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Changes In Cerebral White Matter, Vascular Risk And Cognition Across The Adult Lifespan, Andrew Robert Bender

Wayne State University Dissertations

Numerous studies over the past decade have used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine associations between age, diffusion and anisotropy measures of cerebral white matter (WM), and cognitive performance. However, few have examined relationships between intra-individual change in DTI measures of WM and cognitive function. It is possible that the extant cross-sectional findings are a poor representation of age-related change in WM and cognition. The present study used latent difference-score modeling (LDM) to assess change over two years in DTI indices fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusivity (DR), axial diffusivity (DA) and mean diffusivity (MD). In addition, we examined the effects …

Religiosity-Spirituality And Risky Drinking Over The Transition To College: A Multi-Wave Longitudinal Study, Brian J. Klassen

Wayne State University Dissertations

Although the relationship between religiosity-spirituality and risky alcohol use is one of the most frequently studied topics in mental health, relatively little is known about how these variables relate to each other over time, especially during specific developmental periods such as the transition from high school to college. This study analyzed three waves of self-report data collected from a sample (N=623) of college students over a two-year period. Analyses examined (1) the stability of religiosity-spirituality and risky drinking over the transition to college, (2) the magnitude and direction of relationships between religiosity-spirituality and risky drinking, (3) the degree to which …

Self-Construal Moderates Testosterone Reactivity To Competitive Outcomes, Keith Welker

Wayne State University Dissertations

Previous research shows that testosterone reactivity to competitive outcomes predicts aggressive behavior in men. However, some studies have failed to find these effects, and it has been suggested that individual differences moderate the relationships between competitive outcomes, testosterone fluctuations, and aggressive behavior. The current research examined whether one individual difference--self-construal--would moderate these effects. In Study 1, participants were assigned to win or lose a competitive video game and engaged in a reactive aggression task. Results indicated that increases in testosterone in response to winning and decreases in response to losing occurred in men with independent, not interdependent, self-construals. These changes …

The Effect Of Gaba A Antagonism On Locomotor Activity And Dopamine Release In The Mouse Caudate Putamen Following Acute Toluene Inhalation: An In-Vivo Microdialysis Study, Sean Callan

Wayne State University Theses

Toluene is ubiquitous solvent commonly inhaled recreationally. Despite its frequency of misuse, there is little understanding of how toluene acts within the brain. To examine this, this master's thesis examined the impact of acutely inhaled toluene on dopamine (DA) release in the mouse CPu in vivo using microdialysis techniques. Toluene inhalation produced dose-dependent increases in DA levels as well as changes in locomotor activity. These effects were potentiated by pre-treatment with the GABAA antagonist bicuculline via reverse microdialysis delivery. These results suggest that the DA dynamics of toluene abuse are related to toluene's previously explored effects on the GABA system. …

The Reliability And Validity Of The Thin Slice Technique: Observational Research On Video Recorded Medical Interactions, Tanina Suzanne Foster

Wayne State University Dissertations

The Reliability and Validity of the Thin Slice Technique: Observational Research on Video Recorded Medical Interactions

Introduction: Observational research using the thin slice technique has been routinely incorporated in observational research methods, however there is limited evidence supporting use of this technique compared to full interaction coding. The purpose of this study was to determine if this technique could be reliability coded, if ratings are consistent between the first, second and third slice, and if they are indeed representative of full interactions.

Methods: Three 30-second thin slices were sampled from the beginning, middle and end of a full-length video-recorded …

The Effects Of A Career-Planning Course On Community College Students' Career Self-Efficacy And Career Indecisiveness, Jefferey Samuel Lip

Wayne State University Dissertations

The principal aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a career-planning course for college students who were undecided on a major or want to change or confirm their major at community college. The career-planning course was designed to assist students in becoming more aware of themselves and career options. From this study, the career-planning course assisted students in improving their career decision-making self-efficacy. A reduction in career decision-making difficulties for students was seen in this study. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group research design was used for this study. To determine if the experimental and control group were …

