Psychology Commons^™

Relationship Quality Associations Family Values For Online Graduate Students With Intimate Partners, Tracy J. Jones-Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research found that relationship quality (RQ) for intimate couples may be adversely effected in times of stress, potentially decreasing marital satisfaction up to 36% during a four-year period for high stress couples. Previous research indicated family values (FV) may mediate RQ in stressful times; however, no research has examined this relationship for online/blended program graduate students. Students in these programs experience unique stress, change, and at times, physical distance from an intimate partner. Coombs's theory on values consensus postulated that the more alike family values are in a relationship, the better the RQ will be. The purpose of this …

Experiences Of Parents Of Self-Harming Adolescent Children, Sheila Nicole Russell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescent self-harm is a growing epidemic in the United States with thousands of adolescent children being treated in hospitals every year. Despite awareness that self-harm impacts the family unit, little attention has been given to the full impact that self-harm has on parents. Due to this lack of knowledge, counselor educators and supervisors are not equipped to train counselors to work with parents of self-harming adolescent children leaving counselors feeling unprepared to work with parents. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of parents who have self-harming adolescent children. Family systems theory was used to …

Exploration Of Counselor Development Using Cotherapy In Postgraduate Training, Jennifer Calloway Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have supported the use of cotherapy in both training and application for couple and family counseling as a clinical practice. However, there is not enough evidence to determine whether cotherapy can meet the learning needs of counselors-in-training more comprehensively than other forms of live supervision. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the training experiences of postgraduate couple and family counselors who participated in cotherapy with a clinical supervisor. These experiences were examined using social and experiential learning theories. A modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method served as the procedural guide for the analysis. Hand-coded interview data …

How Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (Emdr) Trained Therapists Stabilize Clients Prior To Reprocessing With Emdr Therapy, Edward H. Brendler

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Helping clients develop resources and stability required to tolerate reprocessing memories can be a considerable part of psychotherapy, particularly with clients who are suffering symptoms related to complex developmental trauma or cumulative multiple-event trauma. There is a paucity of research regarding how experienced EMDR Therapy practitioners experience helping their clients to develop resources required to tolerate reprocessing of trauma memories. This dissertation is an in-depth study of five participants, each a licensed mental health practitioner in the State of Washington, who are trained in EMDR and experienced working with clients who are suffering symptoms of trauma. Each participant was interviewed …

An Exploration Of The Relationships Between Self Compassion And Burnout : Secondary Traumatic Stress And Compassion Satisfaction Among Providers Who Work With Children And Families Who Have Experienced Trauma, Binlin Xia

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The field of social work education has witnessed a soaring need to help providers cope with the negative emotional impact of working with clients who have experienced trauma. This study explored the association between self compassion and the experience of burn out (BO), secondary traumatic stress (STS) and compassion satisfaction (CS) among mental health providers who specifically work with children and youth who have experienced trauma. This quantitative study employed a survey in addition to two open-ended questions in a sample of 60 participants using a convenience sampling process.

The findings suggest that self compassion serves as a strongly correlated …

“Forming Ranks”: The Impact Of Negative-Destructive Leadership In The Aftermath Of Military Sexual Assault And Reporting, Jessica Payton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Military leaders play central roles in responding to sexual assault in the military social ecology, yet their impacts on victims’ post-assault and reporting experiences remain understudied. Using standpoint epistemology and a military-specific social ecological approach, this two-stage project investigated how military leaders impacted survivors’ post-assault and reporting experiences, as well as their experiences with military peers, community resources, and justice and separation processes. Data were gathered through an initial focus group with eight subject matter experts in advocacy, legal work, and policy reform, followed by subsequent in-depth individual interviews with eight female survivors of military sexual assault, seven of whom …

Divorce After Long-Term Marriage : A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study, Melanie M. Somerville

Dissertations

Divorce is an enduring feature of American culture. As much as Americans value marriage, they also assert the right to divorce. The literature makes clear that modern couples expect their spouses to meet their individual personal goals of self-fulfillment and growth. Furthermore, divorce recovery is often portrayed as an individualistic endeavor. Changing attitudes about marriage and divorce have contributed to the current rate of divorce among midlife individuals, who have the highest divorce rates of any age group. Many individuals who divorce at midlife have been married for 20 or more years. Divorce is most often experienced as a disruption …

Leaving "The Life:" Exploring Services For Women Exiting Prostitution, Katherine A. Cascio

