Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Attachment, Exploration, And Internalized Homonegativity, Gregory J. Gagnon

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Internalized homonegativity (IH; a.k.a. internalized homophobia), has been implicated in health disparities between lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGBs) and their heterosexual peers. Yet, little available research has explored factors that may increase or decrease IH.

Objective: This dissertation investigates relations between child and adult attachment and IH. It further examines the mediating and moderating roles of exploration and mentalization, respectively, in the attachment–IH relation.

Method: One hundred fifty cisgender LGB adults participated in two waves of an online survey. The first assessed recalled child–maternal and child–paternal attachment and current attachment to the romantic partner. The second, conducted two …

Object Relations, Identity Formation, And Transitional Space In Religious Conversion, Arielle Rubenstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Conversion between broad religious groups is a life transformation undertaken by 15% of Americans, yet it has seldom been studied closely from a psychodynamic perspective. The psychological study of conversion began with a Protestant paradigm of sudden and total transformation of the self, and over time came to characterize different manifestations of conversion to more diverse religious groups. Research on conversion has primarily sought to understand whether conversion is essentially a psychopathological phenomenon, and has led to a multiplicity of both positive and negative, at times contradictory, findings. Research has shown that conversion is associated with insecure attachment, neurotic personality …

Overcoming Challenges In The Assessment And Treatment Of Problem Behavior In Adults With Autism, Julia A. Iannaccone

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Problematic behaviors, such as self-injurious behavior or aggression, demonstrated by adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), create many significant life complications, some life-threatening. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is established as an evidence-based approach to treat problem behavior for children with ASD and shows promise as an effective treatment for adults, yet little research has been conducted within the adult population. Assessment and treatment of problem behavior with adults is often challenging due to funding limitations, increased severity and complexity of problem behavior, and underqualified staff. The purpose of the present study was to overcome these challenges by (1) identifying a …

E-Cigarette Availability, Price Promotions And Marketing At The Point-Of Sale In The Contiguous United States (2014-2015): National Estimates And Multilevel Correlates, Heather D'Angelo, Shyanika W. Rose, Shelley D. Golden, Tara Queen, Kurt M. Ribisl

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) sales and use have increased rapidly, yet point-of-sale e-cigarette availability and marketing is understudied. We estimated changes in e-cigarette availability and marketing among tobacco retailers in the U.S., and associations with neighborhood characteristics. A national sample of tobacco retailers in the Contiguous U.S. was audited in 2014 and 2015 (n = 1,905 and n = 2,126, respectively) to observe e-cigarette availability and marketing (signs, ads, displays and promotions) and generate national prevalence estimates. Store, neighborhood and state level correlates of 2015 e-cigarette availability, price promotions and exterior advertising were analyzed using multilevel mixed-effects generalized linear models. E-cigarettes …

Traumatic Shame Memories And Development Of Paranoid Ideations, Anwesha Maitra

Psychology and Counseling Theses

Paranoia and persecutory delusions constitute the symptoms of established disorders such as schizophrenia in clinical population. Paranoia is believed to exist as a continuum within the general population. A ‘threat anticipation model’ was established by Freeman and his colleagues suggested that paranoid delusions arise from the interaction of vulnerability, emotional processes, and reasoning basis. Paranoia in the subclinical population can be caused due to high levels of emotional variants such as depression, anxiety, fear and a concept of self-awareness in a psychological individual (Carvalho et al., 2019; Lincoln et al.2009).

Recent studies have focused on the associations between these emotional …

Sexting Among Adolescents: Examining The Association Between Sexting And Self-Esteem, Hanaah Fannin

Physician Assistant Studies | Student Authored Articles

Purpose: This paper provides a systematic review of the published literature examining the association between sexting and self-esteem in adolescents. It further attempts to identify gaps in the current literature and provide recommendations for future research as well as patient care and education.

