Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Depressive Symptoms In Older Versus Younger People With Epilepsy: Findings From An Integrated Epilepsy Self-Management Clinical Research Dataset, Zaira Khalid, Hasina Momotaz, Farren Briggs, Kristin A. Cassidy, Betsy K. Wilson, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Aim: There are limited data on psychological outcomes in older people with epilepsy (PWE). This analysis, from a large pooled dataset of clinical studies from the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network, examined clinical variables including depressive symptom severity, quality of life and epilepsy self-management competency among older (age 55+) vs younger (

Is Acetyl-L-Carnitine Effective And Safe In Treating Children With Adhd?, Kirstie Dominique

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to see how effective and safe is Acetyl-L-Carnitine in treating children with ADHD.

Study Design: This systematic review evaluated 3 randomized, controlled and double blind articles all published in English, which were published in peer-reviewed journals. The articles were found on PubMed through PCOM’s library website.

Outcomes measured: This review assessed how safe and effective ALC would be in treating children with ADHD. The outcomes were measured using the Parent and Teacher ADHD Scale IV, Conners’ Global Index-Parents Scale, Conners’ Global Index – Teachers Scale and the Vineland scores …

Does Sertraline Decrease Depression In Patients Who Suffered A Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi)?, Christina Costantino

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Does sertraline decrease depression in patients who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI)?”

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English between 2009-2016.

DATA SOURCES: One RCT and two double-blind, placebo-controlled, RCTs found via PubMed evaluated the benefit of the antidepressant drug, sertraline (Zoloft), in decreasing depression in patients who suffered a TBI.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Main outcomes were measured using the DSM-IV, Hamilton Rating Score for Depression (HAM-D)6 , Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)6 , and the Life-3 quality of life (QOL)6 , …

Is Curcumin An Effective Treatment For Major Depressive Disorder?, Virginia Hoptman

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not curcumin is an effective treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of three peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2017.

DATA SOURCES: Two of the studies were randomized, double-blind, and placebo controlled. The third study was a randomized controlled trial. All three studies were chosen due to relevance to the clinical question and if they included patient oriented outcomes. The studies were found using PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes of the studies were measured using self-report scales on each patient’s mood. The …

Is The Use Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids As Adjunctive Therapy Effective In Reducing Symptom Severity In Adult Schizophrenia Patients?, Desiree Goenaga

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not the use of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as adjunctive therapy is effective in reducing symptom severity in adult schizophrenia patients.

STUDY DESIGN: A selective review of three peer-reviewed, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials published between the years of 2008 and 2016.

DATA SOURCES: All three randomized control trials were published in English and were selected from peer-reviewed journals via EmBase and PubMed based on relevance to the clinical question posed above and that the outcomes measured in the studies mattered to patients, or were “patient oriented.” …

Does Metacognitive Training Improve The Quality Of Life In Patients With Schizophrenia?, Amy Wei

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Does metacognitive training (MCT) improve the quality of life in patients with schizophrenia?”

Study Design: Systematic review of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010-2014, all in the English language; two of which were published in 2014 and one in 2010.

Data Sources: Three randomized controlled trials found using PubMed.

Outcomes Measured: Quality of life with a focus on social relationships was assessed using the Brief Quality of Life Questionnaire of the World Health Organization (WHOQOL-BREF) or Quality of Life Scale (QLS). …

In Adult Patients With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Ocd), Is The Amino Acid N-Acetyl Cysteine (Nac) Effective In Reducing Severity Of Ocd?, Sabrina M. Toles

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “In adult patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), is the amino acid N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) effective in reducing severity of OCD?”

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies, published between 2015-2017.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were found using PubMed-NCBI. These studies analyzed the effectiveness in reducing the severity of OCD in adults with OCD. OUTCOME MEASURED: The main outcome measured was a reduction of OCD severity after taking N-Acetyl Cysteine. Outcomes were measured using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Participants …

Personality Disorder Traits: Testing Insight Regarding Presence Of Traits, Impairment, And Desire For Change, Chelsea E. Sleep, Joanna Lamkin, Donald R. Lynam, W. Keith Campbell, Joshua D. Miller

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mixed findings exist as to whether personality pathology involves a critical lack of awareness and insight. Research questions about insight and awareness in personality pathology are typically assessed via comparing self- and informant reports of traits. However, recent studies have measured insight by asking individuals to evaluate additional questions about impairment and desire to change. The present study uses a variety of approaches to examine these issues, including investigations of convergence between self- and informant reports (N = 197 dyads; correlations and comparisons of means) of personality psychopathology, desired trait levels, and perceptions of impairment. Convergence was observed between levels …

