Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Treating Trauma Survivors With Neurofeedback: A Grounded Theory Study Based On The Practices Of Experienced Mental Health Professionals, Christine L. Currie

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Neuroscience, the mental health field, and the concept of trauma as an underlying factor in mental and physical disorders have been inextricably linked since the inception of the mental health professions. Numerous quantitative studies have indicated that neurofeedback may be effective in ameliorating trauma symptoms; however, there is a paucity of research exploring the factors that produce those positive outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to explore the factors and processes that influence treatment outcomes when neurofeedback is used with trauma survivors. Thirty interviews were completed with ten experienced mental health and neurofeedback professionals identified through …

Exploratory Analyses Of A Developmental Conceptualization Of Insight And Treatment Outcomes Of Individuals With Serious Mental Illness In Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Ashley R. Wynne

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of the present study was to further examine the relationship between adolescent psychiatric pathology and SMI by assessing the relationship between prior mental health services before the age of 18 and time of assessment on people’s insight into their illnesses. A secondary relationship between adolescent psychiatric pathology and functioning in a variety of domains before, during, and after treatment was assessed. Overall, there was an inconsistent pattern of results and partial support of hypotheses. The current study was a retrospective longitudinal study in which assessments were given to 308 participants in an inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation unit every 6 …

Why Confronting Sexism Works: Applying Persuasion Theories To Confronting Sexism, Amy Hillard

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Speaking up about or confronting prejudice creates more positive attitudes, but the mechanism underlying confrontation’s prejudice reducing effect remains unclear. Based on an integration of the confronting prejudice and persuasion literatures, I expected that observing a confrontation (vs. no confrontation) reduces prejudice and discrimination; that elaborating on confrontation messages reduces prejudice and discrimination more than confrontation alone; and that elaborating on confrontation messages causes attitude change that lasts longer than confrontation alone. Participants were recruited to complete measures of sexism and feelings toward subtypes of women across three time points (i.e., pre-test, lab manipulation, and post-test). During the lab manipulation, …

Suburban Poverty: Barriers To Services And Injury Prevention Among Marginalized Women Who Use Methamphetamine, Miriam W. Boeri, Benjamin Tyndall, Denise R. Woodall

Faculty Articles

Objective: This paper aims to identify the needed healthcare and social services barriers for women living in suburban communities who are using or have used methamphetamine. Drug users are vulnerable to injury, violence and transmission of infectious diseases, and having access to healthcare has been shown to positively influence prevention and intervention among this population. Yet little is known regarding the social context of suburban drug users, their risks behaviors, and their access to healthcare.

Methods: The data collection involved participant observation in the field, face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Audio-recorded in-depth life histories, drug use histories, and resource needs …

Medical Pluralism In Morocco: The Cultural, Religious, Historical And Political-Economic Determinants Of Health And Choice., Tyler Martinson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Morocco is a culturally diverse intersection between the African continent, the Arab world and Europe. This multiplicity is mirrored in the country’s pluralistic medical system and beliefs surrounding the concepts of illness and health. Explanations of health are endorsed by culturally specific knowledge and are then naturalized and taken as objective. A synthesis of theoretical descriptions and political-economic of medical pluralism, along with historical analysis, explains the presence of multiple health practices and how a person’s choice of medical practice is heavily influenced by dynamic socio-cultural, religious, historical, political and economic factors. This study will help improve practitioner/client narratives of …

Prenatal Smoking And Drinking Implications For Subsequent Child Maltreatment, Nicholas Alexander Adams

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Prenatal smoking and drinking are very serious problems that have continued to plague society. They have multiple negative effects on the child both physically and cognitively. This study explored the relationship between prenatal abuse, i.e., prenatal smoking and prenatal drinking, and subsequent child physical abuse and official reports of child maltreatment. It was hypothesized that mothers who smoked or drank prenatally would be more likely to physically abuse their child postnatally and have official reports of child maltreatment. The sample included women participating in Wave III of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. N = 620 women who answered …

15. Assessing The Competency Of Child Witnesses: Best Practice Informed By Psychology And Law., Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

Mentoring: Combating Vulnerabilities Of Homeless Children, Julia Lane Mitchell

Florida Public Health Review

Homeless children are at risk for numerous health maintenance, academic performance, job preparedness, and emotional well- being issues. The effects of poverty multiply with time, posing greater risks the longer children are entrenched in homelessness. Expansive, holistic programming can address the special needs ofhomeless children. One-on-one mentoring offers a viable strategy to prevent morbidity emanating from homelessness by providing personal attention, encouragement, and affirmation to these vulnerable children, who with time, may develop a more defined self-identity that results in motivation and success.

