Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Expanding Accessibility For Guests With Autism-Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Who Visit The Jacksonville Zoo And Gardens In Jacksonville, Fl, Lauren Schermerhorn, Thais Petrocelli

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Problem: Due to public events being commonly characterized by crowded spaces, loud volumes, and unpredictable changes, attractions such as the Jacksonville Zoo can be challenging for those with ASD without proper accommodations (Kimura et al., 2020)

Purpose: The purpose of this capstone project was to advocate for updated evidence-based sensory accommodations at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for those with an ASD diagnosis with the intention of creating a more inclusive zoo experience.

Eco-Interoception: What Plants, Fungi And Protista Have Taught My Body, Sara Riley Dotterer

Art Theses and Dissertations

To me, ecology is the relational, full-body awareness that I am made up of and deeply connected to everything around me; and for better or worse, this is reciprocal. I form ecotones, an ecological transitional zone between two ecosystems, with the world around me. I use this ecotonal lens to blur binaries and dissolve boundaries between me and the world “outside my body.” During my Masters of Fine Arts at Southern Methodist University, I have continuously explored and represented the lives of various more-than-human species outside of my body, including plants, fungi and protista through an ecotonal lens. Although these …

My Path To Advanced Practice, Hannah Oiselle Knisley

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Examining Opioid Risk Mitigation Practices In A Rural Pain Management Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project, Stanley W. Hatcher, Erica Lewis, Shawn Craddock

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Opioid misuse and opioid use disorder rates have led to record opioid-related deaths nationally. Virginia public health officials declared a public health emergency due to the opioid crisis. Provider prescribing practices are part of this complex local and national public health problem. Evidence indicates that prescribers should assess for risks related to substance misuse and abuse in high-risk populations, such as patients on long-term opioid therapy. By evaluating risk level, the provider has additional information to guide treatment decisions and a baseline for assessing future changes in risk status. This project used quality improvement methods to study the implementation of …

Telehealth Experiences In Canadian Veterans: Associations, Strengths And Barriers To Care During The Covid-19 Pandemic., Deanna L Walker, M S Nouri, R A Plouffe, J J W Liu, T Le, C A Forchuk, D Gargala, K St Cyr, A Nazarov, Don Richardson

MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre

INTRODUCTION: Identifying barriers to care in veteran populations is critical, as veterans face increased social isolation, relationship strains and financial insecurities. For Canadian veterans experiencing barriers to accessing healthcare, telehealth may be a promising alternative with comparable effectiveness to in-person services; however, the potential benefits and limitations of telehealth require further examination to determine its long-term utility, and to inform health policy and planning. The goal of the present research was to identify predictors and barriers to telehealth usage in Canadian veterans in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Data were drawn from baseline data of a longitudinal survey …

Medical Interpreters' Work Impact On Their Lives: Understanding Medical Interpreters' Work Experience, Nicholas M. Herrarte Smith

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Medical interpreters in the US are crucial health workers that specialize in facilitating communication between non-English-speaking patients and English medical professionals. Although much research has been done regarding the positive impact of professional medical interpreters on LEP (limited English proficient) patients' health, it is less known how medical interpreters’ lives are impacted in this line of work. Thus, this study was aimed at gaining a better understanding on the impact that this line of work has on the lives of medical interpreters. For this study, a survey was created with questions regarding demographics, interpretation’s certification process, interpreter’s satisfaction/experience, and mental …

Undue Mental Hardship: A Case For Standardized Treatment Of Mental Health Issues In Student Loan Discharge Proceedings, Abigail Stone

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Deinstitutionalization Policies On Homelessness, Henrique Krigner

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Homelessness is a growing issue in America. In 2019 there were 567,715 homeless individuals in the United States, distributed in emergency shelters (63%) or residing unsheltered on streets (27%). In 2021, even though specialists argue that the Covid-19 restrictions greatly harmed an accurate counting, the total number of unsheltered homeless in America increased in 20%. Such increase became a central discussion not only to regular citizens and neighborhood associations, but it also became a great concern within the federal government which has been appropriating billions of dollars each year to “end homeless”.

Specialists point out that the growth of the …

Drug Ideologies Of The United States, Macy Montgomery

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The United States has been increasingly creating lenient drug policies. Seventeen states and Washington, the District of Columbia, legalized marijuana, and Oregon decriminalized certain drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. The medical community has proven that drugs, including marijuana, have myriad adverse health side effects. This leads to two questions: Why does the United States government continue to create lenient drug policies, and what reasons do citizens give for legalizing drugs when the medical community has proven them harmful? The paper hypothesizes that the disadvantages of drug legalization outweigh its benefits because of the numerous harms it causes, such as …

Implementing A Medication Preference Questionnaire In Schizophrenia To Decrease The Risk Of Relapse, Chelsea Aldridge

Doctoral Projects

Schizophrenia is a debilitating disorder that affects the mind causing individuals to have delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought processing, and or negative symptoms ranging from isolation to anhedonia. Schizophrenia has capabilities of becoming a disabling disorder if symptoms are not properly managed with appropriate psychotropic medications. Psychiatrists, Primary Care Providers (PCPs), and Psychiatric- Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) typically treat the symptoms of schizophrenia with antipsychotics. Antipsychotics fall into two drug classes: first- generation or typical antipsychotics and second- generation or atypical antipsychotics that can be given orally or intramuscularly. Typical antipsychotics generally have more side effects than atypical antipsychotics. However, …

Social Cognition Across Bipolar Disorder And Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia: An Exploratory Study, Izabela Guimarães Barbosa, Flávia Da Mata Chiácchio Leite, Maxime Bertoux, Henrique Cerqueira Guimarães, Luciano Inácio Mariano, Leandro Boson Gambogi, Antônio Lúcio Teixeira, Paulo Caramelli, Leonardo Cruz De Souza

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Bipolar disorder type 1 (BD1) and behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) share similar behavioral and cognitive symptoms, rendering the differential diagnosis between them a clinical challenge. We investigated the accuracy of social cognition (SC) measures to differentiate bvFTD from BD.

