Health Psychology Commons^™

Cognitive Functioning, Depression, And Strengths As Predictors Of Quality Of Life In Multiple Sclerosis, Tara Annthea Crouch

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at significant risk for decreased quality of life, partly due to associated cognitive impairment (Højsgaard Chow et al., 2018). A discrepancy often exists between objective and perceived measures of cognitive impairment (Middleton et al., 2006); the paths through which they predict quality of life for MS patients remain unclear (Baumstarck-Barrau, et al., 2011). Objective cognitive functioning as well as one’s perceptions of it may differentially impact quality of life, and therefore may or may not act through the same mechanisms to impact quality of life. Depression is one possible mediator known to impact ...

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Peer Engagement And Knowledge (Peak): A Community-Based Group Intervention For Youth In Hawai‘I, Jennifer T. T. Ho

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation with a mixed methods design that evaluated the effectiveness of Peer Engagement and Knowledge (PEAK), a six-week community-based group intervention that incorporates mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to address multiple health behaviors for multiracial youth in Hilo, Hawai‘i. A total of 51 youth, ages 12-23 years old, participated in this study which included pre-/posttest analyses of health risk factors such as substance use and depression and health promoting factors such as resilience, self-esteem, and mindfulness. Responses from two subsets of participants, who engaged in a focus group (n = 11) and composed gratitude letters (n ...

The Effects Of Conflicting Information On Dieting Self-Efficacy And Motivation, Vivian Wei Lin Leung, Janet Trammell Dr., Elizabeth Mancuso Dr.

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The amount of information about different diet trends today could be overwhelming, and this may lead to confusion of the general public on whether or not one could eat healthily. This current study attempted to see the relationship among self-efficacy, motivation, and dieting, along with the possible gender influence. We hypothesized that (a) people’s level of motivation and self-efficacy would be lower when presented with conflicting information about healthy eating, in comparison to consistent information about healthy eating, and (b) gender would influence one’s level of self-efficacy and motivation when presented with conflicting dietary information, compared to consistent ...

An Assessment Of Current Resources To Help Adolescents Quit Vaping, Karen Del'olio, Nanette Vitali, Lori Pbert

Community Engagement and Research Symposia

Background: E-cigarette use, more commonly known as vaping to our youth, has been a growing epidemic with adolescents in the United States. The recent advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General emphasizes that we must act now to protect the health of our nation’s youth from a lifetime of nicotine addiction. According to a recent 2018 Center for Disease Control MMWR article , more than 3 million high school students (grades 9 – 12) and 570,000 middle school students (grades 6 – 8) in the United States are currently vaping; defined as ≥ 1 e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Researchers from ...

Decreasing Social Isolation In Adults Via A Cognitive Wellness Program, Lisa Yauch-Cadden, Kari Star, Paula Shiner

Community Engagement and Research Symposia

In October 2015, Buzzards Bay Speech Therapy and Coastline Elderly Services, Inc, collaborated to address concerns regarding healthy aging in New Bedford. According to the 2014 Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report, New Bedford scored lowest in the state with regard to healthy aging, with 31 health indicators worse than the state average, including depression, mental illness, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Recognizing that these indicators can lead to social isolation and further exacerbate health concerns, we developed a program focusing on cognitive wellness in order to enhance social engagement. The goal of the program is to provide evidenced based interventions ...

Taking Time To B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Strategies For Strengthening Staff And Student Well-Being, Joelle Hood

National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah

When students and staff experience chronic stress, it negatively impacts their motivation, performance, and wellbeing, Participants in this engaging workshop will walk away with simple research-based practices from the fields of Mindfulness and Positive Psychology, that they can utilize with both themselves and students to reduce stress and anxiety, improve attention and performance, and strengthen overall physical and psychological well-being.

Recovery Experiences Bridge The Gap Between Volunteering And Work Outcomes, Kaitlin Fosler

Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This study examined the relationship between volunteer work demands, recovery experiences, and work outcomes. The mental and physical demands of the volunteer work influenced the recovery experiences of psychological detachment and mastery. Further, mastery experiences positively impacted organizational commitment while both mastery and control positively impacted work engagement.

