Psychology Commons^™

Validation Of A Measure Of Hypervigilance And Anxiety About Gastrointestinal Symptoms For Individuals With Elevated Eating Pathology, K. Jean Forney, Helen Burton Murray, Tiffany A. Brown, Livia Guadagnoli, Gabriella Pucci, Tiffany Taft

Psychology Open Access Publications

Gastrointestinal symptoms are common within eating disorders and gastrointestinal-specific anxiety is a posited maintenance factor. The present study sought to validate a modified version of an existing measure of gastrointestinal-specific anxiety and hypervigilance in a sample with elevated eating pathology. Esophageal-specific terms in the Esophageal Hypervigilance and Anxiety Scale were modified to measure any gastrointestinal symptoms as a general measure of gastrointestinal-specific anxiety and hypervigilance. Three hundred eighty-two undergraduate students (83.5% female, 87.4% White) with elevated eating pathology completed a questionnaire battery that also measured gastrointestinal symptoms, general anxiety sensitivity, and lower gastrointestinal-specific anxiety on two occasions. Analyses were preregistered …

Childhood Trauma And Undergraduate College Success Rates: Examining The Mediating Roles Of Anxiety, Substance Use, And Self-Esteem, Keirsten Lipowski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individuals who experience childhood trauma have profound, lasting repercussions on their psychological and physical well-being. This non-experimental correlational study’s purpose is to evaluate if childhood trauma exposure predicts undergraduate college success rates for early adults. This study is designed to examine how the mediating factors of anxiety, substance use, and self-esteem are altered after childhood trauma exposure, ultimately influencing the ability to succeed in a college setting. Four research questions drove this study: (a) What is the relationship between the frequency of complex childhood trauma and college success rates?, (b) How does anxiety mediate the relationship between the frequency of …

Social Media & Mental Health: An Examination Of Tiktok & Mental Health Outcomes, Jessica Maddox

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The goal of this research study was to examine the relationship between amount of Tiktok use and the results of various mental health scales. The hypothesis was that increased Tiktok use would be correlated with a decrease in self-esteem, and an increase in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and overall loneliness. Participants were recruited on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and paid a small monetary benefit in exchange for completion of the study. There were a total of 285 participants. Correlations and linear regression analysis were used to determine statistical significance; results showed no statistical significance and none of the hypotheses were …

Why Are We Creatives? Understanding The Psychology Of Creativity Between Children And Adults With References To Leonardo Da Vinci And Michelangelo Buonarroti, Jordyn R. Garca

2023 Fall Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This paper examines the differences in creativity between children and adults, including certain components that can influence creativity, or in certain instances, can also diminish it. With the support of biographers, clinical psychologists, and scholars, this paper also includes information regarding the lives of two of the world’s most well-known artists, and in certain instances the challenges they faced regarding childhood and mental health. Growing up, it is often encouraged that children should develop their creativity and learn to make their own decisions without fear of failure. However, it is not commonly accepted in society for an individual to want …

Self-Reflections Through A Screen: Self-Identity, Social Media, And Psychological Well-Being, Jeremy J. Serio

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Social media use among emerging adults is assumed to be related to a variety of negative psychological outcomes and has, in recent years, become a widely studied phenomenon (Kim, 2017, Pew Research Center, 2018). Despite the widespread assumption, the results from empirical studies of the effects of social media use on mental health in this population have been inconsistent and inconclusive (Keles et al., 2020, Yang et al., 2021). Several meta-analyses (e.g., Keles et al., 2020) demonstrate these inconsistent results across studies and point to the need to consider individual difference factors when researching this issue. Different self-identity styles have …

Prevalence Of Anxiety In College And University Students: An Umbrella Review, Gabriel Xing Da Tan, Xun Ci Soh, Andree Hartanto, Adalia Yin Hui Goh, Nadyanna M. Majeed

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The pervasiveness of anxiety has been increasing progressively over the years, becoming one of the most critical concerns among colleges and universities. With implications extending towards poorer academic performance and overall student mental health, there is an urgent need to address this growing concern. As such, we conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to summarize data in the literature on the overall prevalence of anxiety among college and university students. Moreover, this umbrella review also considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed potential moderators through distinct subgroup analyses. A systematic search was carried out across …

