Mental and Social Health Commons^™

The Experience Of Sexual Abuse Of Afro Caribbean Women: The Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of The Particularities Attached To Disclosure, Angela Hood

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Sexual abuse is often associated with long-term distressing effects. The experience of sexual abuse differs between survivors and the disclosure of the abuse is a complicated process that may have many particularities attached. For this study, I conducted an interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand how Afro-Caribbean women who experienced sexual abuse understand and make meaning of their experiences and the particularities attached to disclosure. Although prior research regarding sexual abuse has been conducted, research amongst Afro-Caribbean women has been minimal. Further absent from the sexual abuse literature is the lived experience of this population and the meaning they ascribe to …

Marriage And Family Therapists’ Clinical Impressions Of Romantic Relationship Dissolution Heartbreak: A Modified Delphi Study, Isibel C. Moreno

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2018) defines heartbreak as “crushing grief, anguish or distress.” Heartbreak can lead to biological, psychological and social responses and consequences. Heartbreak from the dissolution of a romantic relationship is a form of disenfranchised grief, which is defined as the griever’s belief that society does not recognize their source of grief as legitimate (Doka, 1989). The literature shows that talking about grief helps those who experience it (Fisher & Archer, 2008). Hence, the present study sought to provide a consensus of the best practices that marriage and family therapists have utilized to help broken-hearted clients. I employed a …

An Autoethnography Of A Bilingual Therapist Working With Haitian Clients: Reconnecting To Home, Marie Philomise Joseph

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

This evocative autoethnographic study is a very personalized account of my life as a Haitian American and a bilingual family therapist working with Haitian refugee earthquake survivors. The study focused on the lived experiences and challenges encountered as a family therapist trained in systemic techniques, linguistic terminology, and the Westernized psychotherapy approach to engaging Creole-speaking clients in therapy. Other challenges that existed were uncovered during the integration of the use of Haitian Creole language and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) tenets as the preferred model. It explored this therapist’s narrative in the process of providing psychotherapy to these clients, emerged a …

Searching For A Sense Of Place: The Process Of How Adolescent Girls Overcome Suicidality, Tamara Keefner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide and self-harming behaviors are significant public health problems among children and adolescents globally and in the United States. Despite significant advances in recent decades to understand, prevent, and treat childhood and adolescent self-harming and suicide, suicide rates remain high. Since the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention set a goal to reduce suicide deaths and attempts by 40% by 2020, there has been a paradigm shift in the study of suicide yielding significant advances in the understanding of suicide and other forms of self-inflicted injury. This dissertation highlights some of the new developments in the study of suicide. First, …

The Relationship Between Campus Wellness Center Usage And Symptoms Of Depression In College Freshmen, Allison Leonard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is limited research done on the relationship between the program utilization at a campus wellness facility and the symptoms of depression in college freshmen. College students have been found to have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than the general population, possibly due to the stressors college life can add. Studies have been done on the effects of physical activity as an intervention for depression as well as on the benefits of campus wellness facilities; however, there have been few studies that look at both campus recreation and depression. The author’s purpose for this study was to see if …

An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Women Who Had Abortions And The Effects Of The Abortion Secret On Their Relationships: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Marckdaline Johnson

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The United States Supreme Court decision in the Roe v. Wade (1973) case provides women with a right to privacy and the liberty to make decisions concerning their reproductive lives. With this, women who become pregnant are offered the right to choose between keeping their pregnancy and terminating the pregnancy by way of abortion. Since Roe v. Wade (1973), many women have exercised their reproductive liberties, as evidenced by the termination of over 60 million pregnancies via legal abortion in the United States. Still, secrecy among women with a history of abortion remains a common phenomenon. Studies conducted on abortion …

Clinical Director Perspectives On Decision Making Of Family Involvement With Clients At Inpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Centers, Lauren Amber Serdencuk

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Literature supports that family members of individuals who abuse substances are significantly influential, whether it be positive or negative (Liddle et al., 2001). Evidence-based family therapy decreases substance use by adolescents (Slesnick et al., 2006). The purpose of this study was to gain the perspectives of clinical directors regarding decision making of family involvement at inpatient substance abuse treatment centers. Clinical directors were the focus of this study due to their experience, credentials, and their ability to oversee all clients and programs in a substance abuse treatment center. Purposeful sampling was utilized to obtain participants. Saturation was reached at three …

