Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

An Examination Of The Five Factors Of Personality, Pubertal Onset And Alcohol Usage In Adolescent Males, Sarah Wickman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Recent national surveys have demonstrated an increase in alcohol use among adolescents over the past five years (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003; Kann et al., 2000). It is important to understand factors that influence alcohol use in order to aid in the creation of preventative measures due to the many possible negative consequences associated with drinking alcohol (i.e., unwanted sexual activity, delinquency, abuse of other drugs, violence, car accidents, and poor academic performance) (Boyd, Howard, & Zucker, 1995). Two factors that have been studied as possible predictors of adult and adolescent alcohol use are personality and pubertal onset. Specifically, studies …

Nonlinear Dynamics And Interpersonal Correlates Of Verbal Turn-Taking Patterns In A Group Therapy Session, David Pincus, Stephen J. Guastello

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Interpersonal processes and dynamics are ubiquitous topics in psychotherapy, yet they are difficult to study and are theoretically fragmented across therapeutic subdisciplines. The current study tests an integrative model of interpersonal dynamics in small groups using nonlinear dynamical systems theory. The conversation of one group therapy session (with six adolescent sex offenders) is analyzed using orbital decomposition, which allows for the identification of patterns in categorical time series data. The results show evidence of selforganizing social patterns, based on formal measures of turbulence (Lyapunov dimension), information novelty (Shannon's entropy), and complexity (fractal dimension). The degree of patterning in turn taking …

Perceptions Of Predisposing And Protective Factors For Perinatal Depression In Same-Sex Parents, Lori E. Ross, Leah Steele, Beth Sapiro

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Increasing numbers of women are choosing to have children in the context of same-sex relationships or as “out” lesbian or bisexual individuals. This study used qualitative methods to assess perceived predisposing and protective factors for perinatal depression in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) women. Two focus groups with LGBQ women were conducted: 1) biological parents of young children and 2) nonbiological parents of young children or whose partners were currently pregnant. Three major themes emerged. Issues related to social support were primary, particularly related to disappointment with the lack of support provided by members of the family of origin. …

Queering Psychoanalysis: The Relational Turn, Jack Drescher

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

On Thursday, March 25, CLAGS hosted a panel entitled "Queering Psychoanalysis: The Relational Turn." The program, part of an ongoing CLAGS effort, introduced academics and scholars more familiar with Freud and Lacan to contemporary, relational psychoanalytic theories and practices.

Moral Responsiveness And Discontinuity In Therapy: A Qualitative Study, Jason B. Whiting Phd, R. Scott Nebeker, Stephen T. Fife

Faculty Publications

Phenomenological qualitative methods were used to identify and describe moral elements in therapeutic relationships. Using the relational philosophy of E. Levinas (1961/1969, 1979/1987) as a base, data in which therapists and clients identified and described morally responsive experiences in therapy sessions were analyzed. These moments were often unexpected and included categories of surprise, interruption, willingness to change, and clarifications/repairs. Additional moral phenomena related to therapists' attitudes included asymmetrical indebtedness, attitude of serving, and tentativeness of diagnosis. Identified moments of moral responsiveness were frequently associated with clients' progress in therapy. This suggests that conceptually smooth and uninterrupted therapy may be less …

Development And Validation Of An Anthropometrically Based Prediction Equation For Estimating The Percent Body Fat Of Post-Menopausal Black Females, Leanne Petry, Lloyd L. Laubach, Peter W. Hovey, Nikki Lynn Rogers, Bradford Towne, William Cameron Chumlea

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Anthropometric equations developed specifically for the estimation of body composition parameters in Black females are limited. Data from the Lifespan Health Research Center were used to develop a new, easy to use equation to estimate the percent body fat of post-menopausal Black females using simple and easy to collect anthropometrics. The body composition of 72 post-menopausal Black females was measured by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). Validation (N=55) and cross-validation groups (N=17) were randomly assigned. Prediction models were developed using stepwise multiple regression analyses with percent body fat as the dependent variable and various anthropometrics as the independent variables. The …

