Psychology Commons^™

Homotopic Coupling In Persons With Epilepsy Using Movie-Driven And Resting-State Fmri, Caroline M. Chadwick

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

For the 30-40% of persons with epilepsy (PWE) with refractory epilepsy, seizure freedom following surgery is affected by the localization of the epileptogenic zone (EZ). However, functional abnormalities can exist at a distance from the EZ, which may contribute to variable outcomes after surgery. Considering epilepsy as a network disorder (Pittau & Vulliemoz, 2015), and evaluating functional coupling among homotopic brain areas, may help predict cognitive outcomes. Homotopic areas are well connected anatomically and undoubtedly work synchronously to generate cognition. We evaluated 22 persons with focal epilepsy and 24 neurologically healthy controls using fMRI at rest and while watching a …

The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Procrastination: Examining Trait And Cognitive Conceptualizations, And The Mediating Roles Of Fear Of Failure And Overgeneralization Of Failure, Lital Yosopov

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The relationship between perfectionism and procrastination has been established in the literature; however, findings regarding the magnitude of this correlation are inconsistent. Some studies found small-to-medium effects between trait-perfectionism and trait-procrastination, while others found large effects between perfectionistic cognitions and procrastinatory cognitions, suggesting that the association may be stronger when assessed from a cognitive perspective. The present study addressed this inconsistency, by exploring this association using both trait and cognitive measures. There was a significant and positive correlation between perfectionism and procrastination, and the largest effect size was observed between perfectionism (trait and cognitive measures) and procrastinatory cognitions, suggesting that …

Assessment Instruments And Basic Personality Underpinnings Of Hypersexuality, Stephanie L. Montgomery-Graham

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite rejection of the Hypersexual Disorder (HD) diagnosis from DSM-5, individuals continue to present clinically with feelings of out-of-control sexual behaviour, clinicians continue to treat “sexual addiction,” and researchers continue to study HD-type symptomology. To further investigation of the HD construct, Levaque and colleagues (2016) used common HD assessment measures and found that between 16.7% and 37.8% of young adult males met clinically significant scores for HD. Phase one of this dissertation replicated the surprising finding in a North American community sample and furthered the research by testing the assessment tool used in DSM-5 HD field trials, and the first …

An Information—Motivation—Behavioural Skills Model Of Sexual Consent, Erin J. Shumlich

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation proposed an Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills (IMB) model of affirmative sexual consent, which is consent that is ongoing, continuous, and clearly communicated. The overall objectives of the current dissertation research were to: 1) elicit — from young, sexually active individuals — information, motivation, and behavioural skills factors that are related to affirmative sexual consent behaviours; 2) develop and empirically test an Information–Motivation–Behavioural Skills (IMB) model of sexual consent and use this to examine the hypothesized relationships of affirmative consent-related information, motivation, and behavioural skills with affirmative consent behaviours; and 3) evaluate the psychometric properties of an IMB scale measuring …

The Relationship Between Schizotypal Traits And The Perceptual Processes Of Multisensory Integration, Temporal Processing, And Speech Perception, Anne-Marie Muller

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Multisensory integration, the binding of sensory information from different sensory modalities, may contribute to perceptual symptomatology in schizophrenia, including hallucilllnations and aberrant speech perception. Differences in multisensory integration and temporal processing, an important component of multisensory integration, are consistently found in schizophrenia. Evidence is emerging that these differences extend across the schizophrenia spectrum, including individuals in the general population with higher schizotypal traits. In two studies, the relationship between schizotypal traits and perceptual functioning is investigated. We hypothesized associations between higher schizotypal traits and decreased multisensory integration, increased auditory speech distractibility, and less precise temporal processing. In Study 1, higher …

Direct And Indirect Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (Nssi) Expression: An Investigation Into The Nature Of Nssi And Childhood Maltreatment, Emma Truffyn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) involves deliberate damage to the body without suicidal intent. St. Germain and Hooley (2012) classify two forms of NSSI: direct and indirect. Direct NSSI is expressed through behaviours with immediate results (e.g. cutting), whereas indirect NSSI is expressed through means that are damaging to the body without immediate injury (e.g. promiscuity, substance abuse, risk behaviours, etc.). Research supports that NSSI behaviours occur in youth with histories of childhood maltreatment (CM; Trocmé et al., 2010); however, no study has examined if experiences of CM influence NSSI expression. Utilizing the InterRAI Child and Youth Mental Health tool (N …

