Psychology Commons^™

Stakeholder Views On Behavioral Health Care In The Pediatric Primary Care Setting: A Qualitative Approach Towards Integration Of Care, Alexis Quinoy

Theses and Dissertations

The pediatric primary care setting has been discussed as playing a central role for the identification and treatment of behavioral and mental health disorders in youth. Although this setting is in a unique position to provide these services, there are many barriers to the integration of mental health care and pediatric primary care. The aim of this study is to examine perspectives of multiple stakeholders (i.e., patient, parent, nurse, resident, faculty, clinic director) in a pediatric primary care setting to explore barriers, behavioral and mental health needs, and facilitators to the integration and provision of mental health care for children …

Looking “Upstream”: The Role Of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction In Service Members’ Future Orientation, Bradley J. Antonides

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: This study explores psychological experiences that may influence service members’ self-concepts and future orientations. As stable, optimistic, future orientations have been associated with resilience to psychological distress and suicidality (Johnson, et al., 2011), it is worthwhile to explore how service members’ attitudes toward the future might be shaped in the context of intrapersonal and interpersonal experiences. METHOD: Data were collected from service members of the Virginia National Guard (N = 192) and included a Transportation unit, an Engineer unit, an Infantry unit and a group with no specific unit affiliation or substantive military experience. The study is a …

An Examination Of Weight, Weight Bias, And Health Care Utilization And Attitudes Among Emerging Adults, Jessica M. Mccauley

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with overweight/obesity have been found to exhibit more negative attitudes toward health care and disproportionate rates of health care delay and avoidance, compared to their healthy weight peers. The present study sought to examine potential mechanisms through which weight status influences health care utilization and attitudes. Six hundred and thirty-three students completed a questionnaire measuring weight status, perceived weight bias, patient-provider relationship, and health care utilization and attitudes. Although the majority of the paths in the proposed theoretical mediation model were supported by the present findings, there was no support for the anticipated link between perceived weight bias and …

Nourish-C: Implementing A Family Based Weight Loss Intervention In A Church Community, Jacqueline Woods

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing rates of obesity across all race, ethnic, gender, and age groups over the past thirty years have generated significant public health concern. Black children face disproportionately higher risk for overweight and obesity compared with their White peers. Substantial evidence suggests that parent involvement improves pediatric obesity treatment outcomes. Moreover, churches are feasible and culturally congruent places to host health promotion interventions within the Black community. The current study examined the feasibility of disseminating an existing pediatric obesity intervention, NOURISH, in Black church communities. Twenty-five families participated in baseline assessment of the NOURISH-C. Five churches hosted the intervention and eight …

Using Structural Equation Modeling To Understand The Role Of The Family In Pediatric Asthma Contexts, Nour Al Ghriwati

Theses and Dissertations

Family factors have long been associated with the psychosocial adjustment of children with chronic illnesses, such as asthma (Minuchin, 1975; Rapee, 1997). Research indicates that negative family factors may also contribute to child disease severity, via bio-behavioral mechanisms of effect (Wood et al., 2006); however, these pathways have yet to be examined with a comprehensive focus on more positive family factors. This study sought to examine whether factors such as family cohesion, problem solving abilities, and communication influence asthma symptom severity in children via their effects on child depression and anxiety symptoms. Using structural equation modeling, we identified significant indirect …

The Role Of Psychology In Integrated Primary Care For Complex Patients: Effects On Mental Health, Utilization Of Medical Services, And Physiological Markers Of Health, Danielle C. Worthington

Theses and Dissertations

This study served as an initial evaluation of integrated psychology services within a clinic designed to serve uninsured patients with complex medical concerns and high utilization histories at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. The current study evaluates patient outcomes, and more specifically, it further quantifies and describes the role that psychologists play in the primary care setting and their impact on utilization of medical care and in improved health outcomes. Additionally, the study evaluates psychologists’ success at treating mental and behavioral health conditions within the primary care model. The present study demonstrates that patients with complex medical …

