Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Commons^™

Falls Program On An Acute Psychiatric Unit, Joseph Hunter Rose

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the metropolitan hospital’s acute psychiatric unit there has been an increase in falls incidence as well as need for evaluation of the effectiveness of Schmid Fall Risk Assessment tool in its ability to properly identify those at risk. In the last fiscal year there were 45 falls among 28 patients on the acute psychiatric unit.Falls are harmful to the patients and can cause prolonged hospital stays with non-reimbursable costs to the hospital. Falls amongst psychiatric patients is an even greater challenge to address due to the nature of the mental health disease process. This project addresses general costs of …

An Examination Into The Relationship Between Iron Deficiency And Postpartum Depression, Sara A. Burroughs

Senior Honors Theses

Postpartum depression is recognized as the most common complication of childbearing; however, its etiology remains fairly undetermined. Many different influences have been hypothesized as to what may cause postpartum depression, including changes in levels of various hormones (such as estrogen and progesterone), a decrease in serotonin, low levels of vitamin D, social factors, and iron deficiency. The lack of strong evidence for one specific cause makes it fairly clear that there are many factors that play a role in the development of postpartum depression. Iron deficiency is one issue that is thought to contribute to the development of postpartum depression …

Reducing Benzodiazepine Use In The Treatment Of Anxiety In A Community Mental Health Setting, Gayle M. Mink

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Abstract

Background and Significance: Anxiety Disorders affect nearly 18% of adult population annually (SAMHSA, 2013.) Per APA, (1990) & Ashton (1994), prescribers should limit use to short-term crisis or to prepare for therapy. Unintended consequences of benzodiazepines: abuse, dependence, compromised sobriety, withdrawal seizures, rebound anxiety (APA, 1990, p. 35)

Purpose of pilot: To develop/ implement an evidence based pilot program using internet-based, CBT to taper benzos with minimal/no perceived participant distress.

Theoretical Framework: The recovery model (Anthony, 1993).

Project Design: Design. Pilot project using a one-group, pre-test, post-test model.

Sample. Convenience sample of seven clients; (18 years old on long-term …

Depression Scores In Males And Females With Copd, Cynthia Southers

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program on depressions scores in persons with COPD and if there is a difference between males and females in depression scores prior to and following participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program. The literature review supported multiple factors on how participating in a pulmonary rehabilitation program can have a positive effect on depression scores. The study utilized a descriptive design with a retrospective chart review. The quantitative descriptive design identified variables and examined the differences in males and females with COPD using pre- and …

The Effects Of A Brief Mindfulness-Based Meditation Intervention On Chronic Pain, Jolena B. Allred

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

As the number of individuals suffering with chronic pain escalates, management is shifting from pain specialists to primary care providers. Nurse practitioners are becoming increasingly responsible for the management of this complex patient population. Analgesics, primarily opioids, have been the standard of chronic pain management with a resulting national crisis related to overuse, improper use, and illegal use of these substances. Mindfulness-based meditation has gained increasing interest and acceptance by both the individuals suffering with chronic pain and the providers managing those who suffer, however, limited investigation is available related to brief interventions provided at point-of-care. This Capstone Project evaluated …

Examining The Associations Between Depressive Symptoms, Body Mass Index, And Physical Activity Self-Efficacy In African American Mother-Child Dyads, Y'Esha Vonyae Williams

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

In recent decades the prevalence of childhood and adult depression and obesity has increased worldwide. Multiple factors influence the onset of both depression and obesity. Individual manifestations of depressive symptomatology and health-related problems associated with obesity vary; however, genetics and environmental and psychological factors have been implicated as correlates. Consequently, both disorders can ultimately interfere with individuals’ activities of daily living and decrease their quality of life. African American women are known to have a higher prevalence of obesity and more severe depressive symptoms in comparison to Caucasian women. Likewise, African American children are more obese and experience many factors …

Biopsychosocial Vulnerability-Stress Modeling For An Incarcerated Population, Deborah Shelton, Bill Barta, Robert Trestman, Sara Wakai

Journal for Evidence-based Practice in Correctional Health

This paper discusses individual constructs that form diathesis-stress models and formulates an adapted model for a corrections population. Diathesis-stress models are familiar within psychiatric nursing, but rarely discussed in the literature in their application to correctional population, or for their potential in guiding nursing practice in correctional settings. Of particular interest to this paper is the coping response of inmates to the stressors of incarceration and the implications for clinical care management.

