Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Characterization Of Somatosensory Processing In Relation To Schizotypal Traits In A Sample Of Nonclinical Young Adults, Maureen Patricia Daly

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A core feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) is a basic sensory (e.g., visual, auditory) processing disruption, yet few studies have examined somatosensation. The current dissertation project examined somatosensory processes among individuals at varying degrees of psychometric risk for psychosis using tactile texture and spatial discrimination and letter recognition tasks. Differential patterns of associations of somatosensory abilities with schizotypal trait dimensions (positive, negative, disorganized), independent of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and the relative contributions of bottom-up (peripheral and morphologic features) versus top-down (error types) processing were examined. It was hypothesized that: 1) performance on somatosensory tasks would account for significant …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Prediction Of Violence Among Adults With Mental Disorders, Hing Po Lam

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The study of the risk for violence among persons with mental disorders has received substantial scientific attention over the past few decades; however, many uncertainties and controversies remain due to the wide disparities in the reported results. Using the state-of-the-art perspective of public health, a meta-analysis was conducted to clarify the ambiguities by synthesizing quantitative findings from 85 research reports (completed between January 1970 and May 2010) on violence risk assessment among mentally disordered adults. Results of this meta-analytic study revealed that the estimates of the prevalence of violence among the psychiatric population varied considerably from 1.1% to 78.4% with …

When Less Can Be More: Dual Task Effects In Stuttering And Fluent Adults, Naomi Nechama Eichorn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present study tested the counterintuitive hypothesis that engaging cognitive resources in a secondary task while speaking could benefit aspects of speech production. Effects of dual task conditions on speech fluency, rate, and error patterns were examined in stuttering and fluent speakers based on specific predictions derived from three related theoretical frameworks. Twenty fluent adults and 19 adults with confirmed diagnoses of stuttering participated in the study. All participants completed two baseline tasks: (1) a continuous speaking task in which spontaneous speech was produced in response to given prompts; and (2) a working memory (WM) task involving manipulations of WM …

Prevalence Of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Barbers And Their Knowledge, Attitude And Practices In The District Of Sukkur, Sindh ., Imran Naeem Abbasi, Zafar Fatmi, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Nalini Sathiakumar

Community Health Sciences

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Several occupations in developing countries lag behind in ensuring the safety of their workers in occupational settings. Lack of implementation of safety guidelines at workplaces can expose workers to health risks. In Pakistan, barbers are one of the un-regulated occupational groups. Low literacy, increased frequency of direct skin contact and blade/razors use can expose barbers to body fluids including blood of the customers. We conducted this study in order to determine hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence among barbers and their knowledge, attitude and practices in a peri-urban district of Sindh.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Three hundred eighty-five barbers from …

Protective Effects Of Social Support And Self-Esteem On Sexual Minority Young Adults' Mental Health, Sara Bock

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Existing research has established that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youths experience higher rates of mental illness. However, fewer studies have examined what influences these disparate outcomes. Meyer's (2003) minority stress theory suggests that social factors, such as social support, and internal resources, such as self-esteem, are important potential moderators that may buffer the detrimental effects of stigma-related stress for sexual minority individuals. This study examined the potential protective effects peer support, parent support, school support, and self-esteem in adolescence in explaining mental health disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual young adults. Mental health outcomes included alcohol consumption, depressive symptoms, …

“Me & My Brain”: Exposing NeuroscienceʼS Closet Dualism, Liad Mudrik, Uri Maoz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Our intuitive concept of the relations between brain and mind is increasingly challenged by the scientific world view. Yet, although few neuroscientists openly endorse Cartesian dualism, careful reading reveals dualistic intuitions in prominent neuroscientific texts. Here, we present the “double-subject fallacy”: treating the brain and the entire person as two independent subjects who can simultaneously occupy divergent psychological states and even have complex interactions with each other—as in “my brain knew before I did.” Although at first, such writing may appear like harmless, or even cute, shorthand, a closer look suggests that it can be seriously misleading. Surprisingly, this confused …

The Epidemic Of Mental And Neurological Health, Mohsyn I. Malik

Psychology Publications

This paper composes an image of modern mental and neurological health issues and looks to draw links to the current epidemic based on research and studies found online the internet and off-line. The goal is to examine what may be the underlying problem for a lot of these increases in mental health issues and neurodegenerative diseases and what are some promising clinical and sociocultural advances that may help. It explores problems such as the negative impact of the pharmaceutical giants, the increase in apathy in the work place and the general stigma towards mental disease. Through current research, the use …

A Cross-Sectional Study Of Student-Athlete Needs Satisfaction And Well-Being, Abigail M. Gunnink

