Psychology Commons^™

Marital Selflessness Scale (Mss): An Exploratory Factor Analysis, Marj Buchholz-Castronova

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

There has been an increasing momentum in the field of marriage and family therapy to attune the therapy process to the client’s socio-culture influences; however when this socio-cultural influence includes spirituality there is often a restraint in the attuning. While there are several explanations for this, two rationales rise to the surface: therapist not feeling adequately trained to attune to spirituality and lack of validated tools to effectively measure this socio-cultural influence of spirituality. When working with couple’s this can be even more complicated as validated dyadic measures are limited and those that exist usually measure spirituality through a global …

The Application Of Dialectical Behavior Therapy To Chronic Pain Management, Jacob S. Iwaszewski

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Pain affects more than 50 million Americans annually, costs over 150 billion dollars each year in healthcare and legal expenses, and results in decreased work productivity and missed work days (Ballantyne, 2006; Boll, Raczynski, & Leviton, 2004; Thom, 2004). It is estimated that chronic pain negatively impacts 15% to 33% of the US population (Bokarius et al., 2008). Third-wave acceptance-based therapies, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), have demonstrated significant improvements in mental health functioning for a variety of populations (Carmody & Baer, 2008; Cusens, Duggan, Thome, & Burch, 2010). DBT, one of the primary treatment modalities for Borderline Personality …

Development Of A Lung Cancer-Specific Model For Support Group Interest, Laura Testerman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Despite high levels of both emotional and physical distress and desire for utilization of support group services, lung cancer patients rarely participate in these supportive services. Lung cancer survivors’ interest in and use of supportive psychosocial services remains poorly understood, and Internet-based services may be of particular benefit to this population. The Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, which emphasizes Predisposing (i.e., demographic as well as attitudes about support services), Enabling (i.e., accessibility of services), and Illness (i.e., need for services based on health) factors, was applied to the prediction of survivors’ behavioral intention to participate in face-to-face support groups (F2F) …

Child Sexual Trauma And Traumagenic Dynamics: The Mediating Role Of Family Environment On Adulthood Functioning Among Hispanic And Caucasian Females, Jose Mauricio Ramirez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Child Sexual Abuse has received great attention in the last three decades and a major societal issue today. Several studies have suggested that the prevalence of CSA in women is in the range of 6% to 62% depending on how the data was collected (e.g., interviews, surveys) and the nature of the population sampled (e.g., general population, clinical population). Because of CSA, victims are impacted by the experience and encounter a change in the way they perceive the world on both the way they act and react upon it. Some research on the characteristics of CSA and effects in adult …

Sensitivity To Change Of The Behavior And Symptom Identification Scale (Basis-32), Christopher S. Corbett

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

With the increased demand for evidence based mental health interventions, there has been an increased need for comprehensive ways to determine the validity of certain measures used to measure therapy effectiveness. The Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-32) is one of the most widely used measures for measuring therapy outcomes. This study was conducted on the BASIS-32 investigating the validity of the instrument, not only on the overall and subtest level, but also on the item level. This study is particular in that it also measured the validity of the instrument in being sensitive to client reported change over time. …

Study Of Executive Functioning Training In Adolescents Diagnosed With Autism, Jessica Postil

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the effectiveness of a manualized executive functioning training program used with adolescents diagnosed with autism. Three male adolescents were trained on executive function activities using a combination of Applied Behavioral Analysis and executive functioning activities. Training programs were administered individually, lasting for 2 hours per day for 20 days. Participants were tested 1 month before training, 1 week before treatment, immediately after training and at a one-month follow-up. Significant improvements were seen in performance on executive functioning tasks that required motor speed, verbal fluency, monitoring, predicting, planning and organization skills. Significant changes in the participant’s adaptive behavior …

The Effects Of Communication On Adolescent Sexual Behavior In Eastern Europe, Sharon Mieras Perugini

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

HIV/AIDS rates have continued to rise in Eastern Europe where adolescents are particularly vulnerable. The theory of reasoned action (TRA) has successfully been applied to understanding adolescent sexual risk behavior and provides a theoretical framework for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. According to TRA, attitudes and subjective norms predict behaviors via the mediating role of intentions, and in order to have an impact on behavior, changes must occur at the attitude and subjective norm level. Because parents have been found to influence their children's attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions, the moderating effects of parent communication on sexual risk behavior of adolescents …

The Addition Of A Dissociation Module To Dialectical Behavior Therapy, René Keres

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993a), a manualized treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) was developed before the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - 4th Ed. (DSM-IV, APA, 1994) added dissociative symptoms to the diagnostic criterion for BPD. Hence, the manual (1993b) did not properly address the assessment and treatment of dissociation, a necessity being mandated by the American Psychiatric Association (Oldham et al., 2001) in their treatment guidelines for BPD. Recent studies (Bohus, et al. 2000; Koons et al. 2001) confirm this hypothesis and have shown that DBT is effective with lower levels of dissociation but does not address more …

Predicting Milk And Soft Drink Consumption Among Female Adolescents Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Nada Osman Kassem

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A total of 756 female adolescents, aged 13 to 18 years, from five public high schools in Antelope Valley Union High School District located in North Los Angeles County participated in this study between February 1999 and March 1999. The ethnic composition was 53.3% White/Anglo Americans, 19.3% Hispanics or Latinos and 10.2% Black/African Americans. The constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control and their underlying beliefs) were assessed to determine the predictors of low-fat milk and regular soda consumption. A cross-sectional design with group-administered questionnaires was utilized.

Most participants (89.6%, n = 636) …

Diagnosis And Treatment Of Swallowing Dysfunctions : Semg Cognitive Training As An Adjunct To Conventional Therapy, Vicky T. Nguyen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study compared surface electromyography (sEMG) cognitive training to conventional myofunctional therapy in controlling a swallowing dysfunction, commonly referred to as "tongue thrust". Nasal airway resistance (NAR) was assessed on every subject, to rule out mechanical obstruction that would prevent proper function. The scope of this investigation composed of evaluating baseline activity and dry swallowing patterns. Subjects were distributed to one of three treatment groups: sEMG cognitive training, conventional myofunctional therapy, and control, based on the degree of NAR (normal, mild, or moderate). Initial sEMG recordings were then taken on subjects that clinically demonstrated a tongue thrust habit to confirm …

The Effect Of The Cooper Wellness Program In Promoting Long- Term Lifestyle Behavior Changes, Ernesto P. S. Medina Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Most research on health behavior change programs examines their effectiveness in producing initial behavior changes, but fails to evaluate long-term maintenance of those changes. This study examined the effectiveness of the Cooper Wellness Program (CWP) in Dallas, Texas, in promoting maintenance of lifestyle behavior changes for one year or longer in the areas of diet, exercise, and stress management.

The CWP offers an intensive live-in lifestyle behavior modification program in four-, seven-, or 13-day formats. Data were collected from 223 individuals who attended the CWP between January, 1989, to February, 1992. The study addressed the following areas: 1) long-term maintenance …

A Survey Of The Breakfast And Snack Habits Of Adventist And Non-Adventist Adolescents, Consuelo A. Bustista

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A study was undertaken to survey by questionnaire and interview methods the breakfast and snack habits of Adventist and non-Adventist adolescents. The purposes of the study were: (I) to find out if there is any difference in the practices of Adventist and non-Adventist teenagers, and (2) to determine their attitudes toward snacking and omission of breakfast.

Results of the questionnaire were coded, punched onto IBM cards, and fed into computing machines for item and statistical analysis. Chi-square test analyses were done on denominational classification against some questions of interest to show any significant differences between Adventist and non-Adventist students' responses. …