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Autonomic Reactivity And Recovery In Healthy Black, White, And Hispanic Women With And Without A Family History Of Cardiovascular Disease, Mardís Sara Karlsdóttir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity and impaired recovery to psychological stress is independently related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), and may play a causal role in its development. I examined autonomic reactivity and recovery in 136 black, white, and Hispanic women who were predisposed to CVD, as indicated by a positive family history (FH+). Pre-ejection period (PEP; sympathetic) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA; parasympathetic) were measured during public speaking, mental arithmetic, and cold pressor tasks. Overall, FH+ participants exhibited greater RSA reactivity, while black participants exhibited impaired RSA recovery. These findings suggest that a hereditary predisposition for CVD is related to altered autonomic …

Activation Of Gabaa And 5ht1a Receptors In The Raphe Pallidus Abolish The Cardiovascular Responses To Stress In Conscious Rats, Nhut Minh Pham Le

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Serotonergic neurons of the raphe pallidus area of the brainstem are involved in the cardiovascular responses to stress. However, the manner in which they mediate these responses is not well understood and severe abnormalities in this system have been associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In the current study, microinjections of muscimol and 8-OH-DPAT (GABAA and 5HT1A receptor agonists, respectively) into the raphe pallidus abolished the increase in mean arterial pressure and the tachycardiac responses following air jet, handing, and restraint stress that were observed following microinjections of artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The stress responses following muscimol microinjections suggest that this …

The Transition From Medical Student To Junior Doctor: Today's Experiences Of Tomorrow's Doctors., Nicola Brennan, Oonagh Corrigan, Jon Allard, Julian Archer, Rebecca Barnes, Alan Bleakley, Tracey Collett, Bere Sr De

Peninsula Medical School

CONTEXT Medical education in the UK has recently undergone radical reform. Tomorrow's Doctors has prescribed undergraduate curriculum change and the Foundation Programme has overhauled postgraduate education. OBJECTIVES This study explored the experiences of junior doctors during their first year of clinical practice. In particular, the study sought to gain an understanding of how junior doctors experienced the transition from the role of student to that of practising doctor and how well their medical school education had prepared them for this. METHODS The study used qualitative methods comprising of semi-structured interviews and audio diary recordings with newly qualified doctors based at …

Enhanced Psychosocial Well-Being Following Participation In A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program Is Associated With Increased Natural Killer Cell Activity., Carolyn Y Fang, Diane K Reibel, Margaret L Longacre, Steven Rosenzweig, Donald E Campbell, Steven D Douglas

Marcus Institute of Integrative Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs have consistently been shown to enhance the psychosocial well-being of participants. Given the well-established association between psychosocial factors and immunologic functioning, it has been hypothesized that enhanced psychosocial well-being among MBSR participants would be associated with corresponding changes in markers of immune activity.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to examine changes in psychosocial and immunologic measures in a heterogeneous patient sample following participation in a MBSR program.

DESIGN: A single-group, pretest/post-test design was utilized.

SETTING: The intervention was conducted at an academic health center.

SUBJECTS: This pilot study involved 24 participants (aged …

High-Stakes Testing And Its Relationship To Stress Levels Of Secondary Teachers, Sonya Colman Christian

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between high-stakes testing and the stress levels of secondary teachers in Jackson’s Jackson Public School District. The independent variables of age, gender, subject taught, teaching experience, degree and school level were used to determine the differences of the various groups. A survey was piloted and used to determine teachers’ levels of stress. There was not a statistically significant difference between the stress levels of teachers who teach subjects that are measured by high-stakes testing and those who do not. There also was not a statistically significant difference between the stress levels of veteran teachers and …

A Description Of The Influence Of Nclb Accountability Mandates On Administrator Job Satisfaction Of A Combined Middle-High Principal In Rural Georgia, Boyd K. English

