Psychology Commons^™

Relationship Between Disordered Eating Risk & Body Image Dissatisfaction Of Spirit Squad Members, Sarah Abdul Albandar

Graduate Theses

Background: Investigations into body image and disordered eating habits among aesthetic sports has shown that these athletes face pressures to be thin and to be a certain body type for their sport.

Research aim/question(s): This study sought to determine if disordered eating habits and body dissatisfaction were prevalent within this population, whether or not there is a relationship between body image and disordered eating, and to determine the current research gap on body image and disordered eating among cheerleaders and dancers.

Materials and Methods: Participants were 23 females including cheerleaders and dancers on the Spirit Squad as well as dance …

The Youthful Pandemic, Brook Sahlemariam

Nursing | Senior Theses

This paper attempts to examine the neurological, physical, and societal effects of e-cigarette use among youth and young-adults in North America. Furthermore, the paper investigates the parallels between e-cigarette users, tobacco users, and dual users in regard to behavioral patterns, reasons for use, and age of initiation.

Survival Analysis Of Colorectal Cancer Patients With Liver Metastasis, Brandon O’Grady

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background- Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world. I investigated the survival rates among colorectal cancer patients diagnosed with hepatic metastasis to see if any variables are associated colorectal risk and survival. Methods- Patients were diagnosed from 2000-2019 and collected through MD Anderson’s database. A descriptive analysis, univariate analysis, Kaplan-Meier with Mantel log-rank test, Cox proportion hazard regression and a Stratified Cox Model was performed to investigate death. A competing risk regression was implemented to investigate liver recurrence. Results- There was a clear difference in the survival outcome between liver surgery patients and non-liver surgery patients …

Applications Of Statistical Methods Studying The Impact Of Mobilization Regimes On The Total Collection Yield Of Hematologic Stem Cell, Mengchen Ding

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Hematologic malignancies are cancers that develop in the blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a critical therapeutic approach that contributes to offer a potential cure for hematologic cancers and other hematologic disorders by replacing abnormal bone marrow with healthy bone marrow components to help bone marrow function recovery. Peripheral blood is the primary resource for collecting hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The collection yield of HSCs is critical for successful transplantation. Few articles have discussed this topic that the collection of stem cells not only from healthy donors but also from donors with a hematologic …

The Comparative Effect Of Automated Reminders/Recalls Interventions On The Appointments Rate Of Adolescent Wellness Care Visit, Biai Dominique Elmir Digbeu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

An Adolescent Wellness Care (AWC) visit is an annual preventive doctor visit predestined to assess the overall health of adolescents aged between 12 and 21 years old. Compared to their younger counterparts, adolescents who are using public insurance are at risk of not completing AWC visits due to several factors related to age or providers disparities in their living environment. This research was a quasiexperimental study aiming to compare two methods of automated Reminders/Recalls (RR) interventions, ‘phone-only’ versus ‘phone-and-text’, in order to evaluate which method is more effective in helping parents/guardians or young adults to schedule an AWC visit. A …

Understanding The Association Between Social Networks, College Student Alcohol Use, And Protective Behavioral Strategy Use And Beliefs, Melissa Roberts Colangelo

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems are a growing concern for American college students (Jun, Agley, Huang, & Gassman, 2015). Social networks, or peer groups, have demonstrated predictive associations with college students’ alcohol outcomes (Neighbors, Lee, Lewis, Fossos, & Larimer, 2007). Protective behavioral strategies (PBS), defined as behaviors used to reduce negative alcohol-related consequences, are often assessed as a mechanism of change and predictor of alcohol outcomes (Martens, Taylor, Damann, Page, Mowry, & Cimini, 2004). Still, the association between social networks’ and college students’ own PBS use has yet to be explored. The current study was designed to address this gap …

Seeing The Shadow Women: The Hidden Victims Of Prostitution, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

A group of hidden victims of prostitution has been brought to light by Ingeborg Kraus, a trauma therapist in Germany, and Andrea Heinz, a woman with experience in the sex trade in Canada. Dignity has published four articles by these two writers in the last year. Their nascent body of work is uncovering important new information and perspectives on prostitution. Through their own experience and interviews with wives of sex buyers and women with sex trade experience they show us a more holistic view of the harm of prostitution. They write about the wives and families of men who are …

