Beyond the Game: Educating Youth Coaches in Sport Psychology and Psychological Skills Training

This paper presents the development of a manualized program designed to train youth sport coaches to implement a psychological skills training (PST) program that enhances both athletic performance and mental health. Rooted in sport psychology and coaching expertise, this program introduces a novel approach to addressing youth mental health challenges through upstream intervention. With many young athletes facing mental health struggles and traditional efforts in schools and communities showing limited success, this program equips coaches to teach essential psychological skills such as goal setting, adaptive thinking, confidence, and emotional regulation. By integrating these skills into sports practices and presenting them as performance enhancement techniques, the author hypothesizes this approach will lead to higher levels of engagement and consistent use of these skills, which extend far beyond the playing surface. The project addresses the gap in structured, coach-led PST programs for youth athletes and provides an evidence-based framework to empower coaches to support both performance and mental health, contributing to a more holistic approach to athlete development

MMPI-3 Indicators of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior in Post-9/11 Veterans

Suicide remains a serious concern among post-9/11 U.S. military veterans, highlighting the need for effective tools to identify those at risk. This study examined whether the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3), a commonly used psychological test, can help assess suicide risk in this population. I analyzed responses from 189 post-9/11 veterans, a group largely reflective of the current veteran population, who completed the MMPI-3 and other measures looking at their mental health and history of suicidal thoughts or attempts. I focused on the MMPI-3’s Suicidal/Death Ideation (SUI) scale, along with other MMPI-3 scales that measure internalizing symptoms (such as depression and anxiety) and externalizing traits (such as impulsivity and aggression). Veterans who reported suicidal thoughts or past attempts scored higher on the SUI scale than those who did not. The SUI scale also helped distinguish between veterans with suicidal thoughts and those who had attempted suicide. Internalizing scales were more helpful in identifying veterans with suicidal thoughts, while externalizing scales helped distinguish those who had acted on these thoughts. The SUI scale showed strong connections with other well-established measures of suicidal thinking and self-harm. It also added unique value beyond other MMPI-3 scales when predicting suicide-related experiences. These findings suggest that the MMPI-3—especially the SUI scale—can play a useful role in identifying suicide risk in veterans. It may help mental health professionals better understand both emotional distress and behavioral risk factors that contribute to suicide, improving prevention and intervention efforts

From Self-Soothing to Success: How Behaviors Shape Academic Outcomes.

Childhood coping mechanisms shape the development of positive behaviors, with self-soothing linked to better coping and increased prosocial actions. Students who engage in prosocial behaviors tend to excel academically, yet research rarely connects self-soothing, prosocial behavior, and academic performance. In the present study, we explore these relationships, starting with self-soothing techniques, the frequency of prosocial behaviors, and academic achievement. We hypothesize that students from low-income backgrounds will exhibit maladaptive self-soothing behaviors, leading to fewer prosocial behaviors and lower academic performance. Our second hypothesis is that students with higher GPAs will demonstrate positive self-soothing behaviors and engage in more prosocial behaviors. Our final hypothesis is that students with fewer support systems will cope poorly, exhibit fewer prosocial behaviors, and perform poorly academically, compared to their peers. We surveyed Eastern Kentucky University students to explore these hypotheses. We hope these findings help prepare students to perform better academically to decrease stress and increase positive long-term outcomes

Student Psychosocial Well-being and Burnout During Level II Fieldwork: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Analysis

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence fieldwork educator support has on stress, burnout, and self-efficacy, and examine how both students and fieldwork educators support student psychosocial well-being and protective factors during Level II fieldwork (FWII). An explanatory sequential mixed method design was used, including a student cross-sectional survey (n=129) followed by one student (n=5) and two fieldwork educator focus groups (n=12). Outcome measures utilized for the cross-sectional survey included the Perceived Stress Scale, self-developed Perceived Fieldwork Educator Support Questionnaire, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, and New General Self-Efficacy Scale. Results showed that statistically significant correlations existed among perceived fieldwork educator support and the following: stress (r=-0.443, p\u3c.01), self-efficacy (r=0.221, p\u3c.05), and burnout (r=-0.468, p\u3c.01). Findings of this study demonstrate that greater perceived fieldwork educator support was linked to lower stress, lower burnout, and greater self-efficacy. Themes identified included factors that influenced fieldwork student well-being during FWII; roles perceptions and expectations affected experiential education success; communication was key for promoting student well-being and collaborative relationships; and opportunities to improve experiential education. Protective factors preventing the development of stress and burnout for students included high self-efficacy and perceived fieldwork educator support. Results from this study can assist fieldwork coordinators and fieldwork sites with program development that promotes student psychosocial well-being and supportive relationship building between students and fieldwork educators during FWII

Barriers and Facilitators of a Sense of Belonging Among Occupational Therapy Students and Faculty: A Qualitative Study Using the Ecology of Human Performance Framework

