Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exposure To Kynurenic Acid During Adolescence Increases Sign-Tracking And Impairs Long-Term Potentiation In Adulthood, Nicole E. Deangeli, Travis P. Todd, Stephen E. Chang, Hermes H. Yeh, Pamela W. Yeh, David J. Bucci

Dartmouth Scholarship

Changes in brain reward systems are thought to contribute significantly to the cognitive and behavioral impairments of schizophrenia, as well as the propensity to develop co-occurring substance abuse disorders. Presently, there are few treatments for persons with a dual diagnosis and little is known about the neural substrates that underlie co-occurring schizophrenia and substance abuse. One goal of the present study was to determine if a change in the concentration of kynurenic acid (KYNA), a tryptophan metabolite that is increased in the brains of people with schizophrenia, affects reward-related behavior. KYNA is an endogenous antagonist of NMDA glutamate receptors and …

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Robert H. Rice

Nursing Faculty/Staff Publications

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the merging of behavioral and cognitive therapies that mostly focuses on working with the client in the present. Although there are many approaches to CBT, there tend to be some common features. For example, CBT is generally a directive approach to psychotherapy that helps clients to challenge their problematic thoughts and to change the behaviors associated with those thoughts. In addition, most approaches to CBT are structured and time limited and include some type of homework where the client can practice the cognitive and behavioral strategies learned in the therapeutic setting. This entry focuses mostly on …

Narrative Therapy, Robert H. Rice

Nursing Faculty/Staff Publications

Narrative therapy (NT) is a strengths-based approach to psychotherapy that uses collaboration between the client or family and the therapist to help clients see themselves as empowered and capable of living the way they want. In the face of crisis or trauma, NT helps clients achieve a “This too will pass” attitude, while positioning the therapist as an appreciative ally in the process. NT is useful with individuals and is used extensively with families due to its ability to separate clients from problems and unite families against problematic patterns. NT also lends itself well to joining with families because it …

Family Therapist Connecting And Building Relationships With Substance Abusers In The Seminole Tribe Of Florida: An Ethnographic Study, Sunny Nelli Khachatryan

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine the process of a family therapist entering and then navigating the cultural system of working with substance abusing Seminole tribal clients. The study also utilized two tribal members sharing their opinions about how Seminoles view therapy. As noted in the interview questions and responses, the research presented guidelines for family therapists to follow when working with tribal members. Because there has been no study conducted with family therapists providing clinical services to tribal members, this study introduced tools for clinicians to keep in mind and utilize when working with tribal clients. …

The Lived Experiences Of Adult Children Of Mid To Later-Life Parental Divorce: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Joan Collins Ricketts

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

This study examined the lived experiences of adult children of mid-later life parental divorce. It was designed and conducted to address the gap in the current literature regarding this phenomenon. The experiences of 5 Adult Children of Divorce (ACD) ages 25 to 45, who experienced mid-later life parental divorce, were examined using in-depth semi-structured interviews. The researcher employed an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) of which the findings illustrated various outcomes for adults experiencing their parents’ mid-later life divorce. The results of this study showed that parents’ waiting until the children are “grown” does not mitigate potentially detrimental outcomes for these …

Mental Health Disorders In Child And Adolescent Survivors Of Post-War Landmine Explosions., Mohammad Ali Hemmati, Hamid Shokoohi, Mehdi Masoumi, Shahriar Khateri, Mohammadreza Soroush, Ehsan Modirian, Mahtab Poor Zamany Nejat Kermany, Maryam Hosseini, Batool Mousavi

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: To describe the mental health status of 78 child and adolescent survivors of post-war landmine explosions.

METHODS: Child and adolescent survivors of landmine explosions who were younger than 18 years old at the time of the study were identified and enrolled in this study. The mental health status of the participants was assessed by general health assessment and psychiatric examinations. Psychiatric assessment and diagnosis were undertaken using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for mental disorders (DSM-IV) criteria. A psychiatrist visited and interviewed each survivor and identified psychiatric disorders.