The World On Pause: A Children's Book About Living During A Pandemic, Amanda Desmarais

Senior Honors Projects

Life as we now know it has drastically changed since March 2020. Over 60 million people throughout the world have been infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately, over a million have died from the virus in a short period of time. The last pandemic occurred in 1918, many years before most of us were born. Since the pandemic is a health crisis most generations have never experienced, adults and children alike are learning to cope simultaneously. It is difficult to teach children coping mechanisms during these chaotic and unfamiliar times. Family members can’t set positive examples if their coping techniques are inconsistent. …

Characterization Of Age-Associated Copd Progression In The Copd Gene Cohort, Lauryn A. Winter

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive and debilitating lung disease affecting primarily older adults. Incidence, morbidity and mortality from COPD are increasing worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between age at baseline and markers of disease progression in COPD patients using data generated by the Genetic Epidemiology of COPD (COPD Gene) study. Participants with COPD were stratified by age (younger: age <65 years, elderly: age ≥ 65 years) and disease characteristics (lung function, exercise tolerance, exacerbation history, and comorbidity burden) at baseline and five-year follow up were compared between groups. Associations between age group and changes in these measures were also assessed. Disease characteristics differed significantly between elderly and younger COPD patients at both study visits. Elderly COPD patients had worse lung function and more comorbidities than younger COPD patients, while younger COPD patients reported more dyspnea and more frequent and severe exacerbations than elderly COPD patients. Following covariate adjustment, elderly participants were less likely than younger participants to develop new frequent exacerbations over the study period (relative risk ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.42 (0.20, 0.87)). There were no other significant associations between age group and markers of disease progression. These results suggest that although elderly COPD patients exhibit evidence of more severe lung function impairment than younger COPD patients, the rate of disease progression is similar between elderly and younger patients. However, further exploration is needed to understand the possible contribution of survivorship bias to this finding. Nevertheless, this study supports the importance of early detection and early intervention to slow disease progression and maximize both life expectancy and quality of life for COPD patients.

Asthma-Copd Overlap Syndrome And Disease Progression In The Copdgene Cohort Study, Caitlyn Winter

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a debilitating and degenerative lung disease characterized by progressive airway obstruction and alveolar destruction. When asthma and COPD co-occur and interact, with asthma having been diagnosed first, the resulting respiratory disease is called Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome (ACOS). Current research suggests that persons with ACOS may have more severe respiratory disease and lifestyle limitations than those with either disease alone. The purpose of the current study was to determine if and how disease progression differs in patients with ACOS versus COPD only, using data collected during the COPDGene cohort study. Demographic characteristics and disease outcome …

Breastfeeding Duration And Reasons Given For Early Cessation Of Breastfeeding Among Wic Mothers, Amy Willa

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The Breastfeeding Duration and Reasons for Early Cessation of Breastfeeding Among WIC Mothers study was conducted to describe the duration of and factors associated with early breastfeeding cessation among the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) population. We collected data from a random sample of WIC medical records, sampling medical records belonging to mothers who initiated breastfeeding an infant but did not breastfeed to 52 weeks. Data were analyzed to answer the questions: How long do WIC mothers breastfeed? What reasons are given during counseling sessions at WIC for early cessation of breastfeeding? Do socio-economic, demographic, or medical factors influence the …

The Role Of Faculty In Fostering Psychosocial Wellbeing Among University Students, Kelley Wick

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The transition to college represents a major life event, and successfully navigating this shift has implications for students’ psychosocial wellbeing. While there is ample support for the idea that social relationships can facilitate student wellbeing during the transition to college, there is limited understanding of the unique role faculty may play in supporting students. The aim of this study was to determine the relation of faculty support to student wellbeing and self-efficacy, independent of peer support and student level of stress. Additionally, the primary questions were to examine whether self-efficacy mediated the relation of faculty support to student wellbeing, and …

Stigma Reduction Programming In Monterey County, Don Heading

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Mental illness-related stigma is a barrier to societal inclusion and productivity. With nearly one in five individuals being impacted by mental illness in the United States (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2019), there is a greater need for understanding through education to support those affected by mental illness. Stigma impacts those with mental illness in the realms of employment, housing, and incarceration. The Success Over Stigma Program located within the OMNI Resource Center in Salinas, California addresses the lack of education by offering contact-based community education delivered by those affected by mental illness. The project addressed the need …

