Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

What Works In Suicide Bereavement: What Helps And What Hurts?, Quintin Hunt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Suicide is one of the most painful grief experiences that any family may experience. The suicide bereavement literature, though small, is replete with research that shows family and systemic impacts of suicide. The literature also includes constant calls for family- and systemic-based intervention as every part of society is impacted. Research in the field of marriage and family therapy, however, has ignored suicide and suicide bereavement almost entirely. The purpose of this qualitative study is to develop a more thorough understand of the grief that survivors of suicide experience and to systemically understand what helps and hurts the grieving process. …

Examining The Inner Experience Of Four Individuals With Bipolar Disorder Using Descriptive Experience Sampling, Johanah Kang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong mood disorder with diagnostic criteria that provide a description of expected experiences of individuals diagnosed with BD (e.g., elevated mood, sadness, difficulty concentrating). Despite these criteria, the inner experience of these individuals is largely unknown. Understanding the inner experience of individuals diagnosed with BD may prove essential in understanding and treating BD. The present study examined the inner experience of four individuals diagnosed with BD using the Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) method (Hurlburt 1990, 1993, 2011). Results revealed all our participants had clear and prevalent experiences of sensory awareness. They also had difficulties apprehending and …

Alternations Of Nmda And Gabab Receptor Function In Development: A Potential Animal Model Of Schizophrenia, Monica Bolton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder that affects up to 3% of the world population. The behavioral symptoms are categorized into positive and negative symptoms, which appear during late adolescence/early adulthood. Unfortunately, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the disease are poorly understood. Several hypotheses exist to explain mechanisms contributing to these behavioral alterations. One model proposes that a reduced function of the NMDA glutamate receptor on specific GABAergic interneurons may be responsible for deficits in schizophrenia. Post-mortem investigations provide evidence of reductions in both glutamate and GABA-related proteins in patients with schizophrenia. Further, GABAergic interneurons that are activated …

Examining The Inner Experience Of Three Individuals With Major Depressive Disorder And Three Individuals With Bipolar Disorder, Janell Marie Mihelic

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) provide a description of expected experiences of individuals diagnosed with those disorders (e.g., sadness, expansive mood, difficulty concentrating). However, much remains unknown about the inner experience of individuals with these disorders which may prove crucial in understanding and treating these disorders. The present study examined the inner experience of three individuals with MDD and three individuals with BD using the Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) method (Hurlburt 1990, 1993, 2011). Results were not suggestive of any clear, consistent patterns of inner experience either within the MDD or BD groups …

Characteristics Of Subjects Who Avoid Activities And Participation Due To A Fear Of Falling In Parkinson’S Disease, Russell Gourlie, Spencer Sorensen, Rithea Vong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine and identify key characteristics of and differences between people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) who exhibit moderate/high fear of falling avoidance behaviors and those that exhibit low fear of falling avoidance behaviors.

Subjects: A total of 24 subjects (5 females, 19 males; mean age= 72.2, SD=9.1) participated in this study.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to identify descriptive characteristics of subjects with PD associated with moderate/high levels of fear avoidance behavior (MHA) or low levels of fear avoidance (LA) as measured by the Fear of Falling Avoidance-Behavior …

Predictors Of Resilience And Their Influence On Adaptation After Elective Abortion, Anna Marie Antonio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The literature has inconsistent findings on the impact of an induced abortion on a woman's physical and psychological well-being. The purposes of this survey research design using correlation and multiple regression analyses were to determine the relationship between protective factors, risk factors, resilience, and outcomes (positive or negative). Additionally, this study investigated whether resilience, protective factors, and risk factors could be predictive of positive or negative outcomes following induced abortion. A convenience sample of 216 women was recruited nationally from hospitals, clinics, and various organizations. Inclusion criteria included women, 18 years of age or older, living in the United States, …

School Nurses' Recognition, Attitudes, And Educational Needs Regarding The Care Of Children With School Refusal Behavior, Heather Strasser

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

School refusal behavior can prevent a child from attending school or staying in class for a full day of instruction. School nurses are often one of the first professionals in the school with the opportunity to interact with these children, recognize school refusal behavior and its debilitating impact, and positively intervene to assist these children to stay in school. Few studies have examined school nurse recognition and attitudes regarding school refusal behavior. The purpose of this study was to assess school nurses' recognition of school refusal behavior, their attitudes regarding the nursing care of children with school refusal behavior, and …