Public Health Commons^™

Mhpaea & Marble Cake: Parity & The Forgotten Frame Of Federalism, Taleed El-Sabawi

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

No abstract provided.

Obesity Is Associated With Depression In Malaysian Schoolchildren: A Cross-Sectional Study, Mohd Said Nurumal, Rohulizzat Zainal Abidin, Wisam Nabeel Ibrahim, Muhammad Lokman Md Isa, Muhammad Kamil Che Hasan

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Overweight and obesity, which may lead to depression, have become prevalent among children worldwide. Hence, this study aimed to measure obesity and depression among schoolchildren in Kuantan.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in three different primary schools in Kuantan by purposive sampling. With consent from their parents/guardians, participants were given a self-administered questionnaire. Demographics and anthropometric measurement data were self-reported on the basis of the school records. Furthermore, body mass index was calculated. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, and chi-square and correlation tests were conducted for the variables.

Results: Among the 300 schoolchildren …

Detection And Quantification Of Bacterial Species Important To Mental And Physical Health, David G. Leonard

Theses and Dissertations

The human gut microbiome contains an abundance of microorganisms which could influence mental health as well as physical health. These microorganisms produce chemicals which affect the brain and the body in various ways. Probiotic bacteria and yeasts have been studied to determine effects they have on mice, rats, and humans to illustrate the importance these microorganisms on health. Studies have shown that adding beneficial microorganisms to the human diet can have positive effects on mental and physical health, to include lessening symptoms of depression and anxiety, lessen gastrointestinal inflammation, displacing pathogens, and improving immunomodulatory response. A quantitative way to identify …

Spirituality And Prayer On Teacher Stress And Burnout In An Italian Cohort: A Pilot, Before-After Controlled Study, Francesco Chirico, Manoj Sharma, Salvatore Zaffina, Nicola Magnavita

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Introduction: Teaching is a stressful profession that exposes workers to the risk of burnout. Techniques involving higher mental functions, such as transcendental meditation and prayer, have been used in stress and burnout prevention programs. In this study, we report the results of an experience conducted in a group of teachers of a religious institute, in which prayer was used as a technique to prevent burnout. Methods: Fifty teachers and support staff employed at a Catholic school of a Congregation of nuns volunteered for this study. They were randomized into two groups: prayer treatment (n = 25) or control group (n …

The Effects Of Daily Sunlight Levels On Suicide Rates, Amna Amin

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

The correlation between sunlight and mental health has been long studied and is even involved in the development of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), with subsequent development of light therapy for affected individuals. This points towards the question of the effects of varying levels of daily sunlight in the United States on rates of suicide – a reflection of the extreme state of suboptimal mental health. I have ventured to study this question, using publicly available data on the daily sunlight levels in various states in the U.S. during each month of the year and the rates of suicide in those …

Understanding The Occupational Therapy Perspective Of Working With The Homeless Population: Self-Care Interventions, Marisa Leigh Sparbanie

Online Theses and Dissertations

Successful interventions, focused on self-care, have been implemented by occupational therapists in homeless populations. Yet, no study has attempted to explore experiences of occupational therapists implementing self-care interventions. This qualitative, descriptive study sought to understand the experience of occupational therapy practitioners implementing self-care interventions for individuals experiencing homelessness. The interventions took place in various healthcare practice settings. Four participants, recruited through purposive sampling, engaged in semi-structured interviews pertaining to their experiences. The interviews were transcribed and coded using an emergent approach. Three major themes emerged from the data, including experiences in different settings, client-centered care, and institutional barriers and supports.

The Correlation Between Maternal Postpartum Depression And Child Psychopathology, T'Keyah I. Vaughan

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a phenomenon that affects nearly 10-15% of pregnancies in the US. It is characterized by depressed mood or anhedonia and lasting for more than 2 weeks. PPD changes how moms interact with family members and child-rearing behavior. Depression is a phenomenon that is also known to affect the psychopathology of children. However, the specifics of how postpartum depression impacts children remains controversial. Many studies do not control for major depressive disorder which makes it difficult to disentangle the impact depression has within the first year of life. Furthermore, other PPD risk factors may be confounding …

The Intersection Of Social Stress, Mental Well-Being, And Sexual Health Among Black Women In Emerging Adulthood, Brandi Galloway

Theses and Dissertations

With an estimated 37,000 new HIV infections each year, HIV continues to be a major public health concern. HIV affects some populations more than others. Young Black women, in particular, are disproportionately affected by HIV. While being a woman does not typically increase a person’s HIV risk, being Black and being a woman does.

