Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Relationships Of Body-Image Attitudes To Sexual Functioning And Experiences In A Normal College Population, Jill D. Hangen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the relationships of body-image attitudes and sexual attitudes, experiences, and functioning in a college population. Sixty-five males and 120 females completed a variety of established self-report measures assessing the constructs under study, as well as two new measures developed in this study. The new measures included (1) The Sexual Experiences and Problems Survey for self-assessment of difficulties in sexual functioning, and (2) The Body Exposure in Sexual Activities Questionnaire to measure self-consciousness and avoidance of body exposure in sexual contexts. Analyses were performed in the data of those predominantly heterosexual subjects who reported a history of sexual …

An Investigation Of Three Strategies To Enhance Generalization Of Conversational Skills, Janice Ann Cain

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of three strategies to enhance generalization of taught conversational skills: (1) multiple and varied scenarios, (2) multiple conversational partners, and (3) homework assignments. A multiple baseline across behaviors design tested whether the initial training package produced generalization to the probe sessions and whether the addition of homework would produce greater generalization to the probe sessions compared to that observed during the initial training. Four adults, one male and three female, ranging in age from 20-64 years served as subjects. Skills were taught using a combination of coaching, modeling, behavioral …

Improving Active Treatment Through Performance Management, Carman E. Stark

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this project was to evaluate a performance management program using a goal setting and feedback system implemented by unit supervisors in a large psychiatric hospital. The focus of the research study was to improve active treatment for mental health patients by increasing levels of staff-patient interaction. Behaviors o f self-recording by staff and instructions and goal setting by the unit supervisor were targeted. Feedback was provided by the unit supervisor in the form of publicly posted graphs indicating percent of completed assigned activities. The four phases used in the data summary include: (1) baseline, (2) goal …

Comparison Of Behaviors Of Suspected Sexually Abused And Nonsexually Abused Preschool Children Using Anatomical Dolls, Rita Kenyon-Jump

Masters Theses

Using anatomical dolls, the play behaviors of nine sexually abused preschool children (five males, four females), ranging in age from 3-5 years, were compared with nine preschool children with whom there was no suspicion of sexual abuse and who were matched on the basis of age, gender, race, family status, and socioeconomic status. There was no significant difference between the two groups on explicit sexual behavior (vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse with thrusting motions between the dolls or between the child and dolls and masturbation by the child). The groups were significantly (t (8) = 2.19, p < .05 ) different when behaviors with suspicious sexual implication were combined with explicit sexual behaviors. There were no differences between the groups on measures of aggression, anxiety, and nonsexual behavior. The occurrence of the suspicious sexual behaviors is discussed and reviews of previous doll research and physical evidence of child sexual abuse are provided.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation As An Adjunctive Treatment For Moderate Asthmatics, Kellye Hutton Slaggert

Masters Theses

This study examined the effects of parent assisted progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training on moderate asthmatics. Three children between the ages of 7 and 12 participated in the study. After 3 weeks of PMR training and daily practice, the parents became involved in prompting their children to use PMR when an attack appeared likely.

The findings from this study suggest that parental prompting of PMR was instrumental in decreasing the frequency of attacks, increasing peak expiratory flow rates (PEFR) values, and decreasing the severity of attacks for 2 of the 3 subjects. The long term implications for using PMR as …

Psychological Effects Of Disaster On Children And Their Families: Hurricane Hugo And The Loma Prieta Earthquake, Judith A. Boore, Gina Earle, Lewis Aptekar

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Program Implementation On Adolescent Drug Use Behavior The Midwestern Prevention Project (Mpp), C. Anderson Johnson, Mary Ann Pentz, Elizabeth A. Trebow, William B. Hansen, David P. Mackinnon, James H. Dwyer, Brian R. Flay, Stacey Daniels, Calvin Cormack

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This study evaluated the relationship between level of program implementation and change in adolescent drug use behavior in the Midwestern Prevention Project (MPP), a school- and community-based program for drug abuse prevention. Trained teachers implemented the program with transition year students. Implementation was measured by teacher self-report and validated by research staff reports. Adolescent drug use was measured by student self-report; an expired air measure of smoking was used to increase the accuracy of self-reported drug use. Regression analyses were used to evaluate adherence; exposure, or amount of implementation; and reinvention. Results showed that all schools assigned to the program …

Antecedent Aerobic Exercise Training With Schizophrenic Outpatients, Kathlyn A. Fuller

Masters Theses

This research evaluates the effects of aerobic exercise on the symptoms of schizophrenia. The positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia were repeatedly measured by using direct observation, surveys, and care giver checklists. Symptoms are subcategorized as positive and negative as suggested by Andreasen (1984). Aerobic exercise classes were taught 4 days a week for 6.5 weeks to chronically mentally ill clients in a community based day activity program. Participants were observed 1 hour and 3 hours following the aerobic session. The results demonstrated that chronic individuals exercised at an intensity sufficient to produce an aerobic training effect based on pulse …

The Effects Of Repeated Trials On The Cardiovascular Responses To Reading Aloud And Non-Stressful Conversation, George S. Renfrey

Masters Theses

This study assessed changes in blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance, frontalis muscle tension, and breathing rates associated with repeated reading aloud and non-stressful conversation. Four male and 3 female normotensive subjects participated. Sixteen presentations of both verbal tasks, each preceded by a quiet rest period, were made across 8 sessions.

