Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Identity Discrepancy, Male Role Norms, And Mental And Physical Health, Daniel Kevin Mckelvey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Male gender role norms were considered from a self-discrepancy perspective. The male gender role was divided into 4 perspective domain combinations based on the participant's perceptions: self-ideal/ought, other-ideal/ought, self-actual, other-actual. These categories were assessed using an adapted form of the Male Role Norms Inventory-Revised (Levant et al., 2007). It was hypothesized that large discrepancies between the perspective domains in a male's gender role concept would be significantly related to depression, anxiety, and lower general health quality, and this relationship would be moderated by the centrality of the perspective domains to the participant's gender role concept and by the centrality of …

Nutrition Status Of Primary Care Patients With Depression And Anxiety, Adrienne K. Forsyth, Peter G. Williams, Frank P. Deane

Frank Deane

The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutrition status of people referred to a nutrition and physical activity program for the management of mental health in a general practice.

Assessing The Effect Of Relocation Control On Psychological Well-Being Of Assisted Living Residents, Young Sook Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Recent evidence and prior research document that increasing numbers of older adults are experiencing relocation to an assisted living facility (ALF), and that involuntary ALF relocatees face a great risk of psychological distress because of the numerous stressors associated with this relocation. However, little empirical research has clearly investigated the interrelationship among major factors and their effects on the psychological well-being of AL residents: relocation control, mediators of stress (e.g., social support, self-reported health, and functional impairment) and psychological well-being.

This study had two aims: (a) to investigate the relationship between relocation control and psychological well-being (e.g., depression, …

The Relationship Among Maternal Parenting Stress, Coping, And Depressive Symptoms Across Time, Karen Foren Lake

Theses and Dissertations

This study was a secondary analysis in which the relationship among maternal parenting stress, coping, and depressive symptoms over time in 161 low-income mothers who participated in an Early Head Start Pathways Project were examined. Measurements were assessed longitudinally over a 12 year period of time. Direct and indirect relationships were proposed between maternal mastery, pre-existing depressive symptoms, relationship with significant other, child behavior, child temperament, maternal parenting stress, coping, and later depressive symptoms. Results from path analyses showed that when assessed earlier in the childbearing years, mastery, depressive symptoms, relationship with significant other, child temperament, child behavior, and maternal …

An Evaluation Of Social Capital's Effect On Depression Among Adolescents, Ezechukwu Awgu

Dissertations

Mental illness has been described as a “global burden of disease,” and depression accounts for a large part of the burden (Aslund, Starrin, Nilsson, 2010). In 2009, 35.7 percent of the adolescent population in the United States who reported past-year symptoms of a major depressive episode, for example, feelings of sadness, discouragement, loss of feelings of self-worth, and loss of interest in social activities, also used illicit drugs including marijuana, inhalants, hallucinogens, cocaine, heroin, and prescription-type psychotherapeutics for non-medical purposes (SAMHSA, 2009, APA, 1994). Additionally, substance abuse due to alcoholism was among the major causes of death for adolescents aged …

Validation Of The Self-Compassion Scale: Correlations With The Beck Depression Inventory-Ii, Pär Daniel Andréasson

Master's Theses

Self-compassion denotes a compassionate and empathic attitude toward oneself (Neff, 2003b). In the past decade, the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) has been used to measure self-compassion in individuals and its effects on social, psychological, and physiological functioning. While many studies have found positive effects of high self- compassion showing promise for the use of the construct in clinical and empirical applications, there is a dearth of literature regarding the psychometric properties of the SCS. Furthermore, previous studies have not evaluated the individual subscales of the SCS as they relate to other inventories. This study evaluated the SCS and its subscales in …

Research Brief: "The Durability Of Beneficial Health Effects Associated With Expressive Writing", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief summarizes a scholarly article of the same name. It reviews research which evaluates the impact of expressive writing on lessening the symptoms of long term depression and mental health issues.

Dealing With Uncertainty In Life Commitment: Deciding On A Career, Victoria Alexander, Richard Hicks, Dee Bartrum

Richard Hicks

Resilience and resourcefulness are needed in dealing with major life issues. One such issue faced by all young people is that of career choice, because the effects are life-long in terms of satisfaction, wellbeing and lifestyle choice. This chapter looks at how resilient young people feel (degree of career certainty or uncertainty , or indecision), and what internal resources there are that help or hinder them in those choices. Resourcefulness is thought to be related to optimism and emotional intelligence, and to emotional wellbeing and stability. The situation which young people face represents challenges for them, as they are often …

Study Protocol: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Computer-Based Depression And Substance Abuse Intervention For People Attending Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, Peter J. Kelly, Frances Kay-Lambkin, Amanda Baker, Frank P. Deane, Adam C. Brooks, Alexandra Mitchell, Sarah Marshall, Meredith Whittington, Genevieve A. Dingle

