Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Religion And Crime: A Study Of Inmates In State And Federal Prisons In The United States., Dhanalakshmi Thirumalai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Persistent high levels of crime in this country have provided support for the need for public programs that help in reducing crime rates through effective interventions. Spirituality and religion are considered to play a major part in determining an individual's attitude towards committing a crime. This study analyzed if inmates in State and Federal prisons in the US are involved in prison religious activities and personal prayers in order to determine if criminality (measured by offense type) of inmates affects their participation in religious activities. Based on logistic regression analysis, gender, race, and marital status of inmates were found to …

The Social Interaction Skills Of A Child With Autism, April R. Gonzalez

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Activity-Dependent Modulation Of Neuronal Sodium Channel Expression, Joshua Peter Klein

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

No abstract provided.

The Corporate Culture Of Nevada Hospitals, Sherese Marie Warren

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The initial focus of this study is to identify the dominant culture of Nevada hospitals and to determine whether hospital organizations in Nevada share similar corporate values and beliefs. If differences exist, what are the distinctions in those organizations that make them different? The competing values framework was used to diagnose four corporate culture types of each hospital. The clan culture possesses high affiliation and concern with teamwork and participation. The developmental culture is based on risk taking, innovation, and change. The hierarchical culture reflects values and norms associated with bureaucracy. The rational culture emphasizes efficiency and achievement (Quinn & …

The Effect Of Closed Versus More Liberal Visitation Policies On Work Satisfaction Beliefs And Nurse Retention., Suzanne M. Boswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nurses believe that more liberal visitation policies will cause greater work overload and decrease the quality of patient care. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a liberal visitation policy on work satisfaction, beliefs, and retention of nurses.

In this study, nurses were asked to complete a survey before and after implementation of a more liberal visitation policy. The nurses were surveyed using Stamps (1997) Index of Work Satisfaction and the Boswell Beliefs Inventory. Statistical analyses were conducted to discover nurses level of satisfaction and beliefs related to the new policy.

Results indicate that nurses were …

The Elders, Finding Long Ago And Now, Our Elders Health Journey, Judy A. Erickson Jacoby

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Enhanced Dialogic Reading Approach To Facilitate Typically Developing Pre-School Children's Emergent Literacy Skills., Sheri E. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated an enhanced dialogic reading (DR) approach in facilitating emergent literacy skills in typically developing preschool children. Eight children from a Title One preschool and their parents participated in five weekly 90-minute training sessions that focused on phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge. First order effects were examined in parent questioning and interaction behaviors on pre- and post-training videotapes. Second order effects were examined in the children's outcomes from pre- to posttesting of preliteracy, speech, and language skills. Results indicated that parents made significant increases in their initiations and responses and a significant decrease in their Mean …

Art Therapy As A Measure Of Children’S Concept Of Surgery: A Preliminary Study, Emily C. Clark

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Surgery is a strange, and often frightening experience for children. A number of programs have been studied which attempt to prepare children for the surgery experience. Art therapy may be especially suited to help prepare children for surgery because art making is an effective form of communication for children, and can allow them to express their thoughts and fears about surgery. Unfortunately, studies of art therapy preparation programs are rare, and usually take the form of case studies. This research study is the first step in designing an art therapy preparation program for preparing children for surgery.

The purpose of …

Neural Correlates Of Art Therapy As Indicated Through Electroencephalography, Kerry A. Kruk

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Quantitative electroencephalograph (QEEG) reports of 14 healthy women participants engaged in art making in response to two general art therapy directives were generated and compared at Eastern Virginia Medical School. A Cadwell Easy-II 32-channel digital EEG and Physiometrx E-net which contains placements according to the International 10-20 system were used to collect brainwave activity. This study explored the effects of clay sculpting and marker drawing conditions on neural activity in the right and left frontal and parietal cortices.

