Psychology Commons^™

Severe Emotional And Behavioral Problems: Barriers For Texas Youth Accessing Mental Health Court Programs, Justin Joseph

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

Conduct disorder is a constellation of continuous emotional and behavioral problems observed in children and adolescents, which may involve violent and non-violent antisocial behaviors. The symptomology of this psychological disorder includes: disregarding rules without clear reason, cruel or aggressive behavior toward people or animals (e.g., bullying, fighting, using dangerous weapons, forcing sexual activity, and stealing), skipping school, excessive substance use, pathological lying, manipulation, running away, and vandalism (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013). Texas Juvenile Mental Health Courts are designed to reduce the number of detained youth, divert at-risk children, maintain community safety, and utilize multidisciplinary approaches to treat conduct disordered …

Xviii Sim Conference Presentation - Social Media Influencers (Smis) In Context: A Literature Review, Charles Alves De Castro Mr, Isobel Oreilly Dr, Aiden Carthy Dr

Other Resources

This review focused on three main areas, “Social Media Influencers (SMIs) in Context, The Impact of SMIs on Adolescents, and Consumer Behaviour in a Digital Era – Generation Z in Perspective.” This article aims to further the overall understanding of SMIs and outlines the impact of SMIs on adolescents’ lives. Thus, the main objective of this literature review is to raise awareness within the marketing field about the influence of social media influencers on adolescents and how brands promote their products and content through social media influencers. The review comprised a deep search using electronic journal databases and secondary data …

Social Media Influencers (Smis) In Context: A Literature Review, Charles Alves De Castro, Isobel O'Reilly, Aiden Carthy

Conference papers

This review focused on three main areas, “Social Media Influencers (SMIs) in Context, The Impact of SMIs on Adolescents, and Consumer Behaviour in a Digital Era – Generation Z in Perspective.” This article aims to further the overall understanding of SMIs and outlines the impact of SMIs on adolescents’ lives. Thus, the main objective of this literature review is to raise awareness within the marketing field about the influence of social media influencers on adolescents and how brands promote their products and content through social media influencers. The review comprised a deep search using electronic journal databases and secondary data …

High Value Correlates Of Caregiver Reported Counseling Service Need And Utilization For Adolescents At-Risk For Childhood Maltreatment And Neglect, Alejandro L. Vázquez, Tommy Chou, Cynthia M. Navarro Flores, Tyson S. Barett, Miguel T. Villodas, Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Adolescents with a history of child maltreatment experience increased risk for psychopathology that sets them on a trajectory towards a range of difficulties in adulthood. Various factors influence caregivers’ decisions to seek mental health services (MHS) that could improve developmental outcomes. The present study applied a machine learning algorithm, elastic net, to a sample of 878 adolescent-caregiver dyads from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. Analyses simultaneously examined a large number of factors to determine their ability to discriminate between caregivers who perceived a need for MHS and those who did not, as well as caregivers who utilized …

Sexual Health Misinformation And Potential Interventions Among Youth On Social Media, Jahnavi Sunkara

The Cardinal Edge

With the rise of the internet and social media, many adolescents and young adults have turned to the internet and social media for sexual health information. However, this can be problematic because sexual health misinformation on social media utilizes a variety of techniques to quickly disseminate and retain that misinformation in users. Historically, the spread of sexual health misinformation has specifically negatively impacted adolescents and young adults regarding two sexual health topics: contraceptives and HPV vaccination. Current evidence demonstrates that a combination of corrections and inoculation would be effective against general health misinformation. However, there is a lack of research …

Measuring Allostatic Load In An Urban Adolescent Sample: The Profile And Role Of Biomarker Dysregulation In Depression Outcomes, Heather Marshall

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Accumulated, chronic stress exposure is well established as a precursor for allostatic load (AL). Both stress exposure and AL have been associated with depression in the existing literature. While many studies have focused on biomarkers representative of various physiological systems, a clear understanding of how physiological AL results in depression is yet unclear. Further, variability of hypo- and hypercortisolemic profiles have been associated with depression. A review of the existing literature supports hypocortisolemic profiles in relation to female depression and hypercortisolemic profiles in male depression across both adolescent and adult populations. The function of alpha-amylase (AA) dysregulation within the context …

