Psychology Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Non-Directive Play Therapy On Decreasing Inappropriate Behavior, Heather M. Sawyer

Masters Theses

The present study investigated the effectiveness of non-directive play therapy, operationalized as non-contingent attention (NCA), no-demands, and an enriched environment, on three developmentally normal children with a history of abuse or neglect. A single-case reversal-replication design was employed. Baseline consisted of contingent attention, demands, and a relatively non-enriched environment. Results indicated that for one of the participants, NCA, no-demands, and an enriched environment successfully decreased inappropriate play behaviors. More specifically, destructive and disrupted play behaviors occurred much less frequently in both treatment conditions compared to the two baseline conditions. The other two participants did not show any clear pattern of …

Protective Factors Of Verbal Aggression, Yuria Morimoto

Masters Theses

The present study aimed to examine the negative long-term outcomes of parental verbal aggression in childhood. It also examined the roles of problem-solving coping skills, family cohesion, and a parental emotional bond as moderators of negative psychological outcomes. Sixty-four-male and169 female university students were recruited from psychology courses and completed a demographic questionnaire, measures of physical maltreatment, psychological maltreatment, family cohesion, parental emotional bonding, and use of coping strategies. Psychological adjustment was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Aggression Questionnaire, and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Results indicated that individuals reporting greater verbal aggression histories …

Perceived Parenting Style, Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction, And Self-Esteem As Predictors Of Adolescent Substance Use, Megan Cox

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to identify predictors of adolescent substance use. Eighty-seven junior high school students completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index, Parental Authority Questionnaire, and the Michigan Alcohol and Other Drug School Survey. When examining self-esteem, adolescent family life satisfaction, and perceived parenting style, it was found that the authoritarian father parenting style was the best predictor of total adolescent substance use and, more specifically, tobacco use. Self-esteem and the authoritarian father parenting style were found to be the best predictors of adolescent alcohol use. Furthermore, the authoritarian father parenting style was significantly correlated with …

Functional Analysis Of Abused/Neglected Children's Inappropriate Play, Jessica Bauer

Masters Theses

This study investigated the possible governing mechanisms of inappropriate play behaviors of three developmentally normal children with a history of abuse/neglect. A functional analysis was performed using three conditions—contingent attention plus demands, contingent attention, and non-contingent attention. For one child, functional analysis revealed that inappropriate play behavior occurred more frequently in those conditions where contingent attention was present. Demands, at least when contingent attention was provided, did not appear to elicit or evoke inappropriate play behavior. For the other two children, functional analysis did not reveal any significant differences between conditions. The results of this study suggest that for some …

A Study Of Attempted Suicide Among Female Youths, Aini Omar

Student Works (2000-2009)

Worldwide, suicide is among the top five causes of mortality in the 15 to 19 year age group while majority of suicide attempts is among females (WHO, 2000). The purpose of this study is to identify youth that are likely to be suicidal, their feelings and thoughts and determine the underlying factors that instigate the intention so that remedial actions can be taken before the actual attempt. The questions arise for the research would include a) Who are the female youth that are inclined to suicidal acts? b) What are the causes, feelings and thoughts that prompt them to contemplate …

Self-Disclosure, Clara E. Hill, Sarah Knox

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

A review of the analog literature about therapist self-disclosure suggests that nonclients generally have positive perceptions of therapist self-disclosures. A review of the naturalistic psychotherapy literature indicates that therapist self-disclosure occurs infrequently, is used more often by humanistic-experiential than psychoanalytic therapists, is most often about professional background than about intimate personal details, is used for many different reasons, is used cautiously by therapists, and is helpful in the immediate process of therapy. Effects of therapist self-disclosure on the ultimate outcome of therapy are less clear. Limitations of the research (poor and inconsistent definitions and lack of a clinically appropriate methodology …

Client Weight As A Barrier To Non-Biased Clinical Judgment, Tricia Duncan Hassel, Carol J. Amici, Nancy S. Thurston, Richard L. Gorsuch

