatremia, Hind Rafei, Raza Yunus, Parvinder S. Khurana

Medicine Faculty Publications

Beer potomania is a syndrome of hyponatremia associated with excessive beer drinking. Little or no salt content of beer results in marked reduction in the solute load to the kidney. This leads to impaired water clearance and dilutional hyponatremia. A 66-year-old man with history of alcoholism and alcoholic cardiomyopathy presented to the emergency room with tremors of his upper and lower extremities. He had a significant history of alcohol consumption, usually drinking 4 - 5 cans of beer per night for the past 34 years. In addition, he had consumed a fifth of a vodka bottle the day before presentation. …

Life Balance In Adult Healthy Siblings Of Individuals With Childhood Cancer., Yolanda Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Siblings of children who were diagnosed with cancer in childhood experience significant stress and psychological difficulties as a result of the cancer. Furthermore, the needs of siblings have often been overlooked in the cancer literature, prompting the need for more studies. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the life balance and social support outcomes of adults who grew up in the household with a sibling that was diagnosed with cancer. The study sample consisted of 120 adult healthy siblings who grew up in a household with a sibling that was diagnosed with cancer prior to age 19. Participants …

Impact Of Peer Relationship And Exposure To Violence On Posttraumatic Stress For Children At Risk For Maltreatment, Aura Ankita Mishra

Open Access Theses

Post-traumatic Stress (PTS) symptomology includes ruminating thoughts and feelings around trauma, inability to feel and express emotions, and avoidance of things related to the traumatic event (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Children and youth exposed to child maltreatment (abuse and neglect) are at higher risk of experiencing PTS. Extra-familial support, including peer support can reduce post-traumatic stress among youth (Pina et al., 2008). In the present study, Witnessing, Victimization, and Both Witnessing and Victimization due to Exposure to In-Home Violence and Peer Relationship Quality are evaluated as to their relative impact on PTS for children at risk for child maltreatment. Peer …

The Perceived Invalidation Of Emotion Scale (Pies): Development And Psychometric Properties, Melissa Jean Zielinski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the decades that have passed since invalidation was first theorized to causally influence the development of psychopathology (Linehan, 1993), no measures have been designed and statistically validated to index current emotion invalidation. Research on invalidation has thus grown slowly and often used measures that were designed to assess other constructs (e.g., criticism, abuse) or that retrospectively assess childhood invalidation. This series of five studies describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Perceived Invalidation of Emotion Scale (PIES), a novel measure of emotion invalidation. Items for the PIES were developed using themes from a qualitative investigation of adults’ experiences …

Integration Of Professional Identity And Christian Religious Identity In Undergraduate Social Work Students, Lolene K. Bargerstock

Dissertations

Undergraduate social work programs are responsible to prepare students who will practice in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics. Such preparation is not simply limited to developing a body of knowledge or set of skills but extends to adoption of a professional identity. Several research studies point to religious values as a significant motivational factor in choosing social work as a profession, yet little research has been conducted to investigate the integration of religious identity with an emerging professional identity. The current study sought to explore the experience of professional identity formation in undergraduate Christian social work students …

The Associations Among Expressed Emotion, Relationship Satisfaction, Ptsd Symptoms, Alcohol Use, And Depression: A Longitudinal Investigation With A Military Sample, Laci Lee Zawilinski

Dissertations

PTSD in military personnel is highly prevalent and accompanied by elevated rates of additional issues such as depression, problematic alcohol use, and interpersonal relationship problems. Family members and spouses of military personnel have also been shown to be negatively impacted by PTSD symptoms. Previous research has indicated that family members and spouses’ expressed emotion regarding the PTSD patients’ symptoms negatively impacts treatment outcome in civilian populations. However, studies have yet to investigate the effect of expressed emotion on the course of PTSD symptoms and associated problems in military personnel. Therefore, the purpose of the present investigation was to examine the …

Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Predict Executives’ Intentions To Hire Psychologists In Federally Qualified Health Centers, Robert M. Tolliver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Health psychologists with training in integrated care are ideal candidates to work in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). However, despite the large documented need for more behavioral health providers in FQHCs, psychologists are underrepresented in this setting compared to other behavioral health professions. The purpose of this study was to: 1) examine the specific beliefs that are most relevant to executives’ intentions to hire psychologists, 2) determine how executives’ perceived control over hiring psychologists varies by several demographic variables, and 3) examine how well the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) predicts executives’ intentions to hire psychologists. Method: Executives (N …

Linezolid Induced Delirium In The Absence Of Serotonin Syndrome: A Psychiatric Consultation/Liaison Case Report, Hani Nazha, Md, Nathan T. Harrington, Md

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Delirium is one of the most common mental illnesses that can affect elderly patients and patients with advanced medical problems. Because these patients are frequently on multiple medications and/or are more sensitive to medications secondary to their age, interactions with current medications, or existing medical problems; medication toxicity is frequently the etiology behind their delirium. This is a case report of a patient admitted for cellulitis that developed delirium from Linezolid however did not develop any other signs or symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome; a known side effect of Linezolid. This distinctive case highlights the importance of a careful analysis of …

Update On Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder: Focus On Cariprazine, Rona Jeannie Roberts, Lillian Jan Findlay, Peggy El-Mallakh, Rif S. El-Mallakh

Nursing Faculty Publications

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are severe psychiatric disorders that are frequently associated with persistent symptoms and significant dysfunction. While there are a multitude of psychopharmacologic agents are available for treatment of these illnesses, suboptimal response and significant adverse consequences limit their utility. Cariprazine is a new, novel antipsychotic medication with dopamine D2 and D3 partial agonist effects. Its safety and efficacy have been investigated in acute psychosis of schizophrenia, bipolar mania, bipolar depression, and unipolar depression. Efficacy has been demonstrated in schizophrenia and mania. It is unclear if cariprazine is effective in depression associated with unipolar or bipolar illness. Adverse …

Logistical Lessons Learned In Designing And Executing A Photo-Elicitation Study In The Veterans Health Administration, Michael A. Mitchell, Daniel O. Hedayati, Keri L. Rodriguez, Adam J. Gordon, Lauren M. Broyles, Gala True, Salva N. Balbale, James W. Conley

The Qualitative Report

Participatory photography research methods have been used to successfully engage and collect in-depth information from individuals whose voices have been traditionally marginalized in clinical or research arenas. However, participatory photography methods can introduce unique challenges and considerations regarding study design, human subject protections, and other regulatory barriers, particularly with vulnerable patient populations and in highly regulated institutions. Practical guidance on navigating these complex, interrelated methodological, logistical, and ethical issues is limited. Using a case exemplar, we describe our experiences with the planning, refinement, and initiation of a research study that used photo-elicitation interviews to assess the healthcare experiences of homeless …

Acute Poisonings From Synthetic Cannabinoids — 50 U.S. Toxicology Investigators Consortium Registry Sites, 2010–2015, Anne M. Riederer, Sharan L. Campleman, Robert G. Carlson, Edward W. Boyer, Alex F. Manini, Paul M. Wax, Jeffrey A. Brent

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

What is already known about this topic? Acute intoxications by synthetic cannabinoids appear to be increasing in the United States. Synthetic cannabinoids are two to 100 times more potent than Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis; acute exposure is associated with a range of mild to severe neuropsychiatric, cardiovascular, renal, and other effects. What is added by this report? During 2010–2015, among 456 cases of synthetic cannabinoid intoxication among patients treated by U.S. medical toxicologists, 277 (61%) had reports of synthetic cannabinoids as the sole toxicologic agent. Three deaths were recorded, one with synthetic cannabinoids given as the sole agent …

Social Support And Depression Symptomatology Post Injury In Division 1 Athletes, Alyssa Catherine Tiedens

Dissertations and Theses

The way in which an athlete responds to the injury--emotionally, behaviorally, and cognitively--can significantly affect the athlete's mental health in a negative way if not handled appropriately. There are different forms of social support that are known to be helpful with coping during specific stages of injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived levels of social support and depression symptomatology post injury in Division 1 collegiate athletes at Portland State University (PSU).

