Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Mindfulness On Affect And Substance Use, Alicia D. Carter

Honors College Theses

Previous studies have explored the impact of mindfulness on Big 5 personality traits, personality disorders, suicidal ideation, and alcohol use; additionally, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been used to treat individuals suffering from depression and anxiety. However, the practical application of mindfulness has been complicated by contradictory findings in the literature and inconsistent conceptualizations of the construct. The current study sought to investigate potential relationships between types of mindfulness, facets of mindfulness, substance use, and affect. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires related to mindfulness, correlates of neuroticism (i.e., depression, anxiety, and subjective happiness), and drinking-related consequences. Correlational analyses revealed significant …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Psychological Distress And Risky Sexual Behaviors Among A Treatment-Seeking Opioid-Dependent Population, Hayley M. Smith

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Substance abusing populations are at an increased risk for disease transmission and have higher rates of psychological comorbidity compared to the general population (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012a; Chaudhury & Singh, 2009; Des Jarlais, Semaan, & Arasteh, 2011; Goodwin & Stein, 2013). Numerous studies have implicated the interaction of psychological distress and risky sexual behaviors in the increased risk of disease transmission, however, several studies have not found this association. It has been suggested that there may be curvilinear relationship between psychological distress and risky sexual behaviors but this theory has yet to be tested. The …

A Culturally-Sensitive Model Of The Development Of Child Anxiety., Jenny Marie Petrie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Explanatory models significantly enhance the understanding of etiological influences that place children at risk for anxiety, yet little is known about processes that promote resilient outcomes in children. While contextual factors influence risk and protective processes, cultural constructs have not been incorporated into existing models of anxiety and the role of culture remains obscure. The current study proposes a culturally sensitive model for understanding the etiological and mitigating processes underlying anxious symptoms in ethnic minority youth, and preliminarily tests basic components of the proposed model within a non-clinical community sample of 49 African American (AA) parent-child dyads who completed self-report …

Mothers' Views Of Their Children's Anxiety In Autism: A Qualitative Approach, Jessica Mae Palilla

Theses and Dissertations

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which is marked by severe social disabilities, also present with higher rates of anxiety. Understanding the qualitative symptoms that underlie anxiety in ASD may help to better characterize the overlap of ASD and anxiety symptomology and suggest targeted treatment strategies. Twenty mothers with male children diagnosed with high-functioning ASD were interviewed using a follow-up interview to the SCAS parent rating scale, in order to better understand how mothers perceive their child's anxious thoughts, behaviors and cognitions. All interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was used to analyze the results. Eight themes emerged from …

The Human Intruder Test: An Anxiety Assessment In Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Emily J. Peterson

Masters Theses

The human intruder test (HIT) is a noninvasive tool widely used for assessing anxiety in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). This thesis explores the HIT procedure and applies it to a population of monkeys with a self-injurious behavioral pathology. Individual variation on this test can be used to assess anxiety and temperament. The first experiment of this thesis applied two different procedures of the HIT to 17 monkeys at UMass. Monkeys displayed little response to the intruder, and no significant differences were detected for the two procedures. To determine whether these responses were unique to the UMass monkeys, their …

Parentification, Coping, And Distress In Siblings Of Individuals With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Aranda Christine Wingsiong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parentification refers to the intergenerational role-reversal within a family wherein a child is assigned the adult caregiving role. Typically-developing siblings of individuals with developmental disabilities often experience increased caregiving responsibilities compared to their peers (Cuskelly & Gunn, 2003) and face unique challenges within their sibling relationship (Petalas et al., 2009), which may place them at a greater risk for parentification. The purpose of the current study was to compare parentification experiences, coping strategies, and social and behavioural adjustment between 30 siblings (age 17 to 25 years) of individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 179 siblings of individuals without disabilities. Contrary …

Comparative Study Of Foreign Language Anxiety In Korean And Chinese Students, Kevin Manley

Culminating Projects in English

This study focuses on Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) in Korean university students and which elements of English class cause the most stress. The results give valuable insights into what is causing reticence in these EFL learners and the data could be very useful for teachers or researchers designing English teaching programs who would like to maximize speaking and minimize reticence. An exploratory literature review led to the focus of reticence and FLA and Barly Mak’s 2011 study “An exploration of speaking-in-class anxiety with Chinese ESL learners” was replicated to provide both a well-rounded assessment of FLA and results from a …

