Suicide prevention: exploring Aboriginal understandings of suicides from a social and emotional wellbeing framework

The purpose of this research (PhD) was to explore Aboriginal understandings of suicide from a Social and Emotional Wellbeing (holistic) Framework through the establishment of traditional yarning style approaches to interviews and focus groups. Culturally this framework fits well with an Indigenous holistic view of health, connection to land, culture, spirituality, family, and community. These are important to Aboriginal people and can impact on their wellbeing. This research was undertaken in consultation with up to 55 Aboriginal residents across Toowoomba Darling Downs and South West regions of Queensland classified as rural, remote, semi-urban and urban Aboriginal communities. There is a need for additional research into understandings and definitions of suicidal behaviour for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities (Suicide Prevention Australia, 2009a; 2014b). The loss of a life from suicide impacts considerably on the family and the wider community, which in turn disrupts social and emotional wellbeing - mental health (De Leo et al., 2011) of Aboriginal people. As the social and emotional well-being (SEWB) and mental health problems are not completely recognised or understood from an Aboriginal perspective within the broader health care system. It is evident that suicides among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are much more frequent in comparison to other Queenslanders, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders suicide rates are 50 percent higher (Kõlves, Potts & De Leo, 2015). Not only are these high rates characteristic of the interplay of both risk and protective factors but broader social, economic and historic factors affecting social and emotional wellbeing and mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are also important. Evidence suggests improving social and emotional wellbeing of people results in a reduction in suicides for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Queensland Mental Health Commission, 2015). This research set out to attain a comprehensive understanding of suicides from an Aboriginal perspective. This incorporated undertaking a historical and contemporary analysis of the literature on suicide across the broader population – internationally and nationally to determine when suicides primarily occurred in Australian Aboriginal populations. In addition further historical understanding of suicides in each Aboriginal community was also important in appreciating the historical and cultural context of communities where Aboriginal people currently resided. Aboriginal participants including females and males, young people (18 years and over), middle-aged people and elders residing within each of the communities participated in pre-arranged face to face semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Thematic analysis of the data achieved a number of themes (Italics) and subthemes: Suicide, Community – underlying issues and substance misuse, Young people – relationships and help-seeking, mental health – services and awareness and Culture – cultural perspectives, social, lifestyle and leadership. In conclusion suicide in Aboriginal communities is on the rise accompanied by intergenerational trauma, substance misuse, poverty, disempowerment, disengagement and disadvantage within the larger social and health context. Historically suicide and self-harm did not appear to exist prior to the 1960s; and there is a difference in understandings and shifts in attitudes towards suicides today. The negative effects from emotional distress, violence, self-harm, substance abuse, anti-social behaviour, behavioural and disciplinary problems are all compounded by the ongoing experiences of social and economic disadvantages further impacting on the risk of social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal people and their communities

Functional behavioral assessment: an evaluation of continuing education variables related to support staff use in school settings

There is an increasing need to address behavioral issues in the public schools. School psychologists and other support staff frequently consult with teachers and parents when students exhibit a variety of academic or behavioral problems, yet children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) or behavior disorders (BD) are often considered to present some of the most difficult cases (Shapiro, 1991). School districts are facing growing expectations to include all students; however many support staff do not have the training or resources to implement interventions that are effective for students with histories of aggression, self injury and property destruction (O\u27Neill, William, Sprague, Homer, & Albin, 1993);The use of functional behavioral assessment to reduce the challenging behaviors of individuals with developmental disabilities is well documented in the research literature. The majority of the studies that rely on functional behavioral assessment have focused on challenging behavior with relatively few reported on students of average intelligence with emotional/behavioral disorders (Gable, 1996). The research base is promising in indicating that functional behavioral assessments can occur in the school setting, but the research has not addressed training relative to support staff developing skills in functional behavioral assessment and subsequent intervention development;This study is designed to extend the application of functional behavioral assessment procedures to school settings using the schools\u27 assigned support staff. The purpose of the study was to evaluate and compare continuing education variables related to staff development model. A pretest-posttest design with quasi-random assignment was utilized to compare a one day inservice model, with an on-going inservice model of four sessions with homework practice and feedback. A wait control group was also included;Results indicated that on measures of acceptance, attitude, and knowledge all groups improved from pretest to posttest as a result of training. There were no significant differences found due to model of training. Incentives were a key factor in completion of case studies

The Lived Experience of Non-traditional Students in the Occupational Science Program at Eastern Kentucky University

The purpose of this study was to discover the lived experience of non-traditional students in the OS program at EKU. The findings of this research will allow faculty, staff, and other students to gain an understanding of this population of students and their perspective and experience. To reach the research objectives, this study used a qualitative phenomenological approach. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and email follow up with each of the participants. The study included three non-traditional students that were currently enrolled in or had recently graduated from the OS program. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and grouped into common themes to attempt to capture the essence of the experience of non-traditional students

