Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Patients’ Perception Of Childbirth According To The Delivery Method: The Experience In Our Clinic, Camelia Alexandroaia, Romina-Marina Sima, Oana-Denisa Bălălău, Gabriel-Octavian Olaru, Liana Pleş

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Introduction: The aim of this study is to identify the way in which childbirth in general, and the delivery method in particular, influenced the maternal psychosocial status and the perception upon birth during postpartum. Material and method: We conducted a cohort type 2 prospective study. We included patients who had given birth at “Bucur” Maternity of Hospital “St. John” Bucharest from the 1st of January 2017 until the 1st of January 2018. Results: The majority of the patients (21.05%) who chose to give birth vaginally assigned the maximum degree (10) to the difficulty of birth. The patients who gave birth …

An Animal-Assisted Intervention Study In The Nursing Home: Lessons Learned, Lonneke G. J. A. Schuurmans, Inge Noback, Jos M. G. A. Schols, Marie-Jose Enders-Slegers

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

AAI studies in the nursing home pose a specific set of challenges. In this article the practical and ethical issues encountered during a Dutch psychogeriatric nursing home AAI study are addressed with the aim of sharing our experiences for future researchers as well as AAI practitioners in general.

In our study we compared three groups of clients with dementia who participated in group sessions of either visiting dog teams, visiting FurReal Friend robot animals, or visiting students (control group) and monitored the effect on social interaction and neuropsychiatric symptoms through video analysis and questionnaires. We encountered the following four categories …

Investigating Whether Consuming Meals In A Dining Room Impacts Patients’ Mood, Level Of Interaction, And Subsequent Nutrient Intake In A Stroke Rehabilitation Ward., Sali Abouhajar, Grace Bennett, Linda Dooley Ms., Tracy Waldron Ms., Katie Walsh Ms., Sile Murphy Ms., Aoibheann Mcmorrow Dr., Joseph Harbison Prof., Suzanne L Doyle

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Background/objectives
Malnutrition is evident in hospitals and stroke patients are at increased risk. Protected mealtimes may help increase nutrient intake especially when patients interact and enjoy the dining room atmosphere. The aim of this research is to investigate if eating in a communal dining room increases nutritional intake compared to eating at the bedside and to investigate whether patient interaction and mood affects patient nutrient intake.

Population/methods:
A randomised cross-sectional study of 20 patients, assessing a comparison of patient’s mealtime consumption at lunchtime in the dining room and at the beside. Patients’ meals were weighed before and after consumption as …

Effects Of Multivitamin-Mineral Supplementation On Mental Health Among Young Adults, Ya-Hsuan Chang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The percentage of young adults who had mental illnesses has increased from 2008 to 2015. However, few existing studies investigating the potential benefits of multivitamin-mineral (MVM) supplementation on mental health focused on young adults (18-24 years of age), whose eating behaviors are often unhealthy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a MVM supplement on mental health in young adults. One hundred and thirty-three college students (Mage=20.59, SD=1.77; 80.15% female) participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants consumed either a MVM supplement or a placebo for 30 days. The supplement contained B Vitamins, Vitamin C, …

Health Disparities Among South Asians: Is Food Insecurity The Missing Link?, Valentina Chawdhury

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Objective: Food insecurity among South Asians in the US is a public health issue. Food insecure adults face a plethora of adverse outcomes and research shows that individuals with ancestral origins from South Asia have a higher susceptibility rate for cardiovascular disease after migrating to urban environments. As such, the goal of this study was to research possible barriers South Asians face when creating cultural dishes in the US.

Methods: This was a convergent parallel mixed-methods analysis to understand how South Asians feel about food insecurity. Pricing and availability of cultural food items were obtained from South Asian and Western …

Spirituality And The Infant Brain: Implications For Attachment Theory And Therapeutic Process Across The Life Span, Caitlin Eliasson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Orthorexia Nervosa Among Collegiate Female Student-Athletes, Maryse Bard-Martel

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a specific style of disordered eating defined as an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food, or going to extremes in the pursuit of a diet that is supposed to be good for you. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of orthorexia nervosa tendencies in college female soccer players in the NCAA Division 1. Purposive sampling was used, and participants were current student-athletes from the Missouri State women’s soccer team (n=18). Survey research was utilized to assess athletes’ attitudes and behaviors related to various aspects of diet and training, and the control it …

Rising Rural Body-Mass Index Is The Main Driver Of The Global Obesity Epidemic In Adults, Con Burns, Tara Coppinger, Janette Walton, Et Al

Publications

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities1,2. This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity3,4,5,6. Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to …

Identifying Interest In And Barriers To Psychiatric Genetic Counseling, Samantha Montgomery

