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College Of Psychology Graduate Student Catalog 2019-2020, Nova Southeastern University Jan 2019

College Of Psychology Graduate Student Catalog 2019-2020, Nova Southeastern University

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

No abstract provided.


Longitudinal Patterns Of Depression Symptoms Among Emerging Adults, Sarah W. Clark Jan 2019

Longitudinal Patterns Of Depression Symptoms Among Emerging Adults, Sarah W. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Research has suggested that depression symptoms generally decrease after late adolescence; however, there is increasing attention paid to depression symptoms among college students given the stressors unique to this time period and negative outcomes associated with depression. This study examined latent trajectories of depression symptom severity among college students. Participants were 9,889 college students who participated in the Spit for Science project (Dick et al., 2011). Growth Mixture Modeling was used to identify the presence of four subgroups of individuals with similar patterns of initial level and change in depression severity over four years of college, including Low/Minimal (55.9%), Decreasing …


Loneliness And Sleep Disturbance In Older Americans, Sarah C. Griffin Jan 2019

Loneliness And Sleep Disturbance In Older Americans, Sarah C. Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

Loneliness is a risk factor for premature mortality but the mechanics of this relationship remain obscure. A potential mechanism is sleep disturbance. The present study aimed to examine the association between loneliness and sleep disturbance, evaluate loneliness as a risk factor for sleep disturbance and vice-versa, model effects between loneliness and sleep disturbance over time, and evaluate a mediation model of loneliness, sleep disturbance, and health. Data came from the 2006-2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally-representative study of older Americans; participants > 65 were included (n=11,400). Analyses included (i) linear regressions accounting for complex sampling and (ii) …


Latent Growth Model Approach To Characterize Maternal Prenatal Dna Methylation Trajectories, Dana Lapato Jan 2019

Latent Growth Model Approach To Characterize Maternal Prenatal Dna Methylation Trajectories, Dana Lapato

Theses and Dissertations

Background. DNA methylation (DNAm) is a removable chemical modification to the DNA sequence intimately associated with genomic stability, cellular identity, and gene expression. DNAm patterning reflects joint contributions from genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. As such, differences in DNAm patterns may explain interindividual variability in risk liability for complex traits like major depression (MD). Hundreds of significant DNAm loci have been identified using cross-sectional association studies. This dissertation builds on that foundational work to explore novel statistical approaches for longitudinal DNAm analyses. Methods. Repeated measures of genome-wide DNAm and social and environmental determinants of health were collected up to six …


Conceptualization Of Body Image And Eating Disorders Among South Asian American Women: A Qualitative Investigation, Neha J. Goel Jan 2019

Conceptualization Of Body Image And Eating Disorders Among South Asian American Women: A Qualitative Investigation, Neha J. Goel

Theses and Dissertations

Though it is known that eating disorders (EDs) affect individuals of all racial/ethnic backgrounds (Cheng, Perko, Fuller-Marashi, Gau, & Stice, 2019), people of color tend to be overlooked in the ED literature. South Asian Americans, a specific subset of individuals traditionally categorized within the larger umbrella group of “Asians,” have been notoriously neglected in both the broader mental health literature, and in the ED literature (Inman, Devdas, Spektor, & Pendse, 2014; Iyer & Haslam, 2003, 2006). Currently, very little information exists on the etiology and presentation of EDs amongst South Asian communities. Even less is known about culturally-specific barriers to …


A Contextual Approach To Understanding Psychiatric Comorbidities In Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Individual, Peer, And Family Factors, Jessica L. Greenlee Jan 2019

A Contextual Approach To Understanding Psychiatric Comorbidities In Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Individual, Peer, And Family Factors, Jessica L. Greenlee

Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric comorbidities are common in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and can have a negative impact on adaptive functioning and quality of life. Research has primarily focused on individual characteristics associated with internalizing problems such as age, intelligence, and social functioning. However, developmental theory supports the notion that individual level factors are necessary but not sufficient to understand the mental health of youth with ASD. Using the Family Ecology Framework as a guide, the purpose of this study was to examine how peer and family contexts are associated with anxiety and depression symptoms of adolescents with ASD. Using data …


A Genetically Informed Study Of Acute Threat Endophenotypes For Callous-Unemotional Traits, Ashlee A. Moore Jan 2019

