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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

He Repercussions Of Childhood Trauma On Posttraumatic Stress: The Mediating Effects Of Dissociation And Emotion Dysregulation, Jessica A. Ward Jan 2017

He Repercussions Of Childhood Trauma On Posttraumatic Stress: The Mediating Effects Of Dissociation And Emotion Dysregulation, Jessica A. Ward

ETD Archive

The present study explored the mediating effects of dissociation and emotion dysregulation on the relationship between different types of childhood trauma and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Participants were 181 undergraduate students at Cleveland State University, who competed measures of childhood trauma (emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and general trauma), posttraumatic stress symptoms, dissociation, and emotion dysregulation. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted to examine the model proposed in this study. The results of this study revealed that all trauma types significantly predicted adulthood posttraumatic stress. The relationship between emotional abuse and posttraumatic stress was mediated through both dissociation and emotion …


How The Illness Experience Predicts Key Psychosocial Outcomes In Veterans With Brain Injury, Carmen M. Tyler Jan 2017

How The Illness Experience Predicts Key Psychosocial Outcomes In Veterans With Brain Injury, Carmen M. Tyler

ETD Archive

The object of this thesis was to examine the illness experience of veterans who have suffered either a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Predictors of key psychosocial outcomes were identified by looking at the illness experience through the veterans’ perspective via self-report measures. Results confirmed relationships between the stressors role captivity, low self-esteem, decreased socialization, and dyad relationship strain and the outcome of depression and between the stressors physical strain and emotional strain and the outcome social/recreational participation for this population. More importantly, role captivity, social/recreational strain, and self-esteem uniquely predicted depression, and both physical and emotional strain uniquely predicted …


Decline Of Nonverbal Executive Functions Across The Lifespan – Distinguishing Between Outcome And Process, Anna Krivenko Jan 2017

Decline Of Nonverbal Executive Functions Across The Lifespan – Distinguishing Between Outcome And Process, Anna Krivenko

ETD Archive

Numerous studies have attempted to validate nonverbal fluency tests but none have examined construct validity, particularly the correlation of measures and self-reported executive functioning deficits. The current study examined this issue by correlating the results of the Five-Point Test (5PT) and the Delis Kaplan Executive Functioning System (D-KEFS) Design Fluency Test with the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale – Short Form (BDEFS-SF) in 306 English speaking adults. Participants were volunteers from undergraduate classes and those serving jury duty in a large urban city. The mean age was 36.89 ± 18.08 with an average of 14.65 ± 2.85 years of …


Testing The Impact Of Post-Traumatic Stress On Existential Motivation For Ideological Close- And Open-Mindedness, Lauren M. Kahle Jan 2017

Testing The Impact Of Post-Traumatic Stress On Existential Motivation For Ideological Close- And Open-Mindedness, Lauren M. Kahle

ETD Archive

The present thesis builds on terror management theory and anxiety buffer disruption theory to propose that although existential motivation normally leads people to become more certain of their worldviews, traumatic experiences can disrupt those belief systems and cause people to respond to death-awareness by making an open-minded search for alternative belief systems instead. To test that hypothesis, groups of participants with low and high levels of traumatic stress were reminded of death (vs. a control topic condition), followed by an assessment of closed- and open-mindedness. Thus, the present research explored the previously untested hypothesis that increased awareness of mortality will …


Testing Emotion Regulation And Parasympathetic Nervous System Deficits As A Mechanism For The Transmission Of Borderline Personality Disorder, Julia R. Richmond Jan 2017

Testing Emotion Regulation And Parasympathetic Nervous System Deficits As A Mechanism For The Transmission Of Borderline Personality Disorder, Julia R. Richmond

ETD Archive

The present study explored the role of parental physiological state and parental emotion regulation (ER) deficits on the relationship between parent borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms and child BPD symptoms. Participants were 110 adolescents aged 11-13 years and their legal guardians who completed measures of BPD symptom severity and emotion dysregulation before engaging in an interpersonal conflict discussion task while being monitored for peripheral psychophysiological signals (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA). Multiple mediation analyses were conducted to examine the model proposed in this study. The results revealed that parent BPD symptoms predicted lower parent baseline RSA at trend level, but …


Gender Role Prescriptions And Apologies, Molly Fuller Jan 2017

Gender Role Prescriptions And Apologies, Molly Fuller

ETD Archive

Malpractice litigations in the medical field are common occurrences. In fact, across specialties, 7.4% of physicians annually have a malpractice claim. Malpractice risk exists for all physicians regardless of their medical training, gender, specialization, or severity of damage caused to patients. Data from nearly 20 years of research revealed that male physicians face malpractice claims at a significantly higher rate than female physicians, but that female physicians pay more in malpractice settlements than their male counterparts. To date, we have found no research that investigates why this gender discrepancy among malpractice settlements occurs. This study examines Social Role Theory and …


The [E]Motionless Body No Longer: Tracing The Historical Intersections Of Mental Illness And Movement In The American Asylum, Holly Adele Herzfeld Jan 2017

The [E]Motionless Body No Longer: Tracing The Historical Intersections Of Mental Illness And Movement In The American Asylum, Holly Adele Herzfeld

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Multidisciplinary Studies of Bard College.