Body Trust Moderates The Relationship Between Physical & Emotional Awareness & Eating Disorders In Adolescents, Emma G Roberts, Rowan Hunt, Cheri Levinson Phd

Undergraduate Research Events

Eating disorders (EDs) have a complex relationship with interoceptive awareness (i.e., awareness of inner bodily sensations; IA). Research suggests that physical hyper-awareness and tendency to distract from bodily sensations are positively associated with ED symptoms, and body trust (i.e., experiencing one’s body as safe and trustworthy) is negatively associated with ED symptoms (Lattimore et al, 2017; Merwin et al, 2010; Duffy et al, 2020). While physical awareness (PA) and emotional awareness (EA) have been shown in nonclinical samples to be beneficial for affect regulation, similar facets of IA are associated with higher symptomatology in ED samples (Price & Hooven 2018). …

School-Based Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Adolescents With Anxiety, Julie M. Petersen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mental health problems, particularly anxiety, are a growing problem in adolescents. Some treatments (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy) have been shown effective for youth anxiety, but do not help all adolescents. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a treatment supported for anxiety in adults, has yet to be fully researched in adolescents. ACT is a flexible therapy that is understood to be appropriate, if not ideal, for younger populations and schools. The present study compares a school-based, group ACT for adolescents with anxiety to a waitlist.

Adolescents (N = 26) with anxiety were randomized to a 12 week waitlist or to participate …

Concurrent Reporting Of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Perspectives Of Adolescents And Caregivers., Katie J. Berghuis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The consequences of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) events in youth have predominantly been studied through retrospective studies that assess adults’ first 18 years of life or caregiver report of ACEs in youth. Reliance on only caregiver report to discern ACEs is a limitation amongst prior studies as research has found that caregivers tend to underestimate ACEs among their children, and there is even a greater discrepancy of reporting between caregivers and youth 12 years and older. Therefore, this study investigated concurrent reporting of self-report ACE scores in adolescents – defined in this study as 12 to 20 years old – …

Latent Variables Predicting Drug Use In Adolescents With High Versus Low Protective Factors, Jessica Jorgenson

Dissertations

The present study utilized archival data provided from the Minnesota Student Survey (2013). The study consisted of two levels of analysis. The first level involved the development of measurement models for various latent constructs (i.e., disaffiliation, normalized use, internalizing behaviors, and externalizing behaviors). Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the second level applied the observed (i.e., abuse) and measured latent variables to the prediction of the outcomes of interest (i.e., a latent variable estimate of substance use) for middle- and high school-aged youth. Models for adolescent girls and boys were examined separately based on sex and high vs low protective factors. …

A Systematic Review Examining The Efficacy And Effectiveness Of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Abigail R. Howerton

Psychology Capstone Projects

More than two-thirds of children and adolescents experience a traumatic event by the age of 16. Trauma comes in many forms and affects people in many ways. Trauma can affect behavioral, cognitive, emotional, physical, and neurological development. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is a type of therapy created to treat children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. TF-CBT is an evidencebased treatment (EBT) and is currently the only EBT whose focus is solely on treating trauma in children and adolescents. This article reviews the literature assessing studies using randomized controlled trials (RCT’s) to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of TF-CBT …

Psychometrics Of A Measure Of Sexual Assault Coping Self-Efficacy: A Comparison Of Across Age Groups, Thomas Pankau

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Sexual assault affects people of all ages and is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Coping self-efficacy (CSE) refers to how capable an individual feels they are able to handle stressors, including sexual assault, and it is a strong predictor of psychosocial outcomes. This dissertation assessed the psychometrics of the Sexual Assault Coping Self-Efficacy Measure (SACSEM), an instrument developed to measure sexual assault CSE across different age groups. Since the majority of research has focused on CSE following sexual assault in adults, I examined CSE across groups of adolescents, emerging adults, and adults (N = …

