Psychology Commons^™

Rediscovery Of Self After Counseling For Female Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Tiffany Crayton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have indicated that survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) have lost a sense of self while being with their abuser. But little or nothing has been published on the rediscovery of self after counseling among female survivors of IPV. The purpose of this phenomenological study which helped to guide the research question and the method of the study was to help bridge the gap in the professional counseling literature by exploring the rediscovery of self after counseling from the perspective of female survivors of IPV. The research question for this study examined the lived experiences of 7 women who …

Examining Outcomes And Mechanisms Of The Honest, Open, Proud Intervention In College Students With Mental Illness, Carol Hundert

Master's Theses

Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage involving many changes and transitions (Arnett, 2004). The instability during this time can cause significant distress, making this a period of increased vulnerability for the development of mental illness (Kessler et al., 2007). The rise in the incidence of mental illness on college campuses has caused an increased demand for mental health services (Kadison & Digeronimo, 2004). Unfortunately, college students face many barriers to treatment, including self-stigma (Eisenberg, et al. 2009). Honest, Open, Proud for college students (HOP-C) is a peer-led group-based intervention designed to reduce self- stigma in college students living with mental …

What's Wrong With Being Single: Lowered Relational Value Bias Toward Single People, Darian Farrell

Master's Theses

This study examined the perceived relational value of single individuals (compared to that of coupled individuals). I hypothesized that, participants would be more likely to make the conjunction fallacy in the single condition vs. the coupled condition, when asked whether or not it was more likely that the target person from the condition was a single teacher vs. teacher. The data supported my hypothesis: participants in the single condition were significantly more likely to make the conjunction fallacy than participants in the coupled condition. My study also tested whether or not the need to belong acted as a moderator for …

Entropy, Order, And Agency: The Cognitive Basis Of The Link Between Agents And Order, Adena Schachner, Minju Kim

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

People often believe that orderly structures were created by agents. We examine the cognitive basis of this tendency, asking if learned associations or causal reasoning drives us to link order with agents. Causal reasoning predicts that knowledge of an alternative physical-mechanical cause should ‘explain away’ orderliness, weakening the link with agents. In a preregistered experiment, we manipulated the context to provide (or not provide) a physical-mechanical explanation for orderly outcomes, and participants judged if an object or agent had been present. We compared outcomes differing in (a)levels of orderliness and (b)whether context provided an alternative explanation. We found that environmental …

Improving Teacher Job Satisfaction: The Roles Of Social Capital, Teacher Efficacy, And Support, Suzanne K. Edinger, Matthew J. Edinger

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

In this study, we examine how social capital, teacher efficacy, and organizational support increase teacher job satisfaction. Research suggests that teachers worldwide are exceedingly dissatisfied with their jobs and have significantly higher levels of turnover than their counterparts in other professions. We investigate this phenomenon using a sample of 122 elementary school teachers. We found that teachers’ centrality position, or each teacher’s relationship with every other teacher, in their school’s trust network and the density of a teacher’s academic advice ego-network predicted the development of teacher job satisfaction. Additionally, we found that teacher efficacy mediated the relationship between teacher’s trust …

The Implementation And Adoptability Of Behavioral Skills Training In A Career Center, Vinthia Wiryananda Wirantana

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

It is unclear if staff at career centers use, or are willing to use, empirically-supported procedures like behavioral skills training (BST) when teaching interview skills to college students. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which the typical career center training consisted of BST, to evaluate staff-implemented BST, and to measure student performance as a result of both training. Using non-concurrent multiple baseline design, three staff were taught to use BST to teach three students to answer interview questions. First, staff used their typical training procedure, and then, they used BST to teach student interview skills; …

Exploring Research-Based Yoga Interventions Targeting Underserved Women And Sexual Trauma: A Descriptive Study, Shannon Steele

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

BACKGROUND

Racial/ethnic, minority women of low socioeconomic status are disproportionately affected by sexual assault and are more likely to develop PTSD. Women’s social, economic and environmental circumstance may contribute to this disadvantage. Yoga has shown to reduce symptoms of PTSD in underserved women. However, it is unknown whether yoga interventions for underserved women who have experienced sexual trauma in the research literature are theory-based and whether constructs are consistent across interventions. Furthermore, it is unknown whether existing trauma-based yoga training programs incorporate similar constructs found in yoga interventions for underserved women who have experienced sexual trauma.

