Six MSW/MPH students who are slated
to graduate this December 2015 presented their final capstone projects at the
University of Georgia College of Public Health MPH Poster Day yesterday. Congratulations
on your amazing accomplishments!
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Amber Flanigan, Lauren Reed, Breanna Miller (Spr '16), Trina Salm Ward
(Program Coordinator), Lis Cruz, Ali Fitzsimmons, Liz Franchot, Mark Flanagan |
Lisbeth
Cruz, Trauma Effects on Sexual Assault Victims: Impact on Public Health,
Introduction: Sexual assault has been a global issue
for many years. Many refer to those who have suffered sexual assault as
“victims,” however, the empowering term of “survivor” will be used throughout
this paper. Although sexual assault survivors could be from any gender, for the
purpose of this review, sexual assault on women will be mainly discussed.
Purpose: To
explore trauma effects on sexual assault survivors and the impact on public
health. Throughout this review, the problem of sexual assault trauma will be
discussed in regards to the seriousness of the issue, who and how it affects,
treatment and recovery, and the benefits of effective prevention interventions.
Methods: This review
was conducted by retrieving topic related journals and other relevant resources
from Google Scholar and Galileo. Years searched were from 1970 – 2015.
Results: The findings indicate that individuals
who suffer sexual assault in either childhood or adulthood experience major
trauma effects such as physical (Ullman & Brecklin, 2003) and psychological
health issues (Ullman & Brecklin, 2002; Ullman & Brecklin, 2003; Au,
Dickstein, Comer, Salters-Pedneault, & Litz, 2013).
Conclusion: This review demonstrates that sexual assault
has been a major public health issue, which does not only affect the survivors’
physical, mental health, and overall daily functioning, but it also affects
society as a whole. Prevention programs in schools may help in reducing the incidence,
impact, and cost of sexual abuse.
Alexandra
Fitzsimmons, The Effects of a Yoga-Based Psychoeducational Program for Mothers
Diagnosed with Substance Use Disorders
Substance related disorders pose adverse physical,
psychological, and social effects, which are capable of impacting not only
individuals, but families, communities, and societies. The 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, or NSDUH, estimated that 20.2 million adults (8.4%) were diagnosed with
a substance use disorder, of which 7.9 million were also diagnosed with a
mental health disorder, or a co-occurring mental and substance use disorder
(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015). A 6-week
adjunct yoga-based psychoeducational intervention was pilot tested alongside an
intensive outpatient treatment program serving mothers with substance related
disorders. This study examines the impacts of the intervention on health
outcomes of participants and offers anecdotal interpretations from measures of
sleep quality, mood, anxiety, self-concept, and qualitative data.
Mark
Flanagan, Process
Evaluation of Distress Screening Procedures in an Outpatient Cancer Center
The
Commission on Cancer (CoC) mandates that all CoC certified organizations phase
in a psychosocial distress screening system by the end of 2015. According to
the CoC, each accredited organization must develop and implement “a process to
integrate and monitor on-site psychosocial distress screening and referral for
the provision of psychosocial care” (CoC, 2015, p. 76). The purpose of this
study is to examine the distress screening process for Piedmont Cancer Center’s
medical and radiation oncology treatment centers. This study will describe the
current screening system in place at Piedmont Cancer Center, present the
findings of a year’s worth of screening data, interpret these findings against
available literature, describe improvements that have been made in the system,
and provide recommendations for future improvements.
Amber
Flanigan, Meeting the Holistic Needs of
Residents of Northeast Georgia – An Integrated Wellness Approach
The purpose of
this paper is to explore the feasibility of a wellness program at The Samaritan
Center for Counseling and Wellness in Athens, Georgia. The Samaritan Center
would like to implement The Meeting Client’s Holistic Health Needs Wellness
Program to further address the mental health needs of Northeast Georgia and to
address the physical health needs in the region. The Samaritan Center would
like the program to include yoga, tai chi, meditation, mindfulness and
nutrition education consultation services. A literature review was conducted to
determine the effectives of these services in addressing mental and physical
health needs. A survey was also administered to affiliates of The Samaritan
Center to gauge interest in wellness services being offered at The Samaritan
Center. Results of the literature review and survey and recommendations based
on the findings are presented.
Traditional
Treatment Methods and the Use of Nutrition Intervention in Specialized Treatment
Programs
Alcohol
Use Disorder (AUD) is defined as "medical conditions that doctors diagnose
when a patient's drinking causes distress or harm" (APA, 2013, p. 490). This
literature review examines the prevalence of AUD in America, its traditional treatment
methods and the use of nutrition as an intervention in specialized treatment programs.
Research has been gathered on the physical damage to the body as a result of excessive
alcohol use and the gaps in the biological/physical aspect of AUD treatment are
explored. Current findings on the benefits of nutrition intervention are discussed
and a healthy lifestyle intervention is proposed for during treatment. Recommendations
are also given for nutrition intervention and education within specialized treatment
programs for AUD.
Lauren
Reed, Firearm
Home Access and Intimate Partner Violence among College Students in Florida
Background: Intimate
partner violence is a major public health concern. The CDC recognizes four
types of intimate partner violence (IPV): physical, sexual, threats of physical
or sexual, and psychological. The most extreme form of IPV is intimate partner
homicide (IPH). The presence of a firearm during an IPV incident makes
death 12 times more likely.
Purpose: This
study is intended to (1) identify the characteristics of college-aged students
who reported in-home access to firearms, sexual and physical abuse; and (2)
identify the relationship between firearm access and reported sexual and
physical abuse.
Methods: In this
study analyses were conducted for 670 participants who completed a
questionnaire asking about in-home firearm access, sexual abuse, and physical
abuse. These associations were calculated using one-way ANOVA for continuous
variables and Pearson’s chi-squared tests for categorical variables.
Results: Nineteen percent of participants reported
access to a firearm in or around their home, and 2% indicated they
didn’t know. Regarding sexual abuse,
18% of participants reported attempted sexual abuse, 3% forced sex, and 5% both
attempted and forced sex. Two percent
of participants reported attempted physical abuse, 6% reported actual
physical abuse, and 6% both attempted and actual physical abuse. Ten percent of
participants had been threatened with physical abuse.
Discussion: Our
study found that in-home firearm access had a significant overlap with
experiencing physical abuse, and that physical abuse and sexual abuse also
co-occurred at a significant level. These findings are valuable as they build
upon the existing literature and emphasize the need for research to better
understand these relationships and prevent future tragedies.
