Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Age Differences In Stress And Coping: Problem-Focused Strategies Mediate The Relationship Between Age And Positive Affect, Yiwei Chen, Yisheng Peng, Huanzhen Xu, William H. O'Brien

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study examined the different types of stressors experienced by adults of different ages, their coping strategies, and positive/negative affect. A mediation hypothesis of coping strategies was tested on the relationships between age and positive/negative affect. One-hundred and ninety-six community-dwelling adults (age range 18-89 years old) reported the most stressful situation they experienced in the past month and coping strategies. Levels of positive and negative affect in the past month were also measured. Content analysis revealed age differences in different types of stressors adults reported. Three types of coping strategies were found: problem-focused, positive emotion-focused, and negative emotion-focused coping. …

Exploring Men's Motivations And Restraints In Repeated Extramarital Sex, Casey Marie Stinley

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The influence of extramarital sex (EMS) on marriage has been a topic of discussion in the research community for over 30 years. This thesis explored the influences that drive the EMS participants’ decisions, whether to abstain, continue while in the marriage, or to leave the marriage, and, those influences that affect whether they later participate in EMS or not. This study also used individual semi-structured interviews of ex-husbands who have participated in EMS in the past, as well as husbands who are participating in EMS currently. The four men interviewed were from southwest Missouri. The interviews were reviewed to identify …

Enduring Chronic Kidney Disease: An Investigation Of Psychosocial Factors And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults Receiving Dialysis Treatment, Bailee Sobotka

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Chronic kidney disease is a condition during which the kidneys begin to shut down and no longer filter blood efficiently. Once the disease has progressed far enough, dialysis treatments are mandatory to sustain life. To further understand how older adults receiving dialysis treatments cope with their disease, psychosocial factors were evaluated to investigate possible correlations with life satisfaction using a Life Satisfaction Index Z (LSI-Z). Expected correlations with life satisfaction were sociability, financial satisfaction, importance of spirituality, and activities of daily living scores. Interviews were conducted with 30 dialysis patients and results were analyzed using various statistical measures. Significant correlations …

Lessons To Be Learned: How A Comprehensive Neurobiological Framework Of Atypical Reading Development Can Inform Educational Practice, Ola Ozernov-Palchik, Xi Yu, Yingying Wang, Nadine Gaab

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Dyslexia is a heritable reading disorder with an estimated prevalence of 5–17%. A multiple deficit model has been proposed that illustrates dyslexia as an outcome of multiple risks and protective factors interacting at the genetic, neural, cognitive, and environmental levels. Here we review the evidence on each of these levels and discuss possible underlying mechanisms and their reciprocal interactions along a developmental timeline. Current and potential implications of neuroscientific findings for contemporary challenges in the field of dyslexia, as well as for reading development and education in general, are then discussed.

A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Of N-Acetylcysteine For Cannabis Use Disorder In Adults, Kevin M. Gray, Susan C. Sonne, Erin A. Mcclure, Udi E. Ghitza, Abigail G. Matthews, Aimee L. Mcrae-Clark, Kathleen M. Carroll, Jennifer S. Potter, Katharina Wiest, Larissa J. Mooney, Albert Hasson, Sharon L. Walsh, Michelle R. Lofwall, Shanna Babalonis, Robert W. Lindblad, Steven Sparenborg, Aimee Wahle, Jacqueline S. King, Nathaniel L. Baker, Rachel L. Tomko, Louise F. Haynes, Ryan G. Vandrey, Frances R. Levin

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background—Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is a prevalent and impairing condition, and established psychosocial treatments convey limited efficacy. In light of recent findings supporting the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for CUD in adolescents, the objective of this trial was to evaluate its efficacy in adults.

Methods—In a 12-week double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, treatment-seeking adults ages 18–50 with CUD (N=302), enrolled across six National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network-affiliated clinical sites, were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to a 12-week course of NAC 1200 mg (n=153) or placebo (n=149) twice daily. All …

Is Sex With Older Male Partners Associated With Higher Sexual Risk Behavior Among Young Black Msm?, Nicholas Chamberlain, Leandro A. Mena, Angelica Geter, Richard A. Crosby

