Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons^™

Effectiveness Of Staff Training On Trauma-Informed Care, Brandy Tramel Williams

Doctoral Projects

The connection between experiencing trauma and the development of substance use disorder is widely recognized. Although trauma is more prevalent among individuals with substance use disorders, healthcare professionals have limited access to training focused on trauma informed care. It is crucial for those working in addiction treatment to receive training and education on trauma informed care to understand the impact of trauma and its association with substance use disorders.

This DNP project's objective was to develop and evaluate an educational presentation for staff emphasizing the importance of trauma-informed care in the context of addiction. The effectiveness of this intervention was …

The Perceptions, Barriers, And Facilitators To Seeking Mental Health Help In College Student-Athletes (Pbas-Mh And Pfas-Mh): A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study, Margaret Hunt

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 10 NCAA student-athletes reported feeling so depressed it has been difficult to function (NCAA, 2020). Despite this, student-athletes are significantly less likely to seek mental-health help than their non-athlete peers. The present study sought to develop and validate the Perceptions of Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Help in Student-Athletes (PBaS-MH) and the Perceptions of Facilitators to Seeking Mental Health Help in Student-Athletes (PFaS-MH) surveys in college student-athletes, as well as determine predominant barriers and facilitators they experience with seeking mental health help. A convergence mixed-methods research design was conducted to triangulate results. The surveys …

State Level Mental Health Education Compared To Suicide-Related Behavior In Adolescents, 2019, Sonia Rao

Honors Theses

Objective: Determining correlations between state level mental and emotional health (M&E) education and suicide prevention (SP) education to suicide-related behaviors (I.e. feeling sad or hopeless, suicide ideation, making a suicide plan, suicide attempt, suicide attempt treated by medical personnel, and death by suicide) within high school adolescents aged 15-19 within the United States in 2019.

Methods: State level education policies, M&E and SP, were retrieved from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). Self-reported adolescent suicide related behaviors were retrieved from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Data on deaths by suicide of youth aged 15-19 …

Impact Of Climate Events, Pollution, And Green Spaces On Mental Health: An Umbrella Review Of Meta-Analyses, Pim Cuijpers, Clara Miguel, Marketa Ciharova, Manasi Kumar, Luke Brander, Pushpam Kumar, Eirini Karyotaki

Brain and Mind Institute

Climate change may affect mental health. We conducted an umbrella review of meta-analyses examining the association between mental health and climate events related to climate change, pollution and green spaces. We searched major bibliographic databases and included meta-analyses with at least five primary studies. Results were summarized narratively. We included 24 meta-analyses on mental health and climate events (n = 13), pollution (n = 11), and green spaces (n = 2) (two meta-analyses provided data on two categories). The quality was suboptimal. According to AMSTAR-2, the overall confidence in the results was high for none of the studies, for three …

Examining The Association Between Covid-19 And Anxiety In College Students With Varying Personality Traits, Ridha Anjum

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The goal of this thesis was to examine the relationship between personality types (i.e., extraversion and neuroticism) and anxiety levels among college students during the height of the pandemic. Specifically, this study examined whether factors contributed to anxiety and whether differences in anxiety scores differed by personality trait. It was hypothesized that individuals who scored high in both extraversion and neuroticism would report an increase in anxiety during the height of COVID-19 pandemic. Neuroticism is linked to emotional responses to a negative event (e.g., such as COVID), which may play a role on anxiety levels. The level of extraversion that …

A Story Of Hope: How A Community Project Is Transforming The Lives Of Filipino Children With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Lance Vincent C. Sese, Ma Celina L. Guillermo

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

The issue of social inequality became more prevalent during the pandemic and with it, the call for preferential option toward the vulnerable. 1 Not only do we protect them from sickness and death, but we are also called to improve their quality of life. Thus, it is imperative that in this call for inclusivity, we address the gap, one group at a time—for example, children with special needs. The project discussed in this perspective article exemplifies the importance of collaboration in bridging the gap to create a more holistic environment for Filipino children with special needs. This article then serves …

Asian Americans Perceptions Of Mental Health Help-Seeking, Austin Dye

Masters Theses

Mental health has critical importance in the development and functioning of an individual emotionally, psychologically, and socially throughout life. Thus, it is important for an individual to identify mental health issues when experiencing it and seek treatment. However, this understanding appears to differ across cultures and ethnic groups. For instance, Asians in the US have low mental health service utilization. Although researchers have sought to identify the reason, many of these studies are dated, and have not fully explored all the different factors that influence this behavior, nor explored if there are generational differences. In the current study, 102 Asians …

