Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Connected Families: Programs For Families Of Infants/Toddlers At Risk For Autism, Toni Carol Durnal Dunning

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although children with secure attachment are known to have better outcomes, fostering secure attachment in an infant/toddler at risk for autism spectrum disorder is challenging. Some of the challenges stem from bi-directional, negative and ambiguous interaction sequences between the child and caregiver that cause emotional dysregulation and undermine caregiver confidence setting the stage for perpetual miscuing and misattunement— a pattern that can impact the entire family system leaving the child, caregiver, and family vulnerable to stress, anxiety, depression, and isolation.

Although the etiology of autism is a matter of intensive and ongoing research spanning many disciplines, there is converging agreement …

Get Engaged: Results Of Ncpg 2018 National Survey Of Gambling Attitudes & Experiences, Keith Whyte, Don Feeney

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The National Survey of Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences (NGAGE) is the largest published survey of gambling participation and problems in the US. This unprecedented look into how Americans gamble, what they gamble, how they think about it in every state. Includes a special focus on sports gambling. Presenters will review the findings and implications for everyone involved in gambling issues.

The Effect Of Caregiver Burnout On Alzheimer's Treatment Compliance, Daniel Kane, Brandon Liu

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

According to the Alzheimer's Association (2019), approximately 5.8 million Americans live with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Additionally, it is reported that 16 million Americans are considered caregivers to those individuals. While AD is incurable, treatment adherence is a significant predictor of family and patient outcomes. This proposal explores the impact of caregiver burnout on patient treatment compliance of those with Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is hypothesized that the presence of burnout in caregivers of loved ones with AD will negatively affect treatment compliance. A possible implication of this study is improving quality of life outcomes for those managing AD.

Gender Differences In Non-Suicidal Self-Injury In A Sample Of Treatment-Seeking Gamblers, Megan Cowie

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Gambling Disorder (GD) is a public health concern with tremendous implications (Smith & Wynne, 2002). The disorder rarely occurs in isolation, often presenting with other conditions. Suicidal ideation and attempts are common among treatment-seeking gamblers (Maccallum & Blaszczynski, 2003). An important yet overlooked risk factor for suicidality is non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI; Klonsky et al., 2013). NSSI can serve many functions: relief of negative emotions; generation of positive states; escape from interpersonal obligations; attention or facilitation of resources (Nock & Prinstein, 2004). Previous research has found gender differences in NSSI. Despite NSSI’s relationship to suicidality and the noted gender differences, literature …

Illness And The American Workplace: Issues And Implications For Employers And Employees, Victoria R. Dolan

Student Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to identify American employee experiences and existing workplace policies and cultures surrounding illness, disability, and sick leave. This approach was taken in order to closely examine what looks to be working well for companies and workers, and what could benefit from a more human centric approach in regards to workplace policy and employee support programs. The study of employee experiences in particular represents a gap in the current scholarly literature regarding illness and illness policy in the American workplace, and more accurately represents the experiences for both employees and employers. Furthermore, it assists with distinguishing the types …

Interventions For Problem And Pathological Gambling: Status, Innovations, And Challenges, Matthew P. Martens

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The purpose of this presentation is to address research on the effectiveness of problem gambling interventions and offer insights for new directions. Dr. Martens has led two clinical trials over the past five years that have integrated technology into problem gambling interventions for young adults. In the first trial (Martens et al., 2015), he found that a computerized personalized feedback intervention reduced gambling problems among at-risk young adult gamblers. In the second trial (Martens et al., in preparation), he found that an intervention delivered via cell phone and text-message had an indirect effect on gambling-related problems. Although effect sizes for …

Human Learning, Memory, And Student Development, Alan R. Erickson

Contemporary Issues in Educational Leadership

My educational interests have largely been informed by my career in the sciences and medicine. My professional education has been both formative and transformative, opening doors to the joy of learning and a realization in the importance of memory. As an educator, clinician, and student, I have been greatly impacted by issues of curricular design, curricular development, learning and memory. My current responsibilities in student affairs also have exposed me to the delicate balance between student development, curricular design, learning and memory. Patton, Renn, Guido, and Quaye (2016) noted the importance of educators being able to use different literature sources …

Gratitude As An Antidote To Anxiety And Depression: All The Benefits, None Of The Side Effects, Mary Kate Schutt

Population Health Research Brief Series

Despite efforts among health care professionals, schools, and workplaces to address mental health issues, anxiety and depression remain pervasive public health concerns. This issue brief discusses how emerging research suggests practicing Gratitude may be an alternative antidote to battling anxiety and depression.

Using Short Message (Sms) To Deliver Appointment Reminders And Reduce No-Show Rates: An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Fernando Serrano

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background/Objectives: Missed appointments (MAs) are correlated with reduced treatment efficacy, increased financial burden on medical institutions, and early treatment terminations for therapy (DeFife, Conklin, Smith, & Poole, 2010). MAs occur for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to severity of illness, financial/geographic constraints, and forgetting the appointment (Filippidou, Lingwood, & Mirza, 2014). Appointment compliance within outpatient mental health clinics has a wide variance with some clinics reporting MAs ranging from 15% to 50% (Car, Gurol-Urganci, de Jongh, Vodopivec-Jamsek, & Atun, 2013).

