Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Religious Coping And Christ-Centered Recovery For Women With Substance Use Disorders, Mary Beth Bever

DNP Projects

Women have unique risk factors for the development of substance use disorder (SUD), barriers to SUD treatment, and risk factors for SUD relapse that require holistic care models and provide trauma-informed care approaches that address effective coping strategies. The use of religion and spirituality has been commonplace in many SUD programs to inspire the use of positive religious coping; however, negative religious coping may also be drawn on which poses a potential harm for women with SUD. The aim of this project was to assess for a correlation in positive and negative religious coping scores and program completion rates in …

Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Pain Interference And Anxiety In An Integrative Chronic Pain Clinic, Kerrin Doran Kunze

DNP Projects

One in four children in the United States will experience abuse or neglect before the age of 18-years-old. Adverse childhood experiences increase the risk for chronic pain disorders and maladaptive coping strategies that can intensify patients’ experience of pain and disrupt or prolong treatment. Current research encourages a biopsychosocial approach to understanding and treating chronic pain, one that acknowledges the influence of childhood trauma and works to restore health by treating pain of the body, mind, and spirit. This retrospective study examined self-reported measures in a convenience sample of 162 individuals seeking treatment for chronic pain at an integrative care …

Self-Care And Burnout Among Nurses In A Hospital Setting, Hannah Stirnaman

DNP Projects

Rates of burnout among healthcare professionals are well documented. The burnout of professional nurses is associated with a number of poor outcomes with costly consequences to both the healthcare system and public health. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has pushed for an initiative entitled Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation that encourages nurses to prioritize their health first and lists compelling statistics of nurse stress, mental health concerns, and workplace injuries. Burnout, a combination of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased productivity, is one consequence of workplace stress and the demands placed on nurses; however, there is a lack of research on individualized …

A Virtual Reality System For Practicing Conversation Skills For Children With Autism, Natalia Stewart Rosenfield, Kathleen Lamkin, Jennifer Re, Kendra Day, Louanne E. Boyd, Erik J. Linstead

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

We describe a virtual reality environment, Bob’s Fish Shop, which provides a system where users diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can practice social interactions in a safe and controlled environment. A case study is presented which suggests such an environment can provide the opportunity for users to build the skills necessary to carry out a conversation without the fear of negative social consequences present in the physical world. Through the repetition and analysis of these virtual interactions, users can improve social and conversational understanding.

Adhd Medication: To Medicate Or Not To Medicate?, Alyssa Henderson

Undergraduate Research Conference

Eleven percent of American children are diagnosed with at least one type of ADHD. That is 6.4 million children that are clinically diagnosed with the inability to focus attentively, restlessness, imbalanced mood swings and under-developed social skills. All of these lead to any learning environment being a daily battleground in the children both internally as well as externally. This is caused due to an under-activity in the frontal lobe of the child’s brain, which is responsible for their planning, motivation, social behavior and speech production. The symptoms associated with ADHD are currently being combated with the utilization of stimulants known …

The Increase In Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome From Opioids Affects Us All, Sean Withington, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Opioid use during pregnancy has increased dramatically in the U.S. over the past decade, leading to a surge in cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) – babies born dependent on opioids. This issue brief discusses the impacts of NAS in the U.S. and ways we can address this important population health problem.

Managing Madness: The Ethics Of Identifying And Treating Mental Illness, Mason Seely

Helene Lafrance Library Undergraduate Research Award

This essay analyzes different contemporary models for defining mental illness and offers a new framework that promotes the use of normative values during the clinical diagnostic process. Although ethic centric models for identifying mental illness do currently exist, these accounts are limited. Specifically, these accounts acknowledge the relationship between mental illness labels and implied responsibility in making their argument to support a normative framework, yet do not explain what capacities are necessary for an agent to have full responsibility. Recognizing this shortcoming, this paper provides an enriched model for identifying mental illness by marrying a normative conception of psychiatric dysfunction …

A Study Of Music: Music Psychology, Music Therapy, And Worship Music, Jessica Whittemore

Senior Honors Theses

There are three specific fields related to music: the psychology of Music and how it affects human brain and functions, the methodology of Music Therapy and how it affects individuals undergoing treatment, and the psychological effects of Worship Music and how it can be used in music therapy. Music therapy is a growing field in which the therapeutic outcomes greatly benefit the patients. The overall purpose is to create a greater understanding of music and music therapy in order to a provide a system for introducing group worship services into music therapy to ultimately bring spiritual healing to individuals.

