Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Client/Therapist Feedback And The Role Of The Alliance On Psychotherapy Outcomes, Elizabeth Preston Cisneros

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Through a system of patient-focused outcomes research which has employed a quality assurance system for tracking client progress in therapy, there has been consistent evidence that utilizing the system to identify those who are not responding to treatment and warning their therapist about the client’s risk significantly improves client outcomes in psychotherapy. Although outcomes have been improved, significant proportions of clients have treatment failures or see no improvement in therapy. Moreover, feedback to therapists appears to be most effective in improving outcomes for the minority of clients who are already at risk of treatment failure.

Attempts to augment the feedback …

Psychological Profiles In A Female Bariatric Surgery Sample, Aimee L. Donato

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Morbid obesity is an epidemic. Current literature suggests that people with morbid obesity tend to show increased levels of psychological dysfunction. This is especially pertinent to the clinicians who work with morbidly obese patients who seek bariatric surgery as the method for weight control. Surgery should be performed on patients who are psychologically ready to adjust to the stringent post-operative lifestyle.

The purpose of the present study was (1) to compare two groups of bariatric patients (a White group and a non-White group) on pre-surgery measures: specific scales on the Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic (MBMD), the Beck Depression Inventory II …

Development Of A Lung Cancer-Specific Model For Support Group Interest, Laura Testerman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Despite high levels of both emotional and physical distress and desire for utilization of support group services, lung cancer patients rarely participate in these supportive services. Lung cancer survivors’ interest in and use of supportive psychosocial services remains poorly understood, and Internet-based services may be of particular benefit to this population. The Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, which emphasizes Predisposing (i.e., demographic as well as attitudes about support services), Enabling (i.e., accessibility of services), and Illness (i.e., need for services based on health) factors, was applied to the prediction of survivors’ behavioral intention to participate in face-to-face support groups (F2F) …

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Connecticut, Dorothy Hiersteiner, Kaye Inandan

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Although Connecticut’s Medicaid programs, Husky A and B, are essential providers of coverage for maternity care, there are still major racial and ethnic disparities in access to, use of, and quality of prenatal care in Connecticut. The cesarean birth rate in the state is almost 9% higher than the US average. African American/black and Hispanic mothers experience comparatively high rates of low birth weight births. Furthermore, Connecticut is home to a substantial rural population which experiences unique challenges to accessing adequate health care. While 75% of the Connecticut population is non-Hispanic white, 9% is African American/black, 12% is Hispanic and …

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Rhode Island, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Rhode Islanders face unique health disparities based on race, ethnicity and location. Just over six percent (6.3%) of the Rhode Island population is living in Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), according to 2008 data. Native American and African American/black communities face particular health disparities, specifically in the areas of reproductive and infant health. In 2008, 79% of the Rhode Island population was non-Hispanic white, while 5% was African-American/black, 11% was Hispanic and 5% had other racial/ethnic backgrounds. In 2005, 12.4% of the total Rhode Island population was foreign born.

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care, Adeola Oni-Orisan, Dorothy Hiersteiner, Althea Swett

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

This fact sheet was developed for the roundtables project “Midwifery Care in New England: Addressing the Needs of Underserved and Diverse Communities of Women.” Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health (Region I), this initiative addresses the challenges and opportunities related to the provision of midwifery care to underserved and vulnerable populations of women. The project aims to increase our understanding of regional midwifery workforce needs in the context of ensuring that all women living in New England have access to timely, affordable, and high-quality health care.

The September 2010 roundtables were …

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Vermont, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

In Vermont, racial and ethnic dispariti es in low birth weight and preterm birth rates exist alongside racial and ethnic disparities in health insurance coverage and use of preventative care. As of 2005, the percentage of racial and ethnic minorities in Vermont was approximately 3.3%, compared to 25% for the nation as a whole. In 2005, 3.4% of the Vermont population was foreign born.

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On New Hampshire, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

New Hampshire faces significant obstacles to serving the nearly 6% of the population living in medically underserved areas. In addition, many residents of New Hampshire are uninsured, limiting their access to vital medical care. According to 2007-8 data, the racial/ethnic breakdown of New Hampshire residents is: 1% African American/black, 2% Hispanic, 94% non-Hispanic white and 3% Other. In 2005, 5.9% of the total New Hampshire population was foreign born.1 Since 1996, New Hampshire has seen increases in low birth weight births, cesarean births2, and infant mortality with racial/ethnic disparities reflected in most maternal and infant indicators.