The Importance Of Nutrition For Development In Early Childhood, Kaitlyn Sue Suha

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Understanding which foods contain the necessary vitamins and nutrients for a child’s health, and which ones are lacking, can decrease the likelihood of children developing nutritional deficiencies and promote their overall developmental health. It is important for parents of young children to have an understanding of nutrition and the effect that poor nutrition can have. this project presented information sessions to parents to educate them further about these important topics through four weekly online workshops. Participants were asked to complete a pre- and post-session survey. Survey results scores indicated that participants reported an increase in knowledge and understanding in regards …

Measurement Of Nontheistic And Theistic Spirituality: Initial Psychometric Qualities Of The Inclusive Spiritual Connection Scale, Valerie M. Hoots

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spirituality represents a key part of life for the majority of U.S. adults and there is a growing body of research supporting relationships between spirituality and numerous health outcomes. Governing healthcare organizations have acknowledged the role religiousness and spirituality play in comprehensive and holistic patient care. While the U.S. shows documented trends towards diverse expressions of spirituality, existing theory-driven measures of spirituality are largely theocentric. The current study concludes a multiphase project that aimed at the outset to develop an inclusive measure of spirituality and establish initial psychometric evidence, validating its use across both theistic and nontheistic spiritual populations. The …

Sensitive Periods For Psychosocial Risk In Childhood And Adolescence And Cardiometabolic Outcomes In Young Adulthood, Jenalee R. Doom, Kenia M. Rivera, Estela Blanco, Raquel Burrows, Paulina Correa-Burrows, Patricia L. East, Betsy Lozoff, Sheila Gahagan

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Greater psychosocial risk in childhood and adolescence predicts poorer cardiometabolic outcomes in adulthood. We assessed whether the timing of psychosocial risk from infancy through adolescence predicts cardiometabolic outcomes in young adulthood. Young adults and their mothers participated in a longitudinal study beginning in infancy in Santiago, Chile (N = 1040). At infancy, 5 years, 10 years, and adolescence, mothers reported on depressive symptoms, stressful experiences, support for child development in the home, father absence, parental education, and socioeconomic status (SES) to create a psychosocial risk composite at each time point. Young adults (52.1% female; 21–27 years) provided fasting serum samples …

Insights From U.S. Deaf Patients: Interpreters’ Presence And Receptive Skills Matter In Patient-Centered Communication Care, Brenda S. Nicodemus, Lori Whynot, Poorna Kushalnagar

Journal of Interpretation

In the U.S., deaf individuals who use sign language have a legislated right to communication access in the healthcare system, which is often addressed through the provision of signed language interpreters. However, little is known about deaf patients’ perception of interpreter presence, its impact on their disclosure of medical information to physicians, and whether this perception affects their assessment of physicians’ patient-centered communication behaviors (PCC). A total of 811 deaf adults responded to questions on a bilingual ASL-English online survey about their experiences with interpreters and physicians. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between deaf patients’ perception …

Uncertainty In The Context Of End-Of-Life Communication In Heart Failure, Caleb Pardue

Dissertations

End-of-life communication between patients, their family members, and healthcare providers is essential to quality care at the end-of-life. Advance care planning is increasingly utilized to facilitate end-of-life communication, but heart failure patients in particular face numerous challenges to achieving adequate end-of-life communication. Extant literature has highlighted the inherent uncertainty in heart failure as a barrier to end-of-life communication as well as the role of time perspective on the experience of heart failure patients, but little empirical research has been conducted to examine the impact of these constructs. The sample included 168 participants with heart failure who were recruited online through …

The Life-Saving Drug That No One Knows About: Naloxone Education And The Health Belief Model, Sarah Tilford

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Naloxone hydrochloride, popularly known by the brand name Narcan, is an emergency treatment used to reverse an overdose on opioid drugs. The CDC reports upwards of 26,000 individuals saved by naloxone between 1996 and 2014 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Despite this success rate, those outside of the medical field largely remain unaware of what naloxone is or how they can use it in an emergency, leading to needless loss of life. Many studies focusing on naloxone access and education have been unable to offer findings meant to increase the use and ownership of the drug by lay …

