Psychology Commons^™

Do Trait Positive And Trait Negative Affect Predict Progress And Discharge Outcomes In An Inpatient Medical Rehabilitation Population, Valerie Dominique Ward

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Differences in emotional adjustment were examined as predictors of medical rehabilitation gains within an inpatient setting. Specifically, the International Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form (I-PANAS-SF), along with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), were administered to adult patients during their inpatient medical rehabilitation hospitalizations. The I-PANAS-SF was used to examine if trait affect plays a significant role in rehabilitative treatment, as well as final outcomes (i.e. total number of days spent in rehabilitative treatment, and amount of measurable cognitive and physical improvement). Previous research has demonstrated significant correlations between emotional constructs such as trait affect and medical outcomes. …

Executive Dysfunction As A Trait Marker For Depression In Children And Adolescents, Emily Oettinger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Perinatal depression has been recognized as a public health problem in the United States, which is important because of the demonstrated wide-reaching negative effects of maternal depression on child outcomes. Some evidence suggests that maternal depression is a risk factor for executive dysfunction in children. By contrast, there is abundant evidence that maternal depression is a risk factor for later child depression. Therefore, this study focuses on executive dysfunction in children as a potential trait marker for later depression in childhood and adolescence, utilizing data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Participants were from 10 …

Masculinity Matters: Perceptions Of One’S Own Gender Status And The Effects On Psychosocial Well Being Among Gay Men, Dane Robert Whicker

Dissertations (1934 -)

Gay men have a unique relationship with masculinity. The manner in which gay men view their gender in a heterosexist context (i.e., Perceptions of One’s Own Gender Status, “POOGS”) may explain individual differences found in psychological health among both feminine and masculine gay men. In this study, four factors that make up POOGS are 1) connection to the gay community, 2) perceived negative attitudes toward effeminacy, 3) exposure to heterosexist discrimination, and 4) one’s own masculinity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the hypotheses that 1) POOGS will predict symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and satisfaction with life, …

Contributions Of Fatigue, Pain, And Functional Limitation To Future Depression In Cancer Survivors, Thomas Santo Recine

Theses and Dissertations

This study expanded upon Green (2014)’s study and examined the unique contributions of fatigue, pain, and functional limitation to future depression (depression measured at a later point in time) in cancer survivors. The findings demonstrate that functional impairment and fatigue are both strongly associated with subsequent depression. These findings follow from and are consistent with Green’s (2014) study, and demonstrate that functional impairment and fatigue strongly impact ongoing and future depression, with higher levels of functional impairment and fatigue being associated with higher levels of future depression. As a whole, the findings of this study are commensurate with prior research. …

Temperament And Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia As Contributors To Externalizing Behavior Among Early Adolescents, Tyler Laney Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

The current study examines the relationship between temperament and physiological models of externalizing behavior to externalizing behavior in a community sample of early adolescents. The psychophysiological component of vagal tone, as measured by respirator sinus arrhythmia (RSA), is used with an emphasis placed on distinguishing between its function as a state versus trait measure of parasympathetic nervous system activity. Negative affectivity (NA) is proposed as a general risk factor for psychopathology. Emotion regulation, as indexed by effortful control (EC) and basal RSA, is hypothesized to function as a mediator between NA and externalizing behavior. A moderated mediation model is then …

The Influence Of Adhd Symptoms And Social Impairment On Anxiety And Depression Symptoms In 8- To 10-Year-Old Children, Danielle Brooke Willis

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with impaired social functioning in children and adolescents. ADHD and increased social impairment have proven to be separately correlated with increased anxiety and depression symptoms as well. However, little research has examined these specific associations and interactions among ADHD, social functioning, and internalizing symptoms. The current study aimed to examine the influence of ADHD symptoms and social functioning on anxiety and depression symptoms in 321 8- to 10- year-old children, and specifically, if social impairment moderated the relation between ADHD symptoms and anxiety and depression symptoms. Data on ADHD, social …

