Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Promoting Mental Health Awareness At Uri, Megan Kurose

Senior Honors Projects

Honors Project Abstract: Megan Kurose (Marketing)

Promoting Mental Health Awareness at URI

Sponsor: Sara Murphy (Thanatology)

In 2012, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) published a survey report on mental health entitled “College Students Speak”. The survey included in the report was web-based, and received 765 responses from individuals diagnosed with a mental health conditions who are currently or were enrolled in college within the past five years. Responses were collected from August 2011 to November 2011. According to the report, 57% of survey respondents did not request mental health accommodations from their school. The consequences of not receiving …

Dancing, Mindfulness, And Our Emotions: Embracing The Mind, Body, And Sole, Alisha M. Collins

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project examines dance, as an intervention and mindfulness practice that assists with managing our emotions. There is a need for dance therapy in social institutions such as, healthcare facilities, schools, and community centers. Dance therapy has the potential to reduce negative emotions, create mindfulness, improve self-expression, and promote a healthy well-being. I am proposing that dance therapy is applied as a regular practice in social institutions to develop mindfulness and promote emotional stability.

In this study, I argue that dance therapy can contribute to our well-being long term. In addition to this written thesis, a visual component of …

Assessing Pre-Sleep Experiences In A Population Of Depressed And Non-Depressed College Students, Lawrencia Teris

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

A common symptom of depression is insomnia – yet it remains unclear why those with depression report difficulty sleeping and little is known about the pre-sleep experiences of those who are depressed. The aim of this paper is to compare pre-sleep experiences in people with and without depression on eight different types of sleep-disturbing experiences that people often have when they lie awake during the night. Eighty-seven undergraduate college participants including 34 with depression and 53 without depression completed daily surveys for 14 days on these pre-sleep experiences. Results indicated that those with depression reported significantly higher scores on thinking …

Shame And Guilt Proneness Pre-Diagnostic Scale For Depression, Ptsd, And Suicidal Ideation In Active Duty Veterans, Elizabeth Fantini

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

PTSD was discovered in 1980 (Friedman, J. M., 2007), since then an increasing number of veterans and active duty soldiers have been affected by it. Not only have our soldiers been affected by PTSD but depression and suicidal ideation, the repercussions of war, combat zones or any type of severe stress felt while they were active duty. There are two key emotions linked to the diagnosis of PTSD, depression or suicidal ideation; guilt and shame. It has been concluded that guilt and shame both have effects of the diagnosis of PTSD, depression and suicidal ideation. There have been multiple studies …

Effort-Related Decision Making In Comt Variant Mice: Pharmacological Studies And Genetic Susceptibility To Motivational Dysfunction, Suzanne Cayer

Honors Scholar Theses

Effort-related decision making tasks in animals can model motivational symptoms in humans, which are a set of symptoms spanning a multitude of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder and the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The present studies aimed to evaluate the effort-related effects of the Val158Met polymorphism of human catechol-methyltransferase (COMT), by testing mice carrying either the human COMT Val (n=8) or Met allele (n=8) with Wild-Type control mice (n=15) by using concurrent FR2 and FR4/pellet choice tasks in a touchscreen operant conditioning apparatus. The Val158Met polymorphism has been repeatedly associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, and the Val allele has …

Ptsd And Dysfunctional Parenting: Emotional And Biological Mechanisms, Molly Franz

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Women are disproportionately at risk for developing PTSD following exposure to trauma. Among its many harmful effects, PTSD is associated with a range of negative family outcomes, including impairments in parenting behaviors. Despite the prevalence of PTSD and its impact on parenting, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for this association. The present project addressed this gap by examining the impact of PTSD on dysfunctional parenting behaviors in a lab setting. Based on prior theory and empirical evidence, I expected that a diagnosis of PTSD would be associated with more dysfunctional parenting (i.e., harsh/overreactive and lax/permissive behaviors) during routine …

Examining Relational Dynamics In Couples Through An Art-Making Experience: A Replication Study, Kuangheng Hwang, Anna Mcnerney, Grace Palenik, Kathleen Scheppe

