Digital Commons Network^™

Trajectories Of Depression Severity In The First Semester Of College, Nicole A. Kelso

Theses and Dissertations

Depression is a major public health concern among students in higher education. Prior work suggests that depressive symptoms increase during the transition to college. Transfer students face unique challenges during the transition to a new academic institution that may make them particularly vulnerable. There is a critical need to expand prevention efforts. Research that improves identification of students at greatest risk for developing impairing depressive symptoms, and etiological processes contributing to depressive symptoms could aid in the provision of limited prevention resources. Furthermore, longitudinal research tracking symptom trajectories during the transition to college could help inform the timing of preventive …

Differences In Risk And Protective Factors For Suicide In Latinx And White Lgb Adults, Maria Hernandez

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Suicide in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) adults is on the rise, as well as those that identify as Latinx LGB. To identify those at risk and prevent future suicide, researchers rely heavily on risk and protective factors to determine those individuals that may be more susceptible to suicide. However, the existing research on these factors is very limited and has been hyper focused on internalizing factors that contribute to suicide risk. Additionally, research in LGB and Latinx populations is limited because researchers have focused mostly on White and heterosexual populations. This study identifies one risk and one protective factor …

Evaluating The Epidemiological, Hormonal, And Psychosocial Sex-Based Differences In Sports-Related Concussion Outcomes, Samantha Kanny

All Dissertations

Sports-related concussions (SRCs) affect approximately 3.8 million athletes in the United States per year. A multitude of risk factors including age, sex, concussion history and prior medical conditions have been observed to significantly increase sports-related concussion symptom burden. Researchers have posited many reasons to explain sex-based differences in SRC outcomes, often categorized by biological characteristics or sociocultural factors, however, females are vastly underrepresented in sports-related concussion research, making it difficult to understand the true mechanisms underlying SRC sex-based differences. The goal of this dissertation is to help fill the current gap in knowledge on sex-based differences in sports-related concussion outcomes. …

Stress-Induced Oxytocin Reactivity As A Predictor Of Daily Support Seeking After Stress, Cecile Sunahara

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined whether stress-induced peripheral oxytocin (OT) was associated with support-seeking behaviors after stress in daily life. Healthy male and female participants (N=94) performed a standardized laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and then completed two weeks of daily assessments of support seeking after stress. In line with preregistered hypotheses, plasma OT reactivity to the TSST (indexed as the area under the curve with respect to increase; AUCi) was associated with more frequent support seeking behaviors following stress in daily life. Moreover, this association was stronger for individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety, relative to …

Family Conflict & Children's Problem Behaviors: A Bidirectional Analysis Across Emerging Adolescence, Lauren Aaron

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that living in a family high in negative and hostile conflict is detrimental to children’s adjustment. As youth transition into adolescence, their desire for more autonomy can lead to changes in the family dynamic, such as increased family conflict. What is lesser known are the ways in which families may differ in how conflict changes during this time, how these differences may influence adjustment, and whether having a child with problem behaviors may lead to increases in family conflict.

The present studies used four waves of data from the Adolescent Brain & Cognitive Development study, an ongoing …

Homelessness, Trauma, And Drug Use As Contributing Factors To Increased Sentencing, Elise N. Whitlock

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Mass incarceration has been a pervasive issue in American society with longstanding effects on individuals and their communities. Several factors have been shown to intensify these effects and contribute to the cycle of recidivism, such as homelessness, trauma, and drug use. The current study investigated the association between these and several other factors and the number of sentences an individual had received in their lifetime. A cross-sectional sample (N= 24,808, 25% female) of adult inmates from the periodic Survey of Prison Inmates was used to test these hypotheses. Exploratory factor analysis and subsequent regressions indicated a significant association between higher …

The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resiliency & Perceived Stress Regarding Academic Success Among Undergraduate Students, Leslie Simon

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study explores the complex interplay between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resilience, perceived stress, and their collective impact on academic success among undergraduate students. It aims to assess the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and investigate how they correlate with academic outcomes. The research focuses on the mediating role of resilience and the moderating effect of perceived stress in this relationship. Utilizing a quantitative approach, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of these dynamics and their implications for educational policies and mental health interventions. The goal is to inform strategies that enhance resilience, reduce stress, and support …

The Effect Of Animal-Assisted Therapy On Prosocial Behaviors In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Developmental Delay: A Pilot Study, Emma Mitchell

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction, nonverbal communication, and repetitive patterns (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). Indeed, autistic individuals have been shown to have greater challenges with developing, maintaining, and understanding social relationships which can persist over their lifetime. Early intervention services are recommended for autistic children when they are young to help promote positive skills to enhance their functioning within society and increase their wellbeing over time. This is an especially pressing issue as ASD rates are rising – with the latest data now suggesting 1 in 36 children have the …

