Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons^™

Investigation Of Brain Function And Structural Development As Risk Factors Of Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors, Yi Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Identifying risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially causal ones, will be imperative to improving screening and treatment interventions. To identify replicable brain-based risk factors, there is increasing evidence indicating the need for large sample sizes, in the hundreds to thousands, in order to achieve a sufficient level of statistical power to detect them. Furthermore, longitudinal studies of brain and behavioral factors will be essential to understanding how suicide develops, especially the transition from suicide ideation to attempt. While experimental studies may not be feasible or ethical, genetically informed methods for testing evidence for causation are an alternative …

Reducing Medication Barriers Before Patient Check-Out At A Student Run Free Clinic, Jenna D. Reisler, Daniel Bao, Alison Zill, Marysuna Wilkerson

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

How The Lockdown Of Covid-19 Influenced The Neurocognitive And Psychosocial Development Of Preschoolers, Kay Picson

Nursing | Senior Theses

COVID-19 caused schools to turn to online learning through platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet. The influence and effects caused by the transition to online lessons and quarantine were seen across all patient populations and demographics, but none more so than preschool children, who are regarded as one of the more vulnerable populations due to their susceptibility to change. This research aims to fill gaps in the existing literature by evaluating the similarities and differences of the neurocognitive and psychosocial development of preschoolers exposed to the pandemic and those who were not. This study involves a comparative cohort approach …

Estradiol Signaling Improves Extinction Memory Recall To Combat Cue-Induced Heroin Relapse In Rats, Jordan S. Carter

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

We are in the midst of an opioid use disorder (OUD) epidemic. While several treatments mitigate a range of factors contributing to return to use, or relapse, the power of drug-conditioned environmental cues to precipitate relapse have not been adequately addressed. One treatment modality targeting cue reactivity, cue exposure therapy (CET), exacerbated relapse in individuals with OUD, perhaps due to a deficit in extinction memory recall (EMR). Here, EMR is the ability to override the drug-cue association and prevent relapse. Interest remains in combatting cue-induced relapse, potentially by introducing a pharmacologic adjunct with CET to enhance EMR. In the following …

Giving People The Words To Say No Leads Them To Feel Freer To Say Yes, Rachel Schlund, Roseanna Sommers, Vanessa K. Bohns

Articles

We examine how to structure requests to help people feel they can say no (or yes) more voluntarily. Specifically, we examine the effect of having the requester provide the request-target with an explicit phrase they can use to decline requests. Part of the difficulty of saying no is finding the words to do so when put on the spot. Providing individuals with an explicit script they can use to decline a request may help override implicit scripts and norms of politeness that generally dictate compliance. This should make individuals feel more comfortable refusing requests and make agreement feel more voluntary. …

Get It In Writing: How To Make Medications For Opioid Use Disorder Available During Incarceration, Margaret J. Mcgladrey, Jordan Kelsch, Michelle R. Lofwall, Laura C. Fanucchi, Sharon L. Walsh, Carrie B. Oser

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Faculty Publications

In a case example from the Kentucky HEALing Communities Study, extensive resources were deployed to address structural barriers and facilitate the provision of medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) in an urban county jail. However, implementation was unsuccessful, and this case example emphasizes the importance of including evidence-based medication for OUD (MOUD) treatment in the scope of work of jails’ contracted medical providers. The privatization of correctional health care services allows local governments with opioid abatement funds to incorporate requirements into medical provider contracts to screen all people entering jails for OUD and to offer MOUD at intake, throughout incarceration, …

Perceived Versus Actual Hiv Risk Among Prep Indicated Persons With Criminal Legal Involvement, Taylor Krajewski, Katherine H. Lemasters, Carrie B. Oser, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Individuals involved with community supervision experience multi-level obstacles impacting health outcomes. This is a high-risk period for HIV acquisition due to potential reengagement in unprotected sex and/or unsafe injection drug practices. This study aimed to assess the congruence between actual and perceived HIV risk and the degree to which individual, social, and behavioral factors impact risk perception among individuals on community supervision. While all participants were clinically indicated for PrEP, most participants (81.5%) did not consider themselves at risk for HIV (69.5%) or were not sure of their risk (12.0%). Among those with no or unsure perceived risk, 94% engaged …

Screening Incarcerated Women For Opioid Use Disorder, Michele Staton, Martha Tillson, Mary M. Levi, Matthew Webster, Carrie B. Oser, Carl Leukefeld

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

The overall aim of the present study is to examine the utility of the DSM OUD Checklist and the NM-ASSIST screening tools to identify symptoms consistent with OUD among incarcerated women in county jails. This study contributes to the existing literature because research on screening and assessment approaches for incarcerated women has been limited. The focus of the current study is to describe the screening procedures and study recruitment for a larger parent study focused on increasing treatment linkages. Study findings indicate a positive correlation between indicators of OUD using the two screening tools, as well as a high degree …

Trends In Youth Opinions About Police Agencies In The United States, 2017–2021, Delvon T. Mattingly, Nancy L. Fleischer

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Introduction: As civil unrest about policing in the United States (US) continue, research on changing opinions about police agencies is needed, especially among younger populations. These opinions may be associated with distress and other health outcomes that come with public health implications.

