Digital Commons Network^™

Depression And Anxiety As Predictors Of Obesity In Children, Cortney J. Taylor

Open Access Dissertations

Objectives: Prior research indicates that minority youth are more at risk for developing obesity, and that obesity is associated with several health complications as well as significant healthcare costs. The current study addressed the role of symptoms of internalizing disorders with regards to obesity in primarily ethnic minority fourth and fifth graders. In addition, this study was the first to expand upon prior research by determining whether symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social anxiety were associated with BMI at six month follow up in this age group, and whether gender moderated the relationship of internalizing symptoms and BMI. Finally, the …

Psychosocial Vulnerabilities To Depression After Acute Coronary Syndrome: The Pivotal Role Of Rumination In Predicting And Maintaining Depression, Ellen-Ge Denton, Nina Rieckmann, Karina W. Davidson, William F. Chaplin

Publications and Research

Psychosocial vulnerabilities may predispose individuals to develop depression after a significant life stressor, such as an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).The aims are (1) to examine the interrelations among vulnerabilities, and their relation with changes in depressive symptoms 3 months after ACS, (2) to prospectively assess whether rumination interacts with other vulnerabilities as a predictor of later depressive symptoms, and (3) to examine how these relations differ between post-ACS patients who meet diagnostic criteria for depression at baseline versus patients who do not. Within 1week after hospitalization for ACS, and again after 3 months, 387 patients (41% female, 79.6% white, mean …

Electroconvulsive Therapy (Ect): An Introduction For Elder Law Professionals, Deirdre Johnston, Doug Eitel, W. Vaughn Mccall

Marquette Elder's Advisor

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), colloquially called "shock therapy," is often denounced as barbaric by members of the lay population. However, it is actually a highly efficacious treatment for depression, which can be particularly common and severe in the elderly. This discussion illuminates the potential benefits and risks of this controversial treatment.

Cognitive Appraisals In The Maintenance Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Depression: Examining The Aftermath Of Intimate Partner Violence, Shira Ann Olsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive societal problem that can result in poor mental health outcomes among women who are exposed to this type of trauma. Among the most prevelant forms of psychological outcomes that develop in the aftermath of trauma are Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. These disorders are often comorbid folllowing IPV, which serves to exacerbate the overall severity of posttrauma psychopathology. To date, little is known regarding factors that contribute to the comorbid relationship between PTSD and depression, as well as factors that independently contribute to each form of pathology following IPV. The present study …

Oncolog, Volume 57, Number 08, August 2012, Amelia Scholtz, Dawn Chalaire

OncoLog MD Anderson's Report to Physicians (All issues) Archives

• Preoperative Chemotherapy Offers Best Outcomes for Patients with Rare Bladder Cancer: A combination of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery provides patients who have small-cell urothelial cancer (SCUC) with much longer survival times than does initial surgery, the previous standard treatment
• Addressing Psychological Concerns for Cancer Patients: Despite advances in cancer treatment over the past several years, for many people, a diagnosis of cancer can still feel like a death sentence. The added stress leads to psychological problems for many patterns
• INBRIEF: New Antibody Treatment Produces Responses in Patient with Advanced Cancer/Accelerated Partial-Breast Brachytherapy Associated with Decreased Long-Term Breast Preservation and Increased …

A Study Of Social Injustice And Forgiveness In The Case Of North Korean Refugees, Jin Uk Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study evaluated the psychometric utility of Decisional Forgiveness Scale and Emotional Forgiveness Scale for the North Korean refugee population and explored the relationship among social adaptation, religious commitment, unforgiveness, forgiveness style and mental health variables (trauma symptoms and depression) among North Korean refugees. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted to investigate the North Korean version of DFS and EFS with collected data from 269 North Korean refugees. The forgiveness instruments, when modified with appropriate item deletions, could be considered as useful for North Korean refugees. In the Multiple Regression Analysis, four of five predictors (social adaptation, hurt characteristics, forgiveness …