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Mental illness is common in the United States and genetic counseling for psychiatric indications can help individuals understand multifactorial inheritance, recurrence risk estimates, and identify ways to protect their future mental health. Despite interest in and efficacy of the service documented in populations outside of the United States, individuals with personal and/or family histories of psychiatric conditions are very rarely accessing psychiatric genetic counseling services. The purpose of our study was to identify interest in and barriers to psychiatric genetic counseling with the hopes of better characterizing this population and improving access to this beneficial service in the future. An …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Counseling Students In A Co-Facilitated Experiential Group, Alexandra Meyers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research in the fields of experiential learning, group psychotherapy, and neuroscience has supported the inclusion of the experiential group in counseling training programs due to the potential for positive impact on students’ personal and professional development (Badenoch & Cox, 2010; Denninger, 2010). Investigations exploring counseling students’ experiences of the experiential group have been primarily limited to quantitative studies, while in-depth qualitative inquiry has been minimal. Additionally, an extensive review of the literature has found there have been no qualitative studies examining experiential groups co-facilitated by a course instructor and a doctoral student. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to …

Editorial: Invertebrate Models Of Natural And Drug-Sensitive Reward, Moira J. Van Staaden, Robert Huber

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The relationship between insects and humans is a complex one, characterized biotically as commensalism, mutualism, or parasitism. This collection of papers reveals yet another dimension, in which shared history invests invertebrate models with the power to interrogate critical challenges to the human reward system. As humans we take pride in approaching a given scenario rationally, in considering the possible options, assigning them values, and then choosing that which maximizes one's individual outcomes. So, why do drug addicts make choices that inevitably lead to ruinous consequences? Fundamentally, addiction appears to impair the very ability to form considered judgments, as it strips …

Gut Feeling: Good Food, Good Mood, Asia Battle

The Diana McDonald Writer's Challenge

In “Gut Feeling: Good Food, Good Mood,” Asia Battle describes the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry. Her essay explains why psychotropic medications can be unreliable and, over time, even counter-productive for treating ADHD, autism, bipolar disorder, and other disorders with which children are being increasingly diagnosed. Battle explains some of the science linking proper nutrition with relief from mental/emotional distress and offers suggestions for transitioning from poor diets (including the treats that we may use to placate children) to diets that promote physical and emotional well-being.

Critical Embodied Praxis For Social Justice And Peace Educators: A Story Of Personal Transformation Through Analysis Of My Jewish And Settler Identities, Cara Michelle Silverberg

Capstone Collection

In this paper, I examine definitions of and relationships between violence, oppression, peace, liberation, and embodiment in the context of critical pedagogy in order to construct a theory of critical embodied praxis for social justice and peace educators. Considering the body to be a tangible vessel through which narratives and mechanisms of violence are expressed and maintained, I explore the potential of the body to be a vessel through which liberatory narratives may be generated and shared. After constructing a theory of critical embodied praxis, I illustrate this framework in action through a personal narrative that explores the intersections …

Be Your Best S.E.L.F., Rachel Wood, Casey Hasenbein

Senior Theses

The goal of our thesis was to use our knowledge as Exercise Science students and personal trainers to improve the health of an underserved population in South Carolina. We created a voluntary exercise and self-defense program for the girls residing at Epworth Children’s Home. The program began on October 1, 2018 and concluded on April 29, 2019 with data collecting taking place between October 8th and March 18th. Every other week SASS Defense taught their self-defense program, and on the alternating weeks we facilitated an exercise class. The program also included a mentorship aspect to create a supportive social environment …

Forgotten Children & Bonds That Heal: The Critical Nature Of Attachment, August Ashbaker

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Human attachment is one of the most critical factors in proper neurological and physiological development. Attachment is built through the mutuality of emotional impact, as well as the regular reception of physical touch. Infants and children who have been deprived of these vital necessities through the lacking initiatives of their caregivers—through neglect—display visible signs of its physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impact. Research has found neglect to be the highest risk factor for permanent damage to brain development in comparison to other forms of complex trauma (i.e. chronic caregiver interpersonal trauma in childhood); it is also the most prevalent …

Meeting Point: Partner Dancing As Couple's Therapy, Rami Eckhaus

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This dissertation research explored the experience of partner dancing as a therapeutic process that reflects upon the dynamics and interactions of couples who are in the process of couple's therapy. The research also aimed to gain insight on the ways in which the experience of partner dancing can support these couples' therapeutic processes. Partner dancing is a dance-form that is based on the interaction between two individuals. Such interaction requires the dancing couples to communicate on many levels that may uncover layers of their relational dynamics. In this research, five couples who were undergoing couple's therapy were asked to participate …

Intestinal Parasite Burden And Pre-Departure Treatment Compliance In Kentucky Refugee Children: A Descriptive Study, Collin Russell, Annie H. Rominger

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Objective: Children are 1/2 of the world’s refugees and often have intestinal parasites. This study seeks to determine the intestinal burden and pre-departure treatment of Kentucky pediatric refugees.

