Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Urine Cotinine In Children And Parental Behavior Modification: A Pilot Study, Teresa Lachance

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

“Urine Cotinine in Children and Parental Behavior Modification” was designed by Dr. Deirdre Burns, a pediatrician at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital (BBCH). It was implemented as a pilot study to determine whether urine cotinine testing in children who are admitted to the hospital for respiratory illness and tracking parental smoking behaviors over time was feasible. Parents were given a brief survey to assess their current smoking behaviors and to understand their readiness to quit smoking. They received smoking cessation materials provided by the Breathe Easy Coalition of Maine. These materials outline information about second-hand and third-hand smoke, and encourage …

Cross-Validation Of The Validity-10 Subscale Of The Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory, Jordan P. Harp

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The present study is a cross-validation of the Validity-10 embedded symptom validity indicator from the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) for the detection of questionable response validity during evaluation for mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The sample and data derived from a three-site Veterans Affairs (VA) parent study to validate the TBI Clinical Reminder, a routine set of questions asked of all recently returned veterans at VA facilities to screen for history of TBI. In the parent study, veterans recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan underwent an evaluation for TBI with a physician and completed an assessment battery including neuropsychological tests …

Auditory Erp Differences Across A Continuum Of Psychotic Symptoms In Non-Clinical Population, Anaya Rehman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Psychosis is a term given to a mental state described as a loss of contact with the real world. The aim of this thesis was to examine early non-specific psychotic experiences in a healthy population by means of two self-report screening tools: Prime Screen and Youth Psychosis At-Risk Questionnaire-Brief, and place individuals on a psychosis continuum. Across this psychosis continuum, three event related potential (ERP) components were assessed: P300, Mismatch Negativity and N100. There is evidence that P300 and mismatch negativity amplitudes diminish in individuals with psychosis. Similarly, impaired N100 amplitude suppression (increased N100 amplitudes) during vocalization has been observed …

On The Depressive Nature Of The “Burnout Syndrome”: A Clarification, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Pierre Vandel, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Key theoretical arguments and empirical findings converge to suggest that the burnout construct captures a depressive phenomenon. The reluctance to consider burnout a depressive condition may be due to (a) a neglect of the stress–depression relationship and (b) a difficulty coordinating dimensional and categorical approaches to psychopathology in burnout research. The dimensions and categories constitute two ways of describing (psychopathological) phenomena. Thus, dimensions and categories should be heuristically combined rather than opposed: burnout and depression can be studied both as ‘‘processes’’ or ‘‘end-states’’. Clarifying what burnout actually is matters in terms of conceptual parsimony, theoretical integration, nosological consistency, interventional effectiveness, …

Just World Beliefs, Identity Development, And Social Justice Advocacy Of Counselor Trainees, Sara Rundlett

All Master's Theses

This was the first study exploring the relationship between the belief in a just world, identity development, and social justice advocacy (SJA). A mixed methods design was conducted using a nationwide sample of ninety-seven counselor-in-training participants. Hypotheses included positive correlation between identity development and SJA, negative correlation between belief in a just world and SJA, and negative correlation between belief in a just world and identity development. Results were not significant but provided implications for future research and counselor training programs.

Non-Medical Use Of Prescription Drugs, Stress, Cultural Orientation, Utilization Of Healthcare, And Protective Factors Among College Students In China, Cheuk Chi Tam

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) refers to the use of prescription drugs which are traditionally utilized to manage pain or treat psychiatric problems but without a doctor’s prescription. In 2010, an investigation by the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that 5.3% of young adults (18 to 25-year-olds) in the United States reported past-month NMUPD. NMUPD has become a growing concern owing to associations with consequences such as college dropout, poor academic achievement, and health jeopardizing behaviors. College students' NMUPD has been well documented in the United States. Limited studies, however, have been conducted among …

Recovery From Design, Cassandra J. Ellison

Theses and Dissertations

Through research, inquiry, and an evaluation of Recovery By Design, a ‘design therapy’ program that serves people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities, it is my assertion that the practice of design has therapeutic potential and can aid in the process of recovery. To the novice, the practices of conception, shaping form, and praxis have empowering benefit especially when guided by Conditional and Transformation Design methods together with an emphasis on materiality and vernacular form.

