Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Language Ability Of Internalizing Students On Improvement In Strong Kids: A Social And Emotional Learning Curriculum For Students In Grades 4-8, Shelby Carrera Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed the influence of language on the ability of children identified as being at risk for internalizing behavior disorders to successfully participate in a social skills intervention program. Fourth and fifth grade students participated in Strong Kids: A Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum in Grades 4-8, a program which promotes emotional resiliency. The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition (CELF-4) and Children's Communication Checklist-Second Edition (CCC-2) were both completed to obtain a global language score and pragmatic language score. The Teacher's Report Form (TRF), a shortened 10-item version of the Internalizing Student Symptom Scale (ISSC), and a 20-item …

Narrative Skills In Children With Spina Bifida And Hydrocephalus, Melissa Ann Halliday

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how 22 children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus (SBH) and 22 matched control children with the same vocabulary age (VA) performed on story retelling and story generation tasks. The children were asked to retell two stories of different lengths (Stein and Glenn's Melvin, the Skinny Mouse and The Tiger's Whisker) and generate two stories from different stimuli (wordless picture book and verbal story starter). Analyses were conducted in terms of global narrative organization (story structure), local connection of ideas (cohesion), and productivity (number of words and utterances). Two-way ANOVAs were conducted to analyze how the stories and …

Effects Of Therapy Dogs On Anxiety In Children Participating In Sexual Abuse Forensic Interviews At Children's Advocacy Center, Andra K. Chamberlin

Graduate Theses

This study investigated the effect of therapy dogs on physiological and psychological measures of anxiety before and after a forensic interview in children who may have been sexually abused. A convenience sample consisted of 37 children ages 6 to 12 years who presented at a children’s advocacy center for sexual abuse forensic interviews. Twenty children had a therapy dog present during their time at the Center and 17 did not. Researchers measured systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) using a Zelwa WS-TS Touch Screen Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor. State- anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for …

Families Moving Forward: Homeless Women With Children Transitioning To Independent Living, Kristin Elizabeth Hoyt Phd

Dissertations

Family homelessness is one of the most profound and disturbing social problems of the 21st century and is projected to remain an ongoing issue for the United States in upcoming years. The fastest growing segment in the homeless population continues to be families, specifically single women with children. One intervention to the problem of homeless women with children is by providing them with transitional housing, a step beyond the familiar short-term emergency shelter. Transitional housing typically shelters families for up to 2 years. During this extended stay, women participate in programs designed to assist them with addiction, mental health, domestic …

Examining The Ability Of The Halstead -Reitan Battery And The Wide Range Achievement Test To Utilize Severity In Discriminating Among Alzheimer's Dementia Patients, Gina Gibson-Beverly

Doctoral Dissertations

Measuring change in cognitive status is essential for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of brain dysfunction. Psychological abilities are differentially affected by brain dysfunction severity, as some abilities are more vulnerable to brain dysfunction than others. Neuropsychological assessments can be viewed as a continuum of "hold" and "don't hold" tests. "Hold" tests assess abilities that remain stable in spite of brain dysfunction, while "don't hold" tests measure skills that are significantly compromised by brain impairment. The present study ranks the Halstead-Reitan Battery (HRB) and the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) subtests based on their ability to discriminate between two levels …

Evaluation Of A Sleep Hygiene Program To Improve Inmate Sleep Quality, Jennifer F. Hodges-Crowder

Doctoral Dissertations

Research investigating the effectiveness of treatments for inmates with poor sleep quality appears minimal. Some difficulties related to poor sleep quality can be addressed effectively with little time and expense. Studies show that psychoeducational interventions are effective in reducing sleep complaints and improving sleep quality in a variety of populations including college students and adults. However, the effect of sleep hygiene interventions on inmate sleep complaints is unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate a psychoeducational intervention program aimed at improving prison inmate sleep habits, length, and quality.

Participants of this study were inmates at a department …

Nonlinear Dynamical Analysis Of Brain Electrical Activity Due To Exposure To Weak Environmentally Relevant Electromagnetic Fields, Erik Alfonso Nilsen

Doctoral Dissertations

The reports dealing with the effects of weak electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on brain electrical activity have been inconsistent. We suspected that the use of linear models and their associated methods accounted for some of the variability, and we explored the issue by using a novel approach to study the effects of EMFs on the electroencephalogram (EEG) from rabbits and humans. The EEG was embedded in phase space and local recurrence plots were calculated and quantified to permit comparisons between exposed and control epochs from individual subjects. Statistically significant alterations in brain activity were observed in each subject when exposed to …

Psychometric Evaluation Of An Instrument For Assessing Policy Outcomes For Families With Children Who Have Severe Developmental Disabilities: The Beach Center Family Quality Of Life Scale, Joni Taylor Mcfelea

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale (BCFQLS) in a sample of families with children who have severe developmental disabilities. The study sought to determine whether or not the scale could be used to measure the quality of life of such families and to differentiate between the quality of life of two family groups—those whose child lives in the family home and those whose child lives outside the family home.

