Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

An Identification Of The Core Variables That Assist People Diagnosed With Mental Illness In A Time Of Transition, Robyn M. Martin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study has sought to identify the core variables or factors that are utilised by people with a diagnosis of mental illness in a time of transition. The specific transition involved study participants exiting a non government community mental health agency. The variables of interest are those that assist individuals to cope during this time of change and transition. The specific transition involves participants leaving or exiting from a non government mental health agency that provides community based, psychosocial support. The study topic is located in the context of a formalised mental health system in the process of changing from …

How General Practitioners And Aged Care Workers Perceive Incidences Of Elder Abuse, Paul Howrie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As the Australian population is expanding and ageing, there is an associated need for a focus to be placed on the Individual rights of elderly people, and for the general populus to be made more aware of areas related to our older generation. Elder abuse, as an area of concern, developed as an offshoot of investigations into child abuse and general domestic violence, and initially surfaced in the 1970s and 80s. Some sections of the medical profession were made specifically aware of the problem initially in 1975, through a letter that was sent to the British Medical Journal. However, throughout …

Dual Disorders And Implications For Assessment And Treatment, Eva Rosada

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Part 1: Literature review. This review of the published literature examines the consequences for individuals with co-occurring substance use disorder and chronic mental illness in traditional treatment systems that provide separate mental health and substance use treatment and identifies barriers to effective service delivery. Barriers to effective assessment and treatment are related to a lack of integration of treatments, a Jack of networking among services, and a failure to identify and assess adequately for the presence of a dual disorder. The attitude of professionals towards DD individuals is indicated as a potential barrier. Professional education in dual disorders is emphasized …

Lds Life Tables: A Comparison Of Long-Lived Populations, Christopher R. Layton

Theses and Dissertations

This research estimates the life expectancy of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Utah. We create gender-specific life tables for four groups: total Utah, active LDS, less-active LDS, and non-LDS. Male life tables are based on data from 1991-1995; female life tables are based on data from 1994-1998. Life expectancy at birth is 75 years for all utah males, 79.8 years for active LDS Utah males, 71.6 years for less active LDS Utah males, and 71.5 years for non-LDS Utah males. Female life expectancy at birth is 80.4 years for all Utah females, 83.9 …

Trends. Drug Addictions: National Policy On Illicit Drugs, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses the proposed integrating of drug testing and treatment into the various phases of the criminal justice process.

Social Identity And Substance Abuse In The Lesbian Community, Molly Kerby

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) among members of the lesbian community. Additionally, the investigator attempted to determine if there was a relationship between negative social identity and low selfesteem that is reflected in higher rates of substance abuse. The data collection method employed in this study was a type of nonprobability sampling procedure referred to as a purposive sample. The questionnaire was derived from instruments used by other researchers and validated by an expert panel. In order to select respondents from the lesbian population to be included …

Narrative Cohesiveness And The Resolution Of Trauma, Susan G. Middleton

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This review examines the literature on narrative and trauma in order to summarize and integrate findings on the role of narrative in adaptation to trauma. First, an introduction to the trauma literature, narrative theory, and how narratives have been studied in the context of psychotherapy is presented. Then, studies examining the characteristics of trauma narratives and their relationship to the resolution of trauma are presented and critiqued. Then, important methodological issues and the various measures used to study narratives in therapy and trauma and its sequelae are discussed. Factors that have been identified as affecting the construction of narratives in …

The Urban Ecology Of Hospital Failure: Hospital Closures In The City Of Chicago, 1970-1991, Gunnar Almgren, Miguel Ferguson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Abstract: Hospital closures occurred nationally with increasing frequency between 1970 and 1990. In particular, large urban areas experienced a dramatic number of closures. Of the 61 general hospitals operating in Chicago in 1970, 22 (36%) had closed by 1991. While a growing body of literature has examined the etiology and determinants of hospital closure over the last two decades, few empirical studies have focused on the neighborhood correlates of closure, and none have examined specific health outcomes associated with hospital failure. This study uses census and Chicago hospital closure data to compare and contrast different conceptual explanations of closure in …

Using Professionally Trained Actors In Social Work Role-Play Simulations, Helen E. Petracchi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The literature available to social work educators contains limited discussion of the use of role play simulation in the classroom. This paper presents the experiences of first-year MSW students in a foundation generalist practice class who were evaluated using role play for their final examination. In a unique arrangement, clients in these simulations were role-played by firstyear acting students from the university's theater arts department. The reaction of the social work students to role play with professionally trained actors is described and discussed from voluntarily submitted descriptions of the experience.

