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Internal Versus External Predictors Of Physical Activity In Youth, Paige Marie Ryan
Internal Versus External Predictors Of Physical Activity In Youth, Paige Marie Ryan
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Physical activity (PA) participation has been linked to broad health benefits including reduced risk of chronic diseases (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2008). PA participation is important for youth as it sets the precedent for continued engagement and improved long-term health. Nonetheless, adolescents have some of the lowest rates of physical activity, and subsequently obesity rates in youth have exponentially increased in the past few decades (CDC, 2013). Therefore, determining predictors of PA for adolescents is of vital importance. Many studies focus on barriers to PA in youth, but few include both facilitating and inhibiting factors of youth PA participation. …
A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Hatha Yoga Intervention For Smokers, Emily Robin Jeffries
A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Hatha Yoga Intervention For Smokers, Emily Robin Jeffries
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Despite well-documented negative effects of smoking, many individuals continue to smoke. Anxiety and depression are associated with poorer cessation outcomes. Three transdiagnostic factors may explain the anxiety/depression-smoking link: anxiety sensitivity (AS), distress tolerance (DT), anhedonia (Anh; Leventhal & Zvolensky, 2015). It therefore follows that changing AS, DT, and Anh could aid cessation efforts. Thus, the current study tested the efficacy of hatha yoga for reducing craving, smoking, AS, and Anh and increasing DT, and whether anxiety/depression moderates these relationships. Participants were 55 community-recruited smokers (62% male, 71% non-Hispanic White, Mage = 28.16) motivated to reduce or quit smoking. We …
Differential Effects Of Mindful Breathing And Loving-Kindness Meditation Exercises On College Students' Mental Health, Sarah J. Bolognino
Differential Effects Of Mindful Breathing And Loving-Kindness Meditation Exercises On College Students' Mental Health, Sarah J. Bolognino
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Mindfulness and loving-kindness are two concepts with associated meditation exercises that have been evaluated as part of mindfulness-based treatment approaches (MBTAs) to improve mental health. A common MBTA, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) includes multiple component exercises including mindful breathing meditation (MBM), and loving-kindness meditation (LKM). The purpose of the present study was to examine differential effects of MBM and LKM on the proposed process variables of social connectedness, cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance, present moment awareness, affect, and compassion for self and others, as well as across outcomes measures of general anxiety, social anxiety, depression, and wellbeing. Additionally the …
Functional Interplay Between Neurocognitive Decline And Risk Factors In Older Adults: A Multivariate Latent Growth Curve Model Of Risk, Rebecca Kathryn Macaulay
Functional Interplay Between Neurocognitive Decline And Risk Factors In Older Adults: A Multivariate Latent Growth Curve Model Of Risk, Rebecca Kathryn Macaulay
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a heterogeneous brain disease with multiple interacting risk factors, suggesting equifinality. Research indicates that the pathophysiological processes involved in AD are evident years prior to disease onset with significant variability in neurocognitive functioning being apparent during preclinical stages. Identification of individuals in preclinical stages is vital, as earlier interventions may prove more effective at ameliorating AD’s devastating effects. In this respect, clarifying relationships between risk factors and neurocognitive functioning in cognitively intact older adults can improve our understanding of mechanisms involved in preclinical AD, which may allow for earlier detection and intervention. The present study employed …
Trait Affective, Behavioral, And Cognitive Factors Of Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms In Children And Adolescents: A Hierarchical Model, Reanna Elise Whiting
Trait Affective, Behavioral, And Cognitive Factors Of Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms In Children And Adolescents: A Hierarchical Model, Reanna Elise Whiting
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Researchers have proposed a vulnerabilities model that attempts to explain the similarities between the internalizing disorders via a hierarchical pathway of trait affectivity and cognitive factors among adults. The current study aimed to replicate and extend this model to symptoms of four internalizing disorders among youth: obsessions and compulsions, generalized anxiety/worry, social anxiety, and depression. Regression-based path analyses utilized data from a community sample of 105 youth aged 12-17 (67.6% female, 80% white, non-Hispanic). Results largely replicated prior models in the adult literature and overall supported a hierarchical paradigm. Trait negative affect and avoidant behavior predicted mid-tier cognitive vulnerabilities (anxiety …
Environmental Effects On Adolescents Exposed To Hurricane Katrina, Karen Laslie Davidson
Environmental Effects On Adolescents Exposed To Hurricane Katrina, Karen Laslie Davidson
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Adolescents in New Orleans were displaced by hurricane Katrina and returned to find their city devastated by this natural disaster. Although many studies have found a relationship between hurricane exposure and development of psychopathology, the current study evaluated this relationship within the context of protective and risk factors. Specifically, the current study evaluated whether community violence, parent support, and peer support moderated the relationship between hurricane exposure and adolescent PTSD or depression. Results found no relationship between hurricane exposure and adolescent depression. Although there was a main effect for hurricane exposure and PTSD, the proposed variables did not moderate this …
The Relationship Between Depression And Feeding Disorder Symptoms Among Persons With Severe And Profound Mental Retardation, Stephen Bradley Mayville
The Relationship Between Depression And Feeding Disorder Symptoms Among Persons With Severe And Profound Mental Retardation, Stephen Bradley Mayville
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
In recent years, feeding disorders have been described in detail, and various assessment and treatment methods for these disorders have been reported. Within the literature, an emphasis has been placed on functional variables responsible for the onset and maintenance of feeding disorders, yet little has been reported on the relationship between feeding disorders and other forms of psychopathology. Therefore, the relationship between depression and feeding disorders was assessed. Three groups of individuals were compared across subscales and individual items on the Screening Tool for Feeding Problems (STEP) to assess for differences in problematic feeding behavior. Individuals who met diagnostic criteria …
Psychosocial Predictors Of Visceral Adiposity, Paula C. Rhode
Psychosocial Predictors Of Visceral Adiposity, Paula C. Rhode
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Psychosocial factors are thought to influence health through primarily direct physiological mechanisms or the alteration of health related behaviors. Three factors hypothesized to negatively impact health include arousal, life stress, and depressive symptomatology. One recent theorist suggests that the interaction between psychological stress and stress hormones on the neuroendocrine system may result in adverse changes to body composition, most notably the increased deposition of visceral adipose tissue (Bjorntorp, 1993). The current study prospectively examined the relationship between self-reported stressful life events, depressive symptoms and trait arousal on the deposition of visceral fat, as measured by computerized tomography (CT). Subjects were …