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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

A Client-Based Description Of Reflecting Team-Work In Family Therapy , David Brown Dec 2015

A Client-Based Description Of Reflecting Team-Work In Family Therapy , David Brown

David C. Brown

Though the practice of reflecting team-work has a strong theoretical base there has been little research examining its actual use. What has been written is primarily based on the therapist's and/or supervisor's experience, rather than the client's. This dissertation describes clients' perceptions of two different strategies of reflecting team-work that emerged from interviews conducted and analyzed using a moderately structured ethnographic interview methodology. The primary results suggested that reflecting team-work was helpful in providing clients with different perspectives; that in-room teams should be used sparingly during early therapy; that teams should reflect at least twice in-session; and that a three-person …


Religiosidad Y Felicidad En Alumnos Universitarios: ¿Es Mejor Trabajar Con Los Ancianos?, T. L. Brink Oct 2015

Religiosidad Y Felicidad En Alumnos Universitarios: ¿Es Mejor Trabajar Con Los Ancianos?, T. L. Brink

T. L. Brink

Reports on self-estimated life satisfaction and religiosity (present and future projected) in different populations of Mexican university students. Student levels of life satisfaction were comparable to the national norms (Mitofsky) but were lower than the national norms for religiosity. Unlike in the U.S., there was no correlation between religiosity and life satisfaction. Students in a gerontology program showed higher levels of religiosity than those in another university.


Body Image Avoidance, Body Dissatisfaction, And Eating Pathology: Is There A Difference Between Male Gym Users And Non–Gym Users?, Peta Stapleton, Timothy Mcintyre, Amy Bannatyne Aug 2015

Body Image Avoidance, Body Dissatisfaction, And Eating Pathology: Is There A Difference Between Male Gym Users And Non–Gym Users?, Peta Stapleton, Timothy Mcintyre, Amy Bannatyne

Peta B. Stapleton

With research highlighting the increasing prevalence and severity of body image and eating disturbances in males, particularly athletes and regular gymnasium users, the current study examined body image and eating disturbances in a sample of male gym users and non–gym users (N = 180). Based on previous research, it was predicted that male gym users would report greater body image disturbance (e.g., body image avoidance and body dissatisfaction) and eating pathology, compared with non–gym users. Results of the study partially supported hypotheses, revealing body dissatisfaction and eating pathology were significantly increased in male gym users. However, no significant differences were …


Psychosocial Moderators Of Perceived Stress, Anxiety And Depression In University Students: An International Study, Aileen Pidgeon, Stephanie Mcgrath, Heide Magya, Peta Stapleton, Barbara Lo Aug 2015

Psychosocial Moderators Of Perceived Stress, Anxiety And Depression In University Students: An International Study, Aileen Pidgeon, Stephanie Mcgrath, Heide Magya, Peta Stapleton, Barbara Lo

Peta B. Stapleton

Extensive research shows university students experience high levels of stress, which can lead to the development of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Preliminary evidence supports the role of psychosocial factors such as perceived social support (PSS) and campus connectedness (CC) as protective factors in the development of mental health problems in university students. However, research conducted on the potential ameliorating effects of social support on stress applying Cohen and Wills’ (1985) stress-buffering hypothesis produced weak, inconsistent, and even contradictory results. In addition, little attention has been given to examining the protective role of CC in the relationships …


Examining Characteristics Of Resilience Among University Students: An International Study, Aileen Pidgeon, Natasha Rowe, Peta Stapleton, Heidi Magyar, Barbara Lo Aug 2015

Examining Characteristics Of Resilience Among University Students: An International Study, Aileen Pidgeon, Natasha Rowe, Peta Stapleton, Heidi Magyar, Barbara Lo

Peta B. Stapleton

Attending university is a particularly stressful time due to unique emergent stressors such as changes in environment, loss or diminishment of social support networks, academic pressures, developing peer relationships, and financial management. There is growing recognition that these common stressors may have deleterious effects on the mental health of students. Resilience, a personality characteristic that moderates the negative effects of stress and promotes adaptation, has been associated with increased psychological well-being. Despite a growing body of research on resilience and its clinical significance in preventing mental health problems, relatively little is known about contributing factors for resilience in well-adjusted university …


Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford Aug 2015

Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus …


Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford Aug 2015

Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus …


Measuring Individual Burden Of Illness For Depression Among Prostate Cancer Patients, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie Jul 2015

Measuring Individual Burden Of Illness For Depression Among Prostate Cancer Patients, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Objective: This study aims to develop and test three potential models of Individual Burden of Illness for Depression (IBI-D) in prostate cancer patients. Methods: Responses to three sets of scales measuring depressive symptoms, functional impairment, and quality of life satisfaction were collected from 191 prostate cancer patients and analysed via principal components analysis to obtain weightings for each of the scales within the three sets of measures. These weightings were then used to form IBI-D Indices, and these were then compared with depressive symptoms alone for their overlap. Results: Single-factor solutions were found for each of the three IBI-D models, …


The Influence Of Gender, Age, Psychological Resilience And Family Interaction Factors Upon Anxiety And Depression In Non-Autism Spectrum Disorder Siblings Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Rebecca Mailli Jul 2015

The Influence Of Gender, Age, Psychological Resilience And Family Interaction Factors Upon Anxiety And Depression In Non-Autism Spectrum Disorder Siblings Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Rebecca Mailli

Vicki Bitsika

The influence of gender, age, Psychological resilience and family interaction factors upon generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) was investigated in 75 non-autism spectrum disorder (NASD) siblings who had a brother or sister with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). GAD and MDD were much more prevalent than in comparable age group samples, and adolescent females had the highest MDD rates. Several Psychological resilience skills were significantly associated with lower GAD and MDD, particularly being able to recognise mistakes in their thinking (for children) and being able to remain in control of their anger (for adolescents). Suggestions are …


Variability In Depressive Symptoms Of Cognitive Deficit And Cognitive Bias During The First 2 Years After Diagnosis In Australian Men With Prostate Cancer, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie Jul 2015

Variability In Depressive Symptoms Of Cognitive Deficit And Cognitive Bias During The First 2 Years After Diagnosis In Australian Men With Prostate Cancer, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

The incidence and contribution to total depression of the depressive symptoms of cognitive deficit and cognitive bias in prostate cancer (PCa) patients were compared from cohorts sampled during the first 2 years after diagnosis. Survey data were collected from 394 patients with PCa, including background information, treatments, and disease status, plus total scores of depression and scores for subscales of the depressive symptoms of cognitive bias and cognitive deficit via the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. The sample was divided into eight 3-monthly time-since-diagnosis cohorts and according to depression severity. Mean scores for the depressive symptoms of cognitive deficit were significantly …


Differences In Major Depressive Disorder And Generalised Anxiety Disorder Symptomatology Between Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Hormone Therapy And Those Who Are Not, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, Addie Wootten, David Christie Jul 2015

Differences In Major Depressive Disorder And Generalised Anxiety Disorder Symptomatology Between Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Hormone Therapy And Those Who Are Not, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, Addie Wootten, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the associations between hormone treatment variables and depression, and the nature of depression in prostate cancer (PCa) patients by comparing the severity and symptom profile of anxiety and depression in men who were currently receiving hormone therapy (HT) versus those who were not. Method: Self-reports of anxiety and depression on standardized scales of GAD and major depressive disorder (MDD) were collected from 156 PCa patients across two recruitment sites in Australia. Patients who were currently receiving HT were compared with patients not receiving HT for their severity and symptom profiles on …


Variation In The Profile Of Anxiety Disorders In Boys With An Asd According To Method And Source Of Assessment, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley Jul 2015

Variation In The Profile Of Anxiety Disorders In Boys With An Asd According To Method And Source Of Assessment, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley

Vicki Bitsika

To determine any variation that might occur due to the type of assessment and source used to assess them, the prevalence of 7 anxiety disorders were investigated in a sample of 140 boys with an Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 50 non-ASD (NASD) boys via the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory and the KIDSCID Clinical Interview. Boys with an ASD were significantly more anxious than their NASD peers. Data collected from the boys with an ASD themselves showed differences in the severity and diagnostic criterion of anxiety disorders to data collected from the boys’ parents. There were age-related variations to …


