Mental and Social Health Commons^™

The Benefits Of A More Physically Active Workforce In The Corporate World, Dillon M. Billingham-Hemminger, Jacob D. Locke

Senior Theses

With the ever-expanding knowledge of the benefits of physical activity and good general health for all aspects of our lives, it should be quite surprising that activity levels are declining at accelerating rates. After taking a deeper look into the probable cause for this phenomenon, it becomes clearer that the increasing pressures of workplace culture are leading to more sedentary lifestyles.

This paper looks at the benefits of physical activity on people and on corporations, specifically workplace disease prevention and wellness programs, to see if there exists a mutualistic relationship between the two. For people, physical activity was consistently found …

Law Library Blog (April 2021): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Burnout, Self-Efficacy, And Coping Strategies Among College Faculty, Jordan M. Ball

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Due to the changing college environment, university faculty are faced with a serious burden to support their university. University faculty are expected to satisfy numerous job demands, and these demands in turn lead to burnout, a chronic response to job stressors. Burnout is an essential component of occupational research as it relates to other negative outcomes, such as turnover and decreased performance. Because of this, it behooves both faculty and universities to employ methods that decrease burnout. Research concerning other populations indicates that certain personal resources can decrease burnout. Therefore, the current study seeks to determine if coping strategies and …

Initial Development Of The Escala De Fortaleza En Jóvenes Para Padres, David Moran

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

National statistics indicate substantial mental health and academic challenges experienced by a sizable proportion of Hispanic children and adolescents in American school settings. School counselors can provide culturally responsive supports to this population and would benefit from contextually grounded, ecologically valid assessments that focus on the positive development of Hispanic children and adolescents. To address this instrumentation gap, this study sought to develop initial items for the Escala de Fortaleza en Jóvenes para Padres in both English and Spanish. A qualitative approach was implemented to explore the perceptions of Hispanic parents/caregivers of their child or adolescent’s resiliency. Eight Hispanic parents …

Implementing A Peer Advocate Mental Health Digital Intervention Program For Ohio Youth: Descriptive Pilot Study, Tashuna Albritton, Kelsey Lynett Ford, Kira Elsbernd, Melodie Santodomingo, Ivan Juzang, Pam Weddington, Sheana Bull

Publications and Research

In the United States, millions of adolescents report poor mental health, where 1 in 5 teenagers considers suicide. Reducing stigma and fostering peer support remains critical for positive mental health interventions and programs. Increasingly, digital mental health tools have emerged with great promise, leveraging social networks. Despite the potential, limited understanding of such comprehensive programs and their implementation exist.

The Effect Of Nutrition And Exercise On Mental Health, Rebekah Owen

Senior Honors Theses

Research has shown nutrition and exercise are especially effective in helping relieve mental illness. Mental health can be aided through dietary alterations such as increasing intake of omega-3 fatty acids, fermented foods, certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Proper nutritional patterns help regulate neurotransmitters and assist in the betterment of brain functioning, offering protection from and maintenance of mental illness. Furthermore, the Mediterranean diet provides to be most beneficial for mental health compared to the standard American diet which contains additives harmful to the human brain. Physical exercise also provides to be a possible therapy for those suffering from mental …

Art-Making And Wellbeing With Professional Artists During A Pandemic, Ilyse Lindsey, Schelsey Mahammadie-Sabet, Nicole Rademacher

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research project aims to explore the relationship between art-making and wellbeing in professional artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involves 14 respondents who were invited to complete a Qualtrics survey as well as a process of arts-based inquiry. Researchers analyzed participants’ survey and art responses using an iterative collaborative process to identify emergent themes. These themes included a non-optional and internally-located drive to create; positive emotional, social, and physiological impacts associated with art-making and art-sharing; and, positive impacts on art practice associated with the pandemic. These findings emphasized the unique strengths and challenges associated with the professional artist …

Let’S Dance: Exploring The Physical, Psychological, And Social Effects Of Dance In Children, Alexis Sunderlage

Senior Theses

Movement and dance have a lot of positive health benefits, physically, psychologically, and socially. Children love to intrinsically move and creating a structured dance program is one way to gain the benefits of dance. The purpose of this study is to explore the physical, psychological, and social effects of dance in children while gaining insights that could be applied to the setting of occupational and physical pediatric therapies. This was done by conducting a literature review and exploring how children react to learning and following dance videos in a classroom setting by evaluating ability, engagement, and enjoyment by creating Let’s …

The Utilization And Effectiveness Of Telemedicine In The Wake Of Covid-19, Maxwell Sharawy

Senior Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world, in every industry. Almost none were hit as hard as the healthcare system. Through the use of telemedicine, healthcare providers were able to care for their patients without rise of infection. Through a review of published literature and interviews conducted with three practicing physicians of various specialties, a diagnosis was developed to determine if the care provided through telemedicine was as effective as in-person care. It was hypothesized that when used properly, telemedicine can be used as an effective replacement for in-person care across a wide range of specialties. After review of the literature …

Efficacy Of Souroubea-Platanus Dietary Supplement Containing Triterpenes In Beagle Dogs Using A Thunderstorm Noise-Induced Model Of Fear And Anxiety, Aleksandar Masic, Gary Landsberg, Bill Milgram, Zul Merali, Tony Durst, Pablo Sanchez Vindas, Mario Garcia, John Baker, Rui Liu, John Arnason

