Psychology Commons^™

Effective Adapted Psychotherapy Approaches For Autistic Adults: Perspectives From Clinical Psychologists, Emily Morgan Hilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autistic adults face a high risk of co-occurring mental health challenges, yet standard psychotherapy often fails to meet their unique needs, raising concerns about treatment effectiveness. This qualitative study aimed to understand how clinical psychologists decide on therapeutic approaches and adaptations for their autistic adult clients through three research questions: RQ1: How do clinical psychologists decide on the appropriate therapeutic approach they use with their autistic adult clients? RQ2: How do clinical psychologists decide which adaptations are appropriate to implement in psychotherapy with their autistic adult clients? RQ3: Does the therapeutic approach affect how a clinical psychologist chooses appropriate adaptations …

The Mediating Role Of Intellectual Humility On The Relationship Between Perspective-Taking And Affective Polarization, Daniel Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Affective polarization, a phenomenon characterized by animosity between opposing political parties, has emerged as a growing and intractable problem in the United States. Affective polarization threatens American democracy, as polarized citizens become increasingly unwilling to trust cross-partisans, hold their political leaders accountable, or support the results of free and fair elections. While prior research has investigated the mitigating effect of intellectual humility and perspective-taking on affective polarization, researchers have yet to investigate whether intellectual humility and perspective-taking work synergistically to mitigate affective polarization. Informed by social identity theory, this quantitative study determined if intellectual humility mediated the relationship between perspective-taking …

Optimal Well Being Of Those Recovering From Alcohol Use Disorder: An Exploration Of Individual Difference Factors And Treatment Outcomes, Jared Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Harmful alcohol use has continued to be one of the largest negative impact factors of daily living worldwide. Despite the pervasive use of alcohol and negative impacts that it has on the individual and society there is large disagreement on how to know when someone has “recovered” from AUD (El-Guebaly, 2012), with much of the literature focused narrowly on negative indicators (e.g., return to heavy drinking, re-occurrence of AUD symptoms). Such views have not only restricted definitions of recovery but has also created public perception that those with AUD will continue to struggle even when cessation of drinking has occurred. …

A Participatory Approach To Case Management: Co-Creation Of Effective Anti-Trafficking Programming Based On The Self-Identified Strengths, Needs, And Priorities Of Survivors, Angela Robinson Phd, Kelsey Morgan Phd

SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference

Some estimates claim the existence of 50 million victims of human trafficking and the U.S. Department of State suggests that less than 1% of survivors received services to prevent further exploitation. This presentation shares processes for co-creating knowledge with case management tools that empower survivors while gathering data to improve their care, assist service providers in effectively targeting supportive services, and strengthen anti-trafficking initiatives. Findings will be shared from Freedom Lifemap, a self-assessment used by human trafficking survivors to identity their own strengths, needs, and priorities to prevent the risk of re-exploitation and attain lasting freedom. Global patterns in data …

Teamwork And Artificial Intelligence (Ai) : Examining The Effects Of Teammate Identity, Deception, And Ai Literacy On Team Dynamics And Performance In Human-Human Vs. Human-Ai Teams, Jenna Korentsides

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be integrated into collaborative work environments, understanding how humans interact with AI teammates is increasingly important. This study examined how people’s beliefs about who they are working with (whether a teammate is human or AI) can influence teamwork outcomes. Specifically, we explored how perceived teammate identity affects task performance and team experience, with a focus on trust and communication as potential mediators, and AI literacy (familiarity and comfort with AI) as a moderator. Participants completed a series of timed, collaborative problem-solving tasks using a bomb defusal simulation. Each participant worked with both a human …

Support Beyond Services: Examining The Role Of Neighbor Relationships, Housing Staff, And Place In Mental Health Recovery, Kenna Estell Dickard

