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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Anxiety And Kinesiophobia In Patients With Cardiovascular Disease: Characterization Of The Population And Symptom Trajectories, William A. Middleton Jan 2024

Anxiety And Kinesiophobia In Patients With Cardiovascular Disease: Characterization Of The Population And Symptom Trajectories, William A. Middleton

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Background:Psychological difficulties are common surrounding cardiac events and may remain elevated for some time during patient recovery. Evidence suggests that depression, anxiety, and kinesiophobia, or the fear of body movement, may negatively impact patients’ recovery. A comprehensive grasp of these factors and their progression in cardiac patients is currently lacking, despite their significant health implications. Methods: Patients hospitalized for an acute cardiac event were eligible for the study. Participants completed a demographic and psychological questionnaire in hospital. The psychological battery included the 8 item Patient Health Questionnaire-8, the 7 item General Anxiety Disorder-7, and the 17 item Tampa Scale for …


The Moderating Effects Of Perceived Social Support And Perceived Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Psychopathology Symptoms In Young Adults With A History Of Childhood Maltreatment, Sophia K. Majerske Jan 2023

The Moderating Effects Of Perceived Social Support And Perceived Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Psychopathology Symptoms In Young Adults With A History Of Childhood Maltreatment, Sophia K. Majerske

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Childhood maltreatment places individuals at greater risk for developing psychopathology in adulthood. Social support has been shown to moderate mental health outcomes. The Coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in a pandemic that created an environment that increased isolation through quarantine rules, therefore decreasing opportunities to socialize and receive social support. The relationship between social support, the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, depression, anxiety, and PTSD during the first year of the pandemic was explored in a sample of young adults with and without childhood maltreatment. It was hypothesized that social support and the perceived impact of the pandemic moderated …


Is There An App For That? Introducing Self-Guided Therapy-Based Mental Health Apps In A Primary Care Setting, Althea Jem Darbin Tapales Jan 2023

Is There An App For That? Introducing Self-Guided Therapy-Based Mental Health Apps In A Primary Care Setting, Althea Jem Darbin Tapales

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The prevalence of mental health disorders in Vermont continues to be an economic burden, especially in Addison County. The Addison County, VT Community Health Improvement Plan 2022-2025 identified “Access to Mental Health Services” as the top priority with a general concern regarding the affordability and demand of such services, and shortage of providers in the general community. Consequently, the shortage of mental health services along with the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a mental illness epidemic which led to an accelerated growth of self-guided therapy-based mental health apps. Most apps are affordable, accessible, and prioritize patient privacy which overcomes barriers to …


A Network Intervention Analysis: Exploring Patterns Of Symptom Change Over Winter Depression Treatment With Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Vs. Light Therapy, Richard J. Norton Jan 2022

A Network Intervention Analysis: Exploring Patterns Of Symptom Change Over Winter Depression Treatment With Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Vs. Light Therapy, Richard J. Norton

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This is an exploratory network intervention analysis (NIA) of a larger randomized controlled trial comparing two first-line treatments for winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD): light therapy (LT) and group cognitive-behavioral therapy for SAD (CBT-SAD). Of 177 adults with SAD randomized in the parent study, this study included the 159 participants (88 LT, 75 CBT-SAD) who completed treatment. NIA was applied to examine the relation of treatment type to changes in four previously identified symptom clusters on the Beck-Depression Inventory-II extended version. There were no differences between LT and CBT-SAD in the magnitude of symptom cluster score changes in the interval …


Addressing Post –Covid-19 Pandemic Depression, Aria Elahi Jan 2022

Addressing Post –Covid-19 Pandemic Depression, Aria Elahi

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This community project explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, particularly focusing on depression, and introduces an intervention in the form of a pamphlet distributed at Newtown Primary Care. The pamphlet addresses individuals experiencing worsened depression due to the pandemic, regardless of COVID-19 infection status, and includes the PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 screening questionnaires for self-assessment. Insights from interviews with Newtown Primary Care were instrumental in designing the pamphlet.