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

A sample of 95 Christian and 68 Non-Christian mental health professionals were given a picture of either an overweight or average-weight male or female client and a generic case vignette. Participants were asked to make clinical judgments of pathology and client attributions for the pictured client. Results indicated that mental health professionals ascribe more pathology and negative attributes to obese clients than to average-weight clients. In addition, Christian mental health professionals are just as likely as non-Christians to ascribe more negative attributes to obese clients. Ways to remove barriers to unbiased psychotherapy and deal with countertransference issues are discussed from …

Effective Fathering And The Quantity And Quality Of Time Spent With Children, Joshua T. Payton Ma

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research into fathers' parenting is relatively new. New measures have been developed to assess the style and effectiveness of fathering. Many questions remain about the salient elements of effective fathering. The present study was focused on the quantity and quality of time that fathers spend at home and in contact with their children. The primary research questions were (a) What is the relationship between the quantity of time spent with children and the quality of time spent with children? (b) What is the relationship between effective fathering attributes and the quantity of time spent with children? and(c)What is the relationship …

Sanctions And Nonproliferation Behavior: Missing On Missiles, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes political psychologies supporting United States (US) sanctions-related behavior towards the People's Republic of China's (PRC) exporting of missiles, missile components, and missile technology.

Restraints On Restraint: Attributions And Israeli Violence, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes aspects of social cognition that may be implicated in conclusions about the degree of restraint attributed to acts of violence perpetrated by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) towards some individuals claiming the identity of Palestinians who live in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel itself.

Trends. When Is A Psychological Profile Not A Psychological Profile? The Fbi And School Violence, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the difficulties of predicting and preventing school violence. Though the FBI does have a list of "warning signs" by which to evaluate potential perpetrators of lethal school violence, they do not consider this list to be a profile. This is especially true given that no reliable predictors of lethal school violence have been found.

Peer Support As A Protective Factor In The Impact Of War On Adolescents In Lebanon, Nadine S. Fakhran

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children exposed to situations of war have been shown to develop behavioral as well as psychological difficulties. Researchers have observed, however, that not all children manifest these difficulties in reaction to war situations. Therefore, scientists have attempted to look at resilient children, investigating protective and vulnerability factors in the child's environment. One such protective factor is social support. Although there have been several studies on social support, those studies have tended to focus on family support. There seems to be a void in the literature on the effects of peer support on post-traumatic stress reactions in children. The present study …

Adult's Perceptions Of Children's Aggressive Play With Advertised And Non-Advertised Toys., Lori J. Klinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined adults’ perceptions of aggression in toys and toy commercials targeted toward young boys. The subjects, 262 undergraduate psychology students, completed the Buss/Perry Aggression Questionnaire and rated either a videotape of 10 boy-oriented toy commercials or slides of 10 non-advertised boy-toys. Parental status, exposure to an advertised versus non-advertised toy, and level of self-reported aggression were assessed to determine their relationship to perceptions of aggressiveness in a toy’s image and predicted play with the toy.

Univariate analyses of variance and paired sample t-tests were conducted. The results indicate that toys advertised in commercials are judged to portray more …

The Clinical Psychological Sciences: Subjugating Discourse On Outcome Research, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes a sociopolitical stance of outcome research in the clinical psychological sciences that may not be in the best interest of people in need.

The Teenage Inventory Of Social Skills: A Validation Study, Joshua Myers

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development and maintenance of adolescent peer relationships has been recognized by researchers as important for healthy current and future psycho-social adjustment. Furthermore, adolescent friendships are developmentally unique and qualitatively different than childhood friendships. The present study examines the validity, reliability and clinical utility of the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills (TISS), a self-report measure of adolescent social/friendship skills. Self-report and teacher/adult ratings on the TISS were compared for 64 participants from a court-ordered, residential treatment program and 51 adolescent participants from a public school-based youth group. While overall results confirmed the clinical utility and psychometric superiority of the TISS, …

Elian: Projective Icon Of Psychology, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes how the Elian Gonzalez story has served to expose shortfalls in clinical psychological practice.

