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Theses/Dissertations

2012

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Articles 31 - 60 of 4281

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Talking Through The Body : A Comparative Study Of Cognitive-Behavioral And Attachment Based Treatments For Childhood Trauma, Eric A. Eichler Dec 2012

Talking Through The Body : A Comparative Study Of Cognitive-Behavioral And Attachment Based Treatments For Childhood Trauma, Eric A. Eichler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Childhood abuse and neglect have been shown to have a devastating impact on an individual's social, emotional, and physical development. This study was undertaken in order to determine the best treatment approach for survivors of childhood trauma. The author investigated the impact of traumatic stress on the brain, and reviewed the psychoanalytic, child development, and neurobiological literature on the importance of the attachment relationship for healthy development. Various perspectives on the diagnosis of childhood trauma were explored, including models that centralize childhood trauma as the cause of much of the spectrum of mental illness we see today. The author researched …


Nature's Ritalin : The Effects Of Green Spaces On Symptoms Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Roger A. Sideman Dec 2012

Nature's Ritalin : The Effects Of Green Spaces On Symptoms Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Roger A. Sideman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the effects of exposure to natural green spaces on symptoms of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among diagnosed college students. Six students from three universities in the San Francisco Bay Area were interviewed regarding the impact of experiences in urban green spaces and wilderness on their perceived attentional functioning, stress, and mood. The study sought to: 1) contribute to the growing base of literature and research on Attention Restoration Theory (ART); 2) offer a potential non-pharmacological alternative treatment for ADHD; and 3) further develop within the field of social work an understanding of the natural environment as it …


The Double Bind Of Triple Jeopardy : Exploring The Impact Of Multiple Minority Stress On Lgbtq-Identified Asian Women In America, Anastasia Y. Taketomo Dec 2012

The Double Bind Of Triple Jeopardy : Exploring The Impact Of Multiple Minority Stress On Lgbtq-Identified Asian Women In America, Anastasia Y. Taketomo

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to determine the impact of multiple minority stress on LGBTQ-identified Asian women living in America. The research explored how the values of families of origin, communities, and chosen families impact identity negotiations, as well as overall quality of life. The findings of this study were utilized to conceptualize best practices for mental health practitioners around better meeting the needs of individuals experiencing multiple minority stress. One hundred and fifty-two women living in the United States responded to a series of multiple choice and narrative response questions via Internet survey. They were asked questions focusing on demographics, …


The Voice Of The Voiceless : Client Perspective Of Therapist Self-Disclosure, Pamela H. Lefever Dec 2012

The Voice Of The Voiceless : Client Perspective Of Therapist Self-Disclosure, Pamela H. Lefever

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study investigated whether the client prefers therapist self-disclosure or therapist non-disclosure during a therapeutic session. In addition, it examined whether the client's preference varied by demographic characteristics. Self-disclosure was limited to therapist self-revealing disclosures which are verbal revelations of a therapist's private life (e.g., experiences, religious beliefs) that are shared in-session with the client. Using a convenience sampling method, sixty adult respondents who had been clients between 2007 and 2012 were selected to provide demographic information and their preference for therapist self-disclosure on 36 close-ended questions. The survey was distributed using the snowball method and SurveyMonkey. …


Adult Attachment Styles Relative To Childhood Exposure To Domestic Violence : Gender Differences, Khadija A. Poitras-Rhea Dec 2012

Adult Attachment Styles Relative To Childhood Exposure To Domestic Violence : Gender Differences, Khadija A. Poitras-Rhea

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to answer the overarching research question: What are the attachment styles of adults who witnessed domestic violence in childhood. A secondary area of interest was to determine gender differences in the attachment styles of adults who did witness domestic violence during childhood. The participants were asked to respond to an anonymous survey that contained demographic questions and thirty six items from the Adult Attachment Web Questionnaire in order to determine their adult attachment style. The participants were placed in subgroups based on whether or not they had witnessed domestic violence and results were further …


