Psychology Commons^™

Do Law Enforcement Officers’ Attitudes And Knowledge Impact Their Likelihood Of Administering Naloxone?, Nicole Alexis Gulkis

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are integral public service providers who have been called upon by government personnel across state and local government bodies to aid in combating the opioid epidemic. As LEOs are often the primary front-line workers who encounter opioid overdose scenarios, more states across the nation are training LEOs to administer naloxone. The emergence of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has complicated LEOs’ involvement with naloxone administration because of shifts in policing strategies and occupational safety procedures. Given the current pandemic, concerns about contraction and transmission of COVID-19 must be considered for LEOs working in the frontlines of these concurrent public …

Exploring The Association Between Female Infertility Stigma, Women’S Cognitions, And Coping Responses, Spencer Paige Brown

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Infertility is becoming a significant problem for many women around the globe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infertility impacts 186 million individuals worldwide. Women who experience infertility may be exposed to increased pressure from family and friends to get pregnant, feelings of isolation, and inadequacy. Both cultural and societal views that promote the connection between womanhood and motherhood may increase a woman’s negative view about herself due to her inability to conceive a child. The purpose of this study was to bring awareness about the impact that social stigma of infertility has on a woman’s cognitions and ability …

Inventory Of Cognitive Distortions: Validation Of A Measure Of Cognitive Distortions In A Forensic Sample, Eguono Voke Akpoduado

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Statistics suggest that crime is occurring at a startling rate and recidivism is a persistent problem in the American criminal justice system. Past research revealed that treatment focused on challenging criminogenic thinking aided in reducing recidivism. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine cognitive distortions used by criminals and to enhance evidence-based psychotherapy focused on challenging criminogenic cognitions. This study explored the psychometric properties of a self-report inventory of cognitive distortions using a forensic sample and examined overall differences in levels of cognitive distortions. Participants were recruited through social networking sites. Measures were the Inventory of Cognitive Distortions …

Children’S Dental Fear And Anxiety: Parent Predictions, Perceptions, And Behaviors, Alana Summers-Plotno

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Pediatric dental fear and anxiety is common, yet there is limited research in this area. Childhood dental anxiety may create challenges for children, parents, and dentists. Parents’ dental anxiety may contribute and maintain children’s dental anxiety. This purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between parent and child dental anxiety and parents’ perceptions of their children’s dental anxiety. This study also investigated parent accommodation in relation to children’s dental anxiety, as well as children’s views of their parents’ anxiety. Further, this study examined the relationship between dental procedures and children’s dental anxiety. This cross-sectional study included a total …

Motivational Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Dementia Prevention: A Pilot Study To Protect The Brain And Memory, Nicholas Hope

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study sought to explore the efficacy of a manualized group therapy protocol developed for this project combining empirically-supported Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), which we coined as Motivational CBT (MI-CBT), adapted for individuals at a heightened risk of cognitive decline in later adulthood. Specifically, this study investigated changes in cognition, adaptive sleep behavior, diet, exercise, depression, anxiety, and dementia knowledge as well as modifiable lifestyle factors such as Body Mass Index (BMI), hypertension, cholesterol, cigarette smoking, and medical adherence. A group of twenty-five participants (N = 25) were recruited in a large Northeastern city from a …

Complementary And Alternative Medicine Treatment-Related Beliefs In Cannabidiol Users With Generalized Anxiety, Aleta A. Cohn

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Despite limited research supporting its benefits, adults in the United States commonly use herbal forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) such as cannabidiol (CBD) for anxiety. Little is known about the treatment-related beliefs that may motivate their choice to use CAM. The present study used mixed methods to assess differences in CAM-related treatment beliefs in a sample of adults with generalized anxiety. For a cross-sectional online survey hosted via Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), 180 adults were recruited. Generalized anxiety symptoms and severity were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) screener. Beliefs about CAM were measured through …

