<p> Citizenship/immigration status, high poverty rates and gender specific issues, present a significant problem, when addressing the mental health needs of Latino adolescents. This study utilized data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). The independent variables for the study were citizenship/immigration status, socioeconomic status, and gender. The dependent variable was mental health. To examine the relationship between the independent and dependent variables, a frequency and regression analysis was performed. The results of the study indicate that citizenship/immigration status and gender are significant predictors of mental health among Latino adolescents. The results of the study suggest that social workers, community leaders, community members, and mental health providers, should explore selecting effective interventions with optimal outcomes for the mental health of this population.</p>

<p>The purpose of this project was to create a program, locate a potential funding source, and fill out a grant application to acquire funding for a physical activity program for clients at Mariposa Women and Family Center who are currently being treated for diagnoses of depression and anxiety. A literature review was conducted to increase the knowledge of the intersection between physical activity and mental well-being, as well as the specific types of physical interventions that are the most effective. During a comprehensive search on the Internet, the California Wellness Foundation was discovered to be the best funding source for the proposed program. A grant application was filled out in order to potentially gain funding to support a physical activity program at Mariposa Women and Family Center in Orange County, California. The actual submission and/or funding was not required for the successful completion of this project. </p>

<p> Few studies exist that explore the reintegration experience of female reservists who served in a combat environment. Consequently, reintegration programs are gender neutral and applied as a one size fit all approach. Female veterans are the fastest growing section of the veteran population reporting mental health problems during post deployments. Moreover, the new norm is a heavy reliance on Guard and reservists in national defense. In addition, women comprise a larger percentage of the Guard and reserve population than the active duty force. A qualitative, phenomenological study using the Moustakas modification of the van Kamm method of analysis was conducted to explore the lived experiences of a representative group of female reservists who participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and their return back to families and communities. The data from these female veterans was analyzed to highlight the experience from activation to deployment and participation in OIF/OEF and returning home, reintegrating in families and communities. Five themes emerged from the findings&mdash;i.e., propensity for military service, range of emotions, support, unique gender experiences, and social status. These themes may be of value to local, state, and federal leaders, as all public levels are associated with reservists at each stage of their active and inactive military experience.</p>

