Digital Commons Network^™

Predictors Of Outcome Of Surgery For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Clayton T. Manning

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wrist surgery is a common method for treating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) although few studies have examined patient outcomes or predictive correlates of such procedures. The objectives of this study were to characterize Utah workers who received surgery for CTS in terms of relevant presurgical and outcome variables and to identify presurgical correlates of patient outcomes. Participants were 75 Utah workers' compensation patients who underwent surgery for CTS from 1999-2002 and were at least 6 months postsurgery at time of follow-up. A retrospective cohort design was utilized consisting of a review of presurgical medical records and a postsurgical telephone survey. …

Developmental Changes In The Structure Of Affect: Is The Tripartite Model Equally Valid For Younger And Older Children?, Bryan B. Bushman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many studies investigating the validity of the Tripartite model of affect in children have been supportive of the model. However, few studies have examined if older and younger children structure affect similarly. The current study used confirmatory factor analytic techniques (SEM) to test the validity of the tripartite model in two developmentally distinct populations of children (third and sixth grade). Confirmatory factor analytic methods examined one-factor, two-factor correlated, and two-factor uncorrelated models. Furthermore, the pattern of correlations between positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and dependent measures of anxiety and depression was calculated.

The results indicated the two-factor correlated and …

Pharmacological And Behavioral Treatments For Migraine Headaches: A Meta-Analytic Review, Kristi Lowe Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Migraine headache is a painful and often serious problem in the United States. There are many prophylactic pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments available for migraine headaches. However, choosing between them can be difficult for individuals and treatment providers alike. The primary literature regarding the effectiveness of pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments is quite dense. More than 191 primary studies were identified as providing information about the effectiveness of one or more treatments for migraine headaches. Of these, 82 articles were retained for meta-analyses on six prophylactic treatments for migraine: propranolol, flunarizine, divalproex sodium, thermal biofeedback, relaxation treatments, and combined treatments. These results …

Risk Factors For Selected Health-Related Behaviors Among American Indian Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study, Amy Jo Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Suicide and accidents are the leading causes of death among American Indian (AI) adolescents. Engaging in health-compromising behaviors (HCB) is higher among AI youth than among multicultural, national samples of adolescents. These HCBs include: smoking, drinking alcohol, drug use, and delinquency. Studies that identify legitimate predictors of these behaviors among AI adolescents are needed to guide research and interventions.

Primary socialization theory (PST) suggests that peer groups, family, and school are the only areas where adolescents are directly taught to accept or reject deviant or normative behavior. Gateway theory indicates that use of certain drugs by adolescents, such as cigarettes …

Changes In Child Symptomatology Associated With Animal-Assisted Therapy, Catherine C. Woolley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the changes in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social dysfunction associated with a history of child trauma after adding animal-assisted therapy (AAT) to conventional psychotherapy for adolescents living in a residential treatment facility in northern California. Using a quasiexperimental design, participants were followed over a period of nine weeks, with both groups completing the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, an abbreviated version of the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Youth Self-Report, and residential staff completing the Youth Outcome Questionnaire at three time points. In addition, the treatment group completed state anxiety and depression assessments before …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Children’S Development As Reflected In Their Artwork: An Investigation Of Children’S Drawings From The African Country Of Benin, Elizabeth Anna Smead

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This research adds to the body of knowledge related to the human figure drawing as a useful tool in assessment and to art therapists’ understanding of children who depict the human figure in cross-cultural settings. This researcher obtained a sample collection of 148 human figure drawings from African children in rural Benin, West Africa to study in comparison to a set of human figure drawings collected under similar conditions in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

In this quantitative study, five of the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scales (FEATS) were modified and used to tally the formal elements of each of the 148 …

The Use Of Habit Reversal Training In The Treatment Of Trichotillomania: A Single Subject Design, Courtney M. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of self-monitoring and a multicomponent behavioral intervention on the treatment of Trichotillomania (TTM). The subject in this study was a 12-year-old African American female who has demonstrated hair-pulling behavior for several years. The interventions that were implemented were journaling and Habit Reversal Training (HRT). The types of measurements that were used were direct observation, daily logs, and standardized questionnaires. The standardized assessments were the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC, March, 1998) and the Trichotillomania Severity and Impairment Scales (Swedo et al., 1989). In the study, the introduction of journaling …

Implications Of Biblical Principles Of Rhythm And Rest For Individual And Organizational Practices, Margaret Diddams, Lisa Surdyk, Denise Daniels, Jeff B. Van Duzer

SPU Works

The information technology economy with its endless 24/7 workdays has eroded the normative cycle of work and rest, and as a result, many Americans are experiencing a profound and increasing sense of time pressure. By integrating biblical passages relating to Sabbath observance with psychological and organizational empirical literature, Diddams et al seek describe the principles of rest, reflection, and relationships underlying biblical notions of rhythm; identify their associated influence on psychological wellness; and discuss how organizations can embrace a rhythmic, Sabbath culture.

