Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Research Brief: "Suicide Risk Among 1.3 Million Veterans Who Were On Active Duty During The Iraq And Afghanistan Wars", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about a comparison between the post-service suicide risk of recent wartime veterans versus the suicide risk of the general population in the US. In policy and practice, veterans at risk for suicide should seek counseling, counselors should be aware of military service-specific stressors, and family members should support veterans through readjustment periods; the DoD and VA should continue offering medical screening and counseling services to recent veterans and veterans who were deployed. Suggestions for future research include examining the reasons for lower rates of suicide within certain military branches, determining the reasons for an excess suicide rate …

Rape, Race, And Capital Punishment In North Carolina: A Qualitative Approach To Examining An Enduring Cultural Legacy, Douglas Wholl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite positive steps toward the suppression of racial discrimination in the United States capital punishment process, the enduring effects of a cultural legacy of Black oppression (e.g., slavery; segregation; lynching) and historic and systemic racial discrimination in the criminal justice system have persisted to the present day. The purpose of the current study is to explore whether this enduring cultural legacy still exists by examining whether juries in rape-involved capital murder trials in North Carolina are more likely to recommend a sentence of death when the defendant is a Black male and the victim is a White female (compared to …

Beyond Interpretation: The Need For English-Spanish Bilingual Psychotherapists In Counseling Centers, Stephanie Guilman

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Despite the cultural and linguistic diversity that exists in the United States of America, bilingualism and multiculturalism have been neglected, if not almost completely ignored, in the field of psychotherapy. When counselors and clients are unable to commuanicate due to language barriers and cultural disconnect, the client often leaves the counseling session feeling unsatisfied and is more likely to discontinue therapy altogether. This article focuses on Spanish-speaking clients seeking mental health services in the United States, surveying the available literature to argue that that clients who receive therapy in their native language are better able to express themselves and form …

Research Brief: "Prevalence Of Suicidality Among Hispanic And African American Veterans Following Surgery", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the likelihood of suicidal behavior and ideation among African Americans and Hispanic Americans after surgery. In policy and practice, pain medications should be prescribed after major surgery, health professionals should evaluate for both physical and psychological suffering several months after surgery, and also provide more services to the patient if necessary; the VHA should expand its suicide prevention program and tailor interventions toward cultural subgroups. Suggestions for future research include looking at prescriber and patient characteristics when prescribing pain medication, looking at the differences in post-surgery coping by race, and relying on data from veterans about …

Six Principles To Consider When Working With Roman Catholic Clients, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Although the majority of Americans consider themselves to be Christian and affiliated with various Protestant denominations, a quarter of the American population identify themselves as Roman Catholics who are the largest single religious denomination in the country. Yet, surprisingly, fairly little research has been published in the professional psychology literature about working with this very large and diverse group. Psychologists have an ethical responsibility to be aware of and respectful to diversity including diversity based on religious background, affiliation, and perspectives. The purpose of this brief reflection is to offer 6 important principles to keep in mind for professional psychologists …

Visual Hallucinations Differential Diagnosis Annotated Decision Tree, Shelly D. Davis

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Differential diagnosis of the etiology of visual hallucinations is challenging. Although visual hallucinations can be symptomatic of psychiatric disorder, they more commonly indicate neurological or medical disorders, sensory impairment, or substance intoxication or withdrawal. Accurate diagnosis and treatment is crucial given that misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment intervention can have profound consequences. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the most prevalent causes of visual hallucinations, review the DSM-5 hallucination decision tree, and provide an annotated visual hallucination differential diagnosis decision tree.

Apples And Oranges: An Argument For Psychopathy As A Formal Diagnosis, Katherine K. Mcmann

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

When one thinks of the psychopath, an image of one of the notorious serial killers of the 1980s generally pops in their head- Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, or the Green River Killer. While still rare, psychopaths encompass much more than just serial killers, and they have a unique presentation that lies outside the confines of any current diagnosis. Characteristics such as lack of empathy, impulsivity, grandiosity, and poor behavioral controls are included in various personality disorders. The Narcissist will show lack of empathy and grandiosity while the Borderline will have poor behavioral controls and impulsivity, for example. However, the construct …

Best Practices In Team-Based Treatment Termination, Leslie Minna

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Termination of psychological treatment is a necessary part of the therapeutic process, but it can pose complex clinical, ethical, legal, logistical, and social challenges. This complexity becomes even more evident in the current era of treatment delivered by a team of healthcare professionals. Appropriate termination will usually involve a team decision and synthesis of the various team members’ recommendations for appropriate follow-up, medications, or transfer of care into an integrated formal document to be communicated to the patient. The healthcare team may also face other considerations such as record keeping and communication responsibilities when the patient (or the patient’s insurer) …