Composition, Distribution, and Conservation of the Herpetofauna of Santa Barbara Mountain, Honduras

Santa Barbara Mountain is an important and unique ecosystem in Honduras because of its topography and high proportion of endemic species. Despite its prospects for valuable discoveries and the profusion of threats to its biodiversity, there is almost no scientific information about Santa Barbara Mountain. This study is the first systematic investigation of hepetofauna species on the mountain. Research objectives included inventorying of the reptile and amphibian species present on Santa Barbara Mountain, identifying locations and microhabitat types where each species can be found, and determining if the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis is present and in which locations. A community education objective, which included training local people as field assistants, was also pursued as a means to promote conservation of amphibians and reptiles and Santa Barbara National Park. Research was conducted in four sites on Santa Barbara Mountain above 1000 meters, from March through August 2011. Two multi-day camping trips were carried out in each site during which survey transects were conducted, including both day and night work. Data from opportunistic collection of specimens were also included. Amphibian specimens were tested for chytridiomycosis. Twenty-two species were documented, 14 of which are new reports for the mountain. The species most commonly encountered in surveys was Craugastor laticeps followed by Dendrotriton sanctibarbarus. The results of the chytrid analysis were inconclusive but included potential positive detections of the disease at two locations. Local people were invaluable as field assistants and demonstrated an interest in the species as well as a willingness to change previous misconceptions about herpetofauna. This study has added greatly to the knowledge of Santa Barbara Mountain, nearly doubling the number of documented herpetofauna species; however, more comprehensive studies are needed. The window of opportunity to study and conserve this ecosystem may be brief given threats such as deforestation, climate change, and spread of chytridiomycosis

Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity Studies of para-Substituted Triaryltin Cobaloximes

Several six-coordinate cobaloxime compounds containing a triaryltin ligand were synthesized and characterized. These cobaloximes include (4- t-BuPy)Co(DH)2Sn(C6H4-p -tolyl)3, (4-t-BuPy)Co(DH)2Sn(C 6H4-p-t-Bu)3, (NH3)Co(DH) 2SnPh3, and (4-t-BuPy)Co(DH)2Bn. (4-t-BuPy)Co(DH)2Sn(C6H4- p-tolyl)3 crystallized in the centrosymmetric triclinic space group P-1 (Z=4) with unit cell dimensions a = 13.2949(5) A, b = 17.7508(7) A, c = 18.2240(7) A, alpha = 107.1983(13)°, beta = 91.6597(13)°, gamma = 107.6992(12)°, and Volume = 3880.5(3) A 3. The structure was isostructural with other alkyl cobaloximes. Preliminary X-ray structure analysis determined that (NH3)Co(DH)2SnPh 3 had a NH3 ligand bound to the six-coordinate octahedral cobalt center and trans to the triaryltin ligand. The para-substituted cobaloximes were synthesized through a Gringard reaction to obtain the tetraaryltin species, SnAr4, followed by an adapted Jolly redistribution procedure to obtain the triaryltin chloride species, ClSnAr3. The SnAr 4 compounds synthesized were Sn(C6H4- p-tolyl)4, Sn(C6H4-p-t-Bu) 4, and Sn(C6H4-p-OCH3) 4. The ClSnAr3 complexes synthesized successfully were ClSn(C 6H4-p-tolyl)3 and ClSn(C 6H4-p-t-Bu)3. These ClSnAr 3 complexes were used as the tin ligand to synthesize the corresponding cobaloxime compounds. Once synthesized, the cobaloximes underwent halogen cleavage titrations to investigate the effects of changes in the cobaloxime coordination environment and to compare their reactivity to that of the Co III(OEP)SnPh3. The multiple products formed through these halogen cleavage reactions indicates that the Co-Sn bond is not cleaved cleanly for these cobaloximes, unlike the porphyrins compounds. The cobaloximes react with the halogens to first cleave the Sn-C bonds through electrophilic aromatic substitution, indicating that cleavage of the Sn-C bond is more facile than cleavage of the Co-Sn bond in these compounds

Educational outcomes of children with absent-fathers: an examination of children with deceased fathers and children with fathers absent for other reasons compared with children with fathers present in a two-parent home

Educational outcomes for children with fathers absent due to death and those absent for other reasons were examined with children from two-parent homes using the Adolescent Health data. Children without fathers for any reason completed a year less of school than children living with two parents. Children with deceased fathers and children with fathers absent for other reasons did not differ in the amount of education each completed. There was no association between the child\u27s age when the father died and the amount of education completed, but there was a small relationship between the length of time a child has been without a deceased father and their highest level of education. Children with fathers absent for other reasons were found to have lower rates of graduating high school and college when compared to children with two parents, while children with deceased fathers did not

Researcher as witness : effectiveness and pedagogical and curricular decision making in race-centered professional learning

