Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

"Ruskiy Mir" And "Ukrainskyi Svit": Ontological And Anthropological Antagonists, Liudmyla Fylypovych, Oksana Horkusha

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article focuses on a crucial issue of global interest--attempts of the Russian Federation to reformat the world according to the worldview model of the "Ruskiy mir." The paradigm of the "Ruskiy mir" assumes a system of values (ontological, anthropological, theological, and historiographical ideas and behavioral models) programmed by the entire russian history, as defined by russian culture, traditions, and the russian worldview. According to the "Russian worldview," the world should have a different structure, and the global international system should have a different format: Moscow (the Russian Empire and the Russian Federation) should be at the center of the …

Interrater Reliability Between Parents And Teachers Based On The Child’S Grade Level In A Rural Community: Behavior Assessment System For Children, Third Edition, Samantha B. Godoy

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The process of conducting child and adolescent psychoeducational assessments has changed over the past 2 decades (Shapiro & Heick, 2004). In the past, the school psychologists commonly concentrated on behavioral, achievement, and projective assessments and usually did not include systematic multi-rater observation rating scales of behavior. There is now consensus within the professional community that an assessment should meet three criteria including data from multiple methods, data from multiple sources, and data in multiple settings (Alfonso et al., 2020). Multimodal assessment provides a more in-depth perspective and creates less administrator biases, as multiple views of the child’s functioning across contexts …

Nature’S Relationship To Psychological Flexibility, Jake K. Sanders

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Acceptance and commitment therapy has defined and successfully discovered methods of increasing psychological flexibility. Various methods of increasing psychological flexibility could be used as interventions. Contact with nature, in various forms, has been shown to increase and be related to many physical and mental health benefits. These benefits include things like mindfulness and other aspects of psychological flexibility. The question arises whether or not contact with nature is related to increases in overall psychological flexibility. The current study involved administering a questionnaire comprised of multiple existing measures, to primarily a college sample of 349 students. The answers were statistically analyzed …

Evaluating Professional Clinical Competency Development In Doctor Of Psychology Students Using Multiple Methods Of Evaluation: Peer, Supervisor, And Self-Assessment, Jodi Lynn Brents

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The United States is currently facing a shortage of mental-health providers that affects 160 million Americans. The need to empower the health system with appropriately knowledgeable, skilled, and diversely aware people mental-health practitioners is a critical necessity for current and future healthcare needs. This study aims to validate the importance of multiple methods of evaluation (self, peer, supervisor) in competency-based training of clinical psychologists. Multiple methods of evaluation offer unique contributions to competency-based education, including providing a scaffolding for building confidence and progressive alignment of evaluation of self with supervisor evaluation. Over time, students were able to better align with …

God Attachment, Health Locus Of Control, Anxiety, And Health Behaviors During Covid-19 Among College Undergraduates At A Religious University, Jessica K. Wilbur

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the relationship between attachment to God, health locus of control (HLOC), perceived stress, and COVID-19-related attitudes and health behaviors among undergraduate students. Undergraduates from George Fox University were sampled, and data were collected from December 2021 to May 2022. Participants ranged from ages 18 to 36 years old (M = 19.1, SD = 2.1). The majority identified as female (68.3%) and European-American (70.2%). A K-cluster analysis revealed two groups utilizing attachment to God and HLOC scores: 81 healthy (43%) and 109 distressed (57%) individuals. The healthy group reported lower scores on anxious and avoidant attachment to God …

Developing Resilience In Early Adolescent Females, Laura Fleetwood

Doctor of Leadership

American stress levels are rising in almost all age groups, especially in females. The medical and mental health response is largely reactionary as practitioners scramble to address the resulting negative impacts on bodies and minds. Traditional avenues for help are overwhelmed and increasingly difficult to access. As a result, there is opportunity for Christian organizations to help communities deal with the impact of the stress epidemic.

