Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Alcohol Use Disorders And An Fmri Stress Task: A Connectivity Analysis, Natasha E. Wright
Alcohol Use Disorders And An Fmri Stress Task: A Connectivity Analysis, Natasha E. Wright
Theses and Dissertations
Little research has been conducted on neuronal stress processing in individuals
with alcohol dependence (AD). The present study examined neural stress response in AD individuals compared to controls using an fMRI stress task, assessing amygdala
activation and its connectivity to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Further, the study
analyzed the impact of hormone levels and subjective stress on frontal-limbic
connectivity patterns.
Ten abstinent AD individuals and 11 controls were recruited. Subjects
participated in an fMRI stress task. A region of interest (amygdala) analysis was
conducted using area-under-the-curve. This activation was then examined in a whole brain functional connectivity analysis. Follow-up …
Effects Of Dietary Preference On The Experience Of Anxiety, Depression And Acute Stress Response, Shaun Stearns
Effects Of Dietary Preference On The Experience Of Anxiety, Depression And Acute Stress Response, Shaun Stearns
Theses and Dissertations
Research has demonstrated that high saturated fat and low carbohydrate consumption may provide physiological benefit in the treatment of major neurological disorders, though not much research has explored if these benefits extend to the experience of anxiety, depression, stress and physical symptoms. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between fat consumption and negative emotional/physiological states (anxiety, depression, stress and physical symptoms). This study also explored how fat consumption can alter one's response to an acute stress. Participants completed an online survey indicating their food preferences and their responses to a number of self-report scales such as …
Addressing Self-Reported Depression, Anxiety, And Stress In College Students Via Web-Based Self-Compassionate Journaling, Jessica Rose Williamson
Addressing Self-Reported Depression, Anxiety, And Stress In College Students Via Web-Based Self-Compassionate Journaling, Jessica Rose Williamson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Depression, anxiety, and stress in the college undergraduate population have been steadily rising over the past decade. Trait self-compassion has been shown to be significantly and negatively related to perceptions of stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Research has indicated that self-compassion inductions are effective in increasing state self-compassion. In general, selfcompassion inductions are designed to be easily self-administered. Current research on Internetbased interventions indicates that self-administered therapeutic techniques are effective in reducing self-reported depression, anxiety, and stress. The goal of the current study was to compare the effects of self-compassionate journaling, narrative journaling, and a true control group …
Career Decision Status, Career-Related Thinking, And Emotional Distress: A Structural Equation Model, Lindsey Marie Andrews
Career Decision Status, Career-Related Thinking, And Emotional Distress: A Structural Equation Model, Lindsey Marie Andrews
Dissertations
The choosing of a college major or occupation is an important decision with which many individuals struggle. Prior research has suggested that difficulty choosing a major or occupation affects a majority of students entering college and stems from multiple sources including lack of information, insufficient learning experiences, and ineffective decision-making processes. Cognitive-behavioral theory has shown utility in working with a diverse set of difficulties and with diverse populations through the examination of the influence of thoughts and emotions on resulting behavior. Research in the career literature has begun to emphasize connections between one’s thoughts and emotions in regards to career …
The Effects Of Community Support On Posttraumatic Growth Outcomes For Parents Of Children With Chronic Illness, Colleen Gannon
The Effects Of Community Support On Posttraumatic Growth Outcomes For Parents Of Children With Chronic Illness, Colleen Gannon
Theses and Dissertations
Parents of children with chronic illnesses face many stressors on multiple fronts as a result of their child's care needs. Posttraumatic growth is positive psychological outcomes of stress for those who have experienced a traumatic event, such as the diagnosis of a child with a chronic illness. While much is known about the challenges of caring for a child with a chronic condition, there is little research on these parent's growth outcomes. Of the research that does exist, much focuses on internal predictors of posttraumatic growth, such as personality characteristics. The purpose of this study is to begin to investigate …
The Relation Of Anxiety, Depression, And Stress To Binge Eating Behavior, Diane L. Rosenbaum
The Relation Of Anxiety, Depression, And Stress To Binge Eating Behavior, Diane L. Rosenbaum
Dissertations
Binge eating is an impairing and prevalent problem. Theories of binge eating suggest negative affect is of primary importance in the development and maintenance of binge eating behavior. To date, investigations of binge eating have often examined depression, however relatively little is known about other psychological factors. The current study aimed to extend the literature by examining several psychological factors in relation to binge eating behavior. Specifically, the relation between binge eating behavior and three psychological factors, depression, anxiety and stress, were examined. Data were collected via online surveys from a community sample of men and women of diverse backgrounds. …