Air Pollution And The Dynamic Association Between Depressive Symptoms And Memory In Oldest-Old Women, Andrew J. Petkus, Diana Younan, Xinhui Wang, Daniel P. Beavers, Mark A. Espeland, Margaret Gatz, Tara Gruenewald, Joel D. Kaufman, Helena C. Chui, Joann E. Manson, Susan M. Resnick, Gregory A. Wellenius, Eric A. Whitsel, Keith Widaman, Jiu-Chiuan Chen

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Exposure to air pollution may contribute to both increasing depressive symptoms and decreasing episodic memory in older adulthood, but few studies have examined this hypothesis in a longitudinal context. Accordingly, we examined the association between air pollution and changes in depressive symptoms (DS) and episodic memory (EM) and their interrelationship in oldest-old (aged 80 and older) women.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort data from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study-Epidemiology of Cognitive Health Outcomes.

SETTING

Geographically diverse community-dwelling population.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1,583 dementia-free women aged 80 and older.

MEASUREMENTS

Women completed up to six annual memory assessments (latent composite …

The Impact Of Parental Health Mindset On Postoperative Recovery In Children, Alexandra Kain, Claudia Mueller, Brenda J. Goliamu, Brooke N. Jenkins, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Mindset, or one’s beliefs about the ability to change one’s outcomes, has been studied in the educational domain but not in surgical settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of parental health mindset on children’s recovery.

Methods

Participants were part of a larger National Institutes of Health‐funded trial that included 1470 children undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. We used measures of parental coping style (Monitor Blunter Style Scale; MBSS) and medication attitudes (Medication Attitudes Questionnaire; MAQ) to validate the Health Beliefs Scale (HBS; Criterion validity, Cohen’s kappa). HBS categorizes parents as having a growth mindset, …

Verification Of The Appropriateness Of The Psychometric Properties Of Leahy Emotional Schema Scale Of The University Students In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Hanem Alboray

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

The study aimed to verify the psychometric characteristics of the Arabic version of the Emotional Schema Scale (Leahy, 2002) translated by Al Jamea. The study included (440) randomly selected students from the scientific and humanities colleges at King Faisal University, Al hasa, Saudi Arabia, with the mean age of (20.47) years and a standard deviation of (2.12) years. The descriptive method was used. That is ,the used statistical methods were (averages, standard deviations, correlation coefficients, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Cronbach's alpha. The results showed that the scale has an acceptable level of validity and reliability, and we can use it in …

Maximizing Data Quality And Shortening Survey Time: Three-Form Planned Missing Data Survey Design, E. Whitney G. Moore, Kyle M. Lang, Elizabeth M. Grandfield

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Simulation studies have shown the three-form planned missing data design efficiently collects high quality data while reducing participant burden. This methodology is rarely used in sport and exercise psychology. Therefore, we conducted a re-sampling study with existing sport and exercise psychology survey data to test how three-form planned missing data survey design implemented with different item distribution approaches effect constructs’ internal measurement structure and validity. Results supported the efficacy of the three-form planned missing data survey design for cross-sectional data collection. Sample sizes of at least 300 (i.e., 100 per form) are recommended for having unbiased parameter estimates. It is …

Adverse Childhood Experiences As Predictors Of Perceived Health: Assessing The Ace Pyramid Model Using Multiple-Mediation, Phillip Hughes, Tabitha L. Ostrout

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been shown to contribute to a litany of mental and physical health problems, including several chronic diseases and death, via a model known as the ACE pyramid. Many of the results of ACEs in the ACE pyramid are known contributors to poor perceived health, which has significant health implications. Despite these results, a possible link between ACEs and perceived health has not been examined to date. Based on the temporal order of the ACE pyramid, we believe any relationship between ACEs and perceived health will be mediated by other components of the model.