A Genetically Informed Study Of Acute Threat Endophenotypes For Callous-Unemotional Traits, Ashlee A. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. Callous-unemotional (CU) traits predict socially debilitating outcomes including Antisocial Personality Disorder and violent crime in adulthood. Despite significant research, the etiology of CU traits is not well understood. This dissertation incorporates genetic, physiological, neuroanatomical, and self-report measures to investigate the etiology of CU traits. Specifically, this project focuses on measures previously found to associate with impaired fear-processing observed in individuals high on CU. Brain morphometry for paralimbic regions of interest (ROIs) and electromyographic facial eyeblink reflex to startle and fear-potentiated startle probes were investigated as potential endophenotypes for CU traits. Methods. Two genetically informative (ages 9-20) twin samples ( …


The Impact Of Stress On Resilience: Examining The Moderated Effects Of A Savoring Intervention, Hannah L. Newman Jan 2019

The Impact Of Stress On Resilience: Examining The Moderated Effects Of A Savoring Intervention, Hannah L. Newman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Resilience is characterized by the ability to bounce back from stress (Bonanno, 2004; Ong et al., 2006; Smith et al., 2008). Research suggests resilience is a personal resource that helps individuals effectively cope with stress and provides protection from negative outcomes (Loh, Schutte, & Thorsteinsson, 2013). Exposure to stress is a prerequisite to building resilience across many different contexts (Graber et al., 2015; Hennessey & Levine, 1979; Rutter, 2006). Interestingly, a high accumulation of stress detracts from an individual’s abilities to build resilience (Ong et al., 2006; Tuguade & Frederickson, 2007). However, it is unknown what types of interventions explicitly …


Ego Depletion: Buffering Through Touch, Victoria E. Forgea Jan 2019

Ego Depletion: Buffering Through Touch, Victoria E. Forgea

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Ego depletion theory states that self-control is tied to a limited resource and diminishes after repeated exertions; consequently, the current study sought to examine how to replenish self-control through touch. Due to the positive outcomes of touch, we expected touch to allow participants to persist longer on a geometric tracing puzzle task after becoming ego depleted. The current study implemented measures widely used in the ego depletion literature, and the experimenter implemented two brief touches to examine the effects of touch in the domain of self-control. We found that participants who received touch persisted significantly longer on the geometric tracing …


An Examination Of The Effects Of Guided Imagery Theme On Stress And Mood Following An Ego-Depletion Task, Thomas H. Hutchison Jan 2019

An Examination Of The Effects Of Guided Imagery Theme On Stress And Mood Following An Ego-Depletion Task, Thomas H. Hutchison

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

People experience stress on a daily basis. If not properly managed, stress can lead to disturbances in cognitive functioning, mood-related problems, obesity, and heart disease. Guided imagery has been shown to be an effective technique to help people recover from stress. The literature on guided imagery, however, does not take the theme of the guided imagery script into account. Additionally, there are gaps in the research regarding any interaction between rurality and mood, stress, and guided imagery. A repeated measures MANOVA was conducted to test the main aim of this study; that is, to determine if theme of guided imagery …


Drug Of Choice: An Exploration Of Coping With Caffeine, Kaleigh E. Caldwell Jan 2019

Drug Of Choice: An Exploration Of Coping With Caffeine, Kaleigh E. Caldwell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world. It is deemed socially acceptable and is associated with many benefits; however, some research suggests that caffeine can cause significant impairments in functioning if consumed in excess. Caffeine-related disorders are now included in the Substance Use Disorders section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), though not much is known about the negative effects of caffeine, as substance abuse theories and coping models have not been applied to caffeine. Purpose: This study seeks to provide knowledge about the abuse of caffeine and to explore …


Stress, Cognitive Distortions, Engagement In Self-Care, And Burnout In Psychology Graduate Students, Lauren Matturro Jan 2019

Stress, Cognitive Distortions, Engagement In Self-Care, And Burnout In Psychology Graduate Students, Lauren Matturro

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Psychology graduate students are tasked with finding a balance between academic responsibilities, clinical training, home life, time constraints, and financial concerns. These competing demands lead to stress, which is well documented in medical students with similar workloads, but understudied in psychology graduate students. Previous studies indicate that perceived stress can be linked to prevalence of an individual’s cognitive distortions. Additionally, stress within the human service fields often leads to burnout. Self-care is widely recognized as a preventative effort against developing burnout. However, as students have limited time, they may find engaging in self-care activities to be difficult. The purpose of …


Effects Of Political Ingroup/Outgroup Rejection On Behavior And Physiology, Hannah Rose Lentfer Jan 2019

Effects Of Political Ingroup/Outgroup Rejection On Behavior And Physiology, Hannah Rose Lentfer