Dissertations and Theses

Grounded in self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), the purpose of this study was to examine (a) the effects of the social environment, as defined by the divisions of the Department of Athletics, on student-athletes' perceptions of basic needs satisfaction, (b) the effects of basic needs satisfaction on well-being, and (c) the effects of time demands, during in-season and off-season, on well-being, among student-athletes at Portland State University (PSU). Participants were student-athletes at PSU (n = 118). The participants completed a multi-section survey assessing basic needs satisfaction and well-being. Cumulative mean scores highlighted the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs …

Sharp Emergence Of Feature-Selective Sustained Activity Along The Dorsal Visual Pathway., Diego Mendoza-Halliday, Santiago Torres, Julio C Martinez-Trujillo

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Sustained activity encoding visual working memory representations has been observed in several cortical areas of primates. Where along the visual pathways this activity emerges remains unknown. Here we show in macaques that sustained spiking activity encoding memorized visual motion directions is absent in direction-selective neurons in early visual area middle temporal (MT). However, it is robustly present immediately downstream, in multimodal association area medial superior temporal (MST), as well as and in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC). This sharp emergence of sustained activity along the dorsal visual pathway suggests a functional boundary between early visual areas, which encode sensory inputs, …

Concussion Guidelines Step 1: Systematic Review Of Prevalent Indicators, Nancy Carney, Jamshid Ghajar, Andy Jagoda, Steven Bedrick, Cynthia Davis-O'Reilly, Hugo Du Coudray, Dallas Hack, Nora Helfand, Amy Huddleston, Tracie Nettleton, Riggio Silvana

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no evidence-based definition for concussion that is being uniformly applied in clinical and research settings.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the highest-quality literature about concussion and to assemble evidence about the prevalence and associations of key indicators of concussion. The goal was to establish an evidence-based foundation from which to derive, in future work, a definition, diagnostic criteria, and prognostic indicators for concussion.

METHODS: Key questions were developed, and an electronic literature search from 1980 to 2012 was conducted to acquire evidence about the prevalence of and associations among signs, symptoms, and neurologic and …

The Impact Of Technology On Adolescent Identity Development, Christina Frederick, Amy Bradshaw Hoppock, Devin Liskey, Daniel Brown

Publications

This paper explores how technology use in adolescence facilitates adult identity achievement and presents evidence that technological objects, such as smartphones have become adolescent transitional objects. Early and late adolescents were surveyed about technology use and feelings associated with technology. Among older adolescents, anxiety level was related to smart phone use, such that higher anxiety was associated with greater smart phone use. The feelings and behaviors associated with use of the preferred device are consistent with feelings and behaviors associated with use of a transitional object. In contrast, younger adolescents did not appear to use technology as a transitional object. …

Simpatia And Negative Interpersonal Emotions In Continuity Of Health Care, Andres Gilberto Mendez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Past research has demonstrated that continuity of care has positive outcomes for patients. Continuous care has been shown to have positive outcomes for the patient, including increased patient satisfaction, decreased hospitalizations, decreased emergency department visits, and improved receipt of preventive services. Guided by Betancourt’s Integrative Model for the Study of Culture, Psychological Processes, and Health Behaviors, the aim of this research was to examine the role of cultural scripts and mistreatment related negative interpersonal emotions on continuity of care among Latin American (Latino) and Non-Latino White (Anglo) women. Specifically, this study examined the effect of simpatía, a cultural script that …

At Risk For Ptsd: The Public Health Implications Of Trauma, Madeline Peyton

Master's Projects and Capstones

The fieldwork experience is the summation of six semesters of graduate level public health training. At commencement, students are to be proficient in basic data analysis and epidemiological principles, in how environmental risks impact health, and demonstrate strong program planning, evaluation and leadership skills. Throughout, students are encouraged to focus their academic work on an area of public health that interest them and on a problem that they hope to impact in their professional work. I continued in an area I began as an undergraduate student of medical anthropology and explored the systems that interact to influence mental health of …

Intentions And Voluntary Actions: Reframing The Problem, Aaron Schurger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Nachev and Hacker are justified in drawing our attention to the importance of conceptual clarity and coherence as these are too often overshadowed by technical sophistication and methodological rigor, which by themselves count for little. But can a process of “conceptual analysis” actually help us to avoid pitfalls, or does it merely serve to expose those pitfalls in hindsight? What is needed is a method for making scientific arguments formulaic and laying bare the implicit assumptions. We have tools for this, but not everyone uses them.

