Psychology Commons^™

Life Balance – A Mindfulness-Based Mental Health Promotion Program: Conceptualization, Implementation, Compliance And User Satisfaction In A Field Setting, Lisa Lyssenko, Gerhard Müller, Nikolaus Kleindienst, Christian Schmal, Mathias Berger, Georg Eifert, Alexander Kölle, Siegmar Nesch, Jutta Ommer-Hohl, Michael Wenner, Martin Bohus

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Mental health disorders account for a large percentage of the total burden of illness and constitute a major economic challenge in industrialized countries. Several prevention programs targeted at high-risk or sub-clinical populations have been shown to decrease risk, to increase quality of life, and to be cost-efficient. However, there is a paucity of primary preventive programs aimed at the general adult population. “Life Balance” is a program that employs strategies borrowed from well-established psychotherapeutic approaches, and has been made available to the public in one federal German state by a large health care insurance company. The data presented here …

Quality-Of-Life Indicators For African American And European American Long-Term Survivors Of Early-Stage Breast Cancer, Cher De Rossiter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This meta-analysis investigated the difference in perceptions of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among long-term early-stage breast cancer survivors (BCS). The comparison was between African American and European American women. Initial pilot searches suggested that enough studies existed for a meaningful meta-analysis of a BCS population at least 5 years post diagnosis. Only studies using the outcome measure HRQOL were included in the study; this yielded an initial sample of 212 study reports, with 56 reports entering the coding phase of the process. African American women were grossly underrepresented in this set of studies in comparison to the overall breast …

Computer Anxiety And Computer Self-Efficacy Of Older Adults, Elizabeth Diane Cooper-Gaiter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many older adults (aged 55 and older) need training to acquire computer knowledge and skills. Using computers and the Internet could provide access to vital resources for improving older adults' health and maintaining their connections with family and society. This study examined 2 psychological constructs--computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy--that have been shown to impact a person's successful use of computers and related technology. Guided by Bandura's self-efficacy theory, which emphasizes the importance of adult learners being motivated and taking charge of their learning, this study examined the impact of a computer knowledge and skills workshop on older adults' computer anxiety …

Associative Factors Of Acculturative Stress In Latino Immigrants, Sam Kedem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For the past 200 years, Latinos have comprised the largest, consistent category of immigrants in the United States. This influx has created a need for culturally competent psychological treatment of a population that suffers from acculturative stress, defined as the stress a minority member experiences while trying to adjust to the culture of the majority. Researchers have studied Latino immigrants' enduring trials as they adjust to life in the United States. Nevertheless, there is limited research on the quantification of factors contributing to acculturative stress. Based on the conceptual framework of bidimensional acculturation and Latina/o critical race theory, predictors of …

Community College Leaders' Experiences In Adapting To Changing Student Demographics, Joyce Hewett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The demographics of community colleges are rapidly changing. The culture composition of the student population in community colleges has expanded, and includes larger percentages of African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans than are found in other higher education institutions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of 10 community college leaders, consisting of 4 administrators, 5 faculty members, and 1 faculty/administrator, in their attempt to adapt to the changing demographics of the student population. Multicultural lens, the conceptual framework for the study, helped guide leaders in assessing their levels of multicultural sensitivity …

Mental Health Treatment Adherence And Minority Clients' Perception Of Clinician Cultural Awareness, Patricia Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychological counseling is known to be an effective option for people in need of emotional support. Previous research has shown counseling to be valuable among various age, sex, religious, socioeconomic, and racial groups. Despite its successes, members of certain demographic groups reportedly end supportive psychological therapies early. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of 10 self-identified African American and Hispanic clients who prematurely terminated therapy. A particular focus of this investigation was the clients' perceptions of clinician cultural awareness. This phenomenological study yielded descriptive data in a context sufficient for analysis with the use of broad …

Recommendations For Enhancing Psychosocial Support Of Nicu Parents Through Staff Education And Support, S L. Hall, J Cross, Nancy Selix, C Patterson, L Segre, R Chuffo-Siewert, P A. Geller, M L. Martin

