Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Pain And Psychiatric Comorbidities Among Two Groups Of Iraq- And Afghanistan-Era Veterans, Kristin M. Phillips, Michael E. Clark, Ronald J. Gironda, Suzanne Mcgarity, Ronald W. Kerns, Christine A. Elnitsky, Elena M. Andresen, Rose C. Collins

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study aimed to (1) identify the prevalence and severity of pain and psychiatric comorbidities among personnel who had been deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) and (2) assess whether the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma System of Care and an OIF/OEF/OND registry reflect real differences among patients. Participants (N = 359) were recruited from two VA hospitals. They completed a clinical interview, structured diagnostic interview, and self-report measures. Results indicated pain was the most common complaint, with 87% experiencing pain during the prior week and 56% reporting moderate or …

Short Message Service (Sms) Reminders And Real-Time Adherence Monitoring Improve Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence In Rural Uganda, Jessica E. Haberer, Angella Musimenta, Esther Atukunda, Nicholas Musinguzi, Monique A. Wyatt, Norma C. Ware, David Bangsberg

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: To explore the effects of four types of short message service (SMS) plus realtime adherence monitoring on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence: daily reminders, weekly reminders, reminders triggered after a late or missed dose (delivered to patients), and notifications triggered by sustained adherence lapses (delivered to patient-nominated social supporters).

Design: Pilot randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Sixty-three individuals initiating ART received a real-time adherence monitor and were randomized (1 : 1 : 1): (1) Scheduled SMS reminders (daily for 1 month, weekly for 2 months), then SMS reminders triggered by a late or missed dose (no monitoring signal within 2 h …

The Aftermath Of Violence: The Lived Experience Phenomena Of Assault In Nursing, Kathleen Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the high incidence of violence directed at registered nurses while on duty, there is limited qualitative data that explores the lived experience of returning to the workplace after an assaultive incident. This phenomenological study sought to explore and analyze the phenomena of registered nurses who are employed in high-risk settings. The research questions considered the detailed descriptions of the experiences of nurses returning to the workplace. The conceptual framework was resiliency, as these participants continued to survive and thrive after the adverse assaultive events. Data were collected using in-depth interviews from purposeful sampling. Registered nurses working in the high …

African American Clergy's Attitude Toward Professional Mental Health Services, Ebony Gaffney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evaluating the attitude of African American clergy toward parishioners seeking professional mental health services for mental illness has important treatment implications. Religion and spirituality are equally important determinants of mental health and can affect African American clergy's attitudes toward professional care for mental illness. Utilizing the health belief model (HBM), this quantitative study examined the role of theological beliefs, education, and personal experience with mental illness as they correlated with clergy's attitudes toward seeking professional mental illness services. Approximately 98 African American Protestant Clergy in the states of Georgia and South Carolina participated in this study. Data were collected using …

Impact Of Distance, Diagnosis, And Demographics On Attendance For Rural Outpatient Treatment, Trey Howard Jensen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Missed psychotherapy appointments inhibit mental health treatment, limit the availability of treatment to those waiting for care, and reduce clinician revenue. Previous research has revealed that the factors that predict missed appointments vary depending on the geographic location in which that research is conducted. There is not a complete understanding of the characteristics of people who miss appointments in a rural context. This study used information from 281 client records to examine the predictive relationships among missed appointments and the distance traveled to the clinic, mental health diagnosis, age, and gender at a rural outpatient mental health clinic. The purpose …

Clergy Characteristics As Predictors Of Mental Health Literacy, Jodi Vermaas Vermaas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The mental health literacy (MHL) rates of Christian clergy in the United States remains underinvestigated in the current literature. This gap of knowledge is problematic for the large numbers of individuals with mental illness who seek assistance from clergy and may receive inadequate care for their concerns. As theoretically designated by the behavioral models of health care and MHL research, denomination-type, educational variables, and demographic characteristics were investigated as potential predictors of MHL. A sample of 238 Christian clergy from throughout the United States completed the web-based Mental Health Literacy Scale and demographic questionnaire. Results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) …

Chronic Pain Causal Attributions In An Interdisciplinary Primary Care Clinic: Patient-Provider And Provider-Provider Discrepancies, Bryan Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of pain causal attributions on patient pain-related functioning, treatment engagement, and clinical outcomes. Additionally, the impact of discordant pain causal attributions between patients and their providers as well as between interdisciplinary providers was examined. Patients rated their pain functioning and causal pain attributions during a regular clinic visit. Following the patient’s visit both the behavioral medicine provider and internal medicine resident provided ratings of similar pain-related functioning domains and causal attributions. Follow-up data were collected from the electronic medical record three months following that clinic visit. Overall, results revealed …

Development And Evaluation Of A Peer-To-Peer Intervention To Increase Self-Management Among Adult In-Center Hemodialysis Patients, Jennifer J. St Clair Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Peer-to-peer (P2P) support programs have the potential to assist ESRD patients in managing their disease and improve outcomes. Yet, there is little research examining P2P programs’ impact on psychosocial outcomes and disease management behaviors.

