Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The War At Home, Joseph A. Altobelli Mr.

Capstones

This site was made to show how the cuts to and politics behind the Veterans Affairs Hospital in New York affects the veterans it is set up to care for.

Advocacy In Action: A Framework For Implementation Of The American Counselors Association Advocacy Competencies On A Local Level, Jeffrey M. Lown

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Despite calls from within the professional field and external forces, counselors have faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to be effective advocates for their clients and themselves. A review of the literature reveals that throughout the history of the profession, prominent figures have called on counselors to assume advocacy roles, and that some initiatives have been successful in fostering lasting change. However, as counselors and their clients’ needs continue to evolve, so too must strategies to address these needs be reevaluated and new initiatives put into place.

In this paper, I have outlined a committee structure and agenda that seeks …

Prescription For Critical Thinking: A Discussion Of Psychotropic Medication And Counseling, Barton W. Biggs

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This paper examines questions about the safety and efficacy of psychotropic medication, and looks at how these questions should impact the field of counseling. The paper first looks at increasing rates of use of psychotropic medication, and establishes that nearly every clinical mental health counselor will work with clients who are taking or considering taking such medication. The paper next examines the scientific literature and establishes that there is a legitimate basis for questions to be raised about the safety and efficacy of these medications. The paper goes on to establish that there is a foundation in ethical codes and …

Preserving Personhood In Individuals With Cognitive Impairment: A Caregiver's Role, Maren Legg

Honors Projects

This project consists of an educational program for informal caregivers in the Bowling Green community on preserving personhood in individuals with cognitive impairments through caregiving experiences. The program was based on a copious amount of research regarding personhood, how personhood relates to individuals experiencing cognitive impairment, and how care provided by caregivers can be provided in a way that promotes and preserves an individual’s personality, personhood, and selfhood.

The program was developed over the span of four months and incorporates models of personhood, behaviors that threaten and preserve or promote personhood, as well as practical suggestions for strategies in how …

Smoking And Exercise: Mechanisms And Effects During Simulated And Genuine Quit Attempts, Stefanie De Jesus

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cigarette smoking is a leading agent for premature morbidity and mortality among the global community. Most individuals surrender to tobacco use disorder due to the inability to cope with cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Exercise appears to provide acute relief. Currently, it is unclear how exercise attenuates these reductions. Furthermore, the available evidence has focused on acute outcomes besides smoking behaviour and is limited to simulated quit attempts. Three experimental studies were designed to address these outstanding issues. Not surprisingly, a bout of moderate intensity exercise was found in study 1 (chapter 2) to reduce cravings associated with a temporary period …

The Hidden Epidemic: Mental Health Epidemiology In Post-Conflict Populations And Implications For Conflict Transformation Practices, Jennifer Sato

Capstone Collection

This capstone explores the ramifications of unmitigated mental health illness in conflict populations, paying special attention to refugees and migrants. The intersection between conflict and mental health is explored and analyzed in order to highlight the implications of the findings and to make recommendations to both metal health and conflict transformation practitioners. This capstone depends predominately on secondary resources and personal interviews and is informed by my own practicum experience at a refugee health center. The need to improve mental health outcomes in order to pursue conflict transformation and peace building is a key focus and is supported by the …

Feasibility Of A Peer Support Oriented Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Massive Open Online Course For Emotion Dysregulation, Rachel Gill

Senior Theses

Public interest in mental health care modernization has steadily gained momentum since ratifying The United States Health Care Affordability Act (U.S. Office of the Legislative Counsel, 2010). Furthermore, with 1 in every 1000 people seeking online support for mental health issues (DeAndrea & Anthony, 2013), research concerning the development of virtual mental health applications is critical to ensure science guides their innovation. To this end, this study explores the feasibility of a mental health intervention that unites the experiential, recovery-oriented, and self-determined values of mental health peer support (Kaufman et al., 2014) with dialectical behavior therapy skills training (DBT-ST) (Linehan, …

Getting To The Doctor: Bpss Factors Of Health Care Utilization In Fragile Families, Veronica P. Kuhn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The number of fragile families where a child is born to unwed parents has increased greatly over the past half-century and now represents a diverse population in the United States (Ventura, 2009). These families, who are predominantly African American and Hispanic (Hummer & Hamilton, 2010) and are more likely to live in poverty and experience poorer health, face significant barriers to access and utilize health care services (De Marco & De Marco, 2009; Williams, 2008). Limited research exists on how these facets of the illness experience might differ for fragile families whose resources are limited prior to illness. The Biopsychosocial …

