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Treatment Preferences And Outcome In A Randomized Controlled Trial For Depression Comparing Supportive-Expressive Therapy To Medication And Pill Placebo, Sophia Elsie Winter

Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research regarding the relationship between patient treatment preferences on outcome has been equivocal, with some studies finding a significant relationship between preference match and outcome, and others finding no such evidence. This study examines the effect of patient treatment preference match on outcome using data from a previously published randomized controlled trial comparing supportive-expressive therapy (SET), to antidepressant medication plus clinical management, and to pill-placebo plus clinical management. The original study included 156 participants receiving treatment at the Center for Psychotherapy research at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. This study is the first to examine the relationship …

Brooding, Avoidance, And Suppression As Mechanisms Linking Shame-Proneness With Depressive Symptoms, Melissa Rose Hudson

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Depression is a significant mental health concern. Cognitive-affective models of depression identify that negative emotions and cognitive strategies for responding to negative emotions contribute to the development and maintenance of depressive symptoms. Shame has been identified as a problematic negative emotion and is associated with multiple mental health concerns including depression. Research has begun to examine cognitive emotion regulation strategies individuals use when experiencing shame and how these contribute to depressive symptoms. This study examined three strategies jointly (avoidance, brooding, and suppression) in a three-part prospective design. In a sample of 137 young adults, three hypotheses were tested. Participants ranged …

Psychological Well-Being And Heart Disease: The Utility Of Mental Health And Management Plans, Jennifer Anne Heath

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the correlation between mental health and coronary heart disease (CHD) and the usefulness of including mental health treatment into disease management plans. Consistent with previous research and literature regarding the correlation between CHD and depression, results suggest individuals experiencing CHD experience more symptoms of depression, including feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. Additionally, individuals with CHD also tend to experience more difficulty with relationships and completing household chores. Individuals who have management plans created by their healthcare providers experience less depressive symptoms than those without management plans. This suggests management plans are crucial in the treatment of mental …

Bully Victimization, Depression, And The Role Of Protective Factors Among College-Age Lgbtq Students, Theresa E. Bhoopsingh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined the prevalence and impact (or intensity) of four different bullying-victimization forms (physical, verbal, relational, cyber) as experienced by the LGBTQ college-age population. In addition, this study also investigated LGBTQ college students’ bully victimization experiences and their links to depressive symptomatology. The relationship between self-rated victimization and its impact and depression was also explored. Furthermore, given the potential for protective factors of various types to mitigate the negative impact of bullying, this study investigated social supports from family, friends, and campus to determine the strength of their moderating effects, individually and in combination, for each of the sexual …

Feminine Ideology, Relational Self-Concept, And Internalizing Symptoms In Women, Anjali George

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Investigators have theorized that women may experience internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety more frequently than men in part because of unique socialization processes that women undergo. One aspect of early socialization thought to contribute to women’s propensity for depression and anxiety is the way women are brought up to relate to themselves in relation to others, often placing greater importance on the needs, desires, and value of others, at times at a psychological cost to themselves. This study attempts to elucidate the relationship between gender socialization, relational self-concept, and internalizing symptoms in women.

Methods: Two hundred and …

Patterns And Predictors Of Parent-Child Endorsement Discrepancies Among Youth At Chronic-Risk For Depression, Bridget A. Makol

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Depressive disorders are some of the most common mental health problems among U.S. adolescents, particularly among Latino youth (Merikangas et al., 2010; Twenge & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2002). When parents and their children provide ratings on the presence and severity of the child’s depressive symptoms, their ratings show only low to moderate agreement (Mascendaro et al., 2012). Research has shown that parent–child discrepancies in ratings of youth emotional and behavioral problems are linked to factors such as parental depression and ethnicity. However, discrepancies research has focused primarily on European American families in clinical settings. Subsequently, research has failed to examine discrepancies in …

