Psychology Commons^™

Analysis Of Research On The Effects Of Auditory Stimulation On Anxiety And Stress In Clinical And General Populations, Rebecca Lee

CMC Senior Theses

The use of auditory stimulation may be a useful method in treating clinical anxiety disorders, as well as aiding in coping with daily stress among general populations. The understanding of how certain forms of auditory stimulation can increase anxiety and stress is also critical so clinicians and the general population can approach decreasing anxiety and stress in the most effective way possible. The following paper will provide a literature review on studies published after the year 2000, analyzing the various impacts of different types of auditory stimulation, including impacts of music-therapy, music and noise at different frequencies, binaural beat stimulation, …

Impact Of Interparental Conflict And Maternal Attachment On College Students’ Social Anxiety And Emotional Regulation, Kendra Ostermeier

Masters Theses

The potential impact that interparental conflict experienced during adolescence can have subsequently on college students was examined. The literature has demonstrated a positive relationship between interparental conflict and emotional dysregulation (Schwarz et al., 2012) and social anxiety (Adare et al., 2021). Maternal attachment was examined as a mediator of this relationship, as El-Sherkiah and Elmore-Staton (2004) identified it as a mediator between martial conflict and negative child outcomes. Specifically, this study examined the relationship between interparental conflict with social anxiety and emotional dysregulation. Additionally, this study examined maternal attachment as a mediator of those relationships. Interparental conflict was correlated positively …

Developing Resilience In Early Adolescent Females, Laura Fleetwood

Doctor of Leadership

American stress levels are rising in almost all age groups, especially in females. The medical and mental health response is largely reactionary as practitioners scramble to address the resulting negative impacts on bodies and minds. Traditional avenues for help are overwhelmed and increasingly difficult to access. As a result, there is opportunity for Christian organizations to help communities deal with the impact of the stress epidemic.

The scale of addressing stress-related issues is initially overwhelming, but starting small and supporting a targeted group provides significant opportunity for the development of self- leadership skills and habits to proactively address it. Resilience …

Influencing Others: How Can We Benefit Society?, Caleb Roten

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Understanding both how we perceive others and how others perceive us through social situations is vital for improving communication and thus improving relational connections. Successful interactions with people are crucial in many circumstances, especially in interview-type situations, due to the creation of cognitive biases upon such interactions. Whether the goal is to impress a hopeful romantic partner, interview for a job, negotiate a raise, interview for a scholarship, or any number of various reasons to strive for a successful social interaction, understanding how information about the people we meet and connect with is extremely important. Many cognitive examinations have been …

An Examination Of An Online Program For Parents With Anxious Adolescents, Tracy Sciulli

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The researcher conducted a mixed-methods study to investigate the effectiveness of an online parent coaching program in influencing parental beliefs about anxiety and enhancing parenting self-efficacy for managing adolescent anxiety. The researchers developed the piloted parenting program to determine whether a brief online intervention for parents could alter parental self-efficacy and beliefs about adolescent anxiety to bring about positive outcomes for adolescents undergoing treatment for anxiety. The team recruited parents of adolescents diagnosed with or receiving treatment for anxiety symptoms from Philadelphia Integrative Psychiatry for a pre-intervention and post-intervention study. The proposed parenting program aims to address the shortcomings in …

God Attachment, Health Locus Of Control, Anxiety, And Health Behaviors During Covid-19 Among College Undergraduates At A Religious University, Jessica K. Wilbur

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the relationship between attachment to God, health locus of control (HLOC), perceived stress, and COVID-19-related attitudes and health behaviors among undergraduate students. Undergraduates from George Fox University were sampled, and data were collected from December 2021 to May 2022. Participants ranged from ages 18 to 36 years old (M = 19.1, SD = 2.1). The majority identified as female (68.3%) and European-American (70.2%). A K-cluster analysis revealed two groups utilizing attachment to God and HLOC scores: 81 healthy (43%) and 109 distressed (57%) individuals. The healthy group reported lower scores on anxious and avoidant attachment to God …

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy For The Houseless Population, Michelle Franke

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is currently a practical, empirically based treatment used by researchers and clinicians to treat a variety of mental health concerns. However, its ability to meet the needs of financially vulnerable and underserved populations, such as the houseless community, is still unknown. This study addresses the knowledge and treatment gap by offering VRET to the houseless adult population in the Pacific Northwest area, hypothesizing that exposure to VRET would decrease participant symptomology while increasing overall well-being and affinity for the method. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that attrition rates will be the same or lower while retention …

The Role Of Caregiver Anxiety, Sleep, Distress, And Emotion Socialization Behaviors On Child Behaviors, Amanda Hicks

