Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

The Power Of Protective Factors: A Framework For Mental Health Action And Education, Rich Stowell

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Mental health advocates, practitioners, and research have long used the framework of risk factors and protective factors to understand mental health. This article examines the origins of the concept of protective factors and describes how it contributes to the applications of resources in the mental health space.

Adolescent Girls' Mental Health, Amanda Hardy

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

A Systematic Review Of Mental Illness, Criminogenic Risk, And The U.S. Prison System, Eliza Esquibel

Student Works

The incarceration rates in the United States are the highest in the world. Within the U.S. prison population, mental illness is overrepresented as compared to the general population. The present study examined existing literature that researched the connection between the prison system and mental illness, and the potential solutions to this crisis. The studies looked at focused on psychiatric disorders, substance disorders, and trauma. They also focused on the intersection between race, mental illness, and the prison system, and the intersection between mental illness, gender, and the prison system. These studies revealed a high prevalence of untreated mental illness in …

Sex Therapy For Same-Sex Couples, Kensington Osmond, Erin Fitzgerald, Anthony Hughes

Student Works

Same-sex couples are an increasingly prominent part of the United States committed couple population. Despite this, little research has been done on how to treat sexual concerns within same-sex couple relationships. As a result, therapists treating such presenting problems are often left unsure of best practices. The purpose of this study is to review the existing limited literature as it relates to knowledge therapists must have and things they should do in treatment. The study also presents a case study demonstrating the use of these practices and the Sexual Attentiveness & Accountability Model (SAAM) with a gay male couple.

Mindfulness: A Promising Practice To Reduce Accountant Stress, Abigail Anderson

Marriott Student Review

This article considers the practice of mindfulness as an approach to reduce stress within the lives of accountants. Mindfulness has existed for centuries as a Buddhist tradition and has only recently become popular in the Western world as a stress-reduction technique that can lead to improved mental and emotional well-being. This article also examines the prevalence of mindfulness within the Top 10 accounting firms in the United States and some results regarding employee performance. As more and more firms begin to utilize mindfulness as a low-cost method to better employee performance and well-being, university accounting programs should consider incorporating the …

Underlying Racism Within The Opioid Epidemic, Hannah L.A.S. Wilson

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Within the past century, the United States attempted different legal

avenues to address drug abuse. Some of these efforts made access

to drugs punishable and illegal. Others encouraged research to look

at underlying issues of drug abuse and implement those findings.

Within the past fifty years, these laws tended to treat drug addicts

as criminals instead of as persons suffering from a health crisis.

According to the FBI and Uniform Crime Reports, from the 1980’s

to the 2000’s, drug arrests rose by 1.5 million per year, while drug

usage rates stayed the same.3 The severe increase in the criminalization

and …

Stretching The Law: The Application Of Public Nuisance To The Opioid Epidemic, Lindsay Manning, Hannah L. Thompson

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Opioid use in the United States increased five-fold in the last decade.

Every day ninety Americans die from drug abuse overdose. Is it

illegal opioid trafficking, or is it a problem within the medical profession?

Recent litigation strategies, like those used in the recent

landmark case of Oklahoma v. Johnson and Johnson, show that opioid

production and distribution are being linked to fueling the opioid

epidemic. Oklahoma is just one of the states that have concluded that

Johnson and Johnson, a large pharmaceutical company, is “overstating”

the efficiency of opioids and “understating” the harmful effects

of these drugs. Consequently, litigation …

A Review Of The Integration Of Media Usage And Online Therapy Methods As An Alternative To Standard Therapy Settings, Bowman Mccullough

Student Works

The following literature review measures the efficacy of media usage from the standpoint of mental health specialists wanting to administer therapy to married couples or individuals living remotely. Given the current pandemic of coronavirus in the current moment of societal development (April 2020), the need for remote services to be evaluated based from past research on the topic has never been greater, or more opportune than now. Are online or teletherapies as effective as traditional face-to-face settings in America today? With rising demand for mental health professionals in our technology-saturated society, the need to perform new evaluations on the topic …

