Psychology Commons^™

Experiences Of Hospitalization For Suicide Ideation And Suicide Attempt In Gender Diverse Adults, Alix B. Aboussouan

LSU Master's Theses

Individuals who identify as Transgender/Gender Diverse (TGD) have elevated rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). No studies have determined the prevalence of hospitalization for STBs in TGD adults or whether this care is viewed as helpful. Understanding hospitalization experiences may determine potential new treatment targets and training initiatives integral to developing affirming care experiences for TGD individuals. This study sought to explore the lifetime prevalence of hospitalization for suicide ideation (SI) and suicide attempt (SA) for TGD individuals, determine how helpful TGD individuals find hospitalization, and investigate demographics, gender minority stressors, or provider/hospitalization characteristics that correlate with hospitalization helpfulness …

Parental Mental Health Help Seeking: Variables Associated With Asian American Parent Help Seeking Intent, Grace L. Chen

LSU Master's Theses

There is a vast disparity between children who have mental health concerns and rates of service utilization. This disparity is even greater for children of ethnic minority populations. Understanding the factors contributing to parent help seeking behavior may help address the gap in service utilization. Asian Americans specifically have low rates of mental health service utilization among adults. However, there is limited research on parent help seeking in Asian American parents. In combination with low service utilization across children with mental health concerns, Asian American children are an at-risk population. The study aims to advance research by exploring variables relating …

The Effects Of Familial Support, Social Support, And On-Campus Involvement On Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms On Academic Achievement, Kelsey G. Coulthard

LSU Master's Theses

Research demonstrates that students with higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) exhibit lower grades in college (Pereira, et al., 2018). Further, higher levels of PTS during the first semester of college leads to higher rates of withdrawing from school (Boyraz, Horne, Owens, & Armstrong, 2013). Although there is ample evidence that the association between traumatic experiences are negatively correlated with academic performance, little is known about factors that may moderate or influence the relationship. Research has determined that higher levels of social support may facilitate recovery from trauma exposure and may lessen PTS symptoms in college students (Grasso, 2011). …

Exploring Attentional Biases, Dispositional Mindfulness, And The Suicide Stroop, Emma H. Moscardini

LSU Master's Theses

Extant research has found that attentional biases to suicide-related stimuli are relevant to suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). As such, attentional biases are a core feature of both the Fluid Vulnerability Theory of Suicide and the cognitive model of suicide. Individuals with an STB history have demonstrated attentional biases to suicide-related stimuli on a suicide Stroop task, and this attentional bias has been found to aid in prediction of suicide attempts at six-month follow-up. Better understanding this attentional bias may be useful for informing mindfulness-based interventions which target attentional biases, as dispositional mindfulness has been found to be related to …

Cognitive Maturity As An Intervening Influence On Exposure To Adverse Childhood Experiences, Negative Attributions, And Symptoms Of Depression Among Pre-Adolescent And Adolescent Youth., Mckenzie Marie Ketchum

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Most depression interventions targeted to youth are adapted from adult curricula without enough consideration given to the developmental level and capacity of the intended audience (Kovacs & Lopez-Duran, 2012). Although depression in youth has received recognition and treatment, there remains a gap between the theoretical knowledge base of youth cognitive development and the application of this knowledge to the innovation of developmentally appropriate depression interventions suited for youth of varying levels of cognitive maturity. The current study investigated the influence of cognitive development over the moderation of negative attributions on the relationship between exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and …

Payday Myopia: Effects Of Income Receipt On Risk-Taking And Decision Making, Jacob Breaux

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Functional Role Of Eye Movements During The Formation Of Relational And Item Memories, Kara Hobbs

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Caregiver Treatment Consumption In An Experimental Treatment Marketplace, Delaney J. Darragh

Faculty Publications

Behavioral economics is an approach to understanding consumer behavior by integrating behavioral science with economic principles. Behavioral economics incorporates traditional economic principles with operant learning approaches. There is limited research examining how individuals consume psychological and behavioral treatments. This is especially the case for treatments designed for children. The current study used data from a previously collected sample to explore gender differences in an experimental treatment marketplace (ETM). Experimental treatment marketplaces are generally used to evaluate choices between goods and services (e.g., types of behavior interventions). An ETM was developed to evaluate treatment consumption when levels of evidence differed between …

Psychological, Addictive, And Health Behavior Implications Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael J. Zvolensky, Lorra Garey, Andrew H. Rogers, Norman B. Schmidt, Anka .. Vujanovic, Eric A. Storch, Julia D. Buckner, Daniel J. Paulus, Candice Alfano, Jasper A. J. Smits, Connall O'Cleirigh

