Psychology Commons^™

Meaning In Life And Metacognition: Application Of The Self-Validation Hypothesis, Liam Hill

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Meaning in Life is a robust predictor of various positive outcomes, and provides a buffer against a host of negative outcomes. Due to this fact, it becomes important to examine all the facets of a meaningful life. One consistent predictor of Meaning in Life (MIL) in the literature is one’s sense of positive affect. I tested the idea that it is possible to doubt (or have confidence in) one’s affect, such that under conditions of doubt, positive affect is less strongly related to MIL. It may be the case that positive affect predicts MIL because of what we think of …

Bidirectional Relationships Between Use Of Popular Social Media Platforms And Anxiety, Depression, And Social Support, Olivia Dick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes among young populations has been a cause for increasing concern in research. However, the directionality of these relationships remains ambiguous due to existing literature being largely cross-sectional and having limited focus on individual platforms. This study aimed to explore the bidirectional relationship between social media use across prominent platforms and various mental healthrelated outcomes among young adults. A sample of 203 young adults, ages 18-29, completed baseline and 6-month follow-up assessments measuring social media use across Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, as well as measures of depression, anxiety, and perceived friend …

Impact Of Framing Depression On Illness Perceptions And Coping Strategies, Abby Mcginnis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study aimed to adopt an experimental design used by Schroder et al. (2023) to investigate how framing of depression (as a disease vs a functional signal) impacts illness perceptions and coping strategies. Participants were given the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) to assess depression severity and prime participants for the framing condition. Each condition had five videos describing depression and the corresponding frameworks. Perceived control, timeline, and causes of depression were measured using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Participants were given the brief-COPE questionnaire to measure coping strategies, such as avoidant and problem-focused. There were no differences …

Effectiveness Of A Peer-Supported Digital Brief Intervention: Reducing Alcohol Use & Related Harms In Young Adults With Histories Of Interpersonal Trauma, Caitlin Mcgettrick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Alcohol is the most frequently used substance in the United States, and young adults ages 18-25 have the highest rates of heavy alcohol use. Heavy and persistent alcohol use is associated with a host of negative outcomes in young adults, including poor mental health, lower life satisfaction, cognitive impairments, poor academic performance, increased risk for motor vehicle accidents, and substance use disorders. Brief interventions (BI) are low-resource, short-term interventions designed to reduce problematic substance use and mitigate the substantial harms posed by heavy and persistent use of substances such as alcohol. BIs have limited effectiveness in trauma survivors despite trauma …

Denial Of Pregnancy Or Cryptic Pregnancy, Nadia N. Shuriah, Elaine Mcfarland, Bethany Spenn, Kaisha Butz Mcmanus

BIO4960: Practicum in Biology I

Denial of pregnancy, or cryptic pregnancy, presents a complex situation where individuals are unaware of their pregnancy until the late stages of labor. This study delves into the multifaceted nature of concealed and denied pregnancies, exploring their prevalence, factors contributing to them, and their implications for both individuals and healthcare systems. By reviewing relevant literature and case studies, we aim to illuminate the difficulties healthcare providers face in identifying and managing cases of denial of pregnancy. Additionally, we stress the significance of proactive screening and comprehensive care to ensure the well-being of mothers and infants. This research endeavors to deepen …

Efficacy Of Patient Education And Duloxetine, Alone And In Combination, For Patients With Multisystem Functional Somatic Disorder: Study Protocol For The Edulox Trial, Cecilia Pihl Jespersen, Heidi Frølund Pedersen, Maria Kleinstäuber, Per Fink, Kaare Bro Wellnitz, Eva Ørnbøl, Andreas Schröder, Johanne Liv Agger, Lene Vase, Nanna Brix Finnerup, Lise Kirstine Gormsen

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Multisystem functional somatic disorder is characterized by specific patterns of persistent physical symptoms with a complex biopsychosocial etiology. The disorder can lead to disability and personal suffering. Current treatment options require specialized settings, therefore patients often wait a long time to receive specific treatment.

