Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mdma-Assisted Psychotherapy For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review Of The Literature, Erin Solomon

Student Works

A growing number of people suffer chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Amoroso & Workman, 2016; Buoso, Doblin, Farré, Alcázar, & Gómez-Jarabo, 2008; Mithoefer, Wagner, Mithoefer, Jerome, & Doblin, 2011; Oehen, Traber, Widmer, & Schnyder, 2013). The most popular treatments, including exposure therapy, may not be effective for some people (Amoroso & Workman, 2016; Mithoefer et al., 2011). Treatment dropout and suicidality are high among people for whom therapy is minimally effective (Amoroso, 2015; Amoroso & Workman, 2016; Mithoefer et al., 2011; Oehen et al., 2013). Researchers have begun to investigate 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy as a possible treatment for PTSD …

Preemptive War, War Powers, And International Complications: A Need For Reform, Paige Montague

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

In March 2003, the United States declared official war on Iraq out of fear that Suddam Hussein has nuclear weapons. This war was declared after the United Nations Security Council ruled that the Preemptive War was illegal. Preemptive War is a strange loophole under the War Powers Act and gives the President ability to declare war under the potential of a future threat. The Iraq War did not yield the intended results nor were any nuclear weapons found. Had congress been mandated under an amendment to approve the Preemptive War, the poor consequences both on a domestic and international level …

Examining The Constitutionality Of Executive Orders: Daca, Dapa, And The Take Care Clause, Seth Konopasek

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

The debate over the scope of presidential powers is even older than the Constitution itself and in our modern political era, this debate turns largely on Executive Orders. From internment camps and steel seizures to Dreamers and travel bans, Executive Orders have long been at the center of political controversy, and yet the Supreme Court has not developed any consistent method for their judgement. Indeed, they have not made a significant ruling on non-military presidential powers in nearly seventy years. The Court signaled their intention to rule upon the subject in 2016 when they granted certiorari to Texas v US, …

Children's Role In Termination Of Parental Rights Proceedings, Makayla Okamura, Michael Kummerman

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

People often argue that young children - especially vulnerable children - cannot gauge their best interests very well. But it turns out that there is success when courts allow children to have a voice in matters of child welfare cases. Various cultures and ideologies see child accountability in different ways. Considering those cultures and values and then factoring in the experiences of judges reveals that child are more capable of determining there best interests than currently policy acknowledges. Though the decision should not rest solely on the child's input, it should be heavily weighted when a judge makes a child …

Can Mentoring Help Reduce The Risk Of Recidivism? An Analysis Of The Serious And Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (Svori) Data, Amanda Claire Workman

Theses and Dissertations

This research project investigates the effectiveness of mentors on rates of self-reported criminal offending for released offenders. I use data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) study (2004-2007), which sought to evaluate factors relating to high-risk offenders outcomes post release in an effort to reduce the societal problem of mass incarceration. Previous research has examined the use of mentors to improve the delinquent and criminogenic behavior of youth, but little is known about the effectiveness of mentors used to aid imprisoned adult males. I utilize negative binomial analysis to compare the number of self-reported criminal activities among …

Five Sides Of Justice: The Dangerous And Disproportionate Influence Of The Permanent Five Members Of The Un Security Council On The International Criminal Court, Nathan Hogan

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

The Security Council’s power to refer states to the International Criminal Court undermines international law because the permanent five members use their veto power to protect guilty allies from prosecution. The Council should be reformed so that the body can override a veto with a supermajority and bring war criminals to justice.

Misinterpretations​ ​Of​ ​Hmong​ ​Culture: Complementary​ ​Medical​ ​Frameworks, Telisha Tausinga, Madison Harmer

Student Works

Current social science literature outside of anthropology has attributed Hmong difficulties adapting to Western health care to their traditional healing practices, claiming that successful integration only occurs as the younger generation discards traditional beliefs (Franzen-Castle & Smith 2013). Ethnographic research conducted in France and Thailand refutes these claims; Hmong of younger and older generations utilize both the state medical system and traditional healing, integrating these systems instead of treating them as ontologically distinct (and thus in competition with each other). Many researchers and medical personnel studying or working with Hmong populations have ignored models of ontological holism because of the …

