Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Evaluation Of Depression, Anxiety And Stress In Graduate Nursing Students, Rachel Dunston

Dissertations

Mental health issues are growing in the United States. Postgraduate school is widely known to increase the level of psychological difficulties (Dyrbye et al., 2006) experienced by students. There is a need to address mental health care in graduate nursing students. This project was a descriptive observational comparison pre-post-intervention design used to see if online modes of delivery would aid in decreasing mental health issues for nursing graduate students. Participants were provided with access to three podcasts and encouraged to use the Sanvello mobile application provided to all students at this university. The first podcast focused on using the Sanvello …

Impact Of Social Isolation In Hiv-Positive Individuals During A Pandemic, Corina Jane Bakoylis

Dissertations

Problem: The global pandemic of COVID-19 caused concern for immunocompromised individuals. The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to assess the impact of social isolation on feelings of loneliness, depression, and social isolation experiences in HIV-positive individuals residing in a long-term care facility.

Methods: A mixed-method convergent design with a purposeful sample of HIV-positive adult residents residing in a long-term care facility was utilized. An evaluation of loneliness using the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (Version 3) and depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) were completed. Personal experiences were also assessed with five predetermined open-ended …

Medical Schools Ignore The Nature Of Consciousness At Great Cost, Anoop Kumar

Journal of Wellness

The essential question of the relationship between consciousness and matter is ignored in medical school curricula, leading to a machine-like view of the human being that contributes to physician burnout and intellectual dissatisfaction. The evidence suggesting that the brain may not be the seat of consciousness is generally ignored to preserve the worldview of the primacy of matter. By investigating new frameworks detailing the nature of consciousness at different levels of hierarchy, we can bring intellectual rigor to a once opaque subject that supports a fundamental reality about our experience: We are human beings, not only human bodies.

‘If I Am Not Well, I Can’T Do Sessions Well’: An Analysis Of The Narratives Of Filipino Therapists During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dana Angelica Ledesma, Karina Therese G. Fernandez

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

Research is uncovering the repercussions of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the mental and emotional state of various populations around the world. It is of particular interest to this study to explore how the pandemic has affected psychologists conducting therapy with clients in distress during this time. A qualitative approach was used to analyse the narratives of eight Filipino psychologists who were living in community quarantine while conducting therapy from March to December 2020. The results revealed four chapters: (1) ‘thrown up in the air’, (2) struggling to find their footing, (3) gaining stability and (4) ‘finding new rhythm’. It was …

Intimate Partner Violence Education For High School Students, Morgan Foster

Dissertations

Problem Adolescents are at risk for experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). As early as seventh grade, over half of adolescents have reported being in a romantic relationship. Adolescent screening for and education of IPV is minimal, and only the Healthy Relationships Quiz developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] screens young adolescents across all aspects of IPV, including psychological and sexual violence. The purpose of this project was to develop an IPV education plan for high school students in a health course.

Methods An educational lesson plan for IPV was created for high school teachers.

Results …

Pattern Of Use Of Electronic Health Record (Ehr) Among The Chronically Ill: A Health Information National Trend Survey (Hints) Analysis, Rose Calixte, Sumaiya Islam, Zainab Toteh Osakwe, Argelis Rivera, Marlene Camacho-Rivera

Publications and Research

Effective patient–provider communication is a cornerstone of patient-centered care. Patient portals provide an effective method for secure communication between patients or their proxies and their health care providers. With greater acceptability of patient portals in private practices, patients have a unique opportunity to manage their health care needs. However, studies have shown that less than 50% of patients reported accessing the electronic health record (EHR) in a 12-month period. We used HINTS 5 cycle 1 and cycle 2 to assess disparities among US residents 18 and older with any chronic condition regarding the use of EHR for secure direct messaging …

Escaping The Escapism: A Grounded Theory Of The Addiction And Recovery Process In Online Video Gaming, Jayson Carmona, Jason Whiting Phd

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to describe the experience of people who struggled with self-described addiction to World of Warcraft™ (WoW). WoW is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), and many players have shared their stories of compulsive use and recovery efforts on two different websites: www.wowdetox.com, and a Reddit forum called /r/noWoW. We analyzed 140 unique posts on these sites to develop a process model describing how posters experienced addiction and recovery from WoW. We used grounded theory methods to create a model with categories including, time sink, impairment in work and relationships, and …

Incarceration And Suicide: Do The Risk Factors Differ For Civilians And Veterans?, Rheannon Gail Ramsey

Dissertations and Theses

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in United States jails and prisons. Many researchers have looked at suicides in prisons and what can potentially cause suicidal ideation but there are conflicting findings among civilian incarcerated populations and United States military veteran incarcerated populations.