Data indicate that individual-level factors do not fully address the differences in HIV and STIs between Black emerging adult women and their White counterparts. Thus, it is critical to better understand contextual factors such as social stress and mental-wellbeing which might better account for these disparities. …

The Impact Of Exercise Of Mental Health, Kala Griffith

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: Researchers have long recognized the positive association between exercise and mental health. With such a large proportion of the United States population being affected by mental illness, it is more important now than ever, to establish ways to improve the mental health of the country. The aim of this study is to evaluate the mental health of areas with differing levels of access to exercise, specifically Ohio and West Virginia, and begin making connections and associations about locations with similar data.

Methods: Data used in this study was gathered by the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program (CHR&R). The …

Insufficient Sleep In 2020: Where Does Ohio Stand?, Daniel Masters

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: To determine the impact of insufficient sleep on premature death and mental health as well as see how the levels of insufficient sleep in Ohio compare to previous years and to other states in the US. Methods: Data on insufficient sleep, premature death, smoking, food environment index, physical inactivity, and poor mental health days was all collected from County Health Rankings and then analyzed. Results: Insufficient sleep was found to be moderately correlated to years of potential life lost in a positive manner in Ohio in 2020. Insufficient sleep has risen in Ohio from 2016 (35.76%) to 2020 (37.04%). …

Traffic And Our Health, Atteh Akoto

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Objective: The intent of this study is to find a correlation between long commute times, physical health, and mental health. Methods: Data was collected from a publicly available dataset on countyhealthrecords.org. Results: Increased percentage of lone drivers with long commutes and obese adults, positive correlation between long commuters and access to exercise opportunities, and negative correlation between long commuters and poor mental health days.

Correlations Between Quality Of Life, Daily Sunlight, And Suicide Risk, Brittany Abeldt

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Methods: Data was collected from the archives provided by the CDC Wonder database; including The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, The North America Land Data Assimilation System, and The Web-Based Injury Statistic Query and Reporting System. The variables used were quality of life (as measured by mental health days and physical health days), suicide rates, and daily sunlight. Data was obtained for all the states in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii due to lack of available data from these states. Quality of life and suicide rate data was from 2016 and daily sunlight data was from January 1st, …

Quality Improvement Study Of Behavioral Health Resources Access In 19121 And 19132, Courtney Kaye, Rickie Brawer, Mph, Phd, Mches, Jeanne Felter, Phd, Lpc

Phase 1

Introduction: Children who have experienced four or more ACES (adverse childhood events) are shown to have negative mental health outcomes. Adolescents living in the Philadelphia zip codes 19121 and 19132 have higher ACE scores. This makes it necessary for adolescent providers to screen for behavioral health issues in their patients and refer out to appropriate resources.

Objective: The purpose of this quality improvement study is to see what current barriers exist relating to physician referral and access to behavioral health resources for their patients.

Methods: A guide of behavioral health resources available to adolescents in 19121 and 19132 was …

Mental Health Service Use In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz S. Alangari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Objectives: The goal of this project was to increase knowledge concerning the current prevalence, needs and barriers to mental health service use in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It’s purpose was to gather data that would help to inform future policy decisions aimed at optimizing the use and availability of these services in the KSA. There were three specific aims: 1) Examine the barriers to initiation and continuation of mental health treatment in people with a disorder diagnosed during the previous 12-months. 2) Explore the prevalence and predictors of mental health treatment dropout. 3) Examine the prevalence and patterns …

Reducing Disparities In Smoking For Adults With Mental Illness: Are U.S. Tobacco Prevention Policies Effective?, L. Morgan Snell

Theses and Dissertations

One in five people in the U.S. are estimated to experience “any mental illness” (AMI); however this group represents an estimated 40% of the annual, adult cigarette consumption in the U.S. Tobacco prevention policies have been successful at reducing smoking prevalence among the U.S. population as a whole, however it is unclear whether these efforts have had significant impact on tobacco use rates among individuals with AMI. The three papers that comprise this project combined longitudinal, nationally-representative data and online behavioral experiments from U.S. adults to compare demand for cigarettes among adult smokers with and without AMI. Taken together, our …

Acknowledgment Of Sexual Violence And Mental Health Among College Students, Francesca Maviglia

