Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Are We Doing More Than We Know? Possible Mechanisms Of Response To Music Therapy, Amy Clements-Cortés, Lee Bartel

Music Faculty Publications

Due to advances in medical knowledge the population of older adults struggling with issues of aging like Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and stroke is growing. There is a need for therapeutic interventions to provide adaptive strategies to sustain quality of life, decrease neurologic impairment, and maintain or slow cognitive decline and function due to degenerative neurologic diseases. Musical interventions with adults with cognitive impairments have received increased attention over the past few years, such as the value of personalized music listening in the iPod project for AD; music as a tool to decrease agitation and anxiety in dementia; …

"Born Out Of Fear": A Grounded Theory Study Of The Stigma Of Bipolar Disorder For New Mothers, Walker Ladd Ph.D.

The Qualitative Report

Childbirth is an established trigger for the onset of bipolar disorders (BD) in the postpartum period, causing significant pathology and disability. Research has shown that the stigma of mental illness for new mothers is a powerful obstacle to care, preventing women from accessing critical treatment and social support. However, the majority of research has examined the relationship between the stigma and postpartum depression, leaving a gap in knowledge regarding stigma and postpartum bipolar disorder. The problem addressed in this grounded theory study was the lack of knowledge regarding the stigma of a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD) in the first …

Life Review In Aging: A Primer, Thomas M. Meuser

Social Work Faculty Publications

Humans are narrative beings. We understand and speak of ourselves and the events of our lives in the context of stories. The stories we tell are influenced by our lived experiences, the quality of our memories (what’s recalled and forgotten), relationships, personality styles, values, accomplishments, regrets, spiritual beliefs, and a host of other factors. Telling our stories from the vantage point of old age is reflective of a maturational process of introspection and discovery called life review.

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: A Primer, Thomas M. Meuser

Social Work Faculty Publications

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment is an integrative approach to diagnosis, treatment and management of older adults that takes the whole person into account. While deficits may be a primary focus, strengths are also considered.

Kinship Diversion In The District Of Columbia: A Review Of Local Practice To Inform National Policy, Marla P. Spindel, Beth A. Stekler, Stephanie Ridgway Mcclellan

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

This article addresses a practice commonly known in the child welfare community as “kinship diversion,” where a child welfare agency informally places children with relatives as an alternative to foster care. While evidence predominantly shows that abused and neglected children have better outcomes when they are placed with relatives when they cannot remain safely at home, serious concerns about these children’s safety and well-being arise when the placement with relatives is informal. Indeed, it is often not understood that these same relatives can be approved as foster parents and can receive essential financial assistance and supportive services to help safely …

New York After 9/11 [Chapter: Conflict And Change], Zachary Baron Shemtob, Patrick Sweeney, Susan Opotow

New York State City & Regional

An estimated 2 billion people around the world watched the catastrophic destruction of the World Trade Center. The enormity of the moment was immediately understood, and both news coverage and history of the catastrophe quickly took on global proportions—less understood has been the effect on the locus of the attacks, New York City, not as a seat of political or economic power, but as a community; not in the days and weeks afterward, but in the months and years. This period of tumultuous change offers important insights about New York today and holds important lessons for the future. New York …

Improving A Discharge Process To Decrease Readmission Rates, Erni Ensing

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Addicted To Hope: Abating The Opioid Epidemic And Seeking Redress From Opioid Distributors For Creating A Public Nuisance, Nathan R. Hamons

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Curcumin Inhibits The Ikk:Nf-Kappa B Pathway In Neural Fear Circuits, Miguel A. Briones

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The study of how the brain acquires fearful memories has attracted considerable experimental attention, due in part to the promise of discovering novel therapeutic approaches for psychiatric disorders that are characterized by unusually strong and persistent traumatic memories. In recent years, extensive research has focused on studying the neural and molecular mechanisms by which fear memories are acquired, stored, and retrieved in the brain. Once acquired, fear memories may be attenuated using one of 2 procedures: 1) fear extinction, which involves repeated presentation of the fear-arousing stimulus in the absence of an aversive consequence, or 2) interference with the reconsolidation …

Resting-State Functional Connectivity In Youth With Gender Dysphoria, Felix L. Garcia

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Current developmental models of gender identity and gender dysphoria (GD) lack sex-specific profiles of brain function that differentiate between typically-developing and cross-gender identified youth, as postulated by models like the unified theory of the origins of sex differences (Arnold, 2009) and the neurobiological theory of the origins of transsexuality (Swaab & Garcia-Falgueras, 2009). Previously, investigators have used brain imaging modalities such as Resting-State functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (R-fMRI) to demonstrate differences in resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between typically-developing male and female youth, and between typically-developing and GID-diagnosed youth. In the present pilot study, I used R-fMRI to investigate differences in …

What’S Your Story? Assessing Childhood Maltreatment Using The Thematic Apperception Test In An Adult Inpatient Population., Thachell C. Tanis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There is a robust evidence that childhood maltreatment contributes to the development of adult psychopathology (Brown & Anderson, 1991; Johnson, Cohen, Brown, Smailes, & Bernstein 1999; Johnson, Smailes, Cohen, Brown, & Bernstein, 2000; Ruggiero et al., 1999). However, the identification of childhood maltreatment remains a methodological problem that results in inconsistencies in the reported incidence and psychological sequelae of maltreatment. A primary method for identifying histories of childhood maltreatment among adults is retrospective self-report measures which are susceptible to multiple biases (Briere, 1992; Cicchetti & Rizley, 1981; Shaffer, Huston, & Egeland, 2008). This present study suggests that childhood maltreatment can …

Measurement Matters: Higher Waist-To-Hip Ratio But Not Body Mass Index Is Associated With Deficits In Executive Functions And Episodic Memory, Andree Hartanto, Jose C. Yong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background: The current study aimed to reconcile the inconsistent findings between obesity, executive functions, and episodic memory by addressing major limitations of previous studies, including overreliance on body mass index (BMI), small sample sizes, and failure to control for confounds. Methods: Participants consisted of 3,712 midlife adults from the Cognitive Project of the National Survey of Midlife Development. Executive functions and episodic memory were measured by a battery of cognitive function tests. Results: We found that higher waist-to-hip ratio was associated with deficits in both executive functions and episodic memory, above and beyond the influence of demographics, comorbid health issues, …

Race Analysis In An African American Majority Sample Of Individuals With Serious Mental Illness And Comorbid Diabetes Participating In A Self-Management Research Treatment Trail, Martha Sajatovic, Molly Howland, Douglas Gunzler, Kristin A. Cassidy, Richard Mccormick, Thomas Scheidemantel, Charles Thomas, Carol Blixen, Neal V. Dawson

Faculty Scholarship

Objectives: Targeted Training in Illness Management (TTIM) focuses on enhancing care engagement for people living with serious mental illness and diabetes. This secondary analysis from a 60-week, randomized controlled trial of TTIM versus treatment as usual evaluated racial subgroup outcomes. Method: Demographics, clinical characteristics, and diabetes status were evaluated for those self-identifying as non-Hispanic White, African American, and Hispanic. Longitudinal response to TTIM was evaluated using a multiple domain risk index. Due to their small sample size; those identifying as Hispanic were excluded from this analysis. Results: Non-Hispanic White participants had greater baseline socioeconomic advantages. Baseline risk scores, glycosylated hemoglobin …

The Research On Chinese Ocean-Going Seafarers’ Mental Health And Its Impacts On Navigation Safety, Wenqing Xie

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Perceived Walkability, Social Capital, And Self-Reported Physical Activity In Las Vegas College Students, Melissa Bartshe, Courtney Coughenour, Jennifer Pharr

