Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

‘A Healthy Cit’: An Investigation Into Student Health Metrics, Lifestyle Behaviours And The Predictors Of Positive Mental Health In An Irish Higher Education Setting, Andrea Bickerdike, Joan Dineen, Cian O'Neill

Publications

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are potent health promotion settings, uniquely positioned to aid societal efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). International evidence suggests that health metrics and lifestyle behaviours of higher education students are sub-optimal, yet a dearth of contemporary Irish data exists. This study aimed to examine sex differences in student lifestyle behaviours and identify significant predictors of positive mental health in an Irish HEI setting. An online questionnaire instrument distributed to all registered students (n = 11,261) gathered data regarding a multitude of health and lifestyle domains. Many items were adapted from previous Irish research. Further validated scales …

Integrating Primary Care Into Community Mental Health Centres In Texas, Usa: Results Of A Case Study Investigation, Rebecca Wells, Ellen D Breckenridge, Sasha Ajaz, Aman Narayan, Daniel Brossart, James H Zahniser, Jolene Rasmussen

Journal Articles

INTRODUCTION: Despite evidence that people with serious mental illness benefit from receiving primary care within mental health care settings, there is little research on this type of integration. The objective of this study was to characterize how providers and patients experienced implementation of primary care into specialty mental health services.

METHODS: During site visits, study team members interviewed staff and conducted focus groups with patients at 10 United States community mental health centres then beginning to integrate primary into their practices. One year later, follow up phone interviews with key centre staff informants validated and updated findings. Data analysis included …

Integrative Pharmacotherapeutic Approaches To Treating Depression, Charlotte Tse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), based in the philosophy-religions of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, is more than a purely prescriptive medical system; it is a way of life focused primarily on the principles of prevention rather than the more reactionary direction that pharmacotherapy in the US has taken. Mental illness is expected to account for a quarter of China’s overall health burden by 2020, with depression affecting around 100 million people and nearly 30 percent of young Chinese adults. Conventional antidepressants have a delayed onset and unpredictable therapeutic efficacy in this condition, especially in mild to moderate cases of depression. In …

Syrian Refugee Mothers In Jordan: Perceived Social Support And Postpartum Depression, Marya Rana

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many women suffer from postpartum depression; migrant women experience postpartum depression at rates almost triple that of the general population. This study investigated the associations between perceived social support and postpartum depression among Syrian refugee mothers living in Amman, Jordan. Eleven mothers completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) - Shortened Version. Four of those mothers also participated in individual interviews, and four others were included in a focus group. Multiple recurring themes were identified from the interviews and focus group, including: perceived differences in child and social support in …

“Para Nunca Más Vivirlo, Nunca Más Negarlo”: El Legado De Violencia Sexual Durante La Dictadura, Isabel De La Torre

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: What are the mental health effects of sexual political violence against women during the dictatorship and during the current socio-political movement?

Objectives: The general objective of this study is to identify how sexual political violence has been used in Chile against women and to analyze its consequences on the mental health of survivors. More specifically, this study attempts to investigate the mechanisms sexual political torture during the dictatorship and now, visibilize the unique damages to mental health caused by this type of violence, and analyze the dictatorial legacy in regards to sexual violence and the current socio-political climate. …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Non-Communicable Disease Risk: A Narrative Review, Catherine M. Phillips, Ling-Wei Chen, Barbara Heude, Jonathan Y. Bernard, Nicholas C. Harvey, Liesbeth Duijts, Sara M. Mensink-Bout, Kinga Polanska, Giulia Mancano, Matthew Suderman, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

There are over 1,000,000 publications on diet and health and over 480,000 references on inflammation in the National Library of Medicine database. In addition, there have now been over 30,000 peer-reviewed articles published on the relationship between diet, inflammation, and health outcomes. Based on this voluminous literature, it is now recognized that low-grade, chronic systemic inflammation is associated with most non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancers, respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as impaired neurodevelopment and adverse mental health outcomes. Dietary components modulate inflammatory status. In recent years, the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII^®), a literature-derived …

How Well Do We Understand Mental Health?, Ashley Van Slyke

Population Health Research Brief Series

Roughly 9.8 million adults in the United States, representing 4% of the U.S. adult population, have a diagnosis of a serious mental illness (SMI). An additional 16.1 million (6.7%) have a diagnosed depressive disorder. Millions more know people with serious mental illness or depression. Poor mental health is a massive and growing public health crisis. Its looming presence begs the question: Do we, as a society, truly understand different mental illnesses?