Interpreting Trauma : Exploring The Experience Of Compassion Fatigue Among Professional Medical Interpreters : A Project Based On Responses From The Voluntary Participation Of Professional Medical Interpreters At Several Major Urban Health Care Facilities, Jennifer W. White Dec 2012

Interpreting Trauma : Exploring The Experience Of Compassion Fatigue Among Professional Medical Interpreters : A Project Based On Responses From The Voluntary Participation Of Professional Medical Interpreters At Several Major Urban Health Care Facilities, Jennifer W. White

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The nature and breath of the work of professional medical interpreters routinely exposes them to traumatized patients in both medical and psychiatry settings. The literature suggests that such exposure increases their risk for developing compassion fatigue. The aim of this pilot study was to determine if professional medical interpreters (PMI) are at risk for developing compassion fatigue (CF). Methods. An innovative designed was developed to explore possible risk and protective factors associated with the development of CF. Well-validated measures were employed to assess the presence or absence of compassion fatigue in a cohort of professional medical interpreters working in large …


Ecopsychology And Race : An Exploratory Study, Luke B. Woodward Dec 2012

Ecopsychology And Race : An Exploratory Study, Luke B. Woodward

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

While ecopsychology has brought critical attention to the relationship between the natural environment and the human psyche, very little has been written about how race and racism shape our experience of the natural world. This qualitative study asked the following central question: How are race and racism relevant to ecopsychology in theory and practice? Twelve semistructured interviews were conducted with a racially diverse group of ecopsychologists, environmental justice activists and spiritual leaders. Interview data emphasized the importance of employing a broad definition of ecopsychology that encompasses not only the relationship between psyche and nature, but the relationship between psyche, nature …


Resiliency In Survivors Of Human Trafficking : An Exploratory Study Of Clinicians' Perspectives Of Protective Factors, Theresa A. Carter Dec 2012

Resiliency In Survivors Of Human Trafficking : An Exploratory Study Of Clinicians' Perspectives Of Protective Factors, Theresa A. Carter

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores the salutogenic question as it relates to female survivors of human trafficking, "Why, when women are exposed to the same trauma which causes some to become ill, do some remain healthy?" Using a standardized open-ended interview format, this author gathered the perspectives of twelve health and social services providers, including executive directors, case management workers, mental health counselors, and advocates. This data was compiled and analyzed, alongside the existing literature on resiliency and within the framework of Salutogenic Theory. All participants identified protective factors that contribute to resiliency based on their professional work with female survivors …


Dwell In Possibility : An Exploration Of The Use Of Metaphor In Psychotherapy : A Project Based On Interviews With Fourteen Psychotherapists, Heather B. Clarke Dec 2012

Dwell In Possibility : An Exploration Of The Use Of Metaphor In Psychotherapy : A Project Based On Interviews With Fourteen Psychotherapists, Heather B. Clarke

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the use of metaphor in psychotherapy. Fourteen interviews were conducted with psychotherapists with a variety of training and expertise. Each clinician was asked the same six interview questions which attempted to shed light on which metaphors in particular emerged during treatment with patients, whether or not these metaphors reflected the patient's history or diagnosis, the metaphor's relationship to patient affect, the metaphor's influence on the therapeutic alliance, as well as other topics. Primary themes that emerged in multiple interviews included the fact that metaphor may arise from various sources, including dreams as well as spontaneous cocreations …


How Does Homeless Outreach Work : The Perspective Of The Homeless Outreach Worker, Carlos E. Encalada Dec 2012

How Does Homeless Outreach Work : The Perspective Of The Homeless Outreach Worker, Carlos E. Encalada

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory/descriptive study examines the perspective of workers who provide outreach services to a population experiencing street homelessness, about the work they do. It utilizes a convenience sample derived from the diverse workforce of a five-agency collaborative in a large Northeastern U.S. city. The purpose of this study was to give voice to and contextualize the perspective of outreach workers on the nature of work with vulnerable populations. Largely missing from the literature on outreach work with the chronically homeless, the perspective of outreach workers is needed to inform an understanding of the complexities of this work and to support …


