Psychology Commons^™

The State Of Mental Health In The Mountain West, 2023, Ayda Atici, Freddy Nie, Jesse M. Fager-Larsen, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet examines the state of mental health for both youth and adults and availability of mental health care in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The data are retrieved from Mental Health America’s (MHA) 2023 report, The State of Mental Health in America.

Examination Of Performance Validity And The Relationship To Cognition And Symptoms In Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Erick A. Rogers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Approximately one-in-five individuals with psychotic disorders (i.e., schizophrenia spectrum disorders [SSD]) fail performance validity indicators (PVIs) during neurocognitive testing. Ensuring the validity of neurocognitive test results is necessary if the test scores are to be of use for diagnostic consideration, intervention selection and planning, predicting outcomes, and following changes in cognition over time in response to intervention, spontaneous recovery, or disease progression. PVIs are designed to require only a minimum level of engagement with the evaluation, which means nearly everyone is expected to “pass,” even those with moderate to severe brain damage. Traditional interpretations of PVI failure suggest a noncredible …

Measurement Models Matter: How Retrospective Calendar Versus Global Reports Yield Different Estimates Of Treatment Outcome, Margaret L. Paul Bs, Maria E. Meinerding Ms, Jeremiah Weinstock Phd, Meredith K. Ginley, James P. Whelan Phd, Rory A. Pfund

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Abstract: Retrospective reports are less accurate than objective measures of behavior and must be interpreted with consideration of the amount of distortion and error introduced by this methodology. The Gambling-Timeline Followback (G-TLFB) method is the gold standard retrospective assessment tool that is designed to minimize such error by asking for a specific recall of precise gambling behavior day-by-day using recall aids as compared to a global summation over time (e.g., how many gambling days in last month, how much money gambled in the last month). It remains an empirical question whether this difference in measurement format, G-TLFB versus global reports, …

High Illusion Of Control Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Analyses Of The Effects Of Forms Of Counterfactual Thinking And Gender In Problem Gambling And Gaming, Larry Okechukwu Awo Dr., George Nzeadi Duru Mr.

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Abstract

Three studies (Study 1, N = 322 male adolescents, Study 2, N = 401 male and female adolescents, and Study 3, longitudinal, N = 56 male and female adolescents) analyzed the effects cognitive and psychographic variables in the relationships among illusion of control (IC), problem gambling and problem gaming. Moderated mediation analyses results using PROCESS macro in the three studies confirmed: (1) the positive mediating effect of upward CFT in the association between IC and problem gambling and problem gaming; (2) the negative mediating effect of downward CFT in the association between IC and problem gambling and problem gaming; …

An Examination Of The Association Of Religiosity, Purity Culture, And Religious Trauma With Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety, Kaelyn R. Griffin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While no consistent definition yet exists for religious trauma, religious abuse is typically defined as a misuse of authority by a spiritual leader to coerce, control, or exploit those under their leadership, which may in turn lead to the experience of religious trauma. Numerous studies suggest that experiencing abuse within a religious environment is a both global phenomenon and common experience. The impact of religious abuse has recently gained greater media attention, specifically related to the social and psychological impact of leaving high-cost religious groups (i.e., those with rigid rules or groups from which departure leads to isolation and rejection …

Solution Focused Brief Therapy And Vicarious Resilience In Bolivian Protective Family Services Workers, Marcos Pérez Lamadrid, Adam S. Froerer

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

Vicarious resilience (VR) is defined as the positive effects caregivers experience within their personal lives, their work lives, and within their worldview as a whole, that come from witnessing the resilience that clients demonstrate in facing their traumatic experiences. This research study is a quasi-experimental pilot study about how solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) influences the vicarious resilience of family protective system (SLIM) workers in Bolivia. The Vicarious Resilience Inventory (VRI) was administered in a pretest/posttest design for an experimental group (applying SFBT) and a control group (training as usual). Both groups experienced an increase in vicarious resilience, but the …

