<p> During 2013, approximately 87,000 parents in the U.S. experienced the death of a child to drug overdose, however we do not know how the experience affected the bereaved parents. From a theoretical perspective of social constructivism and symbolic interaction, this grounded theory study explored the grief experience of eight parents to understand the social influence on the grief experience and on the meaning ascribed to the child&rsquo;s death. Data collection and analysis were consistent with constructivist grounded theory methodology that identified the assumptions and opinions that influenced how parents made meaning of the child&rsquo;s death, and how they integrated the deceased child into their life in a way that fostered a new purpose. The emergent theory stated, &ldquo;The ability of the bereaved to transform following the drug overdose death of their child was indicated by a process that brought meaning to the death in a way that honored the decedent and through the discovery of a purpose that ensured a continued and heartfelt relationship with the decedent prevailed.&rdquo; Based on this theory, the resolution of grief benefited when the bereaved thought that they were making meaningful contributions, often accomplished by a transformed identity and a new purpose that promoted a decrease in the rate of drug overdose death and a reduction in the social stigma common to drug overdose death. Proposed solutions called for guidelines to assist physicians in the prescribing of opiates, promoted the availability of Naloxone to first responders and family members who could potentially save a life, and revisions to the Good Samaritan Law throughout the U.S. to encourage more individuals to call 911 for help in overdose situations. Recommendations for future research were included.</p>

<p> From a reading of the Hebrew Bible itself it would be difficult to determine that a goddess culture existed for thousands of years prior to the appearance of the monotheistic Father God of Hebrew Scripture. As such, the repression of the Goddess during the Iron Age and the implications of this repression in our own Western culture have been evaluated throughout this dissertation. This hermeneutic study weaves together a broad range of topics that begins with an exploration into the roots of the Hebrew God-image as it emerged out of a polytheistic context that included powerful female deities. The study reveals that Yahweh once had a divine feminine consort and together they were known as Yahweh and his Asherah. Over time the feminine aspect of the Godhead was torn asunder and the divine feminine was submerged and repressed into the unconscious. The research explores the effects of this repression within the feminine psyche and the ways in which the one-sided masculinity of the Western God-image has become incorporated into the individual psychology of women. This study seeks to reclaim the deep feminine repressed by the Father God complex through an amplification of serpent symbolism that leads towards the recovery and redemption of the feminine principle in her creating, preserving, and destroying aspects. </p><p> Additionally, the research addressed the development of the God-image by examining the relationship between a negative father complex and the traditional God-image of Western culture through a psychoanalytic object relations perspective. The research shows how early object relations can color the ways in which we perceive the divine. The study suggests that when we can withdraw our infantile projections onto a God-image we are able to develop a more mature spirituality that no longer reflects a parent-child relationship. Jung devoted attention to this evolutionary process, that he refers to as the transformation of God, leading to the birth of a new God-image.</p>

Suicide and non-suicidal self-injury are concerning and prevalent phenomena in the United States; as a result, much research has been undertaken in order to investigate these topics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015a). Although the exploration of risk factors is a common approach, other novel approaches have been developed in order to better understand self-directed violence (Klonsky & May, 2013). One of these is a focus on functions served by these behaviors, which is theorized to contribute to grasping their etiologies and help provide effective treatment (Glenn & Klonsky, 2011). Another approach is investigating implicit cognition and selfassociations’ influences on the development of self-directed violence (Glashouwer et al, 2010). The current study expanded on previous research by using these two novel approaches simultaneously, and measuring the association between the functional aspects of self-directed violence and the Suicide Implicit Association Test. Participants for this study included 32 adolescent inpatients hospitalized at River Valley Behavioral Health Hospital. The Suicide Implicit Association Test served as the independent variable in this study. The following measures served as dependent variables: the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury, the Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire, and the Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview. Regression analyses revealed non-significant associations for both intrapersonal (β=1.44, S.E.=.91, p=.13) and interpersonal (β=.004, S.E.=.5, p=.99) functions. Poisson regression analyses revealed non-significant associations for both intrapersonal (β=.01, S.E.=.21, p=.97, CI:-.41, .42) and interpersonal (β=.60, S.E.=.51, p=.24, 95% CI:-.40, 1.60) functions. A logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between Suicide Implicit Association Test scores and number of previous suicide attempts, and this revealed a high odds ratio [OR =4.56, 95% CI: .36, 57.76]. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between Suicide Implicit Association Test scores and the frequency of previous non-suicidal self-injury, and this revealed a significant positive association (β=.99, S.E.=.07, p=.00, 95% CI:.86, 1.13). Poisson regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between Suicide Implicit Association Test scores and the severity of previous suicidal ideation, and this revealed a significant positive association (β=1.09, S.E.=.23, p=.00, 95% CI: .65, 1.54).

