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Can Distress Tolerance Predict Chronic Worry? Investigating The Relationships Among Worry, Distress Tolerance, Cognitive Avoidance, Psychological Flexibility, Difficulties In Emotion Regulation, And Anxiety Sensitivity, Bethany Anne Sabourin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

According to the avoidance theory of worry proposed by Borkovec, Alcaine, and Behar (2004), chronic worry functions as an avoidance mechanism, enabling an individual to diminish the physiological experience of anxiety by impeding emotional processing of the fear stimulus. Previous research has revealed significant correlations between chronic worry and difficulties in emotion regulation (Salters-Pedneault et al., 2006) as well as anxiety sensitivity (Floyd, Garfield, & LaSota, 2005). Distress tolerance which is significantly related to anxiety sensitivity (Bernstein, Zvolensky, Vujanovic, & Moos, 2009) is strongly associated with many maladaptive avoidance behaviors (Anestis et al., 2007; Linehan, 1993; Timpano et al., 2009; …

Examining Relationships Of Taste Sensitivity And Body Fat Percentage Using Body Adiposity Index, Amanda J. Lemaster

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Body fat and taste sensitivity have been explored with mixed results. Generally, studies have used Body Mass Index (BMI) as an indicator of obesity. This research study explores the relations between body fat percentage using a fairly new measure, Body Adiposity Index (BAI; Bergman et al., 2011), BMI, and the three types of taste sensitivities: non-, medium, and supertasters. Taste sensitivity was assessed using two methods: the blue food dye exam (Miller & Reedy, 1990) and the filter paper method (Zhao, Kirkmeyer, & Tepper, 2003) using the general Labeled Magnitude Scale (Bartoshuk et al., 2004) among student participants (n = …

Impact Of Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders And Traumatic Brain Injury On Speech-Language Treatment: Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perspectives, Janis Whitney Neal

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Previous studies have associated traumatic brain injury (TBI) with higher rates of psychiatric disorders. This study investigated speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) perspectives on the prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric disorders in the TBI population and its impact on speech-language treatment. Interviews were conducted with twelve SLPs working with a TBI population. Results revealed a lack of standard measures to assist SLPs in distinguishing between the symptoms of psychiatric disorders versus the neuropsychiatric symptoms of TBI. Also, results indicated the heavy reliance on a multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive and individualized treatment for the TBI clientele, and the negative consequences of untreated psychiatric …

Childhood Externalizing Behavior Problems, Maternal Depression, And Father Involvement In Low-Income African American Families, Sara Johns

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Data indicate that up to 25% of preschoolers are exhibiting clinical levels of externalizing behaviors. Among children in at-risk populations, such as those attending Head Start preschools, estimates of clinical levels of externalizing behavior problems are as high as 30%. Studies of early childhood externalizing behavior problems indicate the potential for stability of elevated externalizing behaviors over time and the association of these behaviors with a variety of negative outcomes. Maternal depression and father involvement may be important predictors of externalizing behavior. The current study investigated the nature of the relationship between maternal depression, father involvement, and child externalizing behaviors …

Anxiety Sensitivity As A Moderator For Ptsd Mediated Combat Exposure In Predicting Suicide Risk In A Military Sample, Barry Donovan Eye

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Suicide took almost 40,000 U.S. lives in 2011, with military rates exceeding the general population (and rising). Anxiety sensitivity (AS; the fear of fear) includes three components: physical, cognitive, and social. Recent studies indicate a connection between AS and suicidality through the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS). Separate research has proposed that the development of severe psychopathology, like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide, may be moderated by AS. The present study considered this mechanism from an IPTS perspective with a cross-sectional sample of veterans and active duty members from a Veterans Affairs clinic database. Regression models tested whether physical …

Validation Of The Adapted Cogstate Brief Battery In Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Patients, Bethany Gourley

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A small literature has documented cognitive deficits in adult hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) survivors across the transplant trajectory, primarily occurring in memory, executive function, attention, and processing speed. Although HCT-associated cognitive decline occurring within one year of transplantation is well documented, only two studies have longitudinally investigated cognitive function in HCT survivors beyond one year. Furthermore, studies demonstrating neuropsychological decline have made use of numerous measures and varying impairment criteria, making the compilation of findings across studies challenging. Another difficulty with the current literature base is the use of traditional neuropsychological tests that are susceptible to practice effects and thus …