The scale of addressing stress-related issues is initially overwhelming, but starting small and supporting a targeted group provides significant opportunity for the development of self- leadership skills and habits to proactively address it. Resilience …

Spilling The T: Transmasculine Experiences With Testosterone Therapy, Kathryn Reinhart

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This dissertation utilizes a critical health psychology lens to document the experiences of transmasculine individuals with testosterone and gender-affirming healthcare. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven transmasculine participants who had participated in hormone replacement therapy for at least 6 months. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a recursive qualitative approach, resulting in nine themes: gaps in information about hormone replacement therapy; individual variability in hormone replacement therapy effects; complexity of nonbinary identity; barriers in the transition process; necessity and burden of self-advocacy; importance of community support; significance of sociopolitical context; impact of provider attitudes and education; and the need for holistic, …

Examining A Virtual Neuropsychological Battery For Older Adults, Robert W. Kessler

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The restructuring of clinical service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted neuropsychologists to reconsider telehealth options for patient care. Subsequent advances in teleneuropsychology (Tele-NP) research and practice have demonstrated that virtual assessment is not only practical, but also increases accessibility to neuropsychological services for the elderly, medically at-risk, and rural patients. In order to ensure services are in-line with professional standards of evidence-based practice, it is incumbent on research to demonstrate the validity of virtual assessment, as well as patient acceptability of Tele-NP findings. The objectives of this research project were three-fold. First, I aimed to determine the reliability of …

Intimate Partner Violence And Parent Perceptions Of Their Emotional Bond To Their Children, Lia T. Mclanahan

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

As research on intimate partner violence (IPV) continues to grow and there are more ways of defining IPV and identifying its differing forms, a related topic of interest has become the impact IPV has on families (Fong et al., 2019). Similarly, research on IPV as a form of trauma and its implications is well-researched for both children and adults, as is the research on trauma and attachment (Cook et al., 2017). However, there seems to be a lack of research on how parent–child attachment is predicted by IPV. The present study aimed to assess how parent perceptions of their level …

The Effects Of Resilience On Bipoc Graduate Students' Mental And Physical Health, Shelby N. Wilson

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Graduate school can be a challenging and demanding experience, with many students facing considerable stress and adversity throughout their academic journey. For BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) graduate students, the challenges may be amplified due to systemic and social factors, which can increase stress levels, potentially affecting their mental and physical health. This study explored the role of resilience as a protective factor for BIPOC graduate students, examining the correlation between resilience, mental health, and physical health, and the importance of religion. The sample consisted of 132 BIPOC participants and 242 White participants. Regarding their academic status, 63.6% …

Antisocial Personality Disorder And Trauma In Females, Marissa Lange

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a diagnosis reserved for individuals who feature deceitfulness, impulsivity, aggressiveness, recklessness, and irresponsibility. Evidence suggests that experiencing trauma is an etiological factor in developing antisocial traits in males. The prevalence of ASPD in the U.S. is three to one, male to female. However, research indicates females are substantially underdiagnosed due to exclusionary diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.-Text Revised; DSM-5-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is a personality measure that features a conceptualization of ASPD that differs from the DSM-5-TR and includes more personality-specific …

Impacts Of Stigma On Female Service Members, Alisha Weatherly-Kershaw

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

There are a variety of factors that prevent people from seeking mental health treatment. The stigma associated with mental health disorders or seeking treatment is a primary deterrent. This stigma is particularly impactful within the armed forces when they are assessed for fitness for duty. Because most research examines stigma’s impact on male military members, this study aims to identify the type of stigma that creates the most significant barrier to female service members seeking mental health treatment. Results indicate that stigmatizing perceptions of service members significantly impact female service members holding negative views towards seeking treatment.

Vicarious Trauma And Doctoral Graduate Trainees: The Physiological Impact Of High-Acuity Patient Care, Alicia M. Mann

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

There is comprehensive literature regarding vicarious traumatization in mental health providers. Previous research identifies underlying mental health conditions and limited clinical exposure as increased risk factors for vicarious traumatization. Graduate student mental health has recently been described as a significant public health problem. Although some research exists on the impact of high-acuity clinical work on psychology graduate students, there has been limited attention on the physical impact of vicarious traumatization. The current study assessed the relationship between graduate trainees’ subjective anxiety levels and heart rate variability in response to high-acuity client work. Results indicated that doctoral trainees with high levels …