Underlying Mechanisms Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder In An Experimental Fear-Conditioning Paradigm, Melissa Hartnell

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential underlying mechanisms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) including fear generalization, maladaptive avoidance, and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) in a sample of adults with GAD, as compared to healthy controls in the context of a lab-based fear conditioning paradigm. The current study utilized data from the University of Minnesota ANGST Laboratory’s Danger Zone – Research Domain Criteria (DZ-RDoC) neuroimaging study. Participants consisted of 40 individuals ranging from ages 18-60, with 19 meeting criteria for GAD (M age = 30.57, SD = 11.70) and 21 healthy controls (M age = …

Editorial: Resilience, Quality Of Life And Psychosocial Outcomes Of Cancer Patients And Their Caregivers, Nida Zahid, Nargis Asad, Ashraf El-Metwally

Department of Surgery Docs

No abstract provided.

Contending With Covid: Examining Levels Of Anxiety Among College-Aged Adults In The Wake Of The Pandemic, Madison C. Harris

Undergraduate Research (Journal)

Much is unknown about the impact of pandemics, as well as their corollary effects. Paying particular attention to the demographic characteristics of participants (gender, race/ethnicity, and familial income), this quantitative study examines differences in levels of anxiety in separate, unmatched samples of college students before and after social distancing due to COVID-19. Via an online survey platform, participants (N = 156) completed self-report measures which gathered demographic characteristics and levels of anxiety. A four-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not show significant differences in levels of anxiety among participants across gender, race, familial income, or social distancing status. Implications for …

Survivor Experiences Of Male Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Literature Review, Elizabeth Burch B.S., Joseph T. Kenneally Psy.D., Stephanie Zepeda Phd

Psychology from the Margins

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes childhood sexual abuse (CSA) as a global health issue. CSA is a human violation that affects both female and male children and has a stronger detrimental impact on mental health than other traumatic childhood experiences. Despite a growing awareness of male survivors of CSA, male survivors are a marginalized group as most CSA research focuses on females. In addition, masculine norms can keep male adults from disclosing further, which can delay support and increase mental health issues. This meta- analysis reviews the current literature on this group of marginalized people and concludes with a …

Internalizing Symptoms In Autistic Young Adults: Comparing The Cognitive And Physiological Components Of Emotion Regulation, Sarah Lehman

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Autistic people experience co-occurring mental illness at a substantially greater rate compared to their neurotypical counterparts. Of these comorbid psychopathologies, internalizing disorders (anxiety and depression) are among the most prevalent. Emotion dysregulation has been identified as a contributing factor to this phenomenon and potential treatment target. The current study employed cognitive (e.g., use of suppression and use of cognitive reappraisal) and physiological (e.g., respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and heart period) measures to more holistically capture the multifaceted construct of emotion regulation compared to prior research. In a sample of autistic young adults (N = 63) ages 17-29 (M = 20.14), …

Predictors And Moderators Of Treatment Outcomes For Anxious Children Randomized To Computer-Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Or Standard Community Care, Orri Smárason, Andrew G Guzick, Wayne K Goodman, Alison Salloum, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction:

Computer-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy (CCBT) for childhood anxiety disorders may aid the dissemination of CBT, while maintaining treatment fidelity. Although CCBT is an effective intervention, not everyone benefits equally from treatment. Identifying patient characteristics that predict who will benefit from treatment and to what extent can help with matching patients to suitable interventions, and allow researchers and clinicians to modify, and individualize, their treatment formats more effectively. Such predictors and moderators have not yet been examined for CCBT outcomes in anxious children and studies of more traditional treatment formats have yielded inconsistent results.

Methods:

Using data from a randomized …

Mixed Method Approach Towards The Life Of University Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Raihan Khan, Andrew White, Tony Jehi

Department of Health Sciences - Faculty Scholarship

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the higher education system. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess COVID-19 fear, anxiety, and stress among Shenandoah Valley college students.

Methods

An online survey was fielded and completed by n=680 students. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 students.

