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Mental health symptoms, well-being and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods practice-based study
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic necessitated abrupt and substantial changes in daily life, and public health strategies intended to protect physical health can negatively affect mental health and well-being, especially for individuals with pre-existing mental health challenges. For this study, we surveyed a sample of clients (N = 94) in the summer of 2020 from a community mental health clinic in the northeast United States. A mixed-methods, concurrent triangulation design was used to (a) identify client subgroups on indicators of mental health (i.e. anxious and depressive symptoms) and emotional, psychological, and social well-being using latent profile analysis (LPA), and (b) within these subgroups, examine qualitative, thematic patterns in self-described challenges, benefits and learning related to the pandemic. The LPA revealed five distinct subgroups with various levels of symptoms and well-being, including Stagnant (moderate symptoms/moderate well-being), Languishing (high symptoms/low well-being), Flourishing (low symptoms, high well-being), Fortitudinous (high symptoms, moderate well-being) and Mobilized (moderate symptoms, high well-being). These divergent subgroups support the need to conceptualise mental health symptoms apart from well-being and assess for heterogeneous constellations of such constructs among psychotherapy clients. Thematic analysis offered additional insight into pandemic experiences within each subgroup, including attention to psychological, emotional, behavioural/lifestyle, relational, physical and ecological/contextual dimensions of self-experience, as well as the ways clients had adjusted to the pandemic\u27s circumstances. Findings support nuanced conceptualisations of positive mental health and offer insight into coping and adaptation during this public health crisis
An Investigation of How the Partnership for 21st Century Framework Reflects Innovation in MBA Programs
No full textThere is lack of understanding about effective teaching methods for innovation education in business schools and programs. A non-experimental, descriptive study of American ACBSP-accredited business schools and programs was designed to survey MBA program leadership. MBA programs are offering innovation education but it is limited to courses and not entire concentrations; MBA programs are using experiential learning approaches to teach innovation; and, communication and collaboration were the top instructional strategies used. MBA programs should consider developing coursework focused on innovation education. The 4Cs outlined in the Partnership for 21st Century Skills should be explicitly taught within the MBA
Evaluating the Impact of Volunteer and Facility Provided Doula Support in the Intrapartum Period on Maternal, Neonatal, and Psychosocial Outcomes in the Hospital Setting
Get PDFBackground/Purpose: The unacceptably high maternal mortality rate in the United States has demanded a call to action for evaluation and implementation of efforts to improve both maternal and neonatal outcomes. Low-resource and low-socioeconomic populations are at a higher risk of experiencing adverse birth outcomes. Doulas have continuously been recognized as key tools in improving outcomes, but not all birthing persons have access to them. The positive impact of continuous labor support in improving outcomes is recognized by the American College of Obstetricians, American College of Nurse-Midwives, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the March of Dimes. The purpose of this review is to critically assess the impact of continuous intrapartum support given by volunteer or facility program doulas on maternal, neonatal, and psychosocial outcomes in the hospital setting. Methods: The PRISMA model was used to search for applicable evidence across five research databases. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were applied to search for and obtain 20 studies in relation to the research topic. The studies were then critiqued utilizing John Hopkins Evidence Appraisal Tool and were categorized as level I, level II, or level III followed by either high (A), good (B), or low (C) quality evidence. A literature matrix was then used to organize the data to be synthesized for this review. Results/Findings: Intrapartum support given by a volunteer or facility provided doula improved many outcomes researched. Maternal outcomes that demonstrated an improvement included cesarean section rates, breastfeeding initiation, and pharmaceutical pain management. Decreased preterm birth rates and increased birth weights were also identified when doula support was provided to the neonate’s mother. Birth experiences were also consistently reported as positive by participants
On the Causes, Effects, and Prevention of Bullying Among School-Aged Youth
No full textThis literature review provides a comprehensive overview on the topic of bullying. It explores the various definitions of bullying and how bullying might manifest itself among school aged youth. The common ways that bullying are measured in academic studies is explored. Prevalence data from around the world and over time is analyzed to understand how pervasive bullying is. The effects that bullying has on school aged youth is explored across a large scale down to the molecular biological level and up to the societal level. The many causes of bullying and risk factors shared by all stakeholders that are involved in acts of bullying are explored. It recognizes the role clinicians, educators, and parents can play in identifying these risk factors. The association between bullying and psychosomatic symptoms, long-lasting effects such as depression, anxiety, and suicide are shown to be profound. Bullying is caused by numerous factors including personality traits of the bully and victim, school and home environment, parental involvement and style, etc. Through parent, clinical, district, and educator awareness and early intervention/prevention, adolescents may be dissuaded from affiliation with bullying, not only changing their lives but possibly future lives as well
Using Arts to Improve Academic Outcomes for Students With Disabilities
No full textTheatre is often used as a tool in the classroom to target specific skills in language arts classes. More and more, it is being woven into curriculums outside of the language arts classroom to explore multi-disciplinary teaching. Theatre arts have the potential to reach a wide array of students in order to increase academic achievement, engagement/attainment, and social-emotional skills. Not only can theatre arts improve skills for students as a whole, but it can positively impact students with learning disabilities and special needs, too. Research indicates through empirical data that students generally show improvements in academic achievement, engagement and confidence levels after being exposed to theatre arts methods. For students with disabilities, results were similar. However, the qualitative data collected in a large majority of studies suggests that there are significant changes for students with disabilities in behaviors, confidence levels, and social-emotional skills after theatre exposure. Continued research is needed to truly determine how theatre can impact the education and learning of students with disabilities, but as teachers continue to experiment with methods that are tailored to student needs and abilities, they may find that theatre is an adequate tool for differentiating learning in the classroom