Prescription Medication Misuse Among American Indians In The Midwestern Us, Charley S. Lewis, Jordyn Gunville, Ryan Goeckner, Brian Chase, Lauren Clark, Jianghua He, Won S. Choi, Christine M. Daley

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Prescription medications, particularly opioids, are often abused rather than used as intended by the prescribing physician. This is well-documented, though little data are available on American Indians. Misuse of other prescription medications is far less documented, but does occur and can have wide-spread effects.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional survey of American Indians in the Midwestern US (N=361) to begin to understand misuse of prescription medications, not necessarily to get high, but for any reason. Participants were recruited for this touchscreen computer-based survey at powwows, health fairs, and other community events through a convenience sample. We asked questions …

Drugs And Mental Health, Peyton Mcclellan

Show Your Stripes Research and Creative Showcase

My study focuses on drug abuse as it relates to mental health. One study was conducted where people were asked about all the prescribed medications they were on for a month or longer, and the correlation between mental health disorders and opioid use was much more direct for those who were on them for longer. Another study found that it became common for adolescents to self- medicate, and that these adolescents believed that they were curing their own mental health issues by doing so. In my study, I found several factors to contribute to this correlation.

Increasing Mental Health Literacy In The African American Community: Collaborations Between Mental Health Professionals And The Black Church, Brianna Simmons

Virginias Collegiate Honors Council Conference

African Americans tend to underutilize mental health services due to historical and present institutionalized racism, misdiagnoses, and misunderstandings, and to the lack of representation in the mental health field (Dempsey, Butler, and Gaither, 2016). African Americans thus turn to the Black Church for help. Clergy members of the Black Church use biblical counseling, which consists of seeking God’s wisdom (Dempsey et al., 2016). This differs from traditional psychological counseling where formalized diagnostic criteria are followed, and medication is often prescribed. Despite these differences between the Black Church and professional mental health agencies, there are a number of commonalities, such as …

Take Control: A Proposed Mental Health Treatment Program To Be Implemented In Youth Correctional Facilities Around Oregon Based On The Evidence-Based Target Program, Zoey S. Rochefort

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Annual Conference

70% of youth in state and local juvenile justice systems exhibit symptoms of one or more mental health disorders and are not receiving adequate treatment. Currently, in Oregon, there is no mental health-screening requirement for youth admitted into detention centers or correctional facilities. Though this doesn’t mean kids never get diagnosed, it does mean there is a large delay in time before treatment begins where they could be receiving care. The Take Control program is working to mitigate wasted time and improve mental health treatment for youth inmates through a seven-step treatment program that provides youth with steps and strategies …

Measuring Emotional Response To A Planting Activity For Staff At An Urban Office Setting: A Pilot Study, Amy E. Wagenfeld, Sandra Schefkind, Nancy Hock

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Interaction with occupation-centered activities, such as gardening, is associated with improved mental health. With limited evidence supporting the effects of short-term nature-based interventions on employees’ emotional states, the purpose of this research was to understand the impact of a one-time, short-term nature-based intervention on the emotional state of employees at an urban office building.