Honors Program Theses

Previous research shows that both exclusion and intergroup threat can increase prejudice and biological markers such as cortisol. Exclusion from an outgroup should increase prejudice and cortisol more than similar interactions in an ingroup since it incorporates both exclusion and intergroup threat. Change in cortisol and prejudice was examined in fifty participants who were excluded by either a politically-based ingroup or outgroup. Two t-tests were conducted to examine the change in a) cortisol and b) prejudice as a function of experimental ingroup/outgroup conditions. Additional analyses were also conducted to further explore cortisol changes and similarity. Cortisol increased more in participants …


The Relation Between Disordered Eating, Stress, And Anxiety In First-Year College Women, Jenna K. Anderson Jan 2019

The Relation Between Disordered Eating, Stress, And Anxiety In First-Year College Women, Jenna K. Anderson

Honors Program Theses

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses which can impact any individual. Although they can negatively affect anyone, they disproportionately affect young women. The same is true for individuals with disordered eating. Disordered eating is more common than clinical eating disorders. The term disordered eating refers to subclinical eating disturbances. Past research has demonstrated a relation between disordered eating, stress, and anxiety. The current study expands upon this by examining these variables in first-year college-enrolled women. Participants were n=99 first-year college women who filled out the DASS-21, the EDE-Q, and a demographics questionnaire. Based on previous results, it was hypothesized that …


Exploring Obesity, Adhd Severity, And Disordered Eating Behavior Among College Students, Carolina Rozario Jan 2019

Exploring Obesity, Adhd Severity, And Disordered Eating Behavior Among College Students, Carolina Rozario

Dissertations and Theses

Obesity is a global epidemic because of the potential health risks. There is evidence that many obese individuals manifest persistent ADHD symptoms, and that both disorders increase risk for binge eating. Nevertheless, how obesity and ADHD may increase risk for binge eating work is unclear. Neuropsychological deficits are common to all disorders and may help to explain the relations observed. The aim of this study was to explore whether neuropsychological dysfunction, especially inhibitory control weaknesses, moderate the association between greater BMI and more severe ADHD and disordered eating behaviors. Thirty-nine undergraduate college students (27 females; Mean age = 20.77, SD …


Alcohol Use And Drinking Motives In Bereaved Undergraduates, Laura J. Smith Jan 2019

Alcohol Use And Drinking Motives In Bereaved Undergraduates, Laura J. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of the experience of a loss on alcohol use and drinking motives in a college sample. Participants for this study were drawn from the “Spit for Science” project (Dick et al., 2014). The sample included 3,013 students (31.8% men, 68.2% women; 44.3% White, 21.1% Black, 19.6% Asian, 6.0% Latinx; mean age = 18.96; 16.2% bereaved) from Virginia Commonwealth University. Data were collected from participants’ freshman spring and sophomore spring time points on the Life Events Checklist, Alcohol Consumption items, and Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised. Participants who were bereaved between the freshman and sophomore timepoint did not …


Executive Functions As Moderators Of Response To Behavioral Interventions For Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Stephen J. Molitor Jan 2019

Executive Functions As Moderators Of Response To Behavioral Interventions For Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Stephen J. Molitor

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience significant academic impairment and multiple interventions have been developed to address common academic problems, such as difficulties with homework, organization, and planning skills. Given cost and resource constraints, research is needed on factors that mental health providers can use to select the most appropriate interventions. To date, there has been minimal research evaluating moderators of response to ADHD interventions. Further, many of the variables that have been studied do not have strong theoretical ties to the mechanisms of change invoked by the interventions. This study examined potential moderators of treatment response to two academic …


The Role Of Mindfulness In Self-View Investment: Neural And Subjective Indicators, Hadley Rahrig Jan 2019

The Role Of Mindfulness In Self-View Investment: Neural And Subjective Indicators, Hadley Rahrig

Theses and Dissertations

Self-concept is strongly influenced by beliefs about one’s personal psychological attributes, and these beliefs are held with varying degrees of confidence and consequence. Hence, it is investment in self-views of those attributes that helps to regulate and maintain stable self-concept. Self-view investment is relevant to numerous self-related functions, but high self-view investment can also contribute to maladaptive self-views. Theory suggests that mindfulness cultivates a less personal, more objective perception of one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors, and training in mindfulness has been shown to alter self-referential processing. The current pilot study (N=21) investigates the possible role of dispositional mindfulness in two …


Associations Between Ethnic-Racial Identity, Family Factors And Alcohol Problems Among Diverse Emerging Adults, Chloe Walker Jan 2019