Public Health Theses

A significant number of individuals who experience a form of sexual violence that could be classifiable as rape or sexual assault do not label their experience as such. Studies found that rape acknowledgement status can impact a survivor’s postassault experiences and recovery process. This study examined how a sample of 236 college students who experienced some form of sexual violence labeled their experience. The association between different degrees of acknowledgement and posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms was tested. 162 (68.6%) of respondents did not label their experience as unwanted; the remaining 74 (31.4%) varied in their labeling of the experience …

Depression And Awareness Of Mental Health Resources Among Minority And Non-Minority College Students, Henry David Browne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority college students experience higher levels of psychological stress and depression, and lower utilization of mental health resources (MHR) compared to the general student population. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association between self-reported depressive symptoms and awareness of mental health services among college undergraduate minority and non-minority students, controlling for sex, interest in MHR information, and history of mental illness. The self-determination theory guided the study. The study utilized a cross-sectional research design using secondary survey data from the National College Health Assessment (NCHA). The NCHA dataset included 354,262 respondents from 52 self-selected U.S. colleges …

“Is Therapy For Me?” Perceptions Of Therapy Inclusivity And Willingness To Seek Help Among Black Emerging Adults, Randl B. Dent

Theses and Dissertations

Mental health issues are prevalent among Black emerging adults; however, they tend to underutilize mental healthcare services. The goals of the current study were to examine whether: (1) perceived therapy inclusivity would predict willingness to utilize mental healthcare services and (2) the relationship between perceived therapy inclusivity and willingness would be moderated by two indices of racial identity (i.e., centrality and private regard). Results provide evidence that greater perceptions of therapy inclusivity are associated with greater willingness to seek mental health services even after controlling for factors, such as gender, self-stigma, and previous mental healthcare utilization. Additionally, there was no …

‘A Healthy Cit’: An Investigation Into Student Health Metrics, Lifestyle Behaviours And The Predictors Of Positive Mental Health In An Irish Higher Education Setting, Andrea Bickerdike, Joan Dineen, Cian O'Neill

Publications

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are potent health promotion settings, uniquely positioned to aid societal efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). International evidence suggests that health metrics and lifestyle behaviours of higher education students are sub-optimal, yet a dearth of contemporary Irish data exists. This study aimed to examine sex differences in student lifestyle behaviours and identify significant predictors of positive mental health in an Irish HEI setting. An online questionnaire instrument distributed to all registered students (n = 11,261) gathered data regarding a multitude of health and lifestyle domains. Many items were adapted from previous Irish research. Further validated scales …

Integrating Primary Care Into Community Mental Health Centres In Texas, Usa: Results Of A Case Study Investigation, Rebecca Wells, Ellen D Breckenridge, Sasha Ajaz, Aman Narayan, Daniel Brossart, James H Zahniser, Jolene Rasmussen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Despite evidence that people with serious mental illness benefit from receiving primary care within mental health care settings, there is little research on this type of integration. The objective of this study was to characterize how providers and patients experienced implementation of primary care into specialty mental health services.

METHODS: During site visits, study team members interviewed staff and conducted focus groups with patients at 10 United States community mental health centres then beginning to integrate primary into their practices. One year later, follow up phone interviews with key centre staff informants validated and updated findings. Data analysis included …

Integrative Pharmacotherapeutic Approaches To Treating Depression, Charlotte Tse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), based in the philosophy-religions of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, is more than a purely prescriptive medical system; it is a way of life focused primarily on the principles of prevention rather than the more reactionary direction that pharmacotherapy in the US has taken. Mental illness is expected to account for a quarter of China’s overall health burden by 2020, with depression affecting around 100 million people and nearly 30 percent of young Chinese adults. Conventional antidepressants have a delayed onset and unpredictable therapeutic efficacy in this condition, especially in mild to moderate cases of depression. In …

“Para Nunca Más Vivirlo, Nunca Más Negarlo”: El Legado De Violencia Sexual Durante La Dictadura, Isabel De La Torre

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: What are the mental health effects of sexual political violence against women during the dictatorship and during the current socio-political movement?

