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Parenting Skills As Predictors Of Child And Adolescent Psychotherapy Outcomes: Examining Change In Usual Care Settings, Alicia Ann Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Youth psychotherapy literature is in need of more research related to understanding psychotherapy process and outcome in child psychotherapy in community settings. The purpose of this study was to examine how key parenting skills were associated with child and adolescent symptoms and outcomes over the course of treatment in an outpatient community mental health system. Much of the research on child and adolescent outcomes has been conducted in controlled research settings, which raises the importance of more research needing to be done in representative clinical practice conditions (Weisz & Jensen, 2001). Further, few child and adolescent studies have examined potential …

Ideal Dating And Sexual Partners For Low-Income Heterosexual African American Adolescents, Darnell Nathaniel Motley

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Dating and sexual relationships among adolescents have been identified as both normative and beneficial. However, the research examining the dating and sexual relationships of African American adolescents has been narrow in scope, focusing primarily on risks of intimate partner violence, pregnancy, and STI/HIV transmission. This myopic focus has left a gap in the literature as it relates to the normative aspects of dating and sexual relationships for these youth.

The present study sought to better understand the dating and sexual partner preferences of 51 African American adolescents (male = 32, female = 19) recruited from Chicago and San Francisco. The …

Exploring Adolescent Experiences Of Race, Ethnicity, And Socioeconomic Status In Counseling Relationships: A Qualitative Approach, Christina Crans

Dissertations

The ACA Code of Ethics (2005) states the expectation that counselors must understand the diverse backgrounds of their clients. In addition, counselors are called to understand how their personal cultural identity informs and affects the counseling process. Yet there is paucity in the literature regarding the multicultural client experience within a counseling relationship. Of the few multicultural counseling studies that attempt to address multicultural client concerns, the approach has been quantitative or reliant on counselor self-report. In addition, the lived counseling experiences of adolescents and individuals from lower socioeconomic status (SES) is absent in present literature. This qualitative study examined …

Suicide Attempts Among Emotionally And Behaviorally Disturbed Adolescents Removed From The Home, Faith M. Wanja

Master's Theses

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between adolescent suicide behavior and the age of removal from home amongst children with emotional and behavioral disturbance. The study aims to determine whether a child�s removal from home can be counted as a viable basis for the development of suicide prevention programs and an expansion for evidence based practices. The study was conducted using archived de-identified data collected and provided by a private not-for-profit behavioral health treatment facility located in rural Kansas. The participants included male and female adolescents between the ages of thirteen to eighteen years old that were admitted …

Subjective Well-Being Of Adolescents: Single- Versus Two-Parent Households, Diana Fletcher

Honors Theses

Adolescent well-being is an important issue in society today. There are a growing number of children being raised in single-parent households, which raises questions as to whether or not these children are worse off than children raised in two-parent households. Using the 2010 American Time Use Survey Well-Being Module, this study investigates if the subjective well-being of children raised in single-parent households is worse than that of children raised in a two-parent household. Two measures of subjective well-being-the U-index and net affect-are analyzed. The U-index measures the proportion of time a respondent spends in an unpleasant state and net affect …

Differential Behavioral Effects Of Ketamine Between Adolescent And Adult Sprague-Dawley Rats, Maria A. Greenwood

Theses and Dissertations

The dissociative anesthetic ketamine has been subject to growing abuse worldwide, particularly in adolescents. This project compared the effects of ketamine in conditioned place preference and intravenous self-administration in adolescent (PND 28-50) and adult (>PND70) Sprague-Dawley rats. Cocaine served as a positive control. In CPP, adolescents demonstrated preferences for ketamine, while adults developed an aversion. In the self-administration procedure, adults acquired the behavior more rapidly, but there was no difference in the percentage of subjects reaching acquisition nor in responding under a progressive ratio schedule for either drug. The CPP results suggest that adolescents have a greater sensitivity to …

Implementing Dialectical Behavior Therapy For Adolescents In An Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Setting, Thomas Andrew Field

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Although evidence-based practices (EBPs) have been identified in the literature, insufficient information exists about how to successfully implement them. As a result, implementation efforts have been met with failures. Little is currently known about what affects the success of implementation efforts for best practices such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy for adolescents (DBT-A) in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting (AIPS). A longitudinal multiphase mixed methods case study examined an implementation effort to provide DBT-A in an AIPS over a 24-month period. The process of implementation was investigated through in-depth interviews, a focus group, and field observations. Six categories were identified that …

