Digital Commons Network^™

Anxiety And Focus In Work-Related Training, Steven Howard Harlan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Currently, nonemployee students who take General Electric's (GE's) pollution control classes do not demonstrate consistent knowledge gains following training. The purpose of this project was to investigate whether the independent variables of level of education and choice in attending the class made a significant difference in the means of the dependent variables of anxiety and ability to focus. The project was influenced by the theory of andragogy, which explores the motivations and principles specific to the teaching of adults. The research questions for this study probed relationships between level of formal education among participants and their choice in whether to …

A Qualitative Study Of The Impact Of Severe Asthma And Its Treatment Showing That Treatment Burden Is Neglected In Existing Asthma Assessment Scales., Michael E. Hyland, Ben Whalley, Rupert C. Jones, Matthew Masoli

School of Psychology

BACKGROUND: People with severe asthma experience significant respiratory symptoms and suffer adverse effects of oral corticosteroids (OCS), including disturbed mood and physical symptoms. OCS impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) have not been quantified. Asthma HRQoL scales are valid as outcome measures for patients requiring OCS only if they assess the deficits imposed by OCS. AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the burden of disease and treatment in patients with severe asthma with items in eight asthma-specific HRQoL scales. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with severe asthma recruited from a severe asthma clinic were interviewed about the impact …

The Moderating Effect Of Resilience Factors On Bully Victimization And Subsequent Psychological Adjustment Problems Among Adolescent Girls, Alexandra Hayley Quinn

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Bully victimization is linked to poor psychological adjustment, low self-esteem, and social withdrawal in children and teens. However, little research to date has examined the unique experiences of adolescent girls, the specific contributions of various subtypes of bullying, and the utilization of comprehensive instruments to examine the constructs of psychological adjustment and bully victimization. Further, researchers studying these issues have called for more studies to examine buffering factors that may protect teen girls from the psychological insults associated with peer victimization. This study advances research in the field by utilizing standardized self-report measures to examine the relationship between bully victimization …

Anxiety And Autism Symptomology On Social Skills In Young Boys With Fragile X Syndrome, Debra L. Reisinger

Theses and Dissertations

Children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) are at high risk for developing several comorbid disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anxiety, that can substantially impart their social skills. However, to date, there are no studies that examine complex social skills within boys with FXS and the effects of emerging autism and anxiety symptoms on the development of their social skills. The current study examines social skills at the composite and subdomain level in young boys with FXS in contrast to typically developing (TD) boys and in relation to age, adaptive behavior, anxiety symptoms and autism symptomology. The study consisted …

Using Structural Equation Modeling To Understand The Role Of The Family In Pediatric Asthma Contexts, Nour Al Ghriwati

Theses and Dissertations

Family factors have long been associated with the psychosocial adjustment of children with chronic illnesses, such as asthma (Minuchin, 1975; Rapee, 1997). Research indicates that negative family factors may also contribute to child disease severity, via bio-behavioral mechanisms of effect (Wood et al., 2006); however, these pathways have yet to be examined with a comprehensive focus on more positive family factors. This study sought to examine whether factors such as family cohesion, problem solving abilities, and communication influence asthma symptom severity in children via their effects on child depression and anxiety symptoms. Using structural equation modeling, we identified significant indirect …

Therapist Adherence To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Anxious Youth Across A Case, Julia R. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

The field has developed many evidence-based treatments (EBTs); the integrity of EBTs being delivered, however, has been studied less than rigorously. Because many treatment manuals are developed to be delivered session-by-session, one way to assess treatment adherence, specifically, is across the course of the case: do therapists deliver treatment components in the order prescribed? The goals of this study were to characterize how therapists deviate from prescribed order and how adherence to order relates to child characteristics. Therapy process data were collected from a subsample of children (N = 33, aged 7-15) that received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to address …

Adherence To And Competence In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Youth Anxiety: Psychometric Evaluation, Cassidy C. Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