An Image Of Perfection

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Dimensions Of Symptom Presentation And Scholarly Representation Of Young Females With Fragile X Syndrome, Andrew N. Snell

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Boomers And Fraudsters: A Closer Look At The Financial Elder Abuse Cycle In America, Ryan E. Brown

Marriott Student Review

In 2011, a landmark study was published by the Metlife Mature Market Institute claiming that nearly $3 billion disappears from the wallets and bank accounts of senior citizens annually. More surprising is that a similar study reported that figure could be as high as $36 billion. Because so many seniors let incidents of fraud or financial deceit go unreported, there is a huge discrepancy in annual reporting. This contributes to the overall lack of understanding we have of elder financial abuse, or why seniors continue to lose to fraudsters and scam artists. In a brief overview of financial elder abuse …

Social Withdrawal And Indices Of Adjustment And Maladjustment In Adolescence: Does Parent Warmth And Extraversion Matter?, Mallory Abigail Millett

Theses and Dissertations

Social withdrawal is often associated with a number of indices of adjustment and maladjustment, but little research exists that attempts to uncover potential protective factors. This study longitudinally examined the moderating role of parent extraversion and parent warmth on the association between two types of social withdrawal (shyness and unsociability) and later indices of adjustment and maladjustment. Participants were 463 families from the flourishing families project. Results showed no longitudinal associations between social withdrawal and later indices of adjustment or maladjustment. However, when parent extraversion was added as a moderator, shyness was positively associated with prosocial behavior for those with …

What Parents Value Matters: Examining The Association Between Cultural Values, Parenting Styles/Practices, And Child Outcomes, Chen-Yun Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have identified significant relationships between parenting styles and child outcomes. However, these associations might vary in different cultures because parenting behaviors could link to cultural values. Additionally, understanding the cultural values of parents would help researchers better understand the reasons of parents’ behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between parental Asian values, parenting styles, parenting practices, and child outcomes. Parents of preschool-age children (N = 273) from Taiwan completed a series of parenting values and parenting behaviors questionnaires. Teachers rated child prosocial behaviors, modesty, sociability, and impulse control. Results revealed that some domains …

The Mother Domain: A Mediated Model Of Maternal Gatekeepers And Depressed Fathers Among Newlyweds With Children, Clare R. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Paternal depression is an understudied topic and research connecting it to maternal gatekeeping is still in its infancy. Research has found that the marriage relationship can be associated with both depression and maternal gatekeeping. This study focuses on how these three areas are related. A subsample of the CREATE project was used including 216 couples, or 432 married parents. Two separate SEM mediational models were tested to examine father depression as a predictor of maternal gatekeeping, with marital instability as the mediator in one model and partner connectedness as the mediator in the other model. Both parent reports were used …

Coding Rupture Indicators In Couple Therapy (Crict): An Observational Coding Scheme, Annalisa Ward Carr

Theses and Dissertations

The therapeutic alliance, a construct representing agreement and collaboration on therapy goals, therapy tasks, and the emotional bond between client(s) and therapist, is a robust predictor of therapy outcomes in individual, couple, and family therapy. One way to track the therapeutic alliance is through ruptures and repairs. Ruptures are breaks, tensions, or tears in the therapeutic alliance. Ruptures and repairs influence the therapeutic alliance and consequently therapeutic outcomes. Currently, there is a lack of research addressing ruptures and repairs in couple therapy. The first step in researching alliance ruptures is to have a reliable way to assess alliance ruptures. This …

Healthy Habits To Reduce Sleep Deprivation In College Students, Jenna L. Bair

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Abstract

Sleep can affect many regular functions in the body. Consequently, the physiological and psychological effects of sleep deprivation have many ramifications, including long-term health issues, depression, and eating disorders (Alhola & Polo-Kantola, 2007; Beiter et al., 2015; Jarcho, Slavich, Tylova-Stein, Wolkowitz, & Burke, 2013; Ozsoy, Besirli, Unal, Abdulrezzak, & Orhan, 2015). Despite the importance of sleep for regulative processes, studies indicate that the general population does not receive adequate sleep quality or length (Watson et al., 2017). College students represent a large demographic and often do not obtain enough sleep (Gaultney, 2010). Thus, it is proposed that collegiate institutions …

