<p> This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of Chinese immigrants who have successfully adjusted and resettled in the United States. Immigration and its related processes can be stressful and traumatic; migration entails challenges affecting one's sense of personal identity and psychological well-being. This study represents an attempt to obtain a deeper understanding of immigration's challenges, the psychological coping mechanisms used to meet those challenges, and the factors that contribute to successful adjustment and resettlement in the United States.</p><p> Participants were recruited through the researcher's social and professional network, using snowball sampling. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews with 11 adult immigrants of Chinese descent who (a) immigrated to the United States more than five years prior to the study, (b) self-identified as having adjusted well, and (c) reestablished their lives in the United States and viewed it as their "home." Grounded theory-based qualitative analysis was applied to the interview transcripts to identify codes, themes, and categories describing the participants' experiences and psychological processes of immigration and resettlement. </p><p> Data analysis produced eight thematic categories. The eight thematic categories identified as helpful toward understanding the complex process that Chinese immigrants undergo during adjustment and successful reestablishment of their lives in the United States were (a) migratory loss and grief; (b) acculturative stress; (c) self-determination in reestablishing "home" in the United States and mastering related challenges; (d) learning new skills and learning about U.S. culture; (e) expanding and making use of interpersonal relationships and support systems; (f) use of emotional-focused coping; (g) maintaining positive attitudes and outlooks; and (h) feeling at "home" and well-adjusted in the United States. </p><p> A conceptual model was then developed to describe (a) causal conditions that underlie the development of Chinese immigrants' coping and adjustment strategies, (b) the phenomenon that arose from those conditions, (c) the coping and adjustment strategies employed, (d) contextual and intervening conditions that influenced strategy selection, and (e) the consequences of adopting the chosen strategies. In addition, a "Success of Immigration" scale was used to assess the level of successful adjustment. Clinical implications of the study and suggestions for future research are also discussed</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal seeking funds for a program that utilizes service dogs as a supplementary intervention for veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The literature review addressed the prevalence of PTSD in the United States and among our veterans. In addition, PTSD challenges, risk factors, and direct consequences were explored. Pet therapy, service animals, and animal companionship were researched and reviewed to further analyze the effectiveness of their support with humans. </p><p> The service dog program will be implemented at The Veterans Affair (VA) Health Care System in Long Beach, California. The program seeks to provide additional support to veterans who are utilizing mental health services at the VA. The intervention is projected to have the following outcomes, decreased PTSD symptoms, increased community integration, and decreased feelings of suicidal ideation. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has emerged as one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders and has been shown to have a negative impact on quality oflife, adversely affecting individuals scholastically, socially, and financially as adolescents and into adulthood. The goal of this study was to identify predictors of depression amongst children with ADHD to better develop early treatment methods. Analysis of the 2009 California Healthcare Interview Survey (CHIS) was conducted in identifying determinants of depression. Two hypotheses were tested. The first found that gender was a predictor of depression; however, the hypothesis that girls had a higher chance of developing depression was not supported. The second produced an insignificant relationship between depression and race, failing to support the assumption that Hispanics would be more susceptible to depression. Further discussion was provided on possible applications to clinical methods and implications to future research.</p>

<p> Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the weight loss of collegiate wrestlers and assess their risk for eating disorders (ED). Methods: Wrestlers were recruited by contacting the athletic trainer (AT) at the institution they wrestled. ATs who agreed to participate were sent an electronic link containing a survey, 143 wrestlers provided usable data. The survey was created from two surveys one allows the athlete to describe his eating behaviors and the ATHLETE questionnaire which measures risk for ED. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics and frequencies. Results: 76.6% of wrestlers indicated binge eating; eating behaviors are similar to those in previous literature including gradual dieting, restricting food/fluids, fasting, and exercise. Wrestlers in this study do not appear to be at risk for ED. Clinical applicability: Wrestlers display dangerous eating behaviors but are not at risk for ED. Key Words: Disordered eating, anorexia, bulimia, body image. </p>

Since the latter half of the twentieth century, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease has grown to epidemic proportions. My project investigates the cognitive devastation of Alzheimer's disease from several perspectives. I first outline some medical models of Alzheimer's disease, incorporating Richard Dawkins' selfish gene theory. Next, I explore the linguistic experience of the patient. I study Arthur W. Frank's analysis of patient narratives and Elaine Scarry's theory of torture to explore the way in which Alzheimer's disease tortures the patient, stealing the patient's ability to speak and deconstructing the world of the patient. Finally, I think about the way in which Alzheimer's disease can support and challenge themes in Martin Heidegger's philosophy. In diagnosing Alzheimer's disease, the person experiences a conflation of fear and angst. I explore Heidegger's philosophy as it relates to the experience of the patient who shows no ability to function in-the-world, yet exists corporeally.