Examining The Self-Schema Within A Cognitive Vulnerability-Stress Framework Of Mania, Nadia Maiolino

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation aimed to inform a cognitive vulnerability-stress theory of mania, which addresses both the content and structure of the self-schema, along with the conditions under which these self-relevant cognitions are activated. Extant research on mania has primarily considered self-schema content, or an individual’s actual beliefs (e.g., “I am incompetent”). Although these investigations have successfully identified maladaptive self-beliefs associated with bipolar disorder, this research has been prone to inconsistencies and limited in distinguishing between mania and related forms of psychopathology (e.g., unipolar depression). Furthermore, very little research on mania has considered the organization of self-schema beliefs, referred to here as …

Child And Adolescent Sleep Disturbances And Psychopathology In A Mental Health Clinic Sample, Aviva Blacher

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sleep disturbances in children and adolescents (hereafter children) are associated with significant short-term and long-term impairments including more severe psychopathology, reduced cognitive functioning, and poorer general health. We know that children being treated in specialty mental health services are more likely to have sleep disturbances than community samples. We also know that relationships exist between sleep and psychopathology in children with specific disorders (e.g. ADHD, depression, etc.). However, few studies have investigated the relationship between sleep and psychopathology in a broad sample of children seen at mental health agencies. Both child factors and family factors may influence both sleep and …

Exploring The Links Between Social Anxiety And Depression In The Maintenance Of Romantic Relationships, Christian M. Hahn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Social anxiety is characterized by fear and avoidance of social encounters and has recently been associated with a variety of difficulties in romantic relationships. Complicating further investigation of these associations is the high degree of comorbidity between social anxiety and depressive symptomatology, which share several similarities in expression despite disparate underlying causes. The present thesis examines the unique influences of social anxiety and depression on a number of central aspects of relationship functioning and provide the first longitudinal investigation of the impacts of actor and partner social anxiety and depression on relationship quality and functioning. In Study 1, three independent …

Baseline And Stress-Induced Cognitive Control Deficits And Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines In Currently, Remitted, And Never Depressed Individuals, Katerina Rnic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Cognitive theories posit that cognitive control deficits promote depression by reducing ability to self-regulate under stress. When activated by stress and accessible to working memory, negative cognitive content and structure (i.e., schemas), may interfere with cognitive control abilities, resulting in even greater declines in executive functioning. Moreover, burgeoning evidence indicates that social stress upregulates inflammation, resulting in a pro-inflammatory phenotype that drives depression pathogenesis. However, cognitive mechanisms underlying this process are not well understood. An objective of this study was to examine depression-related deficits in cognitive control and their association with poor self-regulation. Another purpose was to evaluate the …

A Developmental And Symptom-Level Approach To Comorbid Mental Health Disorders In Children, Elizabeth Thornley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation addresses current issues in the conceptualization and classification of childhood mental health issues (e.g., impact of sex/age on symptoms, comorbidity, limits of traditional models). In contrast to traditional models, the importance and value of utilizing individual symptoms as primary variables of interest is presented. This first study consisted of 9565 participants (M = 12.06, SD = 3.57, 58% males). Results for youth with no history of trauma indicated sex differences in symptom expression consistent with what has been previously shown in the literature; however, a complex presentation of attention-related symptoms was identified for females. Similar sex differences …

The Role Of Social Disconnection In The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Psychological Distress, Samantha Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation investigated the interpersonal mechanisms through which various aspects of perfectionism confer risk for psychological outcomes. Three studies were conducted based on the Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model (Hewitt, Flett, & Mikail, 2017), which proposes that individuals with higher levels of perfectionism may experience significant social disconnection, which then lead to a variety of maladaptive outcomes. Study 1 examined the longitudinal impacts of trait perfectionism and sense of relatedness on the variance in change in psychological outcomes. Findings showed that negative perceptions of relatedness partially mediated the link between socially prescribed perfectionism and psychological distress three months later; however, this …

In Search Of Psychiatric Kinds: Natural Kinds And Natural Classification In Psychiatry, Nicholas Slothouber

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In recent years both philosophers and scientists have asked whether or not our current kinds of mental disorder—e.g., schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder—are natural kinds; and, moreover, whether or not the search for natural kinds of mental disorder is a realistic desideratum for psychiatry. In this dissertation I clarify the sense in which a kind can be said to be “natural” or “real” and argue that, despite a few notable exceptions, kinds of mental disorder cannot be considered natural kinds. Furthermore, I contend that psychopathological phenomena do not cluster together into kinds in the way that paradigmatic natural kinds (e.g., chemical …

The Role Of Cognitive Distortions In The Longitudinal Relationship Between Problematic Drinking And Depressive Symptoms, Monica F. Tomlinson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation investigated the mechanisms by which problematic drinking contributes to depressive symptoms in two longitudinal, prospective, cohort-design studies. Distorted cognitive processes (dysfunctional attitudes, negatively-biased information processing, and rumination) were proposed as mediators in the relationship between problematic drinking and depressive symptoms over time. Study 1 (N = 1090) assessed participants’ levels of problematic drinking, dysfunctional attitudes, and depressive symptoms at three-month intervals for one year. Findings indicated that the social and occupational consequences of alcohol use (e.g., interpersonal conflict) significantly predicted depressive symptoms. The amount and frequency of alcohol consumption did not. Therefore, impairment, but not level of …

Meditating In Virtual Reality: Psychotherapeutic Applications Of Vr Beyond Exposure Therapy, Divya Mistry

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Literature supports the efficacy and acceptability of VR exposure therapy (VRET) for the treatment of phobia and trauma-related disorders, although not all trauma-related mental health problems are of a phobic or avoidant nature, therefore may not be amenable to VRET. The current study intends to transition past the scope of VRET to expand the application of commercially available VR to areas of psychotherapy that are instead associated with increasing positive emotions and wellbeing to target mental illness such as depression, anxiety, and stress.

Specifically, the current study compared participant (n=80) affective, satisfaction, and meditative responses to VR guided meditation (VRGM) …

Examining The Relationship Between Intrinsic Drivers Of Motivation And Functional Outcomes In A Cross-Section Of Individuals With Psychotic Disorders, Sahana Kukan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Impaired functioning is recognized as a major barrier to recovery among individuals with psychotic disorders. Research on the role of negative symptomatology on functioning has identified avolition (i.e. lack of motivation) as being highly correlated with functional outcomes. However, current measures of avolition fail to consider more intrinsic factors that influence motivation. There is a need for more nuanced research on the drivers of motivation and their relationship with functioning to inform the observed relationship between avolition and impaired functioning. This cross-sectional study uses data obtained from the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses, in London, Ontario. 105 clients …

Understanding And Coping With Possible Depressive Symptoms: An Extension Of The Self-Regulation Model, Melissa N. Mohan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation used Leventhal’s Self-Regulation Model (SRM) as a theoretical framework to examine how undergraduates make sense of and cope with symptoms often associated with depression. Students completed questionnaires about possible depressive symptoms (not labelled as such); as well as other components of the SRM, including demographics, psychosocial context, current psychopathology, cognitive appraisals and emotional reactions. Previous SRM studies have often focused on how people make sense of depression once symptoms have coalesced into a clearer clinical picture. In contrast, Part 1 of this dissertation focused on an earlier application of the SRM to a range of vague, generally mild …

Trajectories Of The Effects Of Sad Mood Induction Procedures (Mips), Jennifer C. P. Gillies

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mood Induction Procedures (MIPs) are used widely in cognitive vulnerability to depression research. Although research supports certain MIPs as effective, little research has validated the assumption that MIP-induced sad moods are sufficiently persistent. This study addressed three questions: How long does an MIP-induced mood last? What are the shapes of the trajectories of the mood effects? Do these trajectories differ by type of MIP? Four-hundred-and-one undergraduate students were randomly assigned to undergo one of three commonly used sad MIPs or a neutral MIP. Mood was repeatedly measured immediately prior to and following the MIP.Results did not support the widely held …