Associations Between Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis System Gene Variants And Cortisol Reactivity In Preschoolers: Main Effects And Gene-Environment Interactions, Haroon I. Sheikh
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Exposure to stressful events during early development has consistently been shown to produce long lasting effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which may increase vulnerability to mood and anxiety disorders. Recently reported genetic association studies indicate that these disorders may be influenced, in part, by gene-environment interactions (GxE) involving polymorphisms within the corticotrophin-releasing hormone and monoaminergic system genes. However, little is known about how genetic variants and life stress work to shape children’s neuroendocrine reactivity and emerging symptoms. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to examine main effects of candidate genes and GxE on the neuroendocrine stress response and …
The Use Of Stress Reduction Techniques In Nursing Education, Jennifer S. Bauer
The Use Of Stress Reduction Techniques In Nursing Education, Jennifer S. Bauer
Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports
Stress is a complex phenomenon that has significant effects on students which may disturb their physiological, psychological, and spiritual health and well-being. Nursing students have been identified to be at high risk for stress during their education. Stress can arise from new clinical experiences, academic load, and personal stressors (Jones & Johnston, 2006). This increase in stress can lead to the student’s inability to assimilate and learn within the classroom and clinical settings. A review of the literature provided evidence that reported a positive relationship between guided imagery and a decrease in stress and anxiety. This evidence-based practice (EBP) project …
A Mindfulness-Based Intervention To Reduce Stress In Undergraduates., Dirk Anthony Dorsel
A Mindfulness-Based Intervention To Reduce Stress In Undergraduates., Dirk Anthony Dorsel
College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses
This study piloted a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce stress in university undergraduates, and explore effects on psychological and biological indicators of stress. Mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment-by-moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). The one week mindfulness intervention used audiobased mindfulness tracks recorded by Clinical Psychologist Paul Salmon. These tracks taught the basics of mindfulness. Participants were asked to listen to the tracks for 30 minutes a day for five days of the intervention. Perceived stress, self-reported anxiety, self-reported depression, heart rate and skin conductance were …
Short-Term Changes In Responses To Stress In Runners, Molly Ann O'Connor
Short-Term Changes In Responses To Stress In Runners, Molly Ann O'Connor
Theses and Dissertations
The use of physical activity to cope with stress is becoming increasingly popular. Research indicates that individuals who routinely engage in cardiovascular exercise report better overall physical and psychological health and reduced reactions to stress than those who do not. In addition, there may be short-term improvements for these individuals on days when they exercise. The current study was designed to examine short- and long-term differences between runners and non-runners. Cardiovascular, affective, and behavioral data were collected from runners over a two-day period that included a running day and a rest day, and over a similar period in a non-running …
Workload Transitions And Stress: Changes Over Time, Erik G. Prytz
Workload Transitions And Stress: Changes Over Time, Erik G. Prytz
Psychology Theses & Dissertations
Workload transitions are situations where operators are suddenly confronted with levels of workload substantially different from previously established levels. Workload transitions may affect the operators' state of stress and coping behaviors but previous research has not conclusively demonstrated the nature of those. The first goal of the current work was to investigate the discrepant findings of the previous literature. Two experiments were conducted where participants were asked to perform a digit detection task that suddenly shifted between low and high event rates (i.e., low and high workload, respectively). The first experiment used a large magnitude transition that resulted in a …
Children's Mental Health, Yvonne A. Asare-Bediako
Children's Mental Health, Yvonne A. Asare-Bediako
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The study of children’s mental health has largely been the domain of developmental psychologists and psychiatrists. These studies focus on parental mental health, and examine its direct and indirect effects, through a family’s psychosocial environment. Relatively little attention is given to socio-structural factors. By contrast, the sociology of mental health focuses on such structural factors as poverty and income, examining the extent to which stressors and strains may pattern the effects of these factors on children’s psychopathology. Adding to the divergence in research is the use of maternal reports in the assessment of children’s mental health. These reports often reflect …
Understanding The Role Of Nutritional Stress In The Adult And Developing Zebra Finch, Jessica Bayley Thompson
Understanding The Role Of Nutritional Stress In The Adult And Developing Zebra Finch, Jessica Bayley Thompson