An Evaluation Of Dsm–5 Section Iii Personality Disorder Criterion A (Impairment) In Accounting For Psychopathology., Chelsea E. Sleep, Donald R. Lynam, Thomas A. Widiger, Michael L. Crowe, Joshua D. Miller

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

An alternative diagnostic model of personality disorders (AMPD) was introduced in DSM–5 that diagnoses PDs based on the presence of personality impairment (Criterion A) and pathological personality traits (Criterion B). Research examining Criterion A has been limited to date, due to the lack of a specific measure to assess it; this changed, however, with the recent publication of a self-report assessment of personality dysfunction as defined by Criterion A (Levels of Personality Functioning Scale—Self-report; LPFS-SR; Morey, 2017). The aim of the current study was to test several key propositions regarding the role of Criterion A in the AMPD including the …

Codependency Traits And The Mere Presence Of A Cell Phone, Brittany R. Aguila

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The present study was designed to determine whether one's attention could be manipulated by the mere presence of a cell phone, especially when the individual scores high in codependency traits. Previous research suggests that the mere presence of a cell phone is sufficient to inhibit an individual’s ability to perform a task. Codependency has been seen as unhealthy or dysfunctional relational patterns, and is often explained as an addiction to relationships. Eastern Washington University students (N=56) participated in cognitively demanding tasks, either with a cell phone present or without, and completed a codependency questionnaire to assess how participants respond interpersonally …

An Assessment Of Attitudes And Perceptions Of College Students Toward A Suicide Program On A College Campus: A Descriptive Study, Rachel Tolliver

DNP Research Projects

OBJECTIVE: A baseline assessment examines the status of attitudes and perceptions about the suicide prevention program of a small, private, southeastern, Christian university. Gaps in the literature include the lack of baseline evaluations at universities before evidenced-based practice (EBP) interventions.

PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of sixty-nine sophomores classified as first-year students for the 2016-2017 school year. The study sample lived on campus both semesters of the 2016-2017 school year.

METHODS: Participants completed the retired Suicide Prevention Exposure, Awareness and Knowledge Survey (SPEAKS) – SV (Student Version) by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for the Garrett …

Second Language Acquisition And Acculturation Differences Between Immigrants And Refugees, Ali Jasemi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The main difference between refugees and immigrants lies in the reason for their migration. Economic immigrants migrate to other countries voluntarily, while refugees are forced to leave their countries due to fear of death or persecution (UNHCR, 2018). Such fears may lead to psychological trauma among refugees. Research has shown that the presence of trauma can negatively impact language learning (Iversen, Sveaass, & Morken, 2014), which may have important implications for both second language (L2) acquisition and acculturation, particularly in refugees. In addition, strong linguistic abilities in a first language (L1) may be beneficial to acquire other languages (Cook, 2003). …

Are Nurses High Risk For Experience With Behavioral Health Problems?, Farrah Alayne Thornsberry

DNP Projects

Abstract

Behavioral health problems impact approximately 19% of the United States population and nurses are not exempt from these experiences. In fact, nurses may be at higher risk for developing a behavioral health issue than the general public. The purpose of this study was to identify specific demographic, work-related, and behavioral variables associated with substance use and personal experience with any mental and or behavioral health problems among nurses in an academic healthcare system. Being female, younger in age, higher level of education and increased use of alcohol were risk factors associated with self-reported experience with behavioral health problems. Additionally, …

The Effects Of Compassion Fatigue On Burnout Among Inpatient Psychiatric And Intensive Care Unit Nurses, Amita Madan Neidlinger

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: This DNP project is relevant to nurses of the psychiatric and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting, as high stress environments may produce higher rates of compassion fatigue and burnout. Investigation of these areas may help illuminate unnecessary healthcare costs that are associated with these phenomena. This DNP project is important to the University of Kentucky’s healthcare system, its patients, and nurses. Increased absenteeism and increased medication errors are positively associated with the prevalence of compassion fatigue and burnout in nurses. Outcomes from this project will allow identification of unnecessary healthcare costs and encourage administrators to focus on reducing nurse …

Mental Illness And Psychiatry In The Victorian Era: An Analysis Of The Prevailing Power Dynamics Between Women And Male Authority Figures Through Gilman And Freud., Rumaisa Nasim Jumana

Dissertations and Theses

In this research paper, I intend to focus on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) and Sigmund Freud’s Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria (written in 1900 and published in 1905), with an aim to represent the prevailing attitudes of men, especially male physicians, towards women in the Victorian era. I intend to demonstrate how the Victorian social system placed women in a subordinate position through patriarchal ideals of femininity and unapologetically labeled them “insane” if their behavior and personality dared deviate from the prevailing social norms and conventions. In addition, I hope to shed light …