With decreasing costs and a subsequent massive increase in mobile phone technology use by the general population, …

Spirituality And The Infant Brain: Implications For Attachment Theory And Therapeutic Process Across The Life Span, Caitlin Eliasson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Faith, Loss And Meaning: Frameworks Of Meaning As A Practical Approach To Spirituality In The Therapy Room, Lauren Price

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Do Not Miss Your Shot: Improving Follow-Up In Patients Receiving Long-Acting Injectable Medications, Mary O'Hara

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Serious mental illness including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder affects 1 in 24 adults in California. These chronic disorders are difficult to treat and often sabotaged by medication nonadherence. Long-acting injectable (LAI) medications are one strategy to combat medication nonadherence. Effectively providing treatment with LAI medications can be challenging at the clinic level.

Objectives: Reduce the number of days without medication by reducing the number of days between injection due date and injection administration for patients receiving LAI medications.

Design: Establish appointments for all injection visits. Standardize visit protocol for injection encounters to optimize provider time. Arrange immediate follow-up and …

Men’S Experiences Of Miscarriage: A Passive Phenomenological Analysis Of Online Data, Megan Story Chavez, Valerie Handley, Rebecca Lucero Jones, Brandon Eddy, Von Poll

Couple & Family Therapy Program Faculty Research

Miscarriage is a pervasive health care concern for couples. The impacts of miscarriage on men have not received adequate attention in the literature. The aim of this research was to understand the lived experience of 31 male participants whose partners had miscarried a child. This study analyzed online data using a passive phenomenological methodology. Researchers found four overarching themes including isolation, overwhelmed, protector, and coping. Results found that health professionals might overlook men when a woman experiences a miscarriage. Results suggest that professionals working with these couples could provide greater care by addressing the experiences of both men and women …

Supporting Marin County Youth Suffering From Anxiety And Depression, Victoria L. Grajeda

Counseling Psychology | Master's Theses

This toolkit was created to help shed light on the impact a stressful high school environment can have on today’s youth, and provide teachers, students, and parents with up-to-date information on what resources are available within the county of Marin. When working with adolescents, it is important to consider environmental threats to their mental health (i.e., lack of sleep) in order to make proper referrals and treatment plans. A study done by Kelley, Lockley, Kelley, & Evans (2017) implemented a 10:00 a.m. start time at an urban school in England. By delaying school start times, Kelley et al., found that …

A Heartfulness Meditation Intervention In University Students Using Mixed Methodology, Dipta Amatya

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Objective: This is a mixed methods study in which Heartfulness meditation was introduced to university students. The objective of this study was to demonstrate a link between Heartfulness meditation and mental health as well as a link between Heartfulness meditation and Emotional Intelligence. The study also explored the experiences of the students after the meditation practice.

Background: College students have greater levels of stress and psychopathology now than at any other time in the nation’s history. Increases in mental distress can lead to serious mental health disorders in the future so there is a need for self-care skills for students …

Promoting Resilience In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents Through School-Based Expressive Arts Groups, Bailey Knox

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Since 2013, the majority of students served by the public school system in the United States have been considered “low-income” by the federal government. The stressors associated with low socioeconomic status significantly increase risk for social, emotional and behavioral challenges at all age levels, but can be particularly damaging to adolescents coping with heightened stress levels related to the intense multi-dimensional changes that define this developmental period. As the correlation between economic disadvantage and negative socio-emotional and academic outcomes is increasingly evidenced, schools have begun to recognize their responsibility for providing preventative mental health care to high-risk students. Over the …

Music Therapy Assisted Childbirth In The United States: A Critical Literature Review, Sydney Mohr

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Music therapy assisted childbirth is an approach of music therapy in which a licensed and credentialed professional utilizes music therapy interventions to address a variety of goals during childbirth. There is a lack of literature and missing knowledge on the topic, associated with an increased rate in traumatic birth cases, mothers with post-traumatic stress disorder, and postpartum anxiety and depression. The literature review provides a summary of the historical context of feminist theory and feminism, as well as brief descriptions of music therapy, guided imagery and music, and familiar music interventions. One of the primary goals of this type of …

Moving Blind Spots: Cultural Bias In The Movement Repertoire Of Dance/Movement Therapists, Ebony Nichols

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the need for cultural diversity in the field of dance/movement therapy and the impact of unconscious bias as it relates to cultural rhythmic patterns, movement styles, and music choices in therapeutic practice. This literature review examines the historical context that has contributed to the field of dance/movement therapy while outlining cultural competency and ethical considerations in practice as it relates to cultural and/or race identity. Common themes are summarized notating the effects of oppression, bias, and trauma on populations of statistically marginalized communities with specific emphases on African American cultural identity. With consideration toward action steps, culturally …

The Study Of Neurological Response In Art Therapy And Trauma: A Literature Review, Kristin Weber

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This review will focus on neurological research and art therapy practice to consider benefits of the integration of science and the creative therapies. These topics will be addressed through a trauma informed theoretical lens, focusing on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury diagnoses in the US military veteran population. Arts-based, qualitative, and quantitative research were correlated within this review to discover links between neurology and art therapy’s unique impact on trauma, and the outcome of combining these practices. The conclusions found that, with limited research connecting these two fields, there is a possibility for enhanced trauma treatment through the …

Beyond Regression: An Investigation Of Art Material Choice For Children With Trauma, Natalie Lane

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Choice in art materials and the artistic process are arguably two of the primary facets of how art making can be therapeutic. The purpose of the present inquiry was to investigate the impacts of art material choice in children who have experienced trauma. Using the expressive therapies continuum (ETC) as a foundation for choosing art materials in a therapeutic context, this inquiry sought to introduce art materials in the kinesthetic/sensory component of the ETC (e.g., clay, paint, large paint brushes, etc.). As a mediating consideration, this inquiry articulated the responsibilities and obligations that the art therapist possesses in working with …