Results

The mean participant age was 22.14±5.48 years, and primarily White (81.9%), women (80.4%), and undergraduate (78.0%) students. Approximately 41% were enrolled in health-related majors (41.4%). Women students had significantly higher anxiety, depression, and fear of contracting COVID-19 than men. Undergraduate students had significantly higher depression than graduate students. Qualitative analysis revealed several major themes: …

Excessive Exercise And Its Relationship To Social Appearance Anxiety And Difficulties In Emotional Regulation, Ciaran D. Brown, Hannah Fitterman-Harris Dr

The Cardinal Edge

Background: Excessive exercise is characterized as an eating pathology symptom, often described as an addiction, with typical symptoms of addiction observed such as increased tolerance (i.e., more exercise needed for the same effects), continuation despite acknowledged negative effects, social withdrawal, and withdrawal symptoms when the behavior is discontinued. Our research sought to further understand this phenomenon by exploring its relationship with other characteristics common to eating disorder patients. One such characteristic chosen for this project was Social Appearance anxiety, which is described as a fear or excessive worry about the way you appear to other people, including fears of positive …

Returning To School After Covid-19: Relationships Between Parental Stress And Resilience With Children’S Mental Health Behaviors, Christa P. Stanley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, experts predicted an increase of children’s mental health issues. However, not all children showed symptoms after lockdowns lifted. The study’s purpose was to examine parental stress and resilience during COVID-19 lockdowns and their relationship to children’s behaviors, specifically anxiety and aggression after lockdown. Participants included 61 parents of children currently aged 7-11 who did not have mental health disorders before COVID lockdowns. Most parents were white, non-Hispanic within middle to high income ranges. The quantitative study used a correlational design. Parents were recruited through school websites and social media sites which linked them to a 122-question …

Assessing The Severity Of Cervical Dystonia: Ask The Doctor Or Ask The Patient?, Adam C Cotton, Laura Scorr, William Mcdonald, Cynthia Comella, Joel S Perlmutter, Christopher G Goetz, Joseph Jankovic, Laura Marsh, Stewart Factor, H A Jinnah

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Assessing disease severity can be performed using either clinician-rated scales (CRS) or patient-rated outcome (PRO) tools. These two measures frequently demonstrate poor correlations.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if the correlation between a CRS and PRO for motor features of cervical dystonia (CD) improves by accounting for non-motor features.

METHODS: Subjects with CD (N = 209) were evaluated using a CRS (Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale, TWSTRS) and a PRO (Cervical Dystonia Impact Profile, CDIP-58).

RESULTS: Linear regression revealed a weak correlation between the two measures, even when considering only the motor subscales of each. The strength of this relationship …

The Effects Of Acculturation, Marianismo, And Religiosity On Pregnancy Related Anxiety In Latina Women, Jennifer M. Zanoli

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a dearth of information about pregnancy related anxiety (PRA) in Latina women, yet a growing body of literature demonstrates adverse birth outcomes for mother and infant due to PRA. This study examined the association between acculturation, religiosity, marianismo, parity, and a Latina pregnant woman’s relationship with her healthcare provider with PRA in Latina women aged 18 and above. Acculturation was expected to be the more robust factor amongst the independent variables.

Participants in this study (n = 53) were Hispanic, Chicano, Latino or had a Latin or Spanish heritage, over the age of 18, pregnant at the …

How Did Latinxs Near The U.S.-Mexico Border Fare During The Covid-19 Pandemic? A Snapshot Of Anxiety, Depression, And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Bianca T. Villalobos, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Introduction: The current study documented levels of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and COVID-19 fears and impacts among Latinxs living near the U.S.-Mexico border during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Participants of this cross-sectional study were 305 Latinx adults living in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) who completed an online survey between June and November 2020.

Results: About half of participants scored above the cut-off for anxiety (50.2%; GAD-7 scores ≥10) and depression (48.8%; PHQ-9 scores ≥10), and more than a quarter of participants showed clinical levels of posttraumatic stress (27.3%; PCL-5 scores ≥31). Latinxs reported on average 22 types of negative …

Identifying Associations Between The Family Environment And Anxiety And Depression Among Children Ages 0-17 In The United States, Reagan A. Richardson, Nicole M. Holt

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

This study analyzes whether physical, emotional & neurological, family environment, or community-related factors display the strongest association with anxiety and depression among children ages 0-17 in the United States.

Using IBM SPSS v. 27, we conducted a univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis on data from the 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) with a sample size of 21,599. Our independent variables included 30 questions from the NSCH which were compared to a mental health index score.