Introspective Meditation Before Seeking Pleasurable Activities As A Stress Reduction Tool Among College Students: A Multi-Theory Model-Based Pilot Study, Manoj Sharma, Amar Kanekar, Kavita Batra, Traci Hayes, Ram Lakhan

Social & Behavioral Health Faculty Publications

In the realm of behavioral interventions, a combined approach of yoga and a cognitive-behavioral strategy in the form of introspective meditation (manan-dhyana) may offer benefits as a stress management tool. This pilot study focuses on introspective meditation performed before seeking pleasurable activities, which is a self-reflection about whether to pursue a goal that will bring sensory pleasure in life. A non-probability sample of college students was recruited from a mid-sized Southern University of the United States using a 52-items web-based survey built in Qualtrics. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics were used to analyze data. Of total 65 students, only 21.5% …

The Resilience Of Middle-Aged And Older Men Who Have Sex With Men To Hiv/Aids: Southern Nevada Stakeholder Perspectives In The 21st Century, Renato M. Liboro, Sherry Bell, Brandon Ranuschio, Jenna Despres, Trinity Puno, Aruna Sedere, Nadia Sheik Yosef, Esmeralda Villalobos, Janelle Wackens, Lianne Barnes

Psychology Faculty Research

This community report presents the findings and analysis of a survey that was part of the quantitative stage of a mixed-method Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) project dedicated to examine the perspectives and lived experiences of racially and ethnically diverse, middle-aged and older men who have sex with men in Southern Nevada on factors that build and promote their resilience to HIV/AIDS. The CBPR project was conducted in collaboration with community partners such as the LGBTQIA+ Community Center of Southern Nevada, Southern Nevada Health District’s Ryan White Program, Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada, and numerous other agencies from Clark County …

Development And Validation Of A Measure Of Birth-Related Ptsd For Fathers And Birth Partners: The City Birth Trauma Scale (Partner Version), Rebecca Webb, Ann M. Smith, Susan Ayers, Daniel B. Wright, Alexandra Thornton

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

Research suggests that some fathers and birth partners can experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing a traumatic birth. Birth-related PTSD may impact on many aspects of fathers’ and birth partners’ life, including relationship breakdown, self-blame and reducing plans for future children. Despite the potential impact on birth partners’ lives there is currently no measure of birth-related PTSD validated for use with birth partners. The current study therefore adapted the City Birth Trauma Scale for use with birth partners. The City Birth Trauma Scale (Partner version) is a 29-item questionnaire developed to measure birth-related PTSD according to DSM-5 criteria: stressor …

Investigating The Psychological Impact Of Covid-19 Among Healthcare Workers: A Meta-Analysis, Kavita Batra, Tejinder Pal Singh, Manoj Sharma, Ravi Batra, Nena Schvaneveldt

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Previous meta-analyses were conducted during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, which utilized a smaller pool of data. The current meta-analysis aims to provide additional (and updated) evidence related to the psychological impact among healthcare workers. The search strategy was developed by a medical librarian and bibliographical databases, including Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched for studies examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological health of healthcare workers. Articles were screened by three reviewers. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed by I2 statistic. The random-effects model …

Functional Capacity Profiles In Bipolar Disorder And Schizophrenia, Ashley Sara Emami

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Serious mental illnesses (SMIs) often have an onset early in life and go on to produce disability and functional impairment, which require ongoing supportive services and loss of productivity. Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are two of the most common SMIs. BD and SZ differ in their pattern of neurocognitive performance, which suggests differences in the severity of functional impairment between the illness groups. Within these psychiatric illness groups, subgroups may also be identified using cluster analysis. Evidence points to heterogeneity in functional outcomes in BD and SZ, yet very little research has assessed for subgroups based on functional …

Examination Of Factors Reported By Athletes To Interfere With Their Lives Outside Of Sports, Jesse Scott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The original Sport Interference Checklist (SIC) is a mental-health screening instrument designed to assess the extent to which mental health factors interfere with athletes’ performance during sport training or competition. In addition, the SIC appraises whether athletes are interested in pursuing psychological treatment for the aforementioned factors. Although validated, the SIC does not assess how the aforementioned factors affect athletes’ performance outside of sports. Doing so would permit professionals to examine the influence of these factors across sport training, sport competition, and life outside of sports.

