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Counseling Psychology

Theses/Dissertations

2014

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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Learning To Swim: The Act Approach To Living With Depression, Ashley Martinez Dec 2014

Learning To Swim: The Act Approach To Living With Depression, Ashley Martinez

Honors Projects

This illustrated self-help manual was designed as a basis for treatment for individuals of a wide range of ages experiencing depression. The therapeutic base of the manual is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which outlines the pathology of depression as problems in functioning rather than problems in the individual. The ACT theory of depression views problems in functioning as centered around the way negative emotions are perceived and processed through language and problematic actions or inaction as a result of cognitive distortions. Because of problems with language, the manual is illustrated to help the reader understand the foundations of ACT …


Weighing In: Therapeutic Benefits Of Online Communities For Individuals With Eating Disorders, Cheri L. Greenfield Dec 2014

Weighing In: Therapeutic Benefits Of Online Communities For Individuals With Eating Disorders, Cheri L. Greenfield

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The treatment of eating disorders involves a complex approach. In recent years, a number of websites have developed in an attempt to meet the needs of individuals struggling with this set of disorders. Some of these websites are nationally recognized organizations dedicated to improve treatment and provide educational resources, while other websites have been authored by individuals with eating disorders in an attempt to create a safe community of support. This project explores various components found in online communities, examines characteristics of eating disorders, and evaluates the worth of such resources, even when in perceived contrast with traditional treatment. Rather …


Psychotic Diagnosis And Artist Pathology: Schizophrenic Art’S Influence On The Identification Of The Disorder, Danielle Watson Dec 2014

Psychotic Diagnosis And Artist Pathology: Schizophrenic Art’S Influence On The Identification Of The Disorder, Danielle Watson

Honors Projects

The use of artwork created by schizophrenic individuals is unique in its contextual elements, including bizarre imagery, strong border lines, and desexualized features. The uniqueness of schizophrenic art lends itself to the possibility of being identified as such, therefore, opening the possibility for it to be used as a diagnostic tool in the clinical setting. Presently, schizophrenic art is used in art therapy, but is not widely employed in diagnostic practices. The current study aimed to test the possible identification of schizophrenic art in contrast to normal art and no art. Three questionnaires were created and randomly distributed to participants. …


Stress And Resilience: The Negative And Positive Aspects Of Being An Asian American Lesbian Or Bisexual Woman, Mi Ra Sung Dec 2014

Stress And Resilience: The Negative And Positive Aspects Of Being An Asian American Lesbian Or Bisexual Woman, Mi Ra Sung

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the richness of the literature about minority stress and negative psychological outcomes and growing attention on lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) people of color, few studies have examined the intersection of multiple identities of Asian American lesbian and bisexual women (AA LBW). Thus, the purpose of this study was to provide an understanding of the experiences of 50 AA LBW. More specifically, this study explored challenges, coping strategies, and positive aspects of being an AA LBW through the lens of intersectionality. Qualitative analyses revealed three overarching domains concerning day-to-day challenges faced by AA LBW: living as AA sexual minority women …


Relationships Among Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Forgiveness, Meaning In Life, And Spirituality In Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Shannon Marie Rogers Dec 2014

Relationships Among Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Forgiveness, Meaning In Life, And Spirituality In Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Shannon Marie Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations

One hundred twenty nine survivors of interpersonal violence completed a paper-and-pencil survey to evaluate depression, PTSD, forgiveness, meaning in life, and spirituality. Five self-report measures were completed including: the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale, the PTSD Checklist – Stressor Specific version, the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory, and the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale. The majority of the participants were female and Caucasian. Significant correlations were found between PTSD and presence of meaning, as well as depression and both presence of and search for meaning. However, hierarchical multiple regressions results indicated that depression and the two meaning in life subscales contributed …


Exploring Coping Mediators Between Heterosexist Oppression And Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Persons, Kyle M. Bandermann Dec 2014

Exploring Coping Mediators Between Heterosexist Oppression And Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Persons, Kyle M. Bandermann

Doctoral Dissertations

Recently, scholars have begun to advocate that categories of traumatic events be expanded to include experiences that do not meet the traditional diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as oppression. Our study builds on this work by examining experiences with two kinds of heterosexist oppression, one that meets the traditional diagnostic criteria for PTSD (i.e., sexual orientation-based hate crime victimization) and one that does not (i.e., heterosexist discrimination), as predictors of PTSD symptoms in a sample of 427 gay, lesbian and bisexual persons who responded to an online survey. In addition, we examined the mediating roles of coping …


