Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Relationship Between Parental Trauma History And Perceptions Regarding Their Child’S Healthcare And Utilization Of Healthcare Services, Krishna Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

TITLE: The Relationship Between Parental Trauma History and Perceptions Regarding Their Child’s Healthcare and Utilization of Healthcare Services

Adverse child events (ACEs) have been associated with a number of physical and mental health problems and have also been linked to increased health care utilization. While parents who have an ACE history may tend to seek healthcare services for themselves, limited studies have examined the impact of their trauma history on seeking healthcare services for their child. Healthcare utilization may also depend on the parents’ level of health anxiety, as well as their anxiety about their child’s health status. This …

The Effects Of Poly-Strengths On Psychological Wellbeing Amongst Young Adults With Childhood Poly-Victimization, Nakisa Asefnia

Theses and Dissertations

The field of trauma and victimization has undergone many evolutions in its efforts to conceptualize the impacts of victimization and more recently poly-victimization. Poly-victimization refers to the experiencing of multiple types of victimization over the lifespan. This has led to an ever-growing base of literature highlighting the many deleterious effects of these experiences on individuals’ wellbeing, and the factors which may make a person more vulnerable to victimization. However, a growing movement in the field aims to take a more strengths-based perspective that highlights the resilience of individuals, rather than risk factors, in the hopes of better understanding the factors …

The Association Between Covid-19 Exposure, Secondary Adversities, And Trauma Symptoms In Children, Maddi Gervasio

Theses and Dissertations

Natural disasters include direct exposure and secondary adversities (Chrisman & Dougherty, 2014). For youth, severity of disaster exposure and number of secondary adversities have been found to be positively associated with the severity of trauma-related psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression (Giannopoulou et al., 2006). Preliminary studies suggest an interaction between trauma exposure severity and number of secondary adversities in the prediction of psychopathology. Notably, youth who experienced secondary adversities without directly experiencing the trauma exhibited heightened psychopathology (Kar, 2019), yet these children tend to be excluded from studies and missed when identifying children in need of services. …

Predicting Therapists’ Intentions To Use An Innovation: The Role Of Innovation-Specific, Individual, And Organizational Factors, Jonathan KuʻUhoaepilipono Ahuna

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding factors that contribute to an individual’s decision to use an innovation can increase the public health impact of innovations in children’s mental health services. Objective. This study examined whether and to what extent therapists’ innovation-specific judgements (e.g., innovation is easy to use, socially desirable) were associated with intentions to use an innovation using constructs from one of the most robust theories of innovation use–the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Method. Two aims were addressed using data collected from 95 therapists and 28 supervisors who participated in a multi-site cluster randomized trial. Therapists used either a …

Associations Between Problem Recognition And Help-Seeking Behavior In Mothers Of Preschoolers, Samuel T. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Preschool children are often underserved in mental healthcare. One explanation for this is that caregivers do not recognize preschoolers’ mental health difficulties as problems. While previous research has identified an association between a caregiver’s skill at accurately applying diagnostic labels and help-seeking, factors such as behavior severity, functional impairment, and caregiver stress are important to the help-seeking process as well. The current study examined associations between all these variables. Participants were 82 adult mothers of preschoolers. The participants read a series of vignettes describing preschool-aged children with depression, anxiety, and ADHD, and then answered a series of questions to assess …

Parent Reported Executive Functioning Does Not Predict Memory Dysfunction In Pediatric Epilepsy And Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Nicole J. Norheim

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Epilepsy and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) children are vulnerable to executive functioning and memory difficulties. The interaction between EF and memory is important to consider as EF impairments may put children at risk for experiencing memory difficulties which can impact their academic performance and quality of life. However, the evidence for the impact of EF on memory is very limited with only two studies to date focusing on this association (Rzezak et al., 2012; Sepeta et al., 2017). This was the first study to research the impact of executive dysfunction on memory in the pediatric epilepsy and ADHD population. Method: …

Cognitive Remediation Of Working Memory Deficits In Children With Chronic Health Conditions: Tailoring Cogmed Training To Address Barriers To Adherence, Kelsey Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and cancer are at risk for working memory impairment due to the disease and treatment. However, inconsistency in adherence to cognitive training programs conducted with this population suggests that adaptations are necessary in order to improve the effectiveness of this intervention. In addition, it is unclear whether gains in working memory translate to improvement in classroom functioning.

