Community Psychology Commons^™

The Health And Wellness Characteristics Of Food And Beverage Service Industry Workers In Austin, Texas: A Participatory Cross-Sectional Survey, Alexandria Abbott

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Food and beverage service industry workers are prone to tobacco use, alcohol abuse, illicit drug use, and mental health conditions. These workers are also highly likely to not have health insurance. Despite the poor health outcomes that stem from these conditions, little to no empirical evidence currently exists to explain the factors that contribute to the poor health condition of the service industry workforce. This study used a cross-sectional online survey to gather preliminary information on the health and wellness condition of service industry workers over the age of 18 in Austin, Texas. Survey respondents revealed high rates of alcohol …

Follow Up Care, Cancer Treatment Summaries And Patient Centered Communication, Ashleigh Gil

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The adolescent and young adult (AYA) age group is the cohort of individuals who have been diagnosed with and/or are survivors of cancer. It is recommended they receive lifelong follow up care to prevent or mitigate late health effects associated with cancer and treatment. However, AYAs are caught between the pediatric and adult healthcare systems and they may not be able to fully advocate for their healthcare needs. Some factors that may be associated with AYAs survivorship care are treatment summaries and where they receive follow up care. This study aimed to identify if receipt of a treatment summary and …

The Effectiveness Of Implementing A Collaborative Mental Health Approach On Quality Of Life For Individuals Of Low Socioeconomic Status, Tyler Z. Tooley

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The ultimate purpose of this study is to provide insight and education to mental health clinicians, politicians and the general public of the numerous effects poverty has on mental health, in addition to the most beneficial ways to combat those insidious effects. The specific barriers met by individuals of low socioeconomic status severely affect psychological and physical health, as well as social and environmental relationships, which therefore diminish overall quality of life. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of implementing a collaborative mental health approach for low income individuals on length of engagement in services and …

Patient, Hospital And State-Level Policy Characteristics Associated With Prevalence Of Treating Opioid Use Disorder In United States Emergency Departments, Rafeek Adeyemi Yusuf

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The opioid crisis in the United States was declared a public health emergency due to escalating and untoward human, financial, and systemic consequences and effects on the nation. Opioid use disorder (OUD) comprising opioid abuse and dependence is devastating because of its associated chronic relapsing nature, overutilization of healthcare services, rising morbidity and mortality rates, and high cost of care. Efforts to address this have not made significant positive impacts. It is thus imperative to reassess the influence of factors associated with OUD. This study answered the question, what patient-, hospital-, and state-level policy factors were associated with prevalence of …

Identifying Risk Factors For Chronic Kidney Disease Of Unknown Origin In Six Central American Countries And Houston, Texas, Erika Figueroa-Solis

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem that is recognized worldwide. The type of CKD in Central America does not fit the “usual” CKD encountered in countries with upper middle-income economies, and is also often referred to as CKD of undetermined cause (CKDu). Evidence suggests that CKDu is a disease of occupational origin that can be brought on by a combination of exposures: hot environments, high physical job demands, inadequate hydration protocols, and effects of other nephrotoxic agents. Many gaps remain in knowledge related to CKDu and its putative risk factors, geographic distribution, distributions of renal function in …

The Relationship Between Social Media Engagement And Psychological Well-Being In College Students At The University Of New Hampshire, Emily G. D'Antonio

Honors Theses and Capstones

Social media use has increased substantially in recent years, and for the college-aged population, social media is often the leading method of communication. Research indicates this reliance on digital connection could have a negative impact on the health of young adults (Bagroy et al., 2017). The college years are a time of personal growth and defining actions, yet can also be burdened by mental health issues related to stress, anxiety, and depression (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010). Acknowledging these trends, the current study explores how college students’ specific frequency and intentionality while interacting on social media relates to their psychological well-being. …

Predictors Of Kidney Transplant Receipt And Medicare Costs For Patients, Parisa Asgarisabet

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: The objectives of this study were to first understand whether a dialysis center’s ownership status modified the association between informing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients about transplantation options and patients’ transplantation status; and second, to understand whether Medicare’s Prospective Payment System (PPS) implementation affected the cost of care for ESRD patients from Medicare’s perspective.

Method: This study used the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) data containing information on all ESRD patients in the US, linked to Medicare claims. To address the first objective, a multi-level analysis using mixed effect multinomial logistic regression model was conducted with …

Shadow Women: Wives Betrayed By Sex Buyers, Ingeborg Kraus

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Shadow women are women whose husbands betray them by using prostituted women. Until now, there has been almost no attention paid to the harm to the wives or partners of men who use prostituted women. In this interview, Dr. Ingeborg Kraus talks to the former wife of a sex buyer. She describes the impact of her husband’s betrayal on her and her family. This type of harm needs to be taken seriously and more research done on it.

