Psychology Commons^™

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Alcohol Use Trajectories In College Students, Rebekah Lynn Damitz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Heavy alcohol use during college can result in numerous negative outcomes (e.g., accidents, worse academics, risky sexual behaviors, etc.). Understanding the risk-factors associated with elevated alcohol use in college are needed so prevention and/or interventions can be implemented to inhibit such dangerous behavior. Adverse childhood experiences have been identified as one key factor in the initiation and escalation of alcohol use, but there is limited research on samples that are in emerging adulthood. Specifically, the transition to college is a time when many students escalate drinking and can form the basis for longer term drinking patterns. It is not yet …

Relation Of Child Feeding Behaviors & Caregiver Qualities To Adherence To Nutritional Therapy In Type 1 Diabetes Management, Corrine N. Ahrabi-Nejad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic illness, typically diagnosed within childhood, that affects the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin. Significant daily self-management behaviors are required to maintain metabolic control for patients with T1D. Nutritional therapy, including adequate intake of macronutrients, is one self-management behavior necessary to optimize health. Adherence to such nutritional guidelines is associated with improved glycemic control, decreased instances of acute health complications (e.g., hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia), and can also prevent insulin resistance. Despite the critical importance of nutritional therapy, adherence to these guidelines remains low within pediatric populations. Therefore, it is important and necessary to …

Replication Of A Nonsequential Renewal Model And Investigation Of Extinction Cues For Attenuating Renewal, Brianna G. Sarno

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Laboratory models of renewal are critical to inform clinical practice to reduce the occurrence of relapse and facilitate the maintenance of treatment gains. Nonsequential renewal is a modified procedure developed by Sullivan et al. (2018) that provides an alternative arrangement to study operant renewal in a manner more consistent with clinical experience. Experiment 1 replicated the procedure of Craig et al. (2019) to compare renewal of target responding in rats that were exposed to the nonsequential or sequential renewal procedure. Experiment 2 investigated the use of an olfactory extinction cue in mitigating renewal. In Experiment 1, the Nonsequential Group displayed …

Validity Evidence For The Male Depression Risk Scale-22 (Mdrs-22) In Younger And Older Adult Males, Montgomery T. Owsiany

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Men are two times less likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder than women. However, suicide rates are nearly four times higher in men than women, increasing to six times when comparing older men to older women. Given that affective disorders are present in most individuals who die by suicide, investigators have begun researching the possibility that depression presents differently in individuals who adhere to traditional masculine norms, leading to the conceptualization of masculine depression. Presently, one assessment for masculine depression shows strong reliability and validity evidence: the Male Depression Risk Scale-22 (MDRS-22). Despite burgeoning validity evidence for the …

Social Media Use And Loneliness During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katelyn Hughes

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Social media has played a prominent role in society as a safe way of communicating and connecting with friends, family, and others during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. This study examined the general use of social media over the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and correlations with levels of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and stress in comparison to how people felt about their social media use before the pandemic. This study collected self-reported introspection on social media use during the pandemic and before the pandemic from Georgia Southern University students to compare if there are less feelings of …

Examining Practitioners’ Perspectives On Access To Professional Psychological Help For Division I Male Athletes, Nicole Vana

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Male athletes are less likely than female athletes to seek out support services (Barnard, 2016) despite experiencing a myriad of clinical and subclinical concerns including depression (Davoren & Hwang, 2014; Wolanin et al., 2016), anxiety (Davoren & Hwang, 2014), eating disorders (Joy et al., 2016; Sundgot-Borgen & Torstveit, 2004), and substance use (NCAA, 2018). To combat the increasing rates of mental health concerns, support services are becoming more readily available for collegiate athletes (Moore, 2016). However, despite the recent effort in increasing athlete mental health support, many male athletes in particular remain reluctant to seek out such services (Barnard, 2016). …

Capitalizing On Stress: Improving Affect And Self-Efficacy Through An Arousal Reappraisal Intervention, Angel Long

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Stress is a non-specific reaction to the body (Jamieson et al., 2018), defined as a feeling of tension when one’s personal resources are taxed or exceeded (Folkman & Lazarus, 1985). Coping mechanisms for stress often focus on reducing associated features (Connor-Smith & Flachsbart, 2007). However, stress can produce challenge states, mindsets where individuals perceive personal resources as greater than situational demands (Jamieson et al., 2013). Challenge states are more likely to elicit positive behavior (Jamieson et al., 2018) and improved cognitive performance (Jamieson et al., 2010). One prospective mechanism to foster challenge states is arousal reappraisal, a cognitive mechanism …

