Psychology Commons^™

Anxiety, Uncertainty, Distress Tolerance, And Eating Disorder Symptoms As Related To Non-Suicidal Self-Injury In Young Adults, Mandi L. Martin

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Adolescents and college-aged individuals are particularly at risk for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating disorders. Research is lacking regarding the cognitive and emotional factors behind the formation and maintenance of both types of pathology. This study examines anxiety, intolerance to uncertainty (IU), and distress tolerance in relation to both constructs in two separate samples (Sample 1: n=364, 58.5% freshmen, 75.8% female; Sample 2: n=156, 52.6% freshman, 66.0% female) with 32.4% and 40% reporting any history of NSSI, respectively. Participants completed a packet of questionnaires regarding the variables of interest and were debriefed and referred as necessary. In the first sample, …

Gene X Environment Effects Of Serotonin Transporter, Dopamine Receptor D4, And Monoamine Oxidase A Genes With Contextual And Parenting Risk Factors On Symptoms Of Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety, And Depression In A Community Sample Of 4-Year-Old Children, John Lavigne, Laura Herzing, Edwin Cook, Susan Lebailly, Karen Gouze, Joyce Hopkins, Fred Bryant

Fred B. Bryant

Genetic factors can play a role in the multiple level of analyses approach to understanding the development of child psychology. The present study examined gene-environment correlations and Gene x Environment interactions for polymorphisms of three target genes, the serotonin transporter gene, the D4 dopamine reactor gene, and the monoamine oxidase A gene in relation to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and oppositional behavior. Saliva samples were collected from 175 non-Hispanic White, 4-year-old children. Psychosocial risk factors included socioeconomic status, life stress, caretaker depression, parental support, hostility, and scaffolding skills. In comparison with the short forms (s/s, s/l) of the serotonin transporter …

The Effects Of Mindfulness On Affect And Substance Use, Alicia D. Carter

Honors College Theses

Previous studies have explored the impact of mindfulness on Big 5 personality traits, personality disorders, suicidal ideation, and alcohol use; additionally, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been used to treat individuals suffering from depression and anxiety. However, the practical application of mindfulness has been complicated by contradictory findings in the literature and inconsistent conceptualizations of the construct. The current study sought to investigate potential relationships between types of mindfulness, facets of mindfulness, substance use, and affect. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires related to mindfulness, correlates of neuroticism (i.e., depression, anxiety, and subjective happiness), and drinking-related consequences. Correlational analyses revealed significant …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Psychological Distress And Risky Sexual Behaviors Among A Treatment-Seeking Opioid-Dependent Population, Hayley M. Smith

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Substance abusing populations are at an increased risk for disease transmission and have higher rates of psychological comorbidity compared to the general population (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012a; Chaudhury & Singh, 2009; Des Jarlais, Semaan, & Arasteh, 2011; Goodwin & Stein, 2013). Numerous studies have implicated the interaction of psychological distress and risky sexual behaviors in the increased risk of disease transmission, however, several studies have not found this association. It has been suggested that there may be curvilinear relationship between psychological distress and risky sexual behaviors but this theory has yet to be tested. The …

Mothers' Views Of Their Children's Anxiety In Autism: A Qualitative Approach, Jessica Mae Palilla

Theses and Dissertations

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which is marked by severe social disabilities, also present with higher rates of anxiety. Understanding the qualitative symptoms that underlie anxiety in ASD may help to better characterize the overlap of ASD and anxiety symptomology and suggest targeted treatment strategies. Twenty mothers with male children diagnosed with high-functioning ASD were interviewed using a follow-up interview to the SCAS parent rating scale, in order to better understand how mothers perceive their child's anxious thoughts, behaviors and cognitions. All interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was used to analyze the results. Eight themes emerged from …

A Culturally-Sensitive Model Of The Development Of Child Anxiety., Jenny Marie Petrie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Explanatory models significantly enhance the understanding of etiological influences that place children at risk for anxiety, yet little is known about processes that promote resilient outcomes in children. While contextual factors influence risk and protective processes, cultural constructs have not been incorporated into existing models of anxiety and the role of culture remains obscure. The current study proposes a culturally sensitive model for understanding the etiological and mitigating processes underlying anxious symptoms in ethnic minority youth, and preliminarily tests basic components of the proposed model within a non-clinical community sample of 49 African American (AA) parent-child dyads who completed self-report …

The Influence Of Gender, Anxiety And Food Cravings On Alcohol Use Within A University Population, Jaques Marissa, Peta Stapleton

Peta B. Stapleton

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of gender, anxiety and food cravings on alcohol use within a university population. University students (N = 150) completed a survey containing a demographic questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Food Cravings Inventory. Results revealed gender was a significant predictor of alcohol use in university students, with males reporting greater levels of alcohol consumption than females. Food cravings were also observed to be a significant predictor of alcohol use in university students, independent of gender. Unexpectedly, state and trait anxiety failed to significantly predict …

Psychological Skills Do Not Always Help Performance: The Moderating Role Of Narcissism, Ross Roberts, Tim Woodman, Lew Hardy, Louise Davis, Harry Wallace

Harry M. Wallace

Psychological skills are typically viewed as beneficial to performance in competition. Conversely, narcissists appear to thrive in competitive environments so should not need psychological skills to the same degree as less narcissistic individuals. To investigate this moderating hypothesis high-standard ice-skaters completed measures of narcissism, psychological skills, and anxiety before performing their competition routine during training. A week later, participants performed the same routine in competition. Performance was operationalized as the difference between competition and training scores. Moderated regression analyses revealed that narcissism moderated the relationship between psychological skills and performance. Psychological skill effectiveness depends on an individual's degree of narcissism.

Daily Minority Stress And Affect Among Gay And Bisexual Men: A 30-Day Diary Study, Adam I. Eldahan, John E. Pachankis, H. Jonathan Rendina, Ana Ventuneac, Christian Grov, Jeffrey T. Parsons

Publications and Research

Background. This study examined the time-variant association between daily minority stress and daily affect among gay and bisexual men. Tests of time-lagged associations allow for a stronger causal examination of minority stress-affect associations compared with static assessments. Multilevel modeling allows for comparison of associations between minority stress and daily affect when minority stress is modeled as a between-person factor and a within-person time-fluctuating state.

Methods. 371 gay and bisexual men in New York City completed a 30-day daily diary, recording daily experiences of minority stress and positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and anxious affect (AA). Multilevel analyses examined …

Eight-Month Test-Retest Agreement In Morning Salivary Cortisol, Self- And Parent-Rated Anxiety In Boys With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, Linda Agnew, Nicholas Andronicos

Vicki Bitsika

The agreement over time in morning salivary cortisol concentrations and also self- and parent-rated anxiety was investigated in a sample of 16 boys with an ASD. Cortisol and anxiety data were collected eight months apart. Results indicated that there were significant correlations between each pair of measures from the two occasions, suggesting that cortisol concentrations and anxiety did not vary much at all over that time, challenging the assumption that cortisol needs to be measured over multiple days to obtain reliable data from children with an ASD. Implications for research into the ways these children respond to chronic stressors are …

Agreement Between Self- Vs Parent-Ratings Of General Anxiety Disorder Symptoms And Salivary Cortisol In Boys With An Asd, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Nicholas Andronicos, Linda Agnew

Vicki Bitsika

To determine the relative validity of parent-assessed and self-assessed symptoms of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in boys with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 140 boys with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were assessed for GAD by their parents and by themselves, and gave a sample of cortisol during the afternoon of these assessments. There were significant differences between self-assessments and parents’ assessments for the total GAD score and on four of the eight individual GAD symptoms. Using cortisol concentrations as a validation index, the two key GAD items were most validly assessed via boys’ self-ratings. Key GAD symptoms in boys …

Shop 'Til You Drop: A Coping Mechanism For Stressed University Students?, Aileen M. Pidgeon, Leanne Bottomley, Amy Bannatyne

