Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Colorectal Cancer And The Risk Of Mortality Among Individuals With Suicidal Ideation, Srikanta Banerjee, Jagdish Khubchandani, Stanley Nkemjika

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

Suicide is a major public health problem that has grown at alarming rates in the last two decades. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common causes of cancer deaths in the United States in both males and females. However, the influence of suicidal ideation (SI) on the association between CRC and risk of mortality has not been well examined.

METHODS: For this study, the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a nationally representative survey of United States adults aged 20 years or older, was utilized. CRC survivorship was determined from self-reported data on CRC, and mortality …

From Childhood To Adult Cognitive Health: Analyzing Adverse Experiences And Subjective Cognitive Decline Using Brfss 2020-2023 Dataset, Kyaolin Rajbhandary

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

The chronic impact of early-life experiences on long-term health is a critical area of investigation, especially regarding cognitive health in adulthood. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to an increased risk of developing various health issues in adulthood, including mental health disorders, substance abuse, and chronic diseases. The connection between ACEs, substance abuse and cognitive health, particularly subjective cognitive decline (SCD), remains relatively underexplored. The aim of this study is to examine the intricate relationships between ACEs, alcohol abuse, and SCD in adulthood. This study draws on trauma theory and the biopsychosocial model to conceptualize the long-term impact of …

A Smart Pill Bottle And Text Messaging Intervention For Promoting Medication Adherence In Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Pilot Study Of Txt4 Tki, Kuang-Yi Wen, Neil Palmisiano, Rita Smith, Rachel Slamon, Gina Keiffer, Christian Fidler, Margaret Kasner, Lindsay Wilde, Md

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) often face challenges with adherence, despite the efficacy of the treatment. Theory-guided and evidence-informed interventions addressing psychosocial and adherence barriers are critical for promoting adherence. Using a mixed-method approach, the pilot study developed and evaluated the feasibility and potential impact of an intervention "txt4TKI," to support medication and symptom management among CML patients undergoing TKI therapy.

METHODS: Guided by the Necessity and Concerns framework, the study comprised two phases: Phase 1 involved qualitative patient needs assessment interviews informing intervention design. Phase 2 was a single-arm pilot study …

Cultivating Workplace Wellness: An Evaluation Of Gratitude Card Interventions Among University Faculty, Jeffrey Druck, Patrick Ockerse, Jamal Jones

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: There has been a growing interest in understanding the role of gratitude in promoting well-being. Gratitude, defined as a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation in response to receiving a benefit from someone else, has been shown to improve mood, increase social support, and decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety. This research paper explores an innovative intervention using gratitude cards for faculty members and measures the emotional impact of this intervention.

Methods: The study involved 32 clinical physicians from the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah. Participants were invited to write a gratitude card to …

Development And Pilot Testing Of An Addiction Clinic-Based Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Uptake And Adherence Intervention For Women With Substance Use Disorders: Protocol For A Pilot Randomized Trial, Angela M Heads, Diane Santa Maria, Mandy J Hill, Robert Suchting, Kimberly N Evans, Zaneta Gaul, Luba Yammine, Constanza De Dios, Joy M Schmitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Black and Hispanic women in the United States continue to bear disproportionate incidence of HIV related to sexual transmission and injection drug use. Specifically, women with substance use disorders (SUDs) are more likely to engage in vaginal or anal condomless sex associated with HIV transmission. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective HIV prevention tool but is not widely used by racial or ethnic minority women. Effective interventions for engaging women with SUDs in HIV prevention interventions that are culturally appropriate and, therefore, more appealing to racial or ethnic minority women with SUDs are critically needed.

Objective: This 3-phased …

Neuroanatomical And Morphometric Differences In Children Who Stutter, Mohammad A. Khan

Honors Scholar Theses

Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder commonly known as stuttering is a neurodevelopmental speech disorder characterized by disruptions in speech fluency. While genetic and neurobiological factors are implicated, the structural brain differences underlying stuttering remain unclear. This study investigated neuroanatomical alterations in children who stutter (CWS) compared to typically fluent children (TFC), focusing on gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and surface area in speech-related regions; the Inferior Frontal Gyrus, Middle Temporal Gyrus, and Pre-motor Operculum. High-resolution MRI data from 100 children (48 CWS, 52 TFC) aged 3–12 years were analyzed using FreeSurfer. Group comparisons revealed no statistically significant differences in cortical thickness, surface …

Surrogate Trust In The Intensive Care Unit: What Can We Do Better?, Abdul W. Kazi, Phoebe Chun, David Oxman, Erika J. Yoo

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Previous investigation into patients' trust in medical providers is largely limited to the outpatient setting, where increased trust is associated with improved adherence, satisfaction, and self-reported quality of life. Contrastingly, in the intensive care unit (ICU), patients are frequently incapacitated, and it is surrogates that engage with clinicians for decision making. This pilot study aims to measure and compare surrogate trust in the healthcare system and ICU physicians.

METHODS: We measured surrogate trust in both the healthcare system and providers by administering two domain-specific trust-measuring surveys (the Healthcare System Distrust Scale and a modified Trust in Physicians Scale) to …

Adhd Diagnosis And Treatment Within Ethnic Minority Groups, Dianthe Hoang

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is commonly diagnosed in childhood, and the National Survey of Children’s Health reported that ADHD had a prevalence of around 6.1 million children aged 2-17 years old (NSCH, 2016). This review discusses the cultural and socioeconomic barriers that contribute to the underdiagnosis and treatment in members of ethnic minority communities. Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian adults received less mental health care compared to White Americans. Previous findings indicated that cultural factors, such as misinterpretation of symptoms from families and teachers and cultural perceptions of mental health, contributed to disparities …

Alive Old-Time Radio Play: Performance-Based Drama Therapy With Cognitively Healthy Older Adults, Aaron T. Dore

Expressive Therapies Theses

The live radio play format is uniquely positioned to offer social benefits for older adults when explored through a performance-based drama therapeutic lens. Though firsthand familiarity with old-time radio is not a prerequisite for meaningful participation in a group styled after this bygone era of storytelling, the format naturally supports accessibility needs common among the older adult population. The minimal blocking requirements, script-in-hand approach, and adaptable format make it especially accommodating to a wide range of skill levels and areas of interest. Research into therapeutic interventions for older adults tends to rely on reminiscence and life review approaches with an …

"With A Heavy Heart": A Literature Review Exploring The Embodiment Of Grief And Its Implications For Grief Processing, Mollie Pratt

Expressive Therapies Theses

Though a plethora of literature has explored the connection between bereavement and the body, much of that research has focused on bereavement’s effects on physical health. Little research has been conducted to explore bereaved individuals’ embodiment of their grief, and even less has investigated the implications of those embodied sensations on the possible use of embodiment in interventions for grief processing. This literature review aimed to gain a better understanding of how grief is felt by and expressed through the body. The literature was synthesized, and common embodied themes reported by bereaved individuals were identified. Additionally, a discussion of possible …

Reimagining “Embodiment” In Dance/Movement Therapy: Unraveling The Roots Of Oppression In Our Bodies And Our Practice—A Literature Review, Holly A. Herzfeld

Expressive Therapies Theses

This thesis explores the intertwined roots of power, privilege, and oppression embedded in the term “embodiment” within Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) and how it is applied in the profession via a review of the literature. By locating the body as the vessel of experience, including trauma and oppression, this work challenges the dominant understanding of embodiment as solely about connectedness and groundedness, questioning why connection to the body is so often equated with psychological health. While the mind has been historically privileged over the body, DMT’s emphasis on bodily experience presents a unique opportunity to decolonize our dominant understanding of embodiment. …

Dance/Movement Therapy Interventions That Can Address And Decrease Impacts Of Developmental Prosopagnosia: A Literature Review, Caitlin Rivenbark

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review explores dance/movement therapy (DMT) as a treatment modality for developmental prosopagnosia (DP) or face blindness. Research on DP causes and assessments are limited, as well as research on treatments and supportive management. In order to conceptualize how DMT might support people with DP, this paper focuses on mitigating the impacts of having the condition by exploring treatments for conditions with similar impacts including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD). The interventions included were pharmacotherapy, behavioral contingencies, mainstream therapies, and alternative therapies including DMT and drama therapy (DT). The various …

A Proposal For The Theoretical Integration Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Dance/Movement Therapy, Sarah Crain

Expressive Therapies Theses

A recognized integration of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dance/movement therapy (DMT) has not been developed because the concept currently lacks a strong philosophical and theoretical background. Observations from adjacent integrative expressive therapies and clinical practice provide encouragement that these models may provide a unique contribution to the field of psychotherapy. CBT would support the field of DMT toward better establishing an evidence-based theoretical background and framework. It is proposed that a well-supported approach to CBT and DMT should be built from a theoretical integration that upholds integrity of both models while identifying connective philosophical roots. This literature review initiates …

"La Vida Es Un Carnaval": An Exploration Of Cuban Identity And Nostalgia Through Dance/Movement Therapy - A Community Engagement Project, Maria Fernanda Mendez Mendoza

Expressive Therapies Theses

“La Vida Es Un Carnaval” is a community engagement project and thesis that explores how identity and nostalgic resilience show up through dance/movement therapy with Cuban immigrants living in the United States, specifically Massachusetts. This project brought together six Cuban-born participants, ages 26 to 67, each with their own unique migration stories; from the Rafter Balsero Crisis of 1994, to the “Wet-Foot/Dry-Foot” policy, and family reunification. Through a mix of in-person and online sessions, participants explored their experiences using intermodal activities including dance/movement therapy techniques, conversation, journaling, artwork, and music. Themes of cultural pride, “Cubanía” – Cuban-ness, culture shock, and …

To Bear Witness: Analyzing Dmt As An Effective Trauma-Informed Approach For Treating Youth & Adolescents: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Jade Dennis

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review proposes dance/movement therapy (DMT) as a trauma-informed intervention for children and adolescents who have experienced psychological, emotional, or physical trauma. The project, inspired by internship experiences with young trauma survivors, explores the ways in which trauma manifests in the body, indicating that DMT may offer effective pathways toward healing. Many children exposed to potentially traumatic events exhibit emotional dysregulation, insecure attachment patterns, and behavioral or somatic symptoms that are not easily addressed through traditional talk therapy. As a body-based expressive arts modality, DMT engages the sensory, emotional, and relational aspects of trauma by supporting nonverbal expression, self-regulation, …

Therapeutic Qualities And Applications Of Clay In Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review, Julia Caruso

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review investigates the therapeutic qualities and clinical applications of clay within the framework of expressive arts therapy (ExAT), with particular focus on sensorimotor, somatic, and developmental interventions. Drawing upon the expressive therapies continuum (ETC), this review synthesizes emerging research highlighting clay's kinesthetic and tactile properties as key mechanisms for facilitating emotional expression, accessing unconscious material, and promoting psychological resilience. Evidence is presented for specialized therapeutic modalities such as clay art therapy (CAT) and Clay Field Work, which engage the body-mind connection to support trauma integration and emotion regulation. Findings demonstrate that clay's inherent adaptability and sensory richness allow …

The Impact Of Kinesthetic Attunement On Parents And Their Children With Autism: An Exploration, Ritu Shree

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study explored the impact of kinesthetic attunement as experienced through dance movement therapy (DMT) with parent-child dyads on parental stress, children’s adaptive skills and joint attention. A qualitative reflective account of parents was also studied to understand the depth of parents’ experience of dance movement therapy with their children with autism. The research emphasized the importance of collective parent-child dance therapy sessions, that especially focused on attunement and connection that built its way up from sensory-motor, social-communicative, and relational play and engagement.

A total of six parent-child dyads participated in the study that lasted over eight DMT sessions. Parents …

Fda Approval Of Cobenfy: A New Therapeutic Option For Schizophrenia, Brenna Hissong, Penlope Mazivanhanga, Alexander Defranco, Linda Azap, Haley Brown, Megan Rizo, Joshua Honaker, Samantha Mccord, Lindsey Ferraro

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Schizophrenia is a complex illness characterized by behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dysfunctions. Common symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, cognitive decline, and social withdrawal. The disorder is related to structural brain abnormalities, neurotransmitter imbalances, and a combination of genetic and environmental elements, and affects about 24 million individuals globally. Currently, two medication classes are most commonly used to treat schizophrenia. These medications are first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) and second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs). Due to the side effect profiles that both medication classes carry, research is being conducted for new drug classes.

Cobenfy (xanomeline/trospium chloride), also known investigationally as KarXT, is a new class of …

Social Determinants Of Health Extraction From Clinical Notes Across Institutions Using Large Language Models, Vipina K Keloth, Salih Selek, Qingyu Chen, Christopher Gilman, Sunyang Fu, Yifang Dang, Xinghan Chen, Xinyue Hu, Yujia Zhou, Huan He, Jungwei W Fan, Karen Wang, Cynthia Brandt, Cui Tao, Hongfang Liu, Hua Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Detailed social determinants of health (SDoH) is often buried within clinical text in EHRs. Most current NLP efforts for SDoH have limitations, investigating limited factors, deriving data from a single institution, using specific patient cohorts/note types, with reduced focus on generalizability. We aim to address these issues by creating cross-institutional corpora and developing and evaluating the generalizability of classification models, including large language models (LLMs), for detecting SDoH factors using data from four institutions. Clinical notes were annotated with 21 SDoH factors at two levels: level 1 (SDoH factors only) and level 2 (SDoH factors and associated values). Compared to …

Effect Of Response Bias On Threshold Estimates In Confounded N-Alternative Optional Choice Experiments, James J. Blaha, Benjamin T. Backus, Thaddeus B. Czuba

MODVIS Workshop

Three modifications of the familiar 2-AFC task can be useful when collecting data to estimate sensory thresholds from unpracticed participants: (1) Make responding optional, which relieves the participant from having to guess when they are uncertain; (2) Provide N>2 alternatives, which reduces the number of trials to estimate threshold; and (3) Confound the alternatives with an independent variable, for example by having participants choose visual field locations as alternatives when measuring threshold separately at each visual field location, which reduces the number of trials through multiplexing. The N-alternative optional-choice experiment (N-AOC) and its confounded variant have not been studied …

The N-Alternative Optional Choice Experiment, Benjamin T. Backus, James J. Blaha, Thaddeus B. Czuba

MODVIS Workshop

When testing visual function in clinical settings, one encounters test-takers who have difficulty following a forced-choice instruction when stimulus intensity is low. “I didn’t see anything, why do I have to guess?” An optional-choice paradigm makes it easier for these test-takers to provide data. Here we describe a theory of signal detection for N-alternative optional-choice (N-AOC) psychophysical tasks. The theory generalizes two well-known paradigms into a single framework: the theory for yes-no tasks is a degenerate case in which N=1, and the theory for N-alternative forced choice tasks (N-AFC) is a degenerate case in which the decision criterion is liberal. …

Recommendations For Telesupervision: Promoting Ethical, Legal, And Effective University And Clinical Supervision Using Technology, Madeleine M. Stevens, Yegan Pillay, Edisa Music, Elena Shahen

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The expansion of the use of technology in counseling has implicated counseling professionals in considering how to legally and ethically incorporate it into all facets of practice, including university and clinical supervision settings. In this article, we provide scholarship-backed recommendations for doing so as well as provide suggestions for incorporating psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral (CBT) supervision models into telesupervision.

Exploring Race In Addiction Treatment And The Need For An Anti-Racist Approach, Jackie D. Dell, Mei Tang

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Extensive literature documents that Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color (BIPOC) have been historically and systematically discriminated in addiction and substance use disorder treatment and services. This systemic oppression is the result of the creation and intersection of multiple systems that are rooted in White supremacy, which continue to fail to recognize racism as a critical factor in health disparities. The complexities of the structural factors that contribute to these racial health disparities, and opportunities to better address these disparities were reviewed to discuss their impact on BIPOC clients and the necessity for anti-racist approaches to addressing addiction …

Culturally-Affirming Service-Learning For Counselors-In-Training: Child-Parent Relationship Therapy Training With Spanish-Speaking Families, Karen M. Roller, Szu-Yu Chen, Katrina Volante

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The Spanish-speaking community is the largest underserved language group in the United States. To advance social justice advocacy and multicultural humility for this language group, the field of counselor education needs to create pedagogical scaffolding for non-Spanish-speaking counselors-in-training to work with interpreters to support Spanish-speaking families, while also enhancing language-concordant training for Spanish-English bilingual counselors-in-training. We utilized a critical race research design to explore six counselors-in-training’s experience participating in service-learning through online facilitation of Child-Parent Relationship Therapy with Spanish-speaking families. Interpretative phenomenological analysis of qualitative data yielded four major themes: (a) collaboration, (b) improved awareness, (c) growth and strength, and …

Burnout And Self-Efficacy: Exploring The Rewards And Challenges Faced By Crisis Counselors Working In Emergency Department Settings, Ellen Dotas

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation explores burnout and self-efficacy in counselors who work with clients in crisis in emergency department settings. Mental health and emergency departments are two areas that tend to report higher levels of burnout than are reported in other occupational fields. While much research has been done on the topics of burnout and self-efficacy, limited information is available about counselors who work in these crisis roles. This dissertation follows a three-manuscript format and includes a conceptual, qualitative, and quantitative manuscript. The conceptual manuscript explores the nature of the crisis assessment itself, focusing on the area of risk assessment. The qualitative …

Group Therapy For Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities And Anxiety, Rayah Secrist

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The purpose of this Ed.S. project is to propose a therapy group for individuals with intellectual disabilities who are struggling with anxiety. This paper will explore the literature on social and emotional barriers, mental health access inequality, and evidence-based practices in therapy for young adults with intellectual disabilities. Drawing on the research, this paper aims to provide clinicians with a guide for leading effective therapy groups tailored to this specific demographic.

Unmasking Masculinities In Counseling: From Conformity To Connection, Kyle R. Rose

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation explored the entanglements of professional counseling and masculinities across three manuscripts, to contribute to (1) healthier forms of gender expression within and beyond the spectrum of masculinities for individuals, (2) the counseling profession’s role in transforming hegemonic masculinity within communities, and (3) larger movements to subvert the patriarchy throughout society. The first manuscript is a conceptual article that presented the Relational Cultural Privileged Identity Counseling (RCPIC) model, an integrative framework designed to help counselors address hegemonic masculinity within the therapeutic relationship. Drawing from Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) and Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE), this model provided a roadmap for compassionate …

Functional Brain Connectivity Of The Salience Network In Alcohol Use And Anxiety Disorders, Dhruv M Patel, Guillermo F Poblete, Alexandra Castellanos, Ramiro Salas

Staff and Researcher Publications

The interplay between alcohol use disorder (AUD) and anxiety disorders (ANX) is well-documented, yet the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain elusive. This study aims to elucidate these mechanisms by examining the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) within the salience network and to the amygdala, both implicated in alcohol and anxiety disorders. We analyzed data from 264 inpatient participants culled from a wider group of 518 inpatients at The Menninger Clinic in Houston, TX, categorized into four groups (n = 66 each) based on DSM-IV diagnoses: AUD without ANX (AUD), ANX without AUD (ANX), concurrent AUD and ANX (BOTH), and neither (NEITHER). Our …

Pre-Service Teacher Self-Efficacy For Classroom Management And Evidence Based Practices For Managing Classroom And Challenging Behaviors, Mathew Benthin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigated the relationship between pre-service teachers' self-efficacy (TSE) and their knowledge of evidence-based practices. Teacher self-efficacy, defined as the belief in one's ability to achieve specific teaching goals, plays a pivotal role in shaping teaching behaviors and student outcomes. Evidence-based practices, grounded in scientific research, are essential for effective teaching and problem-solving in diverse classroom settings. This study highlighted the importance of the two specific resources of self-efficacy and knowledge of evidence-based practices for managing classrooms and challenging behaviors. By exploring pre-service teacher resources, this study aimed to contribute to the body of literature exploring the challenges facing …

“Restless And Uneasy…Thin And Stretched”: The Ring, The Ringbearers, And Bodies In Psychological Crisis In Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings., Sara Brown

Journal of Tolkien Research

The attachment that Tolkien’s Ring-bearers have for the Ring, a twisted and perverted form of love, is sterile and barren; it leaves those affected unable to settle and form fruitful, loving relationships with others, an effect that Tolkien referred to as a “Ring-restlessness.” Gollum, Bilbo, and Frodo all suffer, to their own degree, from the psychological crisis caused by the Ring that renders them uneasy and agitated. This paper examines this crisis through a psychological lens, exploring how the Ringbearers are living in discord with their true selves, and struggling with the meaninglessness of life that the Ring leaves behind.