Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Mental Health Issues In First Responders: Their Causes And How To Help Treat Them, Anna M. Hoffnagle

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

In recent years mental health issues and how to deal with them has become a widely discussed topic in society. Causes and treatments tend to be major factors in the discussion, but they also tend to be far too general. The broadness of the targeted audience for these discussions often creates more issues than it solves due to treatments not being effective for every population. This paper highlights the causes of mental health issues in first responders while also discussing treatment methods designed specifically for this population that have had promising outcomes. Causes and treatments discussed are given solidity through …

The Opioid Crisis Meets Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah M. Westerman

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Abstract: How have the COVID-19 pandemic and the Opioid Crisis have collided to create a negative effect on those who abuse drugs and other substances? These two wicked problems are now collectively making it more difficult for those to recover and overcome substance and drug abuse worsening the Opioid Epidemic. With no clear answer in sight can vaccines and more accessible rehab help to progress these wicked problems?

Mental Health In Music: Why Are We Not Talking About It?, Christian Pence

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The music business has taken many hits over the past 20 years, and we are seeing musicians slowly going extinct. There are so many factors that are hurting musicians, and workers in the music business. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, we were investing in music like no tomorrow. So many concerts were happening, and so many Broadway shows were going on. We were really supporting our musicians, and we were helping them in any way we could. But society, has not been investing in musicians, causing certain problems, like financial stability, mental health problems, and making music more of …

Physician Burnout: Stress Within The Health Care System, Aidan Hauser

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

As our nation’s healthcare system expands, more stress and responsibility are placed on our physicians and frontline healthcare workers. The pressures of the daily job often prove extremely damaging to the employee’s mental and physical health. Physician and worker burnout is a growing epidemic that is damaging our care providers more and more every day. Burnout effects not only workers, but all of those surrounding them as well. This plague is not going to be repaired by one single change, but it is clear that many adjustments must be made to reform our healthcare system.

Mental Health And Covid-19, Haley Thiel

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The recent pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health. Transitioning to full freedom and opportunity to lockdown with no human interaction was a huge adjustment. The global pandemic especially hit home to college students and had a significant impact on universities. In this paper we discuss and analyze how the pandemic has shifted college students mental health and the negative toll it had. We will examine how anxiety, depression, and other general mental health disorders have skyrocketed in college students during the pandemic. The need for reform and attention on college campuses to preserve students mental health is …

Suicide Assessment, Angelo Rannazzisi, Psyd

Department of Family & Community Medicine Presentations and Grand Rounds

Agenda

● Risk & Protective Factors of Suicide

• Demographic, Diagnostic, Psychological Variables

● Suicide Risk Assessment

• C-SSRS (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale)
• BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory 2nd Edition)
• Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL)

● Creating a Safety Plan

Associations Among Stress, Anxiety, Depression, And Emotional Intelligence Among Veterinary Medicine Students, Julia Wells, Kylie Watson, Robert E. Davis, Syed Siraj A. Quadri, Joshua R. Mann, Ashutosh Verma, Manoj Sharma, Vinayak K. Nahar

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Background: Veterinary students are faced with immense pressures and rigors during school. These pressures have contributed to elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and depression (SAD) among veterinary students relative to the general population. One proposed concept to help students combat SAD is that of emotional intelligence (EI). We explored the relationship between EI and SAD among veterinary students at a college in the Southeast United States. Methods: A crosssectional study design was implemented among a convenience sample of 182 veterinary medical students. The survey instrument contained 56 items that elicited information about students’ demographics, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression, and …

The Covid Ceiling: Super-Moms Are Struggling, Verónica C. Gonzales

Faculty Scholarship

COVID Ceiling is the unique combination of identity, discipline, and academic work requirements with care crisis and public health crisis that is contributing to the current and soon larger wave of mental health crises.

