Psychology Commons^™

Effectiveness Of A Peer-Supported Digital Brief Intervention: Reducing Alcohol Use & Related Harms In Young Adults With Histories Of Interpersonal Trauma, Caitlin Mcgettrick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Alcohol is the most frequently used substance in the United States, and young adults ages 18-25 have the highest rates of heavy alcohol use. Heavy and persistent alcohol use is associated with a host of negative outcomes in young adults, including poor mental health, lower life satisfaction, cognitive impairments, poor academic performance, increased risk for motor vehicle accidents, and substance use disorders. Brief interventions (BI) are low-resource, short-term interventions designed to reduce problematic substance use and mitigate the substantial harms posed by heavy and persistent use of substances such as alcohol. BIs have limited effectiveness in trauma survivors despite trauma …

Anxiety Patterns In Gifted Adolescents From Parents' Perspectives, Felicia Moreschi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study explores the connection between giftedness and anxiety. Families of gifted adolescents were invited to participate in a survey to identify themes of anxiety within the school and home settings. The Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, parent report (Spence, 1999) was used as the survey instrument. A total of 18 participants responded. Several themes were revealed based on the responses to questions on the survey. The themes that emerged have been identified as patterns of anxiety, including separation anxiety, physical injury fears, and social anxiety.

Investigating Social Support As A Moderator Of The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Alcohol Use And Problems, Sterling Mckenzie Hubbard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Unresolved childhood trauma, known as adverse childhood experiences (ACES), have been found previously to lead to a plethora of health disparities and increase the risk for problematic substance use, particularly alcohol use. However, protective factors, such as social support have been found to buffer against these consequences. The goal of this study was to highlight the connection between ACES and problematic alcohol use. Additionally, the aim was to investigate perceived social support as a moderator between ACES and problematic alcohol use and to examine the domains of social support and how they individually moderate the association between ACES and social …

Shame, Perceived Social Support, And Ptsd: Bridging The Gap Between Female And Male Survivors Of Sexual Assault, Kelsey Camille Woodward

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Sexual assault (SA) is prevalent in both females and males, with approximately 25% of females and 10% to 20% of males experiencing SA at some point of their lives. Social support and shame are important factors that are related to PTSD for SA survivors. However, little research has compared female and male SA survivors on these factors. Consequently, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of social support on PTSD in female and male SA survivors. Sex of the SA survivor was also examined as a moderator of the relationship between PTSD and social support and …

The Impact Of A Therapist's Language In Computer-Mediated Communication, Robert E. Twidwell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Background: Nearly 45 million adults in the United States live with a mental health disorder and only 43% of them seek treatment. One of the major barriers to seeking treatment is accessibility and can be addressed through telepsychology, or providing services with technology. With technological improvements in written communication, using computer-mediated communication (CMC; e.g. text messaging) has become more regularly used and examined in healthcare. To date, little research has focused on the use of practitioner language in telepsychology.

Method: Two samples (university sample and national sample) totaling 396 participants were asked to rate a therapist on attractiveness (i.e. likability …

Relationship Between Male Athletic Identity And Romantic Relationship Satisfaction, Mark Alan Logan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine if male athletic identity plays a role on romantic relationship satisfaction, so that it can be implemented into couples counseling and work to decrease the divorce rate. Participants completed two measures, the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS; Hendrick, 1988) and the Athlete Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS; Brewer & Cornelius, 2001), administered via a Qualtrics survey. The survey was accessed by Amazon Mechanical Turk participants and it took approximately 10 minutes to administer. Results indicate that there was not a significant difference in relationship satisfaction ratings between low, medium, and high groupings of athletic …

The Effect Of The Type Of Mental Disorder On Mental Health Stigma, Kristina Conkright Peterson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Mental health stigma is an important topic as it has an influence on the care clients receive, as well as resources allocated by society. Previous research has primarily investigated the topic of stigma associated with schizophrenia and various factors that may influence the endorsement of stigmatizing beliefs. Few studies have investigated whether the type of mental disorder has an influence on the level of stigma. The current study evaluated the difference in the level of stereotypes endorsed across three conditions: schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and a typical person. Additionally, this study evaluated the reliability of using a global stereotype score …

The Relationship Between Sexual Abuse And Body Image Of Members Of The United States Military, Chelsea Anne Taylor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of sexual abuse on body image of United States military service members and veterans. Participants completed an online questionnaire (n = 63) that measured their demographics, military status, sexual abuse experiences, combat experiences, relationships during deployment, and body image. Average scores on body image measures from participants who experienced sexual abuse (n = 10) were compared with average scores on body image measures from participants who did not experience sexual abuse (n = 49). Results indicate that there was not a significant difference in body image between service members who …

The Consistency Of Teacher Ratings On The Behavior Assessment System For Children-3 And The Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5, Carly A. Rentsch

