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The Emotional Enviroments Of Families And How They Influence The Development Of Anxiety In Individuals, Angela Nasca Toto

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Absence Of The Proapoptotic Bax Protein Extends Fertility And Alleviates Age-Related Health Complications In Female Mice, Gloria I. Perez, Andrea Jurisicova, Lisa Wise, Titiana Lipina, Marijana Kanisek, Allison Bechard, Yasushi Takai, Patricia Hunt, John Roder, Marc Grynpas, Jonathan L. Tilly

Psychology

The menopausal transition in human females, which is driven by a loss of cyclic ovarian function, occurs around age 50 and is thought to underlie the emergence of an array of health problems in aging women. Although mice do not undergo a true menopause, female mice exhibit ovarian failure long before death because of chronological age and subsequently develop many of the same age-associated health complications observed in postmenopausal women. Here we show in mice that inactivation of the proapoptotic Sax gene, which sustains ovarian lifespan into advanced age, extends fertile potential and minimizes many age-related health problems, including bone …

Impact Of Combat Stress On Mental Health Outcomes: Brfss Survey Data 2006, Emily Pedneau

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: This study sought to determine the relationship between combat experience and mental health outcomes. The study sought to determine whether age was a significant factor in poor mental health outcomes. Methods: Multiple logistic regression (n = 195,048) and multiple linear regression (n = 264,154) were performed on the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Veteran status and a host of demographic and health status questions were analyzed in relation to diagnosis of anxiety or depressive disorder (multiple logistic regression) and to number of days poor mental health (multiple linear regression). Results: Diagnosis of anxiety or depression was …

Factors Perceived To Contribute To Mathematics Avoidance Or Mathematics Confidence In Non-Traditional Age Women Attending A Community College, Jo Ann K Rawley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, the number of students entering postsecondary institutions immediately after high school has been decreasing, while the number of non-traditional aged students, defined as adults over 25, has substantially increased, with women making up the majority of this adult student group. Mathematics education is an area where non-traditional age women tend to have difficulty. Fifteen individual interviews were conducted with non-traditional age women enrolled in a community college, 10 identifying mathematics as the subject they would least enjoy and 5 identifying mathematics as the subject they would most enjoy. Data were analyzed by comparing the women's stories …

The Effect Of Anxiety On The Cognitive Functioning In Non-Clinical Schizotypal Individuals, Stephanie J. Stelton

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Pain Affects Spouses Too: Personal Experience With Pain And Catastrophizing As Correlates Of Spouse Distress, Michelle T. Leonard, Annmarie Cano

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

Chronic pain has adverse effects on individuals with chronic pain (ICPs) as well as their family members. Borrowing from an empathy model described by Goubert et al. (2005), we examined topdown and bottom-up factors that may be related to psychological well-being in the spouses of ICPs. A diverse community sample of 113 middle-aged spouses of individuals with chronic pain (ICPs) completed measures on pain severity and spouse pain catastrophizing (PCS-S; Cano et al., 2005). Results showed that almost half (48.7%) of spouses reported chronic pain themselves and that pain in the spouse accounted for within-couple differences on psychological distress. That …

Anxiety And Control In African American Families., L. Kevin Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To investigate the effects of anxiety and ethnicity on parental control as well as the effects ethnicity, anxiety, and parental control have on child diagnostic severity, anxious African American and Caucasian families were compared. Sixty-nine parent-child dyads completed the study. Forty-two mothers in the sample suffered from an anxiety disorder whereas twenty-seven mothers did not meet criteria for any current or past psychopathology. Parent-child dyads were videotaped as they completed two mildly stressful tasks together. Parental and child behaviors during the interactions were coded to obtain an objective measure of parents' behavior. Data were reduced to produce four behavioral composites …

Children At-Risk For Anxiety: Their Self-Esteem, Somatic Symptoms, And Perceptions Of Parental Support, Maria G. Fraire

Psychology Honors Papers

The present study examined children at risk for anxiety, analyzing their symptoms, self-esteem, and their perception of parental behavior. Data were collected as part of a large anxiety prevention study conducted at the University of Rhode Island. Elementary and middle school children who were identified as at risk for anxiety through an initial assessment were administered a battery of questionnaires, which included measures for anxiety, self-esteem, somatic symptoms, and perceptions of parental behavior. The primary hypothesis was that children at risk for anxiety would demonstrate low levels of self-esteem, especially if they concurrently displayed somatic symptoms and perceived their parental …

"Anxiety" In Heidegger's Being And Time: The Harbinger Of Authenticity, James Magrini