Analysis Of Beta-Band Meg Coherence In Asd During Direct Gaze Processing: Relationship To Social Cognition, Aimee Marie Moore

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Gaze-following is a rudimentary behavior that forms the foundation of social communication, where aberrant social orienting is a defining feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD; Hoehl et al., 2009; Nummenmaa & Cal der, 2009). Recent neuroimaging research has demonstrated increasing precision at identifying aberrant brain response patterns in individuals with ASD, but no studies have employed a more holistic neural network approach analyzing coherence (i.e., synchrony of neural oscillations) during direct gaze processing. The current study examined coherence between each pair of 54 brain regions and the relationship between average coherence and psychometric measures of social cognition in eleven participants …

The Impact Of Monitoring And The Affective Relationship Between Parents And Adolescents On Problem Behavior In High School, Kathleen Hlavaty

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Some researchers have suggested that the parent/adolescent affective relationship is key to understanding adolescent disclosure to parents regarding their activities (Kerr, Stattin, & Burk, 2010); however, other researchers do not feel that the parent/adolescent affective relationship explains enough variance in adolescent disclosure (Fletcher, Steinberg, & Williams-Wheeler, 2004). These models, however, have not tested for sex differences, which previous researchers suggest exist (Keijers, Branje, Finkenauer, & Meeus, 2010). Participants (N = 464; 50% female) were part of the Childhood and Beyond Study, which began during the 1986-87 school year. Data were collected from three different cohorts of participants across 13 years. …

The Association Between Attachment-Related Trauma And Adult Representations Of Attachment And The Role Of Maternal Mental Health, Syreeta Scott

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Despite longstanding theoretical associations in the attachment literature between early experiences of trauma, unresolved attachment representations, and mental health symptoms, few studies have explored associations between these variables, and findings amongst current studies are inconsistent. This study aimed to examine these relationships in a high-risk sample of mothers. It also explored relationships between aspects of trauma, such as type, severity, and age of exposure in relation to unresolved attachment representations. Possible moderating effects of mental health were also examined. Data for the study were collected as part of a larger longitudinal study on women’s transition to motherhood. The present study …

The Development Of A Self-Report Questionnaire To Measure Problematic Video Game Play And Its Relationship To Other Psychological Phenomena, Anatol Tolchinsky

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Problematic video game play is becoming a more frequent clinical presentation, and currently there is no standard way of measuring this phenomenon. This study operationalized this construct in a way that accurately reflects the existing literature and attempted to construct a valid measure based on this information. This new assessment instrument was evaluated by analyzing its factor structure on both 375 college-age participants and 314 online participants who endorsed being a regular video game player.

This area of research is still in its infancy, especially in regard to comorbid psychopathology. Consequently, this study surveyed participants’ subjective experience of depression and …

An Evaluation Of Culture-Specific Risk Factors And Emotion Regulation Strategies On Psychological Distress And Maladaptive Behaviors Among Asian Americans, Joo-Hyun Lee

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Cultural context is fundamental in cross-cultural conceptualizations of risk factors for mental health status among ethnic minorities. Existing studies indicate that acculturation level predicts psychological adjustment, but findings remain inconclusive. This study, consisting of university students of Asian descent, evaluated the relationship between acculturation level and internalizing/externalizing problems via the incorporation of more proximal measures of risk factors associated with acculturation (e.g., acculturative dissonance and acculturative stress). In addition, the predictive values of non-culture specific risk factors, such as emotion dysregulation and experiential avoidance, were examined. Acculturation-related stressors and difficulties with emotion regulation increased risk for maladjustment within the study’s …

Examining Trajectories Of Maternal Depressive Symptoms In Relation To Infant Affect Expression, Katherine Guyon-Harris

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Research has shown that maternal depression can have serious physical health effects on the developing fetus as well as later cognitive, behavioral, and affective problems in children. One area of clinical significance is the effect of maternal depression across time, including the differential effects of depression on early child development during the transition to motherhood. The present study explored trajectories of maternal depression from pregnancy through 2 years postpartum and their relation to infant affect expression. Data for the study were collected as part of a larger 5-panel longitudinal study on women’s transition to motherhood. The present study will use …

Social Facilitation Of Polydipsia As An Animal Model Of Compulsive Behavior, Zina Ameed Eluri