Aileen M. Pidgeon

Compulsive buying is a concerning problem affecting university students who are particularly vulnerable to experiencing anxiety and stress due to academic workloads, financial difficulties, and social isolation. The current study explores the relationship between compulsive buying behaviour, gender differences, anxiety, stress, and coping styles among university students. As expected, findings revealed female university students reported significantly higher levels of compulsive buying behaviour compared to male students, and students engaging in compulsive buying behaviours were significantly younger than non-compulsive buying students. Compared to university students who reported regular purchasing behaviours, university students who engaged in compulsive buying also reported significantly higher …

Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Over Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? A Meta-Analysis Of Effective Treatment Of Anxiety Disorders In Middle Childhood, Emily A. Edwards

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Anxiety is a commonly diagnosed disorder in middle childhood that affects many aspects of the child’s life. Effective treatment is needed so that children are able to experience fewer or no symptoms of anxiety and to manage anxiety. Cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) is widely used as a treatment for children with anxiety. CBT can either be facilitated in an individual or group format but there are inconsistencies in the literature regarding which modality is most effective. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the effectiveness of individual CBT (ICBT) and group CBT (GCBT) in treating school-aged children with anxiety disorders. Eligible …

Superman Needs You, Kirby Farrell

kirby farrell

A powerful leader in politics, business, or closer to home has “magnetism.” But leaders depend on followers, who follow because it’s rewarding. Consider the attention commanded by Donald Trump or even Adolf Hitler. Lives depend on it. Both figures use scripts centered on elimination of scapegoats as a technique of converting flight to fight emergency physiology in followers. Close attention can demytify euphemized homicidal ideation.

Attentional Biases In Processing Emotional Facial Expressions: Effects Of State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety And Awareness, Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards

The effect of state anxiety and trait anxiety on selective attention for threatening, neutral and happy schematic faces was investigated. A student sample was assigned to high trait anxious (HTA) or low trait anxious (LTA) groups using questionnaire scores and state anxiety was manipulated through the threat of electric shock. Stimulus materials were presented both outside (using a backward masking procedure) and within awareness. A novel version of a probe classification task was developed to assess performance when distracting information and the central task were spatially separated. For the masked trials, the LTA group were slower to identify the status …

Psychosocial Moderators Of Perceived Stress, Anxiety And Depression In University Students: An International Study, Aileen Pidgeon, Stephanie Mcgrath, Heide Magya, Peta Stapleton, Barbara Lo

Peta B. Stapleton

Extensive research shows university students experience high levels of stress, which can lead to the development of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Preliminary evidence supports the role of psychosocial factors such as perceived social support (PSS) and campus connectedness (CC) as protective factors in the development of mental health problems in university students. However, research conducted on the potential ameliorating effects of social support on stress applying Cohen and Wills’ (1985) stress-buffering hypothesis produced weak, inconsistent, and even contradictory results. In addition, little attention has been given to examining the protective role of CC in the relationships …

Should'a Put A Ring On It: Investigating Adult Attachment, Relationship Status, Anxiety, Mindfulness, And Resilience In Romantic Relationships, Aileen M. Pidgeon, Alexandra Giufre

Aileen M. Pidgeon

This study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of relationship status, anxiety, mindfulness, and resilience in relation to the two orthogonal dimensions of adult attachment: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. 156 participants completed measures assessing relationship status, adult attachment, anxiety, mindfulness and resilience. The results showed that resilience and the relationship status of single significantly predicted attachment anxiety, whereas anxiety and being either single or divorced significantly predicted attachment avoidance. A significant mediating role of resilience in the prediction of attachment anxiety from being single was also observed. The main implications of this study provided preliminary support for the significant …