Transgender Parent Differentiation: A Heuristic Phenomenological Study, Eva Smidova

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Transgender individuals go through their intrapersonal differentiation between covert “I” (expressed gender) and overt “I” (assigned gender), often unnoticed by family members before their coming out. Consequently, their coming out rockets anxiety in the family system and the process of differentiation of transgender parents seem to go through its unique path to search for equilibrium. Recent social and clinical studies about transgender parents have paid attention to the experience and challenges of the gender transition process, social pressure, acceptance of transgender individuals in a parenting role, and readiness of families to cope with the transition of a parent (Bischof, Warnaar, …

From Horse Walk To Therapy Talk: Exploring The Effects Of Equine Assisted Family Therapy Coursework On Self Of The Therapist Development Of Mft Student Therapists, Tiffany De Leon

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The Introduction and Advanced Equine Assisted Family Therapy (EAFT) courses offered at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) provide graduate Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) student therapists the space to learn about collaborating with horses for therapeutic and educational purposes. However, these courses also offer the potential for a unique dimension to self of the therapist development. Through these courses, student therapists are able to learn theory and application of an innovative experiential model for clients, but also utilize the activities to get to know themselves better as emerging therapists.

The purpose of this study was to explore if and how the …

Sexual Mutilation Of Muslim Girls, Today In The United States, Robert Brannon

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

ภาวะวิตกกังวลและภาวะซึมเศร้าในผู้ที่มีข้อเข่าเสื่อม, นันทกานต์ ชุมภูพันธ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การศึกษาครั้งนี้เป็นการวิจัยเชิงพรรณนา ณ ฃ่วงเวลาใดเวลาหนึ่ง มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาความชุกและปัจจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องของภาวะวิตกกังวลและภาวะซึมเศร้าในผู้ที่มีข้อเข่าเสื่อม โดยเก็บข้อมูลจากกลุ่มตัวอย่างที่เป็นผู้ป่วยข้อเข่าเสื่อม ที่เข้ารับการรักษาที่แผนกผู้ป่วยนอก โรงพยาบาลบางบัวทอง จังหวัดนนทบุรี ใช้วิธีการสุ่มตัวอย่างแบบเลือกตามเกณฑ์ (Purposive sampling) จำนวน 343 คน เก็บข้อมูลระหว่างเดือน สิงหาคม – ตุลาคม พ.ศ.2562 เครื่องมือที่ใช้เก็บข้อมูลประกอบด้วย แบบสอบถามข้อมูลส่วนบุคคล แบบประเมินภาวะการติดการออกกำลังกาย (Exercise Addiction Inventory; EAI) ฉบับภาษาไทย แบบสอบถาม Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ฉบับภาษาไทย (Thai HADS) แบบสอบถามประเมินข้อเข่า Knee and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยใช้สถิติเชิงพรรณนา ได้แก่ ร้อยละ ค่าเฉลี่ย ส่วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตราฐาน จากนั้นหาความสัมพันธ์โดยใช้สถิติเชิงอนุมานได้แก่ Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test การวิเคราะห์สัมประสิทธิ์สหสัมพันธ์ใช้ Pearson’s correlation Coefficiency และใช้ Linear Regression วิเคราะห์ความสัมพันธ์ ผลการศึกษาพบว่า ผู้ป่วยข้อเข่าเสื่อมมีความชุกของภาวะวิตกกังวลเพียงอย่างเดียว คิดเป็นร้อยละ 13.1 ภาวะซึมเศร้าเพียงอย่างเดียว คิดเป็นร้อยละ 8.5 ภาวะวิตกกังวลและภาวะซึมเศร้า คิดเป็นร้อยละ 26.8 ปัจจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องกับภาวะวิตกกังวลและภาวะซึมเศร้าในผู้ที่มีข้อเข่าเสื่อม ได้แก่ อายุ ระดับการศึกษา โรคประจำตัว (โรคความดันโลหิตสูง โรคเบาหวาน โรคอื่น ๆ) ระดับอาการปวดทุกข์ทรมาน การรักษาข้อเข่าเสื่อมด้วยวิธีการทำกายภาพบำบัด การนวดแผนไทย พฤติกรรมการออกกำลังกาย ออกกำลังกายด้วยการเดิน การบริหารข้อเข่า การเต้นแอโรบิคแดนซ์ ปั่นจักรยาน การอบอุ่นร่างกายก่อนและหลังออกกำลังกาย ปัจจัยด้านความรุนแรงของข้อเข่า (ด้านอาการ ด้านอาการปวด ด้านกิจวัตรประจำวัน ด้านการเคลื่อนไหวในการออกกำลังกายและการทำกิจกรรมอื่น ๆ ด้านคุณภาพชีวิต)

