Browsing by Author "Watson, Dennis"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Exploring the impact of career transition on athletes and military personnel : a mixed methods study
    (2018-04-17) Shue, Sarah A.; Munk, Niki; Watson, Dennis; Matthias, Marianne; Miller, Kristine
    Sport and exercise psychology practitioners work with military service members to enhance performance prior to and during active duty but have no clear role during military career exits. Given health and wellness concerns veterans face as they transition out of the military and reintegrate back into civilian life, it may be of benefit to establish non-VA practitioners as a transitioning resource. To determine sport and exercise psychology practitioner preparedness to address military to veteran transition needs, similarities and differences between transition experiences of former athletes and military veterans is needed. A mixed methods approach, known as a convergent design, compared the transition experiences of 42 athletes and 64 veterans (N=106) during the quantitative phase and 9 athletes and 15 veterans (N=24) during the qualitative phase. The quantitative phase consisted of independent sample t-tests to determine differences in outcome scores for four valid and reliable measures: Satisfaction with Life Scale, World Health Organization’s abbreviated quality of life measure, Career Transition Inventory, and Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale. The qualitative phase consisted of recorded semi-structured phone interviews, which gathered information regarding an individual’s career transition experience. Overall, athlete participants represented 14 sports from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics universities. Veteran participants came from each military branch and a variety of pay grades. Quantitative analysis revealed athlete and veteran participants scored similarly on each outcome measure or domain. Veteran participants had lower physical health and social relationship domain scores, but comparatively better transition control scores. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes: 1) the necessity of preparation for the transition process, 2) factors impacting the career transition process, 3) transitioning resulted in the loss of structure, and 4) establishing oneself outside of former career. Results indicate shared outcomes and perspectives between former athletes and veterans in regard to their career transition process. Transition process similarities indicate sport and exercise psychology practitioners may be qualified to effectively assist transitioning veterans in the same capacity they assist transitioning athletes.
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    Impacts of COVID-19 at the intersection of substance use disorder treatment and criminal justice systems: findings from three states
    (BMC, 2022-08-04) Dir, Allyson L.; Tillson, Martha; Aalsma, Matthew C.; Staton, Michele; Staton, Monte; Watson, Dennis; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Background: Individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), particularly opioid use disorder (OUD), who are criminal justice-involved are a particularly vulnerable population that has been adversely affected by COVID-19 due to impacts of the pandemic on both the criminal justice and treatment systems. The manuscript presents qualitative data and findings exploring issues related to SUD/OUD treatment among individuals involved in the justice system and the impacts of COVID-19 on these service systems. Qualitative data were collected separately by teams from three different research hubs/sites in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky; at each hub, data were collected from justice system personnel (n = 17) and community-level SUD/OUD providers (n = 21). Codes from two hubs were reviewed and merged to develop the cross-hub coding list. The combined codes were used deductively to analyze the third hub's data, and higher-level themes were then developed across all the hubs' data. Results: Themes reflected the justice and treatment systems' responses to COVID-19, the intersection of systems and COVID-19's impact on providing OUD treatment for such individuals, and the use of telehealth and telejustice. Conclusions: Results highlight that despite rapid adaptations made by systems during the pandemic, additional work is needed to better support individuals with OUD who are involved in the justice system. Such work can inform longer-term public health crisis planning to improve community OUD treatment access and linkage for those who are criminal justice-involved.
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    Indiana Partnerships For Success
    (Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, 2020-06) Childress, Samantha; Leech, Tamara; Watson, Dennis; Lisa, Robison; Greene, Marion
    This is the final report discussing work carried out by Indiana University researchers as part of the Indiana Partnerships for Success (PFS) project. PFS is a federal grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Indiana’s PFS initiative was funded in 2015 through the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) to provide support to counties that (a) were at an increased risk for alcohol and prescription drug misuse among individuals aged 12-25 and who were not able to qualify for other DMHA funding, or (b) lacked the proper infrastructure to support substance misuse initiatives. These communities were: Cass, Clark, Floyd, Knox, Lake, Madison, Marion, Porter, Scott, and Vanderburgh counties.
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    Indiana Partnerships for Success Young Adult Interview Results
    (Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, 2019-06) Childress, Samantha; Nannery, Rebecca; Greene, Marion; Watson, Dennis
    Between January and March of 2019, the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University administered the second phase of the Indiana Young Adults Survey to a sample of the young adult population between the ages of 18-25 in each of the 10 PFS counties. Sampling included email and text message recruitment of those who completed the first phase of data collection and agreed to be contacted again, as well as text recruitment from two approved vendor lists, including both registered and non-registered voters. An oversample was done in Cass, Clark, Lake, Porter, and Vanderburgh counties to ensure the minimum number of respondents was met. A total of 887 individuals completed the survey, exceeding the target.
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    Substance Use Among Young Adults in Indiana Who Are Not Enrolled in College
    (Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, 2015-09) Kooreman, Harold; Kouns, Lyndy; Greene, Marion; Watson, Dennis; Golembiewski, Elizabeth
    The primary purpose of this study was to gather information on patterns and trends of substance use; reasons for using (or not using); and perceptions and beliefs regarding substance use within one’s social circle (peers) from our target population, i.e., Indiana residents ages 18 to 25 who do not attend, nor have graduated from, college.
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    The Changing Landscape of the Opioid Epidemic in Marion County and Evidence for Action
    (Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, 2018-10-18) Watson, Dennis; Duwve, Joan; Greene, Marion; Weathers, Tess; Huynh, Philip; Nannery, Rebecca
    The impact of the opioid crisis is vast, with its effects impacting individuals, families, and communities as a whole. The epidemic has evolved – what began largely as a prescription opioid problem surged into the street, where heroin and “fake” pills resembling prescription drugs are now often laced with deadly amounts of illegally produced fentanyl. The evolving epidemic has compelled an evolving response, including new and more diverse strategies, and the engagement of multiple sectors of the community beyond health care, including employers, schools, nonprofit agencies, government agencies, law enforcement and policymakers. This report updates a 2016 report by the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health to describe the current landscape of the evolving opioid epidemic in Marion County, Indiana, and across the state.