Secondary Trauma Of Lay Mental Health Workers In Low Resource Locations: Bukavu, Janny Jinor

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

A general consensus exists in the literature that working with a trauma population will produce negative personal, psychological, and professional consequences including secondary trauma. However, a significant research gap occurs with regard to how secondary trauma affects psychosocial assistants (PAs) who work in low-resource and conflict-stricken Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC is plagued by psychological problems resulting from numerous past and ongoing conflicts, but sufficient trained mental health personnel and resources are lacking. As a result, the dire responsibility of providing mental health services to survivors of rape has shifted to minimally trained PAs. This …

“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 …

Hiv-Related Discriminatlon And Cervical Cancer Screening In Zambia, Crystal J. Cazier

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: The Republic of Zambia has the third-highest incidence of cervical cancer in the world, where approximately 700,000 women over age 15 are living with HIV. Women living with HIV (WLHIV) are at increased risk for cervical cancer. While literature suggests that discrimination is a barrier to HIV care, no studies have explored if discrimination experienced in HIV clinics is related to cervical cancer screening using nationally representative datasets. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to examine whether perceived discrimination by healthcare workers due to HIV status is related to having been screened for cervical cancer among WLHIV. …

Cholesterol Efflux Capacity And Its Association With Metabolic Syndrome In A Multi-Ethnic Population (Dallas Heart Study): A Cross-Sectional Study, Oludamilola Akinmolayemi

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multi-component risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. MetS has been found to be associated with increased risk of incident CVD, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and prevalence atherosclerosis. Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) is a measure of the functional property of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). In addition, it characterizes the ability of HDL-C to accept cholesterol from extra-hepatic cells in the periphery to the liver and has been shown in clinical studies to be inversely associated with atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) . Low HDL-C is one of the …

Examining The Relation Between Social Capital And Physical Activity Across Life Stages, Leigh Ann Ganzar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Physical inactivity in adults increases the risk for adverse health outcomes, including non-communicable diseases and premature death. Children who are not sufficiently physically active face increased risk for non-communicable disease risk factors, mental health issues, and poor academic performance. Despite these risks, the majority of people do not achieve sufficient physical activity levels. Social capital is an aspect of the social environment that can shape physical activity behavior throughout different life stages. The three studies of this dissertation sought to assess the association between social capital, from both the cohesion and network perspectives, and physical activity behavior in different life …

Insuring The Integrity Of Global Registries, Aardhra Meenakshi Venkatachalam

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Data quality is a priority in public health because it is used for public health program planning and implementation, research, as well as policy. The information gleaned from the data allows us to assess health status, and improve health needs. This paper evaluated methods for cleaning, managing and addressing missing data in the Lagos State Ambulance Service registry. The techniques included screening, data organization, diagnostic phase, treatment phase and a missing data phase to holistically handle the data. The percentage of systemic errors was reduced through the use of the 5-step method. Missing data was informative for state of origin, …

Nonlinear Functional Models On Causal Inference, Rong Jiao

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Statistical analysis has experienced significant progress on association study, but it remains elusive to understand the etiology and mechanism of complex phenotypes. As a major analytical platform, association analysis may hamper the theoretic development of biomedical science and its application. Thus, many researchers suggest making the transition from association to causation. The mainstream of research in genetics and epigenetics data analysis focuses on statistical association or exploring statistical dependence between variables. Despite significant progress in dissecting the genetic architecture of complex diseases by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the signals identified by association analysis can only explain a small proportion of …

Additional Graduate Degrees Associated With Promotion Among Primary Care Clinical Faculty, Michael A. Hansen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction: Many young and ambitious physicians purposefully seek out meaningful careers in academic medicine, yet there are no evidence-based findings to assist these individuals in how to succeed in advancing their careers in this unique work environment. For early and mid-career faculty, a growing number of trainings and opportunities are available but with little insight as to which choices may have the biggest impact. One common perception is the need for additional advanced training, such as a Master of Public Health. Aims and Method: This study sought to provide evidence-based information about additional training by quantifying the benefit of added …

Factors Affecting Antiretroviral Treatment Entrance, Adherence And Retention Among Hiv Patients In Nigeria And Uganda, Nnenna Ananaba