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Women in prostitution (WIP) are significantly more likely to experience mental health issues and trauma than the general population (Farley, 2003; Ling, Wong, Holroyd, & Gray, 2007; Rössler et al. 2010; Roxburgh, Degenhardt, & Copeland, 2008). Previous research addressing the mental health of WIP emphasizes treating trauma to help women exit, both trauma that predated entry into prostitution and trauma experienced during prostitution (Carter & Dalla, 2006; Farley, 2003). Very little research is available on services for WIP, leaving psychotherapists with limited guidance on providing effective mental health treatment. Although programs exist exclusively to assist women leaving prostitution, little is …

Reducing Adolescent Anger And Aggression With Biofeedback: A Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study, Jedidiah S. Savard

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Adolescent anger, aggression, and violent outbursts are social problems significantly affecting each of us. Individual therapeutic management of pathological anger is treated in various ways depending on practitioners’ theoretical orientations and competency levels. Popular psychological individual and group therapies addressing anger and aggression in adolescents focus primarily on cognitive-behavioral techniques that manage anger’s symptoms. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies often require clients to self-identify emerging antecedents of anger without assistance; such therapies employ predetermined strategies to assist the client to emotionally de-escalate prior to an angry or aggressive episode. However, cognitive responses to an emotional upheaval stemming from an emergence of anger …

Journey To Success: Lessons From Successful Same-Sex Couples, Jeni L. Wahlig

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Therapists are often called upon to support same-sex couples along their journey to success. Yet, only limited information is available for understanding what success means for same-sex couples, what the journey to success might look like, and how we might support them in navigating that journey. In this dissertation, I seek to begin to fill this gap in knowledge by conducting an extensive literature review of factors that affect same-sex couple relationship success and a qualitative research study. In the study, I use narrative inquiry to explore the challenges and life-events important to couples’ journeys toward success; the resources and …

The Relationship Between College Students’ Purpose In Life And Risk-Taking Behavior, Anna Church

All Master's Theses

The relationship between college students’ sense of purpose in life and their self-reported risky substance use and sexual behavior was investigated. Participants from a northwestern university (N = 174) answered questions online from questionnaires measuring meaning in life, alcohol use, substance use, sexual risk behavior, and social desirability. A MANCOVA analysis was conducted. The results demonstrated no statistically significant effects. Strengths and limitations of the study as well as directions for future research and therapeutic interventions are discussed.

The Relationship Of Social Constructs To Intimate Partner Violence, Andi Hefton

All Master's Theses

Correlations between intimate partner violence and specific social influences such as religiosity, propensity towards forgiveness, and gender role identity were examined. A sample of 105 students enrolled at Central Washington University submitted responses based on their perceptions of gender roles, religiosity, forgiveness, and experience with partner violence. Although previous studies examined exposure to intimate partner violence, substance use in relation to perpetrating partner violence, and attitudes about perpetrating intimate partner violence (IPV), research to date has failed to examine IPV as it relates to gender roles, religion, and forgiveness. In an attempt to fill this gap, the current study examined …

The Experience Of Foster Parents: What Keeps Foster Parents Motivated To Foster Long Term?, Rodrigo Diaz

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The number of children entering foster care has increased significantly in recent years, leading some to categorize the foster system as being in a state of crisis. More foster parents are needed, as are better retention methods. It is pertinent to understand the experiences that foster parents have that affect their decision to continue or cease fostering. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to understand the needs of foster parents based on their experiences and perceptions. The overarching research question sought to determine the lived experiences of foster parents who were navigating through, or taking part in, the …

Correctional Mental Health Providers’ Experiences Of Forced Termination On The Working Alliance, Karin Gepp

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This is a study of the experiences of forced terminations in correctional facilities, particularly their impact on the working alliance between mental health service providers and incarcerated patients. The study includes an introduction to the research problem and its context, followed by a discussion of the literature on the working alliance in psychotherapy, conditions of forced terminations in the treatment of the incarcerated, the problem of forced termination and the working alliance in the correctional settings, and the study’s research methodology. The research methodology is qualitative and includes semi-structured interviews of providers in correctional settings and an analysis of these …

The Application Of Western Models Of Psychotherapy By Indian Psychotherapists In India: A Grounded Theory, Gurjeet Sidhu

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The following study explored the experience of Indian psychotherapists applying Western psychotherapy to Indians. Charmaz’ (2006) Grounded theory methodology was utilized. Seven Indian psychotherapists were interviewed. Interview data yielded the theory of Modification as Resistance. Modification as Resistance captured Indian psychotherapists' attempts to modify Western psychotherapy to resist the erosion of local ways of healing due to the dominance of Western science. Results add to existing critiques of Western psychotherapy applied to Eastern populations. Recommendations based on results are offered to facilitate evidence-based practice (American Psychological Association [APA], 2006) with diverse populations. This dissertation is available in open access at …

