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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Conservative Holiness Pastors' Ability To Assess Depression And Their Willingness To Refer To Mental Health Professionals, Andrew Graham
Conservative Holiness Pastors' Ability To Assess Depression And Their Willingness To Refer To Mental Health Professionals, Andrew Graham
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this study was to investigate the willingness and ability of Conservative Holiness pastors to assess depression and their willingness to refer to mental health professionals. Eighty-six pastors completed a four-part survey that measured diagnostic accuracy, willingness to refer, attitudes toward mental health, perceived competency to assist, recognition of need for help and confidence in mental health professionals. Demographic characteristics and case study responses were investigated through analysis of frequency data; relationships with demographic variables were analyzed using Spearman's rho and independent t-tests; relationships with variables derived from the scales were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. Analyses found …
Treatment Of Psychiatric Inpatients With Relationship Dysfunction Using A Short Term Cognitive Interpersonal Intervention: A Pilot Study, Tamra Rasberry
Treatment Of Psychiatric Inpatients With Relationship Dysfunction Using A Short Term Cognitive Interpersonal Intervention: A Pilot Study, Tamra Rasberry
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Relationship conflict for the psychiatric patient can have significant detrimental effects. There are specific types of interactions that can increase conflict and predict the potential for relapse; these have been identified by research and designated as components of Expressed Emotion (EE). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) have been very effective when targeting specific psychiatric diagnoses, but less effective when addressing relationship conflict. The majority of studies addressing relationship conflict have taken place in an outpatient, long-term setting. There is limited research that utilizes an inpatient short-term intensive therapy with relationship conflict as its sole focus, targeting areas …
Factors That Contribute To Burnout Among Elementary School Counselors, Yesenia Lopez
Factors That Contribute To Burnout Among Elementary School Counselors, Yesenia Lopez
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This study examined the relationship between elementary school counselors' self-efficacy, counselor-to-student ratio, and employment in a Title I school and burnout on the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. This study also investigated which factor(s) (i.e., self-efficacy, counselor-to-student ratio, or employment in a Title I school) predicts burnout on the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment among elementary school counselors. Data collected from 84 elementary school counselors were used to test four hypotheses. A significant positive relation was found between elementary school counselors' self-efficacy and personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were not related to elementary …
Christian Spirituality And Marital Health: A Phenomenological Study Of Long-Term Marriages, David Dixon
Christian Spirituality And Marital Health: A Phenomenological Study Of Long-Term Marriages, David Dixon
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This is a phenomenological study examining the shared experiences expressed by 10 couples who have been married one time for more than thirty years and have been described as practicing Christian spirituality within their marital relationship. The data was collected by one source, the researcher, as the couple's participated in a joint interview. Two major Christian spirituality themes emerged from the couple's interviews. The first major Christian spirituality theme was being and doing. The being and doing theme interplayed throughout the interview with the emerging process factors of affectionate expression, bonding, and commitment. The second major Christian spirituality theme which …
Living Out Love In Marriage: Learning And Applying Four Types Of Love To Sustain Marriage, Erroyl Mcginty
Living Out Love In Marriage: Learning And Applying Four Types Of Love To Sustain Marriage, Erroyl Mcginty
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this thesis project is to show married couples, and those who want to be married how to live out God's love in their marriage. We will examine and explain four components of love; Feelings and Physical Love (Eros), Action and Service (Philia), Commitment and Covenant (Storge), and God's Love (Agape). We will show the biblical foundation for each of the four parts. The material used will come from the life experiences from couples of all types of marriages (new, successful, troubled, failing, divorced, separated, recovering, etc.). Much of the research will come from surveys of couples. Other …
Easy Effective Counseling: A Strategy For Busy Pastors, Benjamin Karner
Easy Effective Counseling: A Strategy For Busy Pastors, Benjamin Karner
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Pastors are expected to counsel various people with various problems. However, in most circumstances, pastors have little time to prepare for counseling sessions and cannot be long-term therapists. Therefore, it is critical for the pastor to be able to quickly and effectively give substantial guidance to counselees. The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a pastoral counseling program with a decision management focus. A survey will be conducted with at least one hundred (100) pastors who engage in counseling as part of their regular ministry duties. This project will develop and communicate a practical counseling approach for …