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research looked at the relational dynamics and attachment styles of research participants through individual and dyadic art-making tasks. This research is a replication study of Snir & Wiseman’s (2010) research on Attachment in Romantic Couples and Perceptions of a Joint Drawing Session. In this particular research, three couples completed a demographic questionnaire, the ECR-S, the DAS, an individual art-making task, and a joint nonverbal drawing task with their partner, followed by a verbal reflection facilitated by researchers. Researchers found patterns suggesting attachment style may be correlated with an individual’s cultural background, relationship satisfaction, past relationship experience, and the …

The Prospective Influence Of Religiousness On Alcohol Use: What Role Do Perceived Norms Play?, Corey Todd Brawner

Dissertations

Alcohol misuse is recognized as one of the most pressing health hazards for college students. Previous research has supported a protective relationship between religiousness and problematic alcohol use, but it is less clear what aspects of religiousness are protective and through what mechanisms its effect is exerted. The current study utilized a prospective design to accomplish three primary goals: (1) Delineate the protective effects of religious motivation and public participation on alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in a sample of undergraduates at a large public university in the southeastern United States, (2) determine whether effects were maintained long-term, and (3) …

Insane: James Holmes, Clark V. Arizona, And America's Insanity Defense, Eric Collins

Journal of Law and Health

Insanity is a legal term of art that changes definitions depending on the legal standard in American jurisprudence, which explains why a man who mental health professionals described as having an uncontrollable obsession with killing people can be found not insane and guilty. This Note addresses the current state of the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984 and its widespread implementation at the state level. Part II supplies background information on the history of the insanity defense and how it has transformed over the years in American jurisprudence. Part III provides an analysis of the of the insanity defense. Part …

Violence And Aggression In School Settings, Barbara Katic

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Violence and aggression continue to cause harm to American schools and communities, which has been visibly illustrated by the continual perpetration of school shootings. In order to prevent these situations for occurring again, the etiology of violent and aggressive behaviors must be studied. Utilizing an ecological perspective, both the risk factors and protective factors of violence and aggression, also known as a dual strategy approach, are examined within an educational context. Specific risk factors reviewed include weapons exposure and social rejection, while protective factors reviewed include school connectedness and pro-social relationships. Implications regarding the prevention of violent and aggressive acts …

Fear Of The Future: A Sociological Profile Of Anxiety In College, Lauren Hannah

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

College students are currently experiencing what psychologists and media outlets refer to as an "anxiety epidemic." Undergraduates are self-reporting and seeking counseling for anxiety in record numbers. Fear of the Future: A Profile of Anxiety in College is an exploratory sociology project whose aim is to understand the experience, manifestations, and root causes of anxiety in late Millennial college students. The core research involves a survey of over 400 Syracuse University undergraduates and three interviews with some of Syracuse University's professional counselors. The demographic findings of the survey and the common threads among statements from counselors are synthesized to …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Shared Lived Experience Of Married Male Doctoral Students In Counselor Education And Their Non-Student Spouses, Anthony Suarez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research involving married doctoral students has suggested that they face a unique set of circumstances that include benefits, challenges, and changes. Additional research has highlighted the culture within Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) programs. While there are some studies that explore the experiences of married graduate students in counseling-related fields, very little literature exists that explores married students in CES programs. No such studies focus on the experiences of married male students in CES.

The purpose of this study was to explore the shared lived experiences of married male doctoral students in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) programs and their …

Psychiatric Impact Of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex And Utilization Of Mental Health Treatment, Kate Mowrey

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multi-system, neurocutaneous disorder with neuropsychiatric features known as TSC-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND). While 90% of individuals with TSC have some TAND features, only 20% receive treatment, leading to a 70% treatment gap. This study evaluated perception of disease severity, presence of anxiety and depression, as well as the utilization and barriers towards mental health services among adults with TSC. Disease severity had a moderate and low-moderate association with anxiety and depression, respectively. Regardless of past utilization, respondents had a positive outlook towards the use of mental health services with the major barrier being cost.