Adult Attachment, Emotional Intelligence, And Resilience As Correlates Of Social Engagement, Academic Engagement, And Confidence Of Persistence In College Students, Yacob Tewolde Tekie Dec 2014

Adult Attachment, Emotional Intelligence, And Resilience As Correlates Of Social Engagement, Academic Engagement, And Confidence Of Persistence In College Students, Yacob Tewolde Tekie

Masters Theses

The current study investigated freshmen university students (N = 210) to examine the role of attachment style (anxiety, avoidance), emotional intelligence (repair, attention, clarity) and resilience in predicting student adaptation to college (academic, social, personal and academic engagement). Four multiple regression analyses were conducted for each subscale of adaptation to college. The results indicated that; a) emotional intelligence (attention, clarity) and resilience significantly predicted student academic adjustment; b) emotional inelligence (repair) predicted student social adjustment; c) emotional inteligence (clarity), resilience, and adult attachment (anxiety) significantly predicted student personal adjustment; and d) emotional intelligence (repair, clarity) and resilience, significantly predicted …


Exploring Perceived Norms And Protective Strategies: Self-Consciousness And Gender As Moderators, Jeremy James Noble Dec 2014

Exploring Perceived Norms And Protective Strategies: Self-Consciousness And Gender As Moderators, Jeremy James Noble

Dissertations

College alcohol abuse has been a staple in the college environment over the past 30 years (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2011) resulting in numerous negative consequences (Hingson, Edwards, Heeren, & Rosenbloom, 2009). Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) reduce the negative consequences typically associated with alcohol use (Martens et al., 2004). A positive relationship exists between perceived norms of PBS use and PBS use (Benton, Downey, Glider, & Benton, 2008), and an individual’s level of self-consciousness moderates the relationship between perceived norms and alcohol use (LaBrie, Hummer, & Neighbors, 2008). The relationship between perceived norms and PBS use under the conditions …


The Relationship Between Racial Ambiguity And Self-Concept In Multiracial Lndividuals, James R. Jobe Dec 2014

The Relationship Between Racial Ambiguity And Self-Concept In Multiracial Lndividuals, James R. Jobe

Dissertations

The present study examined the relationship between racial ambiguity and self-concept in multiracial individuals. Research as to the experiences of multiracial people is limited both in frequency and in scope. As multiracial individuals continue to grow in number, understanding their unique experiences will become more important to social scientists (e.g., psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists) across disciplines. The current study examined two hypotheses and explored a series of additional relationships. The theoretical framework that was utilized for this study was Symbolic Interaction Theory. This theory provided an effective way to understand how people use and make meaning of their surrounding social contexts …


Impact Of Peer Praise Notes Issued During Recess: Effects On Office Disciplinary Referrals, Elise Ann Teerlink Dec 2014

Impact Of Peer Praise Notes Issued During Recess: Effects On Office Disciplinary Referrals, Elise Ann Teerlink

Theses and Dissertations

School recess can be a problematic setting due to inadequate safety, supervision, and structure. Peer praise notes (PPNs) is a school-wide positive behavior support strategy that was implemented during recess to address these concerns at a Title I elementary school. An ABAB reversal design across all students was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of PPNs. Overall changes in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) in each phase of the design, an effect size that reflects a highly effective treatment, and a moderately strong and statistically significant negative correlation suggest that PPNs decreased ODRs. Results from social validity surveys completed by eight recess …


Paraeducators' Perceptions Of Their Responsibilities Based On The Utah Standards, Mary E. Buynak Dec 2014

Paraeducators' Perceptions Of Their Responsibilities Based On The Utah Standards, Mary E. Buynak

Theses and Dissertations

Paraeducators are increasingly involved in the education of students with disabilities. In order for paraeducators to properly work with this population, they must have adequate and ongoing training. Research has shown that paraeducators do not receive appropriate training in order to work with students with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the self-perceived knowledge of paraeducators working in special education and their level of training need. The study examines paraeducators' work environment, responsibilities, knowledge based on the Utah Standards for Paraeducators and perceived training needs. Ninety-five special education paraeducators working in a large, suburban school district in …


Client Selected Music Based Effects On Marital And Couples Therapy, Kevin Matthew Smith Dec 2014

Client Selected Music Based Effects On Marital And Couples Therapy, Kevin Matthew Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study was designed to examine the interaction of music-based interventions in the therapeutic process of Martial and Couples Therapy. The use of pre-recorded music was found to be under researched within the literature and created a void within the knowledge that clinicians have about how music might enhance effectiveness of treatment. The inclusion of music in this process is not currently known, which led to this study being conducted. Through a phenomenological lens, the awareness and understanding of how clients react and experience pre-recorded music during the therapeutic process, while still having a selection of options to preserve autonomy, …


