Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Downeast Maine Mat Expansion Project: Year 3 Final Data Summary, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd, Evelyn Ali Bs, Katharine Knight Mph, Tyler Egeland Ba

Substance Use Research & Evaluation

This report summarizes the collaborative effort of Healthy Acadia, its providers, the Downeast Substance Treatment Network, and Downeast Substance Use Response Coalition, to combat opioid use disorder (OUD) in Downeast Maine through multiple evidence-based strategies.

Project goals included the reduction of barriers to accessing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and the enhancement of MAT services by improving provider capacity through training and implementation of best practice treatment.

For more information, please contact M. Lindsey Smith, PhD, [email protected]

Work-Life Balance Policies And Productivity, Zilola Khashimova

Physician Assistant Studies | Faculty Scholarship

To remain viable, businesses must stay competitive in the global marketplace of today, and to be competitive, businesses must maximize all their resources. Employees are a major resource of a business, and it is imperative that a business maximize the productivity of its employees to stay competitive. Employees who are stressed from demands and issues of family and life outside of work do not make productive employees. Work-life balance practices have been adopted by businesses to provide some relief for employees from this stress with the assumption is that these policies will decrease the stress of the employee making the …

Covid-19 Related Physical And Mental Health Stressors In Families Using A Social Determinants Lens., Elizabeth Vasquez, Erin Bell, Melissa Tracy

Understanding and eliminating minority health disparities in a 21st-century pandemic: A White Paper Collection

Racial and ethnic minorities, those of lower socioeconomic status (SES), and older adults have experienced higher rates of infection, severity of illness, and mortality from COVID-19 than other groups. These populations are also disproportionately affected by financial and social disruptions caused by the pandemic, including job loss, reduction in community services, and disconnection from supportive networks critically important for the health and well-being of families. Further, these same populations often live in multi- generational households and rely on a family-dependent caregiver model. The aim of this project is to beta test an online questionnaire to identify individual and household risk …

Effects Of The Needle Exchange Program Implemented In West Virginia, Amber Graves, Anthony B. Uriarte, Katherine Duty

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: West Virginia has had a recent spike in infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis due to increased rates of injectable drug use. The rising costs associated with such diseases have been a cause for concern in the sector of healthcare and public health. In the state, the exchanging of dirty needles has resulted in the spread of bloodborne pathogens, however, the implementation of needle exchange programs has sought to decrease the rates of infection, improve health outcomes, and lower healthcare costs. However, there is a question as to the effectiveness of such programs.

Purpose of Study: …

Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory

United States Natonal Institutes of Health: Materials

Conclusion

As we learn the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, and start recovering and rebuilding, we have an opportunity to offer a more comprehensive, more fulfilling, and more inclusive vision of what constitutes public health. And for a generation of children facing unprecedented pressures and stresses, day in and day out, change can’t come soon enough.

It won’t come overnight. Many of the recommendations offered in this Advisory require structural buy-in and change.

But everyone has a role to play in combating this mental health pandemic. Without individual engagement, no amount of energy or resources can overcome the biggest barrier …

Examining The Relationship Between Mental Health Conditions And Risk Perception In Determining Covid-19 Preventative Health Behaviors, Krupali Patel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Depression and anxiety are relatively common among college students and research suggests that risk perceptions may be modulated by these mental health conditions. In addition, studies have demonstrated that higher perception of risk predicts more frequent practice of preventative health behaviors, and this relationship may also be modulated by depression and anxiety. The present study examined the relationship between these factors in the context of COVID-19. Using survey data from undergraduate students, risk perceptions about COVID-19, self-reported practice of COVID-19 preventative behaviors, and their relationship were compared between those with and without the common mental health conditions of Major Depressive …

The Benefits Of Creative Art Therapy For Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review Of The Literature, Jazlyn Marie Akridge

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically diagnosed during childhood. The primary symptoms of ASD include language impairments and deficits in social skills, which can negatively affect the overall quality of life. Traditional treatment for ASD includes medication, applied behavior analysis, physical therapy, and occupational therapy; however, these treatments may have unwanted side effects and fail to address the psychosocial challenges that may result from ASD symptoms. There has been increasing interest in alternative forms of therapy, such as creative art therapies; however, the types of creative art that have been used during therapy and their benefits are …

Karl Tomm’S Internalized Other Interviewing: From Theory To Practice, Robin Akdeniz

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Over the last 40 years, the Canadian psychiatrist and family therapist Karl Tomm has been a key contributor to postmodern developments in family therapy (Collins & Tomm, 2009; Strong et al., 2008; Tomm, Hoyt, & Madigan, 2001). This dissertation traces the people, ideas, and practices that have influenced Tomm's approach, providing an in- depth examination of the method he developed for putting his ideas into practice: Internalized Other Interviewing (IOI). A systemic, relational approach to the practice of postmodern family therapy uses language as a means to create change. Family therapists routinely use different types of questions to ask clients …

Anxiety Explains Self-Differentiation: Implications For Bowenian Approaches To Marriage And Family Therapy, Reagan Thomas, John Shelley-Tremblay, Harvey Joanning

University Faculty and Staff Publications

This study examined the Bowenian construct of Self- Differentiation (SD), defined as the degree to which a person can think according to their personal beliefs while remaining emotionally connected to the family. This study examined the degree to which negative emotionality accounted for the relationship between SD and Relationship Satisfaction (RS). Emotional Cutoff (EC) emerged as the sole predictor of RS. When Trait Anxiety (TA) was entered into the model it mediated between EC and RS. We discuss the importance of treating anxiety of the individual in family therapy and that SD may best be understood when taking anxiety into …

Evaluating Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Access To Primary Care Among Gay And Bisexual Men In The Us, A Population At High-Risk Of Hiv Infection, Jessica S. Kiernan, April D. Kimmel

Graduate Research Posters

BACKGROUND: 69% of new HIV diagnoses in the US are among gay and bisexual men, with disparities by race and ethnicity. Primary care providers increasingly provide HIV prevention. Racial and ethnic disparities in primary care access are well-documented, but their persistence among gay and bisexual men is unknown. We examined racial and ethnic disparities in access to primary care among this population.

METHODS: We used nationally representative person-level sociodemographic, health status and utilization data, and data on organizational- and socially determinant barriers to care, from the National Health Interview Survey, 2013-2018. Outcomes were: 1) general physician visit

RESULTS: The sample …

Sensory Over-Responsivity And Its Relation To Anxiety: A Literature Review, Katrina Powers

A with Honors Projects

This honors project examines relevant literature to sensory over-responsivity as it relates to anxiety.

Comparing The Trends Of Postpartum Depression Screening Scores During And Before The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elif S. Duran, Dung Dang, Tony Ogburn

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Introduction:

Postpartum depression includes major and minor depressive disorders affecting women in the time period after childbirth. The studies reviewed in our literature found that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of postpartum depression for women. Our study location, the Rio Grande Valley is one of the hardest-hit locations by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Our patient population is also one with the higher risk factors for postpartum depression. As such, we are expecting the psychological impact of the pandemic to be even more magnified, and thus, actions need to be taken to support the vulnerable population …

The Critical Need For A Culturally Sensitive Suicide Risk Assessment Instrument For American Indian And Alaska Native Youth, Courtney E. Shaw

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Objective: This systematic literature review was conducted to better understand why there has been a significant increase in America Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth suicides in tribes across the United States today. The intent of this review is to understand key issues surrounding the increasing numbers of AI/AN youth with suicide ideation, plans, and attempt in order to be able to answer the following clinical question: Is there a valid and reliable culturally sensitive assessment tool designed to recognize at-risk AI/AN youth presenting for primary care? If not, what are key aspects to consider for developing an instrument that could …

Younger Hmong People’S Willingness To Communicate About Depression, Wa Yang

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This research examines the underlying issues about mental illness, particularly depression within the Hmong community. Previous scholars have focused on the Hmong culture’s origins, mental health status of Hmong refugees arriving in the United States, martial roles and mental health on Hmong females, and comparisons of Hmong traditional healing and Westernized medicine. These studies intersect in fields including psychology, medicine and public health, Hmong history, and social work. However, one missing component to this body of scholarship has been communication. Thus, my study focused on younger Hmong people’s willingness to communicate about depression within their families. Specifically, I conducted semi-structured …

Comparing The Acceptability Of Treatment Rationales For Two Psychotherapies, Marin Gail Olson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

An effective treatment rationale is important because it can affect whether or not a client decides if they will commit to the therapeutic approach. In recent years, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has developed as an approach that, although related to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), is philosophically distinct. CBT typically places a greater emphasis on changing/eliminating “symptoms” of psychological disorders and the role thoughts play in directly influencing emotional and behavior problems. ACT, on the other hand, places a heavier emphasis on accepting and changing one’s relationship to aversive private experiences. When comparing the assumptions and goals underlying CBT and ACT, …

