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Consideration Of Mindfulness Intervention For Hispanic Adolescents In A School Setting, Kierra Mcshine Gregory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic adolescents’ accessibility to treatment options for depression is met with limitations associated with financial barriers and cultural misalignment. This research study aimed to bring to light an alternative psychotherapy treatment through the foundations of mindfulness interventions. The goal was to understand the experience of Hispanic adolescents when engaging in mindfulness in a school setting. The purpose of this study was to gather information about the experiences of Hispanic adolescents using mindfulness to support mental health practitioners, school counselors, and behavioral interventionists to provide treatment options that are accessible and meet the needs of this culture group. This explanatory case …

The Relationship Between Adolescent Stress In Five Domains And Depression: Rumination As A Moderator, Crystal Victoria Lupo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior to this study, understanding the impact of rumination as a moderating factor in predicting the interaction between specific domains of stress and adolescent depression remained largely unknown. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of response style theory of depression, control mastery theory, and diasthesis stress model, the purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to examine the link between five domains of adolescent stress (i.e., school, family, peers, appearance, and sports) and depression, the relationship between rumination and depression, and the moderating effect of rumination on these relationships. Participants included previously data collected from 635 adolescents from a midwestern U.S.city. …

The Relationship Between Adolescent Stress In Five Domains And Depression: Rumination As A Moderator, Crystal Victoria Lupo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior to this study, understanding the impact of rumination as a moderating factor in predicting the interaction between specific domains of stress and adolescent depression remained largely unknown. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of response style theory of depression, control mastery theory, and diasthesis stress model, the purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to examine the link between five domains of adolescent stress (i.e., school, family, peers, appearance, and sports) and depression, the relationship between rumination and depression, and the moderating effect of rumination on these relationships. Participants included previously data collected from 635 adolescents from a midwestern U.S.city. …

The Relationship Between Acculturation And Depression With Burmese Refugees, Gunnar Greg Newman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Acculturation and acculturative stress have been linked to depression among immigrants and refugee populations. Asian Americans and Asian American subgroups are underrepresented and have been neglected in research. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure the relationship between acculturation and depression with length of time in the United States and acculturative stress as mediating variables among the understudied Asian American subgroup, Burmese refugees resettled in the United States. Unidimensional and bidimensional models of acculturation form the theoretical framework for this study. Three instruments, the Suinn-Lew Asian Self Identity Acculturation scale, the Riverside Acculturation Stress Inventory, and the Beck …

The Lived Experience Of Lung Cancer Patients With Psychological Health And Physical Activity, Donna Leeann Homkes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPhysical activity (PA) is recognized as a treatment protocol for lung cancer patients that improves physical impairments and reduces symptoms of psychological stress. This qualitative interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was conducted to explore the lived experience of lung cancer patients and how PA is influenced by anxiety, depression, and fatigue. This study was guided by Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Engel’s biopsychosocial model. In-depth semi structured interviews were conducted with seven lung cancer participants over Zoom and in person. The data were analyzed using manual hand coding. The analysis revealed themes in patients’ experiences about how PA participation is influenced …

The Effect Of Educational Versus Recreational Screen Time On Depression Levels Among University Students, Gage Guettler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Despite the amount of people currently using technology and the overwhelming amount of data already presented on the topic of how technology affects a person's mental health, there seems to be little information on how the different types of activities on the different types of screens affect university student's mental states. This research study examined the amount of time that a University of Central Florida (UCF) student spends on what was defined as educational activities in front of screens and what was defined as recreational. The definitions of what is educational and what is recreational screen time came from a …

Stressors And Depression Among Adolescents With Co-Rumination As A Moderator, Angela Grosso-Burke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress, depression, and co-rumination have been a focus of scholars in recent years. Although studies have considered the relationship among stressors, depression, and co-rumination, little is known about the moderating effects of co-rumination. This study aimed to address the gap in the literature by examining moderating effects of co-rumination on relations between stressors and depression, along with further moderating effects of sex, race, and grade. The current study examined mean-level race, sex, and grade differences in the relation among stressors (total, family, peer, physical appearance, sport/physical activity, school) and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Analyses were conducted to determine the relationship …

