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The Effectiveness Of Individualized And Rehabilitative Therapies For Children In Foster Care, Alma Pozo-Breen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children placed in foster care face considerable stress and trauma related to being removed from their homes and subsequently living in a new environment. They may exhibit severe disruptive or antisocial behavior as a consequence. Clinicians and researchers often have not considered that these behaviors may be due to children's underdeveloped cognitive control and response. Treatment approaches that offer more holistic perspectives on stress and the inclusion of individual and specialized therapies may help foster children to better control their responses and return to their biological families sooner. The purpose of this study was to focus on whether individual therapy …

Symptom Changes In Children And Adolescents With Internalizing Conditions During Treatment, Rachel Samantha Bertelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental health conditions, such as internalizing disorders, in children and adolescents have been attributed to higher than expected levels of high school dropouts, juvenile crimes, and suicide. Previous research studies provide limited information on factors influencing treatment success for children and adolescents diagnosed with internalizing disorders. This study utilized a nonequivalent comparison group design gathered from an archived data set from a sample of children and adolescents (N = 215) who participated in an intensive outpatient managed mental health care treatment program. Self-report data were retrieved from previous responses to the Children's Depression Inventory and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale …

Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge Of Mental Illness, Nashira Funn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Media and activist groups have recently exposed the problem of negative interactions between law enforcement officers and civilians. Many of these civilians have a mental illness. Various researchers attribute these negative interactions to insufficient officer knowledge of mental illness due to a lack of training, education, and personal experiences. Very little research addresses how insufficient knowledge of mental illness may influence interactions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and analyze self reported law enforcement knowledge using Malcolm Knowles' conceptualization of adult learning theory and andragogy as the theoretical framework. This framework bases self-directed learning/training on a needs …

The Prevalence And Needs Of Homeless Undergraduates At A Large, Urban University, Corissa Carlson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Empirical research has been limited with respect to homelessness among college undergraduates. Research on educational outcomes has been limited to K-12th grade, but what is known points to worse outcomes for people who are homeless. The National Coalition for the Homeless (2014) reported that 75% of homeless or runaway teenagers drop out of school. Furthermore, while federal funding though the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act has been able to help younger students, funding for homeless youth considering or attending college is minimal. Recently, some more attention has been given to this issue through the College Cost Reduction Access Act (CCRAA) which …

Youthful Familicidal Offenders: Targeted Victims, Planned Attacks, Rosa Viñas-Racionero, Louis B. Schlesinger, Mario Scalora, John P. Jarvis

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

A nonrandom national sample of 16 familicides, which involved 19 offenders (ages 14 to 21 years) who either killed or made a serious attempt to kill their families, was studied. The majority of offenders were Caucasian (78.91 %) males (84.21 %) with interpersonal family conflicts due to parental control, substance use, or physical violence. Prior to the murders, 50 % of the offenders reported to others their intent to kill their families. All of the 42 reported victims were specifically targeted and most of the homicides were planned shooting attacks (75 %) rather than spontaneous eruptions. Immediately following the homicides, …

Ugh…Statistics! College Students’ Attitudes And Perceptions Toward Statistics, Drew A. Doyle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Statistics is a course that is required for a majority of undergraduate college students in a wide variety of majors. It is not just required for Statistics or Mathematics majors, but also for those undergraduate college students majoring in Biology, Engineering, Sociology, and countless other majors. It can often be seen as a daunting course, especially for those who feel that mathematics is not their strongest subject. Students begin to dislike the course before even starting and this can carry on throughout the entirety of the course. This thesis will focus primarily on students’ perceptions and attitudes toward their statistics …

Active Bystander Behaviors Among High School Students: The Role Of Co-Occurrence Of Violence Victimization And Perpetration In Personal Violence Prevention, Reiko Ozaki

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Bystander programs aim to prevent personal violence, such as dating violence, sexual violence, sexual harassment, and stalking. They equip community members with skills to stop the violence before it happens by engaging in active bystander behaviors such as speaking up in potentially risky situations or supporting victims. Given that victimization and perpetration of personal violence, including co-occurrence, are common among youth, high schools have begun implementing bystander programs in recent years. This study examined the relationship between high school students’ experience of personal violence and their active bystander behaviors.

