Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Factors That Influence The Stigma Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Anna M. Chester

All Master's Theses

The current study focused on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how factors such as gender or military status and precipitating trauma associated with the disorder influenced the occurrence or strength of the participants' perceived and personal stigma and desired social distance to the individual suffering from PTSD. Participants' PTSD knowledge was measured and evaluated as a potential covariate. Three hundred and thirty male and female undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 12 experimental vignettes that varied by gender, military status, and precipitating trauma associated with an individual suffering from PTSD. Results supported one of the proposed hypotheses: knowledge …

Coping Responses And Mental Health Symptoms In Incarcerated Juvenile Males, Jennifer Renae Newhard

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Coping responses develop throughout the lifespan of an individual. Unfortunately for some, difficult life circumstances may lead to the use of maladaptive forms of coping. This study investigated coping responses amongst male incarcerated juvenile offenders and examined which specific mental health symptoms may occur with specific coping responses. The goal of this study was to determine whether male incarcerated juvenile offenders utilize avoidant coping responses over approach coping responses. Also, this study investigated whether specific mental health symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, anger, and disruptive behaviors, were more prevalent amongst those who utilize avoidant coping responses. De-identified, archival data for …

Associations Between Cognitive Vulnerability To Depression And Risk-Taking Behaviors And Risk-Perception In University Undergraduates, Michela Dalsing

All Master's Theses

The influence of cognitive vulnerability to depression on risk-perception and on risk-taking behaviors was studied. The sample consisted of 240 Central Washington University students who self-selected to participate in this study and completed the measures for cognitive vulnerability to depression, risk-perception, and risk-taking behaviors. The results partially supported the hypothesis by indicating that cognitive vulnerability to depression influenced the perceived benefits of risk-taking behaviors which, in turn, influenced the self-reported likelihood of engaging in those risk-taking behaviors. The findings are beneficial in highlighting one contributor, cognitive vulnerability to depression, to risk-perception and risk-taking behavior and noting implications for underlying causes …

Exercise Habits, Mindfulness, And Indicators Of Mental Health Among College Students, Emily R. Faust

All Master's Theses

The differences in levels of mindfulness and indicators of mental health were examined between groups of individuals currently engaging in various types of exercise. Eighty-two undergraduate and graduate-level college students completed an online survey regarding their past and current exercise habits and their levels of mindfulness, stress, anxiety, and affect. Four exercise groups, matched on age and gender, were created based on the types of exercise that participants reported currently engaging in: (a) yoga plus any other type of exercise; (b) aerobic exercise only; ( c) more than one type of exercise; ( d) no current activity. The results showed …

Seasoned Psychotherapists' Experience Of Difficult Clinical Moments, Kirk J. Honda

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Purpose: This phenomenological study was concerned with the clarification of the experience of the difficult clinical moment which is defined as a discrete moment in which the psychotherapist experiences distress as a result of his or her work with a client. Method: Retrospective descriptions of experience of difficult clinical moments were obtained from a diverse sample of ten seasoned psychotherapists in the Seattle area. The interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and summarized, and these summaries were confirmed by each participant as being an accurate representation of their experience. Results: Thematic analysis revealed six themes of experience during a difficult clinical moment: …

Factors In Optimal Collaboration Between Psychologists And Primary Healthcare Physicians, Margaret A. Drewlo

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This survey study explored factors in optimal collaboration between registered psychologists and primary healthcare physicians (PHCP). With rising costs of healthcare, healthcare funding cuts, and changes in the way healthcare delivery is perceived, interprofessional collaboration is timely to explore. In particular, the attitudes of registered psychologists about salient factors noted in the collaboration literature, such as education and training, accessibility, and communication factors are important to the practice of psychology. As part of the exploratory nature of the study, questions about gender and hierarchy were also presented. While most data were quantitative, qualitative data were gathered on 6 of the …

Behavioral Relaxation Training: A Stress Management Tool For Graduate Students, Natalie Anne Juhlin

