It is widely supported that there are significant, positive relationships between the occurrence of some mental health symptoms and physical illnesses. Research indicates that the burden experienced by those with a physical and mental illness are magnified compared to individuals who do not experience an illness. More specifically, one of the burdens experienced by individuals is the monetary burden of affording the necessary health services to properly manage their illness. This study attempts to reveal a difference between mental health symptom count for individuals who do and do not experience difficulty affording health care for their physical problems. The first hypothesis states that the indication of medical problems will be associated with greater mental health symptoms. The second hypothesis states that the relationship between medical concerns and mental health symptoms will be moderated by difficulty affording health services. Lastly, the third hypothesis states that the indication of unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and irregular exercise, will be associated with greater mental health symptoms. All data used in this study is archived data that was gathered by the Institute for Rural Health’s Mobile Health Units during free community health fairs from September 2012 to February 2014. The first hypothesis was supported because the incidence rate of mental health symptom count was increased with the presence of some physical problems. These findings supported previous research that indicated that the presence of physical illness increases the chance of developing a mental illness. The study results revealed that the second hypothesis was not supported since difficulty affording health services did not have a significant effect on the relationship between indicated physical illnesses and mental health symptom count. Previous research reports that there is monetary burden for individuals who experience a physical or mental illness when accessing appropriate health services. This research aimed to explore if that burden would significantly affect the relationship of those illnesses. Lastly, the third hypothesis was supported because mental health symptom count incidence rate was found to increase for individuals partaking in negative health behaviors, such as smoking, and decrease for individuals partaking in positive health behaviors, such as exercising.

Little is systematically known about the collective health and well-being of Virginia American Indian people. This study sought to explore the meaning of health and healing among Virginia American Indian people in the context of a reservation-based, non-federally funded health clinic. Using an emergent approach to qualitative research grounded in a constructivist inquiry paradigm and guided by Indigenous research principles, a total of 24 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 American Indian service-users of the Clinic. Through an inductive thematic analysis of participant stories, a framework for understanding responsive and responsible health and healing was derived. The framework includes seven dimensions: spirituality, physical processes, mental and emotional processes, social relationships, access to resources, contextual factors, and the interconnection among the dimensions. Personal and collective identity was a significant element woven through the dimensions. From the stories told by participants, health seems to be a continuum and healing seems to be a cycle. With constant motion in each of the dimensions, health has to do with sustained engagement in healing processes that continually seek to bring about functional balance in one’s whole health system. Ill health has to do with when a change in any one of the dimensions overtakes one’s ability to bring about a functional balance in the whole health system. The framework is context-dependent, true for the people who participated in the study at the time of the study.

Lyric analysis is one of the most commonly used music therapy interventions with the mental health population, yet there is a gap in the research literature regarding song selection. The primary purpose of this study was to determine distinguishing linguistic characteristics of song lyrics most commonly used for lyric analysis with mental health consumers, as measured by LIWC2015 software. A secondary purpose was to provide an updated song list resource for music therapists and music therapy students working with the mental health population. The researcher emailed a survey to 6,757 board-certified music therapists, 316 of whom completed the survey. Respondents contributed 700 different songs that they deemed most effective for lyric analysis with mental health consumers. The researcher used the LIWC2015 software to analyze the 48 songs that were listed by five or more music therapists. Song lyrics contained linguistic indicators of self-focused attention, present-focused attention, poor social relationships, and high cognitive processing. Lyrics were written in an informal, personal, and authentic style. Some lyrics were more emotionally positive, while others were more emotionally negative. While results must be interpreted with caution, it may be helpful to consider linguistic elements when choosing songs for lyric analysis with mental health consumers.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition affecting approximately 8% of the adult U.S. population with rates twice as high in women than men. Increasingly, evidence has suggested a close relationship between PTSD and increased risk of metabolic diseases. However, the literature on PTSD and metabolic disease risk factors has been limited by the lack of investigation of the potential influence of race on this relation. The current study examined the possible effect of race on the relation between PTSD and metabolic risk. Data for this study were provided from sample of that included 50 African American women and 39 Caucasian women, 56.2% and 43.8% respectively. Results support the importance of race in the relationship between PTSD and metabolic disease risk factors. Future research would benefit from analysis of cultural factors to explain how race might influence the course of metabolic disease risk and development in women with PTSD.

