Mental Health/Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples

Daubert (Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples)

Trial judges utilize the Daubert standard in assessing scientific evidence and expert witness testimony to develop scientific reasoning relevant to the context of the case in the trial court. The standard constitutes four psychometrics defining the required methodology: the use of a tested theory or technique, the methodology must be peer-reviewed and published. Consequently, its error rate must be identified, it must have a control and maintenance standard. Furthermore, it must be accepted by the scientific community. In this case, the data collected when assessing Ms.’s (Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples)

A’s mental health satisfies the Daubert standard since it utilized the Symptom Assessment-45 Questionnaire (SA-45) and Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) tools, which are tested and approved mental health assessment techniques across the scientific community. Stapleton et al. (2020) reviewed the effectiveness of the SA-45 and found that it produces highly reliable results, which can be relied upon during court trials.

Similarly, Kumar (2020) identifies MMPI-2 as the scientific community’s most widely acceptable mental health assessment tool. On the other hand, MMPI-2 has a validity score ranging between 0.34-0.92, while its reliability is between 0.16-0.93 (Kumar, 2020). The SA-45 and MMPI-2 tools are scientifically valid since they constitute systematic observations, measurement of results, and testing of the data validity and reliability (Stapleton et al., 2020: Kumar (2020) (Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples).

Interview Information

The interview information indicates that Ms. A had an intact and logical thought process with a normal tone when responding to interview questions. Ms. A also had average intellectual functioning and moods within normal limits. The individual also indicated no suicidal or homicidal ideas, indicating a sound mind. The individual is also addicted to heroin and crack cocaine, with significant abstinence from alcohol for the past six months (Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples).

The interview information identifies vital factors necessary for determining the risk or ability of Ms. A to care for the child. In this case, Otten et al. (2019) observe that parents with continued drug addiction are not well-positioned to care for their children. Children in such families develop substance addiction at an early age. As a result, Ms. A is likely to influence the child into using heroin and cocaine, leading to future substance addiction (Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples).

Collateral Information

The collateral information obtained during the interview indicates that Ms. A has a history of child neglect and criminal history related to offenses like drug possession and fraud, which resulted in a 2-year jail time. The patient was also enrolled in a state mental health service program and is currently classified under disability due to deteriorated mental and physical health conditions. The individual reported a parental history of alcohol and substance use, probably contributing to failing to go beyond 8th grade(Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples).

The collateral information indicates that Ms. A has a diminished capacity to effectively provide a suitable environment for the child’s growth under protective child services. Mwachofi et al. (2020) explain that parents with a diminished capacity to care for children due to drug use, mental deterioration, and inadequate education are less likely to care for children adequately. Mentally incapacitated parents do not recognize their children’s basic needs, like education and food, increasing the risk of adverse childhood experiences among the children.

Recommendations

Ms. A’s child should stay with child protective services until the parent’s addiction problem is resolved. It will reduce the effect of parental drug use on the child. More so, such as preventing early childhood addiction (Otten et al., 2019). Besides, Ms. A should engage in the mental health and substance use rehabilitation program to facilitate an abstinence journey and the possibility of reuniting with the child. Furthermore, the rehabilitation programs can impede the individual’s mental health deterioration and substance use (Magura & Marshall, 2020) (Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples).

Also, Ms. A should be granted visitation to bond with the child to enhance a positive response and desire to stop using drugs and substances (Owen et al., 2020). The regular presence of the child would give Ms. A reason to continue striving for positive mental health and substance use outcomes. The child protection services should also regularly inform Ms. A of the child’s progress in education and health, including seeking informed consent when the child is undergoing major medical procedures like surgery (Nastasi et al., 2020)(Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples).

Ethical Guidelines

The highlighted recommendations align with the ethical guidelines proposed by the American Psychological Association (APA), which considers child rights paramount under child protection services (Nastasi et al., 2020). In this case, allowing child visitation during parental rehabilitation is ethically appropriate. Also, keeping the child with child protection services will help uphold the child’s rights to education, food, and good health (Nastasi et al., 2020) (Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples).

Additionally, obtaining informed consent is necessary before conducting any major medical procedures for the child and aligns with the APA guidelines. Owen et al. (2020) illustrate that APA requires child protection services to seek parental consent when engaging the child in life-threatening medical procedures (Diminished Capacity-Nursing Paper Examples).

References

Kumar, R. (2020). Essentials of Psychiatry and Mental Health Nursing. India: Elsevier Health Sciences. ISBN: 9788131254783Magura, S., & Marshall, T. (2020). The effectiveness of interventions intended to improve employment outcomes for persons with substance use disorder: an updated systematic review. Substance Use & Misuse, 55(13), 2230–2236. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2020.1797810

Mwachofi, A., Imai, S., & Bell, R. A. (2020). Adverse childhood experiences and mental health in adulthood: Evidence from North Carolina. Journal of affectiveAffective Disorders disorders, 267, 251-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.02.021Nastasi, B. K., Hart, S. N., & Naser, S. C. (Eds.). (2020). International Handbook on child rights and school psychology. New York, NY: Springer. ISBN: 978-3-030-37119-7

Otten, R., Mun, C. J., Shaw, D. S., Wilson, M. N., & Dishion, T. J. (2019). A developmental cascade model for early adolescent‐onset substance use: The role of early childhood stress. Addiction, 114(2), 326–334. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14452Owen, E. A., Maddux, J. A. & Javier, R. A. (2020). Assessing Trauma in Forensic Contexts. Germany: Springer International Publishing. ISBN: 9783030331061

Stapleton, P., Crighton, G., Sabot, D., & O’Neill, H. M. (2020). Reexamining the effect of emotional freedom techniques on stress biochemistry: A randomized controlled trial. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(8), 869. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/tra0000563