Grief and Mental Health

I have interviewed several people of different socio-economic and racial backgrounds who did not have their father present during their childhoods. I will examine how this has affected their lives and how each subject differs from the other and why that may be.

Death is apart of life, so that means grief too is apart of life, right? My project explores the differences in how grief impacts young children differently than adolescents. This includes their conceptualization of death, developmental stages, and level of support. The child's level of support will also be explored to figure out if having a support system or lack thereof has been a detriment or strength to their healing process. This information was obtained through focus groups and personal interviews, including a series of questions about their grief journey, and how they find a way to cope with their pain. Even though I have dealt with grief in my own life, I still felt I learned so much because everyone grieves so differently. I quickly realized how much their losses are present in every aspect of their life. The outcome of this work will further others' knowledge about grief, and how to support those that are dealing with loss. There is very little bereavement, (death of a loved one), training where it is needed. Part of this knowledge includes the fact that grief is often not a temporary sadness, it stays with the person as they continue to live and experience the new. The emotions about the loss are complex, and have the capacity to take control. It is imperative that mentors, educators, administrators, are equipped with the tools to be supportive and let those in grief be reminded that they are not alone. This research is necessary.

The purpose of this project is to assess the emotional development and attachments in children ages 5-14 who have 1-2 absent parents due to death, incarceration, rights termination, and/or total abandonment. The goal of this research and the outcome of the work is to stress the importance of early intervention services with children who have 1-2 absent parents.

Food insecurity within college students is widespread and consistent issue within the United States. Around 30% of college students experience food insecurity (Hans et al., 2022). It has been found that poor mental health is more common within student who have food insecurity than those who are food secure. The purpose of this research is to convey the correlation between food insecurity and poor mental health as well as worsened academic performance. A specific focus was on students who have used the Bearcat Pantry and Resource Center at the University of Cincinnati. This research and data collection has shown correlation between food insecurity with generalized anxiety, depression, and poor academic performance. The outcome of this research is knowledge and to educate the importance of food security within college students in the United States. The value of the research is to help voice the needs of this population and bring awareness to this prevalent issue.

Autistic individuals are suspected of having higher rates of mental illnesses than non-autistic individuals. Autistic people have social and communication deficits, which could interfere with developing a positive social identity and self-esteem. This research aims to bring awareness to autistic individuals' mental health and identify symptoms that may be potential indicators of future mental health problems. In this project, symptoms that autistic individuals experience will be identified and compared to symptoms that autistic individuals with a mental health diagnosis experience. The outcome of this study will provide social workers with knowledge of the influence of mental illness in an autistic person and more impactful ways to provide specialized treatment and care.

The problem is that professionals who deal with crisis and trauma routinely are at risk for detrimental impact on their own mental health. There is growing evidence about the prevalence of burnout and secondary trauma among these types of professionals, mainly centered on healthcare and first responders but implicating social workers and caseworkers as well. Individuals who work with children who have severe behavioral and emotional needs experience high-stress, unpredictable, and often violent or potentially violent situations daily. This suggests that they are also at considerable risk for burnout and secondary trauma, although there is a gap in the data that looks specifically at this category of professional work. The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of providers of crisis intervention, gain insight on the stressors involved with the job, and understand the impact that has on the professional's wellbeing and delivery of services. While also discovering new ways that agencies can better support the professionals. Data was collected by surveying professionals who provide daily crisis intervention at a local day treatment program. The outcome developed new understandings on the stressors of crisis intervention through the experiences of the surveyed professionals. The value of these shared experiences is to understand the impact the job has on the professionals and determine the best ways to support mental health among staff. This study emphasizes the need to change within the mental health field to better protect and support professionals experiencing similar stressors.

This study aims to describe the most prevalent cognitive distortions children and adolescents use in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in an outpatient treatment setting. The purpose of the study is to identify and describe the most used cognitive distortions children and adolescents use in group therapy to bring awareness to social workers and those in the mental health field. Six staff from a day treatment program in southern Ohio participated in this qualitative exploratory descriptive study providing observation through sixty-six interviews within two weeks. The fourteen subjects were between the ages 10 to 17 and from the Appalachian culture. The ordinal data identified mind reading and personalization/blame as the most prevalent cognitive distortion ranking at 43.4%, and the least utilized as labeling at 7.5%. This study was conclusive that most subjects not only presented with one cognitive distortion throughout the group, but data showed the subjects presented with multiple cognitive distortions thought group therapy.

Mental Health is something that many people struggle with, but many fail to realize affects children. Children who have suffered from trauma, food insecurity, abuse, etc. have had their fair share of mental health diagnosis. This proposal is the results of interviewing six children (under the age of 18) who have all been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. All six children agree that mental health has affected their quality of life as well as other things including relationships, education, and self image.

The purpose of this research study is to examine the relationship between children's mental health treatment progress, and parental involvement in their children's treatment. More specifically, does parental involvement in their child's treatment improve mental health treatment outcomes for children and adolescents? To determine if parental involvement would impact treatment, I figured out which parent's were, and were not, meeting engagement requirements, and used my agency's treatment evaluation method to see if there was any notable difference between the groups. I found that there was a difference between the progress of client's who's parents were meeting engagement in comparison to those who are not. The outcome of the study may help when examining how much emphasis should be placed on parental engagement, and the ways in which it impacts the treatment outcomes for children and adolescents.

The aim of this study is to discover what parents and guardians of homicide victims self-reported as coping methods they have used during their grief process. In this study, coping skills are defined as thoughts and actions used to respond to events that may cause distress. The participants in this study are parents and/or guardians of homicide victims whose cases have either been solved or remain unsolved. This was a descriptive qualitative study, and the data was obtained through surveys distributed to participants of a homicide survivors support group.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether exposure to secondary trauma has any negative consequences on interdisciplinary social care providers. We will examine how professionals working with clients who have endured traumatic events may put themselves in danger. My sample included social service providers, social work interns, and law enforcement. I have conducted a descriptive qualitative study to understand burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue to improve self-care among these professionals.

With the increasing amount of homeless people a year, the majority of the homeless population suffers from some type of mental illness. Rather that be depression, anxiety, PTSD, or schizophrenia. Mental health has been important when treating the population. There are multiple evidence-based practices that are built around the population to help reduce homelessness and increase self-efficiency. With the resources that are available, there is a risk of rejection.