Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Attachment Disorders And Personality Disorders : A Possible Connection, Jen Sacora

Graduate Research Papers

Researchers now propose that attachment theory can be applied beyond childhood. They believe attachment exists in adulthood and influences adult relationships. Possible connections between personality disorders and well-known approaches to personality development such as attachment theory have been made (Brennan & Shaver, 1998).

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between parent-infant attachment which influence adult relationships and psychopathology. Theories of personality development as they relate to attachment will be explored as well as influence of early childhood experiences on personality. Finally, possible connections between attachment disorders and personality disorders will be speculated.

On The Evolution Of Depression, Mike W. Martin

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

In "Depression as a Mind-Body Problem," Walter Glannon outlines a psychosocial-physiological explanation of depression as a psychological response to chronic stress—today, especially social stress—in which cortisol imbalances disrupt neurotransmitters. Accordingly, treatment for depression should combine psychopharmacology and psychotherapy—a valuable reminder in light of the current restrictions on funding for health care (Hobson and Leonard 2001). My comments focus, however, on Glannon's objections to evolutionary theorists who explain our capacity for depression as adaptive to the natural and social environment. His objections are implausible because he fails to distinguish depression as a mood and a disorder.

Issues Impacting The Quality Of Mental Health In Older Adults, Rachel I. Pettit

Graduate Research Papers

Older adults are confronted with a variety of developmental and unexpected issues that can impair or strengthen their mental health. Affective and anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and suicide are some of the mental health issues when older adults experience difficulty with the aging process. On the other hand, the quality of their physical and mental health, their support system, the resolution of grief and loss issues, and the strength of their spirituality assist older adults in recreating meaning. Thus, they are able to live their senior years with purpose. These issues will be addressed and recommendations will be described with …

Gender Differences In Gross And Fine Motor Abilities In Preschool Aged Children In West Virginia, Kelly R. Pennington

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in gross and fine motor abilities in preschool aged children in West Virginia. Subjects consisted of 21 males and 16 females. Data was collected via the West Virginia Educare Initiative using the Carolina Curriculum for Preschoolers with Special Needs. Results of this study indicate that there are no significant gender differences in either gross motor or fine motor abilities in preschool aged children.

Reactive Attachment Disorder : Diagnosis, Assessment, And Treatment, Kimberly A. Rees

Graduate Research Papers

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend toward the use of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) as a diagnosis to describe myriad problem behaviors and disturbed interactions between infants, young children and their caregivers. There is considerable disagreement about what RAD actually entails and, in particular, what types of assessments and treatment interventions to use with affected children and families (Hanson & Spratt, 2000). This paper is intended to clarify what the current research states about Reactive Attachment Disorder. It includes the definitions and diagnosis, importance of attachment, biological components, risk factors later in life, assessment, and treatment available …

Project Towards No Drug Abuse: A Review Of The Findings And Future Directions, Alan W. Stacy, Steve Sussman, Clyde W. Dent

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Objective: To provide a review of the evidence from 3 experimental trials of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND), a senior high-school-based drug abuse prevention program.Methods: Theoretical concepts, subjects, designs, hypotheses, findings, and conclusions of these trials are presented. A total of 2,468 high school youth from 42 schools in southern California were surveyed.Results: The Project TND curriculum shows reductions in the use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, hard drugs, weapon carrying, and victimization. Most of these results were replicated across the 3 trials. Conclusion: Project TND is an effective drug and violence prevention program for older teens, at least for …

Graduate Bulletin, 2002-2004 (2002), Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Diet And Physical Activity For Ovarian Cancer Results From The Adventist Health Study, Fatemeh Kiani

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A few aspects of the epidemiology of ovarian cancer are well understood, such as the inverse relationship with parity and oral contraceptive (OC) use. The role of other factors such as the potential influence of diet or physical activity is far from being established. A few studies, however, have been able to identify dietary risk factors for ovarian cancer. In this dissertation, I have conducted two studies that investigate the relationship between dietary factors and physical activity and the three endpoints: 1) nonfatal ovarian cancer (1976-1982; time to diagnosis), 2) fatal ovarian cancer (1976-1988; time to death), and 3) total …

Differences Between Undergraduate And Graduate Students In Self-Concept And Depression, Ann L. Woolley

Dissertations

Problem.

