Digital Commons Network^™

Family Conversations About Stressful Life Experiences, Genevieve Lee Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to investigate whether family conversations moderated the relation between stressful life experiences in childhood and negative emotion-related outcomes in young adulthood. Undergraduate students (N = 99, mean age = 19.6 years, 77% females) were administered a semi-structured interview about their childhood stressful life experiences and use of family conversations in response to those experiences. They also completed questionnaires about their current levels of depression, eating-related difficulties, self-harm behaviors, and aggression. It was found that talking with one's parent moderated the relation between number of stressful life experiences and history of self-harm behaviors. Additionally, the participants' …

Damaged Goods, Danna Michelle Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Art is a form of expression. When used as a channel for emotional catharsis from trauma, it facilitates healing. Research has found that victims of childhood trauma often cannot find words to express their feelings, and are paralyzed and unable to move on with their lives after trauma. My research explores how creativity and metalsmithing have provided the tools necessary for me to construct my own method of expressing emotions, through visual representation. Repeatedly, I have made the same mistakes in life; and time and time again have worked to figure out not only why, but also how to repair …

Therapist's Views Of How Hope Influences The Setting And Attainment Of Treatment Goals Among Clients With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder : A Qualitative Study : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Courtney Anne Jones

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of the current study was to determine the way that therapists view the role that hope plays in the treatment of clients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, specifically in regard to the treatment planning process and attainment of treatment goals. This exploratory qualitative study aims to contribute to previously existing literature about hope and its influence on treatment processes and focused on the areas of: (a) the role of hope in the therapeutic process, (b) hope and PTSD, (c) the assessment of hope, (d) fostering hope, (e) PTSD and treatment goals, and (f) hope, PTSD, and treatment goals. Ten …

Detrimental Thoracoabdominal Interaction With Lateral Airbag Restraints, Jason John Hallman

Dissertations (1934 -)

Side impact motor vehicle crashes pose unique challenges for occupant protection, particularly with regard to torso injury mitigation. The minimal crush distance between the vehicle exterior and the occupant torso has necessitated advanced passive safety technologies in response to tightened regulatory requirements and increased public awareness of safety issues. In particular, lateral airbag restraints (side airbags) have undergone a rapid and unregulated introduction in recent years, with US availability increasing to over 90% of new vehicles in 2010. As with frontal airbag restraints, the prdissertationsity for injury to occupants in close proximity to side airbag deployment remains a concern. Test …

The Exploration Of Therapists' Personal Experiences With Secondary Trauma And Their Personal Mindfulness Practice : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Elizabeth Jane Reinecke

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study investigated the use of mindfulness by therapists treating trauma victims. The purpose of this study was to better understand ways in which a mindfulness practice, such as yoga and/or meditation, can affect the experience of secondary trauma in trauma therapists working with clients who are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Six female trauma therapists working with the VA system in Colorado were interviewed. Each participant was asked to reflect upon their experiences with secondary trauma and how their mindfulness practice has impacted both their personal and professional lives. Participants were all at least Master level …

The Use Of Dialectical Behavior Therapy For Treating Juvenile Delinquents : How Mindfulness Mediates Trauma Symptomatology And Reduces Anti-Social Behavior, Ashley Emma Sitkin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Youth within the U.S. juvenile justice system are among the most traumatized. There is a need for trauma sensitive treatment in order to address the mental health needs of traumatized, delinquent youth and prevent re-traumatization within the juvenile justice system. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a promising treatment for juvenile delinquents with trauma histories. This thesis posits that DBT for delinquent youth supports rehabilitation through the mechanism of mindfulness by targeting posttraumatic stress reactions, which in turn may reduce anti-social behaviors. A review of the literature appears to support the hypothesis that through decreased experiential avoidance and enhanced emotional regulation …

Liberatory Means To Liberatory Ends : A Qualitative Study Of Direct Service Providers' Perceptions Of Transformative Justice As An Intervention In Child Sexual Abuse : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Dona K. Hirschfield-White

