Mental and Social Health Commons^™

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 …

Neuroqueering Art Therapy: Bringing Neurodivergent Gender Diversity Into The Creative Arts Therapy Room: A Literature Review, Avital Eisen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Recent research across disciplines has established the significance of the overlap between neurodivergence and gender diversity, a truth long espoused by the community. Acting on this research, some mental health disciplines have begun addressing neurodivergent transgender and gender diverse people as a unified population in their research, but the field of art therapy has not yet followed suit. Theoretical frameworks of intersectionality, queer theory, and disability justice highlight the importance of centering the unique experiences and needs of neurodivergent gender diversity. Using these frameworks, this literature review synthesizes community knowledge with art therapy research on both neurodivergence and gender diversity, …

Empowering Providers To Empower Their Patients: One Model To Expand Knowledge, Competency, And Awareness For The Perinatal Substance Use Workforce, Jacqueline Jacobs

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Perinatal substance use (PSU) is a serious and growing public health concern. It is associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes for both mother and child and has been shown to negatively impact the parent-child relationship. Despite the growing prevalence of PSU, there are notable deficits in provider knowledge regarding, and comfortability with, PSU. Moreover, providers report feelings of judgment, resentment, fear, and hesitancy related to their work with women with PSU. Subsequently, women with PSU struggle to find appropriate, compassionate, and effective treatment for their substance misuse. Widespread and accessible training is needed to bolster provider knowledge base, …

Online Friendships And The Bird’S Nest Drawing In The Age Of The Internet, Ian Wong

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

This study was a qualitative exploration of friendships facilitated through the internet and online video games. The goal was to investigate how online friendships compare to in-person friendships in terms of quality. Three English-speaking participants who played an online video game and had an online friendship provided unique case studies describing the differences between an online and in-person friendship. The Bird Nest Drawing art assessment by Kaiser (1996; 2016) revealed themes of attachment security which helped explain the variations in the friendships. The findings of this study opened the topic of online friendships for further exploration in the field of …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Expressive Arts Therapy To Support Positive Experiences Of Embodiment Among Rural Lgbtq+ Adults: A Literature Review, Ann Stromgren

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper investigates the use of expressive arts therapy to support LGBTQ+ adult clients in rural communities. Caring professionals in rural areas often lack training on how to work with LGBTQ+ clients, and best practices for clinical mental health counseling with rural LGBTQ+ clients have yet to be defined. Some evidence suggests that using “metronormative” best practices with rural clients may be irrelevant or cause harm (Giano et al., 2020). Although some recommendations exist for using expressive therapies with LGBTQ+ clients, they are rarely evidence-based, as very few empirical studies exist evaluating the effectiveness of expressive therapy interventions with LGBTQ+ …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Mental Health And Experiences Of Pregnancy Among Black Women And Birthing People With Type 1 Diabetes (T1d), Madeleine E. Marcus

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explored the potential effects of intersections of oppression (i.e., anti-Black racism, diabetes discrimination, and sexism) on mental health and pregnancy experiences among Black women and birthing people with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Previous studies about pregnancy and T1D have included mainly white, cisgender women. Three participants qualified for inclusion in the present study and participated in semi-structured interviews, which the researcher analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) framework. Participants described feeling uncertain about whether aspects of their pregnancy experiences were related to obstetric and/or medical racism. Similarly, participants sometimes seemed uncertain about how racism may affect their …

Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …

Early Onset Bullous Emphysema Associated With Polysubstance Use, Kelsey Noble, Julia Griffin

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

The burden of COPD in the United States is tremendous. This disease is not only among the leading causes of mortality annually, but also takes a heavy financial toll.¹ Bullous emphysema is a severe variant of COPD. The primary identified risk factor for bullous emphysema is tobacco use; however, the impact of other substances is not clearly delineated.² This case presents a patient diagnosed with severe bullous emphysema at age 33 with substantial disease progression over the course of 12 years associated with much scarcer tobacco use than would be expected but a prominent history of methamphetamine and …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Physical And Mental Health Of School-Aged Children, Syed Azlan Abbas, Sufia Athar, Nadeem Zafar Jilani

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a deleterious impact on global health. School-aged children were significantly impacted by the pandemic. These impacts may be attributed to the fact that this age group is at a vulnerable developmental stage and is susceptible to profound effects. We conducted a thorough literature review using PubMed, Medline, and Science Direct electronic database searches between 2020-2022. We retrieved 757 studies, 25 of which were included in our review. We considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and mental health of school-aged children (5-18 years), and the results were analyzed and included in our …

Physical Therapy Students Experience Reductions In Physical Activity And Social Interaction During Coronavirus-Related Curricular Changes: A Cohort Study, Daniel W. Flowers, Amanda Bernard, Erin Mccallister, Lauren Rachal Sant

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic challenged physical therapy students and faculty. The faculty at this institution implemented a modular curriculum progressing from in-person to remote learning to parallel a predicted autumn COVID-19 surge. This study compares the effect of varying educational models on physical therapy students’ physical activity and social isolation outcomes during their program’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that changes in students’ physical activity and social interaction would be observed throughout the semester as the curriculum became more distance based. Methods: This prospective cohort investigation of 42 students from a single physical therapy program …

Urban American Indian Experiences Living With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Elin E. Kambuga, Yitza A. Arcelay-Rojas

