Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Behavioral Code Team, Daniel Mcgrath

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: The organization lacked an evidence-based intervention for behavioral emergencies within the inpatient acute care setting, leading to increased mechanical restraints. A security-driven paradigm was the organization's primary tool for addressing behavioral crises and lacked a more patient-centered treatment and support paradigm.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was In the Veteran patient population admitted to acute inpatient services (P), how does having a behavioral code team respond to behavioral emergencies (I) compared to the current practice (C) affect the prevalence of mechanical restraint usage (O) within an eight week period (T).

Evidence: Seven …

Technology Use In Schizotypy Utilizing The Domains Of Technology Use Survey (Dotus), Devin Massaro

Theses and Dissertations

The diathesis stress model for schizophrenia posits that genetics and prenatal factors confer vulnerability (diathesis) for mental illness which then may be activated through exposure to environmental stressors during life. One component of our contemporary environment involves technology use which has demonstrated risk and beneficial capabilities in regards to the schizophrenia spectrum. Using an online and in-person survey, this study aimed to elucidate the manner in which time spent on technology related to schizotypy, problematic technology use (PTU), and health behaviors in 227 undergraduate students (aged 18-30). We hypothesized that levels of schizotypy, as well as time spent on social …

Professional Quality Of Life In Respiratory Therapists: A Cross-Sectional Study Of The Prevalence And Predictors For Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, And Secondary Traumatic Stress, Sarah Pehlke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Background: Research on professional quality of life (QOL) variables in healthcare providers proliferated following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence suggests that caregiving careers have positive and negative effects (Beck, 2011). Insufficient research describes these effects in respiratory therapists (RTs), a group of healthcare practitioners who often work in high-stress situations and provide care to high-acuity patient populations.

Purpose: This study evaluated the prevalence and predictors of professional QOL factors, compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout, and secondary traumatic stress (STS), in staff RTs in the United States.

Methods: RTs were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey evaluating demographics, workplace …

An Examination Of Hierarchical Leisure Constraint Effects On Sport Participation And Sport Preference From Adolescence Into Early Adulthood, Crystal A. Fields

Honors College Theses

The aim of this study was to understand how hierarchical leisure constraints prohibited sport participation and influenced sport preferences during individuals’ adolescent years, and how these constraint effects may change during their early twenties. A sequential quantitative-qualitative mixed methods design was employed to (1) identify general changes in constraint effects on participation (i.e., quantitative) and then (2) better understand how sport preferences may be impacted by these constraint effects on participation (i.e., qualitative). A sample (n=70) of female (n= 26) and male (n=44) Georgia residents between the ages of 20-25 representing various ethnicities, backgrounds, and income levels participated in the …

Beyond Trauma-Informed Care: Insights From A Qualitative Study, Danielle Gainer, Sydney Silverstein, Josef Rivera, Raminta Daniulaityte

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Background: The impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) upon communities across the United States remains at epidemic levels, with a record number of overdose deaths recorded in 2020. As many communities have responded to this ongoing crisis with evidence-based treatment, harm reduction interventions and pharmacotherapy, recent efforts have focused on trauma-informed approaches to SUD care, taking into account the high prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences and related trauma in the lives of people living with OUD (Felliti, 1998; Stein, 2017). However, experiences of trauma and the manifestations of trauma in contemporary experience are never uniform (Maté, 2009). Qualitative research among …

Virtual Is Now Reality: Telehealth To Deliver Care For Substance Use Disorders, Brian Merrill, Danielle Gainer, Brent Schnipke

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Models of care for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment have traditionally required face-to-face visits, since individuals receive a broad range of services including individual psychotherapy, group therapy, urine drug screens, laboratory testing, dispensation of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), and prescriptions for psychotropic or other medications. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth became a more widely used method of delivering healthcare, including for SUD treatment. While the pandemic posed respiratory health concerns to all, individuals with a SUD were additionally vulnerable when attempting to access life-saving medications. An enforcement waiver of both federal and state telehealth rules during the …