Methods: Electronic databases (CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Iceberg, and PsycINFO) were searched with publication dates between January 1, 2014 and September 30, 2019. The keywords used to conduct the search were: sexting, adolescents, self-esteem, youth, and teenagers. All records were screened to meet established criteria. The inclusion criteria included the following: a) articles written in the …

The Occupation Of Training Service Dogs: A Therapeutic Intervention For Combat Veterans With Ptsd, Denae A. Padilla, Jessica De Brun

San Marcos, Summer 2020

There are few interventions that present opportunities to engage in meaningful occupation (Kashiwa et al., 2017) to help Veterans reintegrate into the civilian lifestyle that create a desire to participate and attend therapy (Goetteret al., 2015).

The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of training service dogs as an occupation and means of social support for combat Veterans living with PTSD with the following objectives:

• explore an occupation basedintervention that addresses low retention rates in occupational therapy.
• teach coping mechanisms and provide social support as a by-product to training service dogs in order to assist in reintegration …

We All Feel Feelings, Ben Ohene

Theses and Dissertations

Consisting of three illustrated books, We All Feel Feelings is designed as a vehicle for the discussion of emotional and mental health with young boys. These books will help foster a mindset of openness and acceptance through different methods of displaying and understanding emotions.

Circus In Motion: A Multimodal Exergame Supporting Vestibular Therapy For Children With Autism, Oscar Peña, Franceli L. Cibrian, Monica Tentori

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Exergames are serious games that involve physical exertion and are thought of as a form of exercise by using novel input models. Exergames are promising in improving the vestibular differences of children with autism but often lack of adaptation mechanisms that adjust the difficulty level of the exergame. In this paper, we present the design and development of Circus in Motion, a multimodal exergame supporting children with autism with the practice of non-locomotor movements. We describe how the data from a 3D depth camera enables the tracking of non-locomotor movements allowing children to naturally interact with the exergame . A …

Living With Multiple Sclerosis: A Phenomenological Study Of Worries, Concern And Psychological Problems In Iranian Patients With Ms, Zahra Abdekhodaie, Shahriar Shahidi, Mohammad Ali Mazaheri, Laily Panaghi, Vahid Nejati

The Qualitative Report

Multiple sclerosis (MS), as a progressive and degenerative illness, has an impact on different aspects of individual lives and may lead to difficulties, concerns, and worries in patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate concerns, worries and problems in patients with MS. We used a descriptive phenomenological qualitative approach. Participants were volunteers purposively selected based on their availability. We carried out deep interviews with 15 MS patients and analyzed the detailed information obtained from these interviews by using Colaizzi’s method. We extracted six essential themes and thirty-four sub-themes associated with MS from the content of the interviews. …

The Effect Of A Parental Diagnosis Of Cancer On The Occupational Performance Of Adolescent And Young Adult Offspring, Brianna Wong, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill, Pandora Patterson

Summer 2020 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Objective: To gain an understanding on the current knowledge and practice of OTs relating to the occupational impact that a parental diagnosis of cancer can have on AYA offspring. In addition, to determine if there is occupational disruption or imbalance impacting AYAs whose parents have cancer and if OT is a good fit to treat this population.

Methods: A scoping literature review was conducted gathering relevant peer-reviewed articles, analyzing and creating themes with the current literature. In tandem with the scoping review, a qualitative study was conducted. Eight occupational therapists working in either an oncology care setting or pediatric setting …

Occupation-Based Programming For Survivors Of Human Trafficking, Breann H. Paul, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott

Summer 2020 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Occupational therapists have an essential role in overcoming the gaps in maternal health care by providing the necessary support to both mothers and children. There is currently limited research on the unique needs of survivors of human trafficking who are mothers, especially their psychosocial needs. Survivors of human trafficking may experience severe trauma, physical violence, long-term emotional distress, and health problems. Therefore, it is essential that survivors of human trafficking are provided the appropriate resources, education, support, and guidance throughout the transition to motherhood and this life changing role. The program created for this population focuses on the occupational needs …

Optimism And Risk Of Incident Hypertension: A Target For Primordial Prevention, Laura D. Kubzansky, Julia K. Boehm, Andrew R. Allen, Loryana L. Vie, Tiffany E. Ho, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, Hayami K. Koga, Lawrence M. Scheier, Martin E. P. Seligman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Aims

Optimism is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk; however, few prospective studies have considered optimism in relation to hypertension risk specifically. We investigated whether optimism was associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension in U.S. service members, who are more likely to develop high blood pressure early in life. We also evaluated race/ethnicity, sex and age as potential effect modifiers of these associations.

Methods

Participants were 103 486 hypertension-free U.S. Army active-duty soldiers (mean age 28.96 years, 61.76% White, 20.04% Black, 11.01% Hispanic, 4.09% Asian, and 3.10% others). We assessed optimism, sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, health behaviours and …

Suicidal Behaviours Among Adolescents From 90 Countries: A Pooled Analysis Of The Global School-Based Student Health Survey, Susan C. Campisi, Bianca Carducci, Nadia Akseer, Clare Zasowski, Peter Szatmari, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Background: Understanding the burden and determinants of suicide during adolescence is key to achieving global health goals. We examined the prevalence and determinants of self-reported suicidal ideation and attempts among younger (13-15 years) and older adolescents (16-17 years).
Methods: Pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence interval, were calculated for suicide ideation and attempts for 118 surveys from 90 countries that administered the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) to adolescents (13-17 years of age) from 2003 to 2017. Indicators (including individual and social factors) associated with suicidal ideation and attempts were determined from multivariable linear regressions on key outcomes.
Results: …

Therapeutic Potential Of A Ketogenic Diet In The Treatment Of Major Depressive Disorder, Jordan A. Murrin

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the second most common mental health condition and a leading cause of disability in the world. It is theorized that MDD develops from a combination of biological, psychological, and social stressors. The condition is typically treated using pharmaceuticals and psychotherapy. However, not all individuals with MDD have access to or choose to use these treatments, or may prefer to incorporate therapeutic lifestyle changes such as exercise, sleep, and healthy eating. Even with treatment, MDD can alter brain structure and function, leading to the development of comorbid mental health and chronic metabolic conditions like obesity, cardiovascular …

From Case Study As Symptom To Case Study As Sinthome: Engaging Lacan And Irigaray On "Thinking In Cases" As Psychoanalytic Pedagogy, Erica Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation accomplishes two goals. First, this dissertation articulates a Lacanian account of the epistemological and historical presuppositions of the psychoanalytic case study genre, while engaging reflexively with extant Foucauldian scholarship on this genre as well as feminist psychoanalyst Luce Irigaray’s criticisms of Lacan. Irigaray’s critique is engaged in order to tarry with its implications for a Lacanian approach to the psychoanalytic case study genre. Second, this dissertation critically examines the significance of Lacan’s (re)reading, in Seminar V, of Joan Riviere’s (1929) “Womanliness as Masquerade” in the midst of his oral teachings on the psychoanalytic concepts of castration and …

Without Words: Relational Neuropsychology And Creative Arts Therapies With People Managing Aphasia, Autumn Marie Chilcote

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aphasia describes the broad experience of disrupted language production or comprehension acquired after structural changes in the brain. These changes, usually associated with stroke, tumor, or cortical degeneration, are often co-occurring with other symptoms, such as emotional dysregulation, partial paralysis, and difficult social, occupational, and community relationships. Common approaches to research and rehabilitation with persons managing aphasia highlight conversation and semantic retrieval, with a lack in literature considering the diversity of symptoms and responses. Questions arise as to the ways that psychotherapies, typically language- centered, can be adapted to collaborative, low-verbal approaches that attend to the range of individual symptoms …

Ptsd And Depressive Symptoms As Potential Mediators Of The Association Between World Trade Center Exposure And Subjective Cognitive Concerns In Rescue/Recovery Workers, Ankura Singh, Rachel Zeig-Owens, Laura Rabin, Theresa Schwartz, Mayris P. Webber, David Appel, David J. Prezant, Charles B. Hall

Publications and Research

We observed that World Trade Center (WTC) exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and depressive symptoms were associated with subjective cognitive concerns in Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) rescue/recovery workers. This follow-up study examined whether PTSD symptoms and/or depressive symptoms mediate the observed association between WTC exposure and subjective cognitive concerns. We included WTC-exposed FDNY workers who completed the Cognitive Function Instrument (CFI), measuring self-perceived cognitive decline (N = 9516). PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms were assessed using the PCL-S and CES-D, respectively. Multivariable linear regression estimated the association between WTC exposure and CFI score, adjusting …

