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(1 - 3 of 3)
- Title
- UNDERSTANDING MARIJUANA USE AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY: USE, ATTITUDES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE
- Creator
- Johnson, Kristina
- Date
- 2021
- Description
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Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder worldwide with a heterogeneous range of negative symptoms. Current treatments for epilepsy...
Show moreEpilepsy is the most common neurological disorder worldwide with a heterogeneous range of negative symptoms. Current treatments for epilepsy have side effects that can negatively impact the quality of a person’s life. Alternative treatments are being explored, including marijuana. This study aimed to understand marijuana use in adults with epilepsy across U.S. states. Rates of use, preferred method of use, and reasons to use and not use marijuana were examined. Additionally, levels of comfort discussing marijuana compared to other treatment options and with different types of providers were explored. Lastly, this was one of the first studies to examine the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and marijuana use for people with epilepsy. Participants included 128 individuals with epilepsy from 26 states, with non-legal states having significantly fewer people who reported using marijuana. Smoking was reported as the primary method of use, knowing someone else that uses as their primary reason for using, and health concerns as the primary reason not to use. There was no difference in level of comfort discussing marijuana compared to other treatments, and participants reported feeling most comfortable discussing marijuana with neurologists compared to other providers. Finally, total QOLIE-31 and the social functioning subscale were significantly lower among marijuana users; however, this difference did not remain when anxiety was entered as a covariate. In fact, the relationship between anxiety and QOL was significant, with anxiety accounting for η2 = .12 to η2 = .57 of the variance in QOLIE-31 subscale scores, controlling for marijuana use. Findings from this study further the understanding of marijuana use by people with epilepsy in the United States.
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- Title
- Self-Stigma & Vicarious Stigma Experienced by Parents of Children with Mental Health Challenges
- Creator
- Serchuk, Marisa Dyan
- Date
- 2019
- Description
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Research has been limited regarding the stigma experienced by parents of children with mental health challenges. It is commonly understood...
Show moreResearch has been limited regarding the stigma experienced by parents of children with mental health challenges. It is commonly understood that stigma effects people with lived-experience (e.g., a child with mental health challenges), however, stigma has been noted to have a wide scope, which extends to family members as well. Parents of children with mental health challenges have been found to endorse aspects of self-stigma, specifically regarding public stereotypes of blame and feelings of incompetence. Vicarious stigma is a fairly new area of research, which describes the sad and/or angry response a parent may experience when witnessing their child being stigmatized. The purpose of this study is to examine emotional and behavioral outcomes related to specific types of stigma experienced by parents of children with mental health challenges. Archival data from a larger study of adult participants (N=50), who identified as having a child (age 3-10 years old) with mental health challenges, completed measures examining self-stigma, vicarious stigma, stress, depression, quality of life, disclosure, secrecy coping, and help-seeking. A novel measurement for vicarious stigma was introduced and examined in this study. Results found higher levels of self-stigma and dimensions of vicarious stigma were associated with higher levels of depression as well as diminished quality of life. Higher levels of self-stigma were also associated with lower perceived benefits of disclosing and greater levels of secrecy coping. These findings highlight the importance of further examining the role of stigma for parents of children with mental health challenges.
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- Title
- Using population-level data to examine between-group health differences among transgender and cisgender United States military veterans
- Creator
- Woodward, Honor
- Date
- 2021
- Description
-
Some subgroups of military veterans, including those with marginalized identities, may be especially vulnerable to poor health. This...
Show moreSome subgroups of military veterans, including those with marginalized identities, may be especially vulnerable to poor health. This hypothesis is supported by the Minority Stress Theory framework, which posits that disparities in health can be attributed to the stress that minority individuals experience as a result of discrimination, prejudice, and oppression (Meyer, 1995; Meyer, 2003). A specific, potentially marginalized group of veterans that is under-explored regarding health is transgender veterans. Using data from the 2019 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the current study hypothesized that transgender U.S. military veterans will report worse health than cisgender U.S. military veterans. Using case control matching, groups of transgender veterans (n = 124) and cisgender veterans (n = 104) were compared on several population-relevant health outcome measures. Chi-square tests of independence were conducted to test for significant differences between transgender and cisgender military veterans on the likelihood of experiencing certain health conditions, engaging in certain health behaviors, and utilizing health care services. Independent samples t-tests were used to test continuous health outcomes, such as self-reported mental health, physical health, and access to health care services. Gender identity was significantly associated with only one health outcome variable, with transgender veterans being more likely than cisgender veterans to have received a formal depression diagnosis (p = .01, phi = .17). No significant differences emerged between transgender and cisgender veterans on continuous health outcome variables. This suggests that previous literature on health disparities between transgender and cisgender individuals may not be generalizable to transgender veterans.
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