Depression As A Risk Factor For Breast Cancer : Investigating Methodological Limitations In The Literature., Patrick Pössel, Erica Adams, Jeffrey C. Valentine

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Purpose: A relationship between depression and the development of breast cancer has not been convincingly shown in the research conducted over the past three decades. Methods: In an effort to better understand the conflicting results, a review was conducted focusing on the methodological problems associated with this literature, including time frame between the assessment of depression and the diagnosis of breast cancer and the use of somatic items in measuring depression. Fifteen breast cancer prospective studies were reviewed. Results: While twelve of the studies found positive associations between depression and breast cancer development, three studies found negative associations. With regards …

Parental Distress Responding To Adolescent Negative Emotionality: Influence On Anxiety And Depression Symptom Severity And Treatment Outcome, Cara Suzanne Remmes

Open Access Theses

Anxiety and depressive disorders result from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental influences over time. Parental behavior in the context of a child’s internalizing distress, although only one of many interacting factors, may be important to understanding the etiology of anxiety and depressive disorders. Specifically, how a parent responds to their child’s emotions and youth attempts at emotion regulation may influence subsequent child emotion coping through both operant conditioning and observational learning. However, the impact of a parent’s own emotion regulation strategies on youth anxiety and depression has not been well-examined nor has the influence of parent’s emotion regulation …

Primary Care Behavioral Health Consultation Reduces Depression Levels Among Mood-Disordered Patients, Bill Mcfeature, Thomas W. Pierce

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of behavioral health consultative services on levels of depressive symptoms in patients diagnosed with a mood disorder. Two-hundred fifty-one patients with a form of mood disorder completed the PHQ-9 screening tool for depression both before and after a treatment period lasting an average of three months, during which patients received behavioral health consultation services. Results showed that 49.8% of patients participating in this integrated behavioral health care program experienced improvements of at least 50% in PHQ-9 scores from pre- to post-test. Improvements in PHQ-9 scores of at least a five …

The New Frontier Of Peer Victimization: Prospective Associations Between Adolescents' On-Line Peer Victimization And Internalizing Symptoms, Ryan Richard Landoll

Open Access Dissertations

Peer victimization in adolescence has been consistently associated with increases in internalizing symptoms, such as depression and social anxiety. Recently, both empirical and public attention has focused on cyber victimization, or negative peer experiences that occur in an on-line context. Adolescent Internet use has reached nearly universal rates (recent estimates report over 93% of adolescents have access to the Internet, with the majority accessing the Internet daily), and the rise of social networking and media tools has created a diverse and complicated environment for adolescents to interact within in cyberspace. Research has made great strides in identifying the potential negative …

Sociodemographic And Clinical Characteristics Of Patients Attending Psychotherapy In A Tertiary Care Hospital In Oman, Zena Al-Sharbati, Claire Hallas, Hazar Al-Sharbati, Marwan

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: There is significant evidence that psychotherapy is a pivotal treatment for persons diagnosed with Axis I clinical psychiatric conditions; however, a psychotherapy service has only recently been established in the Omani health care system. This study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of attendees at a psychotherapy clinic at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: An analysis was carried out of 133 new referrals to the Psychotherapy Service at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital. Results: The majority of referrals were females (59%), aged 18–34 years, employed (38%), had ≤12 years of formal education (51%), and …

Could Negative Affect Be 'Part' Of The 'Whole' Picture In Weak Central Coherence? A Study Of Weak Central Coherence And Its Relation To Affect And Autistic Traits, Warren Dunger

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Weak Central Coherence (WCC) is recognised as a major cognitive theory of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and is characterised by a processing bias for local information. Furthermore, individuals with ASD have been found to be more susceptible to depression and lower mood. Considering negative mood seems to result in better performance on detail-based processing tasks, the present study suggests that WCC could be a result of high levels of negative affect in ASD. This was explored in two experiments using a non-clinical sample with autistic traits. Experiment 1 involved manipulating mood, whereas Experiment 2 was a longitudinal study. The study‟s …