Asperger's Disorder In Older Adulthood: The Unique Treatment Concerns And Implications For Applying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Brian Beaumund

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This article provides a theoretical consideration for the problems faced by older adults diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder as well as implications for applying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with this distinct population. The author presents the relevant literature concerning the unique presentation and common problems of each, traditionally distinct population: (a) older adults and (b) Asperger’s Disorder. The author then extrapolates this data into a theoretical conceptualization of the unique clinical presentation and treatment considerations for the underrepresented population of older adults with Asperger’s Disorder. The author then presents a review of the relevant literature concerning the application of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy …

Cluster B Personality Disorders Separated By Gender Expectations, Brianna Kloss

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Criticisms of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000), the most widely recognized system for classification of psychological disorders in the U.S., including gender discriminating disorders and diagnoses, have existed for all editions of the DSM. Arguably, gender construction has a profound influence on the standards and evaluation of normal and abnormal behaviors. Concern for the presence of gender bias of personality disorders has been raised within the DSM, in part, by the frequent diagnoses made according to gender stereotypes. The DSM-IV-TR characterizes personality disorders as marked distress and …

Sexual Education And Attitudes Toward Masturbation, Jannine Ray, Shelby Afflerbach

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The long-standing social stigma surrounding masturbation has led to its prohibition from being included in public school curriculum as a healthy sexual practice. Furthermore, not only is masturbation a healthy sexual practice for the individual, research has demonstrated masturbation to be helpful in treating sexual dysfunctions for couples. Therefore, if the topic of masturbation is included in comprehensive sexual education as a healthy sexual practice, it may promote sexual health among individuals both intra- and interpersonally. The present study recruited from a convenient sample from a medium sized state university in the upper Midwest. Participants completed two surveys, administered through …

Human Premotor Areas Parse Sequences Into Their Spatial And Temporal Features., Katja Kornysheva, Jörn Diedrichsen

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Skilled performance is characterized by precise and flexible control of movement sequences in space and time. Recent theories suggest that integrated spatio-temporal trajectories are generated by intrinsic dynamics of motor and premotor networks. This contrasts with behavioural advantages that emerge when a trained spatial or temporal feature of sequences is transferred to a new spatio-temporal combination arguing for independent neural representations of these sequence features. We used a new fMRI pattern classification approach to identify brain regions with independent vs integrated representations. A distinct regional dissociation within motor areas was revealed: whereas only the contralateral primary motor cortex exhibited unique …

Longitudinal Perspective Of Participation In A Double Blind Placebo Surgery Trial, Jessica Kuhne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurological disorder that causes both motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms in individuals. Overall, PD impacts the physical, emotional and social functioning in the lives of those impacted by the disorder. In 2001, Freed et al. investigated the effects of fetal tissue transplantation in participants with PD by conducting a double-blind sham-controlled surgery trial. The quality of life (QoL) study was conducted concurrently by McRae et al. (2004) in order to determine whether QoL improved in participants in the transplant group compared to the sham group after the one-year period of the double-blind. …

Masculinity, Male Empowerment, And Hiv/Aids Risk In Caprivi, Namibia, Mark Perry

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Namibia has a generalized HIV epidemic, with 13% of adults being infected. Its East Caprivi Region has the highest prenatal HIV prevalence in the country, 21%, among girls and women aged 15-24 years. In recent years, researchers have pointed to men who express their masculinity through high-risk sex as driving the epidemic in East Caprivi. This exploratory study examined the role that men and their masculinity concepts played in transmission, how those concepts were evolving over time, what was influencing the change, and in which directions. Employing grounded theory methods and guided by Robert Connell's theoretical framework on masculinities, the …

The Fatherhood Factor: The Impact Of The Father-Child Relationship On The Social, Interpersonal, And Recidivism Risk Factors Of Previously Incarcerated Men, Larissa A. Maley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Of the men who return home from prison, nearly 7 out of 10 will be re-arrested and sent back within 3 years of their release (Travis, Solomon, & Waul, 2001). This trend has large- scale implications, not just for individuals, but for their families and communities as well. Clearly, understanding the factors that contribute to a man’s success or failure in staying out of prison is extremely important in constructing policy and programs to assist these at-risk individuals and communities. Of the few studies that have explored the lives of previously incarcerated men, some have found fatherhood to be a …

Relationship Maintenance Of Military Couples, Jessica N. Modrell

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Deployment-based separations cause significant challenges for romantically involved individuals, bringing about uncertainty and decreased relational closeness. This study investigated how military couples perceive the challenges they face, their biggest struggles during deployment separation, helpful strategies utilized for maintaining their relationship during deployment separation, and suggestions for improving ways to meet the needs of military couples. Based on the information gathered, recommendations are offered to help civilian psychologists gain pertinent information pertaining to military culture and the process of deployment separation that may increase effectiveness of their therapeutic practice with military couples. Forty-two participants completed four open-ended questions and responses were …

Basic Psychological Needs, Suicidal Ideation, And Risk For Suicidal Behavior In Young Adults, Peter C. Britton, Kimberly A. Van Orden, Jameson K. Hirsch, Geoffrey C. Williams

