Psychology Commons^™

God Control Among Doctoral Psychology Students : A Compressed Longitudinal Design, Laura K. Heyne

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Medication On Memory In Children Diagnosed With Adhd, Benjamin J. Dunagan

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of Self-Reported Neurological-Psychological Symptoms In An Oef, Elga Kinnear

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Examining The Interactions Among Family Dynamics, Acculturation, Spiritual Well-Being And Asian American Culture , Brian C. Chao

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Forced Sexual Encounters And Risk-Taking Behavior Among College Students , Marcie L. Courter

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Comparative Cognitive Performance Of Orthopedic, Delay, And Intellectual Disability Cases: Accommodations? , Megan L. Rabon

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Is Conformity A Mediating Variable On Increased Risk-Taking Behavior Across Years Of Membership In The Greek System?, Chloe Elizabeth Lee-Zorn

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Perceived Risks And Benefits Of Emerging Technologies In Professional Psychology , R Adam Dickey

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Using Short-Term Memory Measures To Assess Long-Term Memory In Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease, Scott O. Burkhart

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of The Coping Power Program In Middle-School Children With Disruptive Behaviours And Hyperactivity Difficulties, Diomaris E. Jurecska, Elizabeth Hamilton, Mary A. Peterson

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The purpose of this article is to discuss the effectiveness of the Coping Power Program (CPP); an evidencebased treatment delivered in a group format to at-risk middle-school children. Initially, two groups were randomised and formed: an intervention group of 24 CPP sessions and a control group. All students were enrolled in public schools from two rural counties in the United States. Out of the 119 total participants 63 (37 male) were in the intervention and 56 (35 male) were in the control group. From the larger intervention group, a subset of students was identified as ‘significantly improved’. Using the Behavior …

Spiritually Oriented Interventions: Future Directions In Training And Research (Chapter 14 Of Spiritually Oriented Interventions For Counseling And Psychotherapy), Mark R. Mcminn, Everett L. Worthington Jr, Jame D. Aten

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Dbt Treatment On The Relationship Between Women’S Overall Self-Concept And Body-Image, Rachel Mueller

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Given the connection between self-concept and body-image for women recovering from eating disorders, this study researched the impact of twelve women’s participation in a body- image group in a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Center. The dialectical behavior therapy approach is of particular interest given its emphasis on mindfulness and acceptance, which may aid in decreasing the tension between how women with eating disorders view their ideal versus perceived selves. Quantitatively, this study investigated change in scores on the Total Self- concept Score (TOT) and Conflict Score (CON) of the Tennessee Self-concept Scale – 2. As hypothesized, data analysis revealed a large …

Faculty Attitudes About Multiculturalism Issues: A Longitudinal Analysis, Daniel T. Lemnen

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The demographics of the United States continue to change, and the ethnical and cultural landscape changes along with it. The American Psychological Association (APA) has begun to address these issues within the field of psychology. These efforts are being made to bring understanding to ethnic identity formation, explore the dangers of ignoring ethnic differences (i.e., Sue, 2004; "invisibility of Whiteness"), and to highlight the necessity to develop views with diverse perspectives. This in part due to the recognition that there remain facets of our nation that remain generally ethnically homogenous (i.e., White). The university is one such place, and George …

The Relationship Among Identity Development, Sociocultural Ideals Of Beauty, And Self-Objectification Among Females In Early Adulthood, Hillary Lambert

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The sexualization of women and girls in Western society has been widely studied and has been shown to contribute to a number of different negative outcomes for women, including eating disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, and low self-esteem. Two prominent theories have emerged to explain how sexualization leads to pathology. Sociocultural theory states that women internalize unrealistic ideals of beauty obtained through media outlets and interpersonal interactions. Likewise, self-objectification theory states that women are socialized to view themselves as objects to be evaluated and looked at by others and incorporate these ideals into their view of self. Because identity achievement is …

Initial Validation Of The Spiritual Thoughts And Behaviors Scale, William Buhrow, Rodger K. Bufford, Russell Smith, Laura Helmer

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The Spiritual Thoughts and Behaviors Scale was developed as part of a study exploring the relationship between spirituality and generosity. One goal of the study was to see if there was a relationship between individuals’ spiritual thoughts and their spiritual behaviors; particularly those behaviors of charitable (financial) giving, volunteerism, and donations of goods and services. The Spiritual Thoughts and Behaviors Scale is an 18 item self-report scale constructed to provide a global religiosity score comprised of two subscale scores: spiritual behaviors (7 items) and spiritual thoughts (11 items). Data was collected from both university students and a local church congregation. …

