Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

"Translating The Language Of The Body" : Engaging Individuals Who Self-Harm In Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Dani Kowalski

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory study was to gain a deeper understanding of how individuals who self-harm develop ways of communicating about self-harming experiences in therapy. The study used semi-structured interviews with twelve participants to gather qualitative data about their experiences, with a focus on identifying what aspects of therapy were helpful to them, and what was difficult about engaging in therapy.

Participants spoke about the therapeutic encounter as one among many socio-cultural contexts in which changes of self-injury occurred. Findings suggest that engaging individuals who self-harm in therapy involves an understanding of self-harm as a communication of distressing experiences, …

Caring For The Caregivers : The Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Support And Teacher-Child Interactions In Head Start Classrooms, Mariel R. Stadick

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose ofthis study was to examine whether there is a correlation between Head Start preschool teachers’ perceived agency support and the quality of their interactions with children in their programs. This study utilized a mixed methods design with both observational and self-report measures to examine the correlation between two measures as administered in Head Start preschools programs: The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS). A national sample of 69 Head Start preschool teachers responded to a modified version of the SPOS that included demographic items and agreed to release their CLASS scores. …

Relationships That Appear To Contribute To The Development Of An Earned- Secure Attachment, Abby E. Feinberg

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore what relationships appear to contribute to the development of an earned- secure attachment with a specific focus on the type and quality of the relationship. Well over 1,000 people received the study through social media requesting participation in a SurveyMonkey survey consisting of 3 screening questions, 14 demographic questions, 6 multiple choice questions, and 4 open ended questions. The screening and demographic questions allowed the 1,035 participants to be categorized by attachment style. The survey items assessed most important current relationship type and quality. The findings of this research corroborated with previous studies that …

Pregnancy, An Opportunity For Empowerment : A Trauma And Attachment Informed Approach To Creating A Corrective Relationship For Mothers With Trauma Histories And Subsequent Substance Abuse, Judith W. Kamara

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis examined how the capacity of a healthy pregnancy and birth and positive attachment could be a corrective experience for mothers with histories of trauma and subsequent substance use. Socratic questioning was used to help trauma and attachment-informed clinicians approach mothers in this population as an asset to their infants rather than viewing them as a risk, hopefully challenging the socially prevalent belief that these mothers should be treated punitively rather than receive treatment. The phenomenon also focused on this population of mothers rather than their infants as primary victim, examining individual and systemic factors that contribute to …

Clinical Perspectives On Etiology, Assessment, Formulation And Treatment Of Imaginary Companions In Adolescents With Attachment Trauma, Kathryn M. Collins

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study explored the phenomenon of imaginary companions as they present within the lives of adolescents with histories of attachment trauma. The phenomenon and is origins were explored through a review of developmental, psychoanalytic and trauma research. Theoretical perspectives of narrative therapy and Winnicottian object relations were then introduced as lenses through which to conceptualize assessment and formulation of the phenomenon, with careful consideration paid to the social context within which the phenomenon emerges. These theoretical perspectives were then applied to a discussion of assessment, formulation and treatment within a specific case example, written by Proskauer, Barsh and Johnson …

Sibling Relationships : Growing Up With A Sibling Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Its Influence On Perceived Family Cohesion, Attachment And Current Life Satisfaction, Laura M. Nordone

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

When there is a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a family, the whole system is profoundly impacted. Little is known about the impact having a sibling with ASD has on the typically developing siblings within a family, as the research that exists on the topic has typically been conducted using parent-impressions of the sibling dyads, making it difficult to infer how the typically developing children themselves make meaning of their internal experiences (Petlas, Hastings, Nash, Hall, Joannidi, and Dowey, 2012; Tomney, et al., 2012). In a sample of 67 adult siblings of individuals with ASD, perceived attention in …

Responding To Infant Sleep-Related Crying : A Theoretical Exploration Of Caregiver Response From Attachment And Object Relations Perspectives, Casey L. Zandoná

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

How to respond to infant sleep-related crying is a ripe debate in much of the current parenting literature. This theoretical thesis explores how certain caregiver responses affect infants' psychological development. Particular attention is paid to the popular sleep-training technique—letting a baby "Cry It Out"—as there is an alarming lack of consideration within empirical and theoretical literature of the psychological impact of this parenting strategy on an infant. This thesis begins with an overview of current empirical research on infant sleep and crying behavior, and proceeds to include an in-depth look at attachment and object relations (mostly Winnicottian) theories, specifically in …

Are You My Motherboard? : The Effects Of Technology On The Parent-Child Relationship, David S. Sullivan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

