Mental and Social Health Commons^™

The Role Of Trauma-Related Shame In Ptsd And Dissociation, Alexis Stokes

Bakerman Student Research Awards

Dissociation commonly occurs in response to traumatic events, and a dissociative subtype of PTSD is now recognized in the DSM-5. However, researchers have not established a clear consensus as to what factors separate individuals with general PTSD and PTSD with dissociative symptoms (PTSD-D). Negative affect—specifically shame—has been increasingly examined in psychotraumatology research. There is ample evidence that shame predicts and maintains symptom severity in PTSD patients, as well as that it can induce and maintain dissociative symptoms. The clear connection of shame to PTSD and dissociation suggests that it may be an important factor for conceptualizing PTSD-D; however, there is …

Effect Of Pilot Mental Health On Passenger Willingness To Fly, Isabella L. Deloach, Sara E. Bergamini, Dowon Choi, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study explored how passengers' willingness to fly is affected by the mental health condition of pilots, providing insight into public perception of the mental health condition of pilots. Results showed significant differences between all scenarios except the medication scenario vs. therapy scenario.

Addressing The Public Health Concern Of Maternal Mortality In Houston, Texas, Lucy Couture

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Maternal mortality remains a pressing public health concern in the United States, with disproportionate consequences for marginalized communities. Despite being a developed nation, the U.S. reports one of the highest maternal mortality rates among its peers, with approximately 80% of maternal deaths deemed preventable. Texas reflects this national crisis, particularly affecting Black women, whose maternal mortality rate is significantly higher than that of other racial and ethnic groups. This thesis explores maternal mortality trends in Houston, Texas, analyzing the roles of systemic inequities, social determinants of health, and disparities in access to quality care. Drawing on data from the Texas …

Opioid Knowledge And Experiences In Nebraska College Students, Natalie Holding

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study investigated opioid-related knowledge and experiences among 83 Nebraska college students, with an emphasis on awareness, perceived risks, and educational needs regarding opioids and the overdose-reversing drug, naloxone. For participants who have used opioids outside of a doctor’s orders, questions were asked regarding motivations, comorbidities, coping mechanisms, and treatment experiences. Data were collected via an anonymous survey featuring closed- and open-ended questions. Results showed that 41% of participants reported feeling moderately knowledgeable about opioid risks, while 34% felt only slightly knowledgeable. Although 80.7% of participants were aware of naloxone, most were uncertain either about (22.9%) or did not know …

Creating A Space For Relaxation And Wellbeing At The University Of South Alabama, Mary Wolf

Honors Theses

A program to provide supplementary support for the mental health and wellness of students at a midsize Southern University by providing a centrally located “relaxation space” for students on campus during the last two weeks of the semester is proposed and tested. A central location was found on campus to host the space. The researcher also developed an online survey for students to review the space. The trial was run for two weeks, and participants were able to access the online survey throughout those weeks. The results of the survey were analyzed to better understand the students’ responses to the …

Guidelines For The Standardization Of Pre-Analytical Variables For Salivary Biomarker Studies In Alzheimer's Disease Research: An Updated Review And Consensus Of The Salivary Biomarkers For Dementia Research Working Group, Ted K. S. Ng, Chinedu Momoh, Mei-Ann Lim, Helena Sophia Gleerup, Wayne Leifert, Catherine Ajalo, Nicholas Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Robert A. Rissman, Charisse N. Winston

Brain and Mind Institute

There is a pressing need for accessible biomarkers with high diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis to facilitate widespread screening, particularly in underserved groups. Saliva is an emerging specimen for measuring AD biomarkers, with distinct contexts of use that could complement blood and cerebrospinal fluid and detect various analytes. An interdisciplinary, international group of AD and related dementias (ADRD) researchers convened and performed a narrative review of published studies on salivary AD biomarkers. We critically appraised the current state of the literature, examining both consistencies and discrepancies in existing pre-analytical variables and methodologies. We discussed how various pre-analytical variables …

Assessing The Short-Term Outcomes Of Erase And Replace: A Series Of Health & Wellness Activities, Gabriela Murza, Christina Pay, Eva Timothy, Melanie Dabb, Cris Meier

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah State University Extension faculty addressed Utah's high rate of poor mental health with activities that improved participants’ connections, confidence, and abilities. These efforts positively impacted adults' mental health and quality of life and offered an additional resource to address self-care needs while encouraging connection and skill-building.

