Psychology Commons^™

Incorporating Religion Into Therapy To Better Treat Depression, Jacob Tubbs

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common treatment option for depression. Often, CBT is only effective at masking the symptoms of depression without helping the person overcome depression altogether; thus, it may benefit CBT patients if alternative therapies are combined with CBT. Incorporating the patient’s religion into therapy is an alternative that may help many people. A large percentage of Americans are still religious or spiritual. This literature review discusses methods of building a personalized version of CBT that incorporates the patient’s religion, or religiously integrated CBT (RCBT), and the effects …

Judicious Vulnerability: How Humility, Teachability, And Awareness Impact Teams In Organizational Settings, Mac Strachan

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

In some professions, such as medicine, law enforcement, athletics, and education, maintaining high performance standards while being emotionally stoic often leads to work fatigue and burnout. This state of being can be detrimental to the health of both the professionals and the organization that employs them, bringing into question the necessity of a culture driven by competition and ego. As such, this paper explores the concept of vulnerability as a means to explain cognitive and emotional processes that positively affect relational behavior and organizational culture. Judicious vulnerability sits at the intersection of humility, teachability, and awareness and has the capacity …

Birth Order: Shaping Lives One Sibling At A Time, Savannah Sarvey

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Personality development, and even intelligence, is influenced by family members once a child is brought into the world. The family, especially the siblings, has a notable impact on the child’s development. Siblings provide the first social interactions children have, both positive and negative. Siblings affect the personality and intellectual development of individuals via differences in family responsibilities and changes that arise in the home environment as more children are added to the household. Older siblings will likely have stronger leadership skills because of these responsibilities, and younger children may not receive as many benefits in intellectual abilities because of these …

Socially Prescribed Perfectionism: A Threat To University Students’ Success, Kelsie J. Richards

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) can lead to increased rates of dropout among university students. Perfectionistic expectations can create chronic stress and various negative emotions, which can lead to mental health problems. In addition, students with SPP may feel a strong obligation to pursue higher education and may therefore be less intrinsically motivated to learn, placing more importance on obtaining high grades than on learning. Unfortunately, this prioritization of grades over learning may also increase the risk of cheating among these students. Procrastination of homework and avoidance of situations that can expose their imperfections to others may impact these students’ performance …

Put The Score On The Back Burner: Coach–Athlete Relationships And Anxiety, Tiffany Peterson

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Anxiety is a very prevalent mental disorder among adolescents and can be unfavorable to their developing mental, cognitive, and social health. Although it comes in many forms, social anxiety disorder, which can affect peer relations, academic success, and sport performance, can be especially difficult during teenage years. More specifically, high school sports provide many situations and stressors that can trigger social anxiety. Some major aspects of high school sports that can trigger social anxiety are working with teammates and learning from coaches. This review seeks to provide a better understanding of the effect that the coach–athlete relationship has on anxiety …

Helping Babies: The Mental And Physical Effects Of Massage Therapy On Preterm Infants, Sadie Johnson

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

The purpose of this paper is to address and review the literature regarding the effects of massage therapy on preterm infants. Each of the studies done focused on infants aged 0–12 months. The literature specifically looks at irritability states, stress, analgesia, weight-gain, sleep-wake cycles, cognition, and gastrointestinal function. In accordance with the studies reviewed in this article, I deduce that massage therapy can be used with preterm infants to reduce irritability and stress, increase weight-gain, support greater rest, facilitate short-term cognitive improvement, and create a greater improvement in gastrointestinal function. Massage therapy can also reduce pain in infants who have …

Anxiety Disorders: A Review Of Neurobiological Structures, Neurocognitive Expressions, And Treatment Options, Lucy A. Jessee

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

There are many types of anxiety disorders, all of which are most recognizable by their display of excessive fear or worry. In order to fully recognize and treat anxiety disorders, individuals must understand the neurobiological causes and neurocognitive expressions of the disorder. This review examines 16 studies on the neurobiology, cognitive symptoms, and treatment options for anxiety disorders. This revealed that the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, visual cortex, and superior temporal gyrus play a substantial role in anxiety disorders. These biological substrates are then linked to common cognitive symptoms of anxiety disorders, including executive function deficits. Finally, both neuropharmacological therapy and …