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction: The maximum benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART) are achieved when HIV patients follow through the HIV Care Continuum. Understanding the factors that impact the Care Continuum are key in minimizing late ART uptake while increasing treatment retention and adherence in sub-Saharan Africa. Objectives: To explore factors that impact the various phases of the HIV Care Continuum, we review trends in median CD4 cells count and presentation with HIV advanced disease stage between 2013 and 2017. We also examined treatment retention rates and the impact of food security on ART adherence. Methods: Two datasets were reviewed. One dataset consists of …

Characterizing Risk & Burden Of Lower Cranial Neuropathy (Lcnp) As Late Effect Among Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivors, Puja Aggarwal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Lower cranial neuropathy (LCNP) is a rare but potentially disabling late effect of radiotherapy (RT) and other head and neck cancer therapies. Survivors who develop late LCNP may experience profound functional impairment with deficits in swallowing, speech, and voice. The aims of this research were: 1) to quantify the cumulative incidence of late LCNP and identify clinical predictors of late LCNP; 2) to investigate the impact of late LCNP on severity of cancer treatment-related symptoms, general functional impairment (GFI), and single item scores of the most severe symptoms; and 3) to quantify the association of late LCNP with swallowing-related …

Coy Arjate Adrusted Response Adaptive Randomization Designs With Targeted Learning, Hai Zhu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Since Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the very first draft guidance in 2010, adaptive designs have been considered to be one of the most promising approaches to make drug development more efficient and less costly. Two approaches, covariate-adjusted response-adaptive (CARA) randomization and adaptive seamless phase II/III design (ASD) have garnered growing attention recently. However, most of the CARA designs are based on parametric models and suffered from model misspecification. The research of incorporating CARA into ASD is also limited and whether type I error rate can be controlled has not been answered. In this dissertation, a new family of …

Association Between Childhood Maltreatment And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study In The United States, Diep N. Poulos

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This retrospective cohort study analyzed self-reported and biological data collected from MIDUS in 2004-2006 to understand the association between the types of childhood maltreatment (CM) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The central hypothesis of this study is that childhood maltreatment is positively associated with adult onset diabetes (T2DM). CM has been associated with lifelong morbidity and an increased risk in chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease (Bernstein RE, 2013). In this study, CM was defined by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The CTQ has three types of abuse: physical, sexual, emotional, and two types of neglect: physical …

The Potential Impact Of Restricting The Sale Of Tobacco At Tobacco Retail Outlets Surrounding Schools Across Major Metropolitan Areas Of Texas On Tobacco Advertisements, Udoka C. Obinwa

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Retail outlets that sell tobacco (ROST) are the leading channel of advertisements and promotional efforts for tobacco companies. Tobacco companies strategically target youth, young adults, racial and ethnic minorities and individuals in lower SES areas with more advertisements, which in turn influences their tobacco use behavior. Researchers have proposed instituting place-based restriction strategies as a way to control tobacco use. This dissertation examined the potential impact of i) restricting the sale of tobacco at ROST within 1000ft of schools and 2000ft of colleges and ii) restricting the sale of tobacco at ROST within 500ft of other ROST, on the number …

Studying The Properties Of Seamless Phase Ii/Phase Iii Clinical Trials Under Covariate Adaptive Randomization, Garrett Miller

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Covariate adaptive randomization is an allocation procedure used in clinical trials that seeks to balance treatment groups. While this method has been shown to reduce bias due to imbalanced treatment groups, the effects of covariate adaptive randomization have not been studied under seamless Phase II/Phase III clinical trials that incorporate short-term endpoint information and treatment selection. Therefore, this analysis sought to determine whether these adaptive randomization methods can be applied to seamless Phase II/Phase III trials while preserving Type I error. In addition, this analysis sought to create R-packages that employ seamless Phase II/Phase III techniques to provide analysis tools …

Patient-Perceived Patient-Centered Medical Home Characteristics And Healthcare Utilization, Expenditure And Quality, Alissa Ratanatawan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model is a care delivery model which patient treatment is coordinated through their primary care physician to ensure they receive the necessary care when and where they need it, in a manner they can understand with the aims to improve healthcare quality while keeping healthcare cost growth under control. The objective of this study was to analyze health service utilization, expenditure and quality of civilian noninstitutionalized US adult population in healthcare facilities that have 3 domains of PCMH features, which are comprehensive care, patient-centered care, and accessible care, using patient’s perspective from the 2016 Medical …

Clinical And Demographic Factors Associated With Peg-Asparaginase-Related Toxicities In Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Priyadarshani Dharia

