Psychology Commons^™

Rebranding The Battle Against Clinician Burnout, Taylor Albitar

DSW Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project is to take a deep dive into the issue of burnout among marginalized healthcare providers. This paper will dissect key points in history that target wellness and define terms that are relevant to understanding the effects of burnout on a person’s work-life balance. It will be divided into several sections, including an overview of the problem and contributing factors, a thorough review of relevant literature, a conceptual idea that will explore both the problem at hand and theories that can help with its effects, and finally a practice application that will serve as the …

Sociocultural Predictors Of White Veterans’ Attitudes Towards Va Mental Health Care, Elyssa Christine Berney

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

U.S. Veterans are less likely to seek help than their civilian counterparts despite having higher levels of self-reported distress, in part due to comparatively poorer attitudes towards seeking mental health treatment. While some aspects of cultural socialization (e.g., gender role expectations, certain types of stigma) have been established to influence Veterans’ attitudes towards mental health treatment, other aspects of health care access (e.g., trust in health care institutions or individual providers) may benefit from increased focus. Additionally, one aspect of cultural socialization that is understudied in white Veterans is that of racial-cultural socialization (i.e., whiteness). Much of the research into …

The Effect Of Physical Activity Courses On The Motivation For Physical Activity In College Students: A Scoping Review, Erica Fauste Waizenhofer Hill

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The lack of physical activity and exercise participation has been an ongoing
problem for young adults aged 18-24. Universities and colleges worldwide offer a variety of required and elective physical activity courses for college credit to increase active participation in lifelong healthy lifestyles. This scoping review collected studies on college students’ motivation to participate in physical activity. The courses were taught using methods based on motivational theories. The authors of the studies collected information from the students before and after the classes to gather data on the theoretical framework’s effect on the students, if any. This review compiles this information, …

Factors Associated With Successful Military-To-Civilian Transition Among Special Forces Veterans, Edward Richter

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

The purpose of this study was to explore the military-to-civilian transitional experience in a sample of Special Forces veterans. Acknowledging challenges in accessing the veteran population, most existing research on the military-to-civilian transition consolidates military occupations into a single sample. This method fails to address the intricacies that may exist within individual military occupations, especially that of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers. Special Forces qualified soldiers represent the largest portion of all U.S. Military Special Operations Forces and are responsible for the majority of all Special Operations activities, yet their experience in transitioning out of the Army is largely unknown. …

Consumers’ Responses To New Technologies In The Marketplace, Umair Usman

Theses and Dissertations--Marketing and Supply Chain

Chapter 1. This research examines whether the use of blockchain technology to back a brand’s claims (i.e., blockchain augmented claims) influences consumer preference for sustainable products. Consumers are demanding higher levels of transparency from brands and are also showing keen interest in consuming sustainable products, which includes products that promote social, environmental and economic sustainability. Recent advancement in digital technology, specifically blockchain, is offering an opportunity for brands to meet both these consumer demands. In five laboratory studies, I demonstrate that blockchain augmented claims, as compared to traditional industry practices (i.e., use of third-party labels and brand’s self-made claims), increases …

Assessing 4-H And Its Circle Of Courage In A Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility: A Case Study, Elizabeth Steering

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This 4-H case study takes place in a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) in Kentucky. The PRTF provides clinical services to youth that are not able to be safely maintained in their homes due to having demonstrated unsafe or harmful behaviors. Youth admitted to the PRTF stay for an average of three to six months while they receive intensive therapeutic and psychiatric care as well as medical treatment and public schooling. The current case study incorporates programming from 4-H, which is the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), …

Mitigating Compounded Barriers To Independence: Improving Outcomes Post Emancipation For Foster Youth With Secondary And Tertiary Barriers To Success, Corletha Norman

DSW Capstone Projects

A total of 407,493 children were identified as foster children by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (2021) at the completion of their 2020 fiscal year. The reason for entry into foster care is just as varied as the way in which the children exit. It is expected that many foster youth will experience poor outcomes as a result of their foster care experiences. Poor outcomes continue to be an ever-present undesired rite of passage for foster youth preparing to leave foster care at or after the age of 18. Research conducted over …