One aim of the study was to illuminate what Lusebrink (1990) suggested - that different types of media and processes elicit different …

Exploring Visual Journaling In A Graduate Art Therapy Program, Kathryn E. Dunn

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored visual journaling in the Graduate Art Therapy Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School, using a Participatory Action Research model. Eight students, from the art therapy class of 2004, and four faculty members volunteered and participated. Two complete cycles of inquiry were completed and changes were implemented within the program based on researcher collaboration with student and faculty stakeholders. Data consisted of questionnaires, magazine collages, and discussion material. Questionnaire and discussion data were analyzed by the researcher using direct question analysis. Themes of the artwork were pulled from stakeholders’ verbal and written comments. Results from the first cycle …

Validation Of The Person Picking An Apple From A Tree Projective Drawing Through Comparative Analysis, Shandra M. Brown

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Through imagination, creativity, development, and research, art therapists are attempting to create more reliable and valid assessments in order to help clients most effectively. Although assessment development is a long and difficult process, advancements are being made through research, such as this study, in order for the field of art therapy to respond to past criticisms and continue to grow as a credible and respectable field.

The researchers of this study anticipated that the results would show a correlation between levels of anxiety with formal elements of the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree Projective Drawing (PPAT), as measured …

Attachment Strategies Of Adolescents In Foster Care: Indicators And Implications, Shannon Leigh Trewartha

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of an art-based assessment to recognize the attachment strategy of adolescents in foster care. The extenuating circumstances of foster care make it imperative to develop a sensitive, accurate, and time-efficient tool. Knowledge of specific attachment strategy can better guide therapeutic interventions. This study examined adolescents’ attachment strategy as measured by the Adolescent Relationship Questionnaire (A-RSQ) in comparison to ratings on the Bird’s Nest Drawing (BND). Fourteen adolescents in foster care participated.

Due to the low number of participants, data was predominantly analyzed descriptively. On the A-RSQ, the sample had lower …

Knitting In Art Therapy: An Exploratory Study, Mollie Irene Howey Tracy

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

While knitting has long been considered a functional craft, there is significant evidence to support knitting as an art form. Current research exploring the artistic, meditative, and therapeutic qualities of knitting was reviewed and findings indicated scarce research on knitting in art therapy. In this phenomenological study, six female knitters were interviewed and the author addressed her personal experience as well. Several themes were identified: the freedom felt when knitting, keeping one’s hands busy, reduction of anxiety, sharing the finished piece with others, a connection to self and to others, and knitting as a bridge into more traditional art therapy …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Children’S Development As Reflected In Their Artwork: An Investigation Of Children’S Drawings From The African Country Of Benin, Elizabeth Anna Smead

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This research adds to the body of knowledge related to the human figure drawing as a useful tool in assessment and to art therapists’ understanding of children who depict the human figure in cross-cultural settings. This researcher obtained a sample collection of 148 human figure drawings from African children in rural Benin, West Africa to study in comparison to a set of human figure drawings collected under similar conditions in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

In this quantitative study, five of the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scales (FEATS) were modified and used to tally the formal elements of each of the 148 …

An Exploration Of Visual Journaling Techniques With Adults, Susan E. Roberts

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

People have kept journals and diaries since ancient times, writing down daily happenings or their thoughts about things over time. Currently, there is no art therapy research on visual journaling techniques that can be used as a tool in art therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore various visual journaling techniques with adults, in order to make recommendations for their use in art therapy. It was hypothesized that a trial of visual journaling techniques with normal adults would provide valuable information which would assist in the development of recommendations for the use of visual journaling in art therapy. …

Helping Older Adults Adjust To Assisted Living: An Eco-Art Therapy Approach, Lynn M. Franta

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to research the outcomes of an art therapy group using Ecopsychology principles as an aid for older adults adjusting to an assisted living facility. The group was designed to last over a 4-week period with two sessions per week. Outcomes were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales short form as well as through a structured interview format.

The study had six participants total; three men and three women, with ages ranging from 70 to 83 years. Findings were inconclusive as individual scores on the DASS varied widely. Participant report indicated overall …

International Art Therapy Program Development: An Exploratory Cultural Encounter In Ayacucho, Peru, Haley Johnstone

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Humanitarian aid organizations, both domestic and international, provide health care, mental health services, education, and community development for traumatized children worldwide living in regions affected by political violence. Sparse information exists regarding the role of an art therapist within these organizations. The profession of art therapy lacks research specific to the benefits of intervention and program development within the context of an international humanitarian aid team. This thesis reviews the ethnographic research of an art therapy graduate student who explored the opportunities for art therapy within such a team.

