Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Moderating Effect Of Socioeconomic Status And Walkability On The Efficacy Of Physical Activity Interventions, Analisa Vavoso, Vincent Berardi, Marc A. Adams

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

To enable physical activity (PA) interventions to better tailor procedures to participant characteristics, we investigated the role of neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and walkability on the differential effectiveness of adaptive versus static activity goals (AG vs. SG) and immediate versus delayed (IR vs. DR) reinforcement in a PA trial.

Data was collected as a part of the WalkIT Arizona study, where healthy, inactive adults (n = 512) were instructed to wear an accelerometer daily for one year and were provided with daily goals for moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). The intersection of goal types (adaptive and static) as well as reinforcement types …

Utilizing Art Therapy To Address Perfectionism In Patients Suffering From Eating Disorders: The Need To Diversify Treatment Approaches, Zara Goldberg

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Perfectionistic behaviors are highly common in people with eating disorders. This study investigates the relationship between perfectionism, shame, and the ways in which art therapy can be utilized as a primary tool in eating disorder treatment. Based on the research below and the results of this study, integrating art therapy protocols in combination with talk based theoretical work around perfectionism can improve recovery and decrease struggles with perfectionism in persons with eating disorders. Patients at a residential eating disorder center participated in four consecutive weekly group therapy sessions that integrated art therapy protocols into a preexisting talk therapy based group …

Examining The Effects Of Acute And Chronic Stress On The Interrogative Suggestibility Of Young Adults, Claudia Cota

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

High-stress situations, like police interrogations, can hinder an individual's decision-making and critical-thinking ability (Liston et al., 2009), making them more susceptible to suggestive or leading messages during questioning. While research on suggestibility mainly focuses on children and adolescents, young adults may also be vulnerable to suggestion because of their sensitivity to social feedback (Blakemore & Mills, 2014; Redlich & Goodman, 2003). Since the legal consequences of suggestibility for young adults are more severe than for children or adolescents, it is essential to examine the role of stress in young adults' suggestibility. The present study used objective and subjective methods to …

Trends And Barriers In Service Utilization In Underrepresented Ethnoracial Groupswith Autism Spectrum Disorder In The United States: A Mixed-Method Analysis, Sadaf Khawar

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Caregivers with autistic children, particularly from minoritized populations, experience significant barriers while navigating the complex healthcare system, including acquiring services. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what these barriers are in order to inform policymaking initiatives to support families. Notably, there is a significant gap in extant literature to explore trends in service use and unique experiences of caregivers of autistic youth from three historically underrepresented groups in research (and currently not in the parameters of the United States census): 1) South Asian, 2) Middle Eastern and North African (MENA), and 3) East African. This study employed a mixed-method design …

Betrayal As A Moderator Of Covid-19 Exposure And Ptsd Symptoms, Karly Sara Weinreb

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been interest in understanding how individuals have fared regarding their mental health symptoms, such as symptoms of PTSD. Prior studies have established a link between COVID-19 and PTSD without considering how COVID-19 may relate to the four PTSD symptom clusters. Further, those who feel betrayed by either an individual or institution tend to have more severe PTSD (Martin et al., 2013). It is possible that individuals felt a level of both interpersonal and institutional betrayal towards other individuals or institutions for exposing them to environments in which there was a risk of …

Vulnerability Of Semantic Networks In Multiple Sclerosis: An Analysis Of Verbal Fluency Data, Sophia Lall

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Word finding difficulty is a frequently reported subjective cognitive concern among persons with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS). Word-finding relies on several information retrieval processes, including search and retrieval from the conceptual store, the phonological store, the syllabary, as well as other stores of information. Neuropsychological assessments, including the semantic verbal fluency measure, can be used to measure word retrieval abilities. Despite this, the MS research literature shows that neuropsychological assessment of semantic verbal fluency yields mixed results in detecting word-finding difficulties. While some studies report finding statistically lower semantic fluency scores in pwMS relative to healthy controls (HC), others found no …