Biological And Contextual Predictors Of The Stability Of Behavioural Inhibition In Early Childhood, Victoria C. Johnson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Persistently elevated behavioural inhibition (BI) in children confers increased risk for anxiety disorders. However, little research has jointly examined exogenous and endogenous factors that may moderate BI stability in early childhood. To explore whether parent (i.e., parental overinvolvement, parent anxiety) and child (i.e., 5-HTTLPR and BDNF val66met genotype, positive emotionality) factors influenced the stability of early BI, a community sample of 371 preschoolers and their caregivers completed observational measures of child temperament, observational and questionnaire measures of parenting, and parent interviews for anxiety disorder history. Child BI at age 3 interacted with children’s 5-HTTLPR variants to predict age 5 BI; …

Alexithymia And Drinking In Young Adults: The Role Of Alcohol-Related Intrusive Thoughts, Michael Lyvers, Olena Lysychka, Fred Thorberg

Mike Lyvers

Alexithymia refers to difficulties identifying and describing emotions, an externalised thinking style and a lack of imagination. Alexithymia has been linked to heavier drinking in community samples and is strongly associated with alcohol use disorders. Among patients undergoing treatment for alcohol dependence, alexithymia is associated with more intrusive thoughts about drinking. The present research asked whether this may also be the case in a non-clinical sample of social drinkers and whether such intrusive thoughts mediate the relationship between alexithymia and drinking. Participants were 113 university undergraduates aged 18–30 years who completed self-report indices of alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, or TAS-20), …

Caffeine Use And Alexithymia In University Students, Michael Lyvers, Natalija Duric, Fred Thorberg

Mike Lyvers

Alexithymia refers to difficulties with identifying, describing, and regulating one’s own emotions. This trait dimension has been linked to risky or harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs; however, the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world, caffeine, has not been examined previously in relation to alexithymia. The present study assessed 106 male and female university students aged 18-30 years on their caffeine use in relation to several traits, including alexithymia. The 18 participants defined as alexithymic based on their Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) scores reported consuming nearly twice as much caffeine per day as did non-alexithymic or borderline …

Predicting Food Cravings: A Piece Of Cake Or A Hard Nut To Crack?, Karen Hodgson, Peta Stapleton

Peta B. Stapleton

The present study aimed to extend previous research investigating the relationships between predictors of food cravings in order to produce some preliminary findings in relation to the variable of sweet food cravings and its relationship to body image avoidance. The sample consisted of 139 university students (36 men and 103 women) at least 18 years old. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed on body image avoidance, trait anxiety and BMI to examine predictors of food cravings. Both body image avoidance and gender separately predicted cravings for sweet foods, with women experiencing more sweet food cravings than men. However, no significant …

Learning To Learn And Naming Through Receptive And Expressive Identification, Kelli Perry

Dissertations

Poor or no language skills are typical of most preschool children with autism (American Psychological Association, 2013). Language can be divided into the two components of receptive, or listener, skills and expressive, or speaker, skills. Recommendations for sequencing language instruction vary across the different behavior-analytic instructional models (Lovaas, 1981; Barbara & Rasmussen, 2007; Sundberg & Partington, 1998; Sundberg, 2008). The current study sought to examine those recommendations using young children (three- to four-years-old) with limited vocal repertoires and to explore the acquisition of learning to learn (Harlow, 1949) and naming (Greer & Ross, 2007). This research (1) adds to the …

Variation In The Profile Of Anxiety Disorders In Boys With An Asd According To Method And Source Of Assessment, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley

Vicki Bitsika

To determine any variation that might occur due to the type of assessment and source used to assess them, the prevalence of 7 anxiety disorders were investigated in a sample of 140 boys with an Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 50 non-ASD (NASD) boys via the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory and the KIDSCID Clinical Interview. Boys with an ASD were significantly more anxious than their NASD peers. Data collected from the boys with an ASD themselves showed differences in the severity and diagnostic criterion of anxiety disorders to data collected from the boys’ parents. There were age-related variations to …

Cognitive Trait Anxiety, Situational Stress, And Mental Effort Predict Shifting Efficiency: Implications For Attentional Control Theory, Elizabeth Edwards, Mark Edwards, Michael Lyvers