Students have an opportunity for personal growth as they learn about themselves and the world around them. However, their levels of self-concept and depression can influence how they view' themselves, their relationships, and their world. This research compared undergraduate and graduate students with respect to their levels of self-concept and depression.

Method

A quantitative research design was used for an ex post facto study of 239 students from Andrews University and Western Michigan University. They completed the Demographic Questionnaire, the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition (TSCS:2), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).

Results

Using 13 as the B D …

Predictors Of Young Women's Attitudes Toward Sexual Health Practices, Alison G. Dougall

Theses : Honours

The present study examined whether cognitive (beliefs), affective (emotions) and I or behavioural processes predicted young women's attitudes towards their sexual health practices. For pragmatic reasons, safer sex promotion has largely relied on the provision of factual information to promote behaviour change. Although the importance of emotional and behavioural influences has been indicated, these elements have not traditionally been included in sexual health interventions. In order to examine this issue, Zanna and Rempel's (1988) tripartite model of attitude formation was used. A convenience sample of female participants (N=98) aged 18 to 29 years was asked to rate their attitudes towards …

A School Psychologist's Role In Decreasing Eating Disorder Prevalence In School-Aged Children, Natalie Muth

Graduate Research Papers

Eating disorders have dramatically increased over the last 20 years, resulting in prevalence rates exceeding other high-incidence medical conditions treated in the educational setting. Chapter 2 presents a review of literature covering eating disorder identification, history, prevalence and epidemiological data. Theoretical perspectives, risk and protective factors, symptoms, and medical complications are also reviewed. Current assessment measures used for screening and diagnosing anorexia and bulimia is additionally presented along with a summary of school-based primary prevention programs. The second chapter concludes with a brief overview of eating disorder treatment.

A summary is presented in chapter 3 along with implications for school …

The Importance Of Behavioral Interventions And Stimulant Medication Effects On Reducing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Elizabeth Alvarez

Graduate Research Papers

Overall, various avenues of research state that ADHD is a complex disorder that requires treatment by multiple modalities. Most research states that a combination of medication and behavior therapy is necessary to resolve the symptoms. It should be noted that the dose of stimulant medication prescribed to a child with ADHD should be adjusted based on the child's response to a behavioral intervention, as well as the combination of the behavioral and pharmacological treatments. Rapport et al. (1982), as well as others, have found that medication alone will not "cure" ADHD. But with multiple methods of treatment the symptoms will …

Cognitive And Somatic Item Response Pattern Of Orofacial Pain Patients Compared To Fibromyalgia Patients And A Non-Pain Control Group, Morten Hadsel

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Previous work has suggested that chronic pain patients report psychological distress through higher endorsement of somatic rather than cognitive signs of anxiety and depression. The present study compared female Non-Pain (11=52), Orofacial Pain (n=3 17) and Fibromyalgia (n=50) groups. on SCL-90-R Somatization, Anxiety and Depression raw scores and cognitive-somatic symptom patterning of the Anxiety and Depression scales. Comparisons were also made amongst orofacial pain diagnostic subgroups and subgroups based on Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) classification groups. The Somatization. Anxiety and Depression scores were higher in the OroFacial Pain and Fibromyalgia than Non-Pain group and higher in the Dysfunctional than Adaptive …

Physician-Related Determinants Of Cervical Cancer Screening Among Caribbean Women In Toronto, Ilene Hyman, Punam Mony Singh, Marta Meana, Usha George, Lilian M. Wells, Donna E. Stewart

Psychology Faculty Research

BACKGROUND: Minority women in Canada are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer than their counterparts in the general population, despite the fact that the proportion of these women who consult a general practitioner about their health each year is similar to minority women. This study examined the physician and practice characteristics associated with Pap testing and perceived barriers to Pap testing of family physicians serving the Caribbean community of Toronto.

METHODS: A mail-back questionnaire was sent to Toronto family physicians practicing in neighborhoods with a high proportion of Caribbean Canadians.

