Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

When Your Spouse Is Addicted: How To Avoid Enabling And Get To Reality, Jason B. Whiting

Faculty Publications

Addiction manifests in a variety of ways, from the most severe heroin junkie, to the compulsive spender. It can include drug or alcohol dependence, compulsive pornography use, gambling, obsessive eating, lying, toxic relationships, or even Netflix. When does a habit become an addiction? Any behavior can begin as pleasure or escape, but in the case of addiction, the actions become demands. Addictions are secretive habits the person has unsuccessfully tried to stop, and that have disrupted work and home. An addiction takes an outsized role in the addict’s life and affects those they love.

Social Support Strategies In Online Forums Among Adult Offspring Of Parents With Harmful Alcohol Use, Marie Haverfield, John Leustek, Christine Timko

Faculty Publications

The authors categorized communication strategies employed to exchange social support (type and person centeredness) in three online forums about parents with harmful drinking. Data included discussion postreplies over 2 months; N = 1,644 units of analysis. Support type categories were identification, emotional, informational, network, and esteem. For person centeredness, most messages were moderate (expressed sympathy, provided distraction), followed by high (helped with feelings), and then low (minimized feelings). Adult offspring of parents with harmful drinking predominantly communicate self-interested forms of support in online forums. Based on principles of supportive communication, esteem support and high person centeredness may enhance social support …

A Social Network Study To Improve Collaborative Partnerships Among The Southeastern Health Equity Council (Shec), Candace Forbes Bright, Hannah Scott, Braden Bagley, Jonathan Dennis

Faculty Publications

This report presents research conducted on the relationships among and attributes of members of the Southeastern Health Equity Council (SHEC, herein Council) to provide recommendations for partnerships, collaboration, and the recruitment of new members. The background, methods, results, and recommendations are outlined in detail throughout this report. Social networks are measured and defined as connections among people, organization, and/or other units. SNA is a valuable and innovative tool for recognizing strengths and weaknesses in collaborative partnerships. The evaluative study presented herein can be replicated in other councils within the Regional Health Equity Councils to improve collaborations not only among SHEC …

Mediodorsal Thalamic Neurons Mirror The Activity Of Medial Prefrontal Neurons Responding To Movement And Reinforcement During A Dynamic Dnmtp Task, Rikki L.A. Miller Phd, Miranda J. Francoeur, Brett M. Gibson, Robert G. Mair

Faculty Publications

The mediodorsal nucleus (MD) interacts with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to support learning and adaptive decision-making. MD receives driver (layer 5) and modulatory (layer 6) projections from PFC and is the main source of driver thalamic projections to middle cortical layers of PFC. Little is known about the activity of MD neurons and their influence on PFC during decision-making. We recorded MD neurons in rats performing a dynamic delayed nonmatching to position (dDNMTP) task and compared results to a previous study of mPFC with the same task (Onos et al., 2016). Criterion event-related responses were observed for 22% …

The Implications Of Using A Broad Versus Narrow Set Of Criteria In Research, Leonard A. Jason, Kristen D. Gleason Phd, Pamela Fox

Faculty Publications

The Fukuda et al. criteria is the most widely used clinical case definition for diagnosing patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Despite the frequency with which the Fukuda criteria are applied, the list of symptoms outlined in this case definition were not well enough specified to be easily applied to research settings. In 2005, Reeves et al. laid out a set of standards for operationalizing the Fukuda definition, specifying scales and cutoff scores for measuring the symptom criteria. This operationalization, often known as the empirical criteria, has been shown to identify an unexpectedly large number of patients, seemingly widening the …

Are Our Policy Makers On Board? What Policy Makers Think Of The Social Determinants, Health Disparities, And Health In All Policies, M. Lelinneth B. Novilla, Michael C. Goates, Spencer Calder, Tabetha Ellis, Kraymer Eppich, Laura A. Galvao, Noyra Melissa Quintana, David Mateos

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: We impact our health by “how we manage our affairs in society.”¹ The unequal distribution of power, money, and resources creates a collective social milieu with disparities in health between and within countries. Tackling health inequities require addressing the health implications of the “toxic combination of poor social policies and bad politics.”¹ But how do U.S. policy makers view the social determinants of health?

