Psychology Commons^™

Children's And Caregivers' Review Of A Guided Imagery Therapy Mobile App Designed To Treat Children With Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders: Leveraging A Mixed Methods Approach With User-Centered Design, John M Hollier, Tiantá A Strickland, C Michael Fordis, Miranda Al Van Tilburg, Robert J Shulman, Debbe Thompson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) are highly prevalent and associated with substantial morbidity. Guided imagery therapy (GIT) is efficacious; however, barriers often impede patient access. Therefore, we developed a GIT mobile app as a novel delivery platform.

OBJECTIVE: Guided by user-centered design, this study captured the critiques of our GIT app from children with FAPDs and their caregivers.

METHODS: Children aged 7 to 12 years with Rome IV-defined FAPDs and their caregivers were enrolled. The participants completed a software evaluation, which assessed how well they executed specific app tasks: opening the app, logging in, initiating a session, setting the …

Female Perpetrators Of Ritually Motivated Pedicide And Mutilation Of Children, Chima Agazue

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Ritually motivated pedicide is among contemporary Africa’s most severe crimes against children. Most of these crimes involve brutal acts of violence or mutilation of the victim. While men are most often the perpetrators of violent crimes, ritually motivated pedicide and mutilation equally attract women. The role of women in these crimes is not restricted to the less violent aspects of the crimes; instead, they also extend to the most brutal elements, often involving mutilation, decapitation or outright murder of the victim. This article explored the involvement of women in these crimes that target children for mutilation and pedicide. The article …

The Ties That Bind Us: An Empirical, Clinical, And Constitutional Argument Against Terminating Parental Rights, Vivek S. Sankaran, Christopher Church

Articles

This Article explores the unnecessary termination of a child's relationship with their parent from an empirical, clinical, and constitutional lens. Part I explores administrative data related to TPR, which like many child protection metrics, resembles nothing short of a wild west of practices and policies relating to how often and how fast child protection systems terminate parental rights. These data also reveal how TPR can unnecessarily delay legal permanency for children, particularly those children who are living with extended family, and how a State pursuing TPR can drain its own scarce resources, a system perpetually decrying insufficient resources. Part II …

Systematic Review Of Reflection Spectroscopy-Based Skin Carotenoid Assessment In Children, Saima Hasnin, Dipti Dev, Taren Swindle, Susan B. Sisson, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Tirna Purkait, Shari C. Clifton, Jocelyn Dixon, Virginia C. Stage

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Assessing children’s skin carotenoid score (SCS) using reflection spectroscopy (RS) is a non-invasive, widely used method to approximate fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC). The aims for the current review were to (1) identify distributions of SCS across demographic groups, (2) identify potential non-dietary correlates for RS-based SCS, (3) summarize the validity and reliability of RSbased SCS assessment, and (4) conduct meta-analyses of studies examining the correlation between RS-based SCS with FVC. A literature search in eight databases in June 2021 resulted in 4880 citations and peer-reviewed publications written in English that investigated children’s (2–10 years old) SCS using RS. We …

Clinical Characteristics, Impairment, And Psychiatric Morbidity In 102 Youth With Misophonia, Andrew G Guzick, Matti Cervin, Eleanor E A Smith, Jane Clinger, Isabel Draper, Wayne K Goodman, Marijn Lijffijt, Nicholas Murphy, Adam B Lewin, Sophie C Schneider, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: There is little information on the clinical presentation, functional impact, and psychiatric characteristics of misophonia in youth, an increasingly recognized syndrome characterized by high emotional reactivity to certain sounds and associated visual stimuli.

METHOD: One-hundred-two youth (8-17 years-old) with misophonia and their parents were recruited and compared with 94 youth with anxiety disorders. Participants completed validated assessments of misophonia severity, quality of life, as well as psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses.

