Psychology Commons^™

Nursing Campus Therapy Dog, Deborah A. Hall

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

An acknowledged bond has existed between humans and animals throughout history. Therapeutic physical and psycho-social effects of these bonding relationships have been noted in health care settings. Professional nursing education is known to be one of the most demanding and stressful fields of study. Students begin to experience extreme stress early in their nursing education. An animal-assisted intervention with a therapy dog is an innovative and inexpensive action that can help decrease the stress, anxiety, and depression students experience in higher education.

The focus of this dissertation portfolio was an animal-assisted intervention with a nursing campus therapy dog. The initial …

The Relations Between Adherence To Behavioral Treatments And Parent Stress In Families Of Children With Asd, Aimee Rovane

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies suggest that parent involvement with behavior treatment for associated challenging behaviors (ACBs) may reduce parent stress in families with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is not known whether high treatment adherence to protocols is associated with reduced parent stress, or which factors that may moderate this relation. The current study examined the relation between parents’ adherence to behavioral treatments and parent stress, and whether parents’ perceptions toward treatment moderate this association. Participants were 190 mothers, fathers, or caregivers of a child with ASD. A bivariate correlation matrix examined associations between each variable, and 3 separate linear regression …

Perfectionism And Burnout In University Students: The Influence Of Resilience, Laura M. Ulrich

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

This study investigated the relationship between perfectionism, resilience, and risk of burnout among university students. The sample consisted of 55 (53 female and two male) Psychology 1000 students from Brescia University College. Self-report questionnaires assessed perfectionism, academic resilience, risk of academic burnout, and perceived stress. Participants were divided into four perfectionism groups: non-perfectionism, pure personal standards perfectionism, pure evaluative concerns perfectionism, and mixed perfectionism. Participants were also divided into a high and low academic resilience group. Individuals with pure personal standards perfectionism had a significantly lower risk of academic burnout compared to those with non-perfectionism, pure evaluative concerns perfectionism, and …

Mental Health Stigma In College Students By Academic Major, Kristen Miller

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Stigma is best defined as the disapproval and shame felt by people who display characteristics not widely accepted in society. Although mental illness has become more prevalent in society through advocacy and awareness campaigns, it fails to be accepted and often individuals may feel shame that prevents them from seeking help (Dyrbye, Eacker, Durning, Brazeau, Moutier, Massie, S., et al, 2015; Givens & Tjia, 2002). Physicians in particular have been shown to have decreased help-seeking behaviors for psychological issues due to fear of professional repercussions (Dyrbye et al., 2015). Physicians also show increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and elevated …

Stress, Cognitive Distortions, Engagement In Self-Care, And Burnout In Psychology Graduate Students, Lauren Matturro

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Psychology graduate students are tasked with finding a balance between academic responsibilities, clinical training, home life, time constraints, and financial concerns. These competing demands lead to stress, which is well documented in medical students with similar workloads, but understudied in psychology graduate students. Previous studies indicate that perceived stress can be linked to prevalence of an individual’s cognitive distortions. Additionally, stress within the human service fields often leads to burnout. Self-care is widely recognized as a preventative effort against developing burnout. However, as students have limited time, they may find engaging in self-care activities to be difficult. The purpose of …