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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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- Depression (5)
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Articles 1 - 27 of 27
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Changes In Bmi Among First Semester College Students, Rachel L. Walker
Changes In Bmi Among First Semester College Students, Rachel L. Walker
Theses and Dissertations
The transition to college has been identified as a critical period for weight gain; however, only a limited number of studies have examined this phenomenon. The college setting may promote weight gain, thus the purpose of the present study was to quantify changes in BMI in first year students during their first semester of college and to understand factors associated with weight gain, such as eating behaviors, physical activity, and body shape ideals. Significant changes in weight were detected between Time 1 and 2 with a mean weight gain of 1.24 kg. The majority of participants (73.1 %) gained weight …
The Effect Of Child Characteristics And Environmental Demands On Parenting Across Intact And Divorced Families: An Exploratory View, Jennifer L. Stevenson
The Effect Of Child Characteristics And Environmental Demands On Parenting Across Intact And Divorced Families: An Exploratory View, Jennifer L. Stevenson
Theses and Dissertations
Minimal attention has been directed toward learning how children may influence parenting practices and styles within a divorce setting, and - more significantly - how children may influence the co-parenting practices and behaviors of divorced parents. The roles of child temperament, parenting, and their reciprocal interaction werereviewed as they relate to the development of externalizing and internalizing problems in childhood. Literature regarding the impact of divorce on the parent-child relationship was also discussed. A cluster analytic approach was utilized in order to identify three groups of individuals with internalizing, externalizing, and adaptive characteristics. Parenting features were then evaluated across both …
Cognitive Mechanisms Of Memory Impairment Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Mark D. Whiting
Cognitive Mechanisms Of Memory Impairment Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Mark D. Whiting
Theses and Dissertations
Memory impairment is common following traumatic brain injury (TBI). In recent years, researchers have demonstrated that the processes underlying memory formation (working memory, encoding, consolidation, and retrieval) are interrelated but dissociable events.The following study was designed to determine how these processes contribute to memory impairment following experimental TBI in the rat. Experiment 1 indicated thatTBI induces severe working memory deficits in a delayed non-matching-to-place task.Although all animals displayed intact acquisition, only injured animals displayed poor performance as the delay between the sample and choice phases was increased.Experiment 2 was designed to determine if TBI produces a transient period of posttraumatic …
Pathways To Externalizing Behavior: The Effects Of Mother's Harsh Parenting And Toddler's Emotional Reactivity, Sandra H. Henderson
Pathways To Externalizing Behavior: The Effects Of Mother's Harsh Parenting And Toddler's Emotional Reactivity, Sandra H. Henderson
Theses and Dissertations
Externalizing behavior is stable as early as 2 years of age and is a precursor to many childhood and adult negative outcomes. Although global self report data show a relationship between parenting and children's externalizing, few studies have examined the proximal effect of observed mother's parenting on children's expression of aggression. A sample of 55 primarily African American, toddler-mother dyads were observed in their homes. Data was collected on the 2-year-old children's emotional reactivity, externalizing behavior, social competence and mother's harsh and supportive parenting. A second wave of data was collected one year later with a smaller sample, n=37.Children who …
Measuring Therapist Adherence To A Manual-Based Treatment Tested In A Community Setting: The Pascet Manual Adherence Scale (P-Mas), Alyssa M. Marder
Measuring Therapist Adherence To A Manual-Based Treatment Tested In A Community Setting: The Pascet Manual Adherence Scale (P-Mas), Alyssa M. Marder
Theses and Dissertations
The goal of the current study was to develop and test a rigorous measure of therapist adherence to a cognitive-behavioral, manual-based treatment for childhood and adolescent depression. This project employed data from the recently completed UCLAYouth Anxiety and Depression Treatment study. This study aimed to advance the literature by devoting the full focus of the project to the development of a manual-based measure that would demonstrate interrater reliability across multiple raters. This study reported on the psychometric development of the PASCET Manual Adherence Scale (PMAS) (e.g. scoring strategy, item development, reliability), a unique measure of therapist adherence that represents the …
Forgiveness, Individualism, And Collectivism, Joshua N. Hook
Forgiveness, Individualism, And Collectivism, Joshua N. Hook
Theses and Dissertations