Health, Behavior & Society Faculty Publications

Participants at a sexual health clinic completed a survey with questions regarding sexual risk behavior and partner characteristics. Of 585 participants eligible for analysis, 124 reported generally having older male partners. These participants were significantly more likely to be HIV-infected (p < 0.001), have four or more sex partners as a “bottom” (p = 0.04), have concurrent partners (p = 0.01), and have partners suspected of having an sexually transmitted infection (p = 0.05) than participants without older partners. With analysis restricted to HIV− individuals, risk behaviors did not differ significantly between the groups. HIV− individuals with older partners may be at increased risk of HIV infection due …

Exploring A Multifactorial, Clinical Model Of Thought Disorder : Application Of A Dimensional, Transdiagnostic Approach., Mara Ann Hart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Bleuler saw thought disorder as the core defining feature of psychotic phenomena, reflective of the “splitting of the psychic functions” that occurred when, in the process of thinking, one’s ideas and feelings disconnect, becoming fragmented and competing functions. Unfortunately, interest in thought disorder as the conceptual core of psychosis was lost with rise of the modern DSM system, paralleling the shift towards a more simplistic, categorical way of defining psychiatric disorders. Aims: This study examined thought disorder from a dimensional perspective, with the aim of disentangling qualitative heterogeneity and diverse sources of influence. Analyses were based on …

Examining The Protective Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Drug Attitudes And Use Among A Diverse Youth Population, Tamika C. B. Zapolski, Sycarah Fisher, Devin E. Banks, Devon J. Hensel, Jessica Barnes-Najor

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Ethnic identity is an important buffer against drug use among minority youth. However, limited work has examined pathways through which ethnic identity mitigates risk. School-aged youth (N = 34,708; 52 % female) of diverse backgrounds (i.e., African American (n = 5333), Asian (n = 392), Hispanic (n = 662), Multiracial (n = 2129), Native American (n = 474), and White (n = 25718) in grades 4–12 provided data on ethnic identity, drug attitudes, and drug use. After controlling for gender and grade, higher ethnic identity was associated with lower past month drug use …

Impulsive Personality Dimensions Are Associated With Altered Behavioral Performance And Neural Responses In The Monetary Incentive Delay Task, Ruolei Gu, Yang Jiang, Seth Kiser, Chelsea L. Black, Lucas S. Broster, Yue-Jia Luo, Thomas H. Kelly

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Individual differences in dimensions of impulsivity personality including disinhibition and sensation seeking modulate approach responses to reinforcing stimuli, such as drugs and money. The current study examined the effects of monetary incentive on both behavioral performance and electrophysiological activity among individuals varying in disinhibition and sensation seeking. The monetary incentive delay (MID) task was completed under electroencephalogram (EEG) recording. Behavioral data showed that higher disinhibition and sensation-seeking were associated with lower performance accuracy. Event-related potential (ERP) data showed that high reinforcement cues elicited a larger late positive component (LPC) than other conditions among high disinhibition participants, indicating its strong emotional …

The Whole Is Not The Sum Of Its Parts: Specific Types Of Positive Affect Influence Sleep Differentially, Sarah D. Pressman, Brooke N. Jenkins, Tara L. Kraft, Heather Rasmussen, Michael F. Scheier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Given the known detrimental effects of poor sleep on an array of psychological and physical health processes, it is critical to understand the factors that protect sleep, especially during times of stress when sleep particularly suffers. Positive affect (PA) arises as a variable of interest given its known associations with health and health behaviors and its ability to buffer stress. In two studies, we examined which types of PA (distinguished by arousal level and trait/state measurement) were most beneficial for sleep and whether these associations varied depending on the stress context. In Study 1, college students (N = 99) reported …

The Impact Of Faculty Academic Mentoring On First-Generation Undergraduate Students : A Mixed Method Design, Gustavo Salazar Ii

Dissertations

The quality of the relationship between mentors and mentees has gained considerable research interest in business-related fields but little ground in the academic sphere. This study examined the effectiveness of an existing faculty mentoring program that had been underway for several years at a small, private, religiously affiliated university. A convergent, parallel, mixed methods design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Current and former undergraduate participants of the mentoring program were invited to volunteer for online surveys assessing the quality of their mentoring relationship in the program. That same pool was also invited to volunteer for group interviews. …

Do Eye Movements During Shape Discrimination Reveal An Underlying Geometric Structure?, Bradley R. Sturz, Ty W. Boyer, John F. Magnotti, Kent D. Bodily