Mark Edwards

Attentional control theory (ACT) predicts that trait anxiety and situational stress interact to impair performance on tasks that involve attentional shifting. The theory suggests that anxious individuals recruit additional effort to prevent shortfalls in performance effectiveness (accuracy), with deficits becoming evident in processing efficiency (the relationship between accuracy and time taken to perform the task). These assumptions, however, have not been systematically tested. The relationship between cognitive trait anxiety, situational stress, and mental effort in a shifting task (Wisconsin Card Sorting Task) was investigated in 90 participants. Cognitive trait anxiety was operationalized using questionnaire scores, situational stress was manipulated through …

Hypothalamus–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Daily Fluctuation, Anxiety And Age Interact To Predict Cortisol Concentrations In Boys With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Nicholas Andronicos, Linda Agnew

Vicki Bitsika

There is considerable evidence of a confound between symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children who have an ASD. Although there have been several attempts to describe how these two disorders overlap and interact to influence the assessment and diagnosis of children with an ASD, principally by reference to cortisol assayed from these children's saliva, the overall evidence is inconsistent. Because previous models of these relationships have focused upon cortisol and GAD to the exclusion of age, diurnal fluctuation in the HPA axis and the source of GAD data, these variables were examined in …

The Transdiagnostic Prevention Of Emotional Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Study, Rebecca Mcdermott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Major Depression and anxiety disorders are prevalent, costly, and comorbid disorders. These emotional disorders also share some vulnerability factors, making them good candidates for transdiagnostic or simultaneous prevention. The current study is a double-blind, primary prevention study that focuses on preventing emotional disorders in at risk, first and second year undergraduate students. Three internet-delivered preventative programs were compared: a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention (MoodGYM), an attentional bias modification program (Dandeneau & Baldwin, 2004), and an active attentional control. Participants (n = 354) completed symptom measurement pre- and post- a six-week intervention and again at a four-month follow-up, when they …

The Effect Of Existential Concerns On Evaluations Of Dating Websites, Rachel Frisch

Honors Theses

Previous research has indicated that death-related anxieties are the ultimate threat to the human psyche. In an effort to manage these concerns, individuals tend to turn to their romantic relationships. The present research sought to determine how mortality salience (i.e., death awareness) influences the effectiveness of an advertisement and the desirability of dating websites. A fake dating website was created with four different slogans. The first included an overt death-reminder, the second included a subtle death-reminder, the third included a loneliness reminder, and the fourth condition did not include any psychological threats. Participants were randomly assigned to visit a website …

The Effect Of Stereoscopic (3d) Movies On Psychological And Physiological Experiences, Dawn M. Sarno

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Despite the recent rise in the popularity of 3D entertainment technology, there is surprisingly little research on the psychophysiological experience of watching 3D movies. Previous studies suggest that exposure to stereoscopic (3D) images in training environments (e.g., flight simulators) can cause discomforts including eyestrain and visually induced motion sickness. However, existing research on 3D entertainment has been mixed and has relied primarily on retrospective, non-experimental research designs, which do not allow us to draw clear causal conclusions. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological and physiological effects of viewing 3D movies using a controlled, manipulated experiment. Eighty-two …

Depression And Anxiety Accommodations In The Workplace: Recommendations For Employers, Sarah Ladderud

Psychology Independent Study

Recommendations for making reasonable accommodations for employees with anxiety and depression in the workplace. General overview of what anxiety and depression disorders are as well as research on the impact they have on individual's work performance, absenteeism, and social relationships within the workplace.

How Does Perfectionism Influence Anxiety In Gifted Middle School Students?, Kelsey Owens

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Research has demonstrated that gifted students tend to experience a higher level of perfectionism when compared to their regular education peers. While perfectionism may aid these students in their academics, it can also contribute to negative consequences in terms of the social and emotional needs of these students, such as anxiety. This research study sought to add to the literature by examining whether perfectionism does influence anxiety in gifted middle school students. Twenty-two middle school students enrolled in a center-based gifted program participated in this study by completing two measures: one examining levels of perfectionism and another examining levels of …