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Trauma Mediating The Severity Of Depressive Symptoms in Veterans With PTSD
Get PDFTrauma serves as a risk factor for developing both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. The purpose of this study was to examine trauma type as a mediator in the relationship between gender and severity of depressive symptoms among veterans with PTSD. The literature shows trauma type plays a role in developing PTSD and depressive symptoms. The first hypothesis was that female veterans who met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD would report higher levels of depressive symptoms than their male counterparts. The second hypothesis was that this gender difference would be partly mediated by levels of interpersonal trauma experience. Self-report measures assessing demographics, severity of depressive symptoms, diagnostic criteria for PTSD, trauma history, and support were administered in an online format to veterans recruited through social media platforms. The goal was to recruit 70 participants for the study; however, only 21 participants’ data could be analyzed due to missing data and recruitment difficulties. Results indicated there was no significant difference in the severity of depressive symptoms between male and female veterans. The mediation model could not be tested due to a lack of support for the first hypothesis. The non-significant findings are likely due to the low statistical power of this study and should be interpreted with caution. Given the prevalence of PTSD, trauma, and depression in the veteran population, continued research on the role of different types of trauma exposure and gender differences in psychological symptoms is encouraged to be able to provide treatment recommendations that are tailored to the experiences of male and female veterans
An Inaugural, Qualitative Examination of the Relationships Between People With Gender Nonconforming Expression and Social Anxiety
Get PDFThe focus in this research was on the experience of social anxiety associated with people with gender nonconformity. The study involved consideration of the issues people with gender nonconformity face as well as the mental impact that often occurs as a result of the rejection of other people in their lives, including their family and friends, as well as how and in what ways gender nonconforming people are affected by negativity in their environment. Data related to the problems that develop with such people, in particular the impact of stigmatization, discrimination, and social anxiety on people with gender nonconformity were collected via interviews. The researcher collected both primary and secondary data for analysis via interviews and a literature review. It was hypothesized that gender nonconformity would have a strong relationship with social anxiety, with negative experiences playing the role of mediator. Results show people who are gender nonconforming face disapproval of their identity in some situations in their lives, which often has a negative impact on their mental health. Future research will be important to analyze the particular types of problems caused by such issues
The Adaptive Function of Freudian Ambivalence, A Freudian Neo-Darwinian Synthesis
No full textThis Clinical Research Project develops a proposal for the adaptive function of Freudian ambivalence through evolutionary psychology, a neo-Darwinian sub-paradigm. This proposal posits that Freudian ambivalence is a grand-superordinate adaptive program composed of two integrated bivalent superordinate programs that in turn instigate adaptive behavior. The one and then the other serve the following adaptive functions: (i) to compute the inclusive fitness costs and benefits of social objects; and (ii) to regulate adaptive psychological and physiological responses to social objects
Foster Parent Knowledge and the Need for Information - Sharing Technology
Get PDFIn 2023, the United States child welfare system suffers from disorganization, role ambiguity, and deficient transparency. With 12 contempt of court strikes for the system’s Director in 2022, it is clear why child welfare actors are unable to successfully perform. Foster parents, a key stakeholder in the proper care of children, report being unable to successfully perform because they are raising children with significant needs and trauma while having to locate and navigate child welfare system laws, policies, and procedures on their own. The purpose of this research project was to 1 ) identify whether foster parents know who is accountable for their foster child’s mental and physical health, legal case, medical care, and finances, 2) identify if foster parents know how to directly contact this party, 3) identify additional knowledge foster parents need about the system or their foster child, 4) connect with the Illinois foster parent community encouraging participant empowerment and self-efficacy, 5) work as a community identifying oppressive constructs that hinder information-sharing between the Illinois foster care system and foster parents, and 6) construct and implement a sustainable information-sharing, crowd-sourced platform for foster parents and other child welfare professionals to access information. The data for this project was collected using a quantitative and qualitative survey and 2 focus group sessions. The findings show that foster parents need additional information about the foster care system and their foster child, specifically medical information, indicating that a platform for foster parents, case workers, and other child welfare stakeholders, is critical
If You Don’t Live By The Sea, You Won’t Talk About Sailing: An Interpretative Phenomenological Approach of the Polish Immigrant Experience in Chicago and the Acculturation of Racial Beliefs
Get PDFThere has been a steady increase in research and focus on defining and understanding racism and the role it plays in the ongoing inequality and inequity between individuals of White descent and individuals who are Black, indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC). However, little research has focused on what changes with racial beliefs when individuals immigrate between various countries where racism, discrimination, and racial beliefs may appear differently. Our objective was to increase our understanding of how the acculturation process may impact or change racial beliefs over time. Our research sought participants of Polish descent in the Chicagoland area and our data were analyzed through the interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) lens. Our analysis uncovered three general experiential themes about the acculturation of racial beliefs which were: (a) A lack of exposure to diversity and the BIPOC community in Poland created a perceived lack of need to discuss or learn about race, racism, and racial beliefs in a meaningful way; (b) Idealization of what sort of life and opportunities were available in the United States as well as misperceptions of interracial relationships in America contributed to the motivation to move here; and (c) Exposure to United States culture as it relates to race and racial beliefs has impacted and contributed to a sense of incongruence between the participants’ views and beliefs of themselves as White individuals, of the Polish and United States culture, and beliefs about other races. Additionally, a general lack of knowledge related to race, racism, and racial beliefs and language barriers may negatively impact Polish immigrants and their abilities to form accurate and healthy beliefs about the BIPOC community. Through understanding the acculturation of racial beliefs, we may better understand the role incoming immigrants play in maintaining systematic racial beliefs