Substantial evidence has accumulated indicating that a genetic predisposition underlies suicidal behaviour, and that the mediating mechanism may involve decreased serotonergic activity and/or low serum cholesterol level. Most association studies have focused on genes involved in the serotonergic tophan hydroxylase (TPH) gene has been extensively examined and conflicting findings have been reported. The meta-analysis presented here was conducted to clarify the role of the TPH gene in suicidal behaviour. No overall association between the TPH gene and suicidal behaviour was found. A shift in focus to genes related to regulation of cholesterol level may provide useful clues. Thus, five genes encoding proteins involved in cholesterol biosynthesis and metabolism were investigated for a role in suicidal behaviour. No association was detected between any of the genes examined and suicide, suggesting that none of the genes investigated plays a major role in the etiology of suicide. Further studies in a larger sample are necessary to exclude possible small genetic effects.

The importance of genes in the etiology of bipolar disorder (BD) has been substantiated through family, twin and adoption studies. The search for susceptibility genes, however, has proved to be an arduous task with disease complexity leading to the non-replication of published results. We have used lithium treatment response as a classification variable, thus providing a phenotypically more homogeneous sample to work with. With this sample we carried out pharmacogenetic studies to identify genes involved in the etiology of BD and/or in the response to Li. The phosphoinositide and cAMP pathway have been shown to be involved in Li's mode of action. Thus, a gene responsible for regulating inositol metabolism (prolyl endopeptidase, PREP) and three cAMP responsive element binding proteins (CREB1-3) were investigated. We have found an association indicating a possible role of CREB1 and 2 in the etiology of BD and Li response. Further studies in larger, independent samples and the analysis of additional markers should be undertaken to confirm these findings.

Stroke is a leading cause of disability for adults. Several studies confirm cognitive impairment in persons following stroke. Every stroke patient should have rapid access to cognitive screening and evaluation. In this study, Rasch analysis was used to determine the suitability of the telephone version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in screening for cognitive impairment in persons with stroke. The specific objectives were to determine the range of difficulty represented by the items of the telephone version of the MMSE, to identify the hierarchy of item difficulty and to compare the French and English versions of the test. Rasch analysis was conducted on data obtained from 267 persons with first-ever stroke who completed the telephone version of the MMSE at 1 month post stroke. Results indicated that the telephone version of the MMSE did not target the full range of the persons' cognitive ability, especially for those with 'higher' cognitive ability. The item difficulty ranged from (-3.258 to 2.585 logits), and the average person mean (2.351 logits) was greater than the average item mean set at 0. The test was easy for most persons; the majority were situated above the mean item difficulty. Fit of the items to the Rasch model is discussed with alternate scoring methods suggested.

Healthcare professionals measure functional disabilities in daily living tasks in order to monitor disease progress and implement intervention strategies. Few measurement tools assessing these problems in the community-dwelling elderly with Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type (DAT) currently exist. Recently, the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale (DAD) was developed to assess disabilities in activities of daily living experienced by this population. / The Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale (DAD) is a proxy-respondent scale measuring disability in daily living tasks in terms of executive functions. The objectives of this study were to measure the criterion-related (concurrent) validity and the construct validity of this scale. Total score correlational analyses between the Rapid Disability Rating Scale-2 and the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale were used to estimate criterion-related (concurrent) validity. In addition, the known-groups procedure was used to estimate criterion-related (concurrent) validity. Stage of dementia served as the known-group variable against which total DAD Scale scores were compared. Construct validity was estimated using total score correlational analyses between the Burden of Care Scale and the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale (DAD). Likewise, construct validity was estimated using total score correlational analyses between the standardized Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and the DAD Scale. Correlations proved highly significant for criterion-related (concurrent) validity measures r = $-$0.84, and for known-groups procedure estimates r = $-$0.73. Results for construct validity measures were r = $-$0.29 for Burden of Care scores and r = 0.55 for MMSE scores. Interpretations for these findings were offered in the discussion of this project. Findings indicated that the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale is a valid disability measurement for community-dwelling Alzheimer's subjects, and support its use in this type of DAT population.

The relationship between migraine and bipolar disorder was the main interest of this study. The objectives were several: (1) to determine the prevalence of migraine in a clinical bipolar population and compare it to the rate in the general population; (2) to examine if there were any clinical differences between the bipolar groups with and without migraine; and lastly, (3) to determine the prevalence of migraine treatment among the bipolar population. Two questionnaires were administered to diagnose migraine and gather information about the clinical course of bipolar illness. The results showed a migraine rate among females of 43.8% and 31.5% among males which were both higher than in the general population. Migraine was also found to be underdiagnosed and undertreated. Several clinical correlates were found that may suggest that migraine and bipolar disorder share similar pathophysiological underpinnings.