Digital Commons Network^™

Parental Quality Of Life Among Parents In The Nicu: Examining Moderators Of Change Over Time, Evan Lima

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Having a child is both an exciting and overwhelming time for parents (Wigert et al., 2006; Cooper & Pells, 2015). While having a child is an exciting time, approximately 10% of infants are born prematurely and admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), with additional infants being admitted for other reasons (e.g., sickness, low birth weight, etc.) (March of Dimes, 2015). Overall, parents of children admitted to the NICU have consistently reported experiencing lower quality of life than prior the their child being admitted to the NICU (Rosenbaum et al., 2011). Previous research has found anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic …

Parenting Stress And Emotion Dysregulation In Children With Dd: The Role Of Parenting Behaviors, Neilson Chan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Parents of children with developmental delays (DD) report higher levels of parenting stress compared to parents of typically developing children. High levels of parenting stress have been associated with negative outcomes for their children, including higher levels of emotion dysregulation. However, this relationship between parenting stress and child emotion dysregulation has rarely been examined in families of children with DD. Additionally, the mechanisms through which parenting stress influences child emotion dysregulation remain unclear; it may be that parenting stress impacts parenting behaviors (i.e., sensitive and intrusive parenting), which in turn influence the development of the child’s emotion regulatory abilities. In …

The Substance Abuse Treatment Experience Of Men Who Have Sex With Men, Scott Sanford Johnson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The following qualitative research study focuses on the substance abuse treatment experiences of men who have sex with men. Current research in this area indicates that while these men sometimes seek treatment for substance abuse issues, their treatment experience can be compromised due to personal fears or ignorance on the part of treatment staff members or others in treatment (Cabaj, 2008; Cheng, 2003; Hellman, Stanton, lee, Tytun, & Vachon, 1989). Specific goals of this study include: (1) gaining insight into the treatment experience(s) of these men and (2) learning about how their individual and collective treatment experience(s) contribute to their …

Age Of Drinking Initiation’S Association With Cognitive Functioning, Joshua Seth Goldberg

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research has indicated that alcohol abuse is associated with deleterious effects on cognitive functioning later in life, specifically in the neuropsychological domains of immediate memory, delayed memory, and attention. However, research has been mixed regarding how age of initiation into problem drinking affects cognitive health after abstinence. This study aimed to identify if earlier age of alcohol abuse was associated with significant deficits in neuropsychological functioning in comparison to individuals who commenced alcohol abuse later in life. Participants were recruited from an alcohol rehabilitation program within Loma Linda University’s Behavioral Medicine Center and were administered the Repeatable Battery for the …

Relational Savoring Among Intimate Partners Of Cancer Patients, Adrianna Elyse Holness

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research suggests that intimate partners of cancer patients experience similar, if not higher, levels of distress and depression than the patient with regards to the cancer diagnosis. This stress can impact the quality of the relationship and the subsequent care and attention given to cancer patients. As such, identifying factors that can enhance marital relationships during times of illness is key. This project was created in order to assess the efficacy of a brief, portable intervention for improving relational quality among the intimate partners of cancer patients. In this project, we examine the effects of relational savoring, relative to two …

Stress, Depression, Social Support, And Help-Seeking In College Student-Athletes, Clint H. Norseth

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Student-athletes have been identified as a distinctive sub-population in universities and colleges that face unique stressors and pressures that may put them at risk for developing mental health problems, including depression, when compared to student non-athletes. However, student-athletes have been found to seek help from mental health professionals less often than student non-athletes. Studies of college students in the general population have shown that social support networks can play an important part in “buffering” or moderating the effect of stress on both depression and help-seeking, which may also be the case for student-athletes. The purpose of the current study is …

The Effects Of Seizure Modeling And Polyphenols On Behavior In Bang-Sensitive Drosophila, Alphonso A. Smith

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Epilepsy is a worldwide public health concern associated with debilitating neurological, cognitive, and psychosocial consequences. Current antiepileptic drugs can have debilitating side effects and new treatments are needed for individuals with pharmaco-resistant seizures like those observed in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Ellagic acid (EA), a polyphenol present in several fruits and nuts, has shown beneficial effects in rodent models of epilepsy and anxiety, possibly mediated through GABAergic pathways. Bang-Sensitive Drosophila mutants model epileptic seizures following mechanical shock and provide a high-throughput alternative to costly rodent studies. The objectives of this study were to: 1) examine the effectiveness of seizure modeling …

Erp And Theta Activity Associated With Facial Emotion Memory, Shaina Roxanne Herman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Facial emotion recognition is an important component of daily functioning and is highly connected to the social element of human interaction. At present, it is not clear whether initial stimulus encoding or memory maintenance of the face promotes accurate facial emotion memory. The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanisms of facial affect memory. Specifically, we aimed to compare whether type of emotion, length of delay interval, or robustness of encoding the initial stimulus were associated with accurate facial emotion recognition and memory. A task of explicit emotion memory was given to 30 participants. A visual stimulus of …

