Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Individual And Group Canine-Assisted Interventions In Improving Mental Health In Higher Education Students, Karen Manville, Mark Coulson, Gemma Reynolds

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

The main aim of this study was to identify whether the social environment of canine-assisted intervention (CAI) influenced the beneficial effects on higher education (HE) students’ mental health. A second aim explored whether attachment style predicted the effect of being part of a CAI group. Sixty-seven participants interacted with a canine for two minutes, either individually, as part of a pair, or as a trio. Anxiety, stress, depression, and well-being were measured pre and post intervention, alongside attachment style. The results found no difference in the effectiveness of CAI when taking part individually, in pairs, or in a trio, meaning …

Integrity, Flexibility, And Balance: How Change Works In Psychotherapy, David Pincus

Psychology Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Psychotherapy may be the most tested form of health intervention and also one of the most mysterious. Clinical trials, and meta-analyses of these trials, have repeatedly demonstrated the effectiveness of psychotherapy, while also failing to uncover any clear-cut and consistent understanding of how psychotherapy works. This lack of understanding has driven the field to develop 500 supposedly distinct, yet equivalently effective “theories.” The field suffers from barriers to scientific discovery, barriers to therapist training, and barriers to people seeking help for their psychosocial problems. This chapter tackles the mystery of how therapy works by examining the shortcomings of modern medical …

Nonlinear Biopsychosocial Resilience: Self-Organization As The Basis For A Common Framework, Adam W. Kiefer, David Pincus

Psychology Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Recently, calls have been made for a common framework to understand human resilience through the lens of dynamical systems theory. This chapter provides a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and tools necessary for such an approach. It builds on an existing theoretical framework of biopsychosocial resilience grounded in self-organization theory. This theoretical framework is applied to the formalization of four types of resilience – robustness, resilience, antifragility and grit. Next, important features of stability, structural integrity, and flexibility are discussed as empirically measurable characteristics of a systems-based approach to resilience, which provide a foundation for further applications, including metastability and, …

Antidepressant Effect Of Enzymatic Porcine Placenta Hydrolysate In Repeated Immobilization Stress-Induced Ovariectomized Female Mice, Minsook Ye, Sharon Nguyen, Min Ju Kim, Jee Sun Hwang, Gun Won Bae, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Insop Shim

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

When postmenopausal women are under stress conditions, this exacerbates mood disorders and issues with neuroimmune systems. The porcine placenta is known to relieve menopausal depression in clinical trials, but its underlying mechanisms for depression and anti-inflammatory functions remain poorly defined. The present study was designed to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of enzymatic porcine placenta hydrolysate (EPPH) on LPS-induced levels of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), corticosterone (CORT), and pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. In addition, the neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells was evaluated to examine the effects of EPPH on neurite growth. To mimic …

Mean Affect Moderates The Association Between Affect Variability And Mental Health, Brooke N. Jenkins, Lydia Q. Ong, Anthony D. Ong, Hee Youn (Helen) Lee, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Increasing evidence suggests that within-person variation in affect is a dimension distinct from mean levels along which individuals can be characterized. This study investigated affect variability’s association with concurrent and longitudinal mental health and how mean affect levels moderate these associations. The mental health outcomes of depression, panic disorder, self-rated mental health, and mental health professional visits from the second and third waves of the Midlife in the United States Study were used for cross-sectional (n = 1,676) and longitudinal outcomes (n = 1,271), respectively. These participants took part in the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE II), …

When Helping Hurts: The Association Between Hamilton's Rule And Suicide Risk, Katherine L. O'Connell

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Emergency telecommunicators are critical as first responders and often experience great reward and distressing consequences of their work. This study investigates the suicide risk among these first responders, drawing on the Eusocial Theory of Suicide, which suggests that individuals may engage in altruistic self-sacrifice after weighing benefits, costs, and relatedness using a mathematical model, Hamilton’s Rule. Proxy variables were used: perceived social support and perceived work cohesion for relatedness, compassion satisfaction for benefit, and compassion fatigue for cost. The study was a non-experimental, cross-sectional self-report survey of predominantly White cisgender heterosexual female emergency telecommunicators (N = 346) in Washington, …