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Maine, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

With a large percentage of its population living in rural areas, Maine faces obstacles to providing adequate prenatal and maternity care to many women. The vast majority (96.2%) of Maine residents are non-Hispanic white, 1.2% are African American/black, 1.4% are Hispanic and 1.2% have other racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Massachusetts, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

As a result of Massachusetts’ 2006 health insurance coverage law, there has been a significant decrease in the uninsurance rate for women of color. Access to and use of health care for all women in the Commonwealth has also increased. Despite these coverage and access gains, major racial/ethnic disparities in health conditions and outcomes still exist among women, especially in the use and quality of prenatal care, the occurrence of preterm and low birth weight births, and infant mortality rates. The proportion of Massachusetts births that were cesarean deliveries in 2007 was 8% higher than the national rate. Compared to …

Popular People Help Experts Predict Flu Outbreak?, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Popular people are the trendsetters of society, especially when it comes to the next flu outbreak, according to preliminary research from Harvard University. The hypochondriac effect may have also exaggerated how predictive the friend group was, says Ed Hsu, associate professor of Public Health Informatics at the University of Texas. Those in the friend group are more likely to know someone who has the flu and hence may be more likely to think (and report) that they are coming down with it themselves.

Psychometric Characteristics And Clinical Correlates Of Neo-Pi-R Fearless Dominance And Impulsive Antisociality In The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, Edward A. Witt, Christopher J. Hopwood, Leslie C. Morey, John C. Markowitz, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, M. Tracie Shea, Andrew E. Skodol, John G. Gunderson, M. Brent Donnellan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

This study evaluates the validity of derived measures of the psychopathic personality traits of Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality from the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992) using data from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (baseline N = 733). These 3 issues were examined: (a) the stability of the measures over a 10-year interval, (b) their criterion-related validity, and (c) their incremental validity relative to an alternative NEO-PI-R profile-rating approach for assessing psychopathy. NEO-PI-R Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality scales were relatively stable across 10 years and demonstrated differential associations with measures of personality pathology and psychopathology …

Core Promoter Function In Brugia Malayi, Michelle Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have indicated that the promoters of the human filarial parasite Brugia malayi are unusual in that they do not exhibit the CAAT or TATAA sequences usually found in the core domains of promoters of most eukaryotic organisms. Analysis of the promoters of the ribosomal proteins showed that the region flanking the splice leader (SL) addition site plays an important role in transcription and may function as the core promoter domain in B. malayi. To test the hypothesis that the SL addition domain is the most important essential region of the ribosomal protein promoters, the SL addition site of …

The Relationship Between Breastfeeding And Child Care For Working Mothers In The United States, Patricia Wonch Hill

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Whether or not child care provider characteristics and factors related to the care giving environment impact breastfeeding duration for working mothers has not been systematically studied. In this dissertation, I use Ecological Health Promotion Theory to explore the relationship between child care and breastfeeding through three different analyses. First, I interviewed nine child care providers to assess their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about infant feeding and whether they vary on these factors across individuals and child care licensing types. Second, I conducted a small mail survey of 93 licensed child care providers in order to create a scale measuring attitudes …

Chronic Pain And Pain Management Among Older Veterans, Juyoung Park

Florida Public Health Review

The aim of the study was to examine chronic pain in older veterans (65+) and the pain treatment that they received at the Veteran Medical Center. Using a cross-sectional research design, a survey was administered to 107 older veteran participants with self-reported chronic pain recruited from outpatient centers of the Veterans Administration Medical Center: Pain Management Center, Geriatric Clinic, Arthritis Treatment Center, Mental Health Clinic, and Primary Care Clinic. Severity of pain, functional status, depression, spirituality, social support, and social network were assessed, and demographic data were collected. A majority of the participants (92.5%, n = 99) reported having had …

Partnership Development Among Mental Health Organizations, Alicia C. Bunger

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental health organizations can play a key role in enhancing youths' access to care by working together to bridge gaps in service delivery systems. This dissertation study examines partnerships among a network of children's behavioral health organizations. The specific aims are to (1) describe and understand the network of partnerships among members of the Children's Services Coalition, (2) assess the capacity of the system to provide coordinated service delivery, and (3) test how patterns of organizational characteristics influence conditions that facilitate and inhibit partnerships among the Children's Service Coalition organizations.