Results reveal that the pandemic has substantially affected patients' mental health, increasing the need for resources. Patients diagnosed with pre-existing depression experienced worsening symptoms due increased stressors due to …


Predictors Of Suicidal Ideation Among Formerly Incarcerated People During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rachel Matthes Gehman Jan 2021

Predictors Of Suicidal Ideation Among Formerly Incarcerated People During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rachel Matthes Gehman

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Background and purpose: Formerly incarcerated people die by suicide at a rate 6.75 times higher than the general population, but previous research has not identified factors that contribute to this heightened risk. The conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate both suicide risk factors and the stressors of reentry. In the framework of stress proliferation theory, this study uses path analysis to identify paths from incarceration history to environmental factors (i.e., financial stress), interpersonal factors (i.e., social support and conflict), psychological factors (i.e., depression and existential isolation, the feeling of being alone in one’s subjective experience), and their subsequent relationship …


The Use Of Technology For Mental Wellbeing In The Era Of Covid-19, Adam Fakhri Jan 2021

The Use Of Technology For Mental Wellbeing In The Era Of Covid-19, Adam Fakhri

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Prevalence of mental health issues has increased during the time of COVID-19. There are many contributing factors to consider, the main one reported has been social isolation due to quarantine precautions. Members of the community have spent extended periods of time at home and away from their loved ones during this pandemic. Many patients have reported many life events occurring including deaths in the family without the ability to even mourn with their family members. This has taken a toll on the community, especially in Vergennes where this small tight knit community that has relied on its tight social bonds …


Cognitive Predictors Of Depressive Symptoms: Cognitive Reactivity, Mood Reactivity, And Dysfunctional Attitudes, Jessica Perez Jan 2020

Cognitive Predictors Of Depressive Symptoms: Cognitive Reactivity, Mood Reactivity, And Dysfunctional Attitudes, Jessica Perez

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Cognitive vulnerability-stress models explain depression as the result of an interaction between negative cognitive styles and stressful life events; however, the specific content of the cognitive diathesis varies from model to model. This study examined three cognitive diatheses (i.e., unprimed cognitions, cognitive reactivity, and mood reactivity) in a prospective longitudinal design assessing currently non-depressed college students (N = 322) at the start of the semester with follow-up at the end of the semester, approximately 3 months later. At baseline, depressive symptoms, major depression history, negative life events in the past year, unprimed dysfunctional attitudes, and both cognitive reactivity and mood …


Financial Incentives For Smoking Cessation Among Perinatal Women At Risk For Depression: Effects On Smoking Abstinence And Depressive Symptoms, Ivori Zvorsky Jan 2020

Financial Incentives For Smoking Cessation Among Perinatal Women At Risk For Depression: Effects On Smoking Abstinence And Depressive Symptoms, Ivori Zvorsky

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Introduction: Financial incentives increase smoking abstinence among pregnant and postpartum women. They have also been reported to reduce psychological symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in women at risk for perinatal depression. This prospective study aims to replicate and extend these findings using the BDI and Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Methods: Participants were 169 pregnant cigarette smokers who were assigned to one of two treatment conditions: Best Practices only (n=88), which entails brief counseling and a referral to a pregnancy-specific quit-line, or Best Practices + Incentives (n=81). Participants were categorized as at increased …


Risk Profiles For Adolescent Internalizing Problems, Kelsey Elizabeth Hudson Jan 2019

Risk Profiles For Adolescent Internalizing Problems, Kelsey Elizabeth Hudson

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Objective: Internalizing problems are commonly diagnosed during adolescence, and are associated with distress, impairment, and negative mental health outcomes in adulthood. Thus, there is a critical need to characterize adolescents who are at the highest risk for escalating to clinical levels of internalizing problems while extending current literature and incorporating both biological and environmental predictors. This study aimed to characterized risk profiles for fourteen-year-old adolescents who developed clinical levels of internalizing (High Internalizing [HI]) problems by age nineteen, using brain, genetic, personality, cognitive, life history, psychopathology, and demographic measures. The study also examined whether there were functional and structural brain …


Instagram Photos Reveal Predictive Markers Of Depression, Andrew G. Reece, Christopher M. Danforth Dec 2017

Instagram Photos Reveal Predictive Markers Of Depression, Andrew G. Reece, Christopher M. Danforth

College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

Using Instagram data from 166 individuals, we applied machine learning tools to successfully identify markers of depression. Statistical features were computationally extracted from 43,950 participant Instagram photos, using color analysis, metadata components, and algorithmic face detection. Resulting models outperformed general practitioners’ average unassisted diagnostic success rate for depression. These results held even when the analysis was restricted to posts made before depressed individuals were first diagnosed. Human ratings of photo attributes (happy, sad, etc.) were weaker predictors of depression, and were uncorrelated with computationally-generated features. These results suggest new avenues for early screening and detection of mental illness.