Preventing Depression In Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: An Educational Video Series, Sabrina Casares, Steven Gerardi, Meghan Skidmore

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Grandparent caregivers often face increased risk for depression, yet access to mental health resources—particularly self-help approaches—is limited. Texas Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (TXGRG), a non-profit organization supporting grandparent caregivers, lacked a specific mental health resource to address this need. This capstone project developed and implemented a self-help, occupation-based educational video series to provide practical strategies for preventing and managing depression. Designed for accessibility and ease of use, the video series offers tools grounded in daily occupations to promote mental well-being. This project fills a critical gap by equipping TXGRG and its caregivers with a proactive, occupation-focused mental health resource to support …

Life Review And Reminiscence In Occupational Therapy Practice: An Educational Video Series, Andrea Garza, Steven M. Gerardi Phd, Otd, Mss, Otr

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Dementia is a progressive neurological disorder that impacts millions of people, leading to cognitive decline and functional impairment. Life review therapy and reminiscence therapy are effective treatment approaches that have been used with people with dementia to stimulate cognitive processes and provide emotional support by reflecting on past experiences. Although therapeutic occupations based on reminiscence and life review have been used in occupational therapy (OT) practice, there is limited literature on the topic to guide clinical practice. Problem: There is a lack of guidance on the integration of occupation-based life review and reminiscence into OT practice for people with dementia. …

Neurodivergent Adults: Cultivating Intimate Partner Relationships Through Diverse Dating Platforms To Improve Well-Being And Life Satisfaction, Victoria R. Wolf, Mary Jan Greer

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project focuses on program development to increase the social participation of neurodivergent adults in establishing intimate partner relationships (AOTA, 2020). Creating an opportunity for neurodivergent individuals to meet each other with the intent of forming intimate partner relationships can increase their social participation and overall life satisfaction (Mitran, 2022). According to AOTA (2020), intimate partner relationships are essential to many individuals' lives. Altering the modern-day approach and building online and in-person platforms that support the individuality of the neurodivergent population will enable them to form connections without prejudice or judgment (Mitran, 2022).

Volunteering For Medically Underserved Children: Clinic With A Heart–Back-To-School Clinics, Isabella Marie Kerby Kessinger

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Medically underserved children, often from low-income families or areas with limited healthcare resources, face significant barriers in accessing essential medical services and represent a fundamental challenge to equity and social justice. School physicals and back-to-school clinics play a crucial role in addressing these healthcare needs, serving as a gateway to educational and extracurricular opportunities.

Clinic With a Heart (CWH), a non-profit medical and dental clinic in Lincoln, Nebraska, serves as a model for addressing healthcare disparities. In 2023, CWH provided 3,109 visits to 1,846 unique patients, with 83% lacking health insurance and 63% having household incomes below $16,000 annually. The …

Understanding And Intervening In Children's Tick Risk Perceptions And Protective Behaviors: A Grounded Theory, Ariel Dawdy

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Children, ages 8 years and younger, are at a particularly high risk of contracting a tick-borne disease. This is partially due to the misconceptions spread about tick protective behavior and a poor understanding of how antibiotic treatment can help. Because most communities and families believe that tick control is the individual’s responsibility, looking at the interaction between ticks and human children is essential to understanding the individual’s motivations to protect themselves. To help alleviate the number of individuals contracting tick-borne diseases, misconceptions must be addressed, intervention programs implemented, and a behavioral change must occur. This study used a qualitative research …

Psychological Distress Among Family Caregivers Of Persons With Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementias In Uganda, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) present growing global health challenges, especially in aging populations, such as Uganda. In Uganda, familial caregiving, predominantly undertaken by female relatives, is the primary form of support provided to patients with ADRD. Cultural stigma around dementia and limited access to support services amplify caregivers' challenges. This study examined psychological distress, depression, and quality of life (QoL) among family caregivers of patients with ADRD in Wakiso District, Uganda. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 90 caregivers from three sub-counties in Wakiso, selected through purposive sampling to capture diverse experiences. Participants included caregivers aged 18 years …

Obesity: Influencing Behavioral Consumption Through Meal Kit Distribution, Alejandro Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Founded in 2002, Everyone’s Harvest is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to providing access to healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables through certified farmers markets and community food programs. Its key initiatives—Fresh Rx, Market Match, Edible Education and Farms Together —focus on alleviating nutrition insecurity and combating diet-related health conditions by providing vulnerable populations the resources to purchase, or receive, fresh produce and gain nutritional knowledge. This study explores a new intervention: the distribution of farmers' market meal kits as a complementary strategy to the current Edible Education program. These meal kits, which feature seasonally available produce and pre-measured ingredients, aim to …