The results indicate that: (a) when compared with resting levels, statistically significant increases in heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance, and frontalis muscle tension, and decreases in breathing rates may be produced by reading aloud and non-stressful conversation; (b) systolic blood pressure changes attenuate with repeated trials; and (c) …

Advocacy/Empowerment: An Approach To Clinical Practice For Social Work, Stephen M. Rose

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social Work has been embedded in a structural and ideological contradiction throughout its history. The profession, its employing institutions, and the problems confronted by its clients are all produced by the same political economy that pays its workers and supports its schools. Ideologically, the profession has avoided the confrontation implied by its dependency upon individual defect explanatory or causal analysis frameworks that constitute a betrayal of its real constituencies. An advocacy! empowerment paradigm is offered as an alternative.

The Effect Of A Multi-Component Treatment Package On Seat Belt Usage Among Hispanics, Senez Rodriguez-Charbonier

Masters Theses

This study analyzed the impact of a combination of approaches on the frequency of seat belt usage in a large Hispanic community in western Michigan. Subjects in either a treatment or a no-treatment control condition were observed weekly for seat belt usage while arriving at church over several months. They were observed for four weeks prior, during and after an intervention program. Subjects in treatment condition attended weekly group meetings where they viewed seat belt use promotion videos, publicly signed behavioral contracts agreeing to use their seat belts, and received permanent prompts which were installed on the dashboard of their …

Self-Control In Children: The Impact Of Reinforced Commitment, Michael G. Winter

Masters Theses

The present study attempted to determine whether offering a reward to subjects for "commiting" to a large, delayed-reward task affected their degree of self-control as assessed by the "switch point." Two boys and two girls between the ages of three and five participated.

The results of this study indicate that providing a reward for making a commitment to a future behavior involving a large, delayed-reward task does have an effect on a child's degree of self-control as measured by the "switch point." In addition, the "switch point" has been shown to be a useful tool for assessing a child's degree …

Long-Term Care Policy: Where Are We Going?, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Omb Watch

Gerontology Institute Publications

Millions of Americans suffer from physical or mental conditions that make it difficult for them to live fully independent lives. These are the frail elderly, disabled and chronically ill persons of all ages, and many mentally ill or mentally retarded persons. They need help to manage daily activities, whether they live in their own homes or in nursing homes.

Such care can be extremely expensive, since it often must be provided for many years, even a lifetime. Today, those costs are met largely by the individuals themselves or by their families and by public programs for low-income persons.

For many …

Parallel Process: An Empirical Investigation, Thomas E. Pollack

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to conduct an empirical investigation of parallel process. The study used a cross-sectional design in which 30 therapy relationships and the corresponding supervision relationships were studied. The therapist assessed the behavior manifested by the patient during a targeted therapy session. Following the subsequent supervision session, the supervisor assessed the behavior manifested by the supervisee during the supervision session. In addition, each of the triad participants (patient, therapist, supervisor) rated the level of anxiety they experienced during the targeted therapy and supervision sessions. Measures of interpersonal style for each of the subjects were also …

Alcoholism: A Barrier To Empowerment For Women, Marion Brink

New England Journal of Public Policy

Women's increasing economic power has encouraged the promotion of their drinking as fashionable. However, women are more vulnerable to the impact of alcohol, and the stigma attached to alcoholism is greater for them than it is for men. As a consequence, a woman — and those around her — will deny her alcoholism until she has lost much more than her male counterparts. When, or if, she seeks help for this devastating disease, she finds a lack of woman-specific programs and facilities. This article notes the barriers to recovery for women and offers some suggestions for breaking them down. Two …

Reference Groups And Ritualistic Behavior: A Cultural Perspective On Addiction, Doris Jean Smith

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Demand And Acceptance Of The Community Hospital Sponsored Satellite Clinic In The Southern California Area: A Feasibility Study, Genelda Annetta Tracy

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Social Disruption And Psychological Stress In An Alaskan Fishing Community: The Impact Of The Exxon Valdex Oil Spill, J. Steven Picou, Southern Sociological Society (U.S.)

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Needs And Interpersonal Problems Of Women In Four Interpersonal Categories, Valarie Elaine Sikes-Nova

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study empirically assessed the relationship between needs structure and interpersonal presentation in women. Proposed indices for selective attention were assessed as to their ability to detect pathology. The relationship between interpersonal presentation and interpersonal problems were also studied. The measures used were The Picture Identification Test (Chambers, 1976), The Interpersonal Adjective Scales-Revised (Wiggins, 1985), The Inventory for Interpersonal Problems (Horowitz, 1986), and The Marlowe-Crowne Social-Desirability Scale (1964).