Decreased Sound Tolerance (Dst): Prevalence, Clinical Correlates, And Development Of A Dst Assessment Instrument, Therese Verkerke Cash

Theses and Dissertations

Decreased sound tolerance (DST) conditions, including misophonia and hyperacusis, are emerging clinical conditions in behavioral medicine. Misophonia involves an extreme emotional response (often anger, disgust, or annoyance) to specific sounds (such as people chewing, swallowing, tapping their foot on the floor, etc.), while hyperacusis is defined by high sensitivity to sounds below normal sound sensitivity thresholds. Although research on these DST conditions is increasing, clearly defined prevalence rates, associations with other mental health conditions, and development of assessment tools that can identify and differentiate DST symptoms are needed. Research and clinical reports also suggest that DST problems are more likely …

Therapist Adherence To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Anxious Youth Across A Case, Julia R. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

The field has developed many evidence-based treatments (EBTs); the integrity of EBTs being delivered, however, has been studied less than rigorously. Because many treatment manuals are developed to be delivered session-by-session, one way to assess treatment adherence, specifically, is across the course of the case: do therapists deliver treatment components in the order prescribed? The goals of this study were to characterize how therapists deviate from prescribed order and how adherence to order relates to child characteristics. Therapy process data were collected from a subsample of children (N = 33, aged 7-15) that received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to address …

Investigating The Effects Of Obesity Prevention Campaigns, Courtney C. Simpson

Theses and Dissertations

Public health campaigns might not be universally helpful and could have detrimental consequences. The current investigation explored the effects of obesity prevention campaigns. Their impact was assessed using an experiment in which participants were randomized to view either weight focused obesity prevention campaigns or obesity prevention campaigns that did not use weight related terms. Results demonstrated that compared with campaigns without weight related terminology, weight focused campaigns increased negative perceptions of obesity and decreased self-efficacy for health behavior change. No differences in body satisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, state anxiety, or frequency of positive health behaviors were found based on the type …

An Evaluation Of The Raise 5 Project: Preventing Hiv And Substance Abuse Among African American College Students, Joshua K. Brevard

Theses and Dissertations

African Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV since the beginning of the epidemic and the disparities have worsened over time (CDC, 2013a). African Americans comprise about 12% of the U.S. population but represented about 44% of all new HIV infections in 2010 (CDC, 2014a). Young people (age 13–24) accounted for 26% of all new HIV infections in 2010, despite persons in this age range comprising just 17% of the population (CDC, 2014c). Young African Americans (age 13-24) are affected in particular. In 2010, they comprised 57% of infections in this age range (CDC, 2014c). Substance use is a major …

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing Attrition From A Pediatric Weight Management Intervention, Melissa Ann Kwitowski

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood obesity is a serious health problem in the United States. Numerous weight management programs attempt to address this issue. However, attrition poses significant treatment efficacy challenges. Understanding attendance and attrition from childhood obesity programs is crucial for effective and appropriate resource utilization. NOURISH+ is a community-based treatment program for parents of overweight and obese children (age 5–11 years, BMI ≥ 85th percentile). The current study investigated attrition from NOURISH+ to enhance understanding of pediatric obesity treatment retention factors. NOURISH+ participants (n=70) completed a questionnaire assessing barriers to adherence and general program feedback. Data were analyzed using frequencies, …

Determinants Of Stress And Effects On Performance In Internal Medicine Residents, Sarah Braun

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to assess: a) perceived stress, burnout, depression, and empathy at three time points in internal medicine residents, b) the role of gender and trait mindfulness in stress response during residency and c) to evaluate the impact these variables have on performance evaluations. Additionally, specific tasks of the residency that may contribute to the experience of stress and burnout were evaluated to test a model of job strain. Stress predicted subsequent burnout and depression. Burnout predicted subsequent depression, and stress mediated this relationship. Women reported higher mean levels of empathy and burnout than men. …

Curiosity And Compassion: Curiosity And Attachment Security's Relationship With Empathic Responding To Hardship, Athena H. Cairo

