Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Homeless And Helpless: How The United States Has Failed Those With Severe And Persistent Mental Illness, Ashley Gorfido

Journal of Law and Health

The United States has failed its citizens who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). Homelessness is one of the most obvious manifestations of this failure. The combination of a lack of effective treatment, inadequate entitlement programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and subpar housing options form systemic barriers that prevent people suffering from mental illness from being able to obtain adequate housing. Cultural beliefs within the United States regarding who is homeless and what homelessness means also play a significant role in the development of positively impactful social welfare programs.

Part II of this Note reviews …

Scales To Measure Motivation Among Community Health Workers, And Trust And Empowerment Among Their Clients: A Guide, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This How-To Guide presents five multi-item scales to measure motivation among community health workers (CHWs), as well as clients' trust in CHWs, and empowerment within community health systems. The scales presented are intended for use in community health programs and in combination with other indicators in the CHW Performance Measurement Framework (published by the Frontline Health project in 2019) for routine data monitoring to improve quality and accountability in community health.

Demystifying First-Time Mothers’ Postpartum Mental Health: A Phenomenological Study Of The Transition To Becoming A Mother, Megan Dooley Hussmann

Dissertations

Becoming a mother is a significant life event that can greatly impact maternal mental health. Understanding maternal mental health is an important interdisciplinary goal because it could lead to mother’s receiving better care and support from both mental health and medical professionals. Seven first-time mothers with a baby under the age of one were interviewed for a phenomenological qualitative study, which investigated first-time mothers’ postpartum mental health experiences. This study was guided by two research questions: How do new mothers experience their postpartum mental health in comparison to how they experienced their mental health before having their baby, and how …

Employing Position Generators To Assess Social Capital And Health: A Scoping Review Of The Literature And Recommendations For Measurement In Future Population-Based Surveillance, Steven Meanley, Candice Biernesser, Teagen O'Malley, Todd Bear, Jeanette Trauth

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Beneficial social connections are critical to individual-level health because they can be used to avoid or minimize the risks and consequences associated with diseases. How to best measure beneficial social connections to inform social network-level health interventions remains poorly understood. A scoping review of health surveillance studies was conducted to highlight the utility of employing position generators to assess how access to beneficial social connections was associated with population health and disparities. Our review yielded 39 articles conducted across 14 predominantly high-income countries. Most studies (77%) with composite measures for beneficial social connections exhibited health-protective associations. Of the remaining articles, …

Comorbidity And Quality Of Life Of Hiv-Positive Adults Living In Supportive Housing, Rose Sharp

Dissertations

Problem: Life expectancy for people living with HIV significantly increased with widespread use of antiretroviral therapy, resulting in population increases in comorbidity prevalence. The increased burden of living with both HIV and comorbidities lowers health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: Using a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional design, a convenience sample of HIV-positive adults was selected from seven supportive housing communities. Comorbidities were assessed using a modified Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire, and HRQoL using the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Scale v1.2 – Global Health.

Results: A sample of 17 (N = 17) adults reported a mean of 4.2 (SD = …

Historical Trauma Response Scores As A Function Of Unresolved Grief And Substance Use Disorder In American Indian Populations, Andrew R. Saunders

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Abstract

Researchers are interested in the outcomes of interventions, specifically, measuring historical trauma (HT) among American Indian/Alaska Native communities and the long-term distress and substance abuse as a result of historical trauma response (HTR). Previous literature has implicated limitations in the clinical conceptualization of the relationship between intergenerational transfer of HTR and substance abuse. The aim of the current study is to examine treatment efficacy of 50 homosexual, American Indian males randomized to a culturally-adapted juxtaposition of (1) Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), (2) Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and (3) Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention (HTUG), or (4) waitlisted on …

Rurality Of Medical Provider And Race Of Patient As Risk Factors For Overdose In Opioid Use Disorder Populations, Christopher Vance, Colleen Mulligan, David Von Nordheim, Jodi Heaps-Woodruff Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Title: Rurality of medical provider and race of patient as risk factors for overdose in opioid use disorder populations

