Psychology Commons^™

Pediatric Providers’ Experiences Assessing Young Children’S Emotions And Behaviors, Vaibhavi Venkataramanan, Akira Isaac B.S., Sara Bufferd Ph.D.

The Cardinal Edge

Introduction: Preschool-aged children experience anxiety and mood-related emotions (e.g., irritability, fears) and behaviors (e.g., tantrums) that are developmentally normative, but can overlap with psychopathology, making assessment challenging (Bufferd et al.,2016). Most children see pediatric medical providers annually, and providers can evaluate them. However, providers face challenges like limited training and time (Bean et al.,2000;Heneghan et al.,2008). Accurate and early identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties is critical to support young children’s mental health and prevent worsening problems.

Methods: Participants included N=22 pediatricians who see 3-5-year-old children in their practice. Pediatricians completed an online survey about their experiences assessing young …

Examining Body Trust And Body Listening In Sexual And Gender Minorities., Emma G. Roberts

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Introduction: Minority stress theory posits that sexual and gender minority individuals (SGM) may be at higher risk for poor mental health outcomes due to unique social experiences of stigma and discrimination. Interoception (i.e., awareness of one’s body and bodily sensations; Mehling et al., 2012) is a factor that has been linked to mental health broadly, however, SGM individuals may experience interoceptive awareness differently than cisgender and heterosexual individuals given experiences of stigma. In this paper, we aim to examine how two specific facets of interoceptive awareness (body listening and body trusting) relate to differences in mental health outcomes among SGM …

Understanding The Relationship Between Anti-Transgender Bias, Non-Affirmation, And Post-Traumatic Stress: A Model Of Internalized Transphobia-Mediated Post-Traumatic Stress., Sebastian Mitchell Barr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transgender people’s increased risk for negative mental health outcomes, when compared to cisgender peers or the general public, has been well documented in the psychological literature. Researchers have begun to establish empirical support for a relationship between anti-transgender bias, non-affirmation of gender identity, internalized transphobia, and other transgender-specific minority stressors. Although little work has explored the mechanisms of this relationship, some psychologists have proposed conceptualizing these factors as potentially traumatic experiences and understanding the poor mental health outcomes as manifestations of complex post-traumatic stress. In this dissertation, I examine whether there is empirical support for this framework by evaluating the …

A Structural Equation Analysis Of The Relationships Between Ptsd, Depressive Symptoms And Suicidal Ideation : Is General Strain Theory A Viable Framework For Explaining Suicide Risk Among Correctional Staff?, Wm. Clay Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a large body of evidence, which suggests PTSD is strongly related to increased suicide risk, however, some studies suggest the true nature of their relationship is better explained through the development of depression due to the effects of PTSD. While a majority of the studies examining this relationship focus only on general populations, a growing body research suggests that high-risk occupations such as police, firefighters and correctional staff are developing PTSD at rates as high as 8 to 10 times that of the rate of these general samples. This study, then, aims to fill a small gap in …

Disclosure During Private Prayer As A Mediator Between Prayer Type And Mental Health In An Adult Christian Sample., Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Patrick Pössel, Benjamin Jeppsen, Annie C. Bjerg, Don T. Wooldridge

Faculty Scholarship

According to Poloma and Pendleton’s (1991) prayer model there are four prayer types (colloquial, meditative, petitionary, and ritual), all of which have varying associations with mental health. However, few studies have examined what mechanisms explain these associations. The literature demonstrates that disclosing distressing information can improve mental health. Thus, the current study examined self-disclosure as a mediating variable between Poloma and Pendleton’s (1991) prayer types and mental health. It was hypothesized that self-disclosure would mediate the association between prayer types involving meaningful communication with God (colloquial and meditative prayer types) and mental health and would not mediate associations between petitionary …

Do Trust-Based Beliefs Mediate The Associations Of Frequency Of Private Prayer With Mental Health? : A Cross-Sectional Study., Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Annie C. Bjerg, Benjamin D. Jeppsen, Don T. Wooldridge

Faculty Scholarship

Significant associations of private prayer with mental health have been found, while mechanisms underlying these associations are largely unknown. This cross-sectional online study (N = 325, age: 35.74, SD: 18.50, 77.5% female) used path modeling to test if trust-based beliefs (whether, when, and how prayers are answered) mediated the associations of prayer frequency with the Anxiety, Confusion, and Depression Profile of Mood States-Short Form (POMS) scales. The association of prayer and Depression was fully mediated by trust-based beliefs; associations with Anxiety and Confusion were partially mediated. Further the interaction of prayer frequency by stress was association with Anxiety.