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explores the role of non-clinical support for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Through three interconnected manuscripts, this dissertation highlights the importance of housing staff support, places in the community, and neighbor relationships in fostering recovery for individuals with SMI. The first manuscript analyzes how housing staff support influences residents' well-being through an ecological lens. This study found that staff support is associated with reduced loneliness, higher residential satisfaction, and increased sense of community. This study also considers the role of self-determination as a moderator, demonstrating the importance of resident agency in maximizing well-being outcomes. The second manuscript …

Reproductive Rights At Work: The Role Of Organizations In Menstrual Support, Emily Julia Ready

Dissertations and Theses

Painful menstrual symptoms affect up to 90% of people with uteruses globally. These symptoms can result in lost productivity at work and absenteeism for working individuals. Normative work structures have not been designed with accessibility and inclusivity for those with uteruses in mind. Therefore, women and those with uteruses have often had to work through barriers with no accommodations or systematic change. Currently, there is no published research in the United States on the nuances of the relationship between menstruation and work with the intention of exploring effective solutions. There has been discussion related to menstrual supportive policies, but there …

The Love With A Thousand Faces: Heroism As Embodied Love In Action, Scott T. Allison

Heroism Science

In this article, I argue that heroism is, at its core, embodied love in action -- a morally charged, physically grounded expression of care enacted through selfless deeds, courage, and commitment to others. Rather than reducing love to sentiment or an abstract ideal, I emphasize its embodied dimensions: love as a lived, relational force that motivates people to act bravely and altruistically, often at great personal cost. Drawing on psychological research in empathy, attachment, and prosocial motivation, I show how love undergirds moral courage by activating deep emotional bonds and transforming them into action-oriented commitments that transcend fear and self-interest. …

A Psychometric Investigation Of The Distress Tolerance Scale Short Form (Dts-Sf): Reliability, Validity, And Factor Structure In A Trauma-Exposed Sample, Brianna M. Byllesby, Ruby Charak, Ines Cano-Gonzalez, Nicole M. Christ

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Perceived emotional distress tolerance refers to one’s perceived capacity to tolerate negative emotional states, and this construct is commonly identified as a transdiagnostic development and maintenance factor of psychopathology. The Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) is a commonly used self-report measure of emotional distress tolerance, and recently an abbreviated version, the Distress Tolerance Scale-Short Form (DTS-SF), was developed. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the DTS-SF in a large sample (N = 1099) of emerging adults. Our findings demonstrated that the DTS-SF had adequate internal reliability and was strongly associated with the DTS total score. Similarly, the DTS-SF …

Charting Your Own Course: Diverse Paths To Occupational Health Psychology, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

This piece describes my pathway, via stressful work experiences, into occupational health psychology (OHP). Those work experiences combined with my later training in epidemiology at Columbia led me to the study of work, stress, and health. I briefly describe key research experiences with Joe Mazzola of Meredith College (the role of qualitative research in theory development and hypothesis generation) and Renzo Bianchi of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (research on burnout–depression overlap and the creation of scales to assess occupational depression, occupational anxiety, and pandemic-related anxiety). The piece concludes with ideas for newcomers to OHP for getting the …

Inside Out: Autistic Psychologists On The Power Structures Of Diagnosis, Audrey J. Scaer, Christopher R. Dabbs

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

How do relationships between medicalized diagnostic powers and training intersect with the complex social identity of autism? How does self-identification (self-diagnosis) challenge the diagnostic status quo, created and scaffolded by enormously powerful social systems? In this paper, we reflect on the historical and modern dynamics of these power relations. As autistic psychologists actively working with and diagnosing autistic clients, we end this paper with an autoethnographic interrogation of our own self-diagnostic journeys and ways in which we’ve integrated our identities across personal and professional spheres of functioning.

More Schooling Can Delay The Onset Of Dementia Later In Life, Vikesh Amin, Jere R. Behrman, Jason M. Fletcher, Carlos A. Flores, Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, Iliana Kohler, Hans-Peter Kohler, Shana D. Stites

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Does Schooling Improve Cognitive Abilities At Older Ages? Causal Evidence From Nonparametric Bounds, Vikesh Amin, Jere R. Behrman, Jason M. Fletcher, Carlos A. Flores, Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, Hans-Peter Kohler

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We revisit much-investigated relationships between schooling and health, focusing on schooling impacts on cognitive abilities at older ages using the Harmonized Cognition Assessment Protocol in the Health & Retirement Study (HRS) and a bounding approach that requires relatively weak assumptions. Our estimated upper bounds on the population average effects indicate potentially large causal effects of increasing schooling from primary to secondary; yet, these upper bounds are smaller than many estimates from the literature on causal schooling impacts on cognition using compulsory-schooling laws. We also cannot rule out small and null effects at this margin. We do, however, find evidence for …

Inhibitory Control: A Mediator Between Sensory Responsivity And Externalizing Behaviors In Children On The Autism Spectrum, Kaitlyn M. Drafton

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Sensory differences are among the most commonly reported symptoms in children on the autism spectrum and have been linked to both externalizing behaviors and executive functioning challenges. However, few studies have explored the potential mechanisms that underlie these relationships. The present study examined whether inhibitory control mediates the relationship between sensory responsivity and externalizing behaviors in young autistic children, each rated via caregiver-report measures. Participants included 107 caregivers of autistic children between the ages of 5-10 years old. It was hypothesized that higher levels of sensory responsivity would predict greater difficulty with inhibition, which in turn would be associated with …

Building A Theory-Based Understanding Of Sexual Health Provider Stigma: A Phenomenological Study, Harit Agroia, Rebecca Reno, Maytal Bach, Jenette Spezeski, Erin Starzyk

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Unraveling provider-level sexual health stigma requires building an understanding of contributing factors, such as provider knowledge, values, beliefs, medical training, and other intrapersonal or interpersonal factors that may influence its manifestation at the clinic level during patient–provider interactions. Healthcare provider stigma has not been sufficiently understood or explained using classic psychological theories, such as Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) or Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). We build a theory-based understanding of sexual health-provider stigma by proposing modifications to the SCT to develop the Modified SCT (M-SCT) model, where cognitive dissonance is hypothesized to influence the personal/cognitive and behavioral factors of the M-SCT. …

Examining County-Level Implicit Stereotypes And Prejudice As Predictors Of Racial And Gender Disparities In Incarceration Across The United States, Emma Elizabeth Lee Money

Dissertations and Theses

Background: This dissertation investigated the role of local macropsychological factors - specifically, county-level implicit racial bias and implicit gender stereotyping - in shaping inequalities in incarceration across the United States. Despite overall declines in incarceration, trends in the incarceration of women and people of color (particularly Black women) show disparities compared to White men. Regional aggregations of implicit biases have been proposed as robust markers and drivers of systemic inequalities and are examined in current research.

Research Questions: Three overarching research questions (RQ) guided this dissertation: RQ1 tested the relationship between county-level implicit racial bias and proportions of Black (relative …

Causal Effects Of Schooling On Memory At Older Ages In Six Low-And-Middle-Income Countries: Nonparametric Evidence With Harmonized Datasets, Vikesh Amin, Jere R. Behrman, Jason M. Fletcher, Carlos A. Flores, Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, Iliana Kohler, Hans-Peter Kohler, Shana D. Stites

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Higher schooling attainment is associated with better cognitive function at older ages, but it remains unclear whether the relationship is causal. We estimate causal effects of schooling on performances on the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) word-recall (memory) test at older ages in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. We used harmonized data (n=30,896) on older adults (≥50 years) from the World Health Organization Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health. We applied an established nonparametric partialidentification approach that bounds causal effects of increasing schooling attainment at different parts of the schooling distributions under …

From Prohibition To Prescription: Exploring Injustice, Bias, And Science-Based Solutions, Alexander Campos

