Psychology Commons^™

The Moderating Effect Of Autism Symptomology On The Relationship Of Cognitive And Adaptive Functioning With Anxiety Symptoms In Infants And Toddlers, Robert D. Rieske

LSU Master's Theses

Anxiety disorders have been shown to have a high prevalence rate in the general population and the prevalence in those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is even higher. The detection, diagnosis, and implementation of an early intervention program for these disorders are crucial to the developmental outcome for such individuals. Researchers have shown how cognitive and adaptive functioning are related and affect anxiety symptoms in children as well as the high comorbidity with ASD. The aim of this study was to confirm those relationships, using scores from the BISCUIT-Part 2 (anxiety symptomology) and the BDI-II (Cognitive and Adaptive Developmental Quotient), …

Death Anxiety Amongst Medical Facility Staff Working With Medically Fragile Individuals, Jacqueline Anne Chambers-Klein

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Death, an inevitable concept that connects us as humans, can cause significant anxiety in individuals. Literature suggests that some medical professionals choose the field because of their own inner struggles with death (Neimeyer et al., 2004). Archival interview data were utilized in this action- oriented research to explore the notion of death anxiety in professionals who are working with medically fragile children. Twenty-six employees were individually interviewed at a residential medical facility. Additionally, a retrospective journal was utilized to understand the author’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences during internship. In order to examine the potential categories and themes that the author …

Clinical Implications Of Wearing A Scarlet Letter: Sex Offender Public Policy, Tracy E. Shannon

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation outlines a mixed methods research approach to evaluate the clinical implications of sex offender public policies. Background information is given regarding current public policy on sex offender civil commitment and community notification and registration, the development of public policy and the current ramifications of the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORNA), the etiology and construction of the definition of sex offenders, and a review of sex offender interventions and their impact on therapeutic outcomes. This study examines the therapeutic and anti-therapeutic effects of SORNA using a therapeutic jurisprudence framework. A discussion of the correlation between mental health symptoms and …

Development And Validation Of The Adolescent Thought Control Questionnaire (Tcq-A), Reanna (Sara) Elise Whiting

LSU Master's Theses

Despite receiving widespread attention in the adult literature, virtually no information about the effects of thought suppression currently exists using a developmental psychopathology perspective in adolescents. The current study describes the development and preliminary validation of The Adolescent Thought Control Questionnaire, a self-report measure of thought suppression strategy use among adolescents. A principal factor analysis revealed an identical factor structure to the adult Thought Control Questionnaire (Wells & Davies, 1994) and included subscales measuring Distraction, Reappraisal, Social, Worry, and Punishment strategies. Adequate evidence of internal and test-retest reliability was obtained. The TCQ-A evidenced strong validity when tested for relations to …

Quality Of Life In Adult Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Role Of Moderating And Mediating Variables, Brittany Belle Speisman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: This study examined the contribution of various aspects of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) on quality of life (QoL) in 102 adults with a principal diagnosis of OCD from an archival database. Method: Participants were assessed for DSM-IV diagnoses by trained clinicians using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule, 4th Edition (ADIS-IV), the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), and an unstructured interview. Further information was attained using the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory Revised (OCI-R) and the Medical Outcome Study-36 (MOS-36). Results: Results indicated that obsessive-compulsive symptom severity was positively correlated with diminished emotional health, social …

Neuropsychological, Psychosocial, And Mood Outcomes Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Julia L. Evans

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adolescents and adults can result in cognitive, emotional, behavioral and neurological deficits that can persist more than a year after an injury. The aim of the current preliminary study was to use a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment to determine the nature of cognitive impairments and their relationship with specific psychosocial factors, including coping skills and perceived quality of life, following mild TBI (mTBI). Neuropsychological tests administered measured intelligence, pre-morbid intelligence, executive functioning, verbal memory, complex visual construction and non-verbal memory, sustained attention distractibility, and vigilance, verbal learning and memory, fine motor speed, and novel problem solving …

Recollection Is Impaired By The Modification Of Interpretation Bias, Paula T. Hertel, Elaina Vasquez, Amanda Benbow, Megan Hughes