Perceptions Of Mental Health Among First Year College Students, Kelly N. Mcgowan

Honors Theses

College students are at risk for exposure to, exacerbation, and development of mental health issues. Exposure to and existence of historical stigmas and misconceptions is a portion of the hesitancy for this population to acknowledge symptoms and seek help. This hesitancy is often put in place by the media, in how they portray mental health Anxiety, mood, eating, psychotic, and substance abuse disorders are prevalent in this population. Colonel Campers are known for their involvement and retention at Eastern Kentucky University and are a representation for this at risk population. The participants were surveyed via a mixed quantitative and qualitative …

Who's The Fairest Of Them All? Defining And Subverting The Female Beauty Ideal In Fairy Tale Narratives And Films Through Grotesque Aesthetics, Leah Persaud

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis seeks to explore the ways in which women and beauty are depicted in the fairy tales of Giambattista Basile, the Grimm Brothers, and 21^st century fairy tale films. A dominant beauty ideal in the genre has established a splitting of female characters into strict dichotomies that reinforce beauty and good moral behaviour while also propagating antagonistic female relationships. The use of spectacle to highlight the physical rewards of beauty and the violent punishments of ugly women have created a stable pattern in the genre that is maintained regardless of time period or context. It is the aim …

Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Over Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? A Meta-Analysis Of Effective Treatment Of Anxiety Disorders In Middle Childhood, Emily A. Edwards

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Anxiety is a commonly diagnosed disorder in middle childhood that affects many aspects of the child’s life. Effective treatment is needed so that children are able to experience fewer or no symptoms of anxiety and to manage anxiety. Cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) is widely used as a treatment for children with anxiety. CBT can either be facilitated in an individual or group format but there are inconsistencies in the literature regarding which modality is most effective. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the effectiveness of individual CBT (ICBT) and group CBT (GCBT) in treating school-aged children with anxiety disorders. Eligible …

Dissection Of Affective Catecholamine Circuits Using Traditional And Wireless Optogenetics, Jordan Gary Mccall

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parsing the complexity of the mammalian brain has challenged neuroscientists for thousands of years. In the early 21st century, advances in materials science and neuroscience have enabled unprecedented control of neural circuitry. In particular, cell-type selective manipulations, such as those with optogenetics and chemogenetics, routinely provide answers to previously intractable neurobiological questions in the intact, behaving animal.

In this two-part dissertation, I first introduce new minimally invasive, wireless technology to perturb neural activity in the ventral tegmental area dopaminergic system of freely moving animals. I report a series of novel devices for studying and perturbing intact neural systems through optogenetics, …

The Role Of Comorbid Anxiety Symptoms In Children And Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd) On An Emotional Perception Task, Kayla Sargent

Psychology Theses

The focus of the present study is to investigate the relationship between anxiety symptoms and neural outcomes of emotion processing in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and neurotypical controls. Eighteen child and adolescent participants (9 ASD, 3 female) completed questionnaires, behavioral testing, and an fMRI scan. Participants with ASD demonstrated significantly higher scores on parent-reported anxiety measures than typically developing (TD) participants; however, observed amygdala activations were not related to parent-reported anxiety scores and OFC activation was not observed during emotional stimuli for either group. ASD and TD participants demonstrated significant bilateral responses in the superior temporal …

How Fear And Anxiety In Response To Countertransference And Somatic Countertransference Impacted The Clinical Decision-Making Of A Dance/Movement Therapy Intern, Chelsie Batko

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This artistic inquiry self-study explored how fear and anxiety, in response to countertransference and somatic countertransference, impacted the clinical decision-making process of a dance/movement therapy intern. Primary questions surrounding the research included: How did fear and anxiety, in response to countertransference and somatic countertransference, impact the clinical decision-making of myself as a dance/movement therapy intern? Was what I experienced, as a dance/movement therapy intern, both fear and anxiety? How did I physiologically experience and embody fear and anxiety in response to countertransference and somatic countertransference? Data were collected in the form of journal entries and video recorded movement and were …

Biological And Contextual Predictors Of The Stability Of Behavioural Inhibition In Early Childhood, Victoria C. Johnson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Persistently elevated behavioural inhibition (BI) in children confers increased risk for anxiety disorders. However, little research has jointly examined exogenous and endogenous factors that may moderate BI stability in early childhood. To explore whether parent (i.e., parental overinvolvement, parent anxiety) and child (i.e., 5-HTTLPR and BDNF val66met genotype, positive emotionality) factors influenced the stability of early BI, a community sample of 371 preschoolers and their caregivers completed observational measures of child temperament, observational and questionnaire measures of parenting, and parent interviews for anxiety disorder history. Child BI at age 3 interacted with children’s 5-HTTLPR variants to predict age 5 BI; …

