Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Coupling Of The Hpa And Hpg Axes, Andrew Dismukes

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) and –Gonadal (HPG) axes have been considered mutually inhibitory; however, emerging evidence supports the proposition that this might not necessarily be the case. This idea is termed “coupling,” in which the HPA-HPG axis are mutually activated or deactivated. Coupling is examined across three data sets with different time-courses of stress exposure, and results demonstrate HPA-HPG co-activation occurs. Furthermore, stress exposure influences this relationship. The discussion shows how it is physiologically possible to have positive coupling or co-activation between these axes according to complex regulatory feedback systems and overlapping neural structures. Findings are interpreted developmentally, because adolescence may …

Distribution Of Reynolds Shear Stress In Steady And Unsteady Flows, Ishraq Alfadhli, Shu-Qing Yang, Muttucumaru Sivakumar

Ishraq Hamdan Alfadhli

This study investigates the Reynolds shear stress distribution in steady and unsteady non-uniform flows. Specifically, it deals with how to express the deviation of this turbulence characteristic from that of uniform flow line; it is found that flow acceleration can well represent the deviation of Reynolds shear stress from its standard linear distribution. By connecting the flow acceleration with Reynolds shear stress, the study demonstrates empirically that the linear distrubiton of Reynolds shear stress can be observed when the flow acceleration is zero; the concave distribution of Reynolds shear stress can be observed when the flow acceleration is negative or …

Does The Critical Shields Stress For Sediment Transport Depend On Channel-Bed Slope?, Ishraq Alfadhli, Shu-Qing Yang, Muttucumaru Sivakumar

Ishraq Hamdan Alfadhli

This paper investigates why the observed critical Shields stress for incipient sediment motion deviates from the Shields curve. This deviation is often described in the literature as due to measurement errors and non-uniformity of channel-bed slope or flows. On the contrary, this paper hypothesises the deviation as due to the presence of vertical velocity in open channel flows. We found that the existence of vertical velocity in non-uniform flows can lead to the deviation of critical shear stress from the standard Shield's diagram that is valid only in uniform flows, and the channel bed slope could not contribute to the …

Humans' Bonding With Their Companion Dogs: Cardiovascular Benefits During And After Stress, Rebecca A. Campo, Bert N. Uchino

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined whether having one's companion dog present during and after stress posed similar cardiovascular benefits as having a close friend present, even when the relationship quality for both the companion dog and friend was highly positive. Positive aspects of relationship quality for participants' dog and friend were not associated with one another, suggesting that these relationships exist independently. Additionally, compared to participants with a close friend present, those with their dog present had lower heart rate and diastolic blood pressure (p's < .05) while undergoing the stressors, and tended to have lower heart rate and systolic blood pressure (p's < .09) when recovering from stressors. This study indicates that even when relationship quality is similarly high for companion dogs and friends, dogs may be associated with greater reductions in owners' cardiovascular reactivity to stress, particularly if there is a potential for evaluation apprehension in the human friendships. These findings support the value of the human- companion animal relationship in promoting human welfare.

An Analysis Of Employment Policies And Their Effect On Work-Life Balance For Caregiving Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Sara Panella

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This capstone addresses the work-­‐life conflict facing employed caregiver parents with special needs children by 1) identifying what employed parents of children with disabilities need from their employer in order to achieve a work-­‐life balance that improves economic security and emotional well-­‐being, and 2) evaluating how well policies address those needs. An investigation of work-­‐family conflict and stress among parents of special needs children is conducted by examining the current literature and conducting interviews with caregivers to explore their work-­‐life balance needs. Policy recommendations are provided, based on an analysis of public and workplace policies currently in use and policy …

Walk It Off!: The Relationship Between Physically Active And Passive Coping Style And Perseverative Cognition, Michelle Rosalie Di Paolo