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study sought to explore direct service providers' perceptions of transformative justice (TJ) as an intervention in child sexual abuse (CSA). This qualitative, exploratory study explored how TJ informed direct service providers' work with people impacted by CSA (survivors, bystander, and offenders). Twelve direct service providers who had been trained in transformative justice participated in this study. Participants were interviewed for 50 minutes. The interviews were audio-taped and questions focused on the following topics: 1) What are direct service providers' perspectives about how transformative justice impacts their ability to work with offenders, bystanders and survivors? 2) What are direct service …

An Examination Of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Reactivity As A Partial Mediator Of The Relation Between Trauma And Self-Injurious Behavior, Eileen Katherine Bent

Open Access Dissertations

Past work has linked self-injurious behavior (SIB) to a history of traumatic experiences and to problems regulating affect. While this affect dysregulation is conceptualized as occurring at a biological (as well as a behavioral) level, relatively little is known about the biological mechanisms involved. The current study explored whether reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to an interpersonal stressor mediated the relation between trauma and SIB in a sample of 178 18-21 year-old heterosexual dating couples. As predicted, both trauma experience and symptoms positively predicted SIB. While the mediating model was not supported, SIB was associated with an HPA axis …

School Mental Health Professionals' Experiences Of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees: A Phenomenological Approach, Stephanie E. Eberts

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

Abstract The need for increased training in the area of trauma and crisis intervention has been the subject of discussion in the literature (Mathai, 2002) and in the creation of new training standards (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP], 2009). With an increasing number of challenges facing children today, school mental health professionals are positioned to be among the first to intervene on their behalf (Campbell & Dahir, 1997; Paisley & McMahon, 2002). In order for interventions to be successful, school mental health professionals must be able to recognize the signs of trauma (Canada, Heath, Money, …

Strategies To Employ Androstenediol To Reverse Steroid Inhibited Healing In A Rat Model Of Trauma, Francis Diskin

Theses and Dissertations

Much of our current understanding regarding trauma, mechanisms of healing, and treatment strategies have evolved as a result of injuries suffered during armed conflict. While our understanding of these processes has advanced during and since these conflicts, treatment methods of traumatic wound healing have failed to progress significantly in the last forty years. The overall objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that the immune regulating hormone Androstenediol (AED) modulates the host’s immune system to promote wound healing under conditions where it has been inhibited by stress and infection. In an effort to characterize the effects of Androstenediol …

Predictors Of Ptsd Symptoms For Criterion A And Non-Criterion A Events, Sarah Reiland

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study evaluated the current DSM-IV conceptualization of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It examined predictors (i.e., event, person, and cognitive characteristics) and the factor structure of PTSD symptoms for events that do and do not meet criterion A. Event, person, and cognitive variables included in this study explained 47% of the variance in PTSD symptoms for the criterion A group and 56% of the variance in PTSD symptoms for the noncriterion A group. In both groups, cognitive variables explained the majority of variance in PTSD symptom severity. Although predictors of PTSD symptoms varied for criterion A and non-qualifying events, the …

The Effects Of Bfgf Treatment In The Aged Brain Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Michael Zeigler

Theses and Dissertations

The mature mammalian brain continually generates new neurons in the subventricular zone and hippocampus throughout life. Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is associated with hippocampal-dependent learning and memory function. During aging, this endogenous neurogenic potential is reduced which is accompanied by decreased cognitive function seen in the aging population. We have previously found that the injured adult brain shows heightened levels of endogenous neurogenesis and this response is associated with innate cognitive recovery. We have also found that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a potent neurotrophic polypeptide, can enhance injury-induced hippocampal neurogenesis and improve cognitive recovery following TBI. In this …