"And Do You Take This Stranger To Be Your Lawfully Wedded Wife?": The Usefulness Of Social Penetration Theory Within Premarital Counseling, Katherine Beich-Forkner
"And Do You Take This Stranger To Be Your Lawfully Wedded Wife?": The Usefulness Of Social Penetration Theory Within Premarital Counseling, Katherine Beich-Forkner
Masters Theses
With fifty percent of today's marriages ending in divorce, one begins to wonder if engaged couples should be more prepared when entering into a marriage commitment. This mixed-methods study investigates the function of social penetration theory within premarital counseling programs. The research was designed to address three questions: (1) Do engaged couples believe they know the depth and breadth of their partner adequately enough to be prepared for marriage after receiving premarital counseling? (2) Do counselors indirectly support the basic premise of social penetration theory by actively using strategies to help engaged partners reveal important aspects of the breadth and …
Reducing The Divorce Rate Among Christians In America: Making Premarital Counseling Prerequisite For Marriage, Scott Vail
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
God instituted the covenant of marriage to provide the means by which two individuals become one for life. This covenant between a man and a woman is intended to satisfy the God-given longing each person has to love and be loved for a lifetime. The reality is, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2008, the divorce rate in America is nearly fifty percent. To remedy this, the church must require a formal premarital program as a prerequisite for marriage. The result would be fewer divorces and an increase in marital satisfaction. Resources formerly consumed by counseling and ministering …
Military Service Members: A Manual For Reintegration After Deployment, Carla Barry
Military Service Members: A Manual For Reintegration After Deployment, Carla Barry
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Deployment to Afghanistan for Marines and Sailors stationed in Jacksonville, NC is continual. The transition back to home life can be both difficult and stressful. The purpose of this thesis is to increase awareness of the dynamics of reintegration of military members and their families after deployment. Based on questionnaires sent to local churches, military families, observations, and journaling the thesis project validated a need for support. The thesis project produced a resource guide teaching pastors stressors associated with reintegration. The summary and conclusion will address behavioral and social changes by group participants.
The Victorious Christian Life: Overcoming Alcohol Dependence Through The Phenomenon Of Christian Spirituality, Michael Byrne
The Victorious Christian Life: Overcoming Alcohol Dependence Through The Phenomenon Of Christian Spirituality, Michael Byrne
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Interviews were conducted with graduates of a northeastern evangelical Christian-based treatment program to discover insights regarding the role that the phenomenon of Christian spirituality played in their recovery. Eight themes were extracted from three periods of time in the participants' lives as they related to the phenomenon of Christian spirituality: prior to treatment; during treatment; and after treatment. These themes revealed that the participants lacked resiliencies to overcome alcohol dependence themselves. All participants reported that critical aspects of Christian spirituality, such as regeneration and cultivation of a divine-human relationship through lifestyle exercise of Spiritual Disciplines and diligent application of the …
A Study Of The Utilization Of Brief And Biblically Integrated Child Parent Relationship Therapy With Mothers From Christian Families And Their 11-14 Year Old Children, Valerie Waruszewski
A Study Of The Utilization Of Brief And Biblically Integrated Child Parent Relationship Therapy With Mothers From Christian Families And Their 11-14 Year Old Children, Valerie Waruszewski
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Twenty-six mothers and their 11-14 year old children participated in the Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT). Although designed for elementary-aged children, CPRT was modified for pre-teens and biblically integrated worldview. An analysis of data obtained from the Parenting Relationship Questionnaire-CA (Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2009), Conflict Behavior Questionnaire-20 (Robin & Foster, 1989), and Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987) revealed meaningful trends in the decrease of frustration, levels of conflict, and negative communication within family systems. It is hoped that these findings will encourage additional research to help Christian mothers and therapists with an effective tool that …
Stigma And The Acceptability Of Depression Treatments Among African American Clergy, Connie Gardner
Stigma And The Acceptability Of Depression Treatments Among African American Clergy, Connie Gardner
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this cross sectional study was to investigate stigma associated with depression treatments and to approximate its association with treatment acceptability among African American Clergy. There were 109 African American clergy who completed three measures: treatment specific stigma instrument, treatment acceptability instrument, and a demographic questionnaire, anonymously. Three hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistics, Mantel-Haenszel common odds ratio estimate, Pearson correlation coefficient, and ordinal logistic regression. Statistical analysis revealed stigma did increase with the expansion of the social circle; Christian mental health counseling had the highest acceptability rate among clergy not pastoral or lay counseling and there was …