Meaning In Sexual Behavior: Associating Personal Constructs With Condom Use, David W. Indest

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Thirty-seven female and 30 male heterosexual undergraduates responded first to vignettes of sexual behavior in which they were asked to describe the partners' behaviors using their own personal constructs and using the researcher-provided constructs safe sex, unsafe sex, intimate, and impersonal; participants then responded to questions about condom use. Sixty-one percent of participants reported using condoms at least 75% of the time, and 64% reported use on last intercourse. Women reported a higher percentage of intercourse without condoms than did men. Within-subject principal components analysis was used to identify the extent to which an individual's personal constructs loaded …

Implementation Of Empirically Validated Interventions In Managed Care Settings: The Premarital Relationship Enhancement Program (Prep), Kieran T. Sullivan, Dalia Goldschmidt

Psychology

In an age of managed care, how does the clinician best help couples in marital distress? Do the short-term protocols developed and tested in the laboratory really work in the average clinical setting? This project examined the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing a laboratory-based program designed to prevent the development of relationship distress within a health maintenance organization. Both men and women reported high satisfaction with the program and a subjective sense that it was helpful for their relationships. Specific suggestions are made for assisting therapists in using effective treatments for couples in managed care settings.

A Brief Intervention For Promoting Health And Wellness: A Holistic (Multidimensional) Approach Based Upon Principles Of Individual Systems Theory, Wayne Chappelle

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study examined the effects of a 12-week holistic (mult1dimensional) group intervention for promoting health and wellness. A total of 42 young adults (21 males and 21 females) with an average of 18.63 (ill= 1.03) years of age participated in the study. Participants were from a private university in the Pacific Northwest and randomly assigned to: a health-wellness group, a self-help group, and a no-treatment control group. Participants in the self-help group were encouraged to monitor and improve their health in various life dimensions on their own, utilize existing health care resources if necessary, and to report to the researcher …

Childhood Sexual Abuse And Substance Abuse In Female Inmates, Phyllis M. Martin

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study examined the relationship of childhood sexual abuse and substance abuse in female jail inmates residing in a Multnomah County Correctional facility. Consistent with prior research, this population was found lo be emotionally, mentally and socioeconomically disadvantaged. Specifically, the results of this study are compatible with previous studies which show the effects of childhood sexual abuse to involve a higher rate of substance use and other antisocial behaviors including promiscuity and prostitution. One-hundred and six (53.2%) respondents reported a history of childhood sexual abuse. This finding is higher than recent National Justice Bureau of Statistics surveys which found that …

The Relationship Between Age, Years Of Service, Gender, Education, And Job Satisfaction Among Mental Health Professionals, Veria L. Hicks

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The study explored the relationship between age, years of service, gender, education, and job satisfaction among mental health professionals. Thirty subjects (15 males and 15 females) were involved in the study. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant relationship between age, years of service, gender, education and job satisfaction among mental health professionals. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

The Benton Visual Retention Test With Ld And Non-Ld Children, 9 Years To 16, Jessica Workman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) can discriminate between learning disabled students and non-learning disabled students. Subjects ranged from ages 9 through 16 in both groups. The control group consisted of 30 subjects with an IQ score of 80 to 120 as measured by the WISC-ID, no history of physical or emotional problems, and scores equivalent with IQ on the achievement test as measured by the WIAT. The LD group consisted of30 subjects which had a I. 75 discrepancy between scores on the WISC-ID and the WIAT. All subjects were given …

Integrating Spirituality Into Mental Health Counseling, Mary Jane Madsen

Graduate Research Papers

This paper represents an attempt to bring together information from the existing literature that, when combined, could form a basic framework of thought and application for counselors who wish to integrate spirituality into mental health counseling. As mental health counseling students or more seasoned professionals consider this information, they may choose to take practical ideas into their work with clients, or at least become more involved in further reading and research on the topic. The paper concludes with a presentation of ethical issues that specifically relate to the integration of spirituality into the traditional mental health counseling paradigm.

