Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Anthony Jurich / Adolescent pregnancy has been an ongoing concern in society for many years. This concern is even greater among the African American community. Girls who experience a pregnancy or childbirth during adolescence often experience difficulties in school and future careers, as well as financial and mental instability. This report will examine how the pregnancy and childbirth experiences of African American teens influence their younger female siblings.

Gotukola (Centella asiatica L. Urban) (Apiaceae), its extracts and the pure compound asiaticoside were studied for anxiolytic activity in thirteen standardized rat trials. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to conduct the phytochemical analysis. Among different models tested, the most promising positive response for anxiolytic activity was observed in the elevated plus maze test conducted with: (a) whole plant materials, (b) ethyl acetate and methanol fractions and (c) asiaticoside. The results show for the first time that asiaticoside and triterpene enriched fractions of gotukola have anxiolytic effects in animal models. Therefore, they are recommended for clinical trials. The findings of this study also support the ayurvedic use of gotukola for psychiatric disorders. Other supplementary investigations conducted show that methyl jasmonate and full sunlight enhance the expression of asiaticoside in gotukola plants. The stolon explants were more successful compared to the leaf explants in in vitro propagation of gotukola.

The current study used the comprehensive costing methodology of Knapp and Beecham (1990) to examine the comprehensive costs of community support services over the last six months (18--24 months) of a two-year study. The sample consisted of 77 clients with severe and persistent mental illness and a history of homelessness receiving either intensive case management (ICM) or standard care. Costs from the overall societal perspective were calculated by summing the direct and 'hidden' (e.g., travel time) costs associated with: (1) Agency costs (case management services), (2) governmental costs (e.g., non-agency health care costs, non-health care costs), and (3) family/friend costs. Subtracted from this initial total to reach a final societal cost were employment and/or volunteer 'benefits'. Of interest in the study was: (1) Examining the relationship between clients needs at 18 months of a two year trial, global societal costs per client for the six-month period from 18 to 24 months, and 24-month outcomes, and (2) cost-effectiveness of intensive case management over standard care from three costing perspectives (e.g., agency, government, society). Results yielded an overall average comprehensive cost of treatment (both ICM and standard care combined) per client of $57.08/day which is comparable to previous research investigating the costs of community support services. Needs did not predict six month total societal costs; however, receiving ICM and reporting more severe symptomatology predicted higher six-month agency costs. Higher total costs of services and supports predicted poorer housing stability at 24 months for our participants. Higher expenditures related to non-health care costs predicted poorer community ability at 24 months. In general, it seems that higher costs are related to poorer client functioning. Cost-effectiveness analyses revealed that ICM is more cost-effective than standard care from the perspective of the government (i.e., health-related expenses) and society overall, despite agency costs being significantly greater in ICM. Nonparametric bootstrapping methods using net monetary benefit revealed a 0.77 to 0.80 chance of ICM being a cost-effective alternative to standard care. It is clear from this study that increased costs are associated with clients who are doing the poorest in terms of symptoms, housing stability, and community ability. Despite the finding that more intensive treatment does not guarantee better clinical outcomes within our six month window, ICM is shown to be a more cost-effective treatment in the community when compared with standard care. Implications of this research are discussed.

The goal of the current study was to evaluate the ways in which religious behaviors and perceived social support are associated with the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life for this group. We hypothesized (1) that religious behaviors moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life, (2) perceived social support mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life and (3) that religious behaviors moderate the mediational indirect effect of perceived social support in the depression and health-related quality of life relationship. Findings from a sample of 244 HIV-positive individuals provided evidence to support direct, conditional, and indirect effects on the depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life relationship. A discussion of the findings, implications for future research and clinical practice are provided.

High levels of quality father involvement in childhood are associated with children's socio-emotional, cognitive, and behavioral wellbeing. However, fathers can experience difficulty in building positive relationships with their kids due to work-life balance, lack of relational experience, and other life stressors. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT) on fathers' parental empathy, parental stress, and child behavior problems. Though an abundance of literature exists to support the efficacy of CPRT, this was the first study to include a randomized controlled design with an all-male sample. This was also the first CPRT study to include both English and Spanish speaking fathers with intervention offered in both languages. Participants were 30 fathers (22 English, 8 Spanish; 53% Latino, 40% Caucasian, 7% Asian) with children between the ages of 3 and 10 (60% male, 40% female; 57% Latino/a, 37% Caucasian, 6% Asian). Fathers were randomly assigned to the experimental group (CPRT) (n = 14) or waitlist control group (n = 16). Results from 2 (Group) by 2 (Time) repeated measures ANOVAs did not yield statistically significant interaction effects on the dependent variables. However, results indicated a statistically significant main effect for time on each dependent variable with large effect sizes. Results of the paired samples t-test post hoc analyses indicated a statistically significant change over time for the experimental (CPRT) group and a non-statistically significant change over time for the control group on all dependent variables. Findings of this study support previous studies on the effectiveness of CPRT, but also indicate a need for future research to more accurately determine the effectiveness of CPRT for fathers compared to a waitlist control group.