Subsurface Characterization Of Groundwater Contaminated By Landfill Leachate Using Microbial Community Profile Data And A Nonparametric Decision-Making Process, Andrea R. Pearce, Donna M. Rizzo, Paula J. Mouser

College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

Microbial biodiversity in groundwater and soil presents a unique opportunity for improving characterization and monitoring at sites with multiple contaminants, yet few computational methods use or incorporate these data because of their high dimensionality and variability. We present a systematic, nonparametric decision-making methodology to help characterize a water quality gradient in leachate-contaminated groundwater using only microbiological data for input. The data-driven methodology is based on clustering a set of molecular genetic-based microbial community profiles. Microbes were sampled from groundwater monitoring wells located within and around an aquifer contaminated with landfill leachate. We modified a self-organizing map (SOM) to weight the …

Pedestrian Safety In Hillsborough County, Florida: A Proposed Policy Approach, Alyssa B. Mayer

Florida Public Health Review

Despite the resurgence of interest in policy implementation, communities, community-based coalitions, and other community- based groups have had mixed success in effecting state and local health policy changes. However, policy changes have been deemed more effective than individual behavior change programs. The creation of a policy advocacy framework may simplify the policy analysis process and arm community groups with practical tools to select, modify, and promote effective public health policies. This paper applies a hypothetical framework for equipping community groups to apply an evidence base to focus policy advocacy efforts systematically.

A Duty To Warn, An Uncertain Danger / Discussion, Frederic Reamer

Frederic G Reamer

The commitment of confidentiality in the various health and mental health professions is deep-seated. Codes of ethics routinely cite the professional's obligation to hold in confidence information that a client shares. The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers--which is pertinent to Mrs. D's predicament--is representative: "The social worker should respect the privacy of clients and hold in confidence all information obtained in the course of professional service."

Ethical Issues In Open Adoption, Frederic G. Reamer, Deborah H. Siegel

Frederic G Reamer

Total secrecy and confidentiality no longer typify adoption in the United States. Today, most adoptions involve an exchange of information or some form of contact between the birth family and adoptive family - so-called open adoptions. This article provides a comprehensive overview of ethical issues associated with various forms of open adoption, including issues of privacy, confidentiality, self-determination, paternalism, conflicts of interest, deception, and truthtelling.We present guidelines for social work practice in open adoptions, based on current ethical theory and ethical standards in social work.

Aids, Social Work, And The "Duty To Protect", Frederic Reamer

Frederic G Reamer

This article discusses social workers' obligation in cases where clients with aquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) pose a threat to a third party. Emphasis is on cases where a client diagnosed with AIDS withholds that information from a sexual partner. Legal and ethical issues concerning the limits of confidentiality and the social worker's "duty to protect" third parties are reviewed. Relevant case law and emerging ethical standards in various professions are summarized. The author reviews legal precedents concerning disclosure of confidential information without a client's permission and discusses their relevance to AIDS cases. Implications and guidelines for social workers are …

Aids And Ethics, Frederic Reamer

Frederic G Reamer

The seriousness of the AIDS crisis is well known. Since the first case was documented in Los Angeles in 1981, the media have been filled with research updates, documentaries, and exposes on the dreaded disorder. Reports and case studies have ranged from informative to sensational. They have included serious academic studies, educational overviews targeted for the general public, and columns in weekly tabliods.

Aids And Social Work, Frederic Reamer

Frederic G Reamer

Social workers are becoming increasingly involved in casework and social policy debate related to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) crisis. To enhance their delivery of services and contribution to policy formulation, social workers need to be familiar with a wide range of ethical and civil liberties issues that have been generated by the AIDS epidemic. This article provides an overview of six major ethical and civil liberties issues pertaining to social work practice related to AIDS: (1) mandatory screening and testing of clients for the immunodeficiency virus (HIV), (2) client access to health insurance, (3) professionals' duty to treat …

“What” And “Where” In Auditory Sensory Processing: A High-Density Electrical Mapping Study Of Distinct Neural Processes Underlying Sound Object Recognition And Sound Localization, Victoria M. Leavitt, Sophie Molholm, Manuel Gomez-Ramirez, John J. Foxe

