9667 research outputs found
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Together We Thrive: Addressing Chronic Pain in a Community Based Primary Care Clinic
No full textThis capstone project focuses on increasing health literacy and supporting self-management strategies for adults with chronic pain at Agape Clinic, a community-based primary care setting. Originally designed as a 5-week in-person group program, it was adapted into a digital format using Facebook and YouTube due to low attendance. The project offers accessible education on pain management, low-impact exercises, and psychosocial support, while encouraging social participation and ongoing engagement through interactive online content.The Agape Clini
Advocacy for Open Access and Open Educational Resources
No full textI advocate for Open Access (OA) and Open Educational Resources (OER) because I’ve been a part of an academic library for eight years and I have seen the decisions that have to be made when it comes to resources for our students. The cost of resources is so high but OA and OER can help to offset this cost, by providing low or no-cost access to academic materials. This is especially important for smaller and less-well-funded institutions, who may not be able to afford access to the most up-to-date research but deserve that access nonetheless
Improving Older Adults' Sense of Safety: A Home Modification and Adaptive Equipment Fitting Fall Prevention Program
No full textThis capstone project aims to support older adults' safety as they age in a senior living facility through program development and fall education. The 8-week fall prevention program consisted of educational lectures discussing simple home modifications and adaptive equipment fitting clinics aiming to correct fit and provide training. The results showed improvements in older adults' sense of safety and corrected device usage for the majority of participants. Occupational therapists can utilize different fall prevention methods to ensure a client-centered approach to safe aging.St. Anthony's Garden
Draft - Needs Name_1
No full textMy coronatine actually began early. In August of 2019, just a couple of weeks before the fall semester started, I had a panic attack that lasted two weeks. I’m on daily meds now, and I have emergency meds, but I still feel my body go into fight-or-flight mode a few times a day. Thinking back, the “sudden” onset of a panic disorder doesn’t seem that sudden. (It’s funny how easy it is to connect the dots afterwards.) This would be my second disability, my first beginning when I was about eleven years old
Social camouflaging and the relationship with mental health
No full textSocial camouflaging, which is defined as an unconscious social behavior done to appear more neurotypical/non-autistic, is thought to be a reason behind late autism diagnoses and mental health difficulties. This is true for autistic females who often camouflage more and frequently are not diagnosed until later in life. The effects of camouflaging can lead to mental health difficulties like depression, anxiety, and stress. This study examined levels of social camouflaging, levels of autistic traits, and the variable of sex in comparison to average mental distress in depression, anxiety, and stress. Results indicated that higher self-reported camouflaging behaviors were correlated with experiencing higher mental distress (r (204) = .514, p <.001). There was a significant difference between the total CAT-Q scores, with females reporting much higher camouflage rates than males (p = .038, 95% C.I. = [-18.61, -.42]). These findings support the need to further explore direct connections between social camouflaging and mental health, especially for autistic adults and females
Celebrating the Journey: The Role of Legacy Activities and Occupational Therapy in End-of-Life Care
No full textOccupational therapy (OT) has the potential to make a profound impact in end-of-life care by promoting participation in meaningful activities that support emotional and social well-being. Despite this, OT remains underutilized in hospice settings due to misconceptions about its relevance and scope. This capstone project, conducted at Hope Health Care, a hospice organization in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, aimed to address social isolation among patients through the development and implementation of a legacy activity program rooted in OT principles. Guided by the Model of Human Occupation, the program introduced one-page profiles that captured patients’ personal values, preferences, and needs to foster meaningful interaction and improve emotional well-being. The intervention received positive feedback from patients and staff and was integrated into volunteer training materials to ensure sustainability. Additionally, educational presentations increased awareness of OT’s role in hospice care. This project highlights the therapeutic value of legacy activities in supporting quality of life at the end of life and advocates for the broader inclusion of occupational therapy within hospice and palliative care teams.Hope Health Car
GoBabyGo program practices and the impact of modified ride-on car use
No full textThe ability to move through one’s environment is critical to a young child’s physical, cognitive, and social development. Children with disabilities experience impairments that limit achievement of age appropriate motor milestones including independent mobility. Modified rideon cars (MROCs) and GoBabyGo (GBG) were developed to help provide age appropriate access to mobility and environmental exploration for infants and young children with disabilities. However, the structure and evaluation practices of GBG programs have not been studied, and few previous studies have examined outcomes and caregiver/child perceptions of MROC use across the levels of the International Classification of Functioning. The overarching purpose of this mixed methods dissertation was to explore the composition and client selection of GBG programs in the United States and the impact that MROCs have on the children that use them and their caregivers. For study 1, descriptive data on GBG programs and their practices was gathered from online survey responses of 44 physical and occupational therapists. In study 2, trunk control was assessed via the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo), and activities of daily living, mobility, and social/cognitive skills were assessed via the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) in 6 children ages 3 years, 0 months to 4 years, 5 months. These outcomes were assessed at 4 time points: 4 weeks before MROC delivery, at MROC delivery, and after 4 and 8 weeks of MROC use. In study 3, caregivers of the 6 participants and the 4 children who were able to communicate verbally participated in semi-structured interviews describing their experiences with MROC use. Results of the survey data demonstrated the heterogeneous nature of GBG programs with regards to their clients and processes. There was minimal outcome measure use among programs and definitions of appropriate clients varied greatly. Improvements were found on the SATCo for 3 participants, and no improvement was found for the PEDI-CAT following MROC use. However, the families expressed positive experiences, developmental progress, and few barriers to MROC use indicating that a more holistic method is needed to fully evaluate the impact of MROC use on young children with disabilities
Modeling rehabilitation provider shortage in Texas with population data
No full textSocial determinants of health (SDOH) significantly impact health outcomes. One such determinant is access to healthcare. Research on access to rehabilitation shows disparities in specific patient populations and in specific geographic areas; however, we do not currently have a model to track or evaluate rehabilitation access in a standardized way. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop a Rehabilitation Provider Shortage Area (RPSA) model to quantify and evaluate geographic access to rehabilitation services in Texas. Using geospatial and statistical methodologies, this work aimed to (1) assess the variability of provider availability across Texas, (2) evaluate spatial accessibility to outpatient clinics, and (3) model and validate proposed RPSA models against federally recognized primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) frameworks.