Parental Stress, Emotion Regulation, Meta-Emotion, And Changes Following An Mbsr Intervention, Yangmu Xu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Parents of children with developmental delays (DD) have consistently reported higher rates of parental stress (Dabrowska & Pisula, 2010; Oelofsen & Richardson, 2006). Difficulties with child emotion regulation are often exhibited among children with DD, and the relationship between parental stress and child emotion regulation may be bidirectional. Previous studies have found that underlying thoughts about parent’s own emotions is an important construct that has a direct impact on parental emotional wellbeing and child emotion regulation (Gottman et al., 1996). Furthermore, previous studies suggest that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an empirically supported stress-reduction intervention, is efficacious in reducing parenting stress …

Smoking, Adhd, And Problematic Video Game Use: A Structural Modeling Approach, Hyo Jin Lee

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Problematic video game use (PVGU), or addiction-like use of video games, is associated with negative physical and mental health problems as well as problems in social and occupational functioning. Possible contributors to PVGU include frequency of play, cigarette smoking, and ADHD. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationships among PVGU, cigarette smoking, ADHD, and frequency of play simultaneously using a structural modeling approach. Secondary data analysis was conducted on 2,801 video game users (Mage = 22.43 years, SDage = 4.7; 93% male) who completed an online survey comprising measures of PVGU, ADHD symptomatology, smoking behavior, and …

Parental Distress And Child Behavior Problems: Parenting Behaviors As Mediators, Catherine M. Sanner

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) typically report higher levels of parental stress than parents of typically developing children. While the majority of the literature addresses child behavior problems as predictors of parental stress, research has shown that the relation is bi-directional. However, very little research has examined the effects of parental stress on child behavior problems and the possible parenting factors that may explain this relation. The current study utilized data from the Mindful Awareness for Parenting Stress (MAPS) study (N = 31; % male = 67.7, mean age = 3.5, SD = .96; 81% ethic minority), and …

The Effects Of Poverty And Allostatic Load On The Development Of Chronic Disease, Natali Do

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research suggests that there is a significant impact of poverty on poor health outcomes. Poverty is associated with limited access to education and healthcare, increased exposure to violence, and chronic stress that contribute to the development of chronic diseases. The poverty and chronic disease relationship is potentially associated with chronically elevated stress biomarkers. The present study investigated the relationship between demographics, poverty (during childhood, young adulthood, and mid/late adulthood), allostatic load—a cumulative measure of system dysregulation—and the Charlson Comorbidity Index, a measure of chronic disease and mortality, using data from the Biopsychosocial and Religion and Health Study (BRHS; Lee et …

The Effect Of Language On Cognition In An Acculturated American Sample Of Healthy Older Adults, K'Dee D. Elsen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Older adults are not only the fastest growing segment of the population (~841 million worldwide) and continually increasing, but are of special concern due to the numerous age-associated deficits, especially those on cognition. Research indicates that knowing multiple languages may act as a protective factor against the deleterious effects of cognitive aging. Objective: The purpose of the current study is to examine whether multilingualism protects against the effects of cognitive aging on the domains of executive functioning, linguistic processing, attention, memory, and visuospatial functioning. Methods: Participants were 312 healthy older adults (68% female) from the Walnuts and Healthy Aging …

Role Of Cultural And Psychological Factors Influencing Diabetes Treatment Adherence, Sonika Kravann Ung

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of disability worldwide although health complications can be prevented with lifestyle change (CDC, 2013). Type 2 diabetes is a growing global epidemic, and its prevalence is predicted to increase from 6.4% (285 million adults) in 2010 to 7.7% (439 million adults) by 2030 (Shaw, Sicree, & Zimmet, 2010). Given the reality of cultural diversity in contemporary society, the aim of this study was to address the need for research that integrates both cultural and psychological factors with behaviors central to diabetes control among culturally diverse populations (Betancourt & López, 1993; Betancourt, Flynn, Riggs, & …

The Role Of Temporal Distraction On Short-Term Memory And Delayed Recognition, Susanna Luu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Memory is a complex process that requires the translation of information from an external sensory experience into an internal representation. Once information has been translated into memory, there is little agreement regarding the cognitive structure of memory storage and maintenance. Baddeley (1966) developed a model based on a multi-storage structure which suggested that as information entered through the sensory system, it was relayed by a cognitive control center and placed into storage units based on information type (i.e. auditory, visual, etc.). Baddeley’s (1966) multi-store memory model hypothesized that content translated into memory by two phases: short-term and long-term memory. More …

