Digital Commons Network^™

Does Need For Social Support Moderate The Relationship Between Perceived Availability Of Social Support And Depression, Anxiety, And Stress?, Katherine E. Whisenhunt

Masters Theses

This study was designed to determine whether the need for social support moderates the relationship between social support (both perceived and enacted) and depression, anxiety, and stress. The study tested the role of Need for Support in the context of both buffering and direct effect models of the effect of social support on mental health and well-being. If perceived availability of social support (i.e., PASS) had a direct effect on well-being, then a simple moderation was predicted. If a buffering effect was present, then a moderated moderation was predicted. This study also predicted a positive relationship between need for social …

Effects Of Episodic Food Insecurity On Psychological And Physiological Responses In African American Women With Obesity (Responses): Protocol For A Longitudinal Observational Cohort Study, Candice A. Myers, Robbie A. Beyl, Daniel S. Hsia, Melissa N. Harris, Isabella J. Reed, Danielle D. Eliser, Lauren Bagneris, John W. Apolzan

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: Food insecurity is a risk factor for multiple chronic diseases, including obesity. Importantly, both food insecurity and obesity are more prevalent in African American women than in other groups. Furthermore, food insecurity is considered a cyclic phenomenon, with episodes of food adequacy (ie, enough food to eat) and food shortage (ie, not enough food to eat). More research is needed to better understand why food insecurity is linked to obesity, including acknowledging the episodic nature of food insecurity as a stressor and identifying underlying mechanisms. Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the episodic nature of food …

Editorial: Stress-Induced Weight Changes, Hassan M. Heshmati, Livio Luzi, Frank L. Greenway, Candida J. Rebello

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

High Anxiety: Racism, The Law, And Legal Education, Elayne E. Greenberg

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

Conspicuously absent from the United States’ ongoing discourse about its racist history is a more honest discussion about the individual and personal stressors that are evoked in people when they talk about racism. What if they got it wrong? The fear of being cancelled -- the public shaming for remarks that are deemed racist -- has had a chilling effect on having meaningful conversations about racism. What lost opportunities!

This paper moves this discussion into the law school context. How might law schools rethink their law school curricula to more accurately represent the role systemic racism has played in shaping …

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Step Towards Unfolding The Mystery, Aditi Kamlesh Bhanushali

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

AbstractBackground: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a complex disease that includes the dysregulation of the Central Nervous system. There is no exact known etiology or pathophysiology which leads to the development of ME/CFS. To understand the possible causes behind this mysterious disease, I conducted this project under the guidance of Dr. Moslehi to evaluate a range of demographic, lifestyle, and epidemiological factors and their risk in the development of ME/CFS. Methods: My project is part of a case-control study conducted by Dr. Roxana Moslehi. ME/CFS is a rare disease, so a case-control study design was …

Using Family Focused-Care Solutions To Improve Child’S Quality Of Life, Joshua M. Del Sol

Nursing | Senior Theses

Chronic illness in children impacts not only themselves but their families too. Everyone in the family supports each other and provides each other with pretty much all our physiological needs including our emotional needs. Parents/caregivers are the role models for their young children and really shape the person they become because basic values and their early relationships are formed. A family provides that consistent balance in our life that is the center of our life at a young age. When children are diagnosed with a chronic illness, parents may feel responsible, ashamed, guilty, or angry. Families may turn on each …

Neurobiology Of Ptsd In Adults And Children: The Impact Of Stress-Induced Brain Abnormalities Across The Lifespan, Catherine Clover

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the scholarly community, there is disagreement about the effects of PTSD or chronic stress on the brain of adults and children. Though PTSD or chronic stress are known to negatively affect neurobiological structures, specifically due to prolonged glucocorticoid excess, volumetric discrepancies between traumatized and control groups are not unanimously confirmed. This review sought to address the common understandings in academia of the effects of PTSD on the brains of adults and children. Literature on this topic indicated that, in adults, the hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, and prefrontal cortex bilaterally appeared to decrease in gray matter volume and the corpus callosum …

Effects Of A Psychological Stressor On Methamphetamine Seeking In Rats., Kayla B. Cox

Psychology ETDs

Although methamphetamine abuse and fatality rates are on the rise in the United States, there are currently no FDA approved drugs to treat methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). To better understand factors contributing to addiction, researchers have designed various rodent models of stress including the use of footshock, social defeat and maternal separation, however, these models involve physical or early life stress exposure and thus are less translatable to human psychological stress. The present study implemented predatory odors as a model of psychological stress and examined whether chronic exposure to these stressors enhanced subsequent vulnerability to a subthreshold dose of methamphetamine. …

Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Drives Modest Neuroinflammation But Does Not Escalate Drinking In Male Rats, Jessica I. Wooden, Lauren E. Peacoe, Chinchusha Anasooya Shaji, Jennifer K. Melbourne, Cassie M. Chandler, Michael T. Bardo, Kimberly Nixon

Psychology Faculty Publications

During adolescence, the brain is highly susceptible to alcohol-induced damage and subsequent neuroimmune responses, effects which may enhance development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Neuroimmune reactions are implicated in adolescent alcohol exposure escalating adulthood drinking. Therefore, we investigated whether intermittent alcohol exposure in male, adolescent rats (AIE) escalated adult drinking via two-bottle choice (2BC). We also examined the influence of housing environment across three groups: standard (group-housed with enrichment during 2BC), impoverished (group-housed without enrichment during 2BC), or isolation (single-housed without bedding or enrichment throughout). In the standard group immediately after AIE/saline and after 2BC, we also examined the …

The Effects Of Kangaroo Care On The Stress Levels Of Parents In The Nicu, Niyati Sishodia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Parents of NICU patients have high stress levels compared to other populations, which negatively impact their mental health. The kangaroo care (KC) method has been used for its numerous benefits for infants, but not as widely studied for its impacts on parental stress. The purpose of this integrative literature review is to examine and synthesize the existing evidence regarding kangaroo care and its impact on the stress levels of NICU parents.

Methods: A literature search was conducted utilizing CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, and APA PsychInfo databases to identify relevant articles. Articles were included if they were published …

Aerobic And Anaerobic Exercises In Relation To Anxiety And Depression, Ethan D. Mote

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The use of exercise is crucial as a means of treatment for various psychological disorders. However, as more research is being done, there seems to be a lack of consensus as to which type of exercise is most effective, aerobic or anaerobic. 232 students participated in this study via Qualtrics, and were asked to participate in the study by answering 9 questionnaires: the Demographics Questionnaire, GAD7, Beck Depression Inventory, PCL5, QOLS, Exercise History and Attitudes Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Healthy Eating Assessment, and the RYFF Psychological Well-being Scales. The results found that a combination of aerobic, anaerobic, and …

The Influence Of Genetics, Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress, And Energy Deficit On Migraine, Victoria Dm Maldonado Llinas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The pathomechanism of migraine attacks is not understood well, however, is currently believed to be a brain disorder. Migraine is a multifactorial disorder that needs to be investigated in multiple research areas to shed light into its mechanism and find ways to treat it effectively. Migraine episodes come from one or many things at the same time, and such vary from person to person. However, sufficient evidence in recent studies show there is a strong relationship between genetics with patients having specific genes that may be responsible for the disease or a genetic sequence passed down through generations in families, …

Revisiting The Vigilance Taxonomy: Are Findings Consistent In A Remote Environment?, Grace E. Waldfogle

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Previous research has highlighted key taxonomic factors that have been found to influence human performance on vigilance tasks. However, previous literature has focused on research conducted in laboratory settings but has not examined vigilance tasks in remote environments. The present dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining human performance on a remote vigilance task, as well as workload and stress associated with the task. Qualitative data were collected to further understand the environment and distractions that participants experienced. Across three experiments, 372 participants were asked to complete a vigilance task and answer surveys pertaining to stress, workload, and …

Departmental Culture And Climate: Navigating The Academic Department, Nina Brown

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] This second essay in the series of six on “Navigating the Academic Department” will focus on the culture and climate in an academic department. Many if not most faculty enter a department that has already established a culture and climate most of which is not openly acknowledged. Agazarian (1997) termed this as social convention for therapy groups that include social defenses, communication patterns and ingrained social norms that also seem to apply to an academic department.

Psychological Flow Training: Feasibility And Preliminary Efficacy Of An Educational Intervention On Flow, Cameron Norsworthy, James A. Dimmock, Joanna Nicholas, Amanda Krause, Ben Jackson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Despite there being an increasing number of applied flow studies across scientific disciplines, there exists no consistent or broadly applicable intervention to promote flow experiences. This study provides a detailed account of a new educational flow training program developed following recent advancements in the flow literature that have provided a more parsimonious understanding of flow experiences and antecedents. Guided by CONSORT guidelines for feasibility trials, we conducted a single-group, non-randomized feasibility trial of an educational flow training program (N = 26). We assessed participant retention, perceptions about and experiences of the program, perceptions about the flow education training, and preliminary …

Covid-19 In Western Australia: ‘The Last Straw’ And Hopes For A ‘New Normal’ For Parents Of Children With Long-Term Conditions, Stephanie Smith, Mary Tallon, James Smith, Lauren Jones, Evalotte Mörelius