Psychology Faculty Research

The interpretation paradigm of cognitive-bias modification (CBM-I) was modified with instructions used in process-dissociation procedures for the purpose of investigating processes contributing to performance on the transfer task. In Experiment 1 nonanxious students were trained to interpret ambiguous situations in either a negative or benign way (or they read nonambiguous scenarios). They were then asked to respond to new ambiguous situations in the same way as contextually similar analogues during training, or to respond differently. Benign training proactively impaired memory for negative outcomes. This effect was replicated by anxious students in Experiment 2 and discussed with respect to the assumptions …

A Student's Guide To Overcoming The Pressure To Succeed In Higher Education [Brochure And Video], Amber R. Sellers, Tori Holmes

Counseling Concepts and Applications for Student Affairs Professionals (CNS 577)

All college students experience some sort of internal and/or external pressure to reach their definition of success. Family members, friends, professors, future employers, coaches, student organizations, and most importantly, students themselves expect certain behaviors to lead to a successful collegiate career (Newton, 2000). This video highlights the experiences and viewpoints of one student’s struggle with residual stress and offers support resources found on most campuses across the country. With the prevalence of stress and anxiety related disorders found within today’s collegiate population (Levine, 2005), this video hopes to raise awareness and assist struggling students who are seeking relief by providing …

Do Different Styles Of Self-Monitoring Yield Different Outcomes In Ego Depletion And Anxiety?, Katelyn Brittany Ealer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Different styles of self-monitoring, Public Performing and Other-directed, may result in different levels of ego depletion and anxiety after an ego depleting self-presentation task. To test this idea, undergraduate psychology students were recruited and deceived into believing that they were being monitored by trained researchers for competency so as to activate the ego depleting self-presentational strategy of competence. The predictions that as self-monitoring increases, ego depletion increases, that Other-directed self-monitoring predicts ego depletion more than Public Performing self-monitoring, that Public Performing self-monitoring predicts ego depletion controlling for Extroversion and Other-directed self-monitoring predicts ego depletion controlling for Neuroticism, and that ego …

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Of Persistent Functional Somatic Complaints And Pediatric Anxiety: An Initial Controlled Trial, Carrie Masia, Daniela Colognori, Rachel E. Kim, Laura C. Reigada, Rachel G. Klein, Karen J. Browner-Elhanan, Amy Saborsky, Eva Petkova, Philip Reiss, Manoj Chhabra, Yvonne B. Mcfarlane-Ferreira, Colin K. Phoon, Nanci Pittman, Keith Benkov

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Children and adolescents who seek medical treatment for persistent physical distress often suffer from co-occurring anxiety disorders. Treatment options for this impaired population are limited. This study tests the feasibility and potential efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention targeting pain and anxiety for youth with impairing functional physical symptoms and anxiety disorders presenting to pediatricians for medical care. Methods: Children and adolescents (aged 8-16) experiencing somatic complaints, without an explanatory medical disorder (i.e., functional), were recruited from primary care and specialty (gastroenterologists and cardiologists) pediatricians. Forty children, primarily with gastrointestinal symptoms, who met criteria for a co-occurring anxiety disorder, were …

Interoceptive Fear And Pain Anxiety In Non-Cardiac Chest Pain: Is Fear Associated With Reduced Physical Activity?, Jennifer Marie Craft

Dissertations

Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) describes angina-like pain suffered by patients who lack a cardiac diagnosis (Fleet & Beitman, 1997). Despite a benign diagnosis, some NCCP patients continue to experience persistent pain, cardiac worry, impaired quality of life (Eifert, Hodson, Tracey, Seville, & Gunawardane, 1996), elevated rates of psychiatric disorders (Bass & Wade, 1984; White, et al., 2008), and negative health consequences (Eslick & Talley, 2008). Consistent with theory, research indicates that NCCP patients differentially fear cardiac sensations (Aikens, Zvolensky, & Eifert, 2001; White, Craft, & Gervino, 2010). It may be that NCCP patients avoid physical activity, which elicits feared cardiorespiratory …

