Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Dual Disorders And Implications For Assessment And Treatment, Eva Rosada

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Part 1: Literature review. This review of the published literature examines the consequences for individuals with co-occurring substance use disorder and chronic mental illness in traditional treatment systems that provide separate mental health and substance use treatment and identifies barriers to effective service delivery. Barriers to effective assessment and treatment are related to a lack of integration of treatments, a Jack of networking among services, and a failure to identify and assess adequately for the presence of a dual disorder. The attitude of professionals towards DD individuals is indicated as a potential barrier. Professional education in dual disorders is emphasized …

Early Attachment And Eating Disorders: A Comparative Study Between Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa, Francoise Ringer

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this research was to study the association between adult mental representations of curly attachment relationships and eating disorders, and to compare attachment classifications between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The sample consisted of 62 women with eating disorders, divided between anorexia nervosa [restricting type (n=20) and binge-eating/purging type (n=l6)], and bulimia nervosa (n=26). The measures were (a) a structured interview based on the ''Diagnostic Survey for Eating Disorders" (Johnson and Connors, 1987) and the DSM IV criteria for the classification of eating disorders, and (b) the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) (George, Kaplan and Main, 1985). The AAI …

Self-Esteem: The Influence Of Parenting Styles, Jean Wolff

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines parent/child relationships and their possible influence on self-esteem. The parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and unmatched, are assessed (by child report) and compared to levels of global and specific domains of self-esteem to determine whether parenting style influences self-esteem in children. Eighty-four children aged 11-12 years of age; male and female were asked to complete three questionnaires. The questionnaires were: Child Report of Parental Behaviour Inventory (Schluderman & Schluderman, 1970) to ascertain their parent's parenting style; Harter's (1985), Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC), to measure the child's self-esteem and a demographic questionnaire. ANOVA and ANCOVA were used …

The Use Of The Cognitive Status Examination In Detecting Cognitive Impairment In Elderly People, Geoff Mccann

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Dementia is a growing social problem in Australia because as the population ages, the incidence of dementia increases. While the prevalence rates are only about I% at age 65, they double every five years until by 85 years of age the rate is over 24%. It is expected that by the year 2030, the number of elderly people with dementia will increase by 200%. Dementia is easily recognized in its advanced stages but can be overlooked in the early phase. Family members, care-givers and even the treating medical practitioner may mistakenly attribute the early decline in mental function to the …

The Relationship Between Symptoms Of Perceived Trauma And Verbal Learning And Memory Deficits, Santina Tonizzo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Recent empirical studies on individuals with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) report an association between PTSD and deficits in short-term verbal memory. While the previous studies utilised a global score of PTSD, the present study assessed the association of individual symptoms as a result of perceived traumatic events with verbal learning and memory deficits. In addition, the severity of the traumatic events was examined as well as gender, age, IQ, education and previous alcohol abuse and drug use. A sample of 148 adults reported to have experienced a traumatic event such as sexual or physical abuse ns children. war veterans, or …

The Effects Of Suicide Intent And History Of Self-Harm On Emotional Reactions And Willingness To Help, Paul A. Buttigieg

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The present study was a preliminary investigation of factors that affect potential helpers' emotional responses, perceptions and willingness to help when confronted with information about a hypothetical friend who overdoses. One hundred and forty-two undergraduate students attending Edith Cowan University (Joondalup Campus) were randomly assigned to one of six conditions and read two vignettes. In the first vignette, information was provided of a hypothetical female friend's overdose. The second vignette included information about the overdose that either supported or contradicted information in the first vignette regarding the woman's history of self-harm. Participants then completed a questionnaire designed to measure their …

Impairment In Dichotic Listening Following Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm, Paul Michael Evitts

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Dichotic listening involves the simultaneous presentation of stimuli binaurally and was initially a method for determining cerebral dominance or laterality of hemispheric function. Since its inception, dichotic listening has evolved into a method for assessing neurologic pathology. An interruption in the central auditory pathways will result in a detectable asymmetry of dichotic scores. Impaired dichotic listening has been well documented in numerous neurological etiologies, but dichotic listening in patients who present anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysm has yet to be documented. Due to the location of the ACoA and the substrates of innervation, central auditory pathways responsible for the transmission …

Portuguese-Americans And Mental Health Treatment Client-Therapist Ethnic Match, Ethnic Identity, And Satisfaction With Treatment, Katherine B. Gamble