RESULTS: The most common misophonia triggers included eating (96 %), breathing (84 %), throat sounds (66 %), and tapping (54 %). Annoyance/irritation, verbal aggression, avoidance behavior, and family impact …

Disrupted White Matter Microstructure Correlates With Impulsivity In Children And Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder, Tianjia Zhu, Alessio Simonetti, Minhui Ouyang, Sherin Kurian, Johanna Saxena, Jair C Soares, Kirti Saxena, Hao Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Altered white matter (WM) microstructure likely occurs in children with bipolar disorder (BD) with impulsivity representing one of the core features. However, altered WM microstructures and their age-related trendlines in children with BD and those at high-risk of developing BD, as well as correlations of WM microstructures with impulsivity, have been poorly investigated. In this study, diffusion MRI, cognitive, and impulsivity assessments were obtained from children/adolescents diagnosed with BD, offspring of individuals with BD (high-risk BD) and age-matched healthy controls. A novel atlas-based WM skeleton measurement approach was used to quantify WM microstructural integrity with all diffusion-tensor-imaging (DTI) metrics including …

The Association Between Covid-19 Exposure, Secondary Adversities, And Trauma Symptoms In Children, Maddi Gervasio

Theses and Dissertations

Natural disasters include direct exposure and secondary adversities (Chrisman & Dougherty, 2014). For youth, severity of disaster exposure and number of secondary adversities have been found to be positively associated with the severity of trauma-related psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression (Giannopoulou et al., 2006). Preliminary studies suggest an interaction between trauma exposure severity and number of secondary adversities in the prediction of psychopathology. Notably, youth who experienced secondary adversities without directly experiencing the trauma exhibited heightened psychopathology (Kar, 2019), yet these children tend to be excluded from studies and missed when identifying children in need of services. …

Psychologists' Experiences Providing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Cbt) To Children Via Telehealth, Carly Apar M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Due to COVID-19, psychologists were forced to rapidly transition to telehealth. While about 1% of American Psychological Association (APA) clinicians used telehealth for most clients pre-pandemic, 92% used telehealth post-pandemic onset (APA, 2020). However, research has not yet thoroughly assessed psychologists’ experiences providing child teletherapy. This study fills that gap by exploring psychologists’ experiences providing virtual child cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This study is important for teletherapy’s potential use for children lacking access to care. Eighteen clinical psychologists who provided CBT to children (ages 7-12) were recruited by sending a flyer to the researcher’s graduate program’s alumni and training sites, child …

A Nonconcurrent Multiple Baseline Evaluation Of An Independence Intervention To Treat Child Anxiety, Matthew Fastman M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Rates of child and adolescent anxiety have increased markedly over the past decade (Haidt & Twenge 2021; Parodi et al., 2021). Exposure-based cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered the gold standard in the treatment of anxious children (Hofmann et al., 2012). However, many clinicians refrain from using exposure due to concerns about its safety, effectiveness, and ethics (Deacon et al., 2013; Whiteside et al., 2016). We propose a novel treatment approach for child and adolescent anxiety that draws on research in child development (e.g. Daddis, 2011) and is considerably simpler to administer than traditional exposure-based approaches. This new approach is composed of …

Superhero Media As A Potential Context For Investigating Children's Understanding Of Morally Relevant Events, Justin Martin

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Currently, superhero films are one of the more popular film genres, and the genre does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. In addition, the lives and exploits of superheroes are told through other forms of media such as animated films and television series targeted towards children. However, these narratives are also violent. If older children (i.e., approximately 7-11) engage with superhero media, then it is important to understand the ways they attempt to make sense of this genre. To this end, the essay examines how superhero media may serve as a potential context for older children's understanding of …

The Lived Experiences Of Minority Widowers With Dependent Children, Cathy-Ann L. King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Spousal death is a traumatic event well documented amongst clinical professionals because of its impact on a man’s physical and mental health. However, prior research on widowers has focused predominantly on white middle-class males. Little is known about the black indigenous people of color (BIPOC) male experience with spousal death, especially from those who are raising their dependent children. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to understand the lived experiences of BIPOC male widowers and their children. BIPOC widowers experiencing the trauma of this life-changing event without professional assistance are at higher risk of emotional, physical, and mental distress. Attachment theory …