From Dawn To Dan: The Journey Of Karate Masters., Brandon W. Maynard

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The contributions martial arts training can make to mental health treatment have scarcely been explored by researchers in psychology. Practitioners of martial arts, such as karate, report that the training improves self-esteem, concentration, and emotional well-being. Several studies have provided empirical evidence in support of these anecdotal reports, but very few have utilized participants who have advanced training in martial arts to examine the emotional impact such training has across time. This study takes a phenomenological approach to studying the emotional effects training has had on master-level martial artists (fourth-degree black belt or higher) in the discipline of karate. Eight …

How Same-Sex Spouses Of Female Enlisted Soldiers Perceive Support In Military Communities Post-Dadt/Doma Repeals, Cristina F. Gutman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The end of the Vietnam War heralded the beginning of the all-volunteer Army. In the interest of soldier retention, research focused on the military spouse, their challenges and needs. Four decades of research indicate that soldier deployments, separation from loved ones, and limited career options were among factors negatively impacting psychological and physiological well-being of this population. Support offered through military formal and informal support networks, however, provides some relief. The repeals of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and Defense of Marriage Act expanded the military family to include same-sex spouses yet a review of the literature revealed no research on …

The Effectiveness Of Individualized And Rehabilitative Therapies For Children In Foster Care, Alma Pozo-Breen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children placed in foster care face considerable stress and trauma related to being removed from their homes and subsequently living in a new environment. They may exhibit severe disruptive or antisocial behavior as a consequence. Clinicians and researchers often have not considered that these behaviors may be due to children's underdeveloped cognitive control and response. Treatment approaches that offer more holistic perspectives on stress and the inclusion of individual and specialized therapies may help foster children to better control their responses and return to their biological families sooner. The purpose of this study was to focus on whether individual therapy …

The Implementation Of The Anti-Bullying Bill Of Rights Act: New Jersey High School Educators' Perceptions, Stacey Zaremba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

New Jersey's high school teachers have many responsibilities to their students: they must educate them, work to mold their strength of character, and protect them from harming each other. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (ABR), legally fortified these goals by protecting students from harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB), at the state level. Previous research has indicated that incident rates for these negative behaviors are growing globally. This reality has driven the need for intervention and prevention programming; however, few instances of successful implementation exist. An important gap remains in the current literature, as there is still a need to …

Youth In Transition: Culturally Sensitive Treatment Modules That Enhance Trauma Psychotherapy For Immigrant Latinx Youth, Valentina Nikulina

Open Educational Resources

This manual was developed as a modification to efficacy-based trauma-treatment for immigrant Latinx youth, ages 13 to 25 years old. The goal of the modification is to add to the effectiveness of existing efficacy-based treatments (Trauma-Focused CBT, specifically) to better serve this population of youth. In addition to the sections on the general cultural considerations and engagement strategies, there are three modules (i.e., Building a Network of Support; Effective Communication and Assertiveness, & Empowerment and Resilience/Strengths Building).

Adolescent Perceptions Of Dating Violence: A Qualitative Study, Sarah Taylor, Carrie A. Calkins, Yan Ruth Xia, Rochelle L. Dalla

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Scholars have identified dating violence as a public health issue among adolescents. Yet, minimal research has detailed adolescents’ perceptions of dating violence, specifically gender differences in perceptions. Research suggests that in order for dating violence prevention and intervention to be effective, services need to be delivered in a manner that is understood by adolescents. Therefore, this study used a qualitative phenomenology study to investigate adolescents’ perceptions of dating violence, including gender differences in adolescents’ perceptions. Thirty adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19 from a Midwest public high school participated in focus groups. Focus group participants were asked semistructured …

The Effects Of Transracial Adoption On Adjustment And Identity Development, Krystle Dandridge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A plethora of studies have focused on transracial adoption. While these studies have looked at identity development and/or adjustment, they lacked the investigation into some possible causes to include feelings of belongingness as well as socioeconomic status. The current study explored the lack of cultural socialization and belongingness of people adopted into an environment culturally dissimilar from their birth culture. The nonexperimental, correlational design study examined the relationship between adjustment and identity development, and the impact of transracial adoption when considering socioeconomic status and skin tone. The New Immigrant Survey Skin Color Scale, Multiethnic Identity Measure, and Measure of Psychosocial …

Familial Factors Predicting Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence In African American Adolescents, Cassandra Clarke-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teen dating violence is more prevalent among African Americans than any other racial group in the United States leading to serious health consequences for victims. However, limited data exists on how African American adolescents' attitudes and perceptions regarding dating violence are formed, and whether they are influenced by family members. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational study was to determine whether nonverbal or verbal communication from family members predicted adolescents' attitudes and perceptions toward dating violence. Survey data from 84 African American men and women ages 18 to 24 were collected using the Normative Beliefs About Aggression Scale, the Acceptance …