Methods: A 4-month P2P mentoring intervention was designed and piloted in a facility serving 249 in-center hemodialysis patients in Lynchburg, Virginia. Preceded by a social marketing effort, which included a program naming contest and participant recruitment, the intervention included: (1) mentor training, (2) pairing of mentees and mentors, (3) kick-off social mixers, (4) ongoing meetings between mentees and mentors, (5) mentor training booster, and (6) …

Distributed Cognition In Cancer Treatment Decision Making: An Application Of The Decide Decision-Making Styles Typology, Janice L. Krieger, Jessica L. Krok-Schoen, Phokeng M. Dailey, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Nancy Schoenberg, Electra D. Paskett, Mark Dignan

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Distributed cognition occurs when cognitive and affective schemas are shared between two or more people during interpersonal discussion. Although extant research focuses on distributed cognition in decision making between health care providers and patients, studies show that caregivers are also highly influential in the treatment decisions of patients. However, there are little empirical data describing how and when families exert influence. The current article addresses this gap by examining decisional support in the context of cancer randomized clinical trial (RCT) decision making. Data are drawn from in-depth interviews with rural, Appalachian cancer patients (N = 46). Analysis of transcript …

Test–Retest, Retest, And Retest: Growth Curve Models Of Repeat Testing With Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment And Cognitive Testing (Impact), Arthur C. Maerlender, Caitlin J. Masterson, Tiffany D. James, Jonathan Beckwith, Per Gunner Brolinson, Joe Crisco, Stefan Duma, Laura A. Flashman, Rick Greenwald, Steven Rowson, Beth Wilcox, Tom W. Mcallister

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Computerized neuropsychological testing has become an important tool in the identification and management of sports-related concussions; however, the psychometric effect of repeat testing has not been studied extensively beyond test–retest statistics. The current study analyzed data from Division I collegiate athletes who completed Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) baseline assessments at four sequential time points that varied over the course of their athletic careers. Administrations were part of a larger National Institutes of Health (NIH) study. Growth curve modeling showed that the two memory composite scores increased significantly with successive administrations: Change in Verbal Memory was best represented …

Creating A Community Of Practice To Prevent Suicide Through Multiple Channels: Describing The Theoretical Foundations And Structured Learning Of Pc Cares, Lisa Wexler, Diane Mceachern, Gloria Difulvio, Cristine Smith, Louis F. Graham, Kirk Dombrowski

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

It is critical to develop practical, effective, ecological, and decolonizing approaches to indigenous suicide prevention and health promotion for the North American communities. The youth suicide rates in predominantly indigenous small, rural, and remote Northern communities are unacceptably high. This health disparity, however, is fairly recent, occurring over the last 50 to 100 years as communities experienced forced social, economic, and political change and intergenerational trauma. These conditions increase suicide risk and can reduce people’s access to shared protective factors and processes. In this context, it is imperative that suicide prevention includes—at its heart— decolonization, while also utilizing the “best …

Reasons For Tubal Sterilisation, Regret And Depressive Symptoms, Karina M. Shreffler, Arthur L. Greil, Julia Mcquillan, Kami L. Gallus

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective—To examine the associations between sterilisation reasons, regret, and depressive symptoms.

Study Design—Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White US women ages 25–45 who participated in the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB) and reported a tubal sterilisation surgery were included in the sample for this study (n=837). Logistic regression was used to examine how characteristics of the sterilisation surgery (reasons for sterilisation, time since sterilisation, and new relationship since sterilisation) are associated with the odds of sterilisation regret, and linear regression was used to examine associations between sterilisation regret, sociodemographic factors, and depressive symptoms.