Using the social identity approach as a theoretical foundation, this study …

Specialist Program In School Of Psychology Policies And Procedures Handbook, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Leaving "The Life:" Exploring Services For Women Exiting Prostitution, Katherine A. Cascio

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Women in prostitution (WIP) are significantly more likely to experience mental health issues and trauma than the general population (Farley, 2003; Ling, Wong, Holroyd, & Gray, 2007; Rössler et al. 2010; Roxburgh, Degenhardt, & Copeland, 2008). Previous research addressing the mental health of WIP emphasizes treating trauma to help women exit, both trauma that predated entry into prostitution and trauma experienced during prostitution (Carter & Dalla, 2006; Farley, 2003). Very little research is available on services for WIP, leaving psychotherapists with limited guidance on providing effective mental health treatment. Although programs exist exclusively to assist women leaving prostitution, little is …

Measuring Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Behavior Using The Systematic Screening For Behavior Disorders, Megan Ruth Erickson

LSU Master's Theses

As part of school- and district-wide preventative efforts, universal screening serves to identify students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders while their behavior is still amenable to treatment. However, there are few universal screeners available for middle school students, who may be at heightened risk for developing emotional and behavioral difficulties due to major academic and social changes. The Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD), often considered the “gold standard” for behavior screeners, was recently validated for use in middle schools. However, there is little research on the reliability and validity of the SSBD for screening middle school students …

Differentiating Sexual Offender Type On Measures Of Impulsivity And Compulsivity, Tara J. Ryan, Matthew T. Huss, Mario Scalora

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

It is suspected that rapists, child molesters, and offenders with both child and adult victims (mixed offenders) may have different motivations and offending patterns—that they are heterogeneous. A central difference between these groups of offenders may be their propensity toward sexually impulsive behaviors and compulsive behavior. Analyses were conducted to assess the mean differences between the various offender types across four measures related to sensation seeking and compulsivity as well as several other proxy behavioral measures. Results suggest that there are differences in sexual impulsive and compulsive behavior among the different types of offenders. Treatment implications are discussed.

The Sociodemographic Indicators Of Travel Insurance Fraud: Motivations, Emotions, And Behaviours, Gonzalo Díaz-Meneses

Irish Business Journal

This work centres on the study of travel insurance fraud, with the aim of identifying the psychographic and behavioural responses involved in claiming an insurance policy through simulating injury or loss. To be specific, five types of motivation (fun, compensation, revenge, profitability, and family interest), nine types of emotion (love, surprise, disgust, anger, shame, sadness, trust, fear, and pride), and three types of behaviour (without personal damages, at destination, and with personal damages) have been found to be related to travel insurance fraud. In order to facilitate the detection of dishonest claims, the relationship between these psychographic, as well as …

Correctional Officers "Through The Looking Glass": Understanding Perceptions And Their Impact On Personal And Professional Identity, Emma Mistry

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

The external and institutional stressors that correctional officers face while performing their duties, such as managing a demanding workload, staffing shortages, and monitoring potentially dangerous inmates, have received some attention in the literature. However, researchers have not examined correctional officers’ perceptions of how others view their role and professional identity—whether prisoners, their families, or members of the general public—and how these perceptions are believed to influence an officer’s perspective of their work and their well-being. To explore this gap in the literature, this project seeks to analyze whether or not correctional officers sense these perceptions while performing their duties …

Recidivism Rates Among Juveniles With Mental Illness, Kia Chevon Russell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Treating mental illness is imperative to help reduce criminal justice involvement within the juvenile population. Receiving mental health care will help decrease the likelihood for youth to reoffend, ultimately reducing recidivism rates. Past studies showed there are risk factors associated with juveniles and recidivism; however, very few studies have examined what factors are prevalent after services have been received. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that increase the risk of recidivism among juveniles who have received psychiatric stabilization in Harris County, Texas. Risk factors that were assessed included age, gender, ethnicity, and criminal offense. The psychodynamic perspective …

Examining Substance-Use Treatment Utilization Among Incarcerated Women In Central Appalachian Jails, Rae Lyn Glover

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Women in Central Appalachia represent a significant proportion of those engaging in problematic patterns of opioid use, which is concerning given the limited available services in the region and gender specific treatment barriers. This investigation seeks to understand the role of mental health and substance use symptoms among incarcerated Central Appalachian women and build on the conceptual model of substance use treatment utilization purposed by Leukefeld and colleagues (1998). Data for this study was drawn from a larger longitudinal investigation (NIDA 1R01-DA033866) and baseline data collected during initial interviews was analyzed. The sample included 400 women incarcerated at one of …

Pill Poppin’ Nation: Substance Use, Mental Health, And Treatment Among Criminal Justice-Involved African Americans, Joi-Sheree' P. Knighton