Theses and Dissertations

Compassion requires both attention and motivation to engage with another person’s experience. Two studies examined whether curiosity—the interest and motivation to explore new or complex information—promotes empathic concern and suppresses personal distress. These studies also examined whether attachment insecurity moderates curiosity’s effect on empathy. Study 1 identified correlations among curiosity, attachment security, empathic concern, and personal distress traits. In Study 2, participants were primed with high or low curiosity before watching a video of a peer experiencing hardship, then reported state curiosity, empathic concern, personal distress, and prosocial motivation. Trait and state curiosity predicted greater empathic concern and prosocial motivation. …

Use And Perspectives Of A Social Marketing Campaign To Improve Fruit And Vegetable Intake, Allison Palmberg

Theses and Dissertations

The current study evaluated the development and acceptability of a social marketing campaign to improve emerging adults’ fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. A social marketing campaign was developed through focus groups with 24 college students. Materials were implemented in two dining locations at Virginia Commonwealth University. Sales of carrots, apples, and chips were collected in three phases: baseline, implementation of the campaign, and washout. In addition, surveys were collected from 303 diners across all phases and locations. Results indicated an increase in carrot sales, decrease in sales of chips sold with a meal, and mixed findings regarding sales of apples …

A Measure Of Social Behavior In Team-Based, Multiplayer Online Games: The Sociality In Multiplayer Online Games Scale (Smog), Chelsea M. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Video games have become a new platform for social interaction. I review the sociality of video games and the relationship between virtual- and real-world behaviors. I review and address the pros and cons of methods of measuring social behavior. Finally, I present two studies drawn from internet populations. In Study 1 (N = 250), I develop a scale, The Sociality in Multiplayer Online Games Scale (SMOG), which measures the frequency of social gaming behaviors in team-based, multiplayer online games. I hypothesized these to align on dominance and affiliation dimensions of social interaction (Kiesler, 1982). In Study 2 (N …

Measuring The Coping Efforts Of Grieving Undergraduate Students: Developing The Gcope Through A Mixed-Method Design, Benjamin Dyson Lord

Theses and Dissertations

The current study used a three-phase mixed-methods design to produce a new self-report measure of the strategies that college students use to cope with the death of a loved-one. College students are commonly bereaved and may be in the process of undergoing important developmental tasks related to emerging adulthood. However, the application of grief-specific stress-and-coping theories (i.e., the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement) to this population has been hampered by measurement issues.

The current study aimed to address the flaws asserted above through the use of a mixed-methods scale development design. To this end, the researcher made use …

The Heart Of Strength: The Strong Black Woman Schema And Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Jasmine A. Abrams

Theses and Dissertations

Black women are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease (CVD). While chronic stress has been identified as a key contributor to CVD risk, research has not identified the specific mechanisms through which stress influences CVD risk among Black women. Research suggests that in response to stress, Black women who internalize the SBW Schema engage in high effort coping, avoidant coping, postponement of self-care, and other maladaptive health behaviors and experience premature health deterioration. However, it is important to consider that internalization of the SBW Schema may exert differential effects on the physiological profiles of Black women due to varied interpretations of …

Adherence To And Competence In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Youth Anxiety: Psychometric Evaluation, Cassidy C. Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

Treatment integrity—the extent to which a treatment is delivered as it was intended—has long been recognized as critically important in treatment evaluation research, but has garnered increased attention in recent years within the context of dissemination and implementation science. However, the field’s development has been hindered by inadequate measurement tools. This project is focused on developing and evaluating the psychometric strength of two measures of treatment integrity. To evaluate the psychometric strength of the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety Therapist Adherence Scale (CBAY-A)and the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety Therapist Competence Scale (CBAY-C), 954 psychotherapy sessions from two treatment evaluation …