The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric properties and clinical utility …

Memory And Stereotypes For Lesbian/Gay Characters, Amber Rose Williams

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Stereotype-consistency bias refers to the idea that people tend to remember stereotypical information about others better than non-stereotypical information (Fyock & Stangor, 1994). Limited research has examined how people may use stereotype-consistency bias when recalling information about LGBT characters in narratives (Bellezza & Bower, 1981; Clark & Woll, 1981; McGann & Goodwin, 2007; Snyder & Uranowitz, 1978). This line of research suggests that, instead of genuinely remembering stereotypical information better, participants tended to guess stereotypical answers to questions they do not know. In contrast to those studies, the experiment I conducted for this thesis suggests that heterosexual young adults tend …

Depressive Symptoms As A Moderator Of Diurnal Trends In Reward Seeking, Erick Albert William Rogers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Anhedonia, a cardinal symptom of a major depressive episode, is the decreased motivation to seek rewards. Individuals with depressive symptoms tend to report reduced positive affect, a distal measure of reward motivation, and engage in less reward-motivated behavior (i.e., reward seeking). However, diurnal rhythms may also influence reward-seeking. Both self-reported positive affect and behavioral measures of reward-seeking increase from the morning to the afternoon and then decreased in the evening. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether reward-seeking varied across time of day and whether anhedonia moderated variation. Overall, reward-seeking did not vary across time of day. …

Visual Attention And Emotion Regulation In Schizophrenia, Bern Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Emotion regulation and emotion processing deficits cut across the varying symptom presentations of schizophrenia. Emotion processing deficits are inadequately treated by pharmacologic interventions and are related to real-world functional impact and disability. This study investigated behavioral and psychophysiological responses to a series of emotion regulation tasks while concurrently collecting eye tracking data as an index of visual attention. A brief neurocognitive assessment was also completed in order to examine potential cognitive determinants of emotion. Participants completed tasks designed to assess cognitive change and directed attention strategies for down-regulation of unpleasant and pleasant emotion. For each of our two unpleasant emotion …

Utilizing The Community-Based Research Approach To Examine Mental Health And Support Services Issues Related To Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder, Renato M. Liboro

Psychology Faculty Research

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorder is an emergent public health problem known to HIV researchers and scientists, but unfortunately, is a concern that still needs to be better recognized by people living with HIV and HIV service providers. Research studies have reported that between 30 to 50% of people living with HIV who have access to combination antiretroviral therapy are and will be affected by this disorder. This raises the need to find more appropriate research approaches for examining issues that will significantly impact people living with HIV experiencing or at risk of developing neurocognitive impairments. People living with …

Animal Assisted Therapy And Support Animals, What Mental Health Professionals Know And Understand, Alexandro H. Velez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Animal-assisted therapy can greatly benefit mental health professionals with clients in and out of the school settings in many ways. It is believed mental health professionals are successfully implementing Animal Assisted Therapy, even though some are not. Mental health professionals who are not using Animal Assisted Therapy are not doing so as the result of various variables, such as lack of information, knowledge, training, certification and policies, which prevents them from using Animals Assisted Therapy with clients and the community. It is also believed some mental health professionals are using animals as part of therapeutic interventions without proper training. The …

Implementing Autism Screening For Latino Children In Primary Care: Perspectives From Parents And Providers, Mary Troxel, Keri Linas, Diane Jacobstein, Matthew Biel, Sandra H. Soto, Isabella Lorenzo-Hubert, Soraya Dos-Santos, Rocio Mendez, Bruno J. Anthony

