Psychology Commons^™

Parenting At Midnight: Measuring Parents' Thoughts And Strategies To Help Young Children Sleep Through The Night, Aimee J. Coulombe

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Throughout the night, brief periods of arousal are common and not necessarily indicative of problematic sleep. Awakening without an easy return to sleep (“night-waking”), however, can be problematic for parents and children alike. Approximately 30% of preschool-aged children wake at least once per night and require parental intervention (“help or assistance”). Although parents’ responses to children’s night-waking (i.e., parents’ night-waking strategies) can determine the course of night-waking over time, very little is known about night-waking strategy use among parents of preschool-aged children. The purpose of the present dissertation was to lay the foundation upon which a better understanding of the …

Maternal Depressive Symptoms And Health Outcomes In Youths With Type 1 Diabetes: A Mediational Model, Struemph Kari Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The rate and impact of depressive symptoms were examined with two models based on known effects of depression on variables related to diabetes management, parental involvement and diabetes conflict. The proposed models will measure potential effects high maternal depressive symptoms may have on parental monitoring and involvement and diabetes specific conflict and how these variables may in turn relate to poor regimen adherence. Methods: Participants included 225 mothers and young adolescents (aged 11-14) with T1D. Diabetes self-care behaviors were measured with the 24 Hour Recall Interview, parental involvement and monitoring were measured with the Parent Management of Diabetes Scale, …

The Predictive Power Of Therapeutic Alliance On Treatment Retention, James B. Anderson

Dissertations

Therapeutic alliance has long been recognized as an important contributor to successful psychotherapy, and research has demonstrated that it has a moderate and reliable impact on treatment outcome across studies employing a variety of treatment strategies. The current study seeks to build on the alliance literature by examining the degree to which therapeutic alliance is predictive of treatment retention. Two trained raters assessed the alliance between therapists and their patients by watching and rating therapeutic alliance in videotaped psychotherapy sessions. They watched tapes of therapists using two different types of treatment: cognitive modification and supportive therapy. Alliance was assessed via …

Examining The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Two Delivery Models To Teach Children Abduction Prevention Skills, Kimberly E. Seckinger-Bancroft

Dissertations

Nearly all children receive abduction prevention training. Most traditional education programs increase the learner's knowledge, but often fail to produce concomitant behavior change. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is a multicomponent, behavior-based training strategy with empirical support demonstrating its effectiveness in teaching children safety skills, behavioral generalization and maintenance over time. BST, however, is restricted by financial, human and time costs and limited resources to implement the training protocol. These factors likely limit widespread adoption of the training model. This study examined the use of computer-based instruction that emphasized active responding and mastery level performance requirements to teach school-aged children abduction …

Analysis Of An Online Support Group For Women With Breast Cancer, Laura Boxley

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

With over 200,000 new diagnoses in 2004, breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among women in the United States. Both the stress of treatment and the threat of a potentially lethal illness present significant challenges to an individual's emotional well-being and coping skills, yet paradoxically many women report benefits from dealing with this adversity. The aims of this investigation were to describe the characteristics of benefit finding as expressed by breast cancer survivors participating in an online breast cancer support group, and to assess the relationship between symptom distress, emotional well-being and benefit finding using baseline …

Clarifying The Relationship Between Emotion Regulation, Gender, And Depression, Emi Sumida

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigates the relation between emotion regulation problems and clinical depression. One goal of the present study was to bring increased clarity and parsimony to how emotion regulation is presently measured by consolidating three widely used instruments. In addition, of interest was an investigation of whether particular emotion regulation problems and management strategies interact with gender to predict either severity of overall depression symptoms or the presence of a formal mood disorder diagnosis. The results clearly showed that irrespective of a person's gender, particular emotion regulation indicators, both singly, and in combination, are, indeed, more strongly related to the …