Brain and Mind Institute

A novel botanical dietary supplement, formulated as a chewable tablet containing a defined mixture of Souroubea spp. vine and Platanus spp. Bark, was tested as a canine anxiolytic for thunderstorm noise-induced stress (noise aversion). The tablet contained five highly stable triterpenes and delivered 10 mg of the active ingredient betulinic acid (BA) for an intended 1 mg/kg dose in a 10 kg dog. BA in tablets was stable for 30 months in storage at 23 °C. Efficacy of the tablets in reducing anxiety in dogs was assessed in a blinded, placebo-controlled study by recording changes in blood cortisol levels and …

Mechanisms, Diagnosis, Prevention And Management Of Perioperative Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia, Sylvia H Wilson, Kevin M Hellman, Dominika James, Adam C Adler, Arvind Chandrakantan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) occurs when opioids paradoxically enhance the pain they are prescribed to ameliorate. To address a lack of perioperative awareness, we present an educational review of clinically relevant aspects of the disorder. Although the mechanisms of OIH are thought to primarily involve medullary descending pathways, it is likely multifactorial with several relevant therapeutic targets. We provide a suggested clinical definition and directions for clinical differentiation of OIH from other diagnoses, as this may be confusing but is germane to appropriate management. Finally, we discuss prevention including patient education and analgesic management choices. As prevention may serve as the …

Socastee Interview, Participant #08, March 31, 2021, Jennifer Mokos, Jaime Mccauley

Flood Survivor Interviews

A community member of the Rosewood neighborhood in Socastee is interviewed by a CCU student.

Aspiring To “Make It Work”: Defining Resilience And Agency Amongst Hispanic Youth Living In Low-Income Neighborhoods, Sara Arias-Steele

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how Hispanic youth (ages 13-21 years) living in low-income neighborhoods of Florida defined resiliency and expressed agency navigating personal challenges and neighborhood adversity in pursuit of success. From the standpoint of the participants, this study focused on how youths: 1) judge the quality of life in their neighborhoods and the opportunities available for them, 2) identify personal aspirations for themselves and 3) identify what resilient factors allowed them to face the challenges and barriers of their daily lives to pursue this aspiration. This study takes into account the structural barriers that create inequities to examine how personal …

Of Body And Mind: Bioarchaeological Analysis Of Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Century Anatomization And Institutionalization In Siena, Italy, Jacqueline M. Berger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Institutional bioarchaeology is a growing sub-field within bioarchaeology, particularly social bioarchaeology as informed by the biocultural approach. However, the majority of studies in this vein have primarily addressed English-speaking contexts, to include analyses of institutional assemblages preserved archaeologically, and anatomical collections. The present study examines of the Siena Craniological Collection (SCC) - located in Siena, Italy. The collection was assembled between 1862-1931, and originally contained remains of 1,122 patients from both the general and mental hospitals in operation in Siena during this period (Brasili-Gualandi & Gualdi-Russo, 1989a). In addition to demographic analysis of the Siena Craniological Collection as a whole, …

Socastee Interview, Participant #04, March 30, 2021, Jennifer Mokos, Jaime Mccauley

Flood Survivor Interviews

A community member of the Rosewood neighborhood in Socastee is interviewed by a CCU student.

How Do Emergency Medical Service Workers Cope With Daily Stressors?, Bryce Hruska, Marley S. Barduhn

Population Health Research Brief Series

Emergency medical service (EMS) workers face triple the risk for significant mental health problems like depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to the general population. This brief summarizes the results of a study that surveyed EMS workers in Syracuse, NY to better understand how their mental health symptoms relate to daily occupational stressors. These stressors can take the form of routine work demands, critical incidents involving serious harm or death, and social conflicts. The study also examined whether daily mental health symptoms may be reduced through protective behaviors in the form of recovery activities such as exercising, socializing with …

Mental Illness Diagnosis And The Construction Of Stigma, Katie Lynn Walkup

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how mental health legislation and related policy documents contribute to identification, diagnosis, and stigmatization. Using a mixed methods approach including content and stylometric text analysis with R as a heuristic for close and critical reading, I demonstrate how these documents normalize mental health concerns as a public threat. To do this work, I analyze how the Florida Mental Health Act (Chapter 394) and the Florida Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act (SB 7026) circulate and sustain dominant narratives about mental illness. I trace where these narratives are distributed into Florida school districts’ mandatory mental health …

Political Ideologies, Political Party Affiliation, And Treatment Decisions Of Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Aaron L. Norton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature in the counseling profession has emphasized the importance of recognition of the potential impact of counselor bias on clinical care for decades. A large body of research has been developed on the potential for the personal, social, and religious beliefs of clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) to impact their work with clients, but comparatively little research has been conducted on the potential impact of the political beliefs of CMHCs and their clinical practice, creating a gap in the professional literature. The present study sought to bridge the gap in CMHC literature by examining the relationship between the political ideologies, …

Sexual Orientation, Substance Misuse, And Sexual Misconduct At A Conservative Christian University, Maci Chen

Honors Scholars & Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Programs

College students in general tend to have high rates of substance use and abuse. Sexual minority college students show high rates of substance use and abuse. These findings are consistent across studies of sexual minority students and their relation to substances. Sexual minority populations are also more at-risk for becoming victims of sexual harassment and assault. Minority stress theory hypothesizes that LGBTQ+students at Christian universities may face heightened stigmatization or alienation, perhaps because of Christian norms/beliefs supporting heterosexual orientation.

Socastee Interview, Participant #03, March 26, 2021, Jennifer Mokos, Jaime Mccauley

Flood Survivor Interviews

A community member of the Rosewood neighborhood in Socastee is interviewed by a CCU student.