Insight Into The Parenthood Paradox: Mental Health Outcomes Of Intensive Mothering, Holly H. Schiffrin, Kathryn Rizzo, Miriam Liss

Psychological Science Articles

Though people often report wanting to have children because they think it will make them happier, much research suggests that parenting is associated with decreased well-being. Other studies have found that parenting is related to increased life satisfaction. The goal of this study was to provide insight into this paradox by investigating the relationship between a specific way of parenting, intensive parenting, and maternal mental health. An online survey was completed by 181 mothers with children ages 5 and under. Intensive mothering beliefs correlated with several negative mental health outcomes. Controlling for perceived family social support, the belief that women …

A Study Of Potential Risk Factors Of Depression Among Latina Breast Cancer Survivors, Claudia Ximena Aguado Loi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women with breast cancer commonly experience depression. However, this condition often goes unrecognized, undertreated, and understudied, especially in ethnic minorities. If left untreated, co-existing depression in women with cancer can complicate cancer treatment, lead to poor treatment adherence for both conditions, and decrease survival. These negative consequences are considerably higher among Latinas. With the growing number of Latinos and diversity within the Latino community, the literature has identified the need to disaggregate Latinos by region of origin. Unfortunately, few studies account for these differences and no study to date has examined risk factors of depression among Latinas diagnosed with breast …

Correlation Between Facebook Usage And Loneliness And Depression, Jasmine (Chi Man) Tang, Michael Livingston

Psychology Faculty Publications

Facebook has emerged into our society within the last couple years as a powerful social phenomenon. 11.5% of the world population are active users of Facebook while there is a serious lack of psychological theory relating to functions or effects of Facebook. Researchers began realizing the importance of investigating the usage of Facebook and how that might be related to different personality traits. However, not much research has been done on how Facebook use could be related to our social well-beings.

The current study aims to investigate how the use of Facebook influences loneliness and depression. The results showed that …

Resilience, Insight, And Causation As Moderators Of The Relationships Between Trauma, Perceived Stress, Distress, Depression, Salivary Cortisol, And Dhea Through A Writing Intervention In A Diverse Sample Of Hiv-Positive Individuals, Courtney Biondi Kelsch

Open Access Theses

Background: Adverse psychological factors such as depression and stressful life events have been found to accelerate HIV disease progression, while positive factors such as optimism and spirituality have been found to slow progression to AIDS. The potentially protective role of the positive psychological factor resilience in HIV/AIDS has not been studied extensively. The relationship of resilience to depression, trauma, stress, and stress-related biological markers in HIV remains to be elucidated. In addition, written emotional expression interventions have shown promise in positively influencing HIV disease course, although the mechanisms require further study. Purpose: The aims of this study were to explore …

Elevated Depressive Symptoms In A Community Sample Of African-Americans And Whites, Robert J. Jagers, Fernando A. Wagner, Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Yan Wang, Dorothy C. Browne

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This study examined demographic and psychosocial correlates of elevated depressive symptoms among African-Americans and Whites from comparable socioeconomic and neighborhood backgrounds. 851 African-Americans and 597 Whites from adjacent census tracts were interviewed using previously validated indicators of depressive symptoms, social support, religious practices and various demographic characteristics. More Whites than African-Americans reported elevated depressive symptoms and the groups also differed on several demographic variables and psychosocial variables. Employment, marital status and age were salient demographic covariates for African Americans, while income was for Whites. For both groups, social support and church attendance were inversely associated with depressive symptoms. Prayer was …

Patient Perceptions Of Comorbid Depression In Heart Disease, Rebecca Lynn Reese Akcakaya

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Depression is a risk factor for the development of heart disease, as well as for poor prognosis among patients with existing disease. However, clinical trials of treatment of depression in patients with heart disease have not resulted in improved cardiac outcomes, and have demonstrated modest effects on depression. The nature of depression in heart patients must be better understood in order to improve treatment and health outcomes. In samples of patients with medical illness as well as in patients with depression, illness perceptions have been useful in predicting both treatment outcomes and self-management behaviors such as coping and adherence. This …

Postpartum Depression In Immigrant Hispanic Women: A Comparative Community Sample, Laura Mae Shellman

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study was initiated to verify whether a remarkably high rate of postpartum depression (PPD), previously found in immigrant Hispanic women receiving health care at a community clinic, would also be found in a community sample with a similar demographic.