School of Public Health Faculty Research

College students are an understudied, vulnerable population, whose inactivity rates exceed those reported by U.S. adults. Walkability in sprawling cities, such as Las Vegas, is challenged due to automobile-oriented development. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between perceived neighborhood walkability, social capital, and meeting physical activity recommendations among University of Nevada-Las Vegas college students. Of the 410 participants, 42.2% met physical activity recommendations, 77.1% were female, 37.3% were white, and 79.5% owned a vehicle. Logistic regression showed that social capital (odds ratio (OR) = 1.25, p = 0.04) and gender... (see full text for full abstract

Ptsd In U.S. Veterans: The Role Of Social Connectedness, Combat Experiences And Discharge, Sara Kintzle, Nicholas Barr, Gisele Corletto, Carl A. Castro

Social Work Faculty Research

Service members who transition out of the military often face substantial challenges during their transition to civilian life. Leaving military service requires establishing a new community as well as sense of connectedness to that community. Little is known about how social connectedness may be related to other prominent transition outcomes, particularly symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to explore the role of social connectedness in the development of PTSD, as well as its relationship to the known risk factors of combat exposure and discharge status. Data used were drawn from a needs assessment survey …

Barriers To Providing Psychiatric Care Within Cook County Public Health System: An Integrative Literature Review, Elizabeth Ann Reuter

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Abstract

Background: Cook County Public Health Systems located in Cook County, Illinois, are responsible for providing free and low cost psychiatric care to thousands of residents despite continuing state and federal budget cuts and inadequate Medicaid reimbursements. This not only financially strains county taxpayers, but it also limits treatment options, negatively impacts patients, and places an extreme burden on the public service workforce.

Objectives: The purpose of this integrative literature review was to identify the major barriers of providing psychiatric care within Cook County Public Health Systems.

Method: An integrative literature review was conductedusing the databases of Academic Search …

The Effect Of Exercise On Symptoms Of Depression In Adults Diagnosed With Clinical Depression: An Integrative Literature Review, Tibil Felix

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Background: While many healthcare providers are currently looking for alternative methods such as exercise to treat depression, there are limited studies to report how exercise effects symptoms of depression in adults diagnosed with clinical depression and whether an ideal exercise prescription exists.

Objective: The purpose of this integrative literature review was to evaluate the effect of exercise on adults with clinical depression.

Method: An integrative literature review was used. The tidal model of mental health as proposed by Dr. Phil Barker and Poppy Buchanan-Barker was used as a basis for this review. The keywords “clinical depression, exercise, adults, depression treatments, …

Fatigue Associated With Rheumatoid Arthritis In Young Adults, Sydney Van Alstyne

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Background: Often, practitioners do not address their Rheumatoid Arthritis patients' fatigue and do not perceive it as a detriment to the patient's wellness. In actuality, fatigue has been determined to be proportionate to the other variables, such as pain and disease progression, of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: to determine the cause(s) of fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis and determine how fatigue can be used in a clinical setting to determine disease progression and status in patients suffering from chronic illness.

Method: This integrative literature review was conducted using the keywords, “fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, young adults, perception of fatigue” to search the literature …

Examining Mental Health Stigma Among Doctoral-Level Healthcare Providers: The Impact Of Burnout, Therapeutic Optimism, Experience In The Field, And Gender On Attitudes Toward Patients With Mental Illness, Lindsay Blevins

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study sought to discover differences in mental health stigma among doctoral-level healthcare providers. Previous research has found high levels of stigma among healthcare professionals and has often reported differences between non-mental health professionals and mental health practitioners (Bjorkman, Angelman, & Jönsson, 2008; Hori, Richards, Kawamoto, & Kunugi, 2011; Peris, Teachman, & Nosek, 2008). Most of the current literature has grouped many different levels of providers together, which makes it difficult to distinguish between the specific specialties and training models to determine if these factors impact stigma. Additionally, few studies have examined the connections between stigma and burnout or therapeutic …