Urban School districts search for professional learning endeavors that will assist staff as they adapt to change at a rapid pace and build capacity to become in tune to the needs of the students and families. The facilitator of race-centered professional learning in urban school districts has to be pedagogically, mentally, socially and emotionally prepared for what the learner brings into the space. This research study used semi-structured interviews, observations and a researcher reflective journal to explore the definitions of effectiveness and the pedagogical and curricular decision making of ten participants who design and deliver race-centered professional learning in urban school districts across the U.S. This study employed Critical Race Theory to frame the study and analyze participant definitions of effectiveness and pedagogical and curricular decision making for race-centered professional learning. Black Feminist Thought is used to extend critical race theory centering analysis on the perspective of the researcher as participant observer. While experience of participants varied, each participant was consistent in defining effectiveness as negotiating the emotional nature of race for learners and facilitators and understanding application of learning as a long term process. Findings showed participants made pedagogical decisions to account for the complex ways race operates in a learning endeavor to establish an affirming, affective learning environment. Participants made curricular decisions drawing from counter storytelling, they chose to study or adopt existing race curricular models, and grounded learning opportunities in sociohistorical content knowledgeCurriculum and Instructio

Psychosexualism in Victorian Literature: A Psychoanalysis of Jane Eyre and Dracula

My thesis consists of historical facts and literary analysis and is made up of three chapters. In the first chapter, I look at two varying elements of psychosexualism, the emotional and the physical, and discuss how each can be applied to Jane Eyre and Dracula. The chapter also contains an explanation for the term psychosexualism and provides a brief history of: the Victorian notion of hysteria and spermatorrhea, the twentieth-century classifications of love and sex addiction, as well as the twenty-first-century to Histrionic Personality Disorder and Sexual Sadism Disorder. The second chapter provides an analysis of Jane Eyre, specifically looking at Edward Fairfax Rochester. This chapter also focuses on the evolution of Rochester’s disorder as seen throughout the centuries. The third chapter is an analysis of Dracula, specifically looking at how spermatorrhea, sex addiction, and sexual sadism disorder affect the characters of Johnathan Harker, Renfield and Dracula. The evolution of the physical element of psychosexualism between the three characters listed above makes up the connection to the previous chapters

Factors associated with skin cancer prevention: primary and secondary behaviors.

Skin cancer, seemingly more innocuous than other cancers, maintains the highest incidence among cancers in the United States. While it is treatable early, metastasized melanoma or other carcinomas present severe illness with high mortality rates and disproportionate 5-year survival rates among ethnic/racial groups. Fortunately, most skin cancer is highly treatable when found in the early stages. However, this necessitates prevention tactics to avoid the causative agent, ultraviolet radiation, and regular skin screening to catch the disease in earlier stages. Unfortunately, these tactics are not widely conducted by adults, despite substantial skin cancer awareness. Therefore, motivating people to perform these health behaviors is vital, and their attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy influence this process. This dissertation examines the factors critical to skin cancer prevention behaviors, both primary and secondary, and comprises four chapters. Chapter One presents an Introduction to the dissertation. Chapter Two is a scoping literature review of sun protection behavior (SPB) studies, including those addressing a vulnerable population, outdoor workers. The study in Chapter Three sought to identify the factors influencing sun protection behaviors and sunburn incidence utilizing a nationally representative database, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020). This secondary analysis was limited to participants ages 20 years and older answering dermatology questions (N=3404), providing a large sample size. Statistical procedures were then used with Holman’s Sunburn Risk Model as the theoretical framework (Holman et al., 2019). Finally, additional research recommendations are provided to understand further the demographic and perceived risk differences in SPBs and sunburn prevalence. Chapter Four presents a qualitative analysis investigating SC prevention among a vulnerable population, presenting a narrowed approach to the national findings in Chapter Two. Chapter Three presents the qualitative study that examined adult outdoor workers’ attitudes and perceptions about skin cancer prevention, including barriers and facilitators of these behaviors. Social constructivism provided the philosophical underpinnings for the grounded theory research process guided by the work of Kathy Charmaz. The primary data source was comprised of eighteen semi-structured interviews with outdoor workers. Facilitators for performing sun protective behaviors were attitudes shaped by the perceived risk of skin cancer, normative beliefs that skin cancer is a minor disease, shaped by healthcare experiences, and perceived control over their health outcomes. Barriers included fatalistic attitudes, lack of trust in healthcare providers and institutions, and lack of preventative healthcare experience. These thematic findings demonstrate that attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy are strongly associated with the performance of skin cancer prevention behaviors. Finally, recommendations are provided for healthcare providers and public health interventions aimed at OWs. Chapter Five summarizes the key findings derived from the studies and compares and contrasts themes with the current literature. Finally, the study\u27s limitations, significance to nursing and public health, and implications for future research are presented. These studies illuminate the need for additional research on skin cancer prevention in adults, using interventions to affect both primary and secondary prevention behaviors. In addition, they provide a direction for future research