Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Ot's Role With Survivors Of Sexual Assault, Myracle N. Carter, Cassandra M. Nelson

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Sexual assault can lead to a multitude of symptoms that can negatively impact an individual’s occupational participation and quality of life. However, the literature and programming surrounding the use of occupational therapy (OT) with survivors of sexual assault is limited or outdated. Therefore, this program was created to be a resource and guide to increase the use of OT with survivors. This program included a total of five modules, which provided education and occupation-based activities to the participants to increase their occupational participation, specifically in work and education, and their overall quality of life. Following the conclusion of the implementation …

Wellness Research & Programming For Bodybuilders, Victoria Castillo, Karen Park, Kersten Laughlin

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This project explores the occupational impact on bodybuilders and wellness & program development for competitive bodybuilders. Phase one focuses on research to understand the occupational impact on bodybuilders during competition. Phase two, which focuses on program development, highlights the alignment to the objectives as they allow for the development of an educational program intended for bodybuilder coaches to help with health prevention and wellness with their bodybuilder clients.

Occupational Therapy For People With Dementia Who Have Occupational Performance Challenges Due To Depression, Ally Frazier, Steven M. Gerardi

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Individuals with dementia experience a multitude of barriers and challenges that impact their daily engagement throughout the environment. In addition, although the pandemic has concluded, noxious effects are still influencing people's lives. Residential care facilities have noticed continual acts of isolation that are presenting as barriers in mental health. Depression has known to be a common comorbidity in the ailment of dementia. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners have the unique and valuable role in working with this population to target beyond the biomechanical aspects of a resident. Identifying barriers for mastery in leisure pursuits throughout someone’s day is crucial. When residents …

Impact Of Mental Health Boarding In The Emergency Department And Recommendations On How We Can Improve, Kyra Buettner

Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies Capstone Presentations (Center City)

Introduction

Every year in the United States there is an estimated 2 million adolescents who experience suicidal ideation or attempt suicide.¹ The shortage of behavioral and mental health professionals has led to an increase in emergency department (ED) visits. “Boarding” is defined as “the practice of holding patients in the ED or another temporary location after the decision to admit or transfer has been made.²” The purpose of this study is to evaluate the following question - in adolescent patients with suicide attempt or mental health crisis, does boarding in the ED result in poorer mental health …

Role Of Nativity In Mental Health Service Utilization Among Asian Americans: A Weighted Analysis Of Complex Survey Data, Anne Dumadag, Hadiza Galadima

College of Health Sciences Posters

Asian Americans represent both the fastest-growing population and the smallest group of consumers of mental health services (MHS) in the United States. The current study aimed to identify factors associated with MHS use and explore differences in MHS use by nativity among Asian Americans. Data from the 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used to examine past-year MHS use among Asian Americans ages 18 and older. Weighted analyses were used to determine the distribution of the population by nativity and other covariates, and Rao-Scott Chi-Square tests were used to explore the association between past-year MHS use and …

Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (Eap) In The Treatment Of Military Service Members With Ptsd And/Or Tbi: A Pilot Study, Kimberly Freisenbruch, Carolyn Rutledge

College of Health Sciences Posters

Military members, whether active duty, retired, or separated from service, are at increased risk for developing physical and mental disabilities due to their military service, especially if combat was involved. Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is a therapeutic intervention that uses horses, trained equine therapists, and mental health professionals in a non-riding environment. Horses respond to very slight changes in their environment, and these responses may help to provide insight into how EAP patients communicate, set boundaries, and confront issues created by TBI and PTSD-related injuries.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the efficacy of equine therapy on military members’ …

Enhancing Leisure Participation In An Inpatient Mental Health Setting, Jawad Aqil, Susan Macdermott

Fall 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project, Enhancing Leisure Participation in an Inpatient Mental Health Setting, was completed by a Doctor of Occupational Therapy candidate at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Project objectives aimed to identify and address internal and external barriers related to leisure participation in inpatient mental health settings from an occupational therapy perspective. A literature review of leisure engagement demonstrates beneficial mental health outcomes in correlation with increased leisure engagement during inpatient mental health treatment. However, leisure is often an underutilized facet of mental health treatment. Additionally, individuals with mental health challenges present with individualistic barriers decreasing leisure …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Unplanned Motherhood, Cierra Stewart, Karen Park

Summer 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

For women experiencing unplanned pregnancy, the thought of becoming a mother can increase stress and affect the mother’s mental health. Maternal adjustment can include depression, anxiety, worry, stress, and happiness (Mihelic et al., 2016). The impact that this new role has effects daily demands, leading to a disruption in occupational engagement, environmental changes, and overall less time for the mother (Horne et al., 2005). There is currently not a well-defined role for occupational therapy within pregnancy medical clinics to support women experiencing unplanned pregnancy and their transition to motherhood. The purpose of this project is to provide care to new …