Religious Identity, Spiritual Practices, And Burnout, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Preliminary work by Sanderson (2008; Bufford & Sanderson, 2009) examining data on burnout among staff members in an adolescent residential treatment program found that spiritual practices distinguished Buddhist and Christian participants and were related to burnout. They suggested that spiritual practices may prove useful in further understanding religiosity. However, some of their findings were puzzling. Sanderson (2009) found high burnout and low spiritual well-being, but unexpectedly spiritual well-being was not related to religious orientation. In an effort to further understand these findings, the present study performed a cluster analysis on Sanderson’s data and identified two clusters of participants. Cluster One …

Preliminary Validation Of A Measure Of Generosity, William Buhrow, Rodger K. Bufford, Kurt C. Webb

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

In 2006, there were 1.48 million non-profits in the United States. Of those, 190,000 were religiously oriented charities. Most charities rely at least in part on the generosity of others. However, review of the extant literature demonstrated a lack of scales designed to assess an individual’s generosity. Therefore, a scale was developed in order to measure this construct and its related dimensions. A random sample of University students (n=106) from a small, Christian university and members of a local church (n=68) chose to participate for a total of 174 participants. The generosity scale was a 14 item self-report scale designed …

Flourishing: Human Nature, Happiness And Positive Psychology, Chad A. Houchin, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Competence To Stand Trial: Special Challenges For The Population Diagnosed With Intellectual Disabilities And Borderline Intellectual Functioning, Diomaris E. Jurecska

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study contributes to the psychometric validity of the psychological tests most frequently used to determine competency to stand trial for people with intellectual disabilities. First, the relationship between The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool (MacCAT-CA) and the Competence Assessment to Stand Trial for Defendants with Intellectual Disabilities (CAST-MR) was analyzed, including their respective determination of competency for currently adjudicated adults with intellectual disabilities. Second, the relationship between performance on the Malingered Incompetence Legal Knowledge test (MILK), a new measure designed to evaluate malingering by people with intellectual disabilities in a legal context, and the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) was …

Cognitive And Psychodynamic Mechanisms Of Change In Treated And Untreated Depression, Daniel Coleman, Diane Cole, Leslie Wuest

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

Two patient-level mechanisms of change, defenses, and cognition were tested over 3 time points in 65 depressed adults, approximately half receiving treatment. Early changes in automatic thoughts and immature defenses were associated with symptom change from time-one to time-three. The directionality of early automatic thought change predicting symptom change was partially supported, but immature defense change occurs simultaneously with, or after, symptom change. Given the convergent evidence of cognitive change as a mediator of depression reduction, all depression therapies should consider how they address depressive cognition. To build a more complete understanding of how to ameliorate depression, future studies should …

Cognitive Differences Among Individuals With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder On The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition, Meridee L. Runge

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric diagnosis in childhood based on high levels of inattention or hyperactivity beyond those expected by the child's developmental level. Past research shows cognitive discrepancies in ADHD populations with verbal deficiencies observed primarily in tasks that require a combined auditory and verbal component. Working memory has been a long acknowledged deficit in persons with ADHD. This research examined cognitive differences among children with ADHD on working memory and other components of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, 5th edition (SB-5). Verbal and nonverbal working memory, as measured by the SB-5, were hypothesized to be different for …

Female And Male Psychologists In Academic Administration: Resource Control And Perceived Influence, Jennifer Schenk

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study examined male and female psychologists in academic administrative positions with regard to their perceptions of their own power and their actual power within the administrative hierarchies in which they work. In the past, researchers have compared women and men in academic administrative positions with regard to parity of numbers, salaries, number of publications and citations, types of institutions where they work and, the job titles they hold. These indices had suggested that women administrators had less prestige, control fewer resources, and a more limited scope of job responsibilities than did men. However, there had been no comparison of …

Just What Is Christian Counseling Anyway?, Mark R. Mcminn, Ryan C. Staley, Kurt C. Webb, Winston Seegobin

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Professional psychologists may be asked about Christian counseling services and wonder how to best respond. Given the diversity of methods and worldviews that might be considered Christian counseling, it is important for psychologists to understand some of the major approaches used. Biblical counseling, pastoral counseling, Christian psychology, Christian ministry, and other approaches are described briefly, and in each case implications for professional psychologists are offered. Collaborative efforts are likely to be productive when interacting with certified pastoral counselors and Christian psychologists, and ministry approaches may provide supplemental resources for psychotherapy with Christian clients. Ethical issues are considered, and a 5-step …

