Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Health Effects Associated With Foreclosure: A Secondary Analysis Of Hospital Discharge Data, Nancy Menzel, Sheniz Moonie, Melva V. Thompson-Robinson

Nursing Faculty Research

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to assess the health effects of high home foreclosure rates in an area of the United States of America and the utility of hospital discharge data for this purpose. Methods. We analyzed hospital discharge data from three postal zip codes using the principal diagnosis for 25 Diagnostic Related Groups associated with stress. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize hospital discharge rates for each condition by year and zip code. To test for differences across time, the Cochran-Armitage trend test was performed. Results. Most conditions did not demonstrate a statistical change between …

Hemicrania Continua Headache In A Veteran With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder And Major Depressive Disorder Without Traumatic Brain Injury, Brandon A. Kohrt, Erica Duncan

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

Hemicrania continua is a headache characterized by chronic unremitting unilateral pain associated with ipsilateral autonomic findings. This type of headache responds to high-flow oxygen and indomethacin. This case report describes a male veteran with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder who suffers from comorbid hemicrania continua. The psychiatric symptoms were recalcitrant to psychopharmacological intervention. However, when the patient's hemicrania continua was treated appropriately, the patient's psychiatric symptoms also abated. This case demonstrates the need to address physical comorbidities that may exacerbate psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment Group Curriculum, Julie M. Wood

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The social workers at the MSH are treating many patients who have previous placements in chemical dependency treatment in addition to previous hospitalizations for their mental illness. Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselors (LADC) are employed at the hospital but not on unit 800 which is the crisis and intake unit. The hospital does not have funds available in their budget to add additional LADC staff at the present time.

Having a treatment group focusing on dual diagnosis would enable the patients to receive education and therapy for their addiction issues much earlier in the course of their treatment at MSH. …

Psychotherapy As Cultivating Character, Mike W. Martin

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

Duff R. Waring argues that, in some instances, psychotherapy should be viewed as healing (or alleviating) mental disorders and also as cultivating good character in patients (Waring 2012). In these instances, psychotherapists should understand their patients as having character faults that are manifested as mental disorders, as having nascent virtues they can build on during therapy, and as moving toward goals that can be specified in terms of both improved mental health and greater moral virtue. Waring’s discussion is deeply illuminating, but it suffers from a major difficulty: the failure to take adequate account of the differences between the perspectives …

Exploring Email Letter Writing To Augment Therapy Relationships With Clients Who Self-Injure, Babette A. Rosabal

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The use of social technologies continues to grow at a rapid pace. Such technologies free individuals to communicate with one another in a multitude of ways without the need to be face-to-face in the same room This study was designed to explore, based on a small sample of case studies, the usefulness of one way that social technology is employed today, collaborative email letter writing (CELW), when used in conjunction with live therapy sessions to counsel a self-injuring population. Currently, most email counseling consists of exchanging communications without live clinical intervention (Heinlein, Welfel, Richmond, & Rack, 2003). While self-injury behavior …

Hiv/Aids In The Muslim-Majority Countries: Formula For Low Prevalence, Kaoru Yamaguchi

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The Muslim-majority countries long had been considered to be free of HIV/AIDS epidemic because of their strict religious and moral codes. However, the HIV prevalence rates are increasing in some Islamic states, and even more or so rapidly in a several cases that it is no longer valid to assume the Islamic religion protects its followers from the risks of contracting HIV. Contrary to the popular belief concerning the prevention of the HIV/AIDs epidemic, data collected from well-recognized international organizations such as the WHO and Freedom House indicate that democratization, strong government leadership, and wider and equal human rights for …

Learning Public Health Through Civic Issues, Kathleen Fitzpatrick

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

This course is organized around current challenging health issues, such as mandatory immunization, childhood obesity, health insurance, tobacco control, etc. Activities included issues-focused debates, lecture and video presentations, case study discussions, and guest speakers. Students completed fifteen hours of community-based service learning, many in the Lawrence Math-Science Partnership, an outreach program in which undergraduates work on after-school STEM enrichment activities with middle-school students. Several activities complemented the course issues, allowing college students to make connections between course theory and community needs, while engaging middle-school students in important public health concepts. The SENCER-SALG assessment (N=189/192 (98%) of enrolled students) indicated that …

A Discussion Of The Mental Health Of Public School Teachers, Gary W. Ballou

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

It has been suggested that public school teachers are exposed to highly stressful situations which are related to psychological and psychiatric problems. Unfortunately, there is no quantitative data suggesting which factors contribute to improving the mental health of American teachers, nor have there been any prior studies that have directly compared the factors associated with mental health disturbances between teachers and workers in other occupations in the United States. In light of this, I felt it crucial to find the factors associated with psychological/psychiatric problems in public school teachers in the United States using an appropriate reference professional group.