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Behavior excesses are a key feature in many psychiatric diagnoses. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in particular, is almost entirely defined in terms of behavior excesses. Although much research has been conducted on OCD treatment, very little research has focused on understanding how these compulsive behaviors are acquired. The few theories advanced to explain the etiology of OCD compulsions have significant limitations. The purpose of this study is to test social facilitation as a potential mechanism through which compulsive behaviors are acquired, via an animal model. Schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) was employed as the behavior of interest because there is empirical support indicating …

Facilitated Communication And The Criminal Justice System, J. Robert Quillen

Senior Honors Theses and Projects - Psychology

Facilitated communication (FC) is an alleged breakthrough technique which allows individuals, previously thought to be severely mentally and developmentally challenged, to achieve a level of communication formerly thought to be impossible. Originally developed to assist individuals with physical disabilities and limitations, such as cerebral palsy, this technique has quickly been converted to one that aims to assist individuals with cognitive deficits such as autism toward achieving effective communication. This article explores the origins of facilitated communication, the ongoing debate in the scientific community regarding the reliability and validity of the technique, as well as facilitated communication's rapid integration with the …

Relationship Among Schizoid And Schizotypal Personality Traits And Social Support On Ptsd Symptom Severity, Wilfred Joseph Mccloskey

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common disorder in the general population with a lifetime prevalence of 7.8% (females 10.4%; males 5.0%; Kessler et al, 1995). PTSD can become debilitating and can significantly affect an individual’s social and occupational functioning. Consequently, it is essential to better understand the factors associated with development and maintenance of PTSD. Research has documented the benefits of social support in the prevention and treatment of PTSD. However, it is unclear whether other variables moderate the effectiveness and desirability of social support. Currently, the empirical literature examining the role of potential moderators of social support (e.g. …

Parental Care, Control, And Communication About Sex: The Relation To Risky Sexual Behaviors And Relationship Style In Emerging Adults, Nicole M. Richards

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The relationship between a parent and child is one of the longest and most influential relationships in an individual's life. Among many child outcomes, prior research suggests that parents have the ability to influence their children's sexual decisions. Parent-child communication about sex and the climate of the parent -child relationship may be important predictors of later sexual behavior and attitudes. Therefore, the purpose of the present study wa~ to examine the relationship between parental care and control, parent communication about sex and current sexual behavior and attitudes in a sample of emerging adults ages 18-28. Results show that an adult …

Relationship Predictors Of Prenatal Maternal Representations Of The Child And Parenting Experiences One Year After Birth, Kylene Krause

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Bowlby’s attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969/1982) is one of the most dominant approaches used to describe and investigate attachment relationships and emotional development throughout the entire lifespan. However, attachment research is typically conducted through two distinct fields of psychology: developmental and social/ personality psychology. These two fields tend to use different research strategies and measures and focus on different types and aspects of relationships, yet both make important contributions to the attachment literature (Bartholomew & Shaver, 1998). The goal of this investigation was to integrate attachment research from these two fields of psychology in order to broaden psychological and scientific understanding …

Effects Of Emotion Regulation Strategies On Sexual Risk-Taking, Monica Lackups

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Sexual risk-taking is a growing problem and an area where there are significant individual differences in behavior. One contributing factor to risky sexual behavior may be emotion regulation difficulties. For example, suppression has negative effects on emotion experience, while reappraisal leads to increased well-being. Previous research has demonstrated the use of sexual behavior as an emotion regulation strategy in victimized populations. This study investigated whether emotion regulation strategies influence sexual risk-taking in a non-clinical college population. Individuals with higher levels of emotion regulation difficulties and higher suppression use engaged in more frequent sexual risk-taking behavior, whereas individuals who used reappraisal …

An Examination Of The Relationship Of Problematic Food Types To The Development Of Substance Use Disorder In Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients, Lauren Fowler

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The present study focuses on the recent discovery of an overrepresentation of postbariatric surgery patients in substance abuse h'eatment centers (Saules et aI., 2010) and accumulating evidence of new-onset substance use disorders among post-bariatric surgery patients (Ivezaj, 2011; Saules, Reslan, & Schuh, 2012; Wiedemann, Saules, & Ivezaj, 2012), suggesting a role for both food addiction and addiction transfer (Avena & Gold, 2011; McFadden, 2010). Burgeoning research with both animal models and humans demonstrates the applicability of putative "food addiction" in the context of obesity, and justification for further examination of specific macronuh'ients as they relate to obesity and addiction transfer …