The Association Between Parenting Factors And Light And Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity Levels In Overweight African American Adolescents, Lauren E. Huffman

Theses and Dissertations

Overweight adolescents are less likely to meet physical activity (PA) recommendations as compared to healthy weight youth. Family environment and parenting practices may influence PA rates in adolescents, but few studies have examined this relationship in African American youth. The current study expands on past literature by examining associations between parenting factors and daily light PA (LPA), MVPA, and total PA. It was hypothesized that parenting factors would be positively associated with PA and that practices specific to PA (autonomy support for PA, emotional support, tangible support, and modeling) would be more strongly associated with PA outcomes compared to more …

The Psychometric Evaluation And Validation Of A Measure Assessing Pharmacological And Social Alcohol Expectancies In Adolescents, Megan Victoria Mcmurray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extending prior alcohol expectancy measurement research, this researcher (McMurray, 2013) recently developed the Pharmacological and Social Alcohol Expectancy Scale (PSAES). The PSAES is the only alcohol expectancy measure to date that provides adequate coverage of both social expectancies and the anticipated positive pharmacological effects resulting from alcohol consumption, and was developed and validated in a sample of young adults (aged 18-23). Research has shown that adolescents at high risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) hold higher expectations of reward from alcohol, suggesting that expectancy patterns may help distinguish at-risk youth. Building upon the previous PSAES validation study, the primary purpose …

A Cross-Methodological Investigation Of Emotional Reactivity In Major Depression, Vanessa Panaite

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is primarily characterized by prevalent sadness and anhedonia. Laboratory studies find that depression is characterized by reduced reactivity across emotional contexts, while a few studies using naturalistic designs find that depressed people show normative reactivity to negative life events and mood brightening in response to positive events. The current study was an investigation of emotional reactivity in depression through the use of experimental and naturalistic designs. This allowed for an investigation of sources of lab-life discrepancies in emotional functioning in depression, including negative affect (NA) regulation. We examined experiential reactivity across contexts and types of stimuli …

Impact Of Situational Context On Gratitude And Its Affective Outcomes, Adam P. Mcguire

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Previous research indicates gratitude is associated with positive affective outcomes (Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010). However, researchers have primarily examined gratitude across long periods of time, and exclusively in the context of positive events. Additionally, few researchers have examined the impact of situational factors on state gratitude during specific moments. The purpose of this study was to assess the affective effects of state gratitude in specific positive versus negative events, and to examine how situational factors facilitate gratitude in a naturalistic setting. Participants included 148 (72% women) undergraduate students (M age = 19.26, SD = 1.63). Across eight weeks, …

Cognitive Restructuring For The Treatment Of Gambling Related Thoughts: A Systematic Review, Maxime Chrétien, Isabelle Giroux, Annie Goulet, Christian Jacques, Stéphane Bouchard

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Cognitive restructuring is the best practice for treating gambling related thoughts, but some therapists do not apply this technique due to a lack of training regarding its application. The increase of skill game players (e.g., poker) entering treatment adds a challenge for therapists because these gamblers present with different thoughts than those of other gamblers usually encountered in treatment (e.g., EGM). This systematic review aims to describe how cognitive restructuring is carried out with gamblers, particularly skill game players, based on the evidence available in empirical studies that include cognitive interventions for gambling. Of the 2607 studies collected, 41 were …

An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of A Bibliotherapy Version Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Julie Christine D'Amico

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Disruptive behavior problems are common in early childhood. However, despite their ubiquity, they are often quite stressful for parents and can be damaging to parent-child relationships. In addition to being disruptive to the family, research has demonstrated that early disruptive behavior problems can set children on a path to continue experiencing escalating levels of disruptive behavior throughout childhood and into adolescence. Recent research has determined prevention to be an important area of emphasis for interrupting this negative trajectory of disruptive behaviors. Secondary prevention interventions target children and families who are seeing the early signs of this negative long-term trajectory and …

Attitudes, Beliefs, And Behaviors Of Practicing Psychologists Regarding Psychological Assessment, Jason Turret

