Counseling Psychology Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Programs Tested In Juvenile Drug Courts, Ashley Tiedemann

Undergraduate Publications

The effectiveness of treatment programs used in juvenile drug courts within the United States is often questioned. The two research articles that will be discussed tested two different treatment programs in hopes that they would lead to more favorable outcomes than the programs currently in place.

Research into effective drug and alcohol treatment programs to be used within the juvenile justice system needs to be a priority. There are too many kids who get lost in the system, rather than helped. Both of these studies were conducted based on the same belief of how vital this research is. The “Enhancing ...

Healthy Sexuality: Evaluating A Psychoeducational Group Promoting Knowledge, Communication, And Positive Experiences, Brenna M. Wernersbach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the state of healthy sexuality among college students and the influence of a psychoeducational group on related constructs. Healthy sexuality is comprised of multiple constructs, including accurate knowledge, positive attitudes, risk reducing behaviors, open communication among partners, and self-efficacy for creating desired experiences and preventing unwanted experiences. Sexuality-related knowledge, attitudes and values, and behaviors were measured prior to and following the four-session intervention. Additionally, prior sexuality education at the familial and school-based levels was assessed and compared to the designed intervention. Fifty-six young adults participated in the groups, with topics covering sexual anatomy and response, communication ...

Use Of Myers-Briggs Personality Types In The Distribution Of Students To Team-Based Learning Groups, Tracy R. Frame, Rebecca J. Gryka, Mary E. Kiersma, Ph.D., Lorin Sheppard, Ph.D., Aleda M. H. Chen, Stephanie M. Cailor

The Research and Scholarship Symposium

No abstract provided.

Gender And Grade Differences In How High School Students Experience And Perceive Cyberbullying, Jeremy D. Doucette

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Gender and grade differences in how high school students experience and perceive cyberbullying was examined through a survey and focus groups with youth in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Survey findings revealed that boys reported cyberbullying more often than girls on most items while girls reported experiencing cyberbullying more often than boys on most items. Grade alone did not account for significant differences, but interactions with gender were sometimes found. The focus groups revealed that most students believe that girls cyberbully more than boys, but that boys are more likely than girls to view cyberbullying as a form of joking, and to ...

Eating Disorders And Negative Team-Talk: Implications For Prevention Programming, Catie Greene

Master's Level Graduate Research Conference

We hypothesized that team wide negative talk about body image and eating behaviors may be related to eating disorder (ED) prevalence on sports teams regardless of whether it is a lean or non-lean sport, yet because there is a higher prevalence of eating disorders in lean sports in the literature, we expected to find higher reports of this team-wide negative talk about body image and eating behaviors on those teams. The results revealed that the only significant relationship to ED symptomatology was the reported negative statements about body image and eating behavior that athletes have heard from their teammates. Sport ...

Exploring The Experiences Of Racial Identity And Stereotype Threat In African American Male Medical Doctors, Christopher G. Beaumont

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Examining Risk: Profiles Of Adult Male Perpetrators Of Intimate Partner Violence, Carolyn Carrier

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to examine risk profiles presented by men who have assaulted their partner versus those who have killed their partner in an act of intimate partner violence (N =526). Three groups of men were examined: men who have killed (DVDRC) and men involved in a batterer intervention program (BIP) either post-adjudication (CO) or as a part of a specialized pre-adjudication (EI) program for domestic violence offences. Twenty risk factors were compared across the three groups. Primary findings of the study suggest that men who kill their partners are different than men who did not and ...

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury With Girls In Tertiary Care: Implications For Assessment And Treatment, Amanda J. Kerry

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examined what differentiates girls in a residential treatment program who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) from the girls who do not. Participants included 68 females between the ages of 6 to 17 who resided at a tertiary mental health care facility for children and youth. Secondary data from the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI) was employed to measure internalizing and externalizing behaviours, histories maltreatment, and family disruptions. The findings indicate no significant differences between the low, moderate, and high risk groups. However, according to the primary caregivers’ reports, girls who appear to enjoy themselves are less ...

