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Promoting Autism Spectrum Disorder Evidence-Based Care: Protocols for Assessment, Specialty Referral, and Documentation
Full text linkThere is a gap in consistent autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment, referral and documentation processes in the outpatient clinic, resulting in delayed, fragmented care and suboptimal outcomes. This project aims to identify existing gaps in ASD assessment, documentation and referral practices, implement provider education on evidence-based ASD care, verify community and state ASD resources and introduce standardized electronic documentation and resource guide, and evaluate outcomes through chart audit, pre/post test and feedback surveys.Harmony Hines School of Nursin
Implementing a Peer Support Mentor Program in a University Setting: A Quality Improvement Project
No full textTransitioning from high school to college is a pivotal milestone in a student's life, often marked by new experiences and challenges. This transition can be particularly difficult for students moving away from homes, cities, or states for the first time; first-generation students; and international students. Students face ongoing stressors such as academic pressure, social isolation, and financial burdens, which can exacerbate symptoms of mental health. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to develop a Peer Health and Wellness Ambassador Program at a Midwestern medium-sized college to improve students' mental health outcomes, foster a sense of belonging, and enhance academic performance.Harmony Hines School of Nursin
The Influence of Symptom Variation on Attention in Individuals with PTSD
Full text linkAttentional biases have been found across a wide variety of fear and anxiety-related disorders, and specifically in individuals with trauma history. Eye-tracking was used to examine attentional biases during scene and image viewing in individuals with trauma history (TH) compared to trauma-free controls (TFCs). Past research demonstrates that individuals with TH move their eyes in ways distinct from TFCs, however, the literature is divided about whether TH individuals’ attentional bias is characterized by avoidance or fixation when viewing threatening stimuli. TH is often comorbid with anxious and depressive symptoms. Previous research suggests that anxiety- and fear-related disorders are often characterized by visual avoidance of threatening stimuli. Depressive disorders, however, are characterized by difficulty in disengaging from distressing cognitions and emotions, which is also supported by eye-tracking research suggesting depressed individuals tend to fixate on negative stimuli. The current study hypothesized (a) Individuals with PTSD would display enhanced detection of threat compared to trauma-free controls; (b) Individuals with greater depressive/ruminative symptoms would be more likely to fixate on threatening stimuli; and (c) Individuals with greater anxiety symptoms would be more likely to avoid. While no support was found for these hypotheses, this study may serve as the basis for further research into a new and largely unexplored topic.Department of Psycholog
Self-Compassion and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to Treat Persistent Depressive Disorder: A Hybrid Approach for a Female College Student
Full text linkThe following is a de-identified case study about the intake and treatment process of a 21-year old Hispanic woman presenting with Persistent Depressive Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder. This client is referred to as “Sofia” throughout this document. Names and other details within this case study have been altered to protect confidentiality. Sofia is a full-time college student who presented with moderate depressive and social anxiety symptoms that interfered with perceptions of herself. Her intake was performed through a semi-structured interview and self-report measures. At the time of writing, Sofia had attended eight sessions of individual outpatient therapy using a hybrid approach of gold-standard cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and of treatments incorporating mindful self-compassion. Throughout Sofia’s treatment, she was given interventions intended to reframe and restructure unhelpful thoughts, build awareness of harmful core beliefs, become more mindful of thoughts and emotions, and to treat herself with kindness. Attached at the end of this document is a transcript of the sixth therapy session Sofia attended. The transcript is meant to show Sofia’s engagement with therapy services and the therapist’s ability to provide the hybrid CBT and self-compassion approach. Treatment has continued outside of the writing of this case study, however, for the purposes of this case study, treatment consists of the first eight sessions.Department of Psycholog
Perceptions of Artificially Intelligent Chatbot Avatars as a Therapeutic Tool
Full text linkThe purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of implementing artificially intelligent chatbot avatars for psychotherapeutic purposes. Overall, individuals had neutral to positive perceptions of implementing artificially intelligent chatbot avatars in therapy. While technology could never replace the personal therapeutic connection a therapist makes with a client, the technology has potential to enhance the therapeutic process.Department of Psycholog
Implementation of an Evidenced- Based Screening Tool for the Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults in Primary Care and Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic Settings
Full text linkBackground: No standardized evidenced-based guidelines currently exist in the United States
for the diagnosis and treatment of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Diagnosis of adult ADHD relies on an in-depth clinical interview along with ADHD rating scales
to determine the degree of symptoms and the effects on function. Purpose: The purpose of this
project was to implement and evaluate an evidenced-based screening tool for primary care and
behavioral health care providers in outpatient settings to improve efficacy in diagnosing ADHD
in the adult population.