Emotion In Adoption Narratives: Links To Close Relationships In Emerging Adulthood, Holly A. Grant-Marsney Nov 2014

Emotion In Adoption Narratives: Links To Close Relationships In Emerging Adulthood, Holly A. Grant-Marsney

Doctoral Dissertations

An adopted person develops a narrative or story to help make sense of his or her adoption. This narrative provides a window into how the adoptee understands the role of adoption in his or her life and articulates feelings and thoughts about it. Adolescent and emerging adult adoptees’ data from the Minnesota-Texas Adoption Research Project (MTARP) were examined. MTARP longitudinally followed 190 adoptive kinship networks, with varying levels of openness in the adoption, from childhood to emerging adulthood. The current study sought to understand how emotion (affective valence and specific emotions), as identified in the adoption narratives during adolescence and …


Identifying Elementary School Student Understanding Of Learning Disabilities, Michael Quinn Bair Nov 2014

Identifying Elementary School Student Understanding Of Learning Disabilities, Michael Quinn Bair

Theses and Dissertations

This school-based study examined the knowledge level of third through fifth grade students who are not being served in special education regarding learning disabilities, personal learning styles, and their perceptions of their peers with learning disabilities. This study circumvents teachers', administrators', and parents' awareness which has been thoroughly researched and instead, directly assesses through interviews what elementary students (n=45) know about learning disabilities. The goal of this study was to gain a greater understanding of what the students' perceptions are of their learning experience in general and what their understanding of learning disabilities are more specifically through interviews to give …


Role Conflict, Uncertainty In Illness, And Illness-Related Communication Avoidance: College Students Facing Familial Chronic Illness, Meghana Suchak Oct 2014

Role Conflict, Uncertainty In Illness, And Illness-Related Communication Avoidance: College Students Facing Familial Chronic Illness, Meghana Suchak

Open Access Dissertations

The focus of the current study was on examining possible differences in college students' adjustment based on residency status (i.e., international Asian vs. domestic students) and illness status (i.e., having a family member with a chronic illness vs. not having a family member with a chronic illness). The study also examined the associations between overall college student adjustment and the family and illness-related factors of role conflict, uncertainty in illness, and illness-related communication avoidance for students will a chronically ill family member. The literature review drew from the fields of college student development, family studies, communication, and nursing. Data were …


What Kills Love? Factors Influencing The Ending Of Love In Romantic Relationships, Michelle Duda Sep 2014

What Kills Love? Factors Influencing The Ending Of Love In Romantic Relationships, Michelle Duda

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports the results of an online survey study that examined dimensions of love, positive behaviors, negative behaviors, and relationship satisfaction in current romantic relationships where the individual currently had a feeling of being in love with their partner ("still in love" or SIL group) versus in past romantic relationships where the individual once had a feeling of being in love with that person, but ceased loving - essentially, fell out of love with - that person over the course of the relationship ("fell out of love" or FOL group). An MTurk sample of 202 individuals (Mean age = …


Program Evaluation Of The Strong Start Curriculum As A Selected Intervention For Early Elementary Students, Katherine A. Meyer Aug 2014

Program Evaluation Of The Strong Start Curriculum As A Selected Intervention For Early Elementary Students, Katherine A. Meyer

Doctoral Dissertations

Consistent with the need for implementation research and prevention programming for students in schools, the current study evaluated the implementation and outcomes of Strong Start, a social-emotional learning program, as a supplemental intervention for students in kindergarten through second grade at risk for developing emotional and behavioral problems. This intervention took place during the first year of a county-wide restructuring of mental health supports and was part of a multi-tiered system of supports provided in schools. A mixed method program evaluation was conducted to examine four areas of interest. First, the contextual factors related to program adoption were examined; …


Outreach Practices Of A Small College Counseling Center: A Comprehensive Model To Serve The College Community, Jessica R. Ferriero Aug 2014

Outreach Practices Of A Small College Counseling Center: A Comprehensive Model To Serve The College Community, Jessica R. Ferriero

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past 10 years college counseling centers (CCCs) have been urged to broaden their focus considerably and to serve the entire campus community due to increases in student mental health issues. Engaging in outreach efforts is one way to address campus wide needs. However, few research efforts have been conducted to systematically investigate how outreach is practiced at a small college. The dialogue around outreach has focused on single programs at large institutions rather than the network of interventions that occur on a campus. The purpose of this study is to understand the web of relationships between a counseling …