Peer-To-Peer Energy Trading In Smart Residential Environment With User Behavioral Modeling, Ashutosh Timilsina

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Electric power systems are transforming from a centralized unidirectional market to a decentralized open market. With this shift, the end-users have the possibility to actively participate in local energy exchanges, with or without the involvement of the main grid. Rapidly reducing prices for Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs), supported by their ease of installation and operation, with the facilitation of Electric Vehicles (EV) and Smart Grid (SG) technologies to make bidirectional flow of energy possible, has contributed to this changing landscape in the distribution side of the traditional power grid.

Trading energy among users in a decentralized fashion has been referred …

Interactive Association Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Apolipoprotein Ε4 Genotype, And Age On Cognitive Functioning, Karen A. Lawrence, Colton Rippey, Bianca Welikson, Robert H. Pietrzak, Thomas G. Adams Jr.

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: The ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein (APOE) gene and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are associated with cognitive deficits. Both associations may vary depending on age. No previous study has examined a possible three‐way interaction between APOE ε4, PTSD, and age on cognitive functioning.

Methods: Data were analyzed from 1244 European‐American U.S. military veterans who participated in the 2011 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS). Analyses of covariance were used to examine the main effects and in- teractions of APOE ε4, PTSD, and age on learning/working memory (LWM) and attention/psychomotor (APM) performance.

Results: A significant three‐way interaction between …

Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Drives Modest Neuroinflammation But Does Not Escalate Drinking In Male Rats, Jessica I. Wooden, Lauren E. Peacoe, Chinchusha Anasooya Shaji, Jennifer K. Melbourne, Cassie M. Chandler, Michael T. Bardo, Kimberly Nixon

Psychology Faculty Publications

During adolescence, the brain is highly susceptible to alcohol-induced damage and subsequent neuroimmune responses, effects which may enhance development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Neuroimmune reactions are implicated in adolescent alcohol exposure escalating adulthood drinking. Therefore, we investigated whether intermittent alcohol exposure in male, adolescent rats (AIE) escalated adult drinking via two-bottle choice (2BC). We also examined the influence of housing environment across three groups: standard (group-housed with enrichment during 2BC), impoverished (group-housed without enrichment during 2BC), or isolation (single-housed without bedding or enrichment throughout). In the standard group immediately after AIE/saline and after 2BC, we also examined the …

Prenatal Morphine Exposure Increases Cardiovascular Disease Risk And Programs Neurogenic Hypertension In The Adult Offspring, Nermin Hassan Mohamed Selim Ahmed, Alana Kassis, Jena Malone, Jodie Yang, Esraa Zamzami, An-Hsuan Lin, Scott M. Gordon, Ming C. Gong, Michael T. Bardo, Carolina Dalmasso, Analia S. Loria

Psychology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The opioid overdose and opioid use disorder epidemics are concomitant with increased metabolic and CVD risk. Although opioid use disorder causes adverse pregnancy outcomes, the offspring’s cardiovascular health is understudied. We hypothesized that offspring exposed to in utero morphine exposure (IUME) would show increased CVD risk factors and endogenous opioid system dysregulation.

METHODS: Sprague Dawley dams were treated with saline (vehicle, n=10) or escalating doses of morphine (5–20 mg/kg per day, SC, n=10) during gestation. Cardiovascular and metabolic parameters were assessed in adult offspring.