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the influence of No Child Left Behind accountability mandates on administrator job satisfaction of a rural combined middle-high principal. The researcher identified a gap in research associated with the influence of accountability mandates on the job satisfaction of a combined middle-high principal. Therefore, the focus on a combined middle-high principal in rural Georgia allowed the researcher to conduct a qualitative case study to address the gap in current educational research. The overarching question and sub-questions guided the case study and provided the necessary framework essential in describing the influence of accountability on …

Managing Bpo Service Workers In India: Examining Hope On Performance Outcomes, Gwendolyn M. Combs, Rachel Clapp-Smith, Sucheta Nadkarni

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Much attention has been given to the explosion in business process outsourcing (BPO) operations in India. Little concern, however, has been paid to the performance of Indian service workers in these fast-paced and sometimes turbulent environments. Using a sample of 160 service workers from a privately held BPO firm in India, we examine the relationship between Indian service workers’ hope and their performance outcomes. Regression and structural equation model analyses indicated a significant positive relationship between Indian service workers’ levels of hope and their performance. These promising results highlight the importance of measuring and managing employee hope to maximize employee …

The Ability Of The Coping Competence Questionnaire To Predict Resilience Against Learned Helplessness Among Undergraduate College Students: An Experimental Study, Cindy L. Ollis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Coping Competence Questionnaire (CCQ), based on the reformulated learned helplessness theory, was designed to assess a general stress resistance versus a propensity towards learned helplessness with a brief, 12-item self-report questionnaire. In this study the CCQ was administered to 247 undergraduate students, who were then paired, in groups of around 24 at a time, and then randomly assigned to either success or failure conditions on the computer game TetraVex. Mood was pretested using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) depression subscale; the experimental condition, success or failure at TetraVex was conducted; then outcome measures including 20 five letter anagrams …

Stress Levels And Development: A Phenomenology Of Autistic Children And Their Parents, Tiffany R. Wiggs

Senior Honors Theses

Being a parent means taking on both the joys and struggles that come with it. When a parent discovers that his or her child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the level of stress changes. It could be helpful to discover the severity of change that the stresses involved in parenting a child with ASD brings to the parent/child relationship and what effect this has on a child’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual development. To attempt to answer these questions, six parents were interviewed. Findings suggested that structure in daily living improves the quality of the child/parent relationship …

Stress And The Chinese Key Middle School, Ping Wang

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The Chinese key middle school is different from the non-key middle school in several ways. First, the key middle school enrolls students with higher examination scores. The students study in smaller classes—ordinarily there are 50 students in one key middle school class, fewer than the non-key middle school. Accordingly, each individual in the key middle school can get more attention from teachers. Second, outstanding graduate students from advanced normal universities are assigned to teach in the key middle schools. Third, better teaching facilities are provided to help the students with their studies.

Selected Demographic Characteristics And Social Interest As Predictors Of Teacher Stress, Barry J. Morales

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to study stress in teachers in Louisiana by utilizing a descriptive/comparative research design. Hypotheses were tested concerning relationships between each of seven independent variables and the dependent variable (teacher stress). The independent variables were (a) years of teaching experience, (b) educational levels of teachers (college degrees), (c) age, (d) gender, (e) social interest, (f) geographical location (North and South Louisiana), and (g) educational levels of students taught by teachers (elementary, middle, high school). The procedure for choosing the participants involved a sample of convenience whereby superintendents provided access/permission to specific schools. Nine schools (three …

Coping With Stress [Brochure And Video], Rachel Hoover, Carol Nichole Sherrell

Counseling Concepts and Applications for Student Affairs Professionals (CNS 577)

According to a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the five biggest causes of college stress are peer pressure, competition, separation from family, freedom, and choosing a major/career. Obviously, stress is a very common problem among college students; the obstacle is learning how to cope with the stress in a healthy manner. Stress cannot only affect an individual’s emotional well-being, but can also affect an individual’s physical well-being. Being able to recognize the difference between healthy and unhealthy stress will in turn allow the individual to realize healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Another aspect of coping with stress is …

Stress In Medical Students Of Thammasat University, Winitra Nuallaong

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

Objectives and Methods: This study aimed to find out stress levels and stressors as well as coping methods after stress in medical students at clinical level of Thammasat University, Thailand.