Methods: This is a chart review of Kentucky pediatric refugee health screening data from 2012-2017. Stool culture results from children arriving through refugee camps were compared to non-camp children. They were placed into 3 regional groups and analyzed based on CDC pre-departure treatment recommendations.

Results: Of the 3,199 records, 1,653 had stool testing. 354 (51%) refugee camp children tested positive compared to 326 (33.9%) non-camp children. Giardia and Blastocystis were most commonly …

Adgrl3 (Lphn3) Variants Predict Substance Use Disorder, Mauricio Arcos-Burgos, Jorge I. Vélez, Ariel F. Martinez, Marta Ribasés, Josep A. Ramos-Quiroga, Cristina Sánchez-Mora, Vanesa Richarte, Carlos Roncero, Bru Cormand, Noelia Fernández-Castillo, Miguel Casas, Francisco Lopera, David A. Pineda, Juan D. Palacio, Johan E. Acosta-López, Martha L. Cervantes-Henriquez, Manuel G. Sánchez-Rojas, Pedro J. Puentes-Rozo, Brooke S. G. Molina, Mta Cooperative Group, Margaret T. Boden, Deeann Wallis, Brett Lidbury, Saul Newman, Simon Easteal, James Swanson, Hardip Patel, Nora Volkow, Maria T. Acosta, Francisco X. Castellanos, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Genetic factors are strongly implicated in the susceptibility to develop externalizing syndromes such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and substance use disorder (SUD). Variants in the ADGRL3 (LPHN3) gene predispose to ADHD and predict ADHD severity, disruptive behaviors comorbidity, long-term outcome, and response to treatment. In this study, we investigated whether variants within ADGRL3 are associated with SUD, a disorder that is frequently co-morbid with ADHD. Using family-based, case-control, and longitudinal samples from disparate regions of the world (n = 2698), recruited either for clinical, genetic epidemiological or pharmacogenomic studies of ADHD, we …

Increasing Low-Income Residents’ Access To Fresh Produce Through A Local Mobile Pantry, Laura E. Wasson, L. Lanier Nalley, Mechelle Bailey, Laura Hill

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Seeds that Feed (STF) is a mobile food pantry located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. STF receives produce from local farmers to distribute to residents in low-income housing sites throughout Northwest Arkansas. According to Feeding America, food insecurity affected 14.3% Washington County, Arkansas’ population in 2016. The purpose of this study was to determine if STF’s model is an effective way to increase individuals’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables and increase their potential to meet the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Patterns (USDA-FP) for to fruit and vegetable consumption. Twenty-three participants from three sites completed the study. A survey was …

The Risk For Developing Eating Disorders Among Indivdiuals With Diabetes, Nicole Havlik

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Objective: The objective and purpose of this research was to determine if individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at risk for developing eating disorders. Currently, there is a gap in literature on the topic of eating disorders and diabetes. Further, there is little research on those with type 2 diabetes and their risk for eating disorder development. Management of diabetes and eating disorder treatment contradict each other. Therefore, there is a need to understand the risk involved in the treatment of diabetes in order to prevent eating disorder development.

Methods: The current study used a Likert-type scale …

The Effects Of A 40-Minute Bout Of Aerobic Exercise On State Anxiety In College Age Individuals, Rachael Dozier

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a forty-minute bout of aerobic exercise would decrease the state anxiety and heart rate of college aged individuals. This study was prompted due to the higher levels of anxiety in college aged individuals found in literature (Silva & Tucci, 2018). Specifically, college students need healthy alternatives to cope with their anxiety instead of turning to alcohol. Heightened levels of anxiety in this age range have been shown to increase negative coping habits, such as drinking, drugs, and eating disorders. These negative habits not only affect the individual physically, but also can …

How Coping Process Relates To Eating Behaviors Among Military Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Debra Kimberlin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition faced by many veterans, and veterans with PTSD have higher rates of poor health and obesity than civilians. Evidence suggests mental health issues such as PTSD may be associated with disordered eating behaviors. In addition, veterans with PTSD may select a variety of coping behaviors to manage stress and emotions, some of which may negatively impact their health. This study explored the relationships between coping process, emotion- and stress-related eating, and eating disorder risk among a sample of veterans with PTSD (n = 239) who were recruited through veteran service organizations …

Translational Insights Into The Genetic Etiology Of Mental Health Disorders: Examining Risk Factor Models, Neuroimaging, And Current Dissemination Practices, Jessica L. Bourdon

Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric genetics is a basic science field that has potential for practical application and effective translation. To date, translational frameworks utilized by this field have been linear (e.g., sequential) in nature, focusing on molecular genetic information. It is proposed that non-linear (e.g., socio-ecological) frameworks are a better way to immediately translate non-molecular genetic information. This dissertation explored the translation of psychiatric genetic information in two ways. First, a survey was sent to academic stakeholders to assess the state of the science regarding the translation of genetic information to the clinical care of mental health disorders. Findings from this indicate a …

Neurobehavioral Measurements Of Natural And Opioid Reward Value, Aaron Paul Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

In the last decade, (non)prescription opioid abuse, opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnoses, and opioid-related overdoses have risen and represent a significant public health concern. One method of understanding OUD is as a disorder of choice that requires choosing opioid rewards at the expense of other nondrug rewards. The characterization of OUD as a disorder of choice is important as it implicates decision- making processes as therapeutic targets, such as the valuation of opioid rewards. However, reward-value measurement and interpretation are traditionally different in substance abuse research compared to related fields such as economics, animal behavior, and neuroeconomics and may be …

Structure-Activity Relationship Studies Of Synthetic Cathinones And Related Agents, Rachel A. Davies

Theses and Dissertations

Synthetic cathinones and related agents represent an international drug abuse problem, and at the same time an important class of clinically useful compounds. Structure-activity relationship studies are needed to elucidate molecular features underlying the pharmacology of these agents. Illicit methcathinone (i.e., MCAT), the prototype of the synthetic cathinone class, exists as a racemic mixture. Though the differences in potency and target selectivity between the positional and optical isomers of synthetic cathinones and related agents have been demonstrated to have important implications for abuse and therapeutic potential, the two MCAT isomers have never been directly compared at their molecular targets: the …

Genome-Wide Systems Genetics Of Alcohol Consumption And Dependence, Kristin Mignogna

Theses and Dissertations

Widely effective treatment for alcohol use disorder is not yet available, because the exact biological mechanisms that underlie this disorder are not completely understood. One way to gain a better understanding of these mechanisms is to examine the genetic frameworks that contribute to the risk for developing this disorder. This dissertation examines genetic association data in combination with gene expression networks in the brain to identify functional groups of genes associated with alcohol consumption and dependence.

The first study took advantage of the behavioral complexity of human samples, and experimental capabilities provided by mouse models, by co-analyzing gene expression networks …

The Critical Need For Mental Health Education To Be Mandated In New Mexico's Public Schools, Bonnie L. Murphy

Shared Knowledge Conference

Based on a review of research and best practices in mental health awareness and skills, this inquiry project argues for state legislative policies that would require mental health awareness and skills in the K-12 curriculum. Mental health affects individual accomplishments in every stage of people’s lives beginning in early childhood and throughout the life cycle. Prevention and treatment of mental illness plays a key role in the ability of an individual to cope with loss and develop resiliency and perseverance in challenging times and to make better decisions that improve the individual’s life and the lives of those around them. …

Justice Served Fresh: Associations Between Food Insecurity, Community Gardening, And Property Value, Micajah Daniels, Courtney Coughenour Ph.D

McNair Poster Presentations

Numerous stakeholders in Nevada have used a variety of efforts to combat the growth of food insecurity facing Nevadans. The purpose of this research project is to understand the association between food insecurity, community gardens, and property value. Following the wealth of scholarship on these topics and data collected from community garden agencies in Southern Nevada, the research questions for this project include: (1) Where are community gardens located in SNV? (2) What efforts community gardens agencies are doing to address food insecurity (most interested in their efforts using community gardens)? (3) What are the perceptions of supports and barriers …

Curcumin Inhibits The Ikk:Nf-Kappa B Pathway In Neural Fear Circuits, Miguel A. Briones

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The study of how the brain acquires fearful memories has attracted considerable experimental attention, due in part to the promise of discovering novel therapeutic approaches for psychiatric disorders that are characterized by unusually strong and persistent traumatic memories. In recent years, extensive research has focused on studying the neural and molecular mechanisms by which fear memories are acquired, stored, and retrieved in the brain. Once acquired, fear memories may be attenuated using one of 2 procedures: 1) fear extinction, which involves repeated presentation of the fear-arousing stimulus in the absence of an aversive consequence, or 2) interference with the reconsolidation …

The Relationship Between Mental Health And Ultra-Running: A Case Study, Joshua Justin Cook

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This instrumental case study sought to explore the relationship between ultra-running and mental health through the lived experiences of a single participant who self-identifies as an ultra-runner. Three research questions were used to explore this relationship; how did the individual decide to participate in ultra-running, what aspects of ultra-running impact the participant’s mental health, and how has engaging in ultra-running impacted the participant’s mental health? The case study utilized three semi-structured interviews, two participant observations, video documentary review, and journaling to answer these questions. A thematic analysis of the data revealed four essential themes; 1) Development of participation, 2) Promotes …