Cultural competency was an essential component of the researcher’s success while …

Kinetic Family Drawings By Filipino Americans, Reihnard Ferrera Flores

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Research in the mental health field on Filipino Americans and Filipino- American families is limited. In an attempt to further understand Filipino Americans, this study explores similarities and/or differences between drawings of Filipino Americans and non-Filipino Americans. Subjects consisted of twelve Filipino Americans and sixteen non-Filipino Americans. The Kinetic Family Drawing was utilized to determine graphic differences between drawings of both groups. It was hypothesized that there might be considerable visual differences between drawings by Filipino Americans and by non-Filipino Americans.

The results, however, did not support the hypothesis. When comparing Kinetic Family Drawings of Filipino-American subjects to non-Filipino-American subjects, …

Visual Predictors Of Relapse In The Artwork Of Adult Substance Abusers, Danica Aimeè Vallery

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study hypothesized that five visual predictors of relapse previously found statistically significant by Dickman, Dunn and Wolf (1996) and Williar (2002), in the artwork of adult substance abusers, would again be found statistically significant predictors of relapse, in the artwork of the group identified as a high risk for relapse in Williar’s study. The body of artwork studied included twenty-two previously acquired, studied, and archived drawings (Williar, 2002), created by 22 chemically dependent adults. All subjects completed the assessment of warning signs for relapse (AWARE)(Harris & Miller, 2000) and were grouped as either high or low risk for relapse …

An Art Therapy And Ecopsychology Intervention With A Grieving Child, Carolyn M. Lucas

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

There is a discernable need for research into the use of alternative therapies like art therapy and ecopsychology with grieving children. Art therapy seeks to facilitate an individual’s resolution of personal discord through the use of art media and directives. Ecopsychology relies on the assertion that by connecting individuals to the natural world, an improved consciousness will emerge. A literature review was conducted to examine these theories and their applications to grief treatment in children. Camps, workshops, and institutions regularly employ these therapeutic methods to help children with the grieving process. Art therapists in these settings utilize art activities like …

Neuroscience: Its Relevance To Art Therapy And Art Therapy Education, Patrick Oates

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The development of contemporary neuroscience techniques has provided professionals in mental health fields with insight into the human brain and its functions. Literature searches revealed that there is very little research being conducted or existing literature that discusses the physiological response in the brain to the art therapy process. A more comprehensive understanding of the brain’s response to making art could enhance art therapists’ capacity to provide the most suitable treatment to meet the clients’ needs. This study was designed to explore the significance of neuroscience in art therapy, and art therapy education.

A questionnaire was emailed to 49 program …

Tuba, A Novel Protein Containing Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs And Dbl Homology Domains, Links Dynamin To Regulation Of The Actin Cytoskeleton, Marco Antonio Del Valle Salazar

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Tuba is a novel scaffold protein that functions to bring together dynamin with components of the actin cytoskeleton. It is concentrated at synapses in brain and binds dynamin selectively through four N-terminal Src homology-3 (SH3) domains. Tuba binds a variety of actin regulatory proteins, including N-WASP, CR16, WAVE1, WIRE, PIR121, NAP1, and Ena/VASP proteins, via a C-terminal SH3 domain. Direct binding partners include N-WASP and Ena/VASP proteins. Forced targeting of the C-terminal SH3 domain to the mitochondrial surface can promote accumulation of F-actin around mitochondria. A Dbl homology domain present in the middle of Tuba upstream of a Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) …

Investigation And Calculation Of Dose Coefficients For Radionuclides Produced In A Spallation Neutron Source Using The Ensdf And Nubase Nuclear Databases, Yayun Song

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dose coefficients are useful for risk assessment during the design and siting of accelerator-driven nuclear facilities including the Spallation Neutron Source. There are seventy-two radionuclides with half-lives equal to or greater than one minute that will be produced by the spallation of a mercury target for which no published dose coefficients exist. Out of these seventy-two, twenty-four currently have conflicting published nuclear data in the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data Files (ENSDF) and the NUBASE data files. In this research these twenty-four radionuclides have been studied. Because of missing ENSDF records, internal and external dose coefficients were determined for only six …

Functioning Among Taiwanese Families With A Child Having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Jih-Yuan Chen Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

