Psychology Commons^™

Understanding Comorbid Depression In The Context Of Ptsd Through Underlying Dimensions, Melissa Turkel

Dissertations

Depression co-occurs with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at a high rate, resulting in numerous complications for pathology and treatment. More research is needed regarding variables that may explain this common comorbidity. One possible variable is that of underlying dimensions, latent factors that give rise to these manifestations of psychopathology. This study explored potential underlying mechanisms of comorbid PTSD and depression, including negative affect, rumination, emotion dysregulation, neuroticism, and behavioral inhibition. While previous studies have investigated these dimensions individually, there is a dearth of research that simultaneously investigates multiple dimensions or determines the relative contributions of underlying dimensions to psychopathology. Thus, the …

Examining Item Content Validity Using Property Fitting Analysis Via Multidimensional Scaling, Cody Ding, Cody Ding

Education Sciences and Professional Programs Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Validation Of The Barkley Deficits Of Executive Functioning Scale-Short Form, Brian Sheble

Dissertations

The Barkley Deficits of Executive Functioning-Short Form (BDEFS-SF) is a short rating scale measuring executive functioning in adults. The BDEFS-SF was developed using the 5 highest loading questions from the BDEFS-LF. Consequently, the psychometric qualities of the BDEFS-SF were not investigated using formal methods. In this study, the psychometric attributes of the BDEFS-SF were examined using two separate but similar groups. The first group of 264 men and women aged 18-35 years old completed the BDEFS-SF via an internet survey. The second group of 36 men and women aged 18-35 years old completed the BDEFS-SF and individualized assessments of executive …

Family Care Partners Of Chronically Ill Older Adults: The Role Of Uncertainty In Illness, Jillian Pine

Dissertations

Abstract This study integrated research on family care partners of older adults and

research on uncertainty in chronic illness. Previous findings were extended by examining care partners of older adults with multiple chronic conditions and highlighting early-stage undiagnosed cognitive impairment as a uniquely unclear condition. Participants were 45 women assisting community-dwelling, earlier generation older adults with multiple chronic health conditions and a prognosis of more than six months. Online survey data were used to test the hypotheses that increased illness uncertainty would be associated with increased care partner-recipient relationship strain and increased care partner perceived stress. This study also hypothesized …

Why Giving Up The Keys Can Be Terrifying: Examining Driving Retirement Through A Terror Management Theory Paradigm, Perri Navarro

Dissertations

Driving retirement, or giving up the keys, is a current topic of interest in the gerontological literature. Most adults will outlive their ability to drive safely, yet do not plan for driving retirement, although planning for driving retirement appears to result in better outcomes. The current study examined the possibility that older adults avoid driving retirement because it is a mortality prime (reminder of death), as well as the possible role of implicit self-esteem in buffering against mortality concerns specifically in an older adult population. Participants in the current study (n=90) were randomly assigned into one of three …

Clinician Bias In The Diagnosis Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: How Clinician Characteristics And Training May Relate To Diagnosis, Renee Boeck

Dissertations

As our understanding of PTSD has advanced, changing demographics in the United States over the past few decades have led to a growing awareness of the mental health needs of an increasingly diverse and multicultural population. Research on ethnoracial differences in PTSD has had mixed results and additional research exploring possible contributing factors is needed to better explain observed differences. This study explored the presence of and contributing factors to clinician bias in the diagnoses of PTSD based on race and context. It examined whether clinicians were more likely to diagnose PTSD in a Black or White man due to …

Examining The Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms And Posttraumatic Growth: Pathways To Thriving In The Face Of Adversity, David Strasshofer

Dissertations

Research has largely focused on the negative physical and psychological consequences of trauma exposure. In contrast, posttraumatic growth is a relatively recent addition to our understanding of people’s response to life’s struggles. Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is conceptualized as positive changes in a person’s life following a cognitive struggle in the aftermath of trauma. However, PTG research is a relatively nascent line of empirical inquiry and there are several major unanswered questions about the construct and its utility. Part of this is due to conflicting findings related to the relationship between PTG and psychological distress and adaptive significance. The current study …

Validation Of The Multilayered Gender Identity Questionnaires, Philip Eiseman

Dissertations

Gender identity shapes the ways transgender adults experience themselves and relate to the world around them. Although research and theory suggest that gender identity is a multidimensional construct, most measures of gender identity have viewed gender as primarily a unitary construct tied to the gender binary. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Multilayered Gender Identity Questionnaires (MGIQ), a set of measures of gender identity, in a sample of transgender adults. Qualitative data collected through focus groups with transgender adults (N = 7) helped refine and develop these measures. A series of analyses involving a …

Internet-Delivered Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training For Suicidal And Heavy Episodic Drinkers: Protocol And Preliminary Results Of A Randomized Controlled Trial., Chelsey Wilks, Qingqing Yin, Sin Ang, Brandon Matsumiya, Anita Lungu, Marsha Linehan

