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Examining The Role Of The Imposter Phenomenon And Self-Esteem On The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Depression, Sarah Mclaulin

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

Perfectionism has consistently gained attention in the literature over the last several decades (Stoeber & Otto, 2006) and recent research indicates that perfectionism in individuals is on the rise (Curran & Hill, 2019). From academic pursuits among students (e.g., Rice et al., 2015) to professional performance (e.g., Bravata et al., 2019), perfectionism affects a wide range of individuals and specific areas of their lives. Perfectionism has been linked to several negative consequential physical and mental health outcomes (Molnar et al., 2020; Eley et al., 2020) including depression (e.g., Chai et al., 2020), self-esteem (e.g., Cokley, et al, 2018), and the …

Black American Parents’ Experiences Of Racial Discrimination And Youths’ Depression Outcomes: An Examination Of The Potential Mediating Role Of Parental Racial Socialization Practices, Ashanti Brown

Psychology Theses

Research indicates that racial discrimination is a significant contributing factor to Black American adolescents’ mental health outcomes, including childhood depression. Black youth are also impacted by the discrimination experienced by their caregivers and their resulting socialization behaviors. Growing bodies of literature demonstrate the importance of promotive and protective parenting factors, such as racial socialization, in adolescent psychosocial outcomes. Researchers have also started to explore the intergenerational impact of racial discrimination on developing Black youth. A key gap in the literature is the extent to which racial socialization serves as a mechanism impacting the relationship between parental experiences of discrimination and …

Prevalence Of Anxiety And Depression Among Respiratory Therapy Professionals In The Western Region Of Saudi Arabia, Ali S. Alqahtani

Respiratory Therapy Theses

Background: Anxiety and depression are prevalent concerns among psychologists, psychiatric professionals, and behavioral scientists across the world. Anxiety is defined as worry-filled thoughts and a pervasive sense of impending doom. It is a broad concern about what will or might occur in the future. Depression is a debilitating disorder, leading to higher death rates and a significant decline in the quality of life. It is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, and lack of happiness. Therefore, anxiety and depression could have a detrimental effect on the well-being and productivity of respiratory therapists. Purpose: The purpose of this study is …

The Associations Between Selected Demographic, Socioeconomic, And Health Factors For Depression In Elderly Americans, Pema Lhewa

Public Health Capstone Projects

The topic analyzed was the demographic, socioeconomic, and health factors that may influence the depression status of elderly Americans aged 60 years or older in 2021. Depression status was identified as being notified of having depression through identifiable depressive symptoms or clinical diagnosis. It is currently defined as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness, loss of interest, and long-term difficulty in day-to-day activities. Elderly depression has been prevalent due to complications regarding issues of wealth, health accessibility, and increased risk of cognitive issues. The dataset is from the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which …

Evaluating The Impact Of Trikafta On The Quality Of Life For Cystic Fibrosis Patients, Yzeed Alrwaili

Respiratory Therapy Theses

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a severe genetic disorder that primarily impacts the digestive and pulmonary systems. The most frequent Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) mutation is F508del which accounts for 90% of CF patients. Cystic fibrosis patients undergo multiple treatments daily to reduce the physical and psychological adverse CF. Trikafta combines three major chemical compounds: tezacaftor, ivacaftor, and elexacaftor. The drug assists the defected proteins to function normally. Trikafta is intended for CF patients 12 years or older with at least one gene of F508del, but the study only targets 18 years or older. This study evaluates …

Household Food Insecurity, Depression, And Disordered Eating Symptoms In Adolescents With Severe Obesity, Meredith Bishop

Psychology Dissertations

As rates of severe pediatric obesity have increased, bariatric surgery has become more common in adolescents. Disordered eating symptoms may interfere with an adolescent’s ability to effectively adhere to dietary requirements and hinder weight loss. The purpose of this study was to examine the relations between household food insecurity, depression, and disordered eating in a sample of adolescents seeking bariatric surgery. Participants (N = 73) were adolescents presenting to the pre-surgical psychological evaluation. Household food insecurity was not related to disordered eating or any disordered eating subscales but was significantly higher in Black households compared to White households. Depression …