A Journey To Finding Space In The Tension: Experience Of Instructors' Relationship With Religion And Spirituality In Doctoral Psychology Programs, Samantha Mcgee

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Religion and spirituality, when viewed through a holistic lens, can reflect important aspects of a person’s identity. It can be a source of well-being and also struggle. The fields of religion, spirituality and psychology have had a history of being polarized, with some efforts to integrate the two fields. Tensions exist at multiple ecological levels around the topic of religion and spirituality, which can make it easier to avoid discussing it in classrooms and therapy rooms. It is important to address and create room for discussion of experiences around religion and spirituality in classrooms that are training psychologists so they …

Entitlement, Psychological Vulnerability, And Criminality: An Expansion On Grubbs And Exline's (2016) Model, Allison Dart

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The current study examines the predictive relationships among Entitlement, criminal thinking, and psychological vulnerability. Eighty male incarcerated individuals participated in this research and four measures were administered to each participant: the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACEs), the Texas Christian University Criminal Thinking Scale (TCU-CTS), the Woodcock Johnson-IV Cognitive Brief Intellectual Abilities scale (WJ-IV COG BIA), and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). Results yielded the following findings: Behavioral/Externalizing Dysfunction was the best predictor of Entitlement. Behavioral/Externalizing Dysfunction and Thought Dysfunction were the best predictors of each of the other aspects of criminogenic thinking. Emotional/Internalizing Dysfunction did not reliably …

The Flourishing Trainee: Operationalizing Self-Care Education In Clinical Psychology Training Programs, Bonnie B. Zinn

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Evidence suggests that clinical psychology trainees may be vulnerable to stress, vicarious traumatization, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Research also indicates that engaging in self-care may help to protect clinical psychology trainees against those experiences and enhance their well-being. However, best available research suggests self-care education is not consistently incorporated into clinical psychology training or prioritized by program directors. This study provided a systematic review of existing literature on self-care for clinical psychology trainees, utilizing reflexive thematic analysis to identify the essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes of self-care which should be taught to trainees, and how to operationalize …

Beyond The Controversy: An Exploration Of Cultural Socialization Behaviors In Transracial Adoptive Families, Karmen Smith

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The voices of the families that have successfully raised transracially adopted children with a positive cultural identity are missing from the literature: “Further research is needed on adoption from the perspective of the adoptee” (Clark et al., 2006, p. 192). There are methodological shortcomings that inhibit our ability to definitively determine adjustment outcomes for this population. Such shortcomings, combined with a failure to address additional variables that influence outcomes, have left identified gaps in the research unaddressed. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to identify the cultural socialization behaviors that contributed to the development of the participant’s positive …

Attachment And Creativity Focused Counseling Intervention For Parents And Adolescents Presenting With A Trauma History, Leah Merle Batty-Hibbs

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The central research question that informed this study asks: How do attachment and creativity focused counseling interventions encourage connection between an adolescent and their parent or caregiver? The research study centered on two mother and son dyads that participated in six weeks of a therapeutic intervention. The modality utilized an attachment and creativity focused approach created by the author. Data was collected through a post intervention semi-structured interview with the parent (adult). Data was transcribed and evaluated with an interpretive phenomenological approach. Six themes were identified by a team of researchers. The findings have implications for clinical practice with parents …

Not Just Women’S Work: Recruiting Men To Occupational Therapy, Alexandra I. Zelin, Erin Melhorn, Kristen J. Black, Nicole Harty

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Compared to women, men are less likely to become occupational therapists (OT). To have a more diverse workforce, and to relate to various patient groups, reasons men do not enter the field of OT must be better understood. Our study compares men and women in their familiarity with OT and desire to work in the field. Data were gathered using an online, self-report survey administered to students at a public university in the southeast. The sample included 334 undergraduate students who were in majors that often serve as feeder programs to OT graduate programs. The average age was 19.8 years …

Sexual Orientation And Gender Expression As Predictors Of Sogie-Based Harassment, Michelle Tam