Homelessness As Trauma : A Theoretical Analysis Exploring Treatment Of Symptoms Of Grief And Loss In Single African-American Homeless Women, Jesse J. Dice Dec 2012

Homelessness As Trauma : A Theoretical Analysis Exploring Treatment Of Symptoms Of Grief And Loss In Single African-American Homeless Women, Jesse J. Dice

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this theoretical study was to explore and describe the trauma that single homeless African-American women are at risk for before and during homelessness. Grief and loss theory and attachment theory were used to bring attention to the need of addressing traumas during homelessness. Literature was reviewed relating to exploring the areas of cross-sectional identities of race, gender and socioeconomic status within this population, historical contexts of homelessness in the U.S., and homelessness as trauma, to analyze the language used to describe the barriers in receiving treatment as a single homeless African-American woman. Through exploring these topics and …


Hip-Hop As Healer : Black Males' Experience Of Hip-Hop Culture, Tawnee Sae-Saue Dec 2012

Hip-Hop As Healer : Black Males' Experience Of Hip-Hop Culture, Tawnee Sae-Saue

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was developed to explore the experiences that Black men have of hip-hop and its potential healing function. Ten Black men were interviewed in the Los Angeles and Bay Area regarding their experiences as either practitioners or followers of hip-hop. Participants were asked to reflect on the role that hip-hop has played in their lives, hip-hop's effect on their racial identities and its impact on their emotions. All subjects described themselves as having a relationship with hip-hop that was, and continues to be, transformative. Participants described hip-hop as a chosen kinship and described the culture as having a …


Resiliency On The Home Front : Addressing The Needs Of Family And Friends Of Unmarried Military Members During Deployment, Michelle E. Biltz Dec 2012

Resiliency On The Home Front : Addressing The Needs Of Family And Friends Of Unmarried Military Members During Deployment, Michelle E. Biltz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore the needs of family and close friends of unmarried military members. Unmarried military members depend on parents, relatives, siblings, significant others, and close friends for support during deployments, however there is limited research available on the needs of this population. The main research question was: What are the needs of family and close friends of unmarried military members during deployment? A questionnaire was used to recruit participants through Facebook military communities and online military community forums. There were 33 total participants who were asked to identify an unmarried military member with whom they had …


Life In College : An Exploratory Study Examining Undergraduate Students' Experiences With Indirect Aggression, Mary M. Mclaughlin Dec 2012

Life In College : An Exploratory Study Examining Undergraduate Students' Experiences With Indirect Aggression, Mary M. Mclaughlin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The aim of this project was to examine college students' perceptions about a destructive, covert form of bullying known as "indirect aggression." Indirect aggression is a type of social manipulation in which the aggressor manipulates others to attack the victim. This study also collected information about the "reality TV" viewing habits of the sample during high school. The goal was threefold: to pilot a methodology for examining perceptions of indirect aggression in the college student population, to expand our understanding of this covert form of bullying in young adults, and to examine the relationship of reality TV exposure to indirect …


A Theoretical Approach To Understanding Alcohol Misuse In Military Personnel Returning Home From Operation Iraqii (Oif) And Operation Enduring Freedom (Oef), Patrice K. Boyce Dec 2012

A Theoretical Approach To Understanding Alcohol Misuse In Military Personnel Returning Home From Operation Iraqii (Oif) And Operation Enduring Freedom (Oef), Patrice K. Boyce

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis explores the misuse of alcohol in military personnel who are returning home from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study focuses on what occurs to these soldiers upon their return home, as they try to manage their experiences of combat while continuing to fulfill their duties as soldiers, sailors, Marines, airman, and guardians. The comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which sometimes result from traumatic memories and experiences of the Middle East, and the misuse of alcohol which some returning soldiers use as an acceptable tool for numbing symptoms of PTSD are explored in this …