RESULTS: Litter size and pups’ birth weight were not different in response to IUME. Female …

Effect Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Pt150 On Acquisition And Escalation Of Fentanyl Self-Administration Following Early-Life Stress, Michael T. Bardo, Cassie M. Chandler, Emily D. Denehy, Benjamin A. Carper, Mark A. Prendergast, Tracy L. Nolen

Psychology Faculty Publications

There is comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and opioid use disorder (OUD), perhaps because PTSD-like stressful experiences early in life alter the hypothalamic–pituitary-adrenal stress axis to increase the risk for OUD. The present study determined if the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist PT150 reduces the escalation of fentanyl intake in rats exposed to a “two-hit” model of early-life stress (isolation rearing and acute stress). Male and female rats were raised during adolescence in either isolated or social housing and then were given either a single acute stress (restraint and cold-water swim) or control treatment in young adulthood. Rats were then treated …

Comparing The Efficacy Of Interventions Derived From Concurrent Operant Analysis And Indirect Assessment, Lane Marquardt

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

In this study, a simultaneous treatments design was used to conduct a concurrent operant analysis (COA) to evaluate the choice making behavior of one elementary aged student. The COA results were used as a possible reinforcer for one of the conditions for the intervention to increase work completion. An indirect assessment, Questions about Behavioral Function (QABF), was used identify a hypothesized function to the student’s lack of task completion behavior. The results from thee QABD were used as a possible reinforcer for one of the conditions for the intervention to increase work completion. An alternating treatments design (ATD) was used …

Effects Of Video Modeling With Voice-Over Narration Versus No Voice-Over Narration, Kennedy Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

In the current study, the effects of video modeling with voice-over narration (VMW) was compared to the effects of video modeling with no voice-over narration (VMN) when learning the acquisition of a vocational skill. Four high-school students within a public school who spent most of their school day in a special education classroom participated in the study. An adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare the VMW and VMN conditions and then a best alone condition was conducted for each participant that used the video modeling procedure that demonstrated superiority during the comparison. A modification of the inclusion of …

Polyrhythmic Pathways: Using Bimanual Coordination Research To Develop A New Framework For Practice, Performance, And Pedagogy, Christian Swafford

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This study reviews and compares percussion literature pertaining to polyrhythms and scientific literature pertaining to bimanual coordination. There exists a gap in the pedagogical approach to polyrhythms, and there is much disagreement between common instructional methods, especially when considered against the findings of several bimanual coordination studies. The purpose of this study is to reveal insight to the percussion community that the learning of polyrhythms is facilitated by the brain in novel ways, and the uniqueness of this learning process requires a rethinking of the current pedagogical approach. Percussion articles, method books, popular literature, and music scores are surveyed alongside …

Trait Impulsivity And Acute Alcohol Responses As Markers Of Binge Drinking In Young Adults, Holley Jamison

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Impulsivity, tolerance to alcohol-induced motor impairment, and high sensitivity to alcohol-induced disinhibition each have empirical support as markers of alcohol-related problems. However, research on alcohol response and personality-based markers of risk have remained largely independent lines of research. This dissertation examined how individual differences in these well-established markers may interact to additively contribute to heavy drinking.

Participants were 96 young adults (21-33 years old). with no history of AUD. They self-reported their drinking habits over the prior 90 days, and behavioral tasks measuring disinhibition and motor impairment were administered on two separate days following two alcohol doses (active [0.65 g/kg] …

Identification And Removal Of Barriers To Va Mental Health Treatment For Black Female Veterans, Thea Jenune Williams

DSW Capstone Projects

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) operates the largest integrated health care system in the country. The VA dates back to 1865, when President Lincoln signed legislature establishing a network for caring for the nation’s wounded after the Civil War. Many see this system as a safety net for the nation’s military veterans. Research shows veterans have reported several factors that interfere with them receiving needed mental health treatment from the VA. The majority of veterans are males however the number of females is quickly growing. Currently, females make up 11% of the veteran population and are projected to reach …

"It's All Lateral Violence": How Sexual Minority Men Cope With Appearance Discrimination, Matthew T. Richardson

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

Sexual minority men experience higher rates of body dissatisfaction (BD) than heterosexual men (Frederick & Essayli, 2016). BD is associated with negative health outcomes in this population, including eating disorders (Yean et al., 2013), depression (Blashill et al., 2016), suicidality (Grunewald, Calzo, et al., 2021), and risky sexual behavior (Goedel et al., 2017). Sexual minority men who use dating apps may be at greater risk of experiencing BD via exposure to appearance-based discrimination (Tran et al., 2020), sexual objectification, and weight stigma (Filice et al., 2019). Little is known about sexual minority men’s experiences of appearance discrimination on dating apps …