Efficacy Of Narrative Exposure Therapy Among Refugees With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Jarom J. R. Hickenlooper

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent among refugee and asylum-seeker populations. Narrative exposure therapy (NET) has been effective in reducing PTSD symptoms in multiple trials. The present review analyzed 19 studies from the PsychInfo database, in which NET was utilized for exclusively refugee or asylum-seeker populations in locations of resettlement. Studies demonstrated effectiveness in reducing PTSD symptoms. In most studies, NET was more effective than other mental health treatments. Results indicated moderate to insignificant symptom reduction in other measures as well, including measures of depression. Discussions in each of the studies were examined for common themes regarding efficacy. Implications for …

Assessing The Health Effects Of Police Violence On Black Communities In America: A Literature Review, Darian Hannig

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Police-related mortality rates are disproportionately higher among Black populations than among any other racial group in the United States. While official data on non-fatal encounters with police is lacking, current evidence suggests these encounters are more common among Black individuals and often result in signs of immediate psychological and physical damage, as well as triggering long-lasting physiological stress responses and psychological trauma among these individuals and their communities. The aim of this literature review is to assess if police interactions are associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes among Black Americans. Using scholarly electronic databases, 13 articles were analyzed …

Empathy And Fairness In Nonhuman Primates: Evolutionary Bases Of Human Morality, Colt Halter

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Darwin offered an evolutionary perspective on the origins of human morality, suggesting that humans share a biological foundation with nonhuman primates. This paper reviews the current literature on moral and prosocial behaviors of nonhuman primates, specifically examining whether nonhuman primates exhibit behaviors that are typical of empathy and fairness. The literature documents that nonhuman primates exhibit empathetic behaviors regarding emotional contagion and sympathetic concern. There is also evidence that nonhuman primates have a sense of fairness, seen in their reciprocal behaviors and aversion to inequity. Taken together, this suggests that there are evolutionary roots of morality, lending empirical support to …

Guilt By Obesity: A Closer Look At Obesity Stigmas, Loriana Goulding

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Obesity stigmas have led to an increased interest in the body-positivity movement in recent years. However, despite the decreasing discrimination and shaming of the obese, many people still consciously and unconsciously adhere to obesity stigmas and myths. These false beliefs are harmful not only to obese individuals but also to society, given that over 1/3 of the U.S. adult population is now obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). These stigmas can be especially harmful to obese individuals who are victims of wrongdoings and to obese individuals who are accused of a wrongdoing (Yamawaki, Riley, Rasmussen, & Cook, 2018). …

The Comorbidity Of Drug And Alcohol Consumption In Relation To Mental Health Disorders, Sydney Dawson

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

The constantly increasing use of drugs and alcohol in young adults has created great controversy in the medical community on the long-term effects of these substances. The average brain development of adolescence and young adults is not complete until the age of 25, though drug and alcohol intake occur across the United States at younger ages each year. Impulsive behavior and underdeveloped neural pathways create a strong pull for addiction formulations and the development of severe mental-health problems. This paper reviews the positive and negative effects of illicit drugs and alcohol intake and their comorbidity with mental health disorders. There …

Specific Challenges Faced By Females With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Brad W. Davis

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complicated developmental condition. ASD is typically known as a male-associated disorder with three to four times as many males diagnosed with the disorder than females (Loomes, Hull, & Mandy, 2017). Recent studies on the differences between males and females with ASD have recognized an underdiagnosis of females with ASD. Researchers have found that females with ASD have a specific set of mannerisms and struggles that differ from their male counterparts, which may be “camouflaging” the females into society (Lai et al., 2019). Many undiagnosed females with ASD are not receiving the mental, emotional, and …

Exploring The Relationship Between Wealth And Happiness In An International Context, Madison Coleman

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

This paper explores the literature regarding the relationship between wealth and happiness in cross-cultural or international contexts. A search on several online databases found 23 articles relevant to the topic. The authors studied this wealth-happiness relationship using varying definitions of subjective well-being (SWB) and life satisfaction to measure happiness, and using absolute income, relative income, consumption, or national income to measure wealth. This review discusses several theories that discuss the relationship between wealth and happiness and the causal factors that may explain it. These include the fulfillment of basic needs, social comparison, and the presence of certain demographic markers or …