Understanding Structure-Activity Relationship Of Synthetic Cathinones (Bath Salts) Utilizing Methylphenidate, Barkha J. Yadav

Theses and Dissertations

Synthetic cathinones are stimulant drugs of abuse that act at monoamine transporters e.g. the dopamine transporter (DAT) as releasing agents or as reuptake inhibitors. More than >150 new synthetic cathinones have emerged on the clandestine market and have attracted considerable attention from the medical and law enforcement communities.

threo-Methylphenidate (tMP) is an FDA approved drug for the treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy, which also acts as a DAT reuptake inhibitor and is widely abused. tMP and synthetic cathinones share some structural similarities and extensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies on tMP have been conducted. However, much less is known about the …

Daily Factors Driving Daily Substance Use And Chronic Pain Among Older Adults With Hiv: A Study Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Alexis Kuerbis, M. Carrington Reid, Jordan Lake, Suzanne Glasner-Edwards, Jessica Jenkins, Diana Liao, Jury Candelario, Alison A. Moore

Publications and Research

Background: Adults 50 and older make up approximately 50% of persons living with HIV. Multiple co-morbidities are common among this group, including chronic pain and substance abuse, yet little is known about the daily factors that either enhance or inhibit these experiences or behaviors. This study explored daily drivers of substance use, pain, and relief from pain among older adults living with HIV utilizing ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Method: Participants (N=55), ages 49–71, completed seven consecutive days of daily EMA online surveys prior to treatment initiation within a randomized controlled trial. Multilevel modeling tested predictors of pain, substance use, and …

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 …

Positive And Negative Effects Of Social Media On Adolescent Well-Being., Katie Kennedy

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Social media use is rapidly growing among adolescents, studies cite that the rates of “constant use” doubled from 2015 to 2018 (Anderson & Jiang, 2018; Lenhart, 2015). Social media use can have a serious negative impact on areas of well-being including feelings of depression, anxiety, fear of missing out, body image, bullying and sleep. Mojtabai, Olfson and Han (2016) cite the problematic use of mobile phones and social media applications as one of the trends aligning with the increase in major depressive episodes. Conversely, use of social media can promote positive feelings of well-being including creating a sense of community, …

The Use Of Dehydroepiandrosterone For Treatment Of Depression, Bryan Tipton

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated ester (DHEA-S) are important pre-hormones that also have direct neurohormonal effects on the central nervous system. Over the last twenty years, data have revealed that serum DHEA peaks in a person’s mid-20s and steadily declines throughout their lifetime. In addition, women tend to have lower values than men. This is of note because lower serum values tend to be correlated with increased risk of depression, worse depressive symptoms, and increased risk of relapse into depression. A review of literature concerning DHEA’s age related values, its association with depression, and its use in the treatment of …

Pharmacotherapy For Impulsivity-Hyperactivity Behaviors In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jenna Katnis

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Hyperactivity is a shared behavior with ASD and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Medications such as Methylphenidate (MPH) and α 2-a adrenergic receptor agonists are used to modify hyperactivity behavior in ADHD and thus have been used as management in ASD. A review of literature was done to evaluate the use of medications typically used for ADHD in the use of ASD. The databases searched included PubMED, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Clinical Key. After reviewing the literature, it was found that both MPH and 2-a adrenergic receptor agonist have a potential role in pharmacotherapy for ASD. MPH may be slightly more …