Although the scientific study of forgiveness has flourished in recent years, the study of the effects of culture on forgiveness has been minimal. The present thesis reviews the literature examining the effects of individualism and collectivism on forgiveness. In Study 1, four scales are created that are hypothesized to relate to the study of culture and forgiveness. Evidence for the reliability and validity of these scales are presented. In Study 2, the effects of individualism and collectivism are empirically tested. Collectivistic forgivers understand forgiveness within the context of reconciliation, social harmony, and relational repair. Collectivistic forgiveness primarily involves a decision …
Evaluating The Psychosocial Effects Of Two Interventions, Tai Chi And Spiritual Growth Groups, In Women With Breast Cancer, Sarah M. Rausch
Evaluating The Psychosocial Effects Of Two Interventions, Tai Chi And Spiritual Growth Groups, In Women With Breast Cancer, Sarah M. Rausch
Theses and Dissertations
One in seven women will develop breast cancer. Most will suffer medically and psychologically from the disease. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions such as tai chi and spiritual growth groups have proven to be beneficial for this population, however, many questions remain regarding the mechanisms of action in these techniques. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychosocial effects and mechanisms of two 10-week interventions (tai chi and spiritual growth groups) within the context of a larger randomized, controlled NCI-funded study (R01 CA114718, Nancy McCain, PI) in women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The present study evaluated …
Comparison Of Three Methods For Measuring Smoking Behavior, Melissa D. Blank
Comparison Of Three Methods For Measuring Smoking Behavior, Melissa D. Blank
Theses and Dissertations
Understanding the factors that influence regular tobacco use often involves detailed assessment of individuals' smoking behavior (i.e., puff topography), including measuring puff number, volume, duration, and inter-puff interval (IPI) via mouthpiece-based, computerized devices. For example, puff topography measurement has been used to study smoking cessation medications, as well as to demonstrate brand-induced changes in smoking behavior. However, some research suggests that the use of a mouthpiece to evaluate puff topography may alter natural smoking behavior. Thus, this study was designed to compare topography measurement using mouthpiece-based methods (i.e., desktop and portable computerized devices) to methods that do not use a …
The Influence Of Parental Monitoring And Peer Deviance On Substance Use Among Middle School Students, Sally Ann Mays
The Influence Of Parental Monitoring And Peer Deviance On Substance Use Among Middle School Students, Sally Ann Mays
Theses and Dissertations
Substance use is a significant problem among middle school students in the United States. Research indicates that the early use of substances increases the likelihood of negative outcomes including long-term use and abuse. Both parenting and peer variables exert strong influences on children's decisions to use or abstain from substances. As children age, peers begin to exert a stronger influence, but parenting practices can significantly reduce peers' harmful influences. In this study, three waves of data (collected at the end of 6th grade, and the beginning and end of 7th grade) from a large multi-site study were used to examine …
The Role Of A Family History Of Alcohol Or Drug Abuse On Ptsd Outcomes Following Community Violence Exposure, Kathryn Reid-Quinones
The Role Of A Family History Of Alcohol Or Drug Abuse On Ptsd Outcomes Following Community Violence Exposure, Kathryn Reid-Quinones
Theses and Dissertations
Research consistently has revealed the damaging consequences of children's repeated exposure to community violence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most commonly cited internalizing disorder associated with such exposure. However, not all children who are exposed to community violence develop PTSD symptoms; thus, it is important to identify factors that contribute to this deleterious relationship. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relation of community violence exposure (CVE)and PTSD in a sample of urban adolescents. Additionally, the study assessed whether a maternal history of alcohol or drug abuse would exacerbate the association of CVE andPTSD symptoms …
Maternal Caregivers' Organization Of And Reasoning Behind Coping Suggestions To Deal With Community Violence Exposure, Melinda B. Moore
Maternal Caregivers' Organization Of And Reasoning Behind Coping Suggestions To Deal With Community Violence Exposure, Melinda B. Moore
Theses and Dissertations
Children and adolescents exposed to community violence can experience a plethora of negative outcomes including both internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems. Coping strategies can either buffer the effects of violence exposure or exacerbate negative outcomes following exposure. Given the diversity of strategies youth use to cope with violence, one unanswered question is how youth come to learn coping strategies to deal with community violence, and the roles that proximal others such as caregivers play in that process. The current study had several aims including understanding (a) how caregivers organize and conceptualize the suggestions they give to their children to cope …
