Premenstrual Symptoms and Academic Stress in Emerging Adulthood Women

Premenstrual symptoms are a universal event during a woman’s reproductive life but little is known about the experience of emerging adulthood women aged 18-25 years. The purpose of this study was to determine feasibility of daily symptom data collection via an electronic diary and to examine the relationship between premenstrual symptom perception, severity and distress with academic stress. This sample consisted of 50 women with a mean age of 20(±.9) years living in campus housing of a private undergraduate rural college. Results determined it is feasible to utilize an electronic diary for daily prospective symptom and academic demand data collection. Surprisingly, in this sample of healthy undergraduate women, there were significantly higher numbers of symptoms perceived (7.16±3.8 follicular and 6.18±3.3 luteal, p=.001 and higher distress (.39±.3 follicular and .31±.3 luteal, p=.003) in the follicular phase than in the luteal phase. Academic stress findings indicated mild stress as measured by the Student-life Stress Inventory (Gadzella, 1991) and students overall perceived stress levels fell in the minimal to mild range. The academic demand component of academic stress measured daily frequency and distress associated with assignments, papers, projects/presentation and time studying. Within the follicular phase number of assignments due was significantly correlated to symptom perception and distress (.31, .37, respectively) and the number of projects/presentations due was correlated to symptom distress (.25) at p\u3c.05. There were significant correlations between follicular phase symptom perception and distress, and luteal phase symptom distress with academic demand distress for assignments, papers, projects/presentations and time studying, indicating a relationship between distress components of symptom experience and some components of academic stress. These premier results about the relationship between symptom distress and academic stress warrants further exploration and development of a clearer conceptual definition of academic stress and clear and consistent operationalization of this phenomena

Deaths of Despair in Rural Populations

A literature review was conducted between August 2023-November 2023 to explore deaths of despair in rural and urban populations. The ten articles reviewed center around revealing the prevalence of substance abuse and suicide within different population densities. The purpose of examining this research is to create a foundation of understanding that can then be utilized when making changes on the micro and macro levels in access to health care resources. In this literature review, the prevalence of deaths of despair in rural populations is revealed, along with suggestions for future health care resource investments

Long-COVID Fatigue Treatment Methods

A literature review was conducted between the months of August 2022-November 2022 to explore various proposed treatment methods for patients experiencing long-COVID fatigue. Ten articles focusing on various treatment methods for long-COVID fatigue were reviewed. The purpose of this review was to examine current research regarding treatment of long-COVID fatigue and to suggest, based on the research included in this review, a holistic and individualized approach to long-COVID fatigue treatment. In the following literature review, we provide several treatment options, including pharmacologic, complementary, and alternative methods, that seem to provide relief from long-COVID related fatigue in preliminary studies

Dexcom & Other Continuous Glucose Monitors Impact Toward Diabetic Care Management & Convenience

Continuous glucose monitor devices, such as the Dexcom, plays a huge role in lowering A1C, advancing individual diabetic management, and preventing diabetic complications. Through the following research, connections have been made between the goal of continuous glucose monitoring devices being more convenient for patients and the positive impact towards managing glucose trends and hemoglobin A1C levels

Reducing Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Among Nurses

Abstract: A literature review was done between the months of August 2022 and November 2022 to determine if nurses, who utilize hospital sponsored counseling resources or compassion fatigue reduction programs, experience less burnout than nurses who do not. Ten articles were reviewed focusing on services provided to nurses with the intent of reducing burnout and compassion fatigue and improving compassion satisfaction. The purpose was to provide Spencer Hospital, in Spencer Iowa, with viable programs and interventions that combat burnout and compassion fatigue. Results showed, when provided with the opportunity, nurses chose to learn self-care techniques or participate in compassion fatigue and burnout reduction programs. It was found that nurses equipped with self-care tools and services had a higher level of compassion satisfaction which served to mitigate their burnout and compassion fatigue

Improving Adolescent Utilization of Mental Health Services in Community-Based Settings

A literature review was done between September 2022 - November 2022 to determine what Promise Community Health can do to increase adolescents’ utilization of services for mental health challenges in rural areas. Ten articles were reviewed focusing on the barriers adolescents face when seeking treatment for mental health conditions. Five main barriers were identified for adolescents in rural areas attempting to utilize treatment for mental health: lack of available resources, lack of knowledge surrounding mental health, stigma, logistical issues, and negative prior experiences. The purpose was to develop strategies to address these barriers so that Promise can reach rural adolescents within their community