Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Community-Based Partnerships For Improving Chronic Disease Management, James Plumb, Laura Carson Weinsten, Rickie Brawer, Kevin Scott

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

With the growing burden of chronic disease, the medical and public health communities are re-examining their roles and opportunities for more effective prevention and clinical interventions. The potential to significantly improve chronic disease prevention and have an impact on morbidity and mortality from chronic conditions is enhanced by adopting strategies that incorporate a social ecology perspective, realigning the patient-physician relationship, integrating population health perspectives into the Chronic Care Model, and effectively engaging communities using established principles of community engagement.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lesbian/Queer/Same-Gender-Loving Women Graduate Students In Mental Health Related Fields: A Grounded Theory Of Attitudes Toward Transgender Individuals, Bonnie M. Benson

Dissertations

Transgender (trans) issues are an emerging area of research within counseling psychology. As such, little is known about how individuals form their attitudes toward trans people. Despite evidence that lesbian women are one group that has held biased views of the trans population, the literature has not addressed the perceptions that lesbian women have of trans individuals. Furthermore, the campus climate literature has attended to how LGBT students experience campus discrimination, but this literature has not addressed within-group differences, that is, attitudes and interactions among LGBT members of a university community, such as those between lesbians and trans people. The …

Second Generation Korean-American Parents: Social Context Influence On Parenting, Lana H. Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Korean-American families are an underrepresented group within the family therapy literature. In particular, the realities and lived experiences of American born second generation Korean-American parenting couples is limited. Therefore, this qualitative grounded theory dissertation used a social constructionist lens to understand how American born second generation Korean-Americans, raised amidst contrasting Korean and western cultural ideologies, conceptualize parenting and position themselves in relation to their children within parent-child relationships. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 parenting couples of children between 0-10 years of age to illuminate ways in which multiple cultural discourses, bicultural socialization, and racialized experiences influence the parenting process. …

Successful Again Through A Family Resilience Lens, A'Verria Sirkin Martin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study examined successful aging through a family resilience lens by developing a psychometrically tested assessment that can be used to measure family and individual resilience in a population of older adults and by then applying these latent structures to predict successful aging across four domains; self-rated successful aging, psychosocial health, cognitive decline, and physical health. Data from 1,006 older adults were analyzed in three steps. The first identified the underlying latent structure through principle component (exploratory) factor analysis (EFA). The second included the use of confirmatory factor analysis to validate the structure from the first step. The third utilized …

Relational Interdependent Self Construal, And Spiritual Maturity As Predictors Of Marital Satisfaction, Conroy Everton Reynolds

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study examined the extent to which relationality is implicated in relationship satisfaction. Specifically, this study examined the role of two relational variables, Spiritual Maturity and Relational Interdependent Self Construal, in predicting the variance in marital satisfaction, after controlling for number of children, religion, employment status, education, length of marriage and household income among married heterosexual couples in Antigua. The Caribbean Island of Antigua is comprised primarily of persons of African descent, deeply religious, but who are influenced by western ideas and values. The results of this study reveal the importance of spirituality but not relational self- construal as a …

Second Generation Korean-American Parents: Social Context Influence On Parenting, Lana H. Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Korean-American families are an underrepresented group within the family therapy literature. In particular, the realities and lived experiences of American born second generation Korean-American parenting couples is limited. Therefore, this qualitative grounded theory dissertation used a social constructionist lens to understand how American born second generation Korean-Americans, raised amidst contrasting Korean and western cultural ideologies, conceptualize parenting and position themselves in relation to their children within parent-child relationships. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 parenting couples of children between 0-10 years of age to illuminate ways in which multiple cultural discourses, bicultural socialization, and racialized experiences influence the parenting process. …

Clean Needles And Bad Blood: Needle Exchange As Morality Policy, Elizabeth A. Bowen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The morality policy framework is a lens for understanding the unique characteristics of policies that attempt to regulate personal morals and behaviors. Needle exchange, a controversial intervention for reducing the transmission of HIV in injection drug users, shares many of the hallmark characteristics of morality policies. Analyzing needle exchange from a morality policy perspective, focusing on the 21-year ban on federal funding for needle exchange, reveals how value-based arguments have been used in the needle exchange debate and explains why the issue is likely to remain controversial in the United States. This analysis adds to the understanding of moral and …

Exploring Barriers To Inclusion Of Widowed And Abandoned Women Through Microcredit Self-Help Groups: The Case Of Rural South India, Margaret Lombe, Chrisann Newransky, Karen Kayser, Paul Mike Raj

