The empirical study of the salutary relationship between spirituality/religiousness and psychological well-being is burgeoning. However, mechanisms of this association have received less empirical attention. Theory suggests that spirituality/religiousness may lead to positive psychological characteristics such as hope, which may function as a means of coping in the context of a significant stressor or stressful situation. The perceived burden and stress associated with caring for individuals with chronic illnesses such as ALS is significant, and caregivers may be at risk for increased symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety, somatic symptoms, and other deleterious psychological well-being related outcomes. Within the context of ALS caregiving, spirituality/religiousness may lead to hope and less perceived stress, ultimately contributing to increased caregiver psychological well-being. Cross-sectional mediation-based analyses were conducted on data collected from a sample of 85 ALS caregivers throughout the U.S., The Netherlands, and Belgium. Participants were 78.8% female, 92.9% Caucasian, 48.2%, spent over 100 hours per week caregiving, and the average age was 55.2 years. Ritualistic spirituality was not related to psychological well-being in ALS caregivers in a direct or indirect fashion. Theistic spirituality was directly, positively related to psychological well-being in ALS caregivers. Existential spirituality was directly related to psychological well-being, but in a deleterious fashion. However, when hope and perceived stress were considered as mediators within the model, the effect changed such that existential spirituality contributed salutarily to psychological well-being when operating though hope alone and also in conjunction with perceived stress. This study may be the first of its kind to explicitly model spirituality and psychological well-being in ALS caregivers, thus more research to investigate the caregiving process, barriers, promotion, and means of coping is warranted.

This project was designed to determine if significant differences existed between the level of psychological differentiation, as determined by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), of individuals entering a treatment center for chemical dependency and the length of stay at the facility. The subjects consisted of 43 white males who were seeking treatment for addiction to mood altering chemicals at a regional treatment facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Each subject was interviewed to collect pertinent background information pertaining to past substance abuse and was evaluated to determine psychological differentiation, utilizing the GEFT. It was determined through an analysis of variance that significant differences did not exist between individuals classified as Field Dependent or Field Independent, relative to length of stay. A post hoc analysis determined that significant differences did exist between those individuals who were categorized as Unclassified (not consistently Field Dependent or consistently Field Independent) and those categorized as Field Dependent and Field Independent.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a single-session group music therapy songwriting session on grief processing in hospice clinicians. The study design was quasi-experimental. Participants were cluster randomized into a control group and a treatment group. The researcher led a 50-minute songwriting session focused on sharing and processing experiences of grief-related stress and burnout in hospice work. Grief processing was measured using a self-report survey for n=25. Overall differences between control and treatment groups were not found to be statistically significant. Significant differences were also not found in treatment score differences for type of hospice clinician or years of experience. For future research with hospice clinicians, a new measurement tool should be developed that is more specific to measuring an actual difference before and after a treatment. The current measurement tool is best used as an inventory for stress and grief levels that result from caregiving. Any new measurement tool should be kept under twenty questions. A single-session, though convenient for busy hospice clinicians, may not provide a complete treatment for grief and stress. Further research with hospice clinicians may require several treatment sessions to achieve a more complete grief processing experience.

Due to the demanding structure of caring for a child with a life-threatening disease (LTD), parents experience psychosocial distress. Studies have shown that stress in parents of children with LTDs can be increased by unmet needs or fragmented care and may be mitigated by coordinated and comprehensive care. Limited literature exists about unmet needs of parents of children with LTDs and the barriers they encounter to accessing mental health resources within pediatric palliative care (PPC) programs. This research study applied quantifiable descriptive methods including a purposive sample of ninety-eight (98) PPC and other pediatric practitioners through the distribution of anonymous online surveys in order to examine unmet needs for mental health resources as they relate to parents of children with LTDs who experience psychological distress exacerbated from psychosocial stressors of care giving. Influenced by Andersen’s predisposing, enabling, and need factors, this study found that PPC practitioners perceived parents encountering waitlists and/or denials when referred to community mental health resources as demonstrating resistance against seeking help.