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In early childhood, caregivers are the primary agents of emotion socialization, helping their child identify, label, and healthily express their emotions. How a caregiver aids in emotion development and understanding has important implications for their child’s behavior regulation. Distressed caregivers may have difficulty helping their child cope with negative emotions leading to an increased likelihood of problem behaviors over time. While some literature has highlighted an association between caregiver anxiety and child behavior problems, little is known about the mechanisms by which anxiety negatively impacts child behaviors. Caregiver risk factors such as poor sleep, distress related to their child’s negative …

The Relationship Between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Sluggish Cognitive Tempo, Anna Podrasky

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) was first described as a syndrome associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, SCT may be a unique construct, independent of the presence of ADHD. Archival data from a specialty outpatient adult ADHD clinic were analyzed to further evaluate the relationship between SCT and ADHD. It was hypothesized that there would not be significant differences between ADHD and SCT on measures of anxiety, depression, neuroticism, and sleep disturbance. Second, it was hypothesized that after controlling for anxiety, depression, neuroticism, and sleep disturbance at level 1 of a hierarchical regression analysis, there would be no additive predictive relationship …

The Effect Of State Anxiety On Working Memory Updating, Alexandra L. Mastrangelo

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety impairs cognition by operating to alter processing efficiency. When anxiety impairs efficiency, the capacity of working memory (WM) is confined especially for individuals who concurrently experience higher levels of anxiety (Yang et al., 2018). The updating function is a crucial process that operates within WM to replace and modify older with novel information to carry out complex cognitive tasks. However, if interference accrues from previously learned information (known as proactive interference, or PI), removing information from WM becomes more difficult. Because the relationship between state anxiety (SA) and WM is less understood compared to trait anxiety (TA), this study …

Associations Among Psychosocial Factors, Health-Related Quality Of Life, And Adherence In Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Cecelia I. Nelson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a prevalent disorder among youth in the United States. IBD is one of the leading causes of chronic pain in adolescence and symptoms can lead to reduced quality of life, social embarrassment, and lower self-esteem. Adherence to medical regimens for IBD is incredibly important to prevent morbidity, mortality, and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, adolescents struggle generally with adherence and the regimen for IBD can be complicated and include aversive side effects. Psychological factors, such as depressive symptoms, are key factors associated with non-adherence. Nevertheless, gut-specific anxiety (GSA) is a psychological factor that …

Navigating New Normals: Student Perceptions, Experiences, And Mental Health Service Utilization In Post-Pandemic Academia, Hadiza Galadima, Anne Dumadag, Cara Tonn

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This study explores the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, focusing on shifts in learning experiences and students’ intentions to utilize mental health services post-pandemic. Utilizing Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, this study assesses perceptions from a stratified random sample of college students on post-pandemic learning experiences and mental health service utilization intentions. Findings reveal a positive reception to university initiatives and a preference for ongoing virtual classes. There is an evident increase in, and varying intentions for, using mental health services, shaped by demographics, employment, and prior service utilization. Younger and female students showed …

Student-Athlete Mental Health: University Of Montana Case Study, Abigail M. Sherwood

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Research suggests that Division I college-student athletes experience higher levels of stress and other behavioral health issues than their non-athlete counterparts, with up to 20% of them suffering from depression (Sudano et al., 2017). Two studies on student athletes’ well-being conducted in 2020, reported that athletes continue to report higher levels of mental health concerns (Johnson, 2022). Since the fall of 2020, rates of mental exhaustion, depression, and anxiety have improved minimally with rates remaining 1.5 to two times higher than reported before the COVID-19 pandemic (Johnson, 2022). Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the French Open in 2021 and Simone Biles …

Coping With Creativity - The Relationship Between Depression/Anxiety And Creative Coping In College-Aged Students, Nelly M. Dragu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The relationship between creativity and mental illness has been established in the literature. There are multiple possible explanations for how mental illness and creativity are connected, and creativity has shown to be an effective treatment for different mental illnesses (for example, through art therapy). Despite this, there is limited research on which creative activities those with mental illnesses naturally use to cope. Information on the type of creative coping that the mentally ill naturally gravitate to and find most effective can further inform possible treatment plans and suggestions. This study aims to address gaps in the literature concerning how college-aged …

Associations Of Chronic Pain With Psychosocial Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Nidilrr And Va Tbi Model Systems Collaborative Project, Robin Hanks, Jessica M Ketchum, Mackenzie Peckham, Mitch Sevigny, Angelle M Sander, Aaron M Martin, Stephanie Agtarap, Cynthia L Beaulieu, Librada Callender, Flora M Hammond, Jean Lengenfelder, Amanda R Rabinowitz, William C Walker, Jeanne M Hoffman, Cynthia Harrison-Felix, Risa Nakase-Richardson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: To examine the differences in participation, life satisfaction, and psychosocial outcomes among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) endorsing current, past, or no chronic pain.