Paternal Depression In The Peripartum Period: An International Delphi Study, Cassidy J. Freitas

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This dissertation aims to reach consensus on the defining factors of Paternal Peripartum Depression (PPPD) as well as identify research priorities through the Delphi method. Peripartum Depression is a major health issue for parents and their children. Fathers are at risk for peripartum depression due to the changes in identity, relationship, and biology they face during their transition to parenthood. A father’s mental health plays an intimate role in the overall health and outcomes of his family, but up until this point has been significantly overlooked. Due to the paucity of research and lack of clear consensus on the identifying …

A Phenomenological Study Of Anticipated Intimacy And Sexual Expression Needs Of Aging Male And Female Baby Boomers., Charles Shawn Oak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the phenomenon of how heterosexual Baby Boomers define and understand intimacy, sexual expression, along expectations and desires relating to their respective expressions across the lifespan through their individual experiences and reflections. A set of guiding questions were used in a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative research design. Data was gathered from thirteen subjects (n=13) using the Rappaport Time Line (RTL) that was used to develop individualized semi-structured interviews and follow-up interviews that were professionally transcribed. These were coded to identify emergent themes. Results of the study provided insight into the phenomenon of how heterosexual …

Expanding Access To Naloxone In Maine: Opportunities And Barriers, Kate E. Richardson

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have declared prescription drug abuse a national epidemic (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2014). In addition to strategies designed to prevent opioid abuse and misuse, many public health officials, policy makers, healthcare providers and harm reduction task forces seek to increase access to naloxone, a prescription drug known to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. This report provides an overview of the barriers and opportunities for the state of Maine to expand access to the opioid antagonist, naloxone, in an effort to reduce fatal opioid drug overdose rates.

Perceptions Of Social Control In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods And Adolescent Drug And Alcohol Use: Are They Related?, Kanita Shiquia Sumner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using data collected from the Evaluation of the Children at Risk Program (CAR) in Austin, Texas, Bridgeport, Tennessee, Savannah, Georgia, and Seattle, Washington (Harrell et al 1999), this study focused on problem behaviors in disadvantaged neighborhoods , specifically, drug and alcohol use, among at-risk youth. The purpose of this study was to determine if parochial and public levels of social controls in disadvantaged neighborhoods decrease the likelihood of adolescents using drug and alcohol. It was found that the parochial level of social control in disadvantaged neighborhoods was highly correlated with adolescent's alcohol and drug use; however, the public level was …

The Effects Of Parent-Adolescent Communication And Parenting Style On The Physical Activity And Dietary Behaviors Of Latino Adolescents, Dianna Mary Boone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The obesity epidemic among children and adolescents has been growing rapidly over the past 10 years, particularly in Latino children. Multiple researchers have found support for positive associations between parent-child communication and healthy nutrition and exercise behaviors. The present study examined the relations between parent-adolescent communication and parenting style and the dietary and exercise behaviors of Latino adolescents. The study included 79 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years and their parents (100% are Latino). Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine which parenting style and communication variables are significantly associated with adolescents’ dietary and physical …

The Sixties Scoop Among Aboriginal Veterans: A Critical Narrative Study, Munira Abdulwasi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored the experience of Aboriginal Veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop using critical narrative inquiry. The objectives were to: 1) understand the lived experience of Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, 2) explore any health needs expressed by Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, and 3) provide recommendations for the implementation of health services and programs to assist this group of Aboriginal veterans with their health needs. Eight individual interviews were conducted with participants in Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using …

Communities In Action: Participatory Assessments As An Initial Stage In Critical Consciousness Raising And Community Capacity Building, Carizma Amila Chapman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This paper presents the findings of two participatory community assessments conducted in Punta Raton and El Venado, two small coastal towns in Southern Honduras. The community assessments were designed and implemented to establish a baseline of community awareness and action, an important step in community development and environmental sustainability. The aim was to: build community partnerships, identify key stakeholders, facilitate dialogues about concerns, identify local and external resources required for progress, and construct actions plans targeting key communal concerns. The assessments were found to be successful in engaging community members and identifying local needs and resources. However, challenges in intervention …

Music Listening As Therapy, David M. Rosenblatt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Music is a universal phenomenon and is a real, physical thing. It is processed in neural circuits that overlap with language circuits, and it exerts cognitive, emotional, and physiological effects on humans. Many of those effects are therapeutic, such as reduced symptoms of physical and mental ailments. Music is the result of the elements rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, dynamics, and form. Rhythm is the focus of pop music, and melody is the focus of classical music. The mind perceives and organizes music in learned, consistent ways in order to generate predictions and extract meaning. There are perceptual laws and information …