A sense of belonging significantly influences both student engagement and faculty motivation. The objective of this study was to identify the barriers and facilitators of a sense of belonging among students and faculty of an occupational therapy department. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with fifty-one students and ten faculty recruited via non-random purposeful sampling. Data were collected through focus group discussions with students and semi-structured interviews with faculty. Both the focus group discussions and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed by a professional transcription service. Inductive coding was used to identify initial themes, which were then deductively mapped to the context construct of the Ecology of Human Performance (EHP) Framework. Five main themes emerged from the focus group discussions with students: personal challenges and emotional stressors, triggers in the learning environment, peer support and cohort dynamics, faculty support and engagement, and cultural sensitivity and representation. Three main themes emerged from the faculty interviews: leadership and team cohesion, membership in social groups and committees, and the physical environment and proximity to students. Mapping these themes to the EHP framework revealed that the physical and social environments had the greatest impact on the sense of belonging for both students and faculty in this study. Increasing opportunities for social interactions and addressing physical barriers to student-faculty engagement can enhance the sense of belonging in occupational therapy educational settings

The Re-design of Level I Fieldwork to Foster Professional Competence and Career Adaptability

Professional competence and career adaptability are essential for preparing students to meet modern healthcare demands. However, there is a paucity of evidence to guide teaching and learning of these constructs in the context of Level I fieldwork (FW). This paper details a Level I FW program re-design using a professional competence framework to foster adaptability. The re-design’s impact was assessed through student surveys before and after their participation (n = 53) compared to a historical cohort one-year senior (n = 60) using the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale – Short Form. Significant improvements were found in total and concern, curiosity, and confidence subscale scores for the re-design cohort with no significant differences between cohorts. Effect sizes were small for total scores and curiosity and confidence subscales, and medium for the control subscale. Findings emphasize the re-design’s role in enhancing competence and readiness for Level II FW. This study contributes to the need for a growing body of evidence in the scholarship of teaching and learning related to fieldwork education in occupational therapy curricula

Kentucky Comfort Care: Understanding and Awareness of Palliative and Hospice Care in Kentucky Adults

Kentucky has an overwhelming need for both palliative and hospice care services because of the high percentage of individuals who struggle with chronic or life-threatening conditions. Studies have shown that access to palliative and hospice care may be inhibited by the knowledge patients have of these services. The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness and understanding Kentuckians have of palliative and hospice care and to determine the factors influencing them. A 22-question survey was administered to collect information about Kentuckians understanding of available palliative and hospice care services and common vocabulary used by providers in these settings. Respondents’ age ranges from 19-63 years old. Respondents most frequently had “Some college” as their highest education attainment, and half has experience working/studying in the medical field. Most of the respondents selected “no knowledge” as their awareness of palliative care and most selected “some knowledge as their awareness of hospice care. More respondents were able to provide a definition of hospice care than palliative care when asked (96.6% and 53.8% respectively). Overall, Kentucky adults in this study showed a lack of awareness and understanding of palliative and hospice care services. This study highlights the overwhelming need for available educational resources for those who are experiencing either type of health care services

Exploring Student Experiences and Perceptions of Digital Storytelling in Occupational Therapy Education: A Comprehensive Analysis and Evaluation

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the need for digital transformation in higher education, emphasizing the importance of incorporating digital pedagogy. This study explored student experiences and perceptions of digital storytelling, a multimedia-based narrative technique, as an innovative assessment method in occupational therapy education. First-year, first-semester entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy students created digital stories on mental health topics and completed self-reflection papers. A retrospective qualitative descriptive method was employed, analyzing 14 consented self-reflection papers. Emerging qualitative themes revealed that digital storytelling enhanced students\u27 understanding of occupational performance impacts, led to the development and utilization of transferrable skills for clinical practice, and was identified as a valuable tool for advocacy and stigma reduction. Results indicate that digital storytelling can be a valuable and innovative assessment method in occupational therapy education, fostering clinical knowledge, critical reflection, and professional skill development (e.g., empathy, problem-solving, communication, and creativity). This approach aligns with the broader trend of digital pedagogy integration in higher education and can also assist with meeting accreditation standards in occupational therapy curricula

Integrating Research and Writing: When Librarians Work with Faculty to Reimagine First-Year Writing

Writing instructors and librarians redesigned a research and writing course, ENG 102. Interweaving information literacy and composition practices, they use a flipped model to transform classroom instruction and library lessons into authentic learning experiences that help students synthesize research into multigenre projects, meeting WPA and ACRL learning outcomes for research

Experiential Learning in a Hybrid Principal Certification Cohort Degree Program

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) offers principal certification through a specialized Hybrid Principal Certification Cohort Degree (HPCCD) Program. Invited candidates are offered the opportunity to dive deeper into the curriculum, complete a broader range of field and clinical experiences, and develop their leadership skills through a series of experiential learning assignments