Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Practice Recommendations For Mental Health Professionals: Perspectives From Grandparents And Their Adolescent Grandchildren, Kendra A. O'Hora, Megan L. Dolbin-Macnab

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Although grandfamilies are consumers of a variety of mental health services, less is known about what these families, particularly the grandchildren, want from practitioners. To gain insight into how practitioners can best meet the needs of grandfamilies, 40 custodial grandmothers and their adolescent grandchildren were interviewed. Results of a qualitative analysis indicated that grandmothers and grandchildren did not make clear distinctions between various types of services and service providers. Grandchildren, in particular, emphasized the need for mental health professionals to facilitate mentoring and to provide opportunities for grandchildren to socialize with other grandchildren who have been through similar circumstances. Grandmothers …

Unsilencing The Voice Within: Expressive Writing As A Therapeutic Tool, Karla L. Sapp

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Written words are a very powerful tool that is used to facilitate self-healing, awareness, and growth through the communication of one’s deepest thoughts, emotions, and desires. The purpose of this poster session is to provide mental health providers (community, school, criminal justice) with an overview of expressive writing, forms of expressive writing that can be utilized, and implications for professional practice with At-Risk Youth.

Health In Social Media: The Pros And Cons To The Effect It Has On Readers, Sam Gilbert

Journalism

No abstract provided.

The Caregiver–Child Relationship, Youth Mental Health, And Placement Stability In A Child Welfare Sample, Laura A. Rindlaub

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Healthy relationships between adolescents and their caregivers have been robustly associated with better youth outcomes in a variety of domains. Youth in contact with the child welfare system are at higher risk for worse outcomes including mental health problems and home placement instability. A growing body of literature points to youth mental health problems as both a predictor and a consequence of home placement instability in this population; the present study aimed to expand our understanding of these phenomena by examining the interplay among the caregiver-child relationship, youth mental health symptoms, and placement change over time. Method: The sample …

Depression In Student Athletes: A Particularly At-Risk Group? A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Shelley N. Armstrong, Michelle M. Burcin, Wendy Bjerke, Jody Early

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Mental health initiatives are being implemented based on collegiate athletes being a high risk subculture for a variety of health behaviors that correlate directly to depression. This literature review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method to investigate the association between depression and student athletes. An initial search of the research databases yielded 807 articles. After applying additional delimiting criteria, 30 articles were considered relevant for the critical review and 11 for the systematic review. Results showed that student athletes are actually less likely to be depressed when compared to their non-athlete peers due to …

Metaphoric Generative Genograms: A Journey To Bring Genograms To Life Through Metaphorical Components, Elisa Garcia

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to offer a greater understanding of the potential of genograms through my clinical work from a Bowen Family Systems lens. I account for how I processed and effectively blended metaphorical components, by examining six cases from my two-year journal entries, of bringing genograms to life in sessions. I also explain how I created a useful tool, the Metaphoric Generative Genogram, that can benefit other clinicians working with children and families in the foster care community.

Balancing Act: Successfully Combining Creativity And Accountability In The Practice Of Marriage And Family Therapy, Nathalie Duque Bello

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The conditions that allowed early MFTs the freedom to creatively explore different interventions and theories of change are no longer available in today’s mental health care system. Although there are many benefits to the structure of managed behavioral healthcare organizations, a thorough review of the literature demonstrates that many therapists working in managed care agencies struggle with maintaining their theoretical creativity, claiming third-party payers’ service requirements and paperwork a barrier to their creativity. A phenomenological transcendental research method was utilized to understand the phenomenon of successfully combining creativity and accountability in the practice of marriage and family therapy from the …

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: A Comparison Of Unlicensed And Licensed Professionals, Pamela A. Morrison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was conducted to comparatively examine child specific expulsion rates and parent satisfaction of children who received early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) services delivered in 2 states for the 2012 program year: Maryland (unlicensed) and Delaware (licensed) . This current study examined secondary data to determine whether unlicensed (Maryland) ECMHC professionals are equally or more effective than licensed (Delaware) ECMHC professionals. Of the total number of child specific consultations or cases referred for services in Maryland (unlicensed), N = 370, n = 266 children avoided expulsion and were able to remain at their childcare placements while n = …

Predictors Of Recidivism For Offenders With Mental Illness And Substance Use Disorders, Linda Buckmon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental illness and substance use disorders have been determined to be leading predictors for recidivism among criminal offenders in the United States who are released to community supervision. Women make up an increasing in percentage of this criminal justice population; however, few studies have explored the role that gender plays in determining men and women's recidivism. Offender's education, employment, and peer association have also been reported to be predictors increasing the likelihood of recidivism among criminal offenders. This study was designed to determine if gender, mental illness, substance use disorder, employment, education, and peer association predicted recidivism. Differential association theory …

The Effects Of Buddhist Psychological Practices On The Mental Health And Social Attitudes Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual People, Jessica Lynn Fritzges

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This non-experimental, quantitative study explored the effects of the Buddhist-derived practices of mindfulness and loving-kindness meditations on the wellness of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. LGB people are at higher risk of mental illness and increased social isolation due to minority stress; Buddhist-derived mindfulness practices mediate these effects in other groups. Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping was the theoretical model explaining how positive cognitive appraisal induced by meditation can mediate effects of stress. This study examined whether mental health scores on the Emotional Symptoms Checklist (ESC), social attitudes measured on the Unjust World Views Scale, …

Mental Health Therapists' Attitudes On Adoption Of Evidence-Based Practices And Organizational Culture, Jennifer Guerguis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence-based practice (EBP) in mental health was initiated in the United States due to state legislation. The EBP implementation process is complex due to multiple factors related to organizational culture. Mental health agencies implementing EBP processes can expect significant personnel changes due to higher turnover rates, which may have a negative effect on the quality of services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between providers' attitudes toward the adoption of EBPs and organizational culture. The theoretical framework for this study was organizational culture theory and the Denison organizational culture model. This correlational and predictive study examined …

Mental Health Disorders As Predictors Of Relapse In Previously Detoxified Individuals, Toni Lee Simonson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have shown a relationship between mental health disorders and alcohol dependence. However, only 5-10% of individuals with substance use problems co-occurring with mental health problems are correctly identified. The purpose of this research was to identify predictors of relapse using three different instruments of varying complexity: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Modified Mini Screen (MMS), and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III). Researchers have found that using alcohol produces relief, similar to a pharmacological intervention, from troublesome mental health symptoms that individuals experience. Considering this association, the self-medication hypothesis was the conceptual lens used for the study as …

Time-Limited Case Management For Homeless Mothers With Mental Health Problems: Effects On Caregiver Mental Health., Judith Samuels, Patrick J. Fowler, Andrea Ault-Brutus, Dein-In Tang, Katherine Marcal

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: In this study we test the effect of a time-limited case management model targeting homeless mothers who are experiencing mental health problems. Adapted from an empirically informed intervention to prevent recurrent homelessness among individuals, the Family Critical Time Intervention (FCTI) supports mothers with children for a 9-month period as they move from homeless shelters into affordable housing. The case management team uses a structured intervention to encourage mothers to create and maintain necessary connections in the community for key family supports. Method: We use a longitudinal randomized controlled trial (N = 210) to test whether homeless mothers referred to …

Resilience : An Independent Psychobiological Mental Health Construct (Guest Editorial), Amresh Srivastava

Data and Test Instruments

Survival against trauma is a unique characteristic of all human beings. While a number of factors contribute in building this capacity, resilience appears to be the most important one. Interest in studying resilience arises from number of areas which are of utmost clinical significance such as such as exploring the possibility of at-risk individuals who developing a mental illness]. Resilience is a human capacity to adapt swiftly and successfully to stressful or traumatic events and revert back to a positive state. It is commonly conceptualized as the ability to thrive despite experiencing adversity

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Workforce Development In Behavioral Healthcare Settings In Rural Mississippi, Arlen Davis Cooper

Doctoral Projects

Description and Significance of the Problem: The United States is facing a significant rural mental healthcare workforce shortage and an uneven distribution of mental healthcare professionals. The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) may increase access to mental healthcare in rural underserved regions (NRHA, 2012). However, little is known regarding their distribution. The lack of uniform and consistent data collection methods regarding the number and the geographic distribution of PMHNPs in rural areas, specifically in rural Mississippi, exists. The importance of better data collection and improving infrastructure through collaboration with state licensing boards and state nursing workforce centers is …

Modeling Hedonic Processing And Anhedonia In Depression, Kevin Mercado

Honors College Theses

Depression is characterized by low positive emotion and a lack of pleasurable experiences, or anhedonia. Past studies have emphasized controlling negative affect, but there is an emerging trend in the depression literature to focus on positive emotion. The current study employed several psychophysiological tools, postauricular reflex, startle blink reflex, and event-related potential (ERP) components such as P3 and the late positive potential (LPP), to assess the dissociable components in positive emotion (consummatory and anticipatory processes). In addition, several different hypotheses of emotional dysfunction were evaluated to accurately model deficits in positive emotionality. A majority of the psychophysiological tools used supported …