Our study shows that about 10.6% of children suffer from either anxiety, depression, or both, and the univariate model found that 19 …

The Impact Of Beliefs About Emotions On Emotion Regulation & Psychological Health, Sarah Brock

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined the effects of different beliefs about emotions (controllability vs. control value) on emotion regulation strategies and psychological health, specifically depression. Little research has examined how different types of beliefs about emotions may interact to impact the emotion regulation strategies they implement, whether that be cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, or acceptance. Online questionnaires measuring beliefs about emotion controllability, emotion control values (i.e., whether emotions should be controlled), emotion regulation, psychological health, and coping strategies were completed by 164 participants (117 females; 42 males; 4 non-binary). The participants ranged from 18 to 33 years old. The study found evidence …

Anxiety As A Compensatory Factor For Executive Functioning Abilities And Later Adhd Symptoms In Youth With Adhd, Rebecca Slomowitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher ADHD symptoms have been associated with reduced executive functioning (EF) performance in children. However, an emerging body of research has suggested that in children with higher ADHD symptoms, higher levels of anxiety symptoms may contribute to buffered executive functioning (EF) performance, termed a compensatory interaction. However, results investigating this hypothesis have been mixed, possibly due to the use of smaller sample sizes, cross-sectional datasets, and infrequent testing of compensatory interaction effects between ADHD and anxiety symptoms. The current study expands upon the previous literature by testing for compensatory interactions between anxiety symptoms and ADHD symptoms (e.g., inattention and hyperactive-impulsive …

Identifying Clinical Profiles In A Community Sample Of Youth With Selective Mutism, Melanie Rede

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Selective mutism (SM) refers to a consistent failure to speak in social situations that have an expectation for speaking, despite fluent speech in other situations (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Recent researchers describe SM as a heterogeneous disorder not always characterized by anxiety (Driessen et al., 2020). Specifically, some have argued that SM may be better explained as a neurodevelopmental rather than an anxiety disorder (Kearney & Rede, 2021). The aim of the present study was to find unique classes for anxiety, oppositional, and communication difficulties among youth with SM. Participants included 129 caregivers of youth with SM aged 6–14 years …

Psychometric Properties Of The Revised Children’S Anxiety And Depression Scale (Rcads) For Autistic Youth Without Co-Occurring Intellectual Disability, Nasim Khalfe, Amy R. Goetz, Erika S. Trent, Andrew G. Guzick, Orri Smarason, Minjee Kook, Sean Olsen, Ana C. Ramirez, Saira A. Weinzimmer, Leandra Berry

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Autistic youth often present with comorbid anxiety and depression yet there is a dearth of validated assessment tools. The Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) assesses internalizing symptoms but there is little psychometric data in autistic youth. Treatment-seeking autistic youth with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive symptoms (N = 74; age 6–14 years), and caregivers, were administered the RCADS-Parent, RCADS-Child, and assessments of internalizing, externalizing symptoms and social impairment indicative of autism. RCADS-Parent and RCADS-Child total anxiety scores demonstrated excellent internal consistency, and the six subscales demonstrated acceptable-to-good internal consistency. The RCADS-Child and Parent total anxiety scores were weakly …

Editorial: Implementation Of Evidence-Based Treatments For Child Anxiety And Related Disorders Across Diverse Contexts, Emily M. Becker-Haimes, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez, Courtney Benjamin Wolk

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Youth anxiety and related disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, are prevalent (1), and on the rise (2). Ensuring that anxious youth receive timely and evidence-based treatment is critical; left untreated, these disorders are predictive of a host of future negative outcomes including continued or worsening anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicide (3–8). Unfortunately, it can take 15 years or more after a problem is recognized for someone with an anxiety or related disorder to connect with evidence-based psychosocial care, and most youth with anxiety who seek treatment will …

Implementation Of A Progressive Muscle Relaxation Intervention To Decrease Cancer Patients' Distress: A Quality Improvement Project., Theresa Thomas

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Background: People affected by cancer often experience psychological distress that ultimately decreases their health, adherence to treatment, overall well-being, and quality of life. Research has shown that MBIs can reduce psychological distress, depression, and anxiety and increase quality of life. A needs assessment conducted within a local cancer support organization, Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana, has expressed the need for providing a more comprehensive range of accessible MBIs in their programming to meet their psychosocial goals by reducing psychological distress in their members. PMR is an MBI not currently used by GCK that has been proven effective at reducing anxiety, depression, and …