Girls’ Internalizing Symptoms And White Matter Tracts In Cortico-Limbic Circuitry, Ola Mohamed Ali

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Dysfunction in cortico-limbic circuitry is implicated in internalizing disorders, but less is known about whether structural abnormalities precede disorder, thus potentially marking risk. I therefore examined associations between white matter tract integrity in cortico-limbic circuitry at age 7, obtained using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, and concurrent and longitudinal patterns of internalizing symptoms, over a 5-year period, in 42 typically developing girls. Using Automated Fiber Quantification, diffusion properties were examined at multiple points along tract length (cf., an average diffusion measure of the entire tract). Concurrent internalizing symptoms were associated with reduced fractional anisotropy in segments of the cingulum bundle and uncinate …

Risk Factors For Domestic Homicide: Immigrant & Canadian-Born Populations, Sakthi Kalaichandran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Domestic violence is a critical human rights issue that can escalate to cases of domestic homicide. Globally, approximately 30% of women in relationships have reported experiencing violence at the hands of an intimate partner. In Canada this pattern is echoed, as over 25% of police-reported violent offences were from victims of domestic abuse. Recent research has revealed that immigrant & refugee victims experience unique risk factors that may render them more vulnerable to this form of violence. Yet, despite this burgeoning research area, and Canada’s diverse population of 6 million immigrants, there is a dearth of research pertaining to domestic …

Multisensory Integration And Autistic Traits Using Non-Sociolinguistic Information, Sébastien A. Lauzon, Samantha E. Schulz, Zack I. Cohen, Ryan A. Stevenson

Western Research Forum

Background: Sensory processing issues are one of the most common complaints in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One area of sensory difficulties in ASD that has been the focus of intense research in recent years is multisensory integration (MSI), or the ability to bind auditory and visual information into a single, unified percept. While integration of social or linguistic information is consistently shown to be an area of difficulty in ASD, results are less clear with simple, non-sociolinguistic stimuli. This study aims to address this ambiguity by determining whether MSI of non-sociolinguistic sensory information is related to traits and symptomatology …

Predictors Of Cognitive Reactivity In Depression, Lindsay K. Szota

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cognitive theories of depression posit that, when activated by an external stressor, negative self-schemas negatively bias information processing. The congruency hypothesis suggests that higher overlap between schema and stressor content results in greater degrees of schema activation. To evaluate these theoretical premises, the current study evaluated whether: 1) cognitive organization is predictive of negative information processing biases following a negative mood prime; and, 2) content domain of cognitive organization interacts with content of mood prime to predict information processing biases. Undergraduate students (N = 157) completed a measure of cognitive organization, underwent a negative mood prime, and completed a …

Development And Psychometric Validation Of The Interrai Internalizing And Externalizing Subscales, Chloe Lau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the validity of two brief measures drawing from the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health (ChYMH) for screening internalizing and externalizing mental health. Data were collected from children/youths 4 to 18 years of age (N=3464). First, items relevant to internalizing and externalizing disturbances underwent expert content validation. Second, unrestricted factor analyses and item response theory parameterizations were conducted to test the validity of the measurement model. Finally, concurrent validity of these two measures were confirmed based on relationships with other established subscales from criterion measures (e.g., Child Behaviour …

Predictors Of Re-Accessing Mental Health Services For Children And Adolescents, Catalina Sarmiento

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The natural history of mental health disorders suggests that a substantial number of children experience persistent or recurrent problems and may need more than 1 episode of care. However, there is a paucity of research on recurrent service use. The present study examined the rates and predictors of re-accessing community-based care. Secondary data analyses were conducted on administrative and chart review data from 5 mental health agencies in southwest, eastern, and central Ontario. Approximately a third (30%) of children who had an episode of care re-accessed services again within 4 years; the median time to re-access was 13 months. Social …

Do You “Like” Me?: Reassurance Seeking On Facebook And Depression, Callista Forchuk