Stressors And Depression Among Adolescents With Co-Rumination As A Moderator, Angela Grosso-Burke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress, depression, and co-rumination have been a focus of scholars in recent years. Although studies have considered the relationship among stressors, depression, and co-rumination, little is known about the moderating effects of co-rumination. This study aimed to address the gap in the literature by examining moderating effects of co-rumination on relations between stressors and depression, along with further moderating effects of sex, race, and grade. The current study examined mean-level race, sex, and grade differences in the relation among stressors (total, family, peer, physical appearance, sport/physical activity, school) and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Analyses were conducted to determine the relationship …

The Lived Experience Of Lung Cancer Patients With Psychological Health And Physical Activity, Donna Leeann Homkes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPhysical activity (PA) is recognized as a treatment protocol for lung cancer patients that improves physical impairments and reduces symptoms of psychological stress. This qualitative interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was conducted to explore the lived experience of lung cancer patients and how PA is influenced by anxiety, depression, and fatigue. This study was guided by Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Engel’s biopsychosocial model. In-depth semi structured interviews were conducted with seven lung cancer participants over Zoom and in person. The data were analyzed using manual hand coding. The analysis revealed themes in patients’ experiences about how PA participation is influenced …

Sexual Violence, Identity Centrality, And Mental Health Among Racial And Sexual Minoritized Individuals: An Application Of Cultural Betrayal Trauma Theory, Brettland D. Coolidge

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sexual violence (SV) is a pressing concern in the United States. SV (i.e., unwanted sexual contact, coercion, and wanted or unwanted penetration of another). Individuals with minoritized sexual, racial/ethnic, and gender identities experience worse psychosocial outcomes than their majority counterparts. People with multiple marginalized identities have been shown to experience traumatic events at greater rates and with significantly different outcomes compared to those with one minoritized identity. Cultural betrayal trauma theory proposes that these differences in mental health outcomes may be explained in part by a shared cultural identity between a SV perpetrator and victim, which is posited to exacerbate …

You've Got A Friend: Social Factors And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adults, Erika A. Fenstermacher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Depression in late life has been associated with disability, lower quality of life, increased mortality, and increased risk of suicide (Fiske et al., 2009; Rodda et al., 2011). Research suggests that functional disability, which is often brought about by a medical condition, may precede depressive symptoms and may be a major factor for older adults developing depression (Ormel et al., 2002). Social support can be beneficial for both emotional and physical health (Fiori & Jager, 2021). Numerous studies found evidence that social networks, perceived and subjective social support, and satisfaction with support received moderated the relation between health problems and …

Parent And Adolescent Report Of Helicopter Parenting: Examining Reporter Discrepancies And Associations With Adolescent Depression And Anxiety, Avneet Batra

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Research is replete with studies on Helicopter Parenting (HP) and its association with depression and anxiety (Cui et al., 2019; Schiffrin et al., 2014; 2019). However, most of the studies have focused on college students’ reports on helicopter parenting and there is relative dearth of studies with adolescents or with parents’ reports of HP (Pistella et al., 2020; Schiffrin et al., 2019). The current study aims to fill the gap in the literature by including both parent and adolescents’ perspectives on helicopter parenting, assess its unique association (parent and teens HP reports) with teen depression and anxiety both concurrently and …

Social Determinants Of Health And Functional Disability At Mid- And Late-Life, Carly Pullen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The number and proportion of older adults living in the U.S. and globally are increasing. Not only are more adults living longer (Rania et al., 2021), there is evidence that people are

entering late life with more functional disability than in previous generations (He & Larsen,

2014). Social determinants of health include demographic and environmental influences than can impact a range of health outcomes beyond more direct risk factors (Duran and Perez-Stable, 2019). Using data from 243,693 community-dwelling adults who completed the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, we tested the associations among social determinants of health (i.e., age, …

The Effects Of School-Based Art Therapy On Depressed Adolescents, Jasmine Nicolas

Nursing | Senior Theses

Depression in adolescents is associated with deficient behavioral and health outcomes (Fletcher, 2019). Art therapy has been shown to be effective in treating mental health condition such as depression. A student’s academic success heavily depends on treating their depression. Community health nurses can play a vital role in advocating for adequate mental health support to improve a student’s overall well-being and academic success. The literature review contains six articles on the prevalence and impact of depression among adolescents, art therapy as an intervention for improving psychological outcomes and resilience among adolescents, and experiences of adolescent clients in art therapy within …

