Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Effects Of Cocaine Sensitization On Drug Self-Administration, Mesocorticolimbic Sapap Levels, And Prefrontal Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors, Kyle Christopher Summers

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Towards the goal of improving the knowledge base of how drugs of abuse function to create addicts and using currently uninvestigated areas of this knowledge base, we focused our research studies the male albino rat, and strived to explain how cocaine sensitization alters particular molecular mechanisms in the mesocorticolimbic system related to glutamate receptors, SAPAPs, and affects drug self-administration. Taking all the previously discussed research studies into consideration, we hypothesized that low-dose cocaine self-administration would yield a significant elevation in drug seeking behavior for psychostimulant sensitized animals. For specific changes at the PSD, we hypothesized that acute cocaine exposure and/or …

Executive Function Predictors Of Children's Talk, Jacqlyne D. Weber

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Relatively few studies have investigated the relationship between executive functioning (EF) and language development, and even fewer have researched hot and cool EF as a predictor language development. This study is an investigation into the relationship between EF and language development in preschool aged children. More specifically, the ability for hot or cool EF to predict language, this will be the focus of the study. It was found that hot EF was a better predictor of language development in preschool aged children.

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Wellness And Wellness Promotion In Counselor Education Programs, Brett Kyle Gleason

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This phenomenological investigation explored the lived wellness experiences and perceptions of wellness promotion of doctoral level counseling trainees enrolled in CACREP-accredited programs. Participants included a national heterogeneous sample of 12 doctoral level counselor trainees currently enrolled in CACREP-accredited counseling programs. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted to provide a textural-structural description of doctoral students' lived wellness experiences and perceptions of wellness promotion while enrolled in a CACREP-accredited counseling program. Three structural codes includingcomponents of wellness, program culture, and recommendations were identified along with 13 textural codes throughout participant interviews. The findings of this study provide insight into wellness …

Stay-At-Home-Fathers Navigating Depression: A Consensual Qualitative Research Study, William Douglas Meyers Caperton

Dissertations (1934 -)

Evidence suggests that the practices through which men are socialized to become masculine may serve both to restrict their potential in ways that lead to psychological distress, and also to restrict the ways in which they respond to such distress (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Mahalik, Good, Tager, Levant, & Mackowiak, 2012; O’Neil, 2008). While we are beginning to understand masculine depression (Cochran & Rabinowitz, 2000; Magovcevic & Addis, 2008) and paternal depression (Paulson & Bazemore, 2010; Ramachandani & Psychogiou, 2009), almost nothing is known about how SAHFs experience depression, nor their experiences and beliefs regarding help-seeking and psychotherapy. The trend …

Ptsd Symptom Severity And Neurocognitive Performance As A Function Of Combined Tms And Imaginal Exposure In Oif/Oef Combat Veterans With Treatment Resistant Ptsd, Katharine Seagly

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a commonly occurring mental health diagnosis, and is particularly prevalent in combat veterans. Although there has been some success treating PTSD with various forms of therapy, many cases remain refractory to the current standard of care. This pilot study combines transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA) with a standardized exposure protocol for the treatment of chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD. The aims are to (1) determine if the treatment is safe and well tolerated, (2) determine if PTSD and concomitant depression and anxiety symptoms improve, and …

Obstetrician-Gynecologists’ Knowledge Of Health Disparities And Barriers Among American Indian/Alaska Native Women In Washington State, Katherine M. Jones, Greta B. Raglan, Sophia M. Lannon, Jay Schulkin

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Health disparities between American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women and other races/ethnicities have long been noted. Obstetricians-Gynecologists (Ob-Gyn) play a significant role in well-woman care and are often the first and most frequent point of medical contact for women, particularly among minority and low-income women.

Objective: This study aimed to assess Ob-Gyns’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to health disparities among AI/AN women.

