Master of Arts, Miami University, 2023, Speech Pathology and Audiology

Chronic cough impacts 11% of Americans and is one of the most common symptoms reported at outpatient healthcare visits. Previous research has validated cough suppression therapy (CST) as an alternative to medication management, using behavioral principles to modify response to cough and urge-to-cough sensations. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of an eight-week CST protocol for chronic cough including education, psychoeducational counseling, behavioral techniques, and laryngeal hygiene with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) diet and lifestyle precautions. Key treatment components were separated and systematically introduced over four treatment sessions. This study also examined whether integrating an element of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) called body scan meditation into CST improves patient-reported outcomes of cough and laryngeal sensation as measured by health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Ten participants were randomized into two groups, one receiving the standard CST protocol and the other receiving the identical protocol with integrated mindfulness. Two-week change between data points showed a larger impact of diet, with smaller but compounding impacts of behavioral and breathing strategies. The mindfulness group reported greater mean improvement across multiple cough outcomes. Potential relationships were observed between mindfulness and greater adherence to treatment goals, improvements in cough HRQOL, and increased awareness of laryngeal sensations.

Committee: Renee Gottliebson (Advisor); Susan Brehm (Committee Member); Donna Scarborough (Committee Member); Daniel Croake (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Master of Education (M.Ed.), Xavier University, 2019, Education

Educators face increasing pressures from parents, standardized testing, and state and district mandates. Amid these pressures, teacher stress and burnout is a growing concern for American schools. Burnout is most clearly distinguishable by the following three components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment. Current research reveals that teachers with high levels of burnout also suffer from higher levels of depression. Teachers suffering from burnout also evince lower rates of student achievement and higher rates of discipline issues. Research within the field suggests that mindfulness-based interventions provide a low-cost and low-risk possibility for decreasing teacher burnout and increasing positive emotions that lead to more effective teaching. The subgroup of American public Montessori school teachers face more demands than a typical public school teacher, thus creating more stress which leads to burnout. This has not been currently studied and provides a unique setting to study teacher burnout and a intervention designed to reduce burnout. This mixed-method study examined factors that lead to teacher burnout within a public Montessori school and the effects of a five-week mindfulness-based intervention on a small sample group of public Montessori school teachers. The study was conducted at a public Montessori school within the Cincinnati area, serving students grades PreK-6. 30 teachers' levels of stress and burnout were assessed pre- and post-intervention, and interventional and control groups' results were compared. Additionally, 7 teachers within the interventional group were interviewed regarding the main stressors that they perceive in their work life and their experience with the mindfulness intervention. Data was analyzed to determine the most common factors influencing teacher stress and burnout within the sample group. Among the most frequently described negative experiences, the following can be seen as l (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Laura Edwards (Advisor) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Education; Educational Psychology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2019, Speech Pathology and Audiology

Patients with voice disorders often experience stress that can yield muscular tension and exacerbate their disorder. Integrative treatment methods may be a beneficial addition or alternative to traditional voice therapy to treat this stress and physical tension. Experiment 1 utilized a single subject design with a 25-year old female with a functional voice disorder to examine the efficacy of the body scan meditation exercise, adapted from the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, as an integrative treatment method alongside traditional voice therapy. Primary measures included ratings of self-perceived stress and physical tension. Results indicated an overall decrease in self-perceived stress and physical tension, as well as improvements in the severity of her voice disorder. Experiment 2 utilized an online survey to investigate speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) knowledge and use of integrative treatment methods. Sixty-nine SLPs responded to the survey. Results showed that the majority of respondents had heard of MBSR and had used an integrative treatment method with patients. The majority reported that their patients believe these methods are effective. Integrative treatment methods are becoming more prominent in the field of voice therapy, and there may be benefits to continuing to conduct research on them, including developing evidence-based protocols and trainings.

Committee: Susan Brehm (Advisor); Renee Gottliebson (Committee Member); Arnold Olszewski (Committee Member); Suzanne Klatt (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy