Psychology Commons^™

Physiological Correlates Of Affective Decision-Making In Anxiety And Depression, Louisa I. Thompson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Improving our understanding of cognitive and physiological profiles in anxiety and depression has the potential to reveal novel ways to target and improve treatments for these prevalent mental health conditions. The present study examined the impact of self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms on three established decision-making measures, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT; Bechara, Damasio, Damasio, & Anderson, 1994), Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART; Lejuez et al., 2002), and Game of Dice Task (GDT; Brand et al., 2005), in a diverse sample of 100 college students (age 18 to 35). Physiological measures of tonic heart rate variability and galvanic skin response …

The Transgenerational Transmission Of Emotion Regulation: The Effect Of Maternal Coping On Child Executive Functioning, Devon J. Harrison

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There is a recognized link between maternal trauma history and adverse child outcomes, however the mechanisms underlying this intergenerational relationship are less clearly understood. Maternal emotion regulation, as measured by coping style, may help explain this cross-generational transmission, implicating the role of a mother’s coping in her child’s capacity to plan, attend, and self-inhibit. Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the association between maternal coping style and child executive functioning (EF) in a sample of 188 urban mothers and their pre-adolescent and adolescent children. Data was analyzed from a larger cross-sectional and cross-generational study of maternal difficulties …

A Conceptualization Of The Body In Psychodynamic And Body-Based Psychotherapies: Areas Of Overlap And Possibilities For Integration, Aleksandra Rayska

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The distinction between verbal and nonverbal psychotherapies is clearly visible in theory and clinical practice. Moreover, this duality of approaches promotes a split between the body and the mind, defining them as separate from each other. This dissertation helps bridge the divide between the literature in body-based therapies and verbally-based psychotherapy by (i) exploring the conceptual frame used to understand the body in psychodynamic therapy (ii) identifying the areas of overlap between psychodynamic theory and theories that underlie body-based psychotherapies, and (iii) proposing ways in which psychodynamic and body-based theories can inform one another. A clinical case was used to …

Women’S Sexual Fantasies In Context: The Emotional Content Of Sexual Fantasies, Psychological And Interpersonal Distress, And Satisfaction In Romantic Relationships, Sarah Constantine

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Psychoanalytic thinkers propose that aspects of an individual’s sexual fantasies are related to her psychological and interpersonal functioning. The present study aims to elucidate the significance of sexual fantasies with respect to women’s emotional and interpersonal lives. The study evaluated a model, which hypothesized that internal representations of self and others (e.g. attachment security, maturity of object relations) along with psychological and interpersonal factors would predict both the emotional content (guilt, fear, affection) of written sexual fantasy narratives, and overall romantic satisfaction in heterosexual women. Methods: Five hundred and thirty four women completed self-report questionnaires online. Subsequently, the sexual …

The Relationships Among Different Traits Of Masculinity And Intimate Partner Violence, Jennifer E. Loveland

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research has shown that distinct yet overlapping concepts of dominance, hostility towards women, and sexism—all indices of masculinity—influence the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV), although the mechanisms are unclear. This paper seeks to explore the relationship between these individual-level trait measures of masculinity and two aspects of IPV, physical violence and coercive control. With inconsistent findings and the limited study of clinical populations, further examination of these concepts may provide increased understanding of the mechanisms behind IPV perpetration. Results will provide a greater understanding of the complexity of this violence in order to better assist individuals experiencing IPV.

Non-Contact Sex Offenders And Public Perception The Importance Of Victim Type And Crime Location, Chelsea Gold

Student Theses

It is estimated that 10% of Americans will be the victim of a non-contact sex offense in their lifetime. Non-contact sexual offenses include unsolicited exposure to sexual situations, verbal and behavioral sexual harassment, threats, and unsolicited use of a person’s image in a sexual manner. This study will specifically look at exhibitionism, voyeurism, and frotteurism. Historically these sex crimes have been considered nuisance behaviors, however, some recent research suggests that these crimes may negatively impact the victims. This study experimentally examined people’s perceptions of non-contact sex offenses and the type of consequences that should be incurred for these crimes. Further, …

Who Posts Selfies And Why?: Personality, Attachment Style, And Mentalization As Predictors Of Selfie Posting On Social Media, Nancy Adler

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines the phenomenon of selfie posting on social media and its relationship to narcissism, the Dark Triad, impulsivity, attachment style, rejection sensitivity, and reflective functioning. The sample was made up of 499 participants who completed an online survey consisting of personality measures and open- and closed-ended questions about selfie posting behavior. Data were analyzed using a negative binomial regression model.

Results: The study found that individuals with high levels of the Dark Triad trait of psychopathy post more selfies on social media than do individuals with low levels of the trait. The Dark Triad trait of narcissism was …

Activation And Habituation Of The Cingulate Cortex During Emotion Processing In Healthy Controls, Borderline, And Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Emily Balevich

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Disturbances in emotional functioning are central features of the clinical profiles of both borderline and schizotypal personality disorder (BPD and SPD, respectively). BPD is characterized by a high sensitivity to emotional stimuli and unusually strong and long-lasting reactions, indicative of impaired habituation to emotional stimuli (Linehan, 1993). Previous research suggests that SPD patients demonstrate limbic hyper-reactivity to unpleasant stimuli, at least initially, but intact habituation to repeated presentation of unpleasant stimuli (Hazlett et al., 2012). The cingulate cortex supports various aspects of emotion processing and regulation, and abnormalities of this region have been related to emotion dysfunction in SPD and …

The Contributions Of Child And Romantic Attachment To Sleep Quality, Karen Estefane

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Little is known about the relation between attachment and sleep, although both develop around the first year of life and mutually influence each other. Furthermore, attachment styles and dimensions have been associated with sleep difficulties in both childhood and adulthood. However, these findings have not been consistent, especially among dismissing individuals. In addition, the specific contributions of both child and romantic attachment to sleep quality have not been investigated thus far. This cross-sectional study aims to examine the ways child and romantic attachment are associated with sleep quality. A sample of 671 heterosexual residents of the United States, aged 18 …

The Impact Of Spirituality And Trauma On Appraisals Of Psychotic-Like Experiences, Kathleen Isaac

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: A substantial portion of the general population (2.5% to 31.4% internationally) reports psychotic-like experiences, which are paranormal, psychic or bizarre perceptual experiences such as voice hearing, or holding strong beliefs (i.e. superstitions) that are neither experienced as pathological nor indicative of a psychotic disorder. Cognitive models of psychosis suggest that the cognitive appraisal (i.e. personal interpretation) of the experience may help distinguish non-clinical psychotic-like experiences from clinical psychotic symptoms. This dissertation attempted to add to cognitive models by assessing whether cultural and personal factors such as spirituality and trauma inform the appraisals of anomalous experiences. This study used a …

Psychoanalysis And Modernity: A Failure To Find Relief From Existential Terror, Erin Liat Claridge

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project considers the ways in which culture—the symbols and institutions that guide behavior and provide meaning to the individuals living within a community—serves a defensive function against conscious awareness of existential terror. The term existential terror refers to the cognitive and emotional experience of recognizing the inevitability of death, which is often accompanied by feelings of angst, isolation from others, and awareness of meaninglessness. In this dissertation, I will argue that the broad shift from traditional culture based on Judeo-Christian religious beliefs and communal forms of social life to modernity represents a slow but destabilizing deterioration of the defensive …

Criminal Responsibility: Meta-Analysis And Study Space, Lauren E. Kois

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Criminal responsibility (CR; i.e., sanity) has garnered significant research attention over the years. While some variables predicting insanity outcomes are consistent, others are not. Study-level characteristics, such as sample selection, variability in the operational definition of insanity, or other unknown influences may explain discrepant findings. It is critical to consolidate these variables and systematically assess differences in methodology to understand the state of the literature and to guide future research. As such, I conducted the first meta-analysis and study space analysis (see Malpass et al., 2008) in this area. Only 16 studies met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Summary effects …

