Psychology Commons^™

Perceived Adult Social Support During Adolescence And Well-Being Among Lgbtq-Identified Young Adults, Adrienne Macdonald

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Many youth, particularly those who are LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) face challenges during identity development including lack of social support and psychological maladjustment. These challenges are not typically experienced by the general population of youth. The goal of this study was to explore social support among LGBTQ youth and its relations to general well-being among LGBTQ-identified young adults through a mixed method design, including qualitative and quantitative information. This study found specific characteristics of supportive adults that were identified as beneficial for LGBTQ youth. In addition, this study explored specific situations where LGBTQ young adults found social support …

Promoting Resilience In Self-Management (Prism): Adverse Childhood Experiences And Impacts On Emotion Regulation, Kasey Ann Macedo

Honors Scholar Theses

PRISM (Promoting Resilience in Self-Management) is a mindfulness-based intervention that aims to strengthen emotion regulation skills among individuals by employing cognitive behavioral therapy components. The purpose of the current study is to identify the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depression, as well as to examine the changes in emotion regulation strategies of participants by comparing pre and post test data. The participants were voluntarily recruited from the Cornerstone Foundation, a homeless shelter, food pantry, and community center in Vernon, CT. The 13 participants completed PRISM through four weeks of two-hour workshop sessions in a small-group format. Results indicate …

Paraphilias: A Survey Of Experts, Cecilia Allan

Student Theses

There is limited research examining the processes utilized when making diagnoses in sexual offender civil commitment (SVP) evaluations. The purpose of this research was to examine mental health professionals’ (MHPs) opinions towards, and use of, paraphilic diagnoses in SVP evaluations. In particular, other-specified (OS) paraphilic diagnoses of hebephilia and nonconsent were examined. Results indicate a lack of understanding among MHPs regarding how to recognize and apply OS paraphilic diagnoses. Findings also provide insight into how and why MHPs choose to diagnose OS paraphilias, demonstrating a high level of reliance on documentation. Results indicate the existence of an adversarial allegiance among …

A Sociotechnical Systems Approach Toward Tailored Design For Personal Health Information Management, Nicole E. Werner, Michelle Tong, Dan Nathan-Roberts, Catherine Smith, Ross Tredinnick, Kevin Ponto, Marijke Melles, Peter Hoonakker

Patient Experience Journal

We used a sociotechnical systems approach—which conceptualizes a system of interacting people, technologies, and tasks, to identify individual differences in personal health information management (PHIM) that can inform the design of patient-friendly environments, tools, and technologies. We conducted a secondary thematic analysis of data collected as part of a parent project, vizHOME. The goal of vizHOME was to improve health and health outcomes through identifying key features in the environment that will inform the design of consumer health information technology HIT. We analyzed interview data collected from 20 individuals with diabetes. We found seven dimensions of PHIM: (1) level of …

Up-Regulation Of Sexual Desire In Long-Term Relationships: Self-Report And Electrophysiological Data, Lauri L. Davis

Theses

Diminished sexual desire is a common in long-term relationships yet little research has examined strategies to promote sexual desire within healthy intact couples. This study focused on three regulation strategies: 1) positive reappraisal of the partner, 2) reappraisal of sexual desire decline, and 3) sexual imagery. These regulation strategies were used to test for an increase in sexual desire, infatuation, attachment, and relationship satisfaction for the partner. We additionally examined whether these strategies increased motivated attention to the partner as indicated by the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential (ERP) component. Participants (N=25, age=18-32 yrs, 6 men) …

Manipulation Of Human Behavior By Sexually Transmitted Organisms: Sto Infection Status As A Predictor Of Later Sexual Behavior, Ruth Sarafin