Managing Anxiety With Pharmacogenomic Testing, Ashley Pommer

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Anxiety affects approximately three to seven percent of the United States population, and nearly 50% of the diagnosed patients fail to respond to first-line treatment regimens (Boland, Duffy, & Meyer 2018). Traditional first-line treatments include medication therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or the combination of both. With such a high initial failure rate, recent studies indicate promising results in managing anxiety with pharmacogenomic testing. Pharmacogenomic testing is allowing providers to prescribe medication based on individual genetic makeup, focusing on how each patient metabolizes certain medications. The purpose of this literature review was to determine if first-line methods or pharmacogenomic testing …

Individuals With Developmental Disabilities And Criminal Incompetence : An Analysis Of Predictors To Restoration, Ashley Cahill

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Competency to stand trial is a concept of jurisprudence preventing the adjudication of individuals who lack the capacity to understand the proceedings against them and which prevents them from assisting in their own defense because of mental disease or “defects”. In the criminal justice system, defendants found incompetent to stand trial are remanded to the care of the mental health system for a period of time to restore their competence. The determination of competency to stand trial is by far the most common psychiatric evaluation requested by criminal courts, and is especially critical for defendants with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Development Of The Sexual Minority Affirmative Practice Scale, Ryan Craig Ebersole

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Literature on the practice of affirmative psychotherapy with sexual minority (SM) clients has steadily increased over the past two decades in recognition of the unique experiences and mental health needs of this marginalized population. SM-affirmative psychotherapy is an approach to psychotherapy that is culturally-responsive, actively affirms the validity of SM identities and experiences, and promotes the resilience of SM clients in the face of stigma. To date, much of the extant research on SM-affirmative psychotherapy has focused on therapist factors and perspectives. Further, most previous research on SM clients’ experiences in therapy has been qualitative, due in part to the …

The Long-Term Consequences Of Adolescents' Comparative Economic Position In School, Kiwoong Park

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The goal of this dissertation project is to investigate how adolescents’ comparative socioeconomic positions within their schools shape their short- and long-term outcomes, including later health, educational expectations and attainment, and the risk of having a nonmarital first birth. Although social comparison theory posits that individual well-being depends on the standings of others with whom one compares oneself, as well as on one’s own absolute standing, the empirical evidence of the theory has been mixed and controversial. This project argues that inconsistent findings may arise from difficulty in measuring reference groups, temporal ambiguity between exposures and outcomes, and methodological limitations.

Pilbara Internal Evaluation Report 2019: School Breakfast Program, Food Sensations® For Schools, Fuel Your Future, Food Sensations® For Parents And Educator Training Programs, L. M. Aberle, M. A. Kioutis,, J. R. Platts, L. M. Thorne, F. L. Foulkes-Taylor, Stephanie L. Godrich, Roslyn Giglia

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Executive Summary:

- In partnership with BHP, Foodbank of Western Australia (FBWA) delivers the School Breakfast Program (SBP), Food Sensations® in Schools program (FSS), Fuel Your Future program (FYF), Food Sensations® for Parents program (FSP) and Educator Training program (ET) with schools and communities throughout WA’s Pilbara region.

- Evaluation of these programs was underpinned by each program’s objectives, relating to knowledge, skills and program satisfaction. As such, tailored program planning logic models and evaluation plans were developed for each program. Methods and tools were based on best practice indicated in the published and grey literature, and on FBWA staff …

The Chest Australia Trial: A Randomised Controlled Trial Of An Intervention To Increase Consultation Rates In Smokers At Risk Of Lung Cancer, Jon D. Emery, Sonya R. Murray, Fiona M. Walter, Andrew Martin, Stephen Goodall, Danielle Mazza, Emily Habgood, Yvonne Kutzer, David John Barnes, Peter Murchie

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: International research has focused on screening and mass media campaigns to promote earlier patient presentation and detect lung cancer earlier. This trial tested the effect of a behavioural intervention in people at increased risk of lung cancer on help-seeking for respiratory symptoms.