Intimate Partner Violence And Victim Blaming, Christine A. Weingarten

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent within the United States leading to millions of people each year being exposed to violence directly, through involvement in a violent relationship, or indirectly, by witnessing or being close to someone who is in a violent relationship. A common societal response to IPV is victim blaming which attributes fault and responsibility to survivors of abuse. Survivors of IPV report victim blaming as one of the least helpful responses when disclosing to an informal social support. Personal experiences of IPV, either directly or indirectly, can affect levels of victim blame because a person who …

The Role Of Electronic Communication Processes Across The College Transition: Relations To The Maintenance And Formation Of Friendships, Psychological Well-Being, And College Adjustment, Patricia E. Dieter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Friendship experiences play a vital role in the adjustment of adolescents. Late adolescents transitioning to college negotiate the important developmental tasks of both maintaining close hometown friendships and developing new college friendships. Electronic communication has become a prevalent way to quickly and easily communicate, and friendships that incorporate electronic communication with in-person communication are higher in quality (Baiocco et al., 2011). For some adolescents, however, Internet use becomes excessive and problematic (Ha et al., 2007).

The purpose of this investigation was to examine how individuals use different communication technologies with their existing hometown friends and their newer college friends, and …

An Evaluation Of The Acceptability And Effects Of A Computer-Delivered Values-Based Behavioral Activation Treatment For Depression Among Older Adults, Kellie Reynolds

Dissertations

Depression is a common psychological disorder among older adults and is associated with serious secondary effects to health and social well-being. Behavioral activation has been found to be an efficacious treatment for depression. However, there is limited research on the treatment effects of behavioral activation with older adults. In general, older adults under-utilize mental health treatments. Computer-delivered treatments have been developed to address access and under-utilization. The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the acceptability and effects of a computer-delivered values-based behavioral activation treatment for depression in older adults. This study consisted of two phases. Phase I consisted of …

The Lived Experience Of Individuals With Chronic Back And Neck Pain, Depression, And/Or Anxiety, Tara L. Palmeri

Dissertations

More than 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain (CP). People who experience chronic pain are 20 to 40% more likely to meet criteria for an anxiety disorder, and three to four times more likely to be clinically depressed than their pain-free counterparts. The relationship between CP and mental health has been studied quantitatively; however, few researchers have investigated co-morbid CP and mental health through a phenomenological lens. The subjective nature of the relationship is not comprehensively addressed within the literature.

This qualitative phenomenological study explored (a) how individuals with chronic back and/or neck pain (CBNP) experience, understand, and …

Yoga As An Ancillary Treatment To Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Depression, Jeralee M. Briggs

Dissertations

It is estimated that up to 30% of college students feel clinically depressed, and these feelings can lead to poor grades, substance abuse, unsafe sex, and suicide (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has shown to be an effective form of psychotherapy for depression and was listed in 2014 as an evidence-based treatment for depressive disorders according to the APA Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice (2006). In addition to psychological treatment, various exercise interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing depressive symptoms (e.g., Rehorst, Wipfli, & Landers, 2009). Yoga is one such …

Correspondence Between Change In Adult Attachment Patterns And Change In Depression Symptoms In Early Marriage, Cassandra C. Devito

Doctoral Dissertations

Countless studies have demonstrated the association between attachment styles and depressive symptoms; however, thus far, none have examined concurrent change. That is, does change in attachment style predict change in depressive symptoms over time? This question was examined in a sample of 229 heterosexual newlywed couples from Western Massachusetts. It was found that changes in attachment avoidance in particular predicted changes in depressive and anxious symptoms over time. Being a parent also played a role in participants' overall attachment styles, depressive symptoms and anxious symptoms on average, with differences observed by gender. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The Effect Of A Computerized Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Management Intervention On Psychological Factors And Diabetes Management, Cathy A. Bykowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes is associated with increased psychological distress which, in turn, is associated with poorer diabetes outcomes. This study examined the impact of a nine-week Internet based cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention that targeted stress and mood in people with diabetes. It was hypothesized that the intervention would decrease psychological distress and improve diabetes outcomes and adherence to diabetes treatment regimens. Participants with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 103) or a waiting-list control group (n = 74). ANCOVAs demonstrated significant group effects for the reduction of perceived generalized stress (F (1, 105) = …