The Impact Of Vaping Cannabidiol A Case Series Of Young Adults, Samuel M. Bullard

Nutrition Theses

The use of e-cigarettes and vape pens has grown in popularity especially among the high school and college aged population. This is a cause for concern because due to its relative novelty not much is known about the long-term impact of vaping. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound derived from hemp that is being used in vape pens. Although the oral intake of CBD has been researched, there is still much to be learned about the impact CBD has when vaped. Thus, the purpose of this pilot study is to gather data on cardiovascular, respiratory, and mental health of participants who …

Associations Between Depression And Blood Pressure Among United States Adults: A Bayesian Vs. Frequentist Approach, Vinay Rudresh

Public Health Theses

High blood pressure can lead to life threatening incidents such as a heart attack or stroke. The direct costs of high blood pressure are expected to rise to 154 billion dollars annually by 2035. Depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses in the United States with an estimated 35% of those who experienced major depressive episodes not receiving treatment. The research question this study aims to answer is if there is an association between depression and blood pressure. This study also aims to see if results are comparable between models using frequentist statistics and Bayesian models using weakly …

Men’S Externalizing Depression: Invariance Of The Male Depression Risk Scale And Latent Symptom Profiles Among African American And European American Men, Robert A. Stewart

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

Empirical studies of the well-documented deleterious psychological effects of rigid conformity to traditional masculine norms suggest that many men experience, express and respond to negative affect through a syndrome that combines internalizing depression with externalizing symptoms such as substance use, impulsivity, anger/irritation and risk-taking. These symptoms are not captured by the largely internalizing criteria (e.g. low mood, anhedonia, fatigue) indexed in current depression criteria. Researchers examining men’s externalizing depression have used the Male Depression Risk Scale (MDRS-22; Rice, Fallon, Aucote, & Möller-Leimkühler, 2013), a brief, psychometrically sound self-report instrument, with largely homogeneous Canadian and Australian samples. The current study extends …

The Effects Of Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Rtms) On The Speeded Identification Of Happy Faces In Depressed Adults, Brian L. Tang

Psychology Theses

Anhedonia (defined as the inability to experience pleasure) is a symptom that is difficult to treat in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Prior research suggests that the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a major underlying mechanism in the pathophysiology of depression. Therefore, we investigated whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment to the left DLPFC would predict a reduction in one facet of anhedonia symptomatology—namely, reward derived from positive social stimuli (i.e., smiling human faces)—in 26 depressed adults. The results revealed no significant effects of rTMS treatment on either accuracy or speeded reaction time during a novel behavioral …

Investigating The Oral Health Of Individuals With Depression: Finding From The 2015-2016 National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes), Bayan Ali M Almohaimeed

Public Health Theses

Background: Recent studies have shown an association between oral disease (e.g. periodontal) and depression. However, most of these studies did not examine depression in association with other critical oral health outcomes such as preventative dental care and dental care access, as well as oral health-related quality of life. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the association between depression with indicators of oral health taking into account sociodemographics and chronic disease indicators (CDI).

Methods: The data were obtained from 2015-2016 NHANES. Our independent variable is depression status, which was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The dependent variables are oral …

Haunted By The Past: Adverse Childhood Experiences And Chronic Disease In Adulthood, Terrianna Woodard

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Beginning with the original Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, there has been increasing understanding and appreciation for the powerful relationship between traumatic experiences during childhood and subsequent health and life outcomes. Nearly half of all adults in the United States have experienced at least one adverse experience during childhood. The exposure to ACEs, traumatic events occurring prior to age 18, has been linked to chronic health conditions as well as social, emotional, physical, and cognitive problems.

AIM: The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship between ACE exposure and chronic disease outcomes, specifically heart disease, asthma, and …

Environmental Disasters And Mental Health: Evidence From Oil Spills In The Peruvian Amazon, Alberto Chong, Carla Srebot

ICEPP Working Papers

Using a difference-in-difference approach, we test the causal link between environmental disasters and mental health indicators in rural areas of Peru by exploiting the spatial variation of exogeneous oil spills as well as the differences in their timing for the period 2014–16. We find that, after controlling for time-varying controls and for year fixed effects, oil spills lead to significantly higher probability of suffering psychological distress, such as lack of motivation, fatigue or feeling of failure. In particular, we find that an individual is 25.2 percentage points more likely to suffer from depression after an oil spill occurrence. Falsification tests …

Race And The Impact Of Parental Incarceration On Childhood Outcomes, Asantewaa Darkwa

Sociology Theses

Using Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), this thesis analyzes the relationship between parental incarceration and adverse life outcomes. More specifically, I examine the associations between parental incarceration and education, depressive symptoms, and criminal justice involvement. Using binomial logistic regression, I examine the differences between youth that had an incarcerated parent (mother, father, or both) compared to not having a parent incarcerated. Results indicate that Individuals experiencing parental incarceration were statistically more likely to experience negative outcomes compared to those that have not experienced parental incarceration.

Attitudes Towards Depression And Suicide: An Analysis Of News Coverage And Online Comments On Nigerian News Sites, Oluwamayomikun Lawal

Communication Theses

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the issue of suicide in Nigeria, based on an analysis of online news articles about suicide as well as posts in response to those news articles. The study examined how the articles framed suicide, including stereotypes about suicide, and how often comments reflected common beliefs/attitudes towards suicide. Twenty-four articles and 168 comments were analyzed. Results revealed stereotypes in language and images in the articles, which often deviated from the World Health Organization responsible suicide-reporting guidelines. The articles cited economic hardship and mental illness most often as causes of suicide, but none of the articles provided solutions …

Depression In Contemporary Times: A Study Of Its Determinants Among Middle-Aged Adults In The United States, Takiyah L. Johnson

Public Health Theses

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (major depression) is a disabling mental illness that impairs mood, reduces physical functioning, and causes emotional distress. Depression studies often focus on adolescents and young adults or older adults, but evidence suggests that the most severe consequences of this illness increasingly affect those in the middle (ages 40-64).

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the individual association between three health determinants (social support systems, health status, and access to health insurance) and major depressive symptoms among middle-aged adults. Also, factors such as demographic factors, socioeconomic status, military service, risky behaviors, and health-promoting behaviors were evaluated for their associations …

The Association Between The Use Of Mind-Body Therapies And U.S. Adults With Depressive Symptoms, National Health Interview Survey 2012, Emilie Seena

Public Health Theses

BACKGROUND

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has dramatically increased over the years since 1990. It is one of the fastest growing fields in healthcare and it is widely used today in the United States. Most people utilizing CAM approaches are seeking ways to improve overall health and well-being to relieve symptoms associated with body aches such as neck and back pain, stiffness, chronic illnesses, anxiety and depression, and side effects of conventional medicine. Symptoms of depression can lead to major depression, which is consequentially a major public health problem in the United States. In 2014, more than …

Black Girl Magic? The Influence Of The Strong Black Woman Schema On The Mental Health Of Black Women In The United States, Stephanie Hall

Sociology Dissertations

The Strong Black Woman Schema (SBWS) refers to the collective believes, behaviors, resources and responses Black women are socialized to embody. The SBWS was developed as a positive counterimage to the negative stereotypes of Black women, such as the mammy or the jezebel, and is an important image among Black women. Observations suggest that the SBWS may affect how Black women experience and interpret stress and mental illness. I assert the SBWS may serve as one comprehensive explanation for the mental health outcomes observed for Black women. Qualitative and quantitative studies have identified a set of characteristics (i.e. strength, emotion …

Examining The Association Between Perceptions Of Racial Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms Among African Americans In Georgia, Obioesio Bassey

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Depression in the United States is a persistent but relatively understudied public health issue, especially among particularly burdened populations that suffer from comorbidities and additional conditions that may trigger or exacerbate the presence of depressive symptoms. Stress is a leading causes of many health defects and many recent theories concerning health disparities center around the differences in stress between different subpopulations contribute to health. Perceived discrimination is a unique stressor that has been linked to the observed wellness gap between races. Discrimination in the United States is often targeted towards African Americans and the effect that this unique stressor …

'Tis Better To Give And To Receive: Social Support, Stress, And Mental Health In Dyadic Relationships, Stephanie Hansard

Sociology Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Research Questions: How do levels of perceived support within dyadic social networks interact to predict mental health outcomes for both network members? I examine whether one’s significant other’s level of perceived social support moderates the relationship between one’s own perceived social support and one’s own depressive and anxiety symptoms. I also consider whether stress may moderate the support-mental health relationship.

Method: I use Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling investigate how each respondent’s own perceived social support and each respondent’s significant other’s perceived social support predict each respondent’s levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. I use a sample of 982 respondent dyads, …

Associations Between Multi-Level Contextual Factors And Mental Health Service Utilization In Adolescents With Comorbid Depression And Substance-Use: Moderating Role Of School Connectedness On Racial/Ethnic Disparities In Service Utilization, Katherine Thornton

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Comorbid depression and substance-use has been a prevalent issue in adolescent health. Although rates have remained relatively stable their presence is still alarming and efforts to see a decrease have led leaders and organizations to call for research to better understand factors related to both depression and substance-use as well as how these factors may change when focusing on the presence of these disorders together.

AIM: The primary aim of this study is to better understand the contextual factors related to mental health care utilization in comorbid adolescents. Specifically focus will be directed to better understand how and individual’s …

“In Black And White, I’M A Piece Of Trash:” Abuse, Depression, And Women's Pathways To Prison, Alexa Adamo Valverde

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses

Women’s lived experiences of abuse and depression are examined within the context of gendered and racialized pathways to incarceration among 403 women randomly selected from a diagnostic unit in a state prison. This study utilizes feminist action research and community psychological methods to understand what factors predict incarcerated women’s placement on the mental health caseload and provides quantitative support for the pathways theoretical framework. Findings indicate that, among the sample, the prevalence of abuse experiences prior to incarceration exceeded 90%, prevalence of mental health problems exceeded 70%, and less than 35% were receiving mental health care. Being Caucasian, experiencing depression …

Depression And Empathy Predict Emotion-Modulated Startle Reactivity, Alyssa M. Ames

Psychology Theses

Research supports varied patterns of emotion-modulated startle (EMS) reactivity among depressed individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine whether these varied patterns can be explained by depression, empathic tendencies, and emotional stimuli. The EMS paradigm is a well-validated measure of emotion-modulated reactivity in which the magnitude of startle reflexes in reaction to acoustic stimuli are recorded while participants view pleasant, neutral, and negative images (Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 1990). Young adults (N = 120; M_age = 19.54, SD = 1.41; 75% female) completed self-report rating scales of depression symptoms and cognitive and affective empathic tendencies and …

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Racial Discrimination And Depression In Ethnic Minority College Freshmen: The Potential Moderating Role Of Peer And Faculty Support, Zahra Murtaza

Psychology Theses

Racial discrimination has been linked to depressive symptoms (Pascoe & Richman, 2009), but only a few studies have explored this relationship longitudinally. This study examines the possible moderating role of faculty and peer support on the discrimination-depression relationship amongst 180 ethnic minority college freshmen. Results of the hierarchical regression indicate that racial discrimination, β = .13, p < .05, in the first semester of freshman year significantly predicted depressive symptoms in the second semester of freshman year. No interactions were found between discrimination and peer support (β = .06, p > .05), or between discrimination and two forms of faculty support (faculty interactions, β = .05, p > .05, and faculty concern, β = -.10, p > .05). Thus, unlike predicted, peer and faculty support did not serve as protective factors against discrimination-related stress. Future …

Perfectionism, Acculturative Stress, Coping Styles, And Depression Among International Students., Yi-Shi Hsiao

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

The present study examined whether adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, acculturative stress, and three coping strategies (reflective, suppressive, and reactive) have interaction effects in predicting depression. Data were collected from 789 international students at seventeen different college campuses across the United States using an online survey. Results from hierarchical regression analyses indicated that there were significant main effects for adaptive perfectionism, maladaptive perfectionism, acculturative stress, and three coping strategies. Results also indicated that there were four significant two-way interactions among the variables in the prediction of depression. Ineffective coping (suppressive and reactive) moderated the relationship between acculturative stress and depression. Maladaptive …

Quadratic Associations Between Empathy And Depression And The Moderating Influence Of Dysregulation, Erin Tully, Alyssa M. Ames, Sarah E. Garcia, Meghan R. Donohue

Psychology Faculty Publications

Empathic tendencies have been associated with interpersonal and psychological benefits, but empathy at extreme levels or in combination with certain personal characteristics may contribute to risk for depression. This study tested the moderating role of cognitive emotion regulation in depression’s association with empathy using nonlinear models. Young adults (N=304; 77% female; M=19 years) completed measures of cognitive emotion regulation strategies, depression, and affective and cognitive empathy. Individuals with good regulation had low levels of depression overall and their depression symptoms were lowest when levels of affective empathy were average. Individuals with poor regulation had high levels of depression overall, particularly …

Trait Mindfulness As A Mediator Of Resilience, Depressive Symptoms, And Trauma Symptoms, Kiranmayi Neelarambam

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the role of mindfulness as a resilience resource in depressed and trauma exposed college students (Thompson, Arnkoff, & Glass, 2011). Chapter one reviews current literature that is relevant to the role of mindfulness in resilience and focuses on depression as an outcome. Further, chapter two details the research study. The study proposed and tested a model in which resilience and mindfulness predict trauma symptoms and depressive symptoms and mindfulness mediates the relationship between resilience and trauma and depression symptomology. A total of 529 college students were recruited at a large urban university. …

The Association Of Major Depression And Selected Health Behaviors Among Hiv-Positive Adults Receiving Medical Care In Georgia: Findings From The Georgia Medical Monitoring Project, 2009-2012, Rachel Culbreth

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Currently there are approximately 1.2 million people in the United States living with HIV and it is estimated that 25.6% of HIV-positive adults suffer from depression. The purpose of this study is to examine the contribution of depression on substance use and medication adherence specifically among HIV-positive adult Georgians receiving medical care for HIV.

Methods: Secondary data with a probability sample of 608 HIV-positive adults who took part in the 2009-2012 Georgia Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) were analyzed. Descriptive analysis and multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to assess relationships between depression with current cigarette smoking, injection drug use, …

Association Between Adverse Health Behaviors And Depression In American Adults With Metabolic Syndrome, Ebenezer Dawodu

Public Health Theses

Background: Metabolic Syndrome has been defined as a complex of risk factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 Diabetes and all-cause mortality. Dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, elevated Fasting Blood Glucose and elevated Blood pressure are established clusters of risk factors for Metabolic Syndrome. Smoking, Alcohol use, sedentary behavior and Depression continue to be major public health issues. Several studies have shown association between Smoking, Alcohol use, depression and metabolic syndrome. No study has revealed association between clusters of adverse behavioral risk factors and depression in individuals with Metabolic Syndrome.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between clusters of adverse …

The Contribution Of Temperament And Depressive Symptoms As Pathways To Informant Discrepancies On Parenting Practices, Yuri Shishido

Psychology Theses

Despite low/moderate convergent correlations, assessment of youth typically relies on multi-informants for information across a range of domains including parenting practices. Although parent-youth informant discrepancies have been found to predict adverse youth outcomes, few studies have examined contributing factors to the explanation of informant disagreements on parenting. The current study represents the first investigation to test the fit of hypothesized path models in which mother and son’s self-reported affective dimensions of temperament and depression were concurrently examined as critical pathways to informant discrepancies on parenting. Within a community sample of 174 mother-son dyads, results suggest that whereas the effects of …