University Honors Theses

This thesis critiques the war on drugs for disproportionately targeting minority communities and prioritizing systemic exploitation over public health. It examines the flawed, politically influenced DEA drug scheduling process, which neglects evidence of the medical benefits of substances like cannabis, psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and MDMA. This thesis gives a brief history of the evolution of US drug policy, which contributed to mass incarceration, reinforced racial disparities, and failed to reduce overdose deaths. It also highlights the potential mental health benefits of decriminalizing and regulating psychedelics to treat conditions like PTSD, depression, and substance abuse disorder. This thesis concludes by promoting …

From Lockdown To Learning: Understanding Motivation Shifts In High School Students Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kelly Lindberg

University Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic induced profound disruptions to the educational landscape, significantly impacting high school students' motivation to learn. This thesis explores how these disruptions affected students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations through the lenses of three motivational theories: Self-Determination Theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and Expectancy-Value Theory. By examining changes in the learning environment, social connections, and mental health before, during, and after the pandemic, this study identifies key factors that shaped changes in students' academic engagement. The shift to online learning during the pandemic, combined with social isolation and increased mental health challenges, diminished students' intrinsic motivation and weakened their …

Iep Process As An Avenue Or Barrier To Inclusion For Autism Spectrum Students: The Importance Of Collaboration, Stephanie C. Holmes

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

Decades of research concerning the implementation of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) have shown that building and implementing an IEP for a student with additional needs can be adversarial between the child’s parents and the school system. In 1975, when Public Law 94-142 was passed, the idea behind the law was not only to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for children with needs and disabilities but also to give parents of these children a voice in the process of creating the child’s IEP. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was not added to the list of needs to be served …

The Overlooked Witness Memory Risk, Sue Provenzano, Sarah Brown-Schmidt

Faculty Publications By Year

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Vivitrol And Naltrexone For Rural And Urban Participants Post-Incarceration Or Under Supervision, Francis Anthony Mulford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Behavioral health professionals are concerned with the opioid epidemic in the United States, as opioid use results in needless overdose deaths annually. Relapse prevention is the theory that grounded this study, and naltrexone or extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) was used to measure effectiveness for 50 forensic, rural, and urban individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) to prevent relapse. Furthermore, this study used a chi square test of independence, nonparametric test with a Cramer’s V, and Fisher’s exact. While outcomes revealed no significant differences between rural and urban groups, significant evidence was observed when medication outcomes and medication extent were evaluated, Pearson …

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction And Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy As Interventions For Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Meta-Analytic Review, Amitojeroop Kaur

Honors Scholar Theses

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), specifically Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), in reducing anxiety symptoms in individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). A review of the literature revealed that while GAD affects millions globally, many individuals diagnosed with GAD do not receive treatment. This review evaluated the effectiveness of MBIs using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs, focusing on effect sizes, study quality, and control conditions. The central hypothesis was that MBCT would significantly reduce anxiety symptoms, particularly in comparison to inactive control groups. Meta-analytic results showed that MBSR …

The Role Of Gender And Sexual Identity In Mental Health Outcomes For Asylum-Seeking Survivors Of Sexual Torture, Samantha A. M. Doerr

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Millions of people worldwide flee violent persecution each year, with more than 6.8 million estimated to have sought asylum in 2023 alone (United Nations High Commission on Refugees, 2025). Up to 40% of refugees and asylum-seekers are reported to be survivors of torture, with sexual torture one of the most commonly-reported means of torture, particularly among women and LGBTQ+ populations (Abu Suhaiban, 2019; Hopkinson et al., 2017; United Nations High Commission on Refugees, 2017). Sexual torture has been associated with severe impacts on mental health, including posttraumatic and depressive symptoms. Despite marked differences in sexual torture risk across gender and …

Current Practice In The Provision Of Psychological Assessment, Catherine R. Hanigan, Linda J. Baum, Anderson B. Rowan