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The assessment of children’s social-emotional skills, especially in the preschool years, is essential, as it yields early identification of problems and allows for appropriate interventions to be tried. School psychologists and other professionals use a variety of assessment methods (e.g., observations, interviews, behavior rating scales) to determine a child’s social-emotional abilities. Two popular behavior rating scales used frequently by professionals are the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Third Edition (BASC-3) and the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL 1.5-5). The current study examines the consistency of results from the two instruments. Fifty-six Head Start teachers from two regions of the country completed …

Suicidal Ideation In Patients Hospitalized For Emergency Medical Treatment Related To Physical Trauma: Effects Of Posttraumatic Stress And Depression, Erin E. Carney

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Survivors of physical trauma may be at increased risk for developing suicidal ideation and behavior both during and after their inpatient hospitalization for medical treatment of wounds. It remains to be understood why a population hospitalized for nonpsychiatric reasons may ultimately develop a desire to take their own life. The current study sought to answer this question by hypothesizing that symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depression during the recovery period individually mediated the relationship between physical pain and suicidal ideation. Researchers assessed these relationships in 246 patients who were receiving emergency medical treatment for wounds associated with a physically …

Examining The Relationship Between Functions Of Self-Directed Violence And The Suicide Implicit Association Test, Cody D. Haynes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Suicide and non-suicidal self-injury are concerning and prevalent phenomena in the United States; as a result, much research has been undertaken in order to investigate these topics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015a). Although the exploration of risk factors is a common approach, other novel approaches have been developed in order to better understand self-directed violence (Klonsky & May, 2013). One of these is a focus on functions served by these behaviors, which is theorized to contribute to grasping their etiologies and help provide effective treatment (Glenn & Klonsky, 2011). Another approach is investigating implicit cognition and selfassociations’ influences …

Feeling Sad? Maybe You Are Just Uncertain! A Predictive Test For Depression, Dana Elizabeth Larson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study examined the relationship between depression and uncertainty within the stress-diathesis model. Depression is a mental health disorder that is wide spread within our society. However, few causes of this disease have been able to be identified. Studies in uncertainty have shown that it is a major stressor in day-to-day life. Previous research has shown that individuals with high levels of uncertainty show higher levels of depression. The stress-diathesis model, a model originally developed to explain differences in development of schizophrenia, provides a theoretically meaningful way to combine these two concepts. The model states that a person who …

Reactions To A Near Fatal Accident: An Investigation Of Emotion And Coping Responses, Devin Matthew Pauly

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A 12-month longitudinal study assessed the emotional reactions of an intercollegiate athletic team to a near fatal bus incident. PANAS-X and the Brief COPE, administered on five occasions, indicated NA declined over time. Most coping strategies showed significant changes in trajectory. Acceptance and Positive Reframing were high across waves.

In October 2010, an intercollegiate athletic team and coaching staff were traveling by sleeper bus to an out-of-state match. The team members and coaches were in the back of the bus when they felt the bus swaying and heard the tires hit the rumble strips. The head coach went forward to …

School Counselors' Training, Knowledge, And Perceptions Of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Amy Reed

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This investigation examined school counselors’ perceptions and levels of knowledge in regard to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), existing school prevention and protocol, resources and training opportunities available, as well as identified training needs. NSSI is the socially unaccepted, deliberate, self-inflicted harm of an individual’s body to reduce psychological distress with out the intention to die as a consequence (Simeon & Favazza, 2001). As a mental health professional in the schools, school counselors are often salient figures in adolescents’ educational environment. They are also many times the most appropriately qualified individuals to work with self-injuring adolescents in the school setting. While existing …

College Students Who Self-Injure: A Study Of Knowledge And Perceptions Of Self-Injury, Stacey Edwards Clinard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Archived data was utilized for the present study which examined self-injurious behaviors in a college population. College students, who engage in non-suicidal self-injury, or NSSI, were expected to evidence a higher knowledge base for the behavior than those who do not. The demographic variables of gender and sexual orientation were predicted to be over represented in the NSSI group. Further, this study examines the perceived riskiness of the behavior in individuals who self-injure, as well as their perceptions of others who engage in NSSI. The survey consisted of four sections: demographics, knowledge ofNSSI, experience with NSSI, and perceptions ofNSSI. Individuals …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Concept And Heterogeneous And Homogeneous Grouping Procedures With Seventh-Grade Students, Wanda Hughes Johnson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Homogeneous grouping, a technique which assigns learners by ability levels into class sections for instruction, has undergone considerable controversy. This study investigated the relationship between global self-concept and two procedures used to group seventh-grade students for instruction. The two procedures were heterogeneous and homogeneous grouping The Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Inventory Scale was administered to 76 heterogeneously grouped students and 70 homogeneously grouped students. A T-Test was applied to study the data by total groups. It was concluded that there was insufficient evidence to reject the hypothesis that there was no difference between the two groups.