Suicide Attempts From Adolescence Into Young Adulthood: A System Dynamics Perspective For Intervention And Prevention, Saras Yu Chung

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though the reduction of suicide-related deaths has been a national priority for over a decade (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) and over $22 million per year (National Institutes of Health, 2015) have been invested to prevent suicide, rates of suicide have not declined (CDC, 2012). In fact, for some groups of adolescents, these rates seem to be on the ride (Wasserman, Cheng, & Jiang, 2005). The ineffectiveness in reducing deaths by suicide despite increased funding and coordinated efforts suggests the need for a new perspective on examining why and how adolescents begin to desire and attempt suicide …

Rostral Middle Frontal Gyrus Thickness Is Associated With Perceived Stress And Depressive Symptomatology, Lindsay J. Michalski

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Elevated stress perception and depression commonly co-occur and have shared genetic and environmental influences, suggesting they may rest upon a common underlying neurobiology. The rostral middle frontal gyrus (RMFG), part of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, is critical for executive function, including emotion regulation and working memory. Variability in RMFG cortical thickness has been associated with both depression and stress-related phenotypes, although the directionality of these associations has been inconsistent thus far. The current study examined healthy participants (n=879) who completed the ongoing family-based Human Connectome Project were included in analyses. RMFG cortical thickness was computed from structural magnetic resonance imaging …

Religiosity And Internalized Homonegativity: The Effect Of Religious Conservatism On Depression In Sexual Minorities, Matthew Thaxton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual minorities report higher rates of mental illnesses than the general population, most notably depression. This study focuses on the relationship between religious commitment in sexual minorities, internalized homonegativity, and depression. In order to do this, 265 participants answered a survey that consisted of inventories to test for sexual orientation, religious commitment, political and religious views, and internalized homonegativity. Participants came from Abilene Christian University and LGBT groups from the surrounding Abilene, Texas area. Of the 265 participants, 33 self-identified as a sexual minority. The data from those that identified as a sexual minority was analyzed to find correlations between …

A Brief Rational Disputation Exercise Enhances Cardiovascular, Anxiety, And Affective Recovery Following Worry-Recall, Michelle Rosalie Di Paolo

Theses and Dissertations

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) (Ellis, 1958), educates a client on the relationship between one’s irrational beliefs (IBs) and the dysfunctional emotional/behavioral consequences of maintaining those beliefs such as symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep dysfunction (Ellis, Gordan, Neenan, & Palmer, 1997), symptoms also commonly correlated with high trait perseverative cognition (PC; Verkuil, Brosschot, de Beurs, & Thayer, 2009). In addition to symptoms of anxiety and depression, high levels of PC, a construct comprised of measures of trait worry and rumination, have been linked to acute cardiovascular (CV) health concerns that overtime when left unmitigated may lead to chronic conditions …

Ethnic Differences In Depressive Symptoms And Risky Behaviors Among Hispanics And Non-Hispanic Whites, Irma De Santiago

Honors College Theses

There is limited research on Hispanics in regards to experiencing depressive symptoms and the risk factors that accompany it. Understanding how these symptoms manifest in different ethnic groups can lead to the development of appropriate interventions to lower diagnoses. The purpose of this study was to examine ethnic differences in depressive symptoms, ethnic differences in risky behaviors, and to see if the association between depressive symptoms and risky behaviors differs by ethnicity. There were 401 young participants, ages 18 to 25; however, because of the goals of the study we only analyzed the data of 312 participants. Of the participants …

Utilizing Act Daily As A Self-Guided Mobile App Intervention For Depression And Anxiety In A College Counseling Center, Jack A. Haeger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

College counseling centers (CCCs) have experienced funding and staffing setbacks in recent years, resulting in higher caseloads, counselor burnout, and bloated waitlists. Mobile Health (mHealth) interventions may offer a cost-effective and innovative solution. The authors developed ACT Daily, a prototype mHealth app based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This study examined the feasibility and possible efficacy of ACT Daily as a brief intervention for individuals placed on CCC waitlists.