Treatment Recidivism In Adolescents With Mental Illness: A Focused Applied Medical Ethnography, Chukwudi C. Ekwemalor

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background

Treatment recidivism, described as frequent unplanned relapse readmissions, is a national problem predominant in adolescents with mental illness with significant socioeconomic consequences. Adolescents living with mental illness are a sub-culture of adolescence, the critical growth period of developmental and social transition from childhood to adulthood. The main triggers of treatment recidivism in this population are not fully understood from previous studies.

Purpose

The study purpose was to explore treatment recidivism with the following aims:

1. To illuminate treatment recidivism from the perspectives of recidivist adolescents with mental illness.

2. To describe the main factors that contribute to treatment recidivism …

Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome, Sharon F. Ali

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a very serious problem that may affect the patient when admitted inpatient for a traumatic or non-traumatic diagnosis. Chronic Alcohol consumption in moderation may put the patient at risk for delirium tremens which is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal. Management of alcohol withdrawal in acutely ill hospitalized patients is challenging for healthcare providers (Riddle, Bush, Tittle, & Dilkhush, 2010). Signs and symptoms of AWS are caused primarily by neurophysiologic changes in the brain, which may be mild to severe, and may develop within 6-72 hours after abstaining from alcohol. Mild symptoms of withdrawal …

Predicting Burnout Among Psychiatric Technicians, Sarah E. Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis attempted to examine stressors associated with the psychiatric technician profession and levels of burnout amongst them. This was accomplished through the use of a survey which included demographic data, the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI‑HSS), an adaptation of the Nursing Stress Scale (NSS) and a self‑care assessment tool. A total of three research questions were examined statistically including levels of burnout on subcategories (personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization), most common stressors identified by psychiatric technicians and percentage of participants who utilized therapy to cope with work related stress. The survey was made available via survey …

Improving Suicide Risk Management In Military Primary Care, John A. Hoyos

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: In the military, completed suicides and attempt rates have risen across the services since 2001 by 82% per 100,000 in spite of various intervention programs. The literature suggests that absent and inadequate suicide assessments may be part of the problem. Primary care providers are often not prepared for risk assessment and management of suicidal patients.

Aim/Purpose of Project: The project sought to improve the consistency of providers in conducting adequate risk assessments and providing crisis hotline information to patients who were cleared to return home after an encounter, as required by NPSG 15.01.01.

Project Plan Process: This evidenced-based project …

Increasing The Awareness Of Trauma Informed Care In The School Setting: Giving Practitioners The Tools To Actively Participate In Trauma Related Care, Rebekah L. Sypniewski

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Of the approximately 15 million children and adolescents who have a mental health disorders that are interfering with their functioning, a mere 25% seek medical advice or treatment (Melnyk, Kelly, & Lusk, 2014). Furthermore, two thirds of youth report experience at least one traumatic event by age 16 (Suarez, Belcher, Briggs, & Titus, 2012). School health practitioners have regular contact with children and adolescents as they typically attend school five days a week, nine months out of the year. The consistent presence of the relationship between the practitioner and student creates an ideal environment for discussing the sensitive topics necessary …

Adolescent Grief: The Nurse's Role In Promoting Healthy Coping Mechanisms And Preventing Future Hospitalizations, Erica C. Reighard

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Age and developmental stage directly influence the grieving individual's ability to understand and process death. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to developing negative coping skills such as substance abuse, self-destructive behaviors, and eating disorders. After a loss occurs, nurses can use their role as a caregiver who is neither a parent nor a peer to provide adolescents with an opportunity to express their grief. Nurses can educate grieving adolescents on the differences between positive and negative coping skills and can therefore reduce the number of future hospitalizations related to ineffective coping mechanisms.