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

While Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities are being diagnosed at increasing rates, there is strong evidence of disparities in rates of identification and utilization of services by Latino children as compared to non-Latino children. Attempts to reduce these disparities include culturally-informed early screening for ASD risk. In preparation for initiation of a screening program in a primary care setting serving primarily Latino children, focus groups and interviews were conducted with Latino parents (N=31), medical staff (N=15), health care providers (N=4) to better understand the barriers and facilitators to engagement around developmental concerns that contribute to the low …

Interventions For Problem And Pathological Gambling: Status, Innovations, And Challenges, Matthew P. Martens

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The purpose of this presentation is to address research on the effectiveness of problem gambling interventions and offer insights for new directions. Dr. Martens has led two clinical trials over the past five years that have integrated technology into problem gambling interventions for young adults. In the first trial (Martens et al., 2015), he found that a computerized personalized feedback intervention reduced gambling problems among at-risk young adult gamblers. In the second trial (Martens et al., in preparation), he found that an intervention delivered via cell phone and text-message had an indirect effect on gambling-related problems. Although effect sizes for …

Examination Of A Screening Tool For Athletes’ Mental Health And Its Direct Implications To Sport Training And Competition, Jesse Scott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Sport Interference Checklist (SIC) is a psychometrically validated instrument designed to assess how often cognitive and behavioral factors interfere with athletes performance during training and/or competition as well as the extent to which athletes are interested in pursuing sport psychology to address these problems. The success of this scale inspired an interest in developing new items that assess the influence of specific mental health concerns on sport performance using the SIC format. The Sport Interference Checklist’s Sport Specific Screen for Mental Health (SIC-SSSMH) was empirically developed using 259 athletes to assist in the identification of mental health problems explicitly …

Sex Worker And Proud: A Phenomenological Study Of Consensual Sex Workers' Lives, Michael Gerald Curtis Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Ten consensual sex workers who were currently working in Nevada were qualitatively interviewed in an effort to explore their perceptions of the adult industry. Interviews specifically focused on their experience disclosing their profession to others and the potential effects that it has on their personal relationships, and access to effective treatment. The Moustakas method of phenomenological inquiry was used to analyze data from ten participants who self-identified as direct sex workers. Seven essential themes emerged from this analysis: (1) the adult industry provides professional and personal agency, (2) the industry is often transient, (3) disclosure is an impactful and ongoing …

Parents' Perceptions Of Smartphone Use And Parenting Practices, David Jackson Johnson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study is a qualitative examination aiming to gain insight into parents’ perceptions of their smartphone use and the effects it may be having on their children as well as parenting practices. Participants (N=12) were smartphone using parents that consisted mostly of young college-educated females. Thematic analysis of individual interviews resulted in five primary themes: (1) Disengagement, (2) Concern for Future, (3) Change in Social Norms, (4) Boundaries, and (5) Cognitive Dissonance. These findings indicate significant effects parental smartphone use is having in the lives of study participants. These thematic findings call for additional research examining the impact parental …

Attitudes, Attachment Styles, And Gender: Implications On Perceptions Of Infidelity, Christian M. Stewart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the impact infidelity has on individuals, couples, families, and societies has increasingly become a topic of interest over the last few decades. In recent years, scholars have sought to increase understanding of infidelity through investigating the relationship between infidelity and attachment theory. This research study examines the impact attitudes about infidelity, attachment styles, and gender have on the way in which individuals perceive infidelity. Data was gathered from 310 participants recruited from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and social media. Participants were 18 years of age and older and were, at the time of the study, either in …

Research On Problem Gambling Websites, Chang Boon Patrick Lee

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

This is a continuation of a series of studies on problem gambling websites. It has been noted in prior studies that one avenue problem gamblers might look for help was to go online to perform a web search. Online help is practical as help can be located immediately and this can help to ease the gamblers’ concerns that they are left alone to handle their own problems. While there are some anecdotal evidences regarding the success of problem gambling websites, there have been few empirical studies that relate directly to the perceptions and usefulness of the websites for the problem …

A Public Health-Based Approach To German Gaming Regulation, Knut Walter, Gerhard Buehringer

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The current situation of the German gambling market can be characterized by an unrelated framework of different legal systems, different regulatory authorities and different control principles, and has led to (1) an increasing number of court decisions and information requests by European Commission questioning parts of that regulatory system, (2) public tolerance of illicit gambling, and consequently (3) a lack of consumer protection.