Addressing The Physical Health Challenges Impacting Young Individuals With Major Mental Illness, Ryan P. Melton

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

Research has found that individuals who suffer from major mental illness, such as schizophrenia, are dying on average 15-25 years earlier than those who do not suffer from schizophrenia.1 Many causes for this shortened lifespan are suspected. Those causes include: lack of access to health care, suicide, poverty, substance use and side effects from anti-psychotic medications. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has challenged mental health providers treating major mental illness to address this disturbing trend by promoting their “10x10” campaign. The goal of the campaign is to increase the lifespan of individuals who suffer from major …

An Art Program Evaluation Of Daily Life Therapy For Children With Autism, Rowena Elise Talusan-Dunn

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The author evaluated a private school’s art program in 2009-2010 that used Daily Life Therapy (DLT) for students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Significant increases in numbers of persons diagnosed with ASD have been noted in the last two decades. Several methodologies claim success in programming for children with ASD, but lack empirically based research and it is unclear which are most beneficial. This program evaluation used a mixed-method design to address the following questions: (1) is there evidence of success with the art experience goals and objectives in the art products, (2) what is the experience of the …

An Intergenerational Study: Mirrors As A Tool For Self-Reflection, Susan Ridley

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Globalization and advances in technology have resulted in a loss of cultural, community, and individual identity. Having a strong sense of self can be a protective factor in resisting peer pressure and involvement in negative behaviors, and a determining factor in the formation of one’s coping skills, and resiliency to life’s challenges. This was especially important for adolescents who are negotiating the developmental growth from childhood to adulthood, and older adults who are transitioning from the independence of adulthood to the dependence of old age.

This was a qualitative intergenerational study on the process of self-reflection on identity. Mirrors have …

The Present State Of Affairs In Art Therapy For Multicultural Families In Korea, Eun Mee Choi

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

With the advent of globalization, Korea has undergone a transformation and has a more multicultural population than ever before. Most multicultural families consist of a Korean male and a foreign female. These families experience difficulties such as social isolation, and children of these families experience difficulty in school as Korean society has not kept pace with the changing demographics of the country. The purpose of this study was to investigate art therapy for multicultural families in Korea to address the difficulties these families experience. To achieve this goal, surveys were used with married migrant women (n = 28), therapists working …

Sew It Seams: Wearing The Symbols Of Distant Neighbors, Tamar Reva Einstein

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This art-based expressive therapy study investigated opinions and feelings about cultures in the city of Jerusalem and the country of Israel at large. A coat, designed and sewn by the researcher, was covered with symbols that were identified with peoples who have been victims of violence, discrimination, dehumanization, and conflict within and across cultural groups in Jerusalem. The symbols of the cultures in Jerusalem were placed on the coat so that they touched each other at the seams. Following Phase 1 of the study, which included 24 participants, Phase 2 of the study included 4 additional participants who were selected …

Coping As A Mediator Between Proximity To Violence In Juarez, And Ptsd Symptoms Among College Students Attending A University On The Texas - Mexico Border, Francis Javier Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The present study directly examined whether proximity to ongoing violence might lead to symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in a sample of students attending a border university less than a mile from the US Mexico border. Exposure to violence is a common cause of PTSD symptomology. Prior research in the region suggests that ongoing traumatic stress due to the violence in Juarez is associated with increased PTSD symptomology. Because coping skills are thought to protect individuals from PTSD the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) guided the study. The purpose of this study was to …

"First Impression": Creating An Intake Procedure That Is Welcoming To Clients And Useful To Clinicians, Brandi Embacher

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Have you ever contacted an agency and felt doubtful about their ability to help you due to the phone interaction or written correspondence you received? The significance of this Capstone project is to create an intake procedure that will leave a positive first impression for individuals seeking services with Mankato Marriage and Family Therapy Center (MMFTC).