Young's Schema Theory: Exploring The Direct And Indirect Links Between Negative Childhood Experiences And Temperament To Negative Affectivity In Adulthood, Mark S. Jesinoski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Young's schema theory offers a theoretical approach that relates negative childhood experiences, temperament, and early maladaptive schema, to the experience of negative affect and/or depression in adulthood. However, despite the widespread use of schema therapy in clinical practice, little research has explored the pathways theorized by Young. This study explored the pathways posited by Young and colleagues looking at the direct and indirect relationships among negative childhood experience, temperament, early maladaptive schema, and the experience of negative affect in adulthood. Self-report data were collected from 365 undergraduate students. Results demonstrated consistent and robust direct relationships between temperament and negative affect, …

Unattainable Beauty: An Analysis Of The Role Of Body Shame And Self-Objectification In Hopelessness Depression Among College-Age Women, Meredith A. Evans

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Despite substantial evidence that women suffer from depression at twice the rate of men, the etiology for this difference remains unclear. Prior to puberty, the difference in depression is negligible; however, when adolescence begins, a precipitous rise in female depression occurs that persists across the lifespan. While no definitive biological change has been linked to this phenomenon, objectification theory (Frederickson & Roberts, 1997) can be used to gain insight into the social influences at play during that transitional period. This study of 269 undergraduate women from a northeastern university used structural equation modeling to propose a path leading from self-objectification …

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy For Depression: Illuminating Processes Of Change Using A Time-Series Design, Erin Irene Gray

Masters Theses

This study examined the process of change in the early stages of psychodynamic psychotherapy for three patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The three patients were in once-weekly psychotherapy at a university-based psychological clinic with supervised master’s level therapists in a clinical psychology doctoral training program. Subjective well-being and symptoms were monitored daily throughout treatment (consisting of 9, 12, and 13 sessions). Based on theory-driven models of therapeutic change (Phase Model of change: Howard, et al., 1986; Howard, et al., 1993), improvement in subjective well-being ought to occur early in therapy and prior to improvement in diagnosis-specific symptoms. Six phase-specific …

Effect Of Maternal Borderline Personality Disorder On Emotional Availability In Mother-Child Interactions, Rebecca Devan Trupe

Masters Theses

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience severe and pervasive disturbances in the development of attachment relationships, identity, and emotion regulation. Given these deficits, mothers diagnosed with BPD are likely to experience significant difficulties in parenting their children. The present study examined the effect of maternal BPD and borderline personality features on emotional availability in interactions between mothers with BPD and their 4- to 7-year-old children. In a low socioeconomic status (SES) sample of n = 35 children of mothers diagnosed with BPD and n = 35 normative comparisons, groups were compared on maternal and child emotional availability, and self-reported …

Neuropsychological Symptoms Associated With Multiple Shunts, Jared Jackson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Hydrocephalus is the excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the cranium which may result in increased intracranial pressure, dilation of cerebral ventricles and displacement of adjacent brain structures. Ventriculoperitoneal shunting is often needed to treat hydrocephalus. Patients with Ventriculoperitoneal shunts have been found to have IQ scores below the mean of the general population. In addition, many of these patients experience shunt infections or other complications that require shunt replacement. Shunt replacements and shunt infections have been associated with additional deficits in intellectual functioning. However, previous research has failed to address the neuropsychological ramifications of shunt infections and shunt replacements. …

A Psychometric Investigation Of The Young Adult Social Behavior Scale (Yasb), Michelle Rene Augustin

Dissertations

Aggressive behavior is a serious public health concern that has resulted in several problems in contemporary society. Despite a considerable body of literature on human aggression, both popular and scientific, a focus on overt physical aggression has obscured other forms of aggression. As a result, considerably less is known about other, more subtle forms of aggression, such as relational aggression. Moreover, research on relational aggression, particularly among older adolescents and adults, has been hindered by the lack of psychometrically sound measures. Research in this area would be enhanced by the availability of such a measure, facilitating comparison of data across …