The Impact Of Depression On Treatment Adherence And Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Cardiac Rehabilitation, Sheau-Yan Ho Jan 2017

The Impact Of Depression On Treatment Adherence And Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Cardiac Rehabilitation, Sheau-Yan Ho

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Major depression and coronary heart disease are two strongly linked, major causes of death and disability. After an acute coronary event, many patients are referred to cardiac rehabilitation (CR), a medically supervised exercise intervention and lifestyle training program. Depression may partially account for poor CR adherence and resulting cardiovascular problems in patients with a history of heart disease; however, underlying mechanisms through which depression impacts cardiac functioning are not well understood. The current project tests a theoretical model in which CR adherence (i.e., number of CR sessions attended) mediates the relation between baseline depression and cardiorespiratory fitness after CR. A …


An Integrative Chronobiological-Cognitive Approach To Seasonal Affective Disorder, Jennifer Nicole Rough Jan 2016

An Integrative Chronobiological-Cognitive Approach To Seasonal Affective Disorder, Jennifer Nicole Rough

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is characterized by annual recurrence of clinical depression in the fall and winter months. The importance of SAD as a public health problem is underscored by its high prevalence (an estimated 5%) and by the large amount of time individuals with SAD are impaired (on average, 5 months each year). The specific cause of SAD remains unknown; however, researchers have identified possible chronobiological and psychological vulnerabilities to SAD. The study aimed to clarify psychological and chronobiological correlates of SAD in the first test of an integrative model of SAD.

The project used a longitudinal design …


Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3Β: An Investigation Of The Novel Serine 389 Phosphorylation Site, Brendan Deegan Hare Jan 2015

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3Β: An Investigation Of The Novel Serine 389 Phosphorylation Site, Brendan Deegan Hare

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Stress associated psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder affect a large proportion of the population. Reductions in the complexity of neuronal morphology and reduced neurogenesis are commonly observed outcomes following stress exposure in rodent models and may represent a mechanism for the reduced brain volume in stress sensitive regions such as the hippocampus observed in individuals diagnosed with stress associated disorders. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-B may play a role in the neurodegenerative phenotype observed following stress exposure. GSK3B is atypical in that it is inhibited by phosphorylation. This inhibitory phosphorylation …


A Randomized Pilot Trial: An Internet-Based Mind/Body Intervention To Mitigate Anxiety In Women Experiencing Infertility, Jessica Clifton Jan 2015

A Randomized Pilot Trial: An Internet-Based Mind/Body Intervention To Mitigate Anxiety In Women Experiencing Infertility, Jessica Clifton

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Infertility is a frequently occurring chronic health condition, which often persists throughout the reproductive years. Heightened anxiety symptoms often are comorbid with infertility diagnoses. Women experiencing infertility, and particularly those with anxiety symptoms, characterize an emerging population that deserves special attention. However, women experiencing infertility have identified barriers to seeking psychotherapy (e.g., fears of being dismissed from fertility treatment and/or stigmatized). Consequently, women diagnosed with infertility need a psychotherapy that not only can reduce these symptoms, but can also be private and convenient. The current study translated an empirically tested in-person mind/body protocol into an internet-based intervention to suit the …


The Cortisol/Dhea Ratio And Sexual Function In Women With And Without A History Of Depression, Carolyn Marie Dundon Jan 2014

The Cortisol/Dhea Ratio And Sexual Function In Women With And Without A History Of Depression, Carolyn Marie Dundon

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The comorbidity between female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) is well documented; however, the mechanism(s) underlying the relationship between these disorders has not been defined. The literature has associated the adrenal hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) with FSD and MDD, suggesting a biological mechanism that may elucidate the comorbidity between these disorders. Based on evidence pointing to a high cortisol/DHEA ratio (C/D Ratio) in MDD and low DHEA in FSD, this study investigated if the potential association between a high C/D Ratio and FSD would be greater for women with a history of MDD when compared to …