New Ways of Addressing the Psychological Traumas of War: Supplementing Traditional Social Supports to Prevent Homelessness Among Mentally Ill Veterans

Both nationally and in Rhode Island, there is a high prevalence of veterans in the homeless population. Many homeless veterans suffer from serious mental health issues and military specific traumas, adding to the social stigma they face. To avoid homelessness, veterans need to treat their mental illness with the assistance of their social support networks. Despite incredible advances in technology and mental health care, provision of mental health services to veterans still remains very traditional. With an influx of veterans returning from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a greater number of younger clients will be entering the system. Because of their comfort with computers, the Internet and social networking tools, there is a natural progression for these veterans to use the Internet to support one another in their return from combat and readjustment to civilian life. To prevent isolation and encourage continued receipt of mental health services, online social support services can help veterans avoid homelessness when used as a supplement to traditional mental health treatment. A survey of nine (N=9) social workers at the VAMC showed that social workers who serve veterans would find online social supports helpful for their clients and would recommend these services as a supplement to their traditional therapeutic treatment

Sex Education: The Effectiveness of Comprehensive-Based Compared to the Effectiveness of Abstinence-Only

Sex education has the potential to be a powerful way to educate children and adolescents about the risks and implications of sex. There currently is a debate about what type of information should be appropriately delivered to students in school; supporters of Comprehensive-Based sex education argue that information regarding Sexually Transmitted Diseases and contraceptives should be delivered to students, while supporters of Abstinence-Only sex education hold that the only method of safe sex that should be taught to students is abstinence. There are an alarming number of children and adolescents dealing with the consequences of unprotected sex, so sex education programs that reduce this number most effectively should be delivered to students in schools. It was hypothesized that children and adolescents who received Comprehensive-Based sex education would be more knowledgeable about safe sex, and practice safe sex more often in their lives. A quantitative study was distributed to 45 college-aged students to learn what type of sex education they received in school, and assess their safe sex knowledge and practices. The results supported the hypothesis that students who received Comprehensive-Based sex education knew more about safe sex practices and were able to put them into practice more often, but the results were not statistically significant. More extensive research should be conducted to a larger group of students who had just received their sex education in school in order to assess what type of sex education should be administered in schools

Is Mental Illness an Access Barrier to Seeking and Receiving Abortion Services?

This study examines the relationship between one’s mental health status and access to abortion services. A review of the literature confirms that no prior research has been completed to determine whether or not mental health status is a barrier to seeking and/or receiving abortion services. A qualitative study using professionals from the mental health and abortion service fields was conducted to explore this relationship. Findings suggest that there are implications for some individuals experiencing mental illness. Another finding concludes that mental illness may be a secondary access barrier if one’s health insurance is provided by governmental funds. An implication for future research pertains to examining the degree to which mental illness may be a primary barrier to accessing abortion services

The Cowl - v.82 - n.7 - Oct 26, 2017

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 82, Number 7 - October 26, 2017. 28 pages

The Cowl - v.83 - n.5 - Oct 4, 2018

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol 83 - No. 5 - October 4, 2018. 24 pages