Effects Of A Group-Deposit Prize Draw On The Step Counts Of Adults, Alex J. Mccurdy

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2016) reports that 3.2 million deaths per year are attributable to physical inactivity, making it the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Physical inactivity is also a key risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes (WHO, 2018). Globally, 1 in 4 adults is not active enough and, therefore, foregoes a myriad of health benefits associated with Physical Activity (PA; WHO, 2018). In the United States, only about 1 in 5 (21%) adults meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018). …

Multi-View Cluster Analysis With Incomplete Data To Understand Treatment Effects, Guoqing Chao, Jiangwen Sun, Jin Lu, An-Li Wang, Daniel D. Langleben, Chiang-Shan Li, Jinbo Bi

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Multi-view cluster analysis, as a popular granular computing method, aims to partition sample subjects into consistent clusters across different views in which the subjects are characterized. Frequently, data entries can be missing from some of the views. The latest multi-view co-clustering methods cannot effectively deal with incomplete data, especially when there are mixed patterns of missing values. We propose an enhanced formulation for a family of multi-view co-clustering methods to cope with the missing data problem by introducing an indicator matrix whose elements indicate which data entries are observed and assessing cluster validity only on observed entries. In comparison with …

Introduction To Community Psychology: Becoming An Agent Of Change, Leonard A. Jason, Olya Glantsman, Jack F. O'Brien, Kaitlyn N. Ramian

College of Science and Health Full Text Publications

Introduction to Community Psychology: Becoming an Agent of Change tells the story of community psychologists, who view social problems as being due to the unequal distribution of resources, which causes poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and crime. In addition, because no condition or disease has ever been eliminated by just dealing with those with the problem, community psychologists focus their work on prevention. Finally, community psychology shifts the power dynamics so that community members are equal members of the team, as they provide unique points of view about barriers that need to be overcome in working toward social justice. In a sense, …

Risk Domains And Adolescent Depression, Nathan Kawczynski

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence and young adulthood are the periods of development associated with the highest amount of risk-taking. One theory, the Dual-Systems model, suggests that this could be due to an imbalance in the maturation of two brain systems: reward appraisal, which matures first, and cognitive control, which matures later. This imbalance may be the cause of adolescents’ tendency to favor immediate rewards, disregarding consequences. Depressed adolescents, however, behave differently. While it is not exactly clear whether they take more risks or fewer risks, depressed adolescents display different interactions and decision making with their peers than non-depressed adolescents. This study attempted to …

Is Criminal Sentencing Influenced By Type Of Disorder?, Christopher Koch, Tessa Jones

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Differences in sentencing due to disorder and gender were examined. Four scenarios were randomly presented for each disorder type. Participants indicated the sentence length for each scenario and whether they would parole the individual. Men with personality disorders received longer sentences while women with psychotic or neurological disorders received longer sentences. Perpetrators with personality disorders were less likely to be paroled than those with a psychotic or neurological disorder. Parole decisions about psychotic women were made faster than any other condition.

Head Injuries And The Hearing Screening Inventory, Christopher Koch, Abigail Anderson

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Head trauma can lead to problems with the ear and auditory pathway. These problems can involve tympanic membrane perforation, fragments in squamous epithelium, damage to the ossicles, or ischemia of the cochlear nerve. It is common for behavioral checklists, for concussion or head injuries, to include an item about hearing difficulty. In the present study, 152 introductory psychology students completed a survey in which they indicated if they had ever had a concussion or sustained a head injury. Approximately one-third (35.53%) of the sample had a history of head trauma. The Hearing Screening Inventory was also part of the survey. …

The Impact Of Olfactory Cues On Attention: The Case Of Reverse Stroop Interference, Jonathan K. Ham, Christopher Koch

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Ham and Koch (2019) found that an odorant could influence interference on a modified Stroop task. This study was conducted to examine the impact of olfactory cues on reverse Stroop interference. Across three experiments, participants completed a modified reverseStroop task in which they identified a word (strawberry, lime, lemon) in different color fonts (red, green, yellow). Although the words were fruit names instead of color names, each word had some degree of association with a particular color (e.g., lime and green). In Experiment 1, congruent and incongruent trials were presented without an odorant. No differences were found between congruent and …