<p> This phenomenological study investigated the experience of battered women, in an effort to understand how affect, social and environmental systems influence the lives of sheltered-battered women who have left the initial stage of domestic violence shelters and are living in the second stage of transitional housing. The research question that guided the study was, &ldquo;<i>What is the lived experience of battered women who have lived in domestic violence shelters and who currently reside in transitional housing? </i>&rdquo; Three theoretical frameworks for this study potentially addressed and explained the complexities of domestic violence and the lived experience of its survivors. These theories&mdash;ecological systems theory, feminist theory and social learning theory&mdash;were presented, as well as their connections to the research question that guided this study. Ten residents of second stage transitional housing were purposefully selected through criterion sampling. Each participant had to meet inclusion criteria of being 18 years or older, experienced two or more incidents of abuse by a partner with whom they had an intimate or marital relationship, were residents of a domestic violence shelter prior to entering the transitional housing program, and lived in the transitional housing program for at least 6 months. Six themes emerged from the data analysis. The themes that materialized were: fear, depression, survival, coping mechanisms and communal living. While living in transitional housing, the majority of participants experienced immense emotional turmoil, and the majority of the participants faced mental health challenges that caused them concern. Anxiety and depression was common in several of the participants. The results of this study supports that second stage transitional housing for battered women is providing a critical service that should be furthered expanded. After battered women enter second stage transitional housing, time and a series of steps are required for them to become self-sufficient. Implications for counseling professionals include gaining a more comprehensive understanding of what battered women in transitional housing need, while healing from domestic violence. This type of knowledge may contribute to interventions that help to strengthen women and reinforce their ability to be resourceful for long term stability.</p>

<p> The present study identified and quantified five main barriers to treatment categories, deducted first from the qualitative dataset, then consolidated with the results of the quantitative dataset. Clinicians (<i>N</i>=36) that worked with youth and their families participated. The main findings suggested five parent themes (<i>practical obstacles, poor alliance with the therapist, therapist&rsquo;s perceptions, socioemotional, and cultural </i>) and seven concept groups (<i>transportation, financial, logistical, attendance, therapeutic relationship, lack of communication, and lack of engagement </i>). Implications provide strategies to ratify some of these barriers, such as gathering data on youth clients and their families. For the purposes of this study, the terms <i>children, adolescents</i>s, and <i> youth</i> will be used interchangeably and will be defined as any individual under the age of 18.</p>

<p> Although media attention is increasing describing the effects military commander&rsquo;s toxic leadership has on the organization and subordinate military members, few studies focus on an Army commander toxic leadership (ACTL) as experienced by an Army officer&rsquo;s wife (AOW) whose spouse is subordinate to the ACTL. Researchers have focused on the unique stressors experienced by military members and their families in an attempt to gain insight and understanding into the unique culture from a stress theory perspective. Studies report the active duty member&rsquo;s is challenged with negative interpersonal relationship problems, reduced coping skills, limited resources, and feelings of hopelessness resulting from the exposure to a commander&rsquo;s toxic leadership. The stress theory is rooted in positive psychology focusing on individual perceptions and strengths to overcome stressors from a culturally competent lens. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of 10 Army officer&rsquo;s wives on their journey through an Army commander&rsquo;s toxic leadership. The participants were recruited nationwide from the social media network, Facebook. Participants were interviewed using a modified, semi-structured interview guide to insure responses were related to the central research question. The results of the study confirmed the presence of non-normative stressors, coping skills, resources, and crises framed from a stress theory perspective. Themes were related to ACTL stressor description, ACTL hardships, stressor meeting resources, and outcome gains and costs. The study concluded that the experience of an ACTL is an institutional cancer with the high-propensity to metastasize, leaving a path of destruction, poison, and scars in its&rsquo; path.</p>