Making Sense Of Missing Sessions: Attendance Patterns In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Substance Use Disorder Treatments, Margaret Rauen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current study examined the diverse ways individuals with co-occurring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorders (PTSD-SUD) attend treatment. The study was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial for PTSD-SUD (Ruglass et al., 2017), in which participants meeting criteria for both PTSD and SUD (N=82) were randomized to either Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and SUD using Prolonged Exposure (COPE: n=39) or Relapse Prevention Therapy (RPT: n=43). Latent class growth analysis (Muthén & Muthén, 2000) revealed three distinct classes of attendance as the model of best fit. Diagnostic, but not demographic, variables were significantly associated with treatment attendance …

Parental Distress And Child Behavior Problems: Parenting Behaviors As Mediators, Catherine M. Sanner

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) typically report higher levels of parental stress than parents of typically developing children. While the majority of the literature addresses child behavior problems as predictors of parental stress, research has shown that the relation is bi-directional. However, very little research has examined the effects of parental stress on child behavior problems and the possible parenting factors that may explain this relation. The current study utilized data from the Mindful Awareness for Parenting Stress (MAPS) study (N = 31; % male = 67.7, mean age = 3.5, SD = .96; 81% ethic minority), and …

Relational Savoring Among Intimate Partners Of Cancer Patients, Adrianna Elyse Holness

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research suggests that intimate partners of cancer patients experience similar, if not higher, levels of distress and depression than the patient with regards to the cancer diagnosis. This stress can impact the quality of the relationship and the subsequent care and attention given to cancer patients. As such, identifying factors that can enhance marital relationships during times of illness is key. This project was created in order to assess the efficacy of a brief, portable intervention for improving relational quality among the intimate partners of cancer patients. In this project, we examine the effects of relational savoring, relative to two …

The Effects Of Seizure Modeling And Polyphenols On Behavior In Bang-Sensitive Drosophila, Alphonso A. Smith

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Epilepsy is a worldwide public health concern associated with debilitating neurological, cognitive, and psychosocial consequences. Current antiepileptic drugs can have debilitating side effects and new treatments are needed for individuals with pharmaco-resistant seizures like those observed in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Ellagic acid (EA), a polyphenol present in several fruits and nuts, has shown beneficial effects in rodent models of epilepsy and anxiety, possibly mediated through GABAergic pathways. Bang-Sensitive Drosophila mutants model epileptic seizures following mechanical shock and provide a high-throughput alternative to costly rodent studies. The objectives of this study were to: 1) examine the effectiveness of seizure modeling …

Stress, Depression, Social Support, And Help-Seeking In College Student-Athletes, Clint H. Norseth

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Student-athletes have been identified as a distinctive sub-population in universities and colleges that face unique stressors and pressures that may put them at risk for developing mental health problems, including depression, when compared to student non-athletes. However, student-athletes have been found to seek help from mental health professionals less often than student non-athletes. Studies of college students in the general population have shown that social support networks can play an important part in “buffering” or moderating the effect of stress on both depression and help-seeking, which may also be the case for student-athletes. The purpose of the current study is …

The Effect Of Language On Cognition In An Acculturated American Sample Of Healthy Older Adults, K'Dee D. Elsen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Older adults are not only the fastest growing segment of the population (~841 million worldwide) and continually increasing, but are of special concern due to the numerous age-associated deficits, especially those on cognition. Research indicates that knowing multiple languages may act as a protective factor against the deleterious effects of cognitive aging. Objective: The purpose of the current study is to examine whether multilingualism protects against the effects of cognitive aging on the domains of executive functioning, linguistic processing, attention, memory, and visuospatial functioning. Methods: Participants were 312 healthy older adults (68% female) from the Walnuts and Healthy Aging …