School Violence And Suicidal Ideation: The Mediating Roles Of Perceived School Safety And Substance Use Among Adolescents, Jordan Skalisky

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Substance use and suicidal ideation are prevalent among adolescents. An adolescent’s school environment, such as threatening or violence-related experiences at school, may influence their perceived sense of safety, thus influencing their substance use and potentially increasing suicidal ideation. The current study examined the mediating roles of perceived school safety and substance use (alcohol use, binge alcohol use, cannabis use, and vaping) on the relationship between experienced weapon threat/violence at school and suicidal ideation. Data was used from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey and participants were 13206 adolescents attending high school in the United States. Preliminary analyses indicated significant …

Kicking In Diabetes Support (Kids) Intervention Effects: Parent Reports Of Diabetes Management, Jessica C. Kichler, Astrida S. Kaugars

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives: The Kicking In Diabetes Support (KIDS) Project is a semistructured multifamily group therapy (MGT) intervention for adolescents who have type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their parents, which incorporates both peer support and family systems processes to improve diabetes management skills. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical utility of this intervention by examining parent perspectives and health-related outcomes. Methods: Adolescents and their parents participated in the 8-session (6 core sessions and 2 booster follow-up sessions at 2 and 4 months) intervention in 1 of 8 waves of the group administration over a four-year period. Parents …

Balanced Parenting: The Effects Of Family Functioning On Suicide And Non-Suicidal Self-Injury In Adolescents, Stephen Bahr

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. Suicidal behavior is also highly correlated with non-suicidal self-injury. Many studies show a correlation between the level of family functioning and these adolescent self-harming behaviors. In this review specifically, a compilation of synthesized studies shows that two factors of family functioning—cohesion and flexibility—have a high association with self-harming behavior in adolescents. Families with low levels of cohesion (disengaged) frequently cause feelings of loneliness and isolation, which may lead youth to self-harm. Inversely, adolescents of families with extremely high levels of cohesion (enmeshed) often feel unable to express their true feelings …

Exploring Adolescents’ Critical Thinking Aptitudes When Reading About Science In The News, Marianne Bissonnette, Pierre Chastenay, Chantal Francoeur

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research studies the critical thinking skills of six teenagers in their final years of high school. It looks at the way those students use a set of cognitive skills in order to analyze scientific and pseudoscientific information available in online news articles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six students chosen according to their results in a questionnaire about interest in science topics. Results show a large gap between participants’ use of critical thinking skills. Most of these skills were mainly used for text comprehension, evoking general knowledge, numeracy, arguments assessment and production, and life skills (open-mindedness and metacognition). The …

A Network Investigation Of Eating Disorder Symptoms And Risk Factors Before And After A Prevention Program In Adolescent Girls., Jordan E. Drake

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Eating disorders (EDs) are psychological disorders characterized by disturbances in eating that commonly develop during adolescence and may be influenced by risk factors, both ED-specific (i.e., factors linked to future ED symptoms) and transdiagnostic (i.e., factors underlying multiple psychological disorders). Network analysis allows for the study of the connections between ED symptoms and risk factors by identifying central symptoms (i.e., the most interconnected symptoms) and bridge symptoms (i.e., symptoms which strongly connect across the symptom and risk factor clusters). Examining networks of ED symptoms and risk factors in adolescence can inform how risk factors influence ED development, as well as …

The Association Between Appearance Related Safety Behaviors And Anxiety Symptoms In Adolescents, Emily Olson

Honors Theses

The goal of the current study is to examine the associations between appearance related safety behaviors (i.e., behaviors aimed at preventing humiliation or embarrassment associated with appearance, such as mirror checking or skin picking) and anxiety symptoms during adolescence. Adolescence is considered a core risk period for the onset of many psychological disorders (e.g., social anxiety disorder). Critically, adults with these psychological conditions report engaging in higher levels of appearance related safety behaviors than adults without these disorders. Further, initial, promising evidence, suggests that reducing engagement in appearance related safety behaviors is associated with reduced symptoms of anxiety. To date, …