Psychology ETDs

Research into the epidemiology of sexually transmitted organisms has found a strong relationship between number of sexual partners and likelihood of infection; STO interventions have therefore focused on reducing number of sexual partners. However, this work assumes that multiple partnerships cause infection, when there is reason to believe that infection causes an increase in short-term mating behavior as a means of increasing transmission opportunities. This dissertation tests STO infection status as a predictor in follow-up sexual behavior on data from the National Longitudinal Study from Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Four dependent variables related to short-term mating were regressed …

Black American Students With And Without Disabilities: Stress And Coping Strategies, Gabriel Asare Sarpong

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined if perceived level of stress for Black /African American students was exacerbated by their disability status. This study also examined the relationship between Africultural coping, minority stressors (racial minority stress, disability related stress) and perceive stress level. 123 students who identified themselves as Black/African American enrolled in two Midwestern universities participated in the online survey of this study (n = 39 with disabilities; n= 84 with no disabilities). Results showed that Black students with disabilities reported higher level of perceived stress compared to those with no disabilities. Racial minority stressors, and societal barrier component of disability related …

A Proposed Music Therapy Protocol For Trauma-Informed, Culturally Aware Practice With Migrants At The Us-Mexico Border, Mackenzie K. Conner

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper reviews current literature surrounding therapeutic work done with the migrant population and considers it through the lens of future music therapy interventions to be done at the United States (US)-Mexico border. The migration process across the US-Mexico border is often filled with danger and treachery, leading to trauma responses, such as depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder. These traumatic experiences are augmented even further if there is a detention period or separation of families. In work reported by psychotherapists, counselors, and expressive arts therapists, there is often a focus of building empowerment, resilience, and coping skills. Yet …

Clericalism Contributes To Religious, Spiritual, And Behavioral Struggles Among Catholic Priests, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

The Roman Catholic Church has received a remarkable amount of press attention regarding clerical perpetrated sexual abuse with child victims as well as other clerical behavioral scandals in recent years. Much has been reported in both the popular and professional press about the various aspects and elements of priestly formation and ministry that might contribute to behavioral problems among clerics. Additionally, much has also been written and discussed about the challenging religious, spiritual, and behavioral struggles among clerics when clerical misbehavior significantly contradicts expected behavior in terms of sexual, behavioral, and relational ethics. Since Catholic priests are dedicated to chastity, …

Different Exercise Tendencies Modulate Behavioral And Molecular Changes To Opioid Or Exercise-Induced Reward, Amanda Titus

Theses

Reward changes were observed in rodents with different exercise tendencies by utilizing the conditioned place preference paradigm. Adult male Wistar rats with distinct phenotypes (low volume runners, high volume runners, and wild-type) were given access to a running wheel or an injection of morphine as a rewarding stimulus. There was no difference observed in the strength of conditioned place preference between the rewarding stimuli. Extinction was significantly more effective in low volume runners than high volume runners and wild-type animals, as was observed in the lower percentage of time spent in their assigned conditioning chamber. These findings suggest that low …

Full Issue, Mississippi Counseling Association

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

No abstract provided.

Author Information And Table Of Contents, Mississippi Counseling Association

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Author information, Table of Contents

Longitudinal Applications Of Stepladder Technique For Enhancing Group Performance, Conner Lutterman

Discovery Day - Prescott

Stepladder technique is intended to improve decision making in small groups by structuring the entry of group members, ensuring that each member contributes to the decision-making process. Previous research has employed the stepladder technique for intellective exercises of short duration. Here, we examined a more realistic application of the stepladder technique to a longitudinal project team engaged in a design/build/ test engineering program. Application of stepladder technique beyond a laboratory/one-time setting is a unique addition to the team performance research. Preliminary data indicates that the stepladder technique is effective in a longitudinal project more aligned to typical organization applications; constraints, …

The Use Of The Birth Control Movement As A Eugenics Weapon, 1920'S-1960'S, Peyton P. Holstein