Behavioral And Pharmacological Investigation Of Anxiety And Maternal Responsiveness Of Postpartum Female Rats In A Pup Elevated Plus Maze, Yu Yang, Jingxue Qin, Weihai Chen, Hong Chen, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study investigated the validity of a novel pup-based repeated elevated plus maze task to detect reduced anxiety and increased maternal responsiveness in postpartum female rats and explored the roles of dopamine D2, serotonin transporter and GABA/benzodiazepine receptors in the mediation of these processes. Sprague–Dawley postpartum or nulliparous female rats were tested 4 times every other day on postpartum days 4, 6 and 8 in an elevated plus maze with 4 pups or 4 pup-size erasers placed on each end of the two open arms. When tested with erasers, untreated postpartum mother rats entered the open arms proportionally more …

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

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

Tradtional Alcohol Use Among Rural Yi Minority In China: An Application Of Theory Of Planned Behavior, Yonghua Feng

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

It is estimated that 25% of the alcohol consumed in China as traditional alcohol. This study explored the drinking patterns and the motives to use traditional alcohol among a sample of the Yi minority in southern China. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used to explore motives.

Based on initial fieldwork among the Yi a questionnaire was developed to provide data to describe traditional alcohol use and to assess the constructs of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control as expressed the Theory of Planned Behavior. The questionnaire was refined and the results served as an adequate measurement to explore …

Executive Function Predictors Of Children's Talk, Jacqlyne D. Weber

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Relatively few studies have investigated the relationship between executive functioning (EF) and language development, and even fewer have researched hot and cool EF as a predictor language development. This study is an investigation into the relationship between EF and language development in preschool aged children. More specifically, the ability for hot or cool EF to predict language, this will be the focus of the study. It was found that hot EF was a better predictor of language development in preschool aged children.

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Childhood Abuse, Anger And Violent Behavior Among A Sample Of Sex Offenders, Stephanie R. Ramirez, Elizabeth L. Jeglic, Cynthia Calkins

Publications and Research

Background: Increasing attention has focused on the emotional dysregulation that can result from adverse childhood experiences among those who commit sexually violent crimes. While studies confirm a relationship between child maltreatment and anger the research is limited and it is unclear how anger and child maltreatment effect the use of violence during the commission of the sex crime.

Methods: This study examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment, anger and violent behavior by reviewing the records of 571 adult male offenders convicted of sexual assault or child molestation. The aims of the present study were to 1) examine differences in anger …

Research Brief: "Coping, Family Social Support, And Psychological Symptoms Among Student Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study is about coping styles among student veterans and what is related to various coping styles. For policy and practice, universities should understand veterans' stigmatization of mental health services and should improve cultural competence; the Department of Veterans Affairs should work with universities to ensure student veteran success. Suggestions for future research include using a larger, more representative sample and looking at the effects of actual versus perceived social support.

Effects Of Early-Adolescent, Mid-Adolescent, Or Adult Stress On Morphine Conditioned Place Preference, Chloe Shields

Senior Theses

In light of previous work demonstrating that stress can increase subjective drug reward in adult rats, the present study investigated the influence of stress on morphine conditioned place preference (CPP) in early-adolescent, mid-adolescent, and adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Subjects in each age group were assigned to either a no stress condition or a stress condition in which they were exposed to an unpredictable eight-day schedule of elevated platform and synthetic fox odor stressors. Place conditioning then evaluated subjective morphine reward in all animals. Using a biased procedure, subjects were assigned to receive morphine on the initially non-preferred side of the …

The Effects Of Arginine Vasopressin On Maternal Behavior And Aggression In Peromyscus Californicus Mothers, Nathaniel Ng

Honors Projects

Research studies since the 1950s have shown that a chemical within the brain called arginine vasopressin (AVP) is associated with the modulation of many different social behaviors in mammals. Some of these behaviors are related to parenting, such as parental care initiation, aggression, social recognition, depression and anxiety. Understanding the physiology behind AVP regulation could allow for the creation of new therapies for treating human social disorders, such as using an AVP receptor antagonist to attenuate anxiety. This project examines how neural injections of AVP and an AVP receptor antagonist affect both maternal care and aggression in female Peromyscus californicus …