<p>Background: Type 2 diabetes is a complex chronic condition. To achieve positive outcomes patients must have an understanding of diabetes and self-efficacy to carry out self-management. Studies have shown that diabetes self-management education interventions positively affect physical and mental health outcomes, thereby improving the patient?s diabetes self-management. Purpose: The purpose of this article was to determine if four diabetes self-management programs (DSMP) on the Island of Hawaii are providing competent care based on national standards of curriculum components, addressing mental health concerns affecting diabetes self-management, and providing culturally adapted care. Methods: This study was carried out in three stages: 1) selecting programs for analysis; 2) comparing evaluated programs based on American Association of Diabetes Educators Self-care behaviors through the review of program manuals and supplemental materials; and 3) interviewing program directors. Results: A review of community-based, self-management programs on Hawaii Island reveals that they provide competent care based on national Diabetes Self-Management Education standards. The reviewed programs appear to be successful and include culturally adapted education. However, assessments for mental health are not currently being used to assess a patient?s need for treatment of common mental health problems such as depression. Conclusion: The current evidence of a connection between diabetes and depression indicates that DSMPs should assess for depression and provide effective treatment, especially for ethnic groups that have a high prevalence of diabetes and diabetes-related hospitalizations. More research is needed to determine how programs could better address culture and mental health concerns related to diabetes self-management education.

<p> This study was designed to investigate the difficulties and challenges facing counseling practitioners that result in secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction and burnout. Secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction and burnout in Licensed Professional Counselors may have a relationship to their quality of life ratings. The risks of working directly with traumatized individuals on a regular basis are well documented. These three variables (Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion Satisfaction and Burnout) are prominent in the human services field with counselors being in the top five affected (in helping professions). A total of 77 participants completed a demographic questionnaire and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). This quantitative research design is classified as descriptive research/correlational study (non-experimental) between variables. A multiple regression analysis was utilized to collect the data. The findings were not as expected by the researcher. It appeared that counselors become satisfied from working with traumatized victims. Recommendations and future research directions are explained.</p>

<p> The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between stress and executive function (EF) in adolescence and to determine the extent to which the adolescent-caregiver attachment moderated the effects of stress on EF. EF are a set of meta-cognitive processes, including planning, that require coordinated neural activation in the prefrontal cortex and a number of other brain regions. Deficits in EF are associated with many mental health disorders. Large-scale, federally funded efforts are ongoing to understand more about EF and the brain. </p><p> Current adolescent brain research calls for further investigation of how regions coordinate in task-specific activities (Spear, 2010). The stress, or hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), and attachment systems share underlying neural substrates that overlap with regions activated to perform EF. Adolescence is a sensitive period for changes in EF skills (Blakemore &amp; Choudhury, 2006), the HPA axis (Romeo, 2011), and attachment (Allen, 2008). Therefore, this research was aimed at exploring how stress and attachment predict performance on an EF task in adolescence. Specifically, the researcher examined the extent to which attachment styles moderated the relationship between cortisol, a measure of HPA axis functioning, and performance on the Tower of London (TOL), a test of planning skills. The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) data were used to examine this overarching research question in a social neuroscience model. </p><p> While the TOL is one of the most frequently used measures of EF, its scoring methods vary across studies (Etnier &amp; Change, 2009). Study 1 consisted of an exploratory factor analysis with data from 932 youth, and results supported a single factor model that best represented planning skills, which was consistent with the hypothesized structure based on an exploratory study with a small sample of college students (Berg, Byrd, McNamara, &amp; Case, 2010). The factor score was then used as the criterion variable in Study 2, which included three moderated regression models that explored secure, preoccupied, and dismissing attachment styles. Though results suggested that cortisol and attachment were not predictive of planning in this sample, potential explanations for the lack of findings are proposed and recommendations for future research are included.</p>

<p> This thesis explores alienation from one&rsquo;s cultural and ethnic legacy and its ramifications for Chicanos, other ethnic groups, and biracial individuals. From a depth psychological perspective, the impact of loss of language and culture for individuals in these populations is investigated in relation to the development of psyche and the individuation process. Understanding of the unhealed wounds of loss of land, both physically and spiritually, has affected the Chicano psyche in relation to itself and the world. Seven themes are indentified and discussed regarding the cultural unconscious in order to provide for therapists a greater understanding of the psyches and cultural background of Chicanos and other ethnic groups. This information can assist therapists to be more culturally competent when working with these populations. The definitive purpose of the study is to learn how depth psychology can better serve this community and bring insight to what the soul is calling for. </p>