Drinking To Cope With Depressive Symptoms And Ruminative Thinking: A Multiple Mediation Model Among College Students, Adrian J. Bravo, Matthew R. Pearson, James M. Henson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Understanding the potential psychosocial mechanisms that explain (i.e., mediate) the associations between depressive symptoms and alcohol-related problems can improve interventions targeting college students.

Objectives: The current research examined four distinct facets of rumination (e.g., problem-focused thoughts, counterfactual thinking, repetitive thoughts, and anticipatory thoughts) and drinking to cope motives as potential explanatory mechanisms by which depressive symptoms are associated with increased alcohol-related problems.

Method: Participants were undergraduate students from a large, southeastern university in the United States that consumed at least one drink per typical week in the previous month (n = 403). The majority of participants were female ( …

Protective Behavioral Strategies As A Context-Specific Mediator: A Multilevel Examination Of Within- And Between-Person Associations Of Daily Drinking, Abby L. Braitman, Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael, James M. Henson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research indicates that a drinker’s environmental and social context can be differentially associated with drinking outcomes. Further, although many researchers have identified that more frequent use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) is associated with lower alcohol consumption and negative consequences, scant research has examined how one’s drinking context may promote or hinder PBS use. The present study examined how the context of drinking each day (i.e., where and with whom) is associated with level of consumption and reported alcohol-related problems among n = 284 college drinkers (69.0% female) directly, as well as indirectly through the use of PBS. Two different …

Ballroom Dancing In Conjunction With Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy: Increasing Emotional Connections Through Non-Verbal Communication, Shana B. Kronish

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), and ballroom dance have each been found to be beneficial in developing individual and interpersonal verbal and non-verbal communication and emotional awareness; however, very little research has been performed on the combined therapeutic use of any of these modalities. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with therapists and ballroom dance instructors who work with couples in order to facilitate dialogue regarding the limitations and benefits of therapy and ballroom dance. The core theme of this study was the ‘Interest in Application.’ The eleven additional themes that evolved were ‘Benefits of …

Parental Input To Children With Asd And Its Influence On Later Language, Aparna Nadig, Janet Bang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In this chapter, we review evidence on parental input to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), moving from quantitative measures of linguistic features to qualitative measures of interaction. First, we examine lexical and syntactic features (e.g., number of utterances, mean length of utterance [MLU]) in the input provided to children with ASD compared with TD [typically developing] children matched on language level. Second, we turn to work on parental responsiveness, or the tendency to provide verbal or gestural input in sync with the child’s focus of attention, and how this compares across dyads including a child with ASD or a …

On Parsimony And Tautology In The Study Of Acute Coronary Syndrome, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

In a recent study, Zhang et al. concluded that burnout was associated with poor physical function and low quality of life after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In our estimation, the authors' study has at least two unnoticed, though major, methodological limitations: not controlling for depression and using a burnout scale that is a questionable choice.

Burnout And The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis: A Methodological Comment, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Because (a) burnout overlaps with depression and (b) depression has been associated with altered functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis changes in the activity of the HPT axis can be expected in burnout. Most probably, Guo et al.’s (2017) results are flawed by a severe form of the “healthy worker effect.”

Burnout Or Depression: Both Individual And Social Issue, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

In view of the profound problems attached to the construct of burnout, we recommended that occupational health specialists focus on (job-related) depression rather than burnout to help workers more effectively. Epstein and Privitera (April 8, 1398) rejected our recommendation on the grounds that burnout is not a “purely individual syndrome”. Problematically, Epstein and Privitera attributed to us an idea that is not ours. In these authors’ view, equating burnout with depression is synonymous with mistakenly individualising a social problem. For two reasons, the argument that depression cannot replace burnout because burnout is a social problem whereas depression is an individual …

Vital Exhaustion, Burnout, And Other Avatars Of Depression, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

In our view, there is a worrying tendency in psychology and medicine to let proliferate “depression-like” constructs—a transgression of the scientific canon of parsimony. The problem is not limited to vital exhaustion (VE). Burnout, a condition akin to VE, has been shown to problematically overlap with depression. Compassion fatigue, a condition that shows particularly blurred definitional contours, is also uncomfortably close to depressive symptomatology. The construct of neurasthenia may be part of this confusing trend as well, although neurasthenia has been elevated to the status of nosological category in the ICD. Construct proliferation jeopardizes knowledge growth by undermining theory building …

Defining Physician Burnout, And Differentiating Between Burnout And Depression—I, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

A redefinition of burnout as a depressive condition is called for so that the harmful effects of unresolvable job stress can be more accurately and comprehensively assessed. As research compellingly suggests, reducing the harmful effects of unresolvable job stress to the experience of burnout's dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment is mistaken in that it denies the depressive core of the syndrome referred to as “burnout.” Replacing the notion of burnout by the concept of job-induced depression would help us be more effective in the management of occupational adversity.

‘Burnout Syndrome’: From Nosological Indeterminacy To Epidemiological Nonsense, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

All in all, Imo’s review is undermined by the very research it relies on. We recommend that researchers interested in burnout begin at the beginning, that is to say, by establishing a reasoned, clinically-founded (differential) diagnosis for their entity of interest. As long as investigators do not complete the required groundwork for establishing a diagnosis and remain unable to distinguish a case of burnout from either a noncase or an existing disorder, conclusions regarding the prevalence of burnout will be nonsense. To close this comment, we note that an immediately available solution for effectively monitoring and protecting physicians’ occupational health …

Consequences Of Job Stress For The Psychological Well-Being Of Teachers, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi, Peter Luehring-Jones

Publications and Research

This chapter examines research on the relationship between job stressors and mental health (depressive symptoms, burnout, and mental disorders such as depression) in teachers. Teachers are exposed daily to job stressors (e.g., student disruptiveness) that have been linked to adverse mental health effects. Epidemiologic research indicates that when compared to members of other groups, teachers experience higher rates of mental disorder, although some studies question that conclusion. Large-scale studies indicate when compared to members of other occupational groups, teachers are at higher risk for exposure to workplace violence, with its adverse mental health consequences. Longitudinal research has linked teaching-related stressors …

Alcohol Use And Strenuous Physical Activity In College Students: A Longitudinal Test Of 2 Explanatory Models Of Health Behavior, Heather A. Davis, Elizabeth N. Riley, Gregory T. Smith, Richard S. Milich, Jessica L. Burris

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: To help clarify the effect of gender on the bidirectional relationship between alcohol use and strenuous physical activity in college students. Participants: Five hundred twenty-four (52% female) college students recruited in August 2008 and 2009 and followed up in April 2009 and April 2011, respectively. Methods: Participants reported their alcohol use and strenuous physical activity on 2 occasions (baseline and follow-up) spaced approximately 1 or 2 years apart. Results: For females, alcohol use quantity at baseline was associated with increased strenuous physical activity at 1- and 2-year follow-ups, and alcohol use frequency at baseline was …

Stigmatizing Attitudes Towards Men And Women Combat Veterans With Combat Related Ptsd, Heather L. Caldwell

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Veterans with PTSD experience stigma and discrimination. The extent to which women combat veterans with PTSD may experience stigma and discrimination has yet to be investigated. This is critical given the increasing number of women veterans exposed to combat and combat trauma. Level of familiarity may affect stigmatizing beliefs. Gender may also affect stigmatizing beliefs. To assess this, 126 undergraduate students (men, n = 69) were randomly assigned to view videos of a man or woman veteran describing combat experience and their PTSD symptoms. Participants completed questionnaires assessing PTSD symptoms, level of familiarity with veterans, and stigmatizing attitudes toward the …

A Wilderness And Art Therapy Program For Children With Social Concerns, Ashlynn C. Wardle

Honors Projects

For my honors project, I created an alternative therapy program for children with special needs. Activities were designed to support children with varied needs such as children with autism, ADHD, or learning disabilities. The program utilizes the most successful factors from the fields of art therapy, wilderness therapy, special education, applied behavior analysis, and speech and language therapy the program to form age appropriate, educational, and fun art and wilderness opportunities.

Principles Of Incorporating Spirituality Into Professional Clinical Practice, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Incorporating spirituality into contemporary professional clinical practice has become more common in recent years most notably with the popular interest of mindfulness meditation, mindfulness based stress reduction, and yoga in particular. However, many other spiritual and religiously based assessment and treatment approaches have also been successfully utilized with a great deal of evidence-based research to support their use and effectiveness. The purpose of this brief article is to outline several guiding principles for those professionals interested in integrating spiritual and religious wisdom and approaches into their professional clinical practices in the spirit of diversity and multiculturalism sensitivity and respect. Psychology …

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 …

Diminished Quality Of Life Among Women Affected By Ebola, Jessi Hanson, Alexis Decosimo, Megan Quinn

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This article analyzes data collected from Liberian women afflicted by the Ebola virus disease, survivors of the virus and noninfected persons living in Ebola-affected homes. This research is one of the first statistical analyses examining factors diminishing quality of life: negative experiences, stigma, and psychosocial symptoms among females affected by the virus after the outbreak. The research presents a thorough literature review, including research related to other infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, to inform the gap in studies on Ebola’s effects on quality of life. Women who are Ebola virus disease survivors demonstrate significant differences in stigma and psychosocial stress when …

Understanding Teamwork In The Provision Of Cancer Care: Highlighting The Role Of Trust, Elizabeth H. Lazzara, Joseph R. Keebler, Soosi Day, Deborah Diazgranados, Minggui Pan, Michael A. King, Shin-Ping Tu

Publications

Team science research has indicated that trust is a critical variable of teamwork, contributing greatly to a team’s performance. Trust has long been examined in health care with research focusing on the development of trust by patients with their health care practitioners. Studies have indicated that trust is linked to patient satisfaction, adherence to treatment, continuity of care, and improved outcomes. We explore the construct of trust using a case example of a patient who received a surgical procedure for a precancerous polyp. We apply the principle of trust to the case as well as present the literature on trust …

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 …

A Pilot Study Of Comparison Gesture Analysis In Motion Driven Video Games, Fabrizio Valerio Covone, Brian Vaughan, Charlie Cullen

Conference Papers

This study investigates whether there are significant differences in the gestures made by gamers and non-gamers whilst playing commercial games that employ gesture inputs. Specifically, the study focuses on testing a prototype of multimodal capture tool that we used to obtain real-time audio, video and skeletal gesture data. Additionally, we developed an experimental design framework for the acquisition of spatio-temporal gesture data and analysed the vector magnitude of a gesture to compare the relative displacement of each participant whilst playing a game.

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 …

The Reliability And Validity Of The Task Analysis Recording Procedure (Tarp), Russell Brown Psyd

All Student Scholarship

Task analysis data collection typically focuses on the acquisition of skills by recording the percentage of steps in the response chain completed independently and correctly. While useful as a measure of skill acquisition, percentage correct does not promote a step based analysis of factors that may promote or interfere with skill acquisition, including necessary prompts and the occurrence of challenging behavior. This study evaluated the reliability and validity of the Task Analysis Recording Procedure (TARP) in recording physical stereotypy, a behavior often emitted by participants with autism or other developmental disabilities, by comparing TARP obtained physical stereotypy data to that …

A Pilot Investigation Of A Multi-Tier System Of Mathematics Instruction For Prekindergarten Students, William Benjamin Roy Psyd

All Student Scholarship

A Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS) for academic skills is widely recognized as the best practice framework for supporting all students. Additionally, the recent shift from constructivist pedagogy toward more intentional teaching of mathematics at the preschool level has encouraged more explicit mathematics instruction with younger children. In spite of these advances, there are no published best practice guidelines for implementing MTSS for mathematics at the prekindergarten level. The current study sought to investigate one possible way to implement effective instructional practices for preschool mathematics within a multi-tier system, including the use of validated screening and progress monitoring instruments. A …