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Using a psychophysical approach coupled with eye-tracking measures, we varied length and width of shape stimuli to determine the objective parameters that corresponded to subjective determination of square/rectangle judgments. Participants viewed a two-dimensional shape stimulus and made a two-alternative forced-choice whether it was a square or rectangle. Participants’ gaze was tracked throughout the task to explore directed visual attention to the vertical and horizontal axes of space. Behavioral results provide threshold values for two-dimensional square/rectangle perception, and eye-tracking data indicated that participants directed attention to the major and minor principal axes. Results are consistent with the use of the major …

Sibrava Studies, Teaches About Stress And Anxiety, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“There’s a cliché answer that you get from a lot of folks who say, ‘Well, I’ve always been interested in people,’ and that is true, but for me I always fan- tasized about being a lawyer when I grew up.” This is how Dr. Nicholas Sibrava explains his choice of career. In fact, he envisioned himself in a courtroom, just like in the movies.

It also explains why this native of Cleveland, Ohio obtained a bachelor’s degree in both criminology and psychology. The psychology part crept up on him while taking some psych courses. “Somewhere along the way I flip-flopped …

Cahost: An Excel Workbook For Facilitating The Johnson-Neyman Technique For Two-Way Interactions In Multiple Regression, Stephen W. Carden, Nicholas S. Holtzman, Michael J. Strube

Psychology: Faculty Publications

When using multiple regression, researchers frequently wish to explore how the relationship between two variables is moderated by another variable; this is termed an interaction. Historically, two approaches have been used to probe interactions: the pick-a-point approach and the Johnson-Neyman (JN) technique. The pick-a-point approach has limitations that can be avoided using the JN technique. Currently, the software available for implementing the JN technique and creating corresponding figures lacks several desirable features–most notably, ease of use and figure quality. To fill this gap in the literature, we offer a free Microsoft Excel 2013 workbook, CAHOST (a concatenation of the first …

Implementation Of The National Asthma Guidelines In A Residential Pediatric Clinic, Patricia A. Foster-Staples

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: Foster care children admitted to residential facilities are a unique and vulnerable group, many presenting with undiagnosed or poorly managed asthma. The alarming rate of residents admitted to a particular residential primary care clinic with a diagnosis of asthma led to the project question: “Based on record reviews, does staff education about the importance of utilizing the national guidelines for asthma education influence the implementation of such guidelines in a residential pediatric clinic?” The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a systematic process to influence practice change. The project was conducted over a period …

Pilot And Feasibility Test Of An Implementation Intention Intervention To Improve Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among Women With Low Socioeconomic Status, Michele A. Debiasse Phd, Rdn, Deborah J. Bowen Phd, Sherry L. Pagoto Phd, Joseph M. Massaro Phd, Nawfal Istfan Md, Phd, Lisa M. Quintiliani Phd, Rd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Fruit and vegetable intake (FVI), a modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases, is lower in low socioeconomic status (SES) populations. Implementation intentions (a specific type of planning that extends the Theory of Planned Behavior) has been studied to improve FVI, but not exclusively with low SES groups. Using mixed methods, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an implementation intention intervention (versus a general plan) to increase FVI in women with low SES. For the pilot randomized controlled trial, demographics, body mass index, attitude, perceived behavioral control, goal intention strength, and FVI were measured at baseline and FVI …

Dataset On Psychosocial Risk Factors In Cases Of Fatal And Near-Fatal Physical Child Abuse, Mary Clyde Pierce, Kim Kaczor, Deborah Acker, Tina Webb, Allen Brenzel, Douglas J. Lorenz, Audrey Young, Richard Thompson

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

This article presents the psychosocial risk factors identified in the cases of 20 children less than four years of age who were victims of fatal or near-fatal physical abuse during a 12 month period in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. These data are related to the article “History, injury, and psychosocial risk factor commonalities among cases of fatal and near-fatal physical child abuse” (Pierce et al., 2017) [1].

The Relationships Between Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Frequency And Suicidal Behaviors, Depression, And Anxiety: A Curvilinear Analysis, Sherry Elizabeth Woods

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) involves the deliberate damage of one’s own bodily tissue without suicidal intent. A number of psychological disorders and indicators of distress are correlated with the behavior, including suicidal behaviors (e.g. Whitlock & Knox, 2007), depression (e.g. Ross & Heath, 2002), and anxiety (e.g. Victor & Klonksy, 2014), and yet the research literature has been mixed on whether increased frequency of NSSI is correlated with increased levels of these variables. The present study hypothesized that these relationships are curvilinear. Data from a larger study were analyzed using curvilinear regression analyses, and hypotheses were partially supported. Curvilinear relationships were …

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy As An Eating Disorder Intervention, Sara Elizabeth Wallace

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine if a new intervention using techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes et al., 1999) in combination with activities from The Body Project (Stice et al., 2009), will be able to reduce negative body image concerns and increase mindfulness skills in college females. Prior to receiving the intervention, participants completed a pre-test measuring their current body image concerns as well as mindfulness abilities. The intervention was administered in a large, group setting and took approximately 35 minutes to administer. After receiving the intervention, participants completed the same assessment measures as the …

A Randomized Trial Of Brief Assessment Interventions For Young Adults Who Use Drugs In The Club Scene, Steven P. Kurtz, Mance E. Buttram, Maria E. Pagano, Hilary L. Surratt

Center for Health Services Research Faculty Publications

Background—Efficacious interventions to reduce drug use and its consequences for club drug using populations are not apparent in the literature. We tested interviewer-(CAPI) and self-administered (ACASI) comprehensive health and social risk assessments as distinct interventions compared to waitlist control.

Methods—750 men and women ages 18-39 with multidrug use and heterosexual behavior were randomized in equal proportions to the three conditions. Instrumentation included well-tested measures of drug use, risky sex, mental distress and substance dependence.

Results—The sample was 56% male; mean age=25. Reported risk behaviors and health consequences did not differ by assessment modality. Adjusted HLM analyses showed …

Social Rejection Magnifies Impulsive Behavior Among Individuals With Greater Negative Urgency: An Experimental Test Of Urgency Theory, David S. Chester, Donald R. Lynam, Richard S. Milich, C. Nathan Dewall

Psychology Faculty Publications

Impulsivity is a multifaceted trait with substantial implications for human well-being. One facet of impulsivity is negative urgency, the tendency to act impulsively in response to negative affect. Correlational evidence suggests that negative affect magnifies impulsive behavior among individuals with greater negative urgency, yet causal evidence for this core pillar of urgency theory is lacking. To fill this gap in the literature, participants (N = 363) were randomly assigned to experience social rejection (a situation shown to induce negative affect) or acceptance. Participants then reported their subjective negative affect, completed a behavioral measure of impulsivity, and reported their negative …

Sex Differences In The Drinking Response To Angiotensin Ii (Angii): Effect Of Body Weight, Jessica Santollo, Ann-Marie Torregrossa, Derek Daniels

Biology Faculty Publications

Sex differences in fluid intake stimulated by angiotensin II (AngII) have been reported, but the direction of the differences is inconsistent. To resolve these discrepancies, we measured water intake by male and female rats given AngII. Males drank more than females, but when intake was normalized to body weight, the sex difference was reversed. Weight-matched males and females, however, had no difference in intake. Using a linear mixed model analysis, we found that intake was influenced by weight, sex, and AngII dose. We used linear regression to disentangle these effects further. Comparison of regression coefficients revealed sex and weight differences …

Changes In Saving Cognitions Mediate Hoarding Symptom Change In Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy For Hoarding Disorder, Hannah C. Levy, Blaise L. Worden, Christina M. Gilliam, Christine D'Urso, Gail Steketee, Randy O. Frost, David F. Tolin

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an empirically-supported treatment for hoarding disorder (HD). However, meta-analytic studies suggest that CBT is only modestly effective, and a significant number of individuals with HD remain symptomatic following treatment. To inform the development of more effective and targeted treatments, it will be important to clarify the mechanisms of treatment response in CBT for HD. To this end, the current study examined whether change in maladaptive saving beliefs mediated symptom change in CBT for HD. Sixty-two patients with primary HD completed measures of maladaptive saving cognitions and hoarding severity at pre-, mid-, and post-CBT. Results showed that …

Comparing Adult Cannabis Treatment-Seekers Enrolled In A Clinical Trial With National Samples Of Cannabis Users In The United States, Erin A. Mcclure, Jacqueline S. King, Aimee Wahle, Abigail G. Matthews, Susan C. Sonne, Michelle R. Lofwall, Aimee L. Mcrae-Clark, Udi E. Ghitza, Melissa Martinez, Kasie Cloud, Harvir S. Virk, Kevin M. Gray