A Longitudinal Investigation Of Peer Victimization, Self-Esteem, Depression, And Anxiety Among Adolescents: A Test Of Cognitive Diathesis-Stress Theory, Cixin Wang

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examined the relationship between two types of peer victimization(overt and relational victimization), depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and selfesteem over three time points. Participants were 1171 fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth graders (623 females) recruited from four elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools in the Midwest. Students’ self-report on peer victimization, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and self-esteem was collected. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the relationship among those variables. The results showed that self-esteem mediated the relationship between two types of peer victimization and depressive symptoms. Self-esteem was found to mediate the relationship …

Finding Balance: School-Based Yoga Programs For The Prevention And Reduction Of Anxiety, Jessica Dawn Aaron

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Children and adolescents experience anxiety to varying degrees; levels vary from healthy and motivating to clinically elevated and debilitating. At present, anxiety disorders are most commonly treated through psychopharmacology and cognitive behavioral therapy. This thesis contains a brief literature review of these existing treatments, followed by a presentation of the emerging support for mindfulness-based yoga programs, highlighting a particular opportunity for school-based mental health providers. Keywords: yoga, anxiety, wellness, prevention, school-based, holistic care.

Friendship And Problem Solving : The Effect Of Various Situations On Co-Rumination In Emerging Adulthood Friendships, Kelly Larsen

Honors Theses

Co-rumination is the act of negatively discussing problems with another person. The focus of co-rumination is generally on the negative aspects, or things that cannot be changed as opposed to active problem solving. Co-rumination is positively associated with positive friendship quality as well as internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Co-rumination is most commonly studied in children and adolescents, but the present study extends this research by looking at the undergraduate population. In addition the current study aims to find differences in co-rumination in response to four different hypothetical scenarios. One hundred and thirty one students at the University …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Anxiety Disorders In Youth, Laura D. Seligman, Thomas H. Ollendick

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) have been shown to be efficacious for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Randomized clinical trials indicate that approximately two-thirds of children treated with CBT will be free of their primary diagnosis at posttreatment. Although several CBT treatment packages have been investigated in youth with diverse anxiety disorders, common core components have been identified. A comprehensive assessment, development of a good therapeutic relationship and working alliance, cognitive restructuring, repeated exposure with reduction of avoidance behavior, and skills training comprise the core procedures for the treatment of anxiety disorders in youth.

Better Late Than Never? Reduced Psychophysiological Response To A Human Intruder In High-Functioning Autism, J. Dee Higley, Mikle South, Paul Chamberlain, Oliver Johnston

Student Works

Background: In addition to core impairments in social communication, many individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience severe and debilitating symptoms of anxiety. Characterization of both shared and distinct neural mechanisms in ASD and anxiety may give insight into the neurodevelopmental course of ASD and improve the specificity of intervention techniques. Our aim was to measure both physiological and behavioral responses to an anxiety-provoking situation where a stranger intrudes on the environment. In monkey studies and in the wild, such situations tend to be accompanied by increased vigilance but decreased physical activity in order to avoid detection.

Anxiety And Visual Discriminations In Undergraduates, Katherine Bowers

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Mathematics tests were used to create anxiety in undergraduates. Heart rates were recorded as a measure of anxiety. Following each mathematics test, participants completed a different visual discrimination tasks, Stroop Colored Word Tests, Where’s Waldo Puzzles, and IQ Matching Tests. Reaction times and accuracy were measured for each task. The hypothesis was that those with more difficult mathematics tests would have longer reaction times and be less accurate. The results of the study suggest that mathematics anxiety did not have a significant effect on reaction times for any task, and was only significant for the accuracy of the IQ matching …

Disordered Eating And Negative Evaluation Anxiety As Canditates For The Extreme Female Brain Type, Jennifer Ann Bremser

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Baron-Cohen proposed an inclusive theory of individual differences in cognitive style by creating a taxonomy of brain types that is based on the distinction between empathizing and systemizing. More males, than females, use a `systemizing' cognitive style whereas more females than males use an empathetic cognitive style. Further, he posited that a small percentage of individuals will manifest the pathological "extremes" of sexually differentiated brain-types. In support this theory, people with autism have superior systemizing skills with deficits in empathizing. While Baron-Cohen (2003) also proposed the existence of an `extreme female brain', he did not specify the form it would …

A Comparative Evaluation Of Acceptance And Cognitive Restructuring Techniques For Coping With Acute Panicogenic Distress : An Experimental Evaluation In An Anxious Non-Clinical Sample, Erica Moses

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), an approach that emphasizes increasing perceptions of control and cognitive change through cognitive restructuring, has proven to be an efficacious treatment for panic disorder. However, significant proportions of patients fail to achieve clinically significant improvement. Acceptance, an alternative contextually-based approach to content- and change-based cognitive strategies, has gained popularity within the field. Research on the utility of acceptance-based strategies for anxiety is promising, particularly in comparison to control-based emotion regulation strategies, such as suppression and distraction. Yet, to date, no studies have rigorously compared acceptance-based strategies to analogs of cognitive-behavioral techniques. The present study is the first …

Fit Of The Tripartite Model With Residential Youth Referred For Externalizing Problems, Eu Gene Chin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tripartite model of anxiety and depression (Clark & Watson, 1991) has received strong support among adult, adolescent, and child populations. Clinical samples of children and adolescents in these studies, however, have usually been referred for treatment of anxiety and depression. This study investigated the fit of the tripartite model for children and adolescents in a large, inpatient facility who were referred primarily for externalizing problems. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the tripartite model relationship between negative affect, positive affect, and mood symptoms. Multiple fit indices were used to provide a reliable and conservative evaluation of the model. …

Relationships Among The Behavioral Inhibition System, Response Inhibition, Heart Rate Variability, And Anxiety Sensitivity Between Older Adolescents With And Without Significant Anxiety, Erin Tarcza Reuther

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Differences in the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS; Gray, 1982), response inhibition, and cardiac vagal control are evident between individuals with anxiety and nonclinical control participants. In this study, the role of inhibition in anxiety was examined, as well as relationships between the primary indexes of inhibition including the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), response inhibition, and cardiac vagal tone (or heart rate variability) at rest and during tasks of response inhibition. Additionally, anxiety sensitivity, an established risk factor for developing anxiety disorders, was examined and how it relates to indexes of inhibition. As expected, inhibition and anxiety sensitivity were found to …

Assessing Attentional Bias And Cerebral Laterality In Specific Phobia Using A Dichotic Listening Paradigm, Whitney Shay Jenkins

LSU Master's Theses

Researchers have found fear to impact a variety of cognitive variables in individuals with specific phobia. Attentional bias is a cognitive variable that has received considerable attention in the specific phobia literature; however, the existing literature follows only one line of attentional bias—bias as encoded through images, words, or other content presented visually. This study aimed to expand on this area by assessing attention and cerebral laterality in individuals with specific phobia using a dichotic listening paradigm (i.e., via auditory means). Results indicated that participants with specific phobias do not significantly differ from controls in terms of the number of …

Anxiety In Individuals Affected By Long Qt Syndrome As Experienced By Members Of An Online User Group, Abigail Janney

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiac condition that affects approximately 1 in 2,500 persons. This condition has been vastly understudied with regard to psychosocial aspects. LQTS patients have the potential for experiencing life threatening cardiac events and prevention requires significant lifestyle modifications. Although there has not been a significant amount of research on this specific syndrome, other research on chronic illnesses suggests that many individuals experience significant psychosocial aspects after diagnosis. This study specifically examined anxiety within the LQTS population through a qualitative research design. An archived database from a LQTS user group involving approximately 780 members was used …

Animal-Assisted Therapy: An Adjunctive Intervention For Reducing Depression And Anxiety In Female College Students With Physical Disabilities And Guidelines For Implementation Into Psychotherapy Practice And Research, Erin Nicole Armour

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The existing literature has indicated that women with physical disabilities are at greater risk for depression and anxiety compared to men with similar limitations and their able-bodied counterparts (Nosek & Hughes, 2003). In addition to this, female college students with physical disabilities are at greater risk for attrition than able-bodied female college students (Gmelch, 1998). This dissertation discusses the benefits and criticisms of animal-assisted therapy as an adjunctive intervention for depression and anxiety in this population. It also provides guidelines for implementing it into psychotherapy practice and research.

