MSW/MPH Fall 2015 graduates present their work at MPH Poster Day

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!

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.

Elizabeth Franchot, A Literature Review of Alcohol Use Disorder in America: The

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.