Construct Validity Of Animal-Assisted Therapy And Activities: How Important Is The Animal In Aat?, Lori Marino May 2015

Construct Validity Of Animal-Assisted Therapy And Activities: How Important Is The Animal In Aat?, Lori Marino

Lori Marino, PhD

Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities involve a nonhuman animal as a key therapeutic agent in some kind of intervention that may range from highly specified, as in AAT, to more casual, as in AAA. In this review I address the question: How important is the animal in animal therapy? In other words, does the recent literature strongly support the notion that a live animal, as opposed to another novel stimulating component, is specifically necessary for therapeutic success. Two meta-analyses and 28 single empirical studies were reviewed in order to address this issue. I conclude that the effects of AAT and …


The Promise Of Healthcare Reform In Transforming Services For Jail Detainees, Maureen Mcdonnell, Laura Brookes, Arthur J. Lurigio Mar 2015

The Promise Of Healthcare Reform In Transforming Services For Jail Detainees, Maureen Mcdonnell, Laura Brookes, Arthur J. Lurigio

Arthur J. Lurigio

Chronic behavioral health conditions, such as psychiatric and substance use disorders, affect at least half of all arrestees, with two-thirds suffering from at least one chronic medical disorder. These conditions contribute to their criminal behaviors and propensities to recycle through the criminal justice system (Binswanger et al. Journal of Urban Health 89:183-190, 2012). Despite their limited resources, jails have nonetheless become de facto settings for the delivery of healthcare services. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, jail releasees will become eligible for government-subsidized healthcare coverage in 2014. The widespread availability of integrated healthcare services for …


A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Response Of Aamft Approved Supervisors To A Case Vignette Describing The Perpetration Of Violence In A Family , Kathleen Murphy Adams Feb 2015

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Response Of Aamft Approved Supervisors To A Case Vignette Describing The Perpetration Of Violence In A Family , Kathleen Murphy Adams

Kathleen M. Adams

Concerns about how family therapists respond to violence in families have been discussed in the literature for more than two decades (e.g., Bograd, 1984; Cook & Franz-Cook, 1984; Crnkovic, Del Campo, & Steiner, 2000; Goldner, 1985; Hansen, 1993; Harway, Hansen, & Cervantes, 1991, 1997; James & McIntyre, 1983; Pressman, 1989; Shamai, 1996,).;This study was designed to determine to what extent clinical supervisors' awareness of violence in families reflects or contradicts the poor awareness of family therapists as reported in the literature. Feminist informed critical discourse analysis was used, with a particular emphasis on exploring how the language that supervisors used …


Overcoming Anxiety And Depression On The Autism Spectrum: A Self-Help Guide Using Cbt, Lee Wilkinson Jan 2015

Overcoming Anxiety And Depression On The Autism Spectrum: A Self-Help Guide Using Cbt, Lee Wilkinson

Lee A Wilkinson, PhD

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective for treating mental health problems such as anxiety and depression in individuals both with and without autism spectrum disorders. This book bridges the gap between research and practice and shows adults on the spectrum practical ways to manage their emotions. Many adults on the autism spectrum experience isolation, interpersonal difficulties, anxiety, depressed mood, and coping problems. By applying theory and concepts from autism research, this book will help adults on the spectrum to understand their challenges. The author takes the best of CBT self-help strategies, to encourage self-analysis, and to …


Use And Perceived Effectiveness Of Coping Skills Among Police Officer Spouses, Andrea L. Dinsmore Jan 2015

Use And Perceived Effectiveness Of Coping Skills Among Police Officer Spouses, Andrea L. Dinsmore

Andrea L. Dinsmore

Discusses her research on the types of psychological stressors faced by the spouses of police officers and their methods of coping.


Assessment Of Competence Restoration: Determining The Threshold, Andrea L. Dinsmore Jan 2015

Assessment Of Competence Restoration: Determining The Threshold, Andrea L. Dinsmore

Andrea L. Dinsmore

Discusses the legal precedent and research basis of evaluating a defendant's mental competency to stand trial, the variables that contribute to non-restorable incompetence to stand trial, and the differences between patients who are restorable to competency versus those who are not restorable to competency.