Data Sources: Sixty immigrant Hispanic women who had recently given birth were recruited from local community settings. The Beck Postpartum Depression Screening Scale-Spanish version (PPDS-S) and the General Acculturation Index (GAI) were used to screen for PPD symptoms and to collect demographic data. These data were then compared with previously published data from the community clinic sample.

Conclusions: Sixty …

Mediating And Moderating Effects On The Association Between Vision Loss And Depression Among An Older Population, Terry L. Stone, Jonathan Bruce Santo, Walter Wittich

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to gain a more holistic view of the association between depression and visual functioning by examining possible mediating and moderating factors. Previous research has established a linkage between low life satisfaction and coping skills and depressive symptoms. Results of this study contribute to this literature by indicating that life satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between visual functioning and depression. Furthermore, a significant coping by visual functioning interaction was discovered, revealing that among this sample, visual impairment is associated with higher levels of depression among individuals with low coping skills; however, little effect was found …

The Relation Between Cognitive Inflexibility And Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Traits In Adults: Depression And Anxiety As Potential Mediators, Lakenya Deberry

Honors Theses

The current study quantitatively examined the relation between cognitive inflexibility and obsessive-compulsive personality traits and also examined whether depression and anxiety were mediators of that relation. A total of 56 individuals, ages 18 to 40, participated in the study and were recruited from the undergraduate and graduate student body of The University of Southern Mississippi as well as other participants from the University community. Participants completed self-report questionnaires on measures of cognitive inflexibility (Cognitive Flexibility Scale; CFS), depression and anxiety (Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale; DASS), and obsessive-compulsive personality traits (Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire; PDQ-4). It was hypothesized that cognitive inflexibility …

Predictors Of Depression For Low-Income African American Single Mothers, Jennifer Hatcher, Mary K. Rayens, Ann R. Peden, Lynne A. Hall

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose: To test a model of predictors of depression in low-income single African American mothers. Design: Secondary analysis of existing data collected as part of a study of women at risk for clinical depression.

Methods: Cross sectional secondary data analysis of a study of low-income African American single mothers with children ages 2-6. Path analysis was used to test a model of the potential mediating role of negative thinking. It was hypothesized that negative thinking mediates the effects of chronic stressors, general health status, and self-esteem on depressive symptoms

Finding: Negative thinking mediated the relationships of chronic stressors and self-esteem …

Effort-Related Choice Behavior Is Affected By Pharmacological Manipulations Associated With Depression: The Effects Of Tetrabenazine, Megan Huizenga

Honors Scholar Theses

In humans, psychiatric symptoms such as anergia and psychomotor retardation reflect pathologies in behavioral activation. These motivational symptoms are fundamental aspects of depression and other disorders. Drugs such as reserpine and tetrabenazine deplete monoamines, including dopamine, and induce depressive like behaviors in humans. Our results indicate that administration of low doses of tetrabenazine can alter effort-related choice behavior, biasing animals towards low effort alternatives. These findings may be related to the ability of monoamine depleting agents such as tetrabenazine to blunt behavioral activation and induce psychomotor retardation, anergia and fatigue in humans, and this research could be useful for the …

Frequency And Associated Factors For Anxiety And Depression In Pregnant Women: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study., Niloufer Sultan Ali, Iqbal Azam Syed, Badar S. Ali, Ghurnata Tabbusum, Sana S. Moin

