Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Candyce S. Russell / As the number of Americans aged 60 and over increases substantially in the coming years, so is the incidence of depression among this age group. The purpose of this report is to explore the mental health needs of older Americans, the ways in which they are undiagnosed or under-diagnosed for depression, the clinical challenges associated with treating depression in the elderly, and the barriers that are in place due to social, psychological, financial and governmental factors. With the “Baby Boom” generation (those born between 1946-1964) entering their senior years, there will be an increased need for Marriage and Family Therapists to be cognizant of the rise in depression and familiar with the treatment options and limitations. Marriage and Family Therapists adhere to the Systems Theory and thus are uniquely qualified to act as a bridge between the medical and mental health communities. This report will promote the collaborative approach to healthcare and the way in which Marriage and Family Therapists can contribute to the treatment of depression in the aged.

Proximal and Distal Indirect Influences on Adolescent Sexual Activity and Post Risky Sexual Behaviors INTRODUCTION: Prior literature has revealed a correlation between adolescent sexual debut and parenting behaviors. However, most existing studies has only focused on parental monitoring and control. This limitation, in addition to small, cross-sectional studies, has resulted in inconsistent and limited findings. These gaps are addressed in this present paper by investigating how family connectedness contributes to the age of sexual debut. It is hypothesized that adolescents who are 13 years of age and have a lack of family connectedness engage in high-risk behaviors sooner than their 13-year-old peers with greater family connectedness. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. This paper focused on adolescents born in the year 1983 who had no sexual debut at baseline. Those selected were initially interviewed for baseline family connectedness and prospectively followed up to adulthood. Family connectedness was measured using five aspects: shared activities, parent-adolescent communication, parent admiration, parental support and the presence of family dinners. SAS 9.4 was used to perform survival analyses to examine the rate of teenage sexual debut by family connectedness. RESULTS: Findings suggest that family connectedness, specifically weekly family dinners and parent-child communication were significant familial factors that delayed adolescent sexual behavior. The hazards ratio of having an adolescent sexual debut at any time for an individual who had family activity at least once a week was 0.91 (95CI: 0.74, 1.14), having weekly family dinner (HR 0.70; 95CI: 0.53, 0.93), communication with parents (HR 0.78; 95CI: 0.68, 0.91), perceived parental support (HR 1.04; 95CI:0.91, 1.02), think highly of parents (HR 1.08; 95CI 0.93, 1.25). CONCLUSION: This study attempted to observe other factors outside of the parental monitor and control that could contribute to adolescent sexual activity. However, family connectedness was found to be a protective factor only among family weekly dinner and parent-child communitcation. Public health policy and interventions aimed at family connectedness alone will unlikely influence adolescent sexual behaviors. Therefore, other factors along with family connectedness should be further assessed to discover its true correlation on sexual debut.

This study tests the predictions made by several causal theories proposing different etiologies for childhood-onset and adolescent-onset conduct problems. It investigates a variety of causal factors proven to be important for the development of antisocial behaviors, specifically neuropsychological/cognitive deficits, temperamental vulnerabilities, dysfunctional parenting, deviant peers, and rebelliousness. Current theories generally agree that the early onset pathway is distinguished by interactions between a child with a difficult temperament and dysfunctional parent-child interactions. However, theories differ as to whether they emphasize the temperament and neurocognitive deficits of the child, or the parenting behaviors. In the adolescent onset pathway, theories typically focus on the importance of affiliation with deviant peers but differ as to whether this is attributed to a personality characterized by the rejection of traditional values and rebelliousness as leading to this association or failures in parenting practices. Seventy-eight pre-adjudicated adolescent (ranging in age from 11 to 18) boys housed in two short-term detention facilities and one outpatient program for boys at risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system in southeastern Louisiana participated in the current study. The sample was ethnically diverse (56% African-American) and largely came from facilities serving either a large urban or a largely suburban and rural region of the state. The sample was divided into two groups based on the youngest age of a self-reported delinquent act or parent-reported severe conduct problem. The childhoodonset group (n =47) displayed at least one serious antisocial behavior prior to age 12, whereas the adolescent-onset group (n =31) did not. As predicted, the childhood-onset group showed greater levels of dysfunctional parenting and CU traits. Contrary to predictions, however, this group also showed the strongest affiliation with deviant peers. The only variable strongly associated with the adolescent onset group was lower scores on a measure of traditionalism which indicates less endorsement of traditional values and status hierarchies. The implications of these results for understanding different causal trajectories to antisocial behavior and for designing better prevention and treatment programs for antisocial youth are discussed.

The involvement of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and the sympathetic nervous system in the development of delayed-onset muscle soreness has not been established. I assessed the effect of etanercept, a TNF- α inhibitor, and atenolol, a β1-receptor antagonist, on DOMS induced in the quadriceps muscle. Thirteen male subjects reported to the exercise laboratory on three separate occasions, 6-15 weeks apart. In a randomised, double-blind cross-over format, I administered etanercept (25mg), atenolol (25mg) or placebo, one hour before the exercise. Subjects then completed four sets of 15 repetitions at 80% of their one repetition maximum (1RM) on a 45° inclined leg press machine. Muscle strength changes were detected by remeasuring the subject’s 1RM 24h, 48h and 72h after the exercise. Sensitivity to pressure of the quadriceps muscle was measured using a pressure algometer before and 24h, 48h and 72h after exercise. The subject’s perception of the pain was measured with the visual analogue scale and McGill Pain Questionnaire. Muscle tumour necrosis factor-alpha concentration was measured before exercise and then 2h and 24h after exercise in four subjects. Muscle strength was impaired 24h and 48h after exercise regardless of agent administered (P < 0.001). At 72h after exercise, muscle strength was significantly improved (P < 0.01) in subjects receiving etanercept and atenolol compared to those receiving placebo. The subject’s were significantly more sensitive to pressure applied to the quadriceps 24h, 48h and 72h after exercise compared to before exercise, regardless of agent administered (P < 0.001). The VAS was elevated significantly at all three time intervals, with no difference after etanercept or atenolol administration compared to that of placebo. There was no significant difference in the muscle TNF-α concentration between any of the time intervals or between subjects receiving placebo and etanercept (P=0.065). The administration of atenolol and etanercept, at the regimen used, had no effect on the soreness associated with DOMS.

This study examines the relationship between age of onset of drug use and later drug dependence, and that of age of onset of drug use and current offense type/severity. In addition, it investigates the relationship between mental disorders, drug dependence, and current offense type/severity. Data from years 2007 to 2010 of the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program II (ADAM II) were used. The analyses included cross tabulation and chi square. The results indicated that early onset marijuana users (those who began using at age fourteen or younger) were more likely to develop drug dependence than late onset users of marijuana. In addition, early onset users of heroin and of methamphetamine were more likely to develop drug dependence than late onset users of those drugs. No significant relationships were found between early onset of any of the four drugs and offense type; however significant relationships were found between early onset of marijuana and of methamphetamine, and offense severity. Significant relationships were found between offense severity and mental disorders, but not between offense type and mental disorders. Significant relationships were found for both offense type and severity when cross tabulated with mental disorders and drug dependence. These results indicate that more research is needed on these topics. This is because the findings of the current study partially support what has been found in existing literature. A clearer understanding of the topics of the current study is needed in order to draw definite conclusions.

Myanmar remained largely closed to the world through political instability for several years, when it continued to suffer terribly at the hands of nature that remained largely unknown. Of note is the period between 2008 and 2013, during which the country suffered at least eight major natural calamities that killed more than 141,000 people and affected 3.2 million. The worst of these was Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 that killed more than 130,000. With an estimated $4 billion in damages, Nargis remains the deadliest and most destructive named cyclone ever to have occurred in the North Indian Ocean. Recent studies have shown that, due to increased greenhouse gases and aerosol loading in the atmosphere, more and stronger tropical cyclones (TCs) in the last three decades are tracking eastwards toward the Indochina peninsula. Unfortunately, the Burmese lack the capacity to deal with the impacts of such storms. Myanmar was left behind as the world made significant technological and industrial advancement; but agriculture, which employs at least 65% of the active labor force, has remained the backbone of the Myanmar economy – an industry that is heavily reliant on monsoon rainfall. The pre-monsoon TC season in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) precedes the onset of the Myanmar monsoon but sometimes the two (i.e.TC formation and the monsoon onset) occur in unison. This work studied the mechanism by which the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) modulates the Myanmar monsoon onset and TC activity collectively (i.e. ISO-Onset-TC connection). Avoiding TC destruction at the beginning of the planting season is crucial, so is the monsoon onset date critical for planning. Additional understanding of the aforementioned ISO-Onset-TC connection could provide further insight into predicting the Myanmar monsoon onset and aid in disaster planning for TC impact. This research is part of a two-year NASA funded project to study extreme climate and weather events.

In many conflict-ridden countries, food insecurity prevails. However, the relationship between food insecurity and armed conflict onset is a complex one, and scholarly attention has increasingly been directed towards furthering our understanding of its nature. In this study, the proposition is brought forth that the effect of food insecurity on armed conflict onset should be contingent on certain features of the economic, social and political environment. Specifically, it suggests that (i) food insecurity should increase the risk of armed conflict onset by generating deprivation in absolute terms, and (ii) that the risk should be heightened when such insecurity disproportionally affects certain groups in society. The latter point pertains to the level of horizontal inequality – i.e. inequality at the group level –, the presence of which is expected to compound the risk of food insecurity leading to armed conflict onset by adding a relative dimension of deprivation to the absolute. A logistic regression analysis is employed using global data for the years 1961 to 2009. The findings do not support the hypothesized relationship. Rather, although food insecurity does increase the risk of armed conflict in cases where the level of horizontal political inequality is low, it decreases the risk in cases where it is high. This indicates that the impact of food insecurity on the risk of armed conflict indeed is contingent on certain features of the political environment, which calls for conditionality to increasingly be taken into account in future research on the relationship between food insecurity and armed conflict onset.

This thesis concerns the study of Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) waves during magnetospheric substorms. A wavelet algorithm which characterises magnetic ULF waves during substorm onset is presented. The algorithm is validated by comparing the spatial and temporal location of ULF wave onset to space-based observations of the aurora. It is demonstrated that the onset of ULF wave power expands coherently away from an ionospheric epicentre during the substorm expansion phase. Further, a case study of the time-domain causality of magnetotail plasma flows and ULF wave Pi2 pulsations is presented. Although highly correlated, it is demonstrated that the plasma flows cannot directly drive the ground magnetic waveforms but may be indirectly linked via a common source. Finally, results from a statistical study of ULF wave power during onset are presented. It is concluded that there is no statistical difference between historical sub-classifications of ULF waves observed during substorms.

Voice onset time, VOT, är en akustisk tidsparameter som anses återspegla talmotorisk kontroll. VOT är den mest pålitliga akustiska parametern för att särskilja tonande och tonlösa klusiler. I tidigare studier har VOT-värden för svenska barn uppmätts. Det har visat sig att barn med fonologisk språkstörning har avvikande VOT jämfört med typiskt utvecklade barn. Dock saknas undersökningar av hur lyssnare tolkar klusilord med avvikande VOT. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka hur klusilproduktioner med avvikande VOT-värden uppfattas av vuxna personer utan särskilda kunskaper om barns tal och språk. 34 personer (19 män och 15 kvinnor) i åldrarna 22-60 år bedömde 102 ordproduktioner med avvikande VOT-värden av barn i åldrarna 4:0 till 11:12 år. Deltagarna identifierade i genomsnitt 79 % av ordproduktionerna korrekt. Ord med avvikande kort VOT gav en något högre felsvarsfrekvens än ord med avvikande lång VOT. I regel uppfattades ord med avvikande lång VOT som tonlösa, medan ord med avvikande kort VOT uppfattades som tonande. Inga ålders- eller könsskillnader påträffades. Resultaten visar att VOT inte är den enda avgörande faktorn för huruvida en klusil uppfattas som tonande eller tonlös; andra faktorer spelar också in.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the presentation and outcome of anorexia nervosa (AN) within the pediatric population. A retrospective chart review of individuals who were admitted for the first time to hospital between 2000-2005 for treatment of AN was completed. Individuals were classified as Early Pediatric AN (admitted <14 years old) or Later Pediatric AN (≥14 years old). It was hypothesized that the Early Pediatric AN group would have a less severe presentation, as measured by percent ideal body weight (%IBW) and medical stability at admission, and better outcome as measured by rate of weight gain post-discharge, number of hospitalizations and the Morgan-Russell General Outcome Scale rating. The study contained a total of 207 cases, larger than many previous studies in pediatric AN. The study found that younger age at presentation was associated with admission at a higher %IBW but not medical stability. Age at presentation did not predict rate of weight gain or rehospitalization; however, the Early Pediatric AN group had a better outcome on the Morgan-Russell scale.