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Providing psychosocial support to parents whose infants are hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can improve parents’ functioning as well as their relationships with their babies. Yet, few NICUs offer staff education that teaches optimal methods of communication with parents in distress. Limited staff education in how to best provide psychosocial support to families is one factor that may render those who work in the NICU at risk for burnout, compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress syndrome. Staff who develop burnout may have further reduced ability to provide effective support to parents and babies. Recommendations for providing NICU …

Internal Attributes That Mitigate Perceived Job Insecurity: Improving Employee Satisfaction, Shelly Leigh Rogers-Sharer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee satisfaction has been found to have a strong relationship with perceived job security. This study explored job insecurity in an unstable global economy. Specifically, it examined internal attributes of employees, hypothesizing that such attributes would enable employees to better cope with work-related stressors such as job insecurity. Specific attributes of personality and employability were assessed as potential moderators of job satisfaction and security, utilizing the theory of work adjustment and person-environment correspondence as theoretical frameworks. The specific attributes included facets of conscientiousness and neuroticism as well as dispositions of employability including openness to change at work, work and career …

Excessive Tanning As A Presentation Of Body Dsymorphic Disorder, Jennifer Headrick

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) involves a potentially debilitating preoccupation with an imagined or minor flaw in one’s appearance (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Phillips, 2005). Common body areas of preoccupation include the skin, face, hair, and muscles (Castle, Ross, & Kyrios, 2006; Mosley, 2009; Phillips, 2005; Veale, 2003). With the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—5th edition (APA, 2013), BDD was moved from the Somatoform Disorder classification to the new diagnostic category of Obsessive-Compulsive and related disorders. A new example of preoccupation with skin tone and an associated behavior of excessive tanning were added to the BDD …

Bullying In Schools: The Relationship Between Educational Staff Burnout And Staff Response To Bullying, Katherine Marie Harrison

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bullying among school-aged youth is associated with negative short- and long-term consequences. Research suggests that teachers can be influential in reducing bullying but that they often do little to address it. Occupational burnout is high among educators and can significantly affect students’ motivation, learning, and feelings of support. The current study examines the effect of occupational burnout on educational staff’s likelihood of responding to bullies and victims of physical, verbal, relational, and cyber bullying. Participants (N = 109) were administrators, teachers, and other school staff serving secondary-level students. Overall, most participants reported experiencing low levels of burnout, viewed bullying as …

Survey Of Compassion Fatigue Education In Apa-Accredited Clinical And Counseling Psychology Programs, Marissa Joy Scroggins

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the present state of compassion fatigue (CF) education in APA-accredited clinical and counseling doctoral level training programs. It also sought to identify the number of training programs that require CF training or offer it as optional, attempted to discern the type of setting in which it is taught (class, supervision, etc.), as well as identified some of the reasons why it may not have been included (cost, time, interest, etc.) in programs without CF training. A researcher-developed survey was designed and consisted of a mixture of yes/no and multiple choice questions. Program …

The Experience Of Sibling Death In Childhood: A Qualitative Analysis Of Memoirs, Katrin Neubacher

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study explored the experience of the death of a sibling in childhood. Seven memoirs written by individuals who lost a sibling in childhood were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Themes focused on the child’s lived experience of sibling loss, parental and familial function, and factors identified as supporting the child’s grieving and functioning. Where relevant, an in-depth review of the existing literature of relevant psychological research and theories supported and expanded on the themes identified in the narratives. As the purpose of this research was to inform a model for understanding the life and grief of a bereaved …

Asperger's Syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder And Marital Satisfaction: A Quantitative Study, Kim L. Bolling

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Few empirical studies exist that examine adult Asperger-affected relationships. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the marital satisfaction of individuals in relationships in which at least one partner has Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), differs in some significant way from the marital satisfaction of individuals in relationships in which neither partner has AS/ASD. Participants were 126 adults in relationships in which at least one partner had a diagnosis of AS or ASD, recruited from Asperger- and autism-related websites, social media, and organizations from English-speaking countries. Couples consisted of heterosexual and same-sex couples, couples with …