Employee Pronoun Use In Verbatim Comments As A Predictor Of Job Attitudes And Turnover Intentions, Amy E. Sund

Wayne State University Dissertations

It is common in employee attitude surveys to collect open ended comments from employees, yet this data remains largely under-utilized. In the present study, it is hypothesized that employee pronoun use is related to job attitudes and turnover intentions, such that the use of "we" type pronouns is higher among more satisfied employees; and that the use of "non-we" type pronouns is higher among less satisfied employees. Results largely did not support hypotheses - although "non-we" use was negative related to job attitudes, "we" use was also negative related. It is believed that the reason for the lack of findings …

Empathy As A Moderator Of Adolescent Bullying Behavior And Moral Disengagement After Controlling For Social Desirability, Amy Zelidman

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the moderating influence empathy has on the associations between adolescent bullying behavior and moral disengagement after controlling for social desirability (e.g., response bias). 676 students in 7th and 8th grade from a suburban middle school in Southeast Michigan participated in this study in the fall of 2012.

Results showed male respondents were more likely than female respondents to (a) report engaging in all forms of traditional bullying behavior overall, including physical, verbal, and social bullying and (b) report higher rates of physical victimization and moral disengagement. Female respondents were more likely to …

Understanding The Role Of Nutritional Stress In The Adult And Developing Zebra Finch, Jessica Bayley Thompson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Songbirds are particularly susceptible to stress during the sensitive period for song learning. Thus the developmental stress hypothesis (DSH) proposes that adult song reflects a male's early life environment during this period. Nutritional stress (NS) has been shown to cause deficits in song learning and adult song output that are salient to females. Female song birds consistently prefer control males over those raised under NS, yet the effects NS on females are still unclear. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) has been implicated in this process. However, evidence directly linking HPA functioning to the deficits due to NS have inconsistently shown elevations …

Does The Leader Fit The Place? Examining Leader-Culture Fit And Its Implications For Leader Effectiveness, Benjamin John Biermeier-Hanson

Wayne State University Dissertations

The present study focused on a relatively new concept, Leader-Culture Fit (L-C Fit), to help bridge the empirical gap that exists between the literatures on leadership and organizational culture. L-C Fit, a subtype of Person-Environment fit, was examined here by testing the complex relationships between perceptions of leaders, perceptions of their cultures, and how the fit between the two relates to leader effectiveness. The present study found that fit (and misfit) between a leader and their culture for perceived leader effectiveness. Specifically, fit is beneficial for perceived leader effectiveness when the leader and the culture are in alignment and are …

Process Group Vs. Skills Group Modalities In The Treatment Of Individuals Diagnosed With Major Depressive Disorder, Kirk David Duncan

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

PROCESS GROUP

VS.

SKILLS GROUP MODALITIES

IN THE TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH MAJOR

DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

by

KIRK DAVID DUNCAN

August 2014

Advisor: Dr. George Parris

Major: Counseling

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of a process group vs. a cognitive behavioral skills group modality on depression while investigating the effects of facilitator bond on outcomes. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted on the BDI-II posttest scores, and pretest scores served as the covariate and the group membership as the independent variable. When observing Figure 1 there was a visual desired …

Identifying And Understanding Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among College Students, Angela S. Fedewa

Wayne State University Dissertations

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior in college students

at an urban university was studied. Relations between NSSI

and poor quality relationships with their parents and peers, as

well as deficient coping and help-seeking behavior were examined

from an attachment perspective. Undergraduates were recruited

via an online psychology subject pool and completed an online survey.

T-tests were conducted to identify what variables differed between

students who engaged in NSSI in contrast to students that did not.