RESULTS: Seventy-eight child and adolescent survivors with a mean age of …

Telepsychiatric Assessment Of A Mariner Expressing Suicidal Ideation., Alexander Lee, Neal Sikka, Francis O'Connell, Allen Dyer, Keith Boniface, James Betz

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

This case report highlights the successful use of telepsychiatric consultation by secure video chat to remotely assess a mariner expressing suicidal ideation. As a result of this intervention, telemedicine providers initiated psychiatric stabilisation while the mariner was still aboard the vessel, determined that he was safe for repatriation under the care of qualified medical escorts, and facilitated admission to a psychiatric facility near his home in the United States. Mental health emergencies are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among mariners. Telepsychiatry is a validated method of establishing a psychiatric diagnosis and disposition as well as assessing risk of …

Insistence On Sameness Relates To Increased Covariance Of Gray Matter Structure In Autism Spectrum Disorder., Ian W Eisenberg, Gregory L Wallace, Lauren Kenworthy, Stephen J Gotts, Alex Martin

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by atypical development of cortical and subcortical gray matter volume. Subcortical structural changes have been associated with restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB), a core component of ASD. Behavioral studies have identified insistence on sameness (IS) as a separable RRB dimension prominent in high-functioning ASD, though no simple brain-behavior relationship has emerged. Structural covariance, a measure of morphological coupling among brain regions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has proven an informative measure of anatomical relationships in typical development and neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we use this measure to characterize the relationship between brain …

Acceptability Of Telepsychiatry In A Rural Kentucky Community Mental Health Clinic, Leslie Brauner

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

While telepsychiatry has been championed as a method to improve access to care and health care delivery to remote regions, the willingness of rural patients to receive psychiatric treatment via telehealth technology remains uncertain (Rohland, Saleh, Rohrer, & Romitti, 2000). Published studies concerning general patient satisfaction with telemedicine are available; however, there is little focus on satisfaction of specialized telepsychiatric care to rural mentally ill adults. A capstone project was conducted to examine the acceptability and satisfaction of telepsychiatry in a rural Kentucky mental health clinic. Patient satisfaction with the modality was assessed using the Telemedicine Satisfaction and Usefulness Questionnaire …

Chhs January 2015 E-Newsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, Wku College Of Health & Human Services

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

Default Mode Network Segregation And Social Deficits In Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence From Non-Medicated Children., Benjamin E Yerys, Evan M Gordon, Danielle N Abrams, Theodore D Satterthwaite, Rachel Weinblatt, Kathryn F Jankowski, John Strang, Lauren Kenworthy, William D. Gaillard, Chandan J Vaidya

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

Functional pathology of the default mode network is posited to be central to social-cognitive impairment in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Altered functional connectivity of the default mode network's midline core may be a potential endophenotype for social deficits in ASD. Generalizability from prior studies is limited by inclusion of medicated participants and by methods favoring restricted examination of network function. This study measured resting-state functional connectivity in 22 8-13 year-old non-medicated children with ASD and 22 typically developing controls using seed-based and network segregation functional connectivity methods. Relative to controls the ASD group showed both under- and over-functional connectivity within …

Neuroimaging And Neuromodulation Approaches To Study Eating Behavior And Prevent And Treat Eating Disorders And Obesity, D. Val-Laillet, E. Aarts, B. Weber, M. Ferrari, V. Quaresima, L. E. Stoeckel, M. Alonso-Alonso, M. Audette, C. H. Malbert, E. Stice

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

Functional, molecular and genetic neuroimaging has highlighted the existence of brain anomalies and neural vulnerability factors related to obesity and eating disorders such as binge eating or anorexia nervosa. In particular, decreased basal metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and striatum as well as dopaminergic alterations have been described in obese subjects, in parallel with increased activation of reward brain areas in response to palatable food cues. Elevated reward region responsivity may trigger food craving and predict future weight gain. This opens the way to prevention studies using functional and molecular neuroimaging to perform early diagnostics and to phenotype subjects at …

Using Interpersonal Process Recall (Ipr) To Examine The Effects Of Equine Assisted Activities On The Personal And Professional Development Of Student Therapists, Dianna Isabel Giraldez

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The Introduction to Equine Assisted Family Therapy course offered at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) provides Master’s and Doctoral level student therapists the opportunity to learn how to conduct an equine session and how to utilize horses as part of the therapeutic process. Students learn about the underlying theories and framework behind the equine activities and methodology, as well as participate in the equine activities themselves. For the purpose of this study, classroom discussions centered around processing the students’ experiences and were further enriched by viewing photographs and videos that had been taken of the students conducting the equine activities. The …

Hope-Focused Solutions: A Relational Hope Focus Of The Solution-Building Stages In Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Jenna A. Wilson

