Digital Commons Network^™

Social Engagement And Health: A Structural Equation Modelling Analysis Of Downstream Links To Health Outcomes Among White-Collar Professionals, Ahmad Iqmer Nashriq Bin Mohd Nazan

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT AND HEALTH: A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING ANALYSIS OF DOWNSTREAM LINKS TO HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG WHITE-COLLAR PROFESSIONALS

by

Ahmad Iqmer Nashriq bin Mohd Nazan

The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Associate Professor Amy E. Harley

High level of social engagement has been associated with improved health outcomes. Its capacity to influence one’s health has led to the conception of Berkman’s social relationship model which hypothesizes that health is impacted by social relationship through a series of causal processes that begin at the macro-social level (upstream factors) to micro-psychobiological processes (downstream factors). Social engagement …

Assessing The Relationships Between Multicultural Training, Cultural Identity, And Multicultural Counseling Competence Among Master’S Level Counseling Students, Rachel Reinders

Theses and Dissertations

The discrepancy between the demographics of the American population and mental health providers means that providers will increasingly be called upon to work with clients who are different from the provider. This study evaluated the relationship between multicultural competence (MCC), ethnic identity, and worldview variables for Master’s level counseling students enrolled in an introductory multicultural counseling course. It also included an analysis of course factors. A total of 201 students completed the survey at both the beginning and end of the semester. Students reported higher levels of ethnic identity development at the end of the semester as compared to the …

Utilizing Consumer Health Posts For Pharmacovigilance: Identifying Underlying Factors Associated With Patients’ Attitudes Towards Antidepressants, Maryam Zolnoori

Theses and Dissertations

Non-adherence to antidepressants is a major obstacle to antidepressants therapeutic benefits, resulting in increased risk of relapse, emergency visits, and significant burden on individuals and the healthcare system. Several studies showed that non-adherence is weakly associated with personal and clinical variables, but strongly associated with patients’ beliefs and attitudes towards medications. The traditional methods for identifying the key dimensions of patients’ attitudes towards antidepressants are associated with some methodological limitations, such as concern about confidentiality of personal information. In this study, attempts have been made to address the limitations by utilizing patients’ self report experiences in online healthcare forums to …

Rescuing Age-Related Proteolysis Deficits With Methylene Blue, Shane E. Pullins

Theses and Dissertations

The average lifespan is constantly increasing with the advent of new medical techniques, and age-related cognitive decline is becoming a prevalent societal issue. Even during healthy aging, humans and rats exhibit progressive deficits in episodic/declarative memory. In laboratory rats, age-related memory impairment can be assessed with trace fear conditioning (TFC). Recent research implicates ubiquitin proteasome system-mediated protein degradation in the synaptic plasticity supporting memory formation and retrieval. In rats, aging leads to decreased basal proteolytic activity in brain structures known to support the acquisition and retrieval of trace fear memories, and our preliminary data suggests activity-dependent proteasome activity declines in …

Exploration Of Affect And Antecedent Experiences In Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Shana Anne Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as deliberate self-harm, without the intention of suicide, causing direct destruction of body tissue (Nock & Favazza, 2009). Individuals with NSSI have significantly increased risk of suicide completion compared to individuals who do not engage in NSSI (Cooper et al., 2007). Therefore, understanding this behavior and the experiences that underlie it are of critical importance.

Objective: Current conceptualization of NSSI includes four distinct functions described as the Four Factor Model of NSSI (FFM; Nock and Prinstein, 2004). The present study aims to investigate the distinction between the two automatic (intrapersonal) functions of NSSI described …

Combining Attention Bias Pretraining With Exposure Therapy For Individuals With A Fear Of Spiders, Jennifer Turkel