The Lived Experiences Of Emergency Department Personnel In Working With Individuals With Mental Health Needs, Sarah Wohlford-Neubauer Dec 2016

The Lived Experiences Of Emergency Department Personnel In Working With Individuals With Mental Health Needs, Sarah Wohlford-Neubauer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals who work in emergency departments and emergency services in the United States have daunting, overwhelming, and difficult tasks to perform. In addition to medical emergencies that include physical trauma and illnesses, emergency personnel treat individuals with psychiatric emergencies. This qualitative research study explored the lived experiences of ten emergency department personnel that had experienced working with individuals with mental health needs. The ultimate purpose of the study was to break down individuals’ experiences into a shared description of a universal phenomenon. The study utilized a phenomenological, qualitative research design to capture the essence of this phenomenon. Participants’ responses to …


Evaluating Practicum Student's' Therapeutic Effectiveness Using Solution Focused Brief Therapy With Mexican American Clients: A Single Case Design, Krystle L. Ortega Dec 2016

Evaluating Practicum Student's' Therapeutic Effectiveness Using Solution Focused Brief Therapy With Mexican American Clients: A Single Case Design, Krystle L. Ortega

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a practicum counseling experience on client therapeutic outcomes using Solution Focused Brief Therapy with Mexican American clients. We implemented a small series (N = 3) single-case research design to assess the effectiveness of SFBT for increasing hope and decreasing clinical symptoms. Clients’ clinical areas of functioning and clinically significant change will be evaluated using the Outcome Questionnaire -45.2 whereas hope will be assessed using The Trait Hope Scale. The results of this study will ultimately help researchers in counseling education, counselors, supervisors, and students by providing an outcome …


The Effect Of Confirmation Bias In Criminal Investigative Decision Making, Wayne A. Wallace Oct 2016

The Effect Of Confirmation Bias In Criminal Investigative Decision Making, Wayne A. Wallace

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Confirmation bias occurs when a person believes in or searches for evidence to support his or her favored theory while ignoring or excusing disconfirmatory evidence and is disinclined to change his or her belief once he or she arrives at a conclusion. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether emotionally charged evidence and evidence presentation order could influence an investigator's belief in a suspect's guilt. The study included 166 sworn police officers (basic training recruits, patrol officers, and criminal investigators) who completed online surveys in response to criminal vignettes across different scenarios to record their measure of …


Academic Experience And Self Perception Study, Mark J. Tocchet Jr. Oct 2016

Academic Experience And Self Perception Study, Mark J. Tocchet Jr.

HON499 projects

Self-perception is a complex view of the self that incorporates a person's attitudes, preferences, and actions and interprets these behaviors to have a view of the self. This study attempts to look at the self perception of college students and observe how this is influenced by a person’s academic experience. Specifically, when addressing academic experience the areas being investigated are achievement within several subjects, enjoyment within these subjects, and extracurricular activities, both inside and outside of the university setting. This is an exploratory correlational study that attempts to find some key differences in the self-perceptions of university students in different …


Alleged Insanity: Frank Johnson Sr., Racial Injustice, And The Failure Of The Mental Health Care System In South Carolina, Jonathon P. Johnson Oct 2016

Alleged Insanity: Frank Johnson Sr., Racial Injustice, And The Failure Of The Mental Health Care System In South Carolina, Jonathon P. Johnson

Senior Theses

This thesis is about Frank Johnson Sr. and the circumstances that led to his downfall as a farmer and father of six, to his tragic death in the isolation of a racially segregated mental institution 18 miles away from his home. Using his life and incarceration at the South Carolina State Park mental health facility, I argue that racial injustice contributed to his tragic death and the woefully inadequate treatment thousands of African Americans in South Carolina received during Jim Crow. Additionally, I argue that the tragic circumstances around my great grandfather’s institutionalization and death were part of an enduring …


A Study On The Effect Of Higher Education Branding On Student's College Decision, David E. Garcia Aug 2016

A Study On The Effect Of Higher Education Branding On Student's College Decision, David E. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

