Trauma Commons^™

Displaced: An Ethnography Of Language And Identity Loss, Ariel Caroline Wilsey-Gopp

Dissertations and Theses

Through ethnography and personal narrative, I explore the language and identity loss of one person, my father, in order to understand the complex issues surrounding the effects of symbolic and structural violence on language and identity development. Through personal narrative, fieldwork, and interviews, I tell the story of one person, born in wartime during Nazi occupied Serbia, and follow the guiding questions: how does language get lost and what are the effects? Drawing on methodology set forth by empirical ethnographical work as well as more recent theory around epigenetics and trauma, my research synthesizes into focus three pillars of understanding …

Once, I Was Very Very Scared And More: An Exploration Into Depictions Of Interpersonal Trauma In Children's Literature, Emma K. Siepmann

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines the ways in which experiences of interpersonal trauma are depicted in English-language contemporary literature for elementary-aged children (6-11 years). A review of academic literature suggests that interpersonal trauma can have devastating and ongoing repercussions for individuals and their communities, although establishing a sense of relational safety can help mitigate these effects and facilitate healing after a traumatic experience. This research explores age-appropriate literature as a therapeutic tool for developing relational safety and providing critical skills to children at risk for and recovering from interpersonal trauma. This study analyzes the depictions of interpersonal trauma found in 11 picture …

Evaluation Of Sleep Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury In Children Using Questionnaires And Actigraphy, Connie Tran, Sydney Weese, Cydni Williams Md

Student Research Symposium

Traumatic brain injuries are the result of a sudden external blunt force to the brain and can result in long-term complications or death. In pediatrics, it is the leading cause of acute and chronic sleep wake disturbances, as well as cognitive deficits, which can lead to a reduction in the quality of life. These impairments can later result in lowered performance in work and school settings or decreased psychosocial function. Although there is sufficient evidence that traumatic brain injuries contribute to is that it is unknown whether or not sleep wake disturbances contribute to an increase in the mentioned cognitive …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Juvenile Offender Typology, Aliza Beth Lipman

Dissertations and Theses

Approximately 1 in 5 girls and in 20 boys in the United States are victims of child sexual assault every year. Child sexual assault can lead to multiple negative short term and long-term impacts affecting general health, mental health, interpersonal relationships, socio-economic status, criminal behavior and more. Prevention research focuses on a thorough understanding of the perpetrators of assault and the context surrounding offenses in order to reduce and prevent assault. Within this research, juvenile offenders are perceived as a single homogenous group whereas adult offenders are consistently specified based on offender and offense characteristics. The exploration of the relationship …

The Wounded Inheritance: Epigenetics And The Family Line, Lisa Banta

University Honors Theses

Through the process of researching, conceptualizing, and creating my honors thesis I have been investigating my previously unknown family history and the events that led into generations of parental abandonment and inflicted trauma, in tandem with learning some basics about the research and science of epigenetics. In my own family line, the traumas endured by and inflicted upon the last five generations have, with no exaggeration, shaped every aspect of my life and history. Epigenetics explains how severe trauma can be passed down many generations through chemical changes in DNA. In other words, individuals may carry within their own bodies …

Outcome Analysis Of Tranexamic Acid In Thromboembolic Complications And Coagulation Factors, Hunter A. Mccorkle

University Honors Theses

Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic used for controlling hemorrhaging in patients. It’s regular application in trauma centers could be vital in reducing all-cause mortality for hemorrhaging secondary to traumatic injury but there are still concerns about possible side effects and populations at greater risk of complications. The possible use of predictive measures such as thrombelastography (TEG) and conventional coagulation testing (CCT) in detecting early markers of TXA risks are still unconfirmed, and unfortunately there is a time restriction of 3 hours for TXA to be effective in reducing all-cause mortality.

Objective: Our objective is to observe outcomes of …

The Dynamics Of Concussion: Mapping Pathophysiology, Persistence, And Recovery With Causal-Loop Diagramming, Erin S. Kenzie, Elle L. Parks, Erin D. Bigler, David W, Wright, Miranda M. Lim, James C. Chesnutt, Gregory W.J. Hawryluk, Wayne Gordon, Wayne Wakeland

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Concussion, also known as mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI),1 is a significant public health issue responsible for a variety of cognitive, emotional, and somatic symptoms and deficits (3). It is unclear why some individuals appear to recover relatively quickly while others suffer prolonged symptoms and impairments (4–7). Robust clinical means of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment are also lacking (8–11). Research is hindered by an inadequate classification system for traumatic brain injury (TBI) (12), “poor” study quality (13, 14), disagreement about appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria for concussion (8, 15), and an incomplete understanding of underlying pathophysiology (16–18). The heterogeneity and …

Concussion As A Multi-Scale Complex System: An Interdisciplinary Synthesis Of Current Knowledge, Erin S. Kenzie, Elle L. Parks, Erin D. Bigler, Miranda M. Lim, James C. Chesnutt, Wayne Wakeland

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been called “the most complicated disease of the most complex organ of the body” and is an increasingly high-profile public health issue. Many patients report long-term impairments following even “mild” injuries, but reliable criteria for diagnosis and prognosis are lacking. Every clinical trial for TBI treatment to date has failed to demonstrate reliable and safe improvement in outcomes, and the existing body of literature is insufficient to support the creation of a new classification system. Concussion, or mild TBI, is a highly heterogeneous phenomenon, and numerous factors interact dynamically to influence an individual’s recovery trajectory. …

Supported Employment For Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury: Provider Perspectives, Terri K. Pogoda, Kathleen F. Carlson, Katelyn E. Gormley, Sandra Resnick

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: In 2006, 13 sites were provided with one-time pilot funding to provide supported employment (SE) to Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) history. In 2014, we surveyed SE providers at pilot and non-pilot sites that did not receive this funding. Our objectives were to identify any pilot and non-pilot site differences regarding current: (1) provision of SE to Veterans with TBI; (2) staffing and communication between the SE and polytrauma/TBI teams; and (3) provider perceptions on facilitators and barriers to providing, and suggestions for improving, SE.

Design: Mixed methods cross-sectional survey study.

Participants: Providers included a …

Foundational Knowledge And Other Predictors Of Commitment To Trauma-Informed Care, Stephanie Anne Sundborg

Dissertations and Theses

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach to service delivery based on the understanding of the prevalence of psychological trauma among service users, knowledge about the impact trauma has on engagement to services, and recognition that service settings can be re-traumatizing. For more than a decade, momentum has been building on this topic. Practitioners are pursuing the knowledge and skills needed to implement trauma-informed service delivery, while organizations are building infrastructure and processes aimed at supporting this approach. Disciplines across many human service sectors are eager to incorporate TIC into policy and practice. Despite this enthusiasm, implementation efforts are slow. Acquiring …

Eeg Slow Waves In Traumatic Brain Injury: Convergent Findings In Mouse And Man, Mo H. Modarres, Nicholas N. Kuzma, Tracy Kretzmer, Allan I. Pack, Miranda M. Lim

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

OBJECTIVE: Evidence from previous studies suggests that greater sleep pressure, in the form of EEG-based slow waves, accumulates in specific brain regions that are more active during prior waking experience. We sought to quantify the number and coherence of EEG slow waves in subjects with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

METHODS: We developed a method to automatically detect individual slow waves in each EEG channel, and validated this method using simulated EEG data. We then used this method to quantify EEG-based slow waves during sleep and wake states in both mouse and human subjects with mTBI. A modified coherence index …