METHODS

A descriptive research …

Self-Compassion, Social Connectedness, And Interpersonal Competence, Jacob H. Bloch

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Self-compassion has consistently been found to be related to well-being (Barnard & Curry 2011). Most research has focused on the intrapersonal benefits of self-compassion, such as its positive relationships with happiness, optimism, positive affect (Neff & Vonk, 2009), and life satisfaction (Neff, Kirkpatrick, & Rude, 2007). In contrast, little research has addressed how engaging in self-compassion may be beneficial to one’s relationships. There is strong evidence that social connectedness (e.g. Lee, Draper, & Lee, 2001; Lee & Robbins, 1998; Mauss et al., 2011; Neff, 2003b) and interpersonal competence (e.g Fiori, Antonucci, & Cortina, 2006; Berkman & Syme, 1979; Delongis, Folkman, …

The Empty Cup: Tea, Mythos, And Initiation Through Emergent Ritual, Katherine C. West

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

West, Katherine Church, M.A., Summer 2018

Master of Arts in Fine Arts, Integrated Arts and Education

Abstract

In our increasingly fast paced and busy world, the cultural value placed in ritual and ceremony has been lost. Yet, cultures for centuries have known the importance of such initiations to both usher us into and through important passages that mark a new time in our lives by deepening our awareness of our own lives and an understanding of the collective human experience.

This paper documents a two part project, one is the creation of a Gypsy Caravan, explored through the process of …

Inclusion Strategies Effect On The Promotion Aspirations Of African American Women, Terry Daniels

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of African American women filling manufacturing leadership positions has continued to be severely disproportionate to the number of African American women in manufacturing. This disproportion is problematic because it undermines the intention and effort to build inclusive workplace cultures. This disproportion also negates the industry's advances in organizational diversity and inclusion initiatives. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of 10 African American women who entered manufacturing with aspirations for career growth. The theoretical framework for the study included Tajfel's social identity theory. The participant perceptions were examined to understand …

Comparing Equivalence-Based Instruction With Lecture-Based Instruction To Teach College Students To Identify Logical Fallacies, Kelly Roughgarden

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Educators and practicing professionals in many fields emphasize the importance of critical thinking for effective decision-making. However, critical thinking skills are not usually directly taught in traditional educational settings. A subset of these skills, identifying logical fallacies, could be amenable to direct instruction using procedures that establish conditional discriminations, such as equivalence-based instruction (EBI). EBI procedures have been shown to be effective and efficient when teaching a variety of skills, including the identification of logical fallacies, when compared with no-instruction and self-instruction control groups. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of web-based EBI procedures to a …

Predicting Student Learning: The Roles Of Rapport, Immediacy, Learning Alliance, And Citizenship Behavior, Susan A. Talley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Rapport, immediacy, learning alliance, classroom citizenship behavior, and observed classroom citizenship behavior were examined for their prediction of both affective and cognitive learning. The measure of observed classroom citizenship behavior was created for the purposes of the current study. Observed classroom citizenship behavior positively correlated with classroom citizenship behavior. Specifically, the involvement, affiliation, and courtesy subscales correlated with overall classroom citizenship behavior and their respective subscales but not with other citizenship behavior subscales. This suggests that only certain types of citizenship behaviors relate to the engagement or observation of those behaviors. Observed citizenship behavior was also found to be correlated …

Psychological Readiness Of Athletes To Return To Play Following Injury, Alyssa C. Monahan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Returning an injured athlete to sport before they are both physically and psychologically ready can lead to increased psychological concerns. Traditionally, return to play decisions are based on physical outcomes and it is rare if an athlete is held back from returning to sport if he or she is not psychologically ready to return. Therefore, athletes may be returning to play before they are psychologically ready. Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the psychological readiness of the athlete to return to play following injury, and the degree to which psychological readiness was considered by the …

The Role Of Relatedness In Youth Athlete Burnout, Megan Wittenberg

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Aspen Institute’s 2016 State of Play report projects a decline in youth sport participation that is more pronounced in adolescent athletes. Although there are numerous potential benefits for youth sport participation, there are also potential consequences including burnout (chronic psychological syndrome consisting of emotional and physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishments, and sport devaluation (Raedeke, 1997). Approximately 1% to 9% of adolescent athletes experienced elevated levels of burnout, with current research suggesting that relatedness could have an influence on athlete burnout. In this instance, relatedness was defined as the extent to which individuals perceives significant others are genuinely invested …

Alcoholic And Nonalcoholic Parents’ Orientations Toward Conformity And Conversation As Predictors Of Attachment And Psychological Well-Being For Adult Children Of Alcoholics, Marie Haverfield, Jennifer Theiss

Faculty Publications

Alcoholism is a family illness that has implications for the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of the spouse and children of individuals with alcoholism (Johnson & Stone, 2009). One in four families in the United States is affected by alcoholism (Grant, 2000), with approximately 26.8 million children growing up with a parent with alcoholism (Alcohol and Drug Programs [ADP], 2007). Children of parents with alcoholism tend to experience more frequent depression and struggle to develop healthy intimate relationships when compared to children of parents without alcoholism (Drejer, Theikjaard, Teasedale, Schulsinger, & Goodwin, 1985). Adult children of alcoholics (ACoA) who had …