"A Border Is A Veil Not Many People Can Wear": Testimonial Fiction And Transnational Healing In Edwidge Danticat's The Farming Of Bones And Nelly Rosario's Song Of The Water Saints, Megan Adams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drawing on recent attempts to reconcile the divergent nations of Hispaniola, I will examine the ways in which fiction by U.S. immigrant writers Danticat and Rosario looks back to the traumatic history of race relations on Hispaniola and the 1937 massacre as a means of approaching reconciliation and healing amongst the inhabitants of Hispaniola. As invested outsiders to their homelands, Danticat and Rosario may work, as Chancy suggests, in the capacity of actors for Hispaniola. Both Danticat and Rosario graciously admit that their writing is largely contingent on the relative freedom from censure that their American citizenship affords them. In …

Sharevision: A Collaborative-Reflective, Expressive Arts Intervention To Address Secondary Trauma, Ellen M. Landis

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study examines the impact of a collaborative-reflective, expressive arts intervention on secondary trauma among mental health clinicians. Clinicians met at their workplace over a three-month period, on alternating weeks, in six expressive arts-integrated workshops. They learned a particular collaborative-reflective format called Sharevision. Clinicians also met independently using Sharevision, on non-workshop weeks. Participants completed a four-part survey on compassion fatigue (Figley, 1995 & Stamm, 1995-1998; Gentry, 1996; Baranowsky, 1996; Gentry & Baranowsky, 1998) at the onset and conclusion of the study period. Findings from the survey, transcripts of workshops, and exit interviews indicate the collaborative-reflective Sharevision model correlates to a …

Psychologists Working With Trauma Victims: Do Coping Responses And Low Burnout Mediate The Relationship Between Personality Traits And Job Satisfaction?, Mardi Michele Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT Smith, Mardi Michele. Ph.D. The University of Memphis. 08/2010. Psychologists Working with Trauma Victims: Do Coping Responses and Low Burnout Mediate the Relationship between Personality Traits and Job Satisfaction? Major Professor: Douglas C. Strohmer, Ph.D. There is increased need for medical and rehabilitation psychologists in the United States (United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 2008; U.S. Department of Labor, 2006). In order to meet the demands of all medical and rehabilitation settings, recruitment and retention of psychologists within these settings is important. Recruitment and retention efforts can be enhanced with knowledge about the kind of individual that is likely …

Clinicians' Use Of Mindfulness As An Adjunct To Trauma Treatment : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Lisa Beth Rogers

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This project was undertaken to explore how clinicians use mindfulness as an adjunct to trauma treatment. Data collection for this exploratory study consisted of hour long, face-to-face interviews or telephone interviews with a qualitative, flexible method of data inquiry. Eleven experienced clinicians from a variety of mental health disciplines whose practice of psychotherapy was informed by mindfulness training participated in the study which was designed to collect their perspectives about mindfulness practice. This study examined therapist perceptions of the effectiveness and contraindications of mindfulness, and their application of mindfulness in sessions through the use of case samples. Major findings of …

Authority, Leadership, And Peacemaking: The Role Of The Diasporas: A Pilot Study Of A Group Relations Conference: A Dissertation, Tracy Wallach

Educational Studies Dissertations

Research suggests that conflicts are much more likely to re-ignite in societies which have large Diaspora communities in the United States. This study examines the role of American Jewish, Arab, and other Middle Eastern Diaspora communities in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and addresses the generally neglected role of trauma and emotions in perpetuating conflict.

The project employed group relations conference methodology to conduct the inquiry. A group relations lens allows one to look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at multiple levels: on the psychological level (looking at issues of trauma, identity, collective narrative, emotions and unconscious processes); on the social level (looking …

An Inquiry Of The Lived Experiences And Contextual Understandings Of Early Childhood Special Educators Related To Children's Trauma, Alison Dubois

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Secondary trauma stress, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma are terms rarely found in educational literature. Studies have shown the significant and lasting ramifications of these constructs within the realm of counseling and psychology. Professionals working in educational settings with high risk populations encounter multiple exposures to children experiencing traumatic events. Despite this phenomenon, teacher and counselor training programs do little to address the issue, thereby matriculating graduates who do not feel confident, well informed, and effective when dealing with trauma material on a daily basis.