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Single-Case Experimental Designs For Behavioral Neuroscience, Paul L. Soto

Faculty Publications

Single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) are commonly used in behavior analytic research but rarely used in behavioral neuroscience research. The recent development of technologies that allow control of the timing of neurobiological events such as gene expression and neuronal firing enable the fruitful application of SCEDs for the study of brain-behavior relations. There are at least 3 benefits expected from applying SCEDs to study how neurobiological events affect behavior. First, SCEDs entail direct within- and across-subject assessments of reliability, likely increasing the probability of replication across studies and encouraging a search for the causes of replication failure when they occur. Second, …

Comparison Of In-Office Psychiatric Encounters With Out-Of-Office Psychiatric Encounters Regarding Efficacy, Presenteeism, And Self-Perceived Stigma Among Adult Recipients Of Psychiatric Treatment For Depression In Louisiana, Lawrence Sullivan Salone

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to conduct a clinical trial to compare the provision of psychiatric evaluation and medication interventions in a virtual out of office format (VOO) with the provision of psychiatric evaluation and medication interventions in a virtual in-office psychiatric encounter (VIO) among adults in Louisiana seeking psychiatric services for the treatment of depression. This study was classified as a pretest-posttest control group non-inferiority double-blind experimental design. Each patient took a self-rated instrument at baseline and at week 8. The study tested the two interventions (VOO and VIO) by way of changes in overall function, changes …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Adult Coping Inventory, Kristen Hollas

LSU Master's Theses

There are few psychometrically sound measures for assessing coping in adults. For example, a widely used measure of coping, the COPE, has highly unstable sub-scale analyses (Lyne & Roger, 2000). The scarcity of instruments developed using evidence based “best practice” is concerning as coping skills are linked to a variety of positive and negative outcomes. For example, positive coping skills have been linked to better health outcomes among various populations (Garnefski & Kraaij, 2006; Littleton, Horsley, John & Nelson, 2007). This study aimed to address the lack of psychometrically sound measures of coping for an adult population. The current study …

Readiness To Change And Smoking Expectancies Among Adult Male Substance Users Currently In Substance Use Treatment, Aaron French Waters

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary aims of the current study were to examine if smoking expectancies and readiness to quit smoking, important components in predicting smoking behavior and cessation, changed across time for adult smokers in substance use treatment. Participants (N = 51) were predominantly white (96.1%), adult, male smokers who were admitted to residential substance use treatment. Smoking outcome expectancies and readiness to change smoking were assessed among participants at treatment entry (n = 51), and subsequently at 30 days (n = 13), 60 days (n = 9), and 90 days (n = 3) from treatment entry. …

Young Adults' Short-Term Trajectories Of Moderate Physical Activity: Relations With Self-Evaluation Processes, Alex .. Garn, Kelly L. Simonton

Faculty Publications

Young adults face numerous barriers that can undermine their engagement in healthy behaviors. For example, young adults on average experience disproportionally large declines in physical activity (PA) participation compared to other demographic groups. Self-evaluation processes may help explain these declines. This study investigated young adults' weekly trajectories of moderate physical activity, exploring self-evaluation processes, including self-efficacy and shame as time-varying covariates. A total of 71 young adults (Mage = 21.25,SD= 1.18; 55% male) reported moderate physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, and anticipated shame toward exercise once a week for 5 weeks. Latent growth curve models showed that a linear slope fit …

Moderators Of Academic Performance And Symptom Severity In Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Ryan Nicole Cummins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research has documented the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom severity and poor academic outcomes. However, few studies have focused on identifying moderating variables of academic performance specific to adolescents, especially those with ADHD. The current study seeks to address these limitations, further exploring moderators of academic outcomes in a clinical sample of adolescents with ADHD. Specifically, the present study examined adolescent ratings of routines, parent-adolescent conflict, perceptions of parental involvement, and school engagement, on the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and academic performance (GPA). The sample consisted of a total of 140 caregiver-adolescent dyads ranging from ages 11- to …

Examining Patterns Of Executive Functioning Across Dimensions Of Psychopathology, Scott Roye

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Executive functioning is a multifaceted collection of higher-order cognitive processes used to perform goal-oriented tasks. Although this construct is heavily researched, a major issue regarding the current literature stems from the influence of task impurity, which interferes with how executive functioning performance is interpreted. Additionally, while executive functioning has been previously explored in clinical populations, less work has evaluated this topic measuring dimensional psychopathology. The present study sought to examine the role of executive functioning, as it relates to dimensional psychopathology. Data was analyzed from a total of 731 individuals between the age of 18-59 years who took part in …

