Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Implementing Animal-Assisted Therapy During Psychiatric Intakes, Rebecca Dorne

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Introduction: The purpose of this evidence-based project is to determine if Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) causes improvements in veterans’ feelings of anger, anxiety, depression, and suicidality in the acute psychiatric setting during psychiatric evaluations. The project aims to provide veterans with an additional way to experience short-term relief from symptoms while discussing their symptomology with mental health providers.

Background: The prevalence of depression is 20% higher in veterans than in that of the general population. Similarly, it has been shown that 23% of all veterans using VA care have had PTSD at some point in their lives. In the Psychiatric Emergency …

Improving Mental Health Support For Nursing Students Through Mental Health First Aid (Mhfa) Training Of Clinical Faculty, Amy Sands

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This project aimed to implement a process improvement program at the Louisville campus of Galen College of Nursing to improve the mental health support for nursing students through the training of Clinical Instructors (CIs) in using adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and the ALGEE actions described within that program.

Effects Of Nurse-Patient Relationship On Medication Adherence Of Mental Health Patients, April Monica Magbual

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Medication adherence among mentally ill patients (MIP) is a significant issue in healthcare which require extra support & guidance to encourage better recovery. Administering medication is a critical role of nurses that must be performed effectively and appropriately. Employing a nurse-patient relationship (NPR) and nursing presence has been shown to create a positive outcome and an essential characteristic to improve medication adherence. However, there is insufficient research exploring NPR and medication adherence specifically for MIPs. Participants’ cultural variations, age range, specific interventions & economic factors influencing medication compliance are missing.

Implementing Adverse Childhood Experience Screening In An Intensive Outpatient Mental Health Program, Bryan Amaro

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) are linked to damaging events which happen to people when we are young (0-18). ACEs are connected to a phenomenon known as the toxic stress response which can later become the root etiology for many mental health, substance abuse and chronic medical health complications our society faces. ACEs affect all populations and do not discriminate across socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, or geographic lines. Roughly two thirds of Americans have experienced at least one ACE. This project seeks to perform ACE screening at an Intensive Outpatient behavioral health center by screening for ACEs upon all admissions into …

The Effects Of The Transition From Pre-Nursing To Nursing On Mental Health, Andrew J. Davis, Paige R. Mullins, Kimberly A. Sell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mental health is an ever-growing crisis among adolescents and young adults, with suicide as second leading cause of death and the number of those negatively affected continually on the rise. Transitions are one of the major stressors prevalent among these age groups, placing individuals at risk for mental health deficits. This quantitative voluntary response comparative study assesses the transitional mental health of pre-nursing students and students in the nursing program at East Tennessee State University. Emailed to all with a declared major of pre-nursing or nursing, this study measured mental health using evidenced based assessment tools. The PHQ-9 for depression …

Improving Mental Health Documentation Through Education: An Intervention For Level Of Care Utilization System (Locus) Use In Psychiatric Crisis Placement, Lauren Ozimek

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Purpose: The Community Mental Health Act (1963) created crisis stabilization units to lessen burdens of emergency departments addressing psychiatric crises. Crisis stabilization units – including the project site – evaluate treatment efficacy via assessments including the Level of Care Utilization System (LOCUS). The LOCUS is totaled into a composite score, expected to decrease at treatment completion. The project site has not consistently seen LOCUS scores decrease at completion. The project’s purpose was to improve use of a clinical assessment tool to reflect treatment and progress for patients utilizing crisis stabilization programs. A secondary aim was to increase incidence (75%) of …

Adolescent Suicide Prevention Via Parental Education, Junelle Shepard, Mary Val Palumbo

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Purpose. Up to 24% of children from the ages of 12 to 17 have reported suicidal ideation, with 7-11% reporting at least one suicide attempt in the past 12 months (Hetrick, 2017). In a study by Jones et al (2019) over 50% of parents were unaware their child was exhibiting suicidal ideation. This project aims to increase community awareness of suicidal ideation and teach community members how to talk with adolescents about this sensitive topic.