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Microcredit programs have been applauded as the magic bullet for the poor, especially women with limited financial resources. Building on previous research, this study examines effects of a microcredit self-help group (SHG) program on perceptions of social exclusion among widowed and abandoned women who participated in groups established after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, India (N=109). Data were collected on key aspects of the program such as loan amount and investment patterns, group experience, demographics, and perceived barriers to inclusion. Results indicate that investment patterns and group experience impacted the women's perception of barriers to social inclusion. …

Determinants Of Patient's Satisfaction With Health Care System In Pakistan: A Critical Review, Maliha Naseer, Aysha Zahidie, Babar Tasneem Shaikh

Community Health Sciences

Patient satisfaction with health care services is considered an important factor of quality health care. Although research on patient satisfaction has become standard in many developed country, in countries such as Pakistan the concept of patient satisfaction is still relatively neglected. This study aimed to find out the determinants of patient satisfaction from existing literature in Pakistan.The literature search was carried out by using the database of Medscape, Medline, PakMedinet and PubMed, without any language restriction using MeSH words as “patient satisfaction AND health care system in Pakistan” and “Determinants of patient satisfaction AND Pakistan”. Twenty-one articles were found which …

Stress, Coping And Suicide Ideation In Chinese College Students, Xiaoyun Zhang, Haiping Wang, Yan Ruth Xia, Xiaohong Liu, Eunju Jung

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The study was to examine 1) whether stress and coping styles could significantly predict the probability of suicide ideation; 2) and whether coping styles were mediators or moderators on the association between life stress and suicide ideation. The survey was conducted in a sample of 671 Chinese college students. Approximately twenty percent students reported having suicide ideation. Life stress, active coping styles, and passive coping styles all had independent effect on the probability of suicide ideation. Passive coping styles, especially fantasizing, mediated the relation between life stress and suicide ideation. Moderation hypotheses were not supported. Implications of the findings and …

Mountain Movement: The Design, Implementation, & Evaluation Of A Youth Yoga Program, Abigail A. Long

Capstone Collection

Abigail Ann Long – PIM 70

Mountain Movement: The Design, Implementation, & Evaluation

of a Youth Yoga Program

May 2012

Mountain Movement is a youth yoga program designed to introduce children to the sustainable practice of yoga as well as convey the ability to recognize stress and utilize relaxation techniques. Children face a number of challenges throughout their daily lives. These challenges, ranging from academic pressures to bullying, can create stresses with negative impacts. Yoga is an activity that can provide children with tools and methods to better deal with and cope with these challenges. Mountain Movement has demonstrated that …

The Closure Of New Orleans' Charity Hospital After Hurricane Katrina: A Case Of Disaster Capitalism, Kenneth Brad Ott

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Amidst the worst disaster to impact a major U.S. city in one hundred years, New Orleans’ main trauma and safety net medical center, the Reverend Avery C. Alexander Charity Hospital, was permanently closed. Charity’s administrative operator, Louisiana State University (LSU), ordered an end to its attempted reopening by its workers and U.S. military personnel in the weeks following the August 29, 2005 storm. Drawing upon rigorous review of literature and an exhaustive analysis of primary and secondary data, this case study found that Charity Hospital was closed as a result of disaster capitalism. LSU, backed by Louisiana state officials, …

Expressed Emotion And Attitudes Toward Body Image And Food, Toni Marie Maraldo

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

In numerous studies over the years, body image and dysfunctional attitudes toward food have shown to be related to the genesis of eating disorders. Recent research has particularly focused on the influence that families have on both the development of eating disorders as well as their impact on their child's body image and eating attitudes. In general, higher levels of expressed emotion are often found in families with children who have either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. However, there is a lack of research on sub-clinical populations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the influence that expressed …

A Study Of The Reasons And Functions Of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (Nssi) Among Students In Hong Kong And United Kingdom, Sze Yiu, Cindy Wong

Bachelor of Social Sciences – Senior Theses

This study examines non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a community sample of adolescents and young adults in Hong Kong and United Kingdom. Non-suicidal self‐injury (NSSI) refers to direct, deliberate destruction of one’s own body tissue in the absence of intent to die. Apart from investigating the reasons and functions of non-suicidal self‐injury (NSSI), this study also examined the gender as well as cultural differences in self‐injurious behaviors. Functional Assessment of Self‐Mutilation (FASM) was used to examine non‐suicidal self-injury (NSSI).

Overall, 17.1% (n=46) out of 269 participants (n=269) endorsed engaging in non-suicidal self‐injury (NSSI) in the past 12 months, with more females …

Research Brief: "Combat Exposure And Mental Health: The Long-Term Effects Among Vietnam And Gulf War Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about how combat exposure and exposure to dead, dying, and wounded people can predict decreases in mental health among Vietnam and Gulf War veterans. In practice and policy, the VA can better provide resources for veterans based on their combat exposure, and the VA should take into account varying combat experiences among veterans when providing mental health care. Suggestions for future research include using more precise measurements for combat exposure than the one used in this study.

