<p> This quantitative research study was developed in response to challenges small-business owners face with high stress, corporate devastation, and burnout. The research examines burnout and self-care practices among small-business owners to foster psychological well-being. Many studies exist on professional burnout; however, to date, the researcher has not been able to uncover published research related to small business owners&rsquo; exhaustion and burn out. Theories in academic literature on self-care, managing transitions, and psychological well-being can be applied to small-business owners experiencing burnout, while leading through corporate life cycles. </p><p> This research study utilizes a quantitative, correlational, design approach to examine the levels of burnout in the domains of exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy. Purposive sampling was used for small-business owner selection. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS-4^th Edition) was conducted to assess burnout and demographic data was collected from 66 participants. Pearson Correlations determined the relationship between levels of burnout among small-business owners and whether relationships exist between the burnout domains and participant&rsquo;s demographic characteristics. </p><p> Results from this study indicated two significant findings. Correlations indicated higher levels of exhaustion for small-business owners who were younger. Secondly, correlation analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between respondent&rsquo;s length of time in business and their level of exhaustion. The results of this research study may provide direction to where further research may be needed. Recommendations include the development of long-term workable stratagem for small-business owners to manage corporate life cycles, and enhance professional performance. Findings from this quantitative research can be used to enhance the quality of life, and improve corporate success of small-business owners, in the United States.</p><p>

<p> The changing relationship of Americans to their churches has been documented but has not been explained. This is a narrative qualitative research inquiry for the purpose of exploring the perspectives of members of Southern Baptist churches who experienced disaffection as a result of marginalization within the church as they practiced their religious faith. Using Social Identity Theory (SIT) and the microaggressions literature, this study described negative interactions and explained the group processes that marginalize church members and motivate their disaffection from the church. The narratives of this study extend the literature on negative interactions in the religious community, describing and examining antecedents and consequences. Two semistructured interviews with ten participants who were once members of Southern Baptist churches informed this study. Four Southern Baptist churches were represented by the ten participants. Data analysis was aided by NVivo 11. In spite of the inclusive mission of the church, the results of this study clearly place microaggressions, with their accompanying marginalization, within the church. Characteristic of microaggressions, this study found that microaggressions in the church: a) leave the responsibility of reparation with the target; b) deny the existence of microaggressions within their congregation; and c) breed a sense of rejection as a result of marginalization. This study affirms and extends Pargament&rsquo;s (2002) suggestion that short-term distress may lead to long-term spiritual growth. This study also emphasizes the need to address issues of faith as a dimension of diversity.</p><p>

<p>Purpose: The purpose of this study was to discover and describe how exemplary leaders establish common ground and produce breakthrough results in the mental health field by utilizing the 6 domains of conflict transformation: collaboration, communication, problem solving, process, emotional intelligence, and ethics. Methodology: This thematic, phenomenological study was accomplished through examination of the lived experiences of exemplary leaders with firsthand experience transforming conflict and finding common ground. The target population for this study included executive-level leaders of nonprofit organizations, governmental institutions, state and national associations, and private businesses serving adults and children with mental illness, developmental or behavioral disabilities, and/or substance use disorders in the United States. Exemplary leaders were selected through criterion sampling to comprise the sample. In-depth, one-to-one interviews were conducted as the primary method for data collection. Findings: The findings from this study illustrate that exemplary leaders in the mental health field use key aspects of the 6 domains of conflict transformation as a set of intersecting behaviors that facilitate transforming conflict and finding common ground. Conclusions: It is concluded that leaders in the mental health field must have command of key aspects of the 6 domains of conflict transformation in order to achieve breakthrough results toward parity in the mental health field. Recommendations: Further research is advised: A replication of this study, a multiple-case study, and a mixed-method study are recommended to deepen understanding of finding common ground. Phenomenological studies exploring the unexpected findings in this research are also recommended. Developing the findings in this study will be useful for shaping policy, practice, and professional development in order to impact transformational change in the mental health field.