Clinical Supervision And Trainees' Perceptions Of Their Ability To Force Therapeutic Alliance, Julia Taddonio

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Countertransference is a construct that originated in psychoanalysis that has been acknowledged in most forms of therapy. The management of countertransference is important for preventing it from adversely affecting treatment, especially for clinicians in training. While all therapists experience countertransference, training therapists may be more vulnerable to it impeding the development of a strong working alliance with clients. Outcome research has found a moderate relationship between the working alliance and treatment outcome. Only a small amount of writing has focused on the relationship between content and process of supervision and the trainee’s ability to form strong working alliances with clients. …

Alliance Expectations And Alliance As Predictor Of Therapy Engagement And Outcome, Daniel C. Greif

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Clients begin psychotherapy with expectations that may or may not be met during treatment. Discrepancies between pretherapy expectations and the therapy experience may influence client response to treatment. This naturalistic observational pilot study investigated whether the discrepancy between initial expectations of the working alliance and the experience of the alliance predicts early client engagement and outcome. Participants were adult therapy clients at a university training clinic. Each participant completed the Expected-Working Alliance Inventory before their first session and a shortened version of the Working Alliance Inventory after. We hypothesized that the difference between expected alliance scores and actual alliance scores …

Perceived Gender Role Conflict And Violence: Mexican American Gang Members, Lorraine Gray

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine gender role conflicts (the inability to express emotions or feelings) within the lived experiences of former Mexican American gang members. This study involved exploring the relationship between restricted emotionality, machismo, and violence. O’Neil developed the theory of gender role conflict in 1980 to identify areas of stress in masculine behavior, cognitions, affective behavior, and the unconscious. According to O’Neil (1981a), “Gender role conflict is a psychological state in which gender roles (masculine, feminine, or androgynous roles) have negative consequences or impacts on the persons” (p. 203). The extreme result of conflict …

Child-Centered Play Therapy For Children With Autism: A Case Study, Ashley H. Morgenthal

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation evaluated archival data from the implementation of a child-centered approach to play therapy with a young girl diagnosed with autism. Goals of treatment included promoting spontaneous symbolic play and increasing verbal communication skills. Young children with autism who engage in early intervention often receive behavioral interventions, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), on a regular basis. However, the use of child-centered play therapy as an intervention is not as common, as play is frequently viewed as being a deficiency for children with autism. In psychological theory, play is often regarded as a child’s work, and his or her …

General Education Diploma Students' Familial Attachment Experiences Influencing Premature High School Departure, Tonya Suzanne Wright-Stone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lowered academic achievement and premature departure from high school continue to plague the educational system, creating the need for greater insight into experiences affecting students' classroom performance. Much is known about academic achievement; however, less research has focused on the role of familial attachment on premature departure from high school. Guided by attachment theory, the purpose of this interpretative phenomenological study was to gain insight into General Education Diploma (GED) students' familial attachment experiences influencing premature departure from high school. The research questions focused on GED students' primary caregiver and educational experiences. Participants (n = 14) consisted of current or …

Clinical Significance Of Response Shift In A Spine Interventional Clinical Trial, Robin Carlson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The effectiveness of treatments for degenerative spine conditions, where the primary symptom is back pain, is typically determined using patient-reported quality of life (QoL) measures. However, patients may adjust their internal standards when scoring QoL based on factors other than their health. This response shift phenomenon could confound the interpretation of study data and impact effectiveness conclusions. In the current study, response shift was examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) and previously collected clinical trial data comparing 2 minimally invasive medical devices in lumbar spinal stenosis patients through 1 year postintervention. In subject QoL results, reprioritization shift between 3 months …