Bridging The Gap: Fostering Open Dialogue On Resource Access And Service Needs, Cameron Castillo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project investigates whether there are additional resources desired by clients or are needed to better support said clients in their recovery at the Interim, Inc. organization. This agency is a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to build community connections through providing services to individuals facing mental health and substance use challenges. While there is a wide range of programs available, there may still be clients with unmet needs. The purpose of this project was to identify any service gaps by conducting separate surveys of clients and staff members. Through the use of open-ended questions, the expectation of receiving …

Comprehensive Community Medicine, Alexander Walther

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Comprehensive Community Medicine (CCM) is a theoretical framework designed to address the complex needs of individuals with dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance use disorders (SUDs). Dual diagnosis is highly prevalent, particularly among populations experiencing homelessness, and is associated with poorer health outcomes and increased healthcare service utilization. Structural inequities, including a fractured healthcare system, exacerbate the challenges faced by this vulnerable group. Research indicates that effective care for dually diagnosed individuals requires a layered approach addressing clinical, systemic, legal, and housing barriers.

The development of CCM has been informed by interviews with local stakeholders, including County EMS board …

Biological Validation Of Peak-Width Of Skeletonized Mean Diffusivity As A Vcid Biomarker: The Markvcid Consortium, Alison M Luckey, Saptaparni Ghosh, Chen-Pin Wang, Alexa Beiser, Rebecca Bernal, Zhiguang Li, Djass Mbangdadji, Elyas Fadaee, Haykel Snoussi, Angel Gabriel Velarde Dediós, Hector A Trevino, Monica Goss, Laura J Hillmer, Christopher E Bauer, Adam M Staffaroni, Lara Stables, Marilyn Albert, Jayandra J Himali, Thomas H Mosley, Lars Forsberg, Vilmundur Guðnason, Baljeet Singh, Herpreet Singh, Kristin Schwab, Joel H Kramer, Gary A Rosenberg, Karl G Helmer, Steven M Greenberg, Mohamad Habes, Danny J J Wang, Brian T Gold, Hanzhang Lu, Arvind Caprihan, Myriam Fornage, Lenore J Launer, Konstantinos Arfanakis, Sudha Seshadri, Charles Decarli, Pauline Maillard, Claudia L Satizabal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Peak-width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD), a neuroimaging marker of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), has shown excellent instrumental properties. Here, we extend our work to perform a biological validation of PSMD.

METHODS: We included 396 participants from the Biomarkers for Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (MarkVCID-1) Consortium and three replication samples (Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology = 6172, Rush University Medical Center = 287, University of California Davis Alzheimer's Disease Research Center = 567). PSMD was derived from diffusion tensor imaging using an automated algorithm. We related PSMD to a composite measure …

Msw Portfolio, Dallin C. Ball

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Discrimination, Sexual Orientation, And Alcohol Amongst Latine, Brian Juarez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Existing research acknowledges the influence of discrimination on alcohol use, this study emphasizes the equally significant role of sexual orientation on alcohol use. Associations between these factors and alcohol consumption demonstrate the necessity for ongoing research to analyze their intricate relationships and subsequent health outcomes. This study highlights the crucial need for an in-depth exploration of discrimination as well as marginalized identities as contributing factors in alcohol consumption.

Using a quantitative approach to assess secondary data gathered from the National Alcohol Surveys (NAS), this paper underscores the importance of a comprehensive and timely approach to research the multifaceted impact of …

Exploring Psychotic Symptoms Among Substance-Naïve Individuals And Recent Abstainers Without A Psychosis Diagnosis: A Cross-Country Study Across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, And South Africa, Isaac Babu Kisiang'ani, Mohammed Aden, Henry R. Mwangi, Dickens Akena, Melkam Alemayehu, Julius Barasa, Bizu Gelaye, Stella Gichuru, Lukoye Atwoli, Symon M. Kariuki

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Psychotic symptoms are of increasing interest in mental health due to their predictive value for future psychotic disorders. While these symptoms are prevalent in the general population, their occurrence varies globally. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and factors associated with psychotic symptoms among individuals identified as substance-naïve and recent abstainers without a history of psychosis. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 11,686 participants who reported no lifetime substance use, no substance use in the previous three months, and did not have a diagnosis of psychosis. The study utilized the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire to estimate the one-year prevalence of …