The Effects Of Screen Time On Children, Jacqueline Valdepenas

Nursing | Senior Theses

With the development of technology continuing to grow at a fast-paced pace in society, children are now becoming exposed to such technology at a younger age. The introduction of smartphones and tablets, which is defined as screen time in this paper, are being introduced to children as young as 6 months of age. Instead of children playing with toys recommended for their age, they use screen time for their play needs and entertainment. Some parents use screen time as a distraction and/or relief for their own needs when the child is upset or they’re unable to tend to the child. …

Parental Perceptions Of Social And Emotional Well-Being Of Young Children From Australian Military Families, Marg Rogers, Amy Johnson, Yumiko Coffey, Jill Fielding, Ingrid Harrington, Navjot Bhullar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Many Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Veteran families are affected by the stressors of Defence family life, including frequent and prolonged parental deployments, and frequent relocations. Objective: To address a gap in information about Defence and Veteran (hereafter Defence) parents' knowledge, confidence and resources to support their young children's well-being and build their resilience. Design: This study used a mixed methods design to explore Defence parent's perceptions of their young children's (aged 2–8 years) social and emotional well-being and understanding of their children's responses to unique stressors as well as their confidence in providing support. Data from 41 parents …

The Lived Experiences Of Minority Widowers With Dependent Children, Cathy-Ann L. King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Spousal death is a traumatic event well documented amongst clinical professionals because of its impact on a man’s physical and mental health. However, prior research on widowers has focused predominantly on white middle-class males. Little is known about the black indigenous people of color (BIPOC) male experience with spousal death, especially from those who are raising their dependent children. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to understand the lived experiences of BIPOC male widowers and their children. BIPOC widowers experiencing the trauma of this life-changing event without professional assistance are at higher risk of emotional, physical, and mental distress. Attachment theory …

How Class Matters: Examining Working-Class Children’S Home Technology Environments From A Developmental Perspective, Vikki Katz, Brianna Hightower

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Social class is seldom engaged by scholars as a lens for investigating variations in children’s digital technology engagement. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 33 working-class children in a postindustrial community, we examine how social class shapes these children’s digital technology experiences. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of child development guides our examination of children’s views on digital technology integration into their interactions with proximal influences (i.e., parents, siblings, and friends) and distal influences that indirectly shape their technology environments by affecting their parents’ circumstances. We find that working-class children’s experiences share key commonalities with both their lower- and higher-income peers, consistent with …

Gender Transitioning In Childhood: A Hermeneutic Study Of Parental Reactions, Ashley Rosenberg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The visibility of the transgender community has grown in recent years. The purpose of the hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand and provide context to the experiences of parents whose children have transitioned from their assigned birth sex to their authentic gender identity. The theoretical framework used was Kubler Ross’ “Five Stages of Grief.” Participants were interviewed by using semi structured interviews on Zoom. A total of 6 people participated in my study. Common themes emerged as a result of my study, which parallel previous research studies. These themes included shock and denial, a sense of grief and loss, feelings …

Growing Up Ghanaian: The Well-Being Of Ghanaian Children In The United States And Ghana, Akua Bemma Opoku

Dissertations and Theses

Children’s subjective well-being is a child’s judgment of their well-being. Subjective well- being can have positive and negative indicators. Positive indicators include but are not limited to safety, feeling happy, and feeling excited. Negative indicators include but are not limited to lack of safety, lack of confidence, and sadness. Children’s ethnic background and their relation to their ethnic background may influence their subjective well-being. Research focusing on ethnic identity and child well-being has found positive associations. Research has also found a relationship between the context of family, school, peers, religion, community, and ethnic identity. This comparative phenomenological study aimed to …

Social Information Processing Theory Indicators Of Child Abuse Risk: Cultural Comparison Of Mothers From Peru And The United States, Christina M. Rodriguez, Patricia Bárrig Jó, Enrique Gracia, Marisol Lila

Psychology Faculty Publications

Much of the research conducted on social information processing (SIP) factors predictive of child abuse risk has been conducted in North America, raising questions about how applicable such models may be in other cultures. Based on the premise that the parents’ child abuse risk is affected by both risk and protective factors, the current study considered how specific SIP socio-cognitive risk factors (acceptability of parent–child aggression as a discipline approach; empathic ability; frustration tolerance) as well as social support satisfaction as a resource related to child abuse risk by comparing a sample of mothers in Peru (n = 102) with …

