Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Artistic Expression Of Medical Experiences Of Mothers Of Color: Perspectives Using Art Therapy, Lauren Barrett

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine perspectives of mothers of color living in the US and their experiences in the healthcare system through art therapy. The study aimed to further identify personal narrative experiences of mothers of color navigating the healthcare system, promote individual voices, and acknowledge disparities impacting those within marginalized communities. The participants in this study included a total of eight identified mothers of color (non-White) living in the US. Participants took part in four weeks of consecutive art therapy sessions either in 60-minute group or individual virtual meetings. One art therapy directive was provided …

Dance/Movement Therapy: A Novel Approach For Latino Males With Incarceration Histories In Sud Treatment, Aletia Egipciaco

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper investigates how open clients would be to participating and engaging in Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) sessions at a residential SUD facility. The questions asked were (1) What level of engagement would clients have and (2) How would they engage in DMT group sessions at a residential substance use disorder facility? A program lasting 8 weeks, aimed at facilitating DMT group sessions, was conducted at a residential SUD facility twice a week. The objective was to assess participant engagement levels and observe their involvement in the DMT sessions. Residents of the facility were invited voluntarily to attend the DMT groups. …

Improving Mental Health Support For Nursing Students Through Mental Health First Aid (Mhfa) Training Of Clinical Faculty, Amy Sands

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This project aimed to implement a process improvement program at the Louisville campus of Galen College of Nursing to improve the mental health support for nursing students through the training of Clinical Instructors (CIs) in using adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and the ALGEE actions described within that program.

Expressive Therapies And Resiliency – Resistance In Mental Health: A Literature Review, Gabrielle Lopez

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This review evaluates the current literature on psychological resistance amongst human service professionals experiencing burnout and the effect of Expressive Arts interventions on resiliency. Concepts include identifying the main symptoms, risk factors, causes, and treatments for burnout in education faculty, medical staff, and clinicians. Qualitative, quantitative, and meta-analysis studies are included to identify the most prevalent intervention frameworks for reducing stress including Arts-Based and Mindfulness-compassion based techniques. The effectiveness of Arts-based tools on strengthening identity, self-esteem, emotional regulation, and meaning-making in combating burnout is presented. Based on analysis of the literature, the author proposes a three-step intervention framework for utilizing …

Neuroqueering Art Therapy: Bringing Neurodivergent Gender Diversity Into The Creative Arts Therapy Room: A Literature Review, Avital Eisen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Recent research across disciplines has established the significance of the overlap between neurodivergence and gender diversity, a truth long espoused by the community. Acting on this research, some mental health disciplines have begun addressing neurodivergent transgender and gender diverse people as a unified population in their research, but the field of art therapy has not yet followed suit. Theoretical frameworks of intersectionality, queer theory, and disability justice highlight the importance of centering the unique experiences and needs of neurodivergent gender diversity. Using these frameworks, this literature review synthesizes community knowledge with art therapy research on both neurodivergence and gender diversity, …

The Hero’S Journey Through Therapy: A Literature Review, Rylee Blake

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The Hero’s Journey (Campbell, 1949) is a common narrative structure throughout ancient mythology and modern storytelling which describes the transformation of a hero through a journey of trials and represents the experience of psychological healing throughout various cultures. Because of the ancient and common nature of this structure and the psychological importance of personal narrative and storying even from an early age (Boyd, 2018; Klees, 2016), this thesis hypothesizes that a client’s experience throughout psychotherapy will follow the stages of the Hero’s Journey and that invoking this structure within the therapy room, particularly for drama therapists, will empower clients toward …

Method Acting As A Therapeutic Intervention For Trauma Recovery, Remi Moses

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

While considered controversial by some, Method acting as popularized by Lee Strasberg is a technique that elicits powerful and authentic results on stage and screen. The foundational Method acting techniques, the Relaxation Exercise (RE) and the Sense Memory Exercise (SME), share similarities to bottom-up therapeutic processes like Somatic Experiencing and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. By implementing a trauma-informed drama therapy framework with these two exercises, the RE and SME were restructured as a therapeutic intervention for people in trauma recovery. The author implemented a study of three consecutive group therapy sessions for people healing from trauma where clients participated …

Mental Health Among Collegiate Athletes, Stella Elise Fairbanks

Honors Thesis

Mental health has become increasingly more linked with athletics, especially collegiate athletics. There has been an increase in public acknowledgment of the presence of mental health in sports, specifically, more athletes are speaking about their mental health struggles as well as more research is being conducted in order to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between mental health and athletics. This literature review discusses athletes’ personal experiences of their mental health struggles, the presence of stigma associated with mental health and athletics, and the results of the recent NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association, research. This thesis aims to uncover …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Opioid Use Disorder In Human Brain Models, Emily Mendez

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a national and global public health crisis with no end in sight. While studies from animal models hint at widespread epigenetic and transcriptomic alterations of opioid drugs, the molecular consequences of long-term exposure to opioid drugs in human brain is still unclear, and human-centered translational models are necessary to discern the human cell type-specific effects of OUD.