A Resource For Pastors And Counselors: Ministering To Spiritual And Emotional Needs Of Those In Ministry, Shirley Craven
A Resource For Pastors And Counselors: Ministering To Spiritual And Emotional Needs Of Those In Ministry, Shirley Craven
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Some pastors are in need of pastoral care and counseling; unfortunately, many will never receive the care they need. Pastors often suffer in silence because they feel they cannot trust revealing their deep dark secrets with fellow clergy. The lack of confidentiality among pastors has caused leaders to struggle in silence with the very issues they preach against: adultery, fornication, pornography, drug, alcohol, etc. The fear of exposure has driven some pastors to seek help in other states where they can remain anonymous. Providing this type of resource will enable pastors to take control of their lives, and seek the …
Examining The Relationship Between Emotional Schemas, Emotional Intelligence, And Relationship Satisfaction, Gregory Mears
Examining The Relationship Between Emotional Schemas, Emotional Intelligence, And Relationship Satisfaction, Gregory Mears
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
A review of the literature revealed that the relationship between emotional intelligence, emotional schemas, and relationship satisfaction has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional schemas, emotional intelligence and relationship satisfaction in a sample of married individuals, utilizing a cross-sectional, correlational design to assess the constructs via validated assessment tools. Baron and Kenny's methodology for assessing mediating relationships was used to explore the relationship between these variables. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the higher values dimension of emotional schemas accounted for 4.1% of the variance in relationship satisfaction after controlling …
Adult Perceptions Of The Experience Of Being Identified "Talented And Gifted" As Children: A Phenomenological Study, Bradford Summers
Adult Perceptions Of The Experience Of Being Identified "Talented And Gifted" As Children: A Phenomenological Study, Bradford Summers
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This is a phenomenological study of adult perceptions of the experience of being identified "talented and gifted" as children. Data were gathered by transcribing the video recordings of adults who were students of the Talented and Gifted (TAG) education program in Fairfield, Ohio during 1978-1983. The phenomenological method was used to discover perceptions of a unique population of adults who shared life experiences during elementary and middle school. Analysis of the data resulted in the identification of four main themes: Growth, Interpersonal, Future, and Thankfulness. Three facilitating and three challenging subthemes were identified under each main theme. These were: Internal …
Finishing Well: A Phenomenological Investigation Of Spiritual Transformation In Retirement-Age Evangelical Men, Johnny Justin Baker
Finishing Well: A Phenomenological Investigation Of Spiritual Transformation In Retirement-Age Evangelical Men, Johnny Justin Baker
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The baby boomers comprise a large segment of the United States population (78 million) but many of them are without spiritual resources to finish well in life. However, there are a few Evangelical men who have experienced spiritual transformation in retirement-age and have discovered the resources for security and significance in the spiritual dimension. Through a qualitative research design the stories of eight participants gave richness and depth to this study. These men described how they and others were impacted by the transformation experience. They discarded superficial forms of cultural Christianity to embrace authentic intrinsic change. The spiritual transformation experience, …
A Comprehensive And Individual Perspective: A New Model For Assessing Missionary Needs In Order To Prevent Burnout, Kyra Schellenberger
A Comprehensive And Individual Perspective: A New Model For Assessing Missionary Needs In Order To Prevent Burnout, Kyra Schellenberger
Senior Honors Theses
In the last 20-30 years, missionary burnout has become a popular topic in the missionary care and support community. Although much research has been done on the issue, few studies have provided a comprehensive approach to the study and appropriate care of these missionaries. The goal of this research was to present a model that more accurately represented missionary struggles while incorporating past findings on missionary burnout. Four retired missionaries were interviewed about their experiences on the field, and their estimation of the model’s relevancy and helpfulness. Despite similar experiences amongst the participants, the responses further confirmed the individual nature …
The Significance Of Developing Core Counseling Competencies In Pastoral Care Ministry, Craig L. Younce
The Significance Of Developing Core Counseling Competencies In Pastoral Care Ministry, Craig L. Younce
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this thesis project is to present the importance of developing four specific core competencies in the area of pastoral counseling. It is problematic that most pastors have received minimal or no training in counseling resulting in inadequate therapy when parishioners seek pastoral counseling during times of crisis. The material presented in this thesis project enables pastoral care givers to become proficient counselors through a series of learning objectives, best practices, critical tasks, and accomplished practices directed toward improving counseling competencies in the area of personal, marriage, and family counseling. Additionally, this project addresses the problem of pornography, …