Factor Predicting Maternal Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Trajectories Following A Natural Disaster: Coping, Social Support, And Family Functioning, Jennifer Clare Piscitello

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Natural disasters are sudden, large-scale events that are associated with significant mental health consequences. Although, most individuals demonstrate resilience, a significant subset of the population develops significant long-term distress (La Greca et al. 2013; Lai, et al., 2015; Lowe & Rhodes 2013; Self-Brown et al., 2014). Moreover, results from emerging longitudinal research suggests that symptom patterns are heterogenous. For example, some individuals recover over time or demonstrate a delayed onset. The most commonly studied post-disaster reaction in adults is posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. However, the extant literature examining elevated PTS symptoms and related risk factors in disaster research has relied …

Generalizability Of Multiple Measures Of Treatment Integrity: Response Card Intervention, Elizabeth Kelsey Wilson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Treatment integrity is essential for the implementation of interventions in schools as it determines the accuracy or consistency with which different components of a treatment are implemented. There are no current standards regarding the best practices in treatment integrity measurement; however, higher treatment integrity is associated with enhanced student outcomes. At present, there is no database that provides information related to treatment integrity for practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers to reference when choosing an appropriate level of treatment integrity needed for a given intervention. Consequently, there is a need to establish convergent validity among different methods of treatment integrity measurement using …

Individual Differences In Prospective Memory Aftereffects: The Role Of Working Memory Capacity And Inhibition., Samantha Nicole Spitler

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined attentional control and executive function (EF) in relation to canceled intentions in two experiments. After an intention is canceled, a commission error occurs when one continues to actively fulfill the intention in response to a prospective memory (PM) cue. Aftereffects are slower response times to inactive PM cues when encountered in ongoing processing. Attentional control was indexed by working memory capacity (WMC) and EF was indexed by three measures of inhibition. In prior canceled intention PM research, attentional control and inhibition have not been extensively studied. However, two major methodological factors in PM research could implicate attentional …

Previous Experiences Drive Attention, Sunghyun Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Traditionally, the allocation of attention was understood within goal-driven and stimulus-driven factors. However, the traditional approach cannot fully account for the mechanism of attentional orienting. Instead, a growing body of evidence shows that previous search experiences, irrelevant to both goal-driven and stimulus-driven factors, influence attentional allocation. For example, when contexts predict information of targets, the contexts guide attention toward the stimuli having the information predicted by the contexts: contextual cueing. In addition, more valuable stimuli attract more attention: value-driven attentional capture. However, two critical issues are present. First, contextual cueing has been found largely when the contexts and the target …

The Relative Impact Of Risk And Protective Factors On The Psychological Functioning Of Sexual And Gender Minority Youth, Ilayna Krysten Mehrtens

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research has consistently indicated that sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth are at increased risk of psychological and emotional concerns relative to their cisgender heterosexual (cis-heterosexual) peers. A large body of research has sought to identify the risk factors that may contribute to this disparity; however, fewer studies have investigated the factors that may promote resiliency, thereby reducing risk. Subsequently, very little is known about the relative influence of risk and protective factors among SGM youth. Additionally, significant methodological concerns have been identified, which may affect the interpretability, generalizability, and clinical applicability of existing research. The purpose of this study …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Brief Assertiveness And Help Seeking Skill Intervention, Madeline S. Blocker

LSU Master's Theses

Children in foster care lead their lives at an increased risk for mental health issues that are often complicated by the unstable and unpredictable nature of their living arrangements and interpersonal relationships. As such, there is substantial need to examine brief therapies and interventions for use with children in foster care and children who have experienced similar trauma and instability. Mental health care providers for children in foster care often may not have sufficient periods of time to implement treatment with fidelity. The present study investigated the efficacy of a summer camp based, brief behavioral intervention targeting help-seeking behavior and …

Social Capitalization As A Positive Emotion Regulation Strategy In Individuals At-Risk For Developing A Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorder, Elana Klein Schwartz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Extant literature indicates that emotional deficits, such as impaired emotion expression/experience, are prominent in schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology and linked with poorer functional (e.g. social) outcomes. Interestingly, individuals exhibiting schizotypy, an underlying personality organization that confers a vulnerability to developing schizophrenia, report more abnormalities in emotion experience compared to healthy controls and individuals with schizophrenia, a phenomenon termed the “schizophrenia-spectrum emotion paradox.” To aid in the clarification of emotional abnormalities and explore the dynamic nature of emotion experience in individuals with schizotypy, the present study enrolled 93 college-aged individuals to examine positive emotion regulation through the use of social capitalization. In social …