Essential Skills For Family Medicine Residents Practicing Integrated Behavioral Health: A Delphi Study, Matt Martin, Leslie Allison, Elizabeth Banks, David Bauman, Jennifer Harsh, Amber L. Hewitt, Linda Myerholtz, Max Zubatsky, Larry Mauksch

Center for Integrated Primary Care Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are several trends compelling physicians to acquire team-based skills for interprofessional care. One underdeveloped area of team-based skills for physicians is integrated behavioral health (IBH) in primary care. We used a Delphi method to explore what skills were needed for residents to practice integrated behavioral health.

METHODS: We conducted a literature review of IBH competencies and found 41 competencies across seven domains unique to physicians. Using a modified Delphi technique, we recruited family medicine educators to rate each competency as "essential," "compatible," or "irrelevant." We also shared findings from the Delphi study with a focus group ...

The Weathering Hypothesis: Sociocultural And Biological Factors Of Postpartum Depression Among Black Women, Anna Van Beusekom

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Black women experience higher rates of PPD than their White counterparts. To date, no one has linked experiences of racism and discrimination, the impacts racism and discrimination have on allostatic load, and the subsequent process of weathering to the elevated levels of PPD in Black women. However, the Weathering Hypothesis can be utilized to explain the higher rates of PPD seen in Black women via the interactions between sociocultural factors and biological factors.

미투 운동은 성매매도 포함하여야 한다 (#Metoo Must Include Prostitution), Melissa Farley

Dignity: A Journal on Sexual Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Exercise Partner Attractiveness On Mood, Enjoyment, And Exertion, Thomas G. Plante, Sarah Gregg, Jaclyn Rubbo, Thomas Favero, Ashley Morisako, Jessica Cuadra

Thomas G Plante PhD, ABPP

Social comparison theory was used to examine if males exercising with a female research confederate posing as either attractive or unattractive would alter their exercise mood, exertion, and enjoyment. A total of 101 college students (51 males and 51 females) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: biking alone, biking with an attractive female confederate, or biking with the same female confederate appearing unattractive. All participants were instructed to complete 20 minutes of exercise at 60%-70% of their maximum target heart rate. Standard exercise mood measures (e.g., Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List) were administered immediately prior to and ...

Cancer Blog Narratives: The Experience Of Under-Fifty Women With Breast Cancer During Different Times After Diagnosis, Maria Luisa Martino, Anna Gargiulo, Daniela Lemmo, Giorgia Margherita

The Qualitative Report

The recent literature shows an increase of breast cancer in women under 50, however still few are the studies which analyse the impact of the disease in this specific target age. This study aims at exploring the most prevalent topics in Italian cancer blogs of women who have received a breast cancer diagnosis before the age of 50, in order to understand their experience of illness and the characteristics of women’s narrations at different times after diagnosis (1 year, 2 years, 3 years). We collected the textual corpus of 4 Italian breast cancer blogs and performed a thematic analysis ...

Limitations Of Sensory Systems (Loss) Assessment, Clarissa E. Steffen Ed.D.

Faculty Scholarship

This checklist is designed to assess the degree of loss in families with children who experience sensory system impairments and in specific issues with limitations to insight and awareness of self and others. There are 100 items in the checklist and the lower the score the higher degree of loss experienced. This is a pilot paper for this assessment of losses experienced within families who have children with sensory limitations, and it is designed to gather input on the following factors.

Construct, Trait, Skills or Competency

Primary Factor

• Integrative Reason

Insight, awareness, clarity of thought

• Eco-System Development

Individuation, environmental ...

An Indentured Servant: The Impact Of Green Card Waiting Time On The Life Of Highly Skilled Indian Immigrants In The United States Of America, Pooja B. Vijayakumar, Christopher J. L. Cunningham

Industrial and Organizational Psychology Translational Research and Working Papers

Highlighting the archaic immigration system in the United States of America (US), the present study demonstrates for the first time the impact of green card waiting time on the work and family life of Indian immigrants living in the US. Our present findings show that 93.4% of our participants are very concerned about the estimated green card waiting time in the US. We find 70% of the total participants are seriously thinking at the present time about emigrating to a more visa-friendly country. Also, 30% of the participants have already applied for permanent residency in a visa friendly country ...

