Digital Commons Network^™

Follow-Up To An Early Intervention For Parents Of Young Children With Or At-Risk For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alexandra Payne

Psychology

The goal of this research was to study a training program for parents of young children with or at genetic risk for autism and assess the program’s impact on self-reported parent stress levels and competence beliefs. The current study was part of a larger parent training project at the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Parents completed assessment measures of stress, knowledge, and competence at pre-training, post-training, and again six weeks following the completion of the parent training. Paired samples t-tests were used to assess for significant changes in …

The Intrinsic Motivation Of Immigrant Women In Male-Dominated Fields Of Study, Cassandra Edwards

Psychology

The present study examined the hypothesis that female students with first- or second-generation immigrant status (vs. their native-born peers) would be better prepared academically and have stronger intentions of pursuing and staying within their current field of study. We focused specifically on students in STEM versus non-STEM fields, as STEM fields are traditionally male-dominated. We predicted that female immigrant STEM majors in particular would not only perform better than their non-immigrant male peers, but also cope with stressors more efficiently and be less vulnerable to stereotype threat. We tested our predictions by assigning participants to one of two possible conditions …

Psychotherapy Clients’ Recalled Treatment Experiences: A Survey Of Perceived Evidence-Based Practice Elements, Yadi Chen

Psychology

Background: Common evidence-based practice (EBPs) elements can be observed across cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) manuals for commonly occurring disorders. Example EBP elements include exposure, cognitive restructuring, teaching active coping skills (e.g., relaxation), enhancing positive affect, and facilitating a positive working alliance. It is unclear if EBP elements are frequently delivered or prioritized in routine psychotherapy. Also, little is known about the prevalence or pervasiveness of EBP elements from the routine clients’ perspective. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess psychotherapy clients’ self-reported retrospective treatment experiences with regard to common EBP elements. Method: Participants (N = 592) …

Investigating The Roles Of Felt Obligation And Politics In The Context Of Procedural Justice-Outcome Relationships, Caitlin Briggs

Psychology

Social Exchange Theory positions employee felt obligation as a mechanism by which organizational justice leads to positive organizational outcomes such as decreased turnover and increased job satisfaction. However, little has been done to test the empirical value of this theoretical claim. Additionally, although organizational politics is generally negatively correlated with justice, investigation of the mechanism by which politics might influence justice is lacking. Here, I look at whether politics has a moderating role on procedural justice and felt obligation, and thus turnover intentions and job satisfaction, or in words, whether politics reduces the positive relationship between procedural justice and felt …

The Contributions Of Perceived Ethnic Discrimination And Rumination To Depression, Anxiety, And Anger In Emerging Adults, Alexis M. Lima

Psychology

Perceived ethnic discrimination (PED), a type of race-based social stress, is conceptualized as a subjective experience of discrimination based on phenotype, linguistic, or cultural characteristics. As an environmental stressor, it is associated with the same negative outcomes as other stressors such as greater depressive and anxious symptoms, poorer academic performance, and poorer health outcomes. Previous research has focused on PED’s association with mental and physical health outcomes, but cognitive factors (i.e., cognitive ruminations, coping strategies, executive functioning) that might mediate or moderate outcomes have received less attention. Moreover, while some research has investigated the associations of anger rumination and perceived …

How Emerging Adults Are Affected By Parental Chronic Illness: A Study Of Psychosocial Functioning And Academic Achievement, Ashley May

Psychology

Chronic illness is widespread and often affects parents, yet the impact of parental chronic illness on emerging adults has been largely ignored by research. The existing literature on the impact of chronic illness on family members suggests spousal and parental caregivers can suffer significant adverse psychological, social, cognitive, and physical consequences. This study was designed to examine the effects of parental chronic illness on children transitioning to adulthood. Participants were asked to complete several questionnaires, which quantified psychosocial and academic functioning of college students. Upon comparing those with parents with chronic illness to those without, we found that emerging adults …

High Healthcare Utilization At The Onset Of Medically Unexplained Symptoms, Lisa M. Mcandrew, L. Alison Phillips, Drew A. Helmer, Kieran J. Maestro, Charles C. Engel, Lauren M. Greenberg, Nicole Anastasides, Karen S. Quigley

Educational & Counseling Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Objective: Patients with medically unexplained syndromes (MUS) often do not receive appropriate healthcare. A critical time for effective healthcare is the inception of MUS. The current study examined data from a prospective longitudinal study of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans to understand the relationship of increasing physical symptom burden to healthcare utilization.

Methods: Data was examined from a prospective study of OEF/OIF veterans assessed before and one year after deployment (n=335). Physical symptom burden was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15). Analyses were conducted with polynomial regression and response surface analysis (RSA).