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction: Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-asparaginase is one of the first-line drugs in pediatric ALL treatment. Although a complete and prolonged treatment with PEGasparaginase has been instrumental in improving the survival of ALL patients, it is associated with four common toxicities: hypersensitivity, hyperbilirubinemia, pancreatitis, and venous thromboembolism (VTE). PEG-asparaginase-related toxicities may require modifications and delays in treatment, which often leads to poor treatment outcomes. Previous studies of PEG-asparaginase-related toxicities have mainly focused on individual toxicities. Further, these studies were conducted in study populations which were predominantly self-reported non-Hispanic whites. Therefore, there is a gap in the knowledge regarding the cumulative burden of …

Quantifying The Financial & Clinical Impact Of Annual Vs. Biennial Mammography Screening, Danmeng Huang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Current guidelines for screening mammography recommend different start ages and intervals for women with average cancer risk. Longer intervals between mammograms allow more time for a tumor to grow, to become symptomatic and clinically detectable, and more likely to be at advanced stage. Existing literature on the associations between mammography screening frequency and risk of more advanced breast cancer have mixed results. Studies have showed that advanced breast cancer costs more to treat, but real-world cost estimates following different mammography screening frequencies are unavailable. To fill the gaps, this dissertation aimed to quantify the clinical and financial impact following annual …

Characterizing Risk & Burden Of Lower Cranial Neuropathy (Lcnp) As Late Effect Among Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivors, Puja Aggarwal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Lower cranial neuropathy (LCNP) is a rare but potentially disabling late effect of radiotherapy (RT) and other head and neck cancer therapies. Survivors who develop late LCNP may experience profound functional impairment with deficits in swallowing, speech, and voice. The aims of this research were: 1) to quantify the cumulative incidence of late LCNP and identify clinical predictors of late LCNP; 2) to investigate the impact of late LCNP on severity of cancer treatment-related symptoms, general functional impairment (GFI), and single item scores of the most severe symptoms; and 3) to quantify the association of late LCNP with swallowing-related …

Moving Beyond The Single Gene: Integrative Gene Set Analysis For Rna-Seq, Andrew Richard Aschenbrenner

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

RNA-seq is the next-generation sequencing technology for gene expression and while many tools have been developed to assess differential expression, most focus on gene-level statistics. Gene-level statistics implicitly ignore any dependence among genes. In order to directly incorporate correlation into testing for differential expression, genes are sorted into networks using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and the gene expression of each network is modeled using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). Since the gene network data often exhibits correlation structures containing positive and negative values, a new intermediate correlation structure is developed. This structure provides a compromise between an exchangeable (one parameter for …

Physical Activity Among Preschool-Aged Children: Considerations For Waking Activity Patterns And Health, Erin Dooley

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

With nearly one-quarter (23%) of U.S. preschool children (ages 3-5 years) having overweight or obesity, supporting healthy growth and development is paramount. Hispanic children have the highest prevalence within this age group (15.6%) and a large projected population growth. Energy expenditure through physical activity is one way to combat excess development of obesity and poor health outcomes. Yet there is limited evidence about the correlates associated with physical activity and health within this population. The three studies of this dissertation examined sociodemographic-, cultural-, and context-related factors related to waking activity patterns and the subsequent impact on health indicators. The overall …

Quantifying The Financial & Clinical Impact Of Annual Vs. Biennial Mammography Screening, Danmeng Huang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Current guidelines for screening mammography recommend different start ages and intervals for women with average cancer risk. Longer intervals between mammograms allow more time for a tumor to grow, to become symptomatic and clinically detectable, and more likely to be at advanced stage. Existing literature on the associations between mammography screening frequency and risk of more advanced breast cancer have mixed results. Studies have showed that advanced breast cancer costs more to treat, but real-world cost estimates following different mammography screening frequencies are unavailable. To fill the gaps, this dissertation aimed to quantify the clinical and financial impact following annual …

Epidemiological Evaluation Of The National Sickle Cell Screening Program In The Republic Of Uganda, Arielle G. Hernandez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Sickle cell anemia contributes substantially to childhood morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, where there are scarce health resources and inadequate awareness among healthcare providers and the community. Without early diagnosis and initiation of preventive treatments, most infants will die of acute complications before their fifth birthday. Information on the mortality associated with sickle cell anemia is excluded from global statistical summaries due to the lack of accurate data, making sickle cell anemia an invisible killer of children on the African continent. Information from long-term large-scale sickle cell screening efforts is not yet available in Africa; therefore, a mixed-methods study …