Stress And Marital Satisfaction Of Parents With Children With Fragile X Syndrome, Jacqueline Del Fierro Avila

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Raising a child with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), particularly that of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), is challenging, as it comes with parental stressors for both mothers and fathers. Research on these stressors has been limited to only the stressors that mothers of children with a PDD experience and has failed to thoroughly examine the experiences and stressors of fathers of children with a PDD, particularly that of FXS. Using Hill's ABC-X family stress theory, this quantitative research study investigated the effects of marital satisfaction due to the amount of shared childcare responsibilities and parental stress among the mothers and …

Lived Experiences Of Same Sex Attracted Men With Competing Spiritual And Sexual Identities, Robert Hedge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study focused on understanding the lived experiences of men from a conservative Christian background who had disidentified as gay and subordinated their sexual identity to their spiritual identity. The study was intended to create understanding of the social, cultural, and valuative frameworks that informed and guided their attempts at resolving the conflict between spiritual and sexual identity. The study included three research questions: What are the emergent core themes associated with competing spiritual and sexual identities? How has the response of their faith community affected their struggle? How has the response of the gay community affected their struggle? Through …

The Experiences Of Parenting Coordinators Working With Couples Engaged In Intimate Partner Violence, Ann M. Ordway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In families where parents present with intimate partner violence dynamics, courts routinely impose restraints restricting communications between those parents. However, the same courts also routinely fashion arrangements whereby those same parents share custody of their children. Children in families with this dynamic are often used as communication facilitators and triangulated by parental conflict. This grounded theory study generated a theory about parenting coordination work with high conflict couples with intimate partner violence dynamics. This theory may have utility for parenting coordinators working more effectively with the described population. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 professional parenting coordinators who have worked …

Development And Formative Evaluation Of The Speak7 African American Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program, Mikeiya Y. Morrow

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a complex issue among African American children, who experience significantly higher rates of CSA (Sedlak et al., 2012). Despite this, a dearth of research has examined CSA prevention among African American children. Moreover, there are no established culturally sensitive prevention programs targeted at addressing CSA among this demographic. This study addressed a significant gap in the literature by developing and evaluating the Speak7 African American Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program (Speak7). Speak7 is a culturally sensitive, adult-focused CSA prevention program that aims to enhance the CSA prevention competence of adults who provide for African American …

Examining Substance-Use Treatment Utilization Among Incarcerated Women In Central Appalachian Jails, Rae Lyn Glover

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Women in Central Appalachia represent a significant proportion of those engaging in problematic patterns of opioid use, which is concerning given the limited available services in the region and gender specific treatment barriers. This investigation seeks to understand the role of mental health and substance use symptoms among incarcerated Central Appalachian women and build on the conceptual model of substance use treatment utilization purposed by Leukefeld and colleagues (1998). Data for this study was drawn from a larger longitudinal investigation (NIDA 1R01-DA033866) and baseline data collected during initial interviews was analyzed. The sample included 400 women incarcerated at one of …

The Relationship Among Acculturation Orientation, Perceived Discrimination, Psychological Functioning And Gender Among South Asian And South East Asian International Students In The United States Of America, Dia Mason

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The acculturation process for international students is influenced by several factors such as experiences of discrimination, economic condition, language fluency, and social support. Discrimination, which refers to negative or prejudicial behavior towards an individual or a group of individuals, takes place towards international students due to their poor grasp of the English Language (Lee & Rice, 2007), cultural differences (Cole & Ahmadi, 2003), and racial differences (Hanassab, 2006). Perceived discrimination (among other factors) has been identified as a potential moderator of the relationship between acculturation preferences and psychological functioning in acculturation theory (Berry, 2003). Apart from perceived discrimination, gender has …

Pill Poppin’ Nation: Substance Use, Mental Health, And Treatment Among Criminal Justice-Involved African Americans, Joi-Sheree' P. Knighton

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine substance use-related outcomes among criminal justice-involved African Americans using a multiple manuscript format. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deemed nonmedical prescription opioid use an epidemic. National estimates indicate approximately 3.9% of African Americans engage in nonmedical prescription opioid use. Research suggests African Americans involved in the criminal justice system may be significantly at risk of substance use more generally; yet, there are no known estimates of nonmedical opioid use among this subgroup. Rising rates of nonmedical opioid use also has implications for discussing barriers to treatment among socioeconomically marginalized …