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The Impact of Anxiety, Depression, and Perceived Social Support on Postoperative Pain After Hysterectomy
No full textResearch Question: Do women scheduled for benign hysterectomy who score highly on preoperative assessment of anxiety, depression, and perceived low social support report higher pain scores after surgery compared to women who are scheduled for benign hysterectomy who score low on pre-operative assessment of anxiety, depression, and perceived low social support?Background and Significance: Hysterectomy is a common gynecological procedure that can be done abdominally, laparoscopically, or vaginally, with or without robotic assistance. As with all surgical procedures, chronic postoperative pain is a potential complication. There is a host of factors that can influence post-operative pain, and psychosocial factors are more commonly being identified as risk factors for postoperative pain.Materials and Methods: In this prospective cohort study, patients scheduled for hysterectomy for benign indications were administered the Patient Health Questionnaire-SADS (PHQ-SADS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) surveys to assess their preoperative anxiety, depression, and perceived social support. Patients received a score based on their answers. Patients with severe anxiety and/or depression scores were referred to the appropriate provider and excluded from the study. Intra- operative data was collected retrospectively. Out-patient therapy was standardized, and hydrocodone with acetaminophen was given. Postoperative pain scores were reported on a scale from 1-10. The scores were gathered by telephone at 1 day, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks postoperatively. This study is continuing to accrue subjects.Results: Preliminary descriptive statistics demonstrate that 31 women consented to the study of which 24 patients enrolled in the study. The average age is 46¿9 and the majority of the population is non-Hispanic black (58%) with at least one prior pregnancy. Approximately twothirds of the population had a BMI classified as obese. The majority (71%) had somatization (10 or more on PHQ-15), 46% had depression (10 or more on PHQ-9) and 54% had anxiety (10 or more on GAD-7). Data collection is ongoing and will be examined for prediction of anxiety, depression, and perceived low social support for postoperative pain after hysterectomy.Conclusion: Postoperative pain is a feared complication of any surgical procedure. As the psychosocial factors of pain become better understood, providers will be able to adjust therapy to best suit the needs of each patient. A more complete understanding of mental health effects on post-operative pain can help to guide post-operative therapy. If a patient is found to have a mental health status that is high- risk for postoperative pain, either therapy can be adjusted, or the procedure could be postponed until a more favorable mental health status is attained. A more complete understanding of the relationship between psychosocial factors and pain can help providers deliver the most appropriate, tailored care to each patient
Perceptions of conservation educators on program effectiveness: a mixed methods study
No full textEnvironmental education is gaining recognition as a critical strategy to reduce environmental harm. Education has been identified as a top factor contributing to people’s willingness to engage in environmentally positive conservation behaviors. Non-formal learning institutions such as zoos and aquariums can create and engage learners in species-specific education programming. Species-specific education programs can generate high public appeal and contribute to overall environmental conservation outcomes. This research assesses the perceptions of educators at non-formal institutions about their conservation education programs and reveals three key themes when designing and implementing successful education. These themes were 1) recognizing the importance of short-term programming, 2) empowering individuals through the development of their STEM identities, and 3) collaborating with local communities to develop ownership over their education. The results contribute to a growing body of research on effective environmental education and help promote species conservation and community wellbeing while contributing to larger education goals
A literature review: analyzing barriers hindering the implementation of self-regulated learning in science classrooms
No full textSelf-regulated learning is a goal-directed process in which learners are metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in their learning process. Although studies have shown self-regulated learning is critical for success in academic learning and beyond; many students do not use self-regulated learning strategies to drive their science learning. To better understand the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate situation, this literature review reports on 15 studies related to barriers that hinder science teachers from enacting self-regulated learning. In this review, we discuss the role of self-regulated learning, then we emphasize the theoretical frameworks, and examine the barriers. Findings from this study revealed six primary barriers: scarcity of time, disregards within the curriculum and assessments, lack of training, opposing teacher views, lack of resources, and students' resistance toward self-regulated learning. Thus, with the support of current literature surrounding remedying these obstacles, we conclude our review by qualitatively analyzing the relationships between the barriers and suggest approaches toward overcoming them
NUTRITION AND COOKING KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-EFFICACY AMONG ADOLESCENTS ENROLLED IN A SUMMER COOKING CAMP
No full textBackground: Limited opportunities to gain knowledge regarding nutrition and food preparation techniques currently exist in the school system. Dietetic interns taught adolescents enrolled in a university-hosted summer cooking camp how to prepare foods from scratch, use basic knife skills, meal plan and combine common kitchen ingredients to make budget-friendly meals and healthy snacks. Dietetic students taught nutrition lessons about reading nutrition labels, protein, sodium, nutrient density, added sugars, whole grains, vitamin C and iron.
Objectives: 1) Describe cooking/nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy in adolescents; 2) describe the correlation between caregiver cooking/nutrition efficacy and adolescent cooking/nutrition knowledge prior to education. Design: Following IRB approval, a convenience sample of 7th-9th grade adolescents enrolled in a five-day cooking camp and their caregivers were recruited to participate in the study. Methods: Adolescent participants completed pre- and post-camp surveys to measure cooking/nutrition knowledge, experience and self-efficacy. One caregiver per adolescent completed a pre-camp survey to measure cooking experience and confidence. Frequency of family meals and home-meal preparation was measured for all participants.