An Evaluation Of The Psychosocial Benefits For Children Experiencing Homelessness Arising From The Introduction Of An Integrated Community Care Project Across The City Of Cork, Traolach O' Callaghan

Theses

The purpose of the research is to evaluate an intervention within a new model of family support being delivered in Cork City, on addressing child and family homelessness. This new model is being delivered for the first time in Ireland during ‘Youth Club’ and strives to act as an intervention to assist children experiencing homelessness. The model was first developed by Tusla Springboard Child and Family service and Good Shepherd Services Cork in 2016 in response to the alarming rise in child and family homelessness in Cork city, and the resulting impact of same. The research investigates the model and …

Context-Specific Conceptualizations Of Death In Early Childhood, Spencer Hart Winter

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Despite cultural myths and social taboos, young children are capable of understanding death and death concepts. Previous research has demonstrated that children have a varied and complex understanding of death that is influenced by their age, family culture, and previous experience. This study aims to differentiate children’s death concept depending on context, including children’s magical thinking, namely the difference between the deaths of a human, an animal, and an electronic toy. Using a modified version of the Death Concept Questionnaire, preschool-aged (3 to 5 years old) children (n=7) were presented with short video clips of a human, a dog, and …

Positive And Negative Actions Early In The Relationship Predict Later Interactions Among Toddlers, Ayelet Lahat, Zhangling Lou, Michal Perlman, Nina Howe, Jonathan Santo, Holly E. Recchia, William M. Bukowski, Hildy S. Ross

Psychology Faculty Publications

Very little is known about the role of early interactions in the development of peer relationships among toddlers. The present study examined whether behaviors early in the formation of toddler relationships predict interactions later in their relationships. Twenty-eight unfamiliar 20- and 30-month-old toddlers from a predominately European background met separately with each of two other toddlers for 18 playdates. Both positive and negative behaviors at the beginning of the relationship predicted a higher frequency of games later in the relationship. Positive behaviors at the beginning of the relationship predicted fewer conflicts later in the relationship. Negative behaviors at the beginning …

Can Developmental Trauma Disorder Be Distinguished From Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? A Symptom-Level Person-Centred Empirical Approach, Julian D. Ford, Ruby Charak, Thanos Karatzias, Mark Shevlin, Joseph Spinazzola

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Background:

Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) is a proposed childhood psychiatric diagnosis for psychopathological and developmental sequela of victimization and attachment trauma extending beyond posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Objective:

To determine whether a sub-group of trauma-impacted children is characterized by symptoms of DTD that extend beyond, or co-occur with, the symptoms of PTSD.

Method:

Person-centred Latent Class Analyses (LCA) were done with data from 507 children (ages 7–18 years, (M = 12.11, SD = 2/92); 49% female) referred to the study by mental health or paediatric clinicians.

Results:

A four class solution was optimal (LMR = 398.264, p < .001; Entropy = .93): (1) combined DTD + PTSD (n = …

Exploring Children’S Insights About Participating In Recreational Activities With Horses And Farm Animals: Social Emotional Experiences And Belief In Animal Mind, Christine Yvette Tardif-Williams, Renata P. S. Roma

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Research continues to shed light on the impact of children’s interactions with horses in equine-assisted, learning, and therapeutic contexts. However, we know relatively less about the impact of children’s recreational activities with horses and a diversity of farm animals. What is needed is research that explores how recreational programs involving activities with horses and farm animals are perceived by the child participants themselves. This pilot study sought to explore the insights of children who participated in a nine-week recreational program involving activities with horses and farm animals, with a focus on children’s social emotional experiences and belief in animal mind …

Predicting Therapists’ Intentions To Use An Innovation: The Role Of Innovation-Specific, Individual, And Organizational Factors, Jonathan KuʻUhoaepilipono Ahuna

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding factors that contribute to an individual’s decision to use an innovation can increase the public health impact of innovations in children’s mental health services. Objective. This study examined whether and to what extent therapists’ innovation-specific judgements (e.g., innovation is easy to use, socially desirable) were associated with intentions to use an innovation using constructs from one of the most robust theories of innovation use–the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Method. Two aims were addressed using data collected from 95 therapists and 28 supervisors who participated in a multi-site cluster randomized trial. Therapists used either a …