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Recent research has documented the effectiveness, benefits, and value of psychological assessment, yet the use of psychological assessment is declining. To better understand why an effective treatment intervention is being underutilized, this project sought to understand the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of practicing psychologists regarding psychological assessment. The investigators of this study surveyed 26 psychologists who are members of a statewide association of psychologists in the western United States. Results revealed that 96% of participants enjoyed their graduate training in psychological assessment and 93% of participants view psychological assessment as valuable, yet 78% believed that psychological assessment was underutilized. Participants …

Transgender Awareness Within State Hospitals: Addressing Gaps In Training, Rose Ruoxi Yang

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Individuals in the transgender ("trans") community continue to face stigmatization, discrimination, and violence in the United States (Benson 2013; Bradford, Reisner, Honnold, & Xavier, 2013; Lombardi, Wilchins, Priesing & Malouf, 2001; Shipherd, Green, & Abramovitz; 2010). They remain underserved in many domains, including housing, healthcare, and employment (Bradford et al. 2013). This paper focus on the needs for trans-specific training within the U.S. state hospital system. Although many institutions, including state hospitals, are implementing diversity initiatives to increase the sensitivity of their employees to a broad range of identity statuses, transgender affirmative trainings are often non existent or inadequate; trans-specific …

Relational Frame Theory: Implications For Training Perspective-Taking And Empathy In Children With High Functioning Autism, Lyssa Haase

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Perspective-taking involves the ability to shift one's visual-spatial and affective stance relative to contextual cues. Empathy responses leading to socio-emotional reciprocity depend intimately on perspective-taking processes. Deficits in perspective-taking have been widely documented in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and are commonly regarded to underlie impaired interpersonal functioning in this population. The most widely used frameworks for understanding ASD derive from a cognitive science program called Theory of Mind (ToM), and from an applied behavior analytic program based on Operant Theory (OT). Recent research interest has centered on a contemporary contextual behavior analytic approach to perspective taking drawing upon …

Indicators Of Clinically Significant Gambling Treatment Gains, Meredith K. Ginley, Walter R. Winfree, James P. Whelan, Rory A. Pfund, Andrew W. Meyers

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Treatments should be tailored to the individual in order to improve their effectiveness and efficiency. An assessment of treatment gains is essential to this goal, particularly the ability to identify when clinically significant change is achieved. This paper will examine the sensitivity and specificity of two constructs that moderate change for gambling-focused treatments: self-efficacy to control gambling and strength of gambling-related cognitive distortions.

Participants completed measures of gambling symptoms: the Gambling Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (GSEQ) to assess self-efficacy to control gambling, and the Gamblers’ Beliefs Questionnaire to assess cognitive distortions (GBQ). Included was a clinical sample of 312 treatment-seeking outpatient disordered …

Gambling Warning Messages: The Impact Of Winning And Losing On Message Reception Across A Gambling Episode, Rory A. Pfund, Meredith K. Ginley, Samuel C. Peter, James P. Whelan, Andrew W. Meyers

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Warning messages prevent and modify risk-taking behaviors. When controlling the outcome of each wager, studies suggest such messages can increase a player’s knowledge about gambling-specific risks, modify their gambling-related cognitive distortions, and even change play. The present study takes the next step by asking if the reception of the warning message is influenced by the player’s experience of winning or losing.

In a laboratory study, participants were randomly assigned to a winning or losing gambling experience where they either viewed periodic warning messages or not. Using a mixed model analysis, the influence of the warning messages was related to players’ …

Facing Our Demons: Psychiatric Perspectives On Exorcism Rituals, Joel R. Sanford

The Hilltop Review

Belief in possession by malevolent spirits exists in many cultures and religions throughout the world, and such beliefs often serve as explanations for a variety of psychological and emotional afflictions. Traditional remedies in these cases often involve exorcism rituals, which are believed to expel spirits from a person's mind and/or body. Some of the cases commonly attributed to involuntary spirit possession are diagnosed within the psychiatric community as schizophrenia or some sort of dissociative disorder and treated with psychotherapy and/or medicine. For some in the psychiatric community, exorcisms and their use by patients are viewed as problematic due to their …