Cette thèse a pour but d'améliorer les connaissances concernant les techniques d'analyse de données et certains modèles bayésiens dans le domaine de l'étude des inégalités sociales et environnementales de santé. À l'échelle géographique de l'IRIS sur les agglomérations de Paris, Marseille, Lyon et Lille, l'événement sanitaire étudié est la mortalité infantile dont on cherchera à expliquer le risque avec des données socio-économiques issues du recensement et des expositions environnementales comme la pollution de l'air, les niveaux de bruit et la proximité aux industries polluantes, au trafic automobile ou aux espaces verts. Deux volets principaux composent cette thèse. Le volet analyse de données détaille la mise au point d'une procédure de création d'indices socio-économiques multidimensionnels et la conception d'un package R l'implémentant, puis la création d'un indice de multi-expositions environnementales. Pour cela, on utilise des techniques d'analyse de données pour synthétiser l'information et fournir des indicateurs composites utilisables directement par les décideurs publics ou dans le cadre d'études épidémiologiques. Le second volet concerne les modèles bayésiens et explique le modèle « BYM ». Celui-ci permet de prendre en compte les aspects spatiaux des données et est mis en oeuvre pour estimer le risque de mortalité infantile. Dans les deux cas, les méthodes sont présentées et différents résultats de leur utilisation dans le contexte ci-dessus exposés. On montre notamment l'intérêt de la procédure de création d'indices socio-économiques et de multi-expositions, ainsi que l'existence d'inégalités sociales de mortalité infantile dans les agglomérations étudiées / The purpose of this thesis is to improve the knowledge about and apply data mining techniques and some Bayesian model in the field of social and environmental health inequalities. On the neighborhood scale on the Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Lille metropolitan areas, the health event studied is infant mortality. We try to explain its risk with socio-economic data retrieved from the national census and environmental exposures such as air pollution, noise, proximity to traffic, green spaces and industries. The thesis is composed of two parts. The data mining part details the development of a procedure of creation of multidimensional socio-economic indices and of an R package that implements it, followed by the creation of a cumulative exposure index. In this part, data mining techniques are used to synthesize information and provide composite indicators amenable for direct usage by stakeholders or in the framework of epidemiological studies. The second part is about Bayesian models. It explains the "BYM" model. This model allows to take into account the spatial dimension of the data when estimating mortality risks. In both cases, the methods are exposed and several results of their usage in the above-mentioned context are presented. We also show the value of the socio-economic index procedure, as well as the existence of social inequalities of infant mortality in the studied metropolitan areas

Previous research on female street sex workers (FSSWs) has primarily concentrated on the stigmatisation of women's involvement in the sex industry particularly with reference to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The response of the criminal justice system to the regulation of the illegal aspects of women's engagement in street sex work has also been criticised. However, the impact of street sex work on the health and wellbeing of these women requires further research. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and needs of female street sex workers in relation to their own health and wellbeing. The study used a qualitative mixed methods approach that included analysis of three sets of data: visual data, secondary data and primary data. There were 10 FSSWs recruited for the primary data sample. The epistemological position underpinning this study is social constructivism and a feminist paradigm has informed the conduct of the research process and data analysis. The theoretical application of Bourdieu's framework of habitus, capital and field has provided the lens through which to explore the socially constructed experiences of FSSWs health and wellbeing. Findings from this study revealed that FSSWs experienced poor physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. They faced limited life choices and often felt discriminated against by the agencies and institutions that should have offered support. The women spoke of their personal histories especially traumatic life events in childhood consisting of sexual abuse, neglect, loss, rejection as well as intimate partner violence in adult life. The loss of their children to social services, housing difficulties and addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine were also significant in contributing to social exclusion and their multiple positions of vulnerability. This study contributes to the body of work on women's health and wellbeing. In particular, it adds to our understanding of the lived experiences of women involved in street sex work. A key public health priority should be the development of policies and systems to provide quality services to support the health, safety and wellbeing of FSSWs.