Comparing Outcome Of Residential And Intensive Outpatient Treatment Services For Substance Dependence, Shawn E. Channell

Dissertations

The past 20 years have witnessed a significant increase in the number of published studies comparing inpatient with outpatient substance dependence treatment The majority of these studies have reported no benefit for those recipients receiving more intensive treatment However, the outpatient treatment investigated in these studies has typically been day treatment often involving 27 hours a week of participation, and not intensive outpatient treatment (IOP), which involves 12 or fewer hours of participation per week. Additionally, few published studies have compared alcohol and cocaine dependent populations. This study was designed to compare effectiveness of the residential and intensive outpatient levels …

Neurobehavioral And Neuromotor Long-Term Sequelae Of Prenatal Exposure To Cocaine And Other Drugs: An Unresolved Issue, Yvette Blanchard

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

When the cocaine epidemic began, predictions were made that the children of cocaine users would demonstrate devastating negative developmental sequelae. In infants and young children prenatally exposed to cocaine most frequently the neurobehavioral and neuromotor systems have been studied. Although clinically described as irritable, difficult to console, and jittery as infants, research findings have not been able to clearly describe a pattern of long-term developmental sequelae. The mechanisms of action of drug exposure on developmental outcome have shown to be more complex than originally suspected. Many factors, other than the drug use, can influence developmental outcome. In most studies of …

Trends. Deep In The Heart Of Texas: Threat Of Violence And The Duty To Warn, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses violence in the mentally ill and the obligation to report potential threats.

Internet Addiction As Diagnostic Addiction, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article continues the series on research reported at the 1999 American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Boston, MA, August 20-24, 1999. The topic this week concerns the nexus of politics and the diagnosis of mental disorder. The construct of Internet addiction is used as an example.

Review Of Paradigms Of Clinical Social Work, Volume 2. Rachel Dorfman (Ed). Reviewed By Cynthia Franklin, University Of Texas, Austin., Cynthia Franklin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Dorfman, R.A. (Ed.) Paradigms of Clinical Social Work, volume 2. Philadelphia PA: Brunner/Mazel, 1998. $49.95 hardcover.

Review Of Clinical And Practice Issues In Adoption: Bridging The Gap Between Adoptees Placed As Infants And As Older Children. Victor Groza And Karen F Rosenberg (Eds.). Reviewed By Richard P. Barth, University Of North Carolina, Chapel Hill., Richard P. Barth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Victor Groza and Karen E Rosenberg (Eds.), Clinical and Practice Issues in Adoption: Bridging the Gap Between Adoptees Placed as Infants and as Older Children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998. $55.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Social Work With Children And Their Families: Pragmatic Foundations. Christopher G. Petr. Reviewed By Dorinda N. Noble, Louisiana State University., Dorinda N. Noble

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Petr, Christopher G. (1998). Social Work with Children and their Families: Pragmatic Foundations. New York: Oxford University Press.

Trends. Mental Disorder On Extreme Racism As Mental Disorder, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses recent shootings in Los Angeles by an admitted racist who professes to have chosen victims based on their minority-race status.

The Other Illicit Drug Trafficking, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the deleterious consequences for segments of a nation's population when dealing with the psychological effects of psychoactive substances.

Anger And Alcohol Use: A Model Of Coping Styles, Alcohol Expectancies And The Experience And Expression Of Anger, Shauna Willard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The researcher investigated the relationship between anger experience and expression, coping styles, and expectancies regarding the effects of alcohol in a young male population. Anger experience and expression was measured using the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, coping styles were assessed using the Coping Response Inventory, alcohol expectancies were determined using the Alcohol Effects Questionnaire-2, and alcohol use was measured using the Alcohol Use Inventory. The results indicated that young males who abuse alcohol utilize less effective coping styles, such as cognitive avoidance. Alcohol abusing males also believe alcohol will increase their power and aggression. A linear regression demonstrated that males …

Psychopathology Of Incarcerated Males And Severity Of Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms, Karen L. Cropsey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated the link between depression and severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This study investigated depression and other psychopathology as predictors of severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms among incarcerated males forced to quit smoking due to prison policy. Four hundred and ninety current Smokers, Ex-Smokers, and Non-Smokers completed a baseline questionnaire one week prior to smoking cessation. Three hundred and sixty-nine participants completed the second follow-up questionnaire four days after cessation, an attrition rate of 24. 7%. Two hundred and fifty-six participants completed the final follow-up assessment one month after implementation of the smoking ban, an overall attrition …

Evaluating The Social Acceptability Of Persons With Habit Disorders: The Effects Of Topography, Frequency, And Gender Manipulation, Douglas W. Woods

Dissertations

Literature suggests that children who exhibit habit disorders are less socially acceptable than children who do not exhibit such disorders. This series of studies investigated the social acceptability of adults who exhibit habit disorders. In Studies 1 and 2, undergraduate students rated the social acceptability of individuals who exhibited motor tics, vocal tics, hairpulling, and no habit. Results showed that the individuals with no habit were more socially acceptable than the individuals who exhibited either motor tics, vocal tics, or hairpulling.