New Hampshire Public Mental Health Consumer Survey Project: Summary Of Findings May 2012, Peter Antal

Institute on Disability

No abstract provided.

Suicide Rates Among Young, Married Women In Nepal, Kirra L. Hughes

Capstone Collection

In 2009, a Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (MMM) report carried out in Nepal by the Family Health Division of the Department of Health Services accidently stumbled upon a surprising leading cause of death in Nepali women of reproductive age (15 - 49). The result: suicide. And the numbers are still on the rise. There have since been no comprehensive follow-up studies and none, to my knowledge, that are currently ongoing. This leaves an urgent need for research to be done on the causes of these suicides (Benson and Shakya, 2011; Bertolote et al, 2005; Pradhan et al, 2009).

Globally, there …

Individualism And Collectivism As Moderators Of Affect And Attributional Style In Predicting Life Satisfaction, Jo M. Holmquest

Graduate Theses

The present study examined the effect of person-level individualism and collectivism on attributional style and frequencies of positive and negative emotions as predictors of life satisfaction. Participants were 224 individuals (age range 18 to 78, M= 39.63, SD = 13.78; 73% women; 56% Filipinos) who answered an online survey. Results from regression analyses showed that attributional style is not a statistically significant predictor of life satisfaction. The analyses also showed that across all participants, and among those who did not score high in individualism and low in collectivism, the frequency of positive emotions, as compared to the frequency of negative …

Multiple Peer Group Self-Identification And Adolescent Tobacco Use, C. Anderson Johnson, Juliana L. Fuqua, Peggy E. Gallaher, Jennifer B. Unger, Dennis R. Trinidad, Steve Sussman, Enrique Ortega

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Associations between peer group self-identification and smoking were examined among 2,698 ethnically diverse middle school students in Los Angeles who self-identified with groups such as Rockers, Skaters, and Gamers. The sample was 47.1% male, 54.7% Latino, 25.4% Asian, 10.8% White, 9.1% Other ethnicity, and 59.3% children of immigrant parents. Multiple group self identification was common: 84% identified with two or more groups and 65% identified with three or more groups. Logistic regression analyses indicated that as students endorsed more high risk groups, the greater their risk of tobacco use. A classification tree analysis identified risk groups based on interactions among …

The Prevalence Of Essential Hypertension In Kasigau, Kenya, Lindsay Williams

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease worldwide. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a widespread chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) which is on the rise in developing countries. Evidence based on extensive research studies on risk factors for NCDs suggests that they could be easily significantly decreased by simply controlling their risk factors. Although high blood pressure has been recognized as a leading risk factor for CVD, little research has been done to document the prevalence and incidence of essential hypertension (EH) in lower socioeconomic developing countries. One such country is Kenya. It was found in our research study that Kasigau …

Screening Mammograms In Alzheimer’S Disease Patients, George M. Yousef, Piyush Sovani, Sirisha Devabhaktuni, Lynne J. Goebel

Internal Medicine

Very little guidance exists to help clinicians and families decide whether mammograms are useful in elderly women with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). We present a case of a patient with moderate AD who had a positive mammogram and discuss the dilemma faced by the family and clinician in deciding what was best to do for the patient. In this case, the family opted for breast conserving surgery (BCS) followed by palliative care which brought up the question of whether screening was appropriate with this treatment goal in mind. We reviewed the literature on AD and breast cancer screening and summarize these …

“Make Your Move, Choose Your Food”: A Healthy Lifestyles Empowerment Campaign, Michelle Child

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis documents the campaign “Make Your Move. Choose Your Food.” This healthy lifestyles empowerment campaign was one of six conducted in Bowling Green, Kentucky during February 2012 for the Public Relations Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) 2011-2012 Bateman Case Study Competition through the public relations capstone courses Journalism 454 and 456. The objective of this campaign was to encourage children, teenagers, parents, educators and community organizations to improve their individual health and the health of the community. My team, consisting of four public relations seniors and myself, created three overall objectives grounded in research, planned strategies specific to our …

Art Therapy Assessment Of Adult Incarcerated Offenders: A Research Proposal For The Assessment Of Locus Of Control, Alecia Perreault

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

There is a lack of research that combines both art therapy assessment and prison inmates as it relates to locus of control. This is a research proposal that attempts to highlight the need for research with art therapy assessments among the offender population. More specifically, it attempts to correlate art therapy assessments with the assessment of specific traits, like locus of control, as they are typically found in offenders. This thesis reviews literature that is related to the field of art therapy assessment, projective drawing assessment, and the offender population, as well as discusses implications for further study.