Are We Reaching The Body? : A Study Of Social Workers' Attitudes On The Mind-Body Connection In Trauma Treatment, Samuel R. Douglas Dec 2012

Are We Reaching The Body? : A Study Of Social Workers' Attitudes On The Mind-Body Connection In Trauma Treatment, Samuel R. Douglas

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

A national sample of 39 social workers currently treating traumatized clients in therapy in the United States responded to an anonymous, online survey designed to gauge their attitudes toward the role of the mind-body connection in trauma treatment and recovery. The study sought to ascertain whether the most recent research in the neurobiology of trauma, and the resulting developments in the theory of trauma treatment, had significantly influenced the approach taken by social workers in clinical settings. The findings suggest that social workers have largely embraced the idea of a mind-body connection in trauma, and are inclined—in theory, if less …


Partnering Into Parenthood : Exploring The Relationship Between Coparenting And Couple Satisfaction In Triadic Family Systems, Elizabeth H. Welton Dec 2012

Partnering Into Parenthood : Exploring The Relationship Between Coparenting And Couple Satisfaction In Triadic Family Systems, Elizabeth H. Welton

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed methods study explores qualities in couple relationships, as they emerged in the initial interview of a coparenting intervention, as they relate to couple satisfaction. Fifteen sets of parents were asked to describe and discuss their coparenting and couple relationship in the initial interview. Their degree of couple satisfaction was measured at baseline and again 18 months later, and coparenting and couple qualities were examined side by side with baseline couple satisfaction scores and change scores. By exploring qualities pertaining to the coparenting and couple subsystems during early parenthood, this study illuminates the complex interplay between coparenting and couple …


Multicultural Competency, Training, And Outreach And Setting : A Quantitative Study With College Counselors, Eline Potoski Dec 2012

Multicultural Competency, Training, And Outreach And Setting : A Quantitative Study With College Counselors, Eline Potoski

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study looked at differences in multicultural competencies of college counselors by training, outreach, institutional setting, and demographic characteristics and their relationship to multicultural counseling competencies as measured by the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale. Using a non-experimental cross-sectional design, this study gathered information from 77 college counselors responding to a web-based, self-report survey. The participants for this study were drawn from a non-probability sample of college counseling center staff currently employed at a college counseling center and currently providing counseling services to college or university students. The study found that training, outreach and certain institutional setting characteristics, such …


Disordered Eating Attitudes And Behaviors : Comparing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender And Queer Women To Women Who Identify As Straight, Mellissa T. Bonilla Dec 2012

Disordered Eating Attitudes And Behaviors : Comparing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender And Queer Women To Women Who Identify As Straight, Mellissa T. Bonilla

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study used a quantitative, fixed-method research design to explore the trends of eating disordered attitudes and behaviors in women. Specifically, it investigated whether there were differences in prevalence of eating disordered attitudes and behaviors between heterosexual women and women who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer. Participants were found using snowball sampling. 556 women participated in the research by completing an online survey. The survey instrument they were then asked to complete was EAT-26, used to asses if a person may be at high risk for an eating disorder. The ages of the participants ranged from 18-83 …


Enduring Loss : A Critique Of Cultural Competence Literature In Social Work Practice With Latin American Immigrants, Tamara Bransburg Dec 2012

Enduring Loss : A Critique Of Cultural Competence Literature In Social Work Practice With Latin American Immigrants, Tamara Bransburg

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

In this paper I will use the concept of melancholia to critique and improve upon the theoretical constructs that are typically used in social work practice literature to understand the experience of Latin American immigrants. I will argue that acculturation and cultural competence models (re)enforce categories of self and other and reify notions of cultural authenticity that negate the complexity and specificity of immigrant experiences. In so doing, social work practice has taken up the United States' hegemonic narrative around immigration. As a challenge to this collaboration, I will propose an exploration of the concept of melancholia to inform social …