Cancer Center Regional Benchmarks For Psychosocial Care, Desiree R. Azizoddin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commissions on Cancer (CoC) formulated and implemented standard 3.2 for Psychosocial Distress Screening. This standard requires that all accredited cancer centers evaluate psychosocial distress and provide appropriate triage and intervention for all cancer patients. Over the past decade, Loma Linda University Medical Oncology Center (LLUMOC) administration, physicians, nurses, psychosocial care staff, and chaplaincy collaborated to implement a psychosocial screening and referral program throughout cancer patient services. This current research includes qualitative analysis assessing strengths and barriers of the psychosocial program at LLUMOC from the perspective of LLUMOC providers and two directors of Supportive Care …

Veterans, Ptsd Severity, And Health Conditions Over Time, Macey Mendez-Vigo Wolfe

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

PTSD has been linked to the development of numerous health conditions; this study’s aim is to determine if PTSD predicts the diagnosis of type II diabetes, overweight/obesity, hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders, neurological disorders, and chronic pain. Participants were 416 veterans presenting for PTSD assessment/treatment that had served in the most recent conflicts (Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Dessert Storm) with a mean age of 35.5 (SD = 10.9). Participants completed a measure of PTSD symptomatology. Electronic medical records were used to obtain diagnosis of health conditions. Cox-Regression analyses were used to evaluate PTSD as a predictor …

Behaviorally-Induced Structural Remodeling Of The Hippocampus, Michael Finlay

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

NASA is planning to send a manned spacecraft to Mars by 2030. Interplanetary space travel puts astronauts at a high risk for exposure to several types of radiation exposure. This exposure has the potential to disrupt neurogenesis in the hippocampus, which has long been associated with learning and memory. This research proposes to study the effect of γ radiation on mossy fiber growth in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. Research has demonstrated that rats exhibit mossy fiber growth from the stratum lucidum to the stratum oriens of the hippocampus after completion of spatial learning. Water maze training is a …

Preliminary Validation Of The Pediatric Rating Of Chronic Illness Self-Efficacy, Natacha Donoghue Emerson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Tracking self-efficacy may be useful for identifying children at risk for medical noncompliance. We created the Pediatric Rating of Chronic Illness Self-Efficacy (PRCISE) to measure self-efficacy in children and adolescents dealing with a chronic illness (CI). Method: Data were collected from 217 families where one child aged 7-20 (Mage = 13.62, SDage = 2.92; 62.7% Latino, 58.1% female) had a CI. Parent participants provided demographic information. Youth completed a depression measure, the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A), and the PRCISE. To determine the underlying latent structure of the scale, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted using parallel analysis. …

Coping As A Mediator Between Symptom Burden And Distress In Lung Cancer Patients, Spring F. Gehring

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Lung cancer is considered the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. An estimated 224,390 new cases of lung cancer are expected to be diagnosed and 158,080 Americans are expected to die from lung cancer in 2016 (National Institutes of Health, 2016; Siegel, Miller, & Jemal, 2016). Lung cancer patients also report the highest levels of psychological distress and symptom burden than any other forms of cancer (Linden, Vodermaier, MacKenzie, & Greig, 2012). Given the prevalence and impact of lung cancer, it is imperative to address the emotional toll this diagnosis can have on those suffering with the disease to develop …

Demographic Differences In Resting State Eeg In Healthy Controls And Patients With Schizophrenia, Keshia M. Sanders

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The default mode network (DMN) is composed of neural nodes that are synchronously activated when the brain is at rest and displays a decrease in activation when the brain is involved in a task. Disruptions in the DMN can potentially serve as assessment/screening for individuals with neuropsychological disorders. Many studies use electroencephalography (EEG) to study the brain at rest because of its high temporal resolution and its ability to provide a time sensitive measure of large-scale neural activity. Previous studies examining the brain at rest have found differences when comparing patients with Schizophrenia (Sz) and healthy controls (HC). While many …

Camp-Based Intervention For Overweight Children With Developmental Disabilities, Allyson Davis

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic and results in negative health and psychosocial outcomes. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience increased rates of obesity compared to typically developing children, but interventions targeting health behaviors in this population have been limited. We examined the feasibility and efficacy of a health behaviors camp for children and adolescents with IDD. We also tested the correlation of child behavior problems and social skills with baseline weight status and health behaviors. Furthermore, we examined these psychosocial risk factors as moderators of camp outcomes. The camp included participants aged 9 – 15 years who …

An Examination Of The Moderating Effect Of Proactive Coping In Nicu Nurses, Britan M. Moore