Reflections On Animal Selves, Marc Bekoff, Paul W. Sherman

Sentience Collection

Is self-cognizance a uniquely human attribute, or do other animals also have a sense of self? Although there is considerable interest in this question, answers remain elusive. Progress has been stymied by misunderstandings in terminology, a focus on a narrow range of species, and controversies over key concepts, experimental paradigms and interpretations of data. Here, we propose a new conceptual and terminological framework, emphasizing that degrees of self-cognizance differ among animals because of the cognitive demands that their species-specific social structures and life-history characteristics have placed upon them over evolutionary time. We suggest that the self-cognizance of an organism falls …

Self -Esteem And Sense Of Entitlement In Violent And Nonviolent Criminal Behavior, Susan Frank

Doctoral Dissertations

There are two conflicting theories concerning self-esteem in violent and nonviolent criminal behavior. One theory proposes that low self-esteem is more influential than high self-esteem in an individual's decision to participate in criminal behavior, whereas the other theory proposes the opposite. Limited research is available concerning the role that sense of entitlement has in criminal behavior, beyond its previously explored role in rape. The first purpose of this study was to clarify the role of self-esteem in criminal behavior by having individuals currently incarcerated for both violent and nonviolent crimes complete the Self-Esteem Rating Scale. Using the scores obtained on …

Directing Attentional Resources Toward The Appropriate Information Processing System: A Test Of The Effects Of Processing Preference And Information Presentation Mode, Michael Edward Gosiewski

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

Many studies have been interested in how people process information and follow instruction. The current study was developed to add to the existing knowledge about working memory through having participants receive instructions in different presentation mediums. It was further theorized that two processing preferences, need for cognition and need for affect, may moderate the relationship between instructions and performance. These processing constructs represent an individual's motivation to experience cognitive-based earning or emotion. Both the processing preferences and presentation types have been linked to hemispheric specialization. It was also hypothesized that an individual's level of creativity may influence their performance on …

The Relationship Between Creativity And Psychiatric Vulnerability: A Meta-Analysis Of Empirical Studies, Charity Benham

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The belief that creativity and madness are interrelated has endured across the centuries. Artists, poets, and philosophers have been perceived as special individuals blessed or cursed with "divine madness" beginning in the days of Socrates. Many of the great minds of classical western civilization have believed that artists are qualitatively different than average people (Becker, 2001). Psychology and psychiatry have addressed the creativity/madness question utilizing a wide variety of approaches. There are numerous review articles, psychobiographical works, empirical studies, and theoretical papers which attempt to determine the nature of creativity and how it relates to psychiatric functioning.

This study utilized …

Chronic Worry As Avoidance Of Arousal, Louis B. Laguna, Lindsay S. Ham, Debra A. Hope, Christopher Bell

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous research suggests that worry is primarily a verbal-linguistic activity that may serve as a method of cognitive avoidance of fearful imagery. The purpose of the present study was to examine cognitive avoidance in high worriers (N = 22) and low worriers (N = 24) using psychophysiological measures and a modified dichotic listening task. The task involved presenting neutral words into an unattending ear while worry or neutral scenarios were presented into the attending ear. Participants were given a surprise word recognition test of the words presented to provide evidence of cognitive avoidance beyond self-report. Contrary to the …

An Integration Of Biblical Principles In Counseling: Psychology Filtered Through Scripture, Jennifer Marie Mccarron

Senior Honors Theses

Psychology is sometimes rejected altogether by evangelical Christians on the basis that it is a flawed discipline. Evangelicals are threatened by what they might call spirituality hiding behind the veil of science. But psychology must be viewed properly, as must theology, in order to interpret and apply its claims correctly. The Bible may be considered revealed truth, but it is not the only truth God has revealed to humans. The Bible is God's revelation to man in written form, and is reliable as long as it is interpreted and applied properly. God has also given man truth which is outside …

Determinants Of Paternal Involvement In Childcare In Dual-Earner Families With Preschool Children, Julie N. Jacobs

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Dual-earner parents (N = 119) of preschool children enrolled in licensed childcare centers completed anonymous questionnaires that examined work and family variables as related to paternal involvement in three areas: engagement (i.e., one-on-one interaction with the child), responsibility (i.e., taking care of the child*s needs), and accessibility (i.e., being available to the child without directly interacting). Fathers' reports of responsibility were predicted by beliefs about fathering and structural variables (i.e., hours worked). Similarly, fathers' beliefs about fathering and efficacy in the parenting role predicted fathers' reports of engagement. Fathers' reports of accessibility were predicted by fathers' perceived competence in parenting …