Methods: Children engaged in cognitive training exclusively over the summer in order to improve adherence to Cogmed Working Memory Training. A total of 17 children ages 7- 17 with a diagnosis of SCD (n = 14) …

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptomatology In Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Christina Casnar

Theses and Dissertations

Social problems are a common concern of parents of children with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). There has been a recent surge of research examining the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and ASD symptomatology in children with NF1. Findings from this relatively new body of research are mixed. The primary aim of this study was to examine ASD symptomatology in children with NF1 using a comprehensive assessment of ASD symptoms. A second aim was to examine possible variables that may contribute to socio-communicative difficulties. Participants included 25 children with NF1 between the ages of 9 and 13, along with their …

Predictors Of Barriers To Psychosocial Treatment For African American Families Of Children With Adhd, Stephanie A. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

African American families of youth with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traditionally have lower rates of ADHD treatment compared to nonminority groups. These treatment disparities underscore the importance of better understanding the barriers to treatment for these families. Therefore, in a sample of 67 African American caregivers of children with ADHD, the current study examined (1) factors that predict barriers to treatment for African American families of children with ADHD and (2) whether caregiver impairment mediates comorbid behavior problems and barriers to treatment for African American youth with ADHD. Analyses revealed that caregiver impairment predicted barriers to treatment and mediated the relationship …

The Influence Of Adhd Symptoms And Social Impairment On Anxiety And Depression Symptoms In 8- To 10-Year-Old Children, Danielle Brooke Willis

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with impaired social functioning in children and adolescents. ADHD and increased social impairment have proven to be separately correlated with increased anxiety and depression symptoms as well. However, little research has examined these specific associations and interactions among ADHD, social functioning, and internalizing symptoms. The current study aimed to examine the influence of ADHD symptoms and social functioning on anxiety and depression symptoms in 321 8- to 10- year-old children, and specifically, if social impairment moderated the relation between ADHD symptoms and anxiety and depression symptoms. Data on ADHD, social …

Stakeholder Views On Behavioral Health Care In The Pediatric Primary Care Setting: A Qualitative Approach Towards Integration Of Care, Alexis Quinoy

Theses and Dissertations

The pediatric primary care setting has been discussed as playing a central role for the identification and treatment of behavioral and mental health disorders in youth. Although this setting is in a unique position to provide these services, there are many barriers to the integration of mental health care and pediatric primary care. The aim of this study is to examine perspectives of multiple stakeholders (i.e., patient, parent, nurse, resident, faculty, clinic director) in a pediatric primary care setting to explore barriers, behavioral and mental health needs, and facilitators to the integration and provision of mental health care for children …

Using Structural Equation Modeling To Understand The Role Of The Family In Pediatric Asthma Contexts, Nour Al Ghriwati

Theses and Dissertations

Family factors have long been associated with the psychosocial adjustment of children with chronic illnesses, such as asthma (Minuchin, 1975; Rapee, 1997). Research indicates that negative family factors may also contribute to child disease severity, via bio-behavioral mechanisms of effect (Wood et al., 2006); however, these pathways have yet to be examined with a comprehensive focus on more positive family factors. This study sought to examine whether factors such as family cohesion, problem solving abilities, and communication influence asthma symptom severity in children via their effects on child depression and anxiety symptoms. Using structural equation modeling, we identified significant indirect …

Relations Between Fine Motor Skill And Parental Report Of Attention In Young Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Christy Casnar

Theses and Dissertations

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is one of the most common genetic disorders presenting in approximately 1 in 3,000 live births. NF1 is a highly variable condition with a large number of complications. A common complication is neuropsychological problems, including developmental delays and learning difficulties that affect as many as 60% of patients. Research has suggested the children with NF1 often have poorer fine motor skills and are at greater risk for attention difficulties than the general population. Furthermore, recent research is beginning to demonstrate a relationship between fine motor skills and attention in older children; however, very little research has …