The intent of this study is to examine which risk factors are most prevalent among adults in custody, with a focus on mental health and substance use or abuse and how these risk factors differ between incarcerated civilians and incarcerated veterans. Using survey data from the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails conducted …

A Community-Based Participatory Research Project To Increase The Understanding Of The Health Concerns Of African Immigrant Communities In Urban Missouri., Rhonda Belue, Covenant Elenwo, Clayton Adams, Adaobi Anakwe, Kelly Taylor, Sunita Manu, Sidee Conteh

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background

African immigrants and refugees experience unique mental and physical health care needs that may be a result of pre-migration history and the acculturation process. The purpose of this project was to collaborate with African immigrant and refugee communities to identify health needs of the communities and lay a foundation for future action.

Methods

Key-informant interviews with five West, East and Central African immigrant and refugee communities included community leaders (n=10) and listening sessions with larger groups of community members totaling approximately 150 participants to identify health care needs. Content analysis was employed to identify themes related to immigrant and …

Clinicians' Use Of Mhealth Applications In Interventions For Substance Use Disorders, James Daniel Bender

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine how clinicians are identifying, evaluating, and utilizing mHealth apps as treatment adjuncts with their clients who have a substance use disorder. A sample of 93 participants (20 males, 72 females, and 1 not listed) completed measures of demographics and inquiries about their use and evaluation of mHealth apps in their practices. Clinicians who work at mental health centers and private practicing clinicians were recruited. The majority of the sample (71%) reported that they had not utilized mHealth apps with their clients who have a substance use disorder diagnosis. Participants who have attended …

Examining Treatment Acceptability Of An Eight-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Protocol, Blake William Palmer

Dissertations

The goal of this study is to examine whether levels of perceived stress, experiential avoidance, personality traits including openness to experience and agreeableness, and demographic variables will predict the treatment acceptability (indicated by responses on the Treatment Acceptability and Adherence Scale) of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This study collected data in the Spring of 2019. The final number of participants in the study was 116 (40 females, 76 males, Mage = 36, age range: 22-69 years). Participants completed measures including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), the agreeableness and openness to Experience domains …

Investigating Social Support As A Moderator Of The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Alcohol Use And Problems, Sterling Mckenzie Hubbard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Unresolved childhood trauma, known as adverse childhood experiences (ACES), have been found previously to lead to a plethora of health disparities and increase the risk for problematic substance use, particularly alcohol use. However, protective factors, such as social support have been found to buffer against these consequences. The goal of this study was to highlight the connection between ACES and problematic alcohol use. Additionally, the aim was to investigate perceived social support as a moderator between ACES and problematic alcohol use and to examine the domains of social support and how they individually moderate the association between ACES and social …

Support For Me Assessment Of Substance Use Treatment And Recovery Services Current Infrastructure And Future Needs: Summary Of Feedback From The Support For Me Community Focus Groups (Condensed), Katie Rosingana Ba, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd, Evelyn Ali Bs, Karen Pearson Mlos, Ma, Tyler Egeland Ba, Mark Richards Bs

Substance Use Research & Evaluation

In 2019, Maine’s Department of Health & Human Services received a $2.1 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) SUPPORT Act, establishing the SUPPORT for ME initiative within the Office of MaineCare Services. The primary goal of this planning grant is to increase MaineCare providers’ capacity to deliver Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services for Medicaid beneficiaries. In collaboration with Maine DHHS, the Cutler Institute conducted a series of virtual focus groups in Maine as part of a needs assessment for the SUPPORT for ME initative. These focus groups were conducted regionally by Public …

Through The Lens Of The Eaat Facility Manager: Benefits Of Equine-Assisted Activities And Therapies To College-Aged Students, Annalee Parker