OBJECTIVE: Determine U.S. policy makers’ awareness for the social determinants of health, health inequities, and health in all policies; identify the social determinants of health perceived as legislative priorities; list factors identified/perceived …

Relationship Of Religiosity And Spirituality To Hazardous Drinking, Drug Use, And Depression Among Sexual Minority Women, Laurie Drabble, Cindy Veldhuis, Barth Riley, Sharon Rostosky, Tonda Hughes

Faculty Publications

Using data from Wave 3 of the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study (N = 699), we explored whether religiosity and spirituality were associated with risk of hazardous drinking, drug use, and depression among sexual minority women (SMW; i.e., lesbian, bisexual) and possible differences by race/ethnicity. Participants were more likely to endorse spirituality than religiosity, and endorsement of each was highest among African American SMW. We found no protective effect of religiosity or spirituality for hazardous drinking or drug use. An association initially found between identifying as very spiritual and past-year depression disappeared when controlling for help-seeking. …

Situation Awareness, Sociotechnical Systems, And Automation In Emergency Medical Services: Theory And Measurement, David Schuster, Dan Nathan-Roberts

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Racial Identity, Phenotype, And Self-Esteem Among Biracial Polynesian/White Individuals, Kawika Allen, Patton O. Garriott, Carla J. Reyes, Catherine Hsieh

Faculty Publications

This study examined racial identity, self-esteem, and phenotype among biracial Polynesian/White adults. Eighty-four Polynesian/White persons completed the Biracial Identity Attitude Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory, and a Polynesian phenotype scale. Profile analyses showed participants identified more with their Polynesian parent. A mediation analysis revealed that phenotype did not mediate the relationship between biracial identity and self-esteem.

Measuring Vapor Intrusion: From Source Science Politics To A Transdisciplinary Approach, Peter C. Little, Kelly G. Pennell

Faculty Publications

Investigation of indoor air quality has been on the upswing in recent years. In this article, we focus on how the transport of subsurface vapors into indoor air spaces, a process known as ‘vapor intrusion’, (VI) is defined and addressed. For environmental engineers and physical scientists who specialize in this emerging indoor environmental exposure science, VI is notoriously difficult to characterize, leading the regulatory community to seek improved science-based understandings of VI pathways and exposures. Yet despite the recent growth in VI science and competition between environmental consulting companies, VI studies have largely overlooked the social and political field in …

Health And Psychosocial Outcomes Of A Telephonic Couples Behavior Change Intervention In Patients With Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Paula M. Trief, Lawrence Fisher, Jonathan G. Sandberg, Donald A. Cibula, Jacqueline Dimmock, Danielle M. Hessler, Patricia Forken, Ruth S. Weinstock

Faculty Publications

To compare glycemic control and secondary outcomes of a 4-month telephonic couples behavioral intervention to individual intervention, and to education, for adults with type 2 diabetes.

Service Learning Enhances Conceptual Learning In A Rn To Bsn Program, Henny Breen, Melissa Robinson

Faculty Publications

A qualitative study using transcript analysis was conducted to examine the effectiveness of service learning in enhancing conceptual learning in RN to BSN students. As part of their capstone course in an online program, students engaged in 64 hours of service learning in their local community. The transcripts of asynchronous discussions and journal entries formed the data for analysis. The findings illustrated that the student’s conceptual understanding was enhanced from the service learning experience. Further, the students demonstrated higher-level thinking by linking concepts that could be applied to nursing practice. Service learning reinforced the community-based philosophy of the School of …

Evaluating The Validity Of Texas 2 Steps, Tracy Hallak, Luis E. Aguerrevere

Faculty Publications

The Texas 2 STEPS Evaluation Tool was assessed for face validity. Thirty Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) piloted the tool while evaluating children under the age of five years. Each participant was asked to evaluate their comfort level working with this population and report the number of years’ experience they have working as a COMS. The majority of participants found the tool useful for assessing orientation and mobility (O&M) skills in children. The Texas 2 STEPS was also found to be user friendly regardless of the COMS years of experience. Together these findings indicate that the Texas 2 STEPS …

Conducting Qualitative Interviews By Telephone: Lessons Learned From A Study Of Alcohol Use Among Sexual Minority And Heterosexual Women, Laurie Drabble, Karen Trocki, Brenda Salcedo, Patricia Walker, Rachael Korcha

Faculty Publications

This study explored effective interviewer strategies and lessons learned based on collection of narrative data by telephone with a subsample of women from a population-based survey, which included sexual minority women. Qualitative follow-up, in-depth life history interviews were conducted over the telephone with 48 women who had participated in the 2009–2010 National Alcohol Survey. Questions explored the lives and experiences of women, including use of alcohol and drugs, social relationships, identity, and past traumatic experiences. Strategies for success in interviews emerged in three overarching areas: (1) cultivating rapport and maintaining connection; (2) demonstrating responsiveness to interviewee content, concerns; and (3) …

Reliability And Concurrent Validity Of An Alternative Method Of Lateral Lumbar Range Of Motion In Athletes, Mark D. Hecimovich, Jeffrey J. Herbert

Faculty Publications

Background: Cricket bowling involves combined spinal movements of side bending and rotation and, consequently, injury to the low back is a common problem. Therefore the assessment of lumbar spine kinematics has become a routine component in preseason screening. This includes static measurement of lateral spinal flexion as asymmetrical range of motion may predispose an athlete to low back injury.