Less Activity Means Improved Welfare? How Pair Housing Influences Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus Cyanocephalus) Behaviour, London M. Wolff, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The activity level and specific behaviours exhibited by captive animals are crucial indicators of welfare. Stereotypies, or repetitive behaviours that have no apparent function or goal, are performed by animals experiencing poor conditions in their environment and indicate welfare concerns. Changes in the housing environment in particular may have critical influences on behaviour and welfare. Here, we measured behavioural changes in a captive pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) population (n = 10) associated with a shift from single to pair housing. Using automated video processing, we show that pair housing greatly reduced overall activity levels in these birds. The …

Individual Longitudinal Changes In Dna-Methylome Identify Signatures Of Early-Life Adversity And Correlate With Later Outcome, Annabel K. Short, Ryan Weber, Noriko Kamei, Christina Wilcox Thai, Hina Arora, Ali Mortazavi, Hal S. Stern, Laura M. Glynn, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Adverse early-life experiences (ELA) affect a majority of the world's children. Whereas the enduring impact of ELA on cognitive and emotional health is established, there are no tools to predict vulnerability to ELA consequences in an individual child. Epigenetic markers including peripheral-cell DNA-methylation profiles may encode ELA and provide predictive outcome markers, yet the interindividual variance of the human genome and rapid changes in DNA methylation in childhood pose significant challenges. Hoping to mitigate these challenges we examined the relation of several ELA dimensions to DNA methylation changes and outcome using a within-subject longitudinal design and a high methylation-change threshold. …

Implementing An Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale At An Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Amanda Ghamsari

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Movement disorders caused from psychotropic medications affect an estimated 500,000 people in the United States. These disorders bring an added cost for treatment to the patient, cause emotional distress, and may hinder daily life. Overall health and additional medication costs were increased for these patients by $25,879 per patient per year compared to patients without a movement disorder.

Purpose of Project: To address the issue, the team of mental health providers at an outpatient clinic assess their mental health patients at start of care and at follow up visits utilizing the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. With the goal of …

Utilizing Flow Arts Movement As An Expressive Arts Therapy Tool To Treat Trauma: A Literature Review And Autoethnography, Shannon Mcgrail

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This expressive arts-based autoethnography research explores the effectiveness of using flow arts movement as a tool of expressive arts therapy to treat symptoms of trauma for individuals who experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime. While research on the use of flow arts movement to treat mental illness is in its early stage, much can be drawn from the literature on expressive arts therapy and dance/movement therapy research with a range of populations addressing trauma. Through exploration of trauma through neuroscience, mind, body, and integrated mindfulness through flow, this work aims to bring an understanding of using intermodal expressive arts …

The Relationship Between Autistic Traits, Autistic Camouflaging, And Adults’ Representations Of Abstract And Social Concepts, Henry Tomiser, Katja Wiemer Dr.

Honors Capstones

Concrete concepts (e.g., BUTTON) can be experienced directly by the senses, whereas abstract concepts (e.g., FRIENDSHIP) cannot. Additionally, the mind may represent abstract concepts using more introspective, social, and emotional information than concrete concepts. Social difficulties are one defining feature of autism, and autistic individuals may use social camouflaging to hide these difficulties, but the precise nature of social processing in autism is not known. This study aims to explore possible links between autistic traits, autistic camouflaging, and mental representations of concepts. Participants gave open-ended definitions for concepts varying in concreteness and social content via an online survey. Responses were …

A Beginner's Guide To Gerontological Counseling: A Summary Of Considerations For Counselors Providing Psychotherapy To Older Adults In Rural Settings, Kelly D. Higgins

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The elderly population continues to rapidly increase in the United States, leading to a significant need for mental health care among older adults. While older adults experience significant role changes, increased potential for physical and cognitive limitations, and heightened social isolation, all of which contribute to an increased psychiatric need, very few counselors are specially trained to provide adequate geriatric treatment. This is especially true in rural populations, where accessibility limitations are often more significant and mental health professionals are few and far between. This project provides a brief review of the literature regarding these various considerations, challenges, and areas …