RESULTS: Although 79.7% of the 64 participating physicians …

Predicting Work Stress Burnout In Rural And Urban Emergency Medical Technicians Through The Use Of Early Recollections, Susan M. Vettor

Dissertations

Problem . Literature on work-stress burnout among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) suggests that they have maintained the same levels of burnout and attrition rates for the past 20 years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between early recollections and burnout in EMTs working in urban and rural locations.

Method . A demographic questionnaire, the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS-HP), and two early recollections, were used to survey 120 emergency medical technicians in Toronto, Ontario and Mojave County, Arizona to assess their level of burnout and to identify various themes in early recollections.

Results . …

High School Coaches' Perceptions Of Sport Psychology And Sport Psychologists, Jonathan W. Barnes

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

No abstract provided.

Temporal, Perspectives, Dispositional Styles, And Subjective Well-Being, Mary Naeger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study investigated the relationship between time perspective (TP) and the personality dispositions of optimism, pessimism, and realism with regard to their proposed influence on three measures that collectively assessed subjective well-being (SWB). The Depression-Happiness Scale (McGreal & Joseph, 1993) assessed happiness or the presence of positive affect and the absence of negative affect, the cognitiveaffective components of SWB. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) provided the measurement of subjective life satisfaction, the essential final cognitive-judgmental component of SWB. The Life Orientation Scale-Revised (LOT-R) (Scheier, Carver, and Bridges, 1994) and a Reality Scale, composed …

Can Meaningful Effective Connectivities Be Obtained Between Auditory Cortical Regions?, M S Gonçalves, D A Hall, Ingrid Johnsrude, M P Haggard

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Structural equation modeling (SEM) of neuroimaging data can be evaluated both for the goodness of fit of the model and for the strength of path coefficients (as an index of effective connectivity). SEM of auditory fMRI data is made difficult by the necessary sparse temporal sampling of the time series (to avoid contamination of auditory activation by the response to scanner noise) and by the paucity of well-defined anatomical information to constrain the functional model. We used SEM (i.e., a model incorporating latent variables) to investigate how well fMRI data in four adjacent cortical fields can be described as an …

A Harm Reduction Intervention For Drinking Games, Nicholas A. Lind

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Binge drinking is not only responsible for the leading cause of death of 18-21 year olds (alcohol-related accidents), but is also associated with alcohol dependence, sexual assault, and school failure. Little research has addressed one of the major contexts in which college binge drinking occurs, namely participation in drinking games. The current study used a quasiexperimental pre-post design to examine the effectiveness of a drinking game intervention based on Marlatt's (1996) Harm Reduction model of prevention. Six male residence hall floors and seven fraternities were randomly identified as experimental groups and three floors and three fraternities were designated as controls. …

Involvement Of Females As Authors, Editors, And Participants In Journals Concerned With Mental Retardation And Related Topics, Cari L. Porter

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Refugee Experiences Of Trauma And Ptsd Effects On Psychological, Physical, And Financial Well-Being, Karen J. Cusack

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Discrimination Of Computer-Graphic Stimuli By Mice: A Method For The Behavioral Characterization Of Transgenic And Gene-Knockout Models., T J Bussey, L M Saksida, L A Rothblat

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

An automated method is described for the behavioral testing of mice in an apparatus that allows computer-graphic stimulus material to be presented. Mice responded to these stimuli by making a nose-poke toward a computer monitor that was equipped with a touchscreen attachment for detecting responses. It was found that C57BL/6 mice were able to solve single-pair visual discriminations as well as 3-pair concurrent visual discriminations. The finding that mice are capable of complex visual discriminations introduces the possibility of testing mice on nonspatial tasks that are similar to those used with rats, monkeys, and humans. Furthermore, the method seems particularly …

Psychosocial Correlates Of Physiologlcal Improvement In Female Cardiac Patients: Improving Effectiveness Of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs, Linda A. Halvorsen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between a set or psychosocial variables and a set of physiological variables for a cohort of female cardiac rehabilitation patients. The independent variable set included initial denial, inlcnwl locus of control, perceived mental health status, and perceived physical health status. Dependent variables included change scores for metabolic equivalents and resting heat rate. The sample consisted of76 women who were enrolled in a Phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. Demographic information including number of completed rehabilitation sessions, age, martial status, and diagnosis was provided. A series of bivariate correlations were conducted to …

The Music Channel: Integrating The Harp Into The Communication Process Of Children With Autism, Lori A. Kissinger

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was undertaken to determine if the harp could be used as a communication channel for children with autism. The two research questions guiding this study were: (1) Will a child with autism utilize the harp to try to communicate a message? And (2) if the harp is utilized by a child with autism as a communication channel, can the receiver decode the intended message? Two qualitative case studies using constant comparison analysis were conducted over a six-day observation period. Five predominant responses emerged: (1) initial reaction to the instrument, (2) bonding with the instrument, (3) socialization through …

Disordered Eating And Its Psychosocial Correlates Among Hispanic Adolescent Females, Annette Santiago

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the incidence of disordered eating and its relationship with acculturation, depression, and body dissatisfaction among Hispanic adolescent females. One hundred and five students enrolled at two midwestem high schools completed a Student Demographic Questionnaire, the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (Marin & Gamba, 1996), the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), the Body Dissatisfaction Subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory (Gamer, Olmstead, & Polivy, 1983), and the Eating Attitudes Test (Gamer, Olmstead, Bohr, & Garfinkel, 1982). Two null hypotheses were examined. The first investigated the relationship among acculturation, depression, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating utilizing …

Thinness In Women: The Impact Of Female Body Weight On Relationship Satisfaction And Commitment, Wendy Walter Campbell

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study represents an investigation of the impact of weight change on romantic relationships, and the hypothesized gender difference in the importance assigned to a partner's weight. Participants were 221 undergraduate students (148 women and 73 men) from a medium sized Midwestern University. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions in which their weight in a photo image was increased, decreased or left unchanged. Upon inspecting the image, participants were asked to complete measures of relationship satisfaction and commitment (including among others, items from the Dyadic Adjustment Scale [DAS]), the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale [KMSS], as well …

Analysis Of Factors Involved In Ratings Of Treatment Acceptability For Trichotillomania, Amy J. Elliott

Dissertations

Based on the literature, trichotillomania (or chronic hair pulling) appears to be responsive to behavioral interventions, with habit reversal as the most promising intervention. Habit reversal has been shown effective with children and adults of varying levels of severity, but some have questioned the generality and acceptability of the procedure. Little is known about the acceptability of interventions for habit disorders. These two research studies were designed to answer questions regarding the acceptability of behavioral and pharmacological interventions for trichotillomania and to expand the conceptual knowledge of treatment acceptability.

Study 1 compared the acceptability of four interventions targeting trichotillomania. The …

Quality Of Life Factors Among Recovering Alcoholics, George Edwin Compton Jr.

Dissertations

The inspiration for undertaking the current research came from the Student Investigator’s own experience of 19 years in recovery from alcoholism. During his early years in graduate school, the Student Investigator witnessed occasional misunderstandings among some academics and helping professionals regarding the nature of alcoholism, and, specifically, the tasks involved in sustaining enduring recovery from alcoholism. Thus, this dissertation research, which has sought to examine, through qualitative research methodology, the factors involved in achieving and sustaining quality of life in extended recovery from alcoholism was undertaken.

Several authors have noted the need for research which focuses on long-term recovery from …

A Model For Hiv/Aids Risk Behaviors Of Students In Armenia, Talin Babikian

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Without a cure in now its third decade, AIDS is a concern for both the medical and social science disciplines. Most at risk for a nationwide AIDS epidemic are developing countries, which often lack the necessary resources and knowledge to minimize the spread of the disease. There are an estimated 1500 HIV cases in Armenia, 81.5% of which occur in the 20-39 age group. Armenia’s current economic and political instability, increase in sexually transmitted infections (STI), prostitution, and injecting drug use, and the alarming incidence rates in neighboring countries amplify its risk for a national epidemic.

The goals of this …

Celibacy, Sexual Exclusivity, And Illicit Drug Abstinence: Giving Up The Life As Taboo In Aids Prevention, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article highlights social cognitions that seem to impede cost-effective approaches to AIDS prevention.