All Master's Theses

Stress can have maladaptive effects on health and academic performance. This study examined the effectiveness of teaching Behavioral Relaxation Training (BRT) as a stress management technique for graduate students. BRT is a form of relaxation training that teaches individuals 10 relaxed behaviors to use when experiencing distressing emotions. A concurrent multiple probe design across four participants was used in conjunction with pretest and follow-up scores from the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Following baseline probes, participants received two BRT training sessions focusing on acquisition and proficiency of relaxed body postures. Results revealed that after BRT training all participants achieved greater than …

Anxiety Disorders And School-Based Treatments: Assessing School Pyschologists' Knowledge And Perceptions, Kelly A. Myhasuk

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are common in children and youth. Despite high prevalence rates, most children with anxiety disorders do not receive treatment. In fact, for the few children who are receiving treatment, schools are the primary source of mental health care. When left untreated, children experience significant disruptions in their academic, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. Therefore, it is important for those working in schools to recognize and treat children with anxiety disorders. The present study surveyed school psychologists (n = 178) to assess their knowledge about anxiety disorders and about empirically supported school-based treatments. Also, this study sought to investigate …

Children, Adolescents And Firesetting, Joav Merrick, Carrie Howell Bowling, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The research of firesetting has been conducted in different ways and lacks a coherent, consistent and comprehensive set of empirical findings. A recent review concluded that despite a number of risk factors being repeatedly identified, an understanding of the etiology behind firesetting behavior and potential developmental trajectories remains theoretically rather than empirically based. Existing theories do not take sufficient account of the complexities of firesetting behavior and there is not yet a typology and accompanying assessment that has undergone thorough empirical testing and is of significant clinical utility. Due to the relationship between firesetting and antisocial behavior there is a …

Firesetting Behavior And Psychiatric Disorders, Stephanie Stockburger, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Firesetting behavior results in serious damage to lives and property every year. Firesetting has been linked to a number of comorbid psychiatric disorders including depression, substance abuse, conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, psychotic disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizophrenia. Psychiatric disorders differ by gender. In addition, juvenile firesetters have history of a separate set of psychiatric comorbidities. The strong correlation between psychiatric comorbidities and firesetting behavior illustrates the need for fire service and mental health collaboration.

Adolescent Bereavement, Leslie Robin, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Depending on cognitive and emotional development, an adolescent may grieve very differently than a child or an adult. While mature enough to understand death's irreversibility, adolescents may not fully comprehend the enduring consequences of a loved one's death. As the desire to separate from their families and forge new intimate relationships with peers assumes increasing priority, adolescents can seem egocentric in their reaction to death, a response which often frustrates and perplexes adults. Because volatile behavior is characteristic of adolescence, health providers struggle to differentiate between normal and complicated bereavement. Here we review the commonly-accepted characteristics of normal and complicated …

Young People’S Mental Health Awareness (Including An Evaluation Of A Mental Health Promoting Pilot Project Developed In Connaught), Pamela Kent

Theses

Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable life stage during which mental health challenges can occur and “in order to create a positive state of mental health and well-being it is imperative for young people to be able to recognise which aspects of life have a positive and damaging effect on their mental health” (HSE, 2007: 14). Irish research states that “Positive mental health enables young people to live fulfilling lives and promoting the mental health and wellbeing of our young people is a shared responsibility and is everybody’s business” (Department of Education and Skills & Health Service Executive & Department of …

Visual Efficiency And The Relationship Between Reading And Behaviors Indicating Difficulties In The Classroom In Elementary School-Age Children, Patricia A. Broadbent

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between visual efficiency, reading levels and behaviors indicating difficulties in the classroom. The sample consisted of thirty–three school-aged children, from four elementary schools. Visual efficiency was measured through a multi-step vision screening process, the Visual Efficiency Rating (VERA) software program. Behaviors indicating difficulties in the classroom were measured using the Behavioral Indicator Checklist, Indicators of Visual Performance Difficulties. This behavior checklist is part of the VERA process and is completed by the classroom teachers. The students’ reading levels were reported by the participating schools. The students were …

Ways Of Being In Trauma-Based Society: Discovering The Politics And Moral Culture Of The Trauma Industry Through Hermeneutic Interpretation Of Evidence-Supported Ptsd Treatment Manuals, Sarah Peregrine Lord