Understanding The Mental Health Of Occupational Therapy Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alisha Sharma, Andrea Tyszka

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of health professional students across the world. Although there are a growing number of studies regarding the mental health of other health professional students, there are currently limited studies regarding the mental health of entry-level occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students in the United States, especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this mixed methods survey study was to understand the mental health status of entry-level OT and OTA students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to better support their mental …

Moral Injury Themes Involving Criminal Recklessness Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder, Sandra Starch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Moral injury (MI) can emerge following transgressive acts against one’s deeply held moral beliefs. Its symptomology involves individual psychological, spiritual, behavioral, and social spheres. It has primarily been studied within the military and in a few select civilian populations. This descriptive phenomenological study involved exploring MI themes among adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who had engaged in criminally reckless acts. Data collected from semi-structured interviews with eight participants were coded and analyzed, leading to six major themes revealing the symptomology of MI. Responses from study participants supported Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance via their descriptions of alcohol abuse cycles …

Association Between Psychosocial, Obstetric, And Lifestyle Factors And Antenatal Depression, Tomnema Xiong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Antenatal depression, or depression during pregnancy, is a mental health concern in the United States that impacts mothers and their infants. This study examined the associations between psychosocial, obstetric, lifestyle factors, and antenatal depression. This study was guided by social cognitive theory, specifically the reciprocal determinism construct. Secondary data from the 2007–2018 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) were used in this quantitative cross-sectional study. Every participant of the NHANES completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression screening form. The study sample consisted of 274 women who were pregnant at the time of participating in the NHANES, approximately 28.8% of …

Mental Health In Black Women With Endometriosis-Related Symptoms During Covid-19, Anjanette Jaye Blunt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Endometriosis is an incurable chronic illness impacting 190 million women worldwide. Despite the prevalence of this painful disease, research addressing how it affects Black women in the United States was limited. Research addressing this phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic was further limited. The purpose of this qualitative study employing an interpretative phenomenological analysis was to understand the mental health of Black women with endometriosis-related symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and how having the illness during the pandemic might have impacted individuals in this population. The strong Black woman schema and biopsychosocial model were the theoretical foundations for the study. Data …

The Essence Of Therapeutic Relationships In Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Joy Clark Akin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractTraditional psychotherapeutic approaches are not always effective in alleviating psychological symptoms and improving functioning in young adults. Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) has been shown as a beneficial alternative therapeutic method developed for clients not helped by traditional methods. However, the essence of the therapeutic relationship that develops between the client, horse, therapist, and equine specialist has not been explored. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of the therapeutic relationship in young adults who participated in EAP. The frameworks of person-centered theory and self psychology guided the development of interview questions, data analysis, and interpretation. Four …

Treatment Of Anxiety By Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A Retrospective Chart Review, Rhea Gandhi

CMC Senior Theses

Surgical vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was FDA cleared for depression (2005) and epilepsy. (1997). In the surgical procedure, a pacemaker is implanted below the collarbone (clavicle) and connected to the vagus nerve in the neck. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a non-surgical alternative to VNS and there is evidence supporting its effectiveness for several conditions. Advantages include lower cost and fewer adverse side effects.

Anxiety is tied to excess or unopposed sympathetic nervous system activity, while the parasympathetic nervous system, especially the vagus nerve, is relatively underactive. This study aimed to investigate a potential impact of regular tVNS stimulation …

The Relationship Between Body Mass Index And Depression In College Students, Bryn Kable

CMC Senior Theses

College student mental health has seen a serious decline over the last decade (Esaki-Smith, 2022). One factor that has been linked to both physical and mental disorders is obesity. A common way to operationalize weight is through body mass index (BMI) (Ilman et al., 2015). There is evidence that BMI and depression are correlated linearly in that individuals with higher BMIs have higher levels of depression (Badillo et al., 2022; Simon et al., 2008). The exact mechanisms of this relationship are still generally unknown; thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between BMI and depression in …

Developing Ecologically Valid Clinical Tools For Persons With Tbi: Understanding The Role And Impact Of Distractions, Deanna Pinnow

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

There is a critical need for the development of ecologically valid clinical tools to assess real-life cognitive functioning in persons impacted by traumatic brain injury (TBI). Chronic cognitive impairments that are exacerbated by distractions are one of the core factors contributing to poor home and community re-integration post injury. Simulation-based digital platforms (i.e., virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality) have become potential solutions for eliciting real-world cognitive performance in clinical settings. Yet, there is a paucity of research investigating the role and impact of distractions on cognition. As a result, there is no clear framework of measuring distractions to …

Internalized Homonegativity And The Mental Health Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Individuals: An Integrative Treatment Approach, David Kearby

DSW Capstone Projects

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals (LGBI) have a higher rate of mental health disorders than the general population. The mental health disparities experienced by LGBI are positively correlated with higher internalized homonegativity (IH) levels, which impacts their functioning at the unconscious, cognitive, and interpersonal levels. Thus, effective interventions targeting the mental health of LGBI must consider IH's intrapsychic, cognitive, and interpersonal nature. An integrative psychotherapy approach addressing the mental health and IH of LGBI is needed to address the intrapsychic, cognitive, and interpersonal factors at play.

Product one of this capstone is a systematic literature review that identified psychotherapeutic interventions …

Emergency Department Safety With Psychiatric Unit, Mallorie Stiner, Sofia Splendore

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Background: Safety in the emergency department is of the highest priority with patient care for ED staff and psychiatric patients. Psychiatric patients are unpredictable and can have violent outbursts, especially in a mental health episode or under the influence of drugs and or alcohol. Research on psychiatric units in the emergency department has primarily focused on minimizing patient wait times, however, there is a lack of research on patient and staff safety. Objective: This thesis investigates the impact of incorporating a psychiatric unit staffed by mental health professionals and patient safety within the emergency department. Methods: This thesis will include …

Evaluating The Impact Of Mental Health Needs And Services Disruption: Covid-19 & Wisconsin Children’S Welfare Services, Gavin Rienne

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Children’s traumatic experiences have lifelong impacts on their mental health and quality of life, therefore mental health services are a critical part of necessary community resources. The increased frequency and severity of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and pandemics reinforces the need to examine and understand the importance of mental health and child services in response to disaster events. This research assesses the relationship between disasters and subsequent health service utilization amongst children and adolescents. We investigated current research on the relationship between children’s mental health and community mental health resource efficacy and accessibility after a major disaster by …

Barriers To Outdoor Recreation For Marginalized Groups At The University Of Montana, Sabine R. Englert, Beatrix Frissell, Adrienne Liebert, Sophia Rodriquez, Margaret Jensen, Rachana Harris, Abby Doss

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Exclusion from outdoor recreation reflects legacies of oppression of marginalized communities and makes access to the outdoors not equally available. In the United States, approximately 38% of Black Americans and 48% of Hispanic Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2020. This is compared to 55% participation among Caucasian Americans. Many other intersecting identities are actively excluded, including people with disabilities, fat populations, and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community; furthermore, class-based hierarchies are shown through the restricted outdoor access of low-income populations.

While numerous studies show a lack of diversity in outdoor recreation, little to no research has been conducted on …

Cme: Vitamins, Antidepressants, And The Placebo Effect - How To Help Your Patients, Nicko Inocencio

Capstone Showcase

Depression affects roughly 280 million people globally. The disease puts patients at increased risk for stroke, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes. The psychosocial causes of depression are well-known, but the biochemical causes are multifactorial. Theories range from homocysteine excess, calcium modulation at the neuron, inflammation, cortisol elevation, and disruption of the HPA axis. At the center, however, is serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Pharmacologic treatment directly aims at modulation of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. First-line treatment is a combination of SSRIs/SNRIs with cognitive behavioral therapy. If patients do not see improvement with the above therapy other agents such as bupropion, mirtazapine, …

Flourishing With Chronic Illness(Es) And Everyday Stress: Experiences From Soweto, South Africa, Megan Schmidt-Sane, Lindile Cele, Edna Bosire, Alexander C. Tsai, Emily Mendenhall

Brain and Mind Institute

The pursuit of flourishing, or living a good life, is a common human endeavor with different meanings across individuals and contexts. What is needed is a further exploration of the relationship between flourishing and health, particularly chronic illness, which affects individuals across the life course and is affected by experiences of stress derived from social and structural vulnerability.

Drawing on data from the Soweto Syndemics study, including a locally derived stress scale and in-depth interviews, we explore the connections between flourishing and health for those living with multiple chronic illnesses in Soweto, South Africa within a syndemic of communicable and …

Facing The Climate Crisis: The Plaintiffs Of Held V. Montana Find Agency And Voice, Richard H. Forbes

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

16 young people, in a lawsuit titled Held v. Montana, are suing the state of Montana on the grounds that its state energy policy contributes to climate change, harming them physically and psychologically and violating their constitutional rights to a clean and healthful environment. This project explores the plaintiffs’ perspectives on the lawsuit, describes how their involvement is changing their relationships to their own climate-related mental health and explains how their psychological concerns reflect larger societal issues related to climate change.

Evidence-Based Suicide Assessment And Managment Training For Mental Health Professionals, Clara Abit

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Suicide is a significant public health concern both nationally and globally. While the suicide rate has been decreasing in recent years, evidence shows that the rate of suicide among teenagers and adolescents has been on the rise. Teenage suicide accounts for 14% of all deaths by suicide in the United States, calling for effective interventions in various settings. However, inadequate knowledge of the potential signs and risk factors of suicide hinders mental healthcare professionals' ability to recognize at-risk patients.

Purpose: The project's objective was to evaluate the effects of the intervention on mental health workers' knowledge, skills, and screening …

Staff Education For Nurses And Providers On Rapid Mood Screener, Lolade Adekemi Ogunleye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Advances in the psychiatric field have led to the development of valuable tools that can be used in screening patients to understand their condition better. Indeed, instruments such as the Rapid Mood Screener (RMS) have been significantly used to help diagnose conditions such as bipolar disorder. The implication is that such tools need to be appropriately used by health care practitioners such as nurses for better and more accurate diagnostic results. A more accurate diagnosis is a foundation for better patient management and outcomes. Therefore, as part of a bigger plan, mental health facilities should make deliberate efforts to ensure …

The Human-Canine Bond: Levels Of Stress Among Military Spouses During Deployments, Angela L. De Leon-Muniz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has found that deployment may impact military spouses’ emotional wellbeing and attachment with family members. There remains a critical gap in the literature regarding difference in stress levels between military spouses who own canines and those who do not. The theoretical foundations for this study were Bowlby’s attachment theory and Bowen’s family systems theory. Research questions included exploring the relationships between (a) pet canine ownership, deployment length of time, and military spouses’ stress levels, and (b) pet canine owners’ pet attachment and stress experienced, when their significant others are deployed. The sample comprised 82 spouses with deployed military …

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms Stratified By Age In Primary Care, Robin E. Mccoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little is known as to the age-related presentation of somatic complaints of those diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder in primary care settings. A retrospective medical records review sought to identify the affective symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) by age as recorded by primary care providers and to test the association of these symptoms by age. Guided by Engle’s (1977) biopsychosocial (BPS) model, a large administrative claim database system was used to derive a sample of 1,336, including 500 patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder between 2018 to 2021. Binary logistics regression, one-way ANOVA, chi-square, correlation, and logistical regression with …

The Essence Of Therapeutic Relationships In Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Joy Clark Akin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractTraditional psychotherapeutic approaches are not always effective in alleviating psychological symptoms and improving functioning in young adults. Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) has been shown as a beneficial alternative therapeutic method developed for clients not helped by traditional methods. However, the essence of the therapeutic relationship that develops between the client, horse, therapist, and equine specialist has not been explored. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of the therapeutic relationship in young adults who participated in EAP. The frameworks of person-centered theory and self psychology guided the development of interview questions, data analysis, and interpretation. Four …

False Advertising And Young Girls’ Self Esteem, Caitlin Bohannon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is becoming impossible to recognize the level of photoshop on advertisements. However, little is known how continuous exposure to such images can negatively impact the short- and long-term psyche of young girls aged 6 to 14 years old. The study’s theoretical framework was Benet’s polarities of democracy, emphasizing freedom and authority and human rights and communal obligations. The research question focused on the negative impacts false advertising has on young girls and what public policies could assist in mitigating these short- and long-term impacts. A general qualitative design, with semistructured interviews of seven adult participants with relevant insight on …

Staff Education For Nurses And Providers On Rapid Mood Screener, Lolade Adekemi Ogunleye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Advances in the psychiatric field have led to the development of valuable tools that can be used in screening patients to understand their condition better. Indeed, instruments such as the Rapid Mood Screener (RMS) have been significantly used to help diagnose conditions such as bipolar disorder. The implication is that such tools need to be appropriately used by health care practitioners such as nurses for better and more accurate diagnostic results. A more accurate diagnosis is a foundation for better patient management and outcomes. Therefore, as part of a bigger plan, mental health facilities should make deliberate efforts to ensure …

Influence Of Staffing Shortages On Safety And Communication In Behavioral Health, Raven Brittany Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At the selected behavioral health organization (BHO), leaders desire to improve patient safety and staff communication to provide quality mental health services. They need strategies to achieve these goals. The Baldrige Excellence Framework was used to identify the workforce challenges and practices that facility leaders can potentially use to improve performance to help achieve success, sustainability, and the mission of the BHO. The data sources consisted of (a) semistructured interviews with the CEO, the leader of the intake department, an intake therapist, an intake coordinator, and an RN and (b) reviews of the BHO’s website, and pertinent academic literature. Data …