If It Walks Like A Duck…Is It A Duck?: A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Differences Between Machiavellian And Non-Machiavellian Substance Users, Daniel Pillersdorf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machiavellianism is a set of personality traits characterized by a cold and callous nature, a belief in engaging in manipulative tactics for personal gain, a cynical and distrusting view of others, and pragmatically moral stance. Behaviors and views of individuals with elevated Machiavellian traits can be seen to have a marked similarity with several behaviours and views of individuals with substance use issues, making it difficult to differentiate between them. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study sought to determine what distinguishes individuals who are high in Machiavellianism from those who are low in Machiavellianism but appear high in this set …

Moving Forward: Studying The Impact Of Future Self-Continuity And Active Commuting On Depression, Anxiety, And Stress, Max William Gehr

Senior Projects Fall 2023

The current research delves into the relationship between Future Self-Continuity (FSC) and mental health, particularly in the context of commuting behaviors. It employs a cross-sectional, observational design and relies on self-reported data. While this approach provides helpful perspicuity into the nature of the observed phenomena, it also expresses methodological limitations in terms of causal inference and variable control and manipulation. The study utilizes established psychometric tools as a basis for modified measures for the sake of brevity and digestibility by recruited online participants: the Truncated Future Self-Continuity Questionnaire (FSCQ-T) and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-10 (DASS-10), to measure the …

The Relationship Between Body Mass Index And Depression In College Students, Bryn Kable

CMC Senior Theses

College student mental health has seen a serious decline over the last decade (Esaki-Smith, 2022). One factor that has been linked to both physical and mental disorders is obesity. A common way to operationalize weight is through body mass index (BMI) (Ilman et al., 2015). There is evidence that BMI and depression are correlated linearly in that individuals with higher BMIs have higher levels of depression (Badillo et al., 2022; Simon et al., 2008). The exact mechanisms of this relationship are still generally unknown; thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between BMI and depression in …

At The Intersection Of Identity: An Exploration Of Sense Of Belonging And Depression, Kalah Brown

CMC Senior Theses

Belonging is vital to our well-being, health, and identity. At the same time, belongingness is tied so closely to our identity, such that our specific identity may influence the extent to which we feel that we belong, as well as moderating the relationship between belonging and mental health. This present study investigates whether intersectionality, how and if a person is a minority, moderates the relationship between belonging and depression. College students were administered the Beck’s Depression Inventory II and the General Belongingness Scale. They also filled out demographic information to capture their identity and levels of intersectionality. Both belonging and …

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia And Depressive Symptoms: Considering The Role Of Cultural Orientation And Fit, Akriti Poudel

CMC Senior Theses

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between cultural orientation, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and depression. Horizontal collectivism (HC) has been shown to be predictive of positive psychological adjustment (Oh, 2022; Schermer et al., 2023), but the extent to which the individual’s level of HC matches with the group is not well understood. RSA has traditionally been conceptualized as a measure of adaptive functioning; (Graziano & Derefinko, 2013; Qu & Leerkes, 2018, Hinnant et al., 2011) however, more recent research has proposed that RSA is better conceptualized as a marker of susceptibility to environmental influences (Sturge-Apple et …

Examining Social Media Use, Connectedness, And Depression In Graduate Students, Marisa Gretz

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between social media use, sense of connectedness, and depression among graduate students. Graduate students are at risk of depression and often disconnect from their social supports due to their program's demands. Literature on the impact of social media on depression is discrepant. The relationship between a sense of connection, the use of social media, and depression in a graduate student population is a novel area of research. Graduate students at The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and other universities, including healthcare and non-healthcare-related disciplines, were included. Participants were recruited via social media or email. …

The Impact Of Gender Minority Stress On Eating Pathology And Body Checking Behaviors In Transgender And Non-Binary Adults, Klaudia Bialy

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Transgender and gender non-binary (TNB) individuals commonly report diminished mental health when compared to cisgender individuals. TNB individuals experience unique stressors due to their gender identity such as gender-based discrimination and victimization, internalized transphobia, and non-affirmation of their gender. Due to these unique stressors, TNB individuals experience elevated rates of psychological distress such as anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Additionally, TNB individuals report body image issues and disordered eating. This study examined if gender minority stress predicts the relationship between body checking behaviors and eating pathology amongst TNB individuals. Simple linear regression models were used to assess the possible impact gender …

Does Need For Social Support Moderate The Relationship Between Perceived Availability Of Social Support And Depression, Anxiety, And Stress?, Katherine E. Whisenhunt