Does Appearance Matter? The Relationship Of Perceived Body Size And Physical Appearance On Students' Attraction To Physical Activity At Recess, Danielle Belcher

Master's Theses

Drastic declines in recess physical activity (PA) have been observed within recent years (Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2017). Due to recess’ discretionary nature, psychosocial variables associated with PA are predictors of students’ PA levels. Recess is also a time of heightened bullying occurrences (Vaillancourt et al., 2010). Appearance-based bullying is the most common type of victimization that occurs in schools, transpiring more often in children with larger body max indexes (BMI), and possibly altering students’ physical self-perceptions. Physical self-perceptions have been shown to impact PA motivation, however, it is still unknown the extent to which appearance-based bullying, body size, …

Examining The Effects Of Menstrual Cycle Phase And Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Women's Sleep, Charles Ethan Coombs

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women overrepresent men for sub-optimal sleep, a consequence of hormone fluctuation in the menstrual cycle affecting sleep regulatory pathways. While research has examined the prevalence of sub-optimal sleep through cycle phases, little research has examined how hormonal contraceptives (HC’s) could similarly affect women’s sleep, while also neglecting to utilize subjective sleep measures. In this study, we examine subjective sleep quality among naturally cycling (NC) women, women using different HC types, and between active and inactive phase pill users by subjecting 463 women to a subjective sleep battery. We hypothesized that HC users would report more sub-optimal sleep than NC women. …

The Effect Of Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Dominance And Prestige Tactics, Carson Chappell

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between hormonal contraceptives and prestige and dominance status-seeking tactics. Existing literature has examined how the hormones estrogen and progesterone, especially in relation to the fertile window of the menstrual cycle, are associated with prestige and dominance but has yet to look in depth at how hormonal contraceptives might alter this impact. The current study asked participants to complete a 22- item questionnaire assessing dominance and prestige. I hypothesized that women on hormonal contraceptives would have lower scores for prestige and dominance compared to women who are naturally cycling. The results did not …

The Role Of Cosmopolitan Orientation In Covid-19-Related Attitudes: Perceived Threats And Opportunities, Vaccination Willingness, And Support For Collective Containment Efforts, Angela K. Y. Leung, Brandon Koh, Verity Yu Qing Lua, James H. Liu, Sarah Y. Choi, I-Ching Lee, Michelle Lee, Mei-Hua Lin, Darrin Hodgetts, Sylvia X. Chen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Cosmopolitan individuals identify themselves as "citizens of the world." In the present research, we tested the idea that endorsing a cosmopolitan orientation (CO) is adaptive in the COVID-19 crisis. Cosmopolitan individuals more readily transcend national parochialism, show greater concern for all humanity, and prioritize collective interests. In a two-wave multi-region investigation with six samples from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the U.S., we first established longitudinal and cross-cultural measurement invariance of the CO scale. Next, we found that people with a higher CO tended to perceive over time a greater threat posed by COVID-19, take more safety measures, …

Perceptions Of Metabolic Syndrome Management Utilization In Relation With Patient Characteristics And Health-Related Quality Of Life, Olajide Adekunle

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Challenges in managing MetS include untreated risk factors and ineffective management, resulting in poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A significant factor contributing to these challenges is the underutilization of management services, possibly due to patients' perceptions of disease management resource utilization (PMU). Therefore, understanding patients' PMU is crucial for improving health outcomes. The study investigated PMU, explored PMU predictors, and investigated the impact of PMU and patients’ demographics on HRQoL. Using a cross-sectional design, data on perceptions of healthcare, medication, and pharmacy service utilization, prior experience with pharmacy services, demographics, and HRQoL were collected from adult individuals with obesity …

My Daily Grounds: A Journal Of Creative Alchemy, Kathleen A. Donovan

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

My Daily Grounds: A Journal of Creative Alchemy is a project intended to renew artistic confidence and prepare a mindset for a writing retreat in Ireland in June 2024 by revisiting childhood memories and exploring the impact of early domestic abuse through a visual journaling process. This endeavor aims to stir up the creative voice and find authenticity in creation by gathering and clarifying personal data visually, following the Creative (CPS) approach to unlock new insights and ideas for writing. The resulting essays will illuminate the unseen effects of trauma and are intended for publication, reflecting a co-creative process between …

