Digital Commons Network^™

Drink Like A Lawyer: The Neuroscience Of Substance Use And Its Impact On Cognitive Wellness, Debra S. Austin

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Lawyers suffer from higher levels of anxiety and depression than the rest of the population, but most do not enter law school with these mental health issues. Disciplinary actions against attorneys involve substance abuse 50 to 75 percent of the time. However, neuroscience research has shown that both the brain and the genes enjoy the power of plasticity, which means that personal choices and environments shape the development of lawyers throughout their lives. Legal educators need a better understanding of what aspects or characteristics of legal education contribute to the decline in mental health of law students, lawyers, and judges, …

Mindfulness: Being Present In The Moment, Stephanie Ann Stathas, Christine Frazer

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

This article serves to enlighten childbirth educators’ knowledge about mindfulness and the mother-baby benefits associated with incorporating mindfulness- based interventions into practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, brought the concept of mindfulness into the world of healthcare and mainstream society. Mindfulness is the practice of bringing awareness to the here and now using a variety of methods. Nancy Bardacke has taken the practice of mindfulness further and developed a program for expecting mothers, known as Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting. This program has been shown to reduce stress responses that may be harmful to a …

Moderating Effects Of Coping Self-Efficacy And Coping Diversity In The Stress Health Relationship In African American College Students, Carol Frances Bonner

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the roles of coping self-efficacy and coping diversity in moderating the harmful effects of stress in a sample of African American undergraduate college students. An additional purpose of the study was to explore alternative methods of measuring coping diversity. Data were obtained from 162 participants who attended a southeastern Historically Black College/University. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to detect main effects and interaction effects of perceived stress and the two moderator variables, coping self-efficacy and coping diversity, on physical and mental health. Correlational analyses were used to assess the reliability of an alternative measure of …

Effect Of Psychological Capital On Elementary Teacher Stress And Workplace Affect, Scott Stephen Casad

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Calling upon principles of positive psychology, the quantitative study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the relationships between teacher psychological capital (PsyCap), role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, workplace stress, job satisfaction, job commitment, and intention to quit. Valid and reliable instruments from the literature were incorporated into a 64-item survey and distributed to 830 third through fifth grade teachers at seven northern Virginia school districts. In total, 225 complete responses were received. SEM testing rejected the exact-fit hypotheses and revealed insufficient overall fit between the study data and hypothesized models; thereby, providing no support for the proposed causal …

The Preparatory Set: A Novel Approach To Understanding Stress, Trauma, And The Bodymind Therapies, Peter Payne, Mardi A. Crane-Godreau

Dartmouth Scholarship

Basic to all motile life is a differential approach/avoid response to perceived features of environment. The stages of response are initial reflexive noticing and orienting to the stimulus, preparation, and execution of response. Preparation involves a coordination of many aspects of the organism: muscle tone, posture, breathing, autonomic functions, motivational/emotional state, attentional orientation, and expectations. The organism organizes itself in relation to the challenge. We propose to call this the "preparatory set" (PS). We suggest that the concept of the PS can offer a more nuanced and flexible perspective on the stress response than do current theories. We also hypothesize …

Effect Of Perceived Stress On Cytokine Production In Healthy College Students, Vorachai Sribanditmongkol, Jeremy L. Neal, Laura A. Szalacha, Donna O. Mccarthy

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Chronic psychological stress impairs antibody synthesis following influenza vaccination. Chronic stress also increases circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines and glucocorticoids in elders and caregivers, which can impair antibody synthesis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether psychological stress increases ex vivo cytokine production or decreases glucocorticoid sensitivity (GCS) of peripheral blood leukocytes from healthy college students. A convenience sample of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Whole blood was incubated in the presence of influenza vaccine and dexamethasone to evaluate production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon-gamma …

Comparison Of Cortisol Samples In The First Two Weeks Of Life In Preterm Infants, Tiffany A. Moore, Kendra K. Schmid, Jeffrey French

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Growing literature on negative childhood stress emphasizes the need to understand cortisol values from varying biomarker samples.

Objective: This work aimed to examine cortisol samples for usability, associations, and individual stability in neonates.

Subjects: The sample consisted of preterm infants (n=31).

Materials and methods: Analyses on cortisol collected from cord blood and from saliva and urine samples on days 1, 7, and 14 included Spearman correlations and paired t-tests.

Results: Usability rates were 80.6% (cord blood), 85.9% (saliva), and 93.5% (urine). Salivary and urinary cortisol levels had significant correlation on day 1 only (p=0.004). Significant differences in individual stability …

Stress And Eyewitness Memory: Timing Of Stressor And Association With Cortisol Stress Responding, Timothy Ryan Robicheaux

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Witnesses to and victims of criminal events can face significant stress during such encounters. Stress responding consists of a multitude of responses (e.g., anxiety, cardiovascular changes, cortisol responding). In the current study, I utilized a physiological stressor (i.e., the cold-pressor test) and a facial recognition paradigm to examine the relationship between cortisol change following stress exposure and memory accuracy. More specifically, I examined whether cortisol levels at specific memory stages (i.e., acquisition and retrieval) predicted stress responding differently.

Findings suggested that individual differences in cortisol stress responding to the cold-pressor test predicted facial recognition when peak cortisol was at a …

Determinan Stres Pada Pegawai Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia, Besral Besral, Winne Widiantini

Kesmas

Kejadian stres pada pelbagai kelompok di Indonesia cukup tinggi dan belum banyak diketahui determinannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui determinan stres pada pegawai Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia (Kemenkes RI). Penelitian potong lintang ini dilakukan pada tahun 2013 terhadap 230 pegawai sekretariat jenderal yang dipilih secara acak. Analisis statistik menggunakan regresi logistik ganda. Responden dikatakan stres jika memiliki skor 28 atau lebih dengan menggunakan 17 pertanyaan terkait personal stress inventory. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan prevalensi stres sebesar 79% dan determinan stres adalah obesitas, usia, jabatan, suku, pendidikan, dan aktivitas fisik. Risiko stres lebih tinggi pada pegawai yang obesitas (ORadj = 1,9), pegawai …

Stress And Coping In High School Students In Accelerated Academic Curricula: Developmental Trends And Relationships With Student Success, Brittany V. Hearon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High school students in accelerated academic curricula including Advanced Placement (AP) courses and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs are faced with unique challenges associated with their rigorous academic demands, in addition to normative adolescent stressors. Because of the increasing popularity of AP and IB among high-achieving youth and benefits realized by students who successfully manage such curricula, there remains a need to better understand the experiences of stress and coping among this population. The current study used longitudinal and cross-sectional comparisons to (a) investigate the degree to which students in accelerated curricula experience environmental stressors and employ coping strategies to manage …

Somatic Experiencing: Using Interoception And Proprioception As Core Elements Of Trauma Therapy, Peter Payne, Peter A. A. Levine, Mardi A. Crane-Godreau

Dartmouth Scholarship

Here we present a theory of human trauma and chronic stress, based on the practice of Somatic Experiencing(®) (SE), a form of trauma therapy that emphasizes guiding the client's attention to interoceptive, kinesthetic, and proprioceptive experience. SE™ claims that this style of inner attention, in addition to the use of kinesthetic and interoceptive imagery, can lead to the resolution of symptoms resulting from chronic and traumatic stress. This is accomplished through the completion of thwarted, biologically based, self-protective and defensive responses, and the discharge and regulation of excess autonomic arousal. We present this theory through a composite case study of …

Bibliotherapy For Children Coping With A Loved One's Military Deployment: What Do Children's Books Tell Us?, Aimee Tubbs

Theses and Dissertations

This study extracted descriptive information and analyzed content in 23 children's books related to military deployment using a coding instrument entitled, “Military Bibliotherapy Coding Instrument for Children's Books,” developed for this study. Additionally, the content from the books was compared to themes found in current research literature. The books were not as racially diverse as the military population. Books for black children are underrepresented with only 8% of books having black characters compared to the 16.9% black population in active duty military service. The most prevalent response to the deployment of a loved one described is sadness with 65% of …

"I Shall Not Fear:" Secure Attachment To G-D As A Buffer Against Anxiety, Peryl Agishtein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Religion has a long and mixed history in the field of psychology. Historically, some leading figures in the field viewed religion as a source of neuroses and poor mental health; others saw a more positive spiritual resource. Recently, empirical data on religion and mental health has proliferated. There is now consensus that religion is associated with lower depression. However, the link between religion and anxiety is less clear-cut. This paper proposes that a) religion can have exacerbating or alleviating effects on anxiety depending on which aspect of religion is being studied and b) the primary religious variable that affects anxiety …

The Use Of Laughter Yoga To Decrease Stress And Improve Coping In Nursing Students, Jessica A. Letexier

DNP and Student Works

Nursing students experience stress from many different facets. Stress has a negative impact on academic performance and cognition. Research shows the positive effects mirthful laughter has on psychological and physiological health. This pilot project evaluated the effectiveness Laughter Yoga had on stress and coping. Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale-10 and a stress and coping questionnaire measured project outcomes. The overall results give anecdotal evidence for continuing projects to evaluate student stress and coping strategies.