Conjoint Therapy For Intimate Partner Violence Among Aboriginal Couples: Service Providers' Perspectives On Risk And Safety, Ellissa M. Riel

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been studied at length and consists of different forms including emotional, physical and sexual, which in isolation or combination have significant effects on the health of those involved. While there has been research on conjoint therapy for the mainstream population, there is no current research on Aboriginal couples. Interventions for family violence in Aboriginal communities should take a culture-based approach and focus on healing for the whole family. The purpose of this research was to identify risk and safety issues from the perspective of service providers for couples therapy with Aboriginal clients for IPV. A ...

Children's Understanding And Experience Of Anger Within Their Peer Groups, Nicole J. Hamel

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to describe how children understand, experience and express their anger with others in their peer group, from their perspectives. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with third grade students in an elementary school. Children were asked three questions: 1) What did you learn about dealing with anger this week? 2) What are some good/positive things that happened between you and your classmates this week? 3) What are some not so good or negative things that happened between you and your classmates this week? Six themes emerged from analysis of the transcripts of the semi-structured ...

Understanding Gendered Criminal Involvement With A Community-Based Criminal Sample: Assessing Substance Abuse And Mental Health Needs, Stacy Taylor

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored the gendered effect of substance abuse and mental health issues on the pathways to criminal convictions with a criminal population in the community setting. The data was retrieved through a file review of a sample of 48 female and 42 male offenders who received crisis care during a one-year period, at a community corrections agency in a medium-sized urban community in Ontario. The data collected was based upon factors derived from the LSI-R (Andrews & Bonta, 1995) and the Women’s Supplemental Risk/Needs Assessment (Van Voorhis, Wright, Salisbury & Bauman, 2010). Results of the present study revealed gender differences with respect to exit disposition, nature of the offense, psychotropic medications, diagnoses, mental health symptoms, substance use and risk factors. It is hoped that information gathered in this study can be utilized to highlight the complex issues offenders face during their reintegration into society; specifically, the multitude of mental health and substance dependence issues that exist in the lives of offenders.

Understanding Gendered Pathways To Criminal Involvement In A Community-Based Sample: Relevance Of Past Trauma With Female Offenders, Amelia S.Y. Wu

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The study explored the relevance of gender and past trauma on the pathways to criminal justice involvement in a sample of community based offenders (N = 90). The primary focus was on women and their experiences in examining the association between their traumatic past experiences and their current criminal behaviours. Results from correlation and Chi-Square analyses suggested that the presence of past trauma plays a relevant role in understanding criminal justice pathways for all offenders regardless of gender. Findings also indicated that the experience of trauma is an important factor in defining women's experiences with criminal justice in terms of ...

Multicultural Personality, Hardiness, Morale, Distress And Cultural Stress In U.S. Service Members, Catherine Joan Herrera

Doctoral Dissertations

Modern military missions place numerous demands on service members, pushing them to negotiate technical, tactical, personal as well as cultural challenges. Although research in other fields has explored the issue of intercultural stress and resilience, to the author’s knowledge, none of these efforts have empirically examined these concepts in U.S. military samples, despite the frequent expatriation associated with a military career. The purpose of this study was to explore how factors of multicultural personality (Cultural Empathy, Open-Mindedness, Social Initiative, Emotional Stability, and Flexibility) as measured by the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire, relate to hardiness, morale, cultural stress as well ...

Unit Cohesion, Attachment, Personality Factors, And Mental Health In Veterans Of Iraq And Afghanistan, Allison Adrienne Whitesell

Doctoral Dissertations

One hundred forty seven veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and/or Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) completed an internet survey with questions related to unit cohesion, romantic attachment style, personality factors, and mental health symptoms. Participants completed five self-report measures: the PTSD Checklist-Military, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-21, Deployment Social Support scale from the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Short Form, and the International Personality Item Pool Big Five Short Form Questionnaire. Most participants were male and Caucasian. Hierarchical linear regression analysis results indicated that emotional stability predicted both general distress and PTSD symptom severity, while avoidant ...