This inquiry sought to examine the lived experiences and contextual understandings of early childhood special …

Trauma, Dissociation, And Traumatic Stress At A Trauma Center Serving Low-Income Children And Adolescents, Krista Kohl

Dissertations

Exposure to trauma continues to be a pervasive and detrimental experience in the lives of children and adolescents in impoverished, urban communities. This study explored the relationships among trauma, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress in a clinic-referred sample of children and adolescents living in urban poverty. Trauma was investigated broadly, including a range of traumatic experiences, with particular attention given to different types, chronicity, multiple exposures, and severity of trauma. Dissociation was investigated as a mediator, or mechanism of the relationships among trauma and posttraumatic stress symptoms, internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Moderators included gender, age, and adverse experiences. Results confirmed that …

How Counseling Helps: An In-Depth Look At Domestic Violence Counseling, Sonya V. Crabtree-Nelson

Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is currently described by trauma researchers as a social epidemic (Briere & Jordan, 2004) . The array of domestic violence services we currently have in the United States were started 30 years ago by women victims assisting other women. Currently, the services we have for victims of IPV are largely unchanged and the literature lacks information on what is helpful to victims of IPV in a domestic violence counseling setting. The research points to the fact that women seeking domestic violence counseling experience an array of physical and mental health sequelae as a result of the …

Performing To Reclaim: War Trauma And Female Non-Combatant Recovery In Sylvia Townsend Warner, Virginia Woolf, And H.D., Rita Allison Kondrath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines narrative representations of female non-combatant identity authored by Sylvia Townsend Warner, Virginia Woolf, and H.D. between 1916 and 1955, a historical moment consonant with World War I, the interwar era, World War II, and its aftermath. Their depictions of the material reality of war and its devastating impact on selfhood span the genres of the diary, essay, long poem, and novel. I argue that each text forwards a specifically feminist approach to recovery, which manifests in three ways. First, as experimental texts, these works embrace (and mirror) the shattering effects of trauma and loss sustained by non-combatant …

Storied Memories: Memory As Resistance In Contemporary Women's Literature, Sarah Katherine Foust Vinson

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the power for resistance contained within narratives of personal memory. By applying current psychological concepts of autobiographical memory theory to eight contemporary women's novels, Carole Maso's The Art Lover; Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale; Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina; Edwidge Danticat's Breath, Eyes, Memory; Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible; Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things; Gloria Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place; and Toni Morrison's Paradise, I argue that it is in literature that we can examine both the workings of memory and the ways that authors use concepts of memory in their works to …

Emotional Expression And Depth Processing In Hiv-Positive Gay Males And Hiv-Positive Straight Males: Effects On Depression And Ptsd Symptoms, Jonathan Atwood

Open Access Theses

The expressive writing (EW) paradigm developed by Pennebaker (1985) has been found to provide health benefits in populations with medical and psychological conditions. Several theories have been proposed to explain the effectiveness of EW such as: the inhibition theory, increased social connections theory, the cognitive adaptation theory, and the exposure/emotional processing theory. Some studies have suggested that the effects of EW on health outcomes are mediated by varying degrees of depth processing (DP). The present study examines differences in emotional expression (EE) and DP in self-identified gay (GM) and straight men (SM), and assesses changes in levels of depression and …

The Experiences Of Counseling Victims Of Trauma As Perceived By Master's Level Post-Practicum Students, Elizabeth More Ventura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of master's level post-practicum students as they encountered trauma-related cases during their practicum experience. This qualitative, phenomenologically oriented study used Van Manen's (1990) four lived existentials, Bronfenbrenner's (1979) bio-ecological model of human development, and existing traumatology literature as its theoretical underpinnings. There is no existing literature that examines the experiences of beginning counselors as they encounter trauma-related cases in their academic training programs. The literature base surrounding traumatology is quickly expanding due to the increased awareness and prevalence of trauma in our culture. As the demand for services related …

Richard Powers's The Echo Maker And The Trauma Of Survival, Nicolas J. Potkalitsky

ETD Archive

In this study, Cathy Caruth's innovative description of trauma as a crisis of survival in works such as "Traumatic Departures: Survival and History in Freud" and Unclaimed Experience (1996) is applied to the story of Mark Schluter's traumatic experience in Richard Powers's The Echo Maker (2006). Theoretically, Caruth's description owes much to Freud's classic accounts of trauma in Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) and Moses and Monotheism (1939). In particular, Caruth capitalizes in on Freud's reference to the experience of awakening from traumatic unconsciousness as an "another fright" in the second section of Beyond the Pleasure Principle (Freud 11). For …

The Role Of The Arts Toward Healing Trauma And Building Resilience In The Palestinian Community, Yousef Al-Ajarma

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study has investigated the sources of resilience in a sample of Palestinians who experienced the first Intifada and are now studying in the United States. The study found that family and community support, the pursuit of an education, and participation in artistic activities all contribute to individual resilience among Palestinians. In addition, political awareness and activity are another source of resilience, because they help individuals living under the Occupation to find meaning in their life and make sense of their struggles. Currently, young people in Palestine are at risk of developing psychological trauma from exposure to the violence of …

A Grounded Theoretical Approach To Embodiment Among Homeless Youth, Felicia Washington Sy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using grounded theory methodology, this research explored, described and theorized about the ways youth, specifically homeless youth; make sense of their bodies within the context of living environments. It describes the relationship between body, space, and context for homeless youth in order to inform treatment options for this population. The importance of context, setting, and participant frame of reference was stressed, because embodiment is contextually and culturally influenced. The research addressed the questions: What is the process of becoming consciously embodied for homeless youth who have experienced multiple traumas? Do homeless youth who have experienced multiple traumas perceive a role …

Constructing A Neuroscientific Pastoral Theology Of Fear And Hope, Jason C. Whitehead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary therapeutic circles utilize the concept of anxiety to describe a variety of disorders. Emotional reductionism is a detriment to the therapeutic community and the persons seeking its help. This dissertation proposes that attention to the emotion of fear clarifies our categorization of particular disorders and challenges emotional reductionism. I propose that the emotion of fear, through its theological relationship to hope, is useful in therapeutic practice for persons who experience trauma and PTSD.

I explore the differences between fear and anxiety by deconstructing anxiety. Through this process, I develop four categories which help the emotion of fear stand independent …

Healing Through Reading : Bibliotherapy, Cierra Van Treese

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For some children the joy and innocence of childhood is cut short when they face, or are overwhelmed by traumatic events. Bibliotherapy seeks to begin and encourage the healing process in children as they relate and connect to characters within a book. Connecting children to appopriate books is one of the most crucial aspects of bibiliotherapy, however, because libraries, books stores and book lists do not organize books by subject, an online resource which provides a list of good, quality books arranged by subject was needed in order for children to be able to explore and connect for themselves. The …

The Experience Of Help Seeking Among Survivors Of Woman Abuse, Jessica Lynn Wilkins

Digitized Theses

This study explored the relationship between experience with violence, trauma symptoms, and help seeking among a community sample of women. Criterion- referenced sampling was utilized to select two samples of women who reported experiencing violence enrolled in an adult education program in a large metropolitan city. Participants reported the level and frequency of violence they had experienced in an intimate relationship, completed the Trauma Symptoms Checklist (TSC-33; Briere & Runtz, 1989), and a researcher-designed help seeking checklist. The results of this study indicate a relationship between women’s reported experience with violence and help seeking. Women who reported experiencing more severe …