Methods: …

Quels Sont Les Déterminants Du Retour Au Travail Durable Des Travailleurs Seniors Ayant Subi Une Lésion Psychologique Ou Physique?, Alessia Negrini, Marc Corbière, Jessica Dubé, Andrea Gragnano, Marc-Antoine Busque, Martin Lebeau, Margherita Brondino, Samantha Vila Masse

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Le vieillissement de la population est un thème complexe et sensible qui concerne plusieurs acteurs et sphères de la société (emploi, santé, finances). Cette étude porte sur le retour au travail durable[1] après une lésion de nature psychologique (LÉS_PSY; p. ex. : dépression) ou physique (LÉS_PHY; p. ex. : troubles musculosquelettiques) chez les travailleurs « seniors » âgés de 45 ans et plus. Au Québec, l’analyse des données de la Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) de 2013 à 2015 a permis de constater que le groupe de travailleurs âgés …

Evaluation Of A Mobile Health Intervention To Improve Wellness Outcomes For Breast Cancer Survivors, Jamie Cairo, Laurie Williams, Lisa Bray, Katrina Goetzke, Ana Cristina Perez

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Breast cancer survivors are at increased risk of cancer recurrence, second malignancies, and other comorbid conditions. This study examined if use of a convenient, commercially available, $65 per month app that gives breast cancer survivors access to a health and wellness coach is more effective than a self-guided toolkit and one-time health education session at achieving the following goals: 1) improving adherence to a plant-based diet, 2) increasing physical activity, 3) assisting with weight loss and reduction in body mass index, 4) reducing elevated depression and fatigue scores, and 5) leading to sustained adherence to lifestyle and wellness plan …

Environmental Stewardship Promotes A Sense Of Place: Coral Health Monitoring On Maui, Cynthia Brunold-Conesa

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Environmental stewardship is an integral aspect of the Montessori curriculum. It usually includes care of the school’s setting (classrooms, grounds, gardens, eating areas, etc.) and, depending on each school’s unique situation, ideally extends into the larger environment in which the school is situated. During the 2014-15 school year, our class of Middle School students at Montessori Hale O Keiki (MHOK) were asked to select community service projects that were directly relevant to environmental and/or ecological issues on Maui. For our students, Coral Watch was the perfect project through which to integrate marine science, environmental stewardship, and community service. Through a …

Morita Therapy According To Morita: Dwelling In The Tension Between Hardy And Fragile Life, Peg Levine

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

At the turn of the last century, Shōma Morita, MD (1874-1938), observed the ways thriving habitats revitalize and sustain humans, other mammals, birds, insects, fish, trees, fungi, and other life. Compatibly, Morita progressed his theory of peripheral consciousness (mushojūshin), which informed his therapeutic ecological habitat and methods. In Morita’s era, scholars and clinicians mulled over diverse hypotheses on consciousness and how consciousness theories (or lack of a theory) influence therapy and places of delivery. Largely by the 1980s, phenomenological inquiry was displaced (if not discredited) by advocates and funders of cognitive science. Therein, consciousness was reframed as …

Medieval Thinking In The 21st Century: Crystal Balls, Black Swans, And Darwin's Finches In The Time Of Corona, George Conesa

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Twenty years into the 21st Century, a sizable swath of the world populace thinks, makes decisions, and defines itself in a conflicted and contradictory chimera. Millions of individuals make use of cutting-edge technologies while simultaneously throwing salt over their shoulders and consulting with the local ‘healer’ about any number of illnesses--to caricaturize, a sort of medieval-thinker-tech-savvy orientation. It is here affirmed that the practical consequences of this agentic amalgamation, modes of thinking, and “being in the world” are counterproductive at best and self-defeating at worst, resulting in much uncertainty and leading to, for example, mixed messages in public health …

Indigenous Animistic Belief Systems And Integrated Science: Perspective On Humans’ Relationship With Nature And The Coronavirus Pandemic, Cesario Garcia

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

This paper explores some perspectives of indigenous animistic belief systems from researchers who have made observations while studying amongst North American tribes. Specifically, it will address indigenous interactions with the natural world and, in particular, their belief that humans are a part of nature. Next, other perspectives, not rooted in Indigenous belief systems, will be discussed that demonstrate how other cultures and individuals across the globe also view humans as a part of nature, including concepts found in Morita Therapy (Morita, 1928), Arne Naess’ (1987) theory of the ‘ecological self’, and nations around the world that are implementing policies that …