Methods: Parallel, individually randomised controlled trial. Eligible participants were long-term smokers with at least 20 pack-years, aged 55 and above. The CHEST intervention entailed a consultation to discuss and implement a self-help manual, followed by self-monitoring reminders to encourage help-seeking for respiratory symptoms. The control group received a brief discussion about lung health. Both groups had baseline …

Prescreening Recommendations For Patients On Medical Cannabis, Wen Chieh Hu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal substance in the United States and is most widely used among young people aged 12 to 21 years. Accurate screening and monitored issuance of medical cannabis recommendations have been shown to decrease abuse rates of the substance, create fewer deaths from opiates, reduce crime rates, reduce marijuana use in youths, decrease car crash deaths, and lessen prevalence of suicide in young men. The purpose of this project was to explore whether multiple screening methods for depression and anxiety in patients who seek medical cannabis referrals for anxiety and depression would improve screening and …

Emergency Responders' Perceptions Of Mental Health Patients While Providing Care In Rural Areas, Cindy Perkinson Costilla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior research has shown a correlation between public stigma and emergency responders' perceptions of mental health patients while providing care. However, research examining public stigma and emergency responders' perceptions of mental health patients is limited in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to explore possible relationships between the dependent variable, public stigma, and the independent variables: social distance, blameworthiness, and fear of unpredictable behavior. Link's modified labeling theory was the theoretical framework for this study. A sample of 92 emergency responders obtained from Facebook completed a questionnaire that consisted of three Likert scales. A multiple regression showed little …

A Narrative Study Focusing On Survivors Of Forced Labor Trafficking, Taras Nk Raggio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Throughout history, the media's rendering of slavery depicts vulnerable groups caught in a network of trafficking looking for a better life. Scholars of trafficking cite challenges in understanding the health care needs of domestic forced labor trafficking survivors in the United States. Seminal trafficking findings have shown that variations of trafficking affect the survivors' health after surviving trafficking. Therefore, in this qualitative, narrative inquiry I sought to understand how 8 survivors of forced labor trafficking, ages 25 years and older, described their health following trafficking beyond 5 years. The theory of social constructionism constituted the theoretical foundation, and the salutogenic …

Psychosocial Consequences Of Parental Wrongful Conviction On Children, St.Jean Jeudy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative multiple-case study sought to provide an in-depth understanding of how children living in broken families-due to the wrongful conviction of parent(s)-developed psychosocial issues. The theoretical frameworks applied to this study were the social learning theory, the social control theory, the role-modeling theory, and the general theory of crime. A purposeful sample of 13 adults who were children at the time of their parents’ wrongful incarceration were drawn for phone and in-person interviews. The data were transcribed and analyzed to code, sort, and organize; to analyze connections in the information, and to compare and contrast cases. The multiple-case study …

An Investigation Of The Help-Seeking Attitudes Of African American Christian Churchgoers, Kristi Madison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Black Church has been a powerful support system for African Americans, providing economic, and psychological support in addition to meeting spiritual and religious needs. African American church leaders continue to provide a multitude of services to the community; however, research has shown that African American Protestant Christian churchgoers'€™ preference for informal supports may exacerbate some symptoms of mental illness as people may postpone seeking formal help. Utilizing a nonexperimental, cross-€sectional design, this study examined the relationship between these churchgoers'€™ attitudes toward religious help-€seeking and attitudes toward professional help-€seeking. One hundred four African American Protestant Christian churchgoers in the mid-Atlantic …

Female Veterans' Combat Experience And Ptsd On Male Partners' Psychological Distress And Relationship Quality, Theresa Denise Abraham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female veterans' combat exposure to trauma places them at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which has consequences for healthful reintegration to family and civilian life. Previous research found that wives who provide continuous care to male veterans with PTSD experience symptoms of psychological distress; however, little research has been conducted on the influence of female veterans' PTSD on their intimate male partners' (IMPs) psychological well-being. A multivariate correlational design was used to examine the influence of female veteran PTSD on psychological distress and relationship quality in IMPs. The couples' adaption to traumatic stress model was used as the …

Efficacy Of A Va Residential Treatment Program For Co-Occurring Disorders, Kathrin Hohenstern

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders among the veteran population can impact numerous aspects of a veteran's life, including self-esteem, relationships, employment, and legal issues. The Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MH RRTP) at the Saint Cloud, Minnesota VA Healthcare System is a program that provides residential treatment for this population. Identifying practical and beneficial treatment methods promotes better coping mechanisms for veterans and impacts social change by providing timely and cost-efficient care for veterans, while also leading the way for overall changes and improvements in other VA residential treatment programs. This study identified how …