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

WALK IT OFF!: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICALLY ACTIVE AND PASSIVE COPING STYLE AND PERSEVERATIVE COGNITION

by

Michelle R. Di Paolo

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2013

Under the Supervision of Professor Marcellus Merritt

The main aim of the current study is to assess if a relationship exists between self-selected coping styles and levels of perseverative cognition (PC). Recent pilot studies have revealed a relative distinction between the coping styles people choose when coping with stress, i.e., those that are physically active (PAC) like going for a walk, jogging, or lifting weights, and those that are physically passive (PPC) like reading …

Pilates, Mindfulness And Somatic Education, Karen Caldwell, Marianne Adams, Rebecca Quinn, Mandy Harrison, Jeffrey M. Greeson

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

The Pilates Method is a form of somatic education with the potential to cultivate mindfulness – a mental quality associated with overall well-being. However, controlled studies are needed to determine whether changes in mindfulness are specific to the Pilates Method or also result from other forms of exercise. This quasi-experimental study compared Pilates Method mat classes and recreational exercise classes on measures of mindfulness and well-being at the beginning, middle and end of a 15 week semester. Total mindfulness scores increased overall for the Pilates Method group but not for the exercise control group, and these increases were directly related …

Stress And Reproductive Hormones In Grizzly Bears Reflect Nutritional Benefits And Social Consequences Of A Salmon Foraging Niche, Heather M. Bryan, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet, Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards, Judit E. G. Smits

Physiology Collection

Physiological indicators of social and nutritional stress can provide insight into the responses of species to changes in food availability. In coastal British Columbia, Canada, grizzly bears evolved with spawning salmon as an abundant but spatially and temporally constrained food source. Recent and dramatic declines in salmon might have negative consequences on bear health and ultimately fitness. To examine broadly the chronic endocrine effects of a salmon niche, we compared cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone levels in hair from salmon-eating bears from coastal BC (n = 75) with the levels in a reference population from interior BC lacking access to salmon …

Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Among Mothers Of Healthy Children And Mothers Of Children With Cochlear Implants, Seyed Mohammad, Kalantarkousheh, دکتر سید محمد کلانتر کوشه

Seyed Mohammad Kalantarkousheh

Background: The birth of a disabled child is one of the resonant factors that can cause family disorders. Mothers who have disabled children experience different levels of anxiety and stress. Decreased hearing, meanwhile, is one of the major reasons for disability. Parents have different concerns about their children’s development and social relations. Cochlear implantation is a new way to cure deafness and enables the disabled child to hear, talk, and communicate. This research intends to compare the outbreak of depression, anxiety, and stress among mothers who have healthy children and those of cochlear implantation children. Additionally, the research examines if …

Is Pressure Stressful? The Impact Of Pressure On The Stress Response And Category Learning, Shannon L. Mccoy, Steven B. Hutchinson, Lauren Hawthorne, Brandon J. Cosley, Shawn W. Ell

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

We examine the basic question of whether pressure is stressful. We propose that when examining the role of stress or pressure in cognitive performance it is important to consider the type of pressure, the stress response, and the aspect of cognition assessed. In Experiment 1, outcome pressure was not experienced as stressful but did lead to impaired performance on a rule-based (RB) category learning task and not a more procedural information-integration (II) task. In Experiment 2, the addition of monitoring pressure resulted in a modest stress response to combined pressure and impairment on both tasks. Across experiments, higher stress appraisals …

Early Exposure To Traumatic Stressors Impairs Emotional Brain Circuitry, Robert H. Paul, Mayuresh S. Korgaonkar, Cassandra Antees, Leanne M. Williams

Psychology Faculty Works

Exposure to early life trauma (ELT) is known to have a profound impact on mental development, leading to a higher risk for depression and anxiety. Our aim was to use multiple structural imaging methods to systematically investigate how traumatic stressors early in life impact the emotional brain circuits, typically found impaired with clinical diagnosis of depression and anxiety, across the lifespan in an otherwise healthy cohort. MRI data and self-reported histories of ELT from 352 healthy individuals screened for no psychiatric disorders were analyzed in this study. The volume and cortical thickness of the limbic and cingulate regions were assessed …