A Model Program For Youth Suicide Prevention, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Youth suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Nation wide it is the third leading cause of death in the 10-24 year old age group. The rate of suicide varies somewhat from state to state. In the state of Kentucky, youth suicide is the second leading cause of death. This article describes a grass root, community-based program for youth suicide prevention and its impact on the community. The Stop Youth Suicide Campaign was launched in October 2000 and included more than 30 local agencies. This program worked. through public education, education of …

Self-Management Strategies Mediate Self-Efficacy And Physical Activity, Amanda Birnbaum, Rod K. Dishman, Robert W. Motl, James F. Sallis, Andrea L. Dunn, Greg J. Welk, Ariane L. Yung, Carolyn C. Voorhees, Jared B. Jobe

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Self-efficacy theory proposes that girls who have confidence in their capability to be physically active will perceive fewer barriers to physical activity or be less influenced by them, be more likely to pursue perceived benefits of being physically active, and be more likely to enjoy physical activity. Self-efficacy is theorized also to influence physical activity through self-management strategies (e.g., thoughts, goals, plans, and acts) that support physical activity, but this idea has not been empirically tested.

Community And School Drug Prevention Strategy Prevalence: Differential Effects By Setting And Substance, Curtis J. Vanderwaal, Lisa M. Powell, Yvonne M. Terry-Mcelrath, Yanjun Bao, Brian R. Flay

Faculty Publications

This study used key informant interviews and student survey data in 508 U.S. communities to examine relationships between the prevalence of community and non-classroom-based school substance prevention strategies and teen substance use rates. After controlling for covariates, analyses indicated that: (1) adult-supervised after-school activities were significantly related to lower past 30-day cigarette smoking and both past 30-day alcohol use and binge drinking; (2) unsupervised after-school recreational facilities were significantly associated with both lower past 30-day cigarette smoking and current daily smoking; (3) community activities to reduce substance use were significantly related to lower binge drinking; and (4) student organizations to …

Stimulant Abuse In Ohio And The Rural South, Robert G. Carlson

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes the methods and findings from two NIDA-supported studies of methamphetamine (MA) abuse in rural Ohio, Kentucky, and Arkansas, conducted by researchers at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the University of Kentucky. In addition, patterns of MA abuse among young adult MDMA/ecstasy users in urban central Ohio are described. Finally, preliminary findings from the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network on trends in methamphetamine abuse in Dayton, Ohio, are presented.

Rural Methamphetamine Abuse: An Ethnographic Perspective, Rocky L. Sexton, Robert G. Carlson

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Parents' Perception Of Their Children's Asthma, 2002-2008: A Community-Based Study, John M. Pascoe, William Spears, Shalini Forbis, Jessica L. Saunders

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Childhood asthma is a chronic health condition that is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations and missed school days for children. It also affects the lives of both asthmatic children and their families.

Contribution Of Reference Agents To Recovery Maintenance: A Social World Analysis Of Narcotics Anonymous Affiliation, Christa Moore

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Few studies have examined the social process of drug abuse recovery. To determine how recovering addicts use reference agents, such as reference groups and/or reference others, to achieve and maintain sobriety within the context of the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) support group experience, this study examines how Newcomers learn the norms and values associated with NA, how Newcomers become integrated into the NA group and internalize acceptable recovery behaviors, and how Newcomers transition to becoming Oldtimers. In this study, participant observation and in-depth, semi-structured interviewing (N = 13) based upon convenience sampling were employed. This study elicited six stages of social …

Concurrent Validity Of The Clinical Assessment Of Depression With The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition, Shelley Hicks

