Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Early Adolescent Through Young Adult Alcohol And Marijuana Use Trajectories: Early Predictors, Young Adult Outcomes, And Predictive Utility, Kate Flory, Donald Lynam, Richard Milich, Carl Leukefeld, Richard Clayton

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study takes a developmental approach to subgrouping and examines the trajectories of substance use from early adolescence through young adulthood among a community sample of 481 individuals. The patterns of use were examined, subgroups were identified separately for men and women and for alcohol and marijuana, and psychosocial predictors and psychopathology outcomes that differentiated the groups were identified. The results revealed three substantially overlapping subgroups for both alcohol and marijuana: early onset, late onset, and nonuser. Although the general patterns of which dependent variables were related to group were similar for alcohol and marijuana, a closer examination revealed …

Parenting, Julia C. Torquati

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

How can parents successfully care for their children in the context of homelessness? This is a significant question because families with children represent approximately 40 percent of the homeless population in the United States, and the number of homeless children has been growing since the early 1980s. Negative consequences of homelessness to children’s health, education, and emotional and social development have been well documented. Homeless families in the United States can be considered a subset of limited-resource families, and as such they share some of the same challenges to effective parenting. However, homeless parents face additional challenges, and these challenges …

The Effects Of Alcohol Abuse, Coping Resources And Psychosocial Development On Learning Disabled And Non-Learning Disabled College Students, Maryalice Thomas

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Chronic Pain: The Extra Burden On Canadian Women, Marta Meana, Robert Cho, Marie Desmeules

Psychology Faculty Research

Health Issue: Chronic pain is a major health problem associated with significant costs to both afflicted individuals and society as a whole. These costs seem to be disproportionately borne by women, who generally have higher prevalence rates for chronic pain than do men.

Key findings: Data obtained from 125,574 respondents to the Canadian Community Health Survey (2000–2001) indicated that 18% of Canadian women suffered from chronic pain, compared to 14% of men. This gender discrepancy, however, seemed to be linked primarily to differences in age, income, and education between adult men and women in this large sample. Age, income, depression …

Mental Health Of Incarcerated Juveniles In Nevada: Final Report, Nevada Institute For Children's Rerearch And Policy, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas, Jennifer Petsonius, Denise Tanata, Michelle Chino Dr

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The prevalence of mental health problems in the juvenile offender population is substantially higher than that of the general population (Cocozza & Skowyra, 2000). Studies estimate that one in five juvenile offenders has serious mental health problems, which is nearly twice the rate of occurrence of mental illness in children and adults in the general population (NMHA Fact Sheet #l). However, there have been several methodological problems encountered in previous research. These include the use of inconsistent definitions and measurements of mental illness; the use of biased, nonrandom samples, a reliance on retrospective case report data, and the use of …

The Effects Of Hypnosis And Guided Imagery On The Performance Of Track Athletes, Johnathan C. Mossey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although sport psychologists may utilize numerous hypnotic interventions and techniques intended to enhance the performance of athletes, many of these interventions have not been examined by systematic research. This exploratory study examined the effects of interventions using imagery and imagery plus hypnosis on the performance of track athletes. Twenty-nine students from a Midwestern high school track team were randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups: a) imagery and hypnosis or b) an imagery only group. Track team members at another high school served as the control group. The athletes in each group had their performance examined at track meets …

Hiv Risk Behaviors In Adults With Serious Mental Illness: Testing The Imb Theory Of Hiv Risk Reduction, Leslie D. Bjork

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has proliferated substantially since its initial identification in 1981. Studies ofHIV seroprevalence indicate a recent statistical surge in rural AIDS cases relative to urban locales (McKinney, 1998; Stephenson, 2000). Data also suggest adults with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) evidence higher behavioral risk for HIV infection than individuals in the general population (Carey, Carey, & Kalichman, 1997; McKinnon, Carey & Cournos, 1997). This study examined HIV risk behaviors in rural adults with SPMI, including analyses of sexual behaviors, psychiatric severity, and substance problems. In addition, Fisher and Fisher's (1992) Information-Motivation-Behavior (1MB) theory ofHIV risk …

The Relationship Of Health Beliefs And Health Value In Cardiovascular Outcomes, Kimberley Schaub

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite extensive theoretical information regarding Schwarzer's Health Action Process Approach the utility of the model pas yet to be explored within a chronic illness population. Using Schwarzer's Health Action Process Approach (Schwarzer, 1992), the purpose of this study was to investigate cardiovascular outcomes based on health beliefs and health value. Participants were eighty-one adults ages 42-87 with cardiovascular disease recruited from a cardiac rehabilitation program in Central Indiana. Participants completed instruments that assessed (a) health beliefs, (b) health value and, (c), quality of life. Measurements of physiological outcome (resting heart rate, distance walked, and metabolic equivalent) were also obtained. A …