Adoptive parents often struggle to understand and meet the social-emotional behavioral needs of their adopted child, particularly when the child's pre-adoption experience lacked a secure relationship with an attuned and responsive caregiver. This randomized controlled study, a replication of Carnes-Holt and Bratton's 2014 research, investigated the effects of child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) for adoptive families who reported attached-related concerns such as difficulties establishing a mutually satisfying parent-child relationship as well as concerns about the adopted child's behavior and parental stress. Participants were 49 adoptive parents (61% female; 7% couples; 86% European American, 6% Latino, 6% Asian, and 2% Black American) with adoptees between the ages of 2.5 to 9 (50% female; 35% European American, 22% Asian, 12% Latino, 10% Black American, and 21% Biracial or other). Eighty-four percent of children were adopted internationally or from the foster care system. Parents were randomly assigned to CPRT or treatment as usual (TAU). Results from 2 (group) by 2 (time) repeated measures ANOVAs indicated that compared to the TAU control group, parents who participated in CPRT reported statistically significant improvement in child behavior problems, parent-child relationship stress, and parental empathy, with a large treatment effects on all measures. Findings confirmed results from Carnes-Holt and Bratton's study and provided strong support for CPRT as a responsive intervention for adoptive parents and their children.

There is a growing body of literature that provides data to support the belief that recovery from serious mental illness (SMI), such as schizophrenia, is possible. Part of recovery oriented treatment of serious mental illness may involve boundary crossings and in vivo social learning. This study examined potential relationships between provider attitudes towards recovery and attitudes towards dual relationships One hundred forty five mental health professionals and paraprofessionals (response rate = 19%) in four community mental health centers in Arkansas completed an electronic or paper survey examining these attitudes. Using multiple regression, linear regression, and t-tests, several of the primary hypotheses were found to have support. Specifically, there was a relationship found between providers' attitudes towards recovery as measured by the RAQ-7 and providers' attitudes towards boundary crossings as measured by a subscale of recovery boundary crossings. This subscale consists of five specific dual relationships identified by the primary researcher as having content validity as appropriate recovery oriented interventions The secondary hypotheses were also supported in that a significant relationship was found between practice setting and recovery and practice setting and attitude towards dual relationships. Practice setting within community mental health centers was collapsed into two groups. These groups consisted of providers who have worked in a setting serving SMI clients exclusively, such as a clubhouse setting, and those providers who have not worked in a setting serving SMI clients exclusively A relationship between provider attitudes towards recovery and provider attitudes towards a modified Therapeutic Practices Survey was not found. This modified survey contained both boundary crossings and boundary violations. There was found to be a bimodal distribution of scores for this survey, which may reflect the two distinct populations of providers within the sample at the community mental health centers Limitations to this study include: low response rate; use of self report that may increase social desirability bias; and the use of modified or new scales. Recommendations for research with clients that would inform this practice are proposed. Recommendations for practice include the development of more sophisticated code of ethics and practice guidelines Keywords: dual relationships; recovery; community mental health center; mental illness; learning theory / acase@tulane.edu

Neuroscience is a relevant topic for counseling and counselor education, and it is a required area of competency for accredited counseling education programs. Despite this required competency, current counseling literature scarcely addresses neuroscience in counselor education. I have designed the present study to address this scarcity by exploring counselor educators' experiences of incorporating neuroscience into the counselor education curriculum using a consensual qualitative research (CQR) approach. The purpose of this study is to create a foundational understanding of (a) what elements of neuroscience counselor educators are currently including in their courses, and (b) the experience of counselor educators with teaching neuroscience. I interviewed eight counselor educators about their experiences learning and teaching neuroscience. Six domains emerged from the interviews: (1) participants' background and experience, (2) influence of neuroscience on participants' teaching, (3) personal, academic, and professional responses to neuroscience, (4) ethical concerns and recommendations for neuroscience, (5) areas of interest and future research in neuroscience, and (6) counseling literature and publication in neuroscience. The information shared by the participants will contribute to future research of teaching effectiveness and outcomes using neuroscience in counselor education.

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