Intracranial Infusions Of Neurotensin Agonists Produce An Anxiolytic Profile In A Rat Ultrasonic Vocalization Model, Floyd F. Steele Iii

All NMU Master's Theses

Neurotensin (NT) is a peptide neurotransmitter that interacts with brain monoamine neurotransmitter systems. It has been demonstrated that neurotensin type 1 and type 2 receptor agonists influence animal models of psychological disorders and pain regulation, respectively. It has already been shown that the systemic administration of the selective neurotensin type 1 receptor agonist PD149163 can attenuate the number of fear-induced 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) produced by male Wistar rats. A reduction in the number of 22-kHz USV calls is indicative of an anxiolytic effect. The current study used a USV model to evaluate the effects of PD149163 (0.1, 1.0, and …

The Effect Of Expert Role Modeling On Anxiety/Self-Confidence And Clinical Judgment In Novice Nursing Students, Cathy Lorraine Coram

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Simulation Anxiety And Learning Styles, Karyl Lujean Yockey

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Learning To Learn And Naming Through Receptive And Expressive Identification, Kelli Perry

Dissertations

Poor or no language skills are typical of most preschool children with autism (American Psychological Association, 2013). Language can be divided into the two components of receptive, or listener, skills and expressive, or speaker, skills. Recommendations for sequencing language instruction vary across the different behavior-analytic instructional models (Lovaas, 1981; Barbara & Rasmussen, 2007; Sundberg & Partington, 1998; Sundberg, 2008). The current study sought to examine those recommendations using young children (three- to four-years-old) with limited vocal repertoires and to explore the acquisition of learning to learn (Harlow, 1949) and naming (Greer & Ross, 2007). This research (1) adds to the …

Associations Between Anxiety And Attention In Laboratory-Housed Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Lauren E. Hobbs

Masters Theses

Previous studies completed with humans have revealed insight into the effects of anxiety on attention tasks such the dot-probe task, but there is little information about such effects on non-human primates. This study aimed to assess whether anxiety or anxious behaviors would impact rhesus macaque performance on a three stimuli paradigm similar to the dot-probe task. Utilizing images of conspecifics (strong threat, mild threat, and neutral), eight monkeys were video recorded completing a task that required them to slide two doors, which held these images, to the side to obtain a treat. We hypothesized that behavioral phenotype (high or low …

Moderators Of Acculturative Stress And Internalizing Problems In Hispanic/Latino Youth, Ashley N. Marchante

Open Access Theses

In the US, Hispanic/Latino youth are at especially high risk for experiencing anxiety and depression. Acculturative stress is one factor that has been linked to anxiety/depressive symptoms in Hispanic/Latino youth but few studies have explored factors that may influence this relationship. The current study examined (a) the relationship between acculturative stress and anxiety/depressive symptoms within a diverse sample of Hispanic/Latino youth, and (b) risk (age, gender, and parental SES) and protective (family function, friend support, and ethnic identity) factors that may moderate the relationship between acculturative stress and anxiety/depressive symptoms. Participants were 1,466 Hispanic/Latino youth, ages 8-16 years (M=11.85, SD=2.52), …

Assessing Behavioral And Emotional Avoidance In Adolescents: A Psychometric Validation Study, Sarah Michelle Kennedy

Open Access Theses

Avoidance, which may be either behavioral or emotional and is widely thought to be a maladaptive strategy for regulating emotions, is central to diagnostic conceptualizations of anxiety and depressive disorders. Both behavioral and emotional avoidance confer risk for and maintain symptoms of anxiety and depression, and change in avoidance is thought to be an important treatment mechanism. However, few existing measures of avoidance are appropriate for adolescents. The current study utilized exploratory factor analyses of two measures of avoidance in adolescents, employing an exploratory structural equation modeling framework: the Checklist of Avoidance Strategy Engagement for Adolescents (CEASE-A; Fairholme & Ehrenreich, …

The Transdiagnostic Prevention Of Emotional Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Study, Rebecca Mcdermott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Major Depression and anxiety disorders are prevalent, costly, and comorbid disorders. These emotional disorders also share some vulnerability factors, making them good candidates for transdiagnostic or simultaneous prevention. The current study is a double-blind, primary prevention study that focuses on preventing emotional disorders in at risk, first and second year undergraduate students. Three internet-delivered preventative programs were compared: a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention (MoodGYM), an attentional bias modification program (Dandeneau & Baldwin, 2004), and an active attentional control. Participants (n = 354) completed symptom measurement pre- and post- a six-week intervention and again at a four-month follow-up, when they …

A Multimethod Assessment Of Emotion Regulation And Associations With Anxiety Symptoms In A Clinical Sample Of School-Age Youth, Emily Laird Bilek

