Psychology Commons^™

Traumatic Brain Injury Severity In Older Adults: Impact On Anxiety And Depression Symptoms And Community Engagement, Ashley Tomford

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of physical and cognitive disability worldwide. TBI can negatively impact cognitive, physical, social, and psychological functioning.

Objective: This study investigated interactions between TBI severity, mental health symptom severity, and community engagement among older adults. Specific aims included investigating 1) the relationship between TBI severity at the time of injury and psychiatric symptom severity at one-year post-TBI; 2) the relationship between TBI severity and community engagement at one-year post-TBI; and 3) whether mental health symptom severity moderated the relationship between TBI and post-injury community engagement.

Methods: Archival data was analyzed …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Covid-19 And Fall Rates In Older Adults: Longitudinal Study On The Impact Of Covid-19 On Geriatric Fall Rates In A Care Facility, Britton Holman

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Falls in the geriatric population are continuing to increase around the world. Along with this, COVID-19 caused significant distress and changes in many older adult populations living in care facilities. Our study used archival data to determine if an association existed between fall rates at a specific care facility before COVID-19, during COVID-19, and during an outbreak of COVID-19 at the facility. An analysis of variance and Bonferroni’s post-hoc analysis was conducted, which found falls tended to be lower during outbreaks at the facility compared to pre-COVID-19 times. Reasons for this finding may be due to restrictions on activities and …

Correlates Of Mental Health Clinician Self-Awareness And Insight Of Attitudes Toward Older Adults, Susan L. Mcinvale

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOlder adults (ages 65 and older) are expected to increase in the United States by over 70 million by the year 2030. The older adult population requires specialized medical and mental health services to address the needs related to aging. Mental health clinicians trained to address these needs may help older adults to utilize mental health counseling. Self-awareness of attitudes, insight, and knowledge may be skills that affect the attitudes of mental health clinicians toward older adults. Previous research has found that mental health clinicians who engage in self-awareness during a counseling session may improve counseling competency; however, little research …

Correlates Of Mental Health Clinician Self-Awareness And Insight Of Attitudes Toward Older Adults, Susan L. Mcinvale

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOlder adults (ages 65 and older) are expected to increase in the United States by over 70 million by the year 2030. The older adult population requires specialized medical and mental health services to address the needs related to aging. Mental health clinicians trained to address these needs may help older adults to utilize mental health counseling. Self-awareness of attitudes, insight, and knowledge may be skills that affect the attitudes of mental health clinicians toward older adults. Previous research has found that mental health clinicians who engage in self-awareness during a counseling session may improve counseling competency; however, little research …

Development Of A Reinforcer Assessment: A Measure Of Potential Reinforcers In The Lives Of Older Adults, Nicole A. Praska

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The aim of this study was to create a new measure that assesses potential reinforcers in the lives of older adults residing in assisted living facilities. It is important to assess what an individual finds rewarding since individuals have a greater quality of life if they are doing activities that they enjoy. The study involved a two-step process. First, a list of potential reinforcers was created and evaluated by professionals in the field. Then this list was formatted into a survey and presented to 612 older adults. Participants rated these potential reinforcers on a Likert scale. Results were then evaluated …

You've Got A Friend: Social Factors And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adults, Erika A. Fenstermacher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Depression in late life has been associated with disability, lower quality of life, increased mortality, and increased risk of suicide (Fiske et al., 2009; Rodda et al., 2011). Research suggests that functional disability, which is often brought about by a medical condition, may precede depressive symptoms and may be a major factor for older adults developing depression (Ormel et al., 2002). Social support can be beneficial for both emotional and physical health (Fiori & Jager, 2021). Numerous studies found evidence that social networks, perceived and subjective social support, and satisfaction with support received moderated the relation between health problems and …

Age-Related Microaggressions: A Follow-Up Descriptive Study, Hannah M. Lewis

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Age-related microaggressions are forms of ageist discrimination that occur during day-to-day interactions. The aim of this study was to identify common types of age-related microaggressions as well as to determine how negative affect influences emotional reactions to microaggressions. Using an online survey, participants (n = 200) were asked if they had experienced any of the 20 most common examples of age-related microaggressions reported in previous research (Gietzen et al, 2022). Follow up questions inquired about the frequency, emotional reactions, and behavioral responses to these microaggressions. Participants also rated their physical health and completed the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS; …

A Review Of The Effects Of Mindfulness Meditation On Chronic Pain In Older Adults, Gregory H. Jacks

Theses and Dissertations

Pain is a biopsychosocial phenomenon, which draws from physiological responses as well as cultural and social context and mental states. Pain is most frequently treated through surgical and pharmacological interventions, which can be costly and time-consuming, especially when treating chronic pain. Older adults suffer from chronic pain at a higher rate than the rest of the population, and more accessible interventions are desperately needed to help manage the experience of chronic pain. Mindfulness meditation is increasingly being utilized for management of pain due to evidence of its effectiveness, cheaper cost, and ability to be practiced outside of medical facilities. Prior …