Theses and Dissertations

The exposure therapy literature supports the notion that facilitated attentional focus on threat is necessary for a reduction in fear symptoms. A newer, computer-based cognitive training program for anxiety conditions that manipulates patterns of attentional allocation called attention bias modification has also demonstrated efficacy in the reduction of anxiety symptoms. Interestingly, this form of treatment promotes the opposite pattern of attentional processing (i.e., disengagement from threat stimuli). Taken together, it appears that the optimal pattern of attentional allocation during exposure needed to facilitate the reduction of anxiety symptoms remains unclear. Furthermore, the effect of combining attention bias modification with exposure …

The Impact Of Fading Restorative Safety Behaviors On Symptoms Of Contamination Fear During A Single Session Exposure Intervention: An Experimental Investigation, Amy Rachel Goetz

Theses and Dissertations

Safety behaviors are actions taken to prevent, escape from, or reduce the severity of a perceived threat. Cognitive-behavioral theorists posit that safety behaviors interfere with important exposure processes and should be removed from therapy. However, there is a growing accumulation of data suggesting that some safety behaviors may not be detrimental, and those that allow for full confrontation with a core threat, may not interfere with meaningful indicators of successful exposure. Therefore, it is important to examine parameters associated with restorative safety behaviors under conditions of use and then later removal. The current study examined the continuous (RSB) versus faded …

Development And Validation Of A Self-Care Scale For Clinical And Counseling Doctoral Students, Mercedes Santana

Theses and Dissertations

Self-care is a critical component and considered a core foundational competency for doctoral students in the field of psychology. It is an ethical imperative to maintain adequate self-care in order to prevent burnout and negative outcomes to those receiving our healthcare services. Self-care is also related to the professional values of psychology, specifically beneficence and nonmaleficence which relates to our duty of exercising good judgment to avoid harm to clients. Despite being identified as such little research has explored the topic. One reason that may contribute to the lack of research is the need for a measure self-care behaviors. In …

Cultural Correlates Of Ptsd In Latinos Residing In The U.S., Gabriela A. Nagy

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the associations between cultural variables (i.e., acculturative stress, discrimination, social support, migration planning, and reasons for migrating) and exposure to trauma and PTSD in a sample of Latinos (N=2,554) residing in the United States, who participated in the National Latino and Asian America Study (NLAAS). Results showed that there were significant positive associations between trauma exposure and migrating because of political reasons, migrating in search of medical attention, migrating due to

marital or family problems, and forced migration, suggesting they may be risk factors for being exposed to trauma. There was a negative association between trauma …

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptomatology In Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Christina Casnar

Theses and Dissertations

Social problems are a common concern of parents of children with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). There has been a recent surge of research examining the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and ASD symptomatology in children with NF1. Findings from this relatively new body of research are mixed. The primary aim of this study was to examine ASD symptomatology in children with NF1 using a comprehensive assessment of ASD symptoms. A second aim was to examine possible variables that may contribute to socio-communicative difficulties. Participants included 25 children with NF1 between the ages of 9 and 13, along with their …

Barriers To Disclosure Of Sexual Victimization Experiences Among Men, Timothy J. Geier

Theses and Dissertations

Efforts to better understand sexual victimization experiences among male populations have been chiefly absent (Spataro, Moss, & Wells, 2001; Stermac, Sheridan, Davidson, & Dunn, 1996). ). Research indicates that approximately 1 in 71 men in the United States (i.e., 1.6 million men) have been raped in their lifetime, and nearly 1 in 5 men (i.e., 25 million men) have experienced sexual victimization other than rape in their lifetime (Black, Basile, Breiding, Smith, Walters, Merrick, Chen, & Stevens, 2011). It is suggested these estimates do not fully portray the actual prevalence given hesitancy of male victims to report the crime (Bullock …

Examining A Novel Response Modality: Teaching Sighted Individuals To Read Braille Visually, Madelynn Audrey Lillie

Theses and Dissertations

In order to prepare teachers to instruct children with visual impairments in braille, previous research has taught sighted adults to match braille sample stimuli to print comparisons in a matching-to-sample (MTS) format and has assessed the emergence of other braille repertoires such as transcribing and reading following this training. Although participants have learned to match-to-sample with braille, they displayed limited emergence of other braille repertoires. This lack of generative responding may have resulted from participants’ over-selective attending to components of compound braille characters during instruction. The current study taught three undergraduate learners to construct braille characters given a print sample—which …

Elementary Cognitive Tasks Of Executive Functioning: A Concurrent Validity Study, Octavio A. Santos

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we examined the concurrent validity of four computerized elementary cognitive tasks (ECTs) by comparing them with Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System’s (D-KEFS) scores shown to load on the three-factor model of executive functions (EFs). A sample of 175 college students were administered two ECTs purportedly measuring perceptual-motor skills (simple and choice reaction time [RT] tasks) and two ECTs purportedly measuring executive control (1- & 2-bit internal-rule [IR] tasks), as well as the D-KEFS Sorting Test, Color-Word Test, and Verbal Fluency Test to assess Shifting, Inhibition, and Updating, respectively. Specific D-KEFS scores underwent principal component analysis, yielding a three-factor …

Intrinsic Frontolimbic Connectivity And Associated Patterns On Reported Mood Symptoms In Young Adult Cannabis Users, Skyler Gabriel Shollenbarger

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Recent legislation changes regarding cannabis in the United States highlights the importance of investigating the impact of regular cannabis use on populations, such as emerging adults, that will likely drive the market given their greater daily use (see Johnston et al., 2014). The endocannbinoid system plays a role in neurodevelopment (see Bossong & Niesink, 2010) and has been implicated in behavioral and emotional processing (see Moreira & Lutz, 2008; see Solinas et al., 2008; see Covey et al., 2014). The current study utilized a multisite functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset of intrinsic (a.k.a. no task/resting state) frontolimbic connectivity …

Perceptions Of Belongingness In Stem Subjects And Career Development For Middle School African American Girls, Anya Woronzoff Verriden

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the hypothesis that African American girls’ early perceptions of support in middle school influences their narrowing or broadening of interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects and careers. As previously researched the belief that boys excel at math and science while girls do well in the humanities is not supported by findings. Therefore the purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction of contextual factors such as teacher, parent, and peer support for African American middle school girls and their interest in STEM subjects utilizing a qualitative research method. Students are making decisions about their …

Effects Of Online Response Inhibition Training In Children With Williams Syndrome: A Pilot Study, Natalie Brei

Theses and Dissertations

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder which is often accompanied by challenges such as attention difficulties, anxiety, and overfriendliness. While research is mixed, a substantial body of literature suggests that deficits in response inhibition may underlie these difficulties in WS, making response inhibition a possible focus of intervention. However, research to date has not explored interventions that may affect response inhibition in individuals with WS. A recently developed computerized response inhibition training program has shown promise at improving response inhibition in other populations, but research on computerized training for people with WS has not been conducted. The aim …

Effects Of Self-Affirmation On Emotion And Cardiovascular Responses, Wei-Ju Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Self-affirmation is the act of focusing on important aspects of the self, such as personal values and characteristic. Benefits of self-affirmation have been documented in past research. However, the immediate impacts of self-affirmation on cardiovascular responses have not been fully explored. Therefore, the present study examined such effects both during and consequent to the practice of self-affirmation. One hundred and twenty-five participants completed the study. A within-subject design was used, in which each participant went through both the control and self-affirmation conditions (the order of presentation was counterbalanced). In the self-affirmation condition, participants were asked to write about their top-ranked …

The Development Of Preference For Or Against Choice-Making Opportunities, Melissa Drifke

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE DEVELOPMENT OF PREFERENCE FOR OR AGAINST CHOICE-MAKING OPPORTUNITIES

by

Melissa A. Drifke

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Professor Jeffrey Tiger

Many individuals prefer contexts in which choice-making opportunities are available relative to contexts in which the same experiences are arranged without the opportunity to choose. Further, providing contingent access to choice-making opportunities often results in increased engagement and decreased problem behavior for individuals in reinforcement-based programs. Little is known about why preferences for choice-making contexts develop. The current study examines pairing choice-making contexts with increased or decreased reinforcer magnitude, quality, and immediacy to develop …

The Impact Of Priming Power On Sexual Harassment Proclivity In Male Correctional Officers, Alexander Gomory

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that holding a position of power has a significant impact on the likelihood of an individual engaging in sexual harassment. Additionally, cultural scripts among men encourage seeking power, and exerting their power upon others through acts such as sexual harassment. Correctional officers exist in an environment that necessitates the adherence and utilization of power to control dangerous environments. The combination of traditional male norms and the need to access power and authority for male correctional officers could lead to an increase in sexual harassment proclivity. This study will explore whether a short term priming of power …

Examining The Intersections Of Gay Identity, Ethnic Identity, And Spirituality And Their Relationship With Psychological Distress And Internalized Heterosexism, Ernesto Noam Lira De La Rosa

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have tested Meyer’s (1995, 2003) minority stress theory and have documented the negative impact that minority stress can have on the psychological well-being for minorities. However, few studies have examined the role of multiple minority identities or the protective factors that may buffer against psychological distress. The present study utilized quantitative methodology to examine minority stress theory in a sample of gay men of color. A paper and pencil self-report survey was provided to 302 voluntary adult Gay men of color in Southeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. The measures gathered information about participant’s gay and ethnic identity salience, spirituality, …

A Technology-Aided Approach To Teaching Parents To Create A Safe Infant Sleep Space, Jillian Austin

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

A TECHNOLOGY-AIDED APPROACH TO TEACHING PARENTS TO CREATE A SAFE INFANT SLEEP SPACE

by

Jillian Austin

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of W. Hobart Davies

Sleep-related death during infancy is the most preventable form of infant death. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published recommendations for safe infant sleep; however, parents still report frequent use of dangerous infant sleep practices. An online computer program was developed to investigate whether parents could be taught to create safe sleep environments using a computerized behavioral skills training (BST) package that includes instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Using a pre- …

Nurses' Reactions To Patient Weight: Effects On Clinical Decisions, Heidi M. Pfeiffer

Theses and Dissertations

In previous research, a variety of health care providers have expressed some degree of negative attitudes toward caring for obese patients. However, little is known about whether these negative attitudes lead to differential care. This study focused on the clinical decision-making of nurses, who are under-represented in this type of research despite their central and sustained role in patients’ care experiences. In an anonymous online survey, 256 nurses responded to clinical vignettes about a hypothetical patient depicted in a photograph. The patient’s appearance was altered to appear normal-weight or obese, for each of two different models per sex, utilizing a …

Investigating The Functional Connectivity Of The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis During Conditions Of Threat And Safety Using High Resolution 7 Tesla Fmri, Walker Scott Pedersen

Theses and Dissertations

An influential model of the extended amygdala defines fear as the immediate response to phasic threat and anxiety as the prolonged response to unpredictable or sustained threat (Davis, Walker, Miles & Grillon, 2010). This model proposes that in response to unpredictable threat, the centromedial amygdala (CeA) activates the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), which coordinates the anxiety response, and, in turn, inhibits the CeA. Connectivity between the BNST and both the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and hippocampus may also play an important role in the coordination of the anxiety response (Davis et al., 2010; Herman et al., 2003; Zhu, …

Effects Of Laughter On Self-Report And Psychophysiological Measures Of Stress, Alese M. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between laughter and stress reduction. Past research indicates that humor is related to stress reduction, but little is known about the specific role of laughter. It was hypothesized that laughter would have a similar effect. Stress was elicited through a mental arithmetic task, which was followed by a viewing of either a laughter-inducing video or a control (nature) video. Stress levels were assessed with both self-report and psychophysiological measures, including heart rate and respiration rate. Data was analyzed using one-within and one-between repeated measures ANOVAs. It was found that there …

