Psychology Commons^™

Avoidance And Depression: Evidence For Reinforcement As A Mediating Factor, John Paul Carvalho

Doctoral Dissertations

Behavioral Activation theory (Martell, Addis, & Jacobson, 2001) posits that a pattern of excessive use of avoidant coping strategies removes an individual from environmental sources of reward and reinforcement and subsequently leads to the development (or maintenance) of depressive symptoms. This investigation examined this theory by establishing measures of environmental reward as mediators between avoidance and depression, while further demonstrating that there is a strong connection between avoidance and depression independent of anxiety. Reward was measured by both self-report questionnaire (Reward Probability Inventory; Carvalho et al., under review) and daily activity diary ratings (Hopko, Bell, Armento, Hunt, & Lejuez, 2003), …

Risk Factors For Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy, Julianne Christina Hellmuth

Doctoral Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been shown to be highly prevalent during pregnancy, particularly for couples of low socioeconomic status. IPV poses an especially serious problem for pregnant women as it puts both mother and unborn child at risk for severe physical harm, including death. This investigation of potential risk factors for IPV during pregnancy examines alcohol use, stress, suspicion of infidelity, jealousy, and relationship discord from both a cross-sectional and longitudinal perspective. The overarching theoretical frameork for this study is based on Leonard's conceptual model of substance use and intimate partner violence in combination with evolutionary theory as discussed …

Effect Of Maternal Borderline Personality Disorder On Romantic Attachment In Adolescence, Christopher Daniel Watkins

Masters Theses

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and chronic disorder that has been described as a disorder of attachment. The present study examined the effect of maternal BPD and borderline personality features on the romantic attachment styles of mothers with BPD and their 14-17 year old offspring. In a low socioeconomic status (SES) sample of n=28 adolescents whose mothers have BPD and n=28 normative comparisons, groups were compared on maternal and adolescent self-reported romantic attachment styles. Across the sample as a whole, the relationship between borderline features and romantic attachment styles were assessed. Also, the relationship between maternal …

Relationship Of Age Of Onset And Other Dimensions Of Trauma To Dissociation In An Adult Clinical Population, Amineh Abbas

Masters Theses

This study examined four dimensions of trauma and how they affected levels of dissociation in male and female adult outpatients. These dimensions are age of onset, multiple trauma, chronicity, and recency. Two hundred forty-five adult outpatients at the University of Tennessee Psychological Clinic were administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the Traumatic Experiences Checklist (TEC) as part of the routine intake procedure. Of those individuals, 177 patients reported trauma and were included in the final study sample. All four dimensions of trauma were found to be significantly correlated with dissociation. In addition, multiple trauma was found to be the …

#Trending Now: Why Black Folk Need To Be In Psychotherapy, Samantha Lynn Gray

Black Issues Conference

Despite evidence that mental health problems (ranging from very mild to severe) affect all people, the rates of minorities engaged in personal psychotherapy have remained low throughout the past few decades. Historically, minorities have tended to devalue the importance of mental health, and stigmatize therapeutic interventions. This session will focus on why we need to shed the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and detail where we’ve been, where we are, and where we need to head in term of opening ourselves to self-exploration within the realm of psychotherapy. Also learn about how our physical health is intertwined with our mental …

Juvenile Competence To Stand Trial: An Examination Of The Effects Of Cognitive Ability, Psychiatric Symptomatology, And Psychosocial Maturity, Aaron John Kivisto

Doctoral Dissertations

As the courts have evolved over the past 30 years towards increasingly punitive sanctions for youthful offenders, the fundamental protections afforded to adult defendants have become increasingly relevant for youthful offenders. Among these protections, the right of juveniles to be competent to stand trial has gained nearly universal recognition throughout this country’s courts. Congruent with theory and previous research, we hypothesized that age, intellectual ability, psychiatric symptomatology, and maturity would all be directly related to adolescents’ competence. It was also anticipated that adolescents in the detention sample would evidence lower maturity and competency-related abilities compared to the community sample. Expanding …

Emotion Regulation As A Mediator Of Adolescent Developmental Processes And Problem Outcomes, Katherine Little Kivisto

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent models of adolescent development and psychopathology emphasize the importance of the social regulation of emotion during adolescence (Allen & Manning, 2007; Allen & Miga, 2010), and emotion regulation as a mediating factor between multiple aspects of adolescent development and adolescent adjustment (Morris, Silk, Steinberg, Myers, & Robinson, 2007). The present dissertation investigated these two phenomena in two separate studies of adolescent development, emotion regulation, and psychological adjustment.