Philosophy Scholarship

Analyzing the fundamental ontology of Dasein in Martin Heidegger's Being and Time, this essay details the essential relation ship between the mood of "anxiety" (Angst) and Dasein's authentic comportment to existence. Although a highly disturbing experience, anxiety holds the potential for enlightenment, as it opens Dasein to the fundamental characteristics of its temporal authenticity. Dasein assents to its Selfhood and enacts its freedom in a "resolute," authentic manner only when it grasps the difficult and burdensome aspects of life revealed by way of Angst's attunement. Thus, I argue that anxiety is the single most important mode of human attunement …

The Effect Of The Exposure To Domestic Violence On Psychological Well-Being Among American Muslim Women, Soulafa Shakhshir Massoud, Vanessa Francis Romo

Theses Digitization Project

A quantitative study that examines American Muslim women's level of exposure to domestic violence, resources available to them, and the effect of domestic violence on their psychological well-being. Data was collected from 128 Muslim women from the Islamic Center of Riverside in Southern California. The key finding of the study was a significant positive relationship between depression and the use of verbal aggression. In addition, a positive relationship was found to exist between anxiety, depression and the use of violence.

Youth At Risk For Anxiety: Evaluation Of A Brief Panic Prevention Program, Kelly Lynn Drake

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This was the first pilot study to examine the effectiveness of a single-session panic prevention workshop for youth. Participants were recruited using various forms of mass media, advertisements, flyer distribution, and personal contacts. Following a brief screening, participants were assigned to a single-session panic prevention workshop (n = 9) or a waitlist control condition (n = 10). Youth in the workshop group completed pre-workshop assessments including self-report measures of anxiety sensitivity, general anxiety, panic attack symptomatology, and depression. In addition, a semi-structured diagnostic interview was used to assess panic attacks, panic disorder, and agoraphobia Also, during pre-workshop assessment, parents completed …

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Anxiety Sequelae: A Review Of The Literature, Elizabeth L. Moore, Lori Terryberry-Spohr, Debra A. Hope

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

There is scattered but significant psychological and neuropsychological evidence to suggest that mild traumatic brain injury (mild TBI) plays a notable role in the emergence and expression of anxiety. Conversely, there is also empirical evidence to indicate that anxiety may exert a pronounced impact on the prognosis and course of recovery of an individual who has sustained a mild TBI. Although the relationship between mild TBI and anxiety remains unclear, the present body of research attempts to elucidate a number of aspects regarding this topic. Overall, the mild TBI research is rife with inconsistencies concerning prevalence rates, the magnitude and …

Maiming The Cubs, James J. White

Articles

In the last twenty years much has been written about the deleterious effect that law school has on the mental well-being of law students.' Many have called for "humanizing" law school. In support of their case, the advocates of humanizing cite numerous anecdotes, much scholarly writing in the psychology literature, and even a few rigorous studies of law students. A principal voice is that of Professor Krieger who has done the most careful and elaborate study, a study of students at two law schools.1 You should understand that Professor Krieger and his cohorts do not merely claim that we make …

Predicting Anxiety From Parent And Childhood Variables, Brian Fisak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The high prevalence rate, significant distress and impairment, and persistence of childhood anxiety disorders highlight the need for continued theoretical conceptualization and research into the developmental pathways associated these disorders. In response to this need, one goal this project was to examination and identify variables associated with the development and/or maintenance of child anxiety disorders. A second goal of this project was to examine the potential role of learning from parents as a risk factor in the development of child anxiety, with a particular emphasis on three learning mechanisms: modeling, information transfer, and reinforcement of anxious behaviors. The third goal …

The Long-Term Effects Of Direct Verbal Victimization And Family Support On Anxious And Aggressive Behaviors In Urban Adolescents: Do Mean Words Have A Lasting Impact?, Amie Bettencourt

Theses and Dissertations

Stressful life events that occur within the context of interpersonal relationships are problematic for adolescents. Peer victimization, a stressful interpersonal event, involves acts of both physical and verbal harassment, and can contribute to psychosocial maladjustment among youth. Direct verbal victimization is a specific form of peer victimization involving name-calling and teasing that is particularly prevalent among adolescents, but has rarely been studied separately from other types of victimization.This form of victimization is associated with adjustment problems, including anxiety and aggression among adolescents. Despite the significant association between direct verbal victimization and negative adolescent adjustment outcomes, not all youth who experience …

Supportive And Unsupportive Responses From Parents As Moderators Of The Relationship Between Stressful Events And Negative Outcomes In Adolescents, Karen A. Muehl