The Connection Between The Decision To Join A Secular Jewish-Oriented Group And Perceived Jewish Identity: A Comparative Study Between American And Israeli Joiners, Nirit Bayrach-Avraham

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The literature about self-identity views the self as socially constructed, constantly revised, and providing the individual with a narrative of continuity despite change (Shu-Fang Dien, 2000; McAdams, 1985). In this study, identity literature and the narrative approach were used theoretically and methodologically, to explore the connections between the decision to join a secular Jewish-oriented group (SJOG), and the joiner's perceived Jewish identity among joiners in Israel and in the U.S.

It was hypothesized that joining serves to reinforce, distinguish, and renegotiate a Jewish secular identity. Additionally, differences in the group's social context were expected to manifest through identity-negotiations content.

Results …

Adult And Juvenile Sexual Offenders: The Use Of Violence And Fantasies, Megan N. Carter

Dissertations and Theses

Child sexual abuse (CSA) has been recognized as a widespread and devastating problem in our society. Definitional challenges result in a broad range of prevalence rates for CSA varying from 60/0 to 62% for females and 30/0 to 31 % for males (Finkelhor, Araji, Baron, Browne, Peters, & Wyatt, 1986). Although CSA affects our nation's children in epidemic proportions, researchers have found little conclusive evidence regarding CSA precursors.

One promising area for exploring the etiology of CSA may be the differential patterns of sexual fantasies in juvenile and adult sex offenders. Abel, Becker, Mittleman, Cunningham-Rathner, Rouleau and Murphy (1987) found …

Development Of A Multidimensional Scale To Measure Attitudes Toward Workers With A Disability, John Kegley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Existing measures of attitudes toward individuals with a disability have been shown to suffer from several shortcomings in their application in organizational settings. Indirect measurement has been beyond the scope of most organizations due to the complex and expensive implementation of these methods. Direct measures have been shown to be susceptible to threats to internal validity, such as reactivity and socially desirable responding. Further, existing direct measures have focused on unidimensional aspects of attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. Research, however, has demonstrated that attitudes are multidimensional in nature. There is a need for a multidimensional scale to tap those underlying …

Education About Chronic Mental Illness And Coping In These Families, Judith Marie Watiti

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Coping styles of family members and familial relationships of patients with Schizophrenia/Schizoaffective, Dissociative, and/or Bipolar Disorder maybe influenced by psychoeducation interventions. Specifically, Psychoeducation (i.e. comprehensive & standardized protocol) can lower family member/primary caregiver expressed emotions (i.e. criticism, emotional over-involvement, avoidance & detachment) that will strengthen their coping styles as caregivers. A control and treatment group were comprised of a total of 32 randomly assigned family members. During the first week. The Coping Styles Questionnaire and The Family Questionnaire were administered to both groups as pretests. In addition, a registration form was completed containing information such as name, address, telephone number, …

Potential Components Of Time Personality: A Literature Review, Jane Ackerson

Honors Theses

What is time? The simple yet puzzling question has been posed on numerous occasions generating various responses. Time can be described as quantifiable, structured, even having monetary value. Time can be viewed in a subjective or objective manner and can be influenced by internal and external factors. Time can create pressure, anxiety, or boredom. Time is what we perceive it to be. This perception is a potentially vital component involved in the makeup of time personality. Theoretically, time personality is shaped by many factors affecting the relationship an individual has with time. The objectives of the research were to identify …

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Primary And Secondary Interventions, Robert J. Gatchel

Psychology Faculty Publications - Archive

In the United States alone, the annual cost associated with the diagnosis and care of musculoskeletal trauma amounts to tens of billions of dollars [Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders: Function, Outcomes and Evidence. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia]. Moreover, these costs are continuing to increase at an alarming rate. In fact, in the United States today, occupational musculoskeletal disorders are the leading causes of work disability. Changes in health care policy and demand for improved allocation of health care resources by the Federal government have also recently placed greater pressure on health care professionals to provide the most cost-effective treatment for these …

Effects Of Aerobic Exercise On Anxiety Sensitivity, Joshua J. Broman-Fulks, Mitchell E. Berman, Brian A. Rabian, Michael J. Webster