Developing Dyadic Measurements In Marriage And Family Therapy: The Dyadic Supervision Evaluation, Adrian Avila

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study applies integrative developmental theory and a common factors approach in evaluating and describing how Marital and Family Therapy trainee’s progress in mastering the core competencies set forth by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) through the process of clinical supervision. More specifically, this project evaluates the internal reliability, construct validity, and predictive validity of the Dyadic Supervision Evaluation (DSE). The important role and influence of clinical supervision as well as the next steps for validating and evaluating dyadic, developmental, core competencies and common factors measurements in clinical supervision are discussed.

Mental Health Screening Of Veterans Diagnosed With Cancer: Analyzing Psychological Distress And Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help, Jessica Jean Baptiste

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Studies analyzing mental health care utilization in veterans with a co-occurrence of a medical and psychological diagnosis are still underrepresented in the literature. The primary purpose of this study is to examine psychological screening methods of veterans diagnosed with cancer and determining when these veterans are more likely to endorse psychological symptoms. This information can contribute to the discussion of effective ways of integrating mental health screening in specialty care settings. A correlational, causal-comparative research design is employed to answer the study research questions and hypotheses. The participants include Vietnam, Korean, and World War II veterans seeking oncology services at …

Examining The Relationship Between Bicultural Stress, Mental Well-Being, Perceived Social Support, And Education Among People Of African Descent, Zemed Beraki Berhe

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Studies investigating the bicultural experiences of people of African descent are significantly underrepresented in the literature. The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between experiences of bicultural stress and mental well-being. In investigating this relationship, perceived social support and education were examined as protective factors, and its relationship to bicultural stress for this population. With the ultimate goal of this information contributing to the understanding of bicultural processes within this population and the relationship to mental health outcomes. A non-experimental (non-randomized) research design was utilized to examine the study research questions and hypotheses. The participants …

Conduits Of Communion: Monstrous Affections In Algonquin Traditional Territory, Ian S.G. Puppe

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This project investigates the legacies of shifting land tenure and stewardship practices on what is now known as the Ottawa Valley watershed (referred to as the Kitchissippi by the Omamawinini or Algonquin people), and the effects that this central colonization project has had on issues of identity and Nationalism on Canadians, diversely identified as settler-colonists of European or at least “Old World” descent and First Nations, Métis and Inuit (Lawrence 2012).

Focusing on historical and contemporary political and social issues related to Algonquin Provincial Park and its establishment, this project explores; 1) Competing claims levied by First Nations Peoples, local …

Mental Health Clinical Managers And Their Multicultural Leadership Practices, Christie Marie Melonson

Theses & Dissertations

There is a general recognition that the United States has historically failed to provide adequate mental health services to ethnic minorities. The American Counseling Association has mandated multicultural competence of counseling professionals in today’s context of dramatic demographic change. Despite numerous studies on practitioners, organizations, models, and interventions geared toward minorities, disparities in access, usage, and outcomes in still exist. Simultaneously, counseling fields have emphasized leadership development as a key factor in improving services, yet training or research on leadership remains scarce. In response to these conditions, this basic interpretive qualitative study focused on exploring clinical managers’ perceptions of their …

Parent-To-Parent Support For Parents Of Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing: A Conceptual Framework, Rebecca Henderson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Parent-to-parent support for parents with children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) is identified as an important component of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs for children with hearing loss.

Purpose: The specific aim of this review was to identify the constructs and components of parent-to-parent support for parents of children who are D/HH.

Research Design: An extensive scoping literature review identified 39 peer-reviewed articles published from 2000-2014. Studies were selected and reviewed based on standardized procedures.

Results: Data was identified, extracted and organized into libraries of thematic and descriptive content. A conceptual framework of …

Is The Geriatric Impact Ipad Test A Valid Measurement Of Cognitive Function In Older Adults?, Heather Elise O'Dell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of older adults will rapidly increase within the next generation (Brookmeyer, Johnson, Ziegler-Graham, & Arrighi, 2007). Alzheimer’s disease risk increases with age, especially after age 60 (NIA, n.d.). Aging leads to a decrease in functional independence, and this side effect is exacerbated by cognitive decline (Johnson, Lui, & Yaffe, 2007). Executive function is a predictor of Alzheimer’s disease onset and progression (Zhang, Han, Verhaeghen, & Nilsson, 2007). The Geriatric ImPACTTM test is a potential new and more convenient testing methods than traditional methods used. The purpose of this research is to validate the Geriatric ImPACTTM test by comparing …

Executive Function Predictors Of Children's Talk, Jacqlyne D. Weber

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Relatively few studies have investigated the relationship between executive functioning (EF) and language development, and even fewer have researched hot and cool EF as a predictor language development. This study is an investigation into the relationship between EF and language development in preschool aged children. More specifically, the ability for hot or cool EF to predict language, this will be the focus of the study. It was found that hot EF was a better predictor of language development in preschool aged children.

Stay-At-Home-Fathers Navigating Depression: A Consensual Qualitative Research Study, William Douglas Meyers Caperton

Dissertations (1934 -)

Evidence suggests that the practices through which men are socialized to become masculine may serve both to restrict their potential in ways that lead to psychological distress, and also to restrict the ways in which they respond to such distress (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Mahalik, Good, Tager, Levant, & Mackowiak, 2012; O’Neil, 2008). While we are beginning to understand masculine depression (Cochran & Rabinowitz, 2000; Magovcevic & Addis, 2008) and paternal depression (Paulson & Bazemore, 2010; Ramachandani & Psychogiou, 2009), almost nothing is known about how SAHFs experience depression, nor their experiences and beliefs regarding help-seeking and psychotherapy. The trend …

Ptsd Symptom Severity And Neurocognitive Performance As A Function Of Combined Tms And Imaginal Exposure In Oif/Oef Combat Veterans With Treatment Resistant Ptsd, Katharine Seagly

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a commonly occurring mental health diagnosis, and is particularly prevalent in combat veterans. Although there has been some success treating PTSD with various forms of therapy, many cases remain refractory to the current standard of care. This pilot study combines transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA) with a standardized exposure protocol for the treatment of chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD. The aims are to (1) determine if the treatment is safe and well tolerated, (2) determine if PTSD and concomitant depression and anxiety symptoms improve, and …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Wellness And Wellness Promotion In Counselor Education Programs, Brett Kyle Gleason

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This phenomenological investigation explored the lived wellness experiences and perceptions of wellness promotion of doctoral level counseling trainees enrolled in CACREP-accredited programs. Participants included a national heterogeneous sample of 12 doctoral level counselor trainees currently enrolled in CACREP-accredited counseling programs. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted to provide a textural-structural description of doctoral students' lived wellness experiences and perceptions of wellness promotion while enrolled in a CACREP-accredited counseling program. Three structural codes includingcomponents of wellness, program culture, and recommendations were identified along with 13 textural codes throughout participant interviews. The findings of this study provide insight into wellness …

Sleep Hygiene Practices: A Cross Cultural Survey Of Sleeping And Dreaming In College Students, Ivan Noe Martinez Salazar

Masters Theses

There is consensus that a sizeable percentage of people in most developed countries do not obtain adequate amounts or quality of sleep. These disruptions in sleep, when chronic and severe, can lead to psychological, behavioral and health consequences. The focus on behavioral and contextual factors that impact sleep has been termed “sleep hygiene”. An on-line anonymous survey collected sociodemographic information, as well as self-reports on sleep, sleep hygiene practices and dreaming across two cultural groups (English & Spanish speaking responders). A total of 204 participants (majority of them college and graduate students) answered the survey. Both cultural groups, English and …

Preserving, Interpreting, And Displaying Mental Health History: Establishing The Patton State Hospital Museum And Archive, Shannon Rene Long

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

There are few museums in the western half of the United States that provide an opportunity to educate the public about the history of mental health care. Recently, a mental health museum and archive of artifacts, photographs, and documents was established on the grounds of Patton State Hospital in Highland, California. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the establishment of this museum and archive and to provide an account of the 125 year history of Patton State Hospital. Understanding the history of Patton provides an opportunity to understand the history of mental health care in the United …

The Effects Of Schedule Density Of Reinforcement For Alternative Behavior On Resurgence, Kathryn M. Kestner

Dissertations

Resurgence is the reemergence of a previously extinguished response when an alternative response no longer produces reinforcement. Although returning to previously successful methods for obtaining reinforcement is likely advantageous, resurgence also occurs in the form of treatment relapse. An individual may return to problematic behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury, drug use) when an alternative behavior (e.g., communication response, coping skill, social behavior, etc.) is no longer successful at producing a reinforcer. Behavior analysts rely on treatments based on differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, and resurgence has been demonstrated following changes to reinforcement schedules due to errors in treatment integrity or intentional …