Body Depilation Among Women And Men: The Association Of Body Hair Reduction Or Removal With Body Satisfaction, Appearance Comparison, Body Image Disturbance, And Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptomatology, Michael Scott Boroughs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Body depilation, or the reduction or removal of body hair, is a relatively new area of research inquiry. Although women in many industrialized cultures have engaged in depilation for several decades, this behavior has been documented only recently among men. Though originally thought to be widely practiced by women and only a small proportion of men, including athletes or bodybuilders, recent studies suggest that more men engage in body depilation than previously hypothesized. In fact, one recent study estimated the prevalence of men's body depilation at 83.7% which suggests that men are depilating at rates similar to women. Nevertheless sparse …

The Relationship Between Patient Object Relations And The Therapeutic Alliance In A Naturalistic Psychotherapy Sample, Paula Andrea Errazuriz Arellano

Open Access Dissertations

The quality of the patient-therapist relationship, or therapeutic alliance, is widely viewed as an important element of the psychotherapeutic process. Empirically, the therapeutic alliance is a well-established and robust predictor of therapeutic change. With its clear impact on therapeutic success, researchers have increasingly examined factors that contribute to alliance development, including patient psychological characteristics. This study examined the relationship between patients' object relations (i.e., mental representations of self and others) and alliance quality, and whether timing of the alliance rating and the rater perspective (patient vs. therapist) moderated this relationship. Participants were 73 patients and 23 therapists from two outpatient …

Trajectories Of Mental Health And Acculturation Among First Year International Graduate Students From India, Dhara Aniruddha Thakar

Open Access Dissertations

From 2001-2007, students from India have consistently comprised the largest ethnic group of international students on college campuses across the United States (Open Doors: Report on International Educational Exchange, 2007). Despite a number of studies that have researched the mental health of international students in the U.S., none have done so primarily with Indian graduate students. Theoretical and empirical literature regarding the psychological changes and acculturation patterns that international students undergo after their transition do not explore the possibility of multiple pathways of change. The current study identified four separate mental health trajectories for Indian international graduate students during their …

The Influence Of A Therapist Workshop In Alliance Strategies On Client Engagement: Feasibility And Preliminary Efficacy, Lotte Smith-Hansen

Open Access Dissertations

The client-therapist relationship has long been recognized as an important element in psychotherapy, and research has demonstrated its robust association with positive outcomes. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of training therapists in strategies for improving therapeutic relationships with clients. The strategies were compiled from the empirical literature, drawing on the work of Hilsenroth and Cromer (2007), Castonguay (1996), and Safran and Muran (2000). The study employed a manipulated training design that has the benefit of addressing naturalistic effectiveness questions, while adhering to the rigorous scientific standards of controlled efficacy research (Hayes, 2002). Participants were 57 therapists working …

An Examination Of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Reactivity As A Partial Mediator Of The Relation Between Trauma And Self-Injurious Behavior, Eileen Katherine Bent

Open Access Dissertations

Past work has linked self-injurious behavior (SIB) to a history of traumatic experiences and to problems regulating affect. While this affect dysregulation is conceptualized as occurring at a biological (as well as a behavioral) level, relatively little is known about the biological mechanisms involved. The current study explored whether reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to an interpersonal stressor mediated the relation between trauma and SIB in a sample of 178 18-21 year-old heterosexual dating couples. As predicted, both trauma experience and symptoms positively predicted SIB. While the mediating model was not supported, SIB was associated with an HPA axis …

Intersecting Contexts: An Examination Of Social Class, Gender, Race, And Depressive Symptoms, Amy Claxton

Open Access Dissertations

This study examined whether commonly used social class indicators (occupational prestige, education, and income) had direct or indirect effects on mental health, and whether these relationships varied by gender, race, or family structure. To this end, 597 working-class participants were interviewed in the months before they had a child. Findings indicated that income, and not occupational prestige or education, had a direct effect on mental health, in that it was related to fewer depressive symptoms. Additionally, education and race interacted, such that for People of Color, more education was related to more depressive symptoms. Furthermore, occupational prestige and education, and …