An Exploration Of Men's Attitudes Regarding Depression And Help-Seeking, Brian Paul Cole

Open Access Theses and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences

Despite significantly higher risk of suicide and co-morbid substance abuse, college age men are far less likely than college age women to seek help when depressed (ACHA, 2010). This “gender gap” has led researchers to suggest that college men are experiencing a mental health crisis (Davies, Shen-Miller, & Isacco, 2010). Several theories have been suggested for this gender gap including: (a) barriers caused by male gender socialization, (b) inaccurate diagnostic criteria, and (c) men experience different symptoms when depressed (Cochran, 2005; Levin & Sanacora, 2007). Additionally, the current researcher hypotheses that fear of femininity is a core aspect of the gender gap. The current study utilized a randomized analogue design with a series of vignettes about men with depression to identify: (a) symptoms that men believe indicate depression, (b) beliefs of about the masculinity and femininity of men experiencing depression, and (c) the influence of gender socialization on psychological help-seeking. This study also evaluated Perlick and Manning’s (2007) Model of Male Help-Seeking. Participants were men (N=366) enrolled at a Midwestern university. A series of ANOVAs revealed that men viewed a vignette character experiencing Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) as “less masculine” and “more feminine” than similar characters reporting symptoms congruent with Major Depressive Disorder-Male Type (MDD-MT; Pollack, 1998), a mix of symptoms of MDD and MDD-MT, and career concerns. Additionally, men identified characters reporting traditional symptoms of MDD as most depressed. As well, a series of linear regressions suggest that adherence to aspects of male gender socialization (i.e., Gender Role Conflict and Conformity to Masculine Norms) are ...

"And Do You Take This Stranger To Be Your Lawfully Wedded Wife?": The Usefulness Of Social Penetration Theory Within Premarital Counseling, Katherine Beich-Forkner

Masters Theses

With fifty percent of today's marriages ending in divorce, one begins to wonder if engaged couples should be more prepared when entering into a marriage commitment. This mixed-methods study investigates the function of social penetration theory within premarital counseling programs. The research was designed to address three questions: (1) Do engaged couples believe they know the depth and breadth of their partner adequately enough to be prepared for marriage after receiving premarital counseling? (2) Do counselors indirectly support the basic premise of social penetration theory by actively using strategies to help engaged partners reveal important aspects of the breadth ...

Adolescents Perceptions Of Victims And Perpetrators Of Cyberbullying, Jasprit K. Pandori

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that occurs through technological means, such as social networking, and instant messaging, among others. It can be constant, and at other times may occur in isolated incidents, but despite the timeline of progression, some scholars argue that the effects are almost always catastrophic (Kowalski, Limber, & Agatston, 2012). The present study examined the behavioural characteristics of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration, along with help seeking behaviours and reporting likelihood amongst adolescents in southwestern Ontario. A mixed methodology was utilized. Quantitative secondary data from a large scale survey completed by a school board in southwestern Ontario ...

Factors Responsible For Work-Life Conflict: A Study Comparing The Teaching And Legal Professions, Waleska A. Vernon

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of work-life conflict (WLC) as experienced by mid-career members of the teaching and legal professions with a view to both determining the extent to which the universal WLC factors identified by previous research apply to specific professions and identifying any WLC factors unique to the teaching and legal fields. Participants included four business law firm lawyers and four teachers working in large urban Ontario settings, all with at least five years of experience working in their field. A phenomenological design using semi-structured interviews was employed. Eight themes were identified for ...

Easy Effective Counseling: A Strategy For Busy Pastors, Benjamin Karner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pastors are expected to counsel various people with various problems. However, in most circumstances, pastors have little time to prepare for counseling sessions and cannot be long-term therapists. Therefore, it is critical for the pastor to be able to quickly and effectively give substantial guidance to counselees. The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a pastoral counseling program with a decision management focus. A survey will be conducted with at least one hundred (100) pastors who engage in counseling as part of their regular ministry duties. This project will develop and communicate a practical counseling approach for ...

Living Out Love In Marriage: Learning And Applying Four Types Of Love To Sustain Marriage, Erroyl Mcginty

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis project is to show married couples, and those who want to be married how to live out God's love in their marriage. We will examine and explain four components of love; Feelings and Physical Love (Eros), Action and Service (Philia), Commitment and Covenant (Storge), and God's Love (Agape). We will show the biblical foundation for each of the four parts. The material used will come from the life experiences from couples of all types of marriages (new, successful, troubled, failing, divorced, separated, recovering, etc.). Much of the research will come from surveys of ...