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Sleep Quality In Southern Italian Adults, Justyna Godos, Raffaele Ferri, Filippo Caraco, Filomena Irene Ilaria Cosentino, Sabrina Castellano, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Fabio Galvano, Giuseppe Grosso

Faculty Publications

Background: Current evidence supports the central role of a subclinical, low-grade inflammation in a number of chronic illnesses and mental disorders; however, studies on sleep quality are scarce. The aim of this study was to test the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and sleep quality in a cohort of Italian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of the Mediterranean healthy Eating, Aging, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study was conducted on 1936 individuals recruited in the urban area of Catania during 2014–2015 through random sampling. A food frequency questionnaire and other validated instruments were used to calculate …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Sleep Quality In Southern Italian Adults, Justyna Godos, Raffaele Ferri, Filippo Caraci, Filomena I. I. Cosentino, Sabrina Castellano, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Fabio Galvano, Giuseppe Grosso

Faculty Publications

Background: Current evidence supports the central role of a subclinical, low-grade inflammation in a number of chronic illnesses and mental disorders; however, studies on sleep quality are scarce. The aim of this study was to test the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and sleep quality in a cohort of Italian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of the Mediterranean healthy Eating, Aging, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study was conducted on 1936 individuals recruited in the urban area of Catania during 2014-2015 through random sampling. A food frequency questionnaire and other validated instruments were used to calculate …

Ten Questions Concerning The Built Environment And Mental Health, Andrew J. Hoisington, Kelly A. Stearns-Yoder, Steven J. Schuldt, Cody J. Beemer, Kerry A. Kinney, Teodor T. Postolache, Christopher A. Lowry, Lisa A. Brenner

Faculty Publications

Most people spend the majority of their lives indoors. Research over the last thirty years has focused on investigating the mechanisms through which specific elements of the built environment, such as indoor air quality, influence the physical health of occupants. However, similar effort has not been expended in regard to mental health, a significant public health concern. One in five Americans has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder in the past year, and, in the United States, the number of suicide deaths are similar to the number of deaths due to breast cancer. Increases in mental health disorders in …

A Simple Mindfulness Practice Can Improve Mental Health, Mary Kate Schutt

Population Health Research Brief Series

Depression, anxiety, and related mental distress are rising at alarming rates in the U.S. This issue brief discusses the impacts of practicing mindfulness on mental health and well-being.

Strategies Employed By Community-Based Service Providers To Address Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Challenges: A Qualitative Study, Renato M. Liboro, Sean B. Rourke, Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco, Andrew Easton, Daniel Pugh, Claudia Medina, Allan Rae, Paul A. Shuper, Lori E. Ross

Psychology Faculty Research

Background: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and other causes of neurocognitive challenges experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) persist as public health concerns in developed countries. Consequently, PLWH who experience neurocognitive challenges increasingly require social support and mental health services from community-based providers in the HIV sector. Methods: Thirty-three providers from 22 AIDS service organizations across Ontario, Canada, were interviewed to determine the strategies they used to support PLWH experiencing neurocognitive difficulties. Thematic analysis was conducted to determine key themes from the interview data. Results: Three types of strategies were identified: (a) intrapersonal, (b) interpersonal, and (c) organizational. Intrapersonal strategies involved …

Cross-Cultural Adaptation Of An Instrument To Address The Mental Health Needs In Nepal, Dene S. Berman

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Nepal has had devastating earthquakes compounded by economic struggles, social and political crises. There is evidence of significant psychological distress but few mental health resources. The current project’s aim is to provide the people of Nepal who are experiencing emotional distress with information about improving their lives in a way that otherwise would not be available in rural health centers. For this purpose, a culturally sensitive and valid adaptation of Healthy Habits for Emotional Well-being into Nepali was created following World Health Organization guidelines. Implications for its use were discussed, along with possible future directions for continued outreach efforts.

Choosing A Second-Generation Antidepressant Using Demographic Characteristics And Clinical Symptoms Of Depression, Amanda Lin

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Depression is the sixth most costly health condition in the United States, and depression that does not respond to its first trial of antidepressant treatment adds an annual cost of $9,529 per person per year. Thus, choosing an effective starting antidepressant can decrease the overall cost of depression to society. A secondary analysis of data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Survey (CPES) was performed to create models that can predict the efficacy of second-generation antidepressants in treating sadness. Two sets of Principal Component Analyses (PCAs) and logistic regressions were performed on variables associated with patient demographics, clinical symptoms, past medical …

Changes In Quality Of Life After Surgery Or Radiotherapy In Early-Stage Lung Cancer, R. M. Schwartz, N. Alpert, K. Rosenzweig, R. Flores, E. Taioli

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Change In Quality Of Life After A Cancer Diagnosis Among A Nationally Representative Cohort Of Older Adults In The Us, R. M. Schwartz, K. A. Ornstein, B. Liu, N. Alpert, K. G. Bevilacqua, E. Taioli

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

The Disparity In Mental Health Between Two Generations Of Internal Migrants (Ims) In China: Evidence From A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study, Wen Chen, Qi Zhang, Andre M.N. Renzaho, Li Ling

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Internal migrants (IMs) are a large, vulnerable population in China and are mostly driven by national economic reform. IMs who were born before and after 1980, when the general social and economic reform began to appear in China, are considered to be two separate generations. The generational differences in mental health across IMs remain undocumented. In this study, the intergenerational disparity in IMs’ mental health, using data from a national cross-sectional study, was assessed. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the “National Internal Migrant Dynamic Monitoring Survey 2014” were used. IMs were divided into the “old” or “new” generation, based on …