Associations Between Ethnic-Racial Identity, Family Factors And Alcohol Problems Among Diverse Emerging Adults, Chloe Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how multiple dimensions of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) were associated with alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms and how these relations varied by individuals’ ethnic-racial group among 1850 diverse emerging adults (M = 18.46, SD = .38). Further, measurement invariance of the Ethnic Identity Scale-Brief (EIS-B) was tested across Latinx, White, Black, Asian, and Multiracial students. Additionally, alternative models were examined that tested whether family factors (i.e., parent education and family history of alcohol problems) moderated the relations between ERI and alcohol problems to further examine nuances in these relations. Results indicated that the …


Adverse Childhood Experiences, Neighborhood Disorganization, Co-Parenting: The Impact On College Student Mental Health, Mona L. Quarless Jan 2019

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Neighborhood Disorganization, Co-Parenting: The Impact On College Student Mental Health, Mona L. Quarless

Theses and Dissertations

Though mental health issues are prevalent amongst college students, pre-college environment and experiences are largely overlooked as potential factors in scientific literature. The current study examined the association of neighborhood disorganization, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and mental health outcomes in a sample of college students. Utilizing the ecological model of human development and risk-resilience framework, I examined co-parenting quality as a plausible protective factor against the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences and neighborhood disorder. Self-report measures of ACEs, co-parenting quality, neighborhood disorder, anxiety, and depression were completed by a sample of college students (N = 259; mean age = …


Social Jetlag, Depressive Symptoms, And Longitudinal Outcomes In College Students, Morgan P. Reid Jan 2019

Social Jetlag, Depressive Symptoms, And Longitudinal Outcomes In College Students, Morgan P. Reid

Theses and Dissertations

Social jetlag refers to the chronic shift in sleep timing between work and free days and has been associated with a variety of negative physical and psychological outcomes. Existing research on social jetlag has relied heavily on cross-sectional studies, preventing researchers and practitioners from assessing the effects of social jetlag over time. The current study used longitudinal data to explore the directionality of the association between social jetlag and depressive symptoms as well as the longitudinal associations between social jetlag, academic performance, and wellbeing in college students. Gender and race were also assessed as potential moderators of these associations. Cross-lagged …


Race, Health, And Social Support On Campus: An Exploration Of Discrimination On Health And Fraternity/Sorority Membership For African American College Students, Alexandra M. Munson Jan 2019

Race, Health, And Social Support On Campus: An Exploration Of Discrimination On Health And Fraternity/Sorority Membership For African American College Students, Alexandra M. Munson

Theses and Dissertations

African American college students face a myriad of unique race related stressors on campus, yet there is a gap of knowledge on how these experiences may impact overall health as well as what may mediate these effects. The goal of the current study was threefold. First, it was to better understand the relationship between health outcomes and the experience of discrimination on college campuses for African American students. Second, it further investigated the research of Pieterse & Carter (2007), to explore if perceived discrimination influences health outcomes above and beyond general life stress in the emerging adult population. Lastly, it …


Adverse Childhood Experiences Indirectly Affect Child Telomere Length Through Self-Regulation, David Sosnowski Jan 2019

Adverse Childhood Experiences Indirectly Affect Child Telomere Length Through Self-Regulation, David Sosnowski

Theses and Dissertations

The goals of present study were: (a) to examine associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and telomere length during childhood using ACE composite scores both with and without “new” adversities (i.e., parental death and poverty), and (b) to determine if ACEs indirectly affect telomere length through children’s self-regulatory abilities (i.e., effortful control and self-control). The analytic sample consisted of national data from teachers, biological parents, and their children (N = 2,527; Mage = 9.35, SD = .36 years; 52% male; 45% Black). Results from linear regression analyses revealed a statistically significant main effect of updated (but not traditional) …


Using Latent Semantic Analysis To Evaluate The Coherence Of Traumatic Event Narratives, Gabriella C. Scalzo Jan 2019

Using Latent Semantic Analysis To Evaluate The Coherence Of Traumatic Event Narratives, Gabriella C. Scalzo

Theses and Dissertations

While a growing evidence base suggests that expressive writing about a traumatic event may be an effective intervention which results in a variety of health benefits, there are still multiple competing theories that seek to explain expressive writing’s mechanism(s) of action. Two of the theories with stronger evidence bases are exposure theory and cognitive processing theory. The state of this field is complicated by methodological limitations; operationalizing and measuring the relative constructs of trauma narratives, such as coherence, traditionally requires time- and labor-intensive methods such as using a narrative coding scheme. This study used a computer-based methodology, latent semantic analysis …


Attraction Among Late-Adolescents, C. Nathalie Yuen, Tom Koziol, Jonathan Santo Jan 2019