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study aimed to explore and gather information on the benefits of equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) to college-aged students so that the information may be given to college students as an educational source and a mental health relief resource. This study strived to explore, through the lens of managers of EAAT organizations and their coworkers, how EAAT has positively affected college-aged students, including those with PTSD, behavioral problems, communication obstacles, Down syndrome, family differences, abusive relationships, depression, anxiety, and/or physical ailments. As a whole, EAAT is viewed as more of a recreational activity rather than a method of …

Cerebellum-Seeded Functional Connectivity Changes In Trait-Anxious Individuals Undergoing Attention Bias Modification Training, Katherine Elwell

All NMU Master's Theses

Anxiety and anxiety related disorders are increasing at a drastic rate in the past decade, with the NIMH reporting that 31.1% of U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Anxiety is commonly characterized by increased attention bias to threat. Attention Bias Modification (ABM) is a new treatment used to reduce individual’s attention bias towards threat. The extent to which ABM leads to underlying neural changes is still unknown. The cerebellum is a neglected brain structure, with new research provides evidence that cerebellum’s functional connectivity and shared networks with threat processing regions has a direct …

Support For Me Assessment Of Substance Use Treatment And Recovery Services Current Infrastructure And Future Needs: Findings From The Support For Me Youth Survey (Condensed), Evelyn Ali Bs, Katie Rosingana Ba, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd

Substance Use Research & Evaluation

In 2019, Maine’s Department of Health & Human Services received a $2.1 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) SUPPORT Act, establishing the SUPPORT for ME initiative within the Office of MaineCare Services. The primary goal of this planning grant is to increase MaineCare providers’ capacity to deliver Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services for Medicaid beneficiaries. In collaboration with Maine DHHS, the Cutler Institute conducted a survey for youth and young adults in Maine as part of a needs assessment for the SUPPORT for ME initative. The data collection goals of the survey …

The Effects Of Mental Illness On Capital Sentencing In The State Of Oregon, Mirtill E. Csikos

University Honors Theses

There is emerging awareness on the potential arbitrariness and unconstitutionality of executing persons with mental illness. Most states with current death penalty laws have little to no protection for severely mentally ill defendants during capital trials. The present paper looked at the effectiveness of sentencing statutes serving the purpose of protecting defendants with severe mental illness in the state of Oregon. Through a careful meta-analysis this research focused on determining how mental illness plays into death penalty decisions and if Oregon’s Guilty Except for Insanity defense provides sufficient protection. Furthermore, the question of mental illness as a mitigating factor was …

An Intersectional Approach To Time Poverty: A Pilot Study Of Time Poverty And Black Women’S Perceived Health Based On Semi-Structured Interviews, Lauriane Ngaya Fonkou

McNair Scholars Program

The term “time poor” describes people disproportionately burdened by responsibilities and inflexible work schedules resulting in little to no discretionary time. Time poverty was brought to my attention via the social media app TikTok where Black women creators expressed how time poverty affects them. Given that Black women are an especially vulnerable population in terms of health, I became curious about the relationship between time poverty and Black women’s health. However, the existing sociomedical science literature on time poverty does NOT adequately account for Black women’s subjectivity because the research considers mediators of class OR gender OR race but does …

Increasing Staff Awareness And Screening Practices For Adverse Childhood Experiences At A Primary Care Clinic, Kayla Wright

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are present in approximately 60% of the adult population in the United States. There is a correlation between adverse childhood experiences and chronic health conditions as adults. Despite the evidence showing this correlation, there is a lack of screening for ACEs in the primary care setting. Many primary care providers and staff are unaware of ACEs or the correlation with chronic health conditions and substance abuse and, therefore, do not understand how to or recognize the benefits of screening in primary care. With education for providers and staff, primary care is the ideal setting to perform …

Postpartum Depression: Development Of A Screening Protocol In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Kelsey T. Langdale

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 19% of all postpartum women. Evidence indicates an increased risk for mothers of hospitalized infants, with estimates ranging from 28% to 67%. The American Academy of Pediatrics and Bright Futures recommend mothers be screened for postpartum depression at the infants’ well-child appointments. During hospitalizations, there are no well-child appointments; thus, no postpartum depression screening. This project aims to 1) improve knowledge of PPD in the staff of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and 2) investigate the staff’s interest level in implementing a PPD screening protocol. Utilizing the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, a protocol was developed …