Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons^™

Expecting The Inevitable: Daca And Mental Health, Jade Gardener

Capstones

On September 5, 2017, Attorney General, Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump Administration was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Better known as DACA, the passed into action in 2012 by the administration of former President Obama, was heralded for providing young undocumented adults the ability to do things such as legally work and attend college.

The repeal of DACA is just beginning to affect the mental health of recipients. Researchers contend that the repeal of the DACA is a violent act that thus results in the psychological distress. Citing research published in American Association for the Advancement …

Improving Adherence To Mental Health Treatment In A Low-Income Clinic, Janice G. Gandy

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

The increasing prevalence of mental illness in the United States presents significant challenges for primary care providers in low-income settings. Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) programs have resulted in improved general health for low-income participants; however, managing appointment adherence, in which the patient attends appointment as scheduled, is particularly challenging. The purpose of this pilot project was to implement bundled interventions at a low-income primary care clinic to improve patient adherence to behavioral health treatment. The bundle of interventions included: 1) educational interventions emphasizing the benefits of IBH care 2) warm patient handoffs between the primary care provider to a behavioral …

The Effects Of Exercise On Mental Health: A Research Review, Kaylani Benson

Honors College Theses

This research review looks at the effects exercise and physical activity have on mental health. The results of this review are based upon the results of the formal studies that have been included. These studies are Benefits of Exercise on Physical and Mental Health in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients, Exercise Effects on Mental Health of Preschool Children, The Effect of Morning Exercise on Mental Health of Female Police Employees, Exercise and Mental Health of People Living with HIV: A Systemic Review, Exercise Improves Physical Function and Mental Health of Brain Cancer Survivors: Two Exploratory Case Studies, Effect of Yogic and Physical …

From War To Home: The Systematic Issues Operation Enduring And Iraqi Freedom Veterans Face Transitioning With Ptsd, Tiffany D. Ware

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions of Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom veterans with PTSD, who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, regarding their participation in the Disabled Transition Assistance Program.

Methodology: The methodology for this research study will be qualitative from a phenomenological perspective. When thinking of research as it pertains to qualitative methods, it is appropriate to use when a researcher is trying to study the lived experiences of individuals (Flipp, 2014; Patton, 2015). This method will describe perceptions of Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom veterans with PTSD, who are …

Effectiveness Of An Open Access Scheduling System In A Community Mental Health Center, Callie Crockett

Doctoral Projects

Abstract

Open Access Schedule (OAS) systems are a new way to schedule patient appointment in an outpatient medical setting. In theory these systems will provide many benefits that are not seen in a traditional scheduling model, such as decreased wait times to see a provider and more provider flexibility. However, little research has been done to examine how effective these systems are once they are put into practice, particularly in the mental health setting. The purpose of this project was to examine a recently implemented open access scheduling system in a community mental health center in rural Northeast Tennessee and …

Bayesian Prediction Intervals For Assessing P-Value Variability In Prospective Replication Studies, Olga A. Vsevolozhskaya, Gabriel Ruiz, Dmitri Zaykin

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Increased availability of data and accessibility of computational tools in recent years have created an unprecedented upsurge of scientific studies driven by statistical analysis. Limitations inherent to statistics impose constraints on the reliability of conclusions drawn from data, so misuse of statistical methods is a growing concern. Hypothesis and significance testing, and the accompanying P-values are being scrutinized as representing the most widely applied and abused practices. One line of critique is that P-values are inherently unfit to fulfill their ostensible role as measures of credibility for scientific hypotheses. It has also been suggested that while P-values …

Modifiable Lifestyle Risk Factors For Stroke Among A High Risk Hypertensive Population In Greater Kampala, Uganda; A Cross-Sectional Study, Carol Blixen, Elisabeth Welter, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: To describe the modifiable lifestyle risk factors for stroke among a high risk population for stroke. Africa suffers from rapid population growth, adoption of harmful western diets, and increased prevalence of hypertension and obesity. Results: A total of 440 study participants were screened and 87 individuals with hypertension plus at least one other known stroke risk factor were enrolled. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus in the screened population was 19.7 and 1.8%, respectively. Among those with hypertension only 2.3% (2/87) had ever had serum lipid assessment. Seventy-two percent (68/87) had very high serum LDL-cholesterol, while 33.3% (29/87) …