Scrupulosity And Latter-Day Saints: The Potential Benefits Of Tolerating Uncertainty, Madeline R. Christensen

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Many religious individuals, including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS individuals), suffer from a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) known as scrupulosity. Scrupulosity is characterized by a cycle of anxiety-producing fear of sinful or immoral behavior and compulsive attempts to soothe that anxiety through religious means. While several therapeutic methods have proven effective for various dimensions of OCD, treatment of individuals with scrupulosity has been less successful. Increasing amounts of research indicate that an intolerance of uncertainty (IU) may play an important role in many psychological disorders, including OCD and, potentially, scrupulosity. IU may be …

Exposure To Nature: An Underutilized Component Of Student Mental Health, Jeremy S. Bekker

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Nature-exposure interventions on university campuses may serve as an effective addition to overburdened counseling and student support centers. Nature-exposure interventions can work as a preventative health measure on campuses, which can be used adjacently with existing health resources. This paper outlines the potential benefits of nature exposure for students’ physical health, mental well-being, and academic success. Previous research has demonstrated that nature exposure may help reduce cognitive load, decrease negative psychological symptoms, increase psychological coping ability, and lead to better physical health. Many campuses already contain green spaces, defined as any part of an environment that is predominately made of …

Balanced Parenting: The Effects Of Family Functioning On Suicide And Non-Suicidal Self-Injury In Adolescents, Stephen Bahr

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. Suicidal behavior is also highly correlated with non-suicidal self-injury. Many studies show a correlation between the level of family functioning and these adolescent self-harming behaviors. In this review specifically, a compilation of synthesized studies shows that two factors of family functioning—cohesion and flexibility—have a high association with self-harming behavior in adolescents. Families with low levels of cohesion (disengaged) frequently cause feelings of loneliness and isolation, which may lead youth to self-harm. Inversely, adolescents of families with extremely high levels of cohesion (enmeshed) often feel unable to express their true feelings …

Front Matter

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Psychosocial Support Interventions On Survival In Inpatient And Outpatient Healthcare Settings: A Meta-Analysis Of 106 Randomized Controlled Trials, Timothy B. Smith, Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Faculty Publications

We evaluated randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychosocial support interventions in inpatient and outpatient healthcare settings reporting survival data, including studies reporting disease-related or all-cause mortality. LOdds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) data were analyzed separately using random effects weighted models. Of 42,054 studies searched, 106 RCTs including 40,280 patients met inclusion criteria. Across 87 RCTs reporting data for discrete time periods, the average was OR = 1.20 (95% CI = 1.09 to 1.31, p < 0.001), indicating a 20% increased likelihood of survival among patients receiving psychosocial support compared to control groups receiving standard medical care. Among those studies, psychosocial interventions explicitly promoting health behaviors yielded improved likelihood of survival, whereas interventions without that primary focus did not. Across 22 RCTs reporting survival time, the average was HR = 1.29 (95% CI = 1.12 to 1.49, p < 0.001), indicating a 29% increased probability of survival over time among intervention recipients compared to controls. Among those studies, meta-regressions identified 3 moderating variables: control group type, patient disease severity, and risk of research bias. Studies with patients having relatively greater disease severity tended to yield smaller gains in survival time relative to control groups. In this meta-analysis, OR data indicated that psychosocial behavioral support interventions promoting patient motivation/coping to engage in health behaviors improved patient survival, but interventions focusing primarily on patients’ social or emotional outcomes did not prolong life. HR data indicated that psychosocial interventions, predominantly focused on social or emotional outcomes, improved survival but yielded similar effects to health information/classes and were less effective among patients with apparently greater disease severity.

Effects Of Psychosocial Support Interventions On Survival In Inpatient And Outpatient Healthcare Settings: A Meta-Analysis Of 106 Randomized Controlled Trials, Connor Workman, Caleb Andrews, Bonnie Barton, Matthew Cook, Ryan Layton, Alexandra Morrey, Devin Petersen, Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Faculty Publications

Background

Hospitals, clinics, and health organizations have provided psychosocial support interventions for medical patients to supplement curative care. Prior reviews of interventions augmenting psychosocial support in medical settings have reported mixed outcomes. This meta-analysis addresses the questions of how effective are psychosocial support interventions in improving patient survival and which potential moderating features are associated with greater effectiveness.