Faculty Publications

Anxiety sensitivity is a known precursor to panic attacks and panic disorder, and involves the misinterpretation of anxiety-related sensations. Aerobic exercise has been shown to reduce generalized anxiety, and may also reduce anxiety sensitivity through exposure to feared physiological sensations. Accordingly, 54 participants with elevated anxiety sensitivity scores completed six 20-min treadmill exercise sessions at either a high-intensity aerobic (n = 29) or low-intensity (n = 25) level. Self-ratings of anxiety sensitivity, fear of physiological sensations associated with anxiety, and generalized anxiety were obtained at pretreatment, post-treatment, and one-week follow-up. Results indicated that both high- and low-intensity exercise reduced anxiety …

The Impact Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) On Families: The Perceptions Of Families With An Adhd Child, Patrick Whaley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study extended the research to include a more complete description o f parents’ perceptions and the impact had on their family functioning. The researcher selected the participants with two categories in mind: (A) Parents must live or not live with an ADHD diagnosed child; (B) Parents will provide their consent for this study. The researcher used the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). The PSI is used to identify stress levels in parent-child systems. By using a t-test for independent samples, the treatment group responded with more stress than the control group (T= 10.143, 28). The researcher found a statistically significant …

Explanations For The Decline In Child Sexual Abuse Cases., David Finkelhor, Lisa M. Jones

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Discusses the decline in the number of sexual abuse cases substantiated by child protective service agencies between 1992 and 2000. This OJJDP Crimes Against Children Bulletin explores the strengths and weaknesses of six possible explanations for the decline by using data from a number of different sources: aggregate data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System; detailed child protective service data from Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon, and Pennsylvania; and self-report data from the National Crime Victimization Survey and from schoolchildren in Minnesota.

“I Fell Off [The Mothering] Track”: Barriers To ‘Effective Mothering’ Among Street-Level Prostituted Women, Rochelle L. Dalla Dr.

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Ecological theory and basic assumptions for the promotion of effective mothering among low-income and working-poor women are applied in relation to a particularly vulnerable population: street-level prostitution-involved women. Qualitative data from 38 street-level prostituted women shows barriers to effective mothering at the individual, community and societal levels. Suggestions for enhancing the lives and long-term well-being of prostituted women with children are included.

The Impact Of Hiv-Associated Neuropsychological Impairment On Everyday Functioning, Robert K. Heaton, Thomas D. Marcotte, Monica Rivera-Mindt, Joseph Sadek, David J. Moore, Heather Bentley, J Allen Mccutchan, Carla Reicks, Igor Grant, The Hnrc Group

Psychology Faculty Publications

HIV-1 infection can be associated with neuropsychological (NP) deficits ranging from subtle to severe. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional, or “real-world” impact of HIV-associated NP impairment in a group of 267 HIV-infected participants. All participants received comprehensive NP, neuromedical, and standardized functional evaluations that included laboratory measures of shopping, cooking, financial management, medication management and vocational abilities. Compared to NP-normal participants, those with NP impairment performed significantly worse on all laboratory measures of everyday functioning. Multivariate analyses revealed that the NP ability domains of Abstraction/Executive Function, Learning, Attention/Working Memory and Verbal abilities most strongly and …

Difficulties In Recognizing And Treating Depression In The Elderly : Implications For Counselors, Kristin A. Schloemer

Graduate Research Papers

Diagnosing elderly depression is a difficult, overlooked process. Many elderly seek out family physicians, but few visit mental healthcare professionals (Lyness et al., 1997; Sable & Dunn, 2002). When assessing elderly depression, it is important for counselors to be aware of symptoms, ensuring correct treatment.

According to Friedrich ( 1999), it is difficult for healthcare professionals, including counselors, to diagnose depression in the elderly. As elderly may not display traditional depressive symptoms, it is necessary to distinguish between depression, bereavement, and illness, all common in late life. Once depression has been diagnosed, treatments including: medication, psychotherapy, or perhaps the most …

A Lego Model Of The Modularity Of The Mind, Steven J. Scher

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

In this paper I propose that the dominant form of evolutionary psychology (which I term “cognitive adaptationism”) can be improved by adopting an alternative version of the concept of mental modularity. I suggest a metaphor of mental modules as Lego blocks. The Lego blocks represent a relatively small set of elementary operations that the mind/brain can carry out. These Lego blocks are repeatedly assembled in different ways to execute a wide variety of different functions. These repeated assemblies correspond more closely to the things that cognitive adaptationists have asserted are modules. Arguments in favor of the Lego model include the …

Visions And Numbers: Aronofsky's Π And The Primordial Signifier, Paul Eisenstein

English Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Childhood Autistic Spectrum Disorder On Mother's Reports Of Closeness To Their Sons, Deborah Gwyn O'Hara

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study compared the emotional closeness of 56 mothers of sons with autism to 57 mothers of typically-developing sons.