Program Curricula For Preparing Medical Professionals On Early Childhood Mental Health, Socio-Emotional Development, And Adverse Childhood Experiences In Primary Care Settings: A Phenomenological Study, Jesutomilola O. Olayemi

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Primary care settings serve as the frontline for addressing the holistic well-being of individuals and particularly for children, they play a pivotal role in shaping early childhood experiences. Pediatric primary care physicians are pivotal in addressing the scarcity of mental health resources for children aged zero to five. There is limited knowledge regarding the competence of pediatric primary care providers in providing developmentally appropriate mental health care in early childhood. Therefore, this phenomenological study examined how early childhood mental health, social-emotional development, and adverse childhood experiences and their related screening practices were integrated into the curricula for preparing prospective pediatric …

Regression Discontinuity Designs Within A Latent Variable Framework: Measurement Considerations For The Accuracy Of The Treatment Effect, Sarah Hammami

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Regression discontinuity designs are valuable quasi-experimental designs, especially when randomized control/clinical trials are ethically or practically challenging. Latent variables are prevalent in the social, behavioral, and educational (SBE) sciences—measurement assumptions have to be tested and met when using such variables. Not meeting those assumptions leads to biased results and (likely) erroneous inferential making. One way to minimize the impact of measurement assumption violation is to use latent variable modeling such as structural equation modeling (SEM). Soland, Johnson and Talbert (2022) conducted two simulation studies testing the effect of using a sum score (when the assumptions for using such a score …

Lessons In Persistence, Syble Heffernan

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

LESSONS IN PERSISTENCE is a thesis that operates within the tradition of writing about trauma and resilience, taking up themes of mental illness, class, colonialism, loss of a parent, navigating queerness in a conservative Christian context, and reckoning with gender-based violence and expectations directed toward people socialized as women. The use of ecopoetics highlights the relationship between traumas to the earth brought about by climate change, war, and worldwide suffering, and those brought upon the human body (specifically marginalized bodies) by grief, illness, abuse, and the loss of self. The collection ultimately aims to establish explicit connections between internal and …

Psychology Of Athletes: Impact Of Injuries On Mental Health, Caitlin Rainey

Whittier Scholars Program

This article aims to contextualize the importance of understanding injuries in athletics and how those injuries impact mental health. With such a high prevalence of injuries in athletics, most studies analyze the physical implications on the athlete. It is vital that mental well being is studied as much as physical health throughout the injury and rehabilitation process. This study reviewed previous literature on the social impacts of team sports, psychological and social implications of injury, the impact of residual pain, and finally the process of retirement. A survey was also conducted at a small liberal arts college in Southern California …

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Self-Care In Young Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Holly Berry-Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction

The prevalence of prediabetes in adults aged 18 or older was as high as 38% between 2017-2020. Youth-onset T2DM is a more aggressive phenotype than T2DM that occurs later in life. Young adults with T2DM have poorer health outcomes, lose an average of 15 years of life, all resulting in significant economic burden impacting the person. Current self-management interventions do not improve health outcomes in young adults with T2DM.

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to explore the self-care experiences of young adults living with T2DM.

