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Does Mindfulness Reduce Negativity Bias? A Potential Mechanism For Reduced Emotional Distress, Laura Kiken May 2009

Does Mindfulness Reduce Negativity Bias? A Potential Mechanism For Reduced Emotional Distress, Laura Kiken

Theses and Dissertations

The present research examined if mindfulness reduced negativity bias on measures of attitude formation and cognitive style, as a potential explanation for the beneficial effects of mindfulness on emotional disturbance. Two studies were conducted. Study One was correlational and found that trait mindfulness inversely correlated with measures of negative cognitive style, and that the latter partially mediated an inverse association between mindfulness and predisposition to depression and anxiety. Further, correlations between mindfulness and both positive attitude formation and optimism hinted at a potential positivity bias. Study Two extended these findings using a randomized experimental design comparing a mindfulness induction to …


Religiousness, Coping, And Locus Of Control As Predictors Of Anxiety., Rebecca Brooks May 2009

Religiousness, Coping, And Locus Of Control As Predictors Of Anxiety., Rebecca Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to evaluate the cognitive appraisal and meaning-making components of the Transactional Model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and Meaning-making Model (Park & Folkman, 1997) of coping, several specific forms of appraisal and coping strategies were analyzed in the present study. It has been proposed that religiousness and time influence the meaning-making process (Park, 2005); therefore, an interaction of intrinsic religiousness and time were key variables in the study as well. A survey designed to address relationships among locus of control, type of situation, intrinsic religious orientation, specific coping styles, and maladaptive psychological symptoms was administered to 240 students of …


A Pilot Study To Explore The Use Of Expressive Writing To Reduce Anxiety And Psychological Threat In An Academic Setting, Cynthia Delores Jenkins Apr 2009

A Pilot Study To Explore The Use Of Expressive Writing To Reduce Anxiety And Psychological Threat In An Academic Setting, Cynthia Delores Jenkins

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if the use of Pennebaker's short-term expressive writing intervention would have a positive effect on the academic performance of a group of third semester underperforming freshmen. This is a relatively brief and simple intervention pioneered by J. W. Pennebaker (1997) who conducted numerous studies using the procedure. Most of the research has involved having subjects write about traumatic, stressful or emotional events for 15–20 minutes (the maximum) over 3–5 days. In contrast, the studies by Wilson (2006) and Cohen et al (2006) used self-affirmations for writing. For this study self-affirmation directions were …


Mental Illness, Co-Occurring Factors And Aggression As Examined In An American Prison, Stephanie Leigh Sullivan Jan 2009

Mental Illness, Co-Occurring Factors And Aggression As Examined In An American Prison, Stephanie Leigh Sullivan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the relationship between several factors which have been identified in previous research as co-occurring and risk relevant to aggressive behavior. Although many factors have been addressed independently for various reasons in other studies, this study looks at the unique combination of a select few of these variables and their relationship for propensity towards aggression. The results of this study show propensity towards aggression is significant for two specific mental health issues; anxiety, and history of severe head injury. Results also indicate that co-occurring factors are prevalent in this sample and those inmates with prior mental illness are …


The Power Of The Mind : The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Quality Of Life And Anxiety For Older Adults With Chronic Illness , Tracy Elizabeth Ransom Jan 2009

The Power Of The Mind : The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Quality Of Life And Anxiety For Older Adults With Chronic Illness , Tracy Elizabeth Ransom

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationship between mindfulness training and older adults with chronic illness and a documented clinical anxiety diagnosis. Six subjects (mean age = 69 years) who met criteria for a DSM-IV-TR anxiety condition and who endorsed one or more chronic illnesses participated in an 8-week customized mindfulness training program. The research evaluated the impact of mindfulness training and practice on depression, quality of life, health satisfaction and anxiety. This dissertation's findings suggest that of these variables, state and trait anxiety were significantly reduced at the conclusion of the program. Given these findings, this research proposes that anxiety in …


Mitigating Risk For Anxiety Among Preschool-Age Children Living In Poverty: Evaluating The Impact Of Adult-Provided Social Support On Autonomic Stress Reactivity, Brian Cory Wolff Jan 2009

Mitigating Risk For Anxiety Among Preschool-Age Children Living In Poverty: Evaluating The Impact Of Adult-Provided Social Support On Autonomic Stress Reactivity, Brian Cory Wolff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Poverty increases children's exposure to stress, elevating their risk for developing patterns of heightened sympathetic and parasympathetic stress reactivity. Repeated patterns of high sympathetic activation and parasympathetic withdrawal place children at risk for anxiety disorders. This study evaluated whether providing social support to preschool-age children during mildly stressful situations helps reduce reactivity, and whether this effect partly depends on children's previously assessed baseline reactivity patterns. The Biological Sensitivity to Context (BSC) theory proposes that highly reactive children may be more sensitive than less reactive children to all environmental influences, including social support. In contrast, conventional physiological reactivity (CPR) theory contends …


Intellectual Ability In Children With Anxiety: A Replication And Exploration Of The Differences, Melissa S. Munson Jan 2009

Intellectual Ability In Children With Anxiety: A Replication And Exploration Of The Differences, Melissa S. Munson

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of anxiety on the intellectual functioning of children. Specifically, the current researchers sought to replicate previous findings that children with higher levels of anxiety have significantly lower scores on tests of intelligence. A second goal was to examine possible reasons for these deficits, including possible deficits in working memory and/or attention. Participants were divided into two groups with high and low anxiety, based on a self-report measure, though none of the children reported clinically problematic anxiety. The participants were 19 children (10 males, 9 females) who were recruited from the …


The Effects, Brain Targets, And Mechanisms Of Estradiol For Affective Behavior, Alicia Ann Walf Jan 2009

The Effects, Brain Targets, And Mechanisms Of Estradiol For Affective Behavior, Alicia Ann Walf

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although estradiol (E2) has numerous effects in the central nervous system, this review will focus on addressing the effects of E2 on behaviors related to mood in women and animal models and include recent findings from our laboratory related to this topic. E2's anti-anxiety and anti-depressant-like effects may depend upon many factors (e.g. age, reproductive history/status, time in E2 deficient state before initiation of E2 therapy, regimen and dosing of E2, neuropsychiatric/stress history). First, evidence of how factors may alter responses to E2 in people and in animal models will be discussed. Second, interactions of E2 with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis/stress …


Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Other Consequences Of A Picu Admission, Stephanie Ann Stowman Jan 2009

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Other Consequences Of A Picu Admission, Stephanie Ann Stowman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Currently, there is a paucity of literature regarding children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) relative to caregivers' experiences. Children admitted to a PICU and their caregivers are at risk for various psychopathology. Disorders commonly identified in seriously ill children include depression, anxiety, acute stress disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Caregivers of seriously ill children are at increased risk of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, acute stress disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Researchers often fail to examine all relevant psychopathology and contributing factors and stressors, such as family environment, in seriously ill children and their caregivers. This study assessed …