The Effects Of Transdermal Nicotine On Tobacco/Nicotine Withdrawal And Concurrently Administered Cigarettes In Women And Men, Betha A. Kleykamp
The Effects Of Transdermal Nicotine On Tobacco/Nicotine Withdrawal And Concurrently Administered Cigarettes In Women And Men, Betha A. Kleykamp
Theses and Dissertations
Transdermal nicotine (TN) is a smoking cessation pharmacotherapy thought to work by suppressing tobacco/nicotine withdrawal and reducing the effect of a concurrently smoked tobacco cigarette. Clinical trials suggest that TN may be less efficacious for women. This study explored the possibility of gender differences in response to transdermal nicotine in 54 women and 70 men. Participants completed four within-subject, double-blind, randomized sessions corresponding to 0, 7, 14, and 21 mg TN and 4-hrs after TN application smoked an own-brand cigarette. Prior to session onset participants completed ≥ 8 hours of verified tobacco cigarette abstinence (i.e., expired air carbon monoxide levels …
Intensive Co-Parenting Therapy: Piloting A Manualized Treatment For Divorced Families, Jill Allison Ferrante Gasper
Intensive Co-Parenting Therapy: Piloting A Manualized Treatment For Divorced Families, Jill Allison Ferrante Gasper
Theses and Dissertations
Although resilience is the normative psychological outcome of divorce, parents and children of divorce are disproportionately represented in the mental health and legal systems. Due to the great financial and psychological costs of incessant divorce litigation, interventions that promote positive child adjustment while alleviating the costs of litigation are in high demand. Social policymakers and clinicians have responded to this demand via a number of intervention strategies; however, the implementation of many current interventions has predated supporting empirical evidence.The present study seeks to establish the efficacy of a child-focused, intensive co-parenting therapy (ICT) intervention for divorced parents. ICT is a …
A Descriptive Study Of Military Family Needs Following A Polytraumatic Injury, Anna Lisa Harmon
A Descriptive Study Of Military Family Needs Following A Polytraumatic Injury, Anna Lisa Harmon
Theses and Dissertations
Family members of service personnel with polytraumatic injuries face a wide range of challenges. Research has shown that family member adaptation and adjustment to the caregiver role has a significant impact on the well-being of the person with the injuries. The Veterans Health Administration is rapidly developing services to meet the needs of severely injured service personnel and their family members. The purpose of the present study was to test the feasibility of a method of assessment to identify the needs of individual family members of service personnel and veterans receiving inpatient rehabilitation services at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center (PRC) …
The Effects Of Early Postnatal Pcp Administration On Performance In Locomotor Activity, Reference Memory, And Working Memory Tasks In C57bl/6 Mice, Alan L. Pehrson
The Effects Of Early Postnatal Pcp Administration On Performance In Locomotor Activity, Reference Memory, And Working Memory Tasks In C57bl/6 Mice, Alan L. Pehrson
Theses and Dissertations
There is a growing consensus, based on several converging lines of evidence, which suggests schizophrenia is the product of a developmental insult occurring in the late 2 nd or early 3 rd trimester. Additionally, it has been observed that adults who abuse the noncompetitive NMDA antagonist PCP present with symptoms that mimic schizophrenia, such as hallucinations, formal thought disorder, delusions, unstable or flattened affect, social withdrawal, and impaired cognition. Thus, several labs have attempted to use early postnatal PCP administration in rodents as a drug model of schizophrenia. The current study investigated the cognitive effects of early postnatal PCP administration …
Work Hope As A Mediator Between Proactive Coping And Career Planfulness In Domestic And International University Students, Juan Juana Wu
Work Hope As A Mediator Between Proactive Coping And Career Planfulness In Domestic And International University Students, Juan Juana Wu
Theses and Dissertations
This study applied proactive coping theory (E. R. Greenglass, 2002; R. Schwarzer, 2000) to the domain of career development in domestic and international student transition-to-university. Participants were recruited from a large southeastern state university. No significant between-group differences were identified in the present study. Within both groups, proactive coping, work hope, and career planfulness were positively correlated. The role of work hope as a mediator between proactive coping and career planfulness was tested in domestic and international students respectively. For domestic students, a partial mediation model was established with a direct effect of proactive coping on career planfulness and an …
Posttraumatic Growth Among College Students At A Large Urban University: The Role Of Social Support And Unsupportive Social Interactions, Wendy E. Balliet
Posttraumatic Growth Among College Students At A Large Urban University: The Role Of Social Support And Unsupportive Social Interactions, Wendy E. Balliet
Theses and Dissertations
The objective of this study was to investigate the association between both social support and unsupportive interactions and psychological outcomes, in a sample of college students who recently had experienced a stressful event. The research design was cross-sectional, and data were collected from 142 college students. As hypothesized, a significant positive association was found between unsupportive interactions received by participants and depressive symptoms. Contrary to hypotheses, no significant associations were found between unsupportive interactions and positive emotion or posttraumatic growth. Additionally, no significant relationship was evident between received emotional support and the outcome variables. Exploratory analysis revealed that positive reappraisal …
Intrapersonal Grief As A Clinical Entity Distinct From Depression: Does It Exist Among A Medically Ill Parkinson's Disease Population?, Rashelle Brown Hayes
Intrapersonal Grief As A Clinical Entity Distinct From Depression: Does It Exist Among A Medically Ill Parkinson's Disease Population?, Rashelle Brown Hayes
Theses and Dissertations
There has been growing support for the idea that complicated grief symptoms following bereavement are independent of symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, the loss of a loved one is not the only or the most frequent type of loss to be encountered. The onset of an insidious medical illness may trigger a mourning process for the lost function or body part that is posited to also involve feelings of grief. While the risk of depression is high among a medical or rehabilitative population, the impact of grief over functional losses has never been empirically investigated as a contributing factor …
Familial And Self Systems As Contributors To Sexual Decision-Making Patterns Of Young African American Women, Christina M. Grange
Familial And Self Systems As Contributors To Sexual Decision-Making Patterns Of Young African American Women, Christina M. Grange
Theses and Dissertations
This study utilized a is a two-phase mixed methods design to examine partner-based expectations and perceptions of factors that affecting condom use among African American women recruited at a sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic. Phase One utilized qualitative methods to analyze interviews from 25 unmarried, African American women between ages 18--26. Interviews explored the following two research questions: (1) How do young adult African American women conceptualize relationships as illustrated by their expectations of their partner and their expectations of themselves in the relationship? (2) What messages do women recall receiving from their family members about sexual opportunities, intercourse, consequences …
Binge Eating In Ethnically Diverse Obese Adolescents, Clarice K. Gerke
Binge Eating In Ethnically Diverse Obese Adolescents, Clarice K. Gerke
Theses and Dissertations
Rates of pediatric obesity in America are reaching epidemic proportions. Studies using both community and treatment-seeking samples of obese adolescents indicate that a subset engage in binge eating behaviors. This study investigated the prevalence and severity of binge eating behaviors among 86 primarily African American 11 to 17 year old adolescents seeking outpatient treatment for obesity. This study also examined the associations of stressful experiences (specifically, weight-related teasing, trauma, and daily hassles) with binge eating, as well as potential mediators and moderators of these relationships. Twenty-eight percent of the sample reported at least one episode of binge eating in the …
Exploring The Cardiovascular Response To Anger Imagery And Speech In Vietnam Veterans With And Without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Jennifer Jane Runnals
Exploring The Cardiovascular Response To Anger Imagery And Speech In Vietnam Veterans With And Without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Jennifer Jane Runnals
Theses and Dissertations
Few studies directly compare the physiological consequences of anger under a variety of induction methods. The current study explored the patterns of cardiovascular responding associated with varying anger induction methods, specifically personal anger memory recall through verbalization versus imagery in a sample of Vietnam combat veterans with and without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Spoken anger produced greater elevations in blood pressure than anger that was recalled through imagery but not spoken. This was true even after controlling for the metabolic activity associated with speech. However, for veterans with PTSD, anger imagery was also sufficient to produce an elevated response in …
The Role Of Empathy, Anger Management And Normative Belief About Aggression In Bullying Among Urban, African American Middle School Children, Layla E. Esposito
The Role Of Empathy, Anger Management And Normative Belief About Aggression In Bullying Among Urban, African American Middle School Children, Layla E. Esposito
Theses and Dissertations
This study used binary logistic regression analysis to examine the role of empathy,anger management, and normative beliefs about aggression on overt bullying, relational bullying, and prosocial behavior in urban African-American middle school children. Participants included 177 African-American sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from two public, urban middle schools in a large city in the Southeast United States. The results of this study indicated that binary logistic regression models including empathy, anger management, and normative beliefs about aggression predicted prosocial behavior, and marginally predicted relational bullying. Nonnative beliefs about aggression had a significant moderating effect, such that for participants who …