Department of Family Medicine

Antepartum anxiety and/or depression is a major public health problem globally. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of antepartum anxiety and/or depression among pregnant women. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care hospital among pregnant women. A total of 165 pregnant women were interviewed by a clinical psychologist using HADS for assessing anxiety and/or depression and also collected information regarding sociodemographic, obstetric, family relationships, and home environment. Out of the total of 165 pregnant women about 70 percent of them were either anxious and/or depressed. The increasing age of women (P-value = 0.073), …

Leptin As A Novel Predictor Of Somatic Depressive Symptoms In Hispanics With The Metabolic Syndrome, Diana A. Chirinos Medina

Open Access Theses

The association between depression and the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) has been extensively investigated, and inflammation has been identified as an underlying link. Recent reports, however, indicate a possible role of leptin in modulating the immune response, yielding increases in inflammatory markers. The literature suggests this hormone may not only explain the metabolic abnormalities associated with depression but may also act as a biomarker of depression itself. This study aimed to determine the association between circulating leptin and total depressive symptoms and depressive symptom dimensions (cognitive and somatic) after controlling for important confounding factors such as age, gender, insulin resistance, body …

An Examination Of Perceived Stress Levels And Coping Styles Among Rural Law Enforcement Officers, Marcos Luis Misis

Dissertations

Policing is a very stressful job. Despite the extensive body of research on police stress, the majority of studies have focused solely on officers within urban police departments. Research on stress within rural law enforcement departments is virtually non-existent even though the majority of police agencies in America serve towns and areas under 50,000 residents.

This study had four main goals: (1) to examine how work-related stress affects the levels of perceived stress, anxiety, and depression for rural law enforcement officers; (2) to explore the specific stressors affecting rural law enforcement officers; (3) to investigate how rural law enforcement officers …

Depression And Evangelical Christian Spirituality: Exploring A Theoretical Model, Katheryn Jane Klukow

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

While religious involvement, particularly intrinsic religiosity or spirituality, has shown a significant inverse relationship with depression, this relationship is complex and multifaceted and several decades of study have yet to reveal a clear pattern. This work is a survey of the current research on the etiology and symptomology of depression and its interaction with spirituality. This work is testing a new model that views the effects of depression on spirituality as a function of an individual’s perceived relationship with God. A survey was distributed to a sample of 135 evangelical Christians. Depressed persons made up approximately 16% of the sample. …

The Horizon Of Happiness, Benjamin D. Gilbert

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis is not intended for those who regard practical problems as something to be talked about. It is not for those who believe that every question has an objective, absolute, or interpretable answer. It is not intended for the individual who knows what happiness is, in that the very definition of happiness is not to be found; at best only suggested. It is not intended solely for Eastern thought. It is not intended solely for Western thought - it is intended for both. Most importantly, this thesis attempts to exclude the esoteric language common in the philosophical discipline. Arthur …

Is Keeping Secrets From Friends Associated With Adolescent Depression And Behavior Problems?, Brittanee Bridges

Senior Honors Theses

Secrecy is a growing topic of interest in research, but little research has been done on adolescents keeping secrets from their friends. The purpose of this study was to find out if keeping secrets from friends was related to elevated depression and more behavior problems. The data in this study were obtained from 197 adolescents who were interviewed the summer after their 6th (n = 182, M age = 12.4, SD = 1.01) grade school year in southern Louisiana. This sample was 50.8% female, and the majority of the adolescents self-identified themselves as being white, non-Hispanic (47.7%) or African American …

The Relationship Of Outdoor Recreation And Gardening With Depression Among Individuals With Disabilities, Justin Floyd Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Activities involving natural environments have positive psychological impacts on participants. Both outdoor recreation and gardening have been shown to reduce feelings of depression. However, the effects of these activities on the depression levels of individuals with disabilities have not yet been studied. In order to better understand the relationship between these activities and depression among individuals with disabilities, two separate studies were conducted.

The first study seeks to better understand the relationship between outdoor recreation participation and depression among Montana residents with disabilities using publicly available Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. It hypothesizes that depression would be negatively …