Utilizing Art Therapy To Address Perfectionism In Patients Suffering From Eating Disorders: The Need To Diversify Treatment Approaches, Zara Goldberg

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Perfectionistic behaviors are highly common in people with eating disorders. This study investigates the relationship between perfectionism, shame, and the ways in which art therapy can be utilized as a primary tool in eating disorder treatment. Based on the research below and the results of this study, integrating art therapy protocols in combination with talk based theoretical work around perfectionism can improve recovery and decrease struggles with perfectionism in persons with eating disorders. Patients at a residential eating disorder center participated in four consecutive weekly group therapy sessions that integrated art therapy protocols into a preexisting talk therapy based group …

The Art Of Hoarding: Hoarding Behavior As It Relates To Art Engagement, Amanda Carr

Honors College Theses

There has been a long history of artists as collectors, amassing objects as both part of their creative process and for personal enjoyment. However, it remains to be seen if some of the more extreme collecting tendencies of artists may be instead classified as hoarding. Although, there has been some examination of the relationship between artists and creativity to hoarding, there is a dearth of empirical investigation into the relationship between art engagement and hoarding behavior. Further, artists’ and hoarding behavior are mutually associated with some personality traits and cognitive functions. Given such parallels and the overall lack of research …

The Role Of Attachment And Childhood Trauma For Men Parenting During The Reentry Phase: A Mixed Methods Secondary Analysis, Lily A. Hoerner

Master's Theses

Mass incarceration is a major problem in the U.S., with people of color being the ones most affected by it. Most of the people who are incarcerated are men, and a stark number of these men are parents. Reentry is a critical period for people released where they return home to their communities and families and have to reintegrate into life outside of prison. The recidivism rate in the U.S. is the highest of any other nation, making reentry an important area of focus to help repair the harms caused by mass incarceration. Many men who return home from incarceration …

Dazed & Confused... And... Psychotic?, Judy Ann Clausen, Joanmarie I. Davoli, Benjamin W. Lacy Md

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article examines marijuana’s impact on developing brains. Secondly, this Article explores the Green Rush – the rise of the multibillion-dollar marijuana industry and the media and legal environment that unleashed massive marijuana commercialization. The Article compares decriminalization with commercialization, illustrating that it is possible to address social justice concerns of arrests, incarceration, and criminal records for marijuana use without unleashing a multibillion-dollar industry that markets to youth. The Article concludes by exploring approaches from Australia, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, all of which continue to criminalize marijuana, in part because they have observed the U.S. Green Rush and its …

Using Empathy To Shift Climate Change Attitudes., Carson Haller

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

It has shifted from a hunch to an existential threat, it is a harbinger of disaster and bankruptcy, backed by science, and yet a considerable portion of Americans still believe that climate change is a hoax. It is becoming increasingly imperative to convince this portion to join the fight. It has been found that empathy is an effective method of persuasion, prompting the question of whether empathy could be used shift climate change attitudes. The hypothesis of this study was that if a person feels empathy for somebody harmed by the effects of climate change, they will be more willing …

How Many Parents Regret Having Children?, Payton M. Wooster

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The present study experimentally investigates the number of parents who truly regret having their children. By using an unmatched count technique developed by Gervais and Njale (2020), participants (N = 751) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: an experimental “yes/no” agreement condition, the “target statement present” counting condition, and the “target statement not present” counting condition. Participants were also asked different questions regarding marital status, whether they had a disorder diagnosis, had a history of their parents being divorced, and other suspected moderator variables. Regret of having children was reported significantly less compared to previous studies (Piotrowski et …

Housing As A Determinant Of Health: Exploring The Role Of Housing And Homelessness Organizations In Increasing Access To Resources And Overcoming Barriers To Adequate And Healthy Homes, Jennifer C. Martin

Master's Theses

Across the United States, there are a multitude of barriers that stand in the way of obtaining adequate housing and additional resources that can assist with accessing housing. These barriers disproportionately impact low-income individuals and communities (Gold, 2016), and further contribute to inequity by negatively impacting the health of these individuals and communities (Swope & Hernández, 2019; Taylor, 2018). The current study explores housing organizations’ potential role in overcoming these barriers by focusing on the work of one housing organization in the Greater New Haven and Fairfield Counties of Connecticut: New Reach. 17 participants enrolled in New Reach programs were …

A Qualitative And Quantitative Review Of The Terms "Job" And "Organization" From The Employee's Perspective, Nirvana Mejia