In Study 3, videotapes were created in which actors simulated motor tics, vocal tics, Tourette’s Syndrome, and Trichotillomania. The …

Coping Strategy And Social Support Differences Among Copd Patients: Effects On Psychological Well Being, Functional Status, And Health Care Utilization, Terri Belville-Robertson

Dissertations

This descriptive study examined coping strategies and social support among thirty-three patients with moderate to severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to assess relationships to psychological and functional status, and health care utilization. More specifically, the qualitative and quantitative differences in coping strategies and social support were examined in relation to anxiety, depression, activity level, and use of emergency and inpatient medical services. Subjects participated in a one-session screening that included a brief clinical interview, battery of questionnaires and exercise tolerance test. Health care utilization data were obtained from subjects’ medical records. Subjects' primary support persons also provided collateral data …

The Bulletin: Dayspring Aids Support Services, Vol.4, No.2 (Summer 1999), Sharon Pree, Dayspring Aids Support Services

Bulletin / Dayspring AIDS Support Services (1999, 2000)

No abstract provided.

Street-Based Female Adolescent Puerto Rican Sex Workers: Contextual Issues And Health Needs, Margarita Burgos, Donna L. Richter, Belinda Reininger, Ann L. Coker, Ruth Saunders, Margarita Alegria, Mildred Vera

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Adolescent sex workers potentially have many health needs but are included rarely in health assessments; therefore, little is known about their needs or how to reach them. This study examines the motivations, social context, and health needs of street-based adolescent sex workers. The results show these youths are more likely to experience negative health outcomes, such as unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, when they are using drugs or are depressed. These findings suggest the need for comprehensive programming to include individual, interpersonal, and greater environmental interventions. Examples for reaching adolescent sex workers are discussed.

An Exploratory Study Of The Correlates Of Drug Use Among Juveniles: Analysis Of Regional Variations In The United States, Denise D. Nation

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Research on substance use and abuse has increased exponentially over the past twenty-five years. However, research focusing on regional differences in drug use seems to be very limited. The purpose of this study is to examine the correlates of drug use among juveniles in the four major geographic regions of the United States: the Northeast, the North Central, the South and the West. Here, drug use is defined in terms of alcohol and marijuana use for the age group 12-19. Four research hypotheses are proposed. The 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse data was used to assess and analyze …

The Effects Of Group Counseling On The Self-Esteem, Anxiety, And Behavior Of Children With Deployed Parents, Nancy Taylor Mitchum

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a six-session group counseling intervention for children who had a parent experiencing military-induced deployment. Participants were 65 children (30 boys, 35 girls) of enlisted military personnel attending elementary schools near the Norfolk Naval Base. Elementary school counselors facilitated the counseling groups.

An experimental/control group pretest-posttest design was employed. Independent variables were the child's participation in the Children of Deployed Parents-Group/control group, child gender and age. Dependent variables were self-esteem, anxiety, and behavior as measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), the Child …

African American Community Mental Health Center Service Utilization: A Test Of The Cultural Compatibility Hypothesis, Alicia Michelle Marsh

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory study examined whether community mental health centers (CMHCs) in Virginia that had services evaluated as being more compatible with the cultural needs of African Americans attracted a higher percentage of adult African American service users from their catchment areas than CMHCs which were evaluated as being less culturally compatible. The cultural compatibility of 36 CMHCs was assessed via a telephone interview with their clinical directors using a modified version of the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Questionnaire: Administrative Version (Mason, J., 1995). This study did not find a correlation between CMHCs' cultural compatibility and their success at attracting African American …

Marital Decision Making Scale: Psychometric Properties, Kathy Szynklewski Babel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The psychometric properties of a revised version of the Marital Decision Making Scale (MDMS) were evaluated in this investigation. Sixty-eight couples served as participants. Distressed couples (n=34) were recruited from a community-based outpatient mental health clinic where they were seeking conjoint therapy for relationship problems; demographically matched nondistressed couples (n=34) were recruited from the community through a local survey research firm. The MDMS showed high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, interjudge agreement, and convergent and discriminant validity. A second independent sample of 60 couples (30 distressed couples and 30 nondistressed couples) was also recruited to cross-validate the results found with the …

The Effects Of Sibling-Implemented Training On Social Behaviors Of Autistic Children, Cristin L. Sullivan

Dissertations

The present study investigated the effectiveness of sibling-implemented pivotal response training (PRT) on the social behaviors of five children with autism. Using a multiple-baseline design across sibling pairs, participants were trained to use PRT while playing with their brother’s with autism. Measures of play skills and social behavior were assessed during baseline, training, sibling-independent play, and two-month follow-up sessions. Also, parents were asked to rate randomly selected video-tape segments from baseline and sibling-independent play sessions. The results indicated that siblings were able to learn effectively and implement PRT strategies following training. All of the children with autism demonstrated an increase …

Parental Awareness And Lead Poisoning: A Suburban Analysis, Deborah M. Reed

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Lead poisoning is one of the most common pediatric health problems in the United States. A direct result of industrialization, the toxic substance lead has contaminated our environment. Parents of young children should be aware of the hazards of lead, the environmental sources, the need for annual screening. the implications of screening results. and steps to reduce the chances of exposure. Questionnaires were distributed at a pediatrician's office. Parents with children under six years of age were asked to complete the survey. Sixty-two questionnaires were completed and returned. It was determined that parents have a good understanding of the pathways …