Using postmortem brain Brodmann area 9 (BA9) from the UTHealth Brain Collection for Research on Psychiatric Disorders, I identified angiogenic gene networks perturbed in the RNA and protein of OUD subjects, as well as downregulation of many neuron-correlated …

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 …

Major Factors Of Sustaining Recovery After Relapse From A Substance Use Disorder, Amanda Tei Sandhurst

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Relapse is a common and often-expected occurrence among individuals with substance use disorders. Relapse can be defined as returning to a problematic behavior after abstaining for a period of time (Marlatt & Witkiewitz, 2005). It is the inability to maintain life in sobriety and is not an isolated event, but rather a process (Gorski & Kelley, 1996). The problem with relapse is that it can result in continued substance use and abuse, which can then lead to other major consequences. This study looks at ten individuals in recovery who experienced a past relapse after having a period of abstinence and …

The Greater Implications Of Self-Perceptions Of Aging Among Younger Adults: Results From The Socially Nutritious Volunteer Training Program, Ashlyn Cobble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rapidly growing rate of the older adult population has created a need to better understand younger adults’ self-perceptions of aging and current trends of ageism. The purpose of this secondary data analysis research project was to determine changes, if any, in participants’ self-perception of aging after the Socially Nutritious facilitator or nutrition ambassador volunteer training, which aims to develop knowledge and skills related to aging trends, older adult nutrition, preventing ageism, and communication and educational considerations when working with older adults. Findings indicate that participants with more frequent interactions with older adults had a more positive perception of their …

Understanding The Perspectives And Attitudes Of 12-Step Participants Towards Medication-Assisted Treatment, Christopher Scott

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The effects of living with a substance use disorder (SUD) are vast. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) has grown increasingly popular as a recovery tool among substance users but does not align with the popular 12-step model, which demands complete abstinence from narcotics and mind-altering substances. Objective: The primary aim of this phenomenology study was to explore the perspectives and attitudes towards MAT among 12-step participants. The secondary aim was to compare the responses of treatment and non-treatment professionals. Methods: This study used non-probability sampling methods to recruit participants who reported regular participation in a 12-step program. Semi-structured …

Social Workers’ Preparedness For Practice With Patients Experiencing Psychotic Disorders, Paula Crespin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study explored the preparedness of social workers when providing services to individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders who present with non-affective psychosis. The present study sought to examine the perceived barriers to mental health service utilization for individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders as well as the perceived preparedness of social workers when providing services to individuals with non-affective psychosis. Social workers are crucial frontline workers in the treatment and support of individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorder. This qualitative study was comprised of twelve semi-structured interviews to gauge the preparedness of social workers (N=12). Results from the thematic analysis demonstrated …

Incorporation Of Mindfulness Application Use In Doctoral Nurse Anesthesia Curricula For Mitigation Of Stress And Anxiety In Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Kerrie Rodgers

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

The nurse anesthesia specialty is highly stressful, with educational training being no exception. High didactic demands and intensive clinical experiences are placed on student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs), increasing stress and anxiety in their personal and professional lives. High levels of psychological distress can lead to inadvertent consequences in students’ mental, emotional, and physical health and can contribute to illness, burnout, substance use, and compromise in patient safety. Some degree of stress is necessary for motivation to succeed and perform at high levels, and encountering stress while enrolled in a doctoral nurse anesthesia program is expected and unavoidable. A search …

Education Of The Effects Of Obesity Medications And A Stepwise Approach To Mitigate Prevalence And Encourage Lifestyle Medicine For Primary Care Physicians, Kiely M. Curran

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

My Capstone project is an Educational Manual that emphasizes a healthcare team approach to the treatment and management of obesity. The Educational Manual consists of a standardized protocol in management of obesity in patients and a document with summarized references for primary care providers; and a simplified document for patient education. There is a growing interest in the usage of obesity medications. The purpose of my Capstone project is to provide a simplified manual for the primary care provider to reference to make knowledgeable and patient-centered decisions in the prescription of obesity medications and decisions in weight-management. My methodology included …