A sample of 11 depressed/anxious clients waitlisted at a local CCC enrolled in the study, which followed a pre-post, open trial design. Participants received a brief online training that covered …

The Relationship Between Different Dating Violence Profiles, Mental Health Problems And Mental Well-Being Among Canadian Youth, Kelsey E. Macdonald

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study examined the relationships among teen dating violence, mental health problems and mental well-being in 338 adolescents aged 14-21 (54% female). Secondary data were retrieved from an evaluation of a small groups healthy relationship program. Participants were grouped into four different dating violence profiles based on self-reported perpetration and victimization: not involved, perpetrators, victims and combined. Generalized Linear Models were used to examine the similarities and differences across types on depression, anxiety, mental well-being and binge drinking. Results suggested that the victims and combined profiles experienced greater mental health problems and decreased mental well-being compared to other profiles. …

Relationship Satisfaction And Coparenting Over The Transition To Parenthood: Depression, Division Of Labor, And Child Temperament As Moderators, Jessica Block

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The transition to parenthood is a uniquely important time in the human experience. New parents must reorganize their patterns of behavior and respective roles in order to include and care for a new child. Parents’ ability to navigate this process has great implications for child adjustment and healthy development. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association of relationship satisfaction over the transition to parenthood and early coparenting interactions. The archival data utilized were collected as part of a longitudinal study of first time parents funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) …

An Examination Of The Specificity Of Economic Loss And Deprivation And Community Violence On Depressive Symptoms And Aggressive Behavior In Urban, Low-Income Adolescents, Jarrett T. Lewis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Based on the current literature examining associations of stress and psychopathology in adolescents, several types of stress (e.g., violence exposure, economic-related stress) have been identified as particularly salient in lowincome, urban adolescent populations (Grant et al., 2003; Natz et al., 2012). This population also has been shown to be at heightened risk for problems including internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Identifying specific pathways through which urban, low-income adolescents develop specific emotional and behavior problems in response to particular stressors would be helpful in the development and selections of as the targets of interventions that disrupt mediators that link particular stressors to …

Where Does The Time Go? An Investigation Of Self-Reported Time Allocation, Cory Stanton

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Depression is recognized as a substantial contributor to the global burden of disease, as well as economic productivity. Behavioral activation has been shown to be an efficacious treatment for depression, drawing on the work of early behavioral theorists and research on the quantitative matching law. Recently, scholars have called for increased theoretical rigor in conceptualizing psychological health, as well as increased conceptual and methodological dialogue between basic and applied researchers. The present study examined the validity of a novel self-report measure of time allocation, an extension of the matching law. A cross-sectional sample of 204 undergraduate psychology students completed measures …

Cortical And Psychological Mechanisms Of Visceral Pain, Kelly L. Polnaszek

Master's Theses

Objective: Dysmenorrhea is an incapacitating type of visceral pain that affects numerous menstruating women and is defined by painful menstrual cramps and often occurs in the absence of pelvic pathology. Women with dysmenorrhea have reported higher sensitivity to experimental pain, and vulnerability to pain sensitivity may be a primary risk factor for developing chronic pelvic pain for women with dysmenorrhea. Cross-organ sensitization (COS), or the theory that uterine inflammation during menstruation can contribute to chronic pelvic pain by generating neurogenic inflammation in other organs, may be a primary mechanism associated with pelvic pain in women with dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea sufferers with …

Becoming Adults: Trajectories Of Adult Identity Development Among Undergraduate Students With Implications For Mental Health, Jenna Shapiro