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Multicultural issues in psychotherapy have increasingly been recognized as important in the provision of mental health services to our diverse population. Issues such as beliefs about mental health, attitudes toward authority, and even world view affect how clients access and make use of psychotherapy. Cultural views are essential to how one sees the world, and consequently there is much debate about whether clients would benefit from having therapists from the same cultural background. Ethnic identity, or the degree to which a person holds to the beliefs of their culture of origin, consequently plays an important role in psychotherapy. The Portuguese …

Perceptions Of Clinical Psychologists Relative To Other Mental Health Providers, Glenora Nelson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

There is a myriad of job titles that exist within the mental health profession. Public perception about the differences between these professionals has been the focus of many studies and the results generally suggest that the public cannot clearly distinguish among these mental heath professionals. The present study is also concerned with perceptions about the various mental health professionals, in particular, perceptions of clinical psychologists relative to other professionals in this field. Undergraduate psychology students age 18–47 participated in a study of perceptions and attitudes about the qualifications and competence of clinical psychologists, professional counselors, psychiatrists and clinical social workers. …

Telomerase Activity In Human Preimplantation Embryos, Diane Lynne Wright

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein, has been described as an essential component of highly proliferative cells, which stabilizes the telomeres and avoids cellular senescence. Telomerase has been identified in various embryonic cell stages, hematopoietic cells, and in >85% of tumor tissue biopsies analyzed. The ability to measure the potential to proliferate successfully could provide an objective measure of an embryo's quality. The objectives of this study were to modify the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay system for increased sensitivity to allow detection of telomerase activity in the single cell of an oocyte and embryo, obtain telomerase activity levels for the oocyte …

The Effects Of Symbol Organization Strategy On Syntactical Language Production In First Grade Children, Daniel Thomas Baier

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is the process in which a person's disordered speech is augmented or assisted with communication technology. This study investigated the effects of vocabulary organization using branching capabilities of a high technology device on sentence construction. Information about vocabulary organization strategies might be important for addressing the language and literacy deficits that were noted in previous research with AAC users. The study attempted to investigate whether or not vocabulary organization in a grammatical sequence across one page or multiple pages would improve non-AAC users abilities to retell a story using AAC technology. Six students participated in …

Incidence Of Voice Disorders In Teachers Who Coach, Todd Allen Bohnenkamp

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Eighteen teachers who coach, representing school districts in northeast and southeast Iowa participated in this study. Voice recordings were analyzed acoustically, and perceptually rated to quantify voice quality. Videostroboscopy was used to visualize laryngeal anatomy and function to confirm suspected voice pathologies yielded from the acoustic data. A questionnaire was used to collect vocal history information from each coach. Utilizing these objective and subjective methods, it was determined that 39% of these coaches had a voice disorder at the time of testing. These coaches often would change their teaching style when confronted with a voice problem; however, a high percentage …

Comparison Of Health Practices Of International Students At The University Of Northern Iowa Before And After Coming To The United States, Joseph Kwesi Ogah

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the health practices of international students at the University of Northern Iowa before and after coming to the United States (US). Also included in the study was a description of differences in the selected health behaviors by gender, age, marital status, residence type, place of origin, and length of stay in the US. A random sample of 81 international students from about 60 different countries (35% male, 65% female) responded to a 50-item health behavior survey in the Fall semester of 1999.

The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was …

Load Optimization On The Wingate Anaerobic Test With College-Aged Females, Corey Steven Crane

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to determine which resistance loads would elicit maximal values of peak power output (PP), mean power output (MP) and fatigue index (FI) of college-age females. A second purpose was to examine the predictability of certain anthropometric and performance variables on the optimal load used for the Wingate Anaerobic Test. Twenty-one female volunteers, aged 20-27 years, performed a 10-second maximal cranking test, an area of muscle mass assessment of the thigh as well as three 30-second Wingate Anaerobic Power Tests (WAT) using loads of 75, 90 and 105 g/kg. The variables PP (W and W …

Increasing Readiness To Change Among Smokers In A Primary Care Setting, Sheila F. Collicott

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared the effectiveness of two brief interventions, direct advice and motivational interviewing, for increasing motivation to quit among male smokers in the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages of change who were primary care patients at an Eastern urban VA medical center. Contrary to expectations, participants receiving motivational interviews did not increase more in readiness to change, motivation, and actions to quit, than those receiving direct advice or a control conversation, nor did they smoke fewer cigarettes per day. As expected, contemplators reported more cutting down and quit attempts than pre-contemplators. Factors that may have limited the effectiveness of interventions …

Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Effective Clinical Teachers, Patricia Frontczak