The Impact Of Nature Exposure On The Perceived Relationship Satisfaction Of Adults With Adhd Symptomology, Chloe Sohl

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The present study investigated the impact of nature exposure on the perceived relationship satisfaction of adults with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) symptoms. In addition, researchers were interested in looking at how emotion regulation was influenced as well as what factors a participant's age, gender, ethnicity, education level, relationship type, relationship orientation, frequency in nature, nature setting, and formal diagnosis of ADHD, played into this. Upon completing a questionnaire, participants (N = 101) were asked to complete 120 min a week of a nature activity for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, participants completed the same questionnaire to …

Characteristics Of Sex Trafficking Survivors Success In An Aftercare Program, Taylor Mcmillen

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

In recent years, there has been greater awareness of the impact of human sex trafficking within the United States. Dozens of initiatives and programs have formed to combat the trafficking pandemic, leading to new understandings of the complexity involved with fighting against sex trafficking and the care involved with rehabilitating and empowering survivors of this injustice. Several studies have focused specifically on which pieces of aftercare tend to support greater healing in survivors over time. This care incorporates multiple discipline areas, including mental health, life skills, and healthcare services. Even so, there is a gap in literature highlighting connections between …

Potential Effects Of Political Polarization On Relational Variables In Mental Health Outcomes, Benjamin Hanks

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Objectives: Growing political polarization and instability in the United States has increasingly influenced reactions to important topics such as health disparities and class inequality. Political biases and divisions influence the health and wellbeing of individuals and institutions. This study was designed to examine the effects of political bias in the social sciences on mental health treatment seeking and outcomes. The experimental design observed potential differences in therapeutic relationship/alliance and treatment seeking based on the perception of political bias in a therapy context. Methods: Four groups of participants were formed based on self-identified political ideology and were asked to read a …

Impact Of Head Injuries On Executive Functioning And Emotional Regulation, Kaitlin Allison

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Growing interest in diagnosed and undiagnosed head injuries has led to a growth in research focused on mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs). However, limited research has focused on the impact of undiagnosed head injuries on executive functioning and self-report measures of executive functioning and self-regulation in individuals' everyday environments. This study aimed to determine the impact of the number of head injuries sustained on executive functioning, emotional regulation, and psychological functioning in current and former athletes. Current and former student-athletes were recruited at a private university. Intake interview, psychological distress measures and measures of executive functioning were completed while undergoing …

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy For The Houseless Population, Michelle Franke

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is currently a practical, empirically based treatment used by researchers and clinicians to treat a variety of mental health concerns. However, its ability to meet the needs of financially vulnerable and underserved populations, such as the houseless community, is still unknown. This study addresses the knowledge and treatment gap by offering VRET to the houseless adult population in the Pacific Northwest area, hypothesizing that exposure to VRET would decrease participant symptomology while increasing overall well-being and affinity for the method. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that attrition rates will be the same or lower while retention …

An Exploration Of The Experience Of Bipoc Students In Predominantly White Institutions, Lisanda Mojica

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This dissertation explores the experiences of BIPOC students studying at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Through in-depth interviews with a diverse group of participants, the study identifies seven categories that encompass the students' experiences: perception of the school, chosen community and friendships, academics and scholarships, exclusion and difference, relationships with professors, tokenization, and mental health. The findings suggest that BIPOC students at PWIs face numerous challenges, including feelings of isolation and exclusion, and being tokenized. Additionally, the study identifies protective factors such as professors. The study highlights the importance of creating inclusive and supportive environments for BIPOC students in higher education. …

Sense Of Purpose And Sustaining Attention, Jiayi Yu

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The dissertation investigated the interplay between an elevated sense of purpose moderated by heightened altruistic motivation and sustained attention in a college undergraduate population. Drawing on existing literature highlighting the positive effects of purpose on well-being and cognitive abilities, the study introduced an experimental design to explore the causal relationship between purpose and attention. Participants were recruited from the undergraduate population of a Christian liberal arts university in the Pacific Northwest. A continuous performance test (CPT) —the AX-CPT paradigm—was utilized to assess sustained attention. The experimental group was prompted with the opportunity to earn a monetary donation for a humanitarian …