Method: This pretest/posttest design study used a visual analogue emoticon assessment tool, the Interaction with Nature scale, to measure differences in the participants’ emotional states before and after participating in a planting activity. Twenty-two participants engaged in the study. Each participant potted a …

The Effects Of Stress Mindset Interventions On University Students' Health And Functioning, Abigail Fate

Undergraduate Honors Papers

In modern society, the overwhelming cultural narrative proclaims that stress is detrimental to health and should be limited and avoided at all costs. However, recent research has demonstrated that it is one’s stress mindset, rather than their stress level, that determines the psychological and physiological outcomes. Mindsets are lenses that simplify and order the world, and have been proven to influence daily behavioral and physiological responses to create cascading effects. Recent research has demonstrated that one’s mindset about stress is the demining factor in health, performance, and productivity in response to stressful conditions, and that these mindsets can be manipulated …

Experiences Of Veterans With Ptsd And Sud In An Outpatient Setting, Andrew Breault, Hannah Shifflett-Kohler

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

In 2014, there were approximately 7.9 million adults in the United States with co-occurring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (SAMHSA, 2014). Of the veterans who served in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, 30% of those in SUD treatment also meet the criteria for PTSD (Seal et al, 2008, pp. 476). Furthermore, statistics show that about 20 Veterans in the United States complete suicide daily (Spiva, 2019, p. 8). The Department of Veterans Affairs is urgently seeking successful approaches to addressing the high incidence of suicides among all veterans along with the low retention …

Cyberbullying And Suicide Among Lgbtq Youth: Is There A Connection?, Holly Wright, Victoria Wilson Townley

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The suicide rate among children and teens has been rising over the last decade, and members of the LGBTQ youth population are at considerably greater risk for suicide than their heterosexual peers. LGBTQ youth are also at heightened risk of being bullied due to sexual orientation. Recent technological advancements have created a new platform for bullying, that of cyberbullying, which can contribute to feelings of depression and low self-esteem. The detrimental impact that cyberbullying can have on mental health suggests the possibility of a potential connection between cyberbullying and LGBTQ youth suicide. This qualitative study examines the possible link between …

Fake Service Dogs: Leading By Example, Joshua Ferguson

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

This qualitative research examines public awareness pertaining to the protocols surrounding service dogs and their handlers, known collectively as the service team. The use of service dogs has been on the increase as more people discover the benefits provided by service dogs. The increase in the number of service dogs fosters questions about safety, training, the dog’s purpose, and its legitimacy. Previous studies suggest that many individuals are falsely claiming their dogs as service dogs or “fake service dogs.” This research explores what trends are leading to increases in service dog use and how fake service dogs affect people involved. …

Lgbt+ Teens, Social Media Use & Depressive Symptoms, Megan Curtis, Danielle Ryder

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Sexual and gender minority youth are statistically more likely to face severe mental health challenges than their cisgender, heterosexual peers; they consistently comprise a disproportionate percentage of youth who report experiencing depression, suicide ideation and attempted suicide in the United States every year (e.g. Abreu & Kinney, 2018). The aim of this study was to fill a gap in the current literature base by investigating the effects of social media use on sexual and gender minority youth mental health. The researchers conducted an online anonymous questionnaire targeted toward American LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, etc.) youth ages 14 to 18, …

Perceptions Of Mental Health: Eight Conversations With Mainers From Africa, Teresa Sosa, Emelda Ogweta

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

As of 2016, 42 million refugees from around the world had been forced to flee their homes due to war, persecution, or natural disaster (George & Jettner, 2016). Due to these factors, as well as relocation and resettlement, refugees are at a significant risk for trauma and other mental health issues (George & Jettner, 2016). While the literature consistently validates this heightened risk for mental illness in refugees, more research is needed into refugee's perspectives on mental health. Through analysis of semi-structured interviews with eight refugees from Africa, this phenomenological study investigated refugee's perceptions of mental health and mental illness. …

The Experience Of Social Workers Who Utilize Therapy Dogs In Practice, Kathryn Jochems

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Animal assisted therapy, which incorporates animals into structured therapeutic interventions, and its use within social work has been shown to increase social interactions, communication, and the overall health and safety of clients (Nimer & Lundahl, 2007). However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the professional and personal experiences of individual social workers with incorporating certified therapy dogs into their practice. This study examined the approval process, perceived effects on practice, perceived effects outside of practice, and future implications of using therapy dogs in social work through the analysis of qualitative data from seven in-depth interviews with licensed social …