In study one, a new measure of adolescent social regulation of emotion – the Managing Distress Interpersonally Scale, or MANDI – showed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability and factor structure across two …

Behavioral Activation Of Religious Behaviors: Treating Depressed College Students With A Randomized Controlled Trial, Maria Elizabeth Anne Armento

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Although spiritual or religious behaviors are sometimes targeted within behavioral activation protocols (Hopko & Lejuez, 2007; Hopko, Lejuez, Ruggiero, & Eifert, 2003), the efficacy of a protocol that exclusively develops a religiously-based behavioral repertoire has not been investigated. This randomized controlled study investigated the efficacy of a brief protocol for religious action in behavioral activation (PRA-BA) relative to a no-treatment “support” condition among mild to moderately depressed undergraduate students (n = 50). PRA-BA consisted of an individualized one-session intervention and 2-week activation interval. Clinical outcomes assessed depression, environmental reward, anxiety, and quality of life. Repeated measures ANOVAs indicated …

Distress Tolerance, Experiential Avoidance, And Negative Affect: Implications For Understanding Eating Behavior And Bmi, Christen Nicole Mullane

Doctoral Dissertations

Distress tolerance and experiential avoidance are important aspects of the coping process. In the current study, both were examined in relation to Body Mass Index and self-reported disturbances in mood and eating behavior. Distress tolerance was measured behaviorally and via self-report to elucidate the manner in which a) the ability to tolerate emotional distress, and b) the ability to persist behaviorally in the presence of stress-inducing stimuli were related to self-reported levels of depression, anxiety, maladaptive eating habits, and bodily concerns. A sample of 73 undergraduate students participated, and height, weight, and waist circumference were measured. Increased experiential avoidance was …

Preferences Among White College Students Regarding Ethnicity Of University Counseling Center Therapists, John David Richardson

Doctoral Dissertations

This 2-study research project explored whether the ethnicity of university counseling center therapists affects White clients’ therapy attendance rates and perception of counselors’ trustworthiness and level of expertise. Study 1 examined attendance rate differences of the clients of White therapists versus ethnic minority therapists in a university counseling center to determine if the minority therapists have lower client attendance rates than clients of White counselors. Study 2 examined White undergraduate participants’ ratings of profiles of White, African American and non-US Indian counselors portrayed in a mock university counseling center brochure on factors of trustworthiness and expertise. It also examined Big …

Borderline Features And Attachment In Adolescents Whose Mothers Have Borderline Personality Disorder, Stevie Nikell Grassetti

Masters Theses

The current study examined attachment and borderline features in a sample of adolescents whose mothers have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (n=28) and normative comparison adolescents (n=29) using self-reports of parental attachment and borderline features. Statistical analyses revealed, with marginal significance, that adolescents of mothers with BPD provided lower ratings of parents as sources of support than comparison adolescents, but no difference for parents as facilitators of independence. However, adolescents of mothers with BPD did provide lower ratings of affective quality of parental attachment relationships. Dichotomous group differences were not found in adolescent borderline features. However, every …

Gender Differences In Overt Behavior And Mediators Of Depression Severity, Marlena Maria Ryba

Masters Theses

For several decades, evolutionary and social learning theories have been explanatory frameworks to explicate gender differences in overt behaviors and the prevalence, etiology, and maintenance of mental health problems. To further explore relations among gender, overt behaviors, and depression severity, this study used a daily diary methodology to examine gender differences within thirteen behavioral domains and whether differntial frequency of overt behaviors and environmental reward mediated the relationship between gender and depression severity. Overall, females engaged in a significantly greater breadth of behavioral domains and reported a higher level of environmental reward. Females reported spending more time in the domains …

Role Reversal Between Mothers With Borderline Personality Disorder And Their Children During Reunion, Sean M. Holden

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Predicting Forgiveness In Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence, Sarah Elizabeth Gilbert

Masters Theses

Several theories have attempted to explain the stay/leave decisions of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). One recent study suggests that women’s intent to return to their abusive partners was related to forgiveness of the abuse; consequently, this study aims to identify factors that may make women more likely to forgive IPV. It was hypothesized that commitment, specifically both personal dedication and constraint commitment (Stanley & Markman, 1992), would predict forgiveness and that denial of injury would mediate the relation between commitment and forgiveness, as women may be more likely to deny the severity of the abuse in order to …