Patient education is considered important in most treatment programs, but has only been investigated sparsely as a stand-alone treatment. Pharmacological treatment is limited to tricyclic antidepressants in low doses with not antidepressant properties. Duloxetine has been found effective in single organ functional disorders. As a treatment for multisystem functional somatic disorder, duloxetine could reduce symptoms …

Equality In Times Of Uncertainty: Economic Downturn And Body Image Messaging Toward Women, Ritsa Giannakas

Honors Theses

A vast body of literature indicates that the economy and the status of women are interlinked, with higher levels of economic well-being tending to correspond with advancements in women’s rights. However, little of this research has investigated the changes in the wellbeing of women as it pertains to their physical and mental health, especially as it pertains to exploring the impacts of economics on eating disorder rates and societal messaging toward women. This thesis investigates a novel theory linking economic uncertainty and downturn to the spread of pro-eating disorder content online, positing that economic uncertainty may coincide with a “conservative …

Making Deception Fun: Teaching Autistic Individuals How To Playfriendly Tricks, Adel Naj, Megan St. Clair, Kacie Massoudie, Jonathan Tarbox, Lauri Simchoni, Marianne Jackson, Angela Persicke

Psychology Division Scholarship

Perspective taking is a critical repertoire for navigating social relationships and consists of a variety of complex verbalskills, including socially adaptive forms of deception. Detecting and being able to use socially adaptive deception likelyhas many practical uses, including defending oneself against bullying, telling white lies to avoid hurting others’ feelings,keeping secrets and bluffing during games, and playing friendly tricks on others. Previous research has documented thatsome Autistic1 children have challenges identifying deception and playfully deceiving others (Reinecke et al., 1997). Thecurrent study employed a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the use of multiple exemplar training, rules,modeling, practice, and …

Relationships Between White Psychology Trainees’ Multicultural Competence And Racial Affect In The Pandemic, Daniella L. Colb

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

In this dissertation, I used an exploratory research approach to examine White psychology trainees’ affective responses to race-related material and how they relate to trainees’ self-perceived levels of multicultural competence amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Participants completed self-report instruments about their experiences and identities, their affective responses to racial content, and their grasp of facets of multicultural competence. Significant correlations were found between affective responses—specifically White guilt and negation—and multicultural competence. The relationship found between White guilt and multicultural competence may speak to the power of guilt to motivate trainees’ pursuit of …

The Impact Of Asian American Cultural Centers On Sense Of Belongingness For Asian American Undergraduate Students, Malina B. Maladore

PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Dissertations (New England)

This dissertation examines the role of cultural centers and experiences of microaggressions in shaping the ethnic identity of Asian American undergraduates in U.S. higher education institutions. Utilizing Phinney’s model of ethnic identity development, a study with 175 participants revealed a positive correlation between reported microaggressions and sense of ethnic belonging in students attending universities with cultural centers. The findings highlight the complexities of belongingness and the potential impact of cultural centers on ethnic identity and experiences of microaggressions. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of Asian American students’ experiences in higher education. This dissertation is available in open access …

In And Through The Body: A Quantitative Exploration Of Embodiment In Eating Disorders, Lauren Zaniboni

PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Dissertations (New England)

The field of clinical psychology has long privileged cognitive and affective experience and information over that which is stored in, and communicated by, the body (Caldwell, 2018; Young, 2006). Despite the profound and complex web of interactions between mind and body in EDs, this subspecialty has been no exception. The need for improvements in eating disorder (ED) treatment outcomes is well documented and transtheoretically accepted. Current practice guidelines for the treatment of adult EDs recommend the utilization of cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal strategies to target problematic thinking and deficits in emotion regulation that are thought to fuel ED behaviors (American …

Engaging In Art To Support Social-Emotional Learning (Eassel): A Classroom-Based Approach, Hailey Mcafee-Scimone

PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Dissertations (New England)