Assessing Dairy Farm Employees Health, Leyby Stephany Guifarro Rodriguez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Master thesis evaluates the impact of general health care and eating habits (Study 1), vision care (Study 2), and mental health status (Study 3) on Latino dairy farmworkers lifestyle and work performance in South Dakota. We hypothesized that the health status of dairy workers has a negative impact on the workers’ job performance. In study 1, data from a total of 70 participants were collected, using a face-to-face survey in Spanish, which allowed us to assess various topics and details related to employees’ daily routine tasks, eating habits, and general health status. Furthermore, recommendations to improve general health care …

Black Couples Filtering Their Love Stories Through The Use Of Social Media, Jeff Rocker

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Black couples' use of social media for expressing their emotions needs to be explored to help them develop their narratives without external pressure. Narrative therapy is used to understand the difficulties ofholding on to unique personal narratives and preferred futures in the context of a hostile dominant discourse. The Black community has a long history of oppression, which makes their stories significant. Thus, social media posts by successful Black couples can be helpful in developing a new theory explaining personal narratives of Black couples in an online environment. These narratives provide information regarding themost common problems faced by Black people …

Experiences Of Incarcerated Young Men In Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Cynthia Vanessa Penalva

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

In 2018, 14,000 young people between the ages of 11 and 18 were incarcerated in the United States (Fosler, 2018). Incarcerated are more likely than non-incarcerated youth to experience anxiety, depression, violence, and behavior issues. While mental health treatment facilities often provide resources such as continuing education, General Education Development, vocational training, and talk therapy services (Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, 2019), Equine-FacilitatedPsychotherapy (EFP) is a relatively unexplored intervention for this population. The increasing need for innovative mental health services tailored to specific client populations has inspired collaborations among community professionals seeking to deliver high-impact interventions. One such community effort …

Appreciative Inquiry Of A Non-Profit Organization Transitioning To Teletherapy, Claudia Herrera

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Mental health professionals have been required to make a transition to delivering services using technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. The non-profit agency participating in this study had already listed on its strategic plan the delivery of teletherapy. In 2020, due to the pandemic, the agency decided to expedite the delivery of teletherapy services. This study explored the experiences of the agency’s team, to determine what worked well while making this transition, as well as future dreams regarding the delivery of teletherapy. Appreciative inquiry was used as the method of data collection. Findings indicated the agency’s clinicians found keeping a positive …

Exploring The Acculturation Experiences Of Cuban Refugee Doctors And Their Families In Miami: A Phenomenological Study, Nelson Michel Perez

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Since 1961, the Cuban government has used its medical missions worldwide for diplomatic, ideological, financial, and humanitarian purposes (Huish, 2014; Solano, 2019). Since the collapse of the Socialist Bloc, thousands of Cuban health workers have found a means of economic subsistence and exit from the island through these missions. The U.S. Department of State (2020) declared these medical missions to be forced labor and human trafficking, a move that had multiple consequences for these professionals and their families. From 2006 to 2017, more than 9,000 Cuban health workers entered the Unites States as refugee immigrants, with many settling in South …

Long-Term Sobriety From Opioid Use: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Claire C. Loucka

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Opioid addiction is a current health crisis in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse 1.7 million Americans were addicted to opioids in 2017 (NIH, 2020, para 2). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 130 Americans die every day due to an opioid overdose (CDC, 2019, para.1). Those in treatment are 60% more likely to relapse within the first 90 days post-treatment (Weich, 2010). Marriage and Family Therapists may often work in treatment settings addressing addiction and recovery. This study utilized a Solution Focused Brief Therapy lens to seek to understand the life …

Ethnic Comparisons In Perceptions Of Health, Happiness, Hope, And Related Social Determinants Of Health In A Majority-Minority Midwestern Town, Virginia Chaidez, Yumou Qiu, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Julie A. Tippens, Gilbert R. Parra, Patrick Habecker, Kimberly Gocchi Carrasco, Jordan Soliz, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Kirk Dombrowski

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a rural Midwestern community sample (n=273), large proportions of Somalis and Whites ranked overall health as "Very good" (57% and 50%, respectively), while Hispanics (42%) considered it "Good". Across all groups, most are either "Happy" or "Very happy" with their jobs—64%, 91%, 83%—or their families—85%, 93%, 91.6%— with reference to Hispanics, Somalis, and Whites, respectively. When asked “In the past 30 days, how often did you feel hopeless?”, 83% of Somalis and two-thirds (67%) of Whites responded, "None of the time", while half (50%) of Hispanics indicated the same. Overall, Hispanics appeared to be less …