Attraction Among Late-Adolescents, C. Nathalie Yuen, Tom Koziol, Jonathan Santo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Using a within-subjects experimental design, this study assessed the association between age and level of attraction in 514 male and female participants 19 years of age or older when rating photographs of individuals 19-22. The hypotheses were formulated to test the evolutionary perspective of attraction, that males prefer a younger female mate while females prefer an older male mate. Additionally, this theory suggests that initial attraction is influenced largely by reproductive factors. To test these hypotheses, 320 different pictures for each sex were used to measure perceived attractiveness. Multilevel modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses which were partially …


Single Parent Households And The Effect On Student Learning, Asia Watt Jan 2019

Single Parent Households And The Effect On Student Learning, Asia Watt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine if there is a relationship between single-parent households and the effect on student learning. A total of seven parents and three elementary teachers took a survey. Students’ scores in math and reading from report cards and PARCC scores were also used as data sources. Results revealed that the involvement of single parents at school varies depending on the type of involvement, however, data from the report card review showed all the parents review their child’s report card. Approximately 70 % or more assisted their children in math and English homework. In addition, …


If A Virtual Tree Falls In A Simulated Forest, Is The Sound Restorative? An Examination Of The Role Of Level Of Immersion In The Restorative Capacity Of Virtual Nature Environments, Jessica Michaelis Jan 2019

If A Virtual Tree Falls In A Simulated Forest, Is The Sound Restorative? An Examination Of The Role Of Level Of Immersion In The Restorative Capacity Of Virtual Nature Environments, Jessica Michaelis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stress and cognitive fatigue have become a pervasive problem, especially in Western society. Stress and cognitive fatigue can have deleterious effects not only on performance, but also on one's physical and mental health. This dissertation presents a study in which the aim is to investigate the effects of virtual nature on stress reduction and cognitive restoration. Specifically, this study assessed the effects of Immersion (Non-immersive, Semi-immersive, Fully-immersive) and Exploration (Passive vs Active) on stress reduction and cognitive restoration. Additionally, restoration from the most effective virtual nature environment was compared to that of taking an active coloring break. Eighty-three university students …


Protective Behavioral Strategies And Alcohol-Related Sex Among College Students, Roselyn Peterson Jan 2019

Protective Behavioral Strategies And Alcohol-Related Sex Among College Students, Roselyn Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adverse sexual outcomes (e.g., sexual regret, sexual risk, and sexual assault) are a common experience among college students. In particular, regretted sex is reported by a third of college students and may result in psychological harm. Previous literature has found that alcohol is involved in approximately one third of regretted sex experienced by college students. A gap exists in the literature identifying who is more susceptible to experiencing a regretted sexual experience. Previous research has shown that students who implement protective behavioral strategies (PBS) while drinking are able to reduce alcohol-related negative consequences, including regretted sexual experiences. Three sub-types of …


Examining The Utility Of A Brief Self-Compassion Intervention For Emotion Regulation In Individuals With Exposure To Trauma, Sara Jean Himmerich Jan 2019

Examining The Utility Of A Brief Self-Compassion Intervention For Emotion Regulation In Individuals With Exposure To Trauma, Sara Jean Himmerich

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research suggests that abilities to moderate and process trauma-related emotions may predict symptoms of posttraumatic stress, with the overuse of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies presenting a potential vulnerability to experiencing difficulties following trauma exposure. Self-compassion has been associated with the acceptance of negative emotions, with research finding evidence for positive associations between self-compassion and adaptive emotion regulation. Additionally, research suggests an inverse relationship between self-compassion and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Self-compassion has been conceptualized and studied as a skill that can be learned, with studies finding support for improved abilities following targeted interventions. However, more research is needed to establish …


Cultural Models Of Democracy Among Burmese Residents In Chicago, Illinois, And Fort Wayne, Indiana, John Hillory Hood Jan 2019

Cultural Models Of Democracy Among Burmese Residents In Chicago, Illinois, And Fort Wayne, Indiana, John Hillory Hood

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines implicit assumptions about democracy among Burmese residents in Chicago, Illinois and Fort Wayne, Indiana. A major focus of the research is the durability of foundational cultural models – basic, simple, widely-shared modes of thought – that may or may not change over time, measured in this study through length-of-residency. As such, I examined three distinct sample groups: temporary residents, immigrants, and adult offspring of immigrants. This research comprised methods of ethnography, semi-structured interviews, as well as a free-listing memory task. A key point of inquiry is intracultural variation occurring between sample groups. Particular attention was paid to …