A cross-sectional study was designed to determine the factors with functioning among Taiwanese families with a child having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This research investigated the level of a child's mobility upon family hardiness, functioning, and support from a family perspective. A total sample of 126 of participants was parents of children with DMD. Parents completed basic demographic information, the Family Assessment Device, Family Hardiness Index, Duke Health Profile, and Family APGAR. Pearson Correlation Coefficient test was performed to examine relationships between independent and dependent variables. To determine if the levels of child's mobility, family characteristics, family hardiness, family health, …

Pet Therapy Use In Pediatric Hospitals: An Internet Based Pilot Study, Kara Potter

Master's Projects

Introduction: In a technologically advanced health care system, health care providers continue to care for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of their patients. Alternative therapies, such as massage, music, and aroma therapy, are often included in such holistic care. Pet therapy is another form of alternative therapy that appears to be beneficial. Method: Child life coordinators and play therapists from 100 pediatric hospitals in 44 U.S. states were sent an email invitation to participate in the study by completing an online survey. Results: From the children's hospitals responding, it appears that pet therapy is used in the majority …

Contexts For Facilitating Emergent Literacy In Typically Developing Preschoolers., Karen Nicole Wilhjelm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is an additive benefit in training Emergent Literacy (EL) skills with typically developing preschoolers using a combined intervention approach, Dialogic Reading (DR) plus classroom Phonological Awareness (CL), than a single intervention approach providing only DR training.

The study consisted of 8 preschoolers (5 DR+CL, 3 DR). The classroom PA training was conducted 3 times a week for 5 weeks for 20 minutes, using play-based activities. The DR training programs were held once a week for 5 weeks for 90 minutes teaching strategies that could be used in the home environment. …

The Type And Frequency Of Morphosyntax Errors In Children's Narratives., Jennifer Lynn Lockhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A subsample of 478 children who originally participated in a larger study (Tomblin et al., 1997) was examined for type and frequency of morphological noun and verb errors in oral and written narratives in 2^nd and 4^th grade. Each child represented one of four groups: Typical Language, Specific Language Impairment, Nonspecific Language Impairment, and Low Nonverbal IQ. Three MANOVA's and post-hoc comparisons were used to test three predictions: (1) children will have more difficulty with verb than noun morphology; (2) children will make more errors in the written than the spoken narratives; and (3) children whose language impairments …

Maternal-Fetal Attachment Among Vietnamese Mothers In The First, Second, And Third Trimesters Of Pregnancy: A Pilot Study., Barbara Choo

Master's Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) among Vietnamese women during pregnancy. Design: This study is a quantitative, descriptive pilot study of maternal fetal attachment among twenty-five Vietnamese women during pregnancy. Convenience sample of twenty-five pregnant Vietnamese women were selected. Two questionnaires were used. The demographic survey included the mother's age, ethnicity, primary language spoken at home, country of origin, parity, and the stage of pregnancy. The Maternal-Fetal Attachment scale (Cranley, 1981) is a twenty-four item self-administered Likert-type scale. Result: The study result's showed modest difference in scores in the three trimesters among the Vietnamese …

Staff Perceptions Of Workload And Care Requirements For Incontinent Patients In Long-Term Care Settings, Amy M. Crickmer

Master's Projects

In response to the Omnibus Reconciliation Act (OBRA) mandate "to ensure that a resident who is incontinent of bladder receives the appropriate treatment and services to restore normal bladder functioning ... " (Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 1989, p.5333), several studies were designed and implemented to demonstrate that incontinence interventions worked. The research also showed that staff behaviors did not change and toileting programs were not carried forward once studies were completed. What was missing from the research was any mention that certified nursing assistants (CNAs) were asked to participate in the planning phase of an incontinence program. …

Assessing Health Beliefs About Colonoscopy, Katherine Gipsh

Master's Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess by questionnaire health beliefs related to colorectal cancer screening ( colonoscopy) in a population 50 years of age and older. The Health Belief Model provided the theoretical framework for data collection. This study was a non-experimental exploratory survey. A total of 42 subjects (31% male and 69% female) completed a 14-item questionnaire that covered psychological factors including health beliefs. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results of this study shows there is a need for appropriate health education to trigger people to take preventive action ( colonoscopy). Community based health education …