Ethical Decision-Making Regarding Nonsexual Multiple Relationships, Diana Jochai

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The current American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA Ethics Code) states that a multiple relationship is established between a psychotherapist and a client when they engage in a relationship (personal or professional) in addition to the therapeutic relationship (AP A, 2002). Evidence that psychologists do become involved in such relationships, sometimes resulting in harm to the client, comes from examination of complaints to professional organizations and licensing boards, and of scant existing research. Remarkably, however, there has been no research to date regarding the ethical decision-making process in which a psychologist engages regarding whether …

Client/Therapist Feedback And The Role Of The Alliance On Psychotherapy Outcomes, Elizabeth Preston Cisneros

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Through a system of patient-focused outcomes research which has employed a quality assurance system for tracking client progress in therapy, there has been consistent evidence that utilizing the system to identify those who are not responding to treatment and warning their therapist about the client’s risk significantly improves client outcomes in psychotherapy. Although outcomes have been improved, significant proportions of clients have treatment failures or see no improvement in therapy. Moreover, feedback to therapists appears to be most effective in improving outcomes for the minority of clients who are already at risk of treatment failure.

Attempts to augment the feedback …

Validity Study Of The Psychopathic Personality Inventory In A Noncriminal Population, Julie Madeleine Woltil

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) is a self-report measure which was created by Lilienfeld and Andrews (1996) to identify the personality traits of psychopathy in noncriminal populations. These personality traits were grouped into eight subscales in the PPI including Machiavellian Egocentricity, Social Potency, Coldheartedness, Carefree Nonplanfulness, Fearlessness, Blame Extemalization, Impulsive Nonconformity and Stress Immunity. In this study, the relationship between the PPI and four theoretically related concepts (psychopathy, empathy, sensation seeking and driving anger) were examined to evaluate its concurrent and construct validity. A positive correlation was found between the PPI and the Self-Rep0l1 Psychopathy Scale, the Driving Anger Scale, …

The Use Of The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Ii (Mmpi-2) In Pre-Employment Evaluations, Ana M. Gamez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Psychological testing is an important facet in the selection and hiring processes of law enforcement and public safety personnel. Research in this area suggests that the MMPI-2 scales have been correlated with problematic behavior among police officers, poor job performance, and officer misconduct. This study examined the extent to which suitability for hire could be predicted by the MMPI-2 scale L (Lie), scale K (correction), Infrequency scale (F), scale 4 Psychopathic Deviate (Pd), scale 6 Paranoia (Pa), scale 7 Psychasthenia (Pt), and scale 9 Hypomania (Ma). It examined whether profile differences emerged as a function of suitability across gender, between …

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-Like Symptomatology In Pediatric Intensivists, Dina Gabriella Cuervo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Helping professionals, such as social workers, emergency first responders and medical personnel are susceptible to traumatic stress reactions through indirect exposure to trauma via the traumatized population whom they serve. This phenomenon, known as secondary traumatic stress (STS), mimicking the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, can have an impact on a provider’s work with his/her patient or have longer-term effects such as deciding to leave the profession. This study found that physicians’ level of job stress was the strongest predictor of STS and that this relationship was also influenced by resiliency, ego strength and attachment style. Individuals with higher levels …

Body Image Satisfaction In Infant And Pediatric Cardiac Transplant Recipients As Adolescents, Danusia Nedilskyj

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

With the long-term survival rate of infant and pediatric heart transplant recipients reaching as high as 85%, there is now a significant number of these youths entering adolescence. Although psychological factors thought to be associated with pediatric heart transplant have reached clearer delineation in the literature, few studies have been conducted. Given the emphasis on development typically seen in adolescence combined with the unique experience of receiving a heart transplant, factors such as body image, self-perception, stress and mood have emerged from the literature. As such, this study assessed psychosocial variables of body image satisfaction, self-concept, depression, and social stress …