Background

This study examines the outcomes of medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders (OUD) based on location of treatment and race of the individual seeking treatment. Opioid use in the United States has been disproportionately rising in the last decade and there is evidence of unequal treatment based on different social disparities, namely rurality and race. Discriminatory distribution of medication and treatment for individuals seeking OUD along the lines of race and rurality is an issue of grave importance …

The Life-Saving Drug That No One Knows About: Naloxone Education And The Health Belief Model, Sarah Tilford

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Naloxone hydrochloride, popularly known by the brand name Narcan, is an emergency treatment used to reverse an overdose on opioid drugs. The CDC reports upwards of 26,000 individuals saved by naloxone between 1996 and 2014 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Despite this success rate, those outside of the medical field largely remain unaware of what naloxone is or how they can use it in an emergency, leading to needless loss of life. Many studies focusing on naloxone access and education have been unable to offer findings meant to increase the use and ownership of the drug by lay …

Covid-19 And Opioid Use In Appalachian Kentucky: Challenges And Silver Linings, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Hannah L.F. Cooper, April M. Young

Journal of Appalachian Health

Appalachian Kentucky is currently fighting two public health emergencies – COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic – leaving the area strapped for resources to care for these ongoing crises. During this time, people who use opioids (PWUO) have increased vulnerability to fatal overdoses and drug-related harms (e.g., HIV). Disruption of already limited services posed by COVID-19 could have an especially detrimental impact on the health of PWUO. Though the COVID-19 pandemic is jeopardizing hard-won progress in fighting the opioid epidemic, innovations in state policy and service delivery brought about by the pandemic may improve the health of PWUO long-term if they …

Mental Health And Wellbeing Of First Year Jefferson University Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Photo-Elicitation Study, Olusegun Bakare, Lyena Birkenstock, Morgan Bush, Lizzie Critchlow, Marisa Felsher, Cari Picciano, Alex Reibstein, Olivia Siciliano

Qualitative Research Methods - Presentations

Research Question

How do first year Thomas Jefferson University students perceive their mental health and wellbeing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Impact Of Parental Health Mindset On Postoperative Recovery In Children, Alexandra Kain, Claudia Mueller, Brenda J. Goliamu, Brooke N. Jenkins, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Mindset, or one’s beliefs about the ability to change one’s outcomes, has been studied in the educational domain but not in surgical settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of parental health mindset on children’s recovery.

Methods

Participants were part of a larger National Institutes of Health‐funded trial that included 1470 children undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. We used measures of parental coping style (Monitor Blunter Style Scale; MBSS) and medication attitudes (Medication Attitudes Questionnaire; MAQ) to validate the Health Beliefs Scale (HBS; Criterion validity, Cohen’s kappa). HBS categorizes parents as having a growth mindset, …

Strange Periodic Behavior In An Epilepsy Model, David Chan, Candace Kent, William Strasser

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Wicked Problems: Depression, Sebastian Wendolowski

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Depression is a disorder that can affect anybody and is the leading cause of disability and disorders in the United States. This year, due to COVID-19, it has hit an all time high, affecting many more people. Suicide rates have been steadily growing across all ages, and this year is at a record high too, showing correlation with depression. There are two types of depression, major depressive disorder and chronic depressive disorder. Diagnosis of depression is typically done physically or through a questionnaire, which is compared into a DSM-5. There are many risk factors for depression and other common mental …

Sorry, Can't Come To The Phone, Katherine Wilson

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Going as far back as 1973, cellphones have been a part of our lives and how we live it. Over the past 10 years, cellphones have taken over much of what we do. How much we use our phones can impact us more than what anyone could have ever thought. Phone usage has increasingly become a problem that may people face. The project lists the multitude of ways that our mental health and everyday life are affected because of how much we use our phones and go on social media. The goals of this project are to explain, provide evidence, …

Why Can't Homeless Addicts Get Help Too, Rachael D. Causland

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Homeless people today struggle more with addiction than people who have stability in their life. Whether it’s due to financial issues, or not having a support system, homeless people struggle to get the help they need for both their addiction and their homelessness. A high number of homeless people report to have started an addiction since being homeless, and they do so to stay alive, in turn people are continuing to stay homeless and many of these people are dying of overdoses or just staying stuck in the situation they are forced to deal with alone. There are some states …

Master's Degrees With A Mission

Scientia

DePaul's College of Science and Health has added three new master's degree programs: community psychology, speech-language pathology and occupational therapy. The directors of these programs discuss particulars of each field and what study entails.