Medical Mistrust, Hiv-Related Conspiracy Beliefs, And The Need For Cognitive Closure Among Urban-Residing African American Women: An Exploratory Study, Jennifer Rae Myers Phd, Kelsey Ball Phd, Sharlene L. Jeffers Ma, William B. Lawson Md, Phd, Dlfapa,Pa

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Despite advances regarding access to care and overall treatment, medical mistrust remains an important factor regarding clinical research participation as well as prevention/treatment-seeking behaviors among African American women. Such attitudes may be a result of psychosocial variables such as HIV-related conspiracy endorsement as well as a need for cognitive closure (NFCC) that reinforces their beliefs of interpersonal and institutional discrimination. To explore how well these psychosocial factors predict medical mistrust, thirty-five urban-residing African American women completed a demographics survey, the Medical Mistrust Index (MMI), a HIV-related conspiracy beliefs survey, and the Need for Closure Scale (NFCS). Results showed that ...

Moderating Effects Of Posttraumatic Growth On Suicidal Ideation After Combat Exposure, Matthew A. Strader

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The suicide rate in the United States has risen since 1999 (Curtin, Warner, & Hedegaard, 2016). This increase may be a distinct problem for military service members who may have an additional risk through combat exposure (Bryan et al., 2015). There is a need to identify protective factors for suicide broadly and specifically for military service members and veterans. There is emerging evidence that posttraumatic growth may be a protective factor for suicide ideation possibly buffering the effects of combat exposure on suicide ideation (Bush, Skopp, McCann, & Luxton, 2011). The current study was designed to further examine the relationship between combat ...

Psychological Factors Related To Resilience And Vulnerability Among Youth With Hiv In An Integrated Care Setting., Tiffany Chenneville, Kemesha Gabbidon, Courtney Lynn, Carina Rodriguez

Faculty Publications

Approximately 22% of HIV diagnoses in 2015 occurred among youth aged 13–24. Much is known about the risk factors and psychopathology present in youth living with HIV (YLWH), however, relatively little is known about resiliency in this population. The current study sought to assess factors related to resilience and vulnerability among YLWH as well as the impact of psychosocial factors on these constructs using existing clinical data from an integrated care clinic serving YLWH in the southeastern United States. Data included findings from mental health screeners administered as part of the standard protocol of care for youth aged 13 ...

Examining Nurse Resiliency & A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention To Prevent Nurse Burnout, Allegra Grannell

Posters

Nurses continually give of themselves at work, as well as outside of work. This results in extensive stress, physiological distress, and ultimately burnout for individuals in the nursing profession. Nurses that work in high-stress environments, such as critical care, pediatrics, and oncology, are at a significantly increased risk of manifesting physical and psychological symptoms of burnout syndrome, compassion fatigue, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many of these factors are leading to nurses leaving the profession prematurely, resulting in significantly high turnover rates. High burnout and turnover rates of nurses result in the lack of adequate nursing staff in hospitals, which ...

A Behavioral Confirmation And Reduction Of The Natural Versus Synthetic Drug Bias, Brian P. Meier, Amanda J. Dillard, Eric S. Osorio, Courtney M. Lappas

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research reveals a biased preference for natural versus synthetic drugs; however, this research is based upon self-report and has not examined ways to reduce the bias. We examined these issues in five studies involving 1,125 participants. In a Pilot Study (N = 110), participants rated the term natural to be more positive than the term synthetic, which reveals a default natural-is-better belief. In Studies 1 (N = 109) and 2 (N = 100), after a supposed personality study, participants were offered a thank you “gift” of a natural or synthetic pain reliever. Approximately 86% (Study 1) and 93% (Study 2) of participants ...

Beneficial Mourning By Inmates Who Have Lost A Significant Person, James Bradley Shoemaker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Incarceration is already replete with loss before someone of significance to an inmate dies. The prison environment challenges every aspect of grieving, and failing to effectively mourn pathologizes grief, reduces quality of living, and results in behaviours that cause recidivism. It is a poignant interaction between this researcher in his role as a chaplain and a particular inmate that provides the impetus for this study. This study begins with a qualitative meta-synthesis that examined 10 qualitative articles and dissertations published over the last 30 years to explore how some inmates manage to effectively grieve the loss of a significant person ...