Variability Modifies Life Satisfaction's Association With Mortality Risk In Older Adults, Julia K. Boehm, Ashley Winning, Suzanne Segerstrom, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Greater life satisfaction is associated with greater longevity, but its variability across time has not been examined relative to longevity. We investigated whether mean life satisfaction across time, variability in life satisfaction across time, and their interaction were associated with mortality over 9 years of follow-up. Participants were 4,458 Australians initially at least 50 years old. During the follow-up, 546 people died. After we adjusted for age, greater mean life satisfaction was associated with a reduction in mortality risk, and greater variability in life satisfaction was associated with an increase in mortality risk. These findings were qualified by a significant …

The Clinical Utility Of The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System: A Clinician's Perspective, Ashley Gunterman

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) is the first performance-based measure of adult attachment to be developed. The purpose of the measure is to provide a clinical understanding of an adult client's attachment status and associated coping mechanisms. The AAP is a relatively new measure that has yet to be examined from a utility perspective. In the current study, seven psychologists completed a structured survey in order to identify their perspectives of the AAP and its utility as a clinical instrument. A phenomenological qualitative analysis of the data was conducted to derive themes about the AAP and its clinical …

Four Lessons Learned From Treatingcatholic Priest Sex Offenders, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Perhaps there is no one in our society more despised and vilified than sex offenders, especially those who sexually violate young children. And during the past decade perhaps no particular subgroup of sex offender has been more despised than those who are Roman Catholic priests. We need to be attentive to the state-of-the-art facts, best practices, and create policies and procedures to keep those who might harm children away from children. To do otherwise is foolish and harmful. Yet strong opinions, advocacy, and hysteria sometimes gets more attention than actual evidence-based quality research and practice which is not ultimately in …

Sleep Hygiene Practices: A Cross Cultural Survey Of Sleeping And Dreaming In College Students, Ivan Noe Martinez Salazar

Masters Theses

There is consensus that a sizeable percentage of people in most developed countries do not obtain adequate amounts or quality of sleep. These disruptions in sleep, when chronic and severe, can lead to psychological, behavioral and health consequences. The focus on behavioral and contextual factors that impact sleep has been termed “sleep hygiene”. An on-line anonymous survey collected sociodemographic information, as well as self-reports on sleep, sleep hygiene practices and dreaming across two cultural groups (English & Spanish speaking responders). A total of 204 participants (majority of them college and graduate students) answered the survey. Both cultural groups, English and …

Research Brief: "Alcohol Use And Craving Among Veterans With Mental Health Disorders And Mild Traumatic Brain Injury", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the relation between alcohol craving and mental health disorders among veterans, and how mental health disorders impact alcohol cravings. For policy and practices, the research shows that alcohol cravings and mental health disorders among veterans could be a sign for risk of alcohol use disorder. It also shows that the VA should assess veterans for alcohol use disorder, and also research more ties between mental health disorders and alcohol use. Suggestions for future research include conducting the study in a larger, more representative population, as well as involving families in measuring alcohol use/cravings to ensure less …

Fatalism, Diabetes Management Outcomes, And The Role Of Religiosity, Vincent Berardi, John Bellettiere, Orit Nativ, Slezak Ladislav, Melbourne Hovell, Orna Baron-Epel

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

This study aimed to determine whether fatalistic beliefs were associated with elevated levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and to establish the role of religiosity in this relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 183 Jewish adults with diabetes visiting a large medical center in northern Israel. Self-administered questionnaires assessed level of religiosity, fatalistic beliefs, diabetes management behaviors, and demographic/personal characteristics; laboratory tests were used to measure HbA1c. Multivariate regression indicated that fatalism was significantly associated with HbA1c (β = 0.51, p = 0.01). The association was no longer statistically significant after including self-reported religiosity in the …

Research Brief: "Suicidality Among Military-Connected Adolescents In California Schools", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study examines the prevalence of suicidal ideations among military-connected youth in California, and found that twenty-four percent of military-connected youth reported seriously considering suicide. Given these findings, school personnel and mental health providers should teach coping techniques for anxiety, depression, and stress; they would also benefit from implementing a policy that forbids service members from bringing firearms home during extended leaves and weekends. Future studies should sample military children of all grade levels, including college/university.

The Effect Of Auditory Stimuli On Visual Time-To-Contact Perception, Chelsea L. Rugel

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Previous research has demonstrated that auditory and visual stimuli have individual effects on the accuracy of a person’s estimation of time-to-contact (TTC), the time at which two objects collide. Prior findings also suggest that there is cross-modal interference between vision and audition; however, this phenomenon has never been studied in a TTC situation. (Driver & Spence, 1998; Ichikawa & Masskura, 2006; Roseboom, Kawabe, & Nishida, 2013) In this study we attempted to fill in this research gap by examining the effect of auditory speed cues over visual speed cues in a two-dimensional TTC scenario, and by determining if an object’s …

How Are Therapeutic Professionals Interpreting Ethics In Practice With Migrant Clients?, Madeline A. Brenner

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

The research study aimed to understand the praxis of mental health professionals working with immigrant and refugee populations in relation to ethical guidelines and agency protocols. Through practice-led inquiry, seven mental health professionals were interviewed from differing therapeutic backgrounds and orientations; including Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Social Work, Counseling, and Art Therapy. The researcher sought to identify how theory of therapeutic professionals differ, where professionals are engaging in culturally competent practice and what impact this has on the therapeutic relationship. Participants identified the key components of a positive therapeutic relationship include trust, cultural competency, approach, presence, as well as …

Revisiting A Common Measure Of Child Postoperative Recovery: Development Of The Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire For Ambulatory Surgery (Phbq-As), Brooke N. Jenkins, Zeev N. Kain, Sherrie H. Kaplan, Robert S. Stevenson, Linda C. Mayes, Josue Guadarrama, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

The Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) was designed for assessing children's posthospitalization and postoperative new‐onset behavioral changes. However, the psychometric properties of the scale have not been re‐evaluated in the past five decades despite substantial changes in the practice of surgery and anesthesia. In this investigation, we examined the psychometric properties of the PHBQ to potentially increase the efficacy and relevance of the instrument in current perioperative settings.

Method

This study used principal components analysis, a panel of experts, Cronbach's alpha, and correlations to examine the current subscale structure of the PHBQ and eliminate items to create the Post …

Paradoxical Interaction Between Ocular Activity, Perception, And Decision Confidence At The Threshold Of Vision, Aaron Schurger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In humans and some other species perceptual decision-making is complemented by the ability to make confidence judgements about the certainty of sensory evidence. While both forms of decision process have been studied empirically, the precise relationship between them remains poorly understood. We performed an experiment that combined a perceptual decision-making task (identifying the category of a faint visual stimulus) with a confidence-judgement task (wagering on the accuracy of each perceptual decision). The visual stimulation paradigm required steady fixation, so we used eye-tracking to control for stray eye movements. Our data analyses revealed an unexpected and counterintuitive interaction between the steadiness …

Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: Unforeseen Consequences Of California's Deinstitutionalization Policy, Jen Rushforth

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Beginning with the passage of the Lanterman-Petris- Short Act in 1969, deinstitutionalization in California has had a devastating effect on the mentally ill. Instead of affording the mentally ill with more rights and protections, the process of shutting down state psychiatric hospitals and impeding psychiatric care for those in need caused a cascade effect leading to an increase of homelessness and incarceration. Over the past four decades, prisons and jails in California have become the de facto state mental hospitals, with severely mentally ill individuals having nearly a four-to-one chance of ending up in jail or prison over a psychiatric …

The Use Of Criminal Profilers In The Prosecution Of Serial Killers, Chelsea Van Aken

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of criminal profiling in terms of serial killers in the United States. The research provided in this paper was found using the most recent research available on the topic. The FBI’s Behavioral Unit, or National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), is the current leading law enforcement agency that investigates these types of crimes. They utilize definitions, typographies, and motives to create a criminal profile to investigate serial killings. Ultimately, these profiles are inadequate because they are inconclusive and exclude multiple suspects that are potentially dangerous. Therefore, criminal …

An Investigation Of Aerobic Fitness, Perceived Quality Of Life And The Direct Effects Of Self-Determination Theory In College Students 2015, Alanna Darling

Master's Theses

There have been numerous studies examining the association between physical activity, motivation and quality of life. In contrast, studies focusing on aerobic fitness and its relationship with levels of motivation and perceived quality of life are lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a direct measure of aerobic fitness, behavioral regulations, and perceptions of quality of life in college-aged sample. Participants included both males (n=129; 21.1±1.8 years) and females (n=89; 20.8±1.4 years) who completed the Behavioral Regulations of Exercise Questionnaire-2 sub-scores and Perceived Quality of Life (PQoL) instruments. Participants then performed the Queen’s College Step …