<p> The need for an adjunctive and alternative program at Alternative, Community, and Correctional Schools and Services (ACCESS) schools is critical to better serve the youth of Orange County. The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal seeking funds to develop a program that will explore the use of active treatment approaches: healthy diet and exercise as an alternative or adjunct to the use of psychotropic medications among adolescents identified at risk for mental health problems. The proposed program if funded will introduce active approaches to improve the student's self-regulation and level of mental health functioning. The program will involve a nutritional, well balanced diet integrated into their daily life along with daily exercise and a weekly outdoor engagement outing. If funded, this program would result in the adolescent's ability to overcome their mental health challenges holistically, attaining self-sufficiency without pharmacotherapeutic treatment. Submission of this grant is not required for this thesis project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the association of demographic factors, serum Vitamin D levels, hypertension (HTN) (by HTN diagnosis, systolic blood pressure [SBP] and diastolic blood pressure [DBP]), serum (hs-CRP) and endothelial measures of inflammation upon the prevalence of depression in adults with coronary artery disease (CAD) from central North Carolina. A literature derived theory, the Puglisi Model of Vitamin D Levels' Associations with Depression, guided this study. Vitamin D levels, measures of blood pressure, and serum and endothelial measures of inflammation, were theorized as being associated with depression. </p><p> A cross-sectional, associational design was employed in the parent study from which previously frozen alliquoted blood of subjects with CAD was further analyzed to assess the serum Vitamin D levels and liver function. This convenience sample of 101 persons with CAD who presented between 2007 and 2010 at the University of North Carolina Hospital's Cardiac Catheterization lab was utilized. The majority of the sample of well-controlled persons with CAD was male (66%), White (81%), had hypertension (81%), and low serum Vitamin D levels (82%). Depression, found as a diagnosis in 27%, was not significantly associated with Vitamin D levels (<i>p</i> = 0.17), even when controlling for demographic factors (AOR 0.96; <i>p</i> = 0.13; 95% CI [.90 - 1.01]). There were no differences between brachial artery flow mediated dilation (BAFMD), augmentation index, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) by depression group, but there was for reactive hyperemia index (RHI) [<i>t</i> = 1.97; <i>df</i> = 99; <i>p</i> = 0.05]. Vitamin D levels were inversely associated with both SBP (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) and DBP (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), but Vitamin D levels were not associated with a diagnosis of HTN (AOR 0.97; <i>p</i> = 0.28; 95% CI [.92, 1.02]. Controlling for the potential confounders of age, sex, race, body mass index, liver and kidney functions did not alter the significant association between Vitamin D levels and SBP and DBP (<i>p</i> = 0.05). Vitamin D levels were significantly associated with two inflammatory measures&mdash;hs-CRP and augmentation index, but not with BAFMD and RHI. When controlling for age, sex, race, BMI and Vitamin D levels, only hs-CRP but none of the three endothelial measures of inflammation (RHI, BAFMD nor augmentation index [AI]), were associated with depression (AOR 0.956; <i>p</i> = 0.13; 95% CI [.90, 1.01]). </p><p> Nurses should be aware that most of the adults with CAD herein had low or insufficient Vitamin D levels, and that Vitamin D levels may significantly affect SBP and DBP in persons with CAD and perhaps other populations as well. Many persons have depression around the time of their cardiac event or thereafter. Because increased morbidity and mortality occur in individuals with decreased Vitamin D levels, and depression, even when identified and treated in persons with CAD is associated with worsened outcomes, appropriate screening for and treatment of low serum Vitamin D levels is needed. Thus, advanced practice clinicians caring for persons with CAD should encourage screening of Vitamin D levels, and treatment of low levels with appropriate supplementation. </p><p> Further studies are needed to explore why some endothelial measures are associated with Vitamin D levels and depression, and others are not. Additional studies should seek to confirm the inverse association of Vitamin D levels with SBP and DBP while accounting for season of the year and other potential confounders. Finally, studies should utilize a depression screening tool to test the Puglisi model's proposed association between low Vitamin D levels with an increased occurrence of depression in both persons with CAD and other populations.</p>

<p> A resource guide for mental health practitioners working with Latino victims of collective trauma was developed based on a review of the literature. The development of the resource was also informed by two structured interviews with experts in the field of collective trauma within the Latino population. Review of the literature and structured interviews were used to develop culturally sensitive treatment approaches for victims of collective trauma from Latin America. The resource guide offers clinicians culturally adapted interventions, including PTSD measures, a table to identify culture bound syndromes, PTSD psychoeducation handouts (provided in Spanish and English), relaxation skills (e.g. breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, the use of music, meditation), interoceptive exposure protocols, and tools to help clients live a life of meaning as well as restore their roles in the community and within their family. An additional two experts in the field evaluated the resource guide for validity, content, and applicability to the Latino population. Feedback from the evaluators will be used for future versions of the resource guide. Results indicated that the resource guide may be advantageous for Latino victims of collective trauma and may therefore serve as an adjunct to current treatment protocols. The resource guide may assist mental health practitioners in modifying their approach to treatment as well as offer culturally appropriate interventions in order to enhance cultural sensitivity, thus leading to a stronger therapeutic alliance.</p>

<p> People living with HIV (PLWH) display disproportionally high levels of psychopathology (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms [PTSS] and depressive symptoms) that may interfere with optimal medication adherence and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). The adverse consequences of non-adherence and diminished HR-QOL, including reduced length of survival, highlight the need for intervention in PLWH. Though recent research suggests that the removal of psychological barriers (i.e., PTSS and depressive symptoms) may result in improvements in adherence and HR-QOL, this has never been directly tested in PLWH. We previously demonstrated the success of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy at improving PTSS and depressive symptoms in PLWH. The proposed study extends these findings by determining whether PE also impacted self-reported and electronically monitored medication adherence, and self-reported adherence self-efficacy, physical health symptoms, and HR-QOL in 65 PLWH. Participants were randomly assigned to either the PE (n = 40) or weekly monitoring/wait-list control group (n = 25), and completed assessments at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-months post-treatment. Following the 3-month assessment, control group participants were offered the intervention, and all PE recipients completed the 6-month assessment. Multilevel growth curve models were conducted on the completer and intent-to-treat samples using the HLM software, and exploratory mediation analyses were conducted in SPSS. Compared to the controls, PE recipients did not experience direct benefits in self-reported or electronically monitored medication adherence or HR-QOL throughout 3-months post-intervention; however, physical health symptoms improved for participants in both groups, and PE recipients reported increased adherence self-efficacy throughout 3 months. Mediation analyses further demonstrated that the removal of psychological barriers led to better short-term adherence and health.</p>