Demographic And Neurocognitive Predictive Factors Impacting On Expressed Vocational Interests, Tamar Runyan

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined multiple demographic and neurocognitive variables to determine which ones were predictive of expressed range of occupational interests and occupational interest types. This study used archival data from an outpatient community training clinic that included the Strong Interest Inventory (SII), tests of intellectual functioning, and tests of executive functioning. It was hypothesized that demographic variables (age, gender, years of education, and socioeconomic status) and cognitive variables (intelligence and executive functioning) would be predictive of the expressed range of occupational interests; and that there would be differences in career interests by gender and race/ethnicity. Multiple regressions and chi-square tests …

Perceived Instability, Pain, And Psychological Factors Predict Function And Disability In Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability, Ashley M.B. Suttmiller, Julie M. Cavallario, Shelby E. Baez, Jessica C. Martinez, Ryan S. Mccann

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context:

Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is associated with residual instability, pain, decreased function, and increased disablement. Injury-related fear has been associated with CAI, although its relationship to other impairments is unclear. The Fear-Avoidance Model is a theoretical framework hypothesizing a relationship between injury-related fear, chronic pain, pain catastrophizing, and disability. It has been useful in understanding fear's influence in other musculoskeletal conditions but has yet to be studied in those with CAI.

Objective:

To explore relationships between instability, pain catastrophizing, injury-related fear, pain, ankle function, and global disability in individuals with CAI.

Design:

Cross-Sectional Study

Setting:

Anonymous online survey

Patients …

Characteristics Of Patient Encounters For Athletic Training Students During Clinical Education: A Report From The Aate Research Network, Cailee E. Welch Bacon, Julie M. Cavallario, Stacy E. Walker, R.Curtis Bay, Bonnie L. Van Lunen

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: To enhance the quality of patient care, athletic training students (ATSs) should experience a wide variety of clinical practice settings, interact with diverse patient populations, and engage with patients that have a wide variety of conditions. It is unclear in what ways, if any, ATSs have diverse opportunities during clinical experiences.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of patient encounters (PEs) ATSs engage in during clinical experiences. Design: Multi-site, panel design.

Setting: 12 professional athletic training programs (ATPs; 5 Bachelor, 7 Master's).

Patients or Other Participants: 363 ATSs from the ATPs that used E*Value software to document PEs during clinical …

Phenomenology Of How The Doctor-Patient Relationship Plays A Role In Cardiovascular, Sanam Sarahbi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in men and women for most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Physicians are the most frequently sought-after source of support for self-management of chronic diseases of patients. Social support from physicians may help facilitate patient resiliency. This phenomenological study involved using the social support theory as the theoretical lens and health literacy as the conceptual framework to explore how CVD patients perceive experiences with their physicians foster resiliency. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect rich descriptions of CVD patient experiences. Data were analyzed by using Moustakas’ modification of …

The Use Of Appraisal By Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Denise Victoria Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 1% of the world population and places caregivers at an increased risk of stress. Researchers have begun to explore coping mechanisms such as appraisal to understand how parents and caregivers of people with ASD cope with parental stress, but their results have been inconsistent. There was a gap in existing literature regarding the influence of ASD symptoms on the relationship between use of appraisal (reframing negative concepts into a more favorable light), and parental stress. The ABCX model of family adaptation was used to understand how coping skills might protect …

Expectations And Reality: Post Deployment Reintegration Through The Lived Experiences Of Military Spouses, Michele Marie Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This phenomenological study aims to understand how post-deployment reintegration impacted the quality of life, functionality, adjustment, and levels of distress among military spouses. Additionally, this study analyzed data collected from 11 individual military spouse responses to gain firsthand insight into the challenges of post-deployment reintegration and the resiliency factors that influence stability. While extensive research existed on the challenges associated with the hardships of physical distance and absence, there was limited research on the impact of post-deployment reintegration on the overall quality of life of a military spouse. Three theories explored the extremely individualized experiences of military spouses’ post-deployment reintegration. …