Methods: We aggregated and used yearly 2017 to 2021 data on 12th-grade youth living in the US from the Monitoring the Future cross-sectional study (n = 7132). We categorized opinions about police agency job per- formance into 1) very poor/poor (hereafter: poor), 2) fair/good/very good, and 3) no opinion. To examine trends in policy agency opinions over time, …

A Social History Of Opioids’ Crimedical Cycle, Jerel M. Ezell, Alex Rains, Babatunde Patrick Ajayi, Kyle Miller, Erin Augustine, Dawn Goddard-Eckrich, Elizabeth N. Kinnard, Michelle R. Lofwall

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Historically, public and political discourse around people who nonmedically use opioids has largely been rendered via a deficits-oriented lens, presenting this population as weak, disinterested, and deviant,and thus undesirable and ill-positioned for wellness and communal integration. These narratives, and subsequent policies used to engage people who use opioids, are intermittently formed and disrupted by geopolitical changes, as public and institutional attitudes, often driven by racial and class-related considerations, shift. As part of what we term the crimedical cycle, a population’s behaviors fluctuate between periods of medicalization and criminalization. Strengths-based theory, an offshoot of ‘positive psychology’ that helps contextualize the crimedical …

Extended-Release Injection Vs Sublingual Buprenorphine For Opioid Use Disorder With Fentanyl Use, Edward V. Nunes, Sandra D. Comer, Michelle R. Lofwall, Sharon L. Walsh, Stefan Peterson, Fredrik Tiberg, Peter Hjelmstrom, Natalie R. Budilovsky-Kelley

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Importance: Fentanyl has exacerbated the opioid use disorder (OUD) and opioid overdose epidemic. Data on the effectiveness of medications for OUD among patients using fentanyl are limited.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of sublingual or extended-release injection formulations of buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD among patients with and without fentanyl use.

Design, Setting, and Participants: Post hoc analysis of a 24-week, randomized, double-blind clinical trial conducted at 35 outpatient sites in the US from December 2015 to November 2016 of sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone vs extended-release subcutaneous injection buprenorphine (CAM2038) for patients with OUD subgrouped by presence vs absence of fentanyl …

Assessing Disparities In Culturally Competent Care In Ethnic Burn Patients, Min Kang

Nursing | Student Research Posters

One of the most debilitating injuries one can suffer is a burn. It is even worse when certain individuals can not access the high quality care such as immigrants. With immigration rates increasing over the last several decades, these populations often lack the proper medical care that they deserve. The overarching theme in this population is that they face challenges in attaining positive patient outcomes due to cultural differences.

• Lack of Culturally Competent Care in Burn Care
• Addressing Cultural Safety and Quality of Care in Burn Injury Management
• Analyzing Disparities in Access to Culturally Competent Burn care

Clinical Practice Guideline For The Management Of Depression In Primary Care, Estrella Catherine Villarreal

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: The prevalence of depression poses a significant challenge in primary care, emphasizing the urgent need to address this issue during patient visits. Primary care providers are at the forefront of managing depression, yet they encounter difficulties in screening, diagnosing, assessing, and treating this complex condition. Clinical guidelines serve as valuable tools for primary care providers and practices, offering support in identifying and addressing depression effectively. An evidence-based approach to treating depression in primary care, with a focus on collaborative interventions with behavioral health to enhance depression management for American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) communities.