Taking RENO Model 1.0 and 2.0 seriously, a new and comprehensive regulatory framework based on common consumer protection standards for all types of gambling – land-based and online, state-owned and private operated – has been developed and …

Mandatory Pre-Commitment Loss Limits: Six Years’ Experience Shows It Works, Bjorn H. Hoffmann

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The Norwegian state owned company Norsk Tipping is a pioneer in the gambling indusrty with its secure player identification and mandatory registered play across all channels. Knowing who your player is and having a strong link between the player and his consumption of games across all channels (land based, EGM, web and mobile) is an important premise for having a credible responsible gaming platform.

Norsk Tipping introduced in 2009 EGM’s with both pre commitment tools and maximum loss limits. In 2014 we introduced our Internet casino with probably the best responsible gambling platform in the world, including mandatory loss limits. …

An Empirical Evaluation Of The Clubsnsw (Australia) Multi-Venue Self-Exclusion Program, Dylan A. Pickering, Alexander Blaszczynski, Sally Gainsbury, Rowan Cameron

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Few empirical studies have evaluated the effectiveness of self-exclusion programs. Research is required to identify factors contributing to decisions to enter and/or breach self-exclusion orders, or to self-excluded gamblers to seek additional treatment. Clinical characteristics of self-excluders remain relatively unknown in addition to factors that differentiate gamblers who do or do not breach. Limitations of current programs are that gamblers can self-exclude from only one or a limited number of venues. The Multi-venue Self-exclusion program, developed and implemented by ClubsNSW (Australia), is a centralised web-based system designed to help problem gamblers self exclude from up to 35 venues at a …

A Behavioural Account Of Mobile Gambling, Richard James, Richard Tunney, Claire O'Malley

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Mobile gambling is an emerging market in which there is evidence that some gamblers are introduced to gambling through their mobile device, and that mobile gambling does not ‘cannibalise’ participation with other forms of gambling. There is a concern that mobile gamblers face distinct risks from other forms of gambling, particularly for harmful behaviours. This paper presentation outlines a behavioural account of mobile gambling that combines both the learned characteristics of problem gambling with how individuals interact with their mobile devices. This hypothesizes that the extended gaps between plays or sessions potentially attracts extended play, even in the face of …

Ready, Set, And Go Back: The Role Of The Judiciary In Brazil’S Bingo Ban, Luiza Jobim Llm, Toni Williams

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Brazil, the host of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, is known for strong competitive traditions in sports and games. It is also one of only three G-20 countries (together with Saudi Arabia and Indonesia) that currently bans non-state provision of gambling products. Bingo was a notable exception to this prohibition, after enabling legislation was enacted in 1993, with the intention that proceeds would help fund national sports development. The game quickly became very popular but there were persistent questions about, and contestations over, the capacity of the regulatory framework to control the dual risks of exploitation of …

Problem Gambling Prevalence And Risk Factors Among Older Adults, Nigel E. Turner Ph.D., John Mccready, Robert Mann Ph.D., Mark Van Der Maas, Hayley Hamilton, Tracy Schrans

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Reports on the results of a study that interview older adults at casinos and racetrack slot machine venues (racinos) in Ontario. The study used an intercept survey employing cluster sampling methods to obtain a random sample of 2,103 Ontario older adults (aged 55 and older) gambling at seven sites across the province. Older adults exiting the gaming floor were randomly selected to be invited to participate in an interview / survey, which required about 15-20 minutes of their time. Participants provided information about their own gambling behavior and gambling-related problems, attitudes toward gambling, gambling and gambling problems in their community, …