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study explores how employees perceive workplace constructs like job satisfaction and differentiate them between their job and organization. It highlights the importance of avoiding mistaken associations, known as the "jingle fallacy," which can oversimplify workplace dynamics. The research includes two studies, one qualitative with 12 participants discussing their job and organization, and one quantitative with 197 to 252 participants assessing job satisfaction dimensions. Findings indicate that people generally mention tasks when discussing their job and broader organizational aspects when discussing their organization. The majority of job satisfaction dimensions fall into a mixed category, with Regular Tasks being the only …

The Link Between Gender, Sexual Orientation, And The Perception Of Cheating Behaviors, Rachel Sivan Anca

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

A unique challenge bisexuality faces within the LGBTQIA+ community is bisexual erasure. The legitimacy of bisexuality is often questioned, with bisexual men being seen as “actually gay” and bisexual women as “actually straight” (Matsick & Rubin, 2018; Petsko & Vogler, 2023; Yost & Thomas, 2012). Additionally, research regarding bisexual stigmatization has found a gender disparity, with reports of more negative attitudes toward bisexual men compared to bisexual women (Feinstein et al., 2022; Yost & Thomas, 2012). This study aimed to explore perceptions of cheating behavior and sexual orientation in relation to gender. Participants (N = 264) were presented with scenarios …

Multicultural Competency In Police And Public Safety Evaluations, Kenny Gonzalez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

With the changing demographics of the United States (US), police and public safety (PPS) psychologists are examining a more diverse PPS candidate pool. While previous research has found questionable culturally competent practices in specialties like forensic psychology practice, little is known about such practices among PPS assessment psychologists—the very specialist who screen prospective employees for public safety positions, like police officers, firefighters, and dispatchers. Accordingly, the current study investigated diversity, multicultural competence, bias, and debiasing strategies among PPS psychologists. A set of exploratory aims investigated the convergent validity of the Modern Racism Scale (MRS), an ad-hoc measure of attitudes toward …

Client Treatment Preferences In Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy For Depression In Participants With Depressive Symptoms, Alyssa B. Oliva

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Research on psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), a promising treatment option for major depression, has not revealed if potential clients show preferences about the demographic characteristics of providers comparable to those common in other forms of psychotherapy. Previous work suggests that honoring comparable client preferences can enhance therapeutic outcomes. This study aims to investigate the importance ratings for a same-gender and a same-race therapist in both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and PAT.

Clarifying The Relationship Between Weight Suppression And Eating Psychopathology: The Role Of Fear Of Weight Gain And Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Danielle Elizabeth Peters

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: Weight suppression (WS), the discrepancy between a person’s highest and current body weight, is largely associated with eating pathology in clinical and non-clinical samples. WS may put individuals in a biobehavioral bind: biological factors may drive the body toward weight regain, which in turn drives eating disorder (ED) behaviors in an attempt to prevent weight regain. However, few studies have examined psychological factors that may play a role in the biobehavioral bind of WS. As such, the present study aimed to (1) whether WS was associated with fear of weight gain (FOWG) and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and (2) …

The Role Of Self-Determination Theory In Explaining The Relationship Of Challenge Demands With Engagement And Burnout, Andrew Decesare

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation sought to provide a more cohesive theoretical basis for the appraisal of challenge demands and demonstrate that engagement manifests through authentic self-expression in addition to the employment of personal energetic resources. Research has substantiated that employees can appraise the same job demands differently. However, the factors influencing the appraisal process has garnered limited focus to this point. Using self-determination theory as a basis, it was hypothesized that employees’ perceptions of challenge demands would be based on the aspirations (i.e., life goals) they valued and the level of autonomy they were afforded in their job. Employees who made greater …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of A Self-Paced, Online Workshop Targeting Self-Compassion Skills For Emerging Adults With Disordered Eating, Arielle Wolinsky

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The present paper includes two studies that explored the relevancy of self-compassion to emerging adults, expectancies of having a self-compassion mindset on disordered eating, and the prospective and concurrent acceptability and feasibility of a self-paced, online workshop targeting self-compassion skills for emerging adults with disordered eating. Study 1 was a cross- sectional study examining emerging adults’ understanding of self-compassion, expectancies of having a self-compassion mindset on disordered eating, and the feasibility and prospective acceptability of a proposed self-paced, online workshop targeting self-compassion skills for emerging adults with disordered eating. Study 1’s findings were incorporated into the design and implementation of …

Relating Perception And Memory For A Novel Set Of Reconfigurable Auditory Stimuli, Nathan Francis Gillespie