Chapter III demonstrated significant variability in population to rehabilitation provider ratios across the state of Texas and within the state’s four metropolitan areas. The results of this study show that there were significant differences for both race and ethnicity between regions of high and low provider availability. More importantly, the effect sizes for both comparisons were moderate suggesting that the difference is meaningful.
Chapter IV explored on spatial accessibility, applying a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to calculate travel times to outpatient clinics. Results indicated that most individuals in urban areas have travel times of less than 30 minutes to the nearest outpatient rehabilitation clinic; however, rural areas face significantly longer travel times, with some exceeding two hours. Geographic clustering identified rehabilitation “hot spots” in urban centers like Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, where provider density is higher. Demographic factors such as higher percentages of Hispanic, White, Black, and Asian populations, higher prevalence of disability, and single parent households were positively associated with hot spot locations. Conversely, socio-economic challenges, including households without a vehicle or a partner, negatively impacted accessibility.
Chapter V introduced and analyzed four RPSA models. The models incorporated indicators such as population-to-provider ratios, poverty levels, and rehabilitation-specific needs, including mobility and self-care disability prevalence. A Friedman test and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare models, revealing significant differences between Model Four and the other three models. Correlation analysis showed redundancy between several indicators of need, which was reduced in Model Four. A comparison of RPSA models to primary care HPSA scores revealed modest correlations. A principal component analysis confirmed that Model Four effectively captured key factors influencing provider shortages, such as socioeconomic barriers and chronic disease burden.
The findings from this dissertation provide a replicable framework for identifying rehabilitation access gaps and informing efforts to address workforce shortages and advocate for improved healthcare access in underserved regions. More broadly, this work offers a critical first step toward establishing a standardized method for monitoring rehabilitation provider shortages, aligning with national and global calls to strengthen support the worldwide need for improved rehabilitation access
The Effects of Black English in American Courtrooms
No full textThe intersection of language, identity, and justice has long been a critical area of inquiry in sociolinguistics and legal studies. This dissertation examines the effects of Black English, also known as African American Vernacular English (AAVE), in American courtrooms, focusing on its implications for legal outcomes and perceptions of credibility. Drawing on interdisciplinary methodologies, including courtroom transcript analysis, interviews with legal professionals, and a survey, this research highlights the linguistic biases that frequently disadvantage Black defendants and witnesses.
The findings reveal that linguistic prejudice against speakers of Black English often manifests in misinterpretation, dismissal of testimony, and diminished credibility in the eyes of jurors and judges. Such biases are not only rooted in sociocultural stereotypes but are also exacerbated by a lack of linguistic awareness among legal practitioners (Rickford & King, 2016). Furthermore, the study identifies a significant gap in the training of court interpreters and attorneys regarding the nuances of Black English, which contributes to disparities in legal outcomes (Baugh, 2000).
This dissertation argues that the systemic marginalization of Black English in courtrooms perpetuates racial inequities within the justice system. It advocates for policy reforms, including linguistic training for legal professionals and the inclusion of linguists as expert witnesses, to mitigate these disparities. By foregrounding the role of language in the pursuit of justice, this research contributes to broader discussions on equity, representation, and the need for culturally responsive legal practices
Lies in the dark: An analysis of dark personality traits and dishonesty
No full textThe study of malevolent personality traits has previously been conceptualized and measured using the dark triad model, which identifies the core malevolent traits as Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism (Paulhus & Williams, 2002). More recent research has proposed a broader model that encompasses more dark traits than the dark triad model, the Dark Factor of Personality (D; Moshagen et al., 2018). Further research has confirmed that D is comprised of five thematic factors: callousness, deceitfulness, narcissistic entitlement, sadism, and vindictiveness (Bader et al., 2021). Existing research indicates that individuals exhibiting higher levels of dark traits tend to engage in more frequent dishonesty (Jonason et al., 2014; Zvi & Elaad, 2018). However, previous studies have not clearly determined what specific types of lies (e.g., altruistic, self-serving, and vindictive) are common among individuals exhibiting dark traits. Though some studies have explored how different categories of lying correspond to different personality traits, dark traits were not included in the analyses (Hart et al., 2020). To address this gap in the research, this study aimed to investigate the connection between various types of lying behavior and dark personality traits. Results indicated that those with dark personality traits tend to lie more often and accept lying in everyday situations. Additionally, dark traits were correlated with an increased frequency of telling self-serving and vindictive lies. Specific themes within the dark core had predictive power for specific lies: deceitfulness, vindictiveness and callousness with self-serving lies, and sadism and deceitfulness with vindictive lies. Implications of this study and future directions are discussed