Treatment integrity—the extent to which a treatment is delivered as it was intended—has long been recognized as critically important in treatment evaluation research, but has garnered increased attention in recent years within the context of dissemination and implementation science. However, the field’s development has been hindered by inadequate measurement tools. This project is focused on developing and evaluating the psychometric strength of two measures of treatment integrity. To evaluate the psychometric strength of the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety Therapist Adherence Scale (CBAY-A)and the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety Therapist Competence Scale (CBAY-C), 954 psychotherapy sessions from two treatment evaluation …

Five Facets Of Mindfulness And Psychological Health: Evaluating A Psychological Model Of The Mechanisms Of Mindfulness, David B. Brown, Adrian J. Bravo, Corey R. Roos, Matthew R. Pearson

Psychology Faculty Publications

There has been an increasing focus on determining the psychological mechanisms underlying the broad effects of mindfulness on psychological health. Mindfulness has been posited to be related to the construct of reperceiving or decentering, defined as a shift in perspective associated with decreased attachment to one's thoughts and emotions. Decentering is proposed to be a meta-mechanism that mobilizes four psychological mechanisms (cognitive flexibility, values clarification, self-regulation, and exposure), which in turn are associated with positive health outcomes. Despite preliminary support for this model, extant studies testing this model have not examined distinct facets of mindfulness. The present study used a …

Mindfulness And Emotional Outcomes: Identifying Subgroups Of College Students Using Latent Profile Analysis, Matthew R. Pearson, Adrienne K. Lawless, David B. Brown, Adrian J. Bravo

Psychology Faculty Publications

In non-meditating samples, distinct facets of mindfulness are found to be negatively correlated, preventing the meaningful creation of a total mindfulness score. The present study used person-centered analyses to distinguish subgroups of college students based on their mindfulness scores, which allows the examination of individuals who are high (or low) on all facets of mindfulness. Using the Lo-Mendell-Rubin Adjusted LRT test, we settled on a 4-class solution that included a high mindfulness group (high on all 5 facets, N = 245), low mindfulness group (moderately low on all 5 facets, N = 563), judgmentally observing group (high on observing, but …

Individual Differences In The Experience Of Cognitive Workload, Stephen J. Guastello, Anton Shircel, Matthew Malon, Paul Timm

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigated the roles of four psychosocial variables – anxiety, conscientiousness, emotional intelligence, and Protestant work ethic – on subjective ratings of cognitive workload as measured by the Task Load Index (TLX) and the further connections between the four variables and TLX ratings of task performance. The four variables represented aspects of an underlying construct of elasticity versus rigidity in response to workload. Participants were 141 undergraduates who performed a vigilance task under different speeded conditions while working on a jigsaw puzzle for 90 minutes. Regression analysis showed that anxiety and emotional intelligence were the two variables most proximally …

The Mental Health Of Nurses In Acute Teaching Hospital Settings: A Cross-Sectional Survey, Lin Perry, Scott Lamont, Scott Brunero, Roybyn Gallagher, Christine Duffield

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Nursing is an emotionally demanding profession and deficiencies in nurses' mental wellbeing, characterised by low vitality and common mental disorders, have been linked to low productivity, absenteeism and presenteeism. Part of a larger study of nurses' health, the aim of this paper was to describe the mental health status and related characteristics of nurses working in two acute metropolitan teaching hospitals. Methods: A cross sectional survey design was used. Results: A total of 1215 surveys were distributed with a usable response rate of 382 (31.4%). Altogether 53 nurses (14%) reported a history of mental health disorders, of which n=49 …

Support After Brain Tumor Means Different Things: Family Caregivers' Experiences Of Support And Relationship Changes, T. Ownsworth, E. Goadby, Suzanne K. Chambers