Publications and Research

Functionally distinct dorsal and ventral auditory pathways for sound localization (WHERE) and sound object recognition (WHAT) have been described in non-human primates. A handful of studies have explored differential processing within these streams in humans, with highly inconsistent findings. Stimuli employed have included simple tones, noise bursts, and speech sounds, with simulated left–right spatial manipulations, and in some cases participants were not required to actively discriminate the stimuli. Our contention is that these paradigms were not well suited to dissociating processing within the two streams. Our aim here was to determine how early in processing we …

Physicians’ Work, Alice A. Oberfield, Pamela S. Tolbert

Pamela S Tolbert

[Excerpt] In order to evaluate the full impact of such changes on physicians' work and the health care system, it is necessary to understand the forces bringing change about. Thus, we begin by providing a brief history of the contemporary medical care system, then turn to an assessment of current trends and their consequences for the practice of medicine.

Formalizing Education About Public Health Leadership During Professional Preparation, Robert J. Mcdermott

Florida Public Health Review

This year is the fourth year that the Florida Public Health Review (FPHR) has published student essays that attempt to illustrate how the application of specific leadership paradigms might, in theory, be responsive in addressing challenging and historically unresponsive problems in public health. Other public health students, faculty, and practitioners from throughout Florida are invited to contribute ideas that foster leadership skills and the development ofdynamic leaders.

Addressing Colon Cancer Screening Disparities Among Overweight And Obese Women, Sara M. Kennedy

Florida Public Health Review

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in women and 60% ofdeaths from colon cancer could be prevented ifpersons 50 and older were screened regularly. Whereas physician recommendation has been identified as critical to increasing colon cancer screening, this factor may be insufficient for increasing colon cancer screening adherence among overweight and obese women. Despite having more physician visits, this population tends to receive fewer preventative services. Women who delay routine cancer screening have the highest rates ofdieting. An intervention utilizing the recommendation for screening from a weight loss advisor at an organization like may prove to be effective. …

Prostate Cancer Screening: Leadership Implications, Dorothy D. Zeviar

Florida Public Health Review

TheepidemiologyofprostatecancerintheAfricanAmericanpopulationiswell-knowntohealthcarepractitioners; prostate cancer disproportionately impacts African American men 2:1 compared to Caucasian men. The Prostate Cancer Foundation hypothesizes that the increased mortality risk may be due to delayed diagnosis, poor work-up, and less complete treatment, indicating inequitable use of the health care system. The National Cancer Institute suggests that availability of health insurance and physician contact may increase screening and thus, reduce cancer mortality. Because health behaviors and health outcomes are impacted at five different levels according to the Social Ecology Model ofhealth – intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community and social/policy levels – this report proposes that a Collaborative Leadership model …

Childhood Obesity In America: The Leadership Role Of Schools In Prevention, Daphnee A. Guillaume

Florida Public Health Review

Childhood obesity is a major public health concern; children are being diagnosed with adult type diseases and health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, etc. Still, over the past decade there have been many attempts by schools, and even the federal government to address the situation, yet there hasn’t been an effective model that has been able to do so. The schools in this country are not consistent when it comes to addressing the issue of childhood obesity. Out of the 50 states in this country, only 19 have nutritional standards for school meals, though all 50 …

Using Leadership To Address The Problem Of Obesity In The Workplace, Amber Colston

Florida Public Health Review

Obesity is a growing epidemic that affects more and more Americans every year. With the majority ofAmerican adults in the workforce, obesity plays a large part in healthcare costs, absenteeism, and “presenteeism.” Because ofthe large amount oftime adults spend in the workplace, using this setting as an intervention point for healthy lifestyle change could greatly reduce the prevalence of obesity. This paper will review factors that have contributed to the problem of obesity in the workplace, namely the factors at each ofthe five levels ofthe Social Ecology ofHealth Model. Then using leadership frameworks, such as that of Transformational Leadership, this …

Lead The Way Florida! Raising Nutrition Awareness To Lower Obesity, Bethany M. Brunny

Florida Public Health Review

Rising obesity rates increase the potential for many chronic diseases and lower quality of life. Strong leadership in the practice ofnutrition awareness and knowledge needs to be established to reduce obesity in the state ofFlorida. Most Americans do not eat the recommended daily amounts offruits and vegetables, which partially accounts for increased obesity rates. Interventions that raise nutritional knowledge and awareness may increase fruit and vegetable intake and lower fat intake. Having nutritional knowledge is the first step to living a healthy lifestyle with a healthy weight. Changes in policy like requiring restaurants to report calorie and fat contents offood …