Expressive Therapies And Resiliency – Resistance In Mental Health: A Literature Review, Gabrielle Lopez

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This review evaluates the current literature on psychological resistance amongst human service professionals experiencing burnout and the effect of Expressive Arts interventions on resiliency. Concepts include identifying the main symptoms, risk factors, causes, and treatments for burnout in education faculty, medical staff, and clinicians. Qualitative, quantitative, and meta-analysis studies are included to identify the most prevalent intervention frameworks for reducing stress including Arts-Based and Mindfulness-compassion based techniques. The effectiveness of Arts-based tools on strengthening identity, self-esteem, emotional regulation, and meaning-making in combating burnout is presented. Based on analysis of the literature, the author proposes a three-step intervention framework for utilizing …

The Perceptions Of Psychologists And Speech-Language Pathologists On Intervention Methods For Selective Mutism, Abby Olmstead

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: This is a study done to evaluate the perceptions of speech-language pathologists, psychologists/licensed professional counselors and their thoughts on selective mutism intervention. These thoughts will be gathered and analyzed to be compared to speech-language pathologists perceptions to see if there are differences. The goal is to be able to see the overall most-shared opinion to better be able to understand the intervention involving selective mutism. Selective Mutism (SM) is a rare disorder as only 1% of the population is diagnosed with it. The purpose is to provide more education on the disorder and help various kinds of professionals better …

Functional Stereotyping Of Women’S Self-Objectification As A Function Of Life History And Body Fat, Vienne Howay

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Individuals prioritize different goals as a function of stability in their environment, oftentimes leading people to prioritize reproduction in hostile ecologies. From this shift in priorities, perceivers could develop heuristics about how women may attempt to attract mates. Previous research suggests that higher levels of body fat are more attractive to men with a fast life history. With this awareness of men’s preferences in body fat, high-fat women from hostile ecologies could be expected to engage in more self-objectifying behavior in the service of mate attraction or attempting present themselves as objects of affection to men. This study tasked participants …

Examining The Effects Of Menstrual Cycle Phase And Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Women's Sleep, Charles Ethan Coombs

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women overrepresent men for sub-optimal sleep, a consequence of hormone fluctuation in the menstrual cycle affecting sleep regulatory pathways. While research has examined the prevalence of sub-optimal sleep through cycle phases, little research has examined how hormonal contraceptives (HC’s) could similarly affect women’s sleep, while also neglecting to utilize subjective sleep measures. In this study, we examine subjective sleep quality among naturally cycling (NC) women, women using different HC types, and between active and inactive phase pill users by subjecting 463 women to a subjective sleep battery. We hypothesized that HC users would report more sub-optimal sleep than NC women. …

Syndrome Or Symptoms? Assessing Cothymia, Neuroticism And Lifetime Comorbidity In A Sample Of Psychiatric Patients, Fiammetta Iannuzzo, Fabiana Fiasca, Antonella Mattei, Carmela Mento, Maria Catena Silvestri, Fabrizio Turiaco, Rocco Antonio Zoccali, Maria Rosaria Anna Muscatello, Antonio Bruno

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Background. Cross-sectional and longitudinal psychiatric comorbidity rates could represent a syndromic process rather than the co-occurrence of different disorders. ‘Cothymia’, the concomitant presence of depression and anxiety symptoms, and the ‘neuroticism’ dimension have been proposed as candidate vulnerability factors for psychiatric disorders trajectories. Based on this background, the present research was aimed at assessing the role of cothymia and neuroticism as syndromic processes in lifetime psychiatric disorders, and examining homotypic or heterotypic trends in the diagnostic continuum of comorbid mental disorders. Materials and methods. Data collection was carried out retrospectively through the consultation of medical records at the Psychiatry Unit …

Quetiapine Induced Agitation In A Hospice Veteran: A Case Report, Colton Kinderknecht, Kevin Mathews, Elizabeth Kane

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic that is used in many clinical scenarios; it has been approved and has shown to be effective in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar symptoms. Additionally, it has several off-label uses, including the treatment of insomnia. In this case report, an elderly veteran was given quetiapine as a sleep aid. After the first dose, he demonstrated severe agitation. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there have been limited reports of this reaction. Although there are limitations to this case report, it serves as a cautionary lesson when prescribing a medication like quetiapine and to …

Afterword And After The Ward: The Poetry Cure, Abriana Jette, Margarita Sverdlova

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

What impact might poetry have on an individual's psychosomatic system? This piece connects current research in occupational therapy with the acts of writing, listening, and reading poetry.