Ptsd/Sud In Individuals With Physical Disabilities: Identifying Problems And Promising Interventions, Melissa L. Anderson, Douglas M. Ziedonis, Lisa M. Najavits Jan 2015

Ptsd/Sud In Individuals With Physical Disabilities: Identifying Problems And Promising Interventions, Melissa L. Anderson, Douglas M. Ziedonis, Lisa M. Najavits

Melissa L. Anderson

Co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) is common, affects multiple domains of functioning, and presents complex challenges to recovery. Initial research indicates that individuals with physical disabilities experience higher rates of lifetime trauma and PTSD, and exhibit more severe SUD compared to non-disabled individuals. To expand upon these initial findings, we conducted a series of two studies on PTSD and SUD among individuals with physical disabilities.


Morphological Knowledge And Decoding Skills Of Deaf Readers, M. Diane Clark, Gizelle L. Gilbert, Melissa L. Anderson Jan 2015

Morphological Knowledge And Decoding Skills Of Deaf Readers, M. Diane Clark, Gizelle L. Gilbert, Melissa L. Anderson

Melissa L. Anderson

Many studies have reported the necessity of phonological awareness to become a skilled reader, citing barriers to phonological information as the cause for reading difficulties experienced by deaf individuals. In contrast, other research suggests that phonological awareness is not necessary for reading acquisition, citing the importance of higher levels of syntactic and semantic knowledge. To determine if deaf students with higher language skills have better word decoding strategies, students responded to a morphological test, where monomorphemic words and multimorphemic words were matched to their definitions. Two studies are reported, one focusing on English placement levels and a second with formal …


Deaf Individuals’ Bilingual Abilities: American Sign Language Proficiency, Reading Skills, And Family Characteristics, Brittany Freel, M. Clark, Melissa Anderson, Gizelle Gilbert, Millicent Musyoka, Peter Hauser Jan 2015

Deaf Individuals’ Bilingual Abilities: American Sign Language Proficiency, Reading Skills, And Family Characteristics, Brittany Freel, M. Clark, Melissa Anderson, Gizelle Gilbert, Millicent Musyoka, Peter Hauser

Melissa L. Anderson

The current study investigated the bilingual abilities of 55 Deaf individuals, examining both American Sign Language (ASL) competency and English reading skills. Results revealed a positive relationship between ASL competency and English skills, with highly competent signers scoring higher on a measure of reading comprehension. Additionally, family characteristics (e.g., parental education level, family hearing status) were entered into the analysis to ascertain their effect on Deaf individuals’ bilingual abilities. The findings support the theory that competency in ASL may serve as a bridge to the acquisition of English print. Moreover, the findings provide support for the critical period hypothesis for …


Melissa L. Anderson: Apa/Apags Award For Distinguished Graduate Student In Professional Psychology, Melissa Anderson Jan 2015

Melissa L. Anderson: Apa/Apags Award For Distinguished Graduate Student In Professional Psychology, Melissa Anderson

Melissa L. Anderson

Presents a short biography of the winner of the American Psychological Association/American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology. The 2012 winner is Melissa L. Anderson for her ongoing commitment to understanding, treating, and preventing domestic violence in Deaf women and underserved populations in general. Anderson is passionate in her efforts to study the factors underlying violence toward women and in applying psychological science to intervene in and prevent such abuse. She is dedicated to improving the quality of life and well-being of underserved women and ensuring that services and programs become accessible to …


Internal Consistency And Factor Structure Of The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales In A Sample Of Deaf Female College Students, Melissa Anderson, Irene Leigh Jan 2015

Internal Consistency And Factor Structure Of The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales In A Sample Of Deaf Female College Students, Melissa Anderson, Irene Leigh

Melissa L. Anderson

The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) is currently the most widely used measure for identifying cases of intimate partner violence within the hearing population. The CTS2 has been used successfully with individuals from various countries and cultural backgrounds. However, the CTS2 had not yet been used with Deaf individuals. The goal of the present study was to investigate the internal consistency reliability and the factor structure of the CTS2 within a sample of Deaf female college students. Psychometric analyses indicated that subscales measuring Victimization of Negotiation, Psychological Aggression, Physical Assault, and Injury proved both reliable and valid in the current …