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Evaluation of a Behavioral Response Team to Decrease Use of Violent Restraint
Full text linkAbstract Introduction: The purpose of this Quality Improvement project was to evaluate the implementation of the Behavioral Assessment and Response Team (BART) and evaluate its effect on occurrence and duration of violent restraints on non-psychiatric floors in a pediatric hospital. This QI project also aimed to correlate the use of the Broset Violence Checklist (BVC) to the utilization of the BART as a means of predicting patient escalation, as well as to assess the effect of booster education on the BVC and BART on bedside staff confidence in utilization of these resources.
Methods: Data was collected across three time periods: (1) pre-BART implementation, (2) post- BART implementation, and (3) post-booster education. A Poisson regression was completed to compare instances of violent restraint use, and duration of violent restraint use across the three data collection time periods. A paired sample t-test was used to compare bedside staff confidence levels pre- and post-booster education. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the utilization of BART and BVC scores.
Results: A Poisson regression revealed a statistically significant result of an 82% reduction in violent restraint incidents in the post-booster education time period as compared to the pre- BART time period (IRR = 0.18, 95% Cl [0.04, 0.53], p =.006). Following booster education, bedside staff confidence in utilizing the BVC significantly increased (t(251) = 4.65, p \u3c .001). Statistical analysis of the data collected regarding the impact of the booster education on utilization of the BART, and the impact of BVC scores on utilization of the BART, did not yield significant results, this was potentially due to small sample size and inconsistent fidelity to use of the BVC by bedside staff.
Implications for Practice: The findings of this QI project suggest that the BART and targeted booster education are useful tools in reducing violent restraint use in pediatric behavioral health populations. Utilization of the BART, continued education and training, and use of the BVC to predict patient escalation will be continued to mitigate violent restraint use
Understanding Biological Behavior 2nd Edition
Full text linkUnderstanding Biological Behavior, 2nd Edition, compiled by Emily Marler in collaboration with UMSL Libraries, is a Open Educational Resource (OER) that offers free access to an engaging exploration of where biology and psychology intersect. As an openly licensed textbook, it removes financial barriers to quality education while helping students understand how our biological systems directly influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.The web version of this text can be found at https://umsystem.pressbooks.pub/ubb2e/
This resource systematically progresses through twelve carefully structured units that build upon each other to create a complete understanding of biological psychology. Beginning with fundamental concepts of nerve cells and neural communication, students journey through the complexities of the nervous system, brain development, and neuroplasticity. The text then explores sensory systems and perception, examining how we process visual information and other sensory inputs, while also addressing attention mechanisms that filter our experiences.
Movement and consciousness are thoroughly examined, followed by detailed discussions of reproductive behaviors and the biological basis of emotions. The textbook dedicates significant attention to learning and memory processes, revealing how our brains encode, store, and retrieve information. Finally, it addresses psychological disorders from a biological perspective, helping students understand mental health through the lens of neuroscience.
Key features of this OER include coverage of neuroanatomy and brain function, sensory systems, exploration of consciousness and cognitive processes, investigation of emotional and behavioral biology, and evidence-based discussions of psychological disorders. Each unit integrates knowledge from neuroscience, psychology, and related disciplines, making complex concepts accessible to students at various levels while maintaining the academic rigor expected in higher education.
As an Open Educational Resource, instructors can freely adapt, modify, and customize the content to meet their specific course needs, making it an invaluable tool for educators seeking flexible, high-quality materials. This is the second edition of this work, and the first edition is available on noba at http://noba.to/sqrgad5e
Screening for Bullying in a Middle School Setting
Full text linkProblem: Bullied youth are two and a half times more likely to experience depression and three times more likely to experience anxiety and suicidal ideation than their peers (Li et al., 2024). Schools represent a key access point for mental health support and treatment for youth (Duong et al., 2020). Despite this, schools typically do not have formal bullying screening integrated into student support services.
Methods: This program evaluation used a descriptive, observational design to evaluate a bullying screening program in a suburban middle-school. This program used the California Bullying Victimization Scale (CBVS) to assess for bullying victimization (BV) followed by four weeks of follow-up to refer students positive for BV to an existing mental health support service (MHSS) in the school district. Retrospective data collection was conducted to determine the number of student referrals to MHSS during the same time frame one year before this program evaluation to explore how this program may have impacted referrals to MHSS.
