Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Neuronal Correlates For Neuroendocrine Habituation To Repeated Stress, Sara Matovic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

One way that the body actively responds to an impending stressor is by increasing systemic glucocorticoids through the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. While it is essential for short-term adaptation to stress, the sustained activation of the HPA axis during chronic stress can be detrimental and is linked to stress-related psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is important that the HPA axis adapts, or habituates, during chronic stress to minimize the negative consequences. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) function to assimilate incoming information from the stress circuitry and …

Self-Management As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Social Support And Health Outcomes Of African American Adults With Type 2 Diabetes., Tariq N. Al-Dwaikat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is often associated with serious complications. African American adults have higher rates of diabetes-related complications than other ethnicities. Diabetes self-management reduces the risk of developing biological and psychological symptoms. Social support promotes positive behavior change and self-management that leads to improved biobehavioral and psychosocial outcomes. Few studies explored the relationship between social support dimensions and self-management behaviors, diabetes biomarkers, and psychosocial outcomes of African American adults with T2D. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the relationships of various dimensions of social support with self-management behaviors and diabetes biomarkers and psychosocial outcomes of African American …

Resilience And Coping In The Adolescent And Young Adult With Type 1 Diabetes, Debra L. Messinger

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

There is a need to understand the roles coping strategies play in enhancing resilience in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes between the ages of 18-30. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between and among positive, protective coping strategies (courageous coping), negative coping strategies (defensive coping), and resilience. The Resilience in Illness Model (Haase, Kinter, Monahan, & Robb, 2014) was the theoretical model which guided this research.

A convenience sample was recruited via diabetes organizations’ Facebook and Forum pages, a College Diabetes Network chapter meeting, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations’ (JDRF) sponsored events. Data …

A Grounded Theory Inquiry Into Crying In Women Dealing With The Emotional Stress Of Personal Crisis, Mary Bess Griffith

Doctoral Dissertations

The belief that crying leads to healing is so widely held and of such longstanding that many healthcare professionals—including nurses, physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists—accept it as fact even though there is little substantiating scientific evidence. Crying is commonly believed to be an essential factor in restoring mind-body equilibrium after physical and/or emotional trauma has been experienced. If, as has been hypothesized by many scientists and healthcare practitioners, emotional crying is a biopsychosocial healing modality, then specifics of its therapeutic praxis, including limitations and ambiguities, should be incorporated into nursing education and practice. In this grounded theory study, the meaning and …

Resiliency In The Operating Room: Exploring Trainee Stress During Surgery And The Role Of Individual Resilience, Richard Ng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Surgical trainees experience significant intraoperative stress, which can negatively impact performance and learning. Psychological resilience suggests why some individuals excel despite severe stress. This study explores the relationship between trainee resilience and intraoperative stress. A novel instrument was developed to assess Surgical TRainee Experiences of StresS in the Operating Room (STRESSOR). Focus groups and a literature review identified eight domains of intraoperative stress. STRESSOR was used in a survey of orthopaedic residents in Canada and surgical trainees at Western University. Resiliency was assessed using the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale. 171 responses were received for a 38 percent response rate. The …

A Web-Based Stress Reduction Program For Occupational Health, Michelle N. Kabakibi, Karen Macauley

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose: The purpose of this evidenced-based practice project is to implement a sustainable 6-week mindfulness web-based program to reduce stress of call center employees in a corporate setting.

Background/significance: Stress is a major public health issue, calling for a need of better stress management programs to prevent and manage chronic stress. Stress is caused when an individual perceives environmental demands as beyond his/her adaptive capacity. In the workplace, stress leads to emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, lower productivity, and impaired performance (Allexandre et al., 2016). According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report, 40% of workers reported …

Mindfulness And Law Enforcement: An Effective Approach To Implementing Mindfulness For First Responders, Gina White

Mindfulness Studies Theses

An increasing number of studies show that people employed as first responders in high trauma service jobs tend to experience a high level of stress, at work and after hours. Studies suggest that constant exposure to job related stress leads to both physical and mental dysregulation. This study looks at the effects of implementing mindfulness tools and techniques to those working in law enforcement. Other works on this topic report mindfulness as a successful tool to increase wellbeing to a broad spectrum of populations. The methodology used in this study was designed specifically for first responders. The data findings were …

The Caffeine Consumption Habits, Sleep Quality, Sleep Quantity, And Perceived Stress Of Clinical Nurses, Mykin R. Higbee

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance worldwide. Energy drinks are a relatively new beverage type that contain three to five times more caffeine than regular sodas. In several workplace settings, energy drinks have become popular as individuals chose to consume these beverages in an attempt to combat fatigue, deal with stress, and boost energy. There is no information regarding the energy drink and caffeine consumption habits of nurses working in the clinical setting. Clinical nurses provide the majority of patient care in the health care setting. Nursing is a mentally and physically demanding profession due to heavy patient …

A Psychometric Evaluation Of The Recovery Stress Questionnaire For Athletes (Restq-Sport), Stacy L. Gnacinski

Theses and Dissertations

The Recovery Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport; Kallus & Kellmann, 2016) has been utilized in over one hundred research studies on overtraining in sport (Kallus & Kellmann, 2016). Despite recommendations from researchers to incorporate the RESTQ-Sport into existing practices for monitoring athletes’ responses to training load, gaps in the literature impede the translation of the measure from research to practice (Saw, Main, & Gastin, 2015a; Taylor, Chapman, Cronin, Newton, & Gill, 2012). To address gaps in the literature and enhance knowledge regarding the measurement nuances of the RESTQ-Sport, three systematic studies were completed in the current dissertation project. For all …

Reported Interventions For Reducing Anxiety And Distress In Adult Oncology Patients Throughout Their Cancer Experience: A Review Of The Literature And An Analysis Of Adults In Remission, Katie Gomez

Honors Theses

Background: The purpose of this paper is to identify present methods at relieving anxiety and distress in adult oncology patients. According to the American Cancer Association (2016), 1.7 million American will be diagnosed with cancer in 2016, and therefore, it is important for nurses to be competent caregivers to this growing patient population.

Literature Review: A comprehensive review of current literature showed that consistent, competent caregivers, honest communication from the medical team, back massage, and music therapy were effective at cutting mean anxiety and distress scores by as much as 50 percent. Sixteen peer-reviewed articles from around the world …

Central Role Of Vasotocin In The Neuroendocrine Regulation Of Stress Responses And Food Intake In Chickens, Gallus Gallus, Gurueswar Nagarajan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is well known that arginine vasotocin (AVT) in birds is involved in physiological homeostasis such as cardiovascular, osmotic regulation as well as reproductive functions. Pertinent to these physiological functions, AVT immunoreactive (-ir) neurons in the hypothalamus have been found associated with hemorrhage, dehydration, oviposition and other physiological regulation. Evidence, however, suggests that AVT also plays significant roles in modulating behavior, memory, stress, and food intake. This dissertation research addresses the latter two neuroendocrine functions of AVT in detail within the chicken brain. First, the functional role of AVT-ir neurons in conjunction with corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)-ir neurons in the …

The Psychophysiological Correlates Of Personality, Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Social Support, Meghan E. Pierce

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Theories considering the etiology of psychopathy suggest that trauma exposure, specifically childhood maltreatment and sexual abuse, is related to the development of callous-unemotional traits in children and adolescents, which are precursors to psychopathic traits in adulthood. Furthermore, posttraumatic stress disorder has an opposite relationship with many of the emotional and behavioral components of the two-factor model of psychopathy. Specifically, PTSD is positively associated to IA and traits associated with it and negatively associated with FD. Thus, this study sought to expand upon the current theories of a trauma-based etiology of psychopathy by investigating the relationship between trauma, PTSD, and psychopathic …

Stress In New Graduate Nurses: Can They Sweat It? A Correlational Study Of Exercise And Stress In New Graduate Nurses, Kathleen Helgesen

Doctoral Projects

Stress in new graduate nurses has been a known issue in nursing for decades. The number of new graduate nurse turnover rates has reached up to 50% within the first three years of practice, according to some studies. Most new graduate nurses who choose to leave their job, or even the profession, cite stress as a major factor.

Methods: Single point correlation survey of new graduate BSN students in Southern California (n=32).

Results: Initial results showed a statistically significant difference between those who exercised three to five hours per week, versus though who exercised more than five hours per week. …

The Relationship Between Body Composition, Stress, And Academic Performance In First-Semester College Students, Josie Mansperger

Honors Projects

Background: Students often experience undesirable body composition changes, as well as previously unknown stressors, during the transition to college. This study characterizes the relationship between body composition, stress, and academic performance in the first semester of college.

Methods: At the beginning and end of their first semester, 54 students (59.2% female) completed in-person weight and fat assessment (bioelectrical impedance analysis), as well as online stress assessment (“academic stress” via the Inventory of College Students’ Recent Life Experiences, ICSRLE, and “perceived stress” via the Perceived Stress Scale, PSS). Grade point average (GPA) was obtained from the registrar. Paired t-tests were used …

Social Supports, Stress And Birth Outcomes Among Latina Mothers In Pinellas County, Florida, Maridelys Detres

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social supports are linked in public health research to improved birth outcomes. This study explored the relationship of social supports, stress and birth outcomes among pregnant Latinas in Pinellas County, Florida. A sample of 411 Healthy Start women at risk of poor birth outcomes participated in this study (99 Latinas, 142 Black, and 158 White). Study methods included ANOVA, Principal Component Analysis, multivariable regression, logistic regression, and structural equation modeling to identify significant associations between social support scores, stress scores, demographics and health risk factors with infant birth weight, preterm and small for gestational age by ethnic group. Study findings …

Parents Of Children Who Had Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Mixed-Methods, Exploratory Study, Natalene Kramer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: There is scant literature addressing the parents of children who had hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). therefore only inferences may be made as to issues of that experience affecting parents.

Purpose: The purposes of this study was to uncover the lived experiences of parents of children who had HIE, evaluate issues of stress, depression, coping, and impact of neurologic disability in order to better care for them and thus their families

Methods: A parallel, convergent mixed-methods design was used to explore experiences and perceptions of these parents regarding their experiences and life changes. The quantitative strand addressed four research questions which …

Nurse Leader Effect On Burnout Among Mental Health Nurses Working In Inpatient Psychiatric Nursing, Beatrice Masita Paintsil

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Burnout is a phenomenon that affects many nurses working in different nursing specialties. Research has shown that nurses working in psychiatry suffer from burnout. Burnout can have serious consequences to the individual nurse, to the patients they are responsible for, and the organization as a whole. Purpose: The purpose of this critical review of the literature is to explore the impact nursing leadership can have on burnout among mental health nurses Conceptual Framework: The Modeling and Role-Modeling theory will be adapted to guide the review and to explain the human relationship of nurse leaders and mental health nurses in …

Assessing Parent Invovlment In Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment For Children With Autism, Krista Marie Clancy

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare two groups of parents whose children participated in ABA on their levels of stress, self-efficacy, treatment acceptability, and parents’ level of involvement in their children’s treatment, and to assess variables that may explain variance in parent involvement. Parents in the treatment group participated in a voluntary parent training (n=18) and the comparison group were parents who elected not to participate in the voluntary training (n=22). This was a quasi-experimental design study where parents and their therapists completed a survey regarding parents’ involvement in their children’s treatment programs. Additional parent measures collected as …

A Biobehavioral Approach To Examining Moral Distress In Critical Care Nurses, Marian Altman

Theses and Dissertations

Moral distress is a complex and challenging problem that may cause negative biopsycohosical and professional outcomes for critical care nurses. The purpose of this work was to explore the relationship between the ethical climate of the work environment and moral distress as experienced by critical care nurses; and to explore relationships among mediators of stress (nurse characteristics e.g. education (BSN, nonBSN), years certified as a critical care nurse, and tolerance of ambiguity) and their relationship with perceived stress, moral distress, health status and salivary alpha amylase. A descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was used for this pilot study of 100 critical …

The Relationship Between Caring For Individuals Diagnosed With Prader-Willi Syndrome And Caregiver Stress, Michael Andrew Vice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background/Purpose: Chronic stress is related to numerous health risks such as causing an individual to age more rapidly than an individual with less stress (Oliveira, et al., 2010; Bauer, 2009; McEwen, 2002). Other aging problems related to chronic stress are Alzheimer’s disease (Peterson et al., 2007) and premature death (Canizzo et al., 2011). Stress can lead to mental health issues such as depression (Wiegner, 2015; Hammen, 2005) and anxiety (Wiegner et al., 2015). Stress has also been linked to cardiovascular disease (Seldenrijk, 2015), asthma (Rod et al., 2012; Chen & Miller, 2007), obesity (McInnis et al., 2014), diabetes (Salpea, 2010), …

Impact Of Social Support Networks On Level Of Stress And Self-Esteem Among Canadian Immigrants, Jackie Williamson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigration may be an effective survival strategy for individuals from countries involved in war or political unrest.However, the immigration process may exacerbate a number of physical and psychological health symptoms. There are limited data on the health status of new Canadian immigrants, and some social support networks are not formally connected to settlement programs.The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to assess the level of stress and self-esteem of 400 recent and older immigrants in Canada, and to investigate the impact of social support networks on the mental well-being of recent immigrants.Cultural care and general adaptation theory provided the …

The Lived Experience Of Intersectionality Among African American Women With Breast Cancer, Teri D. Armour Burton

Dissertations

African American women (AAW) continue to have breast cancer mortality rates that are 42% higher than White women (De Santis et al., 2015). Researchers suggest that an epistemological approach that integrates the biomedical and feminist models would be more effective in addressing health disparities. The concept of intersectionality, which grew out of the Black feminist movement, provides a lens in which to view the lived experiences of AAW with breast cancer. The intersectionality paradigm attempts to address the marginalized, oppressive, intersecting social existence of AAW through the examination of identity, social class, and power.

This qualitative study applied a descriptive …

Workplace Factors Affecting The Delivery Of Occupational Therapy Services: Perspectives Of Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Robert J. Mullaney

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

This research is a study on the occupation of being an occupational therapy practitioner. The work-related factors of focus are change, absenteeism, productivity/performance expectations, and work-stress and have the potential to influence the delivery of occupational therapy services in healthcare settings. Collective case-study inquiry and analysis was used to determine the overall meaning of the perspectives of 21 hospital, skilled nursing, outpatient, and community-based participants who were occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants. Interviews and transcription took place, with a validation review. NVIVO-10 Qualitative Software was used to aid in the analysis and coding of the a-priori factors using deductive …

Preparing To Parent: Mindfulness In Expectant Parents Exposed To Adversity, Laurel Marie Hicks

Wayne State University Dissertations

Expectant parents who have been exposed to psychosocial risk encounter deleterious psychological (Ashley et al., 2016), and physiological (V. H. Pereira, Campos, & Sousa, 2017) effects. This not only affects the parent-to-be, but also may affect the developing fetus (E. P. Davis et al., 2011) and is linked to poorer infant development (Lefmann & Combs-Orme, 2014). However, not all risk-exposed individuals experience this, many are resilient and still thrive in the face of adversity. Understanding potential risk and resiliency factors in expectant parents is advantageous, so tailored interventions can be devised to improve outcomes. One potential resiliency factor, mindfulness, is …

The Effect Of Yoga Practice On Glucose Control, Physiological Stress, And Well-Being In Type 2 Diabetes: Exploring A Mechanism Of Action, Maricarmen Vizcaino

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Multiple studies have found yoga practice to be effective in improving glucose control and other health markers of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, current findings cannot reach a consensus given multiple methodological inconsistencies. The primary purpose of this Dissertation work was to investigate the impact of yoga practice on the glucose control of participants with T2DM through two different approaches in two separate exploratory studies. The first study, a quasi-experimental design, examined the effect of eight weeks of yoga practice on glucose control taking into account previous limitations in the literature. The second study, a single-subject design, …

Hassles Of African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes, Sharon H. Murff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a steady increase in the incidence of diabetes in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a difference in the daily hassles of African American adults with a self-reported diagnosis of type 2 diabetes compared to those of African American adults without a self-reported diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The theoretical underpinning for this quantitative, descriptive study was the cognitive appraisal theory (CAT), but the concept of stress and the effects stress has on the body was the broad framework that connected all the variables. The CAT was used to …

Strategies To Reduce Effects Of Organizational Stress In Health Care Workplaces, Kate Chinyere Mbidoaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress has become a frequent occurrence in the race for competitive business advantage. This stress leads to negative physiological consequences in the workplace, causing productivity and profitability to suffer. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the stress management strategies that some health care business leaders used to reduce the effects of work-related stress on their employees to improve productivity. The interview process included 3 managers employed at a health care institution in Houston, Texas, with records of implementing successful strategies for mitigating the effects of workplace stress. The conceptual framework was job demands-resources model, pertinent …

Humanitarian Aid Workers' Perceptions Of Stress Management Services, Annette Hearns

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Humanitarian aid workers live and work in harsh circumstances far from loved ones and support mechanisms. The problem is that international aid must continue to work effectively despite stress levels. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how aid workers perceive their work-related stressors, examine their subsequent experiences of in-house stress management services, and describe the factors that influence aid workers' decisions to access in-house stress management services. The conservation of resources theory was used to understand aid workers experience of stress. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify 12 aid workers with a minimum of 5 …

The Role Of Stress In The Relationship Between Shift Worked And Hypertension, Madison Liford

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Purpose: Individuals working non-daytime shifts have been reported to have an increased risk for many negative health outcomes, including poor cardiovascular health. This study aims to examine the relationship between shift worked and hypertension—a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Of particular interest in this study was the role of stress and type of shift worked (day, evening, night, or rotating) in this relationship.

Methods: The study utilized National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collected between 2005 and 2010. The study population was limited to adult workers 20 years of age and older (n=9356). Initial descriptive statistics of …

The Impact Of Stress On Steroid Hormones And Cue Reactivity In Smokers And Gamblers, Stephanie Elaine Wemm

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Addictions, both substance and behavioral, have been conceptualized as having similar biopsychosocial processes with different opportunistic expressions (Shaffer et al., 2004). Biological processes such as the hormonal response to stress as measured by cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and the ratio of the DHEA/cortisol may be among the variables underlying the disposition to develop an addictive disorder, regardless of whether it is a substance-based or a so-called behavioral addiction. The current study aimed to examine whether physiological and psychological reactions to stress are similar in high-frequency smokers and gamblers. The subjective (urges, cravings) and physiological responses (skin conductance and heart rate) of …