Psychosocial Effects Of Infertility, Elizabeth Kulikov

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Infertility, or the inability to conceive a child, is a symbolic loss that affects up to 20% of couples in the United States. A symbolic loss is a loss due to something other than death. Infertility has been described as a disenfranchised and anticipatory loss that can lead to complicated grief reactions. Disenfranchised losses are those wherein the grief often goes unrecognized, unacknowledged and misunderstood. Despite its prevalence and the severity of the grief and loss associated with infertility, academic literature examining the psychosocial effects of infertility is scarce. The purpose of this project was to investigate the existing literature …

Invisible Tolls Of Immigration: Mental Health Among Young Immigrants, Mira Shoukry, Nuria Ibanez

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

This brief literature review details existing research surrounding the topic of mental health among young immigrants while bringing attention to a widely ignored issue. While those born in the United States are generally aware of the large Hispanic immigrant population in the country, most do not witness the extremely difficult and often traumatic process of immigration. A search of the PubMed database has revealed a severe lack of research into the unique factors affecting the mental health of young immigrants. Despite limited studies, there appears to be a general consensus that immigrant children in particular are at a significantly increased …

Loneliness In Older Adults: The Unspoken Pandemic Under Covid-19, Jacob Perez, Kelly Perniciaro, Tes Tuason

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Project of Merit Winner

Loneliness in older adults has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though loneliness has been a prior public health concern for this population. Loneliness is a perceived lack of social interaction when an individual desires more (Wong, 2017). COVID-19-related social isolation causes older adults to be vulnerable to the effects of loneliness, including increased risk to physical and mental decline, anxiety, depression, and an elevated likelihood of mortality (Levy et. al, 2018; Eldercare Locator, n.d.). Barriers to caring for lonely older adults are the effects of ageism, the increased vulnerability of this population during COVID-19, and …

Efficacy Of Integrating Cbt For Mental Health Care Into Substance Abuse Treatment In Patients With Comorbid Disorders Of Substance Abuse And Mental Illness, Laura U. Madu, Jacqueline Sharp, Bobby Bellflower

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Abstract: Multiple studies have found that psychiatric disorders, like mood disorders and substance use disorders, are highly comorbid among adults with either disorder. Integrated treatment refers to the treatment of two or more conditions and the use of multiple therapies such as the combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Integrated therapy for comorbidity per numerous studies has consistently been superior to the treatment of individual disorders separately. The purpose of this QI project was to identify the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) instead of current treatment as usual for treating Substance Use Disorder (SUD) or mental health diagnosis independently. It …

Five Love Languages: Assessment Of Marital Satisfaction In African American Couples, Freddricka C. Lee

LSU Master's Theses

This mixed-methods study examined marital satisfaction among five (n = 10) heterosexual, African American married couples. In particular, this study examined how acknowledging a partner’s love language (Chapman, 1995) can affect these couples’ level of marital satisfaction. The participants were native to the South and ranged from 26-55 years of age. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed couples were satisfied with their marriages. Although only marginally significant, the findings also revealed acknowledging a spouse’s love language was positively related to higher levels of marital satisfaction. Seven themes emerged throughout the interviews, namely communication; financial stability; understand a spouse’s …

Reducing Patient Risk For Suicidal Behaviors With A Safety Bundle Of Best Practices With Non-Psychiatric Patients, Olayemi Akindele

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Suicide is a public health condition that affects people globally. The increased suicidal behaviors of patients in a medical-surgical unit demanded an effective screening protocol to identify high-risk patients.

PICOT: In patients 18 years and older on a medical-surgical unit, does the implementation of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) tool and application of a Safety Bundle of Best Practices (SBBP) increase early identification of suicide risk with decreased patient self-harm behaviors, compared to the current standard practice of no assessment tool or safety bundle of best practices within 12 weeks?

Evidence: Ten studies served as evidence …

Socastee Interview, Participant #02, April 2, 2021, Jennifer Mokos, Jaime Mccauley

Flood Survivor Interviews

A community member of the Rosewood neighborhood in Socastee is interviewed by a CCU student.

Carrying Trauma From Birth To Work: Adverse Childhood Experiences In Law Enforcement Officers And Their Implications, Stephen Levesque

Criminology Student Work

Previous research has drawn attention to the discrepancies of mental health between civilians and sworn law enforcement officers. The extant literature shows that law enforcement officers suffer from mental health disorders at far greater rates than the general public (Henderson et al., 2015). Most of the literature focuses on the progression of an officer’s law enforcement career. Little is discussed about prior traumatic experiences in the lives of police officers, especially those experiences which leave lasting scars on officers who go on to possibly relive their own trauma through their work. The current research was intended to fill that void. …