Stress Of Trying Daily Therapy Interventions, Emily Kathryn Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

This study is focused on clients' daily experiencing of stress, and measures how this stress might affect their implementation of ideas and recommendations from therapy. Typically, clients attend therapy with the intention of making positive changes. Part of the therapeutic process involves clients completing therapeutic work in their daily lives (Conklin, Strunk, Cooper, 2017); however, stressful tasks and other elements often preclude this therapeutic work from occurring (Kazantzis & L'Abate, 2005). In this study we examine which interventions from therapy are most likely to be attempted at home, and the level of stress in making these attempts. A series of …

Difference In Therapeutic Alliance: High-Conflict Co-Parents Vs Regular Couples, Andrea Mae Parady

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to explore differences in the therapeutic alliance for High-Conflict Co-Parents (HCC) vs. Regular Couples. Therapeutic alliance refers to the relationship, consisting of a bond, and agreement on the tasks and goals of therapy, between at least two people in the therapeutic relationship. It was hypothesized that HCC clients would have lower therapeutic alliance scores compared to regular couple clients. The results supported this hypothesis. By identifying these differences, more research can be conducted to improve our understanding of how to strengthen the therapeutic alliance with HCC clients, leading to improved treatment of this population.

Therapist Behaviors That Predict The Therapeutic Alliance In Couple Therapy, Bryan C. Kubricht

Theses and Dissertations

Couple therapy is successful in treating relationship distress. However, couple therapy does not benefit everyone. Consequently, it is important to study factors that predict therapeutic success. One such factor is what predicts the development of the therapeutic alliance in couple therapy. The purpose of this study was to code therapist behaviors, therapist warmth, empathy, presence, validation, collaboration, and technique factors (systemically-based techniques and session structure), in the first session of couple therapy to examine their ability to predict two aspects of the therapeutic alliance, between- and within-alliance, after the session for males and females. The hypotheses were tested utilizing multiple …

The Rise And Fall Of The Stock Market: A Look At Financial Professionals Suicide Ideation, Jefferson Mcclain

Undergraduate Honors Theses

On October 24, 1929, the United States stock market crashed. Will Rogers, a local newspaper writer, said of that experience, “When Wall Street took that tail spin, you had to stand in line to get a window to jump out of, and spectators were selling space for bodies in the East River” (Lowenthal 1987). Tales of ruined stockbrokers jumping from the windows of tall buildings ran across the country. These stories have prompted interest in the interaction between workplace environment and mental health. In this study, we looked at the relationship between stock market performance and suicide ideation for working …

Religious Discrimination Scale: Development And Initial Psychometric Evalutation, Kawika Allen, Kenneth T. Fuller, P. Scott Richards, Mason Ming, Han Na Suh

Faculty Publications

This study presents the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Religious Discrimination Scale (RDS). This 11-item instrument identified three dimensions based on perceived discrimination experiences of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS): Perceived Prejudice, Closet Symptoms, and Negative Labels. The psychometric evaluations of the RDS indicated a strong and clear factor structure as well as good internal consistency reliability. The test of measurement and structural invariance across gender also suggested that the RDS scale is equally appropriate to be used with both men and women. Implications for practice and research as well as future …

When Your Spouse Is Addicted: How To Avoid Enabling And Get To Reality, Jason B. Whiting

Faculty Publications

Addiction manifests in a variety of ways, from the most severe heroin junkie, to the compulsive spender. It can include drug or alcohol dependence, compulsive pornography use, gambling, obsessive eating, lying, toxic relationships, or even Netflix. When does a habit become an addiction? Any behavior can begin as pleasure or escape, but in the case of addiction, the actions become demands. Addictions are secretive habits the person has unsuccessfully tried to stop, and that have disrupted work and home. An addiction takes an outsized role in the addict’s life and affects those they love.