The Relationships Among Trauma History, Disordered Eating, Body Dissatisfaction, And Social Anxiety, Rebekah Mitchell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Eating disorders are highly prevalent and cause significant psychological impairment, up to and including death (Arcelus, Mitchell, Wales, & Nielson, 2011). This research examined how trauma history in the general population explains variation in eating disorder risk. The purpose of the current study was to provide further evidence for the relationship between abuse history and eating disorder risk. Disordered eating behaviors, body dissatisfaction, and social anxiety are all known risk factors for the development of eating disorders (Brewerton, 2007). Trauma history is related to all three of these known risk factors (Brewerton, 2007) with sexual trauma being more linked to …

Sibling Survivors Of Suicide: A Retrospective Exploration Of Familial Attachment During Bereavement, Mark Macor

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The following qualitative study retrospectively explored the adolescent experiences and reactions of adult survivors to their loss of a sibling to suicide. The study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to inform subsequent interpretation of interview data collected from a sample of five adult sibling survivors of suicide. Criteria for an individual’s participation included being of at least 25 years old at the time of the interview and that they experienced the loss of a sibling to suicide while they themselves were between the ages of 12 and 21 years old. Participant responses to an attachment self-report measure—Attachment Style Questionnaire (Feeney, …

A Dynamic Exploration Into Mentalization Among Youth On The Autism Spectrum, Rosalyn D. Devincentis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The relationship between mentalization, affect regulation, and the quality of object relations among individuals with an autism spectrum disorder was explored. The findings could be used as conceptual support for the use of psychodynamic psychotherapy in the treatment of people on the autism spectrum. The study consisted of a retrospective analysis of neuropsychological assessment standard scores on three measures (Mutuality of Autonomy Scale, NEPSY-II Theory of Mind subtest, and the CBCL Dysregulated Profile). Forty-four subjects diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder —aged nine to sixteen—were compared with a matched non-autism clinical sample. The results supported the hypothesis that individuals with an …

Early Adversity And Executive Dysfunction In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Jennifer Amato

PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Dissertations (New England)

This dissertation was designed to inform the existing literature gap regarding variability in Executive Dysfunction on neuropsychological assessment tasks in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The two primary objectives of the study included: (a) evaluation of the relationship between number of adverse childhood events (ACEs) and performance on neuropsychological tasks of executive functions (EF; as measured by neuropsychological test results on Color–Word Interference, Verbal Fluency, Trail Making Test, and Semantic Clustering) for children with ADHD; and (b) evaluation of the relationship between number of ACEs and behavioral impairment on parent ratings of EFs (as measured by the Inhibit, Task …

Back On The Block: Spousal Transitional Difficulties In Military Retirement, Rhianna Kelsey Flohr

PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Dissertations (New England)

Service members who serve active duty for 20 years qualify for military retirement with retired pay. This study examined whether sociodemographic and clinical factors are associated with higher levels of transitional difficulty in spouses of retired military service members following at least 20 years of active duty service. Veteran research has shown that a variety of sociodemographic and clinical factors influence the ease with which the service member transitions back into a civilian lifestyle. Factors contributing to greater transitional difficulties for veterans include: (a) experience of a traumatic event, (b) probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (c) race and ethnicity, (d) …

Influence Of Poverty, Parental Substance Use, Ethnicity, And Employment On Reactivation Following Family Reunification, Judith Anne Cornell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The maltreatment of children impacts individuals, communities, states, and societies. One response to the problem is the removal of children from their families, which can cause significant trauma for all involved. Moreover, the financial, legal, and emotional costs increase exponentially when subsequent re-removal, known as reactivation, occurs. Nationwide, the rate of reactivation averages just over 6%; in Arizona, the rate is significantly higher, with 11% of children being reactivated within 2 years of initial reunification. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine whether poverty, ethnicity, parental substance use, parental employment, marital status, and number of children in …

Influence Of Psychological Capital And Thinking Perspectives On Construction Safety Climate And Performance, Anne-Perrine Pascale Cades

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding safety factors in construction is critical to reducing accident frequency and severity. Grounded in the safety performance model, this study was conducted to examine the impact of psychological capital (PsyCap), which consists of the shared variance of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, and Past, Present, and Future thinking perspectives, on safety climate and performance. A nonexperimental quantitative design was used to determine whether PsyCap and thinking perspectives of construction project employees predicted safety performance and/or moderated the relationship between safety climate and performance across construction sites in different countries. 411 construction employees were recruited via a multistage and clustering …

Social Support And Psychotherapy For Asian And Pacific Islanders With Hiv/Aids, Venus Vacharakitja