Subjects were assigned to one of four interpersonal categories (Friendly-Dominant, Friendly-Submissive, Hostile-Dominant, Hostile-Submissive) on the basis of their self-reported IAS-R and one category on the basis of their counselor-reported IAS-R scores. Subjects …

Evacuation Decision Making And Public Response In Hurricane Hugo In South Carolina, Earl J. Baker

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Emergency Mapping In Disaster Response, Ute J. Dymon

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Media Influences On Response To A Natural Hazard: The Mississippi River Salt Water Intrusion Of 1988, J. William Spencer

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Community Preparation And Response To The Exxon Oil Spill In Kodiak, Alaska, Rachel Mason

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Report On Trip To Charleston County, Sc After Hurricane Hugo, Claire B. Rubin

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

An Obsessive-Compulsive View Of Obesity And Its Treatment, Raymond Mount, Fugen Neziroglu, Christina J. Taylor

Psychology Faculty Publications

It was hypothesized that some obese individuals who are obsessed with food and who eat compulsively may not respond to the stimulus control techniques widely used in treating obesity. Sixty-eight participants were ad- ministered a measure of obsessive tendencies and randomly assigned to three treatment modalities: (a) Exposure and response prevention; (b) Stimulus control; (c) Control. Results indicated that participants who scored high on the Eating Obsessive Compulsive questionnaire (EOC) maintained weight loss significantly better with exposure and response prevention (ERP) training than did either the stimulus control or the control group. It was concluded that for the obsessive-compulsive eater, …

Intoxication And Aggression, Jeffrey Fagan

Faculty Scholarship

Evidence of an association between use of illicit substances and aggressive behavior is pervasive. But the precise causal mechanisms by which aggression is influenced by intoxicants are still not well understood. Research on intoxication and aggression often has overlooked the nonviolent behavior of most substance users, controlled use of substances, and the evidence from other cultures of a weak or nonexistent relation between substance use and aggression. There is only limited evidence that ingestion of substances is a direct, pharmacological cause of aggression. The temporal order of substance use and aggression does not indicate a causal role for intoxicants. Research …

A Comparison Of Locus Of Control Between High School Athletes Who Experienced Burnout And Those Who Did Not, Mary Elizabeth Smith Griffin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to compare the locus of control between those individuals who indicated they had terminated their high school athletic participation because of burnout and those who did not. It was hypothesized that athletes who dropped out of sport due to burnout would have a higher external locus of control (individuals who perceive that outside factors control their lives) as compared to those who did not. Students (N = 189) who were enrolled in required wellness classes at the University of Northern Iowa served as the subjects for this study. Based on data collected from a …

Effect Of Disulfiram On The Urinary Excretion Of 5-Hydroxytryptophol And 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid In Subjects Consuming Serotonin Rich Foods, Amy G. Tordecilla

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The effect of disulfiram and/or serotonin rich foods (SRF) on the urinary excretion of 5-hydroxytryptophol (5-HTOL) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in normal male subjects was investigated. Urine collections were obtained on 1) regular serotonin free diet, 2) SRF, 3) serotonin free diet with disulfiram, and 4) SRF with disulfiram. Urinary excretion of 5-HTOL in ug/gm creatinine during disulfiram administration was 112.0 ± 24.1. Five HTOL (ug/gm creatinine) with disulfiram and SRF increased to 1532 ± 352.0 (p < 0.001). Five-HIAA (mg/g creatinine) before and after SRF was 3.4 ± .44 and 33.1 ± 6.1 respectively, p < 0.001. With disulfiram and SRF the excretion of was 24.2 ± 3.2 mg/g creatinine which was significantly greater than when on the regular diet (p < 0.001) than the excretion on SRF alone (p < 0.05)

Key words: Disulfiram, serotonin, 5-hydroxytryptophol, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, urinary excretion, high performance liquid chromatography, alcoholism

Aids Prevention Through Printed Media: Knowledge And Communication Behaviors Of Gay College-Aged Males, Cheryl L. Knight

Masters Theses

AIDS prevention research has established the effectiveness of multiple component group interventions. It has not identified whether the effectiveness is due to the format of the intervention (i.e., rehearsal, feedback, etc.) or its instructional content. This study investigates the impact of instructional content delivered in the inexpensive and readily obtained printed medium. Thirteen gay or bisexual college-aged men received an information pamphlet and an AIDS-related communication skills training booklet. Subjects were evaluated on measures of knowledge, safe and risky behaviors, and communication behaviors in each of three assessment sessions. Visual analyses and repeated measures analyses of variance did not support …

Psychophysiological Assessment Of Panic Disorder, Kent A. Koehn

Masters Theses

This study compared physiological and psychological measures between 9 subjects meeting the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder (PD) and 9 control subjects to identify psychophysiological differences that might be relevant to the etiology and maintenance of panic attacks. The subjects were assessed through a number of self-report measures and across three laboratory sessions involving five experimental conditions: baseline, role play, relaxation, mental arithmetic, and cold pressor. We measured electrodermal (EDG) and electro-myographic activity (EMG), heart rate (HR), and blood volume pulse (BVP) in terms of absolute values, reactivity, and habituation. Both groups were also assessed in their ability to accurately …