Competition, Autonomy, And Prestige: Mechanisms Through Which The Dark Triad Predict Job Satisfaction, Peter K. Jonason, Serena Wee, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Organizational researchers increasingly recognize the need to consider the Dark Triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) when explaining undesirable work outcomes (e.g., counterproductive behaviors). However, little research has focused on the motivations of those who actually hold the traits. In this study (N = 361) we examined how the Dark Triad traits predispose individuals to perceive situations as competitive, prestigious, and comprised of restrictions (i.e., autonomy) which differentially predict job satisfaction. Individuals high on psychopathy and Machiavellianism perceived their workplaces as competitive, whereas individuals high on narcissism perceived their workplaces as prestigious and with fewer restrictions. Sex differences in …

Cross-Cultural Differences In A Global “Survey Of World Views”, Gerard Saucier, Judith Kenner, Kathryn Iurino, Philippe Bou Malham, Zhuo Chen, Amber Gayle Thalmayer, Markus Kemmelmeier, William Tov, Lay See Ong, Angela K. Y. Leung

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We know that there are cross-cultural differences in psychological variables, such as individualism/collectivism. But it has not been clear which of these variables show relatively the greatestdifferences. The Survey of World Views project operated from the premise that such issuesare best addressed in a diverse sampling of countries representing a majority of the world’spopulation, with a very large range of item-content. Data were collected online from 8,883individuals (almost entirely college students based on local publicizing efforts) in 33 countriesthat constitute more than two third of the world’s population, using items drawn from measuresof nearly 50 variables. This report focuses on …

This Is Your Brain On Law School: The Impact Of Fear-Based Narratives On Law Students, Abigail A. Patthoff

Utah Law Review

Law students regularly top the charts as among the most dissatisfied, demoralized, and depressed of graduate-student populations. As their teachers, we cannot ignore the palpable presence of this stress in our classrooms—unchecked, it stifles learning, encourages counterproductive behavior, and promotes illness.

By more thoughtfully using cautionary tales, we can actively manage one source of law student anxiety. Although reining in cautionary tales will certainly not be a panacea to law student distress, elimination of all law student anxiety is neither a realistic nor a desirable goal. Fear-based stress, in moderation, can compel students to overcome challenges they never thought possible; …

Feminism, Psychology And Social Justice: A Possible Meeting? An Interview With Michelle Fine, Karla Galvão Adrião

Publications and Research

Michelle Fine is a Feminist Psychologist Researcher and has contributed strongly in the past two decades to the Qualitative and Participatory Methodologies field, with special attention to Critical-Participatory-Action-Research (CPAR). Her research in Social Psychology and Education puts into question the positions of power and privilege, concepts such as social justice/injustice, the intersectional reading of gender, class, race, generation, and the notion of solidarity.

Examining The Role Of Episodic And Semantic Networks In Anhedonia: Applying The Accessibility Model Of Emotional Self-Report To Psychometrically-Defined Schizotypy, Kyle Robert Mitchell

LSU Master's Theses

Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit a range of abnormalities in self-reported non-current experience of pleasure, but undisrupted current experience of pleasure. Several researchers have sought to address the mechanism of this deficit, yielding useful models of anhedonia. The accessibility model of emotional self-report suggests that deficits in hedonic response are due to differential activation of, and reliance upon, semantic and episodic memory systems. While this model has been proposed as an explanation of the deficits in hedonic response in schizophrenia, it has not been experimentally validated, and it remains to be seen whether the model will hold across the schizophrenia spectrum. …

The Baby And Infant Screen For Children With Autism Traits: A Dsm-5 Update, Matthew Jason Konst

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Interest surrounding the investigation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased exponentially since it was initially described over a half-century ago. With this passage of time our conceptualization of the ASD diagnosis has undergone multiple changes. An increasing trend in research has been an emphasis on early identification and intervention. This trend has brought about the creation and adaptation of multiple measures designed to inform early ASD diagnosis. Recently, the ASD diagnostic category underwent significant revisions. In response to revisions, it is necessary to adapt preexisting measures to reflect these significant changes in order to maintain diagnostic accuracy. The Baby …