Barriers To Lesbian Health Care, Paula Bowles

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The primary purpose of this research was to examine a sample of sixteen lesbian women regarding the barriers to lesbian health-care. From this information several interpretive findings regarding lesbian health-care are made. Data were gathered via indepth interviews with each individual lesbian. The data suggest that most lesbian women do not reveal their sexual orientation to their primary-care physician for fear of reprisal. Most of the women interviewed do feel they receive adequate health-care from their physician. The women who participated in this project did so confidentially and were assigned pseudonyms. They were asked questions on a variety of topics, …

The Relationship Between Childbirth Experience And Psychological Functioning In The Postpartum Period, Dena Dian Daniel

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between the mother's perception of the birth experience, symptoms of the post-traumatic stress, and symptoms of postpartum depression. Sixty-seven participants ranging from 17 to 40 years of age completed a self-report questionnaire containing items from three instruments including the Perception of Birth Scale, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and the Davidson Trauma Scale. The findings reveal a more negative perception of the birth experience is significantly related to a greater frequency and/or. severity of. post- traumatic stress and postpartum depression symptoms following childbirth., These findings support the conclusion that an …

Resiliency Factors Related To Substance Use/Resistance: Perceptions Of Native Adolescents Of The Southwest, Margaret A. Waller, Scott K. Okamoto, Bart Miles, Donna E. Hurdle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory, qualitative study examined risk and protective factors influencing drug and alcohol use and/or resistance of Native youth in the Southwest. Thirty-two Native middle school students participated in 10 focus groups that explored their experiences with alcohol and drugs in their school and reservation communities. The findings indicate a complex interaction of both risk and protective factors related to substance use. Respondents' cousins and siblings, in particular, played a key role in their decisions to use or resist drugs. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

Clergy Sexual Abuse And The Catholic Church: What Do We Know And Where Do We Need To Go?, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Few recent topics have received the kind of media attention, heated debate, and discussion than the topic of sex-offending clergy, their victims, and supervisors. It is a story about too many bishops (and priests) behaving badly when they are purported to be the moral, religious, and ethical leaders of society. It is a remarkable story. However, it is a complex story that has had little scholarship and discourse driven by thoughtfulness, civility, and reason.

The Relationship Between Health Status And Hope In Individuals With Hiv Disease, Celine Meera Chohan

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between hope and health status over a two-year period in individuals who were HIV -infected. One hundred and three individuals completed the surveys at entry into the study, at 12 months, and at 24 months. The Health Status Questionnaire (Wu et.al., 1991) measured Cognitive Functioning, Emotional Functioning, and Physical Functioning. Additionally, the Hope Scale (Snyder, 1991) and the Client Information Form were used to collect data. Results suggested hope at entry into the study was a significant predictor of physical functioning initially, at 12 months, and at 24 months. This finding suggests a link between …

Intensive Care Medical Procedure : Ptsd Symptoms In Children, Ludmila Zaytsev

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Studies indicate that medical procedures may cause post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms (fear, avoidance, sleep disturbances, irritability, concentration difficulties. hypervigilance). It has been suggested that administration of midazolam hydrochloride, a sedative/amnesic medication commonly used in the Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU), may help decrease if not prevent the development of PTS symptoms. This study examined if PTS symptoms were related to procedural invasiveness (PI) and whether midazolam had a moderating effect on the development and intensity of PTS symptoms in children. English-speaking children ages 8-16 (N=20) who had been in the PICU for at least 3 days were recruited at Loma …

The Psychological Characteristics Of Obese Children, Thomas Taylor Mitchell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Several studies along with the surgeon general of the United States have identified obesity as a national health issue. Research indicates that adult obesity treatment has relatively poor long-term effects. Consequently increased attention has been given to addressing obesity in children. This focus is particularly vital due to the fact that children are one of the populations showing the most rapid increase in overweight and obesity. The purpose of this study was to identify the some of the unique psychological characteristics of obese children by analyzing the intake data of children and adolescents attending the Loma Linda University Growing Fit …

Validation Of A Serotonin Checklist In A Parkinson’S Disease Population, Kelly Diane Darby-Holder

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although the distinctive pathological marker of Parkinson’s Disease is the progressive death of neurons that produce dopamine, there are also alterations in the production of quantities of other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine and serotonin that contribute to the disease. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can be divided into two distinct classes based on the manifestation of motor symptoms, Type A and Type B Parkinson’s Disease. Type B PD patients often manifest symptoms in which serotonin deficiency plays an important role, which often includes a history of depression. Within the brain and spinal cord serotonin has wide spread projections, acting as an important …