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between stressful events in adolescents and negative outcomes of substance use, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Parental support and unsupportive parental responses were examined as moderators of this relationship. The research design was cross-sectional, and self-report data were collected from 100 adolescents in the 8th and 9th grades. As hypothesized, significant positive associations were found between perceived stressors and each of the three negative outcomes, as well as between unsupportive parental responses and the outcomes. Also consistent with hypotheses, and previous literature, was the finding of a significant inverse association …

Psychological Symptoms, Marital Quality, And Environmental Stress In Newly-Married Couples, Constance B. Sharp

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-sectional relationships between psychological symptoms, marital quality, and stress experienced over the past week were explored using data from 310 newly married couples. Couples were recruited through newspaper ads and paid to participate. Couples were eligible if they had been married for less than six months and were not receiving therapy when they contacted the researcher. The Global Severity Index (GSI) of the Brief Symptom Inventory measured psychological symptoms. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) measured marital quality, and scaled ratings of 11 types of stressors experienced over the previous week measured stress. Husband and wife measures were taken of each …

Maiming The Cubs, James J. White

Articles

It is easy to believe that students are made anxious and even depressed by law school and that the anxiety and depression stay with many students throughout school. It is harder to believe that these stresses cause permanent and irreversible change and that the ills of lawyers are traced in any meaningful way to the stresses of the three years of law school.

An Examination Of The Changes In Depression, Anxiety And Quality Of Life Among Patients Who Undergo Gastric Bypass Surgery, Thomas Petrone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the changes in depression, anxiety and quality of life of patients who underwent gastric by-pass surgery. The purpose of this study was to assess the mental health status of 30 patients by comparing the pre and post-operative mental health evaluative data that had been collected at the pre-surgery evaluation and again at the two, four and six-month follow-up appointments. The data included scores from Beck Depression Inventories (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventories (BAI) and Rand 36-Item Quality of Life Health Surveys (SF-36). Surgical intervention treatments of obesity are increasing. Evaluation of the pre-operative and post-operative psychological status of …

Associations Between Individual, Social, And Service Factors, Recovery Expectations And Recovery Strategies For Individuals With Mental Illness, Gary W. Walby

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clinical and consumer recovery efforts continue to advance more successful recovery agendas. Limited research into the effect of the expectation to recover and what strategies are most effective in enhancing recovery impedes coherent recovery programming. What factors are significantly associated with recovery expectancy and recovery strategies is still largely unknown. Thus, this study addresses three key gaps in the field.

First, which factors associate with the expectation of recovery and is expectation related to strategy choice? Second, what are common strategies for recovery from mental illness and what factors are associated with each strategy? Third, does recovery expectancy or severity …

Panic Disorder, Trait Anxiety, And Risk Drinking In Pregnant And Non-Pregnant Women, Sarah Meshberg-Cohen

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety disorders, including Panic Disorder, and alcohol problems co-occur at greater rates than chance in the general population. It has also been suggested that alcohol is used to cope with anxiety symptoms, such as trait anxiety. While pregnancy may be a protective period against Panic Disorder and panic symptoms, trait anxiety remains relatively stable during pregnancy. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in rates of current Panic Disorder, panic attacks, and trait anxiety in pregnant and non-pregnant women receiving care at an urban OB/GYN clinic. The study also examined correlates and differences in alcohol use and …

The Relationship Between Nurses' Anxiety And Attitude Related To Pediatric Hospice, Teresa Lyn Hoover

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To lose a child is a profoundly emotional experience. Even if it is not your own, the experience involves deeply held beliefs about death, the quality of death, ethics, and perhaps personal experience. Left unexplored, these beliefs and the anxiety they may produce, can become barriers to providing quality end-of-life care for children with life limiting conditions and their families. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between hospice nurses' attitudes toward providing pediatric hospice care and the level of anxiety they may experience related to pediatric hospice care. A self administered questionnaire was completed by 30 …

Development Of The Anxiety Change Expectancy Scale (Aces) And Validation In College, Community, And Clinical Samples., David J A Dozois, Henny A Westra

Psychology Publications

This study investigated the psychometric properties of a newly developed 20-item instrument that assesses one's anticipation of being able to change anxiety: the Anxiety Change Expectancy Scale (ACES). Study 1 evaluated the ACES in undergraduate university students, self-identified as experiencing difficulties with anxiety. Study 2 examined the ACES in a community sample of persons with anxiety difficulties. Study 3 tested the utility of the ACES in predicting treatment change in a group of individuals with generalized anxiety disorder participating in group cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety. Across these samples, the ACES demonstrated excellent internal reliability (coefficient alphas=.89-.92) as well as …