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The current study examined which individuals are most at risk for becoming targets of SOGIE-based harassment (specifically, White, male sexual minorities or White, male gender nonconforming individuals). The study also explored potential motivations behind SOGIE-based harassment (specifically, violations of normality and violations of morality) and whether these motivations are predicted by individual differences (specifically, sexual prejudice, beliefs in heteronormativity, tolerance of ambiguity, and adherence to gender norms). College students (n = 206; 67.5% female) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions, each with a different male target (straight/gender conforming, straight/gender nonconforming, gay/gender conforming, gay/gender nonconforming). Students saw a …

Examining The Utility Of Hope Interventions To Mitigate The Effect Of Discrimination On Distress In African Americans, Sunia H. Choudhury

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Hope is a positive psychology resource that utilizes one’s perceptions of strengths to create clear goals, produce multiple pathways to reach goals, overcome barriers, and generate the energy needed to pursue goals by increasing positive affect and satisfaction, while reducing negative problem orientations (Magyar-Moe, 2014). Hope interventions also significantly reduce psychological distress (Rustøen, Cooper, & Miaskowski, 2011). Discrimination is a significant barrier to quality of life for African Americans (Bilkins, Allen, Davey, & Davey, 2016). Discriminatory experiences increase levels of distress (Brown, et al., 2000). However, it is unknown if hope interventions can protect African Americans against distress caused by …

Employee Green Behavior: A Meta-Analysis, Ian M. Katz, Rachel S. Rauvola, Cort W. Rudolph, Hannes Zacher

Psychology Faculty Publications

Due to climate change, the need to protect biodiversity and reduce pollution, and governmental regulations, many organizations are aiming to become more environmentally sustainable. In this context, researchers and practitioners are increasingly interested in the construct of employee green behavior (EGB). EGB has been considered by numerous empirical studies over the last two decades and its associations with demographic characteristics, individual differences, workrelated perceptions, and job attitudes. To systematically synthesize the rapidly growing literature on EGB, we conducted a meta-analysis (k = 135 independent samples; total N = 47,442 employees). Results showed positive associations between EGB and, for example, proenvironmental …

Willingness To Engage In Collective Action After The Killing Of An Unarmed Black Man: Differential Pathways For Black And White Individuals, Brynn E. Sheehan, Valerian J. Derlega, Ralitsa S. Maduro, Delaram A. Totonchi

Psychology Faculty Publications

This cross-sectional survey study examined the underlying psychosocial constructs of Black (n = 163) and White (n = 246) university students' willingness to endorse racially motivated collective action. Consistent with the defensive motivation system model, we expected the police shooting of an unarmed Black American to activate concerns about personal safety, thereby eliciting negative affect, lack of forgiveness of the perpetrator, and motivation to engage in collective action. This path model was expected for both Black and White participants, with stronger associations among Black participants. In the full model, Black participants identified more with the victim and indicated greater personal …

Engineering Countermeasures For Left Turns At Signalized Intersections: A Review, Siby Samuel, Amandeep Singh, Yusuke Yamani

Psychology Faculty Publications

Left turn crashes can impact the safety of the drivers due to the speed and angle at which they occur. Left turns are specifically reported to affect older drivers more than the other types of crashes. This paper provides a review of the existing engineering countermeasures that have been evaluated to improve driver safety at left turns. Twenty- eight studies on left turn signal displays (protected left turns, flashing yellow arrow, and digital countdown timers), intersection geometry (offset left turn lanes, diverging diamond interchange, roundabouts, exit lanes for left turn, left turn bay extension, and contraflow left turn lanes), and …

A Scoping Review Of Behavior Change Techniques Used To Promote Physical Activity Among Women In Midlife, Danielle Arigo, Kelly A. Romano, Kristen Pasko, Laura Travers, M. Cole Ainsworth, Daija A. Jackson, Megan M. Brown

Psychology Faculty Publications

Women in midlife experience health risks that could be mitigated by regular physical activity and reduced sedentary time, but this population rarely achieves physical activity levels that would protect their health. As a result, many behavioral interventions are designed to promote physical activity in this population, which are purportedly guided by theoretical models of health behavior (change) and activate an associated set of behavior change techniques (BCTs). The efficacy and effectiveness of these interventions appear to be limited, however, raising questions about their design and adaptation for women in midlife. Several aspects of these interventions are currently unclear. Specifically, which …

Examining Emailed Feedback As Boosters After A College Drinking Intervention Among Fraternities And Sororities: Rationale And Protocol For A Remote Controlled Trial (Project Greek), Abby L. Braitman, Jennifer L. Shipley, Megan Strowger, Rachel Ayala Guzman, Alina Whiteside, Adrian J. Bravo, Kate B. Carey