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify ADN faculty and ADN student perceptions of the most effective clinical teaching characteristics (ECTC). An exploratory, descriptive design was implemented. ADN faculty and ADN students were surveyed using the Clinical Teacher Characteristics Instrument (CTCI). The CTCI consists of 20 characteristics of clinical teachers that are ranked on a five point Likert-type scale according to importance. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Significant differences in perceptions of the most ECTC between the two groups were identified by a Mann Whitney U procedure. A t-test was performed to identify differences of perceptions …

A Study Of Nursing Students And Intrinsic Spirituality, Christine Anderson Madsen

Master's Projects

This paper describes some theoretical perspectives of spirituality, the concepts of spiritual care and spiritual needs, and barriers to providing spiritual care as described in the literature. The two most frequently described barriers are lack of comfort with the topic and lack of education. Because there is so little written about the discussion of spirituality in schools of nursing, a descriptive study using nursing students on the central coast of California was conducted. The Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS) was used to measure intrinsic spirituality. This study looked for relationships between the scores on this scale, and the students' …

The Relationship Between African Self Consciousness And Attitudes In Heterosexual Relationships Among African American College Students In Two Different Settings, Rhonda M. Dalrymple

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between African Self-Consciousness and attitudes toward interpersonal relationships among African American college students ending classes at a predominantly white university, Northwestern State University, and at a predominantly black university, Southern University. The ASC scale was used to assess the Black personality construct of African self-consciousness. The BHR survey was used to assess the subjects' perceptions concerning heterosexual relationships. The findings support the hypothesis that ASC is directly related to whether the individual possesses Afrocentric or Eurocentric beliefs and attitudes. A direct relationship was found between the environment and attitudes of …

Stress Experienced By Respite Care Workers And Family Caregivers When Caring For Alzheimer's Patients, Monica D. Minewiser

Theses & Dissertations

Changing demographics and cost containment in health care in caring for the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patient has given birth to a growing need for respite care workers. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the stress level of a respite care worker who works with an AD patient in a noninstitutionalized setting on a daily basis will be significantly less than that of a family caregiver when caring for an AD patient. The Revised Memory and Behavior Problem Checklist (RMBPC) was the instrument used to measure stress. This is a questionnaire consisting of 24 questions and allows 5 …

Narrative Cohesiveness And The Resolution Of Trauma, Susan G. Middleton

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This review examines the literature on narrative and trauma in order to summarize and integrate findings on the role of narrative in adaptation to trauma. First, an introduction to the trauma literature, narrative theory, and how narratives have been studied in the context of psychotherapy is presented. Then, studies examining the characteristics of trauma narratives and their relationship to the resolution of trauma are presented and critiqued. Then, important methodological issues and the various measures used to study narratives in therapy and trauma and its sequelae are discussed. Factors that have been identified as affecting the construction of narratives in …

Psychological Correlates Of Pain Perception: An Assessment Of False Biofeedback, Tobie Jay Escher

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Effects of suggestion and placebos in pain therapy have become a modern theme in pain management. This study was designed to investigate whether suggestive false biofeedback, compared with a true biofeedback control condition, would have an effect on pain perception ratings in a simplified version of a cold pressor task (CPT). Psycho-physiological measures of electrical cortical activity (EEG) and muscle tension (EMG) combined with psychological correlates (verbal and visual pain ratings) were also assessed.

A separate 2 (gender) x 2 (feedback condition) x 6 (time segment) mixed-design ANOVA was performed for (a) EEG frontal and (b) parietal lobe alpha activity, …

Officer Involved Shooting: The Emotional Impact And The Effective Coping Strategies, Patrick P. Charoen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The emotional impact of a shooting incident on the individual police officer has been recognized and detailed by both police and mental health professionals (Lippert & Ferrara, 1984). The human cost and financial costs to Police Departments as a result of "post shooting" trauma has sensitized many departments to the need for professional support for officers involved in shootings. Recent survey research has provided information about the percentage of officers who experienced great, moderate, or no emotional impact after being involved in shootings (Stratton, 1982). However, information about the degree to which police departments have responded to this need has …

Comparing Outcome Of Residential And Intensive Outpatient Treatment Services For Substance Dependence, Shawn E. Channell

Dissertations

The past 20 years have witnessed a significant increase in the number of published studies comparing inpatient with outpatient substance dependence treatment The majority of these studies have reported no benefit for those recipients receiving more intensive treatment However, the outpatient treatment investigated in these studies has typically been day treatment often involving 27 hours a week of participation, and not intensive outpatient treatment (IOP), which involves 12 or fewer hours of participation per week. Additionally, few published studies have compared alcohol and cocaine dependent populations. This study was designed to compare effectiveness of the residential and intensive outpatient levels …