How Does Trauma Experienced During Immigration Affect Mental Health?, Taliyah Sims, Daeja Hinton

Immigration Scholarship: History, Trends and Development in Global Immigration

The research topic being explored focuses on hardships that immigrants face before, during, and after migrating into the US. Over the years immigration has changed in many ways, for better and for worse. Immigration has become such a difficult and tedious process, which can absolutely take a toll on the mental health of the people who just want to move and start better lives. Violence and crimes also play a major role in why people are looking to flee from their home countries in the first place. Moreover, the research will provide a closer look into the violence and crimes …

The Role Of Occupation Therapy In Homeless Transition-Aged Youth Programs, Cortney Kirby Yap, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this project was to evaluate current programming with staff at Urban Street Angels (USA) and explore the role of occupational therapy (OT) with youth experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness in San Diego, California. The project informed the development of proposals aimed to enhance programming and OT services already in place at the USA La Mesa site for the staff and the youth enrolled in services through the USA organization and the Housing Our Youth (HOY) collaborative program.

Disinformation About Mental Health On Tiktok, Dani Graber, Anne Perrotti (Mentor)

Computer & Information Science: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Disinformation Detection and Analytics

No abstract provided.

Mental Health Among Chicanos And Chicanas: Barriers To Mental Health Care, Consequences Of Disparities, And Resources, Roma A. Kankaria, Shaheer Alam, Ananya Udyaver, Alyssa Sievers

Undergraduate Research Posters

Mexican Americans, or Chicanos and Chicanas, face many barriers to mental health care. This literature review was conducted by the Collective Corazón—a VCU student organization, mentored by Dr. Indira Sultanić, that addresses Latinx health equity through service and advocacy—in order to examine the underlying causes and consequences of disparities in mental health in Chicanos and Chicanas. Some of the barriers that affect mental health care in Mexican Americans are racial inequities and discrimination, the societal and/or cultural stigma associated with receiving care, language barriers, lack of health insurance, and legal status. Furthermore, among Chicanos, machismo culture is associated with an …

Increasing Mental Health Resource Access During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Valerie Braddick

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Social Media Use And Depression And Anxiety Symptoms During Covid-19, Tene'sha L. Crews, Christina Sheerin

Undergraduate Research Posters

The rise of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global surge in exposure to disaster and crisis-related media. Increases in poor mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression, are associated with increased exposure to such media content (Abbas et al., 2021; Riehm et al., 2020; Zhao & Zhou, 2020). In recent years, social media has become one of the most widely used sources for news; approximately 48% of adult Americans receive their news from social media (Pew Research Center, 2021). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in social media use due to social distancing and …

Improving The Therapeutic Environment In The Crisis Stabilization Unit At Glens Falls Hospital, Emma Hall

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) at Glens Falls Hospital provides a separate, safe space within the Emergency Department for adults and children struggling with mental health crises to stabilize before discharge or admission to an inpatient psychiatric unit. An increase in mental health crises over the past 10+ years plus a shortage of nearby inpatient beds, especially for adolescents and children, has led to longer stays in the CSU. Longer stays in a place not built for therapeutic intervention but rather for crisis stabilization may lead to increased agitation, prolonged stays or prolonged time to stabilize a patient, and potentially …

Opportunities For Patient Self-Reflection During Acute Phase Of Depression Treatment, Millen Abselab

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project for UVMMC Family Medicine at Hinesburg investigates the acute phase of depression treatment for adult patients and introduces opportunities for patient empowerment during this 4-to-6-week window through de-identified automated text surveys for self-reflection about treatment and pattern tracking contributory to mood. Sample text survey built on Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and deployment of text surveys is based on Mosio. Future interventions can utilize mobile phone apps based on patient response to surveys.

Increasing Patient Access To Lgbtq+ Healthcare Through Expanding The Vermont Diversity Health Project, Rachel Harrison

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Numerous studies have documented various disparities in health outcomes and barriers to healthcare access for LGBTQ+ individuals. One major way to combat this is to increase access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ patients and increase provider knowledge of how to best care for them. Through expanding the Vermont Diversity Health Project database of providers and having providers participate in LGBTQ+ Best Practices trainings (both hosted by Pride Center of Vermont), we may reduce LGBTQ+ health disparities in our local community.

Assessment And Awareness Of Mental Health Conditions Among Refugees In Vermont, Sandi Caus

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Refugees experience profound hardship in their home-country, displaced country and throughout the period of re-settlement. Experiences like direct or indirect exposure to traumatic events, torture, sexual abuse and stigmatized refugee identity post-resttlement are major risk factors for the development of mental health coniditions inlcuding PTSD, depression and psychosis. Despite major risk factors for the development of mental health conditions, culturally-specific mental health stigma persists as a major barrier to addressing mental health among refugees. This project emphasizes techniques and self-education that can be utilized to improve mentah health screening and identification among refugee patients in Vermont.