Frank Deane

"Background: A large proportion of people attending residential alcohol and other substance abuse treatment have a co-occurring mental illness. Empirical evidence suggests that it is important to treat both the substance abuse problem and co-occurring mental illness concurrently and in an integrated fashion. However, the majority of residential alcohol and other substance abuse services do not address mental illness in a systematic way. It is likely that computer delivered interventions could improve the ability of substance abuse services to address co-occurring mental illness. This protocol describes a study in which we will assess the effectiveness of adding a computer delivered …

Drug–Drug Conditioning Between Citalopram And Haloperidol Or Olanzapine In A Conditioned Avoidance Response Model: Implications For Polypharmacy In Schizophrenia, Nathan L. Sparkman, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Patients with schizophrenia often have anxiety and depression, and thus are treated with multiple psychotherapeutic medications. This practice of polypharmacy increases the possibility for drug–drug interactions. However, the pharmacological and behavioral mechanisms underlying drug–drug interactions in schizophrenia remain poorly understood. In the present study, we adopted a preclinical approach and examined a less known behavioral mechanism, drug–drug conditioning (DDC) between haloperidol (a typical antipsychotic) or olanzapine (atypical antipsychotic) and citalopram (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). A rat two-way conditioned avoidance response paradigm was used to measure antipsychotic activity and determine how DDC may alter the antipsychotic efficacy in this model. …

Joining The Dots: Neurobiological Links In A Functional Analysis Of Depression, Christopher F. Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika

Vicki Bitsika

Depression is one of the major contributors to the Total Disease Burden and afflicts about one-sixth of Western populations. One of the most effective treatments for depression focuses upon analysis of causal chains in overt behaviour, but does not include brain-related phenomena as steps along these causal pathways. Recent research findings regarding the neurobiological concomitants of depressive behaviour suggest a sequence of structural and functional alterations to the brain which may also produce a beneficial outcome for the depressed individual--that of adaptive withdrawal from uncontrollable aversive stressors. Linking these brain-based explanations to models of observable contingencies for depressive behaviour can …

The Impact Of Students' 'Internally' Versus 'Externally' Oriented Coping Strategies Upon Anxiety And Depression: Implications For Counselling Processes, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Aspasia Aroutzidis, Dimity Smith

Vicki Bitsika

As a preliminary investigation of the implications for counselling practice of Purpose in Life (PIL), Search for Neotic Goals (SONG) and Conscientiousness (CON) as potential buffers against anxiety and depression among university student clients, 398 students from a university in eastern Australia completed measures of these constructs. Results indicated that, although having a clear PIL and being conscientious were negatively associated with anxiety and depression, SONG was positively linked with these disorders. More importantly for counselling processes, up to 10% of those students whose anxiety and depression would make them most likely to seek counselling showed inverse relationships between PIL, …

Is Depression 'Evolutionary' Or Just 'Adaptive'? A Comment, Christoper F. Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika

Vicki Bitsika

Some recent explanations of depression have suggested that it may be “evolutionary” in that there are advantages to the depressed individual which arise from some aspects of depressive symptomatology. While the depressive behaviour of withdrawal from the adverse environment may provide some immediate benefits to the depressed individual, thus making it potentially “adaptive” in the short-term, this does not fit the biological definition of “evolutionary”. In fact, depression does not meet two of the three required criteria from natural selection in order to be evolutionary. Therefore, while some depressive behaviour may be advantageous for the depressed individual, and is therefore …

The Specific Environmental Antecedents Of Anxiety And Depression Among Australian University Students: Development Of The Effects Of University Study On Lifestyle Questionnaire, Vicki Bitsika, Christoper Sharpley, Leslie Hartley

Vicki Bitsika

A 60-item scale of stressors that had been developed from interviews with 32 individual students was evaluated by administration to 402 students at an Australian university. As well as data that showed frequency of stressor occurrence to be a more powerful predictor of anxiety and depression than degree of discomfort that the stressor induced, psychometric data from this participant sample enabled refinement of the original scale by deleting several items, thus producing a 42-item scale for further investigation. Implications for use of the scale to identify the "causal" stressors which students experience and which lead to anxiety and depression, are …

Variability In Anxiety And Depression Over Time Following Diagnosis In Patients With Prostate Cancer, Christoper Sharpley, David Christie, Vicki Bitsika

Vicki Bitsika

To determine the presence and nature of variability in anxiety and depression in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) over 3 years following diagnosis, 442 patients with PCa completed standardized anxiety and depression inventories via survey between 1 and 36 months after receiving their initial diagnosis. Data were analyzed from a series of 3-month cohorts, and results indicated that total scores and incidence of clinically significant anxiety and depression varied over time, but that this variability was restricted to specific subfactors of anxiety and depression. Provision of effective psychological treatment to patients with PCa is discussed.