From Isolation To Connection A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Older Adults’ Social Participation Using The Cov19-Qol Scale, Kathleen Melei Otd, Jill R. Linder Dhsc, Otr

Other Specialties

Abstract

The current study evaluated the relationship between social participation and quality of life (QoL) for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community-dwelling adults (N = 230) age 65 or older completed an online survey providing demographic data to identify changes in lifestyle routine during the pandemic using the COVID-19 Quality of Life (COV19-QoL) scores. Analyses revealed significant differences in reported lifestyle routines in relation to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and significant differences in COV19-QoL scores across various demographic groups. Results demonstrated the close relationship between social participation and QOL, assisted with identifying individuals at increased risk, and …

An Exploratory Study Of Older Adults’ Emotions To Social Isolation And Their Coping Activities During Covid-19 Pandemic, Letrice Samuels, Michele Kekeh, Muge Akpinar-Elci

College of Health Sciences Posters

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults are advised to remain in their homes and personal spaces since they are at greater risk for COVID-19 related illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Health professionals and caregivers are concerned that preventative measures, especially social isolation, may have long-term psychological and age-related effects among older adults. A survey prepared by the Center for Global Health at Old Dominion University, in collaboration with Healthy Chesapeake Inc., assessed social isolation, associated emotions, and daily coping activities of older adults in Chesapeake, Virginia. The target population included senior residents of the Cambridge Square Apartments, where Healthy Chesapeake Inc. …

An Interdisciplinary Approach: Schizophrenia Derails Heteronormative Expectations In Psychological Narratives 2021, Bobbie Jo Weaver

Master's Theses

Required introductory psychology courses teach students a general and oversimplified version of the immense number of subfields within Psychology studies, much like introductory literature classes compress different genera throughout history into a miniscule number of “representative” texts. Nevertheless, these footholds generate an entryway into a whole new world of (specialized) exploration. Reading a text such as The Quiet Room: A Journey out of the Torment of Madness by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett provides a window for many students to crawl into one of Psychology’s darkest shadows, the field of abnormal psychology. Schiller’s non-fictional memoir, The Quiet Room, tells readers …

The Policy Of Substance Abuse In Liberia: Analysis And Recommendations, Yamah Dolo

Community Engagement Student Work

Countries all over the globe are affected by substance abuse. Substance abuse is a traumatic issue that people around the world battle. Substance use has occurred for many years and seems to keep increasing. According to Parekh, “Substance use disorder (SUD) is complex a condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequence.” (Parekh, 2017). Substance abuse has a significant effect on health, an individual’s well-being, families, relationships, and the post-war community. However, with the information on Liberia, little is known about the substance abuse cases. Liberia is a country that has no health, and there …

Depression Symptoms And Covid-19, Kaylee Armendariz

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic presents new challenges in behavioral healthcare. Americans may face anxiety surrounding the virus, economic strain, isolation, and grief, putting them at increased risk for depression symptoms. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project aimed to increase depression screening rates and utilized data from a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to identify population groups at higher risk for depression symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) depression screening tool, a statistical analysis determined if being tested for COVID-19 or testing positive for COVID-19 had an impact on depression symptoms. Additionally, this project …

Social Engagement Of Nursing Home Residents: A Comparison Of Two Observation Methods, Annika Gabbard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In Kentucky, low levels of physical activity and social engagement negatively impact health. This problem led to the creation of Bingocize®, an exercise program that combines the game of Bingo with intermittent exercises in a group setting to increase levels of positive affect, physical health, and, the focus of this study, social engagement. Since clear benefits of social engagement have been established, measurement and documentation of this behavior can assist in determining the level of potential benefit from Bingocize®. The purpose of this study was to compare the opinions of healthcare workers who have experience with Bingocize® on two measures …

The Influence Of Prenatal Yoga On Mental Health In Pregnancy During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cathryn Duchette

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic poses risks to the mental health of expecting mothers as studies have demonstrated increased levels of stress and anxiety for new and expectant mothers during the pandemic. Prenatal yoga has been shown to be effective for improving mental health during pregnancy, but no research has been done to determine its effect on mental health during a pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of a 10-week prenatal yoga intervention on the mental health of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Baseline levels of anxiety and depression were high, with an average depression score …