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Depression is a disorder that can affect every aspect of one's life, ranging from physical health issues to interpersonal relationship difficulties. Therefore, it is imperative that the depressive symptoms of college students be identified, evaluated, and treated. Self-report measures are a common technique to identify depressive symptomatology in individuals and assist in diagnosis and treatment. Existing measures are often used as a criterion by which to validate the psychometric properties and effectiveness of newly designed, self-report measures. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the concurrent validity of a newly published self-report measure of depression, the Clinical Assessment of …

Unlv Magazine, Erin O'Donnell, Gian Galassi, Deana Martin, Patti Shock, John Stefanelli, John Bowen, Paul J. Traudt, Jeffrey J. Matthews, Gillian Silver, Regina Barcolas, Jennifer Robison, Doug Mcinnis, Cate Weeks

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Clinical Characteristics Of Individuals Using An Online Alcohol Evaluation Program., Daniel Z Lieberman

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

Access to treatment for substance abuse disorders is limited, and practical strategies are needed to expand opportunities for individuals to receive effective interventions. Automated or semi-automated treatments have shown promise in other disorders. Identifying the characteristics of patients who will be able to benefit from this unconventional approach will increase the likelihood of success. The current study examined 1,297 individuals using an online alcohol evaluation program. Subjects had high scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and a substantial amount of ambivalence about the possible harm that their drinking caused, but they also had very low levels of …

An Introduction To Adventure Based Counseling Connected To Couples And Families, Amanda L. Schara

Graduate Research Papers

This paper demonstrates the value of Adventure Based Counseling (ABC) combined with couples and family counseling. The growth of ABC has gone through powerful changes from starting out with patients in a hospital to now being utilized in individual, group, couples, and family therapy. Looking at some main theoretical methods in the counseling field the totality of ABC is identified and combined with couple and family therapeutic goals. The importance of couple and family interaction has been diminished in our culture and the evolvement of ABC within those structures leads to a more productive family system.

The Relationships Between Depression And Other Outcomes Of Chronic Illness Caregiving, Pao-Feng Tsai, Mary M. Jirovec

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Many caregivers with chronically ill relatives suffer from depression. However, the relationship of depression to other outcomes of chronic caregiving remains unclear. This study tested a hypothesized model which proposed that hours of care, stressful life events, social support, age and gender would predict caregivers' outcomes through perceived caregiver stress. Depression was expected to mediate the relationship between perceived stress and outcomes of chronic caregiving (physical function, self-esteem, and marital satisfaction).

Methods

The sample for this secondary data analysis consisted of 236 and 271 subjects from the Americans' Changing Lives, Wave 1, 1986, and Wave 2, 1989, data …

Sequential Super-Stereotypy Of An Instinctive Fixed Action Pattern In Hyper-Dopaminergic Mutant Mice: A Model Of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder And Tourette's, Kent C. Berridge, J Wayne Aldridge, Kimberly R. Houchard, Xiaoxi Zhuang

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Excessive sequential stereotypy of behavioral patterns (sequential super-stereotypy) in Tourette's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is thought to involve dysfunction in nigrostriatal dopamine systems. In sequential super-stereotypy, patients become trapped in overly rigid sequential patterns of action, language, or thought. Some instinctive behavioral patterns of animals, such as the syntactic grooming chain pattern of rodents, have sufficiently complex and stereotyped serial structure to detect potential production of overly-rigid sequential patterns. A syntactic grooming chain is a fixed action pattern that serially links up to 25 grooming movements into 4 predictable phases that follow 1 syntactic rule. New …

A Bibliotherapy Evaluation Tool: Grounding Counselors In The Therapeutic Use Of Literature, D. Pehrsson, P. S. Mcmillen

Library Faculty Publications

The idea that the arts can benefit the emotional well-being of the observer, creator or reader has been around at least since Aristotle proposed the notion of emotional catharsis. Freud, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, acknowledged his intellectual debt to creative artists, suggesting that they, not he, had first discovered the unconscious (cited in Shrodes, 1950, p. 2). Certainly creative artists have become visible and valuable participants in the therapeutic milieu over the last century in the United States (Junge, 1994). Freud further suggested that, in the therapeutic process, “Storytellers are valuable allies and their testimony is to …

