Abstract

The aim of this thesis was to assess the gaps and deficits in the mental health care staffing and related prescription drug or therapeutic intervention availability in Venezuela using media content analysis. This thesis also assessed the measures suggested by Venezuelan medical professionals for addressing the population's needs for mental health services amid the nation's crisis. The shortage of mental health care in Venezuela was assessed because various stressors, including life events, chronic stressors, and daily hassles, are substantially less than optimal among Venezuelans. The mental health consequences of these factors, along with the detrimental psychosocial demands commonly faced by Venezuelans, was explored within this study. Such an investigation is critical in light of the poor prioritization of intangible mental health care within the already inadequate health care system existing in Venezuela. The used media content included newspapers and periodicals published in Venezuela and foreign newspapers covering the medical crisis in Venezuela, published or posted interviews with Venezuelan medical personnel describing the health care crisis, social media posts involving requests for or availability of medicine and services, and social media posts of videos or images as visual testimony of the crisis. Coder reliability was assessed, and descriptive and inferential statistical tests were implemented for deductive analysis of the study's results and to find possible answers to the presented research questions.

Thesis Completion

2019

Semester

Fall

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Lopez Castillo, Humberto

Co-Chair

Wharton, Tracy

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Department

Health Sciences

Degree Program

Health Sciences, Pre-Clinical Track

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

12-1-2019

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