Psychology Commons^™

Animal Assisted Therapy On Law Enforcement Mental Health: A Therapy Dog Implementation Guide, Melena Purvis

Honors Projects

The mental health of law enforcement officers is an ever increasing problem, with our nation’s police officers seeing a constant increase in things like PTSD, depression, and other mental illnesses. However, mental health is already a highly stigmatized topic that is not commonly addressed, and a police subculture of strength and toughness just reinforces that stigma and makes it that much harder for police officers struggling with these issues to get help. This project combines innovation with research to come up with a way to try and improve the mental health of those officers struggling. It provides a manual for …

Does Knowing The Mental Health History Of A Mass Shooter Heighten Stigma And Negative Attitudes Toward Mental Illness?, Lianna Artessa

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Mass-shooting incidents are an ongoing epidemic that continues to take countless lives. Despite the prevalence of gun-related mass-shooting events, the research on this phenomenon is scarce. Following these events, individuals often receive news from differing media outlets and programs. The current media portrayal of mass-shooting events often appears to support a widely accepted connection between mass shootings and mental illness. This portrayal may reflect an existing and perhaps growing misunderstanding and negative stigma toward individuals diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. This experimental study sought to determine the degree to which individuals’ attitudes toward and opinions of a perpetrator of a …

Depression In Adolescence: Risk Factors, Prevention, And Intervention - An Argument For Trauma-Informed Care In The Community, Beauty Davis

Capstone Showcase

BEAUTY DAVIS

Depression in Adolescence: Risk Factors, Prevention, and Intervention - An argument for trauma-informed care in the community

Depression is an unfortunately common mental illness that can lead to negative life outcomes such as substance abuse, suicide, lower quality of life, and anxiety. The stage of adolescence is known as a pivotal, transitional time of life as there are many changes in an individual’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. The research reviewed throughout this paper discusses risk factors that contribute to the development of depressive symptoms in adolescence. Observing how genetic, physiological, environmental, and social components contribute to …

Associations Between Multidimensional Spirituality And Mental Health: Positive Psychological Traits As Mediators, Trever Dangel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in the areas of religion and spirituality and positive psychology have experienced considerable growth within the past two decades. Such growth has led to a plethora of research identifying important constructs in both areas and key relationships among them. The current literature is, however, limited by unclear distinctions between the constructs of religion and spirituality, and a general lack of research into their associations with positive psychological traits and mental health status. As such, the present study aimed to investigate a new model of spirituality, the RiTE model, which is a three-part model designed to capture the multifaceted nature …

Mindfulness-Integrated Art Therapy & The Cultivation Of Self-Compassion: Development Of A Method, Mollie German

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis explored the links between the research on self-compassion and a mindful art therapy approach in treatment for mental health. Through a critical review of the literature on mindfulness, art therapy, and self-compassion the author extracted the overlapping themes that support well-being theory. It was identified that mindful art therapy approaches that focus on the development of emotional regulation, identity development, resiliency, and wellbeing overlap with those same themes in the self-compassionate approach to treatment for mental health. Many of the approaches were found to not only reduce pathology but also increase wellbeing simultaneously through a positive psychology …

Absolutist Thinking And Depression, Katherine Cohen

Senior Theses

A key characteristic of depression is the presence of cognitive biases (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This study added to the growing literature examining absolutist thinking as a potential cognitive bias associated with depression. We used data from a survey conducted at the University of South Carolina Columbia campus which included 116 students to compare the use of absolutist words in participants’ writing with their depressive symptomatology. We further compared the difference in the use of absolutist words in participants’ responses about success versus their responses about failure. Results revealed that there was not a significant relationship between BDI scores ( …

Syllabus And Lecture Slides For A Revised Social Work Practice Course On Diagnosing With The Dsm-5 Using Case Studies And Active Learning Techniques To Enhance Student Engagement., James D. Simon

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

Syllabus and lecture slides for a revised social work practice course on diagnosing with the DSM-5 using case studies and active learning techniques to enhance student engagement.

The following syllabus and lecture slides were completed as part of the Newer Faculty Learning Center (NFLC) grant to increase the use of high-impact content and pedagogy among new faculty. The syllabus and lectures slides provide an example of how to embed case studies, an evidence-based teaching (EBT) strategy (Herreid, 2011), into a social work foundation practice course on diagnosing with the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This particular EBT was implemented primarily …

Detroit People And Transitions In Housing-3 (Dpath-3): Changes In The Composition And Service Needs Of The Homeless Adult Population, Kiel Opperman

Wayne State University Dissertations

The current research study explores the composition and service need of the homeless community in Detroit, Michigan and its surrounding county, Wayne. The project aims to 1) examine differences in composition and social service characteristics across three decades and 2) access service utilization and unmet needs of the homeless population. The study’s central hypothesis is that demographic shifts in the homeless population indicate the need to make specific and substantive shifts in the distribution of the limited resources allocated to homelessness. Results demonstrated significant changes across the three time points, where the current sample of homeless people were older, spent …

Mental Health Service Providers' Engagement Experiences Of Homeless Individuals, Tarsha Thomas-Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited literature exists regarding best engagement practices of mental health service providers in encouraging the homeless individuals to participate in clinical mental health services in New York City. New York City has a population of more than 8.5 million, and in 2017 more than 129,803 homeless individuals slept in shelters. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to gain more insight and knowledge about the best engagement practices and experiences of mental health service providers in encouraging homeless individuals to participate in clinical mental health services. The conceptual framework used to guide this study comes from Kearsley and Shneiderman's …

Mental Health Service Providers' Engagement Experiences Of Homeless Individuals, Tarsha Thomas-Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited literature exists regarding best engagement practices of mental health service providers in encouraging the homeless individuals to participate in clinical mental health services in New York City. New York City has a population of more than 8.5 million, and in 2017 more than 129,803 homeless individuals slept in shelters. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to gain more insight and knowledge about the best engagement practices and experiences of mental health service providers in encouraging homeless individuals to participate in clinical mental health services. The conceptual framework used to guide this study comes from Kearsley and Shneiderman's …

Long-Term Use Of Beta-Blocker Medication In Pediatric Long Qt Syndrome Patients: Neuropsychological Profiles, Kara J. Rudisill

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heart rhythm disorder characterized by a disruption of the heart’s electrical activity that may cause accelerated and uncontrolled heartbeats referred to as ventricular fibrillation. LQTS is primarily treated with beta-blocker medications, which reduce the risk of experiencing an arrhythmia through regulating the heart rate. However, the potential neuropsychological side-effects associated with the use of beta-blocker medication may impact the executive functioning skills, mental health, and behavior of the affected pediatric population at home. As a result, a child’s academic performance and emotional regulation etiology may be misunderstood by his or her parents, caregivers, and …

Success And Failure Of Drug Rehabilitation: Pets Accompanying Clients To Treatment, Rikki Schwab

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research addresses the use of canine animals in substance abuse treatment. There is research that addresses the importance of animals regarding therapy and mental illness, as well as research on the comorbidity of severe mental illness and substance abuse disorder. However, there is no research that looks at utilizing canines in substance abuse therapy. The purpose of this research was to examine the utilization of canine animals in rehab for those with substance abuse issues. The theoretical foundation for this study is the theory of contextualism. This theory focuses on humans with animals. To address the gap in research, …

An Examination Of Student-Athlete Stress And Risky Alcohol Use, Travis Albert Loughran

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Student-athletes are a sub-population of college students that are likely to engage in binge drinking behavior and experience the negative consequences associated with alcohol use (Barry, Howell, Riplinger, & Piazza-Gardner, 2015; Nelson & Wechsler, 2001). In addition, participating in intercollegiate athletics comes with unique stressors not faced by non-athlete students, such as balancing academic responsibilities with athletic obligations, managing the strain associated with playing competitive sport, and navigating complex interpersonal relationships with coaches, teammates, and peers (Parham, 1993; Watson, 2002). However, there appears to be little research examining the relationship between alcohol risk and the specific stressors associated with being …

The Role Of Traditional And Cyberbullying Victimization In Predicting Emotional Difficulties In Elementary Schools, Sarah Bleam

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Bullying victimization is a pressing concern in schools across the United States. Victimization to bullying has been associated with various negative outcomes in a child’s life. Of concern, victims can experience emotional difficulties, such as anxiety and depression, that can have lifelong implications for a child. For this reason, identifying victimization as a contributing factor is imperative for successful intervention in schools. We measured traditional and cyberbullying victimization experiences and emotional difficulties in 214 fourth and fifth grade students in the Southeastern United States. A multiple linear regression and sequential regression analysis identified that traditional and cyber victimization contributed to …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

The Cost Of Comforting: Phenomenological Study On Burnout Among Marriage And Family Therapists In Community Settings, Steven Razo