Aggression In Children With 7q11.23 Duplication Syndrome, Brianna Yund

Theses and Dissertations

7q11.23 duplication syndrome (Dup7) is a recently identified genetic disorder that is caused by a duplication of the same set of genes deleted in Williams syndrome (WS). Dup7 is highly variable and associated with several cognitive, behavioral, and medical characteristics, a wide range of cognitive abilities, language delay, childhood apraxia of speech, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), anxiety disorders, developmental coordination disorder, and epilepsy. A recent examination of individuals with Dup7 indicated high levels of social anxiety and elevated aggression and oppositional behavior compared to same-aged peers; however, detailed characterization of behavioral outcomes and factors that may contribute to variability in …

Structural Integrity Of Attention Networks In Cross-Modal Selective Attention Performance In Healthy Aging, Michelle Kassel

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of structural brain changes in healthy aging on cross-modal selective attention performance was investigated with structural MRI (T1- and diffusion-weighted scans). Eighteen younger (M=26.1, SD=5.7) and 18 older (M=62.4, SD=4.9) healthy adults with normal hearing performed a reaction time (RT) cross-modal selective attention A/B/X task. Participants discriminated syllables presented in either visual or auditory modalities, with either randomized or fixed distraction presented simultaneously in the opposite modality. Within the older group only, RT was significantly slower during random (M=573.24, SE=33.66) compared to fixed (M=554.04, SE=33.53) distraction, F(1,34)=5.41, p=.026. Average gray matter thickness and white matter integrity were lower …

An Assessment Of Treatment Options For Pre-Existing Prompt Dependence In Children With Developmental Disabilities, Ella Gorgan

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has focused on identifying effective strategies to prevent prompt dependence from occurring during the training of novel skills. This has been targeted in a variety of ways, including differential reinforcement, prompt fading, and allowing extended response intervals. Current literature has also indicated that the relative efficacy and efficiency of different prompting procedures may be idiosyncratic across learners, suggesting the potential benefit of an individualized assessment. The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on prompt dependence by comparing interventions for skills for which four participants with developmental disabilities consistently engaged in correct responses following prompts …

Case Study Examining The Treatment Effect Of Trainee Psychologists In Schools, Elliot Broch

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

CASE STUDY EXAMINING THE TREATMENT EFFECT OF TRAINEE PSYCHOLOGISTS IN SCHOOLS

The effects of school- based therapy carried out by trainee psychologists were examined in four urban schools (k4-8th grade) in socio economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Additionally, the treatment effects were compared between students serviced by trainees compared to those receiving treatment from licensed professionals. Trainee psychologists obtained moderate effect sizes (equivalent to that procured by licensed professionals) on measures of social emotional functioning. Discipline problems did not increase or decrease at a different rate for those receiving counselling from trainees and licensed professionals compared to their same age counterparts. …

An Evaluation Of Mand And Tact Assessment Procedures, Brittany Ann Leblanc

Theses and Dissertations

There are many empirically validated interventions to establish vocal mands and tacts for children (e.g., Miguel, Carr, & Michael, 2002; Wallace, Iwata, & Hanley, 2006); however, the method for determining the most appropriate intervention for each individual is unclear. An assessment is one way to identify an effective intervention for a given individual. The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend Bourret, Vollmer, & Rapp (2004) who evaluated an assessment to inform effective mand interventions for three boys with vocal mand deficits. In the first study, we replicated the full mand assessment as described by Bourret et …

Comparing The Efficacy And Efficiency Of Varying Task Interspersal Ratios, Sophie Claire Knutson

Theses and Dissertations

Task interspersal (TI) is a procedural variation of discrete trial training that has been implemented with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to facilitate the acquisition of novel skills, and may reduce problem behavior during instruction. The literature shows equivocal results regarding the efficiency of TI, but there is limited literature indicating the effects on level of problem behavior. The current study extended the literature on TI by comparing the efficacy and efficiency of varying TI ratios implemented in early intervention practices with children with ASD and related disorders on acquisition and levels problem behavior. The four ratios of mastered …