Psychology Commons^™

Hiv/Aids Training: A Study Of Stigma Reduction, Elisabeth A. Owen

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease (AIDS) are complex chronic conditions requiring an equally complex approach to successful treatment. HIV/AIDS affects diagnosed individuals in multiple areas of life, as such, a biopsychosocial approach to treatment is important. Multidisciplinary teams engaging medical, psychology, and social works professionals provide effective support for patients to participate in their care. The intricacy of the disease process in concert with the complexity of treatment require both patients and treatment providers to be fully engaged in care. The patient-provider relationship is of paramount importance to successful outcomes. There are many barriers to successful treatment, …

Behavioral Health Crisis Intervention For Emergency Department Patients Pending Psychiatric Hospitalization, Colten Wayne Larsen

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Emergency departments (EDs) are often the first access point to services for suicidal patients (Miller et al., 2017) and assessment of risk. Suicide has become the second-most common cause of death for Americans, yet those at the most risk often have limited access to appropriate care. In addition, suicidal patients spend more time in the ED than those with other presenting problems. Compounding the problem is these patients who have the longest length of stay are medically stabilized but don’t receive treatment interventions related to their presenting problem. Together, these findings indicate a need for accessible intervention in the ED. …

The Impact Of Gratitude On Body Image, Exercise, And Eating Behaviors, Alisha M. Wenger

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Individuals with higher body dissatisfaction have higher disordered eating, excessive exercise, mental health concerns, and lower self-esteem. Gratitude interventions have been used to decrease body shame (objectified body consciousness), body dissatisfaction and increase positive body image. Gratitude interventions have primarily focused on changing state gratitude, leading to quick short changes. Individuals with long term, trait gratitude may have lower levels of excessive exercise, disordered eating, and a more positive body image. The current research is focused on better understanding the relationship between trait gratitude, body image, excessive exercise and disordered eating. In total 268 students from a university lifelong fitness …

Experiences Of Divine Grace Among Christian Friends, Kyle T. Webster

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Though topics of prayer, forgiveness, and gratitude have received attention in the psychology of religion, there is sparse literature regarding the concept of grace. This study explored how Christians who identify as Friends (Quakers) experience grace from God. Thirty interviews were conducted with Friends in the Pacific Northwest, using a standardized semistructured interview developed for a larger study of how Christians from various denominations experience grace. Four organizing themes were derived from the interview questions and then grounded theory was used to uncover associated sub-themes within each organizing theme. The organizing themes include the nature of God, the nature of …

The Phenomenology Of Oneiric And Visionary Experiences From A Native American Sample, Jeavoni Alejandre

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

C.G. Jung emphasized the importance of dreams, developed a method for dream analysis, and created the categorization of “big” and “small” dreams. “Big” dreams, a classification only clear to the dreamer, include spiritual and pivotal dreams, experiences that often influence the direction of the dreamer’s life. While C.G. Jung, Freud, and others may have bridged the modern gap, Native American (NA) cultures have long placed important emphasis and value on dreams and visions. NA traditions and ceremonies concerning dream interpretation vary distinctly from Jung’s ideas but similarly regard dreams as meaningful and worthy of effortful interpretation. “Big” dreams and visions …

Does Christian Faith Impact Loneliness?, Jeffrey M. Kelly

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Loneliness is on the rise within the United States, particularly within younger adults ages 18-37 (Bruce et al 2019). Although much is known about the negative dimensions of loneliness, and some about protective factors to help ease loneliness, the potential impact of religious and spiritual beliefs and behaviors on loneliness remains largely unexplored. This study focused on the relationship between a committed religious faith and perceived feelings of loneliness among university students. Participants include 1,182 undergraduate students from George Fox University who participated in the National College Health Assessment (NCHA). Religious commitment was evaluated using a supplemental 6-item self-report measure …

Tracing Ripples: The Impact Of Parent Aces On Next Generation Development And The Moderating Role Of Parent Resilience, Laura M. Hoffman