Radiation Effects On Dopamine-Mediated Prepulse Inhibition In The C57bl/6 Mouse, Cara Nicole Zuccarelli Miller

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study examined the effects of proton and gamma radiation on a dopamine-dependent sensory gating mechanism: prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex. The purpose of this research was to describe potential hazards of proton radiation to the central nervous system in long-term space fight and for proton therapy patients. Results from previous research indicate that startle behavior is modified by proton and iron radiation. Forty-eight 10-½ week old, male C57BL/6 mice were used to characterize the optimal parameters for the model (prepulse duration, probe duration, and stimulus-onset-asynchrony). Three hundred and fifty two mice were used to characterize the time course …

The Effect Of Task Versus Ego Oriented Feedback On Exercise Enjoyment, Marc Fields

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Intrinsic motivation has been shown to be a very important factor in exercise adherence. Research has found that factors such as exercise intensity, social feedback, goal orientation and perceived climate can affect intrinsic motivation. The purpose of this study was to assess situational goal orientation, specifically whether individuals in a task induced condition or ego induced condition would report different levels of intrinsic motivation (i.e., enjoyment, tension, effort and competence during exercise). Participants (N= 114) rode on an exercise bike for 24 minutes at a moderate intensity. A MANCOVA factorial design was used to examine differences in intrinsic motivation. The …

Effects Of Perceived Costs And Rewards On Motivation And Retention Of Rape Crisis Center Volunteers, Amanda Grissom

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to obtain information that may assist Rape Crisis Center (RCC) volunteer coordinators and executive directors in the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The major hypotheses guiding this study are as follows: (a) the reasons that initially motivated volunteers to volunteer at the RCC will be the same as their reasons for why they are continuing to volunteer at the RCC and (b) volunteers at RCCs continue to volunteer because the perceived costs of volunteering do not exceed the perceived rewards of volunteering. Using a modified version of Black's (1989) questionnaire, respondents were asked to …

Predictors That Affect The Caregiver's Health Status And The Role Of Social Support On The Caregiver's Health Status, Hong Wang

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines whether the caregiver's self-rated health status is affected by the caregiver's demographic characteristics (age, education level, and income), caregiver's stressor (the number of ADL and IADL), mediating variables of the caregiver's appraisal (willingness to help non-family members, level satisfaction with life, and financial burden), of and mediating variable of social support (information and/or advice from other family members or friends). Data were drawn from Chronic Illness and Caregiving, a national telephone survey conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. on behalf of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, and Partnership for Solutions. The sample size of caregivers …

The Relationship Of Attitude, Social Influence, And Self-Efficacy To Diabetes Type Ii Outcomes, Autumn L. Keefer-Ward

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Attitude-Social Influence-Self Efficacy model and its relationship to Type II diabetes outcomes. One hundred-twelve adults ages 55-75 with Type II diabetes were recruited from a physician's office in West Central Indiana. Participants completed instruments that assessed (a) attitude, (b) social influence of the physician, (c) diabetes-specific self-efficacy, and (d) diabetes-specific quality oflife. A measurement of metabolic control was also obtained. Multiple regressions were performed using ( a) quality of life, and (b) metabolic control as criterion variables. Only one subscale of the self-efficacy variable scale, Managing the Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes, …

Can You Just Say No? The Impact Of Critical Thinking On Advertisement Activated Alcohol Expectancies, Sarah A. Forbes

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol expectancies appear to be the crux of alcohol advertisement effectiveness. Research has supported the notion that alcohol expectancies predict future drinking, but the expectancies must be activated by cues before they can influence drinking. Alcohol ads are one possible cue. The extent to which ads activate these expectancies could predict the extent to which drinking is influenced. One way to test this idea was to vary participants' attention to alcohol ads, thus varying expectancy activation. This study also examined whether or not critical thinking could undo the influence of activated expectancies. Four conditions were created for the study: control, …

Gaze-Centered Updating Of Visual Space In Human Parietal Cortex., W Pieter Medendorp, Herbert C Goltz, Tutis Vilis, J Douglas Crawford

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Single-unit recordings have identified a region in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) of the monkey that represents and updates visual space in a gaze-centered frame. Here, using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we identified an analogous bilateral region in the human PPC that shows contralateral topography for memory-guided eye movements and arm movements. Furthermore, when eye movements reversed the remembered horizontal target location relative to the gaze fixation point, this PPC region exchanged activity across the two cortical lobules. This shows that the human PPC dynamically updates the spatial goals for action in a gaze-centered frame.