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Faculty Publications

Background—Cannabis use rates are increasing among adults in the United States (US) while the perception of harm is declining. This may result in an increased prevalence of cannabis use disorder and the need for more clinical trials to evaluate efficacious treatment strategies. Clinical trials are the gold standard for evaluating treatment, yet study samples are rarely representative of the target population. This finding has not yet been established for cannabis treatment trials. This study compared demographic and cannabis use characteristics of a cannabis cessation clinical trial sample (run through National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network) with three nationally …

New Approaches To Melanoma Prevention, June K. Robinson, Katie Baker, Joel J. Hillhouse

ETSU Faculty Works

Skin cancer is a major public health concern, and tanning remains a modifiable risk factor. Multidimensional influences, including psychosocial, individual, environmental, and policy-related factors, create the milieu for individuals to engage in tanning. Parents and physicians can modify the behavior of teens and young adults using strategies based on harm reduction. Environmental and policy-related factors similar to those used to limit smoking by restricting access of minors to cigarettes in the United States in the 20th century need to be created. Federal regulations can restrict direct advertising and the excise tax can be increased to a prohibitive amount. Social networking …

Do Adults Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders Have An Advantage In Real-World Visual Search Tasks?, Nicholas Charles Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often perform better than typically developing (TD) individuals in simple, albeit difficult, visual search tasks. This ability is often attributed to a lack of drive for coherence or superior local processing. We compare thirty adults with ASD with forty-nine TD individuals and twenty-seven adults with anxiety (ANX) across two real-world visual search tasks. Individuals had to find either a number superimposed over a real-world scene ("œno context" condition) or an object located in a contextually relevant location ("œcontext" condition). Each participant completed forty-one trials in each condition, each with a unique scene. Eye movements …

Investigating Motivations For Using Dating Websites And Geosocial Apps, Sean Calvin Aaron

Theses and Dissertations

Using the internet to meet dating partners is increasingly popular and may have ramifications that are not yet fully realized. Although many dating sites have been operating for years, new online dating platforms continue to draw millions of new users. By using a large sample of people who use online dating platforms (n=1,286) we identified similarities and differences in what motivates people to use geosocial apps and dating sites. Motivations previously considered in the literature were supported and brought together in a single theory driven confirmatory factor analysis for each type of dating platform. A motivation to seek amusement was …

Characterization Of Transmembrane Protein 35 Expression: Considerations Of Sex And Ovarian Hormones, Amanda M. Vanderplow

All NMU Master's Theses

The recently discovered novel neuropeptide transmembrane protein 35 (TMEM35), is believed to modulate chemical signaling within the nervous system. Notably, the TMEM35 protein is detectable in humans, non-human primates and rodents, suggesting a conserved and critical function. Despite this, the functions of TMEM35 are ill-defined in the nervous system and insufficiently studied (currently only three publications). Previous work has identified high expression of TMEM35 in both the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) and the limbic circuit of the mouse brain. Due to the known functions of these two regions, this pattern of expression indicates possible roles of this neuropeptide in social behavior …

The Relationship Between Auditory Habituation And Anxiety In Autism Spectrum Disorder, David Nicholas Top

Theses and Dissertations

Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have atypical sensory processing and behaviors including sensory sensitivity and low registration of sensory stimuli as well as sensory seeking and avoiding behaviors. Additionally, many individuals with ASD have clinically distressing levels of anxiety. Previous research suggests that there is a link between abnormal sensory processing, anxiety, and ASD. The purpose of this study was to experimentally observe auditory sensory processing using pupillometry methods, between ASD, control, and high-anxious control groups. While a difference in tonic pupil size was observed, there were no reactivity or habituation differences between the groups. There were no …

The Relationship Of Early Class Start Times On Sleepiness And Driving Behaviors In An Emerging Adult Population, Jessica L. Fry

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Teenage driver sleepiness is a recent concern for preventing motor vehicle fatalities. Early school start times limit the amount of sleep teenage high school students acquire during the week and have been related to increased crash risk. The current study extends this finding to teenage and emerging adult college students. The author examined the link between sleepiness and teenage driving behaviors, including the relationship between school start times and sleepiness. In all, 536 participants were recruited to participate in an online survey assessing driving and sleep behaviors. Correlations and path analysis found that sleepiness fully mediated the relationship between early …