New technologies have been evolving at a rapid pace over the last few decades. The convenience afforded by many technologies presents interesting questions in terms of attachment. Recent research on internet addiction disorder (IAD) has revealed that technology may be affecting people on a social, familial, and neurophysiological basis. This research explores the effects of technology on the parent-child relationship. The research interviewed six participants through telephone interviews: treatment participants (TP, n=2) in this research are both young men who meet criteria for IAD and completed treatment relative to their technology addiction; clinical participants (CP, n=4) in this research are …

Attachment In Clinical Supervision : Relationships Between Attachment And The Supervisory Working Alliance, Karen E. Ladr-Finefrock

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The present study explored the alliance between Masters in Social Work (MSW) student trainees and their clinical supervisors using the lens of attachment theory. The sample consisted of 95 participants: 77 trainees (81.9% White; 88.3% female) and 18 of their supervisors (100% White; 83.3% female). Trainees completed The Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures questionnaire (ECR-RS; Fraley, Heffernan, Vicary and Brumbaugh, 2011) to assess their attachments to their supervisors, as well as their perceptions of their supervisors' attachments to them. Supervisors completed The ECR-RS to assess their attachments to their trainees, as well as their perceptions of their trainees' attachments to …

Secure Attachments And How They Promote Resilience In Children Of Alcoholics, Sheena A. Mahoney

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Children of alcoholics (COAs) experience risk factors including difficulties in school, behavioral issues, psychological distress, and the potential to become a substance abuser themselves. However, there is also research to support that not all COAs experience negative outcomes as a result of their alcoholic parent's influence. This qualitative study sought to explore whether positive attachments promote resilience in COAs from the perspective of COAs themselves. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants who were COAs and could identify a positive attachment relationship from the time period when they lived with their alcoholic parent(s). The major finding of this study was …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Exposure To Violence In The Home And Attachment Characteristics Among Youth With Sexually Harmful Bahaviors, Talia J. Jackson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to violence in the home and attachment characteristics in youth with sexually harmful behaviors. In this study the following was investigated: whether maternal/paternal attachment plays a mediating role in the relationship between exposure to violence in the home (both experienced and witnessed) and adolescent sexual/non-sexual offending. The sample size was 296 male youth with sexually harmful behaviors placed in six residential treatment facilities. Four mediation models were used to examine attachment and exposure to violence in the home in youth with sexually harmful behaviors. Results showed no support …

The Perceived Role Of Biological Father Contact In The Self-Estem Development Of Young African American Women : An Exploratory Study, Kendra R. Archer

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was designed to explore how young self-identified women of African American and African descent describe the connection between their father-daughter relationships and their self-esteem development. This exploratory study presents findings and narratives from the perspectives of 14 self-identified women of African American and African descent between the ages of 22- 30 who had face-to face contact with their biological fathers for at least five years throughout their lives. It was expected that the African American women in this study would speak to their experiences of paternal love or rejection in ways, which were tied positively or negatively …

Enduring Attunement : Emerging Adults Attachment Patterns And Desires For The Nature Of The Primary Attachment Relationship, Marian Salley

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed methods study was created to explore the relatively unexplored nature of the primary attachment relationship between emerging adults and their parents/parent figures in the hopes of discovering to what extent the following attachment patterns—angry withdrawal, compulsive care giving, compulsive self-reliance, and compulsive care seeking—are represented in the relationship between emerging adults and their parents or parent figures; is an emerging adult's attachment pattern with her or his parent/parent figure mediated by particular characteristics of an emerging adult's life; and what specific desires do emerging adults have for the nature of the attachment relationship with their parent or parent …

"There's No Escaping The Body" : Clinicians' Views On The Relevance Of The Body And The Use Of Body-Based Interventions In Work With Mother-Child Dyads Exposed To Domestic Violence, Danielle E. Sachs

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive study was to examine if and how clinicians working with mother-child (0-5) dyads exposed to domestic violence perceived the body as being a part of treatment: Did they perceive the body as being a part of treatment; did they then make use of specific body-based interventions, and how were those interventions defined? Eleven clinicians participated in qualitative interviews to provide their perspectives on the relevance and integration of the body in dyadic clinical work focused on the attachment between mother child dyads exposed to domestic violence. Participants -- compromised of licensed and provisionally licensed …

Talking Through The Body : A Comparative Study Of Cognitive-Behavioral And Attachment Based Treatments For Childhood Trauma, Eric A. Eichler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Childhood abuse and neglect have been shown to have a devastating impact on an individual's social, emotional, and physical development. This study was undertaken in order to determine the best treatment approach for survivors of childhood trauma. The author investigated the impact of traumatic stress on the brain, and reviewed the psychoanalytic, child development, and neurobiological literature on the importance of the attachment relationship for healthy development. Various perspectives on the diagnosis of childhood trauma were explored, including models that centralize childhood trauma as the cause of much of the spectrum of mental illness we see today. The author researched …