Results: Increases in physical symptom …

The Common Sense Of Counseling Psychology: Introducing, Lisa M. Mcandrew, Jessica L. Martin, Myrna L. Friedlander, Katherine Shaffer, Jessica Y. Breland, Sarah Slotkin, Howard Leventhal

Educational & Counseling Psychology Faculty Scholarship

The goal of therapy is typically to improve clients’ self-management of their problems, not only during the course of therapy but also after therapy ends. Although it seems obvious that therapists are interested in improving client’s self-management, the psychotherapy literature has little to say on the topic. This article introduces Leventhal’s Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation, a theoretical model of the self-management of health, and applies the model to the therapeutic process. The Common-Sense Model proposes that people develop illness representations of health threats and these illness representations guide self-management. The model has primarily been used to understand how people self-manage …

Telephone-Based Versus In-Person Delivery Of Cognitive Behavioral Treatment For Veterans With Chronic Multisymptom Illness: A Controlled, Randomized Trial, Lisa M. Mcandrew, Lauren M. Greenberg, Donald S. Ciccone, Drew A. Helmer, Helena K. Chandler

Educational & Counseling Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Background:The goal of this randomized clinical trial was to examine the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral stress reduction treatment for reducing disability among veterans with chronic multisymptom illness (CMI).Method: Veterans (N=128) who endorsed symptoms of CMI were randomized to: usual care (n=43), in-person (n=42) or telephone-delivered cognitive behavioral stress management (n=43). Assessments were conducted at baseline, three months, and twelve months. The primary outcome was limitation in roles at work and home (i.e., ‘role physical’). Reductions in catastrophizing cognitions were evaluated as a mechanism of action. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses showed …

Less Engagement In Pleasure Activities Is Associated With Poorer Quality Of Life For Veterans With Comorbid Post-Deployment Conditions, Lisa M. Mcandrew, Held F. Rachel, Abbi Bhavna, Karen S. Quigley, Drew A. Helmer, Radhika V. Pasupuleti, Helena K. Chandler

Educational & Counseling Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Objective: The presence of multiple comorbid conditions is common after combat deployment and complicates treatment. A potential treatment approach is to target shared mechanisms across conditions that maintain poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL). One such mechanism may be decrements in pleasurable activities. Impairment in pleasurable activities frequently occurs after deployment and may be associated with poorer HRQOL.

Method: In this brief report, we surveyed 126 Veterans who had previously sought an assessment at a Veterans Affairs post-deployment health clinic and assessed pleasurable activities, HRQOL, and post-deployment health symptoms.

Results: Forty-three percent of Veterans met our criteria for all three …

Reports Of The Relation Between Cultural Identification, Family Socialization And Adolescent Alcohol Use Among Native American Families, Jildyz Urbaeva, Jaime Booth, Kai Wei

Social Welfare Faculty Scholarship

The enculturation or teaching of Native American traditions to Native American adolescents has been incorporated into substance-use prevention interventions in recent decades; yet, little is known about how enculturation may impact substance use through family socialization. The current study aimed to test the relationship between family identification with Native American culture and alcohol use among Native American families residing on or near a reservation, and determine if this relationship was mediated by family socialization practices. To achieve this aim, data (n = 2,368) collected as part of the NIDA-funded Drug Use among Young American Indians was used. No direct …

Assessing Factors Influencing Employees' Voice Behavior In Organizations, Nikita Agnihotri

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of the present study was threefold: (1) to investigate the relationship between organizational based self- esteem and voice behavior, (2) to examine whether or not organizational identification interacts with organizational based self-esteem in significantly predicting voice behavior, and (3) to test another moderation effect, interaction of perceived organizational support and organizational based self-esteem in predicting voice behavior. Based on data from 482 undergraduate students, results suggested organization based self-esteem is strongly positively related to voice behavior. Additionally, the interaction of organization based self-esteem with both perceived organizational support and organizational identification in predicting voice behavior was not significant. …

Does What You Think You Feel, Impact What You Actually Eat? : An Examination Of Alexithymia, Interoceptive Awareness, And Loss Of Control Eating In Young Women, Lisa Marie Anderson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Affect regulation theories posit that loss of control (LOC) and binge eating are maintained via an emotion regulation process, through which eating relieves negative affect and aversive mood states. LOC has been identified as a key binge eating characteristic associated with psychopathology and poor psychological outcomes. As such, maladaptive emotion regulation has been identified as a central risk factor for binge eating, as theories posit that individuals binge eat in response to negative mood states. However, empirical studies testing the link between induced negative mood and subsequent food intake in people with LOC and binge eating have yielded inconsistent findings. …