Flattening The Curve Of Distress: A Public-Facing Webinar For Psychoeducation During Covid-19, Grant Smith, Stephanie Harman, Keri Brenner

Patient Experience Journal

This case report describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a public-facing webinar that provided psychoeducation addressing the emotional distress that has accompanied the coronavirus pandemic. Using a webinar was an effective strategy for reaching a large, public audience and making content from expert clinicians accessible. Participants were likely to recommend the webinar to friends or family. Participants appreciated that the webinar acknowledged the presence of distressing emotions and provided practical advice for reducing the negative psychological sequelae of the coronavirus pandemic. Areas for improvement included addressing technical issues and incorporating additional information into the webinar.

Experience Framework

This article …

How Do They Feel About It? Testing A New Mixed Methods Survey Tool To Assess Collective Emotional Status, Michael G. Schwab, Vasileios Margaritis

The Qualitative Report

Emotions are now widely accepted as important elements of qualitative research, in studies of individuals and communities. However, collective emotional status—what a community feels about a given situation or proposition—can be challenging to assess. In this study, we examined the validity and acceptability of a new mixed methods survey tool, primarily qualitative, to address this challenge—the Assessment of Collective Emotional Status (ACES). The tool begins with an adjustable set of questions about emotion, to draw respondents’ attention to their own feelings. These are followed by an emotional self-assessment, in which respondents select and prioritize five emotional responses to a standardized …

Clusters Of Individuals Experiences Form A Continuum Of Persistent Non-Symbolic Experiences In Adults, Jeffery A. Martin

CONSCIOUSNESS: Ideas and Research for the Twenty-First Century

Persistent forms of nondual awareness, enlightenment, mystical experience, and so forth (Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience) have been reported since antiquity. Though sporadic research has been performed on these experiences, the scientific literature has yet to report a large-scale cognitive psychology study of this population. Method: Assessment of the subjective experience of 319 adult participants reporting persistent non-symbolic experience was undertaken using 6-12 hour semi-structured interviews and evaluated using grounded theory and thematic analysis. Results: Five core, consistent categories of change were uncovered: sense-of-self, cognition, affect, perception, and memory. Participants’ reports formed phenomenological groups in which the types of change …

So Others May Live: The Price Of Healthcare In Combat, Robert Del Toro

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

“Medics carried more responsibilities than dry feet, salt tablets, syphilis, and puncture wounds,” U.S. Army Medic Ben Sherman stated after reflecting on his tour in Vietnam. On the battlefields of North Africa, Italy, France, and Vietnam, the medics of the U.S. Army Medical Department faced the difficult duty of preserving life while death surrounded them. Their patients were not strangers but, men they had grown close to, they were comrades and family. Analyzing the memoirs and letters of forward medical personnel from the Second World War and the Vietnam War, this thesis analyzes how a medic’s care went beyond the …

Predicting The Efficacy Of Psilocybin In Treating Mental Health And Addiction, Courtney Ledford

altREU Projects

Machine Learning is used to predict the efficacy of psilocybin in treating mental health and addiction by using a random forest algorithm. Psilocybin is a chemical compound found in fungi. Following ingestion, it is converted to psilocin which acts as a serotonin agonist, producing altered states of consciousness and hallucinations. Research suggests the use of psilocybin as a potential treatment for mental health disorders and addiction. An analysis of thirty-one experiments from the Altered States Database was inputted into the model. Past meta-analysis performed on this experimental data focuses on healthy participants rather than participants diagnosed with a mental illness. …

Association Between Concussion History And Factors Relating To Cognitive, Behavioral, And Emotional Health Among American High School Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Gregory Knell, Scott O. Burkhart, Todd J. Caze, John D. Polousky, Harold W. Kohl, Sarah E. Messiah

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Background: The cognitive, behavioral, and emotional deficits that may be associated with sports-related concussions among adolescents are unclear.

Purpose: To examine the association between reported concussion history and factors relating to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional health among a population-based sample of US high school-aged adolescents.