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Children with long-term conditions are vulnerable due to the treatments required for their conditions. Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Western Australians experienced restrictions that changed daily life activities but were able to return to some of their previous routines due to the restrictions. Aim: The study explored the stress experiences of parents caring for children with long-term conditions during COVID-19 in Western Australia. Design and Participants: The study was codesigned with a parent representative caring for children with long-term conditions to ensure essential questions were targeted. Twelve parents of children with various long-term conditions …

Managing Emotional Labour: The Importance Of Organisational Support For Managing Police Officers In England And Italy, Yvonne Brunetto, Ben Farr-Wharton, Paresh Wankhade, Chiara Saccon, Matthew Xerri

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper empirically examines the impact of organisational psychological support on employees’ outcomes as an example of the ‘Common Good HRM’ model on the well-being–performance continuum of police officers, using a Conservation of Resources (COR) theoretical framework. The study uses Structural Equation Modelling to analyse data from 220 Italian police and 228 English police officers to compare the impact of Perceived Organisational Support (POS) on organisational stress, employees’ resilience, and engagement. The findings show that low Perceived Organisational Support (POS) leads to high stress, which then comprises employees’ resilience and likely demotivates them from being engaged on the job, explaining …

The Role Of Negative Affects As Mediators In The Relationship Between Stress And Mental Health In Ecuadorian Adolescents, Rodrigo Moreta-Herrera, Doris Zumba-Tello, Jaisalmer De Frutos-Lucas, Stefanía Llerena-Freire, Alexandra Salinas-Palma, Almudena Trucharte-Martínez

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Stress and negative emotions have adverse consequences for the mental health of adolescents, an area that deserves further examination. These attributes are associated with each other and regularly interact in different ways. The way they exert an influence can be both direct and indirect, so the general objective is to elucidate the potential mediating effect of negative affects in the relationship between stress and mental health in Ecuadorian adolescents. Participants and procedure: An explanatory and mediation design based on structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied with 1154 high school students from Ecuador (67.7% women) aged 14 to 19 years …

Effects Of Child Sleep, Maternal Sleep, And Covid-19 Related Stressors On Maternal Stress, Jocelyn Chang

Scripps Senior Theses

Research has shown that poorer sleep quality can lead to increased stress and worse psychological functioning. In the parent-child dyad, sleep disturbances of both the child and parent can significantly affect parental functioning. However, in the context of parent-child relations, the contributions of maternal and child sleep to maternal outcomes are much less understood, especially in the context of a worldwide pandemic and global stressor such as COVID-19. Moreover, relations between stress and biological indicators have not been extensively studied, with most studies using self-reported measures of stress. This study aims to extend the findings of previous research by including …

Exploring Factors Contributing To Compassion Fatigue In Emergency Departments And Possible Interventions, Neggin Assadi

Capstone Showcase

The ED is a fast paced, busy, and unpredictable environment. Increased exposures to death, suffering, and trauma can make the ED a stressful environment and makes providers more susceptible to a phenomenon called compassion fatigue (CF), a diminished ability to feel compassion towards those they are tasked to care for. Three main contributors to CF in the ED are a poor workplace environment, workplace aggression/violence, and traumatic events. Exploring what contributes to these stressors and proposing ways to reduce them can help ED providers combat CF.

Effects Of Social Context On Salivary Cortisol And Attention In Tufted Capuchins (Cebus [Sapajus] Apella), Andrew Desana

Master’s Theses

Social context alters cognitive performance, but the mechanisms for this remain unclear. One possibility is that stressors associated with social contexts mediate changes in cognitive performance by influencing attention. We conducted two experiments to investigate how social context affects performance on an attention task in capuchin monkeys (Cebus [Sapajus] apella). We additionally validated and measured physiological stress through salivary cortisol. In experiment one, capuchins were exposed to three conditions where they were either isolated or paired with an affiliative or agonistic social partner separated by a barrier. In experiment two, subjects received affiliative and agonistic conditions without barriers to allow …

Suicide Ideation And Risk Factors Among Correctional Officers, Logan Lavender

All ETDs from UAB

The correctional work environment is detrimental to correctional officers’ (COs) health and wellness. While research shows that COs experience high rates of stress, PTSD, and other mental and physical health problems, relatively little research has examined the issue of CO suicide. The current study addresses this knowledge gap by drawing on a survey of COs from Washington state (N=420). Utilizing a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) framework, this study examines the prevalence of critical incidents (CIs), work stress, PTSD, and suicide ideation, estimates the degree to which exposure to CIs predicts suicide ideation, and assesses how work stress and PTSD moderate …

Using Aromatherapy For Comfort, Ease, And Stress For Adults Being Treated For Substance Use Disorder In North Central Appalachia: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Marian E. Reven

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background:Those in treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) face significant challenges and express the need for enhanced support for comfort to be successful. There is growing interest in integrative modalities such as aromatherapy using essential oils to support health.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, to see if there was an increase in comfort and ease, and a decrease in stress in those who used an aroma inhaler with Citrus bergamia (Bergamot) essential oil. Second, to determine the feasibility of the intervention.