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The objective of this study was to expand interpersonal theories of depression by incorporating online social behaviour. This study assessed the influence of Facebook reassurance seeking on concurrent depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating role of attachment anxiety in this relation. A sample of 458 undergraduates (68% female; mean age 18.54) completed self-report computer-based questionnaires of offline reassurance seeking, Facebook reassurance seeking, attachment style, and depression. Contrary to hypotheses, Facebook reassurance seeking was not associated with depressive symptoms. However, there was an interaction whereby, for those higher in attachment anxiety, more Facebook reassurance seeking was associated with lessened depressive …

Parental Help-Seeking For Pediatric Insomnia: Where, When, And Why Do Parents Seek Help?, Adam T. Newton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Pediatric insomnia affects approximately 25% of children and can impact both child and parent functioning. Despite its prevalence and impact, next-to-nothing is known about help-seeking mechanism for pediatric insomnia. These mechanisms are expected to mirror models from the children’s mental health help-seeking literature. Both studies in this thesis gathered data from an online multinational project. Manuscript 1 investigated the informal, informational, and formal sources of help for pediatric insomnia and the factors that motivated parents to seek professional help. Parents utilized or expected to utilize a variety of informal (most commonly their partner, friends, or family members) and informational (most …

Initial Development Of The Reasons For Reckless And Destructive Behaviours Inventory: Expanding The Role Of Dissociation In Self-Destructive Behaviours, Matthew F D Brown

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Recent research has conceptualized self-destructive behaviours (SDB; e.g., self-injury) as being performed to serve specific functions; however, few measures exist that examine common functions across a range of SDB types. In addition, although dissociative experiences (e.g., depersonalization) are often endorsed by individuals who engage in SDB, measurement of these experiences as reasons for SDB are rarely assessed. In this thesis, we used a trauma-informed approach to evaluate motivations for SDB by initially developing the Reasons for Reckless and Destructive Behaviours Inventory (RRDI). Basic psychometric statistics of reliability, mean item-endorsement, convergent validity, and construct validity were performed across the scales of …

It's Not Me It's You: Examining The Link Between Partner-Schema Organization, Relationship Functioning, And Depressive Symptoms, Jesse Lee Wilde

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Depression is associated with a host of interpersonal difficulties, particularly within intimate relationships. While a significant body of literature has supported the presence of a highly consolidated negative self representation or “self-schema”, no studies have examined whether depression is also associated with a highly organized negative “partner-schema”, and whether this represents a risk factor for relationship distress. Given the high degree of similarity between cognitive representations of self and close others, it was predicted that depression would be associated with a partner-schema structure mirroring that of the self-schema: an organized cognitive structure characterized by tightly interconnected negative information, and loosely …

Therapeutic Induction Of Altered States Of Consciousness: Investigation Of 1-20hz Neurofeedback, Heather K. Hargraves

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Positive outcomes linked to experiences of altered states of consciousness (ASC) have been linked to various brain wave patterns, as well as both positive and negative personality traits and affective disorders. Various innovative neurofeedback (NFB) technologies are being developed in an attempt to create adjunctive therapeutic treatments. The current study investigated 1-20 Hz NFB to induce ASC and examine associations between NFB, ASC, mood changes, and trait predictors. 23 students completed trait measures of emotionality, openness and extroversion from the HEXACO test of personality and a measure of trait absorption. Participants then completed 15min of NFB. The Profile of Mood …

Social Relationships In Young Offenders: Relevance To Peers, Poverty, And Psychological Adjustment, Victoria Sabo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The increasing influence of peers in adolescence is related to a developing array of skills, aspirations, attitudes, and behaviours. The nature and magnitude of this influence and the potential association of certain youth with deviant peers is among the most prominent risk factors in predicting youth crime. This becomes of greater concern for economically disadvantaged youth, whose neighbourhoods harbour greater susceptibility to negative peer influence. With social affiliations at the forefront of youth development and criminality, research efforts need to further characterize the nature, constitution, and influence of peers on adolescent offending. Two hundred and eighty-one Canadian youth were sampled …