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The positive psychotherapy focused on for this study is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). Insoo Kim Berg and Yvonne Dolan (2001) once described the essence of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) as the “pragmatics of hope and respect” (p. 1) and despite Berg and Dolan’s declaration of hope’s importance in SFBT, little process research has been published looking at the “pragmatics” of hope in SFBT practice. Hope is seen as a common factor in psychotherapy since the human relationship, also known as the therapeutic alliance, is a foundation of psychotherapy. Hope plays a significant role in every human interaction and it is …

Attachment, Anxiety, And Depression: A Study Of Women In Residential Treatment With Their Children At The Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center (Sbarc) (1995-2010), Gary Miles Forrest

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center (SBARC) in Pembroke Pines, Florida is a residential center where women live with their children while receiving treatment for a variety of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues and while participating in mandatory parenting classes. Unlike most women's residential treatment centers, which address only the woman and her problems, SBARC treats the mother-infant/child dyad. I designed and created a database to examine the data previously available only in the paper client records of over 800 women who received treatment at SBARC from 1995 through 2010 in a previous project. This nonexperimental, retrospective explanatory …

Screening And Brief Intervention For Alcohol Misuse In Older Adults: Training Outcomes Among Physicians And Other Healthcare Practitioners In Community-Based Settings, Constance L. Coogle, Myra G. Owens

Forensic Science Publications

Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is increasingly available to older adults who engage in at-risk drinking. This study examined the extent to which SBI training influenced the willingness of healthcare providers in a community-based hospital and other clinical settings to promote the implementation of SBI. Ninety-three healthcare practitioners (primarily physicians, nurses, and social workers) who attended SBI training were asked about their intentions to apply the information in their professional practice, as well as their enthusiasm about recommending the training to others in their profession. Although there were no differences among the professions in terms of commitment to apply the …

The Caregiver–Child Relationship, Youth Mental Health, And Placement Stability In A Child Welfare Sample, Laura A. Rindlaub

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Healthy relationships between adolescents and their caregivers have been robustly associated with better youth outcomes in a variety of domains. Youth in contact with the child welfare system are at higher risk for worse outcomes including mental health problems and home placement instability. A growing body of literature points to youth mental health problems as both a predictor and a consequence of home placement instability in this population; the present study aimed to expand our understanding of these phenomena by examining the interplay among the caregiver-child relationship, youth mental health symptoms, and placement change over time. Method: The sample …

Treatment Of Resistant Depression, Brittany Michels

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Depression is a common and debilitating disease complicated by comorbidities, medication side effects, limited alternative treatment options, and poor patient adherence.

• Currently, clinical practice guidelines are available outlining the indications and treatment options for depression.

• Discussion will involve pathophysiology of the disease process and possible treatments, such as pharmacotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and somatic therapy, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

• ECT is widely accepted as an effective treatment for severe refractory depression, but has a negative social stigma despite its effectiveness.

• This paper has shown ECT remains the most effective treatment of severe refractory depression in …

Adverse Cardiovascular Function Secondary To Inappropriate Exogenous Androgenic Anabolic Steroid Usage In Young Adult Males, Nicholle Rothengass

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• In today’s society body image and athletic performance are emphasized and influenced by peers’ perception. The inappropriate use of AAS in young males has steadily increased over the past few decades. The purpose of this study is to determine the long-term effects AAS have upon the cardiovascular system. The review of literature will explore studies that identify long-term abuse of injected AAS, which are used by adult male athletes’ ages 18-40 compared to those equivalent male athletes who have never used any form of drugs or steroids and their effects on the cardiovascular system. The researcher plans to analyze …

Use Of Prescription Drugs And Future Delinquency Among Adolescent Offenders, Tess K. Drazdowski, Lena Jäggi, Alicia Borre, Wendy L. Kliewer

Psychology Publications

Non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) by adolescents is a significant public health concern. The present study investigated the profile of NMUPD in 1349 adolescent offenders from the Pathways to Desistance project, and whether NMUPD predicted future delinquency using longitudinal data. Results indicated that increased frequency and recency of NMUPD in adolescent offenders are related to some demographic factors, as well as increased risk for violence exposure, mental health diagnoses, other drug use, and previous delinquency, suggesting that severity of NMUPD is important to consider. However, ANCOVA analyses found that NMUPD was not a significant predictor of drug-related, non-aggressive, or …

How Do Perceived Gender Roles Influence The Number Of Attempted Medical Interventions Of Infertile Couples?, Erin Aiello

