Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Acknowledging And Addressing Adolescent Depression, Johnsie Burke Hughes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A family practice was found to inconsistently screen adolescents for depression even with the necessary Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) screening tools being readily available in their electronic medical record. The development of a practice guideline that offers a systematic approach to screening using the PHQ2 and the PHQ9 will potentially result in an increased guidance and provider willingness to screen for adolescent depression in the family practice setting. The purpose of this DNP project was to determine if an algorithmic practice guideline would increase provider willingness to assess for adolescent depression and identify any barriers to the use of the …

Job Satisfaction And Turnover Among Millennial Nurses In Public Hospitals, Gwen Mancuso

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed turnover of millennial generation behavioral health nurses (MGBHNs). Because retention strategies mitigate the consequences of turnover, the purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine job satisfaction (JS) and anticipated turnover (AT) intention among MGBHNs employed in U.S. public hospitals. Research questions were focused on determining what, if any, correlation exists between AT and JS. The theoretical frameworks were Herzberg’s theory and person in environment theory. A multiple linear regression and 5 Spearman’s rho correlation analyses were used to analyze data from a convenience sample of 65 MGBHNs to understand the relationship between the independent variables …

Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Filipino Americans: Understanding Enculturation, Depression, And Anxiety, Kristoffer John Almazan Rouse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Filipino Americans have some of the highest levels of psychological distress among all Asian Americans. However, underrepresentation in psychological studies and a unique set of cultural values and norms contribute to the lack of literature on the sources of this distress among Filipino Americans. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine how aspects of cultural assimilation and norms of Filipino culture affect willingness of Filipino Americans to seek mental health services. Several factors, enculturation, anxiety, and depression, among Filipino Americans were examined to predict influence on help-seeking behaviors. A sample of 120 Filipino Americans living in the Pacific …

Methamphetamine Screening And Brief Intervention In A Hospital Heart Failure Program, Tamra Chavez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe efficacy of screening, brief, intervention, referral to treatment (SBIRT) in reducing or eliminating methamphetamine use has not been investigated and addressed among patients with heart failure. According to urine toxicology screens at admission at a county hospital, approximately 50% of patients in a heart failure program were positive for illicit substance use, and the majority of these tests (>60%) were for methamphetamine use, one of the most cardiotoxic drugs available. This quantitative study used an existing dataset to test the theory of intentional behavior by examining whether SBIRT intervention increases the patient’s ability to make a behavioral change …

‘Presumptively Initiating Vaccines And Optimizing Talk With Motivational Interviewing’ (Pivot With Mi) Trial: A Protocol For A Luster Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Clinician Vaccine Communication Intervention, Douglas J. Opel, Jeffrey D. Robinson, Heather Spielvogle, Christine Spina, Kathleen Garrett, Amanda F. Dempsey, Cathryn Perreira, Miriam Dickinson, Chuan Zhou, Barbara Pahud, Multiple Additional Authors

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction A key contributor to under immunisation is parental refusal or delay of vaccines due to vaccine concerns. Many clinicians lack confidence in communicating with vaccine-hesitant parents (VHP) and perceive that their discussions will do little to change parents’ minds. Improving clinician communication with VHPs is critical to increasing childhood vaccine uptake.

Methods and analysis We describe the protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial to test the impact of a novel, multifaceted clinician vaccine communication strategy on child immunisation status. The trial will be conducted in 24 primary care practices in two US states (Washington and Colorado). The strategy …

Translator Of Soliloquies: Fugues In The Key Of Dissociation, Seo-Young J. Chu

Publications and Research

Chu, Seo-Young. “Translator of Soliloquies: Fugues in the Key of Dissociation” (chapbook). Black Warrior Review 46.2, Spring 2020.

Addressing The Elephant On The Stage: Mental Health In Theatre Education, Alexandra M. Meridionale

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examined the ways in which present-day 6^th through 12^th grade theatre educators approach the topic of mental health, both implicitly and explicitly, in theatre education. Through a survey of existing literature, as well as interviews with 6^th through 12^th grade theatre educators, the researcher examined ways in which theatre educators were aware of the mental health needs of their students in any of the following capacities: explicit discussions regarding mental health, theatre curriculum, show selection, script analysis, and casting choices.