The Impact Of Community Based Adventure Therapy On Stress And Coping Skills In Adults., Haley Koperski, Anita R. Tucker, D Marie Lung, Michael A. Gass

Social Work

Stress and coping skills are among the most essential components of the mental health counseling field. The use of coping skills (e.g., meditation, physical activities, appropriate uses of leisure) has been identified as an effective strategy for stress management. Adventure therapy has emerged as a modality that can positively augment other therapeutic approaches by improving coping skills and assisting clients in managing stress. As with all therapies, a positive working alliance has been found to be important toward achieving clinical outcomes. This study explored how adventure therapy enhanced learned coping strategies for stress and improved therapeutic alliance. Outcomes from this …

The Impact Of Principal Leadership Behaviors On Indiana Teacher Stress Levels, Rex M. Ryker

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers continue to report high levels of stress (Kyriacou, 2011; Metropolitan Life Insurance & Harris Interactive, 2013; Richards, 2012) and principals serve as potential stressors by providing leadership in an era of accountability. Although effective principal leadership behaviors have been identified to improve student achievement, minimal research exists on the impact of principal leadership behaviors on teacher stress levels. This quantitative study examined the impact of select principal leadership behaviors on 3,004 Indiana K-12 public school teachers' perceived stress levels. Through an electronic survey consisting of a researcher-designed principal leadership composite survey (PLCS) and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; …

Identifying Molecular Features Associated With Psychoneurological Symptoms In Women With Breast Cancer Using Multivariate Mixed Models, Qing Zhou, Colleen Jackson-Cook, Debra Lyon, Robert Perera, Kellie Archer

Biostatistics Publications

Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer among women. Research shows many women with BC experience anxiety, depression, and stress (ADS). Epigenetics has recently emerged as a potential mechanism for the development of depression.1 Although there are growing numbers of research studies indicating that epigenetic changes are associated with ADS, there is currently no evidence that this association is present in women with BC. The goal of this study was to identify high-throughput methylation sites (CpG sites) that are associated with three psychoneurological symptoms (ADS) in women with BC. Traditionally, univariate models have been used to examine …

Can Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Increase The Ability To Self-Regulate?, Arianna G. Ruolo

Theses & ETDs

Self-regulation, a critical function of the executive self, enables many capabilities that define us as “human.” Specifically, it allows us to modify our behavior, emotions, and thoughts to be in line with our long term goals by self-monitoring to make effective decisions, resist desires for short-term pleasures, and so on. This ability plays a key role in the success of a broad range of endeavors. Thus, exploring ways to increase self-regulatory success is of paramount importance to all populations. The current study explores whether Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which trains the mind to focus and willfully direct attention, may make …

Are Meditation, Mindfulness, And Flotation Rest Related? Exploring The Efficacy Of Flotation Rest In Improving Wellbeing, Julia True

Theses & ETDs

Stress is an inevitable and ubiquitous aspect of life. Chronic stress is associated with psychological and physiological complaints and afflictions. This study examined the attributes and efficacy of two stress-reduction modalities, Meditation and Flotation Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique (REST), by targeting four specific goals. The first was to investigate whether a single session of REST was effective in improving aspects of self-reported psychological and subjective well-being, specifically, Flourishing, Positive and Negative Affect, Affect Balance, and Life Satisfaction. A second goal was to investigate whether prior experience with meditation predicted the effectiveness of REST. Thirdly, it investigated whether mindfulness and the …

We Left Lassie Behind: Defense Personnel Relocation, Animal Abandonment, And Shelter Impacts, Gabriele Griffiths

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When Department of Defense (DoD) personnel receive orders to relocate to a new duty installation, nearly one third abandon their companion animals, which negatively affects the local shelters' costs, personnel, and capabilities to provide quality care for shelter animals. There is a lack of research on relevant policies among local government policy makers, installation commanders, directors of animal shelters, and animal rights advocates about the abandonment of companion animals by DoD personnel. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to investigate the relationship between the influx of abandoned DoD companion animals and the management and logistical (including financial) …

The Expectation Of Emotional Strength And Its Impact On African American Women's Weight, Necole L. Rivers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American (AA) women have the highest rates of obesity and weight-related diseases of any other cultural group in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between acceptance of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) cultural construct and the following weight-related health factors: body mass index (BMI), high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes mellitus (DM). The hypothesis was that a positive relationship exists between accepting the SBW persona and weight-related health factors. The theory of womanism was used to guide this study. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 127 AA women to participant in an …

The Effects Of Stress And Burden On Caregivers Of Individuals With A Chronic Illness, Betty Wilborn-Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Informal caregivers have played a significant social and economic role in the care and treatment of individuals diagnosed with chronic illness. However, caregiving can have harmful effects on a caregiver's physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. Using caregiver stress theory as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this archival research was to determine the predictive relationship of stress in relation to caregiver quality of life for 309 selected cases. Correlational and hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The independent variables examined were environment and context, stressors related to …