How Prostate Cancer Patients Cope: Evaluation And Refinement Of The Prostate Cancer Patients' Coping Strategies Questionnaire, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) patients suffer from identifiable stressors that may cause them anxiety and/or depression. In a previous study, an initial exploration of the ways in which PCa patients seek to cope with those stressors was described. However, several methodological limitations prevented direct comparisons of the relative effectiveness of patients’ coping strategies. To further investigate this issue, a standardised format was used to present the most commonly-used coping strategies to a new sample of PCa patients and to compare the effectiveness of those strategies. Methods: A total of 147 PCa patients completed a background questionnaire and the Prostate Cancer …

Feeling The Heat? Substantial Variation In Temperatures Does Not Affect The Proportion Of Males Born In Australia, Barnaby J. Dixson, John Haywood, Philip J. Lester, Diane K. Ormsby

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The global proportion of male births has been shown to vary with climate, with a higher proportion of male births documented in colder climates. Here we examined the hypothesis that ambient temperature predicts fluctuations in the proportion of male births in Australia and within seven Australian states using historical annual data spanning 1910-2009. We predicted that within states with tropical ambient temperatures the proportion of male births would decrease when ambient temperatures are higher. Considering the national composite births for the whole of Australia first, the proportion of males born ranged only from 0.510 to 0.517. We observed no relationship …

Mental Illness Prevention: Exploring Effective Coping Strategies For School-Aged Children, Julie-Anne Mccarthy

Psychology Graduate Publications

Anxiety Disorders are the most prevalent mental illnesses in Western society, affecting the population in multiple ways. Onset for many anxiety disorders is as early as childhood or adolescence. The earlier the onset, the more chronic or severe it may be; it is important to focus on preventing anxiety disorders before they are developed. Research has shown that adaptive coping strategies can work as a mediator between stress and mental health. The current study explored effective coping strategies for young children in the general population, in an effort to further expand our knowledge about coping in children, and increase the …

Using A Resiliency Framework To Examine Natural Mentoring Relationships And The Coping Efficacy As Buffers Of The Negative Impact Of Stressors On Academic Outcomes In Urban, Low-Income Ethnic Minority Youth, Rachel M. Feuer

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This paper used Resiliency theory to examine natural mentoring and coping efficacy as protective factors that may buffer the negative impact of stressors on academic and psychosocial outcomes in urban, low-income, Latino youth. Research has demonstrated that natural mentoring may serve a protective role for youth who are experiencing high levels of stressors, and that coping efficacy may correlate with positive outcomes. The present study used Structural Equation Modeling to test the compensatory and protective factors models of resilience to examine the ways in which stress, coping efficacy and natural mentoring interact to predict a variety of academic outcomes for …

Mindfulness Meditation: Effects Of A Brief Intervention On Cardiovascular Reactivity During Acute Stress, Dustin Lamar Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness has historically been cultivated via formal meditation practice and the majority of meditation research examines individuals with extensive training or participants in Mindfulness based stress reduction programs that require considerable expense, a trained facilitator, and take approximately 8 weeks to complete. However, current literature does not speak directly to those who do not have the time or ability for such commitments. Formal mindfulness meditation practice and interventions reduce stress in various populations; however, the outcomes of a one-time intervention are relatively unknown. This study aims to examine whether a one-time (20-min) mindfulness meditation intervention would improve cardiovascular variables during …

The Effects Of Coping, Self-Esteem, And Social Support On Stress And Wellbeing, Emily Meyerhoffer-Kubalik

Master's Theses

The present study aimed to add to the literature on the internal and external factors that may buffer the negative effects of stress. Specifically, the present study examined the effects of coping styles, self-esteem, and social support on both psychological wellbeing and stress. Participants (N = 198) were administered a measure of coping styles (COPE), self-esteem (Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale), social support (SSQ-R), psychological wellbeing (MHI), and stress (ICSRLE). Results showed problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping were associated with better psychological wellbeing and lower stress. Avoidant coping was associated with lower psychological wellbeing and higher stress. Self-esteem was also related to …

We Must All Work To Solve Childhood Obesity, Lisa Barkley

UCF Forum

Obesity is a global epidemic. It is particularly affecting our children and adolescents. This new phenomenon of having a chronic medical condition affecting such a large proportion of those under 18 years old is unprecedented.