All around us we are inundated by brand marketing. Logos and labels with trademarks surround our lives. With marketing being part of our society, higher education institutions have created a brand marketing scheme all their own. This new form of branding has caused many students to make their decision based on the logo, mascot or social lifestyle. The purpose of this study was to test whether attitudinal brand loyalty has a statistically significant effect on college decision through academic and athletic factors. Based on multiple regression analysis, results show that attitudinal brand loyalty does have a significant effect on college …


Exercises On Overcoming Perfectionist Tendencies, Jake Yoo May 2016

Exercises On Overcoming Perfectionist Tendencies, Jake Yoo

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

In my latest series, I investigate my neurotic perfectionist tendency through repetition of phrases that I understand to be true in my head, but have a problem with accepting it in my heart. This way, I am studying my personal biases and the way I perceive the world in order to break free from unwanted behaviors and process negative emotions. Louise Bourgeois is a historical precedence to my practice as whole, while the series functions similarly to Yayoi Kusama’s dot and net paintings—a psychological portrait achieved through continuous repetition of a few elements.


Build-Up Effect Of Auditory Stream Segregation Using Amplitude-Modulated Narrowband Noise, Harley J. Wheeler May 2016

Build-Up Effect Of Auditory Stream Segregation Using Amplitude-Modulated Narrowband Noise, Harley J. Wheeler

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Recent psychoacoustic experiments (Böckmann-Barthel et al., 2014; Deike et al., 2012) have re-examined research regarding stream segregation and the build-up effect. Stream segregation is the ability to discern auditory objects within a stream of information, such as distinguishing one voice amongst background noise or an instrument within an orchestra. Initial works examining this topic proposed that auditory information is not immediately distinguished as various streams, but rather that differences accumulate over time, allowing listeners to segregate information following a period of build-up (i.e., the build-up effect); whereas more current findings indicate a build-up period is unnecessary for segregation. This experiment’s …


The Indelible Power Of The Intraverbal: Expanding The Intraverbal Repertoire And Utilizing Conditioned Praise Words To Decrease Problem Behaviors Of Typically Developing Students In Schools, Jose A. Zamudio May 2016

The Indelible Power Of The Intraverbal: Expanding The Intraverbal Repertoire And Utilizing Conditioned Praise Words To Decrease Problem Behaviors Of Typically Developing Students In Schools, Jose A. Zamudio

Theses and Dissertations

This study tested a disciplinary strategy that aimed at teaching students positive behaviors to decrease (or eliminate) problem behavior at school. In this study, data of five disruptive students from a middle school in South Texas were analyzed to evaluate the outcomes of the disciplinary strategy implemented by a disciplinary program facilitator at the campus. Students were conditioned to be more receptive to particular praise words related to positive thinking, and ten teachers at the campus were trained to deliver the conditioned praise words when the students expressed positive behaviors that corresponded with the conditioned praise words. Positive thinking celerated …


Herman Bavinck Between Scholastic And Modern Psychology: Toward A "Reformed Psychology.", Joohyun Kim Jan 2016

Herman Bavinck Between Scholastic And Modern Psychology: Toward A "Reformed Psychology.", Joohyun Kim

CTS Master of Theology (ThM) Theses

Bavinck completed his first psychology book, Principles of Psychology (Beginselen der Psychologie, 1897) in the middle of his theological writings from his interaction with the nineteenth century psychologies. In 1920, Bavinck published another psychology book entitled Biblical and Religious Psychology (Bijbelsche en Religieuze Psychologie) on the basis of solid exegesis and biblical principles. In Principles of Psychology, Bavinck intended that his psychological principles would be as worthy as the empirical psychology of his day. Kuyper also stressed the doctrinal value of faculty psychology to Bavinck’s first psychology book in his review. Yet, these two psychology books were virtually neglected both …


Life Is Suffering: Buddhism As A Potential Obstacle To Crisis And Trauma Intervention, Elizabeth Peevy Jan 2016

Life Is Suffering: Buddhism As A Potential Obstacle To Crisis And Trauma Intervention, Elizabeth Peevy

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for an empirical examination of the interaction between Crisis Intervention strategies and religions. While there seem to be obvious obstacles to crisis intervention within the major tenets of most of the world's religions, there has been little to no accessible research on the subject. This paper will focus only on Buddhism, a religion that gets much attention in regard to mental health. In the practice of crisis and trauma intervention, a person who holds to traditional Buddhist views should theoretically suffer more severely with PTSD symptoms because of Buddhism's emphasis …


Exposure To Interparental Aggression During Youth And Internalizing Psychopathology In Adulthood : The Moderating Role Of The Autonomic Nervous System, Alison J. Rivers Jan 2016