Interpretations And Anxiety During Initial Encounters In A Formal Business Networking Setting, Justin Hunter

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Many business professionals explore opportunities to develop relationships with others in their industry during coordinated business networking functions to potentially increase their clientele and strengthen their presence in their respective industry. This study analyzes initial interactions among business professionals during a business networking function utilizing symbolic interactionism and the theory of anxiety/uncertainty management. Both theories have been separately implemented in an abundance of theses over several decades to analyze the nature and implications with interpersonal communication among strangers; however, there is a significant lack of research dedicated to how strangers engage during initial business interactions at networking functions. This study …

Prenatal Maternal Stress Programs Infant Stress Regulation, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn, Feizal Waffarn, Curt A. Sandman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Prenatal exposure to inappropriate levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) and maternal stress are putative mechanisms for the fetal programming of later health outcomes. The current investigation examined the influence of prenatal maternal cortisol and maternal psychosocial stress on infant physiological and behavioral responses to stress.

Methods: The study sample comprised 116 women and their full term infants. Maternal plasma cortisol and report of stress, anxiety and depression were assessed at 15, 19, 25, 31 and 36 + weeks' gestational age. Infant cortisol and behavioral responses to the painful stress of a heel-stick blood draw were evaluated at 24 hours after …

The Role Of Discrete Emotions In Predicting Counterproductive Work Behavior, Jeremy Allen Bauer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigates how discrete negative emotions are related to specific facets of counterproductive work behaviors (CWB). The sample consisted of 241 employees who reported their frequency of experiencing negative emotions and their frequency of committing CWBs in the workplace. For 103 employees, supervisor reports of employee CWB were also obtained. The findings provide evidence that a wide range of negative emotions are related to most of the sub facets of CWB. There was also some evidence that supervisor reports differ systematically from employee reports of CWB. The theoretical, methodological, and organizational implications are discussed.

Interpretation Training Influences Memory For Prior Interpretations, E. Salemink, Paula T. Hertel, B. Mackintosh

Psychology Faculty Research

Anxiety is associated with memory biases when the initial interpretation of the event is taken into account. This experiment examined whether modification of interpretive bias retroactively affects memory for prior events and their initial interpretation. Before training, participants imagined themselves in emotionally ambiguous scenarios to which they provided endings that often revealed their interpretations. Then they were trained to resolve the ambiguity in other situations in a consistently positive (n = 37) or negative way (n = 38) before they tried to recall the initial scenarios and endings. Results indicated that memory for the endings was imbued with …

Associations Between Mindfulness And Symptoms Of Anxiety., Leisa L. Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional exploratory study considered the associations between mindfulness and symptoms of anxiety. The participants in this study were 183 undergraduate students at a regional university in the southeastern United States. The general hypothesis was that higher levels of mindfulness would be associated with lower levels of anxiety. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to examine the association between a variety of aspects of mindfulness and symptoms of anxiety while controlling for a variety of demographic and historical variables, including previous experience with meditation. Results suggest that not all aspects of mindfulness were related to anxiety. Of the 12 specific …

Experience And Regulation Of Positive Emotions As Predictors Of Anxiety And Depression In Adolescents And Children, Ann Schlegelmilch

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The high rate of comorbidity between anxiety and depression in children and adults raises questions concerning whether these disorders are two distinct disorders or a broad, but unitary construct. Clark and Watson's (1991) tripartite model purports that these disorders can be differentiated by two factors, positive affect (PA) and physiological hyperarousal (PH), in which low PA is unique to depression and PH is specific to anxiety. However, little is known about how specific positive emotions or their various facets may be related to depression and anxiety in children. Using 162 elementary and 148 middle school children (49% male, 66% Caucasian), …