How School Leadership Affects Teachers’ Professionalism via Trust in Administrator in Bureaucratic School Structures
Get PDFSchool leadership is a concept being discussed in recent studies regarding educational administration. This study examines the relationship between school leadership and teacher professionalism, focusing on the mediating effects of trust in the administrator on the relationship between school leadership and teacher professionalism. The study has adopted a cross-sectional survey design. The sample consists of 269 (Türkiye) and 134 (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) teachers. The structural equation model was used to test the direct and indirect effects of the variables. Considering the findings of the study, school leadership is positively related to teacher professionalism as mediated by trust in the school administrator. In conclusion, the researchers recommend that school leaders implement practices that encourage powerful trust among teachers in their administrators
AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC JOURNEY TO CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS: HOW A WHITE FACULTY MEMBER AT A HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION MOVES FROM ALLY TO ACCOMPLICE BY LEARNING STUDENT STRUGGLES
No full textThis study serves to document my transition into critical consciousness – or conscientização – through interactions with my students. I utilize narrative autoethnographic methods, content analysis, qualitative interviewing, and personal reflection to document my transformation from objectively interested faculty member to accomplice by learning about how the life of my students outside of school affected their performance inside of school. Significant findings fall into two categories: personal and professional. Personally, this study was cathartic. By using a scholarly lens to analyze and reflect on my experience, I was able to process my experience in the context of existing research and original research I conducted for this study. Professionally, this study serves as a ‘counterstory’ intended to document the need for Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). Implications for this study include upward social mobility through education for Latinx students and challenging HSIs to invest in facilitating conscientização through professional development
Bisexuality, Biphobia, and its Effects on Sexual Identity, Religious Identity and Mental Health: Examining Clinical Implications
Get PDFBisexuality is a sexual orientation, sometimes known as “bi,” that includes sexuality in which certain people are attracted to more than one sex and gender. Bisexuality differs from other sexual- and gender-nonconforming experiences (McInnis et al., 2022). According to Ross et al. (2018), bisexuality is frequently described as an invisible sexual orientation, and only in the last 20 years has research on biphobia and bisexuality increased (McInnis et al., 2022). Experiences unique to bisexuality include bisexual invisibility from a societal level (Dyar et al., 2015), bisexuals are more prone to experience sexual orientation instability (Bostwick et al., 2014), and bisexual people report poorer physical and mental health, and higher rates of sexual assault (Israel, 2018). Also, biphobia leads to statements that cast doubt on the validity of the bisexual identity, such as “bisexuality is a phase” (Human Rights Campaign, n.d.). This literature review’s objectives are to investigate the significance of comprehending bisexuality and biphobia, the effects of biphobia on bisexual identity, the junction of sexual identity and religious identity, and the adverse effects of biphobia on the mental health of bisexual individuals. Objectives also include discussing protective factors to improve the well-being of bisexual people. This project includes a broad review of peer-reviewed, published academic journals to provide a comprehensive and current review of the topic, resulting in the following research questions: (1) How does biphobia impact bisexual identity? (2) How does biphobia impact the intersectionality of bisexuality and religious identity? (3) How does biphobia impact mental health and other conditions for clinical attention? (4) How can understanding bisexuality and biphobia influence clinical treatment to promote protective factors and improve mental health disparities for bisexual people? Limitations, clinical implications, and recommendations for future research are examined and discussed
Chronic Stressors, Obesity Pathogenesis, and the Moderating Effect of Internalized Weight Stigma; a Quantitative, Illinois Study
Get PDFThe obesity epidemic is a ‘wicked’ problem with a complex web of determinants and outcomes. While generally higher for minoritized populations, prevalence rates manifest in surprising, nonlinear patterns. There is no consensus regarding treatment protocols or mitigation efforts, except that current efforts remain largely ineffective. Much research evidence that a profusion of determinants of health support obesity pathogenesis through various physiological processes and mechanisms, including the allostatic load, mitochondria functioning, the gut microbiome, and epigenetics. Intervening to support markers of the allostatic load (immunity, inflammation, and metabolic health) may provide a more effective treatment outcomes than traditional approaches, which tend to focus on behavioral modification, medication, or surgery. Internalized weight stigma is one such determinant. This study examined the relationships among chronic stressors (including childhood adversity, perceived stress, and internalized weight stigma), resilience factors (including subjective happiness and positive childhood experiences), and BMI/obesity diagnosis for adult participants in Illinois. It also explored the relationships among patient preferences for care, perceptions of clinical stigma, and demographic variables. The findings evidenced that internalized weight stigma, but not childhood adversity or perceived stress, predicted BMI/obesity diagnosis. It also found that perceived stress and childhood adversity predicted internalized weight stigma. In general, the resilience factors were not strong mediators, save for subjective happiness for perceived stress and internalized weight bias. This research suggests that chronic stress may put an individual at higher risk of internalizing weight stigma, which supports increased BMI. This study’s findings also support that White participants are at greater risk of perceiving weight stigma and that people with obesity, compared to those without obesity, perceive greater stigmatization in clinical settings and are less likely to want physicians to discuss their weight. Together, these findings may be interpreted to support the requirement for multidisciplinary, trauma-informed treatment protocols capable of addressing the mental precursors and repercussions of the disease. Obesity treatment policies and protocols must strive to eliminate stigmatic practices, language, and aspects of the environment to better support individuals to reach their weight goals