Young Historians Conference

While Margaret Sanger made great strides in the crusade for legalization and open access to birth control for women, groups paired her work with ideologies such as Social Darwinism to arm the eugenics movement throughout the Twentieth-century. The eugenics movement was a culmination of racism and newly found scientific theories which led a crusade to purify the American population through reproductive cherry-picking on the basis of race. One of the primary ways that this group attempted to weed out “undesirable” races within the American population was through birth control as well as sterilization. These two movements - birth control and …

Incentive Sensitization For Exercise Reinforcement To Increase Exercise Behaviors, Kyle D. Flack, Harry M. Hays, Jack Moreland

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Individuals can be sensitized to the reinforcing effects of exercise, although it is unknown if this process increases habitual exercise behavior. Sedentary men and women (body mass index: 25–35 kg/m², N = 52) participated in a 12-week aerobic exercise intervention. Exercise reinforcement was determined by how much work was performed for exercise relative to a sedentary alternative in a progressive ratio schedule task. Habitual physical activity was assessed via accelerometry. Post-intervention increases in exercise reinforcement predicted increases in physical activity bouts among those who expended over 2000 kcal per week in exercise and who compensated for less than …

Methodological Proposal Of A 2gen Approach To Treating Trauma For Mothers With Substance-Use And Their Children, Rosa L. Boniface, Jenna A. Cummings, Seth Krier, Dylan Lisnow, Stevie N. Grassetti

Psychology Student Work

Background: Existing literature shows adverse environments are detrimental to a family’s overall health and wellbeing. Estimates from 2016 indicate 18 million children experienced at least one family stressor such as economic hardship, exposure to parental substance use or witnessing domestic violence. Women are three times more likely to pass intergenerational trauma, or trauma passed from caregiver to child. If left untreated, adults and children are at risk for developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and rupturing the parent child relationship. Current services typically treat the parent and child individually, despite research showing positive relational and therapeutic effects when they are …

Music Education Program Linked To Social-Emotional Advantage For Students Facing Economic Hardship, Amelia Oberholtzer, Jessica Dowdell, Dominique Mcquade, Keriann Mosley, Eleanor D. Brown

Psychology Student Work

Purpose

School success depends on the ability to regulate emotions, behavior, and attention in the service of learning. This study examines the impact of MacPhail’s Learning with Music Program on the development of self-regulatory skills for young children at risk via economic hardship.

Design

In Learning with Music, MacPhail music teachers visit partner preschool classrooms and model music integration for early childhood educators. We used a two-year, quasi-experimental waitlist control design to examine the impact of Learning with Music on children’s development of self-regulatory skills. In Year 1, both participating preschool programs received their preschool programming as usual, and in …

A Proposal For A Modern Measure Of Feminist Identity, Caroline Guzi, Kathleen Moser, Shelby Kreglow, Stevie N. Grassetti

Psychology Student Work

Feminism is a social movement that advocates for the protection and implementation of policies which promote gender equality. Approximately 60 percent of women identify as feminists (Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation, 2016), but feminism is not exclusive to women. As knowledge about equality is becoming more salient, people of all genders are beginning to identify as feminists. Still, measures of feminist identity are typically worded to pertain to women only. To advance the feminist movement, we need measures of feminism that apply to all people. For example, as approximately half of the population, male opinions on feminism and gender roles are …

Targeting Youth's Motivation To Change Substance Use Behaviors: Feasibility & Preliminary Outcomes From An Open Trial Of The Free Talk Program In A Short-Term Juvenile Detention Facility, Cassidy Tennity, Stevie N. Grassetti

Psychology Student Work

Background: Trauma exposure in adolescents is associated with increased rates of externalizing behaviors, substance use disorder and conduct disorder. Youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system have elevated levels of mental health difficulties and the many detained youth who have experienced trauma may be a group with particularly high needs.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of trauma exposure and correlates of such exposure in a sample of justice-involved youth.