The reveal the educator perception that mental health issues are increasingly relevant to 6 …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Hiv Treatment And Research: A Call To Action, Tiffany Chenneville, Kemesha Gabbidon, Patricia Hanson, Cashea Holyfield

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is far reaching, with devastating effects on individuals, communities, and societies across the world. People with chronic health conditions may be at greater risk of contracting or experiencing complications from COVID-19. In addition to illness or death for those who contract the virus, the physical distancing required to flatten the curve of new cases is having a negative impact on the economy, the effects of which intersect with mental health and other existing health concerns, thus affecting marginalized communities. Given that HIV also has a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, COVID-19 is affecting people …

Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: Treating Depression And Anxiety With Mushrooms, Sofia Beck

Physician Assistant Studies | Student Authored Articles

Depression and anxiety are debilitating mental health conditions that affect a large portion of the United States. Current pharmacological treatments for these disorders require daily administration, are associated with a number of side effects, and can be ineffective for some. Emerging evidence in novel treatment options may necessitate a shift toward how we treat these psychiatric disorders.

Studies involving the psychedelic serotonin agonist, psilocybin, are currently experiencing a resurgence as an alternative for patients who are unresponsive to traditional treatments. Clinical trials using psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy have demonstrated sustained reductions in depression and/or anxiety symptoms. When used in …

Appreciative Inquiry Of An Exemplary Trauma Informed Wellness Center Created For The Community And Families Affected By A School Shooting, Halle Solomon

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Gun violence has flooded our society with human-caused disasters, making mass shootings an unfortunate new normal. In the wake of large- scale shootings, the United States Government and other agencies provide financial support and resources to the affected community in hopes of bringing solidarity to the fractured system. This financial reinforcement and other funding sources have been utilized to build resiliency centers within a certain distance of the unnerving events. Resiliency facilities play a pivotal role in helping communities recover from human-caused disasters such as mass shootings. These resources are becoming customary across the country, with resiliency centers in Newton, …

Sin Papeles: The Experiences Of Undocumented Central American Immigrants In The United States, Elizabeth Jarquin

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

In the United States, the topic of immigration represents a source of intense debate, which has escalated in recent years. Research indicates that Latinx immigrants are negatively impacted by current immigration policies— they are feeling afraid, angry, exhausted, defeated, overwhelmed, and concerned about themselves and their family (Castrellón, Rivarola, & López, 2017; Wray-Lake et al., 2018). This research, however, has largely neglected the Central American subgroup and the experiences of undocumented immigrants. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of undocumented Central American immigrants and their families within the current sociopolitical context. I utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis …

Happy Tears: An Evocative Autoethnography On An Adoptee’S Development Of Identity Through Reunification, Jessica Popham

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The story of adoption reunions is a story of many others. With the invention of the internet and DNA profiling websites, what was once impossible, or very difficult, is now as simple as submitting saliva to a DNA profiling company. This easier way to explore family backgrounds has created new experiences for adoptees. After a reunification, adoptees can reevaluate their identity with the new information to help develop a broader and deeper view of themselves (Henze-Pederson, 2019; Kiecolt & LoMascolo, 2003; Palmer, 2011; Schooler & Norris, 2002). In this study, I looked at how my adoptive identity changed after reunification …

Exploring The Professional Development Of Mft Students Enrolled In Equine Assisted Family Therapy Coursework: An Experiential Learning Modality, Natalie Rothman

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Equine assisted activities have been utilized in various manners with multiple populations in therapeutic and educational environments. A graduate level marriage and family therapy program in South Florida is currently offering Equine Assisted Relational Learning (EARL) activities focused on teaching a specific sub-model of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), known as Equine Assisted Family Therapy (EAFT). The experiential nature of EAP and EARL transforms abstract concepts such as thoughts and mannerisms into tangible experiences, as well as highlights behavioral patterns. The unique and innovative theoretical foundation of EAFT is being taught, demonstrated, and utilized to assist graduate level therapists with professional …

The Conundrum Of Both/And In A World Of Either/Or: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Resilience And Intersectional Identities In Queer Women Of Afro-Caribbean Descent, Stephane Louis

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Queer people of color are more at risk for bias and brutality than other sexual or racial minority groups (Follins, Walker, & Lewis, 2014). Homophobic violence is embedded in Afro-Caribbean culture and even substantiated by some of those countries’ laws (Calixte, 2005). While more research is being increasingly done on LGBTQ+ black lived experiences, studies have focused more on discriminatory trauma than everyday triumph. Movements like Black Girls Rock (Bond, 2018) and intersectional black feminism (Nash, 2018) celebrate women of color surviving and thriving the compound effects of racism and sexism. In addition to misogynoir, this research gave consideration to …

The Impact Of Grief Work On Hospice Mental Health Providers Through A Bowen Family Systems Lens, Joshua Hernandez

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Marriage and family therapists and other mental health professionals and clients can be thought of as their own, divine emotional unit, generating and distributing the anxiety of one to the other. In fact, Kerr and Bowen (1988) described anxiety as a driving force exchanged by every living organism, and the energy surrounded by every human relationship. Within a hospice setting, anxiety can be heightened due to catering to end-of-life care, which can potentially affect the emotional response and reactivity of the mental health professional, changing the course of treatment for the patient and their family. Emerging research within healthcare has …