Methods and findings

We evaluated randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychosocial support interventions in inpatient and outpatient healthcare settings reporting survival data, including studies reporting disease-related or all-cause mortality. Literature searches included studies reported January 1980 through October 2020 accessed from Embase, …

Cognitive Empathy And Longitudinal Changes In Temporo-Parietal Junction Thickness In Schizophrenia, Derin J. Cobia, Tatiana Karpouzian-Rogers, Julie Petersen, Lei Wang, Vijay A. Mittal, John G. Csernansky, Matthew J. Smith

Faculty Publications

Objective: Deficits in cognitive empathy are well-documented in individuals with schizophrenia and are related to reduced community functioning. The temporoparietal junction (TPJ) is closely linked to cognitive empathy. We compared the relationship between baseline cognitive empathy and changes in TPJ thickness over 24 months between individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Methods: Individuals with schizophrenia (n = 29) and healthy controls (n = 26) completed a cognitive empathy task and underwent structural neuroimaging at baseline and approximately 24 months later. Symmetrized percent change scores were calculated for right and left TPJ, as well as whole-brain volume, and compared between groups. …

Diverging Identities: The Juxtaposition Of Palestinians In Israel And The Occupied Territories, Micah Russell

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

Roboethics In Covid-19: A Case Study In Dentistry, Wendy C. Birmingham, Yaser Maddahi, Maryam Kalvandi, Sofya Langman, Nicole Capicotto, Kourosh Zareinia

Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused dramatic effects on the healthcare system, businesses, and education. In many countries, businesses were shut down, universities and schools had to cancel in-person classes, and many workers had to work remotely and socially distance in order to prevent the spread of the virus. These measures opened the door for technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence to play an important role in minimizing the negative effects of such closures. There have been many efforts in the design and development of robotic systems for applications such as disinfection and eldercare. Healthcare education has seen a lot …

Early Rearing Conditions Affect Monoamine Metabolite Levels During Baseline And Periods Of Social Separation Stress: A Non-Human Primate Model (Macaca Mulatta), Elizabeth K. Wood, Natalia Gabrielle, Jacob Hunter, Andrea N. Skowbo, Melanie L. Schwandt, Stephen G. Lindell, Christina S. Barr, Stephen J. Suomi, James Dee Higley

Faculty Publications

A variety of studies show that parental absence early in life leads to deleterious effects on the developing CNS. This is thought to be largely because evolutionary-dependent stimuli are necessary for the appropriate postnatal development of the young brain, an effect sometimes termed the “experience-expectant brain,” with parents providing the necessary input for normative synaptic connections to develop and appropriate neuronal survival to occur. Principal among CNS systems affected by parental input are the monoamine systems. In the present study, N = 434 rhesus monkeys (233 males, 201 females) were reared in one of two conditions: as mother-reared controls (MR; …

The Impact Of Short Sleep On Food Reward Processes In Adolescents, Kara Mcrae Duraccio, K. N. Krietsch, N. Zhang, C. Whitacre, T. Howarth, M. Pfeiffer, D. W. Beebe

Faculty Publications

Short sleep has been linked to adolescent obesity risk, but questions remain regarding the dietary mechanisms by which this occurs. We tested whether mildly shortening sleep influences how rewarding and appealing healthy adolescents find several kinds of foods. Eighty-eight healthy adolescents completed a within-subjects crossover sleep experiment comparing 5 days of Short Sleep (6.5 hour sleep opportunity) vs. 5 days of Healthy Sleep (9.5 hour sleep opportunity). Following each condition, adolescents completed measures of food appeal and reinforcing value of food across five food types: sweets/desserts, fruits/vegetables, lean meats/eggs, fast food entrees, and processed snacks. Adolescents averaged 2.2 hours/night longer …