Results: Of 164 seventh grade students screened for BV, 66 screened positive. Follow-up was conducted on all 66 students (100%) and 10 students (15.15%) received a MHSS referral. A Chi-Square Test (χ²(1, N = 477) = 8.68, p = .003) showed a statistically significant association between the year and the number of referrals made to MHSS. A Fisher’s Exact test (p = .001) demonstrated a statistically significant association between the year and referrals generated from CBVS screening results.
Implications: Future practice should expand this screening to additional grade levels and schools in the district. Future research should explore the use of other mental health screenings before referral to MHSS to optimize use of the district’s resources
Care Coordination in Pediatric Primary Care
Full text linkNo central documentation of care plans exists for children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) in the electronic health record (EHR). Providers of a large pediatric primary care office in St. Louis Missouri were asked to identify CSHCN in the practice. Clinic nurses completed a comprehensive chart review of the patients identified and constructed care coordination documents using a pre-established smart-text phrase. Subsequently, these were documented centrally in the EHR under the Problem List.
Likert score data was obtained from providers on the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the intervention through the verified tools: Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM), and Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM).
A sample size of seven providers (n = 7) was analyzed. The most frequently observed gender was female (n = 4, 57.14%). The most frequently observed credential was physician (n = 5, 71.43%). The observations for the AIM had an average of 4.96 (SD = 0.19, SEM = 0.04, Min = 4, Max = 5). The observations for the IAM had an average of 4.86 (SD = 0.36, SEM = 0.07, Min = 4, Max = 5). The observations for the FIM had an average of 4.86 (SD = 0.36, SEM = 0.07, Min = 4, Max = 5).
The implementation of a centralized care plan documentation in the EHR for CSHCN is an acceptable, appropriate, and feasible intervention to enhance communication of complex healthcare needs. Further research is recommended with a larger sample size and eventually to assess whether the current intervention is sufficient and beneficial to CSHCN and their families
How Bats View their Flowers: Exploring the Use of Visual Floral Cues by Nectarivorous Neotropical Bats
Full text linkNeotropical nectar bats in cloud forest ecosystems must navigate and forage in dark, complex landscapes containing an incredible diversity of flowering plants. Despite these challenges, nectar bats are extremely successful at exploiting nectar resources from plants. Much of the sensory ecology behind these bat-plant interactions has been investigated and we know from previous studies that echolocation and olfaction are critical sensory modalities to nectar bats. Echo-acoustically conspicuous floral and vegetative structures as well as sulfur-containing volatile compounds function as signals, allowing bats to sense plants. However, not all plants exhibit conspicuous echo-acoustic and/or olfactory characteristics. Furthermore, many neotropical bat-pollinated plants exhibit pale/light coloration which could act as a visual signal to nectar bats. Still, the use of vision by foraging nectar bats has seldom been investigated and there is currently no behavioral evidence to suggest whether nectar bats use vision to detect flowers. In Chapter 1, I investigate how Anoura caudifer, a specialist nectarivore, uses vision and echolocation to detect and discriminate between flowers exhibiting different combinations of visual and echo-acoustic cues. I also explore how environmental light (above the range of natural moonlight) influences the sensory modalities that bats employ to aid foraging. The results from this study did not indicate that bats were using achromatic floral cues to discriminate between different flowers. However, we did find evidence that when light was available, bats used vision to detect flowers and visit them indiscriminately. Furthermore, bats only successfully used echo-acoustic cues when no light was present. In Chapter 2, I investigate how Glossophaga soricina, a dietary generalist, uses achromatic visual cues to detect flowers under natural moonlight conditions. The results showed that bats found flowers more quickly when they were presented against a highly contrasting background, indicating that bats were successful at using achromatic contrast to detect flowers. These studies provide evidence that nectar bats can use vision in different contexts to aid foraging. Finally, both studies support the need for further research in this, still largely unexplored, area of nectar bat sensory ecology
The Afghan Journal
No full textThe Afghan Community Center of St. Louis\u27s goal is to encourage Afghan refugees to move to St. Louis. The community center wants the city to be welcoming and open to the Afghan community and for St. Louis to be seen as a safe place. The Afghan Journal was contributed to by members of the Beyond the Buildings class taught by Rob Wilson. The journal discusses culture, history, food, and components of Afghan culture to bring awareness to the Afghan population
Peer Influence: The Silent Influence of Self Esteem and Youth Crime
No full textAlthough juvenile arrests in the United States decreased by 14% from 2016 to 2022 (7), youth crime remains a significant concern in many communities (9). This makes it imperative to investigate predictive and protective factors of youth crime (9). A well-established predictor of youth crime is self-esteem. Research on youth rehabilitation programs, such as juvenile detention, drug abuse prevention, and gang violence prevention centers, demonstrate self-esteem is negatively associated with recidivism rates and youth crime activities (6, 8). Further, positive peer influence in adolescence is shown to promote prosocial and adaptive behaviors (CITE), while deviant peer influence predicts problem behaviors, like those associated with youth crime (1). In fact, studies in the 1980s advocated for the current system that isolates those with deviant behavior because peers are shown to be so influential in this context (4). However, recent studies have shown that this isolation may make behavioral problems worse (3). Although peer influence and self-esteem are both established predictors of youth crime outcomes, few to no studies have investigated whether an interaction exists between self-esteem and peer influence in the context of youth crime. Therefore, the proposed study will examine the predictive relationship of self-esteem levels on youth crime among adolescents aged 12-18 years, and determine whether peer influence moderates this relationship. The results of the current study are expected to advance empirical understanding of how self-esteem and peer influence jointly impact youth crime rates
Does Legal Cynicism Mediate the Relationship Between Parental Incarceration and Child Delinquency?
No full textResearch has explored the extent of the prison boom from its origin in the 1970s to the present where the issue of high prison populations remains today. However, the inmates are suffering a multifaceted array of consequences to their actions. Directly they are serving a legal sentence but indirectly families that are left behind also suffer unforeseen aftermaths. Literature diving into the prison boom and wide array of implications of incarceration has only recently begun and, as it has increased over time, has begun to turn the lens to this vulnerable population that has been left behind. Families that are separated by prison walls have been found to have severe disadvantages in life. The impact on families and children continues to be researched though the literature is missing a relationship. This research proposal examines if legal cynicism mediates the relationship between parental incarceration and child delinquency. While studies exist on surrounding subjects, this study will make many contributions to the field and open up the concept of legal cynicism
Intergenerational Childhood Maltreatment: A Maternal Pathway Analysis
No full textThe purpose of this study was to analyze literature surrounding intergenerational violence through the maternal pathway and determine effective methods for assisting at-risk mothers with breaking the cycle of childhood maltreatment with their own children. The majority of research on cyclical violence has been focused on paternal perpetrators and physical or sexual abuse of children; it was not until the last few decades that studies focused on all forms of abuse such as physical, sexual or emotional, and even more recently, neglect. Researchers sum the vast concepts of abuse and neglect into one term: childhood maltreatment. The project reviewed the literature concerning maternal childhood maltreatment and how this affects children’s emotional and behavioral development. The literature supports the finding that a mother’s history of childhood maltreatment increases the risk that their child will develop a variety of behavioral and psychological disorders, both externalized and internalized. Additionally, maltreated mothers are at an increased risk of maltreating their own children, usually through emotional abuse or neglect rather than physical or sexual abuse. The data do suggest a small, yet significant genetic influence on whether these children will develop certain disorders, but it is more likely that they will continue the child maltreatment cycle due to the power of learned behavior. The most effective way to break this cycle is to provide parenting programs and resources for at-risk mothers, such as parenting classes, support groups, and financial assistance to relieve added stress
Comparing Romantic Love and Chocolate Craving
No full textPeople in love often crave their beloved, and some people who enjoy chocolate crave chocolate. This study explored the differences in craving, pleasantness, and arousal for the beloved and for chocolate. It also measured whether people exhibited a greater attentional bias for their beloved or chocolate. It is hypothesized that participants would experience greater craving, pleasantness, and arousal for their beloved than for chocolate. Additionally, some difference was expected for attentional bias toward the beloved and chocolate, but the directionality was not predicted. Six participants (M = 23.83 years, SD = 3.66) who reported being in love and self-identified as chocolate cravers, were recruited. Data collection is ongoing. Participants answered questions about their love feelings and chocolate consumption. They completed two modified versions of the Questionnaire on Smoking Urges: one assessed state craving for the beloved; and the other assessed state craving for chocolate. Attentional bias, attentional orienting, and attentional disengagement were assessed using the dot-probe task with pictures of the beloved and of people eating/holding chocolate. A Self-Assessment Manikin was used to assess the pleasantness and arousal ratings of participants in response to the beloved and chocolate pictures. Results showed significantly higher rates of craving, pleasantness, and arousal in response to the beloved picture than to chocolate. There were no significant differences in attentional bias measurements for the beloved or chocolate. These results are informative for future research to explore reasons for higher craving, pleasantness, and arousal toward the beloved than chocolate. As more participants are tested, more can be known about attentional bias directionality which could be helpful in the design of treatment of problems such as romantic rejection, and drug and behavioral addictions. This study offers insight into the similarities and differences between love and addiction