Interactions Between Patterns Of Gamer Behaviors And Time-On-Task For Mathematics Remediation In A Game-Based Hive, Marvin Gene Fuller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the presence of digital game-based learning increases in United States classrooms, understanding their impact on achievement is critical. Digital games for learning offer many potential benefits, including reducing the number of students trapped in a remediation cycle, a contributor to college dropout. Despite the recognized potential of game-based learning, few researchers have explored the relationships between specific patterns of behaviors and types of digital game-based learning environments. The underlying theory for this study was patterns of gamer behaviors may predict in-game behaviors. Archival, third-party data regarding The Lost Function - Episode 1: Sum of the Forgotten Minds by Advanced …

The Effect Of Bullying Prevention Programs On The Perceptions Of Bullying Among Female Youth, Karen Tokarick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying has become a widespread social issue. Previous research has focused on both genders and various grade levels; it has shown that programs reduce bullying and improve social climates and attitudes toward academics. The effect of these programs, specifically on female youth, has not been studied. This study addressed the effect of bullying prevention programs on perceptions of bullying among female youth in Grades 5-7 in 2 schools in rural eastern Pennsylvania. One school utilized a prevention program while the other did not. Teachers and administrators were also interviewed to gain insight regarding their perceived effectiveness of the program. The …

Teacher Perceptions Of Elementary Children's Internalizing Symptoms When Experiencing Parental Wartime Military Deployment, Letitia Henson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Military wartime deployment of parents has a powerful and potentially damaging impact on their young children. As tours lengthen and deployments of military parents become more frequent, the possible negative effects on the children increase proportionally. This quantitative, comparative study evaluated internalizing symptoms among 220 young children who had a parent currently on military deployment and a parent who returned from military deployment compared to a control group of same age peers whose parents were nonmilitary. Using the theoretical frameworks of attachment theory and ambiguous loss theory, the study investigated 3 internalizing symptoms: Anxiety/Depressed, Withdrawn/Depressed behaviors, and Somatic Complaints among …

Social Intelligence Of Undergraduates Enrolled In Traditional Vs. Distance Higher Education Learning Programs, Bo Scott Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Participation in, and acceptance of, distance education has reached an all-time high. Yet many academics, policy makers, and laypeople remain concerned that distance education can adversely affect one's social development. The purpose of this quantitative study was to test that concern by comparing the social intelligence of distance undergraduates with the social intelligence of traditional undergraduates at different class ranks (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) while limiting the ages of the participants (n = 190) to 18-24. Social intelligence, an operationally defined measure of the construct often referred to as social development has been a popular focus of research in …

Using A Delayed Match-To-Samples Task To Investigate The Isolated Processing Of Geometric Shapes And Their Corresponding Shape Words, Joshua E. Edwards

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Evidence suggests an isolated system dedicated to processing geometric information (Spelke, Lee, & Izard, 2010), but isolating geometric processing from semantic processing has remained difficult. Recently, Sturz, Edwards, and Boyer (2014) utilized a delayed match-to-sample (DMTS) task to present participants with a sample composed of a shape, shape word, or a bi-dimensional stimulus composed of a shape and a shape word. After a delay, participants were required to identify the sample shape or the sample word by selecting between two shapes or two shape words. Results suggested that sample shapes did not interfere with selecting a correct match in the …

Defining And Characterizing Differences In College Alcohol Intervention Efficacy: A Growth Mixture Modeling Application, James M. Henson, Matthew R. Pearson, Kate B. Carey

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: While college alcohol misuse remains a pervasive issue, individual-level interventions are among the most efficacious methodologies to reduce alcohol-related harms. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used as an exploratory moderation analysis to determine how many types of college drinkers exist with regard to intervention efficacy over a 12-month period.

