Mental and Social Health Commons^™

An Investigation Into Caffeine Consumption And Self-Reported Dependency In The Republic Of Ireland, Gavin Buckley, Ciara Murphy, Nora O'Sullivan, Róisín Spriggs

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Objectives: To explore the consumption of caffeine containing beverages by the Irish population and to investigate their self-perceived dependency on such products.

Methodology: An online survey was distributed with national access to Irish adults which was open to responses from 25^th February to 7^th March 2021 inclusive. A total of 417 responses from participants over 18 years of age were validated and analysed using Microsoft Excel.

Results: Tea was the most commonly consumed caffeinated product among the Irish population, with the majority of respondents stating their consumption began before 10 years old. The majority of respondents did not …

Intersectionality, Relational Positionality, And The Lived Experiences Of Inequality: Contextualizing Intergenerational Opioid Use And The Constrained Choices Of Indigenous, Latina, And White Women Caregivers In Rural New Mexico, Carmela M. Roybal

Sociology ETDs

Opioid addiction is a serious and persistent global health issue. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that between 1999 and 2016, more than 630,000 people in the United States died of an overdose of a prescription opioid or illicit drug (CDC 2018). Extant research has suggested that for nearly a century, New Mexico has experienced some of the highest rates of prescription and illicit opioid death in the nation (Goldstein and Herrera, 1995; Landon, 2003; Shah et al., 2008). I examined intergenerational opioid dependence through the lived experience of women caregivers of opioid-addicted family members. Data …

Advancing Behavioral Health Literacy, James Scollione

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Accessing, comprehending, and using information to make informed decisions and improve one’s overall health or well-being are the foci of health literacy. The concept of behavioral health was introduced in the early 1980s and, since then, it has influenced new ideas (e.g., behavioral health literacy and integrated behavioral health care) and gained research and public attention. My aim is to provide an overview of definitions (i.e., health literacy, mental health literacy, and behavioral health literacy) and their connection to each other. I propose an expanded and honed definition of behavioral health literacy to enhance the behavioral health literacy and well-being …

Food Addiction And Obesity, Lisa Ling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The obesity rate in the U.S. adult population has increased to epidemic levels despite attempts to decrease obesity through evidence-based knowledge, clinical practice guidelines, medical interventions, and individual efforts. For certain individuals, food addiction behaviors such as food cravings, loss of control, and binge eating contribute to obesity and require a different approach to care. Little work has been done on adding the possibility of food addiction to obesity screening and treatment. This study utilized a quasi-experimental quantitative pre- and postsurvey research design based on Lewin’s change theory. Nurse practitioners were surveyed regarding the provider’s perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about …

Escaping The Escapism: A Grounded Theory Of The Addiction And Recovery Process In Online Video Gaming, Jayson Carmona, Jason Whiting Phd

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to describe the experience of people who struggled with self-described addiction to World of Warcraft™ (WoW). WoW is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), and many players have shared their stories of compulsive use and recovery efforts on two different websites: www.wowdetox.com, and a Reddit forum called /r/noWoW. We analyzed 140 unique posts on these sites to develop a process model describing how posters experienced addiction and recovery from WoW. We used grounded theory methods to create a model with categories including, time sink, impairment in work and relationships, and …

The Role Of Athletic Identity In General Mental Health And Alcohol-Related Help-Seeking Intentions Of College Students, Michael Grant Young

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Young adults are vulnerable to a range of mental health concerns and tend to drink in high quantities and tend to not seek help for these concerns. Specifically, college students involved in athletics tend to have low help-seeking rates—though help-seeking research for this population is relatively limited. Athletic identity (i.e., identification with the athlete role) is a relevant construct for examining this population, however little is known about its association with help-seeking beliefs and ideas. This study examines: (1) the association between athletic identity and help-seeking intentions for both mental health and alcohol use concerns, (2) the association between …

Understanding The Stigma And Feasibility Of Opening A Safe Injection Facility In Baltimore City: A Qualitative Case Study, Timothy Dupree, Caroline I. Wood, Andrea M. Brace

The Qualitative Report

Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) are medically supervised facilities designed to provide a hygienic environment in which drug users can consume illicit drugs intravenously. SIFs can be cost saving, help to reduce transmission of disease, and decrease drug overdoses. There are no SIFs in the United States. In this study we used a multiple case study design to understand the stigma surrounding the use of a SIF and the feasibility of implementing the drug prevention strategy in Baltimore City by comparing experiences with opening a SIF in Sydney, Australia. We interviewed one healthcare worker at the Sydney SIF and ten community …

Transcriptional Analysis Of The Response Of C. Elegans To Ethanol Exposure, Mark G. Sterken, Marijke H. Van Wijk, Elizabeth C. Quamme, Joost A. G. Riksen, Lucinda Carnell, Laura D. Mathies, Andrew G. Davies, Jan E. Kammenga, Jill C. Bettinger

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Ethanol-induced transcriptional changes underlie important physiological responses to ethanol that are likely to contribute to the addictive properties of the drug. We examined the transcriptional responses of Caenorhabditis elegans across a timecourse of ethanol exposure, between 30 min and 8 h, to determine what genes and genetic pathways are regulated in response to ethanol in this model. We found that short exposures to ethanol (up to 2 h) induced expression of metabolic enzymes involved in metabolizing ethanol and retinol, while longer exposure (8 h) had much more profound effects on the transcriptome. Several genes that are known to be involved …

Knowing What We Know: Leveraging Community Knowledge Through Automated Text-Mining, Justin Gardner, Jonathan Tory Toole, Hemant Kalia, Garry Spink Jr., Gordon Broderick

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

No abstract provided.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy For Dual Diagnosis: Treating Adolescent Substance Use Disorder And Co-Occurring Mood Disorders, Melody R. Gately

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Study Of Recovery Ecosystems For Opioid Use Disorder In Portugal And Appalachia, Jonathan David Mullins

Undergraduate Honors Theses

A comparison of the structure and effectiveness of recovery ecosystems for opioid use disorder in Portugal and Appalachia, with a focus on identifying areas for improvement within the Appalachian region.