Psychotherapists' Decisions Regarding Boundary Crossings In Outpatient Practice, Victoria E. Brinckerhoff Dec 2012

Psychotherapists' Decisions Regarding Boundary Crossings In Outpatient Practice, Victoria E. Brinckerhoff

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This research study was a quantitative, exploratory investigation of the experiences and opinions of outpatient psychotherapists regarding decisions about crossing boundaries within clinical practice. The focus was on boundary-crossing behavior, as distinguished from boundaryviolating behavior, in that boundary crossings are not necessarily harmful, and at times may be helpful to the client. An electronic questionnaire, developed specifically for this research, was administered anonymously to 46 practicing clinicians in the United States. The major areas of inquiry were the following: boundary-crossing decisions with which clinicians experienced the most difficulty, factors influencing decisions regarding boundary dilemmas, and types of resources that clinicians …


Screening Techniques : Clinicians' Views And Approaches To Assessing Alcohol And Substance Use In Older Adults, Erin M. Conlan Dec 2012

Screening Techniques : Clinicians' Views And Approaches To Assessing Alcohol And Substance Use In Older Adults, Erin M. Conlan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examined how New York State licensed clinicians approach the initial assessment and ongoing treatment of older adults (55+) identified to be struggling with alcohol or substance misuse issues. The research questions specifically asked: Do clinicians assess for alcohol and substance misuse in the older adult patients they serve? What are the mediating factors within this assessment and treatment process? This study was initiated in an exploratory fashion because of the limited amount of research available which investigates the relationship between clinicians' attitudes and approaches to this work with the rapidly growing older adult populations they serve. Given …


Therapeutic Physical Intervention And Direct Care Behavioral Health Providers : A Project Based Upon An Investigation Of Direct Care Behavioral Health Providers' Experiences Of Therapeutic Interventions, Rebecca H. Voit Dec 2012

Therapeutic Physical Intervention And Direct Care Behavioral Health Providers : A Project Based Upon An Investigation Of Direct Care Behavioral Health Providers' Experiences Of Therapeutic Interventions, Rebecca H. Voit

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship among the frequency and perceived emotional intensity of therapeutic physical interventions, social support in the work place, and levels of compassion satisfaction/fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. This study explored the experiences of direct care behavioral health providers who work with service users in therapeutic milieus across the country. It was hypothesized that as the frequency and emotional intensity of therapeutic physical interventions increased, levels of compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress would increase. A negative relationship was hypothesized to occur between social support in the work place …


The Essence Of Beauty : Examining The Impact Of Idealized Beauty Standards On College-Age African America Women, Tiffany M. Paschal Dec 2012

The Essence Of Beauty : Examining The Impact Of Idealized Beauty Standards On College-Age African America Women, Tiffany M. Paschal

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examined the psychological and emotional effects of contemporary western society's standards of beauty on college-age African American women. Various studies on perception of beauty have explored body image perception from a middle class Caucasian perspective; and as a result, body image conceptualization from the perspective of African American women has gone unnoticed (Spurgas, 2005, Hatcher, 2007, Hall 1995). Previous literature suggests that African American women define self-perception and beauty differently from mainstream definitions. This study involved conducting a focus group with eighteen students between the ages of 18 and 25 who were enrolled at a Historically Black …


Women's Social And Emotional Experiences With Abortion, Alicia M. Flanagan Dec 2012

Women's Social And Emotional Experiences With Abortion, Alicia M. Flanagan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed methods exploratory study piloted a non-validated online qualitative survey instrument to assess women's social and emotional experiences with abortion stigma from women recruited on college campuses in New England. Abortion stigma is defined as prejudices and discrimination directed at women who have abortions, and people and institutions that support women who have abortions. Thirty-nine women took an online survey instrument that asked respondents to: provide their reproductive health histories; report when they first learned of abortion; give information regarding their community's attitudes about abortion; state their feelings about abortion. Eight women, sampled from the qualitative survey pool, participated …