Method: Data from 3 randomized controlled trials were combined to yield a sample of 1,040 volunteer and mandated college students who were given 1 of 3 interventions: a brief motivational intervention, Alcohol Edu for Sanctions, or Alcohol 101 Plus. Participants were assessed at baseline, and 1, 6, and 12 months …

Beyond Same Sex Attraction: Gender Variant Based Victimization Is Associated With Suicidal Behavior And Substance Use For Other Sex Attracted Adolescents, Michael Ioerger, Kimberly L. Henry, Peter Y. Chen, Konstantin P. Cigularov, Rocco G. Tomazic

Psychology Faculty Publications

Gender-variant-based victimization is victimization based on the way others perceive an individual to convey masculine, feminine, and androgynous characteristics through their appearance, mannerisms, and behaviors. Previous work identifies gender-variant-based victimization as a risk factor for health-risking outcomes among same-sex attracted youths. The current study seeks to examine this relationship among other-sex attracted youths and same-sex attracted youth, and determine if gender-variant-based victimization is similarly or differentially associated with poor outcomes between these two groups. Anonymous data from a school-based survey of 2,438 racially diverse middle and high school students in the Eastern U.S. was examined. For other-sex attracted adolescents, gender-variantbased …

The Gaze-Cueing Effect In The United States And Japan: Influence Of Cultural Differences In Cognitive Strategies On Control Of Attention, Saki Takao, Yusuke Yamani, Atsunori Ariga

Psychology Faculty Publications

The direction of seen gaze automatically and exogenously guides visual spatial attention, a phenomenon termed as the gaze-cueing effect. Although this effect arises when the duration of stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) between a non-predictive gaze cue and the target is relatively long, no empirical research examined the factors underlying this extended cueing effect. Two experiments compared the gaze-cueing effect at longer SOAs (700 ms) in Japanese and American participants. Cross-cultural studies on cognition suggest that Westerners tend to use a context-independent analytical strategy to process visual environments, whereas Asians use a context-dependent holistic approach. We hypothesized that Japanese participants would …

Discrepant Alcohol Use, Intimate Partner Violence, And Relationship Adjustment Among Lesbian Women And Their Same-Sex Intimate Partners, Michelle L. Kelley, Robin J. Lewis, Tyler B. Mason

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study examined the association between relationship adjustment and discrepant alcohol use among lesbian women and their same-sex intimate partners after controlling for verbal and physical aggression. Lesbian women (N = 819) who were members of online marketing research panels completed an online survey in which they reported both their own and same-sex intimate partner's alcohol use, their relationship adjustment, and their own and their partner's physical aggression and psychological aggression (i.e., verbal aggression and dominance/isolation). Partners' alcohol use was moderately correlated. Discrepancy in alcohol use was associated with poorer relationship adjustment after controlling for psychological aggression and physical aggression. …

Five Facets Of Mindfulness And Psychological Health: Evaluating A Psychological Model Of The Mechanisms Of Mindfulness, David B. Brown, Adrian J. Bravo, Corey R. Roos, Matthew R. Pearson

Psychology Faculty Publications

There has been an increasing focus on determining the psychological mechanisms underlying the broad effects of mindfulness on psychological health. Mindfulness has been posited to be related to the construct of reperceiving or decentering, defined as a shift in perspective associated with decreased attachment to one's thoughts and emotions. Decentering is proposed to be a meta-mechanism that mobilizes four psychological mechanisms (cognitive flexibility, values clarification, self-regulation, and exposure), which in turn are associated with positive health outcomes. Despite preliminary support for this model, extant studies testing this model have not examined distinct facets of mindfulness. The present study used a …

The Impact Of Time Perspective Latent Profiles On College Drinking: A Multidimensional Approach, Abby L. Braitman, James M. Henson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background- Zimbardo and Boyd's¹ time perspective, or the temporal framework individuals use to process information, has been shown to predict health behaviors such as alcohol use. Previous studies supported the predictive validity of individual dimensions of time perspective, with some dimensions acting as protective factors and others as risk factors. However, some studies produced findings contrary to the general body of literature. In addition, time perspective is a multidimensional construct, and the combination of perspectives may be more predictive than individual dimensions in isolation; consequently, multidimensional profiles are a more accurate measure of individual differences and more appropriate for …