The Efficacy Of Anti-Psychotic Medications In Treating The Behavior, Social, And Communication Deficits Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorders In Children And Adolescents A Systematic Review, Raquel Velazquez

HIM 1990-2015

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of complex developmental disabilities which can cause behavior, social, and communication deficits. Anti-psychotic medications are often prescribed when symptoms such as aggression, irritability, hyperactivity, tantrums, and self-injurious behavior occur. Objective: To determine if anti-psychotic medications improve the behavior, social, and communication symptoms associated with ASD in children and adolescents. Search Strategy: Electronic literature searches were performed to find relevant studies and utilized the (1) Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2) Hispanic American Periodicals Index, (3) Medline, (4) PAIS International, (5) ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, (6) PsycInfo, (7) PubMed, (8) Springer LINK, (9) …

A Study Of The Link Between Partial Sleep Deprivation And Obesity, Jennifer Pacheco

Honors College Theses

Obesity has become a major health problem with increasing prevalence and is related to multiple medical consequences, such as increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and cancer (Hasler et al., 2004). Due to the limited availability of effective treatment of weight problems, it is necessary to identify potential risk factors for obesity. One factor that has received increased attention is chronic partial sleep deprivation (<7 hours of sleep a night). The decrease in average sleep duration over the past three to four decades has occurred simultaneously with the increase in the prevalence of obesity. Chronic partial sleep deprivation could be a possible risk factor for obesity, but current understanding of the processes linking sleep deprivation to obesity is incomplete. The research will focus on examining the possible pathways through which partial sleep deprivation contributes to the development of obesity: alterations in metabolic pathways and waking behavior, including eating behavior and physical inactivity. The hypothesis behind the proposed study is that increasing sleep duration in obese individuals who experience partial sleep deprivation will lead to a decreased BMI. Research addressing the possible pathways and targeting the amount of sleep will benefit individuals in preventing and/or treating obesity.

Motivating Men Who Have Sex With Men To Get Tested For Hiv, Magaly M. Blas, Luis A. Menacho, Isaac E. Alva, E. Roberto Orellana

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although men who have sex with men (MSM) have the highest HIV prevalence in Peru, they are underserved by traditional preventive programs. Interestingly, in Peru the Internet and cell-phones have emerged as a convenient tool to reach this population.

Anxiety And Sleep Disorder Comorbidity: Affecting The College Students' Performances, Amanda Rhenee Grimes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects that anxiety disorders and sleep disorders have on students' academic performance. The prevalence of both disorders is rising in the college student population. This study examines those who have been physician diagnosed with the one or both of the disorders and how the students' grade point average (GPA) is affected.

The National College Health Assessment was used for data collection; this survey assesses college students' health habits, behaviors, and perceptions. The sample was comprised of 57 institutions representing every region in the U.S. totaling 34,208 participants. Data was acquired through …

A Study Of Art Therapy-Based Approaches To Communication Between Physicians And Pediatric Patients, Carrie Carowan

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Miscommunication between physicians and child patients about perceived pain results in problems with diagnosis and treatment of childhood illness. This study used an art therapy-based approach to explore physician perceptions and understanding of child patients’ pain as compared to the pediatric patients’ perceptions of their own pain. Body Outline Forms (BOFs) and Magnified Pain Drawings (MPDs) (Barton, 1995) were completed by participants, and compared using a qualitative content analysis. Visual results reflected a difference in perception of pain by the physician and child participants in areas of color, size, shape, location, and movement. Verbal results collected from the physician participant …

What Is The Effect Of Mandala Drawing Versus Art Card Sorting On Mood, Stress, And Anxiety In Individuals With Mood And Anxiety Disorders?, Sara K.M. Young

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The effect of mandala drawing versus art card sorting on mood, stress, and anxiety on a clinical population of adults with a history or diagnosis of DSM-­‐IV-­‐TR mood and/or anxiety disorders is investigated through a randomized study utilizing experiment and control groups, and a single subject case study. Standardized measurements used to collect data were the profile of mood states, the state-­‐trait anxiety inventory, and the Beck depression inventory-­‐II. Statistical significance could not be tested due to a lack of control subjects. Mean and standard deviation are reported and show a decrease in the mean post experiment. The single subject …

A Comparative Analysis Of Stress And Anxiety Reduction Between Working With Clay And Mandala Design Coloring, Sara Julsrud

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

One aim of this study was to help scientifically quantify many art therapists’ belief that artmaking is intrinsically healing. This study explored the effects of mindful art therapy processes (guided clay work meditation and mandala coloring) on stress and anxiety through measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Data were collected from 20 undergraduate students from Virginia Wesleyan College and Old Dominion University, both of Norfolk, VA. Ages of subjects ranged from 18 to 40 years old. Through use of repeated measures analysis, the posttest measurements from each subject were compared to their …