Incidence And Nature Of Anxiety-Depression Comorbidity In Prostate Cancer Patients, Christoper Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Background: The aim of this study was to measure the incidence of anxiety-depression comorbidity among a sample of prostate cancer (PCa) patients and to investigate the total score, factor score and scale item differences across subgroups defined according to the presence of anxiety and/or depression. Methods: 491 PCa patients who had received their initial diagnosis between 1 and 113 months previously completed a survey of background variables, as well as the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety and Depression Scales (SAS, SDS). Results: Incidence of anxiety-depression comorbidity was nearly 16%, and higher than that previously reported in other samples. Although the directional differences …

Gender Differences In Factor Scores Of Anxiety And Depression Among Australian University Students: Implications For Counselling Interventions, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley, Therese Melhem

Vicki Bitsika

Anxiety and depression inventory scores from 200 male and female university students attending a private university in Australia were examined for their factor structure. Once established, the two sets of factors were tested for gender-based differences, revealing that females were more likely than males to report symptomatology associated with pain and fatigue, sleeping and digestive problems, psychomotor agitation, confusion, and pessimism. Implications for counsellors are discussed.

What Stresses University Students: An Interview Investigation Of The Demands Of Tertiary Studies, Vicki Bitsika, Christoper Sharpley, Vira Rubenstein

Vicki Bitsika

Although several previous scales have been developed to measure the presence and effects of the stressful demands encountered by university students, most of these have been validated with samples drawn from US universities, commonly using only undergraduate psychology students. In addition, many of the items used are from scales designed for application within general adult populations, with little focus upon the specific stressors met by students. In order to identify what are the major changes these students encounter that they find stressful, a sample of 32 university students from different degree areas within an Australian university was individually interviewed using …

The Role Of Melancholia In Prostate Cancer Patients' Depression, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Background: Although it is well established that prostate cancer (PCa) patients are more likely to experience clinical depression than their age-matched non-prostate cancer peers, and that such depression can have negative effects upon survival, little is known about the underlying nature of the depressive symptomatology that these men experience. In particular, the incidence of melancholic symptoms of depression, which are signs of increased risk of suicide and resistance to treatment, has not previously been reported in PCa patients. The present study aimed to measure the incidence and nature of Melancholia in PCa depression.

Method: A sample of 507 …

'What Made Me Unhappy'. Experiences Of, And Responses To, Lifestyle Changes In Breast Cancer Patients, Vicki Bitsika, Christoper Sharpley, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Sixteen breast cancer patients were interviewed about any lifestyle changes they had experienced and their reactions to those changes. Data were collected and analysed via content analysis and then summary tabulations of patient responses until replication of responses was verified across patients. Results indicated that most patients suffered a reduction in recreation activities, unpleasant physical side effects from treatment and loss of feminine appearance characteristics, all of which were seen as decreases in previously available and valuable sources of social support and self-esteem. In response to these losses, patients reported a common coping strategy of avoidance or escape similar to …

Assessment Of Co-Occurring Depression And Substance Use In An Ethnically Diverse Patient Sample During Behavioral Health Intake Interviews, Sarah Darghouth, Ora Nakash, Alisa Miller, Margarita Alegría

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Background: Co-occurring disorders present a challenge for providers who often fail to diagnose them with accuracy. This study explores the assessment process of co-occurring depressive and substance use disorders in community health clinics serving ethnically diverse patients. The goals are to identify how symptoms discussed in intake, as well as patient and provider characteristics, are associated with receiving a diagnosis of co-occurring disorders or not. Methods: Participation in the study consisted of videotaping the intake, conducting a semi-structured interview, and completing demographic and clinical measures. Quantitative analyses were conducted based on information coded from videotapes of intakes with 119 patients …

Religion, Religiosity And Depression: Re-Assessing Their Relationship, Maximo Rossi, Shoshana Neuman, Natalia Melgar

Maximo Rossi

We provide evidence on the significant effect of religiosity (measured by attendance to religious services) on reducing depression. In particular, it is found a significant negative effect of religiosity on the probability of being depressed. Findings of previous studies are extended by showing that while the religious denomination seems to have a non-significant effect on the probably of depression, other aspects of religiosity, in particular the religious diversity of the country of residence does affect the prospects of depression. The probability of being depressed is higher, the lower the religious diversity. Other personal socio-economic variables have the expected and documented …

A Study Of Social Injustice And Forgiveness In The Case Of North Korean Refugees, Jin Uk Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study evaluated the psychometric utility of Decisional Forgiveness Scale and Emotional Forgiveness Scale for the North Korean refugee population and explored the relationship among social adaptation, religious commitment, unforgiveness, forgiveness style and mental health variables (trauma symptoms and depression) among North Korean refugees. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted to investigate the North Korean version of DFS and EFS with collected data from 269 North Korean refugees. The forgiveness instruments, when modified with appropriate item deletions, could be considered as useful for North Korean refugees. In the Multiple Regression Analysis, four of five predictors (social adaptation, hurt characteristics, forgiveness …