School Bullying: A Crisis Or An Opportunity?, Karin S. Frey, Leihua V. Edstrom

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

In 1999, a U.S. Supreme Court justice asked lawyers for a young woman who had endured years of peer sexual harassment, “Is this just kids being kids?” (Stein, 2003). In doing so, the justice posed a question that is often applied to bullying. Many adults view ostracism, demeaning behavior, even physical assaults among young people to be normal or “growth experiences” for the victims. Yet considerable evidence indicates that bullying can deny young people basic educational opportunities, as they attempt to escape daily harassment through truancy or dropping out (Slee, 1994), or develop maladaptive ways of coping with emotional trauma …

Development, Refinement, And Psychometric Properties Of The Attitudes Toward God Scale (Atgs-9), Benjamin T. Wood, Everett L. Worthington, Julie Julia Exline, Ann Marie Yali, Jamie D. Aten, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Perceived relationships with God can be a source of comfort or struggle. To advance the study of spiritual comfort and struggle, we develop the nine-item Attitudes toward God Scale (ATGS-9), and we describe six studies (2,992 total participants) reporting its development and psychometrics. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified two factors: (1) Positive Attitudes toward God and (2) Disappointment and Anger with God. Subscale scores showed good estimated internal consistency, 2-week temporal stability, and evidence for construct and discriminant validity. Positive Attitudes toward God correlated with measures of religiosity and conscientiousness. Disappointment and Anger with God correlated with negative religious …

A Place For The Church Within Professional Psychology, Mark R. Mcminn, Michael J. Vogel, Laura K. Heyne

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

There are various reasons why Christian psychologists may resist fully participating in a church community. Among these are historic tensions between science and religion, the complexity of multiple role relationships, cynicism related to clients' negative experiences in religious communities, and differing perspectives on attributions and human nature. Despite these obstacles, there are compelling reasons for psychologists to remain involved in church. Eight of these reasons are described--clustered into professional, relational, and transformational domains--and implications discussed.

Dance/Movement Therapy And Autism, Mariah M. Lefeber

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Movement is a language. For children affected by autism, movement may be the only language they can rely on. Children with autism often have limited verbal abilities, making it extremely difficult for them to reach out to others (Hartshorn et al., 2001). When words fail, dance/movement therapy fosters a child's ability to relate, communicate, and connect on a nonverbal level.

Developmental Assessment And Feedback Relieves Parenting Stress, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Melody A. Whiddon

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Numerous studies have established that role stress experienced by parents has an impact on their perceptions of their child’s behavior, the quality of their parent-child interactions, and their child’s overall adjustment. Significant numbers of parents do experience the parenting role as stressful, often because they have concerns about whether their child’s behavior is within normal limits. Having seen parenting stress frequently while counseling parents and children, we reasoned that providing individualized developmental information to parents could reduce their parenting stress, and in turn result in positive consequences for parents and for children.

This article describes a brief intervention we developed, …

Validation Of The Patient Activation Measure In A Multiple Sclerosis Clinic Sample And Implications For Care, Lara Stepleman, Marie-Christine Rutter Goodworth, Judith Hibbard, Lisa Johns, Dustin Wright, Mary D. Hughes

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Purpose. Patient engagement in multiple sclerosis (MS) care can be challenging at times given the unpredictable disease course, wide range of symptoms, variable therapeutic response to treatment and high rates of patient depression. Patient activation, a model for conceptualising patients’ involvement in their health care, has been found useful for discerning patient differences in chronic illness management. The purpose of this study was to validate the patient activation measure (PAM-13) in an MS clinic sample.

Methods. This was a survey study of 199 MS clinic patients. Participants completed the PAM-13 along with measures of MS medication adherence, self-efficacy, depression and …

Forgiveness And Reconciliation: The Differing Perspectives Of Psychologists And Christian Theologians, Nathan R. Frise, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Among psychologists, forgiveness and reconciliation are typically viewed as separate constructs. This distinction is often adaptive, making it possible for a person to forgive a deceased offender or to forgive without entering back into a dangerous relationship. But to what extent does this privatized and secularized view of forgiveness conflict with the religious construct of forgiveness that many clients and their religious leaders may hold? Two survey studies are reported here. The first assessed the opinions of academic psychologists and Christian theologians regarding the distinction between forgiveness and reconciliation. The second survey assessed the opinions of expert psychologists and Christian …