This dissertation describes a project to develop an art-based curriculum to teach young elementary school-age children social and emotional skills in the classroom based on the experiences of experts in the field of elementary education. Social-emotional learning (SEL) focuses on several key concepts including skills in interpersonal relationships, emotion regulation, and mindfulness (McClelland et al., 2017). By addressing SEL early within the education curriculum, children are exposed to resources that will help them to develop strong regulation skills, engage in identity exploration, and practice healthy relationship skills (Jones et al., 2017). The integration of SEL and art creates a learning …

At The Intersection Of Religion, Spirituality, And Clinical Psychology: A Conversation With Two Jewish Psychologists, Robert A. Demayo, David A. Levy

Psychology Division Scholarship

This article presents a dialogue between two Jewish psychologists who share their respective personal and professional journeys on how spirituality and religious affiliation impacts their work as clinicians. They address the following questions: How would you identify your cultural background with respect to your religious or spiritual history and identity? How do you manage the competing demands of respecting both individual cultural identity and group cultural identity? How did your early experiences with Judaism influence your professional practice? What were your earliest academic influences on the question of spirituality in psychology? How have religion and spirituality manifested in your clinical …

Integrating Trauma-Informed Services In Out-Of-School Time Programs To Mitigate The Impact Of Community Gun Violence On Youth Mental Health, Angela T. Clarke, Stevie N. Grassetti, Lauren Brumley, Kyle Y. Ross, Courtney Erdly, Sarah Richter, Emily R. Brown, Michele Pole

Psychology Faculty Publications

Community gun violence disproportionately impacts youth in low-income urban neighborhoods. Integrating trauma informed mental health care in community-based out-of-school time (OST) programs is an innovative method of service delivery for these youth. This article provides justification for integrating evidence-based, trauma-informed services in OST programs within communities characterized by high rates of violent crime to minimize the impact of violence exposure on youth mental health. We describe the initial feasibility of a model program, the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Initiative, implemented in a small city in southeastern Pennsylvania. Within the first six months of the VIP Initiative, 95 community residents …

The Image Of Schizophrenia In Spain's Healthcare System, Meghan Webb

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

Schizophrenia affects thousands of people in Spain and is one of the most serious mental health disorders in existence. Despite its this characteristic, schizophrenia did not always get the proper attention it deserved within the country’s healthcare system. This was largely due to the influence that the Spanish government had, and continues to have, over the healthcare system, giving it the power to choose how the disorder was represented. Therefore, what does that mean for schizophrenia in Spain’s healthcare system today? This essay will explore the ways in which schizophrenia was represented in Spain’s healthcare system through an examination of …

Legal Pressure To Attend Substance Abuse Treatment, Angelicia Courteau

Auctus: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

This paper was written to bring awareness of how the legal system does not take into consideration those who suffer from substance use disorder, as well as ACEs. Brian Luke Burijon’s battle with addiction while incarcerated was used as an example of how the legal system’s one-size-fits-all approach is flawed. Mr. Burijon opted for a treatment he did not feel was ideal for him because the alternative was to remain incarcerated for a long period. Mr. Burijon was unable to tolerate the treatment at the facility and left early, which resulted in his overdose death.

The Lived Experience Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Among Mandate-Resistant Adults In Washington State, Amber N. Peterson

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study examined the lived experience of self-identified, mandate-resistant adults in Washington state. This study explored participants’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, from a retrospective framework by uncovering challenges, silver linings, decision-making, and self-reported mental health. Remote interviews were conducted with nine participants. Participants were between 23–31 years old, mostly male, and over half identified as Black. Through semi structured interviews, data was collected and analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants described their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted significant changes in the way they lived their lives. Most notably, participants described ways in which they defied COVID-19 …

The Relationship Of Workplace Support, Job Control, And Burnout In Nurses, Shannon A. Mccleery

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Nurses are the most likely group of healthcare workers to develop burnout. Previous research identified supervisory support, job control, and decision-making ability in the workplace as protective factors against burnout. There was a gap in the literature regarding the relationship between burnout in nurses and their experience of support, control, and decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reducing and preventing burnout in nurses is important due to the nursing shortage and concerns of attrition rates. This quantitative study examined the relationship of emotional support, instrumental support, job control, and decision-making opportunities in the workplace to burnout in hospital-based nurses. Measures used …