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For A Child With Misophonia: A Case Study, Julie M. Petersen, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Misophonia, a condition involving hypersensitivity, anger, and/or disgust in response to specific noises (e.g., chewing, tapping), is highly underresearched in children. Several case studies point towards the utility of cognitive behavioral therapy and related treatments (e.g., acceptance and commitment therapy [ACT]). ACT presents a particularly promising option, as it focuses on building psychological flexibility in response to difficult internal experiences, rather than trying to remove or change them (e.g., responding effectively to irritation provoked by chewing). The present case study describes “Kelly” (pseudonym), a 12-year-old girl with moderately severe misophonia symptoms, who received a 16-session course of ACT for misophonia. …

Can Developmental Trauma Disorder Be Distinguished From Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Test Of Four Structural Models, Julian D. Ford, Mark Shevlin, Thanos Karatzias, Ruby Charak, Joseph Spinazzola

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) is a proposed child psychopathology diagnosis with emotion/somatic, attention/behavioral, and self/relational dysregulation symptoms extending beyond posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) tested four structural models with structured interview data for trauma history, PTSD, and DTD with 507 children receiving mental health or pediatric care ( N = 162, 32% diagnosed with DTD; N = 176; 35% with PTSD; N = 169, 33% with neither). A unidimensional model with a single latent variable had unacceptable fit (RMSEA = 0.094; CFI = 0.844). Compared to a model with PTSD and DTD as correlated first-order latent variables, …

Impact Of Immigration Parent-Child Separation Policies On Children’S Attachment Experiences, Daisy Casasnovas

Dissertations

This critical literature review (CRP) project explores the consequences of child-parent separation by deportation laws. Considering the number of Latinx immigrant families immigrating to the United States, this review focused on how the unexpected separation by deportation impacted immigrant families and how these separations affect their children’s development, attachment style, and overall well-being. The review explored the short- and long-term consequences for immigrant children and their families, including children who are U.S.-born and remain in the country without their parents. Results from the review indicate an extensive and significant impact on attachment style and overall developmental impairments. The unexpected separation …

Clinicians' Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of Trauma - Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With African American Children: A Qualitative Study, Jada Carter

Doctoral Dissertations

Literature exploring clinicians' perspectives on the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with African American children who suffer from trauma-related disorders is very limited. The current study examined clinicians' perspectives on the TF-CBT model when utilized with this population, including their experiences working with African American children and families with observable types of trauma-related disorders. This research study also explored the various facets of trauma that African Americans encounter in childhood and the barriers that prevent them from receiving adequate mental health care. Thematic analysis was utilized to explore themes that emerged when treating African American children with TF-CBT. Five …

Investigating Fruit And Vegetable Variety In A National Food Co-Op: A Brighter Bites Evaluation, Katherine G. Hearne

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

American children eat fewer fruits and vegetables (F&V) and less variety of F&V than recommended for health. Food cooperatives and other programs have become a popular way to increase F&V intake, but little is known about the variety of F&V distributed by these programs or its relationship with program attendance or child F&V intake. Brighter Bites is a national, school-based food co-op distributing rescued, donated, fresh F&V to families in low-income schools. We evaluated, for the first time, the variety of F&V Brighter Bites distributed to families in the 2018-2019 school year and the relationships between that variety and both …

Trauma And Resilience Among Migrant Children From Mexico And The Northern Triangle Eroute To The United States, Georgina Sanchez-Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Children who experience the phenomenon of migration from the Northern Triangle region and Mexico en route to the United States face pressing problems with psychosocial consequences that ostensibly affect them and are reflected in the violation of their human rights. We studied trauma and resilience among migrant children from Mexico and the Northern Triangle nations â??Guatemala, El Salvador, and Hondurasâ?? who are uprooted from their communities to undertake the dangerous overland journey to the United States (Lusk & Sanchez-Garcia, 2021; Rodriguez, 2020; UNICEF, 2018). The experience of such migration for children can be fraught with hardship, and it may have …