Addressing The Needs Of African American Grandparents: An Intersectionality Perspective, Dorothy Smith-Ruiz, Kendra Jason

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study seeks to demonstrate the intersecting structural and compounding challenges African American custodial grandparents experience collectively, rather than as separate non-competing factors, which has been modeled in prior studies. Using a mixed-method research design, the study explored the challenges faced by African American and white custodial grandparents. These challenges included difficulties attaining different types of support, respite care, and programs for teens and special needs grandchildren. Results showed that caregiving challenges among African Americans were more pervasive than their White counterparts. These findings have significant implications for the development of intervention programs for custodial African American grandmothers and their …

สุขภาพจิตระหว่างการระบาดโควิด-19 ของพนักงานบริษัทสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภคแห่งหนึ่ง, ภัทรรัตน์ แต้มโคกสูง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การศึกษาครั้งนี้เป็นการวิจัยเชิงพรรณนา ณ จุดเวลาใดเวลาหนึ่ง มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาสุขภาพจิตและปัจจัยที่สัมพันธ์กับสุขภาพจิตของพนักงานบริษัทสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภคแห่งหนึ่ง ระหว่างการระบาดของโควิด-19 กลุ่มตัวอย่างเป็นพนักงานบริษัทอุปโภคบริโภคแห่งหนึ่งในกรุงเทพมหานคร จำนวน 127 คน โดยส่งแบบสอบถามออนไลน์ไปยังพนักงานบริษัทแห่งนี้ที่มีลักษณะตามเกณฑ์การคัดเข้า และได้รับชุดข้อมูลตอบกลับที่มีความสมบูรณ์ จำนวน 124 ชุด คิดเป็นร้อยละ 97.64 ของจำนวนพนักงานทั้งหมด เก็บข้อมูลระหว่างเดือนมิถุนายนถึงกรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2565 โดยข้อมูลที่ได้รับเก็บรวบรวมด้วยแบบสอบถามทั้งหมด 3 ส่วน ประกอบด้วย แบบสอบถามปัจจัยส่วนบุคคล แบบสอบถามปัจจัยด้านการทำงาน แบบสอบถามความสุขใจในการทำงาน และแบบสอบถามวัดภาวะสุขภาพจิต 3 ด้าน (DASS-21) คือ ภาวะซึมเศร้า ภาวะวิตกกังวล และความเครียด วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยใช้สถิติเชิงพรรณนา ได้แก่ จำนวน ร้อยละ ค่าเฉลี่ย ส่วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตรฐาน ค่าต่ำสุด และค่าสูงสุด วิเคราะห์ความสัมพันธ์ของตัวแปรด้วยสถิติเชิงอนุมาน ได้แก่ Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, Pearson’s correlation, และ Logistic regression เพื่อหาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างสุขภาพจิตของพนักงานบริษัทแห่งนี้ และตัวแปรอื่น ๆ ที่เกี่ยวข้อง ผลการศึกษาจากกลุ่มตัวอย่าง 124 คน พบว่า พนักงานบริษัทแห่งนี้มีภาวะสุขภาพจิตอยู่ในระดับปกติ โดยที่หนึ่งในสามของกลุ่มตัวอย่างเผชิญกับปัญหาทางสุขภาพจิตในทุกระดับ ได้แก่ ภาวะวิตกกังวล ร้อยละ 30.6 ภาวะซึมเศร้าร้อยละ 29.0 และความเครียด 25.8 สำหรับการศึกษาปัจจัยที่สัมพันธ์กับภาวะสุขภาพจิต พบว่าเป็นปัจจัยที่เกี่ยวข้อง ได้แก่ อารมณ์และความรู้สึกต่อสถานการณ์โควิด-19 การทำงาน ความสุขใจในการทำงาน ความรับผิดชอบต่อค่าใช้จ่ายของครอบครัว ความต้องการความช่วยเหลือจากผู้เชี่ยวชาญทางสุขภาพจิตหรือจิตแพทย์ และการใช้ยานอนหลับในช่วง 1 ปีที่ผ่านมา อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติ (P<0.05) สำหรับการวิเคราะห์ถดถอยเพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยทำนายปัญหาสุขภาพจิตอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติ (P<0.05) พบว่า ปัจจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องกับอารมณ์ความรู้สึกที่มีต่อสถานการณ์โควิด-19 เช่น ความรู้สึกสิ้นหวัง ความรู้สึกหดหู่ ความรู้สึกโกรธ ปัจจัยที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการทำงาน เช่น มีความพึงพอใจในระดับต่ำเกี่ยวกับการประเมินผลงานในช่วง 1 ปีที่ผ่านมา มีความพึงพอใจระดับต่ำต่อความรับผิดชอบที่ได้รับในช่วง 1 ปีที่ผ่านมา มีความสุขใจในการทำงานต่ำ และปัจจัยอื่น ๆ ที่มีส่วนในการทำนาย เช่น เคยใช้ยานอนหลับในช่วง 1 ปีที่ผ่านมา สามารถทำนายภาวะซึมเศร้าและภาวะวิตกกังวลได้ ส่วนการแสวงหาหรือต้องการความช่วยเหลือจากผู้เชี่ยวชาญทางสุขภาพจิตหรือจิตแพทย์สามารถทำนายความเครียดได้ ผลจากการศึกษานี้จะช่วยให้พนักงานที่ทำงานที่บ้านรวมถึงหัวหน้างานได้ตระหนักถึงผลกระทบทางสุขภาพจิตที่อาจเกิดขึ้นในช่วงสถานการณ์โควิด-19