The Effects Of Poverty And Allostatic Load On The Development Of Chronic Disease, Natali Do

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research suggests that there is a significant impact of poverty on poor health outcomes. Poverty is associated with limited access to education and healthcare, increased exposure to violence, and chronic stress that contribute to the development of chronic diseases. The poverty and chronic disease relationship is potentially associated with chronically elevated stress biomarkers. The present study investigated the relationship between demographics, poverty (during childhood, young adulthood, and mid/late adulthood), allostatic load—a cumulative measure of system dysregulation—and the Charlson Comorbidity Index, a measure of chronic disease and mortality, using data from the Biopsychosocial and Religion and Health Study (BRHS; Lee et …

Erp And Theta Activity Associated With Facial Emotion Memory, Shaina Roxanne Herman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Facial emotion recognition is an important component of daily functioning and is highly connected to the social element of human interaction. At present, it is not clear whether initial stimulus encoding or memory maintenance of the face promotes accurate facial emotion memory. The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanisms of facial affect memory. Specifically, we aimed to compare whether type of emotion, length of delay interval, or robustness of encoding the initial stimulus were associated with accurate facial emotion recognition and memory. A task of explicit emotion memory was given to 30 participants. A visual stimulus of …

Parental Stress, Emotion Regulation, Meta-Emotion, And Changes Following An Mbsr Intervention, Yangmu Xu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Parents of children with developmental delays (DD) have consistently reported higher rates of parental stress (Dabrowska & Pisula, 2010; Oelofsen & Richardson, 2006). Difficulties with child emotion regulation are often exhibited among children with DD, and the relationship between parental stress and child emotion regulation may be bidirectional. Previous studies have found that underlying thoughts about parent’s own emotions is an important construct that has a direct impact on parental emotional wellbeing and child emotion regulation (Gottman et al., 1996). Furthermore, previous studies suggest that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an empirically supported stress-reduction intervention, is efficacious in reducing parenting stress …

Role Of Cultural And Psychological Factors Influencing Diabetes Treatment Adherence, Sonika Kravann Ung

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of disability worldwide although health complications can be prevented with lifestyle change (CDC, 2013). Type 2 diabetes is a growing global epidemic, and its prevalence is predicted to increase from 6.4% (285 million adults) in 2010 to 7.7% (439 million adults) by 2030 (Shaw, Sicree, & Zimmet, 2010). Given the reality of cultural diversity in contemporary society, the aim of this study was to address the need for research that integrates both cultural and psychological factors with behaviors central to diabetes control among culturally diverse populations (Betancourt & López, 1993; Betancourt, Flynn, Riggs, & …

Aberrant Salience And Probabilistic Reasoning In Distressing Attenuated Positive Psychotic Symptoms: An Examination Of A Two Factor Model, Huw Green

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Theoretical psychological models of positive psychotic symptoms have increasingly emphasized the interaction of multiple cognitive factors. Research into delusions in particular has focused on the interaction of two factors; a perceptual anomaly that gives rise to a need for explanation, and a bias toward premature acceptance of a hypothesis. Recently this two factor approach has been applied to positive psychotic symptoms more broadly. Two candidate factors have received extensive theoretical and empirical interest. The aberrant salience hypothesis posits that salience regulation, mediated by dopamine, goes awry in psychosis, giving rise to a generalized sense of undue significance that is applied …

Are You With Me? The Impact Of Losing A Conversation Partner’S Attention To A Mobile Device, Zachary A. Geller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined the impact of a cell phone interruption on participants’ emotional experience during a conversation, using the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) (Murray, 1943) as a measurement instrument. The study explored whether or not, after losing their conversation partner’s attention to a cell phone, subjects would: tell stories reflecting less adaptive representations of relationships with oneself and others, as measured using a social cognition and object relations rating, SCORS (Stein et al, 2011); tell stories containing more negative emotional words, as measured using a linguistic inquiry software, LIWC (Pennebaker, 2001); and tell stories containing fewer words total.