In addition, a discriminant function analysis was conducted. It was

found that intrapersonal and interpersonal variables predicted group

membership (i.e. social desirability, body protection, positive affect, …

A Pilot Study To Determine The Value Of Bilingual Counseling In A High School Where The Student Population Is Predominately Spanish/English Bilingual, Terrence Michael Mccabe

Wayne State University Dissertations

The present study examined bilingual counseling in a localized setting: a high school in southwest Detroit. The study assessed the ways in which bilingual counseling increases effective communication among bilingual students, school personnel, and students' parents/guardians. Participants included a cross-section of educators and support staff who work at a high school in southwest Detroit where the student population is predominately Spanish/English bilingual. Questionnaires were distributed to 81 participants; 59 completed questionnaires were returned. The instrument that was used to collect data was a questionnaire, which consisted of 19 questions. The questions reflected the participants' attitudes with respect to the research …

A Daily Study Of The Sleep-Pain Relationship In Fibromyalgia, Maren Elizabeth Hyde-Nolan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Fibromyalgia (FM) impacts millions of individuals around the world and is characterized by widespread chronic pain and tenderness as well as nonrestorative sleep, fatigue, and stiffness (Wolfe et al., 1990; Wolfe et al., 2010). Poor sleep quality is reported by more than 90% of individuals with FM, suggesting that sleep disturbance may be a contributing factor to the pain experience (Moldofsky, 2008). Recent reviews of the literature have established the connection between sleep and pain, although the direction of this relationship remains unclear (Finan et al., 2013; Moldofsky, 2001). This dissertation sought to examine the daily relationship between sleep and …

Longitudinal Change In Regional Cortices And Fluid Intelligence, Peng Yuan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Fluid intelligence (Gf) and crystalized intelligence (Gc) are two factors of the general intelligence. They have distinct age-related trajectories of change. Jung and Haier proposed Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory (P-FIT, 2007) to account for the inter-person variance in reasoning intelligence. Some brain regions such as prefrontal, parietal, temporal and anterior cingulate cortices were included in the P-FIT model and were hypothesized to be involved in fluid reasoning task. Therefore, in the current study, we examined latent growth curves (LGC) of longitudinal change in Gf, Gc, prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, anterior cingulate, temporal cortex and primary visual cortex. Forty-six healthy middle-aged and …

Mental Health Service Utilization Among African-American Adolescents, Marilyn Franklin

Wayne State University Dissertations

Underutilization of mental health services by ethnic minorities has been identified as a major public health threat by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001). Research on ethnic disparities has focused on identifying the sociodemographic correlates of between group differences in treatment attendance. The current study adds to the utilization literature by exploring within group differences amongst a sample of African-American families. Based on extant literature related to treatment utilization in other samples, this study examined the associations between multiple modifiable factors and adolescent treatment engagement amongst 90 African-American caregiver-adolescent dyads.

Consistent with previous research, psychological symptoms, functional …

Factors Related To Quality Of Life In Families Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jessica R. Garrett

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how caretakers of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are able to move through adverse circumstances with which they are confronted while raising their child with considerable developmental needs and challenges. Family resilience in this study includes family quality of life, locus of control, sense of coherence, perceived stress, uncertainty, severity, and demands. The participants in this study were 153 parents of children diagnosed with ASD. The parents were members of the Autism Society of Oakland County. The participants completed a survey comprised of six scales (Parental Concerns Questionnaire, Perceived …

Health-Related Behaviors In Low-Income, Minority Youth: The Role Of Motivation, Basic Needs, Mental Health, And Environmental Barriers, Brittany A. Kohlberger

Wayne State University Dissertations

Engaging in health-related behaviors, such as exercise, healthy eating, and sleep hygiene, are associated with fewer externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and higher self-esteem, suggesting that there may be large benefits to engaging in health-related behaviors during the transitional developmental phase of adolescence (Ong, Wickramaratne, Tang, & Weissmann, 2006; Stathopoulou, Power, Berry, Smits, & Otto, 2006). The purpose of the current study was to identify key psychological processes and external factors that may boost or impede youths' motivation and engagement in health-related behaviors. Specifically, we expected that higher levels of psychological symptoms and environmental barriers will be significantly, negatively associated …

Resilience As A Predictor Of Postpartum Quality Of Life In A Sample Of Women With A History Of Trauma, Jessica Lee Irwin