Posttraumatic Growth Following Pregnancy Loss, Megan Pinette

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is positive psychological change that can result from the struggle with trauma or other highly stressful events (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1999; Calhoun et al., 2010). The aim of this study was to capture the rich narratives of individuals who have experienced pregnancy loss and reported PTG. The narratives of ten participants were investigated to better understand what areas of posttraumatic growth they experienced following this often-devastating loss, as well as the processes that led to this growth. Participants of this study reported experiencing growth in the domains of (a) Relating to Others, (b) Personal Strength, (c) New …

The Pursuit Of Happiness: Freedom And Well-Being In Positive Psychology, Kevin J. Mckenzie

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This project explores the relationship between freedom and well‑being. Through reviewing the literature of positive psychology and existential psychology, clearer pictures of well‑being and freedom emerge, allowing for statistical analysis. By adopting Seligman’s well‑being theory as a model that incorporates hedonic and eudaimonic elements of well‑being and self‑determination theory’s conceptualization of autonomy as a proxy for freedom in existential psychology, this study explores the relationship between these constructs and their theorized factors through correlational analysis. A potential measurement model for an overall well‑being measure incorporating freedom as a factor is proposed and tested using confirmatory factor analyses. The effects of …

Anxiety Severity And Prescription Medication Utilization In First-Time Medical Marijuana Users, Karen L. Dugosh, Megan M. Short, Paulina Syracuse, Thomas R. Mccalmont, Michelle R. Lent

PCOM Scholarly Papers

Background

Anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are qualifying psychiatric conditions for medical marijuana (MM) treatment in Pennsylvania. This study examined baseline prevalence and changes in prescription anxiety medication use three months following MM treatment initiation among individuals with these qualifying conditions.

Methods

The study sample was comprised of 108 adults with anxiety or PTSD as a referring condition; they were enrolled in a longitudinal study evaluating biopsychosocial outcomes in new MM patients. Consenting participants completed an assessment battery at baseline and Month 3 (n = 94, 87 % follow-up rate) that included a measure of anxiety severity and …

Awareness With Paralysis And Symptoms Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Mechanically Ventilated Emergency Department Survivors (Ed-Awareness-2 Trial): Study Protocol For A Pragmatic, Multicenter, Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial., Brian M Fuller, Brian E Driver, Michael B. Roberts, Christa A Schorr, Kathryn Thompson, Brett Faine, Julianne Yeary, Nicholas M Mohr, Ryan D Pappal, Robert J Stephens, Yan Yan, Nicholas J Johnson, Brian W Roberts

PCOM Scholarly Papers

BACKGROUND: Awareness with paralysis (AWP) is memory recall during neuromuscular blockade (NMB) and can cause significant psychological harm. Decades of effort and rigorous trials have been conducted to prevent AWP in the operating room, where prevalence is 0.1-0.2%. By contrast, AWP in mechanically ventilated emergency department (ED) patients is common, with estimated prevalence of 3.3-7.4% among survivors given NMB. Longer-acting NMB use is a critical risk for AWP, and we have shown an association between ED rocuronium use and increased AWP prevalence. As NMB are given to more than 90% of ED patients during tracheal intubation, this trial provides a …

Examining The Evidence Base For Burnout, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Burnout has elicited growing interest among occupational health specialists in recent decades. Since 2019, the World Health Organization has characterized burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic, unmanageable workplace stress. According to the ICD-11, three symptoms define the entity: feelings of exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and a sense of ineffectiveness at work, all of which correspond to the structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The ICD-11 includes burnout among the factors that influence health status. This paper calls into question that conceptualization based on a number of lines of evidence. The evidence includes the following: burnout was …

Fiqws 10008 Syllabus Fall 2023, Hayley M. Hancock

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus outlines the Fall 2023 Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar (FIQWS) course Psychopathology in Literature. In the topic section, students learn about the history, research, ethics, and practice of psychopathology. This topic course is accompanied by a composition course in which students will apply their understanding of psychopathology to creative and research writing assignments.