SETTING: Community.

PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand eight hundred four TBI Model Systems participants 1 to 30 years of age postinjury classified into 1 of 3 groups based on their pain experience: current pain, past pain, no pain completed a Pain Survey at their usual follow-up appointment which on average was approximately 8 years postinjury.

DESIGN: Multisite, cross-sectional observational cohort study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sociodemographic and injury characteristics and psychosocial outcomes (ie, satisfaction with life, depression, …

The Mental Health Of Southeast Asian American Lgbtqia+ Adults, Phetsamone P. Phoummavong

Dissertations and Theses

The current study examines the prevalence of and relationship between mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, anxiety) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among a sample of Southeast Asian Americans (age: M = 26.6, SD = 4.0) who self-identified as sexual and gender minorities (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual and plus [LGBTQIA+]) (n = 41). Our national online survey was co-developed with a partnering community-based organization (CBO), Mekong NYC, and was disseminated through Southeast Asian American and/or LGBTQIA+ serving CBOs, university-affiliated organizations, and relevant affinity groups.

Results indicate that participants in our sample who identified as female, …

Investigating The Novel Effects Of First-Time Wim Hof Breathing: An Experimental Study, Yuhan Kong

CMC Senior Theses

Breathwork, or voluntary controlled breathing exercise, is central around the world for spiritual and well-being purposes. Most extant research has focused on slow breathing techniques and has found a range of benefitsin physiological (e.g., increase in parasympathetic tone) and psychological (e.g., reduction in depression, anxiety, stress) outcomes. Less explored is fast-paced breathwork, which may also be beneficial for mental and physical health. Wim Hof Breathing (WHB), a novel breathing technique that gained popularity in recent years, has been claimed to have a range of health benefits, including improving mental health, autonomic regulation and cardiovascular functioning. However, very limited scientific studies …

The Effects Of Social Media On Mental Health And Well-Being, Connor Printz

CMC Senior Theses

This paper seeks to examine the positive and negative effects of social media on the well-being and mental health of people. The emergence of social media platforms has transformed the landscape of human interaction and communication, revolutionizing the way individuals connect, share information, and engage with the world around them. With the rapidly increasing popularity of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, and more, people now have unprecedented access to virtual networks, enabling instantaneous communication and global connectivity. While social media and these apps have without a doubt brought about numerous benefits, including enhanced social connectedness, access …

Prolonged Grief: The Predictive Value Of Cognitive Distortions, Depression, And Anxiety, Michael Kastelnik

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Bereavement, the emotional pain of losing a loved one, may lead to significant distress and functional impairment, which can negatively impact the relationships, work, and health of those who grieve. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between cognitive distortions and prolonged grief, depression, and anxiety. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant and positive relationship between prolonged grief, depression, anxiety, and cognitive distortions, as measured by the Prolonged Grief Scale-Revised (PG-13-R), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (ICD), respectively (Hypothesis 1). It was also …

Determinants Of Medical Cannabis Use For The Treatment Of Anxiety: A Qualitative Study, Catherine Blasi

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety is a disorder characterized by feelings of tension, excessive fear, and physiological changes. Specific classes of anxiety disorders have been recognized, including social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, specific phobia, panic disorder, and separation anxiety disorder. Cannabis is the most commonly used federal substance in the U.S. In recent years, medical cannabis has been increasingly utilized as a treatment option following approval in many U.S. states. At present, no literature addresses explicitly why individuals with anxiety choose to utilize medical cannabis as a treatment option instead of other longstanding treatment options, including psychotherapy and medication. Therefore, the purpose …

Work Characteristics, Workplace Support, And Mental Ill-Health In A Canadian Cohort Of Healthcare Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nicola Cherry, Anil Adisesh, Igor Burstyn, Quentin Durand-Moreau, Jean-Michel Galarneau, France Labrèche, Shannon Ruzycki, Tanis Zadunayski

Études primaires

Objective The aim of the study was to identify determinants of mental health in healthcare workers (HCW) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cohort of Canadian HCW completed four questionnaires giving details of work with patients, ratings of workplace supports, a mental health questionnaire, and substance use. Principal components were extracted from 23 rating scales. Risk factors were examined by Poisson regression. Results A total of 4854 (97.8%) of 4964 participants completed ratings and mental health questionnaires. Healthcare workers working with patients with COVID-19 had high anxiety and depression scores. One of three extracted components, 'poor support,' was related to …

Witnessing Bullying And Internalizing Symptoms: The Influence Of Peer Relationships, Matthew Geisler