Managed Mental Health Care: Findings From The Literature, 1990–2005, D. Richard Mauery, Lissette Vaquerano, Rachel Sethi, Joanne Jee, Lisa Chimento

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Providing Effective Counseling To Substance Abusers Through The Use Of Biopsychosocialspiritual Strategies, Rachel Phillips

Graduate Research Papers

The field of substance abuse has had a history of relapse. Both In-Patient and Out-Patient Treatment facilities have experienced the "revolving door" effect (Walton, Blow, and Booth, 2001). D.R. Laws found in research he conducted that 80% of the patients treated, relapsed 12 months after treatment and two-thirds of the relapses were within 90 days of treatment (Laws, 1999). The federal government has begun questioning the validity of these programs in light of skyrocketing costs for substance abuse treatment (Craig, 2004). Clinicians have begun to examine the cost effectiveness of their current treatment modalities. This paper will provide an overview …

The Effects Of Parental Alcoholism On Children, Ryan A. Flaherty

Graduate Research Papers

Research has examined the effects of parental alcoholism on children and adolescents. This paper will address the different ways teens are affected by parental alcoholism, identifying medical, emotional, and social dangers, while also trying to link specific aspects of parental alcoholism with each harmful effect. In looking at the negative effects that parental alcoholism has on the parents and children, this paper will also examine whether children become victims and suffer, or become resilient and persevere. This paper will also look at physical, social, emotional, behavioral and family structure concerns as they relate to children with alcoholic parents.

The Effects Of Divorce On Children And Adolescents, Rachelle A. Haker

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper focuses on the effects of divorce on children and adolescents. Based on a review of literature, there are many short-term and long-term effects including emotional, behavioral, and physical issues. Children and adolescents vary in adjustment to divorce depending on multiple factors such as communication, conflict, and parental adjustment. The stages that children and adolescents of divorce go through depend on one's developmental stage and gender. Counselors can greatly influence how children and adolescents adjust to divorce.

Outcome Evaluation Of The School Drug Education Project: Final Report Presented To The School Drug Education And Road Aware Project, Therese Shaw, Margaret Hall, Donna Cross, Hamilton Greg

Research outputs pre 2011

In 2002, Curtin University's Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research provided a report which explored the feasibility of a range of options to evaluate the impact of the School Drug Education Project (SDEP) on students' drug use, perceptions of drug-related harm and attitudes towards drug use. Given the difficulties of achieving a prospective design, this proposal recommended comparing retrospective measures of SDEP participation, level of SDEP training and dose of SDEP implementation with Years 8-12 student drug-related outcome data collected from four large Western Australian studies conducted somewhat concurrently with the School Drug Education Project.

It was hypothesised that …

2005- 2008 Unlv Mcnair Journal, Valerie Avery, Shana Bachus, Karmen K. Boehlke, Andrea Flores, Alden Kelly, Erick Lopez, Carol Preussler, Heather Shay, Ava Bookatz, Shaun Elsasser, Veronica Hicks, Shaida A. Jetha, Anthony Quinn, Thurithabhani Seneviratne, Teddy Boado Sim Jr., Liza Ward, Amris Henry-Rodgers, Jacquelynn Kaaa-Logan, Jason Orozco, Juan C. Plata, Bonnie Bartlett, Kathleen Bell, Vacheral M. Carter, Nydia Diaz, Kimberly Hackstock, Julio A. Luna, Charles Mao, Sandra Ramos, Precious Rideout, Benjamin Lee Watrous, Chet R. Whitley

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the McNair Scholars Program

Table of Contents

Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair

Statements:

Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, UNLV President

Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President of Student Affairs

Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach

Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach

McNair Scholars Institute Staff