Validation And Clinical Utility Of The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 And Center For Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale As Depression Screening Tools In Collegiate Student-Athletes, Lindsey Keenan, Yvette Ingram, Branden Green, Rachel Daltry, Sebastian Harenberg

Sports Medicine Faculty Publications

Context: The National Athletic Trainers' Association recommends including mental health screening measures as part of the preparticipation examination for all student-athletes (SAs). Despite this recommendation, most mental health screening tools have not been validated in the SA population. Objective: To validate and examine the clinical utility of 2 depression screening tools in the collegiate SA population. Design: Cross-sectional mixed-methods study. Setting: Two Northeastern United States university athletics programs. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 881 (men = 426, 48.4%; women = 455, 51.6%; mean age = 19.7 6 1.4 years) National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II collegiate SAs completed …

How Gender Roles Impact The Social Perceptions Of Sexual Assault, Autumn Zwakenberg

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study set out to examine how different factors such as the gender of the victim, the gender of the perpetrator, and the scenario of sexual assault, can influence an outsider’s opinion of the sexual assault. There were two main hypotheses: the first is male and female participants would perceive the push-away scenario as sexual assault at equal rates, but significantly more female participants would perceive the victim allowing the perpetrator to unbuckle their pants scenario as sexual assault. The second is male and female participants would view the male perpetrator scenarios as sexual assault equally, but significantly more female …

Mental Health Applications As A Resource For Reducing Access Disparities? A Case Example From A Disaster Mental Health App, Laura Perez-Villagomez

Honors Theses

Past research indicates Latinx individuals underutilize mental health services when it comes to addressing their mental health concerns, but often fail to mention the barriers to underutilization. Systemic barriers to seeking care largely fall under two larger umbrellas: cost and availability. A focus on whether disparities observed in traditional mental health services persisted for a trauma-focused app that recruited participants from the 2017 Hurricane outbreak provides us a unique outlook on a comparative analysis of utilization and engagement between the applications, Bounce Back Now (BBN) and Enhanced Usual Care. BBN is made up of four major components including tracking, …

Agreement Of Psychiatric Diagnoses Within And Between Groups Of Mental Health Clinicians From Different Disciplines, Wade Mcguire

Dissertations

The development of therapy as a treatment option for mental health problems has led to the creation of different disciplines. Each discipline has developed its own conceptualization of classification and treatment of mental health problems. These conceptualizations have led to different areas of focus for each of the disciplines, specifically counseling, psychology, and social work. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether these areas of focus influence how each discipline diagnoses. For this study, data was collected by having clinicians provide diagnoses for three fictitious clients. The vignettes for the clients were taken from a psychopathology textbook to …

The Contribution Of Self-Compassion To Anxiety And Mood In Daily Life, Yamini Pant

Honors Scholar Theses

Self-compassion, the act of being kind and understanding towards oneself, has been shown to have positive impacts on mental health. Depression and anxiety are both common mental health disorders that can interfere with an individual’s ability to function in daily life. Several studies have shown that self-compassion correlates with depression and anxiety at a cross-sectional level and across longer periods of time (e.g., several months). In the present study, we examined the fluctuations and the directionality of self-compassion, depression, and anxiety on a day-to-day basis over the span of a week. We also examined the ways that worry and rumination …

Addressing The Complexity Of Mental Health Care For Youth Experiencing Houselessness, Sarah Hamilton

Psychology Honors Projects

Children and youth experiencing houselessness have a unique set of mental health needs due to the traumatic experience of houselessness during childhood and the other adverse childhood experiences that often coincide with houselessness (van der Kolk, 2003; Wong et al., 2016). They face immense barriers in access to mental health care due to logistical factors as a result of their housing status and socio-structural factors (Krippel et al., 2020; Gallardo et al., 2020; Bradley et al., 2018). However, existing studies reveal a lack of evidence-based interventions for children and youth experiencing houselessness and a lack of insight from mental health …