The Effects Of Psychoeducation On Emotion Regulation In High School Athletes, Kami Naber

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Approximately one in five adolescents between ages 12 and 18 suffer from at least one diagnosable mental health disorder. Health professionals have referred to the current rising need for mental health treatment as an epidemic. Current approaches to meeting the rising psychological needs of adolescents are proving to be insufficient. Emotion regulation has been identified as a key element in lowering levels of psychological stress, yet many adolescents have inadequate emotion regulation skills. A particularly appropriate modality to train adolescents in the skills necessary to regulate distressing emotions, may be psychoeducation, an evidence-based therapeutic intervention that provides training and information …

The Role Of Parenting Practices In Adolescent Aggression And Impulsivity, Elizabeth G. Payne

Honors Theses

Parents have an influential role in adolescent development. Previous findings have found a relationship between parenting practices and adolescent behavioral problems. The purpose of this study was to analyze different parenting practices’ influence on impulsive and aggressive behaviors in adolescents. This study uses data gathered from a unique population of at-risk adolescents from a military-style bootcamp who were asked about their parents’ behaviors and their own behaviors. Findings from this study expand upon previous research on parenting practices by analyzing a specific population of at-risk youth and looking at specific forms of impulsive and aggressive behaviors. Data was collected through …

Moderating Effects Of School Ethnic Composition On The Associations Between Cultural Variables And Academic Outcomes Among Latinx Youth, Juan Estrada

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cultural factors such as acculturative stress, discrimination and ethnic identity have been shown to relate to Latinx students’ academic outcomes, with the first two being risk factors, while the last one primarily plays a protective role. Factors that modify or change these relationships have been studied by both psychological and educational researchers, in efforts to inform interventions. One area of interest is school ethnic contexts, specifically school ethnic representation (number of same-ethnic peers) and school ethnic diversity (proportion of different ethnic groups in student body). This study investigated whether these two school ethnic variables changed or influenced the relationship between …

Borderline Personality Disorder: Interventions For Adolescents And Caregivers, Addison Odum

Evidence-Based Social Work Practice Guide Series

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) encompasses a wide range of symptoms characterized by emotional dysregulation, including challenging interpersonal relationships, impulsivity, disturbances in cognition and identity, and is often accompanied by intentional self-injury and suicidal behaviors. In this guide, emphasis is placed on three aspects of intervention: (1) clinical interventions for adolescents who meet the criteria for BPD; (2) interventions clinicians can teach to parents/caretakers so they can better work with their child’s diagnosis; and (3) due to the negative impact this can have on adolescents, clinical interventions for parents/caregivers diagnosed with or exhibiting common symptoms of BPD is also provided.

Gender Differences In The Association Between Emotion Dysregulation And Suicidal Behavior, Eliza Hope Laves

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 years old (Drapeau & McIntosh, 2020). Being younger and female is significantly associated with suicidal behaviors (e.g., suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts), and girls report higher scores on suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts that result in a hospital visit compared to boys (Kann et al., 2018; Nook et al., 2008). Additionally, adolescents (e.g., 17.2%) reported the highest levels of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) engagement compared to young adults (e.g., 13.4%) and adults (e.g., 5.5%), and girls reported more NSSI engagement than boys among adolescents …

The Influence Of Parent-Child Relationships On Female Sexual Functioning: A Review Of The Literature, Laura Tillman

Dissertations

This literature review is an examination of the impact of parental communication of sexual functioning in women. Women have many commonalities of sexual experiences and receive similar messages as children and adolescents in regards to their sexual behavior. Current attitudes towards women’s sexuality and sexual functioning and the outcomes that a lack of communication can warrant are areas of importance for this literature review. This Clinical Research Project (CRP) examines how frequently parents communicate about sexual topics with their child, how parents communicate, and parental feelings surrounding discussions. Parenting models and attachment styles are reviewed and how childhood experiences shape …