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder In Youth And Young Adults With Depression: Clinical Characteristics Of Comorbid Presentations, David B Riddle, Andrew Guzick, Abu Minhajuddin, Orri Smárason, Gabrielle M Armstrong, Holli Slater, Taryn L Mayes, Lynnel C Goodman, Denise L Baughn, Sarah L Martin, Sarah M Wakefield, Joseph Blader, Ryan Brown, Wayne K Goodman, Madhukar H Trivedi, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders are highly comorbid, and each contribute to significant functional impairment for affected youth. Comorbid anxiety disorders in depressed youth have been associated with greater depressive symptom severity and impairment, but the impact of comorbid OCD in this population remains unclear. Accordingly, the present study examined the differential clinical characteristics of youth with depression and comorbid OCD relative to age/gender matched depressed youth with no such comorbidity and to those with depression and a comorbid (non-OCD) anxiety disorder. A sample of 797 youth and young adults ages 8-20 years who met diagnostic criteria …

It's A Mean, Mean World: Social Media And Mean World Syndrome, Samantha Kemp

University Honors Theses

Born from cultivation theory, which suggests that media has a profound effect on viewers' perceptions of the world around them, Mean World Syndrome is a psychosocial phenomenon that describes increased levels of fear, anxiety, and pessimism, as well as an overall perception of the world as "meaner" than it actually is, as a result of heavy viewership of violence-related mass media. Mean World Syndrome has primarily been associated with television consumption, but a major societal shift towards consumption of social media instead of television over the last two decades necessitates investigation into how social media affects its users. Through an …

A Comparative Study On Depression, Anxiety, Stress, And Psychological Wellbeing Among Orphan And Non-Orphan Adolescents, Patteswari Duraisamy, Rajesh Raman, Rithvik S Kashyap, Kanchana Dm, Muralikrishna Tn

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Background: Orphans, other vulnerable children, and adolescents living in institutions are more susceptible to developing behavioral and emotional problems because they lack the love and care of a family. The current study intends to investigate stress, anxiety, and depression in orphans living in the chosen orphanages in Mysuru, Karnataka. Methodology: Descriptive research methods were implemented in this research. A total of 200 adolescents made up the representative sample, including 100 orphans and 100 non-orphans. The data were taken from numerous orphanages and schools located in the city of Mysore. The samples were chosen using purposive sampling techniques. The level of …

The Protective Effects Of Physical Activity Coping And Environmental Supports On Academic Stress Among Adolescents, Taylor Swenski

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to identify how physical activity (PA) coping interacts with environmental risks and resources to predict youth mental health. Academic stress poses a threat to adolescent wellbeing, and has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety. Previous research has established that engaging in PA protects adolescents from depression and anxiety. However, very little is known about how PA may function as a coping mechanism, specifically (i.e. PA coping). PA is influenced by risks (e.g. crime, low built environment quality, etc.) and resources (e.g. accessibility, exercise equipment, etc.) in one’s environment, and accordingly, the present …

Stress Reactivity After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Relation With Behavioral Adjustment, Taiane De Azevedo Cardoso, Ritele H Silva, Jessica L Fernandes, Camila O Arent, Graziela Amboni, Laura A Borba, Alex Paulo Z Padilha, Maria Eduarda M Botelho, Amanda L Maciel, Tatiana Barichello, Rodrigo Morales, Silvio José B Soares, Margarete D Bagatini, Claudia Dallagnol, Marta Elisa Brighenti, Zuleide Maria Ignácio, João Quevedo, Luciane B Ceretta, Gislaine Z Réus

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have pointed out a possible relationship between COVID-19 and the presence of psychiatric disorders, the majority of the studies have significant limitations. This study investigates the influence of COVID-19 infection on mental health.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included an age- and sex-matched sample of adult individuals positive (cases) or negative (controls) for COVID-19. We evaluated the presence of psychiatric conditions and C-reactive protein (CRP).

RESULTS: Findings showed greater severity of depressive symptoms, higher levels of stress, and greater CRP in cases. The severity of depressive and insomnia symptoms, as well as the CRP were more remarkable …