Increasing Depression Screenings In Adults With Advanced Non-Surgical Heart Failure Using 2013 Accf/Aha Recommendations And Healthy People 2020 Target Goals, Valerie Valencia

Doctor of Nursing Practice

The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to increase depression screenings in adults with non-surgical advanced heart failure using reliable and valid tools, 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association recommendations, and Healthy People 2020 Target Goals as a method to identify and facilitate appropriate mental health referral, patient education, and follow-up for depressive symptoms. Interventions took place June 5, 2017, through August 10, 2017. This intervention project involving 246 adults with advanced heart failure demonstrated that an evidence-based intervention for depression screenings increased the number of patients screened from 5% to 44%. At project completion, 65% of …

The Dynamics Of Stress And Fatigue Across Menopause: Attractors, Coupling, And Resilience, Lisa Taylor-Swanson, Alexander E. Wong, David Pincus, Jonathan E. Butner, Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, Mary Koithan, Kathryn Wann, Nancy F. Woods

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the regulatory dynamics between stress and fatigue experienced by women during the menopausal transition (MT) and early postmenopause (EPM). Fatigue and perceived stress are commonly experienced by women during the MT and EPM. We sought to discover relationships between these symptoms and to employ these symptoms as possible markers for resilience.

Methods:

Participants were drawn from the longitudinal Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study. Eligible women completed questionnaires on 60+ occasions (annual health reports and monthly health diaries) (n = 56 women). The total number of observations across the sample was 4,224. …

Grace Peterson Research Colloquium, Emma Pfeiffer

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Mental illness is commonly under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, or untreated, particularly in the elderly population. An expected population increase for those 65 years and older, increased in health care expenses coupled with the moral and ethical obligation of health care providers to promote quality of life at all ages makes investigation to alternative treatments in this population is worth investigating. The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize existing studies to clarify the following questions: What are the effects of pet therapy on those experiencing signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety? Why is pet therapy still lagging in validated studies, …

An Empirical Approach To Assessing Pediatric Residents' Attitudes, Knowledge And Skills In Primary Care Behavioral Health, Jeffrey D. Shahidullah Phd, Paul W. Kettlewell Phd, Kathryn Dehart Md, Kris Rooney Md, Ilene Ladd Ma, Tyler Bogaczyk Bs, Amy Signore Phd, Sharon L. Larson Phd

International Journal of Health Sciences Education

This paper describes an empirical approach to assessing pediatric residents' attitudes, knowledge and skills in primary care behavioral health. Outcomes from that assessment approach are presented from two pediatric residency training programs in the northeastern United States. Thirty-six pediatric residents completed attitudes, knowledge and skills surveys. The survey was developed to align with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Policy Statement in 2009 citing aspirational competencies for pediatricians in primary care behavioral health. This alignment addressed both learner variables (attitudes, knowledge, and skills) as well as clinical presentations (ADHD, anxiety, depression, and suicide) highlighted in the policy statement. The survey specifically …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Its Association With Cognitive Impairment In Non- Patient Older Population, Mohini D. Dutt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores cognitive impairment and its correlation to early- life adverse experiences in non-patient population between the ages of 50 to 65. This developmental approach and observational study design explores cognition in pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using a standardized neuropsychological instrument, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and clinically administered questionnaire, the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences), I hypothesized that participants with high ACE scores will inversely have low MoCA scores.

My goal was to use a multiple linear regression model with 3 covariates and 1 predictor of interest (ACEs). At 80% power, a sample size of 40 was calculated as …

When Is Affect Variability Bad For Health? The Association Between Affect Variability And Immune Response To The Influenza Vaccination, Brooke N. Jenkins, John F. Hunter, Marie P. Cross, Amanda M. Acevedo, Sarah D. Pressman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives—This study addresses methodological and theoretical questions about the association between affect and physical health. Specifically, we examine the role of affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect to predict antibody (Ab) levels in response to an influenza vaccination.