This dissertation is a predominantly quantitative cross-sectional network study of …

Erving Goffman As A Pioneer In Self-Ethnography? The “Insanity Of Place” Revisited*, Dmitri N. Shalin

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

This paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Atlanta, August 14, 2010. I wish to express my profound gratitude to all those who have helped preserve the memory of Erving Goffman by contributing a memoir to the Erving Goffman Archives. I am especially grateful to Frances Goffman Bay, Esther Besbris, and Marly Zaslov for providing family documents and invaluable recollections about Erving Goffman’s formative years, as well as to EGA board members whose practical assistance and good cheer sustained me throughout this project.

Goffman's Self-Ethnographies, Dmitri N. Shalin

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Atlanta, August 14, 2010. I wish to express my profound gratitude to all those who helped preserve the memory of Erving Goffman by contributing a memoir to the Erving Goffman Archives. I am especially grateful to Frances Goffman Bay, Esther Besbris, and Marly Zaslov for providing family documents and invaluable recollections about Erving Goffman’s formative years, as well as to EGA board members whose practical assistance and good cheer sustained me throughout this project.

The Feminization Of Hiv: Patriarchy As A Threat To Public Health In Ecuador – A Trans-Feminist Perspective, Fabián Espinosa Ma, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

This article attempts to analyze male sexual conduct in Ecuador and its determining role in the feminization of HIV. Male promiscuity, not only tolerated but celebrated by sexist discourse, severely impairs public health initiatives and remains one of the critical issues for both individuals and collectives struggling for structural changes in sexual politics. The exercise of citizenships, sustained by a new constitutional framework, embraces the principle of “subversion from within”, the only significant way of challenging heterosexist imaginaries and practices. This type of activism focuses on the formal and normative political dimension of sex and gender, but also and most …

Weighing In: A Critical Analysis Of New York City’S Calorie Labeling Law, Josephine Barnett

Publications and Research

The ‘obesity’ epidemic has The health of New York City Residents has been a significant concern of public health officials with the rates of obesity and diabetes ranking eighth of all cities nationally. The New York City (NYC) Board of Health laid the foundation and influenced the legislative efforts of means to address the ‘obesity-diabetes’ epidemic for public health officials consider this to be one of the major health concerns among Americans and particularly NYC residents. The major initiatives implemented by NYC official include: (1) a ban on trans-fat (2) a city registry of those with diabetes, and (3) menu-labeling. …

Helping Prostate Cancer Patients Understand The Causes Of Anxiety And Depression: Comparing Cancer-Caused Vs Patient Response Events, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) patients have elevated anxiety and depression, often showing impairments in decision-making and weakened relationships with their partner and family. Although treatment for these psychological side-effects of PCa is strongly recommended, relatively little is known of the causal processes underlying them. This study compared cancer-based lifestyle changes vs patient behavioural responses to cancer as predictors of anxiety and depression among PCa patients. Methods: PCa patients (381) were surveyed for their responses to standardised anxiety and depression questionnaires, plus a questionnaire designed to assess the kinds of lifestyle changes that had occurred to them and their responses to …

Synthesis And In Vitro Binding Of N,N-Dialkyl-2-Phenylindol-3-Ylglyoxylamides For The Peripheral Benzodiazepine Binding Sites, T. P. Homes, F. Mattner, Paul A. Keller, A. Katsifis

Paul Keller

A series of N,N-dialkyl-2-phenylindol-3-ylglyoxylamides bearing the halogens iodine and bromine were synthesised and their binding affinity for the peripheral benzodiazepine binding sites (PBBS) in rat kidney mitochondrial membranes were evaluated using [3H]-PK11195. Central benzodiazepine receptor (CBR) affinities were also evaluated in rat cortices using 3H-flumazenil to determine their selectivity for PBBS over CBR. The tested compounds had PBBS binding affinities (IC50) ranging from 7.86 nM to 618 nM, with all compounds showing high selectivity over the CBR (CBR IC50 > 5000 nM). Among the 12 compounds tested, those with a diethylamide group were the most potent. The highest affinity iodinated PBBS …

Gender And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screening In The Military: A Measurement Study, Mark Allan Oliver

Doctoral Dissertations

The Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PC-PTSD) screen (Prins et al., 2003) is used by the Department of Defense to identify military members who are at increased risk of PTSD. This screen has been offered to all returning deployers since 2005. However, validation studies of PC-PTSD scores from military samples have seldom employed a significant number of female subjects and no published studies have examined it for gender bias. Ruling out bias is important because routine under-identification of PTSD risk in any group could result in hindered access to needed assessment and/or care. With the current proportion of military females …