Adult Attachment Styles Relative To Childhood Exposure To Domestic Violence : Gender Differences, Khadija A. Poitras-Rhea

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to answer the overarching research question: What are the attachment styles of adults who witnessed domestic violence in childhood. A secondary area of interest was to determine gender differences in the attachment styles of adults who did witness domestic violence during childhood. The participants were asked to respond to an anonymous survey that contained demographic questions and thirty six items from the Adult Attachment Web Questionnaire in order to determine their adult attachment style. The participants were placed in subgroups based on whether or not they had witnessed domestic violence and results were further …

Parents With Children In Therapy : Is There A Relationship Between Parental Attachment Styles And The Parent-Therapist Alliance?, Jessica Ruth Taylor-Pickford

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Over 2,000 studies have been completed exploring the working alliance in adult psychotherapy (Horvath and Bedi, 2002); by comparison, only 23 studies have explored the working alliance in psychotherapy with children (Shirk and Karver, 2003). However, the alliance in youth therapy may be more complex than in adult psychotherapy because it also involves the alliance between the child's parent(s) and the therapist (Hawley and Weisz, 2005). The parenttherapist alliance is one of the least emphasized relationships in theoretical or empirical literature referring to child therapy, and was the focus of the current study. Using a cross-sectional, quantitative research design and …

Boundary Ambiguity And Borderline Personality Traits : Implications For Adolescent Girls In Foster Care, Maureen Ann Kaplan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explores the relationship between boundary ambiguity (the level of certainty of a person's presence and role in a family) and borderline personality traits in adolescent girls in foster care. The sample consists of a total of 40 caseworkers from New England's child protection departments and psychotherapists from residential programs working with adolescent girls. They completed by email the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure for Adolescents (SWAP-200-A), a variation of Pauline Boss's Boundary Ambiguity Scale #1 (BAS), and demographic questionnaires. The results find that the primary hypothesis has a significant correlation, r(38)=.451, p=.003. Subordinate hypotheses also significant include: relationship between boundary …

In Their Own Words : A Comparative Study Of The Attachment Experiences Of Special Needs Adoptive Families, Colette Lynn Duciaume-Wright

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which adoptive families are able to form attachments with children who have suffered trauma (abuse and neglect) and instability (multiple moves, school changes and people who come and go). The question that this study attempted to answer is: How do families describe the process by which attachment is re-organized in successful special needs adoptions? This study was part of a large-scale nation wide study (AdoptUSKids) conducted by Dr. Ruth McRoy, Ph.D. and was funded by the U.S. Children's Bureau . One hundred sixty one successful adoptive families who adopted …

The Psychological And Emotional Experiences Of Pregnant And Postpartum Incarcerated Women, Kimberly Erin Gillette

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis explores the experiences of pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women, with particular emphasis on the impact of attachment insecurity, relational trauma, and forced separation from their infants. The majority of incarcerated women are dually diagnosed with substance abuse disorder and other clinical disorders on Axis I or II of the Diagnostic Statistic Manual IV. Often the symptoms displayed from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder are mistaken for personality disorders which prejudice staff and providers against these women. Thorough assessments need to be conducted using a compassionate lens to accurately interpret the psychological effects of interpersonal violence and other traumas and …

Therapists' Attachment Style And The Use Of Touch In The Therapeutic Relationship : A Project Upon An Independent Investigation, Michelle Lynn Waddell

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study seeks to answer the question: In what ways is the current adult attachment style of experienced mental health professionals associated with their use of touch in practice with adult clients? The hypotheses were that therapist with fearful and dismissive attachment styles would be less likely to engage in touch with clients, while those with a preoccupied style would engage in touch more often, and those with a secure attachment would show no particular pattern in their use of touch. This study was undertaken in order to further understandings of the factors involved in therapists decisions to and not …

Juvenile Sex Offenders' Therapeutic Alliance : The Intricate Dynamics Of Alliance In Relation To Attachment, Trauma, And Religion, Rian Michelle Bovard-Johns

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Therapeutic alliance is the most influential predictor of successful treatment with trans-theoretical capacity. Alliance is directly influenced by client variables which are unique to clinical context. Initial research has evidenced the effectiveness of alliance with adult sex offenders and delinquent youth. The present study extends research, incorporating variables unique to juvenile sex offenders in corrections facilities. Predominant client variables of trauma symptoms and attachment patterns are measured for 332 adjudicated male sex offenders' alliance with staff. The results reveal a significant relationship (F =8.7, DF =171, p <.000) between youths' attachment to peers and communication with fathers that positively predicts alliance and that anxiety based on trauma negatively predicts alliance. Implications future research and treatment are provided.