Self-Help Treatment For At-Risk And Pathological Gamblers: Results From An Efficacy Study, Catherine Boudreault, Isabelle Giroux, Annie Goulet, Christian Jacques, Hélène Simoneau, Robert Ladouceur

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Available evidence suggests that self-help treatments may reduce problem gambling severity and gambling behaviour. However, decrease of gambling among control groups and rare assessment of key variables associated with improvement across studies leave the benefits of self-help treatments for problem gambling unclear. The current study assesses the efficacy of a self-help treatment program including three motivational telephone interviews spread over an 11-week period and a cognitive-behavioral self-help workbook. At-risk and pathological gamblers were randomly assigned to the treatment group (n = 31) or the waiting list (n = 31). Relative to the waiting list, the treatment group presented …

The Behavioral Analysis Of Gambling, Benjamin Witts, Anne Macaskill, Mack Costello

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A behavioral analysis of gambling is unique among the psychologies. A behavioral analysis seeks answers to questions pertaining to the prediction and influence of gambling in terms of the individual gambler, and thus emphasis is placed on well-controlled small-n studies in which findings are generalized to other individuals. Further, the behavioral analysis of gambling is concerned with environmental and historical relations in accounting for current gambling behavior, and less of a reliance is placed on internal and hypothetical causal factors. This symposium explores two data-driven analyses of gambling behavior from a behavioral account of gambling while a third conceptual and …

Technology-Based Brief Interventions For At-Risk Young Adult Gamblers, Matthew P. Martens

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The purpose of this presentation to discuss my work developing and evaluating the efficacy of brief interventions designed to reduce at-risk gambling and related negative consequences among young adults. Research has established that young adults, especially college students, are more likely to meet classification for “disordered” gambling than the general adult population (Blinn et al., 2007). Brief interventions that incorporate personalized feedback have been shown to be efficacious at motivating behavior change among young adults (Cronce & Larimer, 2011). The purpose of this presentation will be to discuss my efforts at extending this work to the area of at-risk gambling. …

Narcissism, Sensation Seeking, Depression, Anxiety, And Cognitive Distortions: Comparative Analysis Between Poker And Video Lottery Terminal Players, David Levesque B.A., Serge Sevigny Ph.D., Christian Jacques M.Ps., Isabelle Giroux Ph.D.

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

According to the psycho-structural interaction model, the interaction between structural characteristics of a gambling game and player’s characteristics could foster the development of gambling problems. Those interactions may vary according to the types of game played. This study aims to compare poker and video lottery terminals players (VLTs) on six psychological characteristics (narcissism, sensation seeking, depression, anxiety, cognitive distortions and problem gambling severity) and to examine cognitive distortions as a mediator between personality/mood disturbance and problem gambling severity. The sample consisted of 191 poker players and 81 VLT players. Standard assessments were completed online and by phone within a cross-sectional …

Ecosystemic Effects Of Military Sexual Trauma In Male Service Members And Veterans, Jessica A. Carlile

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Military sexual trauma (MST) represents a significant, endemic concern in the United States Armed Forces. Although approximately 50% of individuals who experience MST are male, few studies have been published examining the overall experience of males who survived MST, and no known project has recruited a sample unaffiliated with Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Therefore, this study investigated the immediate and enduring ecosystemic effects of MST on male service members and veterans recruited entirely outside the VHA system. To evaluate the depth and richness of human experience, 12 participants—10 veterans and two active duty service members (50% Euro-American, 58% partnered, 75% …

The Effect Of A Computerized Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Management Intervention On Psychological Factors And Diabetes Management, Cathy A. Bykowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes is associated with increased psychological distress which, in turn, is associated with poorer diabetes outcomes. This study examined the impact of a nine-week Internet based cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention that targeted stress and mood in people with diabetes. It was hypothesized that the intervention would decrease psychological distress and improve diabetes outcomes and adherence to diabetes treatment regimens. Participants with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 103) or a waiting-list control group (n = 74). ANCOVAs demonstrated significant group effects for the reduction of perceived generalized stress (F (1, 105) = …

