Psychology Commons^™

Covid Couples: The Impact Of The Novel Coronavirus Pandemic On Intimate Relationships, Victor E. Blocker

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Global crises are associated with significant shifts in the relationship functioning of romantic couples. The novel Coronavirus pandemic has caused financial distress which may pose a threat to the wellbeing of romantic couples. Previous studies show economic declines cause damaging strain on relationship functioning, specifically the relationship satisfaction, conflict resolution, and commitment influencing variables. To study the effects of the pandemic on these relationship functioning variables, researchers recruited and divided 228 participants into two groups – individuals in relationships that began before the outbreak of the COVID pandemic (Before January 2020 – pre-COVID; N= 148), and individuals in relationships …

Strategies Young Adults Use To Curb Distracted Driving, Claire Shroder, Abby L. Braitman, Keli A. Braitman

Psychology: Interdisciplinary Research in Behavioral Sciences of Transportation Issues

Distracted driving is a well-established risk for young drivers, as they have disproportionately higher vehicle fatalities relative to miles driven. Although many studies have examined the danger of distracted driving, less is known about countermeasures young drivers use to protect themselves from getting distracted. Study 1 included focus groups of young adult drivers to learn different strategies used. From these responses, 25 items were generated. In Study 2, we administered these items to a larger sample of young adult drivers (N = 157). Using exploratory factor analysis (including scree plots, Velicer’s MAP, Cronbach’s alpha, item loadings), we determined a …

Prevalence Rates Of Antisocial Behaviors In Generation Z, Adrianna J. Valencia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

A review of the scholarly literature suggests that mental health struggles in Generation Z have escalated in recent years. However, there is a lack of psychological research that examines antisocial behaviors in Generation Z. This study aims to determine the prevalence rates of antisocial behaviors in Generation Z. It was hypothesized that our sample of Generation Z students would show higher prevalence rates of antisocial behaviors than previous generations. We examined the data collected from our survey, which was composed of demographic and antisocial personality disorder questions. A one-way ANOVA, revealed significant differences in the categories of age, gender, school …

Need To Clarify Mechanisms Explaining The Effect Of Screen Time On Recovery From Concussion, Scott O. Burkhart

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The randomized clinical trial by Macnow et al1 on the effect of screen time limitations on concussion recovery found that patients in the screen time restricted group had a significantly shorter recovery time than patients in the screen time permitted group. These novel and compelling findings may contribute to future clinical guidelines. However, the potential effect of the screen time intervention on changes in physical activity may have been overlooked.

Providing Sexuality Training For Psychologists: The Role Of Predoctoral Internship Sites, Dena M. Abbott, Debra Mollen, Elyxcus J. Anaya, Theodore R. Burnes, Madeline M. Jones, Victoria A. Rukus

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Sexuality education positively impacts health service psychologists’ ability to address sexuality, a vital component of overall health and well-being. There is little information about the integration of sexuality into the applied, fieldwork components of psychologists’ training. We surveyed 139 representatives of APA-accredited doctoral internship programs to assess sexuality content during internship training. Participants completed a survey assessing content integration of 12 domains specific to human sexuality. The most endorsed training related to sexual orientation and gender identity, sexual behavior, sexual ethics, and sex therapy were infrequent in the internship training curriculum. Implications for research, practice, training, supervision, and advocacy are …

Predicting Objective Career Success: An Examination Of Leadership And Proactive Personality, Isabella M. Guerrero

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The overall purpose of this study is to examine whether proactive personality and leadership style (transactional and transformational) of university students help predict their academic and professional success. Students from the University of Central Florida were recruited through SONA to participate in an online Qualtrics survey. Proactive personality was measured using the Proactive Personality Scale developed by Crant and Bateman (1993). Leadership was measured using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) created by Bernard M. Bass (1985). Academic success was measured using GPA. Professional success was measured by the given promotions (raises) a student experienced in their specific job divided by …

The Current Pandemic, A Complex Emergency? Mental Health Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Highly Vulnerable Communities In Guatemala, Dana Alonzo, Marciana L. Popescu, Pinar Zubaroglu-Ioannides

Covid-19 Digital Research

Background: On March 5th, Guatemala declared a ‘State of Calamity’ in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and strict lockdown measures were initiated. The psychological consequences of these measures are yet to be fully understood. There is limited research on the psychological impact of the virus in the general population, and even less focused on Latin America and high-risk communities characterized by poverty, limited mental health resources, and high rates of stigma around mental illness. The goal of this study is to examine the psychological impact of COVID-19 across several highly vulnerable districts in Guatemala. Methods: A semi-structured phone interview was …