Objectives: The general objective of this study is to identify how sexual political violence has been used in Chile against women and to analyze its consequences on the mental health of survivors. More specifically, this study attempts to investigate the mechanisms sexual political torture during the dictatorship and now, visibilize the unique damages to mental health caused by this type of violence, and analyze the dictatorial legacy in regards to sexual violence and the current socio-political climate. …

Syrian Refugee Mothers In Jordan: Perceived Social Support And Postpartum Depression, Marya Rana

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many women suffer from postpartum depression; migrant women experience postpartum depression at rates almost triple that of the general population. This study investigated the associations between perceived social support and postpartum depression among Syrian refugee mothers living in Amman, Jordan. Eleven mothers completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) - Shortened Version. Four of those mothers also participated in individual interviews, and four others were included in a focus group. Multiple recurring themes were identified from the interviews and focus group, including: perceived differences in child and social support in …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Non-Communicable Disease Risk: A Narrative Review, Catherine M. Phillips, Ling-Wei Chen, Barbara Heude, Jonathan Y. Bernard, Nicholas C. Harvey, Liesbeth Duijts, Sara M. Mensink-Bout, Kinga Polanska, Giulia Mancano, Matthew Suderman, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

There are over 1,000,000 publications on diet and health and over 480,000 references on inflammation in the National Library of Medicine database. In addition, there have now been over 30,000 peer-reviewed articles published on the relationship between diet, inflammation, and health outcomes. Based on this voluminous literature, it is now recognized that low-grade, chronic systemic inflammation is associated with most non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancers, respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as impaired neurodevelopment and adverse mental health outcomes. Dietary components modulate inflammatory status. In recent years, the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII^®), a literature-derived …

A Letter To My Departed Niece, * Anonymous *

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The following piece was written in the weeks following the death of the author’s niece. It is an attempt to explore how we as a society handle health crises differently for medical versus mental health diagnoses.

Call For Submissions Special Issue - July 2020: Patient & Family Experience In Behavioral Health, Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is excited to announce the call for submissions for its July 2020 special issue on the topic of patient & family experience in behavioral health. With a continued focus on the critical role of behavioral health in society today and a growing recognition of the importance of experience for those in behavioral health settings, a conversation on the practices in place and the identification of evidence of efforts leading to positive outcomes will be essential expanding the experience conversation in this setting. This special issue is open to all authors conducting cutting-edge research, implementing innovative practices …

Disparities In Quality Of Life By Appalachian-Designation Among Women With Breast Cancer, Robin C. Vanderpool, Ann L. Coker, Heather M. Bush, Sarah E. Cprek

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Few studies have examined the association of geography and quality of life (QOL) among breast cancer patients, particularly differences between Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky women, which is important given the cancer and socioeconomic disparities present in Appalachia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether women with breast cancer residing in Appalachian Kentucky experience poorer health outcomes in regards to depression, stress, QOL, and spiritual wellbeing, relative to those living in non-Appalachian Kentucky after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related factors.

Methods: Women, aged 18–79, recruited from the Kentucky Cancer Registry between 2009 and 2013 with an …

How Well Do We Understand Mental Health?, Ashley Van Slyke

Population Health Research Brief Series

Roughly 9.8 million adults in the United States, representing 4% of the U.S. adult population, have a diagnosis of a serious mental illness (SMI). An additional 16.1 million (6.7%) have a diagnosed depressive disorder. Millions more know people with serious mental illness or depression. Poor mental health is a massive and growing public health crisis. Its looming presence begs the question: Do we, as a society, truly understand different mental illnesses?

A Systematic Review And Analysis Of Racial Differences In Treatment For Depression, Elli D. R. Parisi

DePaul Discoveries

Mental health affects a large proportion of the population across the world. Though many mental health studies exist, they are inconsistent in methodology, conceptualization of terms, and populations studied; as a result, many studies are incomparable with each other. Further, there is arguably too few studies that focus on marginalized or underrepresented populations. The current study aims to address some of this gap in knowledge. The differences in the way depression is diagnosed and treated in various racial and ethnic groups were identified, and the findings of previous studies were analyzed to help improve the way mental health, and specifically …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Sleep Quality In Southern Italian Adults, Justyna Godos, Raffaele Ferri, Filippo Caraci, Filomena I. I. Cosentino, Sabrina Castellano, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Fabio Galvano, Giuseppe Grosso

Faculty Publications

Background: Current evidence supports the central role of a subclinical, low-grade inflammation in a number of chronic illnesses and mental disorders; however, studies on sleep quality are scarce. The aim of this study was to test the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and sleep quality in a cohort of Italian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of the Mediterranean healthy Eating, Aging, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study was conducted on 1936 individuals recruited in the urban area of Catania during 2014-2015 through random sampling. A food frequency questionnaire and other validated instruments were used to calculate …