Failures In The Veterans Administration And New Strategies For Leadership, Jarrett Nathaniel Brunny

Florida Public Health Review

World news organizations have criticized the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for endangering patient safety through negligence. Several VA medical centers - including prominent centers operating in Florida - failed to sterilize endoscopy and colonoscopy equipment. Through improper sterilization, a pathway for infection is created resulting in potential disease exposures to patients. In response, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the reports and found that facilities did not adhere to protocol concerning reusable medical equipment (RME) problems during the practice ofperforming endoscopies and colonoscopies. The Office ofInspector General noted that the incidents reflected flaws in …

A Leadership Solution To Workplace Stress, Monica L. Rousseau

Florida Public Health Review

Sources of stress can be found nearly everywhere: in school, at home, in traffic, and maybe most importantly –in the workplace. Chronic workplace stress, also known as “burnout”, has been linked with both psychological and physiological illnesses. As most Americans spend about halfoftheir waking hours at work, the workplace is an excellent location to evaluate specific risk factors and implement stress reducing programs. Although a number ofsuch programs are currently in practice, the majority ofthem only offer techniques and coping mechanisms to individuals already exhibiting some, or several, ofthe many severe symptoms ofchronic stress. The purpose ofthis paper is to …

A Qualitative Study Examining Tensions In Interdoctor Telephone Consultations, Anupma Wadhwa, Lorelei Lingard

Lorelei Lingard

OBJECTIVE: Communication skills have gained increasing attention in medical education. Much of the existing literature and medical curricula addresses issues of doctor-patient communication. The critical importance of communication between health professionals, however, is now coming under the spotlight. The interdoctor telephone consultation is a common health care setting in which health professional communication skills are exercised. Breakdowns in this communication commonly occur and, surprisingly, this skill is not formally addressed in medical training. This study sought to clarify the communication issues that can occur during interdoctor telephone consultations in order to inform future educational initiatives in this domain. METHODS: Data …

Towards Safer Interprofessional Communication: Constructing A Model Of "Utility" From Preoperative Team Briefings, Lorelei Lingard, Sarah Whyte, Sherry Espin, G. Baker, Beverley Orser, Diane Doran

Lorelei Lingard

"Improved team communication" is broadly advocated in the discourse on safety but rarely supported by a precise understanding of the relationship between specific communication practices and concrete improvements in collaborative work processes. We sought to improve such understanding by analyzing the discourse arising from structured preoperative team briefings among surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists prior to general surgery procedures. Analysis of observers' fieldnotes from 302 briefings yielded a two-part model of communicative "utility", defined as the visible impact of communication on team awareness and behavior. "Informational utility" occurred when team awareness or knowledge was improved by provision of new information, explicit …

Surgeons Managing Conflict: A Framework For Understanding The Challenge, David Rogers, Lorelei Lingard

Lorelei Lingard

No abstract provided.

A Theory-Based Instrument To Evaluate Team Communication In The Operating Room: Balancing Measurement Authenticity And Reliability, Lorelei Lingard, Glenn Regehr, Sherry Espin, Sarah Whyte

Lorelei Lingard

BACKGROUND: Breakdown in communication among members of the healthcare team threatens the effective delivery of health services, and raises the risk of errors and adverse events. AIM: To describe the process of developing an authentic, theory-based evaluation instrument that measures communication among members of the operating room team by documenting communication failures. METHODS: 25 procedures were viewed by 3 observers observing in pairs, and records of events on each communication failure observed were independently completed by each observer. Each record included the type and outcome of the failure (both selected from a checklist of options), as well as the time …

The Rhetorical 'Turn' In Medical Education: What Have We Learned And Where Are We Going?, Lorelei Lingard

Lorelei Lingard

This paper presents a critical reflection on the contributions and challenges associated with one rhetorical approach to studying teaching and learning communication in health professions education. A rhetorical approach treats language as a social act, and attends to the role of language in establishing professional identities and relationships. The research has produced insights into the use of standard communication formats to teach novices, the nature of socialization on clinical teams, and the relationship between communication patterns and patient safety. Challenges and emerging questions include the problem of accounting for the material dimensions of communication in a rhetorical model, grappling with …