Psychology Commons^™

Anxiety And Depression During Childhood And Adolescence: Testing Theoretical Models Of Continuity And Discontinuity, Joseph R. Cohen, Arthur R. Andrews, Megan M. Davis, Karen D. Rudolph

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study sought to clarify the trajectory (i.e., continuous vs. discontinuous) and expression (i.e., homotypic vs. heterotypic) of anxiety and depressive symptoms across childhood and adolescence. We utilized a state-of-the-science analytic approach to simultaneously test theoretical models that describe the development of internalizing symptoms in youth. In a sample of 636 children (53% female; M age = 7.04; SD age = 0.35) self-report measures of anxiety and depression were completed annually by youth through their freshman year of high school. For both anxiety and depression, a piecewise growth curve model provided the best fit for the data, with symptoms …

Quantifying The Spectrum Of Depression, Octavious Bishop

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Octavious Bishop

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,

and that any and all revisions required by

the review committee have been made.

Review Committee

Dr. Thomas Edman, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty

Dr. Ricardo Thomas, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty

Dr. Joanna Bissell-Havran, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Quantifying the Spectrum of Depression

by

Octavious Bishop

MA, University of Texas at Austin, 2008

BS, University of Texas at Austin, 2001

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment …

Anything But Crazy: How American Musical Theatre Can Change Societal Stigmas Against Mental Illnesses, Benjamin Walton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

There is a societal stigma that villainizes or degrades anyone diagnosed or associated with any mental illness. While many different forms of media have attempted to destroy this stigma through psycho-centric narratives, I wanted to argue that musical theatre has the greatest potential as a live entertainment source to deconstruct and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. For my research, I theorized that musical theatre can most effectively change societal stigma about mental illness by communicating a clear understanding of the disease through music, and achieving popularity in the public eye longer than other live forms of theatre. I chose …

Breathing New Life: Investigating Ways To Improve The Mental Health Of People Living With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease In Western Australia, Tina Phan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Anxiety and depression are common comorbidities in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), contributing to greater morbidity and mortality in an already vulnerable population. Despite the prevalence, few recommendations exist in global management guidelines for the detection and treatment of these comorbidities, reflecting the limited literature available on effective strategies for dealing with mental health issues in COPD populations. There is promising evidence that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) improves mental health outcomes in people with COPD. However, investigational studies have commonly reported participants’ lack of transport, lack of time and illness as barriers to recruitment and successful completion. This …

Benefits Of Prayer On Depression In Elderly Adults, Jared Errol Leet

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression in the elderly population is a growing concern in the United States. A decrease in depression in the elderly could lead to greater quality of life and reduced cost of healthcare services. The Sense of Coherence Theory was utilized as the theoretical foundation for this study. The purpose of this study was to use archival data to analyze differences in depression scores by groups based on prayer (yes/no) and over time (wave 1/wave 2 of data collection) when controlling for amount of time spent in prayer by category, gender, and ethnicity. The data were retrieved from the National Archive …

Substance Abuse And Mental Illness Among Youth In The United States, Emmanuel Xavier Okoro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the trends showing a reduction in the use and abuse of drugs among American adolescents, the prevalence rates remain high. There is also comorbidity of mental illnesses among the adolescents using drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and nature of the association between the use and abuse of marijuana and alcohol and mental illnesses among the American adolescent population. The noted comorbidities and the hypothesized association between the substance abuse and mental illnesses were explained using the expectancy theory. Using a quantitative research methodology, secondary data from the National Survey on Drug Use and …

Interactive Effects Of Family Stability, Emotion Regulation, And Community Violence Exposure On Depressive Symptoms, Rae Drach

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Family stability is an important contributor to children’s development and adjustment. The current study examines how emotion regulation and community violence exposure may jointly moderate the relationship between family stability and depressive symptoms within youth from a high-risk (e.g., low-income, high crime) community. Participants (N = 49) completed self-report questionnaires assessing their stability of family activities, use of different emotion regulation strategies, exposure to community violence, and experience of depressive symptoms. Results indicated a significant three-way interaction among family stability, emotion regulation, and community violence exposure in accounting for depressive symptoms. Greater family stability generally predicted fewer depressive symptoms; however, …

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo In Latino Youth, Katie Binns Fabius

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) is observed in some children and may include daydreaming, inconsistent alertness, mental fogginess, confusion, absentmindedness, behaving or thinking slowly, appearing tired even after a full night of sleep, and lacking energy. The symptoms are said to be multidimensional with two domains: cognitive and behavioral. SCT is often associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). High SCT (HSCT) has been shown to impact academic and social functioning and be associated with elevated anxiety and depression symptoms in children. The majority of extant literature focuses primarily on Caucasian children. The primary objective was to examine the prevalence of …

Effective Characteristics Of Christian Youth Mentoring Relationships, Andrew G. Kenagy

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Adolescents benefit from relationships with meaningful adult mentors in many ways (DuBois & Silverthorn, 2005). The quality of mentoring relationships is an essential mediating factor (Pryce & Keller, 2012). Particular relationship activities may influence the relationship’s success (DuBois & Silverthorn, 2005). However, few studies have considered the role of Christian faith in the relationship and outcomes of mentoring (Lanker & Issler, 2010).