Results—Findings revealed that 28 …

Supervisory Working Alliance And Job Satisfaction In Community Mental Health Settings, Jennifer Weigelt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have written extensively on many facets of supervision in the counseling profession, including the supervisee benefits associated with a strong supervisory working alliance. While the majority of studies have focused on the working alliance in academic settings with student trainees, there has been a lack of research exploring the role of the supervisory working alliance in workplace settings, where supervision can be different from supervision offered in a university clinic or counseling center. Employee job dissatisfaction has been a problem identified within the mental health workforce. Researchers have identified effective supervision as a mediating factor. The purpose of this …

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy For Veteran Survivors With Full Or Partial Ptsd, Mark Aaron Mayfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Symptom severity among veteran survivors with partial or full posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continues to increase, with approximately 40% of U.S. veterans reporting significant symptomology 10 years after initial onset of the condition. Veteran survivors often struggle to find therapeutic interventions that meet their specific needs and have a difficult time maintaining a therapy that is both equitable and evidenced based. Grounded in the Rogerian, client-centered theory, the purpose of this qualitative collective exploratory case study was to explore the effects of equine-facilitated psychotherapy with 3 veteran survivors with partial or full PTSD. A 4-stage process was used to collect …

Barriers To Colorectal Cancer Screening In People Obtaining Care From Community Mental Health Agencies, Kelly L. Gardiner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening in People Obtaining Care

From Community Mental Health Agencies

by

Kelly Gardiner

MSN, Wayne State University, 1997

BSN, Wayne State University, 1988

Dissertation Submitted in Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Public Health

Walden University

August 2016

Despite being highly treatable with early intervention and preventative screenings, the overall mortality rate of colorectal cancer is substantially higher in participants with a preexisting mental disorder. Variables affecting the likelihood of completing screening for those with mental illnesses were unknown in people who obtain services from a Community Mental Health agency. Using …

A Curriculum On Culturally Competent Practices To Prevent Retraumatization In Diverse Survivors, Luana Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This DNP project addresses the healthcare issue of intimate partner, domestic, and sexual violence (IPDSV), its impact on survivors, and reducing the potential for retraumatization by those who care for them in the clinical, behavioral, and social settings. Trauma-informed care interventions are designed to address the sequelae of trauma, promote recovery, and support resilience. Since IPDSV is a global health issue, supporting cultural needs of all clients is an essential aspect of trauma-informed care. This project was guided by a central research question that examined if trauma-informed, culturally competent curriculum be viewed by community stakeholders as an appropriate intervention for …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Caesarean Section Births And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Breea M. Rosas

All Master's Theses

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a neurological disorder characterized by inattentive and hyperactive behaviors, has become increasingly more prevalent (CDC, 2010). Recent research has found associations between this disorder and Caesarean section births (Amiri et al., 2012; Juarez et al., 2008). The current study examined the relationship between C-section birth and self-reported symptoms of ADHD by college students on the Internal Restlessness Scale (Weyandt et al., 2003). Results of the study indicate a significant difference in mean ratings of ADHD symptoms between C-section and vaginally born participants (t = 3.683, p < .000). The current study supports previous findings of a relationship between C-sections and ADHD.

Measuring Self-Reported Exercise, Motivation To Exercise, And Sexism In Women, Sydney C. Jensen

All Master's Theses

The harmfulness and pervasiveness of benevolent sexism is not a well disseminated issue, despite the belief that women are treated with equality in today’s society. The current study was designed to investigate whether exercise type and motivation to exercise would predict participants’ self-reported benevolent and hostile sexism, particularly in light of gender-related stereotypes about physical activity. A sample of 79 females completed an online survey that included questions about demographic characteristics, primary exercise type (i.e., cardiovascular exercise, weight-lifting, or hobbies), average number hours spent engaging in their primary exercise weekly, exercise motivations, and finally the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory which served …

Predictors Of Caffeine-Related Withdrawal Symptoms In College Freshmen, David J. Pomm

Theses and Dissertations

While caffeine withdrawal has been well-characterized, research on caffeine intake and factors associated with withdrawal has been limited. The present study examined prevalence rates of caffeine use and identified psychosocial factors associated with having caffeine withdrawal headaches (CWH). Participants were N = 1,989 college freshmen who participated in the 2011 Spit for Science project. Caffeine use was reported by 80% of the sample. Females were more likely than males to consume caffeine, and soda was the primary source of caffeine for both genders. As hypothesized, daily caffeine users were more likely to report CWH than non-daily users. When multivariable analyses …

“The Most Poisonous Of All Diseases Of Mind Or Body”: Colorphobia And The Politics Of Reform, April J. Gemeinhardt

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Focusing on the mid-1830s through 1865, this thesis explores colorphobia—the irrational fear and hatred of black people otherwise known as racial prejudice—as a reform tactic adopted by abolitionists. It argues that colorphobia played a pivotal role in the radical abolitionist reform agenda for promoting anti-slavery, immediate emancipation, equal rights, and black advancement. By framing racial prejudice as a disease, abolitionists believed connotations, stigmas, and fears of illness would elicit more attention to the rapidly increasing racial prejudice in the free North and persuade prejudiced white Americans into changing their ways. Abolitionists used parallels to cholera, choleraphobia (fear of cholera), and …