The study used an observational, cross-sectional design and both qualitative and quantitative methods. Self-identified primary caregivers of …

The Effect Of Intensity Of Aerobic Vo2max Resting Heart Rate And Blood Pressure, Shannan Elizabeth Gormley

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The AGSM recommends 20 to 60 minutes of continuous or intermittent activity 3 to 5 times per week to maintain cardio respiratory fitness (Pollock et al., 1998). The 1996 Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health indicates that Americans are not meeting these physical activity recommendations (DHHS). Several clear consequences of physical inactivity are the appearance of cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia and obesity. Two recent review articles suggested that higher intensity exercise will elicit a greater reduction in cardiovascular disease risk factors (Swain and Franklin, 2002; Swain and Franklin, 2006). In order to determine whether …

Factor Analysis Of The Borderline Personality Inventory Using Item Response Theory, Courtney Mozo

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study used a sample of 251 undergraduate females &om Old Dominion University to assess the item properties of the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI). The BPI is a true/false self-report instrument used to measure borderline personality disorder. The BPI was created using classical test theory techniques, and traditional methods were used to assess the scale's properties (Leichsenring, 1999). Due to the dichotomous nature of the BPI, traditional classical test theory techniques are not ideal. The current study used Item Response Theory (IRT) to characterize the scale and item properties. The study was conducted using an online survey that also …

Evidence For Disease Mediated Extinction: Correlation Between An Introduced Pathogen And Extinction Of Rattus Macleari On Christmas Island, Kelly B. Wyatt

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Durham Collection and the Cambridge and Oxford University Museums provided the materials to investigate the possibility that the extinction of indigenous rats of Christmas Island was a result of disease introduced by infected ship rats (R. rattus) in 1899. The collections of H.E. Durham in 1901-1902 reveal that R. macleari was present on Christmas Island up to then and includes specimens of R. rattus together with specimens that exhibit characteristics of both R. rattus and R. macleari. Durham's notes indicate both R. rattus and R. macleari specimens were heavily infected with trypanosomes at the time of collection. In …

The Depiction Of Alcohol Tobacco And Other Substances In Children's G & Pg-Rated Animated Films Post 2000, Lindsay F. Graham

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study will analyze the depiction of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances in G and PG-rated animated films from November 1, 2000 to December 31, 2005. These films will include those released in theaters and video in English, at least 60 minutes in length, and of the animated genre during this five-year window. There is evidence that due to recent societal pressures facing the Motion Picture Association of America and their rating guidelines, the presence of alcohol and tobacco in children's animated Grated films has lessened. These incidents of exposure have since moved up the rating totem pole to receive …

The Importance Of Gender And Readiness To Change In The Prediction Of Drinking And Negative Consequences Of First-Year Student Drinkers, Margot E. Ackermann

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

College drinking is widespread, and binge drinkers can experience serious consequences. The present study examined the effectiveness of two interventions, expressive writing and behavioral monitoring, as well a combined condition, in reducing drinking and negative consequences associated with drinking. Gender differences and differences in readiness to change binge drinking were also assessed. Participants (N = 97) completed a pretest, eight weekly intervention activities, and a posttest during their first semester of college. An ANOVA tested the hypothesis that individuals higher in readiness to change binge drinking participated in more of the weekly intervention activities; this hypothesis was not supported. A …

Patterns Of Anticipatory Coarticulation In Adults And Typically Developing Children, Kurtt R. Boucher

Theses and Dissertations

Coarticulation is the kinematic and spectral overlap between adjacent sounds during speech production. Coarticulation patterns in typical adults have been well established; however, the manner in which coarticulation is developed in children is still unclear. Research has provided conflicting views, showing that children exhibit more, less, or an equal degree of coarticulation when compared to adult speakers. Considering the divergent findings present in the literature regarding coarticulation in children, the purpose of the present study is to further investigate anticipatory coarticulation in typically developing young children between the ages of three and six years. This study focuses on the acoustic …

Alternative Targets For The Treatment Of Stroke, Craig T. Ajmo Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stroke is cerebrovascular injury that has been reported to be the third leading cause of death and the first leading cause of disability in the world (W. H.O. 2007). Currently, there is only one FDA approved treatment for stroke which is recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. This treatment has a narrow therapeutic window of three hours after ischemic stroke and can adversely cause the production of oxygen free radicals and intracranial hemorrhage. These limitations result in only 2-3% of all stroke victims as being candidates for this therapy as many patients do not arrive at the hospital in time to receive …

Adolescents’ Perceptions Of Their Roles In Decision-Making In The Oral Cleft Clinic, Rebecca Ann Hague

Masters Theses

Background: The literature suggests adolescents have the cognitive abilities equivalent to an adult for health related decisions. Adolescents should participate in treatment planning at a level equivalent to their cognitive abilities and the extent they desire. Little is known regarding adolescents' perceived and desired level of involvement in decision making in an oral cleft clinic.