Spirituality And Opioid Addiction Recovery, Carol A. Ammon, Msn, Mba, Dnp, Stacey Boyer, Psyd, Stephen Dutton, Mdiv, Pd, Courtney Slater, Phd

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is chronic relapsing disease and requires intense rehabilitation. A link between spirituality and addiction recovery. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether addressing spiritual concerns among hospitalized patients with OUD warrants a specific intervention to assist patients with their unique spiritual needs.

Methods: This qualitative-only study recruited fourteen eligible participants and resulted in five qualitative interviews. The FICA Spiritual Assessment Tool© was used to conduct the interviews and all interviews were coded for theme development.

Results: The results of this study demonstrated that spirituality as a phenomenon in addiction recovery can be determined …

From Crib To Bench: Understanding Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (Nows) Using A Novel Rodent Model, Sarah Stevens

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As the opioid epidemic continues to grow, opioid use among pregnant women is increasing significantly. This has led to a steady rise in the number of infants born with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). Although short-term withdrawal symptoms associated with NOWS are well characterized, there are many gaps in our understanding of the short and long-term effects of prenatal opioid exposure. In CHAPTER 1, we describe the clinical presentation, associated neurodevelopmental challenges, and current treatments of NOWS. Our current understanding of the neuropathology of NOWS is limited, and therefore further research is needed. However, current animal models are limited by …

The Experience Of Therapists Working With Mexican American Children Of Substance Abusing Parents, Tracy M. Basile

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe need for culturally competent mental health providers and the Mexican American immigrant population in the United States are growing. This study focused on themes from therapists’ narratives that may help to comprehend the intricacy of difficulties facing Mexican American children living with substance-abusing parents. The firsthand knowledge and experiences of the therapists who have worked with this population provided a basic understanding of what to expect and which therapeutic interventions may work best for both the child and their parents. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to qualitatively identify therapists’ lived experiences and understand how they interacted with …

A Qualitative Examination Of The Preparedness Of African American Pastors To Address Issues Of Addiction, Shuntay Tarver, Chaniece Winfield, Judith Preston, Alexis Wilkerson, Pastor Isaac Shorter

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

This study qualitatively explored the preparedness of African American pastors to meet the needs of parishioners with addictions. Findings indicated that African American pastors do not always perceive themselves to be prepared to address issues of addiction, and existing cultural barriers challenge collaboration between human services practitioners and African American pastors. Findings also revealed that despite existing cultural barriers, African American pastors are willing to collaborate with professionals who offer educational opportunities in culturally relevant ways. Human services professionals’ ability to understand cultural nuances of African American pastors is of paramount concern to effectively enhance the quality of life for …

Naloxone/Buprenorphine, Methadone, Naltrexone And Their Role In Medication Assisted Treatment, Robert Barrett

Capstone Showcase

Abstract

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is an increasingly common diagnosis that has drastically increased in the last 5 years. Though multiple treatment modalities exist for treating OUD (naltrexone, buprenorphine, methadone), few studies have compared treatment outcomes in adults on long term therapy. This is an important topic to understand as providers as we will undoubtedly come into contact with patients either actively abusing opioid antagonists or in recovery from opioid abuse. Since the introduction of Oxycontin and subsequent over prescription of opioid analgesics, opioid overdoses have increased by over twelve-fold. Once providers began to realize a widespread pattern of abuse, …

Internet Pornography Addiction In The Treatment Of Heterosexual Dyadic Relationships: A Literature Review, Sarah Ogier-Bloomer

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The following dissertation provides a thorough literature review of internet pornography and internet pornography addiction for psychologists treating heterosexual couples in therapy and those training said clinicians. Factors that contribute to the development of compulsive sexual behavior are discussed, as well as how the addiction is maintained through reinforcing cycles. Factors including neuropsychological effects of neurotransmitters on the pleasure-reward system, insecure attachment, and childhood development provide insight into the manifestation of an addiction to pornography. Therefore, a thorough literature review on these aspects is necessary for current clinicians, as well as for those who are training clinicians. In addition, questionnaires …

The Lived Experience Of Hope In The Midst Of Recovery From A Substance Use Disorder: A Phenomenology, Mary Katherine Lance

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Substance use disorder (SUD) is difficult to treat, as evidenced by its high prevalence and relapse rates. Research shows, however, that hope may have the potential to create effective and efficient change in the way we prevent and treat SUD. In order to utilize hope in this way, we must have a good understanding of what hope is. This phenomenological study aims to explore and describe the essence of hope through the lived experience of individuals in recovery from a SUD. Through interviews with 20 informants to generate data and an iterative interpretative process to identify shared meanings, hope emerged …