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

One hundred percent of evidence-supported psychotherapy treatments for trauma related disorders involve the therapist learning from and retaining fidelity to a treatment manual. Through a hermeneutic qualitative textual interpretation of three widely utilized evidence-supported trauma treatment manuals, I identified themes that suggested a particular constitution of the contemporary way of being—a traumatized self—and how this traumatized self comes to light through psychotherapeutic practice as described by the manuals. The manuals included: 1) a trauma focused cognitive-behavioral therapy for children; 2) an eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy for adults; and, 3) an early intervention and debriefing therapy series for post-traumatic stress …

The Relationships Between Attachment Style And Boundary Thickness, Dore Lavering

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Despite the multitudes of research on attachment and many different aspects of relational structures, only one study to date has researched the relationship of adult attachment to boundary thickness. The possible benefits to understanding this relationship would provide therapists and clients a better conceptualization of individual's internal working model of attachment. This study investigated the relationship between the Hartmann Boundary Questionnaire (HBQ), a measure of boundary thickness, and an adult romantic attachment measure, the Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory-Revised (ECR-R) two dimensions of attachment. This study theorized that attachment anxiety would be related to thinner boundaries and conversely attachment avoidance …

A Feasibility Study On A Men’S Cancer Support Group At The Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato Andreas Cancer Center, Nicole Giersdorf

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The Institute of Medicine published a report in 2007 which outlined numerous sources of psychosocial distress that, ideally, should be managed when working with patients with cancer. Typically, they involve a lack of information available to the patient, emotional problems such as depression or anxiety, a lack of transportation and other resources, and disruptions to their daily life. Combined, these factors all contribute to poor adherence to prescribed treatments, and a slower return to health. Attending social support groups is a popular approach to coping with health problems such as these in the United States, and is considered to be …

Usage Of The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (Audit) With Hospital Inpatients, Jeni Kolstad

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This project investigated whether the AUDIT was being used as the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends within Mayo Clinic Health System – Mankato (MCHS). The goals of the study were to describe the Chemical Dependency (CD) process and to determine the role of the AUDIT in the CD consult and assessment process. Recommendations were made to enhance the process of identifying, assessing, and intervening with patients with alcohol use problems.

The Changes In Major Diagnoses From Dsm Iv-Tr To Dsm 5: How To Talk To Clients About Changes In Their Diagnosis, Abigail Malterer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

• Outline and present the changes in diagnostic criteria and diagnoses between the DSM IV-TR and the DSM 5.
• Discuss how to talk to and work with clients if their diagnosis has changed or been removed.
• Upon early research, it appears that there is little literature that focuses on how staff can talk to clients about diagnosis changes or elimination.
• Learn more about changes and talking to clients
• Present this information to staff so they have an awareness of this when the changes are made in October of 2015 and the DSM 5 is to be fully implemented.

An In-Depth Look At Filial Play Therapy, Sam Tumberg

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This project explores the various aspects that make up the filial play therapy model. Filial play therapy is an evidenced-based intervention that has been proven to work with a variety of different populations and can be applied in a variety of different settings. The purpose of this project is to give the Vision therapists at Headway a practical toolkit that can be applied in their therapeutic practice. The therapeutic toolkit contains practical therapeutic skills and techniques that can easily be applied within the Vision program.

Dsm-Iv-Tr/Dsm-5, An Evidence-Based Comparative Analysis With Focus On The Cultural Context Of Mental Health Illness Of: Bipolar Disorders, Depression, Autism Disorders, Anxiety And Adhd., Claudia Zendejas-Finley

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The DSM-5 presents many changes in the criteria and categories used in the clinical diagnosis of clients. In addition, the proposed changes within the DSM-5 also attempts to address some of the concerns regarding the lack of a contextual assessment process regarding the role of culture within the lives of clients (Warren, 2013). This research aims to create a comparison between the DSM-IV-TR and the DSM-5 of some of the most common diagnosis used by Family Service Rochester including: bipolar disorder, depression, autism disorder, anxiety and ADHD. In addition, this project also intends to develop a comprehensive cultural analysis of …