Widening The Lens : A Snapshot Of Parenting Coordination, Elisabeth N. Callahan Dec 2012

Widening The Lens : A Snapshot Of Parenting Coordination, Elisabeth N. Callahan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Parenting coordination is an innovative alternative dispute resolution process that assists separating or divorced parents who are deadlocked in high levels of conflict. The primary aim of this process is to reduce conflict between parents in order to support healthier child adjustment. Parenting coordinators (PCs) assist parents in disengaging from their couple relationship and replacing it with a co-parenting relationship that enables them to continue to effectively parent their children in a cooperative, if not a coordinated, fashion. This cross-sectional descriptive study investigates PCs' perceptions about the process and the families engaged in it with them, based on a sample …


Experiences Of Discrimination Among Arab Americans And Muslim Americans Post-9/11 Attacks, Lenna Jawdat Dec 2012

Experiences Of Discrimination Among Arab Americans And Muslim Americans Post-9/11 Attacks, Lenna Jawdat

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explored the experiences of discrimination among Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in the United States following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Although previous research has documented discrimination among these groups, many of these are quantitative studies that fail to capture their qualitative experiences. Twenty-eight Arab American and Muslim American adults completed a mixed methods survey which asked respondents how the events of 9/11 impacted their sense of safety and security. Additionally, they were asked to explore their experiences of discrimination since 9/11 and to speak about their experiences of media bias. The findings indicate that many Arab …


The Influence Of Interracial/Interethnic Relationships With Black, Latino, And Native American Men On Race/Ethnic Identity Of A Group Of Asian American Women, Malyna Kettavong Dec 2012

The Influence Of Interracial/Interethnic Relationships With Black, Latino, And Native American Men On Race/Ethnic Identity Of A Group Of Asian American Women, Malyna Kettavong

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore the research question of "How do interracial/interethnic relationships with Black, Latino, and Native American men influence the race/ethnic identity of Asian American women?" Although there is a plethora of research on Asian and White interracial relationships, there are no studies that look at interracial relationships between Asian women and Black, Hispanic and Native American men. Also, only a couple of the current studies have examined how interracial relationships influence the perception by Asian women of their racial/ethnic identity. Nine Asian American women residing in various parts of the United States participated in this research …


Addressing Manifestations Of Oppression At End-Of-Life Among African Americans : Unpacking White Privilege In Hospice Care, Nikki M. Bagli Dec 2012

Addressing Manifestations Of Oppression At End-Of-Life Among African Americans : Unpacking White Privilege In Hospice Care, Nikki M. Bagli

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The U.S. Census shows that African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population and have higher mortality rates than whites but they only account for 8.9% of the hospice population. This qualitative study examined variables needed to expand hospice services among African Americans, and whether race-based historical injustice needed to be addressed with patients at end-of-life. The investigation is based on the perspectives of seven African American hospice patients receiving in- and out-patient services through one hospice program in the Southeast, U.S. Hospice usage was considered from a relational perspective whereby the cultures of both African Americans and hospice …


From Postmodern To Psychodynamics : Deconstructing Sex Offender Registration And Notification Policies, Sherri A. Brown Dec 2012

From Postmodern To Psychodynamics : Deconstructing Sex Offender Registration And Notification Policies, Sherri A. Brown

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis is a multilayered study that interrogates Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) policies from many angles: 1) a deconstruction of the legislation itself (logistics, stipulations, restrictions and enforcement); 2) the impact such policies have on individuals who are required to register; 3) the impact on communities in creating public spaces that are increasingly policed and thereby adding to the expansion of the prison industrial complex; 4) the implications and effectiveness sex offender registries (SORs) have in preventing sexually predatory behavior and acts of sexual violence; and 5) the implicit values and beliefs underlying hegemonic U.S. discourse surrounding …