Gender Roles And How They Promote Rape Culture, Janelle Isaacs

Honors Projects in Applied Psychology

This study investigated the relationship between gender roles and rape culture in society in order to promote awareness of the harmful impacts that promoting gender stereotypes can have on society. A survey that was presented to 143 adults over the age of 18 was conducted to highlight the aforementioned relationship. The survey addressed the extent to which respondents feel they have been taught/exposed to these gender stereotypes, as well as gauged their opinions on factors related to sexual assault. The data did not indicate a correlation between gender roles and rape culture, however, it did present some key findings. The …

Investigating The Role Of The Basolateral Amygdala Plays In The Incubation Of Cue-Induced Cocaine Seeking Behavior, Claire Marie Corbett

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Cocaine use disorder is a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Sex and ovarian hormones are known to influence cocaine addiction liability and relapse vulnerability. However, little is known regarding the cellular and synaptic mechanisms contributing to sex differences in relapse vulnerability, including how these measures are influenced by hormonal fluctuations. To investigate sex differences in relapse vulnerability we use a rodent model of cocaine craving and relapse called the incubation model in which cue-induced seeking progressively increases or “incubates” during the first month of withdrawal from extended-access cocaine self-administration. Using this model, we have recently shown that females in the estrus …

Valuating The Evidence Base Of Physician Reported Assessment Measures Used In Childhood Adhd Diagnosis, Sarah Ewen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An accurate Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis is essential as there are substantial social and functional costs associated with misdiagnosis. Data collected from a 2014 National Survey suggested that one-half of the children diagnosed with ADHD were diagnosed by a pediatrician or family health provider through unstructured behavioral observations or using a checklist that may not adhere to diagnostic guidelines. Additionally, clinicians providing ADHD diagnoses have admitted to possessing limited knowledge on the disorder itself and denied attending continuing education courses on ADHD. The current study sought to answer two research questions: 1) are measures reported for diagnosis by pediatricians evidence-based …

Occupational Depression In A Spanish-Speaking Sample: Associations With Cognitive Performance And Work-Life Characteristics, Bianchi Renzo, Guadalupe Manzano García, Maria Pilar Montanes, Emily A. Schonfeld, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

This 386-participant study investigated the structural and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI). Exploratory structural equation modeling bifactor analysis revealed that the ODI meets the requirements for essential unidimensionality. Measurement invariance held across our sample and the English- and French-speaking samples used in the ODI’s initial validation study. Mokken scale analysis indicated that (a) the scalability of the instrument was strong, (b) no violations of monotonicity or local independence were present, and (c) invariant item ordering was sufficiently accurate. The ODI’s reliability was optimal. The ODI exhibited both convergent validity and discriminant validity vis-à-vis …

The Impact Of Student Trauma: A Quantitative Investigation On Secondary Traumatic Stress And It's Effects On Nursing Faculty, Devon L. Luthens

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The increase in student trauma and mental illness is putting direct care professionals such as educators at risk of secondary traumatic stress. The purpose of this quantitative survey method research was to explore how nursing faculty within the Minnesota State system were affected by their work with traumatized students and if they experienced significant distress or impairment. The theoretical framework guiding this dissertation was the McCann and Pearlman’s Constructivist Self Development (CSD) theory. There were two research questions that led this study: Does the amount of exposure to student trauma relate to the level of secondary traumatic stress experienced by …

Cortical Source Analysis Of Event-Related Potentials: A Developmental Approach, Stefania Conte, John E. Richards

Faculty Publications

Cortical source analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals has become an important tool in the analysis of brain activity. The aim of source analysis is to reconstruct the cortical generators (sources) of the EEG signal recorded on the scalp. The quality of the source reconstruction relies on the accuracy of the forward problem, and consequently the inverse problem. An accurate forward solution is obtained when an appropriate imaging modality (i.e., structural magnetic resonance imaging - MRI) is used to describe the head geometry, precise electrode locations are identified with 3D maps of the sensor positions on the scalp, and realistic conductivity …

Does Insomnia Increase The Risk Of Suicide In Hospitalized Patients With Major Depressive Disorder? A Nationwide Inpatient Analysis From 2006 To 2015, Zeeshan Mansuri, Abhishek Reddy, Ramu Vadukapuram, Mounica Thootkur, Chintan Trivedi

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction. nsomnia is an important symptom associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). In addition, it is one of the risk factors for suicide. Studies have shown the relationship be-tween insomnia and suicidal behavior in patients with MDD. However, this association has not been evaluated in a large sample of hospitalized patients.