Participants were PSU student athletes (n=115). Variables: social support amount (SSQN), social support satisfaction (SSQS), and depression symptomatology (CESD-R) score. Selected injured …

Addressing Health Disparities Among Homeless In Alachua County Through Community-Based Participatory Research., Meron Hirpa, Omar Iqbal, Haider Ali, Sama I. Ilyas, Nabeel Iqbal, Jeena A. Kar, Tiffany Splatt, Brendan Shortley, Nancy Hardt

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction. In states such as Florida that did not expand Medicaid, a large number of economically disadvantaged individuals do not qualify for subsidies to buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ². This leaves the health needs of Florida’s homeless population largely unaddressed. Nearly 48.1% of Alachua County’s homeless population has disabling conditions ¹⁶. This confirms a pressing need to understand the homeless population's healthcare needs, knowledge, and barriers in accessing healthcare. Methods. We used a Community-Based Participatory Research model in conducting health fairs and needs assessment surveys, incentivizing participation, and providing education about existing resources. …

Violence Against Pregnant Women With Disabilities, Ari K. Mwachofi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background

Each year, violence is perpetrated against 1.5 million US women, of whom 324,000 are pregnant. Violence in pregnancy has adverse effects on maternal and infant health. Although there are 4.7 million childbearing age women with disabilities, and their pregnancy rates are growing, there is very little information about violence against pregnant women with disabilities.

Objectives

The study questions are: Are there differences in pre- and in-pregnancy violence experiences of women with and without disabilities? Is disability a significant predictor of pre- and in-pregnancy violence against women?

Methods

The study uses data from the 2009 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System …

Families Healing Together: Exploring A Family Recovery Online Course, Samantha Estrada

The Qualitative Report

Family members who are trying to support their loved one are often overburdened with stress, and health issues. Research has shown that families who receive family psychosocial education and support can have a dramatic impact on recovery outcomes and their family’s overall well-being. Family psychoeducation is not common. Families Healing Together (FHT) is an online family mental health recovery program that was developed to address this critical gap in family mental health care services. Using an exploratory case study methodology to understand how the program’s philosophy and practice impacts the program’s participants as well as how the participants perceive the …

Training Elementary School Students To Intervene As Peer-Advocates To Stop Bullying At School: A Pilot Study, Aida Midgett, Diana M. Doumas

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The prevalence of bullying among children has prompted the development of school- based programs to address this problem. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of a brief, standalone bystander bullying program for elementary school students. The purpose to the program was to train students to take action as peer-advocates. After completing the 75-minute program, students reported an increase in their ability to identify what different types of bullying look like, knowledge of bystander intervention strategies, and general confidence intervening as peer-advocates. Furthermore, fifth grade students showed the greatest response to the program. Implications for school counselors as leaders in program …

“It’S Not Important For You To Speak:” The Perception Of Purity And Its Power Over Women’S Reproductive And Sexual Health, Margot Radding

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There is a general silence in both society and academia surrounding women’s health and the social conception of purity. Purity myths and misconceptions have created stigmas that women of all backgrounds must navigate to manage and care for their reproductive and sexual health. This study investigates the importance of purity and how it is used to define, measure, and categorize women’s bodies and behaviors. Women’s perception of purity, specifically in regards to menstruation and pre-marital sex, were investigated using semi-structured interviews in Dehradun, Uttarkhand. This study analyzes how stigmatized conceptions of impurities manifest as silence in society. Data collected from …

A Review Of The Relation Between Dissociation, Memory, Executive Functioning And Social Cognition In Military Members And Civilians With Neuropsychiatric Conditions, Margaret C. Mckinnon, Jenna E. Boyd, Paul A. Frewen, Ulrich F. Lanius, Rakesh Jetly, Don Richardson, Ruth A. Lanius

MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre

Dissociative experiences, involving altered states of consciousness, have long been understood as a consequence or response to traumatic experiences, where a reduced level of consciousness may aid in survival during and after a traumatic event. Indeed, the dissociative subtype of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD-DS) was added recently to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Dissociative symptoms are present across a host of neuropsychiatric conditions, including PTSD, psychotic spectrum illnesses, anxiety and mood disorders. Transdiagnostically, the presence of dissociative symptoms is associated with a greater illness burden and reduced treatment outcomes. Critically, dissociative symptoms are related …