Objectives: This study examined intra-rater reliability and concurrent validity of the fingertip-to-floor distance test (FFD) when compared to a criterion range of motion measure.

Methods: Thirty-four junior-level cricket players aged 13‑16 years were recruited. Lumbar spine lateral flexion …

Sex, Drugs And Alcohol: What Adventist College Students Say About The Role Of Parents And Religion, Alina M. Baltazar, Duane C. Mcbride, Curtis J. Vanderwaal, Kathryn Conopio

Faculty Publications

Relationships with peers, parents, and God make a difference in the behavior choices of youth. If a young person spends time with peers who don’t use substances and are planning to wait until they get married to have sex, they are less likely to engage in these behaviors. In addition, if the youth has a close relationship with parents who clearly state their standards regarding substance use and premarital sex, they are less likely to practice these behaviors. Finally, when the young person has a close relationship with God, they are more likely to care about the religious standards such …

Prevention Strategies And Mental Health In Vietnam, Edward Cohen

Faculty Publications

This paper addresses the current state of mental health services in Vietnam and provides recommendations for improving the care of people with mental illness. Vietnam’s mental health problems are as prevalent as anywhere else in the world. The country has recently begun an initiative to reform mental health care by improving community-based services for people with serious mental illness. However, mental illness has not been a part of public discourse in Vietnam. There is little recognition of prevalent common mental illnesses (such as depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse) and the care of people with serious mental illnesses relies on either …

Mobile Health-Care Information For All: A Global Challenge, Geoff Royston, Christine Hagar, Lesley-Anne Long, Dennis Mcmahon, Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Nand Wadhwani

Faculty Publications

Access to health-care information for citizens is a key determinant to reach both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the emerging post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, but this challenge has repeatedly been relegated to the sidelines.1 What might kickstart progress? An obvious candidate is the mobile phone, which is becoming ubiquitous in low-income and middle-income countries.

Evolving Ethical Standards In The Digital Age, Frederic G. Reamer

Faculty Publications

Ethical standards in social work have matured significantly since the formal inauguration of the profession in the late 19th century. This article traces the global evolution of ethical standards in social work, focusing especially on current challenges in the digital age. The author discusses changes over time in social workers’ understanding of ethical issues and development of conceptual frameworks and protocols for managing them. Social workers’ increasing use of digital technology poses novel and unprecedented ethical challenges pertaining to privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, professional boundaries, conflicts of interest, documentation, client abandonment, and professionalism, among others. The article outlines emerging ethical …

Clinical Social Work In A Digital Environment: Ethical And Risk-Management Challenges, Frederic G. Reamer

Faculty Publications

Clinical social workers’ use of digital and other technology to provide distance counseling services is proliferating. Increasing numbers of contemporary practitioners are using video counseling, email chat, social networking websites, text messaging, smartphone apps, avatar-based websites, self-guided web-based interventions, and other technology to provide clinical services to clients, some of whom they may never meet in person. The advent of this technology has produced a wide range of ethical challenges related to social workers’ application of traditional social work ethics concepts: client informed consent; client privacy and confidentiality; boundaries and dual relationships; conflicts of interest; practitioner competence; records and documentation; …

A Qualitative Examination About Providers’ Perceptions And Recommendations Regarding The Role Of Public Librarians In Addressing Communities’ Health Literacy., Van Ta Park, Lili Luo, Denise Rosidi

Faculty Publications

We assessed health care providers’ perspectives on libraries as a source of health information and elicited input on how to adequately prepare public librarians to provide health information services. Sample text-based reference transactions were shown to determine whether they think the health inquiries were adequately answered. Results showed that participants had favorable perspectives about public libraries, and thought that the public librarians’ role includes addressing the health literacy community needs. Participants provided recommendations for public librarians to improve health literacy. To enhance the ability of public librarians to meet the health literacy needs of their communities, diverse perspectives such as …

Global Burden Of Disease Study 2010: Interpretation And Implications For The Neglected Tropical Diseases, Peter J. Hotez, Miriam Alvarado, Maria Gloria Basanez, Ian Bolliger, Et Al.

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Clinical Implications Of Internet Infidelity: Where Facebook Fits In, Jaclyn D. Cravens, Jason B. Whiting Phd

Faculty Publications

The Internet can enhance existing relationships or facilitate the development of new relationships, including illicit ones. Increased research in this area has predominately been on online sexual addiction and pornography, with few about social networking sites. Facebook, a popular social networking site boasting 1.15 billion active users. This article reviews existing literature on Internet infidelity, comparing online activities and Facebook-specific behaviors. Five areas related to Internet infidelity will be explored, such as definitions and the impact on relationships. Although several similarities exist between general Internet and Facebook-specific infidelity, unique differences exist. Implications for future research and clinical practice are presented.