Is Thinness Truly Next To Godliness?: Examining Moral Judgements Against Women With Larger Bodies In A Latter-Day Saint Population, Sydney Rasmussen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Weight stigma exists in many ways within our society, though how exactly it manifests in a religious context has not been well-researched. This study investigates the relationship between female body size and perceived morality among college-age Latter-day Saints. 260 Latter-day Saint BYU students between the ages of 18 and 30 were randomly assigned one of two surveys: one featuring the image of a larger-bodied woman and the other featuring the image of a smaller-bodied woman—both being similar in complexion and dress. The survey asked participants various questions regarding their assigned woman’s moral character, with items adapted from the Ethical Behavior …

A Commentary On Establishing Norms For Error-Related Brain Activity During The Arrow Flanker Task Among Young Adults, Peter E. Clayson, Emily S. Kappenman, William J. Gehring, Gregory A. Miller, Michael J. Larson

Faculty Publications

We suggest that a large data set for the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) components of the scalp-recorded event-related brain potential (ERP) recently published as normative is not ready for such use in research and, especially, clinical application. Such efforts are challenged by an incomplete understanding of the functional significance of between-person differences in amplitudes and of nuisance factors that contribute to amplitude differences, a lack of standardization of methods, and the use of a convenience sample for the potentially normative database. To move ERPs toward standardization and useful norms, we encourage more research on the meaning of …

The Roles Of Identity Formation And Moral Identity In College Student Mental Health, Health-Risk Behaviors, And Psychological Well-Being, Sam A. Hardy, Stephen W. Francis, Byron L. Zamboanga, Su Yeong Kim, Spencer G. Anderson, Larry F. Forthun

Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study examined the roles of identity formation and moral identity in predicting college student mental health (anxiety and depressive symptoms), health-risk behaviors (hazardous alcohol use and sexual risk taking), and psychological well-being (self-esteem and meaning).

Method: The sample comprised 9,500 college students (aged 18–25 years, mean = 19.78, standard deviation = 1.61: 73% female; 62% European American), from 31 different universities, who completed an online self-report survey. Results: Structural equation models found that identity maturity (commitment making and identity synthesis) predicted 5 of the health outcomes (except sexual risk taking), and moral identity predicted ail of the health …

Religiousness And Levels Of Hazardous Alcohol Use: A Latent Profile Analysis, Peter J. Jankowski, Sam A. Hardy, Byron L. Zamboanga, Lindsay S. Ham, Seth J. Schwartz, Su Yeong Kim, Larry F. Forthun, Melina M. Bersamin, Roxanne A. Donovan, Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Erica A. Hurley, Miguel Ángel Cano

Faculty Publications

Prior person-centered research has consistently identified a subgroup of highly religious participants that uses significantly less alcohol when compared to the other subgroups. The construct of religious motivation is absent from existing examinations of the nuanced combinations of religiousness dimensions within persons, and alcohol expectancy valuations have yet to be included as outcome variables. Variable-centered approaches have found religious motivation and alcohol expectancy valuations to play a protective role against individuals’ hazardous alcohol use. The current study examined latent religiousness profiles and hazardous alcohol use in a large, multisite sample of ethnically diverse college students. The sample consisted of 7412 …

Identity Dimensions And Related Processes In Emerging Adulthood: Helpful Or Harmful?, Rachel A. Ritchie, Alan Meca, Vanessa L. Madrazo, Seth J. Schwartz, Sam A. Hardy, Byron L. Zamboanga, Robert S. Weisskirch, Su Yeong Kim, Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Lindsay S. Ham, Richard M. Lee

Faculty Publications

Objectives: The current study evaluated the mediational role of well-being in the relationship between identity development and psychosocial functioning. Method: A sample of 7,649 undergraduate students (73% female: mean age = 19.95, standard deviation = 1.98: 62% Caucasian) completed measures of personal identity, well-being, internalizing symptoms, externalizing problems, and health-risk behaviors.

Results: Results revealed that (a) identity exploration and commitment were negatively associated with internalizing symptoms, health-risk behaviors, and externalizing problems through well-being, (b) ruminative exploration was negatively associated with well-being and positively associated with externalizing problems, and (c) increased levels of ruminative exploration appear more detrimental for men than …