Neural Reuse: A Fundamental Organizational Principle Of The Brain, Michael Anderson

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

An emerging class of theories concerning the functional structure of the brain takes the reuse of neural circuitry for various cognitive purposes to be a central organizational principle. According to these theories, it is quite common for neural circuits established for one purpose to be exapted (exploited, recycled, redeployed) during evolution or normal development, and be put to different uses, often without losing their original functions. Neural reuse theories thus differ from the usual understanding of the role of neural plasticity (which is, after all, a kind of reuse) in brain organization along the following lines: According to neural reuse, …

The Relationship Between The Level Of Support Group Participation And Psychosocial Factors In Prostate Cancer Patients Treated With Proton Therapy, Carol A. L. Davis

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background. The role of support groups for cancer patients is known to be beneficial in helping people adjust to the disease, and cope with the myriad of effects that cancer has on quality of life. Although many people express interest in attending such support groups, few attend regularly. It is unclear what characteristics distinguish those who use such services from those who do not, especially among proton therapy patients.

Objective. To examine demographic and psychosocial characteristics associated with the Brotherhood of the Balloon (BOB) prostate cancer support group membership, a unique treatment-focused group originating at Loma Linda University Medical Center …

Drive Alive: Teen Seat Belt Survey Program, Katie M. Burkett, Steve Davidson, Carol Cotton, James Barlament, Laurel Loftin, James H. Stephens, Martin Dunbar, Ryan Butterfield

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Objective: To increase teen seat belt use among drivers at a rural high school by implementing the Drive Alive Pilot Program (DAPP), a theory-driven intervention built on highway safety best practices.

Methods: The first component of the program was 20 observational teen seat belt surveys conducted by volunteer students in a high school parking lot over a 38-month period before and after the month-long intervention. The survey results were published in the newspaper. The second component was the use of incentives, such as gift cards, to promote teen seat belt use. The third component involved disincentives, such as increased police …

The Effect Of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching On Flexibility, Muscle Power, And Aerobic Fitness, Dustin Rex

Graduate Theses

Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) is a commonly used stretching technique in rehabilitation and athletic competition. The most accepted benefit associated with PNF has been for increasing flexibility; however its definitive effect on muscle power and aerobic fitness remains controversial and relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of prolonged use of PNF on flexibility at the hip, muscle power of the hamstring and aerobic capacity measured during submaximal exercise. Testing this required the participation of 10 adults split into two groups, who were tested for flexibility, muscle power, and aerobic capacity at three levels based …

The Influence Of Perspective And Gender On The Processing Of Narratives, Jeremy A. Houska

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The overarching aim of this research was to examine potential boundary conditions to situation model construction (Experiment 1) and narrative-based persuasion (Experiment 3). Variables such as narrative perspective (i.e., 2nd or 3rd person) and matched characteristics with the reader (i.e., participant-protagonist gender match) were first examined using situation model updating (Experiment 1) and behavioral measures (Experiment 3) as dependent measures. It was expected that situation model updating would be more likely for narratives written in the 2nd person perspective and with a participant-protagonist gender match. It was uncertain, however, for health promotion narratives, whether these manipulations would increase the likelihood …

The Relationship And Effects Of Mindfulness On Comfort, Work Satisfaction, And Burnout Among Nurses Who Provide Direct Patient Care, Pamela Lichtenberg Heard

Dissertations

This study proposed to examine the problem of burnout in the nursing profession and ways to ameliorate burnout. Many burnout studies in the past focused on the problem and possible solutions that managers and/or hospital administrators could incorporate into their organization. The focus of this study is to evaluate ways that nurses can decrease their own propensity to burnout through the use of mindfulness. Therefore, this study examined burnout in a non-traditional manner. It is not assumed that others must assist nurses with decreasing their levels of burnout. Mindfulness is a means by which nurses can empower themselves to combat …

Predicting Problematic Approach Behavior Toward Politicians: Exploring The Potential Contributions Of Control Theory, Douglas Owen Cacialli

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The potential merits of Carver and Scheier's (1981) control theory in the prediction of targeted violence are reviewed and several novel indicators of risk that are consistent with this theory are suggested for study. It was hypothesized that: (a) similarity between inappropriate contact with politicians and extremist group literature and writings; (b) the temporal proximity to violent or otherwise criminal actions and notable anniversaries of such groups; (c) detailed specification of a plan to engage in problematic approach behavior, and; (d) self-focus, will be significant predictors of problematic approach behavior. A sample of 506 individuals who engaged in threatening or …