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact individual well-being at a biopsychosocial level and can undermine next generation child development. Resilience is increasingly understood to be achieved through natural adaptive systems, though younger children may be more reliant on environmental adaptive systems as internal systems develop. Parent resilience is a promising moderator of early intergenerational trauma transmission but relatively unexplored in terms of safeguarding offspring developmental outcomes. The current study examined if parent ACEs impact offspring overall development and specific developmental domains at 9, 18, and 30 months, and if parent resilience moderates these effects. A series of multiple linear regression, MANOVA, …

Critical Wisdom In The Training Of Clinical Psychologists, Ross B. Renfroe

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The construct of wisdom has been studied over the past 30 years with the majority of the research focused on wisdom as “expert knowledge in the fundamental pragmatics of life” (Baltes & Staudinger, 2000). In the Christian tradition, wisdom can be divided into two categories: conventional and critical. Conventional wisdom bears striking similarities to the understanding of wisdom used in psychological research. In contrast, critical wisdom addresses the difficult paradoxes of life, but has not been the focus of much empirical study. Critical wisdom could be a helpful construct for clinical psychologists who hope to practice psychology from an integrative …

Experiences Of Grace As Told By The Lgbtq Community, Nicholas A. Schollars

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Positive psychology has yielded rich insights about the nature of forgiveness and gratitude, but it is just beginning to broach the topic of grace. Theoretical evidence suggests grace is a crucial therapeutic factor in helping patients overcome shame, but empirical evidence is wanting. Because of the central role grace plays in Christianity, a qualitative exploration was conducted with a sample of participants identifying as either lesbian, gay, or bisexual, as well as Christian. Transcripts from 26 semi-structured interviews were coded and analyzed. Participants reported that their experiences of Divine Grace were related to their views about God’s nature. They reported …

Early Childhood Neurodevelopmental Profiles: Premature And Small For Gestational Age Infants, Alicia Gibson

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Infants born premature (<37 >weeks) and small for gestational age (SGA; <5 >lbs, 8ozs, >37 weeks) are at greater risk for neurodevelopmental delays. Delays can be global neurodevelopmental differences, including academic achievement, communication development, and motor skills. Currently, there is not a large enough body of research differentiating the two groups. Neurodevelopmental profile score differences were analyzed between children born premature, children born SGA, children born both premature and SGA, and children born average for gestational age (AGA). Neurodevelopmental domains explored included social, adaptive, communication (expressive and receptive), motor (gross and fine), and cognitive functioning using the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI-2 …

Do Anxiety, Depression, And Mental Health Treatment Impact Christian College Student Religiosity/Spirituality?, Matthew J. Ditty

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The majority of Americans report religious affiliation and participate in religious practices. Several studies have sought to analyze the protective factors of religiosity, especially as it relates to mental and physical health issues. However, little research has been conducted which explores the relationship between religiosity/spirituality (R/S), mental health, and its treatment status.

This study sought to determine whether participants’ mental health problems (anxiety and depression) and treatment status (treatment versus no treatment) were related to their religiosity/spirituality and if severity of pathology and treatment engagement significantly affected R/S. Results suggest subjects can be aggregated into two meaningful groups: one that …

Suicide Risk Assessment: An Evaluation Of Graduate Students With The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, Savannah Hamilton

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The critical need for more sensitive suicide screening is highlighted by the fact that 75% of individuals who complete suicide has seen a health care provider within the previous 3 months (Graves et al., 2018). Additionally, health care providers play a crucial role in identifying patients who are at risk, but they often are not adequately trained. The current research project investigated the effectiveness of a risk assessment training to increase doctoral students’ general and applied knowledge in suicide risk assessment. The training was completed by a cohort of 23 first year doctoral students in the Graduate Psychology of Clinical …

Effect Of Solution-Focused Therapy On Resilience In Athletes: An Eeg Study, Lori Napier

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study is to investigate what areas in the brain change activation levels among college athletes following a solution-focused therapeutic intervention, and how these changes are related to levels of resilience. Participants were recruited from three undergraduate psychology classes at a private Christian university with the intervention group (n = 14) consisting of current collegiate athletes, and a control group (n = 12) of non-athletes. The experiment consisted of a pre and post intervention trial spaced approximately seven weeks apart. At the completion of Trial 1, those in the athlete group participated in six weekly sessions of …

Developing Norms For A Behavioral Profile Of Fasd For A Mexican-American Population, Ana Colunga-Marin