Objectives. To evaluate the suicidal be-havior in MDD patients with insomnia compared to those without insomnia.

Methods. From the National Inpatient Sample (NIS 2006–2015) database using the ICD-9 code, patients’ data were obtained with the primary diagnosis of MDD and comorbid diagnosis of insomnia disorders (MDD+I). These patients were …

Double Consciousness And Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors In Young Black And White Adults, Priscillia Ihionkhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the previously understudied notion that Black individuals are buffered against being dissatisfied with their bodies and in turn developing unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors. Double consciousness, a racially/ethnically sensitive measure of body dissatisfaction, was tested as a mediator of the relation between ethnic identity and unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors in Black and White adults. It was anticipated that unhealthy weight control behaviors would be more common in Black women compared to White women and that double consciousness would mediate the association between ethnic identity and unhealthy weight control behaviors among Black women, but …

The Role Of Medical Language In Patient Care: Designing An Educational Session On The Use Of Non-Stigmatizing Language, Daniel Dooling

EMET Projects

No abstract provided.

Testing Models Of Context-Dependent Outcome Encoding In Reinforcement Learning, William M. Hayes Iv

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies of reinforcement learning (RL) have established that choice outcomes are encoded in a context-dependent fashion. Several computational models have been proposed to explain context-dependent encoding, including reference point centering and range adaptation models. The former assumes that outcomes are centered around a running estimate of the average reward in each choice context, while the latter assumes that outcomes are compared to the minimum reward and then scaled by an estimate of the range of outcomes in each choice context. However, there are other computational mechanisms that can explain context dependence in RL. In the present study, a frequency …

The Ballad Of The "White" Collar Criminal: An Examination Of The Intersection Of Race And Gender In Federal White-Collar Sentencing And Possible Implications Of The Findings, Taylor Tesher

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that racial and gender disparities exist in federal white-collar crime sentencing, particularly affecting Black women, who often receive harsher sentences compared to their white counterparts. It highlights cases like Felicity Huffman and Kelley Williams-Bolar to illustrate these disparities and calls for reforms to address the lack of transparency and consistency in sentencing.

Medical Norm Of Psychiatric Misdiagnoses In Rare Disease Patients, Rachel Han

Publications and Research

Spring 2022 ENG 120 Student Final Research Paper on the medical norm of psychiatric misdiagnosis throughout the diagnostic journeys of rare disease patients. The idea of a norm was taken from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Tedx Talk "The Danger of a Single Story". Paper discusses prevalence, harmful effects, and origin of this medical norm. Includes discussion of statistical data quoted relating to prevalence of rare diseases as well as anecdotal evidence of the severe ramifications of this norm. Discussion of how medically unexplained symptoms such as mysterious chronic pain often lead to the phenomenon of the psychogenic inference. Origins of this …

Adolescent Mothers And Kangaroo Mother Care: A Scoping Review, Genna K. Rivers, Robin B. Dail Phd, Rn, Faan, Robin Dawson Phd, Rn, Cpnp-Pc

Senior Theses

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), the practice in which mothers hold their infants skin-to-skin against their bare chest, can increase bonding and attachment between mothers and their infants. However, there is not much research on the benefits of KMC within the adolescent or teen mother population (13-19 years old). The purpose of this scoping review was to identify how common KMC is within the teen mother population, determine how KMC varies based on social determinants of health and race/ethnicity within the adolescent mother population, and how KMC impacts adolescent mothers’ maternal attachment and bonding with their infants. PubMed and CINAHL databases …

Hostile Shores: Racial Exclusion Laws And The West Coast, Brendan Williams

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the historical and ongoing racial exclusion laws on the West Coast, focusing on California, Oregon, and Washington. It argues that despite their progressive reputation, these states have a legacy of discriminatory laws targeting Chinese, Black, and Japanese populations, which has led to enduring racial inequities that persist today.