Depression As A Risk Factor For Breast Cancer : Investigating Methodological Limitations In The Literature., Patrick Pössel, Erica Adams, Jeffrey C. Valentine

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose: A relationship between depression and the development of breast cancer has not been convincingly shown in the research conducted over the past three decades. Methods: In an effort to better understand the conflicting results, a review was conducted focusing on the methodological problems associated with this literature, including time frame between the assessment of depression and the diagnosis of breast cancer and the use of somatic items in measuring depression. Fifteen breast cancer prospective studies were reviewed. Results: While twelve of the studies found positive associations between depression and breast cancer development, three studies found negative associations. With regards …

Insight Into The Parenthood Paradox: Mental Health Outcomes Of Intensive Mothering, Holly H. Schiffrin, Kathryn Rizzo, Miriam Liss

Psychological Science

Though people often report wanting to have children because they think it will make them happier, much research suggests that parenting is associated with decreased well-being. Other studies have found that parenting is related to increased life satisfaction. The goal of this study was to provide insight into this paradox by investigating the relationship between a specific way of parenting, intensive parenting, and maternal mental health. An online survey was completed by 181 mothers with children ages 5 and under. Intensive mothering beliefs correlated with several negative mental health outcomes. Controlling for perceived family social support, the belief that women …

Interpretive Bias In The Context Of Life Stress And Depression: An Examination Of Stress Generation And Diathesis-Stress Models, Pamela M. Seeds

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Purpose: Researchers have recently demonstrated interest in interpretive bias, the tendency to interpret ambiguous information more negatively and/or less positively. The extent to which interpretive biases influence the occurrence of life stressors and potentially compound the negative effects of life stress in the development of depression is presently unknown. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate interpretive bias for ambiguous social information within the context of stress and depression. This study examined interpretive bias in the context of two theoretically and empirically supported models of depression – stress generation and diathesis-stress – to determine the mechanism through which …

Correlation Between Facebook Usage And Loneliness And Depression, Jasmine (Chi Man) Tang, Michael Livingston

Psychology Faculty Publications

Facebook has emerged into our society within the last couple years as a powerful social phenomenon. 11.5% of the world population are active users of Facebook while there is a serious lack of psychological theory relating to functions or effects of Facebook. Researchers began realizing the importance of investigating the usage of Facebook and how that might be related to different personality traits. However, not much research has been done on how Facebook use could be related to our social well-beings.

The current study aims to investigate how the use of Facebook influences loneliness and depression. The results showed that …

Depression And Quality Of Life In Cancer Survivors: Is There A Relationship With Physical Activity?, Nancy Humpel, Donald Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Background Evidence is growing on the benefit of physical activity to improve well-being following a cancer diagnosis. This study examined changes in physical activity from pre to post diagnosis and explored this relationship with quality of life and depression. Methods Participants were recruited by posters and by letter of invitation. The questionnaire was completed by 59 prostate and 32 breast cancer survivors. Results Physical activity decreased by 72 minutes per week from pre to post diagnosis, although 20.9% reported having increased activity post diagnosis. Over 30% were considered depressed. Breast cancer participants who increased physical activity post diagnosis reported higher …

Elevated Depressive Symptoms In A Community Sample Of African-Americans And Whites, Robert J. Jagers, Fernando A. Wagner, Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Yan Wang, Dorothy C. Browne

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This study examined demographic and psychosocial correlates of elevated depressive symptoms among African-Americans and Whites from comparable socioeconomic and neighborhood backgrounds. 851 African-Americans and 597 Whites from adjacent census tracts were interviewed using previously validated indicators of depressive symptoms, social support, religious practices and various demographic characteristics. More Whites than African-Americans reported elevated depressive symptoms and the groups also differed on several demographic variables and psychosocial variables. Employment, marital status and age were salient demographic covariates for African Americans, while income was for Whites. For both groups, social support and church attendance were inversely associated with depressive symptoms. Prayer was …

Patient Perceptions Of Comorbid Depression In Heart Disease, Rebecca Lynn Reese Akcakaya

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Depression is a risk factor for the development of heart disease, as well as for poor prognosis among patients with existing disease. However, clinical trials of treatment of depression in patients with heart disease have not resulted in improved cardiac outcomes, and have demonstrated modest effects on depression. The nature of depression in heart patients must be better understood in order to improve treatment and health outcomes. In samples of patients with medical illness as well as in patients with depression, illness perceptions have been useful in predicting both treatment outcomes and self-management behaviors such as coping and adherence. This …