The Lived Experiences Of High-Achieving Adults During Their Middle School And High School Years : A Phenomenological Approach, Maribeth Hope Ballert Potter

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

The Use Of A Gambling Accelerator To Reduce Risky Wagering In Problem Gamblers, James Broussard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

We evaluated an intervention based on a digital gambling accelerator to ascertain whether the accelerator is equally effective as brief Motivational Interviewing (MI) to change gambling behavior compared to a control group. Frequent scratch-off lottery gamblers recruited from the community (42 at-risk and 45 probable pathological gamblers) were randomly assigned to either a digital gambling accelerator intervention, brief MI, or a control task. After the interventions, participants were offered the opportunity to purchase authentic scratch-off tickets using a portion or all of their participant remuneration ($30). Neither of the two active interventions reduced the purchasing of scratch-off tickets. However, changes …

The Effect Of Justice And Injustice On Sleep Quality, Jessica Wooldridge Brown

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The effect of workplace stressors on physical health has been well documented (Ganster & Rosen, 2013; Nixon, Mazzola, Bauer, Krueger, & Spector, 2011). However, gaps in the research led to two main goals of the study: (1) understanding in a fuller range of reactions through the study of justice adherence and rule infraction and (2) exploring an explanation for the justice-health effects. This multilevel, daily diary study was designed to measure participants’ perceptions of organizational fairness and physical health. After that participants responded to daily surveys on the perceived supervisor interactions, emotions, rumination, and sleep quality over the course of …

Relationships Among Self-Efficacy, Regulatory Focus, And Perceived Managerial Safety Practice For Employees' Safety Performance, Yoon Seok Choi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study examined a model involving the influence of the distal variable of self-efficacy and the proximal variables of self-regulation and perceived managerial safety practice in predicting employees’ safety behaviors. In this study, 198 hospital employees completed surveys measuring self-efficacy, regulatory focus, and managerial safety practice. They also completed measures of safety performance: safety participation and safety compliance. Results suggest that self-efficacy, regulatory focus, and perceived managerial safety practice are positively related to the safety performance. Specifically, high self-efficacy is more positively associated with safety performance. Promotion focus and prevention focus were both strongly associated with safety participation and safety …

A "Default Option" While Online Grocery Shopping To Enhance Nutrition Within A Food Insecure Population, Jaime Ashley Coffino

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

There is a need for sustainable interventions that improve diet-related health within the food insecure community. We examined if use of a “default” prefilled online grocery shopping cart, compared to nutrition education, would result in the purchase of healthier food items. Fifty participants (M age = 46.4 ± 12.46 years; M body mass index = 28.59 ± 6.48 kg/m2; 74.0% male) were randomized to: (1) read a brochure containing nutrition information (n = 23) or (2) be presented with a “default” prefilled online shopping cart containing groceries that meet nutritional guidelines to which they could freely make changes before completing …

The Lived Experience Of Caregivers For Children With Asthma, Caroline Weiss Dawson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Lived Experience of Caregivers for Children with Asthma

Depletion Awareness And Self Control Performance, Tina L. Donaldson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The current study examined whether awareness of ego depletion had an effect on subsequent tasks requiring self-control. It is possible, that with awareness of depletion, one may be able to make corrections in their behavior to counteract the effects of reduced self-control. The primary question this research set out to answer was whether awareness of depletion would significantly increase or decrease self-control performance. Participants underwent a depletion manipulation to diminish their self-control strength. Next the participants completed a false feedback assessment of self-control, ostensibly designed to measure their level of self-control strength. Participants then received feedback as to whether they …

Using Technologies To Support The Social And Academic Engagement Of Young People With Cancer, Owen Michael Donovan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Situated in the larger questions of how to support the educational engagement and positive psychosocial development of young people with cancer, the purpose of this exploratory study was to address gaps in the literature and build understanding of how young people use digital and Internet-connected technologies in ways that support their social and academic engagement. Through a multiple case-design, I examined the school-based and everyday (outside of school) technology uses of five young people. This study found that the cancer experience changed or reframed a young person’s motivational engagement with school. Doing well academically was a sign of a normalcy …

Subjective Experiences Of Marijuana Edibles : Documenting Discomfort, Stacey L. Farmer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Marijuana remains the most frequently used illicit drug in the United States. As its legal status has changed in recent years, more people have turned to oral administration (edibles). These “edibles” show considerable range from straightforward pills (i.e. Dronabinol) to gourmet concoctions such as cookies, candies and cakes. The current study focused on an individual’s uncomfortable experience with marijuana edibles, highlighting the relations with dosage, other drug use, aversiveness, and medical and non-medical outcomes.