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine substance use-related outcomes among criminal justice-involved African Americans using a multiple manuscript format. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deemed nonmedical prescription opioid use an epidemic. National estimates indicate approximately 3.9% of African Americans engage in nonmedical prescription opioid use. Research suggests African Americans involved in the criminal justice system may be significantly at risk of substance use more generally; yet, there are no known estimates of nonmedical opioid use among this subgroup. Rising rates of nonmedical opioid use also has implications for discussing barriers to treatment among socioeconomically marginalized …

Effects Of The Walters Criminal Lifestyle Program On Offenders' Criminal Thinking Styles, Alessandre Singher Singher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have documented the high prevalence of crime in society and the need for programs to assist in the reduction of crime. Social cognitive and criminal lifestyle theories were the two major theoretical frameworks applied to this study due to their focus on the influence of cognitive change on behavioral modifications. A lifestyle approach in such programs reshapes criminal thoughts and transforms criminal behaviors. The efficacy of a lifestyle program in a community correctional facility outside of federal prison walls, modified to run 3 months with parolees and probationers, lacks evidenced research. Using a 2x3 between groups factorial ANCOVA, archival …

Direct Care Provider Perceptions Of Factors Influencing Treatment Motivation Of Dual-Diagnosed Female Offenders, Cara Renee Tilbury

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dual-diagnosed female offenders (DDFOs) present direct care providers with complex psychosocial needs and challenges that result in a serious lack of motivation to attain, sustain, and continue treatment after release from prison. Unsuccessful treatment of DDFOs represents a significant public health and safety risk including continuing criminal acts, increased health care costs, accidents related to substance abuse, and poor reintegration. Through in-depth semistructured interviews with direct care providers, this phenomenological study's focus was on examining the motivational facilitators associated with treatment adherence, barriers to treatment adherence, and approaches for enhancing treatment motivation. Nine major themes emerged from this research, including …

The Risk Principle Paradox: A Multilevel Approach To Examine Which High-Risk Offenders Successfully Change During Rehabilitation Programs, Cole Higley

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The empirically supported risk principle demonstrates that correctional agencies can reduce recidivism by providing greater supervision and rehabilitation services to higher-risk offenders. The current study examined the paradox that offenders with the greatest risk to reoffend also have the most potential to successfully change; yet, little research has examined why some high-risk offenders succeed in programs, while others do not. Analyses examined whether certain demographic, motivation, and rehabilitative group features were related to program performance and post-release recidivism. Results showed that in certain rehabilitation types, statistically significant interactions were observed, such that the relationship between individual risk and outcome (either …

Using Dynamic Risk To Predict Violent Recidivism In "Real Time": Applying A Framework For Proximal Assessment Of Risk Of General Recidivism To Predict Violent Outcomes, Ariel G. Stone

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In correctional psychology, risk factors are offender characteristics and contexts that increase the likelihood of reoffending. Risk is generally conceptualized as being either static or dynamic (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). Static risk factors are variables that cannot change, such as one's criminal history or gender. Dynamic risk factors must, by definition, be able to change across time. Perhaps more importantly, changes in dynamic risk factors must correspond to changes in the likelihood of an offender committing a new offense. Although static risk is a more robust predictor of recidivism, dynamic risk is important, in that it (a) has clearer theoretical …

Do Coaches Practice What They Preach? An Evaluation Of The Usage Of Evidence-Based Practices Among Probation Officer Coaches, Tamara Kang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Probation supervision has the potential to serve a rehabilitative function through the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs; practices supported by empirical research). Often, when administrators adopt EBPs in their agency, these programs may not be implemented with fidelity by probation officers who interact with offenders. Thus, there is a critical need to examine methods of increasing the effectiveness of implementing EBPs among officers. One method, peer mentoring (i.e., coaches), is gaining popularity; however, little is known about the highly-motivated officers who volunteer to be coaches. Consequently, this Dissertation investigates compliance with EBPs among officers who have volunteered to become coaches …

Correctional Mental Health Providers’ Experiences Of Forced Termination On The Working Alliance, Karin Gepp

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This is a study of the experiences of forced terminations in correctional facilities, particularly their impact on the working alliance between mental health service providers and incarcerated patients. The study includes an introduction to the research problem and its context, followed by a discussion of the literature on the working alliance in psychotherapy, conditions of forced terminations in the treatment of the incarcerated, the problem of forced termination and the working alliance in the correctional settings, and the study’s research methodology. The research methodology is qualitative and includes semi-structured interviews of providers in correctional settings and an analysis of these …