Urban Adolescents’ Cognitive Responses To Peer Victimization: Does Psychosocial Adjustment Play A Role?, Amie Bettencourt

Theses and Dissertations

Peer victimization is characterized by acts of physical, relational, and verbal aggression that can contribute to maladjustment. Youths’ responses to peer victimization are guided by social information-processing (SIP) skills that impact their adjustment. Maladjustment can contribute to biases in SIP. Biased processing occurs when youth rely on existing schemas without attending to cues from the immediate social context. These processing deficits contribute to the enactment of problematic responses that may lead to further maladjustment. However, not all youth exhibit SIP deficits. A recent study identified four adjustment clusters based on differences in aggression, anxiety, depression, social acceptance, and victimization within …

Memory Consolidation In Developmental Disorders, Laszlo A. Erdodi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The relationship between memory and adaptive functioning was studied in sample of 268 children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, n = 83), autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 62), velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS, n = 21), and low birth weight (LBW, n = 38) and neurotypicals (n = 64). Children with ASD and VCFS demonstrated a relative weakness in facial and visual memory, while no between-group differences were found during the auditory verbal learning task of the TOMAL. Learning curve analyses showed that after the first trial of the visual span test, all groups performed at the same level, but the …

The Relationship Between Adult Attachment And Trauma, Lauren Earls

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Prior research has suggested a complex relationship between childhood interpersonal traumas perpetrated by attachment figures and the experience of trauma in adulthood. Very little is known, however, about how various forms of childhood interpersonal abuse and neglect affect trauma sequelae and adult romantic attachment in women during the childbearing years. Using a sample of postpartum women (N = 104), this study examined the associations between a history of attachment-related traumas (operationalized as childhood interpersonal abuse and neglect) and complex trauma sequelae believed to be unique to victims of interpersonal traumas; the possible role that adult romantic attachment anxiety and avoidance …

Using The Personality Assessment Inventory To Diagnose And Discriminate Between Major Depressive Disorder And Generalized Anxiety Disorder In A University Counseling Center, William Edward Nichelson Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) for diagnosing and discriminating between Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) with university counseling center clients. Participants were 1541 male and female students who received services at a student counseling center at a large university. Participants were classified as MDD, GAD, or Other Diagnosis (OD) based on the diagnosis determined by the treating clinician, and PAI profiles were compared between the three groups.

The PAI Structural Summary-Revised contains Diagnostic Consider Clusters (DCC) that were designed to identify PAI scales/subscales that are typically elevated or suppressed when …

Initial Development Of A Healthy Living Curriculum Within Family Behavior Therapy For Substance Abuse, Holly B. Lapota

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A mother referred for child maltreatment and substance abuse treatment after her son tested positive for methamphetamines at birth participated in an in-home Family Behavior Therapy-Healthy Lifestyle intervention to eliminate substance use, improve parenting behaviors, lose weight, and develop better exercise habits. Twenty sessions were completed in 6 months that targeted familial communication, self-control, goal setting with contingency management, job getting skills, and stimulus control techniques. Upon termination from treatment, the participant’s self-report and urine testing was consistent with substance cessation, and she evidenced substantial improvements in her level of stress, family communication and relationships, and child maltreatment potential. She …

Testing The Efficacy Of A Computerized Behavioral Activation Treatment Of Depressive Disorders, Alyssa H. Kalata

Dissertations

The present study sought to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a computerized behavioral activation treatment for depressive disorders (IMMBA), while also investigating potential mechanisms of action involved in the treatment of depression through the use of behavioral activation. Nine adults who met criteria for either Major Depressive Disorder or Dysthymic Disorder were recruited from Kalamazoo, Portage, and surrounding areas in Southwestern Michigan. All participants received ten sessions of IMM-BA treatment. Symptoms of depression and related information were assessed at pretreatment and one-week, onemonth, three-month, and six-month follow-up through the use of the Beck Depression Inventory - II (BDI-II), …