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Infertility affects 1 in 8 couples and the literature discusses the emotional effects infertility has on an individual. One option for infertility is to attempt medical interventions and the literature in the field does not explain why some people attempt more interventions than others. Using data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), Cycle 6, this quantitative study aims to understand the relationship between traditional gender roles and values and the attempted number of medical interventions by individuals within a relationship experiencing infertility. The results from this study indicate that both males and females that are in relationship …

From Ideas To Efficacy: The Orbit Model For Developing Behavioral Treatments For Chronic Diseases, Susan M. Czajkowski, Lynda H. Powell, Nancy Adler, Sylvie Naar-King, Kim D. Reynolds, Christine M. Hunter, Barbara Laraia, Deborah H. Olster, Frank M. Perna, Janey C. Peterson, Elissa Epel, Josephine E. Boyington, Mary Charlson

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Objective: Given the critical role of behavior in preventing and treating chronic diseases, it is important to accelerate the development of behavioral treatments that can improve chronic disease prevention and outcomes. Findings from basic behavioral and social sciences research hold great promise for addressing behaviorally based clinical health problems, yet there is currently no established pathway for translating fundamental behavioral science discoveries into health-related treatments ready for Phase III efficacy testing. This article provides a systematic framework for developing behavioral treatments for preventing and treating chronic diseases. Method: The Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials (ORBIT) model for behavioral treatment development features …

The Association Between Self-Rated Mental Health Status And Total Health Care Expenditure: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of A Nationally Representative Sample, Muoi T. Nguyen, Winnie Y. Chan, Courtney Keeler

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Both clinical diagnoses and self-rated measures of mental illness are associated with a variety of outcomes, including physical well-being, health utilization, and expenditure. However, much of current literature primarily utilizes clinically diagnosed data.

This cross-sectional study explores the impact of mental illness and health care expenditure using 2 self-rated measures: self-rated measured of perceived mental health status (SRMH) and Kessler Screening Scale for Psychological Distress (K6).

Data from the 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component, a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized individuals (n = 18,295), were analyzed using bivariate χ² tests and a 2-part model (logistics regression and …

2015 Annual Report, Center For Applied Research On Substance Use And Health Disparities

Center for Applied Research on Substance Use and Health Disparities Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

No Safe3 Haven Here: Mental Health Assessment Of Women And Children Held In U.S. Immigration Detention, Kathleen A. O'Connor, Claire Thomas-Duckwitz, Guillermina Gina Nuñez

Departmental Papers (S&A)

No abstract provided.

The Perceived Effects Of Dance For Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease And Healthy Amateurs, Taylor Marie Mastin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the present study was to compare the effects of dance participation on physical and psychological functioning as perceived by two distinct groups of dancers: dancers with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy amateur (HA) dancers. Dancers in the Parkinson's sample group were gathered from participants in the Dance for PD® program, while healthy amateur dancers were recruited from university dance departments and through social media. Both groups were administered measures related to affect, self-efficacy, quality of life, and which aspects of dance classes were most helpful and/or challenging. Several open-ended questions for both groups were included, along with …

Ua68/10/1 Potter College Of Arts & Letters Sociology Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Publications created by and about Sociology. Including Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work while a part of Potter College.

Promoting First Nations, Metis, And Inuit Youth Wellbeing Through Culturally-Relevant Programming: The Role Of Cultural Connectedness And Identity, Claire Crooks, Dawn V. Burleigh, Ashley Sisco

Journal Articles

Objectives: Although culturally relevant programming has been identified as a promising practice for promoting resiliency among First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) youth, the specific ways in which these programs contribute to wellbeing are unclear. The Fourth R: Uniting Our Nations programs include an array of strengths-based culturally relevant programs for FNMI youth that have been found to increase wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to explore how culturally relevant programming provides a forum for intrapersonal and interpersonal growth.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 adult FNMI community and education stakeholders who have had extensive involvement with the …

Visual Voices Approved Consent Form, Collyn Baeder, Zoe Hull, Rebecca Masterjohn, Virginia Sedarski, Adrian Jung, Michaela A. Hoffman, Nicole O'Brien

Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment of the Perceived Identity of Aging Maine Residents

Approved project consent form for UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents, designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging.

Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.

This form documents the scope of the project …

Visual Voices Weekly Session Scripts, Collyn Baeder, Zoe Hull, Rebecca Masterjohn, Virginia Sedarski, Adrian Jung, Michaela A. Hoffman, Nicole O'Brien

Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment of the Perceived Identity of Aging Maine Residents

Eleven weekly session scripts for UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.