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Shorter hospital stays and greater emphasis on outpatient care means that family members have the primary responsibility for supporting a person with brain tumor to manage the physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional effects of the illness and its treatment. Given the integral role of family caregivers, it is essential to understand their experience of the impact of brain tumor and their own support needs. Accordingly, this qualitative study aimed to investigate family caregivers' experiences of support and relationship changes in the context of brain tumor. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 family caregivers (8 spouse/partner, 3 parents) of people with …

Stress, Anxiety Symptomology, And The Need For Student Support Services For University Freshmen Of First-Generation Status, Low-Ses Backgrounds, And Those Registered With Disabilities, Kelly Dale Allison

LSU Master's Theses

Three populations of concern for professional social workers in higher educational settings include first-generation college students (FGCSs), students from low socio-economic (low-SES) backgrounds, and students with disabilities. As the national demand for degrees in higher education rises both socially and economically, the push for young adults’ postsecondary success becomes increasingly crucial. In college and university settings, a significant portion of students may be classified as FGCSs, low-SES, or may be registered with a disability. Examining these vulnerable populations within higher education settings, particularly regarding stress and anxiety symptomology, can help social workers recognize the social, developmental, and academic inhibitions that …

Trait Affective, Behavioral, And Cognitive Factors Of Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms In Children And Adolescents: A Hierarchical Model, Reanna Elise Whiting

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers have proposed a vulnerabilities model that attempts to explain the similarities between the internalizing disorders via a hierarchical pathway of trait affectivity and cognitive factors among adults. The current study aimed to replicate and extend this model to symptoms of four internalizing disorders among youth: obsessions and compulsions, generalized anxiety/worry, social anxiety, and depression. Regression-based path analyses utilized data from a community sample of 105 youth aged 12-17 (67.6% female, 80% white, non-Hispanic). Results largely replicated prior models in the adult literature and overall supported a hierarchical paradigm. Trait negative affect and avoidant behavior predicted mid-tier cognitive vulnerabilities (anxiety …

The Relation Between Adiposity And Anxiety In Youth: Analysis Of Peer Victimization, Teasing, Sociocultural Influences, And Internalization Of Appearance Ideals As Explanatory Variables, Natasha L. Burke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine putative mediators and moderators in the association between adiposity and anxiety in a sample of overweight and obese youth. In addition, anxiety was examined as a potential moderator between adiposity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Participants were youth (N = 137) between 8 and 17 years old (M = 13.09, SD = 2.61) and their legal caregivers recruited from four medical clinics affiliated with the University of South Florida. Youth were primarily overweight (28.5%) or obese (64.2%) and ethnically diverse. Data were analyzed by path analysis. Weight-related teasing significantly mediated …

Insomnia And Exacerbation Of Anxiety Associated With High-Epa Fish Oil Supplements After Successful Treatment Of Depression, Lauren B. Blanchard, Gordon C. Mccarter

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

A 54-year-old male consulted his general practitioner for increasing general anxiety and mild panic attacks despite effective treatment for recurrent major depressive disorder, which included a fish oil supplement enriched in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The patient would awaken suddenly at night with shortness of breath and overwhelming worry. During the daytime, he felt a general, nonspecific anxiety and frequently experienced sympathetic activation upon confronting routine challenges. He also experienced dyspnea-induced feelings of panic. He reported that he stopped taking the fish oil supplements after several more months of symptoms, and his anxiety and insomnia then largely disappeared. Several weeks later, …

Cognitive Processes And Moderators Of Willingness In Individuals With Social Anxiety Disorder And Non-Anxious Controls In Response To A Social Performance Task, Lauren P. Wadsworth

Graduate Masters Theses

The present study investigated differences between individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and non-anxious controls (NAC) on measures of thought processes and anxiety responses surrounding an anxiety-provoking situation. Participants gave a spontaneous speech to an audience and reported their anxiety throughout. Measures of trait decentering and anxiety, situational anxiety, negative thoughts and believability, and willingness to repeat the task were administered. Compared to NAC, individuals with SAD reported a higher prevalence of negative thoughts, found the thoughts more believable, reported lower levels of trait decentering, and reported less willingness to repeat an anxiety-provoking task. Collapsing the groups, we found an …