Adgrl3 (Lphn3) Variants Are Associated With A Refined Phenotype Of Adhd In The Mta Study, Maria T. Acosta, James Swanson, Annamarie Stehli, Brooke Molina, The Mta Team

Neurology Faculty Publications

Background

ADHD is the most common neuropsychiatric condition affecting individuals of all ages. Long-term outcomes of affected individuals and association with severe comorbidities as SUD or conduct disorders are the main concern. Genetic associations have been extensively described. Multiple studies show that intronic variants harbored in the ADGRL3 (LPHN3) gene are associated with ADHD, especially associated with poor outcomes.

Methods

In this study, we evaluated this association in the Multimodal Treatment Study of children with ADHD (MTA), initiated as a 14-month randomized clinical trial of 579 children diagnosed with DSM-IV ADHD-Combined Type (ADHD-C), that transitioned to a 16-year prospective observational …

Use Of Smokeless Tobacco In Medical Students And Hypertension, Sumera Aziz Ali

Community Health Sciences

No abstract provided.

“When ‘Bad’ Is ‘Good’”: Identifying Personal Communication And Sentiment In Drug-Related Tweets, Raminta Daniulaityte, Lu Chen, Francois R. Lamy, Robert G. Carlson, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Amit Sheth

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: To harness the full potential of social media for epidemiological surveillance of drug abuse trends, the field needs a greater level of automation in processing and analyzing social media content. Objectives: The objective of the study is to describe the development of supervised machine-learning techniques for the eDrugTrends platform to automatically classify tweets by type/source of communication (personal, official/media, retail) and sentiment (positive, negative, neutral) expressed in cannabis- and synthetic cannabinoid-related tweets. Methods: Tweets were collected using Twitter streaming Application Programming Interface and filtered through the eDrugTrends platform using keywords related to cannabis, marijuana edibles, marijuana concentrates, and synthetic …

Social & Legal Perspectives On Underuse Of Medication-Assisted Treatment For Opioid Dependence, Barbara Andraka-Christou

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in combination with counseling is considered the most effective treatment for opioid dependence by the World Health Organization, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and American Society of Addiction Medicine. Two MAT medications, buprenorphine and methadone, are considered essential medicines by the World Health Organization. Despite MAT’s effectiveness, it is severely underused in U.S. treatment settings, including physicians’ offices, hospitals, the Veterans Administration, residential treatment centers, prisons, and drug courts. The dissertation examines social and legal reasons for under-use of MAT in the U.S., including dominance of abstinence-only treatment methods, separation of addiction treatment from mainstream …

Funciones Sensoriales En Niños Menores De 3 Años Diagnosticados Con Trastorno Del Espectro Autista (Tea) / Sensory Processing In Toddlers Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Juliana Gutiérrez, Megan Chang, Erna Imperatore Blanche

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Spanish: Las dificultades de procesamiento sensorial en niños con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) están ampliamente descritos en la literatura principalmente mediante el uso de encuestas a padres y observaciones. Con menor frecuencia se han descrito las dificultades de procesamiento sensorial en niños menores de 3 años de edad que han sido posteriormente diagnosticados con TEA. Este studio retrospectivo está basado en 84 niños (28 diagnosticados con TEA, 28 con retraso en el desarrollo, y 28 niños con desarrollo típico) entre 18 y 36 meses de edad que asistieron a un programa de intervención temprana y cuyos padres completaron el …

Stretching The Boundaries Of Medical Education: A Case Of Medical College Embracing Humanities And Social Sciences In Medical Education, Kulsoom Ghias, Kausar S. Khan, Rukhsana Ali, Shireen Azfar, Rashida Ahmed

Community Health Sciences

Objective:

Aga Khan University, a private medical college, had a vision of producing physicians who are not only scientifically competent, but also socially sensitive, the latter by exposure of medical students to a broad-based curriculum. The objective of this study was to identify the genesis of broad-based education and its integration into the undergraduate medical education program as the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) course.

Methods:

A qualitative methodology was used for this study. Sources of data included document review and in-depth key informant interviews. Nvivo software was utilized to extract themes.

Results:

The study revealed the process of operationalization …