Methods: Staff administered the Massachusetts Youth Screening Inventory (MAYSI-2) to N=41 detained youth upon their arrival at a juvenile justice facility. In the …

Ageism In The Workplace: Ageing In The Age Of Intolerance, Jacqueline Magnarelli, Lauren Stricker, Dylan Fry, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha, Frauke Schnell, V. Krishna Kumar

Psychology Student Work

Age discrimination is widespread, but not widely acknowledged. Unlike racism and sexism, ageism is often normalized (WHO, 2020). As people live longer, healthier lives, they also remain in the workplace longer (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). A majority (64%), of older workers, particularly female workers, report being subjected to discriminatory mistreatment (AARP, 2014).

This presentation focuses on a discussion of the preliminary results of an ongoing study addressing age discrimination in the workplace. A sample of 244 WCU faculty and staff (ages 20 - 80) responded to an online survey. Questions probed work experiences, work attitudes, stress, and life satisfaction. …

Learning With Music: Early Childhood Program Associated With Advantage In Self-Regulation, Zachary Weaver, Mary Ann Blumenthal, Keriann Mosley, Alyssa Allen, Amelia Oberholtzer, Jessica Dowdell, Dominique Mcquade, Tessa Richard, Eleanor D. Brown

Psychology Student Work

Purpose

School success depends on the ability to regulate emotions, behavior, and attention in the service of learning. This study examines the impact of MacPhail’s Learning with Music Program on the development of self-regulatory skills for young children at risk via economic hardship.

Design

In Learning with Music, MacPhail music teachers visit partner preschool classrooms and model music integration for early childhood educators. We used a two-year, quasi-experimental waitlist control design to examine the impact of Learning with Music on children’s development of self-regulatory skills. In Year 1, both participating preschool programs received their preschool programming as usual, and in …

School Mindfulness Project, Emily Hershorin, Emily Marks, Geaniant Echavarria, Allison Parker, Stevie N. Grassetti

Psychology Student Work

Mindfulness is the state of being present in the moment and being aware of what is happening in the current situation. Previous research has found that promoting mindfulness in the classroom can result in an increase in well-being and maintaining better relationships with students, (Meiklejohn et al., 2012). To date, little is known about whether mindfulness training for teachers may relate to positive outcomes in their classrooms. In the current study, we collaborated with community partners to evaluate a mindfulness training delivered to teachers across 5 afterschool sessions. We expected to observe associations between mindfulness training and positive outcomes at …

Why Practice Philosophy As A Way Of Life?, Javier S. Hidalgo

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

This essay explains why there are good reasons to practice philosophy as a way of life. The argument begins with the assumption that we should live well but that our understanding of how to live well can be mistaken. Philosophical reason and reflection can help correct these mistakes. Nonetheless, the evidence suggests that philosophical reasoning often fails to change our dispositions and behavior. Drawing on the work of Pierre Hadot, the essay claims that spiritual exercises and communal engagement mitigate the factors that prevent us from living in accordance with our conceptions of the good life. So, many of us …

Evaluation Of The Health Resources And Services Administration (Hrsa) Behavioral Health Workforce And Education Training (Bhwet) Grant, Cheryl Neale-Mcfall, Nadine Bean, Sarah Fisher

Counselor Education Student Work

Our poster focuses on expanding the number of MS social work and MEd school counseling graduate students working with persons across the lifespan in vulnerable and medically underserved populations, providing evidence-based behavioral health services. In order to prepare the selected students, Interprofessional Education trainings and a 3-credit IPE academic course were administered, and data gathered and analyzed.