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Culturally relevant research has not kept pace with the most rapidly growing ethnic population in the United States. The Pacific Northwest consists of 1 million Mexican and Mexican Americans (López, 2015). Statistically, Latinos are considered one of the populations that is most often overrepresented within the lower socioeconomic status level. In addition, factors such as lack of resources, language barriers, and educational constraints play key obstacles to accessing medical treatment and mental health services in general and especially for specific groups such as those with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS; Lopez, 2015). Research has indicated high financial, emotional, and psychological expenses …

I Think I Can: The Effectiveness Of A Biofeedback Intervention On Surgical Patients’ Self-Efficacy, Jessica Paxton

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

In pursuit of the Quadruple Aim, hospitals and health care clinics are adapting a biopsychosocial perspective in order to best meet both patient and system needs. One specialty area of healthcare with stark interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors is orthopedic surgery. Literature suggests self-efficacy may be an important factor for improving health outcomes post-surgery; biofeedback interventions have been repeatedly shown to increase patient self-efficacy. The current study examined effectiveness of a biofeedback intervention on orthopedic patients’ self-efficacy, pain interference, and physiological regulation. Researchers recruited 12 orthopedic patients to participate in the study and randomly assigned them to either …

World Assumptions And Growth From Adversity In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Karina L. Peters

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research on trauma and adversity has become increasingly focused on factors associated with posttraumatic growth (PTG). One of the factors identified in research that is associated with PTG is world assumptions, implicit assumptions about the world that facilitate a sense of security. One theory is that trauma and adversity prompt a shift in world assumptions, which in turn influences the development of PTG. While this research body has included various populations (military veterans, cancer survivors, bereaved parents, natural disaster survivors), there has been little research on the relationship between world assumptions and PTG for parents of children with Autism Spectrum …

Examining Racial Bias Within The Items Of The Macarthur Competence Assessment Tool – Criminal Adjudication, Isolde Hughes

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The United States is the world’s leader when it comes to incarceration rates, and racial disparities are significant within this system (World Prison Brief, 2020). The most significant factor proposed as influencing this disparity is the ongoing racial bias within and outside of the legal system. Throughout the legal process, there are several instances where the defendant’s race may come into play when it comes to competency to stand trial evaluations. The first instance is during the referral process, and the second instance is during the competency evaluation itself. Several instruments have been developed to capture an individual’s understanding of …

The Impact Of Attachment Style And A Biofeedback Relaxation Intervention On Self-Regulation, Priscilla Lee Shim

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The transition to college is a critical developmental period during which young adults are uniquely vulnerable to high stress and anxiety due to the overwhelming demands of academic, social, emotional, and financial adjustment. This developmental transition often requires students to generalize previously developed self-regulatory skills, which are closely tied to early attachment patterns with caregivers (Feeney, 2000). Research continues to support the evidence for biofeedback as a promising psychophysiological intervention, especially when used in conjunction with relaxation techniques (Lynch & McGrady, 2006). The present study explored attachment style and the effectiveness a biofeedback-guided relaxation intervention on the ability to self-regulate …

Exploring Psychological Flexibility’S Effects On White Privilege Attitudes, Carl Sallee

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The following study investigates the links between psychological flexibility and attitudes that White people have toward White privilege. Psychological flexibility is defined as one’s ability to contact the present moment as a conscious human being with the ability to flexibly act in ways that serve personal values. The study did not support the hypothesis that an ACT intervention would significantly increase one’s psychological flexibility, which would covertly affect an increase in their White privilege awareness, remorse, anticipated costs of confronting, and willingness to confront White privilege. The study found no increase in psychological flexibility measures among students who received a …

The Effectiveness Of A Mindfulness-Based Intervention: A Neuropsychological Perspective Using An Electroencephalography, Elizabeth Mary Grace

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in mindfulness-related techniques. The willingness to experience emotions fully, just as they are, is a catalyst for psychological change to occur. Mindfulness has been used to alleviate stress and promote healthy living (Lagopoulos et al., 2009). The clinical utility of mindfulness has grown exponentially; however, the neuropsychological process of mindfulness is still being understood. The present study sought to examine the influence of a brief mindfulness intervention on brain activation in college students. A sample (n = 17) of undergraduate participants were randomly assigned into a prepost mindfulness intervention or control …