This research project was a mixed method of both a quantitative and qualitative design to examine the perception of 38 gay male’s life satisfaction post coming out. In the past few years, laws affecting the gay community have been at the forefront of policies and debates, given all communities an insight into the specific challenges that are endured. As the gay community starts to openly live their lives as a gay man, there has been a need to accept and understand not only the challenges, but to give acceptance. Additionally, this project sought out to determine if the gay community feels that their life satisfaction has increased post coming out to their family, friends, and coworkers, furthermore to be able to live a life not of shame, but of pride and acceptance of themselves.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between occupational burnout and the behavioral well-being of social workers. Burnout is a multidimensional syndrome where workers experience feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment as a consequence of work related stress and overwhelming job demands. Burnout can negatively affect organizational functioning, work performance, and pose significant health risks to workers. There are a limited number of studies focusing on the impact of occupational burnout on the behavioral well-being of workers. The findings of this study indicated that there was a significant relationship between burnout and behavioral well-being. Emotional exhaustion was found to negatively impact exercise frequency, which was consistent with previous study findings. Depersonalization was positively correlated to the number of hours of sleep and the frequency of self-care activities participants engaged in. The effects of depersonalization on sleep and self-care activities suggest that workers may engage in these activities as a way to cope with feelings of depersonalization on the job.

An adolescent’s time in school is not merely academic; they are developing socially, physically, and emotionally. Prior research has demonstrated a correlation between a student’s poor academic performance and his/her need for emotional and mental health support. This research project sought to answer the following research questions: 1) Do mental health services in a high school setting help facilitate students’ academic achievement? and 2) Does a focus on mental health issues improve overall health and well-being in high school students? Participants for this study are 10 staff members (including teachers, administrators, counselors, and others) of a high school in San Diego, California. Qualitative data in the form of interviews was collected for this study, and subsequently transcribed and analyzed using a “bottom up” approach. Results of this study indicate adolescents have many challenges to their emotional health during their high school years and staff have unique access to assist youth in navigating these challenges. The study describes the need for more mental health professionals to be available in schools. Implications for micro include the need for more mental health staff including counselors and school social workers and the implications for macro practice include the need more staff and teacher training on how to better support students.

Many college students across the nation are going hungry and struggling with food insecurity, as their access to food is becoming more challenging to attain. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of college students and components that lead them to becoming food insecure. Studies indicate that food insecurity is a critical issue in a college students’ life, but there is not an established approach to adequately help the students address this issue. The data will be collected through self-administered surveys and participant ratings will be reviewed for any common themes and correlations. Results from this study will provide significant material to assist social workers in addressing food insecurity with a systematic approach and influence further research. This study will also present findings to universities to secure supplementary resources and services to prevent food insecurity on campus.

This research thesis is a policy assessment of the factors that contribute to the current status in treating autism. The policy assessment begins with a description of the key components that that influence policy outcomes in regard to autism. After developing a policy model that outlines various components of issues and approaches to the policy has on Autism, the paper examines several issues with regard to Autism policy, including the lack of insurance coverage, state legislation, waiting lists, evidence vs. non evidence treatments, and the high price for treatments. The paper also examines current approaches to Autism, and potential solutions. Solution analysis on current policy alternatives is provided and, this suggests that increasing knowledge and awareness of the affects of autism on society needs further attention along with proper funding for early treatment.

Self-care can be seen as not only critical for individual professionals, but also for the growth of the helping professions and the quality of care which clients receive. The purpose of this study was to investigate use of career-sustaining behaviors and the levels of professional quality of life in music therapy professionals. This study investigated research questions regarding use of career sustaining behaviors and levels of professional quality of life, the relationship between these variables, the differences in the use of career sustaining behavior by demographics, and the use of music as a self-care strategy. An online survey was sent to all professional members of the American Music Therapy Association. A total of 403 participants were included in the study for the purposes of data analysis. Findings from the study indicate that music therapy professionals are in the average to low ranges for burnout and secondary traumatic stress. However, a portion of the sample was identified to be at risk for these factors. Differences existed in the use of career sustaining behaviors between demographic variables, indicating self-care behaviors vary among professionals. The field of music therapy should further investigate these areas to best provide opportunities for professional self-care.