Psychological Sense Of Community Among Older Adults In Puerto Rico Two Years After Hurricane María, Thomas D. Buckley

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 and resulted in adverse long-term outcomes. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) may serve as a protective factor against the effects of Hurricane María for older adults in Puerto Rico. Using a three-paper format, this dissertation draws on a resilience framework and theories of PSOC and the Ecological Theory of Aging to examine the role of PSOC among older adults in Puerto Rico two years after Hurricane María.

Paper one is a scoping review of the concept of PSOC in research with community dwelling older adults. I begin by presenting findings on study characteristics …

Reducing Objectification Could Tackle Stigma In The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence From China, Youli Chen, Jiahui Jin, Xiangyang Zhang, Qi Zhang, Weizhen Dong, Chun Chen

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Stigmatization associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is expected to be a complex issue and to extend into the later phases of the pandemic, which impairs social cohesion and relevant individuals' well-being. Identifying contributing factors and learning their roles in the stigmatization process may help tackle the problem. This study quantitatively assessed the severity of stigmatization against three different groups of people: people from major COVID-19 outbreak sites, those who had been quarantined, and healthcare workers; explored the factors associated with stigmatization within the frameworks of self-categorization theory and core social motives; and proposed solutions to resolve stigma. The …

A Multiple Goals Perspective On Burnout Disclosure And Support Among Attending Physicians, Alison N. Buckley

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Burnout is a common experience among physicians and has been identified as a precursor to substance abuse and suicide ideation. When not addressed, burnout can have many negative personal, relational and professional consequences. Research about the burnout experience is limited due to the taboo nature of the topic. The present study used a multiple goals theoretical perspective to examine how physicians disclose burnout in order to access social support. Attending physicians from various specialties (N = 30) participated in one-on-one interviews and were asked to discuss their burnout experience, conversational goals during burnout disclosure, catalysts and barriers for disclosure, and …

The Creative Legal Histories Of Cervantes And Jurist Antonio De La Peña, Susan Byrne

Department of World Languages Faculty Research

In the Quijote’s intercalated novella titled El curioso impertinente, Miguel de Cervantes narrates the story of a husband inducing his best friend to seduce his wife. This study compares Cervantes’ use of juridical detail in that story with contemporaneous legal arguments and punishments for a husband who acts as procurer for his wife.

Impact Of Supportive Housing Program Services On Loneliness And Well-Being Among Previously Homeless Individuals, Michelle Wagner Mph, Ashwini Kamath Mulki Md, Mph, Hoonani M. Cuadrado Mspas, Pa-C, Autumn Kieber-Emmons Md, Mph, Susan E. Hansen Ma

Posters

No abstract provided.

Parent Training For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Shamaila Ijaz, Farwa Rafaq, Sonia Ijaz Haider

Department for Educational Development

Objective: The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of behaviour therapy training to mothers of autistic children on verbal and non-verbal improvement of their children.
Methods: A total of 33 mothers of autistic children were selected for training based on non-probability purposive sampling procedure. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Knowledge Scale was used to assess mothers' knowledge about autism and Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale was used for assessment of the communication skill in autistic children.
Results: This study revealed that behaviour therapy training significantly improved communication skills of children with autism by training mothers. The results …