Freefall In Reverse, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award

This poem was written as a direct response to the 22nd Vasquez Valarezo Award theme of "Discontentment." Breaking the noun "Discontentment" into its components parts allowed me to explore of the emotions and mental health states experienced by myself and my community during the "COVID summer" of 2020. Each of the poem's stanzas encourages readers to contemplate different emotional stages and the various coping mechanisms they may demand in order to regain a sense of control and stability. The poem also alludes to the value of a strong community during times of crisis, in particular the international student community of …

Moving Past The Binary: Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming Students’ Experiences Of And Perspectives On College Campus Fitness Centers, Rachel E. Petterson

Honors Projects

Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people face various mental and physical health disparities. Despite this, spaces related to health and wellness are not always inclusive. Similarly, college campuses are often not as inclusive or accommodating as they should be. This study looks at the experiences of TGNC students at campus fitness centers. Through both quantitative and qualitative data gathered through an online survey, it aims to better understand the following: the presence of inclusive facilities; the perceived importance of facility variables; use of campus fitness facilities by TGNC students; what improvements they would like to see; and how any of …

The Psychology Of Dance Medicine: Self-Perception Of Dancers, Karina Desai

Senior Theses

Derived from sports medicine, dance medicine is a subcategory that focuses on the health and well-being of dancers on a scientific and medical level. Dancers are considered “elite” athletes and artists, which requires this specific niche of medicine to study the injuries and other health-related issues that develop as a result of dancers’ unique movement. Studies show that in addition to physical injuries, dancers are also susceptible to mental health issues. There are many factors of the dance environment, such as the instructor, peers, and mirrors, that alter the self-perception of dancers. Due to dancers being required to train in …

Support For Me Key Takeaways Of The Care Integration Assessment, Rachel M. Gallo Mph, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd, Katie Rosingana Ba, Evelyn Ali Bs, Karen Pearson Mlis, Ma, Mark Richards Bs, Tyler Egeland Ba, Olivia Dooley Mpa

Substance Use Research & Evaluation

In 2019, Maine’s Department of Health & Human Services received a $2.1 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) SUPPORT Act, establishing the SUPPORT for ME initiative within the Office of MaineCare Services. The primary goal of this planning grant is to increase MaineCare providers’ capacity to deliver Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services for Medicaid beneficiaries. One key component of this project is an assessment to collect information from Maine organizations to help MaineCare better understand levels of care integrations within organizations and across several dimensions of care (“Care Integration Assessment”). This condensed …

An Art Therapist's Use Of Art Making As Self Care In Pediatric Medicine, Emily Hargraves

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This heuristic research project examines my personal use of art making as a form of self-care while interning in a pediatric hospital. The review of the literature investigates the concept of self-care and the use of art making as a therapeutic outlet for working art therapists, for professionals in the healthcare field, and for art therapy students working specifically in hospital settings. The literature suggests that self-care is a necessary process, that self-care is not just for the physical self, but also for one’s mental health. The literature also indicates that art therapists have found that art making as a …

Healthcare Altruism And Dysconscious Healthism In The Delivery Of Integrated Healthcare Services To Individuals Who Are Deaf, Hard Of Hearing, And Deafblind, Jaime A.B. Wilson, Michael John Gournaris

JADARA

Healthcare altruism and dysconscious healthism are terms proposed to recognize the barriers to healthcare access faced by not only individuals with hearing loss but also all minority populations. The implications of an integrated healthcare model to provide services to individuals who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind (D/HH/DB) are explored. Unique insights are then offered regarding existing barriers to healthcare access and the next steps.

Kesejahteraan Dan Ekologi Anak Angkat Warga Negara Indonesia Dalam Pengangkatan Anak Antarnegara (Intercountry Adoption) Menghadapi Negara Baru, Monica Sundawati Susanto, Johanna Debora Imelda

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

Adoption is currently one of the efforts chosen by several couples to have children. Adoption of children currently being processed in Indonesia is not only for prospective adoptive parents who are Indonesian citizens, but can also be processed for foreign citizens who wish to adopt Indonesian citizens (intercountry adoption) which has been regulated in the Government through Government Regulation Number 54 of 2007 concerning the Implementation of Child Adoption. In these regulations, children who can be adopted are neglected or neglected children. Therefore, adoption is carried out with the aim of protecting and improving the welfare of the child. The …