Wayne State University Dissertations
Songbirds are particularly susceptible to stress during the sensitive period for song learning. Thus the developmental stress hypothesis (DSH) proposes that adult song reflects a male's early life environment during this period. Nutritional stress (NS) has been shown to cause deficits in song learning and adult song output that are salient to females. Female song birds consistently prefer control males over those raised under NS, yet the effects NS on females are still unclear. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) has been implicated in this process. However, evidence directly linking HPA functioning to the deficits due to NS have inconsistently shown elevations …
An Examination Of Perceived Discrimination And Stress In Interracial Relatinships, Sharon Sirmons Conger
An Examination Of Perceived Discrimination And Stress In Interracial Relatinships, Sharon Sirmons Conger
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
An Examination of Perceived Discrimination and Stress
in Interracial Relationships
by
Sharon Sirmons Conger
MS, Troy University, Florida Campus, 2006
BA, Baptist College of Florida, 2003
Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
General Psychology
Walden University
February 2015
There is a potential increase in stress for White women in interracial relationships with Black men due to perceived racial discrimination that may not have been previously experienced. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure stress before and after the relationship due to perceived racial discrimination for these women. Guided by …
Work Stress, Meaning, And Values: A Study Of Intellectual Disability Support Staff, Jennifer Marie Ladner-Graham
Work Stress, Meaning, And Values: A Study Of Intellectual Disability Support Staff, Jennifer Marie Ladner-Graham
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Employees who work with individuals with intellectual disabilities report high levels of work-related stress. Staff stress is associated with a variety of negative outcomes, such as poor psychological health, job burnout, and high turnover rates. The current study investigated the relationship between staff stress and negative outcomes. Specifically, this study examined whether positive psychology concepts such as perceived meaning in life and values moderated the relationship between staff stress and poor psychological health, job search/intention to leave the job, and use of sick leave. Participants included staff members from an inpatient facility for people with intellectual disabilities located in North …
Inspiring Change: Exercise Self-Efficacy, Dispositional Optimism, And Perceived Stress In College Seniors, Joshua M. Garrin
Inspiring Change: Exercise Self-Efficacy, Dispositional Optimism, And Perceived Stress In College Seniors, Joshua M. Garrin
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Prohealth competencies, positive outcome expectancies, and adaptive stress appraisals have profound implications for the real-world transition of college seniors—a population for which engagement in physical activity reflects a preeminent concern. Prior studies on exercise self-efficacy (ESE), dispositional optimism (DO), perceived stress (PS), and physical activity have yielded inconclusive evidence of the emergent psychosocial challenges encountered during the final year of the college experience. Using a triadic framework of self-efficacy, attribution, and cognitive appraisal theories, this crosssectional, quantitative study was conducted using a web survey to examine (a) the impact of physical activity level on ESE, DO, and PS; (b) the …
The Roles Of Social Support And Job Meaningfulness In The Disturbing Media Exposure-Job Strain Relationship, Hung T. Hoang
The Roles Of Social Support And Job Meaningfulness In The Disturbing Media Exposure-Job Strain Relationship, Hung T. Hoang
All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
This study examined the relationship between exposure to disturbing media and a number of strain outcomes. Past research suggests that individuals exposed to disturbing media report symptoms of secondary traumatic stress and burnout (Perez, Jones, Englert, & Sachau, 2010). This relationship was further explored in the current study. Additionally, the current study explored the roles of social support and job meaningfulness in the work place, as past research suggests that support and meaningfulness may help to mitigate the negative outcomes typically found among workers exposed to traumatic stressors (Britt, Adler, & Barton, 2001; Halbesleben, 2006; Morales, 2012; Stephens & Long, …
Challenge Accepted: Self-Enhancement Through The Pursuit Of Difficulty, Julie Anne Steinke
Challenge Accepted: Self-Enhancement Through The Pursuit Of Difficulty, Julie Anne Steinke
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
Individual resilience is popular topic whereby researchers attempt to identify characteristics of individuals who react positively to stress. However, such research uses a reactionary approach, attempting to characterize successful individuals after they experience adversity and does not explain why some individuals proactively seek out challenging circumstances. Pursuing challenge is a new construct that explains why individuals proactively increase stress as a strategic mechanism for developmental purposes. I developed and validated a measurement tool for pursuing challenge in multiple studies. Additionally, I explored relationships between pursuing challenge and similar constructs (e.g., grit, proactive personality, and self-efficacy), as well as the extent …