Defining An Adult Screener For Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Study Of Court Populations, Allison Mushlitz

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Very little information is known about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) within corrections populations, yet research suggests higher prevalence rates among these populations compared to the general population (Burd, Selfridge, Klug, & Bakko, 2004). In order to evaluate FASD within a corrections population, an established behavioral screener, FAS BeST (Robins & Andrews, 2009), was adapted for adults along with a selected protocol of cognitive and neuropsychological testing. The study aimed to identify testing performance and response patterns unique to individuals with an FASD in order to develop a cognitive and behavioral profile, and to evaluate the Self-Report and Adult Other …

Shame, Trauma, Resiliency And Alcohol Related Behaviors In Puerto Rican Populations, Manuel Blasini-Méndez

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Puerto Rico has endured horrendous natural disasters in the last few years, leaving thousands to cope with the aftermath; a mental health crisis. Therefore, understanding how Puerto Ricans navigate adversities, be that childhood adversity, natural disasters or daily stress is of utmost importance. Understanding the role resilience and drinking play in Puerto Rico will help us to further understand how they navigate adversities. Hence the reason why in this study we looked at how Adverse Childhood Experiences, Perceived Stress, Natural Disaster Adversity and Shame relate to each other and to Drinking behaviors and Resiliency. Data were collected on Puerto Rico …

Cultural Humility And Grace In Explicitly Christian Programs, Tricha L. Weeks

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Cultural Humility is a vital component of healthy attitudes characterized by lack of superiority towards other’s cultural experiences (Hook, Davis, Owen, Worthington, & Utsey, 2013). To date, no published research has examined the impact of cultural competency training on the development of Cultural Humility and Grace among doctoral psychology students. Utilizing Hook et al.’s definition of Cultural Humility, this study examined how participation in an American Psychological Association accredited clinical psychology program affected the Cultural Humility and Grace of enrolled students.

Data were collected from students, faculty, and clinical supervisors across three training settings during the 2017-2018 academic year. Students …

Experiences Of Hope, Resilience And Spirituality In Kenyan Children And Adolescents, Anne King

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Resilience is a vital factor in overcoming adversity. The presence of hope and spiritual meaning have been demonstrated to contribute to resilience. Globally, there are millions of children and adolescents who have faced traumatic experiences including, but not limited to, the loss of their parents. The current study explored Kenyan children and adolescents’ experiences of resilience, hope and spirituality in the environment of a group home and school in Kenya. Mixed measures were utilized. Seventy-five participants ages 10-19 years old completed the quantitative measures including the CD-RISC, SEARS-C/A, the Children’s Hope scale, the Adult Hope scale, and a 1-item Spirituality …

Dissociation And Metacognition: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Richard E. Nalbandian

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Dissociation commonly occurs as a defense against trauma and can be understood as a breakdown in metacognition. The present research investigated the relationship between trauma, dissociation, and metacognition in subjects with PTSD, a trauma-related disorder. Specifically, we investigated a potential inverse relationship between metacognition and dissociation in participants who have undergone psychoanalytic therapy. Participants were patients admitted to the Austen Riggs Center, who consented to be a part of the Follow Along Study (FAS), a longitudinal investigation spanning 15 years. Quantitative and qualitative analyses examined differences in themes of dissociation across initial and follow-up-clinical interviews. Quantitatively, all subscales for metacognition …

Sexual Risk: Contributing Factors To High-Risk Sexual Behaviors In A Transgender/Gender Non-Conforming Population, Jo Crowl

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

There are a variety of factors associated with the frequency of risky sexual behaviors. Whereas spirituality is a protective factor for certain populations, depression is correlated with higher rates of sexual risk behaviors. Until now, the relationship between access to healthcare and these risky sexual behaviors has not been studied. This study sought to determine the impact of spirituality, depression, and access to healthcare with risky sexual behaviors for individuals who identify as transgender/gender non-conforming (TGNC). Data was collected from TGNC adults over the age of 18 using an online survey method. This study did not find significant relationships involving …