Sensations From Initial Exposure To Nicotine Predicting Adolescent Smoking In China: A Potential Measure Of Vulnerability To Nicotine, Xinguang Chen, Alan W. Stacy, Hong Zheng, Jianguo Shan, Donna Spruijt-Metz, Jennifer B. Unger, Jie Gong, Peggy Gallaher, Chunhong Liu, Stanley Azen, Sohaila Shakib, C. Anderson Johnson

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Sensations derived from initial exposure to nicotine are a potential indicator of an individual's vulnerability to nicotine. This study assessed whether sensations experienced during the first lifetime exposure to nicotine could predict current and established cigarette smoking. Data from 210 respondents who reported having ever tried cigarette smoking in Wuhan, China, were obtained for this study from 610 students in 10th grade at two schools. Subjects were participants in a multipurpose pilot survey for an adolescent smoking prevention trial. The survey was administered in a classroom setting using a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Sensations reported were cigarette smell (59.2%), coughing (54.1%), dizziness …

A Comparison Of Symptom Severity Between University Counseling Center And Community Mental Health Center Clients, Joshua Gunn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study compares presenting levels of psychological distress at a university counseling center and a community mental health center. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) was completed by clients at intake, and the results were subjected to statistical analysis. A significant difference was found between the two service units on the Global Symptom Index and all nine scales of the BSI. There were no gender differences in overall levels of psychological distress; however, a difference was found on the interpersonal hostility scale. Implications of the study, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research, are discussed.

The Lateral Occipital Complex Subserves The Perceptual Persistence Of Motion-Defined Groupings., Susanne Ferber, G Keith Humphrey, Tutis Vilis

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

How are the bits and pieces of retinal information assembled and integrated to form the coherent objects that we see? One long-established principle is that elements that move as a group are linked together. For instance a fragmented line-drawing of an object, placed on a background of randomly distributed short lines, can be impossible to see. But if the object moves relative to the background, its shape is instantly recognized. Even after the motion stops, the percept of the object persists briefly before it fades into the background of random lines. Where in the brain does the percept of the …

Psychosocial Stress And Cervical Neoplasia Risk, Ann L. Coker, Sharon M. Bond, Margaret M. Madeleine, Kathryn J. Luchok, Lucia Pirisi

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the association between psychosocial stress and preinvasive cervical neoplasia development controlling for HR-HPV infection.

METHODS: This case-control study enrolled low-income women receiving family planning services at health department clinics. There were 59 cases with biopsy confirmed HSIL and 163 with low-grade SIL and 160 controls with normal cervical cytology. A modified SLE scale was used to measure stressful events and the perceived impact of the event in the prior 5 years. Unconditional logistic regression was used to assess SIL risk and stressful events scores and by subscales.

RESULTS: After adjusting for age, HR-HPV infection, and lifetime number …

“Bin Laden’S Brain”: The Abrasively Negativistic Personality Of Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Aubrey Immelman, Kathryn Kuhlmann

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of Ayman al-Zawahiri, deputy leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network at the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States and allegedly chief strategist for al-Qaida operations and personal physician to Osama bin Laden.

Al-Zawahiri’s primary personality patterns were found to be Contentious/oppositional and Dominant/controlling, with secondary features of the Dauntless/dissenting and Ambitious/self-serving patterns.

The amalgam of Contentious (negativistic, or passive-aggressive) and Dominant (aggressive, or sadistic) patterns in al-Zawahiri’s profile suggests the presence of the “abrasive negativist” syndrome. For these personalities, minor frictions easily …

How Individuals Understand Depression: Attributions, Stigma, And Treatment Recommendations, Erin A. Pladsen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined participants' beliefs/attributions about depression, their help seeking recommendations for depressed individuals, and the stigma associated with depression. Participants were asked to read a vignette that described a target person who is suffering from depression, and they were asked to complete various questionnaires based upon the vignette. Overall, the results indicated that individuals did not possess negative attitudes toward mental illness, that individuals more strongly recommended professional mental health assistance, and that individuals did not tend to stigmatize depressed individuals. Results did indicate that the label of depression and the gender of the target person affected provider type …

Alex Bradley, Carl Milofsky

Northern Ireland Archive

Bradley is a psychotherapist based in a religious NGO. His talk primarily involves general comments and observations about the events of Bloody Sunday, sectarian conflicts in general, and values statements from Bradley offered in response to student questions about the conflict in Northern Ireland. He continues to talk about the White Oak Center in Donegal, which is a residential treatment center that in this account it heavily concerned with treating alcohol abuse. The tape shifts to talk about Bradley's work treating trauma experiences related to the Troubles. He began working in the Catholic community but then was asked to work …