Exposure To Interparental Aggression During Youth And Internalizing Psychopathology In Adulthood : The Moderating Role Of The Autonomic Nervous System, Alison J. Rivers

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The present study examines the impact of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an indicator of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity, and skin conductance level (SCL), an indicator of sympathetic nervous systems (SNS) activity, on the relationship between interparental aggression exposure in childhood and adolescence and internalizing psychopathology (anxiety, depression symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms) in young adulthood. Participants completed self-report questionnaires regarding youth interparental aggression exposure and current young adult psychopathology. Participants included 188 adults (mean age = 19.45 years old; 72% Caucasian/white; 55% female). Results demonstrate that co-activation of the PNS and SNS in the context of high interparental …


An Exploratory Investigation Of Tele-Counseling: Looking At The Power Of Therapeutic Alliance In Improving Wellness, Jorge Rostro Dec 2015

An Exploratory Investigation Of Tele-Counseling: Looking At The Power Of Therapeutic Alliance In Improving Wellness, Jorge Rostro

Theses and Dissertations

The present study explored the power of one tele-counseling session to elicit change within post wellness ratings scores and the relationship between clients’ perceptions of relationship, goals and topics, approach and method, and overall session with clients’ wellness ratings. Results indicated that the mean for post-session wellness was significantly greater than pre-test wellness ratings. The standardized effect size, d, was .43, indicative of a moderate effect size. No difference was found between client’s perceptions of predictor variables with post-wellness rating scores. This study adds support for the use of tele-counseling services as one session might have the power to elicit …


Don't Bring Me Down: A Study Of The Perceived Emotional Impact Of Positive, Negative, And Neutral Content On Facebook, Isis Lopez Aug 2015

Don't Bring Me Down: A Study Of The Perceived Emotional Impact Of Positive, Negative, And Neutral Content On Facebook, Isis Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study seeks to examine the influence of viewing pages that are categorized as positive, negative, or neutral on the social network (SN) Facebook in relation to college students’ levels of happiness and self-esteem. Viewers were predicted to spend more time viewing the Facebook pages that have been coded as negative compared to positive or neutral pages because of cognitive saliency, and they were predicted to show lower levels of self-esteem and happiness. In addition, participants who view the positive pages were predicted show higher levels of selfesteem and happiness. The results suggested no significant difference in emotion on …


The Effects Of Alcohol On The Interpretation Of Social And Emotional Cues: A Field Study Of College Student Drinking, Emotion Recognition, And Perceptions Of A Hypothetical Sexual Assault, Alexander James Melkonian Jul 2015

The Effects Of Alcohol On The Interpretation Of Social And Emotional Cues: A Field Study Of College Student Drinking, Emotion Recognition, And Perceptions Of A Hypothetical Sexual Assault, Alexander James Melkonian

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use and abuse among emerging adults is highly correlated with increased risk for sexual victimization. Alcohol myopia theory has been used to explain impairments in Social information processing resulting in decreased attention to environmental Social cues including risk factors for sexual assault as well as facial emotional recognition. Those with deficits in Social information processing may be at particular risk for the misperception of salient risk factors for sexual assault by victims, perpetrators, and bystanders when intoxicated. In this naturalistic field study, participants who had been consuming alcohol were recruited to engage in tasks of facial emotion recognition and …


Explaining The Contact Caveat: The Role Of Social Identity And Intergroup Threat, Jesse Acosta Jul 2015

Explaining The Contact Caveat: The Role Of Social Identity And Intergroup Threat, Jesse Acosta

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This project has attempted to offer an explanation for the differential roles of positive and negative contact, wherein negative contact more strongly predicts changes in prejudice than positive contact (Barlow et al., 2007). In an attempt to replicate and extend on this relationship, intergroup threat theory and social identity theory are incorporated in a model intended to explain this differential relationship. This study measured the attitudes of 227 Mexican Americans toward Caucasians and Mexican Immigrants. This analysis offers a partial replication of Barlow et al., with unfavorable attitudes toward Whites leading to stronger changes when contact was negative. When evaluating …


Gratitude And Kindness: Just What The Doctor Ordered, Kathleen E. Glynn Jun 2015

Gratitude And Kindness: Just What The Doctor Ordered, Kathleen E. Glynn

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In recent years, the positive psychology movement has grown and researchers have become interested in studying overall well-being and the predictors of happiness. Previous studies have indicated that biology plays a role in determining an individual’s happiness, but this is not the only contributing factor. Thought patterns and behaviors play a key role in one’s overall wellbeing. The current study evaluated the relationship that a practice of gratitude and performing acts of kindness had on participants’ scores on happiness, gratitude and social support scales. It was predicted that individuals who performed acts of kindness and practice gratitude for one week …