<p> Using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological psychological method, the written accounts of three heterosexual men who described their experiences of grief and mourning in relation to spousal bereavement were analyzed, individually and then collectively, so that general meaning units common among them might be revealed. Though interrelated, the general meaning units for grief and mourning were segregated. The seven general meaning units of grief were encountering Death; homeworld alienation; embodied suffering and loss of self-integrity; negative affects; social alienation and disaffection; agnizing losses; and yielding or enduring. The seven general meaning units of mourning were reflecting; remembering; reorienting; renewing; releasing; recovering; and integrating Death. These 14 general meaning units were compared to contemporary thanatological descriptions and approaches to grief and mourning as well as several depth psychological theories. The contemporary descriptions were reasonably consistent with the authored descriptions, but the rubrics used to organize the contemporary descriptions shared no similarity to the names or descriptions of the general meaning units. This study affirmed many of the contemporary criticisms of structured approaches and identified a few more. Contrary to contemporary criticism, classical psychoanalytic theory was reasonably consistent with some of the results of this study, but it lacked comprehensiveness. The descriptions in this study were consistent with attachment theory's concept of an internal working model, but they did not consistently affirm the manifestation or relevance of yearning or pining. Self psychology provided a reasonable theoretical foundation for the interpretation of phenomena related to the self; however, it lacked comprehensiveness with regard to other general meaning units that emerged in this study. Unlike other depth psychologies, analytical psychology assigns meaning to the experiences of grief and mourning (individuation) and its approach to the imaginal dimensions of grief and mourning are unique and valuable. Unfortunately, there is currently no integrated and coherent application of analytical psychology to grief or mourning. Archetypal psychology offers a rich and useful foundation for interpreting several of the general meaning units and descriptions in this study. The value of alchemical psychology is most evident in its explication of the nigredo. Unexpectedly, the importance of Nature became evident during the study.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine various social and ecological factors that affect adolescents' nervousness and/or depression. Secondary data from the 2011- 2012 California Health Institute Survey were used to examine these factors. Chi-Square analyses were utilized to test if relationships existed between the variables in the data. This study examined race, poverty level, immigration status, physical well-being, safety of environment, and the receipt of psychological/emotional counseling as factors for influencing feelings of nervousness and/or depression among adolescents. Results indicated that adolescents feeling nervous were affected by race, poverty level, environmental safety, and the receipt of psychological/emotional counseling. Feeling nervous did not have a significant association with physical well-being in this study. Furthermore, adolescent depression was affected by race, poverty level, physical well-being, environmental safety, and the receipt of psychological/emotional counseling. Immigration status was not found to be associated with affecting adolescent nervousness or depression. Further research is suggested.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic differences in methamphetamine usage among youth and how methamphetamine users engaged in the use of other illegal drugs including, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and also engage in risk taking behaviors. The study utilized secondary data from the National Institute of Health, Youth Behavioral Risk Survey (YRBS) of20011. Sample size consisted of 294 both male and female youth who are methamphetamine users. The findings revealed that drug use amongst youth continues to be on the rise. Findings noted that male meth users had the highest rates of cocaine, ecstasy and heroin use compared to female meth users. The highest rate among female meth users was seen in cocaine use. Findings also revealed that cocaine use was the highest among Hispanic/Latino meth users and ecstasy use was the highest among Non-Hispanic/Latino meth users. In addition findings revealed that a significant association was found in youth's drug use and their involvement in risk taking behaviors. Prior research and findings from this study help society have a more proactive approach when helping youth who suffer from the disease of addiction.</p>