Psychology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: College students involved in Greek life (ie, members of fraternities and sororities) tend to engage in more high-risk alcohol use and experience more negative consequences than those not involved in Greek life. Web-based alcohol interventions, such as Alcohol eCHECKUP TO GO, have been successful in reducing alcohol use and consequences among the general college student population, but interventions targeting alcohol reduction among those involved in Greek life have had limited success. Booster emails including personalized feedback regarding descriptive norms and protective behavioral strategies have shown potential in increasing the effectiveness of web-based interventions among college drinkers. Studies are needed …

Internalization Of Appearance Ideals And Not Religiosity Indirectly Impacts The Relationship Between Acculturation And Disordered Eating Risk In South And Southeastern Asian Women Living In The United States, Sonakshi Negi, Erik M. Benau, Megan Strowger, Anne Claire Grammer, C. Alix Timko

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Studies that examine disordered eating in samples of Asian individuals living in the United States frequently combine all individuals of Asian descent into a single group, which can obscure important differences between groups and their experiences of acculturation. The goal of the present study was to establish the relation of acculturation, internalization of appearance ideals, and religiosity as predicting body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in women of South and Southeast Asian (SSEA) descent.

Method: Women of SSEA descent (N = 112) aged 18–51 years (M = 23.10, SD = 6.4) completed a battery of questionnaires that inquire about these …

Data Quality And Study Compliance Among College Students Across 2 Recruitment Sources: Two Study Investigation, Abby L. Braitman, Megan Strowger, Jennifer L. Shipley, Jordan Ortman, Rachel I. Macintyre, Elizabeth A. Bauer

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Models of satisficing suggest that study participants may not fully process survey items and provide accurate responses when survey burden is higher and when participant motivation is lower. Participants who do not fully process survey instructions can reduce a study’s power and hinder generalizability. Common concerns among researchers using self-report measures are data quality and participant compliance. Similarly, attrition can hurt the power and generalizability of a study.

Objective: Given that college students comprise most samples in psychological studies, especially examinations of student issues and psychological health, it is critical to understand how college student recruitment sources impact data …

Extended Functional Connectivity Of Convergent Structural Alterations Among Individuals With Ptsd: A Neuroimaging Meta-Analysis, Brianna S. Pankey, Michael C. Riedel, Isis Cowan, Jessica E. Bartley, Rosario Pintos Lobo, Lauren D. Hill-Bowen, Taylor Sato, Erica D. Musser, Matthew T. Sutherland, Angela R. Laird

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder defined by the onset of intrusive, avoidant, negative cognitive or affective, and/or hyperarousal symptoms after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Previous voxel-based morphometry studies have provided insight into structural brain alterations associated with PTSD with notable heterogeneity across these studies. Furthermore, how structural alterations may be associated with brain function, as measured by task-free and task-based functional connectivity, remains to be elucidated.

Methods: Using emergent meta-analytic techniques, we sought to first identify a consensus of structural alterations in PTSD using the anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) approach. Next, we generated functional …

For Whom The Bell Tolls: Psychopathological And Neurobiological Correlates Of The Dna Methylation Index Of Time-To-Death, Sage E. Hawn, Xiang Zhao, Danielle R. Sullivan, Mark Logue, Dana Fein-Schaffer, William Milberg, Regina Mcglinchey, Mark W. Miller, Erika J. Wolf

Psychology Faculty Publications

Psychopathology is a risk factor for accelerated biological aging and early mortality. We examined associations between broad underlying dimensions of psychopathology (reflecting internalizing and externalizing psychiatric symptoms), PTSD, and age-adjusted GrimAge (“GrimAge residuals”), a DNA methylation biomarker of mortality risk relative to age. We also examined neurobiological correlates of GrimAge residuals, including neurocognitive functioning, blood-based biomarkers (of inflammation, neuropathology, metabolic disease), and cortical thickness. Data from two independent trauma-exposed military cohorts (n = 647 [62.9% male, M_age = 52], n = 434 [90% male, M_age = 32]) were evaluated using linear regression models to test associations between …