METHODS: We included three groups of participants: early-onset BD1 (in remission, n=20), bvFTD (n=18), and cognitively healthy controls (HC) (n=40), matched for age, schooling, and sex. All participants underwent cognitive assessment, including the Facial Emotion Recognition (FER) and Modified Faux-Pas (mFP) tests, which assess mentalizing.

RESULTS: Compared to HC, BD1 and bvFTD patients underperformed on both SC measures. BD1 and …

A Modified Dbt-Informed Art Therapy Group Curriculum With A Focus On Neurodiversity Acceptance, Megan Moyer

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Historically, therapy methods made to support neurodivergent individuals have been focused on reducing “challenge behaviors” and modifying behavior to societal standards. Simultaneously, many behavior modification therapies neglect the emotional well-being of the individual. As neurodiversity grows to be accepted as an aspect of diversity, so too must therapy methods change to promote skill building in line with the cultural values and strengths of neurodivergent individuals and promote social-emotional well-being. This group therapy curriculum poses as one such possibility to this change by utilizing DBT and Art Therapy in a group psychoeducation format.

Factors Affecting Initiation And Retention Of Medication-Assisted Recovery (Mar) Within A Pilot Pharmacist-Involved Practice Model At A Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (Fqhc) During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tiffany Nguyen, Thomas Craig Cheetham, Souhiela Fawaz, Richard Beuttler, Sharon Xavioer

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid-related overdose deaths increased. Although Medication-Assisted Treatment or Recovery (MAT or MAR) is available, initiation and retention rates vary. The goal of this study was to evaluate clinical, demographic, and Social Determinant of Health factors affecting MAR initiation, on-time initiation of medications, and successful retention in the program. The secondary goal was to evaluate the impact of a novel interprofessional practice model incorporating pharmacists. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using electronic health record data from a pilot MAR Program initiated within a California Federally Qualified Healthcare Center. Results: From September 2019 to August 2020, …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

Prescription Drug Misuse Among Graduate Students: Prevalence And Links To Mental Health And Academic Burnout, Madison De Gruiter

Honors Theses

The aims of this study are to examine the prevalence of prescription drug misuse (PDM) among doctoral students and assess associations between PDM and anxiety and burnout in this population. Additional analyses analyzed differential associations by doctoral degree type (i.e., research versus professional programs). A sample of doctoral students (n=131) affiliated with the University of Mississippi participated in an anonymous survey to assess research aims.

Synthesis Of Salvimadol Analogues For The Studies Of Pain, Anxiety, And Depression, Seth Mccaughan

Honors Theses

From 2001 to 2013, worldwide prescriptions of opioids more than doubled from around 3 billion daily opioid doses per year to 7 billion due to major shifts in pain management culture and attitude.¹ This surge in opioid prescriptions brought quick pain relief to patients, but it also brought new challenges, such as nonmedical opioid use, opioid use disorders, and overdose deaths.² In 2015, 33,091 of the 52,404 drug overdose deaths were contributed to opioids, and in 2013, the cost of opioid overdose and addiction was estimated to be $78 billion in economic burden.^3,4 The social and economic …

Links Between Mental Health And Employment Outcomes Among Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emma Atkinson

Honors Theses

Problem: Mental health outcomes related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been extensively researched, although most research in the area is on children with ASD. Studies on adults with ASD are scarcer. More specifically, studies that analyze the association between mental health and work-life balance (WLB) as well as mental health and job satisfaction (JS) among employed adults with ASD is limited. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between mental health and WLB among adults with ASD, the association between mental health and perceived JS among adults with ASD, and whether or not ASD severity moderates …

Opioid Overdose: Rural Georgia Vs. Urban Georgia - Who's Winning The Battle?, Zizah-Wosseni Blair, Justice Dove, Didem Aydin, Stacie Fairley

Research Day

INTRODUCTION: The opioid crisis is a major public health issue affecting communities across the United States, including Georgia. The widespread misuse of prescription and illicit opioids has led to a significant increase in opioid-related overdoses and deaths. The impact on Georgia communities has been devastating, affecting individuals from all walks of life and causing significant harm to families and communities. The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the number of drug overdose deaths in the state rose by 61.9% from 2019 to 2021. Rural and Urban communities in Georgia face unique challenges in addressing this epidemic. Rural communities often …

Mental Health Navigators Bridging The Gap Of Care, Valentina Loreto-Ashley

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Individuals with schizophrenia are most vulnerable at time of discharge due to risk factors that lead to relapse, re-admission, suicide and/or danger to others. A successful discharge process can decrease overall care costs, promotes team collaboration, supports the therapeutic relationship between client and care provider, and helps the client to reach autonomy and self-efficacy. This DNP is a quality improvement project that aims at educating Mental Health Navigators about symptoms of schizophrenia, medications management, and community resources. Effectiveness of the educational intervention will be assessed as the differences between the pre- and post-test assessment score on insight or lack of …

Exploring Barriers To Rural Mental Health Practice: A Pilot Study, Caitlin Vu

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

There is a shortage of mental health professionals in rural areas around the world. Current literature on barriers to healthcare professionals choosing to practice in rural areas mainly focuses on medical professionals, with few studies examining the barriers to rural practice for mental health professionals. Along with examining the perceived barriers and enablers to rural mental health practice, researchers wanted to further examine the reliability of the revised Barriers to Rural Mental Health Practice instrument. Researchers distributed the survey to mental health professionals across the United States. Preliminary findings support high internal reliability for the total scale and three of …