Theorizing Mental Health Courts, E. Lea Johnston

UF Law Faculty Publications

To date, no scholarly article has analyzed the theoretical basis of mental health courts, which currently exist in forty-three states. This Article examines the two utilitarian justifications proposed by mental health court advocates—therapeutic jurisprudence and therapeutic rehabilitation—and finds both insufficient. Therapeutic jurisprudence is inadequate to justify mental health courts because of its inability, by definition, to resolve significant normative conflict. In essence, mental health courts express values fundamentally at odds with those underlying the traditional criminal justice system. Furthermore, the sufficiency of rehabilitation, as this concept appears to be defined by mental health court advocates, depends on the validity of …

Teacher Reflective Function And Its Connection To Observed Teacher-Child Interactions In Head Start Classrooms, Katharine Emerson-Hoss

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The primary purpose of this study was to identify reflective function in Head Start teachers. Reflective function (RF) is a measure of a cognitive-emotional capacity that has been measured through interviews with parents and is linked to the parent's ability to create physical and psychological safety for his/her child (Slade, 2005). This study is the first to apply this measure to teacher interviews. Secondly, this study investigated whether a teacher's RF was related to their interactions with children as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS, Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008). This qualitative multiple case study investigated archival …

Gender And Empowerment In Supported Housing : A Consumer-Oriented Empowerment Model For Adults With Psychiatric Disabilities And Histories Of Homelessness, Eleanor M. Jaffee

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Using data from an evaluation of a supported housing program for adults with psychiatric disabilities and histories of homelessness (n = 59), the relationships of gender and the presence of children with subjective measures of mental health, personal mastery, personal empowerment, social support, and quality of life were explored, and the results informed the development of a revised consumer-oriented empowerment model. Key findings include a significant relationship between gender and personal mastery and empowerment with women scoring significantly lower than men on measures of this construct, and the role of personal mastery and empowerment as a mediator between psychiatric symptoms …

Treating Detained Juveniles: Measuring Mental Health Traits And Gender Differences, Todd L. Grande, Janelle M. Hallman, Lee A. Underwood, Kellie M. Warren, Mark Rehfuss

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

An understanding of gender-specific differences between detained male and female youth and how these differences relate to mental health is fundamental to understanding, assessing, and treating this population. This study examined the prevalence of mental health symptoms among a sample of 4,015 incarcerated juveniles who were assessed at intake using the BASC-2, MAYSI-2, and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. Significant differences were found between males and females on many of the instruments’ clinical scales, the effect size, however, was small. The prevalence of mental health symptoms varied greatly based on the instrument used (12% and 70% for males; 18% and …

The Influence Of Federally Qualified Health Centers On Selected Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions In Georgia, Mary W. King Mathis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's Abstract: Ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) resulting in hospitalizations make up a substantial proportion of health care costs, but should not because these conditions are manageable in quality primary care settings that promote prevention in an effort to avoid exacerbations that can lead to hospitalization. The use of emergency departments (EDs) as a safety net for ACSCs has increased the burden on hospitals because patients who do not regularly utilize primary care often resort to the use of EDs for treatment of ACSCs. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are designed to provide consistent, high-quality primary care to all people, …

Levamisole-Induced Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis And Neutropenia In A Patient With Cocaine Use: An Extensive Case With Necrosis Of Skin, Soft Tissue, And Cartilage, Natasha Arora, Tania Jain, Ravinder Bhanot, Suganthini Natesan

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Levamisole-induced vasculitis is a relatively new entity in people who use cocaine. We describe a 44-year-old woman with a history of cocaine use who presented with a complaint of a painful rash of 2-3 month’s duration on her extremities, cheeks, nose, and earlobes. She had not experienced fever, weight loss, alopecia, dry eyes, oral ulcers, photosensitivity, or arthralgia. Examination revealed tender purpuric eruptions with central necrosis on her nose, cheeks, earlobes, and extremities. Laboratory investigations revealed neutropenia, an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), presence of lupus anticoagulant, low complement component 3 (C3), and presence of perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody …

Formative Research On Hpv Vaccine Acceptability With Latina Farmworkers, John S. Luque, Heide Castañeda, Dinorah Martinez Tyson, Natalia Vargas, Meade

Community Health: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers and benefits to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in a low-income, Latina farmworker population in central Florida. This study reports on formative qualitative research conducted on perceptions of benefits, barriers, costs, place, and promotion related to the HPV vaccine from surveys and interviews with a sample of 46 low-income, Latina farm workers and 19 health care workers serving this population. It was found that Latina farmworkers hold many misperceptions about the HPV vaccine and the potential links between HPV infection and cervical cancer. In addition, it was observed that HPV vaccination …

Quest For Vaccines To Treat Addiction, Rachel Florence

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Drug addiction is a prime example of biochemical psychology. When people use drugs such as nicotine, they trigger dopamine receptors in the brain, causing a pleasurable sensation. People want to repeat the feeling and thus get addicted to the drug. With the development of a vaccine to treat addiction, researchers attempt to prevent drugs from crossing over the bloodbrain barrier and triggering the dopamine receptors. Experiments and clinical trials prove the efficacy of the nicotine vaccine. However, Phase III trials and additional research are necessary before the vaccine can be launched for public use.