Description Of Mental Health Responses On An Electronic Ppe At A Ncaa Division I Institution: A Pilot Study, Megan Blomberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to improve the effectiveness of mental health screening forms that are used during the preparticipation physical exam, or PPE, process and to help start a discuss about the need for further mental health resources. This study aimed to look at the prevalence of mental illness being reported at a Division I Institution and whether we are receiving consistent answers across various forms. We pulled the data from all 750 student-athletes that competed during the 2017-18 academic year at South Dakota State University (SDSU) and looked specifically at their answers on the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and …

Early Adolescent Social Isolation, Hope, And Well-Being During A Pandemic, Alicen Hauck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social isolation is often divided into two subcategories of objective and subjective. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in objective social isolation in the form of social distancing and fewer social events. Research delineating the relationship between social isolation and adolescent well-being utilize measures of subjective social isolation. Whereas, measures of objective social isolation are more commonly used with geriatric populations. Therefore, there is a lack of information specific to the impact of objective social isolation on adolescent well-being, particularly during a pandemic. The effects of social isolation due to COVID-19 will not be short lived. Deciphering the …

Covid-19, Telehealth, And Substance Use Disorders, Stacey A. Tovino

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

The Correlation Between Maternal Postpartum Depression And Child Psychopathology, T'Keyah I. Vaughan

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a phenomenon that affects nearly 10-15% of pregnancies in the US. It is characterized by depressed mood or anhedonia and lasting for more than 2 weeks. PPD changes how moms interact with family members and child-rearing behavior. Depression is a phenomenon that is also known to affect the psychopathology of children. However, the specifics of how postpartum depression impacts children remains controversial. Many studies do not control for major depressive disorder which makes it difficult to disentangle the impact depression has within the first year of life. Furthermore, other PPD risk factors may be confounding …

Transcriptomic Profiling Of Postmortem Prefrontal Cortex And Nucleus Accumbens From Chronic Alcohol Abusers., Eric S. Vornholt

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a debilitating psychiatric illness that develops from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. While it is well documented that AUD is heritable, the shift from recreational alcohol use to abuse/dependence is poorly understood. In this dissertation, using postmortem brain tissue from individuals with alcohol dependence (AD), we profiled the genome-wide expression of circular RNA (circRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA) to better understand the impact of gene expression on the development of AUD. To achieve this, we performed two independent studies that explore transcriptome differences between AD cases and controls. The first of …

Can School Be A Source Of Trauma? Assessing Academic Traumatic Stress As A Mechanism Underlying The Health Outcomes Of Black Undergraduate Students, Ebony A. Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

Research examining Black students’ school experiences demonstrates that exposure to oppressive power dynamics in schools may lead to adverse physiological and psychological consequences. Recent conceptualizations in public discourse further posit that traumatic educational experiences, operationalized here as academic trauma or the cumulative toll of adverse and oppressive experiences in academic settings, may influence Black students’ wellbeing even after they have graduated. However, academic trauma has yet to be investigated empirically, and the health contributions of such educational harm remain unstudied. Moreover, little is known about how culturally-relevant personal characteristics (e.g., emotion regulation strategies) influence Black students’ reactivity to academic trauma. …

Individual Ems Disposition In The Prehospital Setting To Predict Future Opioid Overdose And Mortality, Lillie Valliere

Global Public Health | Senior Theses

Introduction

There have been over 400,000 deaths related to prescription opioids in the US since 1999, with the highest prevalence among individuals aged 45-54 years old. However, adults between the ages of 18 and 34 have the highest prevalence of misuse of prescription opioids. With accidental overdoses as a leading cause of death, Marin County is just one community that is heavily impacted by this ongoing epidemic. Statistics related to non-fatal and fatal opioid overdoses are difficult to accurately count due to the differing ways counties may categorize cause of death, diagnoses, and other contributing factors. However, looking at 911 …

Evidence-Based Diagnosis Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using Quantitative Electroencephalography, Roger Yoder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is challenging and is currently, diagnosis through self-administered checklists. Because a diagnosis of PTSD can open up significant benefits to compensation, education, and medical care, people can tailor their responses to the checklist to help ensure a diagnosis of PTSD. The purpose of the study was to examine the utility of the quantitative electroencephalograph for diagnosing PTSD. Frequency and presence of biomarkers and alpha brain wave symmetry in the frontal and parietal lobes were examined. Research questions involved examining the presence of alpha wave imbalance across the frontal lobe and between the right and left …

The Impact Of Mental Health First Aid Training On Law Enforcement Officer Mental Health Literacy, Cindy J. Blankenship