Structure Of Aggression Among Urban Youth: Competing Factor Models Of Subtypes Of Physical And Relational Aggression, Sarah W. Helms
Structure Of Aggression Among Urban Youth: Competing Factor Models Of Subtypes Of Physical And Relational Aggression, Sarah W. Helms
Theses and Dissertations
Aggression has been demonstrated to pose a serious threat to the adaptive development of youth, with decades of research demonstrating the negative associations between aggression and other problem behaviors, both concurrently and predictively. However, despite this body of research, the current psychological literature continues to suffer from a lack of an overarching organizational framework from which to structure the construct(s) of aggression. Furthermore, existing discrepancies across the literature, particularly in the definitions of and outcomes associated with non-physical forms of aggression (e.g., relational aggression, social aggression), exacerbate the complexities facing prevention and intervention specialists. Insofar as research can isolate the …
Religiosity, Parental Support And Adult Support Coping As Protective Factors For Drug Refusal Efficacy And Use Among African American Adolescents, Raymond H. Tademy
Religiosity, Parental Support And Adult Support Coping As Protective Factors For Drug Refusal Efficacy And Use Among African American Adolescents, Raymond H. Tademy
Theses and Dissertations
This study examined whether religiosity, parental and adult support coping would moderate the influence of neighborhood risks and friends' drug use upon drug refusal efficacy and drug use among African American adolescents. One hundred and thirteen African American urban adolescents (77 females and 36 males) aged 11-17 (M=14.17) participated in this study. This study used the God Support and Religious Support scales to assess religiosity; the parental support coping subscale of the Wills Coping measure; Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's Special Event Drug Refusal Efficacy and Friends' Drug use scales; the Exposure to Neighborhood Risk Scale; and a one-item measure …
Expectations And Stress Related To Choosing And Providing Treatment: A Comparative Study Of Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders Or With Down Syndrome, Virginia H. Mackintosh
Expectations And Stress Related To Choosing And Providing Treatment: A Comparative Study Of Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders Or With Down Syndrome, Virginia H. Mackintosh
Theses and Dissertations
This study looked at the level of stress experienced by parents (N = 280) of children with an autism spectrum disorder (Autism, n = 134; Asperger's disorder, n = 36; & PDD-NOS, n = 42) or with Down syndrome (n = 68) as it related to child's impairment and to the process of choosing and providing treatments. Using the new Family Access to Disability Services (FADS) measure, it was discovered that parents of children with an autism spectrum diagnosis had more difficulty in accessing and providing the treatments they wanted for their children. Higher FADS scores predicted parenting stress, even …
Attention Style And Appreciation: The Differences Between Gratitude And Indebtedness, Maureen A. Mathews
Attention Style And Appreciation: The Differences Between Gratitude And Indebtedness, Maureen A. Mathews
Theses and Dissertations
Gratitude and indebtedness are construed as separate constructs in recent research.It is hypothesized by this thesis that self-focused attention affects feelings of gratitude and indebtedness. Focusing less attention on the self, thus turning attention resources outward, may allow for the experience of gratitude, whereas focusing inward may create feelings of indebtedness. Two studies examined how focusing one's attention inward may be related to indebtedness, whereas being focused outward may be related to gratitude. A correlational study showed that people who self-focus tend to feel more indebtedness and less gratitude. An experiment was designed to show that manipulating social anxiety, a …
Residual Symptoms After Treatment Of Chronic Depression: A Comparison Across Treatment Modalities, Katherine L. Schaefer
Residual Symptoms After Treatment Of Chronic Depression: A Comparison Across Treatment Modalities, Katherine L. Schaefer
Theses and Dissertations
Despite the development of several effective treatments for depression, symptoms often persist in a number of individuals. Unfortunately, these residual symptoms are associated with several negative outcomes, including persistence of depressive illness. Few studies have examined the exact nature of individual residual symptoms across specific treatment modalities, and studies have failed to distinguish between depression courses. The current study expands on previous findings by examining, among a chronically depressed population, differences in individual residual symptoms and clusters between treatment modality (medication, psychotherapy, combination) and treatment response (full response, partial response). Five hundred and nineteen chronically depressed participants completed the study. …