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This qualitative interpretive study aimed to describe the experiences of 13 American Indians living in urban settings and their use of traditional healing and biomedical health services for type 2 diabetes. Urban American Indian adults living in the United States who used traditional healing and biomedical health services for type 2 diabetes were recruited for the study through purposive sampling, including snowball sampling. Thirteen participants completed semi-structured interviews. Participants reported positive experiences and barriers to traditional healing and Western biomedical services. They also discussed feelings of disorientation when diagnosed at a young age with type 2 diabetes but self-empowerment as …

The Impact Of School-Based Support Services On Mental Health And Academic Performance, Joshua A. Kent

2023 Symposium

Background: There has been a continued presence of mental health issues among high-school aged youth. As a result, many have a diminished ability to be successful in school. It is a societal problem as discussed in the literature. Legislation within the last 23 years has created more access for students but there is still a gap in services. This gap is mostly seen by not having enough personnel to address the amount of students that need assistance. There is also an inconsistent use of school-based health centers and other school-based interventions. Too many schools are using different interventions and …

Understanding The Acceptability And Effect Of Psychiatric Care Via Telemedicine As An Alternative Option For Patients Living With Intellectual Disabilities In Group Homes, Brittany M. Johnson, Annabelle J. Rowland, Jacob D. Coeur, Maxwell C. Klapow, Jean F. Pointon

Cooper Rowan Medical Journal

Telemedicine has become a popular alternative to in-person clinic visits in the field of psychiatry, but few studies examine the impact of telemedicine mental healthcare provided to patients with intellectual disabilities living in group homes. Our study aims to fill this gap in the literature. A ten-question survey was designed to evaluate the effect of telemedicine services on access to care, quality of care, and patient and caregiver stress. This survey was distributed to caregivers of patients living in group homes who received care at the University of Alabama Medical Center. The majority of respondents indicated that telemedicine visits improved …

Barriers And Facilitators To Achieving Well-Being In Pediatric Providers, Whitney Marvin, Jillian Harvey, Natasha Ruth

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Physician well-being has become increasingly important for health systems across the country due to the strong ties between quality, safety, and overall patient outcomes. Burnout has increased steadily and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study seeks to successfully identify factors that both enhance and detract from well-being in a cohort of pediatric faculty and advanced practice providers (APPs).

Methods: This study utilized a multimethod approach including surveys and a total of 8 semi-structured, virtual focus groups of pediatricians and advanced practice providers (orchestrated through Microsoft Teams) to understand perspectives on burnout and well-being. Each …

Strengthening Tobacco 21 Implementation And Enforcement To Reduce Tobacco-Related Health Disparities: A Stakeholder Engagement Project., Summer Woolsey, Athena K. Ramos, Kaeli Samson, Delwyn Catley, Keyonna M. King, Rob Crane, Hongying Daisy Dai

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: As a part of a priority-setting stakeholder engagement project to strengthen the impact of the federal Tobacco 21 (T21) law, we conducted a qualitative study to solicit input from a nationwide sample of tobacco control stakeholders regarding the implementation, enforcement, and equity implications of the T21 law.

METHODS: Following the T21 policy evaluation guidance developed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), we identified T21 experts in four domains: policy, evaluation, subject matter, and implementation from a national search of stakeholders (invitations, n=1279) to account for geographical variation. This study presents results from five focus groups conducted in December …

Reconceptualizing The Interaction Between Adhd Symptoms And Environmental Context, Oliver G. Mcfadden

University Honors Theses

Difficult questions regarding etiology, prevalence, and individual treatment allude to the heterogenous and complex neurocognitive profile ADHD. Current understandings do not point to there being any yet-undiscovered, succinct set of features for the condition that will answer these questions. ADHD in fact has a heterogeneous etiology and neurocognitive profile, suffers from both overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis, and a variety of styles of treatment are conceivable to address this. Sociocultural factors have crucially guided the direction of ADHD pathology and medicalization and are woven into institutional environments. These extant problems have eluded ADHD research, and the debate over the construction and validity …

The Effects Of Mental Health First Aid Preparation On Nursing Student Self-Efficacy In Their Response To Mental Health Issues, Kristen E. Mcgregor, Shannon E. M. Boyd, Emma C. M. L. Collins, Amy M. Mcdonald, Marlo P. A. Pereira-Edwards, Sarah J. Scott, Tamara D. Neufeld, Tom Harrigan, Breanna L. Sawatzky, Meagen A. Chorney, Kim M. Mitchell

Quality Advancement in Nursing Education - Avancées en formation infirmière

Background: Past studies show a high prevalence of nursing students experience depressive symptoms at varying levels of severity. Teaching nursing students early in their studies how to recognize these symptoms in themselves, their peers, or clients, and how to take appropriate action, may promote better outcomes. Studies in Australia and England have found that Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) increases nursing students’ self-confidence when supporting those experiencing mental health crises. Limited Canadian studies regarding MHFA training exist.

Purpose: To examine the effect of MHFA training on the self-efficacy of nursing students to deliver mental health first aid in a …

Understanding Mental Health As Public Health, Christi M. Navarro

Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches and Lectures

In this interactive workshop, we will utilize a multi-level public health framework to illustrate factors of risk and prevention that influence mental health and well-being. We will discuss shifting the narrative of mental health as an individual issue to the responsibility of society, culture, and environment. Participants will reflect on their role and level of influence in this model as well as their potential for action and positive impact.