Psychology Commons^™

Resilience, Spirituality And Cultural Connectiveness Within The Native American/American Indian Indigenous Population, Lindsay Price

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Native Americans, also known as the American Indian or Indigenous population, were colonized over four centuries ago by Europeans who brought many diseases which decimated this population. This immense trauma continued for generations as the settlers continued to violate Native American life and identity on every level. Hundreds of indigenous tribes endured massacre, annihilation of traditional culture, forced religious assimilation, stolen land, broken treaties, betrayal of rights, removal of identity, neglect, and constant abuse without any recompense. These violations still widely occur, yet the strength and flourishing of Native Americans remain ever-present. Their deep-rooted protective factors within resilience, like cultural …

The Psychological And Physiological Markers Of Christian Meditation: A Quasi-Experimental Study Of Centering Prayer, Sean E. Robertson

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research seeking to understand the various practices of meditation has expanded greatly in frequency and quality in the past century. Many have documented the effects of secular and eastern forms of meditation on psychopathology, well-being, executive functioning, and physiological changes of brainwaves, heart rate variability, and stress reduction (Cahn & Polich, 2006; Kok et al., 2013; Newberg et al., 2010). However, few have attempted to understand meditation in a Christian context. This study seeks to delineate the effects of a Christian form of meditation, known as Centering Prayer, on novice, college undergraduate practitioners as compared to non-practicing peers in areas …

The Effect Of The Political Climate On Latinos’ Wellbeing, Magda E. Mendoza Soto

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The presidential election of Donald Trump significantly influenced various aspects of the population of the United States. Given Trump’s emphasis on anti-immigrant policies, it is essential for professionals and practitioners to better understand how the Latin population is experiencing and responding to today’s political climate. Participants in this study ranged in age from 18 to 64 and were from Latin descent, which consists of persons, cultures, or countries related to the Spanish language, culture, people, or to Spain in general. Ninety-six participants completed the quantitative measures including The Adult Hope Scale (HS), Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Emotional And Spiritual Well-Being As Predictors Of Burnout Among Doctoral Clinical Psychology Trainees, Garret L. Blankenship

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

It has been observed in prior studies that student spiritual engagement and attribution tends to decline throughout graduate clinical training in psychology (Eisele, 2016; Fisk et al., 2013). This is problematic considering the inverse relationship between spirituality and stress (Calicchia & Graham, 2006) and the protection it provides against burnout. Also protective against burnout, and correlated with spirituality, is Emotional Intelligence (EI; Kaur, Sambasivan, & Kumar, 2013). Both EI and spirituality are related to lower burnout, less depression, and greater life-satisfaction (Kroska et al., 2017). Despite burnout being a common experience for graduate students in medical school (Amir, Kumari, Olivetta, …

The Relationship Of Spirituality, Religiosity And Attitudes Toward Lesbians And Gay Men Among Students At A Faith-Based Institution, Megan C. Cormier Castaneda

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research indicates heterosexual students at faith-based universities often hold negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women. The factors that can influence these attitudes are complex. This study examines the relationship between attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women, religiosity and spirituality in students who are enrolled in a faith-based institution. A correlation was run to examine the relationship between these variables along with further statistical analyses to gather more information. There is a small positive relationship between higher levels of spirituality and positive attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. There is a medium positive relationship between high levels of …

Faith Experiences Among Doctoral Psychology Students, Erika Leigh Eisele

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

In order to become culturally competent psychologists, doctoral students must undergo their own process of self-reflection, including personal exploration of religious and spiritual issues. This can prove difficult insofar as many doctoral programs in psychology provide relatively little instruction in religious and spiritual issues. Even among those programs that specialize in religion and spirituality, a shifting of personal faith typically occurs over the course of doctoral training. This study is a step toward understanding the faith experiences of students in one explicitly religious doctoral training program. Faith experiences among students in the George Fox University Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology …

Effects Of An Electronically Guided Prayer Intervention, Brian Lee Goetsch

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Abstract Hope has been identified as an important factor in a variety of positive outcomes in psychotherapy, medicine, academic success, and for general levels of functioning. However, until now most studies on hope have been correlational in nature, and researchers have rarely sought to understand how hope can be facilitated. The present study considered the effect of prayer on experiences of hope in a national sample of Christian college students. An intervention group completed a guided prayer exercise once a day for 2 weeks. Pre and post-test levels of hope were assessed and compared to a control group, and a …

Depression And Spiritual Predictors Of Wellness In Family Caregivers Of Individuals With Alzheimer’S Disease, Christine Green

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the role of spirituality in family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease as a means of lessening the development of depressive symptomology arising through caregiver burden. For this study, there were 41 caregiver participants taking care of a family member with Alzheimer’s disease. The population was obtained through various divisions of the Alzheimer’s Association of the United States of America. Participants completed a basic demographic survey, the General Well-Being Schedule, the Patient Health Questionnaire- 9, and the Spiritual Experience Index. Two groups, religious and non-religious, had their mental health functioning compared. Results from the 41 surveys suggest …

Spiritual/Religious Issues In Therapy At A Community Mental Health Clinic, Courtney Elizabeth Mcconnell

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Abstract The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the growing area of spirituality and religion in counseling. The American public values religion; and the American Psychological Association (APA) acknowledges religion/spirituality as a vital area of diversity. With APA calling for specialized training in religious diversity, it is important to consider what religious/spiritual issues arise in a community counseling setting. This study was designed to determine whether clients or therapists raise religious issues, and whether clients who self-identify as religiously affiliated spend more time discussing religious/spiritual topics in session. In addition, researchers hoped to learn about what religious content was …

Effect Of Religiosity And Combat Exposure To Predict Combat Service Member Posttraumatic Growth, Kurt C. Webb

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study is to investigate 2 research questions: Do pre-deployment religiosity among combat military service members and level of combat exposure predict posttraumatic growth? And, do the level of combat exposure and changes in religiosity predict posttraumatic growth in combat military service members? The sample was obtained from an archival data set (Orton, 2012) was a group of male National Guard infantry deployed to the war in Iraq (N = 75). Participants were given pre- and post-deployment measures 1 month before and 6 months after returning from the Iraq war. Four regression equations were used to predict …

Short-Term Study Abroad And Religious Commitment: A Look At What Impacts Global And Multicultural Awareness , Melissa J. Stromberger

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.