Exploring Parent Support For School-Based Health Programs To Reduce Childhood, Alaphiah Delaney Campbell Byfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rise in childhood obesity rates continues globally despite the design and implementation of social programs aimed at curtailing that phenomenon. The government of Jamaica has indicated that a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach is needed to control obesity. The literature has shown that in Jamaica, support for being fluffy impedes progress toward addressing the problem of childhood obesity; being fluffy is considered attractive and a sign that one has a good life. Studies have shown that obese or overweight children are at risk for developing psychosocial (e.g., having low self-esteem, and underperforming academically) and medical problems (e.g., noncommunicable diseases such as …

Experiences In Informal Mentoring Among African American Women In Management, Alexandria Simone Samuels-Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of African American women representing senior management and executive positions within nonprofit organizations due to organizational culture, gender stereotypes, and failure to capitalize on the talents of women in general. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the informal mentoring experiences of African American women employed as managers for over two years in nonprofit organizations. Research has suggested the need for further study of on-the-job mentoring and its impact on employees’ job satisfaction and opportunities to advance within an organization. The theoretical framework that guided the study was social exchange theory, which is …

Exploring The Behavioral Health Clinician Shortage At A Rural Midwestern U.S. Agency, Tracy L. Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Behavioral health clinician shortages are a significant and ongoing problem in the United States, especially in rural areas, which have higher rates of homelessness, suicide, substance use, and violence rates than urban areas. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore factors contributing to the behavioral health clinician shortage in a rural midwestern U.S. public health department. The goal was to gain a better understanding of this shortage and explore strategies and solutions for recruiting and retaining behavioral health clinicians at the agency’s facilities. The Baldrige excellence framework undergirded the investigation. Data sources included interviews with three administrative …

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Pessimism–Optimism Scale As A Predictor In Depression Change After Medication Treatment And Placebo, Donna J. Winsor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The field of positive psychology has included research on the personality traits of optimism and pessimism and how they predict depression; however, there has been limited investigation on whether these characteristics can predict treatment outcomes. This study used a quantitative nonexperimental design with archived data provided by Summit Research Network, to evaluate whether pessimism or optimism, as measured by the Pessimism–Optimism (PSM) scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, had an effect on depression and somatic symptom change in 98 adults with depression who were randomized into imipramine, alprazolam, or placebo treatment. Seligman’s explanatory style theory was used to guide …

Allied Health Professionals’ Lived Experiences Concerning Organizational Justice And Inclusion, Jozette A. Wood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe lived experiences of allied health assistants (AHAs) are not well understood regarding organizational justice (OJ) and their sense of inclusion within their workplace. Although, OJ and inclusion have been an area of study among scholars for over a decade; the amount of literature supporting AHAs perceptions of these constructs is limited. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of AHAs’ perceptions of the components of OJ (i.e., distributive, and procedural) and the potential implications for their sense of inclusion. Justice judgment theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. Three primary research questions were …

Legal Recognition Of Animal Sentience: The Case For Cautious Optimism, Jane Kotzmann

Animal Sentience

Rowan et al.’s target article provides a valuable indication of the work that was required to reach the point where animals are recognised as sentient in various laws. To ensure this work was not in vain, the language of sentience needs to be used as a moral currency to demand further cultural change involving greater human respect for animals.