Methods. Five online training sessions were offered in Fall 2021, with each session lasting 90 minutes. Using Smith et al.’s Suicide Knowledge and Skills Questionnaire, …

Screening For Severe Mental Illness In A Correctional Setting Using The Brief Jail Mental Health Screening Tool, Stephanie Kohl

DNP Projects

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Prisoners who are detained in jails and detention centers have higher rates of Severe Mental Illness (SMI) compared to the general population. However, SMI is often unidentified in this population, largely due to lack of assessment using effective SMI screening tools and lack of knowledge among prison staff about the prevalence of SMI and the importance of identification in the correctional setting. Prisoners with SMI often act out violently against others and themselves. Current standard practice for SMI screening varies significantly across jails. Many jails use standard medical questionnaires which help obtain a brief medical history but often …

Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation During Hand-Off In A Mental Health Nursing Unit, Renel Ramos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCommunication failures, especially inadequate hand-off communication, in U.S. hospitals has accounted for 30% of malpractice claims, resulting in 1,744 deaths over 5 years. This prompted the Joint Commission to recommend utilizing standardized communication tools to reduce the number of medical errors related to miscommunication. The Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) Communication Tool has been used to improve the effectiveness of communication among health care providers. The partner organization noted failures to communicate patient-care-related information between psychiatric mental health nurses (PMHN) during hand-off, given the absence of standardized communication. This project aimed to develop a program to educate PMHNs on the SBAR Communication Tool. …

Bridging Mental Healthcare, Kristin L. White

MSN Capstone Projects

Nurses have an important role in the care given to mental health patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Without expectations or encouragement toward growth or continued education, the quality of care and the therapeutic ability for care are crippled, as evidenced by nurses' knowledge/competency deficits and negative attitudes. Through ongoing/continued education, the cultivation of a therapeutic culture toward patients that present to the ED for mental health complaints could result. Additionally, these improvements in care, in turn, could promote not only the closure of gaps that exist for quality mental healthcare but may also lead to an increase in …

Impact Of Social Isolation In Hiv-Positive Individuals During A Pandemic, Corina Jane Bakoylis

Dissertations

Problem: The global pandemic of COVID-19 caused concern for immunocompromised individuals. The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to assess the impact of social isolation on feelings of loneliness, depression, and social isolation experiences in HIV-positive individuals residing in a long-term care facility.

Methods: A mixed-method convergent design with a purposeful sample of HIV-positive adult residents residing in a long-term care facility was utilized. An evaluation of loneliness using the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (Version 3) and depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) were completed. Personal experiences were also assessed with five predetermined open-ended …

Trends And Factors Associated With Suicide Deaths In Older Adults, Eada Novilla-Surette

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Suicide in older adults is a significant overlooked problem worldwide; particularly in Canada where a national suicide prevention strategy has not yet been established. This population-level study utilized and analyzed linked administrative health care databases (from 2011-2015) that were available at ICES (provincial health care administrative data steward), to build a better understanding of suicide (rate; trends; risks/preventive factors) in older adults living in Ontario, Canada. The findings suggest that suicide remains a persistent cause of death in older adults (with an average annual suicide rate of 0.1 per 1000 people over 5 years; the risks include being male, living …

Mitigating Suicide Risk Post-Discharge From Inpatient Crisis Stabilization: Safety Planning Intervention, Leighia M. Mcghee

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this program evaluation is to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly implemented safety planning intervention (SPI) tool, comparing patient outcomes relating to suicide attempt rates, emergency department (ED) encounter rates, and inpatient rehospitalizations rates pre and post its integration to care in a suburban behavioral health hospital.