Components Of Psychological Flexibility And Inflexibility That Predict Risk-Taking Behaviors, Shelley Renee Upton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Psychological flexibility is conceptualized as contact with the present moment and the ability to persist or change one’s behavior to achieve valued ends. The opposite of this process is known as psychological inflexibility, which is posited to lead to the development and maintenance of various psychological disorders. There are 6 components underlying psychological inflexibility—these are cognitive fusion, experiential avoidance, fixating on the past or future, self-conceptualization, lacking contact with values, and inaction toward valued ends, as well as 6 components underlying psychological flexibility (i.e., defusion, acceptance, present moment awareness, self-as-context, contact with values, and committed action). Psychological inflexibility may be …

A Comprehensive Examination Of Clinical Cutoff Scores For The Inventory Of Callous-Unemotional Traits (Icu), Emily C. Kemp

LSU Master's Theses

Youth with elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits represent a clinically important subgroup of youth who display particularly severe conduct problems and antisocial behavior and thusly impose great costs to themselves, other individuals, and society. The recent addition of the specifier for CU traits, “with Limited Prosocial Emotions (LPE),” to major classification systems has prompted the need for comprehensive and valid assessment tools that aid in the identification of these traits. One such tool is a multi-informant questionnaire, the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU). However, a major limitation of this measure is a lack of well-validated cutoff scores. With this, the present …

A Component Analysis Of Implementation Planning: Examining Mechanisms That Underlie A Teacher Implementation Support Strategy, James Jaran Upright

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

To maximize instructional time, teachers must be able to effectively manage student behavior. However, surveys consistently reveal that a significant portion of teachers feel underprepared to address challenging classroom behavior. One of the most effective ways to reduce problem behaviors in school is with systematic classroom management strategies, such as the good behavior game. However, teachers often struggle to effectively implement such procedures. Promising evidence has emerged for implementation planning as an effective support strategy to improve teachers’ intervention implementation. Implementation planning is a one-time consultation process for intervention procedure planning (action planning) and identification and resolution of implementation barriers …

Effects Of And Preference For Fixed Ratio And Time-Based Exchange Production Schedules In A Token System, Sarah Christian Holmes

LSU Master's Theses

Token systems have been implemented to change behavior across species and settings. Token systems involve token-production, exchange-production, and token-exchange schedules. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of fixed-ratio and yoked time exchange-production schedules on 4 preschoolers’ rate of responding on a marble spooning task, mean pause duration between responses, and percentage of session spent engaging in the target task. Following an initial reversal demonstrating a primary reinforcement effect, we used a multielement design to compare exchange-production schedule conditions and a control condition in which participants earned tokens that were not exchangeable. Following the exchange-production schedule comparison, we examined …

An Investigation Of Athletic Buoyancy In Adult Recreational And Sport Club Athletes, Jackie Rae Victoriano Calhoun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Athletic buoyancy is the ability of an athlete to effectively handle the daily setbacks and challenges they face during training and competition. Although buoyancy has received ample research in the academic domain, a dearth of information exists regarding buoyancy in the athletic domain. Therefore, the overall purpose of this dissertation was to investigate athletic buoyancy’s independent contribution to sport psychology while also exploring antecedents and outcomes in adult athletes.

Study 1 compared athletic buoyancy to other cognate constructs, or similar constructs, to determine their conceptual boundaries. A one-time, online questionnaire was distributed to 294 recreational athletes (M age = …

Video-Based Interventions: Teaching Adults And Preschoolers, Philip Ross Richard Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Long gone are the days in which technology is looked upon as a trivial novelty. Whether evoking positive or negative reactions, advancements in technology continue to alter our daily environments. One such example is Video Based Interventions (VBI). VBI utilize video recording to facilitate the acquisition of various skills and behaviors (Rayner, Denholm, & Sigafoos, 2009). While it may sound like a simple intervention at first, many procedural variations of have been examined in research and practice. The two experiments comprising the current study examined the effectiveness of video models when used in conjunction with other instructional methods. Experiment I …

Examining Relationships Between Early Childcare Teachers' Adult Attachment Orientations And Quality Of Interaction In The Infant Classroom, Alexandra Morris Benoit

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past several decades, women have entered the workforce in increasing numbers. This has led to the majority of infants and young children being cared for outside of the home by extra-familial caregivers. Research has shown the benefits that quality childcare can have on the developmental trajectories of children, as well as the detrimental effects that can be seen when children experience low quality care. Further, children are particularly vulnerable in the first year of life when they are establishing attachment bonds with their primary caregivers. With the long hours that many spend in the care of childcare workers, …