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Burnout is best defined as a condition consisting of symptoms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1982). It has been characterized as a process that develops through a variety of work and individual factors. Furthermore, it has been shown to impact one’s career, physical health, and mental well-being. Much of the literature on burnout has been studied on psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, with a paucity of studies focused on marriage and family therapist (MFTs). The lack of burnout literature on MFTs is in spite of their employment in many diverse clinical settings. The purpose of this …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Physician Characteristics And Opioid Knowledge And Use Of Opioid And Non-Opioid Chronic Pain Management Strategies, Erin Hopkins Stern

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a mental health condition that has high personal, societal, and emotional costs. Opioid use disorder, misuse, and abuse is a national epidemic. Many factors have contributed to the increased use of opioids and OUD. One such factor is the heightened emphasis on pain management in the medical community, one that that began nearly two decades ago. This has led to increased prescribing of opioid-based medication for chronic pain patients. This contributed in part to the development of OUD in many individuals who became addicted to opioids. For this reason, current guidelines discourage the use of …

Minority Stress And Mental Health Among Transgender Persons, Elizabeth Alice Sapareto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transgender people, a minority population, are at increased risk for negative health and mental health consequences. Profound societal discrimination and stigmatization lead to systemic institutional barriers and lack of access to health care services. Research with lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations shows a strong association between minority stress and mental health; however, there is a gap in research for the transgender population. This study, based on theories of minority stress, positive psychology, the biopsychosocial model, and the transgender model, was conducted to clarify this relationship for the transgender population. Four research questions were proposed. A final sample of N = …

Length Of Pretrial Detainment For Inmates With Mental Illness, Maria Pereira-Sosa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been an increase in the number of individuals with mental illness being housed in correctional facilities over the last 50 years. In this study, the length of pretrial detention was compared for inmates who have a mental illness and are compliant with psychiatric medications, inmates who have a mental illness and are noncompliant or not prescribed psychiatric medication, and inmates with no mental illness. I also examined if inmates who have a mental illness have less severe charges and if there was a difference in the classification of mental health diagnoses for inmates who are and are not …

Development Of The Clark And Becker Scale Of Symptomatology (Cbs): Symptom-Level Item Performance, Michael Clark

All Master's Theses

Depression and anxiety are common, often comorbid, mental disorders. Many researchers have developed efficient self- and clinician-report measures of depression and anxiety. Most of these existing measures of depression and anxiety measures yield overall or specific subscale scores. The Clark and Becker Scale of Symptomatology (CBS) was designed to measure individual symptoms of depression and anxiety. It utilizes a different type of bipolar scaling to aid in accurate symptom endorsement. Unlike other pre-existing measures, the CBS is designed to be interpreted at the symptom level. The CBS was administered to a nationally representative sample (n = 530). Concurrent validity …

Testing An Integrated Model Of Help Seeking With Ethnically Diverse Primary Care Patients, Bianca Teresa Villalobos

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Structural and attitudinal barriers prevent many individuals from accessing professional mental health services and often times lead to the premature termination of treatment. Although research findings suggest that the integration of mental health services in primary care can increase access to services and reduce stigma for typically underserved populations, dropout occurs at high rates. The current study aims to: (1) identify correlates of attitudinal and structural barriers in a primary care setting, and (2) test the ability of the Integrated Model of Seeking Help (IMoSH) to predict follow-up for behavioral health visits. In particular, it was hypothesized that attitudinal barriers …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of The Coach-Athlete Relationship On Athlete Mental Health, Corey Rae Phillips

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is a demand to target the mental health needs of collegiate athletes, who are

considered to be at-risk for physiological injuries, psychological disturbances, and

academic problems. Due to the dynamic nature of the coach-athlete relationship,

assessing the impact coaches have on athletes’ psychological wellbeing is imperative to

shift the way mental health is addressed within this population. The current study aims to

address the relationship between perceived problems in the coach-athlete relationship and

mental health of college students who participate in organized sport. I hypothesize that

problems in the relationship have serious implications for athletes and mental health

providers …

0839: Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Papers, 1941-2006, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains the personal, educational, and professional possessions of Mildred Mitchell-Bateman. The collection includes correspondence, newspaper articles, association newsletters, professional planners, financial documents, plaques, and other personal memorabilia. The materials document Bateman’s various roles within local, state, and national psychology and psychiatric organizations. The collection is organized into six series: Series 1, Personal; Series 2, Education; Series 3, Professional Experience; Series 4, Correspondence; Series 5, Associations; and Series 6, Bound Books, Bound Volumes and list of Newspapers.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Papers, 1941-2006 here.