The Influence Of Foreign-Born Population On Immigrants' Academic Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis Of Students In High-Income Countries, Florencia Silveira

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars have linked multiple background characteristics to academic achievement; among these are student SES and race/ethnicity. A largely understudied student characteristic in relation to academic achievement is student immigrant status. I contextualize this relationship by considering a macro social setting: country-level foreign-born population. To do this, I examine mathematics achievement from the 2015 PISA assessment in 41 high-income countries. Using mixed-effects modeling, I examine student- and country-level factors and their effects on mathematics achievement. I use within- and cross-level interactions to examine the relationship between 1) immigrant status and student SES and between 2) immigrant status and foreign-born population. To …

Applying The Developmental Path Of English Negation To The Automated Scoring Of Learner Essays, Allen Travis Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The resources required to have humans score extended written response items in English language learner (ELL) contexts has caused automated essay scoring (AES) to emerge as a desired alternative. However, these systems often rely heavily on indirect proxies of writing quality such as word, sentence, and essay lengths because of their strong correlation to scores (Vajjala, 2017). This has led to concern about the validity of the features used to establish the predictive accuracy of AES systems (Attali, 2007; Weigle, 2013). Reliance on construct-irrelevant features in ELL contexts also forfeits the opportunity to provide meaningful diagnostic feedback to test-takers or …

Does Race Matter? School Decision Making Among White, Latino, And Polynesian Families, Maria Daniela Barriga

Theses and Dissertations

Low-income parents value excellent schools, yet often enroll their children in low-performing schools. The literature is inconclusive when examining how low-income families go through school choice decisions. It is important to understand the school decision-making process among different racial groups because choosing a good school improves later academic outcomes. Choosing a good elementary school is especially important because this is a critical period in a child's development and can affect performance in subsequent educational institutions. I am interested in understanding how race/ethnicity shapes how low-income parents make decisions about schools. Using interview data from an extensive qualitative study, I examine …

Association Between Toxoplasma Gondii Seropositivity And Memory Function In Non-Demented Older Adults, Cynthia Elizabeth Wyman, Shawn D. Gale, Ariana Hedges-Muncy, Lance D. Erickson, Eric Wilson, Dawson W. Hedges

Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity may be associated with decreased memory in older adults. To further investigate the association between T. gondii seropositivity and memory in nondemented older adults, we obtained serum samples from 114 non-demented older adults evaluated by the Alzheimer’s Disease and Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, USA. We determined T. gondii seropositivity and anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titer and examined associations with memory function while controlling for socioeconomic status, education level, age, and apolipoprotein E4 status. There were few associations between T. gondii seropositivity or anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies and memory, although there …

Managing Distressing Thoughts In Adults With And Without Autism: The Role Of Cognitive Fusion And The Effectiveness Of A Brief Defusion Intervention, Max Emanuel Maisel

Theses and Dissertations

In the tradition of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive fusion is a transdiagnostic risk factor and occurs when one becomes overly attached to or "caught up" in their thoughts, leading to a more narrowed behavioral repertoire and difficulty taking effective action in response to life's demands. Cognitive defusion is ACT's curative answer to fusion, and denotes the process of taking a step back, seeing thoughts as "simply thoughts," thereby reducing the negative impact of distressing or anxiety-provoking thoughts. While these components have been widely studied in neurotypical (NT) samples, the purpose of this study was to extend findings to …

Thinking Outside The Checkbox: Examining The Benefits Of Depression In The Workplace, Tyler Jensen

Student Works

It is illegal for equal-opportunity employers to ask potential hires about history and status of mental health. To allow employers to provide reasonable accommodation for mental and emotional health concerns, voluntary self-disclosure is permitted by the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), so long as it does not affect the decision to hire. However, as it is in the employer’s best interest to hire strong candidates, the erroneous connection between emotional suffering and inherent weakness has greatly contributed to the stigma against those who experience depressive symptoms. Individuals who experience depressive symptoms are colloquially understood to be incapable of …

Gender And Religion In A Shifting Social Landscape: Anglo-Saxon Mortuary Practices, Ad 600-700, Caroline Palmer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