Method: A self-administered questionnaire, consisting of questions about knowledge, beliefs, and practices of health disparities among AI/AN women, was mailed to 722 members of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) practicing in the state of …

Disparities In Hospital Services Utilization Among Patients With Mental Health Issues: A Statewide Example Examining Insurance Status And Race Factors From 1999-2010, Viann N. Nguyen-Feng, Hind A. Beydoun, Michael K. Mcshane, James D. Blando

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

There exist many disconnects between the mental and general health care sectors. However, a goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 is to change this by improving insurance access and the intersection of mental and general health care. As insurance status intersects with race, the present study examines how race, insurance status, and hospital mental health services utilization differ across groups within the state of New Jersey. The present study aims to determine trends in hospital mental health care utilization by insurance status and race from 1999 to 2010. The rate of self-pay for mental health disorders in …

Sexism And How It Mediates The Relationship Between Gender And Rape Myth Acceptance, Caroline Feinberg

Theses and Dissertations

Rape is a significant social and health problem in the United States with around 17.7 million women being forcibly raped at some time in their lives. While a rape-supportive culture and victim blame are concepts that aid in explaining rape, understanding societal held ideas about rape and traditional gender role beliefs can explain. Therefore, the present study focuses on how ambivalent sexist belief structures mediate the relationship between gender and rape myth acceptance. It was hypothesized that ambivalent sexism (AS) when divided into its four separate concepts: hostile (HS), protective paternalism (PP), complementary gender differentiation (CGD), and heterosexual intimacy (HI), …

Understanding Factors Contributing To Risky Sexual Activity In The Study Abroad Environment, Tiffany Marcantonio

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers suggest that study abroad students may be an un-identified high risk group for risky sexual activity. The goal of this study was to determine whether factors predictive of risky sexual activity at home (sexual sensation seeking, alcohol and sex expectancies, alcohol consumption and previous risky behaviors) may also influence such behavior while abroad. Data was collected longitudinally with a pre and post survey that assessed the above constructs. Twenty-four study abroad students completed the pre survey and six completed the post survey. Two Independent samples t-tests were conducted to clarify differences between gender and students who completed the pre-survey …

The Effects Of Family Responsibilities And Gender On Seeking Substance-Abuse Treatment, Holly Weiss

Theses and Dissertations

It is evident in the media, from news reports to published research, that substance use is a serious and extensive problem (SAMHSA, 2012). The problem with drug use is not a new issue, but with a changing society the substance abuse issue is changing as well. With substance abuse at its highest in about ten years, it would be expected that treatment admissions would be at the highest levels as well, yet the numbers have remained constant (SAHMSA, 2012). The changing society has helped foster increased drug use, but it has also assisted in developing new difficulties that those affected …

Effects Of Violent Video Games On Sexual Aggression In Males, Elizabeth Ealer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the link between short-term violent video game play and engagement in sexually aggressive behaviors. In this study, participants were randomly assigned to play 15 minutes of Grand Theft Auto (experimental group) or Tetris Evolution (control group) on an Xbox. After game play, participants engaged in a joke telling paradigm, in which participants were given 10 sexually aggressive jokes, and were instructed to tell between 0-10 of the jokes to a female confederate. The number of jokes told is related to sexually aggressive behaviors outside of the laboratory. The researchers of this study …

The Relationship Between Cognitive Inhibition, Mental Illness, And Creativity, Christina Carter

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explored how the symptom severity of the affective and schizophrenia spectrums related to performance on a divergent thinking task and self-reports of creative achievement, as well as the contribution of cognitive inhibition as a moderating factor between these variables. 98 participants completed a 1.5 hour battery of tests that combined measures between this study and another study. Measures pertaining to this study included self-report measures of schizotypy and hypomania, a divergent thinking creativity task, a computerized stimuli-response task, and two self-reports of creative achievement. Correlations were conducted to examine linear relationships, nonlinear regression models were conducted to …

The Associations Between Environmental Quality And Preterm Birth In The United States, 2000–2005: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Kristen M. Rappazzo, Lynne C. Messer, Jyotsna S. Jagai, Christine L. Gray, Shannon C. Grabich, Danelle T. Lobdell

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Many environmental factors have been independently associated with preterm birth (PTB). However, exposure is not isolated to a single environmental factor, but rather to many positive and negative factors that co-occur. The environmental quality index (EQI), a measure of cumulative environmental exposure across all US counties from 2000—2005, was used to investigate associations between ambient environment and PTB.