An Evaluation Of Mental Health And Methadone: Anxiety, Depression, And Drug Use, Gursimran Khahera

Master's Projects and Capstones

As a part of the Masters of Science in Behavioral Health field placement, an evaluation was conducted of the integrated treatment plan in mental health and substance abuse at Bay Area Addiction Research and Treatment (BAART) programs. The goal of the BAART programs are to provide comprehensive mental health and substance abuse outpatient recovery services, as well as on-site primary health care services for substance users, mainly opioid use. There is a link between increased substance abuse and increased rates of depression and anxiety. These disorders use the same neuro chemical pathway and are highly codependent upon one another. Because …

The Effect Of Tea And Its Constituent L-Theanine On Anxiety: A Review Of The Literature, Christine Gilbert

Food Science and Nutrition

Mental health disorders are a universal issue and affect millions of individuals every day. Anxiety is the most common type of mental disorder, affecting social, physical, and cognitive health. Although clinicians usually suggest prescriptive medications, they carry side effects, are expensive, and only acutely alleviate symptoms. As a result, recent interest has been directed towards nonconventional dietary therapies, including tea and its constituent L-theanine, for anxiolytic effects. Tea is the most prevalent beverage consumed after water; it is historically and globally accepted. The purpose of this literature review is to explore whether tea and its constituent L-theanine carry anxiolytic effects. …

Student Anxiety: Effects Of A New Graduate Student Orientation Program, Megan Hullinger, R. Lance Hogan

Administrative Issues Journal

A significant issue for U.S. institutions of higher education is reducing the anxiety of students in order to help increase retention rates and improve academic performance. The purpose of this study was to analyze the anxiety levels of incoming graduate students at a Midwest regional state university to determine if an online student orientation program would assist in lowering those levels. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y-1 (STAI) was used to measure anxiety levels before and after an orientation program was administered. The population consisted of graduate students, with data indicating that anxiety levels of entering graduate students were significantly …

The Impact Of Mindfulness And Test Anxiety On Academic Performance., Mariam A. Altairi

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

Oppositional And Anxiety Behavior Profiles In A Clinical Sample Of Youth With Selective Mutism, Rachele Diliberto

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children with selective mutism often present as a very heterogeneous population, with both anxious (APA, 2000; 2013; Kristensen 2000; Manassis et al., 2007; Steinhausen & Juzi, 1996; Yeganeh et al., 2003) and oppositional symptoms (APA, 2013; Andersson & Thomsen, 1998; Kolvin & Fundudis, 1981; Krohn, Weckstein, & Wright, 1992). This study sought to identify anxiety and oppositional behavior profiles in a clinical sample of children with selective mutism. Also, this study sought to determine both discriminant and concurrent validity for these profiles and examine their association with family expressiveness, conflict and control. Participants (n=57) included youth receiving treatment at the …

Icu Diary: Mind The Gap, Judy Martin

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 26, 2014:

Purpose: Critically ill patients have reported gaps in their memories, distorted perceptions and hallucinations which can contribute to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A review of literature indicated patients have reported not believing they had been that sick causing mistrust of family members and their healthcare team. The purpose of this project was to better understand the effect of the ICU diary on the critically ill patient's transition from the ICU setting.

Methods: An evidence-based practice project, based on the IOWA Model of EBP, was conducted in an intensive care setting …

Icu Diaries: The Journey To Psychological Recovery For Critically Ill Patient's Family Members, Carl Gosta Backman

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 26, 2014:

Purpose: Delusional memories from the period of critical illness have been shown to be a major contributor to the later occurrence of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The experience of watching the patient being critically ill is also traumatic to families, making them at risk of PTSD. It was hypothesised that an ICU diary could help patients and their families come to terms with their differing memories and so reduce the incidence of PTSD.