The Relationship Between Community College Instructors’ Perception Of Andragogical Orientation And Instructional Style., Renea P. Coley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community colleges in Northern and Southeastern Virginia have struggled with enrollment and retention of adult learners. Addressing adult learners’ needs is an important focus for instructors, yet few studies have addressed how instructors can use andragogy, the art and science of adult learning, to influence their instructional practices to support adult learners. Based on self-determination theory, this quantitative, cross-sectional study examined the extent that 75 community college instructors’ perceived andragogical orientation predicted an autonomy-supportive instructional style controlling for instructor years of teaching, highest degree earned, and gender. Instructors from 10 community colleges in Northern and Southeastern Virginia teaching in the …

A Correlational Investigation Of Father Emotional Presence And Gender Role Identity In African American Women, Malika Dandridge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The psychological well-being and gender role development of a woman is greatly affected by the emotional presence of her father growing up. Until recently, most of the research on father-daughter relationships has been done on Caucasian working-class families, and very little has been done on father-daughter relationships in the African American community. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of a father’s emotional presence (dependable, involved, engaged) and uncover whether this type of presence was correlated with a woman’s gender role identity among African American women aged 18 years of age or older. The socioeconomic status (working …

Work-Life Balance And Job Satisfaction For Older (55+) African American Men, Anthony B. Redic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporate work-life balance (WLB) strategies help workers achieve psychological, physical, and emotional stability and contribute to organizational success. Most of the current literature centers on female workers, however, leaving the experiences of a sizable segment of workers, African American men aged 55 and older, unexplored. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether WLB predicted job satisfaction among African American men aged 55 and older. A secondary purpose was to examine whether work hours and age moderated the relationship with job satisfaction. The theoretical framework included the boundary and border theories. The sample consisted of 126 African American …

Effects Of Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Via Oral Gavage On Adult Alcohol Drinking And Co-Use Of Alcohol And Nicotine In Sprague Dawley Rats, Cassie M. Chandler, Usman Z. Hamid, Sarah E. Maggio, Hui Peng, James R. Pauly, Joshua S. Beckmann, Kimberly Nixon, Michael T. Bardo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Preclinical models simulating adolescent substance use leading to increased vulnerability for substance use disorders in adulthood are needed. Here, we utilized a model of alcohol and nicotine co-use to assess adult addiction vulnerability following adolescent alcohol exposure. Methods: In Experiment 1, adolescent (PND30) male and female Sprague-Dawley rats received 25% ethanol (EtOH) or a control solution via oral gavage every 8 h, for 2 days. In young adulthood, animals were tested with a 2-bottle choice between H20% and 15% EtOH or 0.2% saccharin/15% EtOH, followed by co-use of oral Sacc/ EtOH and operant-based i.v. nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion) self-administration. In …

Effects Of Voluntary Adolescent Intermittent Alcohol Exposure And Social Isolation On Adult Alcohol Intake In Male Rats, Cassie M. Chandler, Jakob D. Shaykin, Hui Peng, James R. Pauly, Kimberly Nixon, Michael T. Bardo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Initiating alcohol use in adolescence significantly increases the likelihood of developing adult alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, it has been difficult to replicate adolescent alcohol exposure leading to increased adult alcohol intake across differing preclinical models. In the present study, differentially housed male rats (group vs. single cages) were used to determine the effects of voluntary intermittent exposure of saccharin-sweetened ethanol during adolescence on adult intake of unsweetened 20% ethanol. Adolescent male rats were assigned to group- or isolated-housing conditions and underwent an intermittent 2-bottle choice in adolescence (water only or water vs. 0.2% saccharin/20% ethanol), and again in adulthood …

Racial Differences In Stranger Harassment Coping Strategies, Megan Quintiliano

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

Stranger harassment is a pervasive, recurrent and, potentially damaging problem that requires women to cope with harmful effects. Stranger harassment is also a field that lacks in satisfactory research. With the aim of helping female victims and due to previous studies primarily focused on how White women in particular cope the present work will examine the racial differences in stranger harassment coping strategies. Additionally, understanding whether ideologies like system justification are associated with why women cope through certain methods is equally as important and will also be examined in the present work. The present study used a questionnaire method at …

The Effect Of Contextual Uncertainty On Confidence Judgements In Perception And Its Relation To Metacognition, Wing Kiu Lam

Bachelor of Social Sciences – Senior Theses

Our brain processes noisy and incomplete information to make adaptive decisions and chooses appropriate responses based on the strength of our subjective evaluation. Such subjective evaluation of our decisions could be referred to our metacognition— the ability to monitor and recognize our own successful cognitive processing. What information does our metacognitive system take in during subjective evaluation? To what extent our metacognitive judgements are influenced by the context? The current study aims to investigate whether there is an effect of contextual uncertainty on confidence judgments when perceptual performance is controlled. In this study, participants were required to perform both type …

The Limits Of Healthy Habits: Exploring The Relationship Between Disordered Eating, Body Image, Mindfulness, Social Media, And Dysfunctional Exercise, Taylor A. Dinkel

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

In recent decades, there has been an increase not only in full syndrome eating disorders, but also in subclinical presentations of disordered eating, many of which include dysfunctional relationships with exercise. Although not full diagnosable syndromes, disordered relationships with food and exercise, as well as a preoccupation with body image, can cause severe physical and psychological stress for individuals who present with these dysfunctional patterns. With the growth of fitness-related social media accounts, the increase in social media usage during the pandemic, and the increase in subclinical disordered eating presentations and dysfunctional relationships with exercise, it is important be aware …

Investigation Of A Misophonia And Fluid Intelligence Relationship: Sound Spectrum Variation Impact On Fluid Intelligence Task Responses, Leslie Watson

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

ABSTRACT Studies of misophonia have not assessed the impact of music and sound complexity on intelligence in individuals with misophonia. Edelstein et al. (2013) have provided work which pools trigger sound characteristics including sound repetitiveness yet does not include a substantial music subcategory. Utilizing the Cattell–Horn–Carroll model of intelligence, the current study explores the nature of music and music complexity on fluid intelligence, as described by Sternberg (2012). The hypotheses for this study focused on the relationship that complexity and music might have with misophonia. The rate of misophonia in the Mechanical Turk population was hypothesized to be 20%. The …

Fostering Cognitive Presence In Online Courses: A Systematic Review (2008-2020), Robert L. Moore, Courtney N. Miller

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Within the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, cognitive presence has been central to success in higher education settings. This systematic review examined 24 articles published between 2008-2020 that empirically analyzed cognitive presence in online courses. We share the patterns that emerged regarding the interplay between teaching and cognitive presence and social and cognitive presence. We also explore how the four phases of cognitive presence—triggering event, exploration, integration, and resolution—were evident within specific instructional activities. We conclude with implications for practice that will be helpful for course instructors and designers seeking to foster greater cognitive presence within their online courses.

Word Superiority Effects In Dyslexics, Sarah A. Sinclair-Amend

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Distorting the word superiority effect with intraword spacing was used to investigate the processing difference in single-word reading for dyslexics and controls. Perfetti’s Reading model suggests that dyslexics would have reduced processing capacity with intraword spacing. Results from a Covid-modified experimental protocol generally did not support the hypothesis. There was poor differentiation between groups in the word capacity coefficient. Response time by itself was also not informative. However, dyslexics had reduced accuracy in distractor identification across intraword spacings due to the lack of retention in phonological working memory or attention in central executive deficit (Alt, Fox, Levy, et al., 2022; …

The Association Between Neuroticism, Self-Esteem, And Peer Interactions And Disordered Eating And Body Checking Behavior In Female College Athletes, Alyssa Hertz

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Numerous studies have investigated whether participation in collegiate sports is a risk or protective factor for disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential psychosocial factors (neuroticism, peer relations, and self-esteem) that may contribute to increased risk for disordered eating or maladaptive body checking behaviors in female college athletes. This anonymous, cross sectional, online study recruited 206 participants. Participants completed screening questions, a demographic questionnaire in addition to the Eating Attitudes Test-26, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Body Checking and Avoidance Questionnaire, Inventory of Peer Influence, and Ten Item Personality Inventory. There was no significant relationship …