Methods: With 2000–2005 birth data from the National Center for Health Statistics for the United States (n = 24,483,348), we estimated the association between increasing quintiles of the EQI and county-level and individual-level PTB; we also considered environmental domain-specific (air, …

A Technology-Enabled Adherence Enhancement System For People With Bipolar Disorder: Results From A Feasibility And Patient Acceptance Analysis, Martha Sajatovic, Kristina A. Cassidy, Johnny Sams, Edna Fuentes-Casiano

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: As poor medication adherence is common in bipolar disorder (BD), technology-assisted approaches may help to monitor and enhance adherence. This study evaluated preliminary feasibility, patient satisfaction and effects on adherence, BD knowledge, and BD symptoms associated with the use of a multicomponent technology-assisted adherence enhancement system. Methods: This prospective study tested the system in five BD patients over a 15-day period. System components included: 1) an automated pill cap with remote monitoring sensor; 2) a multimedia adherence enhancement program; and 3) a treatment incentive program. This study evaluated system usability, patient satisfaction and effects on adherence (Morisky scale), knowledge …

Exploring Mindfulness As A Culturally Sensitive Intervention For The Deaf Community, Barrymore R. Rosellini

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Mental health issues are as prevalent in the deaf community as the hearing community, if not more. Yet, Deaf individuals are often treated by mental health professionals less frequently and less effectively. Many systemic barriers exist that influence the lack of services provided to the Deaf community, primarily related to a lack of cultural understanding rooted in perceptions of Deaf individuals. However, the Deaf community may be best understood as a cultural minority, a unique community sharing a distinct culture, history, and language. This paper investigates the effects of systematic barriers and cultural misunderstanding among mental health professions regarding the …

Development Of A Psychological Assessment Battery To Measure Client Beliefs About The Effectiveness Of Psychotherapy, Christopher Peavey

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The author attempted to develop a brief scale to measure clients' beliefs about the effectiveness of psychotherapy. The study is an early pilot study to determine if the scale can predict therapy outcomes. While the scale did differ significantly between clients who were active in therapy and those who were not, higher scores on the instrument were not indicative of greater involvement. Possibilities for future research to refine the instrument are discussed.

Understanding Change In A Therapeutic Community For People With Severe Mental Illness: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Julie Caroline Keys

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

In order to gain better understanding of how therapeutic communities instigate change, this interpretative phenomenological study explores the recognized agents of change as reported by current and recent community members of a particular therapeutic community. Four superordinate themes were discovered: the structure of the program, engagement in the community, intentionality/mindfulness, and applied knowledge. While the results from this study are similar in several ways to the current literature, they also expand the literature about therapeutic communities in one important way. The change agents reported as leading to healing strongly resemble current best practice for the treatment of trauma. Limitations and …

Outness As A Protective Factor Against Risky Sex In Gay Males, Margaret Levicoff

Theses and Dissertations

Homosexual men between the ages of 15 and 25 constitute a disproportionate majority of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS, worldwide (Harper, 2007). Men who have sex with men (MSM) more frequently engage in riskier health behaviors, such as drinking, substance use, and risky sexual practices than their heterosexual counterparts (Hamilton & Mahalik, 2009). The current study sampled 150 self-identified homosexual men between the ages of 18 through 30 to assess whether or not level of outness influenced the likelihood of an individual to engage in risky sexual behaviors. Participants completed an online survey that measured each individual's level …

Mental Health Outcomes Of Drug Conflict Among University Students At The U.S.-Mexico Border, Kathleen A. O'Connor, Maricarmen Vizcalno, Nora A. Benavides

Departmental Papers (S&A)

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate to what extent young adults with close ties to Mexico were at greater risk for self-reported negative mental health outcomes than comparison groups during drug-related armed conflict from 2008 through 2012, and the effect of type and number of traumatic events on mental health outcomes. Using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, 202 university students living in the El Paso–Ciudad Juárez border region were surveyed for symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Students with close ties to Mexico reported symptoms of anxiety and posttraumatic stress at significantly …

Multimorbidity In A Mexican Community: Secondary Analysis Of Chronic Illness And Depression Outcomes, Kathleen A. O'Connor, Maricarmen Vizcalno, Jorge M. Ibarra, Hector Balcazar, Eduardo Perez, Luis Flores, Robert L. Anders

Departmental Papers (S&A)

The aims of this article are: 1) to examine the associations between health provider-diagnosed depression and multimorbidity, the condition of suffering from more than two chronic illnesses; 2) to assess the unique contribution of chronic illness in the prediction of depression; and 3) to suggest practice changes that would address risk of depression among individuals with chronic illnesses. Data collected in a cross-sectional community health study among adult Mexicans (n= 274) living in a low income neighborhood (colonia) in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, were examined. We tested the hypotheses that individuals who reported suffering chronic illnesses …