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Understanding the assessment practices of psychologists has been a focus of research since the mid-twentieth century. Previous studies focused on the types of tests utilized as well as the amount of time spent on assessment. This updated research examined professional psychologists’ current practice and use of assessment, such as specific test usage, time spent on assessment, and feedback practices. A survey instrument was created, piloted, and administered to a sample of 293 currently practicing licensed psychologists. Results indicated that current assessment practices are largely consistent with previous surveys of psychologists. The tests identified as most frequently used were the Wechsler …

Reading Patients' Personalities The Sentence Completion Way, Stephen P. Joy, Lawrence Mccloskey, Wilson Mcdermut

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Previous research has shown that reliable, valid measures of major personality traits can be derived from a sentence completion test, the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (RISB). However, all previous samples consisted of undergraduates. Here, we report findings for two clinical samples (N = 120) to whom a variety of self-report inventories and structured clinical interviews were also administered. RISB-based ratings of Extraversion and Neuroticism were consistently correlated with relevant variables in both samples and displayed convergent and discriminant validity vis a vis self-reported traits. RISB-based ratings of Psychoticism were clearly associated with relevant variables in one sample with mixed but …

The Clinical Utility Of Measuring Emotion Dysregulation In Autistic Youth, Monica S. Trevino

Dissertations

Autistic youth experience disproportionately high rates and severity of emotion dysregulation, which is linked to behavioral challenges, psychiatric comorbidities, familial stress, and increased emergency service and hospitalization use. Despite its clinical significance, emotion dysregulation in autistic youth remains relatively understudied and misunderstood, partly due to the lack of standardized assessment tools and limited research on its heterogeneity within autistic populations. In the present study, structural equation modeling was used to 1) validate the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI) and assess measurement invariance in a diverse sample and 2) explore associations among emotion dysregulation, autism symptoms, and related child and family characteristics, …

Secondary Medical Conditions In Pediatric Survivors Of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Role In Performance-Based Neurocognitive Functioning, Caregiver-Reported Outcomes, And Adaptive Functioning And Transition Readiness Intervention, Victoria Seghatol-Eslami

All ETDs from UAB

Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at risk of secondary medical conditions arising from disease and treatment effects. Secondary medical conditions are associated with adverse survivorship outcomes (e.g., neurocognitive, psychosocial, and adaptive functioning/healthcare transition) in adult survivors of childhood ALL. Little is known about secondary medical conditions in pediatric ALL survivors. Further, the relationship between secondary medical conditions and survivorship outcomes has not been explored in this younger population. This dissertation examined 1) the role of secondary medical conditions in performance-based and caregiver-reported neurocognitive, psychosocial, and adaptive functioning; and 2) the roles of secondary medical conditions and neurocognitive …

Masculine Traits In Female Serial Killers: A Qualitative Analysis, Ashley Polk

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female serial killers represent a minority in criminal statistics; their cases offer significant insights regarding broader patterns of serial killing behavior. The purpose of this study is to understand the role masculine traits play in the lives of female serial killers. This study involved using a qualitative research method to understand specific characteristics of female serial killers with common masculine traits and childhood experiences. Common masculine traits researched in this study were lack of emotions, aggression, control, dominance, and manipulation. The trauma control model and the gender scheme theory were the theoretical frameworks for this study. Data were collected by …

The Paradox Of Choice: User Preferences And Completion Rates In Single-Session Vs. Multi-Session Digital Mental Health Interventions, Emily M. Bowers, Korena S. Klimczak, Ty B. Aller, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) offer scalable solutions for addressing mental health needs, but low adherence remains a significant challenge. Single session DMHIs may offer a feasible alternative to address this issue, providing an accessible and low-effort option for users. The present study examines whether adding the choice of a single session DMHI in addition to a multi-session DMHI provides a feasible alternative for users who might otherwise disengage. This study examined naturalistic data from 509 university students who registered for a 12-session DMHI, single session DMHI, or both. The majority (58%) chose only the multi-session DMHI, while 24.2% chose …