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Signature Strengths: A Positive Psychology Intervention With Informal Caregivers, Megan C. Macdougall

Dissertations

The adverse effects of caregiving on informal caregivers’ physical and mental health are well documented (Pinquart & Sorensen, 2003; Vitaliano, Zhang, & Scanlan, 2003). Many evidence-based treatments exist to address caregiver distress and burden (Gallagher-Thompson & Coon, 2007). Positive aspects of caregiving, however, have received considerably less attention in the literature. At present, there are relatively few interventions that have a primary focus on improving positive aspects of caregiving. The current study tested an established positive psychology intervention with informal caregivers of older adults. This internet-based study employed a three group randomized controlled design. One hundred and fifty-five women caring …

Women’S Sexual Initiation: The Impact Of Gender Roles And Relationship Type, Sara Gonzalez-Rivas

Dissertations

Sexual script theory is the theoretical foundation for understanding how sexual interactions are navigated, including sexual initiation. Sexual initiation occurs when an individual conveys interest in sexual activity when sexual behaviors are not yet in progress. Past research has demonstrated that women initiate sex less frequently than men in other-sex relationships, perhaps due to traditional sexual scripts. The current research literature lacks data on sexual initiation among women in same-sex relationships. This study investigated the impact of perceived gender roles on women’s sexual initiation, the role of partner sex on women’s initiation behaviors, if perceived gender roles account for initiation …

Telemental Health Versus Face-To-Face Treatment: An Examination Of Operation Enduring Freedom And Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans’ Preferences For Mental Health Services, Nicholas Brown

Dissertations

Despite high estimated prevalence rates of PTSD, depression, and alcohol use disorder, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans exhibit relatively low rates of engagement in mental health treatment. Research shows that OEF/OIF veterans’ treatment-seeking is affected by attitudes towards mental illness and meant health treatment, logistical barriers to care, and severity of illness, thus providing support for Andersen’s proposed model of health service utilization. Previous literature has suggested that telemental health (TMH) has the potential to address some of the factors that make treatment-seeking challenging for OEF/OIF veterans. However, little is known about the degree to which …

A Video Intervention For Professionals Working With Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Older Adults, Allison R. Warren

Dissertations

Abstract

There is consensus that providers who work with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) older adults should use the language preferred by the older adult; however, self-efficacy in this particular context is unexplored. The current study compared the efficacy of three online interventions for aging-focused professionals designed to increase knowledge of TGNC-related terminology, decrease self-reported negative attitudes towards TGNC individuals, and increase self-efficacy for affirmative interactions. Employees and volunteers of area agencies on aging across the United States (N = 155) were randomly assigned to one of three interventions: written educational information, a video demonstration, or both the written educational …

Doctrinal Dialogues: Factors Influencing Client Willingness To Discuss Religious Beliefs, Katherine A. Judd

Dissertations

Religious beliefs are an important part of daily life for many individuals; however, these beliefs are often not discussed in therapy settings. As a result, clients and clinicians may encounter barriers to treatment and be unable to harness potentially beneficial aspects of the religious belief system. The current study investigated factors influencing client willingness to discuss religious beliefs with a therapist, with the factors of interest being perceived clinician cultural humility (PCH), religious outlier status (ROS), and religious commitment (RC). Participants in the current study (N = 535) completed measures assessing RC and ROS and viewed a five-minute clip depicting …

Single-Session Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Versus Relaxation Training For Non-Treatment-Engaged Suicidal Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Erin Ward-Ciesielski, Erin Ward-Ciesielski, Connor Jones, Madeline Wielgus, Chelsey Wilks, Marsha Linehan

Psychology Faculty Works

Background: Individuals who are not engaged in treatment are commonly overlooked in the design of intervention trials targeting suicidal populations as a result of recruitment methodology that requires individuals to be referred from their current provider. In fact, research suggests that the majority of individuals who die by suicide have not been in contact with mental health services in the year before their death. Methods/design: A randomized controlled trial of two brief, one-session interventions for adults who are not engaged in mental health treatment. Inclusion criteria include 1) 18 years or older, 2) experiencing suicidal ideation in the past week, …

A Telehealth Behavioral Coaching Intervention For Neurocognitive Disorder Family Carers., Ann Steffen, Judith Gant

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Applications Of Group Career Counseling Techniques In Asian Cultures, Mark Pope

Education Sciences and Professional Programs Faculty Works

In this article, applications of group career counseling techniques to Asian cultures are discussed. The article first identifies how group‐oriented cultures differ from individually oriented cultures, reasons that group career counseling is especially appropriate for group‐oriented cultures, and relevant issues in group career counseling with Asian populations. Interventions that illustrate the use of group career counseling with Asian clients are prescribed.