Study design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: Participants included a representative sample of US high school student-athletes who reported a concussion history (in the past 12 months) and relevant behaviors/outcomes within 3 domains: cognitive (academics, difficulty concentrating), behavioral (drinking and driving, carrying a weapon, physically fighting, tobacco use, marijuana use, binge drinking), and …

Clinical Work With Adult Male Incest Survivors: Therapeutic Themes And Perspectives, Kathryn B. Rosenberg

Doctoral Dissertations

For psychotherapists, encountering clients who have experienced sexual trauma or abuse is inevitable, whether or not the abuse is disclosed to the therapist; however, mental health professionals receive extremely limited (if any) training on how to identify or effectively support adult clients who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Many people who experienced CSA, especially those who identify as male, remain isolated and invisible in their suffering as adults even within therapeutic spaces, facing what feel like insurmountable barriers – both internal and external – to getting help. When sexual abuse is intrafamilial, these barriers are both amplified and …

Association Of Tph1 And Serotonin Transporter Genotypes With Treatment Response For Suicidal Ideation: A Preliminary Study, David A Nielsen, Huiqiong Deng, Michelle A Patriquin, Mark J Harding, John Oldham, Ramiro Salas, J Christopher Fowler, B Christopher Frueh

Staff and Researcher Publications

Variants in three genes coding for components of the serotonergic system, the tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) rs1799913, serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) 5-HTTLPR, and serotonin receptor 2A (HTR2A) rs6311, were evaluated for association with suicidal ideation (SI) and with recovery from SI in a psychiatric inpatient population. Five hundred and eighty-two adult inpatients, including 390 patients who had SI, collected from December 2012 to April 2016 were assessed. SI recovery, calculated as change in SI between the first two-week period after admission and weeks 5 and 6, was appraised for association with the three variants. In this preliminary study, both TPH1 and …

Use Of Video Modeling In Developing Social Skills Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, En Ying Irene Tan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are poor in social interaction and following instruction. Most researchers of today focus on having the children to interact with toys to enhance their social skills, but not with other peers. This study was carried out to investigate the use of video modeling in developing social skills among children with ASD. The study uses single-subject design with multiple baseline graphs to examine the development of children’s social skills. This study consists of three sequential phases: 1) Baseline, 2) Intervention, and 3) Maintenance. Results show that children with ASD have social interaction with peers after …

Risk And Protective Factors For Psychological Distress Following A Morally Injurious Event In Combat Veterans, Aaron Keating

Dissertations

Morally injurious events have been shown to increase the likelihood of experiencing anxiety, depressive, and posttraumatic stress symptoms of combat veterans. Research has found that guilt and shame are associated with higher levels of symptomology following morally injurious events. Similarly, individuals who are high in trait proneness to guilt and shame may be at higher risk for developing symptoms following a morally injurious event; however, no research to date has examined this possibility. In addition, acts that go against what one considers morally right bring about cognitive dissonance which then leads to anxiety. In order to reduce anxiety caused by …

Serious Mental Illness And Rural Primary Care: Provider Training, Attitudes, And Opinions, Lydia Eisenbrandt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare resources are especially limited in rural regions of the US. The lack of Primary Care Providers (PCPs) and mental/behavioral health services is problematic, as there are high rates of behavioral and medical concerns within rural populations. Special populations, such as rural persons with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), are medically complex and represent a vulnerable and underserved population. Healthcare outcomes for persons with SMI are poor compared to the general population and commonly lead to premature death. Various barriers prevent this population from accessing optimal healthcare, especially in rural areas, due to negative perceptions/stigma, a lack of understanding from PCPs, …

Data Augmentation For Deep-Learning-Based Electroencephalography, Elnaz Lashgari, Dehua Liang, Uri Maoz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Data augmentation (DA) has recently been demonstrated to achieve considerable performance gains for deep learning (DL)—increased accuracy and stability and reduced overfitting. Some electroencephalography (EEG) tasks suffer from low samples-to-features ratio, severely reducing DL effectiveness. DA with DL thus holds transformative promise for EEG processing, possibly like DL revolutionized computer vision, etc.

New method

We review trends and approaches to DA for DL in EEG to address: Which DA approaches exist and are common for which EEG tasks? What input features are used? And, what kind of accuracy gain can be expected?

Results

DA for DL on EEG begun …