Black Police Uniforms Implicitly Increase Hostile Perceptions And Behavior, Amber Kristin Lupo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Use of excessive, and sometimes deadly, force by U.S. law enforcement officers is a critical and costly problem. An enclothed cognition framework suggests that clothing, such as a uniform, can implicitly affect cognitive processing and behavior of the wearer (Adam & Galinsky, 2012). Previous research demonstrated that darker clothing implicitly affects judgments and behavior in two ways. First, persons who wear darker clothing are perceived more negatively (Vrig, 1997; Vrig & Akehurst, 1997). Second, actors wearing darker colored clothing demonstrate greater aggressive behavior than actors wearing lighter colored clothing (Frank & Gilovich, 1988; Peña, Hancock, & Merola, 2009). The present …

Effects Of Gender Stereotypes On Judgments Of Career Tracks, Scott Frankowski

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Occupational gender role stereotypes may impact how others evaluate the career choices of women and men. Women more so than men are employed in occupations that are viewed as communal. Men more so than women are employed in occupations that are viewed as agentic. In the first experiment, participants evaluated the career paths of male and female targets when the targets were considering a career change to a gender role congruent, incongruent, or gender role neutral career path. Female targets' career choices were evaluated more favorably in gender role congruent versus incongruent career tracks. Female targets' career choices were also …

Self-Serving Cognitive Distortions, Externalizing Behaviors, And School Exclusion Among Adolescents With Emotional Disturbance, Claudia Hernandez

Dissertations

Students of color and students with disabilities, especially those with Emotional Disturbance (ED), are at increased risk for exclusionary discipline and juvenile justice involvement (Skiba, Arredondo & Williams, 2014). Within exclusionary discipline research, students' behaviors and discipline referrals are examined, but students' maladaptive thinking patterns or cognitive distortions remain largely unexplored. Within juvenile justice research, however, the cognitive distortions of incarcerated youth have been widely studied. The overarching hypothesis for the current study was that students' self-serving cognitive distortions would be related to their externalizing behaviors, as measured by office discipline referrals (ODRs), and these ODRs would be related to …

Impact Of Visitation With Incarcerated Fathers On Behavioral Adjustment Among Children In The Foster Care System, Lauren Ashley Hindt

Master's Theses

This study sought to examine whether in-person visitation with incarcerated fathers related to less behavioral problems among children in foster care. The sample consisted of 282 youth (M = 10.18, SD = 2.36 years). Data were collected from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling revealed paternal incarceration was associated with increased externalizing slope trajectories (ß1515 = .18, p = .025), but not internalizing. African American youth had lower externalizing slope trajectories compared to the remainder of the sample (ß20 = -.14, p = .032). The association between paternal incarceration and externalizing was attenuated …

Developmental Assets And Outcomes: An Analysis Of Male Serious Juvenile Offenders To Promote Evidence Based Approaches For Rehabilitation, Danielle Jordan Nesi

Master's Theses

Positive youth development is an approach that seeks to enhance and promote young people's developmental progress. Although there has been a shift toward asset building in rehabilitation of delinquent youth, research on positive youth development has historically focused on children at risk of adverse outcomes, rather than those who are already engaged in criminal behavior. Without knowledge about the distribution of assets among delinquent youth and the relations of these assets to outcomes later in life, it is unclear if interventions based on research of developmental assets among at-risk youth are appropriate for justice-involved youth. The 40 Developmental Assets (Search …

Measuring Aggressive Behavior Perceptions, Tammarra Jones

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Model For Implementing Residential Mental Health Treatment In Nys Correctional Settings, Lauren K. Gillis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Like the community, correctional institutions have been ill-prepared in providing care to persons with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) who engage in combative behaviors, in what generally seems to amount to innocuous social interactions. These persons have been increasingly incarcerated over the past several decades because of violent behaviors, severely complicating the effort to provide effective mental health treatment for this population. Even though correctional residential mental health units have been instituted, successfully implementing what works has shown to be, at best, transient in these settings. Through the emergence of implementation science principles, though, there is now a pathway to implement …

Men's Sexual Coerciveness, Perceptions Of Women's Attachment, And Dating Preferences, Lucie Holmgreen, Debra L. Oswald

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This study examined whether sexually coercive men are uniquely drawn to certain attachment styles in women. Specifically, it employed an experimental design to investigate what sorts of inferences men draw about women based on women's attachment styles and whether a woman's attachment style may serve as an indicator of vulnerability, rendering sexually coercive men more attracted to some women than to others. One-hundred thirty-six college men completed a measure of sexual coerciveness and answered questions about personal ads experimentally manipulated for portrayed attachment style. Findings suggest that sexually coercive men may be more attracted to women with characteristics associated with …