Master's Theses

One of the defining developmental processes that occur during the unique stage of emerging adulthood is the emergence of adult identity, or the subjective sense of adulthood. Adult identity has been hypothesized to grow gradually, linearly, and at different rates for subgroups of individuals over the course of this stage (Arnett, 2006; Côté, 2006). Differences have also been suggested to predict wellbeing and distress (Côté, 2006; Kroger, 1996; Kroger, Martinussen, & Marcia, 2010). The goals of the current study were to examine heterogeneity in adult identity development over four years in college and to examine differences in self-esteem and negative …

Cognitive And Neural Correlates Of Coping And Resilience In Depression, Catherine Lee

Dissertations

Depression is one of the most prevalent and devastating psychological disorders, often with a chronic or remitting/reoccurring course. The inability to effectively cope with stress and negative life events has been strongly linked to the development and maintenance of depression symptoms; yet, the cognitive and biological processes underlying the complex and multidimensional behavioral construct of coping are not well understood. Using a combination of self-report measures, computerized cognitive tasks, and scalp electroencephalography (EEG) methodologies, the present study investigated associations between specific executive function abilities (i.e., inhibition and set-shifting), underlying neural activity, coping strategy and flexibility, and depression symptoms. Results did …

An Integrative Chronobiological-Cognitive Approach To Seasonal Affective Disorder, Jennifer Nicole Rough

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is characterized by annual recurrence of clinical depression in the fall and winter months. The importance of SAD as a public health problem is underscored by its high prevalence (an estimated 5%) and by the large amount of time individuals with SAD are impaired (on average, 5 months each year). The specific cause of SAD remains unknown; however, researchers have identified possible chronobiological and psychological vulnerabilities to SAD. The study aimed to clarify psychological and chronobiological correlates of SAD in the first test of an integrative model of SAD.

The project used a longitudinal design …

The Moderating Effects Of Protective And Risk Factors On Outcomes For Behavioral Smoking Cessation Treatment, Holly Reid

Wayne State University Dissertations

The rate of cigarette smoking is three-fold higher among adults living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) than in the general population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Relative to non-smoking HIV-positive adults, HIV-positive cigarette smokers have even higher mortality rates, more physical health problems, greater tobacco-related health disparities, lower quality of life, and more barriers to treatment. These barriers are often interrelated with the significantly higher rate of trauma and violence exposure reported in both cigarette smokers and persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA; CDC). Violence exposure not only predicts emotional distress and substance use, but also …

An Exploration Of Parenting Styles, Emotion Regulation, Depression, And Culture's Role, Krysten L. Monzon

ETD Archive

The present research examined whether cultural background had an effect on depressive symptoms through parenting style and emotion regulation strategies. Recent literature suggests that parenting styles differ across cultures, thus leading to different levels of depressive symptoms as a result differences of parenting styles aligning with cultural values. Additionally, it is suggested that some emotion regulation strategies are harmful in western cultures, but are not in collectivistic culture. Lastly, it is suggested that certain parenting techniques foster both harmful and helpful emotion regulation strategies. Participants (N=83) completed measures of PAQ (Parental Authority Questionnaire), ERQ (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire), and CES-D (Center …

The Interactive Effects Of Biofeedback-Assisted Stress Management And Training Acquisition In Predicting Health Outcomes, Cary M. Sears

ETD Archive

Thirty-seven chronic disease patients were randomized to either a biofeedback-assisted stress management (BFSM) experimental group or a usual care (UC) control condition. It was hypothesized that participants enrolled in the BFSM treatment group would demonstrate lower levels of norepinephrine and depression than those in the UC control condition. It was further hypothesized that training acquisition would modify the main effect of group assignment on depression and norepinephrine. The BFSM group demonstrated significantly lower levels of norepinephrine than the UC group. There were no main effects of BFSM on depression. The training acquisition X group assignment interaction was not significant. Results …