Methods

Existential hermeneutic phenomenology informed the research. Inclusion criteria as follows: adults …

End-Of-Life Patient Communication: Exploring Comfort, Communication And Education Of Healthcare Professionals For End-Of-Life Care, Madison Gremillion

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Historically, the medical field has viewed death and dying as incurable ‘medical failures,’ and as a result, many healthcare professionals have difficulties when facing a patient who is dying or at the end of their life. These individuals will use avoidant behavior to avoid end-of-life (EOL) patients or can have difficulty providing essential aspects of care including communication, that contribute to building a strong relationship between the healthcare provider and patient. For the healthcare professional (HCP), this can stem from anxiety related to thoughts of death and a lack of educational support or experience. The study of death is where …

Sufferance For Snuff Puffs: The Acceptability And Behavior Of Smoking Marijuana And Tobacco Inside The House, Eusabeia Silfanus, Oliver Lopez, Vincent Berardi

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Secondhand smoke (SHS) released from indoor smoking contributes to household air pollution, releasing large quantities of fine particulate matter which can pose negative health outcomes, especially for developing children who spend most of their time at home. The increased legalization of marijuana increases its recreational and medicinal use along with its acceptability. With tobacco use remaining prevalent, the use of marijuana and/or tobacco remains common and may occur inside the home. Project Fresh Air conducted in San Diego County studies the air quality in households (n = 298) with at least one adult smoking tobacco and/or marijuana living with at …

Going, Going, Gone: The Influence Of Job And Home Demands And Resources On Emergency Department Nurse Turnover, Jordan Gail Smith

All Dissertations

Nurse turnover, which challenged healthcare organizations even before the pandemic, reached alarming rates across hospitals worldwide during COVID-19. Due to the unprecedented and stressful nature of the pandemic, recent investigations have focused primarily on exploring job demands and nurse turnover intentions. While job demands are critical to understanding turnover, this narrow scope ignores the possible influence of other factors such as job resources and demands and resources external to the work domain. This study utilized archival qualitative data from a longitudinal survey of Emergency Department clinicians to analyze research questions and hypotheses. The first aim of this study was to …

Do Executive Functions Buffer Against Covid-19 Fear And Stress? A Latent Variable Approach, Tina Li Yi Ng, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Verity Yu Qing Lua, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Levels of COVID-19 stress have soared worldwide as a result of the pandemic. Given the pernicious psychological and physiological effects of stress, there is an urgent need for us to protect populations against the pandemic’s psychological impact. While there exists literature documenting the prevalence of COVID-19 stress among various populations, insufficient research has investigated psychological factors that might mitigate this worrying trend. To address this gap in the literature, the current study seeks to examine executive functions as a potential cognitive buffer against COVID-19 stress. To do so, the study adopted a latent variable approach to examine three latent factors …

Evaluating Mental Health Outcomes In Covid-19 Icu Survivors: A Scoping Review Of Measurement Tools, Kimberly T'Ng, Justin Kenardy, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to map the range of measurement tools used to study the prevalence of common mental health conditions in COVID-19 ICU survivors. Introduction: Increased rates of admission to and survivorship from intensive care units (ICUs) have been observed in recent years, particularly during the global pandemic. ICU patients are at a higher risk of developing depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Due to the high burden of disease, an accurate understanding of long-term mental health challenges for this population is key. Unfortunately, there is significant variability in reported prevalence rates. Heterogeneity in measurement tools …

The C-Terminal Domain Of Minc Inhibits Assembly Of The Z Ring In Escherichia Coli, Gabriel R Fries, Sarah H Sperry, Tamsyn E Van Rheenen, Emma Morton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Cross-Cohort Replicable Resting-State Functional Connectivity In Predicting Symptoms And Cognition Of Schizophrenia, Chunzhi Zhao, Rongtao Jiang, Juan Bustillo, Peter Kochunov, Jessica A Turner, Chuang Liang, Zening Fu, Daoqiang Zhang, Shile Qi, Vince D Calhoun

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a debilitating mental illness characterized by adolescence or early adulthood onset of psychosis, positive and negative symptoms, as well as cognitive impairments. Despite a plethora of studies leveraging functional connectivity (FC) from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to predict symptoms and cognitive impairments of SZ, the findings have exhibited great heterogeneity. We aimed to identify congruous and replicable connectivity patterns capable of predicting positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive impairments in SZ. Predictable functional connections (FCs) were identified by employing an individualized prediction model, whose replicability was further evaluated across three independent cohorts (BSNIP, SZ …