The Evolution Of Social Work Ethics: Bearing Witness, Frederic G. Reamer

Faculty Publications

The evolution of ethical standards in social work, and conceptual frameworks for examining ethical issues, is among the most compelling developments in the history of the profession. Since the formal inauguration of social work in the late nineteenth century, the profession has moved from relatively simplistic and moralistic perspectives to conceptually rich analyses of ethical issues and ethical guidelines. This article examines the evolution of social work ethics from the profession’s earliest days and speculates about future challenges and directions.

State Responses To Alcohol Use And Pregnancy: Findings From The Alcohol Policy Information System, Laurie Drabble, Sue Thomas, Lisa O'Connor, Sarah Roberts

Faculty Publications

This article describes U.S. state policies related to alcohol use during pregnancy, using data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Alcohol Policy Information System. Specifically, this study examines trends in policies enacted by states over time and types of policies enacted across states in the United States, with a focus on whether laws were supportive or punitive toward women. Findings revealed substantial variability in characteristics of policies (19 primarily supportive, 12 primarily punitive, 12 with a mixed approach, and 8 with no policies). Findings underscore the need to examine possible consequences of policies, especially of punitive policies …

Strategies Employed By Inner-City Activists To Reduce Alcohol-Related Problems And Advance Social Justice, Laurie Drabble, Denise Herd

Faculty Publications

This study explored strategies employed by activists engaged in efforts to change policies and laws related to selling and promoting alcoholic beverages based on in-depth interviews with 184 social activists in seven U.S. major cities. Nine strategies aimed at improving local conditions and influencing policy were described by activists across regional contexts. Grassroots mobilization was central to all other strategies, which included the creation or enforcement of laws, meeting with elected officials, media advocacy, working with police/law enforcement, education and training, direct action, changing community norms, and negotiating with store owners.

Text 4 Health: Addressing Consumer Health Information Needs Via Text Reference Service, Van M. Ta Park

Faculty Publications

This study seeks to provide empirical evidence about how health-related questions are answered in text reference service in order to further the understanding of how to best use texting as a reference service venue to fulfill people’s health information needs. Two hundred health reference transactions from My Info Quest, the first nation-wide collaborative text reference service, were analyzed identify the types of questions, length of transactions, question-answering behavior, and information sources used in the transactions. Findings indicate that texting-based health reference transactions are usually brief, and cover a wide variety of topics. The most popular questions are those seeking general …

Simulated Learning In Musculoskeletal Assessment And Rehabilitation Education: Comparing The Effect Of A Simulation-Based Learning Activity With A Peer-Based Learning Activity, Mark Hecimovich, Simone Volet

Faculty Publications

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders and diseases are leading causes of pain, physical disability, and doctor visits throughout the world. Health professionals must be trained to assess, treat through rehabilitation and monitor patients with these disorders. Yet, due to overcrowded curricula, some health education programs struggle to accommodate more than minimal training in musculoskeletal conditions. Consequently, educators in these professions must consider how traditional instruction could be complemented effectively to enhance students’ preparation for the diverse musculoskeletal disorders and pathologies they may encounter. The purpose of this study was to explore the benefits that can be obtained from laboratory practice in musculoskeletal …

Development And Psychometric Evaluation Of Scales To Measure Professional Confidence In Manual Medicine: A Rasch Measurement Approach, Mark D. Hecimovich, Irene Styles, Simone E. Volet

Faculty Publications

Background: Health professionals in athletic training, chiropractic, osteopathy, and physiotherapy fields, require high-level knowledge and skills in their assessment and management of patients. This is important when communicating with patients and applying a range of manual procedures. Prior to embarking on professional practice, it is imperative to acquire optimal situation-specific levels of self-confidence for a beginner practitioner in these areas. In order to foster this professional self-confidence within the higher education context, it is necessary to have valid and reliable scales that can measure and track levels and how they change. This study reports on the development and psychometric analysis …

The Influence Of Family Dynamics On Contraceptive Use In Madagascar And The Ensuing Impact On Family Well-Being, Joel Zafitandra Hajason, Kayla Piña, Joel L. Raveloharimisy

Faculty Publications

While studies have shown a relationship between family dynamics and contraceptive use and between contraceptive use and family well-being, no empirical study has been conducted to test whether a relationship exists between family influence on contraceptive use and family wellbeing. The objective of this study is to explore whether there is such a relationship between family influence on contraceptive use and family well-being.