The Anatomical Embodiment Of Morning Routines In The Reduction Of Anxiety: An Intervention, Natalie Wright

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The topic under investigation is whether physically embodying a morning routine that was designed through the lens of Laban Bartenieff Movement Analysis (LBMA) will reduce daily symptoms of individuals diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Since morning routines play a significant part in one’s preparation for the day, I created an individualized LBMA morning routine for a specific client to embody. In addition to the routine, the client documented the process of their anxiety levels on a weekly basis. This client was a white, female, 19-year-old, lesbian college student who was previously diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The movement analysis …

Pediatric Anxiety Disorders And Their Accommodation In The Classrom, Olivia Hobson

Honors Theses

This project is an exploration of the origins, neurology and impacts of pediatric anxiety disorders, as well as the research-backed best practices for their accomodation within the school classroom setting.

Implementation Of A Standardized Suicide Screening Process In A University Student Health Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project, Addie Grace Strong, Kathryn Dambrino, R. David Phillippi, Linda Wofford

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death among college age students, prompting the need for evidence-based screening tools like the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to enable early detection and timely intervention. Inconsistencies in suicide screening may pose a risk of missed intervention opportunities. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project specifically aimed to improve the quality and consistency of suicide screening in a university student health clinic by implementing the C-SSRS tool into the clinic workflow during mental health appointments. Methods: Employing a quality improvement framework, this scholarly project followed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement …

Balancing Wellness And Leadership: Exploring Black Women Administrators’ Subjective Well-Being, Resilience, And Radical Self-Care In Higher Education, Lashae Grottis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leaders in higher education experience high and unrealistic demands for their skills, time, and energy, causing stress, competing priorities, burnout, compromised health, and attrition. However, unlike other racial and gender groups, Black women higher education administrators experienced these challenges more intensely. As a result of chronic stress associated with being undervalued and overworked, discriminatory and unwelcoming workplaces, and intersectional biases, Black women leaders are leaving higher education workplaces. Despite the link between gendered racism and unwellness, little is known about the problem from a positive leadership perspective. This study addressed the lack of knowledge of the wellness strategies Black women …

The Co-Occurrence Of Past Year Major Depressive Episodes And Marijuana Use And Its Relation To Mental Health Resource Utilization, Suicidal Ideation And Planning, Rachel Miranda

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Depression is a mental health disorder found worldwide affecting all demographics and is a major cause of global disability. For youth, depression can be very serious as it is a leading contributor to suicide, a top three cause of adolescent death. When we examine the onset of depression in adolescence, we also must acknowledge that youth access and usage of mental health resources and interactions with their communities may influence their outlook. We set out to examine how the co-occurrence of past year marijuana use and major depressive episodes (MDE), the variable we use to measure youth depression in this …

Music As A Coping Mechanism: Clinical Implications Of How College Students Utilize Music To Cope With Anxiety, Depression, And Daily Stressors, Karly Pikel

Senior Theses

Many college students face stress, anxiety, and/or depression in their daily lives which they cope with in their own ways. Listening to music or playing an instrument are particularly powerful forms of coping that can have a plethora of positive effects on an individual. The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey amongst the University of South Carolina student body to determine how they utilize music to cope in their daily lives. Of 847 respondents, almost all of them reported experiencing some extent of anxiety and/or stress and listening to music to help them cope. Respondents agreed that …

”To Be Or Not To Be – It’S Good”: Actor And Student Experiences In A Drama Club For People With Aphasia, Jade K. Hannan

Senior Theses

Individuals with aphasia, a disorder caused by damage to the brain’s language network, confront a variety of social and emotional struggles. While leaving their cognition largely intact, aphasia tremendously impacts a person’s ability to communicate confidently, fracturing their social network and contributing to feelings of loneliness and frustration. To address this persistent need in the chronic aphasia population, the Play on Words drama club at the University of South Carolina provides a forum for people with aphasia (PWA) to engage in dramatic exercises focused on non-verbal communication of emotions, ideas, and stories, culminating the production of an original devised play. …

Prevalence Of Depression In Physical Therapy Environments For Young Adult Populations In The U.S.: A Systematic Literature Review, Audrey N. Baucom