Using The Minority Stress Model To Understand Depression In Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Individuals In Nebraska, Molly Mccarthy, Christopher M. Fisher, Jay A. Irwin, Jason D. Coleman, Aja D. Kneip Pelster

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Previous studies demonstrated the utility of the minority stress model in understanding health disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. Since most research has considered large metropolitan areas, predominantly in coastal regions of the United States, this research focuses on a midwestern state, Nebraska. This study sought to assess the relationships between depressive symptoms experienced by participants (N = 770) and minority stress variables, including experiences with violence, perceptions of discrimination, and respondents’ degree of self-acceptance of their LGBT identity. Regression analysis revealed that after controlling for demographic variables, self-acceptance, and perceived discrimination were correlated with depressive symptoms. …

The Government Of Kenya Cash Transfer For Orphaned And Vulnerable Children: Cross-Sectional Comparison Of Household And Individual Characteristics Of Those With And Without, Lukoye Atwoli, Lonnie Embleton, Julius Koech, Paula Braitstein, Allan Kamanda

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: The ‘Cash Transfer to Orphans and Vulnerable Children’ (CT-OVC) in Kenya is a government-supported program intended to provide regular and predictable cash transfers (CT) to poor households taking care of OVC. CT programs can be an effective means of alleviating poverty and facilitating the attainment of an adequate standard of living for people’s health and well-being and other international human rights. The objective of this analysis was to compare the household socioeconomic status, school enrolment, nutritional status, and future outlook of orphaned and separated children receiving the CT compared to those not receiving a CT.

Methods: This project analyzes …

Trauma Informed Practices For Oakland Unite Service Providers, Maereg D. Haile

Master's Projects and Capstones

Oakland, California - a home to almost 400,000 residents - is the top five most violent cities of the nation. There are lots of factors that greatly contribute to violence including: Poverty, housing/homelessness, unemployment, food insecurity, educational attainment, substance abuse. These factors feed to greater healthy disparities and increased trauma in low-income communities – specifically in east and west Oakland. Measure Y, now called Oakland Unite, is the current violence prevention effort that is set for reauthorization in November 2014. In order for these efforts to continue, Oakland Unite has started looking at comprehensive violence prevention initiatives that includes mental …

Mental Health Awareness Building Via Android Application, James Faraday, Joshua Martin

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The goal of this project was to create a tool that provides students at Minnesota State University, Mankato with mental health information through a freely available smartphone application (App). Our approach used a software engineering design process that focused on who our customers are, what resources are available, and how we can best connect the two to improve student lives. We identified the stakeholders involved and worked with campus mental health professionals to help shape our App. While there is a broad range of mental health topics, we have focused on materials related to depression. The first process of the …

Imr Deconstruction And Reconstruction: Mental Health Group Recovery, Lauren Harding, Renee Lips

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

In recent years the recovery process of people with mental illness has been extensively researched. Program models such as Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) have been proven to be successful with a high degree of fidelity. The overall goal of this project is to design client and clinician manuals based on IMR that allow the modules to be implemented in groups within a residential setting. The nine IMR modules have been reconstructed into four 12-week group sessions for Transition Services (TS) at St. Peter Regional Treatment Center (SPRTC), St. Peter, MN. It is expected the curriculum constructed will be implemented …

An Efficient Standardized Method Of Maintaining Quality Assurance In Therapeutic Treatment Record Keeping, Kelsey Michael Bradshaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Quality assurance (QA) within the field of mental health is the practice of monitoring and reviewing services to ensure adherence to specified standards of care. Agents within State governments and various organizations influence record keeping procedures through ethical guidelines and law. For instance, client records must be maintained for all clients receiving mental health services, including informed consent, releases of information, treatment plans, and progress notes. Accurate and timely record keeping procedures assure quality mental health services. However, professionals sometimes err in the maintenance of client records, which can have a negative impact on services, clients, and practitioners. To assist …

Research Brief: "The Evaluation Of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction For Veterans With Mental Health Conditions", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the usage of mindfulness-based stress reduction for the psychological well-being of veterans with mental health conditions. In policy and practice, mindfulness-based stress reduction instructors should be certified in the processes of mindfulness, and professionals should create a standardized mindfulness-based stress reduction treatment manual; the VHA could include mindfulness-based stress reduction treatments into current treatment plans and could commission studies about if they are more cost-effective than pharmacologic treatments. Suggestions for future research include conducting individual interviews in addition to group interviews, and assessing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction on PTSD outcomes.

Cost-Effectiveness Of Treating Oppositional Defiant Disorder: A Comparison By Treatment Modality And Mental Health Provider Type, Julie Denise Malloy

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the treatment outcomes for Oppositional Defiant Disorder by provider license type and therapy modality. Administrative data from Cigna Insurance Company for 9,904 ODD cases were analyzed to determine the cost, number of sessions, dropout rates, and recidivism rates for treatment of ODD. Descriptive statistics indicate that the mean cost of treatment for ODD across all professions is $389.83. Analyses revealed significant differences in total cost by profession, as well as cost per session for different license types with counselors providing therapy for the lowest average total cost, followed by MFTs, MSWs, Psychologists and then MDs. Chi square …

Substance Abuse Trends In Maine: State Epidemiological Profile 2014, Tim Diomede

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This report takes into account the primary objectives of the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHS): to identify substance abuse patterns in defined geographical areas, establish substance abuse trends, detect emerging substances, and provide information for policy development and program planning. It also highlights all the prevention priorities identified in the SAMHS strategic prevention plan: underage drinking, high-risk drinking among 18-25 year olds, misuse of prescription drugs among 18-25 year olds, and marijuana use in 12-25 year olds; as well as monitors the progress being made to address these priorities. This report includes data available through December …

The Mental Health Disparity Among Nonheterosexuals: Risk, Resiliency, And New Perspectives To Consider In The Context Of Mormonism, Katherine Ann Crowell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nonheterosexuals disproportionately experience mental illness when compared with heterosexuals. Although it has been well established that the apparent mental health disparity among sexually diverse populations is almost exclusively derived from minority stress (i.e., the excess stress associated with culturally maintained sexual stigma), our understanding of how specific aspects of minority stress lead to specific psychological syndromes (e.g., depression) remains limited. On the other hand, in attempts to destigmatize individuals who do not identify as heterosexual, researchers have increasingly begun to shift the focus of their work towards understanding the specific characteristics or experiences that facilitate individuals’ capacity to adapt and …

Family-Farm Therapy: An Urban Therapy Clinic To Address The Multifaceted Needs Of Multi-Stressed Families And Their Surrounding Communities, Felisa M. Huene

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Family-Farm Therapy incorporates a therapeutic clinic within an urban farming community site, and focuses on multi-stressed family systems and the larger community system. The goal is for systemic change within the family and the community by creating positive relationships and personal acceptance. Farming has traditionally been a family endeavor which makes it a unique environment to be utilized as metaphors for family systems, their interactions, behaviors, and structure. Multi-stressed families have socioeconomic hurdles that complicate their ability to adjust to change and crisis in their family. Farming addresses such hurdles by offering economic sustenance, increased physical health, and community acceptance. …

The Unequal Burden Of Debt And Its Impact On Health, Elizabeth Sweet, Zachary Dubois

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Average household debt in America has tripled in the past 30 years. Much of this burden is unequally borne by racial/ethnic minorities and those with lower incomes, who face discrimination in obtaining loans and must devote more household resources to paying off debts. Being indebted is a strong predictor of suicide, depression, and other adverse mental health outcomes. However, its impact on physical health is underexplored.

Religiosity, Spirituality, And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adults In An Active Living Community, Monica D'Adrianne Solomon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The population of older adults in the United States is steadily rising. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a call to reduce mental distress in older adults. Research shows that mental distress is associated with depressive symptoms, which are significantly related to many chronic medical conditions, functional impairment, suicide, and all-cause mortality. Depression is a major public health concern. There is an interest in gerontology research on the buffering role of engagement against depressive symptoms such as volunteering, social activities, and religion. Certain religious beliefs and behaviors contribute to maintaining or improving mental health and research …

Time To Talk: The Mental Health Of Adults In Nevada, Ramona W. Denby, Sandra D. Owens, Sarah Kern

Lincy Institute Reports and Briefs

About 11.3% of the adult population in Nevada report a past-year mental illness, with nearly 4% of them experiencing disorders serious enough to impair their functionality. Almost 13% of Nevada adults have substance abuse disorders, this is the second highest statewide substance abuse prevalence rate in the country; the District of Columbia is first at 14.7% of its population (SAMSHA, 2013). With most states (including Nevada) now increasing their mental health care budgets after years of spending cuts—between 2009 and 2012 there was a $4.35-billion drop in state mental health spending (Ollove, 2013)—pertinent questions center on needed treatment, research, and …