Wayne State University Theses

Changes in economic, social, and living situations make the postpartum period especially challenging. Despite the growing need to study postpartum mothers' quality of life to determine how to buffer against risk, a vast majority of studies in this area have focused on what negatively impacts quality of life. The current study sought to determine whether factors such as positive parenting, family functioning and resilience positively predict quality of life when controlling for annual household income, depressive symptomatology and posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Using hierarchical regression, it was confirmed that positive parenting and family functioning significantly contribute to quality of life, but …

Everyday Memory: An Expanded View Of Autobiographical Memory Functions, Jana Ranson

Wayne State University Theses

The current study investigated an expanded set of everyday autobiographical memory (AM) functions as proposed by developers of the 7-function Child-Caregiver Reminiscence Scale (CRS) (Kulkofsky & Koh, 2009). The current study adapted the theoretical CRS for use with diverse, adult samples. Participants (N = 1841) from a large, urban university completed the CRS-A online over the course or two academic semesters. Validation analyses included EFA using principal axis factoring, CFA, MGCFA invariance testing, and MTMM tests of construct validity (convergent and discriminant) and method effects. Results yielded evidence for a 6- function (Conversation, Perspective-Taking, Relationship Maintenance, Behavioral Control/Teaching/Problem-Solving, Emotion Regulation, …

Working Through School And Living With Conflict: The Role Of Selective Optimization With Compensation, Lydia Elizabeth Hamblin

Wayne State University Theses

Work-School Conflict (WSC) is defined as the extent to which work interferes with the ability to meet school demands (Markel & Frone, 1998). The aim of the present study was to examine perceptions of WSC among employed college students, as well as a positive antecedent, Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC; Baltes & Baltes, 1990), a group of behavior-based coping strategies. WSC was predicted to be a partial mediator between context-specific SOC strategies and the four outcomes: intent to persist with college, GPA, as well as two components of burnout, disengagement and exhaustion (Demerouti & Bakker, 2008). Structural equation modeling was …

Contextualized Extraversion And Its Change In Cross-Cultural Adjustment, Mengqiao Liu

Wayne State University Theses

Bridging recent developments in personality changes and contextualized personality, the current research focuses on changes in contextualized personality and their impact on cross-cultural adjustment. Findings revealed that contextualized Extraversion provided incremental validity in predicting context-related outcomes (i.e., cross-cultural adjustment) above and beyond global Extraversion. Although no significant changes were revealed regarding contextualized Extraversion, individual characteristics (i.e., cultural flexibility and cross-cultural motivation) negatively predicted individual differences in the rate of contextualized Extraversion changes. Implications and limitations were discussed.

Great Expectations: How Are Couples Influenced By Threatening Information Prior To A Pain Task?, Angelia Marie Corley

Wayne State University Theses

The present study examines the effects of a threat manipulation on romantic partners, in which one partner is about to undergo a painful task. Couples were randomly assigned to high and low threat manipulation groups, designed to alter one's anxiety or fear about the task. The study broadened the theoretical model, the Fear Avoidance Model, to the incorporate the social context and derived hypotheses regarding the role of one's romantic partner in the present paradigm. Results demonstrated preliminary evidence that a romantic partner may reduce one's anxiety about a painful task. Additionally, satisfaction with a conversation with a intimate partner …

Predictors Of Positive And Negative Affect Following Casual Sex, Jacqueline Woerner

Wayne State University Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of positive and negative affect following a recent casual sex experience in a sample of 585 men and women using a cross-sectional design. Structural Equation Modeling analyses identified sexual satisfaction, sexual assertiveness, belief in traditional gender roles, impulsivity, alcohol use, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and peer approval of casual sex as significant predictors of positive and negative affect. Support for hypotheses regarding gender differences were found: men reported greater positive affect and sexual satisfaction, and some predictors were significant for one gender but not the other. Practical implications for emotional and sexual …

Work-Health Conflict: Scale Development For Workers Managing A Chronic Illness, Sarah Renee Stoddart