Masters Theses

This study was designed to determine whether the need for social support moderates the relationship between social support (both perceived and enacted) and depression, anxiety, and stress. The study tested the role of Need for Support in the context of both buffering and direct effect models of the effect of social support on mental health and well-being. If perceived availability of social support (i.e., PASS) had a direct effect on well-being, then a simple moderation was predicted. If a buffering effect was present, then a moderated moderation was predicted. This study also predicted a positive relationship between need for social …

A Novel Test Of Emotion Recognition Bias Using Dynamic Facial Morphing, Michael R. Gallagher

Theses and Dissertations

Depressed persons have demonstrated emotion based cognitive biases, specifically surrounding vigilance of negative information and avoidance of positivity. These biases are sometimes operationalized through emotion recognition tasks. However, previous emotion recognition tasks lack in their ability to accurately measure and decompose positivity avoidance with enhanced negativity, while accounting for basic cognitive processes that can drive the results. Therefore, we developed a novel emotion recognition task that examines emotional intensity thresholds, while accounting for general response bias. Linear mixed effects modeling revealed substantial individual differences on all conditions in the task, using both frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Additionally, the findings suggest …

Storytelling To Promote Mental Health: A Conceptual Analysis And Application With Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Depression, Carter H. Davis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mental health treatments can be delivered in many ways. One approach is to use storytelling to communicate healthy practices. While societies across the world have engaged in storytelling for thousands of years, these practices have been used less in the mental health field. The aim of this project was to study the overlap between the areas of mental health and storytelling. We also tested how a storytelling-based mental health treatment could help solve a particular clinical problem. In this case, the problem of people who receive inadequate help for managing depression through medication alone.

We examined one particular mental health …

Individual Differences And Neural Correlates Of Emotion Reactivity And Regulation: Potential Intervention Targets In Depression, Ian James Kahrilas

Dissertations

Depression, Electroencephalography, Emotion reactivity, Emotion regulation

The Impact Of Peer Supportive Accountability On Use Of A Mindfulness App In Depressed College Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Carol Hundert Gonzales

Dissertations

Depression, Mental Health App, Mindfulness, Supportive Accountability

An Electrophysiological Examination Of Attentional Biases To Emotional Faces In Depression And Social Anxiety, Nathan M. Hager

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Cognitive theories have proposed that major depressive disorder (MDD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) involve attentional biases toward and away from specific environmental stimuli. Research has often examined these biases in response to emotional facial expressions, but evidence of attentional biases is mixed. An event-related potential called the N2pc offers advantages over other measures of attentional bias and may clarify conflicting findings. Studies on the N2pc and social anxiety have found consistent results, but there is little work examining depression. Previous N2pc studies are limited by the types of emotional faces they use and by comparing attention for emotional faces …

Thoughts, Feelings, Actions; The Brevity Of Being: A Haiku Method, Scott Medeiros

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The difficulties of delivering clinical services during the pandemic showed that there was a need for interventions that were able to be adapted to virtual sessions. In addition, lack of training and expertise regarding specialized therapies require modern day clinicians to be able to synergize current theory with the reality of the mental health landscape. In this study, 19 individuals participated in a psychoeducation group that taught a therapeutic thought mapping technique that was then adapted towards the creation of a haiku. It was noticed that participants were able to learn a psychological concept, apply it towards their life, create …

Ssri-Induced Emotional Blunting: A Study Of Cognitive Changes In Pharmaceutically Treated Depression, Carly Tocco

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: In recent years, approximately 12.7% of the American population are on a prescribed antidepressant medication. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are a widely used pharmacological treatment for depressive and anxiety disorders, primarily due to their tolerance levels, mild side effects in comparison to other antidepressants, and broad range of clinical indications. However, there are still numerous concerns about SSRIs’ ability to improve depressive symptoms without adding side effects such as sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal upset, and a restricted range of emotions. Although patients typically claim that they have less emotional pain while on SSRIs than they do during a depressive …

Neuroanatomy In Mild Cognitive Impairment: Relationship To Functional Skills, Treatment Expectancy, And Comorbid Depression, Sara Rushia

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a neurocognitive disorder defined by cognitive decline in older adults. Although MCI has been studied for decades, there remain important areas to be explored in order to adequately characterize aspects of this disorder that provide information valuable for possible interventions and disease progression to dementia, including a better understanding of the neuroanatomical variables relevant to this disorder. Such neuroanatomical variables include cortical thickness, hippocampal volume, and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). This dissertation consists of three separate studies aimed at addressing gaps in the literature on MCI in relation to brain morphometrics and under-studied characteristics involved …