Temporal Relationships Between Psychological Distress And Risky Behaviors In A Sample Of Homeless And At-Risk Youth, Tegan Lesperance

Wayne State University Theses

The present study examined temporal relationships between psychological distress and two types of risk behavior; risky sexual behavior and substance abuse/dependence, in a sample of 253 at-risk youth. Using structural equation modeling, the self-medication and risk-first hypotheses were tested using longitudinal data spanning 7 years. Each model lent support to both hypotheses, further supporting the relationship between risk-taking behaviors and psychological distress among youth. Early psychological distress predicted later involvement in risky sexual behaviors, while later distress predicted substance abuse/dependence. Earlier risky sexual behaviors and substance abuse/dependence predicted psychological distress at later time points. These findings suggest the need to …

A Single Case Study Of Cognitive Remediation Therapy With An Adolescent With Disordered Eating, Carol Lynn Galiano

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Picky eating is currently not included in the diagnostic classification system DSM-IV TR as a distinct category of eating disorders in childhood. It can reach clinical significance requiring intervention when it results in chronic nutritional inadequacies and/or harmful impact on social development or family functioning. Studies have shown that patients with eating disorders have difficulties with executive functioning. These findings have been used to develop an intervention based on cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) which targets thinking skills and their role in the development and maintenance of an eating disorder. To further investigate, this study assessed the efficacy of an 8-week, …

Feasibility Of A Nutrition Training Program On Improving Self-Efficacy And Life Skill Development For Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease, Ashara Calisse-Atchley Cashaw

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for growth and nutritional
deficiencies due to poor dietary intake. Presently, no efficacious behavioral intervention exists to address the nutritional need in SCD management. The Good Nutrition 4Me Living with SCD program is a multi-component intervention, developed to improve knowledge base and the dietary habits of adolescents living with SCD. This report reviews the outcomes for 5 adolescents that participated in this 5-week program. Dietary intake was monitored daily via text messaging and progress with goals was reviewed weekly in the group sessions. Parents were also updated on their adolescent’s progress …

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment: Does Family Systems Therapy Improve Family Functioning And Decrease Drug Use?, Darin J. Wallis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Family systems therapy is a way of working with individuals, couples, families, or a group of people that emphasizes relationships and a person's/family's greater "system" as important factors in establishing change and health (Haley, 1976; Minuchin, 1974). Treating adolescent substance abuse with family systems therapy has been demonstrated in the literature as being an effective method of intervention (Coatsworth, Santisteban, McBride, & Szapocznik, 2001; Kumfer & Alvarado, 2003; Leichtling, Gabriel, Lewis & Vander Ley, 2006; Liddle, 2002; Liddle et al., 2001; Rowe & Liddle, 2003), as the various ecological and epidemiological factors associated with adolescent substance abuse can be addressed …

Examination Of Physician Decision Making With Children And Adolescents Diagnosed With Long Qt Syndrome: A Qualitative Study, Julie Radico

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Physicians are faced with ongoing challenges in diagnosing long QT syndrome (LQTS) and the uncertainty regarding treatment for specific genotypes and prescription of restrictions regarding physical activity. This study explored what impacts physicians’ decision making with regard to treatment and recommendations for children and adolescents with LQTS. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with pediatric cardiologists who were currently treating this population. Several themes regarding physician decision making were identified: constant reevaluation of decisions, impact of years of experience/number of LQTS patients treated, differentiating from versus joining with other physicians, variations in recommending patient sports involvement and activity level, and physicians as …

Youth Treatment Adherence At A Rural Community Mental-Health Clinic, Asma S. Ali

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between youth and adult psychopathology, and sociodemographic factors and treatment adherence for youth attending outpatient treatment at a rural community mental-health clinic. “Adherence” was defined as attending more than five sessions, while “non-adherence” was defined as attending fewer than or equal to five sessions. Results revealed no significant differences between youth adhering or not adhering to treatment depending on the relation of caregiver to youth or the mode of transportation taken to the clinic. Furthermore, caregiver and youth psychopathology and caregiver’s estimated travel time to the clinic did not predict treatment adherence. Incidentally, examination of …