Diagnostic Issues With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Conditional Probabilities And A Measure Of Symptom Ratings, Margo Adams Larsen

Dissertations

Current assessment taxonomy, including the DSM -IV and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) (World Health Organization, 1990) editions, have provided semistructured criteria sets to aid professionals in making a diagnosis of ADHD or ADD. The diagnostic taxonomy criteria, however, have resulted in a very heterogeneous population of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disordered (ADHD) individuals. Several studies have attempted to assess the behavioral syndromes— Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)/Conduct Disorder (CD)/ Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)—in terms of test or symptom sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, and negative predictive power (Landau, Milich, & Widiger, 1991; Milich, Widiger, & Landau, 1987; Waldman & …

The Validity Of The Adhd Section Of The Diagnostic Interview Schedule For Children, Ann M. Mcgrath

Dissertations

The purpose o f this study was to learn more about the validity o f the ADHD portion of the NIMH-DISCIV. In order to accomplish this goal, 58 youth participants were divided into three groups: (1) subjects who met criteria for ADHD based upon both the youth and the caretaker versions of the DISC; (2) subjects who met criteria for ADHD based upon the caretaker DISC, but not according to the youth DISC; and (3) subjects who did not meet criteria for ADHD according to either the youth or the caretaker DISC. Subjects in these groups were compared across parent …

The Role Of Brn-3.2 In Retinal Ganglion Cell Differentiation, Jerin Marie Wright

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Within the retina, the POU domain of transcription factors brn-3.0, brn-3.1, and brn-3.2 are present only in retinal ganglion cells. These genes are believed to be involved in establishing neural cell lineages in mammals. In this study brn-3.2 was examined by comparing the number of ganglion cells present during postnatal development in normal mice (+/+), in mice homozygous (-/-) for the brn-3.2 gene, and in adult mice with a heterozygous gene deletion (+/-) for brn-3.2. Optic nerve cross sections were imaged by electron microscopy, and axon profiles counted systematically by hand. These counts were then related to the nerve cross …

A Preclinical Model Of Ionizing Radiation And Tnf-Alpha Gene Therapy For Cancer, Jun Li

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Long term control of high-grade brain tumors is rarely achieved with current therapeutic regimens. This study sought to determine if pretreatment with plasmid DNA expressing Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) could enhance the effect of ionizing radiation in an aggressive, rapidly growing glioma tumor (C6) model. Plasmid DNA is an attractive vector system for delivery of foreign genes into eukaryotic cells due to its advantages including low immunogenicity in vivo, lesser toxicity and relatively low cost. We have constructed a plasmid-based mammalian expression vector (pGL1-TNF) to secrete human TNF-α from cancer cells. Plasmid DNA was successfully transfected into C6 cells …

Family And Child Psychosocial Functioning Of Infant Heart Transplant Recipients, Kimberly R. Freeman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

With the advancement of medical procedures, heart transplantation has become a viable alternative for infants born with congenital or acquired heart disease. Although these children are thought to experience much improvement in their overall physical functioning post-transplantation, the long-term psychological functioning of these children and their families is currently unknown. This study examines the long-term family functioning and psychosocial development of infant heart transplant recipients in comparison to children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and non-clinical control children. Results indicate that infant heart transplant recipients and their families experience fewer overall problems as compared to the CHD group, and more …

Differentiation In Roles Of School Nurse And Unlicensed Assistive Personnel, Lynn Shieh

Master's Projects

School nurses provide a vast number of health services for students, teachers, and staff. Despite school nurses' important contributions to the health status of students, through the years their positions have been gradually supplemented by Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP)/ Health Clerks. With the number of UAPs increasing in the school setting, roles and responsibilities of school nurses and UAPs need to be clearly differentiated in order to utilize the UAP's services legally and efficiently. This research used a descriptive survey to investigate the perceptions that differentiate the role of school nurses and UAPs among school administrators, nurses, UAPs, secretaries, and …

Genetic Control Of Eye Development, A Case Study Focused On The Murine Mutation Belly Spot And Tail (Bst), Qing Tang

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Development of the eye is controlled by a network of genes, often conserved, that regulate the timing and location of cellular differentiation. One approach to understanding this network of genes and their interaction is to focus on mutations, spontaneous or induced, that predictably disrupt the proper function of such networks, and by examining the effect of such disruption on the function of other genes.

The Belly spot and tail (Bst) semi-dominant mutation, mapped to mouse Chromosome 16, leads to developmental defects of the eye, skeleton, and coat pigmentation. In the eye, the mutant phenotype is characterized by the presence of …