Results: 73.67% of medical students at clinical level felt stress more than normal daily level. The odds ratiowas 1.48 compared with general population. There was no difference between stress levelsamong genders and academic years. Four major stressors causing high and severe anxiety werean examination (35.70%), changing from pre-clinical to clinical year (31.30%), writing patientûsreports (22.50%), and examination grades (20.90%) respectively. Almost half of them (41.90%) wereunwilling to consult a supervisor …

Developing Mindfulness In College Students Through Movement Based Courses: Effects On Self-Regulatory Self-Efficacy, Mood, Stress, And Sleep Quality, Karen Caldwell, Mandy Harrison, Marianne Adams, Rebecca H. Quin, Jeffrey M. Greeson

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Objective—This study examined whether mindfulness increased through participation in movement based courses and whether changes in self-regulatory self-efficacy, mood, and perceived stress mediated the relationship between increased mindfulness and better sleep.

Participants—166 college students enrolled in the 2007-2008 academic year in 15 week classes in Pilates, Taiji quan, or GYROKINESIS®.

Methods—At beginning, middle, and end of the semester, participants completed measures of mindfulness, self-regulatory self-efficacy, mood, perceived stress and sleep quality.

Results—Total mindfulness scores and mindfulness subscales increased overall. Greater changes in mindfulness were directly related to better sleep quality at the end of the semester after adjusting for sleep …

Interaction Between 5-Httlpr And Bdnf Val66met Polymorphisms On Hpa Axis Reactivity In Preschoolers, Lea R. Dougherty, Daniel N. Klein, Eliza Congdon, Turhan Canli, Elizabeth P. Hayden

Paediatrics Publications

This study examined whether the interaction between the serotonin transporter promoter region (5-HTTLPR) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphisms was associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity to stress. A community sample of 144 preschool-aged children was genotyped and exposed to stress-inducing laboratory tasks. Salivary cortisol was obtained at four time points during a standardized laboratory assessment before and after stressors involving separation from a parent and frustrating tasks. Children homozygous for the short-5-HTTLPR allele and carrying the Met-BDNF allele evidenced a significantly lower initial level of cortisol, followed by a positive increase in cortisol in response to the laboratory …

Perceived Efficacy Of Marriage Counseling In Tertiary Institutions: A Case Study Of Tai Solarin University Of Education, Ijebu Ode, J.T.B. Oluwatimilehin

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

It has long been recognized that the major causes of difficulties of students are anxieties and psychological stresses (Adeyemo, 2000; Owuamanam, 2000; and Akinleye, 2003). According to Adeyemo (2000), concern over studies, unusual physical complaint and difficulties with interpersonal relationship have often led to successful or attempted suicide among students. Students in Nigeria tertiary institutions have a great need for guidance and counseling. This assertion is largely informed by the cultural conflict between the Western and African values whereby students are engaged in developing both occupational and social identities. This seems to support the view of Owuamanam (2000)who reported that …

A Comparison Of Parental Self-Efficacy, Parenting Satisfaction, And Other Factors Between Single Mothers With And Without Children With Developmental Disabilities, Raymond Phillip Small

Wayne State University Dissertations

Depression and stress occur among single mothers and raising a child with a developmental disability can be a difficult burden. The purpose of this study was to determine if having a child with a developmental disability was a source of stress and depression among single mothers, and if this impinged on parental self-efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and social support. The moderating potential of having a child with a disability was examined on relationships between stress, depression, parental self-efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and social support. Understanding these relationships could be useful in the service delivery system to single mothers and families of children …

An Exploratory Investigation Of Sleep Disturbance In The Pathogenesis Of Depression, Kristen Linnae Ponte

Theses & ETDs

The relationships among stress, sleep, and depression were examined to understand the role of sleep in the etiology of depression. A sample of 335 participants, age range 18-29 years, completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Perceived stress, sleep quality, and sleep duration predicted levels of depression. Sleep quality and duration interacted with perceived stress and levels of depression. As sleep quality worsened or duration decreased, levels of depression increased much more rapidly. Sleep disruption should no longer be considered a stress-related outcome, but rather a biological stressor …

Evaluating Outcomes And Response Profiles Of A Psychological Treatment For People With Chronic Pain, Amanda J. Burger

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chronic pain is a leading cause of suffering, disability, and high health care costs. Traditional treatment approaches such as medical or cognitive-behavioral interventions have produced variable and often limited results. Research has suggested

that increased rates of stressful life events, emotional disorders, and emotion regulation deficits contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain problems that lack clear, peripheral, biological causes. This study examined the effectiveness of an

innovative, emotion-focused treatment that directly targets patients' unresolved stress and emotional avoidance and sought to identify predictors of treatment outcome. Additionally, this study explored the effects of a novel, emotional assessment …

Priming God-Related Concepts Increases Anxiety And Task Persistence, Tina M. Toburen, Brian P. Meier

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research on the relationship between religiosity and anxiety has been mixed, with some studies revealing a positive relation and other studies revealing a negative relation. The current research used an experimental design, perhaps for the first time, to examine anxiety and task persistence during a stressful situation. Christians and Atheists/Agnostics/Others were primed with God-related or neutral (non-God related) concepts before completing an unsolvable anagram task described as a measure of verbal intelligence. The results revealed that the God-related primes increased both task persistence and anxiousness, which suggests that experimentally induced God-related thoughts caused participants to persist longer on a stressful …

Do Athletes Respond Differently To Academic And Social Stress? An Examination Of Cortisol And Perceived Stress Throughout A Semester In College Athletes And Typical College Students, Rita Rose Holak

Behavioral Neuroscience Honors Papers

In order to be a successful athlete, you must be able to perform well under stressful situations. Are athletes also better at responding to stress under other circumstances such as social and academic stress? The present study investigated the impact of exercise on salivary cortisol and perceived stress in college students. Cortisol was sampled throughout a semester as well as before and after a laboratory‐based stress test during the final exam period. It was found that athletes had the largest increase in cortisol between baseline and the final exam period and the sedentary students had the smallest increase. Also, cortisol …

The Effects Of Web-Based Interactive Emotional Disclosure On Stress And Health: A Randomized, Controlled Study, Jonathan Beyer

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the relative effectiveness of two novel alternatives to standard written emotional disclosure for coping with stressful traumatic experiences. In addition to standard emotional disclosure and time management writing control conditions, two guided feedback conditions were created with a goal of enhancing the disclosure paradigm by eliciting the most effective components of disclosure writing. All of the writing conditions in the study utilized the internet for both completion of the writing and receipt of feedback in the indicated conditions. The guided conditions included a feedback writing condition in which guidance was …

Prospective Effects Of Temperamental Reactivity, Emotion Dysregulation, And Stress On Risk For Anxiety And Depression In Elementary School-Age Children, Jeremy Kyle Fox

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Temperamental reactivity and emotion dysregulation are both considered important vulnerability factors in the development of childhood anxiety and depression. Little is known, however, about how these emotional processes work together to shape developmental pathways to internalizing difficulties.