Perspectives On Indigenous Mental Health, Erika Alegria

Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership (HBECL) Capstone Research Posters

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the diverse perspectives of social service practitioners on the mental health of indigenous youth and communities while examining current methods of practice used in mental health services. This qualitative research study used a narrative design and collected data through a total of five semi-structured, face-to-face interviews involving two Child and Youth Workers, and three Social Workers; three of these five participants are also Registered Early Childhood Educators. The primary research question investigated in this study was: what are Social Service practitioners’ perspectives of how they support mental health issues in indigenous …

Addressing Adolescent And Young Adult Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Megan Boyer

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This quality improvement project at South Burlington Family Medicine aimed to investigate the mental health of individuals ages 13-25 in our practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible patients received a PHQ-9 questionnaire with two additional questions related to COVID-19. Recommendations for future interventions to serve this population were made based on these preliminary findings, with the goal of doing a full PDSA cycle in the near future.

Perinatal Depression: Breaking Barriers To Treatment, Florence Lambert-Fliszar

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Depression in the perinatal period is a common medical issue in Vermont, affecting about 10% of women. Multiple and severe consequences of depression during this time are seen for both mothers and babies, including lower breastfeeding rates, fewer healthcare visits for the child, and psychopathology in the child later on. The goal of this project is to identify and address some of the barriers we currently face in identifying and treating women for depression. Major barriers women encounter in seeking help involve poor recognition of symptoms facing increasing stress of motherhood, stigma, as well as neglecting to attend to mental …

The Association Of Hormonal Contraception With Depression, Pamela Derickson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Hormonal contraceptives are widely used by women during their reproductive years. Currently, over 100 million women worldwide use the pill, and 82% of sexually active women in the USA will use oral contraceptive pills at some time during their reproductive years (Carrol, 2017). Oral contraceptive use, especially among adolescents, is associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a first diagnosis of depression, suggesting depression may be a potential adverse effect of hormonal contraceptive use (Skovlund, 2016). This project focused on educating health care providers at the Community Health Center of Burlington, VT (CHCB) about the association of depression and oral …

Mental Health Screening In Nursing Homes, Meghan Breen

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Depression and dementia are two of the most common mental health conditions in nursing homes. Screening for these conditions does not have to be difficult or time consuming, but doing it can significantly improve the health of nursing home residents. The WHO-Five for depression and the Mini-Mental Status Exam are both sensitive, specific, and time-sensitive. Using these screening in a nursing home in rural Vermont helped improve the accuracy of patient records and impacted medical care.

Enrichment Of Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Rotations: A Suicide Scenario Simulation, Melinda Hermanns, Mary Luanne Lilly, Bill Crawley

Faculty Posters

This poster was presented at the 27th Annual Psychiatric Mental Health Conference.

From Infanticide To Activism: The Transformation Of Emotions And Identity In Self-Help Movements, Verta Taylor, Lisa A. Leitz

Peace Studies Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Taylor and Leitz trace processes of collective identity construction and politicization among women suffering from postpartum psychiatric illness who have been convicted of infanticide. Joining a growing body of research suggesting that self‐help and consumer health movements can be a significant force for change in both the cultural and political arenas, Taylor and Lietz examine one such movement, a pen‐pal network of women incarcerated for committing infanticide. Taylor and Leitz show how a sense of collective identity fostered by the pen‐pal network triggered a profound emotional transformation in participants, allowing them to convert shame and loneliness into pride and solidarity, …

[Introduction To] Mental Health Among Elderly Native Americans, James L. Narduzzi

Bookshelf

Providing mental health services to the elderly generally and particularly to elderly Native Americans has been an issue of some concern for the last several decades. Despite this rise in concern for the mental health of elderly Americans, however, the fact remains that public decisions are made based on inadequate data. As Birren and Renner state: "A major problem has been that our knowledge of the mental health problems and the frequency of psychiatric disturbances in the elderly has a weak information base." When on turns to minority elderly in general and elderly Native Americans in particular, the data base …

Psychiatric Clinics For Egyptian School Children Focus: The Garden City Psychiatric Clinic Of Cairo, Claire Fahim Gobrial

Faculty Book Chapters

We present in this issue of The Cairo Papers a broad spectrum of articles dealing with the children of Egypt and their families; each article has a research base in the real world of childhood and each in its own way sug­gests trends for further work in both research and applied areas in child de­velopment. Ciaccio's paper consists of an integrated set of recommendations based on action-oriented research sponsored by UNICEF- it is clear from a reading of his paper that the International Year of The Child is not simply another 'UN year' but rather a point of departure from …