The Effects Of An Educational Intervention On Calcium Intake And Bone Mineral Content In Young Women With Low Calcium Intake., B. Peterson, R. Klesges, E. Kaufman, Theodore Cooper, C. Vukadonovich

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Drug Of Choice As A Predictor Of Program Completion In A 12-Week Intensive Outpatient Program And Continuing Care Program, James R. Myers

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study consisted of a one year examination of a twelve week Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), followed by continuing care treatment, coupled with required attendance to a Twelve Step AA/NA Program. This study detailed the treatment plan available at a local Intensive Outpatient Program in Southern West Virginia. A sample, separating alcoholics from other substance abusers to obtain an estimated completion rate was used.

Tills thesis comprised a one-year history of subjects (6/30/98 -07/01/99). A total of 84 subjects entered into the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) within the above time frame. Determination of completion rates was based on a categorical …

Adult Attachment Styles And Psychopathology In A Clinical Sample, Gary A. Sibcy

Faculty Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between a self-report measure of adult attachment and a self-report measure of psychopathology. Sixty-one outpatients and fourteen acute inpatients were administered the Experiences in Close Relationships (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998) questionnaire and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory--3 rd Edition (Millon, 1994), along with a basic demographics questionnaire. Results indicated that only ten percent of the participants were classified as secure while ninety percent were insecure. Relative to the secure group, both preoccupied and fearful attachment styles reported significantly higher levels of overall psychopathology, especially in regard to personality dysfunction. Moreover, when compared head-to-head with …

The Effects Of An Educational Intervention On Calcium Intake And Bone Mineral Content In Young Women With Low Calcium Intake., B. Peterson, R. Klesges, E. Kaufman, Theodore Cooper, C. Vukadonovich

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Increasing Readiness To Change Among Smokers In A Primary Care Setting, Sheila F. Collicott

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared the effectiveness of two brief interventions, direct advice and motivational interviewing, for increasing motivation to quit among male smokers in the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages of change who were primary care patients at an Eastern urban VA medical center. Contrary to expectations, participants receiving motivational interviews did not increase more in readiness to change, motivation, and actions to quit, than those receiving direct advice or a control conversation, nor did they smoke fewer cigarettes per day. As expected, contemplators reported more cutting down and quit attempts than pre-contemplators. Factors that may have limited the effectiveness of interventions …

Male Sexual Behavior: Revisiting The Eiu Sexual Experience Survey And Report, Justin W. Freeman

Masters Theses

The EIU Sexual Experiences Survey of 1989 was given to 1693 Eastern undergraduate students in order to determine the incidence rate of sexual assault on campus. The survey report consisted of descriptive findings only, leaving future correlational research to answer any questions that remained. This study designated 664 male survey respondents with the Illinois legal classification system, and analyzed the demographics of the men surveyed to find any correlational relationships. No meaningful correlational relationships were found across the conditions of perpetrator and non-perpetrator for the male survey respondents.

Current Trends In Psychological Testing, Kimberle L. S. Crawford

Masters Theses

Discussions about the adequacy of psychological measurement and assessment can quickly become controversial therefore; I expect some strong reaction to portions of this manuscript. Debates about the usefulness of criticism of psychological testing are longstanding: Even early psychologists such as Cattell and Jastrow disagreed on this issue. To be clear, I do not believe that use of contemporary tests should cease. I share the view that "psychological tests often provide the fairest and most accurate method of making important decisions" (K. R. Murphy & Davidshoffer, 1988, p. xii).

My first purpose, then, is to provide a historical survey of relevant …