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Bullying is a common problem in schools and has been associated with many different negative outcomes for students. While there has been considerable research examining students who are directly involved in bullying scenarios such as the bullies and victims themselves, less is known about the other students who witness bullying events at school. Bullying scenarios become more common at a similar time where peer relationships become more important in the daily lives of students as they begin to spend more time interacting with their peers. Positive peer relationships have been associated with positive outcomes for students and thus may serve …

Race-Based Stressors And Racial Trauma: The Moderating Role Of Parental Racial Socialization, Jessica S. Philip

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Experiences of race-based stressors are linked with worse psychological outcomes for racial/ethnic minority individuals (e.g., Ferdinand et al., 2015). The way in which parents talk to their children about race (i.e., racial/ethnic socialization; RES) may exacerbate or buffer against the strength of this link (e.g., Keum & Ahn, 2021). Therefore, the present study examined the links between race-based stressors, RES, and psychological outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress, racial trauma) across multiple racial/ethnic minority groups. The present study also explored the different RES messages as potential moderators for the link between race-based stressors and outcomes, as well as differences in these …

Online Perceived Social Support And Its Association With Psychopathology In Rural And Urban Youth, Ellen Alexandra Knowles

Dissertations and Theses

Social support is a fundamental aspect of development throughout adolescence. It has been found to buffer against the negative impacts of stress and provide general benefits to one’s well-being. Youth today are exposed to a range of opportunities for socialization with peers, both in-person and online, including interacting with others through texting, social media, video games, and other digital means. These online interactions have begun to be investigated as accessible methods through which adolescents can connect with others and maintain healthy relationships. Furthermore, digital social networks may be most critical for youth from isolated communities, including those from rural areas. …

Frozen By Worry And Fatigue? A Mixed Methods Approach To Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Freezing Of Gait, Sarah M. Ghose

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a mixed methods emergent, phenomenological approach to (1) understanding the lived experience of freezing of gait for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and (2) determining the role of anxiety and sleep in freezing of gait outcomes. Participants included 13 adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (N=14 for qualitative data, N=13 for quantitative data; 23.1% female-identifying, 76.9% male-identifying) who were predominantly white (92.3%) with an average age of 69 years (SD = 6.73 years). Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, self-report measures, actigraphic sleep data, and salivary alpha amylase biomarker collection. Results are organized into …

Traumatic Brain Injury Severity In Older Adults: Impact On Anxiety And Depression Symptoms And Community Engagement, Ashley Tomford

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of physical and cognitive disability worldwide. TBI can negatively impact cognitive, physical, social, and psychological functioning.

Objective: This study investigated interactions between TBI severity, mental health symptom severity, and community engagement among older adults. Specific aims included investigating 1) the relationship between TBI severity at the time of injury and psychiatric symptom severity at one-year post-TBI; 2) the relationship between TBI severity and community engagement at one-year post-TBI; and 3) whether mental health symptom severity moderated the relationship between TBI and post-injury community engagement.

Methods: Archival data was analyzed …

Effect Of Parenting Techniques On Anxiety In Children, Amber Burton

Student Works

As anxiety among children becomes more prevalent, understanding how parenting styles affect its development may become more relevant. Anxiety affects various aspects of individuals' lives (socially, intellectually, physically, and spiritually), adding extra challenges. Anxiety can be influenced by genetics but is also potentially impacted by the child’s environment. Evidence suggests that children whose parents display higher levels of warmth through acceptance and caring behaviors tend to experience lower levels of anxiety (Butterfield et al., 2021). Additionally, lower levels of anxiety have been found in children with parents who utilize increased levels of autonomy, giving their children the freedom to make …

Gender Differences In Youth’S Mental Health Problems During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kimberly A. Hohlfeld

Honors Capstones

The purpose of this research paper is to examine whether young girls were more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms than young boys during the COVID-19 pandemic at two time points, in April of 2020 and May of 2020. An additional hypothesis that was examined was whether the presence of siblings in the home moderated the association between gender and depression and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. T-tests were used to analyze the mean differences in youth mental health symptoms based on gender. Young girls were found to experience significantly higher anxiety symptoms in May of 2020 than …

Endometriosis And Its Effect On Women's Lives, Haley Duncan

Psychology Student Publications

My paper is about women with endometriosis, and its effects on women's lives. I discussed the disease itself, as well as its psychological and physical impacts it has on not just affected women, but their partners as well.

The Worrying Doesn't Stop, Shayla Rickford

Psychology Student Publications

This paper is all about anxiety and anxiety disorders. Within the paper I list some examples and feelings that I have had myself, as I struggle with anxiety. With use of scientific articles, I discuss a lot of what anxiety is, anxiety disorders, how people with anxiety feel, the causes of anxiety and treatment for anxiety.