Design/Methods: The project was implemented using the Iowa
Implementation for Sustainability Framework and the Iowa Model Framework. Before
implementing interventions for this project, providers were given a brief questionnaire to
complete regarding their opinions about assessing and diagnosing ADHD in adults. Thirty chart
reviews were completed both before and after the intervention to determine the frequency of use
of the evidence-based screening tool.School of Nursin
Treating the Family: ADHD Group Therapy in Community Mental Health
Full text linkThe purpose of this research was to conduct a pre-experimental study of a combined evidenced-based group therapy for ADHD in a community mental health setting. The current research addressed the research question of the effectiveness of evidence-based treatment on ADHD symptoms in a group format including parents and children. The study integrated behavioral, parent, organizational, and social skills training with psychoeducation and application. The study lasted for 9 weeks with a 2-month posttreatment follow-up. The study involved 5 children with ADHD between the ages of 9-11 with their guardian/parent (parent N = 6). The sample was primarily white, with two being female children and three being male. Three of the children were prescribed medication, while the others were not. All families completed the group therapy and attended a posttreatment session. Quantitative findings did not indicate significant symptom reduction from beginning to end of treatment or two months posttreatment of the group therapy. Qualitative findings indicated that both parents and children reported positive effects and improvements from the group therapy. Results suggest that a larger sample size and control group are needed to determine the overall effectiveness of the intervention and additional implementation to compare experiences and outcomes.Department of Psycholog
Environment and Barriers: Predicting College Students’ Self-Efficacy and Healthy-Eater Identity
Full text linkConsuming the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables results in beneficial health effects, whereas, failing to meet recommendations can result in copious health risks. College students lack recommended fruit and vegetable intake. Recognizing perceived barriers in the college environment may help to understand this lack of fruit and vegetable consumption.
Perceived barriers include lack of time, high cost of healthy food, and limited availability of healthy food. Identifying how perceived barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption impacts self-efficacy, or one’s confidence to perform a behavior, and healthy-eater identity, or how people perceive their eating behavior, can facilitate understanding of fruit and vegetable consumption among college students. Dietary preference may also influence eating behavior and attitudes.
Due to evidence linking healthy-eater identity and self-efficacy to consuming fruits and vegetables, it is reasonable to wonder what factors may influence identity and self-efficacy. The current study found lower barriers associated with higher self-efficacy. There was no relationship between barriers and healthy-eater identity. The relationship between dietary preference and healthy-eater identity was not able to be evaluated. This study further supports the need to reduce barriers to increase self-efficacy for healthy eating among college students.Department of Psycholog
Implementation and Evaluation of the STOPP Criteria to Address Polypharmacy in a Long-Term Care Facility
Full text linkPractice Inquiry DNP Project IIIBackground: Polypharmacy is defined as the concurrent use of multiple medications and is a prevalent phenomenon in healthcare settings across the country. People who are 65 years old and older tend to take the most medications, making this the most common population for polypharmacy. Most adverse reactions are a result of polypharmacy and are one of the causes of skyrocketing healthcare costs, as well as responsible for the high number of deaths each year. Polypharmacy can also lead to increased falls, medication noncompliance, and hospitalizations.
Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project is to reduce the occurrence of polypharmacy by using the Screening Tool of Older Persons’ Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria to improve appropriate medication prescribing among those who are 65 years old and older who live in a long-term care facility in Colorado.School of Nursin
Increasing Screening Rates of Chlamydia trachomalis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a Midwestern University Health Setting
No full textThe purpose of this project was to increase screening rates for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae among college students utilizing a Midwestern University Health Center by implementing sustainable, evidence-based interventional and educational measures.School of Nursin