My thesis examines seventh-century East Anglian mortuary practices and cross-correlates grave goods and human remains to determine whether there was an expression of the sexual division of labor during this period of social and religious change. I argue that gender roles changed as a result of adopting kingdoms and Christianity. Prior to this time period, Anglo-Saxons were primarily pagan and were buried with extensive burial goods. In addition to changes in religious and burial practices, during the Final Phase (600-700 AD) there appears to have been a division of labor that was not as dichotomous in the Migration Phase (450-600 …

The Rise And Fall Of The Stock Market: A Look At Financial Professionals Suicide Ideation, Jefferson Mcclain

Undergraduate Honors Theses

On October 24, 1929, the United States stock market crashed. Will Rogers, a local newspaper writer, said of that experience, “When Wall Street took that tail spin, you had to stand in line to get a window to jump out of, and spectators were selling space for bodies in the East River” (Lowenthal 1987). Tales of ruined stockbrokers jumping from the windows of tall buildings ran across the country. These stories have prompted interest in the interaction between workplace environment and mental health. In this study, we looked at the relationship between stock market performance and suicide ideation for working …

Book Review - Drive: The Truth About What Motivates Us, Wyatt Pagano

Marriott Student Review

This is a book review of Drive: The Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink.

Buzzwords, Evan D. Poff

Marriott Student Review

This feature will explain the following buzzwords:

• Blockchain
• Cryptocurrency
• Work-Life Integration
• Passive Equities
• Risk-Adjusted Returns

Investing For Peace And Peace For Investing: Motivations Behind China’S Involvement In U.N. Peacekeeping Operations, Fred (Wen Jie) Tan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper seeks to explore the motivations behind China’s increased involvement in international peacekeeping operations. Specifically, I seek to explore the motivations behind China’s increased involvement in international peacekeeping operations. This involves looking to the past to understand China’s actions, but also forecasting to the future to derive expectations for subsequent action. I also seek to determine if constructivist theories are able to explain China’s peacekeeping strategies. Using historical records, I first build a narrative of China’s peacekeeping ideology. I then examine China’s numerical contributions to peacekeeping to see how constructivist arguments might explain China’s strategy. Using regression analyses, I …

The Effect Of Belief Of Victory On Third-Party Vote Share: Duverger's Law & Why Evan Mcmullin Lost Utah In 2016, John Geilman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

A key reason Duverger’s Law is valid is a voter’s belief that a third-party does not have a chance at winning an election in a “first past the post” electoral system. Duverger’s Law has traditionally been explained through two reasons—a mechanical factor and a psychological factor. The mechanical factor focuses on aspects of electoral systems that work against third parties, while the psychological factor focuses on what voters think and feel about third parties. In the 2016 presidential election in the United States, voters in the state of Utah demonstrated that their perception of the electability of a third-party candidate …

Effects Of Sex Trafficking On Youth And Identification: A Literature Review, Karlee Hemmert

Student Works

Fighting the effects of sex trafficking on youth is a challenge for many reasons, including negative effects of trafficking and the inability of victims to self-identity or realize they are being sexually exploited. This literature review examined current research on the physical, psychological, and social effects of sex trafficking on youth, and how to identify youth who do not self-identify as victims of sex trafficking. Current studies show that some physical effects youth victims of sex trafficking confront are sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s), other diseases and infections, physical injuries, substance abuse, and malnutrition. Studies also show that victims may suffer …

13.1

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Social Media Use Among College Students And Its Contribution To Depression

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Social media is becoming a more ubiquitous method of communication and interaction in society than in the past, especially among college students. This study seeks to understand how content related to themes of Friends, Couples, Personal Achievement, and Accidents on social media contributes to depressive feelings among currently enrolled students. In an electronic survey, 92 participants (n = 92) responded to 9 questions from the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in reaction to Facebook posts under the themes of Friends, Couples, Personal Achievement, and Accidents. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used and demonstrated that social media posts do affect feelings of sadness …

Moving On: An Investigation Of Dance Movement Therapy In Ptsd Treatment, Sydney Parker