Screening And Diagnostic Validity Of Affinity 2.5, Heather Lynn Stephenson Aug 2014

Screening And Diagnostic Validity Of Affinity 2.5, Heather Lynn Stephenson

Theses and Dissertations

Affinity 2.5 is a computer-based instrument designed to assess sexual interest using viewing-time measures. Viewing-time measures of sexual interest have been developed to identify individuals with deviant sexual interest. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of Affinity 2.5 in screening and diagnosing individuals with sexually deviant interests. This study used viewing time profiles of known sexual offenders compared to norm-referenced profiles of an exclusively heterosexual, non-pedophilic college population. Participants were 155 males and 3 females who had sexually offended against children and 63 male and 84 female non-offender college students. Results show that 43.7% of offenders …


Psychologist Self-Care, Perceived Stress, Psychological Distress, And Coping Self-Efficacy Across The Career-Span, Krista L. Dettle Aug 2014

Psychologist Self-Care, Perceived Stress, Psychological Distress, And Coping Self-Efficacy Across The Career-Span, Krista L. Dettle

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Psychologists are expected to engage in self-care strategies aimed at promoting and maintaining well-functioning in themselves (Saakvitne & Pearlman, 1996) in order to effectively manage the demands of their profession and better ensure the provision of quality care. However, self-care is also a clinical competency of professional psychology that has historically been insufficiently addressed in training (Donovan & Ponce, 2009). According to the APA Board of Professional Affairs Advisory Committee on Colleague Assistance, a better understanding of functioning in psychologists is necessary to properly promote self-care across the career-span (2005). There is a need for research in this area to …


Predictors Of Heterosexual Siblings’ Acceptance Of Their Lesbian Or Gay Sibling Of Origin, Angela Nichole Hilton Aug 2014

Predictors Of Heterosexual Siblings’ Acceptance Of Their Lesbian Or Gay Sibling Of Origin, Angela Nichole Hilton

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has shown that lesbian and gay (LG) individuals are not only coming out to their parents, but also to their siblings. Eighty percent of individuals in the United States are raised with one or more siblings; however, researchers have frequently underestimated the importance of the sibling bond. The current study examined potential correlates of heterosexual siblings’ acceptance of their LG sister or brother using an online survey format (N=189). In addition, psychometric properties for the Acceptance of Sibling Sexual Orientation Scale are provided. Results revealed that greater sibling relationship quality in adulthood, more contact with LG individuals, …


The Effect Of Self-Compassion Training On Trauma-Related Guilt In A Sample Of Homeless Veterans In Transitional Housing, Philip Held Aug 2014

The Effect Of Self-Compassion Training On Trauma-Related Guilt In A Sample Of Homeless Veterans In Transitional Housing, Philip Held

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the effects of a four-week long self-administered self-compassion training on trauma-related guilt in a sample of homeless veterans in transitional housing. Changes in self-compassion, trauma-related guilt, resilience, PTSD severity, and general distress in the self-compassion intervention group (N = 13) were studied and compared to a coping with stress (control) group (N = 14). Participation in the four-week long self-administered self-compassion training led to significant reductions in trauma-related guilt. Both interventions seemed equally effective at reducing trauma-related guilt. The results from this study lay the foundation for the use of self-compassion training as an effective …


Self-Esteem, Spirituality, And Acculturation And The Relationship With Depression In Latinos, Fernando M. Avila Aug 2014

Self-Esteem, Spirituality, And Acculturation And The Relationship With Depression In Latinos, Fernando M. Avila

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the relationship between acculturation, self-esteem, spirituality and its association with depression in a community sample of Latinos. Previous research with Latinos has identified these factors as potentially being correlated with depression and with quality of life. The weight that these three variables can have on depression may be profound. Self-esteem and spirituality have been identified as protective factors that may assist individuals with depression by enhancing an individual's sense of worth. Acculturation is a construct that has been shown to influence Latinos in various ways. These variables have been established as predictors …


Breaking Your Own Heart: A Qualitative Study Of Grief After Initiating A Breakup, Laura P. Finkelstein Aug 2014

Breaking Your Own Heart: A Qualitative Study Of Grief After Initiating A Breakup, Laura P. Finkelstein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how young adult initiators of romantic relationship dissolution experience grief and support through the breakup process. Participants were six female and three male undergraduate students at The University of Idaho, all of whom had initiated a breakup within the past six months. Initiators responded to a variety of questions about their experiences in a semi-structured interview. Based on a qualitative analysis of these interviews, a variety of themes emerged highlighting the often minimized experience of initiating a romantic relationship breakup in early adulthood. Additional analysis compared themes based on participant gender and age. Results suggest that initiators …