Ecological Momentary Assessment Of Anxiety, Daily Stress, And Daily Glycemic Control In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Natalie Benjamin

Dissertations (1934 -)

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an increasingly common chronic illness in children and adolescents that can result in short- and long-term health complications. Adolescents with T1D represent a uniquely vulnerable population, as both physical and psychological disease outcomes tend to deteriorate during this period of development. Thus, among adolescents it is crucial to gain further understanding of what psychological and contextual factors promote optimal disease management. While traditional methods of assessment in this population involve one-time, long-term measurements of psychosocial factors and glycemic control, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), including daily diaries, are increasingly used to capture change processes both between …

Anxiety And Depression's Incremental Effect On Executive Functioning Deficits In Children And Adolescents, Paige Picou

LSU Master's Theses

Children and adolescents experiencing anxiety and/or depression experience impairment in a myriad of domains and often engage in maladaptive strategies that then exacerbate or prolong their current symptomology. However, there is still a paucity of research examining anxiety and depression’s impact on executive functioning in children and adolescents, and existing research is muddled with problems in how researchers both define and choose to measure executive functioning. This study aims to clarify some of the conflicting research on anxiety and depression’s impact on executive functioning by using Barkley’s hybrid theory of executive functioning to determine whether anxiety and depressive symptomology add …

Examining Criteria For Defining Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms In Children And Adolescents, Grant L. Iverson, Justin E. Karr, Bruce Maxwell, Ross Zafonte, Paul D. Berkner, Nathan E. Cook

Psychology Faculty Publications

Researchers operationalize persistent post-concussion symptoms in children and adolescents using varied definitions. Many pre-existing conditions, personal characteristics, and current health issues can affect symptom endorsement rates in the absence of, or in combination with, a recent concussion, and the use of varied definitions can lead to differences in conclusions about persistent symptoms and recovery across studies. This study examined how endorsement rates varied by 14 different operational definitions of persistent post-concussion symptoms for uninjured boys and girls with and without pre-existing or current health problems. This cross-sectional study included a large sample (age range: 11–18) of girls (n = …

Exploring Actual Social Support Using The Social Convoy Model To Assess The Impact On Depression In Adolescents, Chris Hansen

Masters Theses

The current study set out to better understand the differences between availability of support and received support and explore the relation between social support and depression in late adolescents. One hundred and forty participants were recruited from a northwest suburb high school and a college from the eastern central part of Illinois. A social network was formed for each participant using a mapping technique from the Social Convoy Model. The received support measure, the UCLA Social Support Inventory, was used to assess the amount of received support participants identified from their social network. Participants completed the Late Adolescent Social Support …

Predictors Of Co-Rumination In Adolescent Friendships, Rebecca Emily Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Co-rumination is talking excessively about problems with another person such as a same-sex best friend. Co-rumination is found to impact adjustment, such that co-rumination is related to an increase in depressive and anxiety symptoms but also an increase in friendship quality. The consequences of co-rumination have been studied, but predictors of co-rumination over time have yet to be studied. The study investigated factors that may predict co-rumination such as attachment style (secure, dismissing, preoccupied), expectations of rejection (angry, anxious), and gender orientation (masculinity and femininity) over a 9-month period. Theoretical frameworks included response styles theory, maternal deprivation theory, and rejection …

A Cognitive-Behavioral Program For Improving Self-Esteem In At-Risk Adolescents, Amelia K. Chase-Wise

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Youth who have experienced adverse events in childhood are more likely to experience negative health outcomes. Increased exposure to adverse experiences such as abuse or neglect are associated with increased risk for outcomes such as smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, depressed mood, and attempted suicide. These outcomes may be mediated through the development of more positive coping strategies. Currently, there are no group programs for young adolescents that are designed from a cognitive-behavioral perspective that aim to improve self-esteem in this population. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective at reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental …