Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Fostering Resilience In Children Of United States Navy Seals Using A Social Media Platform, Riley Walker

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Having resilience helps children overcome, cope, and manage stressors that they encounter throughout life and provides intrinsically protective factors to help a child thrive in the face of adversity.

Local problem: Children of United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Operators (SEALs) face consistent stress as their parent is away from home more than 240 days per year doing high-risk training exercises.

Methods: Resilience education to mothers of children whose fathers are United States Navy SEALs delivered virtually on a social media platform. Pre- and post- intervention surveys using the Likert scale were conducted to measure the mothers’ understanding …

Connecting With Our Roles Through Post Traumatic Growth After Experiencing Medical Trauma, Marie Angier

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper explores the combination of drama therapist, Robert Landy’s (1993), Role Theory and the psychological concept of Post Traumatic Growth (Tedeschi, 2018). The author created a protocol that involved psychoeducation surrounding the five domains of Post Traumatic Growth and a role card sort involving the drama therapeutic process of role theory. A young adult client experiencing significant medical trauma participated in these processes during a three session intervention. Results indicated that the client viewed negative experiences as potentials for growth toward furthered resilience and future hope and optimism. The sample size was limited to one person and further search …

Exploring Whether A Collage Art Intervention Enhances Levels Of Resilience In Asian Americans Who Have Experienced Emotional Suppression, Casey Galaura

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

Emerging research has shown cross-cultural differences when coping with negative emotions (Yoshie & Sauter, 2020). The Asian American population uniquely experiences both western and eastern cultures, which have different ideologies around expressing negative emotions. In Eastern Cultures, it is common to suppress negative emotions, while Western cultures find it more accepting. Suppressing emotions is a form of emotional dysregulation and can cause a negative effect on one’s psychopathology. This mix-methods study explores whether collage art-based intervention enhances levels of resilience with Asian Americans who have experienced emotional suppression. The theoretical orientation, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), was used as a guide …

Enabling Structural Resilience Of Street-Involved Children And Youth In Kenya: Reintegration Outcomes And The Flourishing Community Model, Michael L Goodman, Sarah E Seidel, Andrew Springer, Aleisha Elliott, Christine Markham, Hani Serag, Philip Keiser, Ben Raimer, Lauren Raimer-Goodman, Christine Gatwiri, Kelvin Munene, Stanley Gitari

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Millions of children and youth live on city streets across the globe, vulnerable to substance use, abuse, material and structural neglect. Structural resilience, the re-establishment of access to structural goods within a society such as housing, education, and healthcare following some interruption, provides an orientation for research and interventional efforts with street-involved children and youth (SICY). Further, a structural resilience framework supports organizing interactions between levels and sectors of a socio-ecology.

Methods: Following the expressed interests of Kenyan SICY, and consistent with emerging policy interests at national and global levels, we assess reintegration trajectories of Kenyan SICY (n …

Exploring The Definition Of Resilience: A Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study In Adults Over The Age Of 65, Sara J. Blessington

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The definition of a word helps us understand its context and how it is meant to be used in daily life or research. When a word lacks a universal definition, it is hard to know how to use it. “Resilience” is that type of word. The resilience community in psychological research does not have a concrete, universal definition for this word. It takes on whatever characteristics are useful to the investigator. This study began with seeking a universal definition for the domain known as resilience. This study used a convergent parallel design with adults aged 60 and older living independently …

Evaluating How Physical Activity Affects The Perception Of Resilience In Box Butte County, Nebraska, Eric Pulver

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Physical activity is one of the modern hallmarks for good health in individuals and the public, in general. Resiliency is a growing concentration in all levels of disaster preparedness where the focus is on how to deal with the growing number of disasters stemming from global climate change. This research project’s aim is to look at the possible relationships between physical activity and resiliency in a rural Nebraska population. This was done with the use of a cross-sectional study utilizing a fifteen-question survey to gather demographics, assess the amount of physical activity, and then apply a perception of resilience tool …

Resilience And Prenatal Mental Health In Pakistan: A Qualitative Inquiry, Shireen Shehzad, David Arthur, An-Sofie Van Parys, Nicole Letourneau, Gail Wagnild, Shahirose Sadrudin Premji, Nargis Asad, Olivier Degomme

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Background: Women in Pakistan suffer from a high rate of depression. The stress of low-income, illiteracy, exposure to violence and living in a patriarchal society are predisposing vulnerabilities for depression, particularly during and following pregnancy. The resilience of an individual plays a significant role in promoting prenatal mental health, but this has yet to be thoroughly researched. In this article, our objective is to identify the core characteristics of resilience among pregnant women, which will then help us in developing an intervention.
Methods: The exploratory-descriptive study was conducted over 6 months in five different antenatal hospitals in Sindh, Pakistan. A …

Resilience Development In Children With Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Role Of The Occupational Therapist And The Interdisciplinary Team, Kayla Frederick

Student Journal of Occupational Therapy

Research has revealed adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have a negative effect on a child’s development and put a child at an increased risk of physical and mental health problems in adulthood including obesity, diabetes, depressed mood, and attempted suicide (Anda et al., 2006; Felitti et al., 1998; Gilbert et al., 2015; Putamen, 2006). Some children have been able to counteract the negative effects of ACEs and achieve positive life outcomes using a principle called resilience (Zolkoski & Bullock, 2012). While researchers have begun to identify the key skills and character traits associated with resilience in children, few have explored …

A Conceptualisation Of Resilience Among Cancer Surviving Employed Women In Malaysia, Melati Sumari, Nordinah Mohd Kassim, Nor Safatul Aznin A.Razak

The Qualitative Report

This study examines the experiences faced by employed female cancer survivors when developing resilience. We used a phenomenological approach to understand these experiences and challenges. A total of ten participants with different types of cancer participated in this research, which was carried out using semi-structured interviews. Social media was used for triangulating the data collected. The meanings of resilience were monitored through the particpants’ social media accounts (namely, Facebook and Instagram) from the time of diagnosis until they returned to work. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Five themes emerged from the data collected: (a) resilience through painful experience, (b) …

Resilience Is Low Among Both Military And Non-Military Populations With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Kelsey Roberts, Janet Wilmoth, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects the lives of 12 million people in the United States. While commonly thought of in relation to military personnel and veterans, PTSD is also common among the general public. Resilience - the ability to cope with stressful events - is essential for recovering from PTSD. This data slice uses data from the National Wellbeing Survey to examine resilience among U.S. working-age adults with and without PTSD by their relationship to the military. Results show that those with PTSD have less resilience than those who have not experienced PTSD. In addition, those with military experience are …

A Qualitative Study On Nurse Facilitators Of Mind-Body Skills Groups, Paula D. Blake-Beckford

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), founded by Dr. James Gordon, provides communities with evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) that foster self-care, self-awareness, and self-expression. MBSGs range from 8 to 12-week series on various mind-body practices wherein group members meet, practice, and reflect on the impact of mind-body skills in their lives. Research has demonstrated that participants in MBSGs have positive outcomes. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially nurses, gain resiliency from MBSGs. As facilitators of MBSGs, nurses develop essential skills transferable to clinical and educational settings. MBSGs are therapeutic for adult participants with chronic stress. Prior to this thesis, only one …

The School Nurse's Experience Of Secondary Exposure To Trauma, Catherine A. Grano

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The school nurse (SN) is often the sole health care expert in the school setting, providing for the physical and socio-emotional needs of others. SN may be exposed to reports of trauma, a widespread and costly public health issue. This study sought to explore the experience of the SN when exposed to reports of trauma from those in their care. Seven N.J. certified school nurses participated in two online interviews via Microsoft Teams, spaced one to two weeks apart between June 2021 and September 2021. Interviews were recorded & transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis applied. This study found that SN …

Developing A Resilience Program For Occupational Therapy Students, Sienna Guzman, Jenna Lazo, Rachel Thompson, Madisson Walker

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Developing resilience in healthcare students is recognized as a valuable endeavor and programs at the university level exist for students in healthcare fields including medicine and nursing; however, there are no current programs for occupational therapy students (Delany et al., 2015). Research has shown that occupational therapy students experience high levels of stress that can lead to burnout (Everly et al., 1994). To address this programming gap, we developed and piloted a resilience program for occupational therapy students at Dominican University of California consisting of three components: 1) a self-compassion workshop, 2) a resilience website, and 3) a community building …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Resilience In Medical School Students: A Scope Of Medical Literature, Andrea Soto Abarca, Yvette Cortino, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Maya Guevara

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) represent certain types of childhood trauma that are associated with long-term negative effects on health and wellbeing. The elevated number of ACEs can lead to depression, suicidality, alcoholism, and substance use. Factors that can protect a person from increased health risks include resilience, which is broadly defined as the ability to overcome challenges or bounce back from adversity. Few studies have analyzed the exposure of ACEs in medical students, however, there has been extensive literature on how low levels of resilience are linked to higher rates of depression, fatigue, and burnout among medical students. …

Embodied Digital Storytelling With Ancestral Legacy, Giselle Ruzany

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Embodied Digital Storytelling with Ancestral Legacy is a study of one's ancestral legacy with a diverse group of professional dancers who were asked to engage in an embodied inquiry. Research questions were: What is the experience of creating embodied digital storytelling when exploring one’s ancestral legacy? What can be learned from identity, sense of belonging, and resilience through this process? The study included an interview about each dancer's ancestral story, the creation of embodied digital storytelling (EDS), a final interview, and a group member checking meeting for the purpose of confirming the transcripts and findings. This meeting also served as …

Hiv-Related Shame: A Grounded Theory Study Exploring The Impact Of Psychoeducation On The Lives Of People Living With Hiv, Melissa Stuntz

DNP Research Projects

Abstract

Over the past 40 years there have been significant advances in medical care for HIV. However, many people living with HIV (PLWH) experience internalized stigma in the form of HIV-related shame. This shame has been found to negatively impact mental health, patient relationships, and adherence to healthcare. This grounded theory DNP scholarly project was aimed at developing a novel theoretical framework and practice to improve quality of life including increased viral load suppression in PLWH. To this aim, a psychoeducation curriculum based on shame resilience theory was implemented with two participants in an inner-city healthcare clinic. While the shame …

Exploring Climate, Wellbeing, Resilience, And Resistance In 2slgbtq+ Leisure Spaces: A Mixed Methods Study To Advance Inclusion, Tin Vo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Participating in queer sports groups, rainbow choirs, trans virtual discussion groups and other Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQ+) leisure activities can offer participants safety from societal heterosexism and cisgenderism and opportunities for community connection and peer support, as well as foster their overall wellbeing. Yet, transgender/gender nonconforming (TGNC), racialized, and/or disabled individuals, and those with other diverse identities are often marginalized in these spaces. Though researchers have studied exclusion within 2SLGBTQ+ leisure spaces, relatively little is known about how the climate of these spaces shapes social and mental health outcomes. Connected to …

Caring For Ourselves Before We Care For Others: A Mindfulness-Based Intervention For Acute Care Nursing Staff, Kent Brouwer

DNP Projects

Background: Acute care nursing staff have recently faced increasing rates of anxiety, stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout. Nursing burnout is directly linked to patient outcomes, nurse retention, and the resilience of our nurses. Therefore, it is in the best interest of hospital organizations to focus efforts on the well-being of the nursing workforce. A recent innovative technology to prevent burnout teaches mindfulness through the utilization of smartphone applications. There is limited evidence regarding the implementation and impact of brief mindfulness interventions on intra-professional acute care providers.

Methods: A pretest-posttest design with a midpoint evaluation was utilized in this pilot study. …

The Experiences Of Female Survivors Of Sexual Assault When They Make A Police Report, Tracy L. Rainey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly 20% of all women will be the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault within the United States, yet less than one quarter of victims will report their experienced crime to law enforcement (LE). Many survivors of sexual violence experience apprehension about reporting sexual assault, due to fear of social consequences, relational consequences, and fear of the reprisal from LE officers. The purpose of this interpretive descriptive qualitative study was to describe and interpret the experiences of adult, female sexual assault survivors when they make a LE report about their victimization. Resilience theory, which is the study of …

Development Of A Capacity Building Program To Promote Trauma-Informed Services, Juan Miguel Medina

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Wichita County, Texas experienced decreased academic performances of elementary level children in 24 out of 45 communities. Higher numbers of traumatic experiences increase a child's risk of not meeting developmental benchmarks. The purpose of this capstone project is to support the development of a trauma-informed capacity-building program. Ungar's resiliency theory was used to understand the factors related to building resilience in children to prevent trauma. Using action research, the researcher explored how developing program content may improve an agency's system readiness to deliver effective trauma-informed care. Data were collected from a focus group with local social workers. Content analysis was …

Emotion Regulation, Parasympathetic Function, And Psychological Well-Being, Ryan L Brown, Michelle A Chen, Jensine Paoletti, Eva E Dicker, E Lydia Wu-Chung, Angie S Leroy, Marzieh Majd, Robert Suchting, Julian F Thayer, Christopher P Fagundes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The negative emotions generated following stressful life events can increase one's risk of depressive symptoms and promote higher levels of perceived stress. The process model of emotion regulation can help distinguish between adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies to determine who may be at the greatest risk of worse psychological health across the lifespan. Heart rate variability (HRV) may affect these relationships as it indexes aspects of self-regulation, including emotion and behavioral regulation, that enable an individual to dynamically adapt to the changing demands of both internal and external environments. In this study, we expected individual differences in resting vagally …

The Resilience Vaccine, Sara Horton-Deutch T. Duffy

Master's Projects and Capstones

Healthcare workers have been working in unprecedented circumstances since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caregivers have been taxed with burnout. A large healthcare organization’s 26-bed, medical-surgical, telemetry, COVID-19 overflow unit was significantly impacted. Many healthcare organizations have adopted advocacy for attaining joy in work as an extra dimension of the Institute for Health Improvement’s Triple Aim. Adding this fourth aim supports averting caregiver burnout (CBO) while promoting joy in work.

This quality improvement project examined nurse leaders’ interventions that address CBO, promote healthy work environments, and promote joy in work. From June through August 2021, an 8-week resilience program …

"Going It Alone": Following The Male Cohort Of Survivors Of Sex Trafficking Of The Chab Dai Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project, Jarrett D. Davis, James Havey, Glenn M. Miles, Nhanh Channtha, Sreang Phally, Lim Vanntheary

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Over the past ten years, the Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project has followed 128 survivors of trafficking through their experiences in aftercare, reintegration, and beyond to better understand the recovery and reintegration of trafficking survivors within a Cambodian context. This paper focuses on the 19 males who were available to interview. Despite the project’s wealth of data and analysis, there are notable gaps regarding the male cohort. In response, this paper examines this cohort holistically, considering their statements and broader narratives, merging them with previous collective observations of the Butterfly Project. Throughout this paper, data indicates a pattern of violence among …

Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces): Assessing Their Impact On Mental Health Outcomes Among Us Children And The Mitigating Role Of Resilience, Glory Okwori

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ACEs are traumatic life events occurring during childhood that can have negative effects. Common mental disorders that are diagnosed in childhood are attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavior disorders, anxiety and depression. The associations between ACEs and such problems in children have not been significantly examined. There are protective factors that can help reduce the effects of exposure to ACEs that have not been fully explored.

The purpose of this research study was to examine: 1) the prevalence of mental health outcomes in children; 2) the associations between ACEs, resilience and mental health outcomes; and 3) the role of resiliency as a …

Stressors And Resilience Are Associated With Well-Being In Young Adult College Students, Kimberly R. Hartson, Lynne A. Hall, Sara A. Choate

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Objective: The purposes were to describe stressors and resilience behaviors of college students and examine the relationships among stressors, resilience, and well-being. Hypothesis: Resilience will modify the relationship between stressors and well-being. Participants: The sample included 1,010 college students, ages 18–26, from an urban Midwestern university. Methods: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from an anonymous survey was conducted using multiple regression and simple slopes analysis. Results: Resilience did not modify the relationship between stressors and well-being. Stressors (β = −.44, p < .0001) and resilience (β = .33, p < .0001) accounted for 42% of the variance in well-being (adjusted R2 = .42, F2,999 = 365.98, p < .0001). The most frequently endorsed stressors were sleep problems, anxiety, and relationships. Conclusions: Stressors and resilience …

The Influence Of Resilience And Expressive Flexibility On Character Strengths And Virtues On Military Leadership In U.S. Military Cadets, Vasiliki Georgoulas-Sherry

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Character strengths and virtues are greatly revered in military leadership. However, there is no empirical work assessing the relationship of resilience and expressive flexibility, two essential psychological constructs crucial in nurturing mentally healthy individuals, also for successful officer development and military leadership.

Methods: Employing a cross-sectional design, this study recruited 107 participants (ages 18 to 22) from a private U.S. Military university. McGrath, Rashid, Park, and Peterson’s and Peterson and Seligman’s taxonomies of character strengths and virtues were measured. Self-reported resilience and expressive flexibility were additionally assessed.

Results: Results revealed McGrath et al.’s virtue of self-control and Peterson and …

Policy Development: Stress Management And Critical Incident Debriefing, Karen Loraine Hasie Rowland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Workplace stress and associated disorders (occupational burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, critical incident stress, posttraumatic stress disorder, etc.) disproportionately affect healthcare workers, especially those working in critical care and emergency environments. The financial cost of stress related after-effects experienced by health care workers exceeds $191 billion each year and includes the cost of associated decreased quality of patient care, missed diagnoses, medical errors, and sentinel events leading to patient disablement or mortality. Mental health interventions such as stress management education and critical incident debriefings have been proven effective in reducing workplace stress and building personal resilience. A gap …

Balancing Provider Stress And Resilience In The Time Of Covid, Zachary Love

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice project is to improve secondary traumatic stress (STS), compassion satisfaction, and burnout amongst providers—physicians, residents, and nurse practitioners—within the acute psychiatry units of the La Jolla Veterans Health Administration (VHA) through a one-time educational training session.

Background: Mental health providers at the VHA acute psychiatry units experience one of the highest risks for the development of STS, CF, and burnout amongst all professions due to a number of individual and institutional factors. STS is characterized by secondhand traumatization with symptoms similar to that of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—difficulty sleeping, mood changes, upsetting images appearing …

The Power, (Problem), And Potential Of Prayer, Meghan E. Stretar

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

This paper illuminates the complex and nuanced relationship between mental health and prayer, particularly seeking theologically grounded understandings of prayer and of our relationship with God in times of mental distress that goes beyond intercessory prayer. The paper begins with an evaluation of social structures that cause mental health problems (notably in college students). A discussion on emotional agility, scarcity, and vulnerability serves as a transition to examining this question from a theological perspective, the second main section of this paper. In this section, I claim that a misunderstanding of the divine-human relationship and of prayer is one potential source …

A Tailored Multicomponent Intervention In Primary Care For Survivors Of Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces), Rebecca L. Peterson

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include 10 traumatic events of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction that occur before 18 years of age. Adverse childhood experiences affect greater than 60% of the population, and approximately one in six individuals affirm that they have experienced four or more types of ACEs. They are associated with negative, long-term health outcomes in adults, including 9 out of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.; Felitti et al., 1998). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to implement a tailored, multicomponent intervention to mitigate the …