Benefits Of Therapy Dogs Among College-Aged Communication Sciences And Disorders Students, Allison Szramek

Graduate Independent Studies - Communication Sciences and Disorders

There are many current strategies and techniques proven to help college age students reduce their stress. However, there is limited research about the use of therapy dogs to help reduce stress among this population. This literature review investigates the relationship between therapy dogs and the power to reduce stress among college students, especially those majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). The analysis shows a strong correlation between utilizing a therapy dog and the reduction of stress for college students. Further research and implementation should be done to determine the effectiveness of therapy dog interactions with college student and the …

A Pilot Study Of Mindfulness-Based Music Therapy In An Intensive Outpatient Program For Adults With Co-Occurring Mental Health And Substance Use Disorders, Jennifer Rebekah Hicks

Theses and Graduate Projects

This pilot study was designed to explore the use of mindfulness-based music therapy in an intensive outpatient program for adults with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. All participants completed the Brief Serenity Scale (Kreitzer et al., 2009) as a pre-test prior to their participation in this study. Participants took part in four monthly 50-minute mindfulness-based music therapy groups. At designated points throughout each music therapy session (including the beginning, end, and after each specific experience), the participants marked on a Likert scale where their thoughts were, in relation to the past, present, and future. Post-test measures of the …

Substance Use Among Rural And Urban Youth And Young Adults, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Nathan Paluso Mph, Erika C. Ziller Phd

Mental Health / Substance Use Disorders

Rural youth and young adults have historically had higher use rates of alcohol and other substances than their urban counterparts. Recent research suggests that rates of youth and young adult alcohol and other substance use have declined over the past two decades, but we have limited knowledge of whether and how current rural and urban substance use patterns may differ. As national substance use rates decline, it is important to re-assess differences in use among rural versus urban youth and young adults. This study uses data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine rural-urban differences …

Changes In Depression And Physical Activity Among College Students On A Diverse Campus After A Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Order, Courtney Coughenour, Maxim Gakh, Jennifer R. Pharr, Timothy Bungum, Sharon Jalene

School of Public Health Faculty Research

The numerous negative health impacts of COVID-19, which include expected changes to psychiatric illness and physical activity (PA), are disproportionately distributed in the United States. Mental illnesses and physical inactivity are prevalent among U.S. college students. This study examined whether there was a change in minutes of PA and depression scores after a stay-at-home order and examined predictors of these changes. An online survey was sent to all undergraduate and graduate students attending a large, diverse university via an electronic newsletter. The survey requested information about demographic and academic data, cardiorespiratory fitness, and depression symptoms. Paired t-tests and logistic regression …

Implementing Trauma-Informed Care Early In The Lives Of Children And Adults, Carley Clymer

Scholars Week

Throughout the health care industry, providers are failing to recognize the implications that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have upon adult health. As a result, these patients not only have to endure these traumas, but they’re also faced with crippling health conditions that accompany them including depression, heart disease and obesity. The prevalence of common high-risk behaviors such as smoking, drinking and illicit drug use can also co-exist with adversity, which leads to an exacerbation of already poor health. This presentation aims to relay the significance of adopting a trauma informed care (TIC) approach early in the lives of clients to …

Implementing Mandatory Psychiatric Training For Medical-Surgical Nurses, Hannah Berry

Scholars Week

Hospitals worldwide experience poor outcomes for patients with mental illnesses. Psychiatric patients have a lesser likelihood of surviving a particular illness than does a person with that same illness who does not have a psychiatric comorbidity. This is a bleak reality that nurses have the unique opportunity to influence for the better. Destigmatizing mental illness is perhaps the largest component of stepping toward this goal. Our nurses being more educated on the nature of mental illnesses—their signs, symptoms, and common treatments—will improve care outcomes for patients who suffer from them. Not only should we educate nurses on mental illness for …