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The NICU environment is unique in that the patient population consists of critically ill neonates. Research has revealed that there are increased levels of depression, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout in nurses. Problem solving and support seeking coping strategies have been shown to be associated with lower levels of burnout and increased patient and job satisfaction in general staff nurses. Multiple linear regression and a hierarchical stepwise technique was used to conduct moderator analyses assessing whether the use of problem solving or support seeking strategies moderated the relationship between secondary traumatic stress levels and burnout as well as between depressive …

Am Happy Scale: Reliability And Validity Of A Single-Item Measure Of Happiness, Christina P. Moldovan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research on happiness has been abundant over the last few decades and findings have repeatedly shown that people who are happier have better life outcomes in terms of health and in nearly all other aspects of functioning. Thus, it is crucial to continue studying the construct using valid and reliable measurements. Single-item rating scales have been shown to be psychometrically sound and more convenient in comparison to multiple-item measures designed to measure certain constructs. The aim of the present study was to test the reliability and convergent and divergent validity of a single-item happiness scale, the Aréchiga-Moldovan Happy Scale (AM …

The Influence Of Health Framing On Weight Stigma And Health Knowledge, Serena D. Stevens

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

With increasing rates of obesity and obesity-related health problems, recent years have seen a great deal of effort exerted to improve physical health by reducing obesity. While information about health is frequently communicated through news media, research has shown that news articles do not increase knowledge of physical health behaviors and instead increase weight stigma, which predicts decreased physical and mental health. Given that this method of presenting health information is ineffective and harmful, it is important to examine alternative ways to frame information on physical health behaviors. This study examined differential effects of three article types, Health Improvement, Weight …

Church Member Reactions To Religious Disaffiliation, Alexander Daniel Larson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Religious disaffiliation is a growing trend in the United States, with estimates of between 15% through 20% of Americans identifying that they have no religion and this rate is growing by roughly 1% each year. Nearly all research concerning religious disaffiliation has focused on the individuals who leave their faith, but little research has empirically explored how church members themselves react to the religious disaffiliation of individuals from their own religious community, as well as what factors potentially contribute to the formation of their attitudes and attributions towards religious disaffiliates. This study utilizes a Seventh-day Adventist sample’s reactions to a …

The Effect Of Discrimination On Mental Health After Adverse Childhood Experiences, Maleia Mathis

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study reports that childhood adversity is relatively common, often co-occurs with multiple types of exposures, and has a dose-response relationship to many leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. Although there have been mixed results regarding whether ethnicity moderates these health effects, there is evidence that Caribbean and African American ethnic groups may respond to ACEs differently than other ethnic groups. Discrimination may explain this effect moderation, as it has been consistently linked to negative mental health outcomes. Specifically, ACEs exposure may hinder mental health outcomes, and chronic discrimination exposure in minority ethnic …

The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Depressive Symptoms, And Cognitive Functioning, Imari-Ashley F. Palma

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The number of older individuals experiencing age related cognitive decline (ARCD) continues to grow exponentially. Memory, executive functioning, and cognitive processing speed have shown to be particularly sensitive to the effects of aging. The same regions of the brain associated with executive functioning and memory are also associated with mood. Researchers have shown an association between ARCD and depression. Research on physical activity (PA) continues to show a beneficial influence on cognition, physical health, and mood. Developmentally, women and men have normal differences in cognitive functioning. As women and men age, these differences can increase. In addition, researchers have shown …

Dyadic Research In Couple Therapy: The Link Between Attachment And Relationship Satisfaction, Bryson Greaves

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Couple therapy ranks among the most frequently and diligently researched topics in Marital and Family therapy (MFT). Additionally, intimate partner relationships are a key focal point for clinical intervention with increasingly more couples seeking therapy to address relational conflict, repair emotional injury, and increase intimacy (Lebow, Chambers, Christensen, & Johnson 2012). Rigorous empirical inquiry has suggested that attachment theory is a crucial foundation to understanding relationship distress and increasing relationship satisfaction (Wiebe & Johnson, 2016). Secure attachment between intimate partners can lead to an increase in trust (Pistole, 1993), healthy emotion regulation (Kobak & Hazan, 1991), and positive conflict resolution …

The Impact Of Interpersonal Violence On Depression And Social Support, Katherine Dautenhahn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study explores the impact of sexual assault, interpersonal trauma, and non-interpersonal trauma on depression and social support. Female adult, Seventh-day Adventists in the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study were surveyed and regressions controlling for age, difficulty meeting expenses, education, and race tested whether trauma types predicted depression and social support. Results indicated sexual assault and interpersonal trauma predicted depression while non-interpersonal trauma did not. When sexual assault was combined with other interpersonal traumas, interpersonal trauma was associated with higher depressive symptomatology than non-interpersonal trauma. Trauma significantly predicted negative but not positive social support. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Keywords: Interpersonal …