Telehealth: A Rising Intervention For Latina Mothers Experiencing Prenatal And Postpartum Depression, Britney Gutierrez

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Abstract: Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is high among Latina women but often goes unrecognized and untreated. Recognition and management of PPD in this population is crucial as PPD contributes to negative health effects on the mother and infant. Purpose: This research aims to look into telehealth to improve screening methods and treatment for Latina mothers through a Spanish mobile health application that will provide screening and education on PPD. Method: This mixed-method quality improvement study will include 300 participants from an OB-GYN and Pediatrics community clinic, > 18 years old, of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, Spanish speaking, currently pregnant, or had a child …

Assessing Brain Processing Deficits Using Neuropsychological And Vision-Specific Tests For Concussion, Brent A. Harper, Rahul Soangra

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Since verbal memory and visual processing transpire within analogous cerebral regions, this study assessed (i) if a visual function can predict verbal memory performance. It also hypothesized whether neurocognitive (e.g., ImPACT) tests focusing on the Visual Memory and Cognitive Efficacy Index will predict Verbal Memory scores and (ii) if vision metrics and age can identify individuals with a history of concussion. Finally, it also hypothesized that King–Devick and near point of convergence scores alongside age considerations will identify candidates with a prior reported history of concussion. Materials and methods: This observational cohort assessed 25 collegiate ice hockey players prior …

Affect Variability And Cortisol In Context: The Moderating Roles Of Mean Affect And Stress, Brooke N. Jenkins, Logan T. Martin, Hee Youn (Helen) Lee, John F. Hunter, Amanda M. Acevedo, Sarah D. Pressman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Positive and negative affect have been shown to have implications for hormones like cortisol but how moment to moment changes in affect (i.e., affect variability) influence cortisol secretion is less well understood. Additionally, context characteristics such as mean affect and stress may influence the association between affect variability and cortisol output. In the current study, we examined affect, stress, and cortisol data from 113 participants (age range = 25–63, M = 35.63, SD = 11.34; 29 % male; 42 % White/Caucasian, 37 % Asian or Pacific Islander, 13 % Hispanic/Latino, 4 % Black/African American, 1 % Native American, Eskimo, or …

The Alexander Technique Applied To Dance And The Choreographic Process: Freeing Physical Expression From Trauma-Based Tension, Julia Johnston

Senior Honors Theses

Ballet, contemporary, and modern dancers have expressed incurring trauma during their training and professional dance experiences; in a 2020 survey, 41% of professional dancers and 30% of ballet students reported experiencing or witnessing sexually inappropriate behavior in their respective workplaces and schools (DDP). This is just one example of a potential source of trauma for dancers. The physiological effects of trauma cause physical effects, creating tension in a dancer’s body. Dance relies on physical expression, the expression of thought and feeling through movement, to connect with the audience. Trauma-based tension inhibits a dancer’s range of physical expression and connection to …

Positive Epidemiology, Revisited: The Case For Centering Human Rights And Economic Justice, Farah Qureshi, Christy Denckla, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, a growing body of research in positive epidemiology has sought to expand the traditional focus of epidemiologic research beyond risk factors for disease and towards a more holistic understanding of health that includes the study of positive assets that shape well-being more broadly. While this paradigm shift holds great promise for transforming people’s lives for the better, it is also critiqued for showcasing decontextualized perspectives that could cause great harm to the public’s health if translated uncritically into population-based interventions. In this commentary, we argue for orienting positive epidemiology within a human rights and economic justice framework …