Methods: …

Dreams And The Maternal Imaginary: From Nostalgic Intersubjectivity To Mourning, Julie Ackerman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation concerns the history of psychoanalytic thinking about dreams. It is about both the psychic function of dreams and their theoretical function, or the function that they have served within psychoanalytic discourse. It begins with a consideration of the significance of the dream in classical thinking, where it was conceptualized as a psychic emergence in the context of maternal absence. It traces the way in which the rise of object relational paradigms led to the reconceptualization of the dream in relation to the presence of the maternal mind rather than the absence of the maternal body. It describes how …

Women Who Perpetrate Partner Violence: The Role Of Attachment Insecurity And Emotion Regulation, Diana Adele Robinson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent and destructive social problem affecting millions of people around the world. Although partner violence has been widely examined among women, few studies have focused on women in the role of perpetrator. The purpose of this investigation was to identify the underlying mechanisms of IPV perpetration among college women. Specifically, we investigated the relationship among attachment insecurity (i.e., anxious and avoidant), emotion regulation (ER) strategies (i.e., expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal), and IPV among a sample of college women. Participants (N = 177) were recruited from a Southern California university and completed measures …

Smoking, Adhd, And Problematic Video Game Use: A Structural Modeling Approach, Hyo Jin Lee

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Problematic video game use (PVGU), or addiction-like use of video games, is associated with negative physical and mental health problems as well as problems in social and occupational functioning. Possible contributors to PVGU include frequency of play, cigarette smoking, and ADHD. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationships among PVGU, cigarette smoking, ADHD, and frequency of play simultaneously using a structural modeling approach. Secondary data analysis was conducted on 2,801 video game users (Mage = 22.43 years, SDage = 4.7; 93% male) who completed an online survey comprising measures of PVGU, ADHD symptomatology, smoking behavior, and …

The Role Of Temporal Distraction On Short-Term Memory And Delayed Recognition, Susanna Luu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Memory is a complex process that requires the translation of information from an external sensory experience into an internal representation. Once information has been translated into memory, there is little agreement regarding the cognitive structure of memory storage and maintenance. Baddeley (1966) developed a model based on a multi-storage structure which suggested that as information entered through the sensory system, it was relayed by a cognitive control center and placed into storage units based on information type (i.e. auditory, visual, etc.). Baddeley’s (1966) multi-store memory model hypothesized that content translated into memory by two phases: short-term and long-term memory. More …

The Lived Experience Of Recovery Home Residents: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Dina Chavira

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Substance use disorders have had an enormous impact on individuals, families, and communities in the United States. The societal cost of substance abuse in terms of health care, crime, and lost wages is over $700 billion annually. Despite advances in evidence-based treatments, the chronicity of substance use disorders underscores the need to explore and expand long-term aftercare options to prevent relapse after acute residential treatment. Oxford Houses offer an affordable alternative to more costly and limited forms of transitional housing. These self-sustaining, democratically-run recovery homes provide a safe and sober living environment with peer support and no professional staff. Provided …

The Role Of Therapeutic Engagement, Oral Language Proficiency, And Core Learning Indicators On The Effects Of Therapy For Youth With Depression, Amanda E. Wagstaff

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Youth with depression, particularly ethnic minority youth, have low rates of engagement in mental health services, indicating a large need to better understand the role of engagement in effective treatments for depression (Merikangas et al., 2011). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the leading psychotherapeutic treatments available for youth with depression (Weisz, McCarty, & Valeri, 2006), but several questions still remain regarding why and in what circumstances this therapy is most appropriate. CBT posits that part of the positive treatment effects is accounted by learning certain cognitive and behavioral skills during and outside of session (i.e., through active homework …