Recommending That School Nurses Provide Mental Health Screenings To Students, Mariah Dufault

Scholars Week

Childhood mental health issues not being identified early, caused by a lack of knowledge and awareness in childhood mental health, can lead to lifelong debilitating issues. The Center for Disease Control states, “Mental disorders among children are described as serious changes in the way children typically learn, behave, or handle their emotions, which cause distress and problems getting through the day” (CDC 2020). These issues can lead to negative self-worth, a lack of ambition, thoughts of self-harm, aggression towards others, and suicidal ideations. Studies have even shown that, “Half of adults with mental health disorders report or have been shown …

A Markov Chain Approach For Forecasting Progression Of Opioid Addiction, Abhijit Gosavi, Susan L. Murray, N. Karagiannis

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The U.S. is currently facing an opioid crisis. Naltrexone is a common treatment for drug addiction; it reduces the desire to take opiates. However, addicts often stop treatment or continue to use opioids while in treatment. This results in increased fatalities and associated costs. A Markov-chain model is presented to analyze the progression of opioid addiction to assist the medical community in developing appropriate treatments. The model includes patients who continue opiate use while on naltrexone (blocked patients) and those who use opiates after missing naltrexone doses (unblocked patients). The other types of patients are abstinent (the best-case scenario) and …

Internet Based Mental Health Intervention For Seafarers Onboard, Hayeong Jin

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Cultivation Of Psychosocial Skills For High Performance Within Educational Programs, Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, Rena F. Subotnik, Katie Berger, Susan Gold, Christi Wilkins

Staff Publications & Research

Gifted specialists recognize the importance of psychosocial skills to high achievement but rarely deliberately focus on them in their programming. We present case studies of systematic efforts to cultivate these skills in three different contexts: a K-12 gifted school, selective STEM high school, and community-based program. Participants learn effective ways to incorporate psychosocial skill training into their program models.

Determining The Effectiveness Of A Peer Support Person In Individuals With Depression Symptoms, Donna K. Reeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study’s aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of an existing peer support program as an adjunct treatment for patients with depression. This retrospective evaluation analyzed the total scores of 110 patients with depression on the PHQ-9 questionnaire at the initial assessment (Time 1), at 6-weeks (Time 2), and then at 12-weeks (Time 3). The participants were divided into two groups, those who enrolled in a peer support program (n = 55) and those without peer support (n = 55). PHQ-9 total scores for each time interval were compared for the two groups utilizing independent sample t-tests …

Law Library Blog (November 2020): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Letter To Editor: Re: “Primary Care Physician’S Approach For Mental Health Impact Of Covid-19”: Case Of Migrant Workers Mental Health., Ram Lakhan, Srinivas Kosgi, Amit Agrawal, Manoj Sharma

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

We read the article by Rohilla[1] with great interest where the authors have described that how our primary care physician colleagues can share the responsibility and can manage the psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the many special groups identified by authors,[1] we would like to highlight the psychological issues related to needs of a very important subgroup, that is, “Migrant workers.”[2],[3] The migrant population is already very vulnerable and in addition to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 has brought tremendous challenges for this population

Longitudinal Examination Of A Dual-Factor Model Of Mental Health: Academic Adjustment And Stability Of Group Membership In High School Students In Academically Accelerated Curricula, Letty Langton Dileo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Middle adolescence (ages 14 to 18 years old) has been associated with declines in both psychopathology and subjective well-being (SWB). This study examined a dual-factor model (DFM) of mental health, which conceptualizes complete mental health as including both low levels of psychopathology and high levels of SWB, across three time points, each 9-12 months apart, in a sample of 328 9th grade students enrolled in accelerated coursework. This study aimed to determine (1) the stability of students’ mental health status over time, (2) the role of psychopathology versus SWB for students who changed mental health status, and (3) the relationship …