Rationale And Design Of An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Examining Predictors Of Binge Eating Among Sexual Minority And Heterosexual Young Women: Protocol For The Health And Experiences In Real Life (Her Life) Study, Kristin E. Heron, Abby L. Braitman, Charlotte A. Dawson, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Lauren V. Butler, Alicia Moulder, Robin J. Lewis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Previous research has identified health disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual women, including increased rates of obesity and binge eating in sexual minority women. Established predictors of binge eating behavior include negative emotions and sociocultural processes; however, these studies are generally conducted in samples of young women where sexual identity is not known or reported. There is a dearth of research evaluating how sexual minority–specific factors (eg, minority stress and connectedness to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community) may affect binge eating in sexual minority women. In addition, no studies have examined these processes in racially diverse …

A Meta-Analysis Of Associations Between Weight Bias Internalization And Conceptually-Related Correlates: A Step Towards Improving Construct Validity, Kelly A. Romano, Kristin E. Heron, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Lindsay M. Howard, Rachel I. Macintyre

Psychology Faculty Publications

Weight bias internalization (WBI), a process of weight-based self-devaluation, has been associated with adverse mental and physical health. However, there are limitations with the existing conceptualization and operationalization of WBI that raise questions about the implications of this evidence-base. To address these limitations, the present study investigated the construct validity of WBI by conducting a meta-analysis of associations between WBI (as currently operationalized) and conceptually-related correlates. Studies identified through October 2021 that provided zero-order correlations for associations between WBI and conceptually-related constructs were examined. Meta-regression determined whether these associations differed across WBI measures and demographic (age, sex/gender, race, BMI) and …

Associations Between Body Dissatisfaction And Relationship Functioning Among Same-Sex Female Couples: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Kelly A. Romano, Kristin E. Heron, Charlotte A. Dawson, Tiphanie G. Sutton, Barbara A. Winstead, Robin J. Lewis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Nearly all past research about body dissatisfaction and romantic relationship factors is among heterosexual couples; little is known about these associations in sexual minority couples. The present study aimed to fill gaps in the current literature by using actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) to examine dyadic patterns of association between body dissatisfaction and different aspects of relationship functioning among same-sex female couples. Participants were 163 same-sex female romantic dyads (326 women) between the ages of 18-35 years who completed measures of body dissatisfaction and relationship factors. Results from significance testing of actor and partner effects indicated higher levels of women's own …

Mindfulness To Manage Moral Injury: Rationale And Development Of A Live Online 7-Week Group Intervention For Veterans With Moral Injury, Michelle L. Kelley, Megan Strowger, Victoria O. Chentsova, Adrian J. Bravo, Susan A. Gaylord, Elizabeth E. Burgin, Christine Vinci, Kenneth L. Ayers, Erum Agha

Psychology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Military service puts service members at risk for moral injury. Moral injury is an array of symptoms (e.g., guilt, shame, anger) that develop from events that violate or transgress one's moral code.

OBJECTIVE: We describe adaption of in-person mindfulness training program, Mindfulness to Manage Chronic Pain (MMCP), to address symptoms of moral injury to be delivered live via the web. We discuss how we will assess benchmarks (i.e., recruitment, credibility and acceptability, completion rates, and adherence) of the Mindfulness to Manage Moral Injury (MMMI) program.

METHODS: Aim 1: To develop and then adapt the MMCP program based on …

Kissing, Grabbing And Grinding: Young Australians’ Personal And Social Norms Regarding Nightlife Sexual Behavior, Aimee-Rose Wrightson-Hester, Alfred Allan, Maria Allan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Many patrons in nightlife settings around the world experience and engage in behavior that some find distressing and others find a useful method of interacting with potential sexual partners. Some of these behaviors nevertheless meet the World Health Organizations’ definition of sexual violence. Recent research suggests the social norms in Australian nightlife settings might be encouraging patrons to engage in or tolerate sexual violence when it occurs, even though it violates their own personal norms. Our main aim was to clarify young Australian nightlife patrons’ personal and descriptive norms regarding three sexual behaviors (Kissing, Grabbing and Grinding), to identify their …

Perception Of Narcissism In College Professors, Harry M. Wallace, A. Carrillo, Jack Kelley

Psychology Faculty Research

We conducted three studies to examine perceptions of grandiose narcissism in college professors. Narcissism might appear incompatible with the profession if professors are viewed fundamentally as helpers or as introverted bookworms. Then again, people might expect professors to display big egos congruent with the prestige of their profession and their privileged public platforms. Our research indicates that professors are generally not seen as highly narcissistic according to the criteria of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire, though they are viewed as more narcissistic than elementary school teachers. More professor narcissism was expected at colleges that …