What Is A Healthy Community?, Denise Tanata Ashby, Jennifer Pharr

Lincy Institute Reports and Briefs

The health of a community is dependent not only upon the genetics of its residents, but also upon the environment within which those individuals live. A person’s health is a product of their environment. As such, a healthy community is one in which all residents have access to a quality education, safe and healthy homes, adequate employment, transportation, physical activity, and nutrition, in addition to quality health care. Unhealthy communities lead to chronic disease, such as cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. The health of our communities is critical to the growth and development of our region. To build healthy communities …

Health Effects Associated With Foreclosure: A Secondary Analysis Of Hospital Discharge Data, Nancy N. Menzel, Sheniz Moonie, Melva V. Thompson-Robinson

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to assess the health effects of high home foreclosure rates in an area of the United States of America and the utility of hospital discharge data for this purpose. Methods.We analyzed hospital discharge data from three postal zip codes using the principal diagnosis for 25 Diagnostic Related Groups associated with stress. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize hospital discharge rates for each condition by year and zip code. To test for differences across time, the Cochran-Armitage trend test was performed. Results. Most conditions did not demonstrate a statistical change between 2005 and 2008. …

The Impact Of Unemployment On Mental And Physical Health, Access To Health Care And Health Risk Behaviors, Jennifer Renee Pharr, Sheniz Moonie, Timothy J. Bungum

School of Public Health Faculty Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of employment status and unemployment duration on perceived health, access to health care, and health risk behaviors. Data from Nevada's 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were analyzed. We compared participants who were unemployed (greater than and less than one year) to those who were employed and those who were voluntarily out of the labor force (OLF). Unemployed participants had significantly worse perceived mental health profiles, were more likely to delay health care services due to cost, and were less likely to have access to health care than employed …

Drawing As Self-Expression With Normally Functioning Adults: A 10-Week Technique, Deborah L. John

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

In this research study, a sample of normally functioning adults (N = 30) each made a series of small drawings, one each week for 10 weeks. Participants completed two questionnaires about their experiences of making the series. The pre-intervention questionnaire collected demographic information and asked participants to rate their perceived ability to use drawing for self-expression on a Likert scale. The post intervention questionnaire again asked participants to rate their perceived ability to use drawing for self-expression. Results indicated a significant change from pre to post intervention (p = 0.012) in perceived expressive drawing ability. The post intervention questionnaire also …

Musical Echolalia And Non-Verbal Children With Autism, Krystal Leah Demaine

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Typical imitation skills that are integral to language and social learning do not readily develop in children with autism. Echolalia, an echoing or imitation of speech sounds, has historically been considered a non-meaningful form verbal imitation. Since music is intrinsically more meaningful than language for children with autism, musical echolalia may offer path to communication for non-verbal children with autism. This research study sought to identify a potential existence of musical echolalia among nonverbal children with autism. Twelve non-verbal children diagnosed with classic autism, six boys and six girls, aged four to eight, who had no formal musical training or …

Examining Multicultural Competency Education In The Creative Arts Therapies, Donna C. Owens

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

In the changing landscape of the United States, the skills and competencies of helping professionals must continue to address the unique needs of its various populations. As a growing field, the creative arts therapies must adopt multicultural values and standards necessary to remain competitive and relevant.

This study addressed the issue of multicultural counseling competency training in the creative arts therapies from three perspectives: the governing association, the training institution, and the student/trainee. Throughout this study the term creative arts therapies includes art, dance/movement, drama, expressive arts, music, poetry, and psychodrama.

Information concerning the associations for each of the seven …

The Role Of Defense Mechanisms Of Israeli Society In Relationship To The Israeli–Palestinian Conflict: From “1948 Repression” To Artistic Sublimation, Keren Shechter

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Although many researchers have examined the concept of defense mechanisms, almost none have done so from a societal and cultural point of view. The author investigated the following research questions: (1) Which defense mechanisms are used in Israeli society within the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict? What changes, if any, have occurred in these defenses over the years? (2) What are the reasons for the use of these defenses? What are the consequences of the use? (3) How can a transition(s) from the use of a lower-level defense mechanism(s) to a higher-level one(s) occur? What is the role of the …