Methods: The descriptive analysis was conducted …

Guideline For Creating A Support Group For Adults With Down Syndrome Who Suffer With Prolonged Grief, Brandon Chace Warman

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Adults with Down syndrome process and express their grief differently from the general population. There are a multitude of support groups and organizations for individuals grieving a loss and experiencing prolonged grief but there are none that exist for people with Down syndrome. This project develops a guideline for creating support groups aimed at adults with Down syndrome who experience prolonged grief. Fifty-one pieces of literature from all over the world were reviewed to formulate recommendations that were graded by seven stakeholders. These recommendations were then used to develop a guideline for creating support groups for this population. Analysis of …

Repolarizing Tumor-Associated Macrophages In Ovarian Cancer: A Novel Immunotherapeutic Approach, David Schweer

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Ovarian cancer, recognized for its high lethality and resistance to conventional immunotherapies, mandates innovative strategies to confront its intricate challenges. The tumor microenvironment (TME), orchestrated by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), assumes a pivotal role in disease progression, rendering TAMs an appealing therapeutic target. This study endeavors to explore the prospect of repolarizing TAMs from a protumor M2 phenotype to an antitumor M1 state, employing M1 macrophage-derived vesicles (MEVs) as a groundbreaking immunotherapeutic approach.

The primary objective is to investigate the capacity of M1 MEVs to repolarize M2 macrophages in vitro towards an anti-tumor M1-like phenotype. By inducing human macrophages to adopt …

I Am Not A Hero: Heroic Action Divorces The Hero From The Political Community, Ari Kohen, Brian Riches, Andre Sólo

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Most people who perform a heroic act will, afterward, deny that their actions were heroic and claim that anyone would have done the same, even though that is demonstrably false (and, often, others were present who failed to act heroically at all). The literature on the psychology of heroism has never investigated why this is. This theoretical paper proposes an answer and seeks to provoke exploration of a previously unexplored topic. We note that people who undertake heroic action face a unique conflict: they embody their community’s highest values, while simultaneously breaking norms to stand apart from that community. We …

Receipt Of Follow‑Up Care Plans On Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Breast, Prostate, And Lung Cancer Survivors, Meng-Han Tsai, Malcolm S. Bevel, Sydney E. Andrzejak, Justin X. Moore

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Purpose Our study aimed to examine whether receipt of follow-up care plans is associated with greater guideline-concordant CRC screening stratified by breast, prostate, and lung cancer survivors.

Methods We used data from years 2016, 2018, and 2020 of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System on 3339 eligible treatment-utilizing cancer survivors with complete treatment. We performed descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to examine the mentioned association.

Results We observed that 83.9% of breast and 88.2% of prostate cancer survivors with follow-care plans received CRC screening (p-value < 0.001). The lowest CRC screening use was observed among lung cancer (70.8%). In multivariable analysis, receipt of follow-up care plans was strongly associated with greater odds of receiving CRC screening in breast (OR, 2.67; 95% CI: 1.71–4.16) and prostate (OR, 3.81; 95% CI: 2.30–6.31) cancer survivors. Regardless of provider type, 84 to 88% reduced likelihood of receipt of CRC screening when they received follow-up care plans among lung cancer survivors. Among those without follow-up care plans, breast (OR, 0.29; 95% CI: 0.09–0.92) and lung (OR, 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.25) cancer survivors who received care from general practices were less likely to receive CRC screening compared to those who received care from non-general practices.

Conclusions Receipt of follow-up care plans was associated with greater CRC screening use in …

Opioid System's Potential Involvement In Ketamine's Cognitive And Antidepressant-Like Effects In Rats, Fan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Depression stands as one of the most pervasive mental health challenges worldwide, including the United States. Conventional antidepressants typically display a delayed onset of therapeutic action (4-8 weeks) and lack efficacy in a substantial portion of patients (over 40% of depressed patients are treatment-resistant). The dissociative anesthetic ketamine, which is a glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, has emerged as a promising novel treatment due to its rapid and prolonged antidepressant effects, and it is especially beneficial for treatment-resistant depression. Nevertheless, the precise neurochemical mechanisms underlying ketamine’s antidepressant properties remain elusive, hampering the development of safer and more efficacious treatments. The present …

The Effects Of Controlled Breathing And Physical Postures On Anxiety And Stress In Mental Health Patients, Kristen Killingsworth

DNP Research Projects

Objective: Anxiety and stress are debilitating disorders that have been on the rise in recent years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Medication alone has not been shown to be successful in mitigating the disorders, necessitating research into other alternatives for anxiety and stress management. The purpose of this project was to assess if a single complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) relaxation session had an impact on stress and anxiety levels. Method: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify strategies for reducing stress and anxiety. Guided by the Holistic Care Model of Self-Regulation, the nurse-led CAM relaxation session was developed. The …

Effects Of The Cb1 Receptor Antagonist, Am251, On Maternal Behavior In Long-Evans Rat Dams, Jennifer Aguilera-Fonseca, Karla Colley, Eddie Galarza, Atoria Hamm, Joe Morse, Rachel Ntor, Destiny Pichardo, Vincent P. Markowski

McNair Scholars Program

No abstract provided.