Ageism And Experience Bias In Employment Interviews, Dustin Grant Williams Aug 2014

Ageism And Experience Bias In Employment Interviews, Dustin Grant Williams

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Predictors Of Major Commitment, Anna Jill Womack Aug 2014

Predictors Of Major Commitment, Anna Jill Womack

Master's Theses

Contextual (e.g. job fit, job involvement), individual (e.g. job satisfaction, need for achievement), and demographic (e.g. gender, educational level) factors have been related to forms of career commitment (i.e. affective, continuance, and normative commitment), highlighting that the commitment one feels toward his or her career is a complex variable. Furthermore, commitment has been associated with intent to remain within a profession or organization (Bowling, Beehr, & Lepisto, 2006; Den Hartog & Belschak, 2007; Duffy, Dik, & Steger, 2011; Goulet & Singh, 2002), suggesting that commitment is an important component of retention within a career. Correspondingly, commitment to one's academic major …


Evaluating The Use Of Tootling For Improving Upper Elementary/Middle School Students' Disruptive And Appropriate Behavior, Abigail Melanie Lambert Aug 2014

Evaluating The Use Of Tootling For Improving Upper Elementary/Middle School Students' Disruptive And Appropriate Behavior, Abigail Melanie Lambert

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on a positive peer reporting procedure called Tootling. There has been limited research on the effectiveness of the Tootling intervention for reducing disruptive behavior in the classroom (Cihak, Kirk, & Boon, 2009; Lambert, 2012). Additionally, Tootling has primarily been utilized with lower elementary school students, and the present study evaluated the intervention procedures with upper elementary/middle school students (i.e., sixth and seventh grades). The current study also examined the effects of the Tootling intervention on individual target students referred for disruptive behavior in addition to classwide student behavior. An …


Hardiness, Social Support, Parental Stress, And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms In Recent Service Members, Victoria Jane Tomassetti-Long Aug 2014

Hardiness, Social Support, Parental Stress, And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms In Recent Service Members, Victoria Jane Tomassetti-Long

Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated a link between PTSD symptomatology (PTSS) and parenting stress in veterans. As the literature on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is increasing, there has been a call to identify variables which may contribute to positive outcomes in these service members (e.g., Cornum, Matthews, & Seligman, 2011). Hardiness is a personality variable that describes an individual’s sense of commitment, control, and challenge in light of life stress and has been identified as a protective factor against the development of psychological symptoms and parenting stress in combat veterans. Social support also seems to have benefits …


Urban School Counseling Impact: An Aba Reversal Single Subject Time-Series Analysis Of Academic, Suspension, And Attendance Data, Katherine L. N. Colles Aug 2014

Urban School Counseling Impact: An Aba Reversal Single Subject Time-Series Analysis Of Academic, Suspension, And Attendance Data, Katherine L. N. Colles

Dissertations

While there is a dearth of longitudinal outcome research on comprehensive school counseling program impact (Carey & Dimmitt, 2006; Carey, Dimmitt, Hatch, Lapan, & Whiston, 2008; Gysbers, 2001; Whiston, 2002) on indicators of importance to school systems (Borders, 2002; Lapan, 2001), school counseling research primarily studies program components (Borders, 2002; Herr, 1979; Whiston, 2002; Whiston & Sexton, 1998) and component outcomes (Hughes & James, 2001; Schmidt, 1984, 2000; Sink, 2002). Grounded in a historical review of the school counseling field and pertinent related research, this research investigated the school counseling program impact of one kindergarten through eighth grade urban school …


Career Decision Status, Career-Related Thinking, And Emotional Distress: A Structural Equation Model, Lindsey Marie Andrews Aug 2014

Career Decision Status, Career-Related Thinking, And Emotional Distress: A Structural Equation Model, Lindsey Marie Andrews

Dissertations

The choosing of a college major or occupation is an important decision with which many individuals struggle. Prior research has suggested that difficulty choosing a major or occupation affects a majority of students entering college and stems from multiple sources including lack of information, insufficient learning experiences, and ineffective decision-making processes. Cognitive-behavioral theory has shown utility in working with a diverse set of difficulties and with diverse populations through the examination of the influence of thoughts and emotions on resulting behavior. Research in the career literature has begun to emphasize connections between one’s thoughts and emotions in regards to career …