Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Regional Topological Aberrances Of White Matter- And Gray Matter-Based Functional Networks For Attention Processing May Foster Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Attention Deficits In Adults, Ziyan Wu, Meng Cao, Xin Di, Kai Wu, Yu Gao, Xiaobo Li

Publications and Research

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is highly prevalent in adults. TBI-related functional brain alterations have been linked with common post-TBI neurobehavioral sequelae, with unknown neural substrates. This study examined the systems-level functional brain alterations in white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) for visual sustained-attention processing, and their interactions and contributions to post-TBI attention deficits. Task-based functional MRI data were collected from 42 adults with TBI and 43 group-matched normal controls (NCs), and analyzed using the graph theoretic technique. Global and nodal topological properties were calculated and compared between the two groups. Correlation analyses were conducted between the neuroimaging measures that …

Assessing Occupational Access And Enhancing Occupational Engagement At Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities, Cristina Ruelas, Susan Macdermott, Ingrid Leu

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Many individuals at inpatient psychiatric facilities experience limited participation in activities of daily living, minimal opportunities for purposeful occupations, very few productive roles, and almost no occupational choice and autonomy (Murphy & Shiel, 2019). Many people report experiencing boredom throughout their stay (Marshall, et. al., 2020). This boredom can lead to poor patient satisfaction, frustration, aggression, or incidents of self-harm (Foye, et al., 2020). Individuals at psychiatric facilities are deprived of participation in daily occupations (Murphy & Shiel, 2019) and they experience an injustice of occupational deprivation.

Peer-Led Building Resilience And Enhancing Social-Emotional Skills Program, Danielle K. Enrico

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The purpose of the Capstone experience was to develop and implement a five-week peer-led building resilience and social-emotional skills training program at a public high school. This program addressed high school students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding resources, social-emotional skills, and resilience. A questionnaire was administered pre and post-program to measure effectiveness. The results indicated an increase in scores, demonstrating a clearer understanding in all three areas.

Routine Outcome Measurement In Adolescents Seeking Mental Health Services: Standardization Of Honosca In Kenyan Sample, Grace Nduku Wambua, Manasi Kumar, Fredrik Falkenström, Pim Cuijpers

Brain and Mind Institute

Abstract: Background The evaluation of treatment outcomes is important for service providers to assess if there is improvement or not. The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) was developed for this use in child and adolescent mental health services. Outcome measurement in routine mental health services is limited. This paper evaluates the psychometric properties of the self and clinician rated versions of the HoNOSCA for routine use in child and adolescent mental health services in Kenya.

Methods Using a prospective design, the clinician- and self-rated versions of the HoNOSCA and the Paediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) …

Maintaining Physical Activity During Covid-19: The Influence Of Psychosocial Variables In Individuals With Back Pain, Heidi Stabbert

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Stressor events, such as COVID-19, may trigger adaptive or maladaptive pain management strategies among individuals with persistent low back pain (LBP). Individuals with lower fear avoidance, depression and anxiety, and greater positive affect and quality of life may better maintain positive pain management strategies during stressor events. This study investigated psychosocial characteristics of individuals with LBP who demonstrated adaptive pain management strategies during COVID-19, indicated by maintenance of physical activity (PA). Individuals with persistent LBP (age 22.4 (3.4) years, n=25) from an existing longitudinal cohort participated. Participants completed a baseline survey prior to COVID-19 quantifying demographics, pain characteristics, the Physical …

In-Season Concussion Symptom Reporting In Male And Female Collegiate Rugby Athletes, Emily E. Kieffer,, P. Gunnar Brolinson, Arthur C. Maerlender, Eric Smith, Steven Rowson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Symptom inventories are generally only collected after a suspected concussion, but regular in-season monitoring may allude to clinical symptoms associated with repetitive subconcussive impacts and potential undiagnosed concussions. Despite sex-specific differences in symptom presentation and outcome of concussion, no return-to-play protocol takes sex into account. The objective of this study was to monitor a cohort of contact-sport athletes and compare the frequency and severity of in-season concussion-like symptom reporting between sexes. Graded symptom checklists from 144 female and 104 male athlete-seasons were administered weekly to quantify the effect of subconcussive impacts on frequency and severity of in-season symptom reporting. In-season, …

Physical Therapy And Occupational Therapy Well-Being, Jenna Pilkington, Dara Musher-Eizenman, Cindi Baum, Elizabeth Emley

Honors Projects

There is a lack of research in the professions of physical therapy and occupational therapy. To be more specific, the areas of stress and burnout have been topics of research within the healthcare field for medical physicians and nurses, but currently there is little research looking at stress and burnout for physical therapists and occupational therapists. (Anderson 2015; Berry 2019). The current study aims to look at the emotional connections between patients and professions, along with the related emotional stress experienced by these professionals. A survey was administered to 59 physical therapists and occupational therapists for the purpose to give …

Advancing Behavioral Health Literacy, James Scollione

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

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

Understanding Barriers And Facilitators To Implementation Of Psychosocial Care Within Orthopedic Trauma Centers: A Qualitative Study With Multidisciplinary Stakeholders From Geographically Diverse Settings, Ana-Maria Vranceanu, Jafar Bakhshaie, Mira Reichman, James Doorley, Ryan A. Mace, Cale A. Jacobs, Mitchel Harris, Kristin R. Archer, David Ring, A. Rani Elwy

Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial factors are pivotal in recovery after acute orthopedic traumatic injuries. Addressing psychosocial factors is an important opportunity for preventing persistent pain and disability. We aim to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of psychosocial care within outpatient orthopedic trauma settings using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Proctor's taxonomy of implementation outcomes, and to provide implementation strategies derived from qualitative data and supplemented by the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change.

METHODS: We conducted live video qualitative focus groups, exit interviews and individual interviews with stakeholders within 3 geographically diverse level 1 trauma settings (N …

From Ridicule To Reform: Potential Solutions To The Domestic Violence Crisis, Kelly Gordon

Undergraduate Research Symposium

During the grassroots campaigns of the 1970s, American citizens saw a rise of concern for victims of domestic violence. The knowledge gathered over the past half-century has explained the detrimental effects intimate partner violence has on victims, the potential reasons partners become violent, and the most effective approaches to ending this epidemic. To curve the high rates of recidivation seen among domestic violence offenders, current rehabilitation programs must change to mirror the needs of the abuser. A new approach, Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior (ACTV), works to address comorbidities that potentially prevent offenders from shaking off their violent pasts. This …

Enhancing Eating Routines To Support Occupational Functioning, Annamarie Sughair, Karen Park, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

As the prevalence of serious mental illness becomes more widespread annually, eating habits have become more recognized as a modifiable risk factor on worsening mental health symptoms (Godos et al., 2020). Eating routines are food-based activities that occur daily, weekly, monthly, and across the lifespan (Green et al., 2021). Food-based activities include obtaining food, preparing food, eating food, and more. Challenges with eating routines are prevalent in individuals in the earlier stages of mental illness (Teasdale et al., 2020). Evidence shows gaps in graduating occupational therapy students and comfortability with addressing eating routines (Wingo et al., 2018).

The purpose of …

Bharatanatyam, An Effective Psychotherapeutic Intervention In Dance/Movement Therapy, Maanasa Marghashayam Bharath

Dance/Movement Therapy Theses

Dance/movement therapy is a psychotherapeutic modality that acknowledges the human body as a window to the human mind and spirit. Through creative and dynamic interventions, it fosters a healthy unification of the mind and body to enhance an individual's holistic health. This research focuses on the traditional dance form of India, Bharatanatyam, and its influence on the body and mind of the practitioner. Journeying through the history of the dance form to its relevance in the field of dance/movement therapy, the thesis explores how Bharatanatyam can be useful as an alternate method, in a therapeutic session to facilitate navigation through …

Making Room: Addressing The Counter-Therapeutic Nature Of Psychiatric Hospitalization Through Containment- Based Group Expressive Therapy, Max Sandor Copans

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The process of hospitalization and the environment of a typical psychiatric hospital is often counter-therapeutic. To challenge this problem, clinicians may introduce the concept of psychological containment. To elaborate, being hospitalized anywhere can be disorienting, frightening and even traumatic. This problem is only further exacerbated in psychiatric hospitals where patients may be disorganized, manic, or struggling with psychosis. Furthermore, psychological containment is essentially the ability for psychiatric patients to prevent their intense emotions from effecting others negatively, and to act with resiliency when other patients are unable to contain their own disruptive behaviors. This paper utilizes both an initial literature …

Exploring The Usefulness Of Mindfulness Practices Through Zoom Meetings In Reducing Anxiety And/Or Stress Of Adults With Learning And Developmental Disabilities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Thatiane Abra

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explored which mindfulness meditations or mindfulness practices could be beneficial in the online sessions, the extent to which adults with learning and developmental disabilities could learn the practices remotely, and how stress and anxiety disorders could be reduced through online mindfulness interventions. Furthermore, it was also necessary to address the online sessions as the only mental health treatment possibility during the Coronavirus pandemic for the clients observed and the benefits and limitations of these interventions. Additionally, the importance of structure and routine for this population, the multi-modal structure of the interventions, and how attunement plays an important role …

Music As A Gateway To Healing Speech Disorders And Mental Health Holistically In The Patient With Aphasia: A Literature Review, Susan Warren

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

People with some types of post-stroke aphasia often experience depression as well as loss of speech. Music therapy has unique properties that allow it to be used therapeutically to treat both speech impairment and depression yet it is rarely used to treat both disorders. This literature review seeks to examine the underlying causes for this discrepancy, review methods used by practitioners to treat both disorders and suggest future directions for additional research and implications for the treatment of patients with aphasia who have both language impairment and depression.

Exploring The Therapeutic Relationship As A Central Focus Through Expressive Arts Therapy In Oncology, Akshata Parekh

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The treatment for cancer can be physically, mentally, emotionally and socially challenging. These treatments have side effects like physical body pain, hair loss, changes in weight, energy, nausea and more. These physical changes impact the social, mental and emotional well-being of the patient and makes this journey of the life-threating prognosis of cancer very tough to confront. Expressive arts therapy provides a safe space for the patients to address their mental health concerns as a result of this treatment. The Capstone Thesis Project explored expressive arts therapy interventions with 95 patients through single or multiple sessions while going through their …

The Use Of Mindfulness Meditation To Increase The Efficacy Of Mirror Visual Feedback For Reducing Phantom Limb Pain In Amputees, Nicolas Sebastian Mills

Doctoral Dissertations

Phantom limb pain is a chronic pain condition that negatively impacts the lives of over half of amputees, and results in considerable morbidity. Currently, there is no gold standard for treatment for phantom limb pain. However, a frequently used intervention is the use of mirror visual feedback, in which the amputee watches the reflection of the adjacent non-amputated limb move and exercise. In the last few decades, mindfulness-based interventions have been increasingly used with individuals living with different types of chronic pain. This study attempts to discover if the addition of a mindfulness-based intervention, such as guided meditation, will augment …

Embodied Medicine: Integrating Dance/Movement Therapy Into Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Sneha Rajan

Dance/Movement Therapy Theses

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) is a field of medicine that addresses a variety of disorders impacting the brain, spinal cord, muscles, and bones. When approaching patient care, the goals of dance/movement therapists are similar to those of physiatrists, because both strive for a holistic approach to treatment that considers more than just physical ailments. Adding dance/movement therapy sessions in parallel with PM&R services would enhance the overall patient experience and quality of life. Previous studies that explore the use of dance/movement therapy with various neurodegenerative diseases, neuromuscular diseases, and sustained injuries are reviewed for potential application in PM&R settings. …

Dance/Movement Therapy In Response To Continuous Race-Based Trauma, Aliesha Bryan

Dance/Movement Therapy Theses

Trauma is concomitant with a lack of safety; as such, where there is a threat to safety, there is likely to be trauma. Afrodescendants living in the United States, through an ongoing lack of human regard, are often powerless to ensure their safety, and are regularly subjected to continuous, race-based trauma. Racism is deeply embedded in the nation’s institutions as well as in every relationship, and this deeply pervasive and penetrating ideology influences strongly how individuals of any race interact with others. Race-based aggression, from micro- to macro-, has a profound and continuously traumatizing effect on Afrodescendants, with similarly profound …

Sensory Processing, Chronic Pain, And Recovery From Substance Use, Claire Ruth, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill, Karen Park

Spring 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Those with chronic pain have worse drug and alcohol treatment outcomes and higher rates of relapse compared to those without pain or with reduced pain (Ilgen et al., 2020).

Methods: A descriptive study was employed with the aim of determining what are the sensory processing pattens of those with co-morbid chronic pain and in recovery for substance use. All participants completed the Adolescent and Adult Sensory Profile, the Brief Pain Inventory, and the Personal Recovery Outcome Measure (PROM).

Results: From the preliminary findings, individuals with co-morbid chronic pain and substance use may have atypical sensory processing in areas of …

Occupational Therapy In Youth Violence: An Occupation-Based Program For At-Risk Youth, Jasmine Shahin, Pam Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville

Spring 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Throughout the years, youth participating in violence has become an increased concern around the nation as there is an increase in media outlets displaying tragedies, such as mass school shootings caused by students. The at-risk youth population is a specific population disadvantaged in engaging in safe and health-promoting activities due to limited resources or opportunities. As a result, at-risk youth make decisions based on their disadvantaged environment (Farajzadegan et al., 2018; Gallagher et al., 2015a). Factors including socioeconomic status, social support from family or friends, and mental health impact an individual’s opinions, attitudes, and interests as well as their occupational …

Exploring The Mental Health Experiences Of African, Caribbean, And Black Youth In London, Ontario, Lily Yosieph

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative study explores the mental health experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) youth in London, Ontario, investigating how the factors of race, gender, culture, and place have shaped their perceptions and experiences of mental health. The data collection and analysis were conducted using a phenomenological approach and a critical lens informed by feminist, intersectionality, and critical race theories. These data illuminate the ways in which these young people’s attitudes toward mental health and help-seeking strategies are impacted by broader social constructs and community expectations, which they navigate and often resist in their everyday lives. Their insights can provide …

Deep-Learning-Based Multivariate Pattern Analysis (Dmvpa): A Tutorial And A Toolbox, Karl M. Kuntzelman, Jacob M. Williams, Phui Cheng Lim, Ashtok Samal, Prahalada K. Rao, Matthew R. Johnson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

In recent years, multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) has been hugely beneficial for cognitive neuroscience by making new experiment designs possible and by increasing the inferential power of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and other neuroimaging methodologies. In a similar time frame, “deep learning” (a term for the use of artificial neural networks with convolutional, recurrent, or similarly sophisticated architectures) has produced a parallel revolution in the field of machine learning and has been employed across a wide variety of applications. Traditional MVPA also uses a form of machine learning, but most commonly with much simpler techniques based on …

Beauty That Moves: Dance For Parkinson’S Effects On Affect, Self-Efficacy, Gait Symmetry, And Dual Task Performance, Cecilia Fontanesi, Joseph F. X. Desouza

Publications and Research

Background: Previous studies have investigated the effects of dance interventions on Parkinson’s motor and non-motor symptoms in an effort to develop an integrated view of dance as a therapeutic intervention. This within-subject study questions whether dance can be simply considered a form of exercise by comparing a Dance for Parkinson’s class with a matched-intensity exercise session lacking dance elements like music, metaphorical language, and social reality of art-partaking.

Methods: In this repeated-measure design, 7 adults with Parkinson’s were tested four times; (i) before and (ii) after a Dance for Parkinson’s class, as well as (iii) before and (iv) after a …

Sensory Interventions For Older Adults Living With Dementia, William Tigno, Leigh Hayden, Christina Passarelli, Susan Shepley

Publications and Scholarship

This tool maps out existing literature on sensory interventions for people living with dementia. It allows users to select a sensory intervention that might be feasible in their context, produce outcomes that are relevant to them. It is based on a scoping review of the literature. Our scoping review identified what interventions exist to produce particular outcomes, in particular contexts. It did not address effectiveness. As such, this tool will help you identify what others have done in a particular context, and to produce particular outcomes. It will not tell you which options are most effective.

Resting Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism Exhibits Archetypal Network Features, Nicholas A. Hubbard, Monroe P. Turner, Kevin R. Sitek, Kathryn L. West, Jakub R. Kaczmarzyk, Lyndahl Himes, Binu P. Thomas, Hanzhang Lu, Bart Rypma

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Standard magnetic resonance imaging approaches offer high-resolution but indirect measures of neural activity, limiting understanding of the physiological processes associated with imaging findings. Here, we used calibrated functional magnetic resonance imaging during the resting state to recover low-frequency fluctuations of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2). We tested whether functional connections derived from these fluctuations exhibited organization properties similar to those established by previous standard functional and anatomical connectivity studies. Seventeen participants underwent 20 min of resting imaging during dual-echo, pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling, and blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal acquisition. Participants also underwent a 10 min normocapnic and hypercapnic …

Somatosensory Dysfunction Is Masked By Variable Cognitive Deficits Across Patients On The Alzheimer’S Disease Spectrum, Alex I. Wiesman, Victoria M. Mundorf, Chloe C. Casagrande, Sara L. Wolfson, Craig M. Johnson, Pamela E. May, Daniel L. Murman, Tony W. Wilson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is generally thought to spare primary sensory function; however, such interpretations have drawn from a literature that has rarely taken into account the variable cognitive declines seen in patients with AD. As these cognitive domains are now known to modulate cortical somato-sensory processing, it remains possible that abnormalities in somatosensory function in patients with AD have been suppressed by neuropsychological variability in previous research. Methods: In this study, we combine magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging during a paired-pulse somatosensory gating task with an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests to investigate the influence of cognitive variability on estimated …

The Incorporation Of Indigenous Tradition In Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Pathway To Cultural Inclusivity Within Mental Health, Angelo Adonnis Winings

Senior Projects Spring 2021

The use of psychedelic medicine has been a part of society and the evolution of humanity since the beginning of our existence. Throughout the years, these practices were integrated into cultures around the world throughout the years, as societal structures promoted traditional practices reflective of ritual and custom. One such practice that survived the test of time is the use of psychoactive substances to promote mental states that put the user in touch with spiritual ancestors as well as with the subtleties of the world around them. These practices included tribal usage in indigenous cultures from Africa, the Americas, parts …