Honors College Theses

Objective: This systematic review aimed to examine interactions of depression symptoms and diagnoses and its prevalence in physical therapy settings among the young adult population ages 18-24 in the United States through current literature and to identify existing literature. Methods: This review followed the PRISMA guidelines to form a systematic review. Ten databases were extensively searched. Results were screened by one researcher and those that met the criteria were verified as inclusive by a second researcher. Results: The search yielded 3,017 results and included two studies. In each study, age was not identified as a prevalent variable in mental health …

Athletic Identity Association And Prospective Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Predict Attitudes Of Collegiate Athletes Toward Seeking Help From The Athletic Department, Allie Zerr

Master's Theses

There is an epidemic of mental health issues that has begun to be more openly talked about in college athletics. In 2022, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has found that college student-athletes are now 1.5-2 times more likely to report struggling with mental health than ever before. Previous research has shown a significant association with basic psychological needs satisfaction and overall psychological well-being. Furthermore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible ways that reported of autonomy, competence, and relatedness need satisfaction predicted whether athletes would seek mental health services and identify how athletic identity plays into this …

Gut Feelings: A Literature Review On The Gut-Brain Axis And Its Potential Influence On Mood, Grace Johnson

University Honors Theses

In recent decades, research on the gut-brain axis has evolved due to an increasing interest in the connection between gut health and mental health. The gut-brain axis presents a new frontier of health for both medical professionals and psychologists as there is expanding evidence illustrating the comorbidity of gut disorders and mood disorders. Due to the complex nature of studying the gut-brain axis and the myriad of influences on mood disorders such as depression, research has yet to find significant results definitively tying the two together. Nonetheless, the current body of literature on the topic provides a promising outlook on …

An Evidence-Based Approach For Decreasing Burnout In Health Care Workers, Leonor T. Salalila

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Health care worker (HCW) burnout is a pervasive phenomenon within the healthcare industry, affecting professionals across various disciplines. Emotional exhaustion is a prominent feature, leading to feelings of being emotionally drained, overwhelmed, and unable to cope effectively with the demands of the job. Additionally, burnout often results in a significant lack of motivation among HCWs, who may struggle to find meaning and purpose in their work, exacerbating feelings of frustration and disillusionment. Consequences extend beyond individual well-being, impacting healthcare organizations with reduced work efficacy, low productivity, increased absenteeism, and high turnover rates. Addressing burnout requires a multifaceted approach, …

Psilocybin With Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (Act) For The Treatment Of Social Anxiety Disorder (Sad), Aspen E. Allred

University Honors Theses

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a debilitating mental health condition characterized by an overwhelming fear and anxiety of social rejection that can lead to chronic patterns of social behavioral avoidance. Despite the existence of traditional efficacious treatments, a significant number of individuals either do not respond to treatment or experience a recurrence of symptoms over extended periods, spanning 10-12 years. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a form of acceptance-based behavioral therapy considered part of the "third wave" of cognitive behavioral therapies, has shown promising results in early studies, comparable to those of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that is considered the …

The Impact Of Brief Electronic Guided Mindfulness Meditation On Anxiety Scores, Sierra King

DNP Scholarly Projects

In the United States, anxiety rates are on the rise for the general population (Goodwin et al., 2020a). Prolonged and frequent anxiety can become unprompted and problematic (American Psychiatric Association, 2021). Management of anxiety is crucial for overall wellbeing. Access to treatment and resources for anxiety may be limited in rural geographical locations (Morales et al., n.d.). This DNP project sought to determine whether a brief intervention of electronic guided mindfulness meditation (MM) by Insight Timer is effective in decreasing anxiety in a rural populous. Convenience sampling recruited a final total of 11 rural participants who participated in seven sessions …

Methamphetamine-Induced Dna Double-Stranded Breaks: The Impact Of The Dopamine Transporter And Insights Into The Mechanisms Of Dna Damage In Mouse Neuro 2a Cells, Lizette Couto

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse remains a global health concern, with emerging evidence highlighting its genotoxic potential. In the central nervous system METH enters dopaminergic cells primarily through the dopamine transporter (DAT), which controls the dynamics of dopamine (DA) neurotransmission by driving the reuptake of extracellular DA into the presynaptic neuronal cell. Additional effects of METH on the storage of DA in synaptic vesicles lead to the dysregulated cytosolic accumulation of DA. Previous studies have shown that after METH disrupts intracellular vesicular stores of DA, the excess DA in the cytosol is rapidly oxidized. This generates an abundance of reactive oxygen species …