The mental health of children and young people is a significant concern and recent research points to the key role that schools can play in supporting this area. There is a growing interest in school based mental health interventions and at the time of embarking on this study the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) project was a new three year pilot project which aimed to assist Local Authorities (LAs) to develop their own innovative models of mental health support in schools for pupils at risk of, or experiencing mental health problems. The LA in which the study took place was one of 25 wave one 'pathfinders'. The key aim of the TaMHS project in this LA was to improve emotional well-being in nine project schools. The local model sought to achieve this through building capacity at school level via both the provision of a universal/whole school approach and by incorporating targeted interventions for young people who were at risk of, or experiencing mental health problems. The importance of involving young people in the evaluation of mental health services is an increasingly accepted phenomenon and there are a number of benefits of including children in shaping their own mental health provision. This thesis is an evaluative study of practice in the real world which explores young peoples' perceptions of TaMHS after one year of the project being operational within one LA. The study obtains the views of targeted young people in order to investigate some of the perceived successful and unsuccessful factors associated with the project's implementation and to appraise the initial impact of the project. It also examines targeted young people's perspectives with regard to the future development of the project and reviews the utility of pupil voice in helping to improve school based mental health provision. Qualitative data was obtained from 45 targeted young people who had some involvement with TaMHS using nine focus groups which took place in each project school. Thematic analysis was used to enable the predominant key themes to be reported. The findings serve to highlight that the voice of the child can be used to increase understanding of the initial impact of the TaMHS project in one LA, as well as illustrating positive and negative aspects which in turn can lead to suggestions for improvements to school based mental health provision. Predominant areas that young people felt that the project had impacted on included social skills; interpersonal skills; relationships; behaviour; emotional well-being; and access to activities. Key themes which highlight factors that young people viewed as good about TaMHS incorporated learning; behaviour; interpersonal skills; emotional well-being; enjoyment; and activities. Examples of key themes which reflect how young people felt the project could be improved included environment; extending the project; more of the same; and activities. In light of the findings, recommendations for the development of TaMHS and for school based mental health provision in general are offered.

<p> Attorneys in the United States suffer from higher-than-average rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. Although these facts are widely accepted, at the time of the study, there was no consensus in the legal or research communities as to the cause of these alarming statistics. The combination of behavioral and psychological distress experienced by attorneys may suggest that burnout is a contributing factor. This study examined the relationship between workplace stressors and professional burnout. The literature review summarized recent and landmark studies in the field, as well as explored characteristics unique to the legal profession that were putting attorneys at risk. In an effort to understand the best practices that reduced instances of burnout in practicing attorneys, the phenomenological study asked participants about their experiences as an attorney, as well as the practices they employed to mitigate professional stress. The research findings supported the literature review and resulted in important implications for law firms, bar associations, law schools, and practitioners.</p><p>

<p> Disabled students graduate from post-secondary education at a lower rate than non-disabled students. It is unknown if disabled and non-disabled students experience equal access to mental health services. This mixed methods study compared participants' reported psychological distress and willingness to utilize mental health services among disabled and non-disabled university students (N=96) and analyzed qualitative data regarding barriers and supports to utilizing mental health services. Disabled students reported more psychological distress and higher willingness to utilize mental health services than non-disabled students. These findings support the importance of promoting mental health care for disabled postsecondary students.</p><p>

<p> The rural primary care provider is likely to treat patients with mental health issues in rural populations due to lack of mental health providers, comorbidity and multimorbidity of patient illness, and stigma associated with seeking mental health services. The very nature of rural primary care allows for patients to be comfortable with their PCP and therefore, rely on the strong foundational relationship they have in entrusting them with their mental health concerns. Being a primary care provider in a rural setting offers both rewards and challenges unique to the rural culture.</p><p> The main goal of the study was to explore what might enhance, diminish, or otherwise give meaning to the rural primary care provider&rsquo;s experience of engaging in discussions about mental health issues with their patients. This was achieved through identifying themes in response to two primary research questions. The primary research questions were: (a) How do rural primary care providers engage in conversations about mental health issues with their patients?; and (b) What are factors of being in a rural setting that affect and/or influence the primary care provider in having these conversations?</p><p> Data from ten participants across the three rural primary care clinics was analyzed using the qualitative method of thematic analysis to identify embedded themes. Five themes were revealed: (a) The relationship between the patient and the rural primary care provider allows for the conversation about mental health issues; (b) Rural primary care providers routinely provide mental health services; (c) Rural primary care providers experience challenges treating complex mental health issues; (d) Rural primary care providers navigate barriers in rural communities; and (e) There are benefits and drawbacks of rural living.</p><p>

<p> Tinnitus and hyperacusis are related auditory disorders that frequently interact. However, little is known about the subjective impact of tinnitus that is exacerbated by sound exposure. Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of auditory stimuli and is frequently associated with auditory system damage. Hyperacusis involves heightened sensitivity or intolerance to sound that can manifest as pain or physical discomfort and is not limited to specific sound qualities other than loudness level. Although tinnitus exacerbated by sound exposure poses increased challenges with treatment prognosis as well as mental health and quality of life factors, there are no objective measurements for assessing areas of impact unique to this specific tinnitus subtype. In the present study, a 20-item Sound-Sensitive Tinnitus Index (SSTI) was created and administered in an online survey. Results were analyzed with data from 277 participants in 32 countries. Analysis showed excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha = .89), and convergent validity was demonstrated through statistically significant correlations with established measures of tinnitus, depression, anxiety, quality of life, and hyperacusis. Rotated factor analyses revealed four dimensions to the SSTI. Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses also provided insights into respondents&rsquo; subjective experience, and the operational definition of sound-sensitive tinnitus was proposed. High levels of mental health and quality of life impact reported by participants underscore the need to differentiate this subtype and to better understand clinical implications in providing care to this underserved population.</p><p>