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

This literature review explores the ways dance movement therapy can treat post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. By analyzing and synthesizing the current literature on the relationship between the two, we can more clearly understand how dance movement therapy can treat PTSD, as well as where more research is needed. Looking closer at the w ays dance movement therapy relieves symptoms of PTSD allows its effectiveness to be evaluated. Thus far we have seen many advantages to dance movement therapy, including its inherent connection to the body, how well it works with other therapies, its non-goal-oriented and accepting nature, and its …

Dialectical Behavior Therapy As A Possible Treatment Modality For Schizophrenia, Cheyenne Kemp

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy as an additional treatment modality for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the world’s population and most of the individuals diagnosed with it never fully recover. Due to the severity of this disorder, it is important to discover effective treatment modalities that could aid in symptom management, such as dialectical behavior therapy. Some articles used in this review describe background information on schizophrenia and dialectical behavior therapy; the other articles describe primary research conducted using dialectical behavior therapy. This paper explains the symptoms and current treatment for schizophrenia. Likewise, dialectical behavior …

Preventing Eating Disorders By Promoting Media Literacy And Rejecting Harmful Dieting Based Mentalities, Mckayla Kagie

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

This review investigates the main contributing factors of an eating disorder and how one can facilitate eating disorder prevention. A brief summary of eating disorders and their history is provided. The diet mentality and the negative consequences associated with that mentality are examined. The term “diet mentality” is used intermittently to describe the behaviors and beliefs that surround fad dieting including the desire to manipulate food and water intake to lose weight. How to reject that diet mentality is discussed as part of preventing eating disorders. Additionally, preventative measures include becoming media literate and promoting body positivity. Media literacy is …

Measuring Attitudes Toward The Use Of Technology In Relationships, Marc Waddell

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of attitudes toward technology in marital relationships, the Assessment of Attitudes Toward Technology in Relationships (AATTR), and to determine its reliability and validity. Specifically, we assessed the attitudes, either positive or negative, of both cell phone usage for interspousal communication and attitudes of television viewing in the home as a means of spending time together. We recruited participants via convenience sampling, distributed an anonymous survey on Facebook and Brigham Young University’s Learning Suite (a site created by the school to facilitate course organization and teacher-student interactions), and had 154 participants …

Negative Effects Of Divorce And Possible Intervention Program Development And Improvement, Mariah Eaton

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Current psychological research demonstrates that parental divorce can have negative effects on children (Amato, 2005). This review compiles and compares research regarding the different effects of divorce on emotional, social, physical, and mental wellbeing of children of divorce. The research outlined in this review studies children ages 0-18 in the United States but focuses on children in elementary and middle schools. Present intervention programs for children of divorce are compared and the different goals and methods of each are then identified. These methods are compared based on their effects on the participants. By looking at the improvements in social, emotional, …

Effects Of Divorce On Children: The Importance Of Intervention, Katherine Donahey

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

When parents divorce, their children are affected in significant ways. Many of the consequences of marital dissolution may adversely affect children’s success in their future romantic relationships, but fortunately this downward spiral can be mitigated through deliberate parental efforts (Cui & Fincham, 2010; Shulman, Zlotnik, Shachar-Shapira, Conolly, & Bohr, 2012) . One remedy to counteract this trend is conscientious coparenting— continuing to work together despite altered family dynamics, since such effort positively impacts the children’s future relationships, specifically daughters’ future intimacy (Haaz, Kneavel, & Browning, 2014; Shulman et al., 2012). Another significant factor in children’s future marital success is the …

The Irony Of Empiricism In The Psychology Of Religion, Alex Calder

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Current researchers are considering the relevant new knowledge that psychological studies in the past 100 years have produced concerning the psychology of religion. Experimental methods typically employed have the aim of producing value-neutral scientific results, especially in the arena of religion. How ever, methods are inextricably tied to assumptions, since how a person investigates something reflects their understanding or belief about that thing (Hood, 2013). Those methods present in psychology today take after the natural sciences in an effort to arrogate psychology to the status of a hard science. Naturalist methods are also based on naturalist presuppositions about the nature …

Front Matter 13.1

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.