The Effects of Socialization on the Progression of Dementia
No full textDementia is an umbrella term for a group of disorders marked by a decline from baseline in memory, executive function, and other cognitive functions such as reasoning, handling complex tasks, and spatial orientation, all of which interferes with activities of daily living and independence (Larson, 2019). Current pharmaceutical management of dementia and related symptoms is limited (Press & Alexander, 2019b). As dementia progresses, the cognitive skills required to maintain social interactions and familial relationships decline, therefore affecting the perceived loneliness and isolation of the person living with dementia. This research was conducted to understand the role of socialization in the care and management of people who live with dementia in long-term care facilities. Video interviews were conducted with ten long-term care facility workers who work directly with residents diagnosed with dementia. Participants were asked to describe the socialization opportunities at the facilities they worked at for residents living with dementia as well as their feelings regarding the impact that socialization has on the dementia-related behaviors of the residents. All participants noted opportunities for organized socialization at their facilities, and all participants felt organized socialization was beneficial for residents with dementia. All participants believed that organized socialization activities decreased dementia-related behaviors
Response to Intervention in Child Find
No full textThis thesis highlights RTI and child-find under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) federal law, revised in the special edition of 2011. In 2011, the child find mandate was the focus of the IDEA regarding the education for learners with special needs. This concept mandated school districts in each state to acknowledge, find, and assess allchildren, from birth to 22 years of age with special needs and disabilities, who could need early care or special educational services. Children who were perceived to have a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) used to be found eligible for special education services after demonstrating significant variations in their academic capacity and learning performance. The proportion of learners who wanted help also struggled until their difference was substantial enough to consent for the special services. The Response to Intervention (RTI) strategy was identified by instructorsand introduced in legislative notes to recognize learners with particular learning needs. The primary purpose of this study is to establish how schools can incorporate the RTI model while closely meeting each student\u27s learning needs. Specifically, the paper aims at determining whether the child-find mandate and RTI can effectively be used together by schools.Specifically, the study was guided by research questions, including whether students struggling with regular education interventions complete RTI procedures before conducting IDEA evaluations. The second research question involved if a student is identified to have a learning disability during intervention programs, what are the effects of the “one size fits all” curriculum in which the said student receives regular interventions before a school initiates the IDEA evaluation? Lastly, the research addressed ways in which schools can make use of high-quality research-based interventions while at the same time avoiding potentially child-find legal claims
Front Cover Artwork: Nano-Optical Tweezers: Methods and Applications for Trapping Single Molecules and Nanoparticles
No full textThe front cover artwork is provided by Prof. Sang-Hyun Oh\u27s group at the University of Minnesota. The image shows the optical trapping of chiral nanoparticles using coaxial nano-optical tweezers, devices capable of harnessing light to manipulate objects a few nanometers in size. Read the full text of the Review at 10.1002/cphc.202100004
Girls With Autism: Comparative Differences in Gender, Diagnosis, and Social Camouflaging a Master’s Thesis
No full textAutism diagnostic differences exist based on gender with a current diagnostic ratio of males to females at 4:1. Beyond diagnosis, complex differences persist between genders. Research indicates that females with autism display social, communication, and coping skills differently than their male peers. Research demonstrates that females with autism are using a strategic approach to social situations called camouflaging. Camouflaging is more widely used by autistic females to fit in socially, hide autistic symptoms, or to be more like their neurotypical peers. Research suggests camouflaging may have long-term mental health implications. When educators are informed of these gender differences and implications, supports can be implemented for female students with autism. Support should include teacher education about autism and camouflaging, which can help identify females with autism and provide strategies that better support mental health concerns
Online Special Education Teachers’ Use of Best Practices in Online Education: Comparisons with General Education Teachers, Supporting Factors, and Barriers to Implementation
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the use of best practices for K-12 general education teachers and special education teachers in Minnesota K-12 approved online learning programs. Additionally, the relationships between teachers’ use of best practices, personality characteristics, work-life variables, and demographics of teachers were examined. A survey was sent to 97,894 Tier 3 and 4 licensed teachers in Minnesota, from which 4,396 teachers returned the survey. A total of 340 teachers from K-12 approved online learning programs participated in the study, 269 (79%) who were general education teachers and 71 (21%) were special education teachers. Six t-test analyses were conducted to identify best practice factors. Multiple linear regression analyses were completed to examine the relationship between personality characteristics, demographics, or work-life variables and teachers’ use of the six best teaching practice factors. Findings indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the use of two best practices among general education and special education teachers. Recommendations for teacher training, the selection of best fit teachers, and school leader strategies to support teachers’ use of online best teaching practices are discussed