Perceptions Of Discrimination In The Legal Profession, Sabrina Collins

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Historically, the legal profession has been dominated by white men (García-López 2008). Over time, the barriers hindering diverse participation have been somewhat lifted. In recent years, law schools enrolled equal percentages of men and women, and the number of minority students has also increased. So, how has the legal profession adapted to these changes? The hiring of women and minorities in the field of law does not reflect the increasing diversity seen in law school. Today, only 36% of lawyers are women. While existing research shows discrimination present in the field of law, few studies have examined the relationship between …

The Use Of Family Engagement Principles By Childcare Providers From Various Childcare Settings: A Qualitative Study, John P. Rech, Kailey Snyder, Maggie Rasmussen, Dipti Dev, Danae Dinkel

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Family engagement in childcare is important to ensure the optimal growth, development, and safety of children. Previous research has explored family engagement practices, but limited research is available on the application of theory to explain the uptake of family engagement principles. The purpose of this study was to explore the use and perceptions of the National Association of the Education for Young Children’s six principles of effective family engagement among childcare providers from various childcare settings following the Innovation-Decision Process of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. A semi-structured interview with a card-sorting task was used to explore providers’ knowledge, adoption, …

The Development, Implementation, And Assessment Of A Stress Management Group Counseling Curriculum For Gifted Middle School Students, Chelsey Windl

Counselor Education Theses

Gifted students are a special population that is often forgotten about (Wood & Peterson, 2018). They are a diverse group of students with very unique needs. School counselors and other educators must develop their knowledge and skills for working this group. Although it may seem like they are capable of handling the academic rigor and stress associated with being part of a gifted program, this may not be the case. Research has shown that they are just as likely to have mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, etc.) as their peers (Wood & Peterson, 2018; Moon, 2009). Gifted …

Florida School Toolkit For K-12 Educators To Prevent Suicide, Scott Poland, Catherine Ivey

Faculty Books and Book Chapters

The Florida School Toolkit for K–12 Educators to Prevent Suicide (Florida S.T.E.P.S.) carefully follows the best practices model for suicide prevention released in 2019 by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), and the Trevor Foundation. Scott Poland, Ed.D., served as a key advisor in the making of the model, which can be found on the AFSP website and at afsp.org /model-school-policy-on-suicide-prevention. Additionally, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the best practices model and components of a comprehensive suicide prevention program are …

School Psychologist Perception Of Training For Transgender And Gender Diverse Student Advocacy, Eryka Sajek

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to evaluate school psychologists’ perceptions of their graduate training experience in preparing them to work with transgender and other gender minority youth. The quality of graduate training was also examined through a compilation of syllabi. The participant s (N = 193) completed a questionnaire regarding their confidence in working with this population, their perceptions of what contributed to their competency, and information about their graduate programs. The resulting sample of respondents came from all geographic regions in the United States, 91% of whom were currently working in a school setting. A series of regressions found that graduate …

Addressing Work-Related Traumatic Stress Nebraska - Resiliency Reminders Guidebook, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

This guide is intended for child welfare professionals implementing a workforce effort to address secondary traumatic stress (STS). It was developed as part of CFS Strong, a joint effort of the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) and the Nebraska Department of Human Services’ Department of Children and Family Services (CFS), to address the cumulative effects of STS that is part of the day-to-day work of the child welfare workforce. CFS Strong included: (1) an adaptation of Resilience Alliance (RA) to teach skills and strategies to manage STS and build team cohesion, (2) Restoring Resiliency Response (RRR) to allow …

People, Places, And Things: The Relationship Between Presence, Demographic Factors, And Self-Concept On A University Campus, Lydell E. Kerbo Jr

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Within the framework of ecological psychology, environments are places, defined as landscapes of affordances, or the array of potential actions that can be executed. The feedback between direct perception-action and use of affordances results in the sense of presence in place. According to previous research, increased presence has been correlated with greater attachment and connectedness with the place as well as beneficial psychological states in a campus setting. However, it is unclear what factors, such as demographics, may influence differences in engagement with campus affordances, and hence, presence among individuals. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship …

The Association Of Cultural Orientation With Identity Development And Psychological Adjustment, Madison M. Cooper

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The current study aimed to examine possible relationships between cultural orientation and identity formation. Late adolescent college students (N = 480) completed an anonymous survey online. Measures included the Cultural Orientation Scale, the Ego Identity Process Questionnaire, and the Identity Distress Survey. Contrary to predictions, neither identity exploration nor identity distress were found to be related to cultural orientation. However, identity commitment was significantly correlated with both individualism and collectivism. Further, a ONEWAY ANOVA suggested differences between identity statuses. An LSD post-hoc analyses found that the two committed statuses, Achievement (high in identity commitment after extensive identity exploration) and …

Investigating The Role Of Trust And Self-Confidence In Automation, Daniela R. Miele