Police Response To Mental Health-Related Calls For Service In The City Of Watsonville: A Process Evaluation Of The City Of Watsonville’S Plan To Assist Their Officers When Responding To Citizens With Mental Health Issues, Joseph Perez

Master's Projects

Police officers respond to a variety of calls for service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including mental-health related emergencies. With deinstitutionalization of individuals with severe mental illness, officers are often the first to be called to contact these individuals when they are in crisis (DeCuir, Lamb & Weinberger, 2002). Yet, few law enforcement officers have adequate training to manage interactions with people in mental health crisis. Officers perceive mental health related calls as very unpredictable and dangerous, which without adequate training in de-escalation, could inadvertently cause them to approach in a manner which escalates the situation (Fulambarker …

The Effects Of Media On Young Adults With Eating Disorders, Kelsey Sherry

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone research is to examine the effects of media on young adults (age 18-24) with eating disorders. Through the use of literature review, interviews with five young adults with eating disorder and surveys of classmates in a small Liberal Studies class at a California State University on personal body image their relationship with the media, the results indicated that the media has both positive and negative effects on young adults with eating disorders depending on the different sources of media that may have alternate effects on the psyche of the young adults. The media also benefits young adults …

Reaching Those At Risk For Psychiatric Disorders And Suicidal Ideation: Facebook Advertisements To Recruit Military Veterans, Alan R. Teo, Samuel B.L. Liebow, Benjamin Chan, Steven K. Dobscha, Amanda L. Graham

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Younger military veterans are at high risk for psychiatric disorders and suicide. Reaching and engaging veterans in mental health care and research is challenging. Social media platforms may be an effective channel to connect with veterans.

Objective: This study tested the effectiveness of Facebook advertisements in reaching and recruiting Iraq and Afghanistan-era military veterans in a research study focused on mental health.

Methods: Facebook ads requesting participation in an online health survey ran for six weeks in 2017. Ads varied imagery and headlines. Validated instruments were used to screen for psychiatric disorders and suicidality. Outcomes included impressions, click-through rate, …

Is Concussion-Related Sleep Disturbance Present After Return To Play In College Athletes?, Alexander Gallaer

Honors Scholar Theses

As one of the most commonly experienced symptoms, the ramifications of sleep disruption as a result of concussion are potentially great, yet widely unexplored. Particularly troublesome is murky data regarding the length of sleep disruption following a concussion. By analyzing self-reported sleep data via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, this study seeks to investigate potential differences in sleep quality between injured college athletes 40 days after they have been cleared to play and matched controls. Data was analyzed using ANOVA analysis as well as Pearson correlation. No significant differences were found in sleep quality between groups, nor was there a …

Measuring Physiological Responses To Sensation In Typical Adults, Sarah Button, Kristen Christensen, Emily Minor

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Objective: Sensory processing issues can have a large negative impact on the ability to participate in daily occupations such as ADLs, access to work, school and leisure environments, and social interactions (Dunn, 2001). The evidence documenting sensory processing issues in adults is sparse. Physiological information can be used as objective evidence to support the claim that those with over-responsivity to sensations are experiencing their environment differently than the typical population. Understanding more about sensory processing in adults may lead to increased recognition of the problem and more opportunities for intervention to increase occupational participation. The purpose of this quantitative study …

Pornography As A Public Health Issue: Promoting Violence And Exploitation Of Children, Youth, And Adults, Elisabeth Taylor

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The pornography industry is expanding exponentially as a result of ongoing technological advances. The ability to stream videos over the internet and the ubiquity of the smart phone have meant that pornography producers are able to use algorithms to target potential consumers, to cultivate new sexual tastes and to deliver content to a more diverse audience over mobile devices. The advent of virtual reality pornography with interactive sex toys and sex robots imbued with artificial intelligence promises to unleash a further step-change in the extent to which pornography influences ‘real-world’ sexual culture. The critical analysis of pornography undertaken over decades …

Book Review: Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation By Renate Klein, Sheela Saravanan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.