The Role Of Spiritual Well-Being In Moderating Frail Elders' Affective Response To Functional Difficulty, Marie P. Dennis, Laura N. Gitlin, Laraine Winter, Yeon K. Chee

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

Anxiety and depression have been well documented as affective consequences of functional impairment. Little research, however, has examined factors that moderate these associations. The present cross-sectional study examined the role of spiritual well-being in buffering the impact of functional difficulty on the anxiety and depressive symptoms of 319 functionally vulnerable community-dwelling elders, aged 70 or older, participating in a 6-month randomized controlled trial designed to enhance function. As demonstrated in recent research on spirituality and health, we expected that spiritual well-being would moderate the association between functional difficulty and anxiety as well as the relationship between functional difficulty and depression. …

Using A 0-10 Scale For Assessment Of Anxiety In Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Maria J. De Jong, Kyungeh An, Sharon Mckinley, Bonnie J. Garvin, Lynne A. Hall, Debra K. Moser

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) often experience anxiety, an emotion that predicts adverse physiologic outcomes. Critical care clinicians have not adopted an anxiety assessment instrument for widespread use, due in part to the unavailability of an easy to administer anxiety instrument that is not burdensome to either clinicians or critically ill patients. Objectives: To determine whether a single-item anxiety assessment instrument, the Anxiety Level Index (ALI), is a valid alternative to the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) or the anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in assessing state anxiety for patients with AMI. Methods: In this prospective …

Influence Of Outcome Expectancy On Optimisim, Pessimism, Anxiety And Self-Confidence In Collegiate Football Players, Tiffany D. Watson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Expectations are instrumental in predicting performance quality (Solomon, 2002). According to the expectancy theory, what is expected to happen often does (Chase & Lirgg, 1997). Often, the underdog, or unexpected winner, will defeat the more likely winner creating questions as to the validity of the expectancy theory. Psychological variables related to expectations may contribute to the ability of the underdog to succeed in unexpected situations. Optimism refers to a positive expectation or perception of the future, and pessimism refers to a negative expectation or perception (Scheier & Carver, 1993). Anxiety, though often given a negative connotation, has shown facilitative effects …

Potential Role Of Social Support Systems And Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Gregory Glenn Harris

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This research is being conducted to determine the possible relationship between an individual's resistance to developing PTSD and his or her social support system. The goal is for this information to be used in clinical settings to develop/facilitate better treatment profiles for individuals suffering from PTSD. In order to determine if a valid and reliable relationship exists between cognitive resistance to developing PTSD and social support systems, a screening tool had to be created. A mixture of biographical information, Impact of Events Scale - Revised, Beck's Hopelessness and Depression Scales was utilized to gather co-relational data so that a factor …

Emotional Intelligence And Its Relationship With The Goodness Of Fit Hypothesis And Perceived Stress, Ryan Anthony Platt

Theses Digitization Project

This study tested the hypothesis that goodness of fit has a positive relationship with Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Participants were given an EQ survey and a general anxiety inventory and were exposed to two different scenarios, controllable and uncontrollable. The relationship between EQ, coping strategies (problem-focused or emotion focused), general anxiety, and goodness of fit was examined,

The Validity Of The Brief Version Of The Fear Of Negative Evaluation Scale., Kerry A Collins, Henny A Westra, David J A Dozois, Sherry H Stewart

Psychology Publications

The Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale [FNE; J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 33 (1969) 448] is a commonly used measure of social anxiety. A brief version of the scale (FNEB) is available for convenient administration. Despite being widely advocated for use, the psychometric properties of the FNEB have not been evaluated with clinically anxious samples. The present study addressed the reliability and validity of the FNEB in a clinical sample of individuals with either social phobia (n = 82) or panic disorder (n = 99) presenting for treatment. Factor analysis supported the construct validity of the FNEB. The validity of the …

The Effects Of Footshock On The Reinforcing Efficacy Of Cocaine In Male Long-Evans Rats, Elizabeth S. Hendrick

Theses and Dissertations

Many links exist between cocaine abuse and stress. The literature and laboratory studies in rats suggest that this could be because stress increases the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine. Using male Long-Evans rats, experiments in this thesis tested effects of footshock on the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine using a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. They also examined effects of footshock on the reinforcing efficacy of a half-maximal dose of cocaine. Finally, they tested the effects of footshock on cocaine self-administration in rats initially resistant to acquisition of cocaine self-administration. Footshock did not increase reinforcing efficacy of cocaine on a PR schedule …