The Role Of Authenticity In The Link Between Self-Determination, Gender Minority Stress, Psychological Well-Being And Distress In Transgender, Nonbinary, And Gender Expansive Individuals, Zakary Alexander Clements

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

Transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive individuals (TNB and GE) have the same basic psychological needs (BPN) for self-determination as their cisgender counterparts yet face unique gender minority stressors (GMS) that may impact psychological distress and well-being. Authenticity is an important factor that may also affect psychological well-being and distress in TNB and GE people. Few research studies have examined BPN attainment or GMS factors and psychological well-being and distress. The role of authenticity, which is associated with psychological well-being in cisgender samples, has yet to be examined in TNB and GE people on the context of BPN attainment or GMS. …

Exploration Of Factors Associated With Rural Appalachian Women's Use Of Buprenorphine Prior To Incarceration, Kelsey A. Redmayne

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

The Gelberg-Anderson Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations was used to identify factors related to buprenorphine use in general and through diversion (versus formal treatment) among rural Appalachian women using substances in the six months prior to their incarceration. This study is a secondary analysis of data from interviews completed with rural Appalachian women (N=400) residing in rural Kentucky jails. Independent variables were analyzed using chi square and independent t-tests for buprenorphine use generally and diverted buprenorphine use. The significant predictors were then evaluated through hierarchical logistic regression to explore which factors account for the most variance in general …

The Effect Of Exceptionality Label On School Psychologists During The Evaluation Process, Rachel Jacob

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

School psychologists often lead the evaluation process that is responsible for identifying students with an education-based disability. They are also responsible for providing recommendations for the student following the evaluation. The current study is focusing on the variable of exceptionality label as it is a universally present variable that has the potential to affect all evaluations. Two recent studies have examined and found labeling bias on preservice educators (Allday et al., 2011; Fisher et al., 2022). This study sought to expand this research by looking at labeling bias in school psychologists. The study measured the effect of exceptionality label on …

The Effect Of Mandatory Reporting Policy Knowledge On College Sexual Assault Disclosure, Amelia Ann Stanley

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the association that objective knowledge of mandatory reporting policies has with recent college sexual assault survivors’ disclosure. Chi-square analyses were used to determine if any differences exist between groups of sexual assault survivors who demonstrated various levels of knowledge of mandatory reporting policies and who disclosed or did not disclose their assault to various sources. This study was a secondary analysis of a large Southern university’s campus climate survey, collected in the spring semesters of 2015, 2016, and 2017. Data from those students who indicated being a survivor of any type of …

Treatment Of Borderline Personality Disorder: Re-Envisioned To Mitigate Stigma And Enhance Treatment Effectiveness, Abigail Lorraine Steinkamp

DSW Capstone Projects

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and the characteristics that define it are often viewed negatively by therapists and other mental health providers. Terms to describe these clients commonly include “manipulative”, “attention-seeking”, and “always in crisis.” Because of this jargon, there is a deep-set stigma that surrounds the disorder. Therapists and treating clinicians base their decisions and treatment protocol on hearsay of the disorder and already have an image of their prospective BPD client before the client enters their office. This capstone project seeks to inform clinicians about the present stigma and provides tools that are proposed to reduce stigmatizing beliefs within …

The Effects Of Escalated Fentanyl Intake On Decision-Making Dynamics, Trinity Shaver

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Opioid Use Disorder is characterized partially as a decision-making disorder. Decision-making theories, such as habit theory and relative value theory, have aimed to better understand the shift in preference for drug over other alternatives. In order to compare these two contrasting theories, an allomorphic concurrent choice task will run in tandem with an escalation procedure. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were tested for choice differences in an allomorphic choice procedure. Reward dimensions, such as relative reward rate, were manipulated within sessions, and magnitude (remifentanil dose), was manipulated between sessions. To study the effects of escalated fentanyl intake on relative valuation, …