Methods—Participants (N = 83) received the vaccination and completed daily diary measures of affect four times a day for 13 days. At one and four months post-vaccination, blood was collected from the participants to assess Ab levels.

Results—Findings indicate that affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect predict an individual’s immune response. …

Diagnostic Divisions Of Eating Disorders: A Critical Analysis, Channah A. Leff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to critically examine the diagnostic divisions of eating disorders as proposed within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). I focus on Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED), although there were several new categories issued in 2013. Using person-centered ethnographic interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and autoethnography, I collected qualitative data to highlight how disordered eaters perceive themselves and their behaviors in relation to their diagnoses. I recruited participants in Boston, MA from Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA), a decentralized network of support groups …

Exploratory Study Of Retention And Efficacy In Female Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Residential Programs, Sarah Beth Lister

Selected Honors Theses

If the problem of sex trafficking was not difficult enough to manage, the restoration process of survivors certainly is; specifically in treating survivors who do not want to be rescued and have no intention of changing once they are. Due to a myriad of reasons, primarily including trauma, many female victims of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) are refusing treatment and running away from facilities that attempt restoration. This study seeks to ascertain the various reasons that girls run, as well as the strengths and challenges that care providers have found in their healing process. Qualitative results assessed from three …

Increased Cancer-Specific Mortality In Individuals Developing Mental Disorders After Cancer Diagnosis: Biomedical Factors Versus Psychosocial Support, Siran M. Koroukian, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring And Methods Of Quantitation For Carbamazepine, Cristian Tuchila, Daniela Luiza Baconi, Cristina Dinu Pirvu, Denisa O. Balalau, Ana Maria Vlasceanu, Miriana Stan, Cristian Balalau

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Carbamazepine is an early anticonvulsant still used today in the treatment of several forms of epilepsy. An active metabolite in the human body contributes to its pharmacological effect. Carbamazepine metabolism has high inter-individual variability, such that it is relatively difficult to establish a direct link between dose and concentration, or between concentration and pharmacological effect. Carbamazepine is thus a good candidate for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Good UV specific absorbance and high plasmatic concentrations allow for the use of UV detection, which is often more accessible than other methods of detection. This paper presents several methods used for the detection …

The Psychology Of Neurofeedback: Clinical Intervention Even If Applied Placebo, Robert T. Thibault, Amir Raz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Advocates of neurofeedback make bold claims concerning brain regulation, treatment of disorders, and mental health. Decades of research and thousands of peer-reviewed publications support neurofeedback using electroencephalography (EEG-nf); yet, few experiments isolate the act of receiving feedback from a specific brain signal as a necessary precursor to obtain the purported benefits. Moreover, while psychosocial parameters including participant motivation and expectation, rather than neurobiological substrates, seem to fuel clinical improvement across a wide range of disorders, for-profit clinics continue to sprout across North America and Europe. Here, we highlight the tenuous evidence supporting EEG-nf and sketch out the weaknesses of this …

Cortical Thickness Abnormalities Within The Salience And Reward Networks In Older Depressed Adults With Apathy, Monique A. Pimontel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background and Significance: Apathy is a common comorbidity in late-life depression. Among older depressed adults, apathy is associated with a number of adverse outcomes, including increased disability, comorbid illness, and mortality. The etiological substrates of apathy in late-life depression nonetheless remain poorly understood, and little is known about its optimal treatment. To this end, the aim of the current study was to examine cortical abnormalities within the salience (SN) and reward networks (RN), two brain systems involved in the processing of incentive salience that may underlie the syndrome of apathy in older depressed adults.

Methods: We examined the association between …

Research Brief: "Physical Activity, Suicide Risk Factors, And Suicidal Ideation In A Veteran Sample", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the effect of physical activity on level of suicidal risk and ideation in veterans. In policy and practice, veterans should continue to exercise, either individually or in groups, and physicians should assist veterans with disabilities in finding adaptive exercises and sports; the DoD and VA should create health transition plans to help service members transition back into civilian life. Suggestions for future research include collecting data through interviews and including more veterans with disabilities in the study.