Honors Undergraduate Theses

A proper calibration of trust in automation is imperative to achieve optimal overall performance in human-machine systems. Previous research has suggested that human operator trust could be influenced by various situational and dispositional factors, as well as operator self-confidence. It is critical to examine what traits and factors will influence how likely a person is to trust autonomous vehicles as they become more prevalent on today's roadways. The goal of this study was to further examine the relationship between individuals' level of self-confidence in their own driving abilities and their reported trust in automation when driving semi-autonomous cars. It was …

Gender Identity, Discrimination, And Adjustment Among College Students, Nicole A. Coco

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research sought to test the notion that the non-cisgender population experiences an inordinate toll in regard to their mental well-being as a result of inaccurate or incomplete classification of their self-identified gender identity among US college students (N = 591). In accordance with the previous literature, the non-cisgender population experienced a significant increase of perceived experience of microaggressions and internalized symptoms. Contrary to expectations, there was no significance found for rates of identity distress. Previous literature did not reflect a significantly lower score of challenging the binary for Caucasians in relation to Hispanic and Asian ethnicities, as this …

Implicit Bias And Discrimination In Healthcare As Experienced Through An Intersectional Lens, Angela Yen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to better understand the way that intersectional identities affect one's perception of one's healthcare experience. Many previous studies focus on one facet of the minority experience, such as race or sexual orientation, and even then, limit it to a comparison between the majority population and one small subsection of the population of interest (ex: studying only African-Americans as racial minorities and disregarding other minority races). This study was more of a broad survey that sought to account for the unique intersection of different minority identities that one may possess and which ultimately affects how …

The Role Of Dehumanization In The Nazi Era In Activating The Death Drive Resulting In Genocide, Stewart Gabel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dehumanization can be defined in part as a process by which a powerful individual or group (the victimizers) actively denies or withdraws a second individual’s or group’s (the victim’s) sense of human worth or personal value. Dehumanization is an especially virulent form of denigration of the Other and is known to have harmful psychological consequences on victims.

The thesis of this dissertation is: Dehumanization, applied in an increasingly severe manner to demean, subjugate and control Jews in Nazi dominated territories during the Nazi era (1933-1945), activated a “death instinct/drive” (Freud 1920; 1923/1960; 1930) that was used to resolve an extreme …

An Examination Of Racial And Ethnic Differences In Internalized Mental Health Stigma And Perceived Mental Health Barriers Due To Stigma Among Women Veterans, Christe’An D. Iglesias

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The stigma associated with mental illness can serve as a barrier for receiving treatment. Veterans may avoid seeking care due to stigma-related negative beliefs about one’s self or others. Research suggests that the stigma of mental illness can adversely impact service utilization. Although studies have shown that racial and ethnic minoritized individuals are more likely to experience poor mental health outcomes, no studies have examined how mental illness stigma differs across racial groups among women veterans. The objective of this secondary analysis is to examine how internalized mental health stigma and perceived barriers to access to care related to mental …

Twentieth Century Pandemic Narratives And Mental Health Discourse, Kristy R. Barraza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper utilizes René Girard’s theories concerning plague literature to examine twentieth century pandemic novels’ engagement with mental health discourses surrounding anxiety and melancholia. Girard argues that plague literature consists of four main elements: contamination, dissipation of differences, doubles, and sacrifice; he also argues that the plague represents violence. In 1918, a plague of influenza killed more people in the United States than all the wars from the twentieth century combined. William Maxwell’s They Came Like Swallows and Katherine Anne Porter’s Pale Horse, Pale Rider depict the trauma caused by the 1918 pandemic; Maxwell shows how the 1918 influenza disrupted …

Anger Bias In The Evaluation Of Crowds, Diana Mihalache

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although people are good at classifying emotions, they also make mistakes. These errors tend to be negatively biased and potentially serve a protective function. Research on biases in emotion perception has largely focused on perception of individual faces and little is known about biases in evaluations of crowds. In the first investigation, I conducted six experiments, evaluating anger bias—a tendency to judge facial expressions as angry—in the context of single faces and emotionally homogenous crowds. I found that observers were biased to classify faces as angry, especially when evaluating crowds. This amplified bias emerged in the context of perceptual uncertainty …

Parental Self-Efficacy, Parenting Stress, And Mental Health Among Latina Mothers Of Young Children, Thania Galvan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parenthood can increase the risk for mental health concerns, especially for Latina mothers. Poor maternal mental health can result in significant negative maternal and child outcomes, particularly if a mother’s mental health needs go unmet. In an attempt to better understand the factors that impact Latina mother’s mental health, this study explored the relations among parental self-efficacy, parenting stress, and mental health. It also explored mother’s self-reported resource availability and sociocultural factors as potential modifiable points of interventions in these relations.