Results: Adolescent participants (n=23) were 12.8+/-0.95 years. Participants were 74% (n=17) female and 26% (n=6) male. Caregiver confidence of cooking ability using basic ingredients and adolescent pre-camp cooking confidence (r=0.547, p=0.001) were positively correlated. Adolescent participants reported that they were able to perform the following tasks pre- and post- camp, respectively: Cook raw meat and poultry (52%, n=12; 96%, n=22); Cook dried beans (9%, n=2; 100%, n=23); Use food preparation methods to prevent food borne illness (52%, n=12;
96%, n=22); Shop for foods to stay on a budget (61%, n=14; 96%, n=22); Use the nutrition facts label (78%, n=18; 100%, n=23). Conclusions: A cooking camp is an effective approach to provide adolescents with cooking/nutrition education and improve their self-efficacy related to meal preparation
Intentional communities as learning labs for faith formation: how adult children of Holden Village understand emerging faith commitments
No full textHow do adult children of intentional faith communities understand emerging faith commitments, and how might their stories inform how churches and other faith institutions understand faith formation, particularly in areas of peace and justice? This project examines the stories of nine adult children of Holden Village, a semi-intentional faith community, rooted in the Lutheran tradition, located in the remote Northern Cascades. For over 70 years, Holden Village, a former mining town, has welcomed children and their families into the winter community. Holden Village has strong commitments to justice and peace. As these children age into adulthood, this project examines how they sift through their childhood experiences, and tie their current faith commitments to their time in the Village. This report ends with five recommendation for practical theologians and church professionals about how to form children for justice and peace, using these Holden Village stories as a template
Comparing the effects of a comprehensive typical American diet or Mediterranean diet on gut microbiome composition
No full textAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with several factors implicated in its progression, including the chronic consumption of a Western diet. Current diet literature utilizes models that are not translational to what a typical American would consume. Therefore, a previous study from our team explored the effect of long-term consumption of a translatable typical American diet (TAD) to a comprehensive Mediterranean diet (MD), which is known to have protective properties. This study explored the effect of long0term consumption of the TAD versus the MD on gut microbiome composition. There was an increase of alpha and beta diversity found in the MD compared to the TAD. Additionally, transgenerational effects of these experimental diets found similar results of increased alpha and beta diversity in offspring with perinatal consumption of the MD compared to the TAD. However, these differences were significantly diminished following 2 months of standard diet consumption
THE DETERMINANTS OF BUSINESS CYCLES: AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF COMPETING THEORIES
No full textThe 2008 Financial Crisis came as a shock to many in the economics discipline, as well as to those in the general public. Despite being the deepest and longest economic slump since the Great Depression, most mainstream economists found themselves unable to offer a consistent explanation of its cause rather than "something bizarre happened". In contrast, some non-mainstream schools of thought have argued that they saw it coming and that they can offer insightful explanations of the Great Recession. Two of those were the Austrian and Post Keynesian. Given the significant disparities in the two schools fundamental economic principles, there arose a question among scholars and the general public as to whether these two schools of thought could truly predict a crisis accurately. This paper lays out the basic Austrian and Post- Keynesian explanations of the business cycle and then shows how they employed these to predict/explain the Financial Crisis. Then, an empirical test of the models laid out by each school of thought is run in an attempt to determine which theory appears to have the most support from the data. The preliminary results suggest that the Post Keynesians business cycle theory has a better explanatory power regarding the 2008 Financial Crisis
Stitching a Roma archive: Delaine Le Bas's We Have a History
No full textBritish Romani artist Delaine Le Bas (b. 1965, United Kingdom) confronts anti-Roma
prejudices and stereotypes in her multidisciplinary practice spanning assemblage to performance.
This thesis focuses on the artist’s 2005 work We Have A History, originally made for the
Hampshire County Cultural Trust’s exhibition The Living Album Project- Hampshire’s Gypsy
Heritage. I analyze the ways Le Bas utilizes textiles, text, family portraits, and contested visual
representations of the Roma to challenge the false notion of the Roma as a people without a
history. I argue that We Have A History constructs a counter-model of memory, distinct from the
larger historic repositories that do not justly represent the lived experiences of the Roma people.
This thesis examines how Le Bas tells a Roma history from the place and scale of her individual
family and, in so doing, creates a renewed context for seeing and recognizing British Romani
identity
Meaning in life among emerging adults: An examination of gender, relationship status, and social media use
No full textUsing a sample of 450 emerging adult university students, this study examined the effects of relationship status and gender on meaning in life (MIL) dimensions and the relationship between social media use and MIL dimensions among participants. The MIL Questionnaire (MLQ) and a subscale of the Sources of Meaning and MLQ (SoMe) were used to measure three different life meaning dimensions (presence of meaning, search for meaning, and crises of meaning). Findings suggested that being in a romantic relationship is positively associated with the presence of MIL. Findings also revealed that the time spent on social media and social media satisfaction affects MIL dimensions. Implications for counselors and other mental health professionals are presented and have the potential to impact college students' MIL issues
LGBTQIA+ consumer perceptions of brand representation: exploring the tensions between storytelling and action
No full textLGBTQIA+ visibility in marketing and advertising has gained momentum since the late 1960s. Inspired by the increased visibility, this study explores the responses of Generation Z LGBTQIA+ self-identifying individuals through in-depth interviews to gain a better understanding from LGBTQIA+ communities including their reaction to representation in marketing and advertising. LGBTQIA+ individuals welcome its community’s representation in brand strategy but is most supportive to the consumer brand relationship when done through storytelling paired with organizational action(s).
However, tensions present themselves for the Generation Z LGBTQIA+ consumer when brands contribute to controversial situations or are perceived to have misrepresentative brand strategy.
Given the embedded context of the consumer brand relationship, the proposed model presents identified factors to help formulate a supportive consumer brand relationship, but when support is weak, a tension between LGBTQIA+ consumers and perceived brand support is created