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although real-life events are complex and temporally extended, most memory research employs discrete, static stimuli presented in the visual modality. We begin to bridge this gap using a novel set of auditory stimuli constructed by adjusting the distribution of power across upper frequency bands. Across three experiments, participants rated similarity between pairs of sounds and engaged in a recognition memory task. We applied non-metric multidimensional scaling to similarity ratings to obtain a three-dimensional psychological representation of the stimuli. The representation inferred from the similarity ratings predicted recognition memory performance for single probe sounds following sequential presentation of two sounds. Recognition …

Social Determinants Of Health As A Correlate Of Patient And Clinical Characteristics In Community Mental Health Care, Syed Aajmain

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Social determinants of health (SDOH) are conditions in the environment in which people live and work that influence health risks and outcomes. These include a range of social, economic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors such as food insecurity, hazardous housing, and financial resource strain. Such factors account for variance in numerous health outcomes, including life expectancy and quality of life. Studies on university student populations also demonstrate that unmet SDOH needs are associated with poorer self-assessed general health as well as higher anxiety and depression symptom severity. However, little is known about SDOH in the context of routine outpatient psychotherapy …

Does Appearance Matter? The Relationship Of Perceived Body Size And Physical Appearance On Students' Attraction To Physical Activity At Recess, Danielle Belcher

Master's Theses

Drastic declines in recess physical activity (PA) have been observed within recent years (Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2017). Due to recess’ discretionary nature, psychosocial variables associated with PA are predictors of students’ PA levels. Recess is also a time of heightened bullying occurrences (Vaillancourt et al., 2010). Appearance-based bullying is the most common type of victimization that occurs in schools, transpiring more often in children with larger body max indexes (BMI), and possibly altering students’ physical self-perceptions. Physical self-perceptions have been shown to impact PA motivation, however, it is still unknown the extent to which appearance-based bullying, body size, …

Psychological Mediation Of Minority Stress And Health: Exploration Of Risk Factors In Lgbq College Students, Kyndal Grammer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have documented pervasive physical and mental health disparities among individuals holding a marginalized identity, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ). Heterosexism in the forms of harassment, rejection, and discrimination likely increases minority stress, which is theorized to contribute to documented health disparities. One group that may be particularly vulnerable to effects of heterosexist discrimination, harassment, and rejection is LGBQ college students, especially those who identify as first-generation and were raised in rural environments. The current study aimed to evaluate relationships between LGBQ discrimination, depression, and physical health outcomes at the bivariate level, …

The Implications, Magnitude, And Development Of Traumatic Brain Injury For Individuals Undergoing Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder, Hannah G. Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an established bidirectional relation between substance use and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Despite the high rate of prescribing opioids for pain management following a TBI and the epidemic of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States, scarce research has specifically analyzed the association between TBI and OUD. In a series of three interrelated manuscripts, the present study will first examine the prevalence and features of TBIs among persons seeking treatment for OUD. Next, the present study will evaluate the association between TBI and indicators of risky health behaviors and OUD severity, including the risk of overdose and …

Symptom Clusters In Individuals Seeking Treatment For Gambling Disorder, Blaine Stiglets

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) presents the criteria for Gambling Disorder (GD) as a unidimensional construct where each additional symptom corresponds to increased severity. Many individuals experience addiction symptoms in specific symptom clusters, with membership to one profile of symptoms or other better-representing disorder severity than raw symptom counts. This study explored whether similarly informative symptom clusters exist among adults seeking treatment for gambling harms. The sample included 444 adults (Mage= 44.95) who completed an assessment of DSM criteria for GD at intake. Through a latent class analysis of GD criteria, three …

Do Emotion Dysregulation And Internalized Shame Mediate The Relationship Between Borderline Personality Disorder Symptomology And Criminal Involvement?, Madison Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and debilitating mental disorder that is over-represented within the criminal legal system (CLS), with 15-29.5% of individuals in the CLS meeting criteria. However, little research has examined mechanisms leading to criminal involvement within this population. Potential mechanisms include positive/negative emotion dysregulation and internalized shame, which (aside from positive emotion dysregulation) have been linked to criminal involvement in other populations. Research has yet to examine these constructs as mechanisms explaining criminal involvement among individuals with BPD. This study examined positive/negative emotion dysregulation and internalized shame as mechanisms of the relationship between BPD and criminal …

Effects Of Age And Gender On Perceptions On Victims Of Financial Exploitation, Kathleen Hillman

Honors Theses

A report by the Center for Victim Research shows that younger adults are more often victims of general and identity fraud (Irvin-Erickson & Ricks, 2019, p. 9); however, research conducted on financial exploitation focuses heavily on older adults. However, a recent study by Gunderson and colleagues (2021) found that older and younger adults are highly susceptible to financial exploitation. The purpose of the current study is to determine if perceptions of vulnerability to financial exploitation vary by the age of the victim. A sample of undergraduate participants will be recruited from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga through an online …