Open Access Dissertations

There is a wealth of research demonstrating the relationship between emotion regulation deficits and anxiety symptoms (Zeman, Shipman & Suveg, 2002; Penza-Clyve & Zeman, 2002; Suveg & Zeman, 2004). However, rigorous investigations incorporating multimethod assessments of emotion regulation are rare (Adrian, Zeman & Viets, 2011; Thompson, 2011a). Participants were 153 children, ages 6-13 (Mage = 9.39, 51.6% male), diagnosed with a clinical anxiety disorder. Analyses indicated significant convergence between parent- and child-report of dysregulation, and between informant and observer-reports of dysregulation. No other convergence was observed. Examinations of divergence across parent- and child-report of youth inhibition, dysregulation and coping indicated …

The Effect Of Existential Concerns On Evaluations Of Dating Websites, Rachel Frisch

Honors Theses

Previous research has indicated that death-related anxieties are the ultimate threat to the human psyche. In an effort to manage these concerns, individuals tend to turn to their romantic relationships. The present research sought to determine how mortality salience (i.e., death awareness) influences the effectiveness of an advertisement and the desirability of dating websites. A fake dating website was created with four different slogans. The first included an overt death-reminder, the second included a subtle death-reminder, the third included a loneliness reminder, and the fourth condition did not include any psychological threats. Participants were randomly assigned to visit a website …

The Effects Of Injury And Displacement On Typhoon Yolanda Survivors, Crystel N. Chaparro, Alexis L. Mitchell

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study was conducted with a group Filipino survivors of Typhoon Yolanda. It examines the effects of being injured or displaced as a result of the natural disaster on the effectiveness of a pilot project addressing depression, anxiety and hope. Eight adults (N = 8) completed a series of five workshops along with a pre and post questionnaire. Those that were displaced, exhibited a reduction in depression (24%), a reduction in anxiety (12.8%), and an increase in hope (14.78%) after completing the workshops. Furthermore, the individuals that were injured experienced a reduction in anxiety (22.7%), an increase in depression (28.48%), …

The Relationship Between Pretend Play Processes And Anxiety, Ashlee L. Weaver

Honors Theses

The current research was designed to examine how pretend play is related to anxiety. This relationship with pretend play needs more investigation in order to be able to assess and identify those with anxiety. This is important because pretend play could be used as an intervention to reduce anxiety. It was hypothesized that pretend play is correlated with anxiety; if a child has better pretend play skills, parents are more likely to rate their child’s anxiety lower than parents of children with poorer pretend play skills. The current study examined cognitive and affective play processes, which include organization, imagination, comfort …

Strategies To Reduce Foreign Language Anxiety In Adult Efl Students Of The European Union, Kathleen Hershner

Master's Projects and Capstones

One of paradoxes in adult foreign language learning is that older learners must communicate in the very language, in this case English, they struggle to acquire. The discomfort that arises from needing to use deficient or non-existent skills in a new language is more acutely felt in adults than children. Adults approach learning new languages with an assumed level of control over themselves and their environment and can easily become frustrated when they're unable to maintain their usual levels of confidence and competence, which can lead to foreign language anxiety. FLA is a specific kind of anxiety defined as an …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of A Web-Based Education Program About The Icu Environment And A Standard Education Program On Anxiety, Depression, And Acute Stress Experienced Among Family Members Of Icu Patients, Chrystal Leigh Lewis

Dissertations

Family members of ICU patients may experience anxiety, depression, and acute stress disorder symptoms. A need identified by the multi-society task for critical care research was to study the usefulness of interventions to quantify and treat anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms experienced by family members of ICU patients (Deutschman et al., 2012). This task force encouraged investigating using technology to address this need. (Deutschman et al.). The purpose of this prospective, quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group (pretest/posttest) design study was to compare the effect of standard ICU education and a web-based education program about the ICU environment on the level of …

How Does Perfectionism Influence Anxiety In Gifted Middle School Students?, Kelsey Owens

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Research has demonstrated that gifted students tend to experience a higher level of perfectionism when compared to their regular education peers. While perfectionism may aid these students in their academics, it can also contribute to negative consequences in terms of the social and emotional needs of these students, such as anxiety. This research study sought to add to the literature by examining whether perfectionism does influence anxiety in gifted middle school students. Twenty-two middle school students enrolled in a center-based gifted program participated in this study by completing two measures: one examining levels of perfectionism and another examining levels of …

Relation Between Intergroup Anxiety, Depression, Intergroup Contact Quantity And Quality In Northern Ireland Adolescents., Austin L. Stethen

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.