Sexism Makes Me Sick : An Examination Of Potential Mediators In The Link Between Sexism And Women's Mental Health, Kristin L. Mclaughlin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

It has been well established in the literature that discrimination is related to negative mental health outcomes. Consistent with this research, studies have found women’s exposure to sexist discrimination is associated with a host of mental health problems. Moreover, research on women’s exposure to a specific form of sexism called sexual objectification suggests links with specific psychological outcomes related to poor body image and eating problems. Based on a theoretical framework informed by system justification theory, this study attempted to unify and extend research on perceived sexism and objectification theory by investigating benevolent sexism and self-objectification as potential mediators of …

Therapeutic Alliance Between African American Clients And European American Providers: A Phenomenological Study, Dr. Pamela Johnson-Hood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans do not seek mental health help at the same rate, as do European Americans; furthermore, African Americans who do seek help tend to leave therapy prematurely. A poor therapeutic alliance between African American clients and European American clinicians may be one reason that African Americans do not seek therapy or leave prematurely. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experience of African American clients in therapeutic relationship with European American clinicians. Rogers' theory of therapeutic alliance, which included empathy as a key concept, served as the conceptual framework of this study. Through purposeful sampling …

Coping With Acculturative Stress: Mdma Usage Among Asian American Young Adults In The Electronic Dance Music Scene, Michelle Stephanie Chan

Pomona Senior Theses

The intersection of Asian American identity and illicit substance use is greatly understudied in psychological literature, especially with matters of mental health and drug use being stigmatized by Asian cultural norms. However, with an increasingly alarming number of fatal drug overdoses by Asian Americans at electronic dance music (EDM) events, attention must be drawn to the needs of this unique population. The present study characterizes this community by drawing from data of 1,290 Asian American young adults who participate in the EDM scene. This study also hypothesizes the impact of acculturative stress and feelings of social belonging on MDMA usage …

The Impact Of Stigma On The Mental Health Of Resettled African And Asian Refugees, Victoria M. Baptiste

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The global refugee crisis worsens day-by-day, with millions of refugees forced to seek safe haven abroad. Pre-migration trauma exposure contributes to disproportionately higher rates of psychopathology, especially among torture survivors and women. The extant literature has largely focused on the effects of pre-migration factors; however, increasingly, researchers recognize the critical impact of post-migration living difficulties (PMLD) in exacerbating refugee mental health. One example of a PMLD is stigma, defined as a socially devalued attribute (e.g., minority race, ethnicity, sex). A robust literature documents the deleterious effects of stigma on psychological functioning, but few studies of refugees have explored stigma, which …

Examining Preference Of Home-Based Telemental Health Among Rural Veterans, Paige Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural veterans face significant disparities to health care that have resulted in lower physical and mental health related quality of life when compared to their urban counterparts (Weeks et al., 2006). Such disparities are further complicated by the six-fold increase in prevalence of mental health diagnoses among Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans (Seal et al., 2009). These rising rates are particularly relevant to rural veterans as they represent 41% of the overall Veteran Health Administration enrollees, but only 19% of the general population (U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs, 2012; U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Rural veterans face three …

From Dawn To Dan: The Journey Of Karate Masters., Brandon W. Maynard

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The contributions martial arts training can make to mental health treatment have scarcely been explored by researchers in psychology. Practitioners of martial arts, such as karate, report that the training improves self-esteem, concentration, and emotional well-being. Several studies have provided empirical evidence in support of these anecdotal reports, but very few have utilized participants who have advanced training in martial arts to examine the emotional impact such training has across time. This study takes a phenomenological approach to studying the emotional effects training has had on master-level martial artists (fourth-degree black belt or higher) in the discipline of karate. Eight …

Examining Multi-Session Brief Intervention For Substance Use In Primary Care: Research Methods Of A Randomized Controlled Trial., Jaclyn E Chambers, Adam C Brooks, Rachel Medvin, David S Metzger, Jennifer Lauby, Carolyn M Carpenedo, Kevin E Favor, Kimberly C Kirby

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

BACKGROUND: Brief interventions such as Screening, a single session of Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) have shown mixed effectiveness in primary care. However, there are indications that multi-session brief interventions may demonstrate more consistently positive outcomes, and perhaps a more intensive approach would be of benefit in addressing substance use in primary care. This study compared the effectiveness of SBIRT with a single BI session (BI/RT) to a multi-session brief-treatment intervention (BI/RT+) in primary care. We also developed easy-to-use, evidence-based materials to assist clinicians in delivering these interventions.

METHODS/DESIGN: This study was conducted in three Federally Qualified Healthcare …