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV/AIDS rates among Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) have increased steadily in recent years. The Health Resources and Services Administration reported in 2011 that people living with HIV/AIDS experience psychiatric disorders at a rate 4 to 8 times higher than the general population, with as many as 60% experiencing depression. Studies show that short-term psychotherapy reduces depression and anxiety in people with HIV/AIDS, and studies have indicated that patients have better health outcomes when they receive psychotherapy in conjunction with medical treatment. It is not known how social support relates to psychotherapy attendance or health outcomes as measured by CD4 …

The Relationship Between Attachment, Self-Regulation, And Resilience In Undergraduate Students' College Adjustment, Scott Tanner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Difficulty adjusting to college life is noted in nearly 20% of freshmen who fail to return to college. The purpose of this quantitative survey design study, grounded in attachment theory, was to investigate the best predictor (e.g., secure parental attachment, self-regulation, or resilience) of college adaptation, the combined contribution of the variables in predicting college adaptation, and whether a bivariate relationship existed between the variables and subcomponents of college adaptation. The Connor Davidson Resilience Scale Revised, Parental Attachment Questionnaire, Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire, and Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire were securely administered online to a sample of 68 full-time students from …

Preference For Internet Therapy Versus Traditional Therapy To Treat Postpartum Depression, Megan E. Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A growing body of research has emerged about effective treatments for postpartum depression, specifically how the internet could become a pivotal and vital option for women with postpartum symptoms. With that in mind, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate whether women suffering from postpartum depression preferred traditional therapy treatment or internet therapy treatment. The nonexperimental survey design was used to assess differences between groups related to stigma, satisfaction with treatment, and perceived quality of treatment received. Data collected from a sample of 78 adult females, who had previously received postpartum depression therapy treatment, indicated there was no …

Understanding The Role Of Religious Comfort And Strain On Depressive Symptoms In An Inpatient Psychiatric Setting, Alexis D. Abernethy, Joesph M. Currier, Charlotte Witvliet, Sarah A. Schnitker, Katharine M. Putman, Lindsey M. Root Luna, Joshua D. Foster, Andrene Spencer, Heather Jones, Karl Vanharn, Janet Carter

Faculty Scholarship

Understanding the role of religion in mental illness has always been complicated as some people turn to religion to cope with their illness, whereas others turn away. The overarching purpose of this study was to draw on quantitative and qualitative information to illuminate ways in which religiousness might be associated with changes in depressive symptomatology in a spiritually integrated inpatient treatment program. This repeated measures mixed method study examined the relations among religious comfort (RC), religious strain (RS), and depression in an inpatient psychiatric sample. Adult inpatients (N=248; Mage = 40.78 years; SD = 18.97) completed measures of RC, RS, …

Spiritual Wellness As A Predictor For Moral Injury In Combat Veterans, Steve Zappalla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many combat veterans face difficulties coping with their personal lives, relationships, and families when they leave the service and return to civilian life. Most studies examining the effects of combat on veterans focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as a collection of related consequences. Interest in the term moral injury of military veterans as a related mental health construct has grown. Researchers have investigated the effects of spiritual wellness of combat veterans. However, there is a paucity of counseling literature on the relationship between spiritual wellness and moral injury when combat veterans return to civilian life. Investigating the …

An Exploratory Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Unmarried College-Educated Black Women, Courtney T. Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although there has been a decline in heterosexual marriages, marriage is still an expectation for adults in the United States. Consequently, unmarried women feel pressured to explain their single marital status. Black women are the least likely to marry, compared to non-Black women and Black men, yet there is limited research addressing the experiences of unmarried Black women. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of unmarried, college-educated Black women and the effects of cultural and social expectations of marriage. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 women. The intersectionality theory was used as the theoretical …

Factors That Influence Whether Mexican Americans With Depression Seek Treatment, Irene Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mexican Americans, the largest Hispanic subgroup in the United States, tend to underuse mental health services. Grounded in Andersen's behavioral model of health services use, the purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the likelihood of birth country, education, income, and insurance predicting which respondents would report seeking mental health services to treat depression. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to diagnose depression in 203 Mexican Americans whose data was archived from the primary study. This archived data was analyzed within this study. The results of the 2 x 2 chi-square tests of independence indicated a significant association …

Teaching Experience And How It Relates To Teacher Impressions Of Work Intensification, Shannon Warren

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Changes in schools can cause teachers to experience an intensification of work as they strive to meet expectations of students, parents, and administrations. This study includes an examination of factors that may lead to work intensification (WI) for teachers. The study also includes an examination of how years of experience and teacher perceptions of administrative support may moderate the relationship between teachers' impressions of WI and their job satisfaction. Based on equity theory, data were collected using a Likert-type scale survey distributed to 9 public high schools in southern California. A test for correlation was performed followed by a hierarchal …