The Dance Impermanence: An Artistic Inquiry Through Improvisation, Julie Frances Brannen May 2015

The Dance Impermanence: An Artistic Inquiry Through Improvisation, Julie Frances Brannen

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This research study investigated the use of movement improvisation to create dance/movement therapy based interventions around the Buddhist concept of impermanence, or natural endings in life. As the sole-researcher and participant were identical, the purpose of this research was to investigate how change can be facilitated, focusing on the researcher’s personal experience to then apply as an emerging dance/movement therapist. The research was conducted through an artistic inquiry, which used arts-based methods as means of data collection, data analysis, and presentation of findings. Through improvisation, the researcher embodied impermanence as it related to concepts of holding on and letting go, …


The Role Of Attention In Ego-Depletion, Garrett Pollert May 2015

The Role Of Attention In Ego-Depletion, Garrett Pollert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The resource model of ego-depletion is unable to account for the results of several ego-depletion studies, whereas a recent mechanistic revision by Inzlicht and Schmeichel (2012) has focused on the role of attention and motivation in an effort to explain the phenomenon. Assessment of attention's role in restrained and unrestrained eaters may provide evidence that motivation and attention work in tandem to affect one's ability to exert self-control. In this experiment, college-aged females participated in two studies to examine the role of attention in ego-depletion effects. Study 1 evaluated the effect of ego depletion on attention via a dot probe …


Failure To Launch? Understanding Variations In Emerging Adult Flight Patterns, Christina Ashley Williams May 2015

Failure To Launch? Understanding Variations In Emerging Adult Flight Patterns, Christina Ashley Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

What does the transition to adulthood look like for emerging adults? This study proposes that popular cultural ideas like "failure to launch" imply an oversimplified dichotomy that does not account for the multiple "flight patterns" into adulthood. Focusing on the narratives of six interview cases selected from the larger sample of interviewees from Wave 4 of the National Study of Youth and Religion and drawing on the quantitative data from the broader survey sample, this mixed-methods approach examines in-depth, narrative experiences and the ways structural barriers vary between upper-middle, lower-middle, and working class emerging adults. We find that emerging adulthood …


Theory Of Mind And Inhibitory Processing Among Bilingual Mexican American Young Children, Sarah E. Stegall May 2015

Theory Of Mind And Inhibitory Processing Among Bilingual Mexican American Young Children, Sarah E. Stegall

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Bilingual children have been found to demonstrate advantages on tasks dependent in part or in whole on inhibitory processing compared to their language dominant and/or monolingual peers. This study examines relations among performance on theory of mind (ToM), inhibitory processing (FF), and performance on an ambiguous-figures (AF) tasks among monolingual and bilingual children. Participants included 135 Hispanic children ages 4.5 to 8 from predominately low-income families. Results revealed a relationship between FF and AF performance with ToM performance and found no differences in performance between monolingual, language-dominant, and balanced-bilingual children.


Physical Activity As A Behavioral Treatment In Shr Rats: An Animal Model Of Adhd, Jessica A. Martinez May 2015

Physical Activity As A Behavioral Treatment In Shr Rats: An Animal Model Of Adhd, Jessica A. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder defined by inattentive, hyperactive, and/or impulsive behaviors, typically treated with medications. Physical activity has been investigated as a treatment for children with ADHD and provides the ability for the individual to use it as a lifetime treatment option. Animal models can control for many of the issues posed by using human subjects. This study investigates whether physical activity in the form of wheel running reduces hyperactivity in an animal model of ADHD, the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR), compared to its control, Wistar Kyoto rat (WKY). Using an ABAB design, …


Exploring The Mitigating Effects Of Early Somatosensory (Tactile) Stimulation And Acoustic Discrimination Experience In Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Male Rats, Patricia Taubin Jan 2015

Exploring The Mitigating Effects Of Early Somatosensory (Tactile) Stimulation And Acoustic Discrimination Experience In Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Male Rats, Patricia Taubin

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

The focus of this study was to determine the effects of early somatosensory (tactile) stimulation and acoustic discrimination experiences in hypoxic-ischemic (HI) male rats on long-term behaviors, learning sensory, and brain weight outcomes. 58 Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions: no stimulation, somatosensory stimulation and auditory stimulation. To observe the effects of the early life stimulation on adult behavioral measures, the following testing was performed: analysis of exploratory behavior, acoustic discrimination, spatial/memory learning, and brain weight. Overall we hypothesized that somatosensory and auditory interventions earlier in life would have beneficial effect on subjects’ performance in …