Methods: A prospective randomised, controlled study was performed in 12 ICUs across 6 European countries. 1 week after ICU …

Icu Diaries Reduce Post Traumatic Stress Disorder After Critical Illness In Patients And Family Members, Christina Jones

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 26, 2014:

Purpose: Delusional memories from the period of critical illness have been shown to be a major contributor to the later occurrence of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The experience of watching the patient being critically ill is also traumatic to families, making them at risk of PTSD. It was hypothesised that an ICU diary could help patients and their families come to terms with their differing memories and so reduce the incidence of PTSD.

Methods: A prospective randomised, controlled study was performed in 12 ICUs across 6 European countries. 1 week after ICU …

The Emergence And Evolution Of The Intensive Care Patient Diary, Ingrid Egerod

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 26, 2014:

Purpose: The intensive care patient diaries originated in the Scandinavia countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. In the 1990's, the ICU nurses began keeping the ICU diary with the purpose of helping their patients come to terms with their illness following being discharged from the hospital. The diaries were written by the nurses, with the patient's family contributing as well. Following being critically ill and being cared for in the intensive care setting, patients were found to be developing psychological problems such as nightmares, hallucinations, delusions, anxiety, depression and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. …

Tai Chi And Stress Reduction In Premedical Students, Joseph G. Weber, Suzanne Coleman, Mark Johannsson, Libby Hill

Learning Showcase 2014

A randomized, controlled pilot study was performed to determine the correlation between the practice of Tai Chi exercise and anxiety scores, among full-time pre-med undergraduate students who reside in college campus housing. The sample (N = 14) was recruited from 70 pre-med students enrolled at Lake Erie College (LEC) located in Painesville, Ohio. Participants included: (a) full-time LEC pre-med students; (b) between 18 and 25 years old; and (c) residents of either on-campus housing or within two miles of the college campus. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: (a) Tai Chi (n = 8); (b) control (n …

Effect Of A Social Script Ipad Application For Children With Autism Going To Imaging, Norah L. Johnson, Octavia Bree, Erin E. Lalley, Kelly Rettler, Pam Grande, Md O. Gani, Sheikh Iqbal Ahamed

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This randomized controlled trial feasibility study tested the effectiveness of an iPad® application (app) social script intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) going to imaging and their parent (n = 32 parent/child dyads). Parents of the children exposed to the app (n = 16) had lower state anxiety compared to the parents whose children were not exposed to the app (n = 16) (effect size 0.33). Children exposed to the app had fewer externalized challenging behaviors than the control group (effect size 0.56). The results demonstrate feasibility and efficacy of the intervention. Further study of …

Predicting Student Adaptation To College By Learning And Study Strategies, Katharine S. Adams

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

This study highlights the relationships between learning and study strategies with student adaptation to college. Postsecondary students (n = 146) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). Students were trifurcated into low, average, and high achieving groups by GPA. Data was analyzed using multiple regression and correlational techniques. LASSI subscales significantly predicted adaptation to college as measured by the SACQ for average and high achieving students, but did not significantly predict adaptation to college for low achieving students. The unique contributions of the LASSI subtests varied in …

Interpretive Habit Is Strengthened By Cognitive Bias Modification, Paula T. Hertel, Molly Holmes, Amanda Benbow

Psychology Faculty Research

We investigated the nature of the memory mechanisms underlying cognitive bias modification by applying Jacoby’s (1991) process-dissociation procedure to responses during the transfer task. In the two training conditions (negative and benign), students imagined themselves in 100 ambiguous scenarios, most with potentially negative resolutions; the ambiguity was resolved in a consistently negative or benign direction by completing the fragment of a final word. Control participants completed nonambiguous, nonemotional scenarios. Next, all participants responded on a final training block, where half of the scenarios were completed negatively and half benignly. Transfer was assessed by examining choices in the completion of test …