Cortisol Levels And Voltage Conditions Of College Students, Adriana Steffens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a limited research base on low voltage brain conditions, which are characterized by electrical activity being measured at below 20 microvolts. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between saliva cortisol levels and voltage using an EGG in a college student population. Illuminating this relationship is important to inform how low voltage conditions can affect daily memory and cognitive functioning of undergraduate college students that may be a result of stress. The college student population may be vulnerable to the low voltage condition because of stress from the transition between teenage and adult life and …

Project Duration, Budget, Individual Role, And Burnout Among Construction Managers, Matthew M. Motil

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professionals who experience burnout are less productive and lead to decreases in both profitability and human resource (HR) capital. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between construction project duration; project budget; an individual's role on a project; and Maslach's three dimensions of burnout, (a) professional efficacy, (b) emotional exhaustion, and (c) cynicism, for the target population of construction management team members working within the Midwestern United States. Using data from an online survey, a multiple linear regression analysis was used, along with a separate multiple linear regression model, to quantify the relationship of each dimension …

The Relationship Between Sexual Functioning And Sleep Quality In A Female Undergraduate Student Sample, Alexander Kuka

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

A relative lack of literature exists regarding the relationship between sexual functioning and sleep quality in women. The current study assessed these constructs in a sample of 260 undergraduate female students via online administration of relevant measures for sleep quality, sexual functioning, stress, and medical conditions and prescription medications. The relationship between sleep quality and sexual functioning was positive but not significant, even when controlling for relevant variables such as stress. As such, future research might seek to clarify this relationship and to identify variables that mediate or moderate this relationship.

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Psychoeducational Program In Postpartum Support Groups, Marina Pesserl

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Postpartum Depression (PPD) affects 15% of women after childbirth. Its etiology includes psychoneuroimmunologic factors with long-lasting postpartum stressors that lead to allostatic overload. Using mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for PPD has not yet been studied. Addressing this literature gap, the potential benefits of including an 8-week MBSR component based on Beck's theory of PPD at support groups were examined in this phenomenological study based on a sample of 10 women and 2 group facilitators. Purposes of the study included describing the experience of PPD and the MBSR program, identifying the stage of behavioral change of the participants, and describing the …

Identification Of Resilient Individuals And Those At Risk For Performance Deficits Under Stress., Brent D. Winslow, Meredith B. Carroll, Jonathan W. Martin, Glenn Surpris, George L. Chadderdon

Aeronautics Faculty Publications

Human task performance is affected by exposure to physiological and psychological stress. The ability to measure the physiological response to stressors and correlate that to task performance could be used to identify resilient individuals or those at risk for stress-related performance decrements. Accomplishing this prior to performance under severe stress or the development of clinical stress disorders could facilitate focused preparation such as tailoring training to individual needs. Here we measure the effects of stress on physiological response and performance through behavior, physiological sensors, and subjective ratings, and identify which individuals are at risk for stress-related performance decrements. Participants performed …

Does Self-Care Moderate The Relation Of Stress To Quality Of Life Of Female Doctoral Students In Professional Psychology?, Erin Elizabeth Ayala

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Increasing numbers of women are pursuing doctoral degrees in psychology, and the stress of being a female doctoral student can create a risk for aversive consequences (e.g., ineffective clinical work, impaired competence). Psychologists lack an understanding of the extent to which women can protect themselves from undue stress in professional psychology programs by engaging in self-care. The lack of a comprehensive framework for this phenomenon calls for the need to apply and test the Health Promotion Model to the experience of women in professional psychology programs. The current investigation assessed the extent to which self-care activities would moderate the negative …

Burnout-Depression Overlap: A Review, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Whether burnout is a form of depression or a distinct phenomenon is an object of controversy. The aim of the present article was to provide an up-to-date review of the literature dedicated to the question of burnout–depression overlap. A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, PsycINFO, and IngentaConnect. A total of 92 studies were identified as informing the issue of burnout–depression overlap. The current state of the art suggests that the distinction between burnout and depression is conceptually fragile. It is notably unclear how the state of burnout (i.e., the end stage …

Meaning In Life And Self-Efficacy's Relationship To Depression, Anxiety, And Stress: A Study Of Coastal Residents Affected By The Gulf Oil Spill, Brandy Baczwaski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform exploded, killing 11 people and spilling approximately 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the following months. Disasters such as the Gulf Oil Spill affect individuals in many ways, including the possible onset of psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Because mental health effects are comfollowing a disaster, it is important to understand potential protective factors that may decrease the risk of negative consequences related to disaster events. The presence and severity of psychological distress, as well as the method of coping, varies between individuals …