An Investigation Of Co-Rumination On Stress Levels And Mood, Anthony Thomas Holguin

Master's Theses

A recently defined type of social support known as co-rumination, the process of sharing negative thoughts, feelings, or ideas with a supporter that triggers the supporter to share similar thoughts and feelings of negativity, is believed to generate both a sense of bonding and an exacerbated stress response. The present study examined the impact of co-rumination on stress levels and mood states in men and women. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions (a control condition, a stress condition without a co-ruminator, or a stress condition with a co-ruminator), which depended on both the timeslot for which a participant …

Stress And Coping Due To Global Virtual Teamwork, Irina Alexandra Shargo

Master's Theses

Global virtual teams (GVTs), project teams composed of individuals working across time and space via electronic platforms, are becoming increasingly commonplace in most organizations today and in global organizations specifically. The aim of this study was to explore issues employees experienced when working virtually in GVTs in order to develop recommendations for addressing those issues and encouraging solutions to benefit the employees, teams, and organizations as a whole. This paper presents findings from 27 interviews on coping and strain reactions to participation in intercultural computer-mediated communication (CMC). Analyses of the qualitative data suggest that intercultural training were helpful in reducing …

Does Chronic Stress Accelerate Late-Aging Cognitive Decline In Memory And Executive Functioning?, Diane Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few studies exist examining the relationship between self-reported stress and cognitive function in healthy nonpsychiatric older adults, and even less studies have examined whether high levels of self-reported stress accelerate the cognitive decline found in normal late-aging populations. A group of older nonpsychiatric adults, ages 54 years and above, were asked to complete three measures assessing their self-perceived stress over the past month, past year, and their lifetime. Sixty-one adults between the ages of 54 and 88 (52% female) participated in a second phase in which neuropsychological tasks were administered to assess three cognitive domains; memory, learning, and executive functioning. …

The Effect Of Combat Exercises On Cardiovascular Response: An Exploratory Study, Melisa Gantt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: Hypertension (HTN) affects one in every three adults in the United States. Often associated with the older population, this silent killer has emerged in an unsuspecting group, young military soldiers. With the rapid succession of multiple deployments, long intervals between blood pressure (BP) assessments, and the absence of cardiovascular (CV) measures during the pre and post deployment health screenings; soldiers may be at higher risk for HTN than their civilian counterparts of the same age. The purpose of this study was to explore real-time continuous CV measures of soldiers before, during, and after exposure to a simulated combat stressor …

Post-Diaster Family Resilience: The Use Of Humor As A Coping Strategy, Bridgette Boe O'Connor

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of humor as a coping strategy among Hurricane Katrina survivors. The data for this study were collected in the first wave of a larger project on families and disasters. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by combining Census data with storm damage estimates and purposive sampling, 50 participants affected by Hurricane Katrina from a single suburban community in Southern Louisiana in early spring 2006 were recruited and interviewed. When the interviews were qualitatively analyzed with a focus on humor, it became clear that families used humor even at such a devastating …

Spirituality As A Mediator In The Relationship Between Self-Care Practices And Perceived Stress Levels Among Lutheran Clergy, David W. Brant

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

There is currently a shortage of ordained ministers to fill the current vacancies in Lutheran churches due, in part, to the multiplicity of pastoral roles, the stressors clergy encounter in their vocation, and poor self-care. This exploratory research found a statistically significant, small, negative relationship when examining the relationship between clergy self-care practices and perceived levels of stress. The research did not support a relationship between clergy self-care practices and perceived levels of stress when mediated by clergy spiritual maturity. Other predictor variables such as first vocation, gender, spousal financial contributions and stress also did not yield statistically significant results …

The Development Of The Measure Of Perceived Overscheduling (Mops), Aaron S. Pollock

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

It has been suggested that extracurricular activity involvement can lead to later behavioral or developmental challenges for children, particularly when children are pressured or overscheduled. Research, however, has shown mixed results in attempts to find a relationship between overinvolvement in activities and emotional/behavioral challenges. However, previous research did not take into consideration the individual’s perception of being overscheduled. The Measure of Perceived Over-Scheduling (MOPS) was developed to assess if a difference exists between adolescents who believe they are overinvolved in activities and adolescents who do not hold this belief. The MOPS was subsequently utilized to assess the relationship between perceived …