Comparative Analysis Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy’S Effectiveness In An Intensive Outpatient Program Setting, Efrain Frank Ellin Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a comparative analysis of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and treatment as usual (TAU) within an intensive outpatient program setting, evaluating their effectiveness in enhancing various dimensions of psychological well-being. Guided by two main research questions, the study investigates whether ACT demonstrates greater or equal effectiveness compared to TAU and if it provides more immediate effects on psychological well-being within three weeks. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design, the research incorporates a comprehensive array of measurement tools to assess outcomes related to anxiety, depression, stress, psychological flexibility, cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, mindfulness self-efficacy, and life satisfaction among participants. The …

Examining Theoretically Derived Mechanisms Underlying The Relationships Between Sexual Arousal, Alcohol Use History, And Sexual Aggression, Kailey Ann Richner

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Various interventions have attempted to reduce the rates of sexual violence perpetrated by college men; however, meta-analyses suggest interventions need to further evaluate theoretically derived mechanisms to improve outcomes (Malamuth et al., 2018; DeGue et al., 2014; Vladutiu, et al., 2011). To address this concern, the present study utilized the Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending (ITSO; Ward et al., 2016; Ward & Beech, 2008; 2006) to explore mechanisms underlying the relationships between sexual arousal, alcohol use history (AUH), and sexual aggression. Working memory, impulsivity, and affective forecasting paradigms were selected to map onto the ITSO’s neuropsychological mechanisms. The interaction between …

Art Therapy For Bereaved Siblings After Pediatric Cancer Death, Daniela Ramirez-Ibarra

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Children and adolescents whose siblings die due to pediatric cancer are at an increased risk for several mental health issues and high risky behavior engagement. There is currently very little literature on the topic of a sibling’s grief despite its potentially critical and persisting consequences. Through qualitative research in analyzing art projects made by bereaved siblings, this is an exploratory study of how an art program may help bereaved or grieving children access their feelings using a non verbal modality of expression. The research study was conducted at a community-based non-profit organization which focuses on supporting families of children with …

Reframing Addiction As A Coping Response: A Needed Shift In Modern Public Health Paradigms, Anthony King

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

What are the primary risk factors that compel one person towards addiction and not another? After decades of research, there is still no clear consensus. Some experts say addiction is a brain disease; others say it is a willful act, or even an outright crime. Nevertheless, the three research studies contained within this dissertation suggest an alternative, more parsimonious public-health-centered framework for viewing addictive behavioral patterns: as a biopsychosocial coping strategy for past and present stressors. In Study 1, this idea was examined by evaluating how symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were associated with problem gambling severity, different gambling …

Examining The Risks And Resilience Of Older Adults Living With Hiv/Aids: Qualitative Community-Based Participatory Research Studies In Southern Nevada, Brandon Ranuschio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the height of the HIV pandemic in the 1980s, medical interventions have significantly increased the life expectancy of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) and made HIV/AIDS a livable, chronic health condition. Because of this, PLWH have been living longer lives and thriving with the help of HIV sector healthcare and service providers. However, with their longer life expectancy, older PLWH have been experiencing other health challenges. One such challenge is the risk of developing HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND), which is a condition that affects up to 50% of PLWH at some point in their lifetime, with middle-aged and older …

Effect Of Asynchronous Virtual Interviews On Ethnic Minority Matriculation Into A Doctor Of Physical Therapy Program, Conner Clark, Nanea Lagasca, Gladys Miller, Jasmine Puspos

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Methods: This study examines the impact of the use of asynchronous virtual interviews (AVIs) in the admissions process of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This research aims to examine racial and ethnic subgroup differences in AVI scores, evaluate the influence of AVIs on applicant scores in the admissions process, and assess the AVI inter-rater reliability among faculty evaluators using data from the 2019-2022 admissions cycles.

Results: Significant differences were found in AVI scores among racial and ethnic groups, with Black applicants scoring highest and Asian applicants scoring lowest. Additionally, inclusion …