Effects Of Social Isolation And Adolescent Ethanol Exposure On Adult Drinking And Nicotine Co-Use, Jakob Shaykin

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Alcohol use often begins in adolescence and can lead to increased susceptibility to AUD in adulthood. Stress in the form of social isolation during adolescence can also prompt substance use disorders later in adulthood. This thesis determined if exposure to ethanol (EtOH) during adolescence and social isolation alters the trajectory of alcohol and nicotine intake during adulthood. In Experiment 1, adolescent male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered intermittent injections of EtOH (2g/kg 20% EtOH, IP) or saline (PND 28-41). EtOH consumption was measured in adulthood (PND 49-55) using a 2-bottle choice procedure where one bottle contained a 0.2% saccharin/15% …

This Is Who I Am: Identity Development And Importance Among Diverse Youth From Lgbtq+ Parent Families, Madison T. Diomede

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Although the literature on identity and related constructs among adolescents, emerging adults, and diverse populations is growing, little research has investigated identity among adolescents and emerging adults specifically in the context of LGBTQ+ parent families. The present study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by qualitatively investigating identity development and importance among diverse youth with LGBTQ+ parents. Participants are 51 youth (ages 12-25 years) with at least one LGBTQ+ parent. Trained personnel conducted remote, audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews from December 2018-February 2020. Interviews included questions about participants’ individual identities and conversations they have had with their parents about those …

Longitudinal Perspectives On Individual Outcomes, Family Functioning, And Social Support Among Diverse Adoptive Families, Emily Lapidus

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Given that family processes change when a child enters adolescence, it is imperative for research to utilize longitudinal analyses to capture a family unit’s development over time. This research is especially lacking amongst diverse families, such as those formed utilizing adoption or headed by same-gender parents. Utilizing both the Parenting Stress Model and Family Systems Theory, it has been shown that family dynamics are key indicators when predicting functioning within a family, opposed to family structure. Therefore, it is hypothesized that there will be no significant differences related to family processes (e.g., family functioning, parenting stress, adolescent adjustment, and social …

Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Impairs Performance On Spatial And Tactile Sequential Discrimination Task In Juvenile Rats, Caleb S. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a set of cognitive and behavioral abnormalities that arise in ~5% of children who have been prenatally-exposed to alcohol. Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can cause impairments in learning acquisition, working memory, response inhibition, and attentional-set shifting that result in exaggerated deficits in executive function and impairments in goal-seeking behavior. There are standard procedures used in rodent research to address some components of these deficits, but few procedures are sensitive enough to comprehensively assess such deficits. To address this issue in FASDs research techniques, we developed a procedure that requires prolonged executive function in a …

Birds Of A Feather: Exploring Social Facilitation Effects On Learning And Suboptimal Choice In Pigeons (Columba Livia), Peyton Mueller

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The social facilitation effect describes a change in the behavior of an individual due to the presence of another organism of the same species (i.e., a conspecific). Many theories exist that attempt to explain why this change in behavior exists across species. A set of four experiments were executed to best explain how pigeons learn in the presence of non-competing conspecifics. The first experiment sought to replicate an interesting effect previously found in cockroaches and rats, such that conspecific presence inhibits performance early in training but facilitates it with increased training. The second experiment placed the novel response acquired in …

The Role Of Maladaptive Emotion Socialization In Risk For Urgency And Problem Drinking In Adolescents, Emily Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Negative urgency (NU; the tendency to act rashly when experiencing negative emotions) is a robust risk factor for a number of problem behaviors, including early adolescent drinking. Little is known about the factors that precede the development of NU, and hence the full etiology of this component of risk. The current study aimed to investigate the possibility that childhood maladaptive emotion socialization (MES; the tendency for children’s expressions of emotions to be met with punishment, minimized, or invoke a reaction of distress from their parents/caretakers) increases risk for the development of NU. Secondarily, the study tested whether MES predicts increased …