Method: This study was founded upon an integrated theoretical framework combining the theory of …

Supporting The Covid Freshmen: An Exploratory Study Of The Teaching Aspects That Supported The Executive Functioning Of Undergraduate Freshmen During Covid-19, Jennifer Lynn Pusateri

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Transitioning from high school to higher education is one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. But, for the undergraduate students who were freshmen during the fall of 2020 (in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic), this predictable stress was compounded by additional stressors related to the pandemic. While there were undoubtedly many teaching factors that made learning more difficult during the pandemic, there were also many aspects of teaching that these freshmen found helpful. This exploratory study of secondary data sought to discover which aspects of teaching were most helpful to the COVID Freshmen (the students who …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

The Human-Canine Bond: Levels Of Stress Among Military Spouses During Deployments, Angela L. De Leon-Muniz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has found that deployment may impact military spouses’ emotional wellbeing and attachment with family members. There remains a critical gap in the literature regarding difference in stress levels between military spouses who own canines and those who do not. The theoretical foundations for this study were Bowlby’s attachment theory and Bowen’s family systems theory. Research questions included exploring the relationships between (a) pet canine ownership, deployment length of time, and military spouses’ stress levels, and (b) pet canine owners’ pet attachment and stress experienced, when their significant others are deployed. The sample comprised 82 spouses with deployed military …

Decreasing Nursing Burnout Post Covid-19 Pandemic Through Complementary Therapies, Linda Martiin

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This quality improvement project aimed to address the problem of nursing burnout post COVID-19 pandemic through complementary therapies. Nursing burnout can be mental, emotional, or physical exhaustion which an excessive amount of prolonged stress can cause. Nursing burnout has affected nursing staff worldwide, directly impacting the care provided to patients and the patient's satisfaction. The Nursing Worklife Model was utilized as the theoretical framework for this project (Appendix A). The literature review exhibits the prevalence of nursing burnout in nursing staff. A quantitative study was utilized for this project. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory was utilized to establish the participant's level …

Effects Of Development On Hpa Function Following Pubertal Stress, Brittany D. Elliott

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For women, two of the greatest risk factors for affective disorders are adversity experienced during puberty and later becoming pregnant. We have created a translationally relevant mouse model where we address these complex risk factors. Previously, we discovered that pregnant mice (dams) that experienced chronic variable stress (CVS) during puberty display a blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response when exposed to an acute stressor. Interestingly, this alteration only first becomes apparent during pregnancy, which is a sensitive period for these effects due to normative neuroendocrine changes. Further investigation of the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction revealed altered gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus …

Experiences Of Women Faculty Using Meditative Practices Through Workplace Health Promotion In Ontario, Kelly Lynn Henley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress is pervasive and changes to the postsecondary teaching and learning environment have contributed to stress among women faculty and adversely impacted their personal well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the constructs in the health belief model (HBM) play a role in the use of worksite wellness initiatives to manage stress and promote wellness among women postsecondary faculty in Ontario. The research questions were designed based on the HBM to examine the participants’ perceptions of severity and susceptibility to workplace stress, perceived benefits and barriers to participation, motivation to participate, and self-efficacy. Women faculty …

An Examination Of The Role Of Adrenergic Receptor Stimulation In Mediating The Link Between Early-Life Stress And The Sensitization Of Neuroinflammatory-Based Depressive-Like Behavior In Isolated Guinea Pig Pups, Rachel Renate Kessler

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Early-life stress appears to sensitize neuroinflammatory signaling to increase later vulnerability for stress-related mental disorders. How stress initiates this process is unknown, but sympathetic nervous system activation during the early stress may be key. Isolated guinea pig pups display inflammatory-mediated depressive-like behavior and fever that sensitize on repeated isolation. We assessed whether sympathetic nervous system activity contributed to the sensitization process in guinea pig pups. In Experiment 1, the adrenergic agonist ephedrine, either alone or with cortisol, did not increase depressive-like behavior or fever during an initial isolation the following day. In Experiment 2, both depressive-like behavior and fever sensitized …