<p> Individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders (SUD) and eating disorders (ED) are at increased risk for poor treatment outcomes. Therefore, proper screening for EDs is essential within SUD treatment facilities. Standard ED screening tools have only been validated on females. Eating disorder symptomology often presents differently in males demonstrating the need for a male specific ED screening tool. This need has been addressed in the preliminary screening tool, Eating Disorder Assessment for Males (EDAM). The purpose of this study is to compare the outcome of two ED screening tools, EAT-26 and EDAM, among males in SUD treatment, specifically to evaluate the level of agreement between the surveys. </p><p> No significant correlation exists between the EDAM&rsquo;s muscle dysmorphia component and EAT-26. Preoccupation with muscularity is a distinct characteristic of ED symptomology among males. The muscle dysmorphia component is a unique element within EDAM, illustrating the need for male specific ED screening tools.</p>

M.A. / Interpersonal forgiveness has been a topic of philosophical and theological inquiry for millennia (Enright, Gassin & Wu, 1992; McCullough, Sandage & Worthington, 1997). Despite the centrality of interpersonal forgiveness to the theology and piety of the great Western monotheistic traditions, it has failed to attract the attention of scientific inquiry within the field of psychology. The study of constructs associated with morality or concepts associated with deep religious roots like forgiveness, was not a domain considered significant by neutrally oriented modernistic researchers. It was not until the last decade that psychologists began to give serious conceptual and empirical attention to the concept of forgiving and seeking forgiveness (Enright & Coyle, 1997; Sandage & Worthington, 1997). Psychological scholarship on interpersonal forgiveness has increased during the last ten years and it is beginning to be recognized as a social psychological phenomenon (McCullough & Worthington, 1999). Psychological well-being is another concept that has recently started to flourish because pathogenesis rather than salutogenesis has been the main focus of many modernist practitioners. Unlike forgiveness, psychological well-being was introduced by modernist practitioners in the clinical literature. While many practices within modernistic psychology focused on pathology, proponents of humanistic psychology such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers have encouraged and supported a paradigm shift from pathology to well-being and healthy functioning. Recent literature has linked the two dimensions of interpersonal forgiveness, namely expressing forgiveness and seeking forgiveness, with enhanced psychological well-being. Some of the studies investigated have associated willingness to forgive with a reduction in anxiety, depression, anger, bitterness and resentment as well as enhanced self-esteem and optimism for the future. Some scholars have (Worthington Jr, Kurusu, Collins, Jack, Ripley, & Baler. 2000; Freeedman & Enright, 1996) demonstrated a positive correlation between willingness to forgive and enhanced psychological well-being. Some studies (Kaminer, Stein, Mbanga & Zungu-Dirwayi, 2001; Maltby, Macaskill & Day, 2001; Mauger, Perry, Freeman, Grove, McBride & McKinney, 1992) have shown that failure to forgive others shared significant positive relationships with increased depression, post traumatic stress disorder, psychotic symptoms and social Imagining oneself seeking forgiveness also carries a range of positive emotional benefits. Although interpersonal forgiveness literature has gained momentum overseas, very little empirical attention has been given to this concept in South Africa. The aim of this exploratory study is to examine the existing literature in order to investigate how past scholars established the positive relationship between the two dimensions of interpersonal forgiveness and improvement in psychological well-being. It is hoped that this type of exploration, i.e. the literature review search, would also generate hypotheses that could direct future research in South Africa. Some of the findings of this literature review study are: • Scholars who established the relationship between forgiving and improved psychological well-being and those who showed the link between seeking forgiveness and enhanced psychological well-being used different approaches to arrive at their findings. • Quantitative methodologies were employed by researchers who established the link between forgiving and psychological well-being and seeking forgiveness and psychological well-being. • Psychometric tests (forgiveness scales and other scales used to measure psychological well-being) were the main instruments used for purposes of collecting data by researchers who established the link between forgiving and psychological well-being and seeking forgiveness and psychological well-being. • Although all the studies articulated the link between interpersonal forgiveness and psychological well-being, none of them defined psychological well-being. Psychometric instruments used to measure psychological well-being were different to psychological well-being instruments used by the fourth psychology (Positive Psychology) researchers. In the studies gathered for analysis by this literature review study, symptomatology scales were used to assess the level of psychological well-being. This exploratory literature review study concluded that interpersonal forgiveness is a relevant and worthwhile research area for pursuit in South Africa.