ETSU Faculty Works

Associations between the satisfaction of basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness with current suicidal ideation and risk for suicidal behavior were examined. Two logistic regressions were conducted with a cross-sectional database of 440 university students to examine the association of need satisfaction with suicidal ideation and risk for suicidal behavior, while controlling for demographics and depressive symptoms. Suicidal ideation was reported by 15% of participants and 18% were found to be at risk for suicidal behavior. A one standard deviation increase in need satisfaction reduced the odds of suicidal ideation by 53%, OR (95% CI) = 0.47 (0.33–0.67), …

Mental Health Referral In Primary Care: Influence Of A Screening Instrument And A Brief Educational Intervention, Michael T. Miesner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although less than half of all patients with mental disorders seek mental health treatment per se, approximately 80% of all people will visit their primary care physician (PCPs) within a year (Strosahl, 1998). However, it is not well understood how to best handle patients presenting with mental health issues in primary care practices. The purpose of this project was to implement an intervention involving a screening measure for anxiety and mood disorders in a primary care setting to increase the volume of anxiety and mood disorder screening, to increase the accuracy of disorder detection, and to also enhance PCPs patterns …

An Efficient Standardized Method Of Maintaining Quality Assurance In Therapeutic Treatment Record Keeping, Kelsey Michael Bradshaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Quality assurance (QA) within the field of mental health is the practice of monitoring and reviewing services to ensure adherence to specified standards of care. Agents within State governments and various organizations influence record keeping procedures through ethical guidelines and law. For instance, client records must be maintained for all clients receiving mental health services, including informed consent, releases of information, treatment plans, and progress notes. Accurate and timely record keeping procedures assure quality mental health services. However, professionals sometimes err in the maintenance of client records, which can have a negative impact on services, clients, and practitioners. To assist …

The Effect Of Acute Lps-Induced Immune Activation And Brain Insulin Signaling Disruption In A Diabetic Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Andrew Scott Murtishaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder marked by progressive cognitive impairments and pathological hallmarks that include amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal loss. Several well-known mutations exist that lead to early-onset familial AD (fAD). However, these cases only account for a small percentage of total AD cases. The vast majority of AD cases are sporadic in origin (sAD) and are less clearly influenced by a single mutation but rather some combination of genetic and environmental risk.

The etiology of sAD remains unclear but numerous risk factors have been identified that increase the chance of developing AD. Among these risk …

Promoting Teamwork In Translational Medical Teams: Insights And Recommendations From Science And Practice, Lauren E. Benishek, Ashley M. Hughes, Megan E. Gregory, Shirley C. Sonesh, Eduardo Salas, Elizabeth H. Lazzara

Publications

Translational medical teams are transdisciplinary, highly collaborative, and operate within dynamic environments to solve time-sensitive and complex problems. These teams are tasked with turning observations in the laboratory and clinic into effective interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public. The nature of the problems they seek to solve requires coordination among clinicians, scientists, and experts from various scientific disciplines. Characteristically, translational medical teams have complex compositions, structure, and pluralistic goals, which pose significant challenges and barriers to enacting effective teamwork, compromising team performance. Given these challenges, it is imperative to glean insights from teams research and the …

Impaired Theory Of Mind In Psychotic And Affective Disorders, Erik Nelson Ringdahl

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Psychotic symptoms in bipolar I disorder during mood episodes has been associated with several negative outcomes raising the question as to whether psychosis is a risk factor for a more severe form of this chronic and debilitating condition. However, relatively little research has been directed at understanding the relationships among social cognitive functioning in bipolar I disorder with and without a history of psychosis. Impaired social cognition has been identified as a putative endophenotypic markers in schizophrenia and the evidence is mounting as to whether similar impairments also exist in bipolar I disorder. Given the plethora of research supporting the …

The Counselor Experience In Counseling Clients Who Have Been Sexually Assaulted, Carrie J. Tremble

Dissertations

Despite sexual assault being the second highest reported violent crime in the United States, the literature regarding the experience of counselors who counsel clients who have been sexually assaulted is limited. This qualitative study explored and described the lived experiences of 9 counselors who, in the last five years, have provided counseling services to at least five clients who had been sexually assaulted when they were at least 18 years of age. The phenomenological data analysis approach of Moustakas (1994) was utilized to guide the data collection and analysis. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, the participants were able to share their …

Efficacy Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With The Use Of In-Room Coaching, Cassie Shacklett Reeve

Dissertations

One significant consequence of oppositional and defiant behavior is an increase in negative interactions between caregivers and the child exhibiting those behaviors (Greene & Doyle, 1999). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically supported treatment that targets the development of a nurturing parent-child relationship along with teaching effective discipline strategies to decrease child noncompliance (Bodiford-McNeil & Hembree-Kigin, 2010). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of PCIT when modified by utilizing strictly in-room coaching. This type of research would allow for expanded use of this empirically supported treatment into community agencies and clinics which do not …