Methods: A descriptive cohort design utilizing a retrospective chart review was completed over six months, three months pre, and three months post implementation of the SPI program. A convenience sample of inpatient charts was reviewed to assess the rate of suicide attempts, ED encounters frequencies, and hospitalization rates …

A Review Of The Association Between Vitamin D And Postpartum Depression, Christa Fernando

Other Undergraduate Research

Vitamin D (specifically vitamin D3) is a lipid soluble essential nutrient. It is found in few foods naturally but can be synthesized upon skin exposure to sunlight. Its intermediate structure in the blood is serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, also called calcidiol, and is formed in the liver. Vitamin D receptors have been found in numerous areas of the brain that are involved in mood-related hormone production. It has also been found to be protective against the brain degradation of Alzheimer’s. Numerous studies have found a significant relationship between vitamin D and major depressive disorder. This review summarizes research on the connection …

A Demonstration Project To Address Juvenile Drug Addiction, Mary Ellen Broaddus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

The rise in adolescent drug use and addiction is becoming a worldwide phenomenon. An eleven year study of youth in European countries found drug use widespread and increasing (Molinaro, Sicilian, & Curzio, 2011). In 2013 there were over 2.8 million new users of illicit drugs, over half of whom were under 18 years of age (‘Drug Facts’, 2015).

Adolescents are at unique risk because biochemical distinctions in their brains, when compared with adults, prompt more risk-taking behaviors (Gallager, 2014). Health risks are considerable and include hypertension, stroke, convulsions and seizures, and liver disease such as cirrhosis and hepatitis. In 2013 …

Mental Health Rehabilitation In Victims Of Sex Trafficking, Kayla E. Freemire

Senior Honors Theses

Human trafficking is a global epidemic that leaves victims with short- and long-term physiological, psychological, and sociological issues. The mental health needs of trafficked persons have become a topic of research in both medical and psychiatric circles. In order to comprehensively understand the mental health consequences of trafficking, the process must be defined and related to the mental health effects on its victims. The specific mental health disorders diagnosed within this population will be discussed. Treatments used currently for this population will be reviewed, along with future treatments presently being researched and evaluated regarding their potential for use in the …

Concept Of Self: Approach To Behaviors In Mental Health, The Tapout Program, Tina Goodrow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Violence in mental health care continues to be a problem. The incidence of violent episodes in healthcare settings with aggressive behavior of patients aimed at staff members or other patients is almost four times greater in healthcare than in other industries. Reducing violent episodes enhances the quality of care and improves safety for staff members and for patients. The project focused on development of a staff education program exploring the practice-focused question: Will this program effectively guide staff member approaches to mental health patients with challenging behaviors? The purpose of this project was to address the identified gap in practice …

Planning A Smoking Cessation Program In A Mental Health Hospital, Victoria Omuson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The incidence of smoking among mentally ill people is very high. Smokers have a 50%, rate of mental illness diagnosis compared with 23% rate for general population. To address this problem, the purpose of this project was to plan a smoking cessation program for patients in a mental health facility. The theoretical foundation for this project was based on the theory of planned behavior, which identifies the predictive nature of smoking and the benefits that can be derived from implementing a systematic approach for change. The project question examined the effectiveness of smoking cessation program using educational support, pharmacological strategies, …

Women's Experiences Living With Depression, Susan Marie Jarchow

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, depression affects many Americans at different levels. Depression among women is a major public health problem. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness), about 1 in 5 women develop depression at some point in their lives, and are nearly twice as likely as men to have depression. Much of the research about depression in women are quantitative studies aimed mostly at collecting epidemiological or survey data that focus on rates of mental illness, while not taking into account the qualitative subjective and contextual illness perspectives of women living with depression.

The purpose of this study …

Gender-Specific Profiles Of Tobacco Use Among Non-Institutionalized People With Serious Mental Illness, Joy L. Johnson, Pamela A. Ratner, Leslie A. Malchy, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Ric M. Procyshyn, Joan L. Bottorff, Marlee Groening, Annette Schultz, Marg Osborne

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background: In many countries, smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death. In North America, reductions in population smoking levels are stabilising and, in recent years, those involved in tobacco control programming have turned their attention to particular segments of society that are at greatest risk for tobacco use. One such group is people with mental illness. A picture of tobacco use patterns among those with mental illness is beginning to emerge; however, there are several unanswered questions. In particular, most studies have been limited to particular in-patient groups. In addition, while it is recognised that men and women differ …