Rural Nebraska Women's Explanatory Models Of Postpartum Depressive Symptomatology, Elizabeth Mollard

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to construct the explanatory models of postpartum depressive symptomatology (PPDS) from the perspective of rural Nebraska women and to compare these models with the medical model of PPDS. A sample of 20 rural Nebraska women were interviewed in a one-on-one qualitative descriptive telephone interview using questions based on Kleinman’s (1980) explanatory model of illness. This study used feminist pragmatism as a guiding philosophical paradigm. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, and results were compared and contrasted with the medical model of PPDS, which included the onset, symptoms, and duration listed in the DSM-5 …

Post-Concussion Policy Change For The Student-Athlete, Heather Porter

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The intent of the evidence-based practice project was to implement a policy change for the development and implementation of a policy and related procedures to ensure equity and continuity in practices for successful reintegration of student-athletes who had sustained a concussion back into their classrooms. The lack of attention on cognitive effects of concussion and the “ripple effect” in the classroom needed to be addressed by the nursing profession from an education-intervention focus. A corrective action plan was developed by a doctoral student including an educational teaching session and PowerPoint Presentation and pilot policy. The end result of the project …

Mindfulness Education For Stress Reduction In Nursing Students, Kathryn Kekenes Peterson

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Problem. The level of stress experienced by college students can be significant. It can be even more pronounced in nursing students as a result of the intense curriculum and clinical experiences. Stress can be the result of academic, personal, or interpersonal causes. It can affect physical, psychological, spiritual, and social well-being. Stress is not always avoidable but learning techniques to manage stress can improve overall well-being by decreasing the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social effects of stress. Learning to manage stress through holistic self-care with mindfulness stress reduction techniques could help alleviate the negative effects of stress, enabling the student …

Orientation Program For Psychiatric Clinical Experience, Kathy C. Williams

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Student nurses often experience anxiety prior to their psychiatric clinical experience and this anxiety can adversely affect their learning experience and ability to provide optimal nursing care to clients who have psychiatric illnesses. A formal Orientation Program for the Psychiatric Clinical Experience (OP-PCE) was developed to reduce student nurses’ anxiety prior to their psychiatric clinical experience. The OP-PCE was implemented as a component of the routine psychiatric curriculum in a pre-licensure registered nursing program at a university in Southeastern United States of America. Thirty-four student nurses participated in the OP-PCE. The content of the OP-PCE included general orientation information such …

Sleep Hygiene Program For Night Shift Workers, Dale Wicker

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Sleep is vital to health and wellbeing. Service professionals such as nurses, firefighters, and police officers, historically have worked in shifts requiring around the clock coverage. Now, many companies are following similar strategies with working employees in 12 hour or 8 hour shifts including night shift. Night shift workers must adjust to sleeping during the daytime by combating their normal circadian regulatory system. Maladaptation to daytime sleep can affect overall sleep time and poorer sleep quality. Shift Work Disorder is a medical condition where employees struggle with chronic sleep deprivation that can lead to other health problems. Employee health clinics …

School Mental Health Guide For Educators, Yvonne Smith

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

This Capstone Project explored the impact of providing a staff development program to educators in a public school setting to address rising concerns over unmet student mental health needs in this school setting. Student mental health response and referral had become prominent concerns in the project school. The project leader developed two separate sessions addressing adolescent depression and mental health. The sessions, facilitated by the project leader and the project implementation team, represented the interprofessional disciplines of nursing, counseling, and social work. Each session addressed issues of confidentiality, definition and signs/symptoms of each conditions, common treatments, evidenced-based classroom strategies and …

Relationship Between Parental Alcoholism And Family Unpredictability, Kamie L. Stephens

Honors Theses

This research is a retrospective study on adult children of alcoholics using a previous researcher’s, Dr. Ross, unpredictability scale. Family Unpredictability is defined as “a lack of consistency in family behaviors and regulatory systems,” (Ross and Hill, 2000). There is currently a lack of research related to parental alcoholism and its effect on family structure. The researcher hopes to gain insight on the relationship between parental alcoholism and family unpredictability. Previous research suggests children growing up with a caregiver who is an alcoholic experience a higher level of unpredictability in the home. Examples of this unpredictability are: a decreased amount …