Stroop Interference With Sesame Street Characters, Christopher Koch

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

The Stroop task is a robust task, making it a useful assessment of automatic processing, it is also associated with reading ability. This limits the utility of the Stroop task to children with a sufficient reading level. Non-word Stroop tasks may be alternatives for non-readers or beginning readers. For example, Prevor and Diamond (2005) showed that Stroop interference could be obtained using pictures (e.g., heart, frog). This study explored using Sesame Street characters to create Stroop interference. Elmo, Kermit, and Cookie Monster were shown in red, green, and blue to first through fourth grade students. RTs for color incongruent trials …

The Impact Of Olfactory Cues On Attention: The Case Of Stroop Interference, Jonathan K. Ham, Christopher Koch

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

This study explores the relationship between odor imagery, color associations, and visual attention through a Stroop-task based on common odor-color associations. This Stroop-task was designed using three fruits with odor-color associations: lime with green, strawberry with red, and lemon with yellow. Each possible word-color combination was lexically presented in the experimental trials. Three experiments were conducted that used the Stroop-task with different odors present. They suggest that odor imagery can affect visual attention, the inhibition of odor-color associations, and that odor imagery appears to be facilitated in the presence of a related odor.

Reliability And Test Differences For The Impact: Implications For Concussion Testing Programs, Christopher Koch, Sean Robertson

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

This study was conducted to determine the long-term relatability of ImPACT scores among young athletes. Youth sport participants (n=294) who completed ImPACT tests one year apart were included in the study. Ages ranged from nine to 14 with a mean of 11.42 (SD = .96). The majority (n = 215) were males. Test-retest reliabilities for verbal memory, visual memory, response time, and impulse control were statistically significant but weak, ranging between .33 and .49. The index score had poor test-retest reliabilities (r = .26). Visual-motor test-retest reliability was also significant but moderate (r=.68). Scores for the verbal memory subtest and …

Examining The Utility Of Behavioral Economic Demand In Addiction Science, Justin Charles Strickland

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The marriage of perspectives from behavioral economic theory and learning theory has the potential to advance an understanding of substance use and substance use disorder. Behavioral economic demand is a central concept to this interdisciplinary approach. Evaluating demand in the laboratory and clinic can improve previous research on the relative reinforcing effects of drugs by accounting for the multi-dimensional nature of reinforcement rather than viewing reinforcement as a unitary construct. Recent advances in the commodity purchase task methodology have further simplified the measurement of demand values in human participants. This dissertation project presents a programmatic series of studies designed to …

Measuring Glutamate And Oxygen In Brain Reward Circuits In Animal Models Of Cocaine Abuse And Decision-Making, Seth Richard Batten

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Drug-specific reward and associated effects on neural signaling are often studied between subjects, where one group self-administers drug and a separate group self-administers a natural reinforcer. However, exposure to drugs of abuse can cause long-term neural adaptations that can affect how an organism responds to drug reward, natural reward, and their reward-associated stimuli. Thus, to isolate drug-specific effects it is important to use models that expose the same organism to all of the aforementioned. Multiple schedules provide a means of dissociating the rewarding effects of a drug from the rewarding effects of food within a single animal. Further, drug users …

Modeling Daily Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms And Mental Contamination Experiences Among Survivors Of Sexual Trauma, C. Alex Brake

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Mental contamination (i.e., feelings of dirtiness in the absence of contact with a contaminant) is a potentially important yet understudied factor in posttraumatic psychopathology, particularly for survivors of sexual trauma. Mental contamination has been linked to PTSD symptom severity, negative affect, and coping cross-sectionally and in lab-based paradigms, but research has yet to assess these relationships in ecological contexts. The present study extends previous cross-sectional findings by modelling relationships between mental contamination and posttraumatic psychopathology, emotions, and coping both within-day and from one day to the next. Forty-two female sexual trauma survivors completed twice-daily assessments of mental contamination, PTSD symptoms, …

A Program Of Research On Burnout-Depression Overlap, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

The article describes a program of research aimed at unraveling the nature of the relationship of job-related burnout to depression. The research tends to show that burnout symptoms are depressive symptoms and what is termed a state of burnout often reflects an episode of depression.

Predictors Of Experimental And Control Group Attendance: Findings From An Hiv/Std Prevention Rct With Pregnant Women At Risk For Substance Use, Jaclyn S. Sadicario

Theses and Dissertations

Efforts to improve inclusion in research have included mandating the recruitment of ethnic minorities and women into NIH funded studies. However, little research has been completed on who attends such interventions. This is particularly worrisome in populations for which attendance to interventions can have dire consequences. HIV is a public health concern for pregnant women in substance using communities, as pregnant women are much less likely to use condoms during intercourse to prevent HIV. Group modular HIV prevention interventions have long been the standard for HIV prevention. However, little attention in research on HIV prevention interventions RCTs has been focused …