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of juvenile offenders with untreated mental health issues are entering the justice system. Lack of adequate training of criminal justice personnel enhances the possibility of this population being arrested which is creating an overwhelming problem for stakeholders. This study sought to determine if the implementation of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training impacted law enforcement officers’ (LEOs’) mental health literacy. This mixed-methods study used a quasi-experimental, one-group, pretest-posttest design, with a qualitative survey. Participants consisted of a sample of 28 LEOs from a rural Southeastern United States law enforcement agency. Study findings indicated that MHFA training increased …

The Substantiality Of The Neuroplasticity Hypothesis Of Major Depressive Disorder: The Prospective Use Of Ketamine-Like Drugs As Antidepressants, Roma Kankaria

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects approximately 17.3 million adults in the United States each year. For more than 50 years, the serotonin hypothesis of MDD, which hypothesizes that a deficiency of monoaminergic neurotransmitters results in depression, has been the foundation for neuropsychological research. However, studies reveal that only an estimated 50% of MDD patients respond to traditional, biogenic-amine-based antidepressants (ADs), like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Research has noted that the neuroplasticity hypothesis, which posits that weakened excitatory synaptic transmission results in depression, offers an alternative mechanism by which ketamine-like drugs lacking the abuse liability and psychoactive effects of …

Gut Microbiome Analysis In Morphine Exposure And Naltrexone-Induced Withdrawal, Nick Rapp, Sean O'Sullivan, James Schwaber

Phase 1

Introduction and Objectives: Relatively little is understood about the underlying physiological changes that occur in the withdrawal state of opiate users. Research on the effects of alcohol withdrawal on the Gut-brain axis (GBA) has revealed shifts in relative numbers of specific bacterial species that correlate with increased central nervous system (CNS) inflammation via neurological crosstalk. The purpose of this research was to determine if similar shifts in the relative abundance of bacterial populations occur in the opiate withdrawal state.

Methods: Fourteen rats were randomized into four groups. Control and experimental rats were administered 75 mg morphine pellets or placebo (sugar) …

The Effect Of Perceived Physician Opinion On Breastfeeding In Women With Opioid Use Disorder Who Are Receiving Medication-Assisted Treatment, Lacey Murray, Meghan Gannon, Phd, Vanessa Short, Phd, Mph

Phase 1

Women who receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) are less likely to breastfeed than the general population despite the many possible benefits to the newborn. The ongoing study examines the effect of perceived physician opinion on the outcome of breastfeeding in women receiving MAT for OUD. Women who were receiving MAT for OUD at Thomas Jefferson University’s Family Center were given a survey during their third trimester (n=45), and at 1 month postpartum (n=33) to gather information on the perceived opinion of their physicians on how they should feed their baby and the importance of those opinions. …

Training The Next Generation Of Family Medicine Providers Through Group Buprenorphine-Naloxone Visits, Krystina Callahan, Lara Weinstein, Md, Erica Li, Md, Sunny Lai, Md, Alexis Silverio

Phase 1

Introduction: The rise in opioid use disorders (OUD) and fatal overdoses highlight the need to expand access to and capacity for treating OUD. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), a medication/group visit model, done in the office setting, is an effective remedy for treating OUD. Understanding residents’ perspectives on their clinical training in MAT can inform the design of a more effective and responsive curriculum.

Methods: A qualitative study using group semi-structured interviews with residents in an urban family medicine residency rotating through a federally qualified health center. Interviews centered on strengths and weaknesses of the MAT program, resident likeliness to …

Gabapentin Drug Misuse Signals: A Pharmacovigilance Assessment Using The Fda Adverse Event Reporting System, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Jiangwen Sun, Richard J. Charnigo, Michelle R. Lofwall, Sharon L. Walsh, Jennifer R. Havens

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Background: Although there have been increasing reports of intentional gabapentin misuse, epidemiological evidence for the phenomenon is limited. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are pharmacovigilance abuse signals for gabapentin.

Methods: Using FDA Adverse Events Reporting System reports from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2015, we calculated pharmacovigilance signal measures (i.e., reporting odds ratio, proportional reporting ratio, information component, and empirical Bayes geometric mean) for abuse-related adverse event (AR-AE)-gabapentin pairs. Loglinear modeling assessed the frequency of concurrent reporting of abuse-related and abusespecific AEs (AS-AEs) associated with gabapentin. Findings were compared to a positive (pregabalin) and …

Proceedings Of The 2020 Undergraduate Research Conference, Ryan C. Winters, Baylee E. Guillory, Baton Rouge Community College, Grambling State University, Louisiana College, Louisiana State University, Mcneese State University, Northwestern State University Of Louisiana, Southern University And A&M College, University Of Louisiana At Lafayette

Advance: Student Research Experience

Proceedings of the 2020 Undergraduate Research Conference, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, November 9-10, 2020.