Longitudinal Relations Between Interparental Conflict And Adolescent Self-Regulation: The Moderating Role Of Attachment To Parents, Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

This study used growth curve analysis to investigate associations between interparental conflict, attachment to parents, and adolescent self-regulation outcomes. Using data from 681 families in the Flourishing Families survey obtained in two western U.S. cities, associations between interparental conflict, mother and father attachment, and initial and growth levels of adolescent self-regulation were analyzed across five time points. Adolescent self-regulation showed steady growth across a five-year period during adolescence, suggesting that self-regulation may continue to develop generally throughout adolescence, a finding not revealed in prior research. Adolescent self-regulation increased significantly more in the first city over the five years of the …

The Effects Of Family Stressors On Depression In Latino Adolescents As Mediated By Interparental Conflict, Jenny Carolina Mondragon

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive literature suggests that Latino youth experience higher levels of depression when compared to youth from other ethnic backgrounds yet relatively little is known regarding why this particular population is especially susceptible to depression. This study focused on family level stressors and the link between interparental conflict and adolescent depressive symptoms in Latino families. The sample consisted of 400 girls and 290 boys, they were distributed into four groups based on gender and family structure. Written surveys were completed in their respective English classes measuring the aforementioned variables. Results indicated a significant relationship across all four groups between family stressors …

If Gandhi Was Your Marriage Therapist, Jason B. Whiting

Faculty Publications

Mohandas Gandhi was born in India in 1869. As a young man he left to study law in Great Britain, and later he moved with his wife and children to South Africa, where he began a legal practice. There he experienced painful discrimination and abuse, and once was beaten by a stagecoach driver for refusing to give up his seat for a European. This galvanized Gandhi’s resolve to fight injustice through principles of satyagraha (“truth and firmness”) he had learned from his mother.

Multiculturalism And Social Work: A Content Analysis Of The Past 25 Years Of Research, Lauren Christine Smithee

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this content analysis was to analyze the past 25 years of research in two major social work journals, Social Work and Research on Social Work Practice, to provide a status update on the amount of ethnic-focused research being published within the discipline. This analysis examined trends in ethnic-focused publications, the change across time in percent of focused articles, the top topics studied, per ethnic group, the top funded topics, most and least involved funding agencies, geographical groupings of focused samples, the setting of the samples, measures used, and the percentage of samples based in a clinical …

A Pilot Study Examining The Role Of Treatment Type And Gender In Cortisol Functioning, Stephanie Young Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This pilot study examined the effectiveness of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) compared to Treatment As Usual (TAU) in improving cortisol functioning among distressed couples. It also investigated the role of gender in cortisol functioning. Measures for cortisol were collected at five time points, both at pre- and posttreatment. Data were collected from a total of 60 couples, 20 of which received EFT and 40 of which received TAU. Overall, results from a two-way analysis of variance suggest that there are no significant differences between men or women, nor among couples in EFT and TAU, in posttreatment cortisol functioning. Directions …

Youth Disclosure: Examining Measurement Invariance Across Time And Reporter, Robb E. Clawson

Theses and Dissertations

Measurement invariance across time and reporter is rarely reported in the literature for measures of youth disclosure, even though it is often necessary to establish at least strong invariance before proceeding to further analyses such as comparing means across time or reporter. Measurement invariance was examined across time (ages 11, 14, and 17) and across reporter (youth report of disclosure to mother, youth report of disclosure to father, mother report of youth disclosure, father report of youth disclosure) with a sample of 348 youth and their parents. Youth report of disclosure to mothers demonstrated strong invariance across ages 11-14 and …

Multiculturalism And Social Work: A Content Analysis Of The Past 25 Years Of Research, Lauren Christine Smithee

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this content analysis was to analyze the past 25 years of research in two major social work journals, Social Work and Research on Social Work Practice, to provide a status update on the amount of ethnic-focused research being published within the discipline. This analysis examined trends in ethnic-focused publications, the change across time in percent of focused articles, the top topics studied, per ethnic group, the top funded topics, most and least involved funding agencies, geographical groupings of focused samples, the setting of the samples, measures used, and the percentage of samples based in a clinical …