An Early Start Denver Model-Based Group Intervention For Parents Of Very Young Children Diagnosed With Or At Risk For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Stephanie A. Fox

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an Early Start Denver Model-based (ESDM; Rogers & Dawson, 2010) group intervention for parents of infants and toddlers, ages 12 to 48 months, diagnosed with or at genetic risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This project consisted of a six-week intervention program in which parents attended training sessions twice a week for 60-90 minutes per session. The training sessions used didactic instruction to teach parents how to elicit social communication from their very young children. The topic areas were based on the ESDM parent manual (Rogers, Dawson, & Vismara, 2012), and …

Does Multiracial Identity Integration Moderate The Relation Between Racism And Health?, Michael Gale

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Current estimates suggest that approximately 9 million U.S. citizens identify as biracial or multiracial (henceforth “multiracial”) and that the multiracial population grew 32% from 2000 to 2010 (Humes et al., 2011). Despite the growth and increased visibility of this population, the psychological research on this group is limited and further research is needed to address the potential unique needs of multiracial individuals with regard to experiences of racial oppression, racial identity, and connections to health (Choi, Harachi, Gillmore, & Catalano, 2006). Past findings have suggested a significant, direct relation between perceived racial discrimination and psychological distress among multiracial individuals and …

Supervisee Nondisclosure : Is It Predicted By The Supervisory Working Alliance, Collaborative Supervision, And Relational Behavior?, Andrew Scott Gibson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The effectiveness of clinical supervision depends in part on psychotherapy supervisees’ disclosures of clinically relevant information to their supervisors. Unfortunately, however, previous research indicated that supervisees tend to withhold important information related to their clients’ progress and their reactions to the supervisor. Factors associated with the occurrence of supervisee nondisclosure (SND) are not well established, and past research has yielded varying outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the inverse relation of three variables to SND: the supervisory working alliance (SWA; Bordin, 1983), collaborative supervision (CS; Rousmaniere & Ellis, 2013), and relational behaviors in supervision (RB; Shaffer & …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire In Vegans And Omnivores, Sydney Heiss

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) has been shown to be a valid and reliable measure of eating-related pathology; however, the original four-factor structure has proven difficult to replicate in diverse samples of respondents. Based on the differences in dietary patterns in vegans that are often interpreted as indicative as greater eating disorder symptoms, proper measurement of eating disorder measures is especially important. The purpose of this study was to compare goodness-of-fit of five alternative models of the EDE-Q in a sample of vegans recruited from the community (i.e., individuals refraining from all animal products, n = 395) and undergraduate …

Redefining Murder : A Qualitative Exploration Of Emotion And Identity Following Loss Of A Loved One To Homicide, Kristen Lee Hourigan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation research project is a qualitative exploration of emotion and identity following loss of a loved one to homicide. It answers the questions, “How do individuals who have lost loved ones to homicide understand and experience forgiveness, and how does this vary by social distance from the offender and social position (race, gender, social class, age, religion, and education)?” and “How do forgiveness processes relate to identity?” It uses a symbolic interactionist framework and draws upon several diverse literatures including identity theory and affect control theory in sociology, research on forgiveness and empathy in psychology, and concepts from restorative …

Examining Influence Of Domain Transition And Spouse Reaction On Relationship Between Employee's Job Demands And Turnover Intention, Youjeong Huh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The present study examines the association between job demands and employee turnover intention. Data included measures of job demands, family-to-work transition, focal employee work-family-conflict, spouse’s perception of focal employee’s work-family-conflict, spouse’s perception of psychological contract violation towards focal employee’s organization, and employee turnover intention. Utilizing 158 pairs of dual-earner couples in the U.S., the author tested the proposed relationships among work-family conflict, spousal attitudes toward the organization, and employee turnover intention. Results showed that the frequency of family-to-work transition moderated the relationship between job demands and spouse’s perception of focal employee’s WFC mediated by focal employee WFC only in male …

A Brief Motivational Intervention For Marijuana Use In College Students, Vivian S. Hwang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The prevalence of marijuana use has risen among young adults, and marijuana is

Understanding The Working Alliance And Alliance Ruptures In Online Psychotherapy From The Therapist's Perspective, Laura Kortz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Online psychotherapy using text-based technologies has become increasingly popular in the last two decades, and a burgeoning literature attests to its efficacy as a treatment for a variety of mental health concerns. Moreover, evidence suggests that the working alliance is rated as highly online as it is in face-to-face therapy, yet little is known about how psychotherapists develop strong alliances with their clients in text-based environments. This qualitative study was conducted to investigate psychotherapists’ experiences forming therapeutic relationships with their clients in online environments, identifying and repairing alliance ruptures, and their perceptions of differences and similarities between these processes online …