Methods: The study was conducted using data from 132 Latina mothers that participated in a larger project examining stress …

“But I’M Not Racist”: How Implicit Racial Bias, Feedback And Racial Affective States Impact Clinical Judgment In Mental Health Treatment, Dhriti Tiwari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Implicit bias has gathered research interest in healthcare, yet remains less directly examined in the mental health field (Merino et al., 2018). Mental health providers can continue to be influenced by implicit bias despite higher ratings of cultural competence (Boysen, 2010). The purpose of this study was to supplement the limited research examining the impact of implicit bias on the clinical judgment process. The study aimed to examine whether: 1) implicit race bias scores were related to diagnostic impressions, 2) feedback about implicit bias was related to diagnostic impressions, and 3) racial affect mediated the relationship between receiving feedback and …

Trainee Attitudes Toward Social Class As Predictors Of Clinical Decision Making: Exploring The Effects Of Classism In Psychotherapy, Jeremy J. Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of classist beliefs on trainee attitudes toward their client based on perceived social-class status. This study sought to determine whether classist attitudes contribute to meaningful differences in clinical decision making. A sample of mental health trainees (n = 147) attending graduate-level programs in the U.S. were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two clinical vignette conditions. Both vignette conditions included identical data regarding a hypothetical client’s presenting concerns (e.g., sleep disturbance, worry, rumination, loneliness), but differed on indicators of client socioeconomic status (SES). Results showed statistically significant between-group differences on ratings of clinical …

Psychological Factors That Impact White Counseling Trainees’ Responses To Cultural Ruptures, Emma Freetly Porter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of counseling and clinical psychology, the last several decades have been characterized by a strengthened recognition of the importance of cultural factors in psychotherapy. While this has been impactful, there is evidence that cultural ruptures, microaggressions, and racial/ethnic disparities in psychotherapy outcomes persist. Aversive racism theory, which provides explanations for the racist tendencies typically associated with progressive White individuals, postulates that a conflict between explicit egalitarian beliefs and implicit negative racial biases impedes White individuals from adequately addressing and acknowledging underlying biases. Therefore, it was hypothesized that psychological factors, such as defense mechanisms, professional selfdoubt and self-compassion, …

The Experiences And Mental Health Impact Of Islamophobia On Muslim Americans Following The 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Hadeel Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study was to understand the phenomenon of Muslim Americans’ lived experiences of Islamophobia prior to and two years into Donald Trump’s presidential administration. 14 participants from multiple regions in the United States completed a semi-structured interview via telephone. The data analysis revealed seven major themes: 1) Muslim Americans experience different dimensions of Islamophobia, 2) Muslim Americans experience various forms of Islamophobia, 3) Variables that impact the prevalence of Islamophobia, 4) Islamophobia impacts various areas of Muslim Americans’ lives, 5) Muslim Americans may react differently to experiences of Islamophobia, 6) Islamophobia impacts the …

Maternal Hpa Axis Function During Parenting Is Associated With Reduced Brain Activation To Infant Cry And More Intrusive Parenting Behavior, Andrew Erhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research indicated that maternal cortisol function and maternal brain response to infant stimuli are separately related to differences in parenting behavior. Evidence from animal models have demonstrated that chronically high cortisol concentration alters brain structure and function, suggesting that studying these two mechanisms together may further improve understanding of parental behavior in human mothers. First time mothers of infants aged 1-7 months old (M age = 3 months) were recruited to participate. Mother’s cortisol concentration was measured during a naturalistic interaction with their infant and their behavior was coded for maternal sensitivity and nonintrusiveness. In a separate session using …

Child Abuse And Revictimization: Improving Models Of Revictimization Risk, Julie M. Olomi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Child abuse (CA) puts women at risk for later victimization by a different perpetrator, referred to as revictimization (RV); however, how this risk is conveyed is not well understood. CA is associated with a diverse set of negative sequelae (e.g., posttraumatic symptomology, emotion regulation difficulties), many of which could plausibly affect risk for RV. To date, most empirical studies of RV have mainly compared groups of women with and without abuse and RV histories using variablecentered approaches. This approach has led to a focus on differences between abused and non-abused women on a few CA-related variables tested at a time. …

Moderate Effects Of Anxiety And Physical Activities On The Relationship Between Body Image And Covid-19 Fear, Yutong Guo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Improving psychological well-being has been a hot topic in counseling psychology research. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s lifestyle has been changed that caused series mental health problems. Using a sample of 576 participants from different universities. This study examined whether Covid-19 correlated with Body image a) whether anxiety moderated this relationship. b) whether physical activities moderated this relationship. c) how does different kind of body image avoidance being influenced. Pearson’s correlation test and linear regression analyses were conducted. The result indicated that COVID-19 fear has significantly positive relationship with body image. physical activities level has significantly increase the relationship …