A Psychometric Evaluation Of A Measure For Evaluating Youth’S And Their Parent’S Worries About Psychosocial Treatment, Robert Rein Selles

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Initial examination of treatment worries suggest they may represent an important construct; however, previously used measures were limited by their specificity, scale format, and lack of parent report. Therefore the present study sought to examine the initial outcomes and psychometrics of newly developed corresponding measures of treatment worries in youth (Treatment Worries Questionnaire – Child; TWQ-C) and their parents (Treatment Worries Questionnaire – Parent; TWQ-P).

METHODS: Participants were 94 youth (7-17-years old) and parent dyads presenting for psychosocial treatment of an anxiety disorder. Prior to initiation of treatment, dyads completed the TWQ-C and TWQ-P along with a host of …

The Role Of Threat-Based Beliefs In Mental Health Help-Seeking Processes For Depression, Jason I. Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness among college students is a significant public health concern. Among mental health issues, one of the most prevalent and impairing is depression. Although many students experience depression, the majority do not seek help. Past research has shown that stigma beliefs are associated with help-seeking, but interventions targeting stigma have been unsuccessful at increasing help-seeking prompting the need to explore alternative models. Currently, there has been little research evaluating the role of threat-based beliefs related to help-seeking processes. As well, it remains unclear how different threat-based beliefs may interact and be related to help-seeking intentions.

The purpose of these …

Boundaries And Belonging: Asian America, Psychology, And Psychoanalysis, Natalie C. Hung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation addresses a vexing problem. In psychology and psychoanalysis, Asian Americans are more often understood as a collective Other than as individual Selves, more frequently an object of study than a subject. Through two overarching aims, my dissertation sheds light on neglected aspects of Asian American selves, the meanings of the invisibility surrounding them, and implications for clinical practice.

First, the project challenges extant psychological perspectives on Asian Americans, which often implicitly assume a wide gulf of difference between Asian American cultural values and the Western epistemologies of psychology and psychoanalysis. Through the examination of academic research, clinical literature, …

Maternal History Of Neglect, Mind-Mindedness, And The Cycle Of Neglect, Karin N. Belser

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Although links between history of maltreatment, attachment security, and maltreatment perpetration have been established, support for the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment remains weak due to definitional and methodological issues. In addition, less severe forms of child neglect that do not result in Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement have not been extensively studied. In order to expand our understanding of the cycle of neglect, the present study examined a model linking maternal mind-mindedness, maternal history of neglect, subthreshold neglect and child outcomes (physical, socioemotional, and intellectual).

Methods. The study participants were 96 mother-child dyads assessed at child ages of 4, 8, …

An Exploration Of The Paradox Of Bisexuality In Women: The Dawn Research Study, Anna Levy-Warren

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research on lesbian, gay and bisexual populations has reported higher levels of emotional distress among bisexual adults than their gay and lesbian peers. Findings also demonstrate substantial variability in distress levels within populations of bisexual adults. Little research has examined reasons for this variability. Theoretical explanations for distress among bisexuals include foundations in Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Minority Stress Theory, though these theories have not addressed the variability across outcomes. The current study proposes a new theoretical model to explain variability in levels of distress across bisexual women. According to this theory, levels of psychological distress in bisexual women are …

Attention Deficits And Perception Of Emotion In Groups, Agnes Renee Strojewska

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the relationship between attention deficits and the recognition of emotions of either individuals or groups (ensembles). Previous research has suggested that individuals with ADHD may have deficits in social cognition, specifically in recognizing the internal (emotional) states of others, though it remains unclear whether these deficits are a discrete component of ADHD or merely the byproduct of the inattention characteristic of the disorder. Perception of ensemble characteristics, or ensemble coding, has recently been the target of increased interest in perception research, and appears to represent a powerful mechanism for processing sensory information, particularly in situations when …