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of the trainings and IPE academic courses. For the purpose of the IPE Integrated Care Trainings, pre-post test data were collected. In addition, open-ended questions were added to the post-test to ascertain additional …

The Effect Of Maternal And Paternal Caregivers’ Failure Mindsets And Helicopter Parenting On Emerging Adults’ Intelligence Mindsets, Nichole M. Boigegrain

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine whether maternal helicopter parenting and paternal helicopter parenting mediated the relationship between maternal failure mindset and paternal failure mindset and emerging adults’ intelligence mindset. Participants were 99 emerging adults between the ages of 17 and 19 who completed an online survey in a location most comfortable for them. I used three measures to determine whether helicopter parenting mediated the relationship between the emerging adults’ perception of their maternal and paternal caregivers’ failure mindsets and the emerging adults’ intelligence mindsets. Helicopter parenting behaviors were found to mediate the relationship between mothers’ failure mindsets …

Positive Emotions And Favorable Cardiovascular Health: A 20-Year Longitudinal Study, Julia K. Boehm, Ying Chen, Farah Qureshi, Jackie Soo, Peter Umokoro, Rosalba Hernandez, Donald Lloyd-Jones, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

No studies have examined whether positive emotions lead to favorable cardiovascular health (CVH) early in the lifespan, before cardiovascular disease is diagnosed. Moreover, the direction of the association has not been thoroughly investigated. Among younger adults, we investigated whether baseline positive emotions were associated with better CVH over 20 years. We also considered whether baseline CVH was associated with subsequent positive emotions during the same period.

Participants included 4196 Black and White men and women from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. Positive emotions and cardiovascular-related parameters were each assessed in 1990 (this study's baseline), with repeated …

Cyber Security In Mental Health: An Assessment Of Current Practice And Behavioral Intent, Richard Hamilton Stotts

Dissertations

Mental health practitioners rely on digital systems to interact with and in some instances treat patients (Hydari, Telang, & Marella, 2015; Recupero, & Rainey, 2005). Yet, while widespread use of digital devices provides significant practical advantages, that same use exacerbates the possibility of a cyber breach (Guterman, 1999). This research describes mental health practitioners’ current cyber security practices and the factors influencing their behavioral intentions to implement cyber security within clinical mental health settings. Factors assessed included knowledge, self-efficacy, norms, threat awareness and penalties. Mental health practitioners (n = 210) from across the United States formed the sample population, received …

Combining Eye Tracking And Verbal Response To Understand The Impact Of A Global Filter, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jazette Johnson, Viseth Sean, Hollis Pass, Louanne Boyd

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Visual attention guides the integration of two streams: the global, that rapidly processes the scene; and the local, that processes details. For people with autism, the integration of these two streams can be disrupted by the tendency to privilege details (local processing) instead of seeing the big picture (global processing). Consequently, people with autism may struggle with typical visual attention, evidenced by their verbal description of local features when asked to describe overall scenes. This paper aims to explore how one adult with autism see and understand the global filter of natural scenes.

An Exploratory Study Of An Arts-Based Measure And Research Model That Examines The Relationship Between Attachment Style, Trauma, And The Use Of Adhesive Materials In Art Therapy, Lisa Furman

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Though the use of art materials (pencil, paint, clay) have been widely researched in art therapy, little has been written about the role of adhesives (glue, tape, staples) in the art making process. This exploratory, sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between attachment style, trauma, and the use of adhesive materials in art therapy and serves as a model for arts-based research which combines the scientific rigor of quantitative inquiry with a rich narrative descriptive of qualitative data. This research was the first step in developing the Arts-based Attachment Style Assessment (ABASA), a newly created art-based diagnostic tool to …

Perceived Impact Of Non-Contact Boxing On Daily Life And Occupational Participation At Home Among Individuals With Parkinson's Disease, Kristen E. Bignal

Student Capstone Papers

The aim of this project was to determine whether individuals with Parkinson's disease perceive an impact on their daily life and occupational participation at home secondary to participation in non-contact boxing.

Semi-structured open-ended interview questions were conducted with 17 participants (3 female) who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease for(i.e., self-care, home and health maintenance, sleep, intimacy, social and leisure interests, etc.) in the home environment. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed utilizing thematic analysis.

Data analysis derived three overarching themes including psychological benefits, sense of community, and framework to develop routines. Subsequent research exploring how non-contact boxing directly impacts specific …