Implementation Of Psychiatric Collaborative Care Management In Rural Primary Care Practices, Ryan Dean Kruis

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral health (BH) disorders are highly prevalent in the United States and especially concerning in rural communities which disproportionately lack access to BH services. While models for integrating BH into primary care, such as psychiatric collaborative care management (CoCM), have shown promise in mitigating the BH crisis, implementation in rural communities has proved challenging.
This dissertation examines implementation of CoCM nationally and in rural settings through three distinct aims. First, a claims-based retrospective cohort study was used to determine whether commercially insured patients receiving CoCM had lower acute BH care utilization and cost as compared to similar patients not receiving …

Lai Antipsychotics Vs. Oral Antipsychotics: Treatment Adherence, Relapses, And Readmissions, Natalie N. Lewis Bsn, Rn, Mallory F. Johnson Bsn, Rn-Bc, Tyler N. Halle-Todd Bsn, Rn, Natalie N. Ragland Bsn, Rn, Sharon H. Little Dnp, Aprn, Fnp-Bc, Jacqueline Sharp Dnp, Aprn,Pmhnp-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

Schizophrenia is a lifelong illness with recurrent and often debilitating symptoms that may impair daily functioning, cognition, behaviors, socialization, emotions, and expression. It is recognized as a global mental health burden that affects the individual, their family, and society. Medication nonadherence and resulting relapse detrimentally affect the patient’s physical and mental health and quality of life. They are associated with increased hospitalization and emergency room visits, substance use, suicide, and homelessness. Current guidelines endorse second-generation antipsychotics such as Risperidone and Aripiprazole as the first-line treatment for most cases of psychosis. However, long-acting injectable (LAIs) atypical antipsychotics are a promising …

Police Versus Non-Police Response To 988 Crisis Calls, Miriam A. Maloney-Mattheisen Bsn, Rn, Latrina N. Blakemore Msn, Fnp-Bc, Janelle M. Scullark Msn, Fnp-C, Jacqueline Sharp Dnp, Pmhnp-Bc, Sharon Little Dnp, Fnp-Bc, Margaret Harvey Phd, Aprn, Acnp-Bc, Chfn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a mental health-specific emergency line that became nationally available in July of 2022. This resource allows callers in crisis to connect with trained mental health professionals. Despite the initiation of this new dispatching service, there is still a significant shortage of trained mental health professionals to respond to these calls when they require emergency intervention. The present scoping review aims to determine whether non-police crisis responses correlate to improved outcomes when compared to police response as evidenced by reduced inpatient admissions, reduced arrests, and decreased presence of intrusive traumatic symptoms following intervention. …

Childhood Cancer Survivorship: Navigating A New Normal In Middle Tennessee, Karli M. Beaumont

OTD Capstone Projects

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in partnership with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center offers REACH for Cancer Survivorship, a pediatric cancer survivorship clinic. REACH provides a full range of follow-up care designed to meet the physical, emotional, and practical needs of survivors and continuous surveillance of deleterious effects of cancer and its treatments. The purpose of this project was to meet population and agency needs through research of long- and late-term sequela while advocating for occupational therapy’s role in the oncology population through the proactive therapy and prospective surveillance models. The process of creating this project included synthesizing the literature, …

Everyone Deserves A Dental Home, Loren C. Baim Dds

The New York State Dental Journal

With knowledge and preparation, dental practices should be able to accommodate the growing population of people on the autism spectrum.

Adolescent Marijuana Use And The Contribution To The Development Of Schizophrenia, Jocelyn Spandikow

Psychology Student Papers and Posters

Schizophrenia is an often debilitating mental condition that has become a popular topic of psychological research in recent years. Current research examines the correlation between drug use, genetics, and environment on the development of schizophrenia. Research looks at the structure of the brain in individuals with and without schizophrenia. However, research has failed to look at the specific correlation between marijuana use in adolescent youth and the developmental impact on the brain, including in the development of schizophrenia. The legalization of many recreational drugs, including marijuana, has come to fruition in recent years. This has raised concerns over adolescent access …