Proceedings Of The 2nd Annual Cuny Games Festival, Robert O. Duncan, Joe Bisz, Francesco Crocco, Carlos Hernandez, Kathleen Offenholley, Maura A. Smale, Deborah Sturm, Cuny Games Network

Publications and Research

Proceedings of the CUNY Games Conference, held from January 16-17, 2015, at the CUNY Graduate Center and Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Health Games - Language and Composition - Design: Classroom Considerations - Games in the Physical Environment - Games and Behavioral Science - Play, Politics & Economics - Gaming Curricula, Disciplines & Programs - Gaming and History - Institutional Programming with Games - Philosophy and Roleplaying - Ed. Game Design: Strategy & Tactics - Repurposing Game Genres - Narrative, Storytelling & Games - Community & Social Justice - Extemporaneity - Personal & Social Transformation - Cognition, Design & Play …

Effects Of Mirror Exposure And Brief Mindfulness Interventions In Undergraduate Females With Weight And Shape Concerns, Jessica Abaigeal Esmeier Kinsaul

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Risk of disordered eating is high amongst college women in the U.S., often resulting in negative outcomes with regard to health, social functioning and psychological well-being. Disordered eating is associated with multiple aspects of emotional processing, such as emotion regulation, negative affect, and avoidance. Emotional processing difficulties can be addressed with both exposure techniques and mindfulness, which involves present moment awareness with an attitude of acceptance and non-judgment. Interventions using mirror exposure (standing before a mirror and systematically describing the body) to treat disordered eating and body image, particularly those utilizing aspects of mindfulness, show promise in terms of improving …

Single Or Dual Resources: The Role Of Working Memory In Syntactic Processing, Rebecca Ann Horn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Within the field of psycholinguistics there are those who argue for a close relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and syntactic processing (Just and Carpenter, 1992) and those who argue that there is no such relationship (Waters and Caplan, 1996b; 2004). Despite years of research, empirical data has yet to settle this disagreement, perhaps because a number of methodological differences between studies from each side make direct comparisons of data nearly impossible. The current study was designed to partially replicate three previous studies using their own experimental sentence types in a self-paced word-by-word reading paradigm in order to examine the …

The Moderating Effects Of Family Management Factors On The Relationship Between Violence Exposure And Aggression, Christine Marie Raines

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Community violence, in the form of direct victimization or witnessing violent acts, is a prevalent public safety concern in many communities. Individuals who are exposed to community violence often exhibit a variety of associated mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. One of the most common negative outcomes associated with violence exposure among adolescents is engaging in aggressive or violent behavior. In order to mitigate the health, safety, and legal consequences associated with this outcome, it is worth examining factors that may protect adolescents from exhibiting behavior problems subsequent to community violence exposure. In the present study, …

The Role Of Salience In Second Language Acquisition, Ian South Comeaux

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract Cues to the actor role such as word order, noun animacy, case inflection and verb agreement vary in strength across languages. The competition model (CM; MacWhinney, 2005) suggests that adult L2 acquisition is difficult due to differences in cue strength between the native and target languages. Using a paradigm inspired by the CM, the present study examines whether salience plays a role in facilitating adjustments of cue strength during L2 learning. Native English speakers were exposed to an artificial language (via an actor-assignment task) which utilized four different cues: verb agreement, case marking, animacy, and word order. Word order, …

Social Functioning In Schizotypy: An Exploration Of Communicative Effectiveness Through Speech Analysis And Observer Rated Performance In A Socially Demanding Task, Tracey Lauren Auster

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Individuals with schizotypal traits have demonstrated sub-clinical symptoms of psychosis (e.g. perceptual disturbances, self-reported social functioning impairment, self-reported memory problems, and delusions). However, the evidence has been mixed regarding what impairments exist, particularly with regards to social functioning domains. As schizotypy is posited to reflect an underlying vulnerability for development of clinical levels of psychosis/risk conversion, individuals with these traits are an important group to study in order to identify these vulnerabilities. Research has indicated that current measures of social functioning (whether they are localized objective measures of verbal and non-verbal communication or global self-report of functioning) are missing some …