Wayne State University Theses

ABSTRACT

WORK-HEALTH CONFLICT: SCALE DEVELOPMENT FOR WORKERS MANAGING A CHRONIC ILLNESS

by

SARAH STODDART

Advisor: Dr. Alyssa K. McGonagle

Major: Psychology (Industrial and Organizational)

Degree: Master of Arts

The current study developed a Work Health Conflict (WHC) scale to measure conflict experienced by workers who are managing a chronic health condition and continuing to work. It is estimated that 72 million working age adults are also managing a chronic illness. In order to develop the scale 4 studies were conducted using two samples of workers that are currently working with an illness. The first study employed an open-ended survey in …

Inattention And Hyperactivity Among Preschool Age Children Born Prematurely, Andrew Heitzer

Wayne State University Theses

A large body of literature shows that compared to children born at term, preterm- children are at increased risk for difficulties with inattention and hyperactivity. Less consistency exists, however, in the limited body of research exploring the contribution of early biological risk to behavioral disinhibition within the population of children born prematurely. Therefore, our goal was to examine perinatal variables that may influence activity level and hyperactivity among preterm preschoolers. Ninety-eight preterm (23.4 - 33.9 weeks gestation) preschoolers (3-4 years) participated in the study. Direct measures of inattention and hyperactivity as well as parental ratings were used to evaluate behavior. …

The Effect Of Organizational Violence Prevention Climate And Workplace Aggression Within Schools: An Investigation Of Burnout Syndrome In Teachers And The Moderating Effect Of Locus Of Control, Communal Orientation, And Violence Prevention Climate, Niambi Maia Childress

Wayne State University Theses

In accordance with the Job Demands-Resources model (Demerouti et al., 2001) and other related research (e.g. Bakker et al., 2006), the effect of overwhelming job demands to contribute to burnout can be mitigated by the presence of organizational resources and personal resources. This study examined the direct effects of three types (different perpetrators) of psychological and physical workplace aggression on burnout in teachers; as well as the moderating effects of teacher perceptions of violence prevention climate dimensions, LOC, and communal orientation in these relationships. Findings indicated that ambient physical aggression and Type III psychological aggression were significant predictors of overall …

Predictive Utility And Stability Of The Home Environment In An African American Sample From Diverse Socioeconomic Backgrounds, Mahya Rahimian Mashhadi

Wayne State University Theses

The quality of the home environment has a significant influence on various child outcomes. The current study investigated the predictive utility and stability of the home environment in a sample of 114 African American children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Analyses were conducted using archival data from the Early Development project, a study of the normative development of African American children. This project is consistent with a call by the Society for Research in Child Development (Cabrera, 2013) for research on the positive development of children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The purpose of the present study was to compare …

Animal-Assisted Therapy For Incarcerated Youth: A Randomized-Controlled Trial, Nicholas P. Seivert

Wayne State University Theses

This study is a randomized-controlled trial of a specific animal-assisted therapy (AAT) called Teacher's Pet (TP) with incarcerated youth. The intervention was expected to result in increased empathy and reduced internalizing and externalizing behavior problems as compared to the control. Dog attachment was theorized to be the mechanism for the increased empathy and reduced behavior problems. In addition, due to the attachment-based nature of the intervention, it was hypothesized that those with a history maltreatment/foster care would benefit the most. Participants were138 youth at two Midwestern juvenile detention facilities. The TP intervention trained dogs for one hour, twice weekly for …

Accumulation Of Subcortical Iron As A Modifier Of Volumetric And Cognitive Decline In Healthy Aging: Two Longitudinal Studies, Ana Marie Daugherty

Wayne State University Dissertations

Accumulation of non-heme iron in the brain has been theorized as a cellular mechanism underlying global neural and cognitive decline in normal aging and neurodegenerative disease. Relatively few studies of brain iron in normal aging exist and extant studies are almost exclusively cross-sectional. Here, I estimated iron content via T2* and measured volumes in several brain regions in two independent samples of healthy adults. The first sample (N = 89) was measured twice with a two-year delay; and the second sample (N = 32) was assessed four times over a span of 7 years. Latent models estimated change in iron …