All Work And No Play: New Reference Librarians And Stress, Anne Larrivee

Library Scholarship

Poster presented on the stresses of new reference librarians.

Volunteering Among Surviving Spouses: The Impact Of Volunteer Activity On The Health Of The Recently Widowed, Kimberly J. Johnson

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Numerous studies link volunteering to positive mental and physical health for older adults, and recent studies have suggested that volunteering may be particularly beneficial for those who are widowed. This research examines the potential of volunteering to buffer participants from stress-related health declines associated with the death of a spouse.

Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this research investigates the moderating role of volunteering on the self-rated health and depressive symptoms of recently widowed older adults. Consecutive waves of the HRS are used to identify respondents who experience the death of a spouse or who remain married, and those …

Stress-Induced Retrotranslocation Of Clusterin/Apoj Into The Cytosol, P Nizard, Suzanne Tetley, Y Le Drean, T Watrin, P Le Goff, Mark R. Wilson, Denis Michel

Mark R Wilson

Clusterin is a usually secreted glycoprotein with chaperone properties. Recently, it has been suggested that clusterin isoforms reside in the nuclear and cytosolic compartments of human cell types, where they can influence various cellular programs including DNA repair, transcription and apoptosis. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this atypical location, including alternative transcription initiation and alternative splicing. However none of these have been unequivocally established as occurring in live cells. Here we provide direct experimental evidence that in live intact cells, under certain stress conditions, clusterin can evade the secretion pathway and reach the cytosol. This was demonstrated using …

Overseeing Supervisees Treating Clients Exhibiting Suicidal Behaviors: Its Impact On Clinical Supervisors, Michael Girard Catalana

Doctoral Dissertations

Individuals at risk of suicide often seek mental health treatment (Brook, Klap, Liao, & Wells, 2006; Moscicki, 2001; Souminen, Isometsa, Martunnen, Ostamo, & Lonnqvist, 2004). The clinicians who treat these individuals experience significant levels of stress (Knox, Burkard, Bentzler, Schaack, & Hess, 2006; Ruskin, Sakinofsky, Bagby, Dickens, & Sousa, 2004). Clinical supervisors are an important resource for clinicians (Chemtob, Hamada, Bauer, Kinney, & Torigoe, 1988a; Kleespies, Smith, & Becker, 1990; Knox et al., 2006; Maltsberger, 1992; Ruskin et al., 2004). Researchers recently acknowledged that overseeing clinicians whose client exhibited suicidal behavior is also stressful (Catalana, 2012; Hoffman, 2009; Sanger, 2010). …

Assessing Behavior Change Related To Acute Stress Exposure In The Zebrafish, Christine E. Breazeale

Honors Theses

Stress affects how we function in all aspects of our lives. It is our physiological response to a threat. In fact, its origins were very adaptive. Stress can cause an animal to flee a predator and avoid being eaten. In today’s society, stress can prompt us to work harder to achieve a good education or promotion at work so that we can afford food, shelter, and entertainment. But stress can also impair performance at work, on tests, and even can cause long-term bodily harm. In order to fully understand the deleterious effects of stress and thereby properly treat it, it …

Stress, Coping, And Depression In Adolescents： A Longitudinal Analysis Of Data From National Longitudinal Study Of Adolescent Health, Xiaoyun Zhang

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The study examined the relationships among stress, coping and depression using the public-use data from the first three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Harris & Udry, 1994-2008). The total sample of 3844 participants aged from 11 to 27 was included in the analysis. Latent growth curve modeling was used to identify the developmental trajectories of depressive symptoms and stressful life events from age 12 to age 24, respectively; Latent growth curve modeling with two-construct parallel processes was used to examine the associations between stressful life events and depressive symptoms over time. Path analysis was used to …

The Incorporation Of Integrative Medicine To Assess And Address Diabetic Patients’ Psychosocial Needs, Jennifer E. Ranallo

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to increase the understanding of the assessment, implementation and referral of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in order to meet psychosocial needs and decrease stress among diabetic patients. Using a mixed method design, both qualitative and quantitative research questions were incorporated into a survey distributed using a non-probability sample of healthcare professionals working in family medicine or general medicine practices within the metro area. The study attempted to answer the following questions: Is integrative medicine being conducted by healthcare professionals to address type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients’ psychosocial needs in family medicine …

Examining Stress And Performance Anxiety As Predicting Factors Of Athletic Burnout In Collegiate Student-Athletes, Drew Barnard

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

In the past, burnout has been a popular topic for research. However, within the realm of athletics, a majority of such research has been focused on coaches, athletic department staff, and athletic trainers. The purpose of this study was to assess potential contributing factors of burnout among student-athletes at Lindenwood University, an institution with National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and Student-Life athletic programs. Completion of four questionnaires was required in this study; a Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, 1983), a Self-Rated Anxiety Scale (Zung, 1979), a Modified Burnout Questionnaire (Harris, 2005), and a Demographic Questionnaire. The student-athletes who participated …

Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And People’S Abilities To Cope With Stress, Lucile Michel

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Nowadays, it is really important for the researchers to understand the origins of stress, because it has been established that stress is really harmful for the human beings and is the cause to many diseases. Emotional intelligence has been shown to influence various areas of life, while several research studies state that EI has an effect on people’s abilities to cope with stress. Many studies affirm that EI, because of its effect on perceived stress, would have an influence on people’s aptitudes to manage a team, communicating with colleagues, and leadership skills. Because, today, in many workplaces, for interviews, managers …

Work/Life Boundary Management In An Integrative Environment: A Study Of Residence Life Professionals Who Live At Their Place Of Work, Pressley Robinson Rankin Iv Phd

Dissertations

How individuals manage work/life boundaries when they live at the place they work, as opposed to working from home, is a gap in both work/life literature and in higher education literature. An obvious example from higher education is the resident life professional that lives in the residential facility that she or he oversees. Living in a residential facility creates challenges to boundary creation. The job requirements; pressures from students and staff; supervisor expectations, both spoken and unspoken; and the physical location of their home within the building creates a highly boundary integrative environment making the establishment of boundaries difficult. The …

Inequality And Health: Stress Mediates The Relationship Between Subjective Ses And Wellbeing, Elizabeth L. Tull

Honors College

Socioeconomic disadvantage is linked to a variety of health problems ranging from obesity to mental illness (Ball & Crawford, 2005; Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). The problem lies not in the inequalities between societies, but within societies themselves (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). An individual’s perception of his or her socioeconomic status (SES) relative to others may be more important to their health than objective measures of SES, such as income or education. Stress associated with the perception of low status could also be linked to negative health outcomes (Adler et al., 2000). In the current research, I examined the relationship between …

Family-Friendly Work Environment? An Investigation Of Women's Job Stress And Satisfaction, Nina Ciric

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Little research has focused on women with and without children in the workplace and their work-life balance. This study is conducted through the lens of organizational culture in order to determine how different workplace policies can influence women and their job satisfaction and level of job stress. The participants for this study included 172 female students and staff (working full and part time) from an institution of higher education in South Texas. Results showed no significant differences in women's job satisfaction or stress level at work, regardless of having children or not. However, there is a positive relationship between women's …