Purpose: To describe adolescents' perceptions of their roles and desired level of involvement in decision-making in an oral cleft clinic.

Methods: Four adolescents completed a questionnaire and participated in focus groups.

Results: Participants reported that they perceive they are involved in decision-making processes, are knowledgeable …

Perceptions Of Adolescents: Preferences Of Adolescents For Parental Presence And The Effect On Information Disclosure, Bethany Barrus

Masters Theses

Adolescents born with a cleft lip or palate are in a unique position because they have received a lifetime of interdisciplinary team care where decisions are frequently made by parents, yet they are transitioning into a stage of life in which they will make their own health related decisions. Because of the complexity of their health needs, the preferred method of care is interdisciplinary team care (Nackashi, Dedlow, Dixon-Wood, 1997; Kummer, 2001). Little research has been conducted regarding the perceptions of adolescents with oral cleft about their care and issues of confidentiality in the context of team care. This study …

Effects Of Two Parkinson’S Disease Patient Education Models On Disease Self-Management And Quality Of Life, Lorraine Pearl-Kraus

Dissertations

Purpose. To compare the effects of Parkinson's Disease Collaborative Care (PDCC) and Parkinson's Disease Information Training (PDIT) patient education disease-management models on patients' (a) perceived self-efficacy in PD self-management, and (b) self-reported perceived PD-Health Related Quality of Life.

Methods. 41 middle-stage (Hoehn & Yahr Stages 2 & 3) patients (24 males & 17 females; age range 48-78; mean 67.59 years) were randomized to the PDCC (n = 21) or PDIT (n = 20) group. Prior to inception, 3 withdrew; after the first session, 3 more withdrew. Participants in both groups attended three consecutive weekly, 2-hour patient education sessions with presenters …

Salivary Characteristics In 3 And 4 Year-Old Children With And Without Visible Caries, Gloria Yañez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

PURPOSE: To compare salivary characteristics in 3 and 4 year-old Head Start children with and without visible caries.

METHODS: This case-control study was performed on 84 healthy 3 and 4 year-old Head Start children. After consent and inclusion criteria were met, each child was screened and assigned to one of two test groups based on their caries status. Group 1 consisted of children with no visible evidence of caries, although non-visible caries may have been present. Group II consisted of children with visible evidence demonstrating three or more carious lesions. Each child's unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva samples were collected …

Emotional Stroop Effects: Eating Disorders And Obesity, Kristy Anne Kuehfuss

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study addresses the effects of emotional valence on selective processing of body-shape related words in young women who suffer from anorexia, bulimia, or obesity, and non-clinical controls. Research in the area of emotional Stroop interference has indicated that persons with eating disorders, particularly anorectics, show elevated latencies in naming colors of words related to food or body-shape, in contrast to either neutral words, or to non-clinical control groups. One intriguing issue regarding the emotional Stroop interference among various clinical populations relates to the question of whether the interference is due to the emotionality of the relevant words or to …

The Relations Of Pain, Religious Coping, And Depression In Fibromyalgia Patients, Derek O. Bacchus

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study attempted to examine the relationship between Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) pain, religious coping, and depression. The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), RCOPE, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were used to assess these constructs in 50 participants. The sample was primarily middle aged and female, which is typical of the FMS population. This study used multiple regression to make assumptions about the causal progression of the variables. Study findings show that religious coping does not appear to significantly mediate the strong relationship between FMS pain and depression. This research served to uncover …

Female Patients’ Perspectives On The Stages Of Eating Disorder Recovery, Cherish C. Knoll

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Eating disorders are severe psychiatric disorders that most commonly begin in the female population during adolescence and across ethnicity (Lucas, 2004). However, the face of eating disorders is changing as they become more apparent across cultures and lifespan, impacting both young and aging women as well as males. In the past few decades progress has been made in the diagnostic, treatment, and recovery phases of eating disorders. These gains have contributed to a better understanding of eating disorders, assisting in the decrease of mortality and morbidity rates seen in eating disorder patients. Nevertheless, there are significant challenges that still remain …

The Effects Of Communication On Adolescent Sexual Behavior In Eastern Europe, Sharon Mieras Perugini

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

HIV/AIDS rates have continued to rise in Eastern Europe where adolescents are particularly vulnerable. The theory of reasoned action (TRA) has successfully been applied to understanding adolescent sexual risk behavior and provides a theoretical framework for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. According to TRA, attitudes and subjective norms predict behaviors via the mediating role of intentions, and in order to have an impact on behavior, changes must occur at the attitude and subjective norm level. Because parents have been found to influence their children's attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions, the moderating effects of parent communication on sexual risk behavior of adolescents …

Comparison Of Laser And Phosphoric Acid Etching On Sealant Shear Bond Strength, Seth David Latimer

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of traditional phosphoric acid etching with Er,Cr:YSGG laser enamel etching on the shear bond strength of sealant material.

METHODS: Extracted healthy third molars were mounted in acrylic exposing the flattest surface available. Three groups of twenty teeth were used to evaluate traditional acid etching with 37% phosphoric acid as a control group as well as two different laser settings. The sealant material was attached using specialized jigs and then subjected to shear bond strength testing utilizing the ultradent method (MTS machine). Statistical methods employed were the Kruskal-Wallis rank test and the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS: …

Electromagnetic Differences In The Brain During Memory Retrieval, Warren Scott Merrifield

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The primary objectives for this experiment were to analyze the neuroanatomical correlates of autobiographical, episodic and semantic memory, use a different paradigm to promote episodic memory retrieval, and employ a different analysis technique to understand retrieval processes. Autobiographical and episodic memories are personal memories from the past. Autobiographical is more general (e.g. a street name of a house growing up) and episodic is more specific to time (e.g. 13th birthday party that took place on a street). For autobiographical and episodic memory retrieval operations, there is no general consensus as to the localization of function, but bilateral activation of the …

A Microleakage Study Of Cements With Stainless Steel Crowns, Heidi Joy Apuy

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

PURPOSE: To compare the ability of newer adhesive resin cements and traditional glass ionomer cements to prevent microleakage under stainless steel crowns on extracted permanent third molars.

METHODS: All teeth were hand prepared and stainless steel crowns were cemented according to manufacturers' instructions. The specimens were thermocycled for 500 cycles and immersed in 2% methylene blue dye solution for 8 hours. Each tooth was imbedded in resin and cut into I mm thick sections by a slow speed diamond saw. The amount of microleakage was measured in microns under a traveling microscope. The measurements of each section of a tooth …

Factors Associated With Aids Risk Behaviors Of African Born Adolescents In Southern California, Dixon Anjejo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study was aimed at determining if cultural beliefs are salient factors contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS among African born adolescents aged 15 to 19 years living in southern California. We used a cross-sectional design and collected data in two phases. The first phase was qualitative and data were collected from 25 participants in focus groups. The second phase utilized a questionnaire which was developed from the results of the focus group, using the theory of planned behavior. One hundred and thirty-five black African born teenagers between the ages of 15-19 years living in southern California completed the questionnaire. …

A Qualitative Study Of Inpatient Rehabilitation Client Perceptions Of The Semi-Fixed Environment, Liane Hewitt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background and Purpose. Literature supports the importance of the environment on promoting or compromising health. However, little is known about how the semi-fixed environment affects client perceptions and recovery from a debilitating condition. The purpose of this study was to investigate beliefs about control within the semi-fixed environment and client perceptions of the rehabilitation process.

Design and Method. This study utilized a basic qualitative research design with 10 rehabilitation clients whose average inpatient length of stay was 14 days. Data were collected in two phases. Phase I included two inpatient visits involving semi-structured interviews on the rehabilitation process and …

Transcultural Nursing Care Journey To Ecuador: Designing A Transcultural Education Course For Registered Nurses, Debra S. Zaffke

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper describes an educational program for Registered Nurses to learn transcultural nursing care while in Ecuador. The program is based on Leininger's Culture Care Diversity and Universality nursing theory. The project framework is based on her Sunrise Enabler to Discover Culture Care. The Observation-Participation-Reflection enabler from Leininger's ethnonursing research methods is utilized as a technique to learn about the people and lifeways of Ecuador and it serves as a reliable tool to tease out information that relates to the general principles of transcultural care nursing. The paper outlines the necessity of transcultrual nursing education for practicing nurses, the scope …

Evaluation Of Student Perceived Self-Efficacy With The Implementation Of A Problem-Based Learning Module, Joel David Romero

Master's Projects

To facilitate the graduation of competent registered nurses, healthcare educators must create learning environments that foster content expertise, problem solving, collaboration, and refined learning skills. Although countless teaching strategies are in existence today, problem-based learning (PBL) has revealed noteworthy potential in healthcare education. In PBL, complex, reality-based problems are used as motivation for students to identify salient concepts, gather data, and ultimately work through posed problems. Considerable evidence supports the use of PBL as a method to promote learning, though examining knowledge alone cannot always assess actual behavioral performance. To ascertain the likelihood learned concepts would be utilized in practice, …