Submitted by Joana Azevedo (joanad@id.uff.br) on 2017-08-24T18:51:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Sandra Saraiva Brito Chimelli.pdf: 1394558 bytes, checksum: 59ffd0a7ecb0a2cb7a151ce587d7859e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-09-04T14:39:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Sandra Saraiva Brito Chimelli.pdf: 1394558 bytes, checksum: 59ffd0a7ecb0a2cb7a151ce587d7859e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-04T14:39:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Sandra Saraiva Brito Chimelli.pdf: 1394558 bytes, checksum: 59ffd0a7ecb0a2cb7a151ce587d7859e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-10-20 / A relação entre Estado, mercado e sociedade vem se tornando mais complexa nos últimos anos, levando ao surgimento de instituições que se dispõem entre esses atores, e ao aparecimento de uma esfera pública não estatal, chamada Terceiro Setor. Considera-se que o Primeiro Setor é representado pelo Estado, o Segundo Setor, pelo mercado, esfera privada, e o Terceiro Setor é representado por instituições de direito privado direcionadas a serviços e bens públicos, dentre elas as Organizações Sociais de Saúde (OSS). O presente trabalho tem como objetivo central, avaliar de maneira conceitual sobre a importância das organizações sociais de saúde para a população, tomando como base o Hospital Estadual da Criança, gerido por uma OSS – Instituto D’or de Gestão de Saúde Pública. O método de pesquisa empreendido segue natureza qualitativa, com pesquisa do tipo bibliográfica na modalidade de estudo de caso. De modo que foi possível concluir que, a importância desse método de gestão se dá no sentido de efetivar a materialização dos mecanismos legais em ações sociais para saúde que, de fato alcancem as famílias e indivíduos mais necessitados delas. O que se nota, porém, é que na realidade brasileira, a gestão destas políticas, tende a ser muitas vezes, uma ação isolada, ainda que positiva, caso a sociedade brasileira não passe por uma reformulação em seus princípios sociais, políticos, éticos e morais, sabendo então cobrar adequadamente de seus governantes uma gestão positiva e adequada à realidade brasileira. Do mesmo modo que as OSS demandam de uma revisão e de otimizações para que todas sejam adequadas ao mesmo padrão de qualidade e ao atendimento qualitativo da população. A justificativa para a escolha do tema paira sobre sua contemporaneidade, além da expectativa de contribuir para o âmbito acadêmico. / The relationship between state, market and society has become more complex in recent years, leading to the emergence of institutions that have between these actors, and the appearance of a non-state public sphere, called Third Sector. It is considered that the first sector is represented by the state, the second sector, the market, private sphere, and the third sector is represented by private institutions directed to public services and goods, among them the Social Health Organizations (SHO). This study was aimed to evaluate conceptually about the importance of social health organizations to the population, based on the Child’s State Hospital, run by an SHO - DOR Institute of Public Health Management. The research method undertaken following qualitative nature, with research bibliographical in the case study method. So it was concluded that the importance of this management method is given in order to effect the realization of legal mechanisms in social action for health that actually reach the families and most in need of them individuals. What can be observed, however, is that the Brazilian reality, the management of these policies tends to be often an isolated action, although positive, if Brazilian society does not pass a makeover in their social principles, political, ethical and moral, knowing then properly charge its rulers positive management and adequate to the Brazilian reality. Just as the SHO require a review and optimizations for all are appropriate to the same standard of quality and service quality of the population. The rationale for the choice of subject hovers over its contemporaneity, beyond expectation to contribute to the academic environment.

Greenwald, McGhee, and Schwartz (1998) developed the Implicit Association Test (IAT), a measure of mental associations between target pairs and positive or negative attributes. Highly associative categories yield faster responses than the reverse mental associations, which is thought to reflect implicit attitudes toward stereotypes. The present study investigated the effect of ethnic group on one’s implicit attitudes toward aging and gender stereotypes by comparing two groups of older adults, Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans, that likely hold different culture values. Past qualitative studies have established the existence of mental health stigma in Asian American populations, including negative Asian American perceptions of aging, but have not yet established a quantitative measure of this phenomenon. The age-attitude and gender-science IATs were administered to 20 Asian American and 20 Caucasian American older adults in the Southern California region. The results from the age-attitude IAT found that Asian American older adults demonstrated higher implicit bias toward aging, evidenced by faster responses to the category pairings associating “old” + “bad” and “young” + “good”. In contrast, performance on the gender-science IAT was similar for both groups, showing no strong bias toward gender stereotypes. Potential implications on the wellbeing of older adults, as stereotype threat and other forms of bias are already established harmful constructs in the population, are discussed.

Objective: The goal of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the relationship between mental health, discrimination, and self-esteem among college students. To further explore this concept, focus group interviews were conducted as a follow up. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a total of five existing literatures was systematically analyzed. Data analytic tables were used to collect information on population and study characteristics for the first part. The focus groups were transcribed verbatim and results were thematically analyzed to identify emergent constructs. Results: There is a substantial relationship between mental health and discrimination among college students, especially within minority groups. There was a difference in self-esteem within the Asian population when utilizing family support, which affected these students’ psychological distress in regards to perceived racial discrimination. Discrimination was associated with physiological distress within the Latino population, and African Americans obtained the highest mean perceived stigma. Focus group results were confirmed similar trends. Students of African American, Asian, and Latino groups shared the same discriminatory experiences when being of darker skin color. For example, a student said, “One time during class we were choosing groups and I heard people say that the Saudi Arabs are lazy and only cheat.” “It made me feel so iv low.” “No one asked me to be in their groups.” As such, it can be seen that such discriminatory acts can negatively impact students’ self-esteem. Conclusion: The results of the study highlight the need for more public health initiative to address mental health and discrimination among college students and how it affects their self-esteem negatively, especially within minority populations.

The movement to increase the number of group home programs for the mentally retarded/developmentally disabled is present in the state of Oregon. The Boundary Street group home, located in Portland, was established as a result of this movement. As a rather typical group home program, it is subject to many of the program concerns and evaluation needs experienced by similar services. This point represents the ultimate reason for this paper. The primary purpose will be to develop a program evaluation system that will be appropriate and beneficial in meeting the evaluation needs of the Boundary Street group home. Because the Boundary Street group home is similar in principle and design to other group homes in Oregon, a second purpose of this project will be to develop an evaluation system that can be beneficial to other programs.