The current study sought to identify effective characteristics of naturally occurring youth relationships with Christian adult mentors. It examined differences in life adjustment between adolescents with and without Christian mentors, the role of the mentoring relationship quality in …

The Effect Of Group Music Therapy On Alleviating Depression In Older Adults, Rebekah Gohl

Music: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Depression and loneliness are significant psychological symptoms that often go unnoticed in older adults. Group music therapy with older adults provides an opportunity to alleviate depression through shared music making, reminiscing, and forming new connections with other individuals. This paper explores the implications of using music therapy to alleviate depression in an older adult population as found in prior research on this topic, advocating for group music therapy over individual therapy as a means to establish connections during old age.

Modeling The Psychiatric Aspects Of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome And Induced Stress, Danielle Peecher

All Master's Theses

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder in women that is characterized by excess testosterone and is associated with increased risk of infertility. Women with PCOS also show higher rates of depression and anxiety. Modeling PCOS in mice via administration of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) results in physiological alterations that are consistent with the physiological symptoms of PCOS in women. While some studies have investigated behavioral changes in PCOS mouse models, findings have varied. Thus, the current research examined whether a PCOS model with an additional stress factor resulted in behavioral changes. To create a stress condition, subjects were implanted with …

Media Body Images And Males' Body Dissatisfaction, Muscularity, Disordered Eating, And Depression, Diana Carrillo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Body objectification theories propose that humans have an innate desire to compare themselves with others. When self-objectification is influenced by media exposure to idealized body images, results may be unrealistic self-perceptions and increased risk of depression, eating pathology, and overexercising. Although considerable work has been done to study these processes among women, much less is known about effects of media exposure on adult men. In response to this gap, this quantitative research study examined effects of exposure to an idealized man's body image on men observers' body dissatisfaction and related behaviors. A convenience sample of 119 freshman and sophomore community …

Burnout Syndrome And Depression, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

In this chapter, we proposed an overview of burnout, from the introduction of the construct in the mid-1970s to the growing realization that the syndrome was better conceived of as a depressive condition. Recent studies have shown that the distinction between burnout and depression is problematic, both theoretically and empirically. The history of burnout research suggests that transdisciplinary communication and methodological standards should be strengthened to avoid the proliferation of constructs that, in fact, refer to the same phenomena. Construct proliferation, a transgression of the scientific canon of parsimony, is considered a major problem today because it undermines theory building …

Understanding The Role Of Religious Comfort And Strain On Depressive Symptoms In An Inpatient Psychiatric Setting, Alexis D. Abernethy, Joseph M. Currier, Charlotte Vanoyen-Witvliet, Sarah A. Schnitker, Katharine M. Putman, Lindsey M. Root Luna, Joshua D. Foster, Andrene Spencer, Heather Jones, Karl Vanharn, Janet Carter

Faculty Publications

Understanding the role of religion in mental illness has always been complicated as some people turn to religion to cope with their illness, whereas others turn away. The overarching purpose of this study was to draw on quantitative and qualitative information to illuminate ways in which religiousness might be associated with changes in depressive symptomatology in a spiritually integrated inpatient treatment program. This repeated measures mixed method study examined the relations among religious comfort (RC), religious strain (RS), and depression in an inpatient psychiatric sample. Adult inpatients (N=248; Mage = 40.78 years; SD = 18.97) completed measures of RC, RS, …

Log Kya Kahenge: Psychological Well-Being And Perceived Stigma In The South Asian American Community, Khushboo Jain

Pomona Senior Theses

Current research has independently studied depression, stigma, and coping mechanisms in relation to culture, yet the effects of perceived stigma on the relationship between depression and control coping are heavily understudied. Typically, studies have broadly focused on comparing eastern and western cultures, but have not analyzed how populations with mixed cultural influences experience depression and stigma and further engage in control coping mechanisms. This study thus explores how perceived stigma moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and control coping mechanisms for South Asian Americans. The study hypothesizes that the level of perceived stigma will moderate the relationship between depression and …

Philosophical Ends To Scientific Means: Diagnosis And The Epistemology Of Psychology, Christopher Michael Johnson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Modern scientific psychology continues to advance toward newer and greater discoveries of the inner workings of the human mind, posited in the belief that a universal objectivity exists if only to be found. Despite the professional emphasis on conducting psychological enterprises in this manner, the field has spent much of its formalized existence struggling to answer some of its most basic questions. This paper thoroughly explores the nature of a scientific psychology, while suggesting that psychology may find wisdom in its philosophical origins. It further suggests that psychology continue toward a postmodern epistemology, in which a unitary psychological reality is …

Acculturation, Biculturalism, And Familistic Cultural Values' Relationship With Latino Mental Health, Nathalie Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As the Latino population increases in the United States, mental health professionals encounter mixed research findings on immigrant mental health. There seems to be an epidemiological paradox in relation to Latino mental health and the effect that acculturation has on anxiety and depression symptoms among this minority population. One discernible research limitation in the existing literature is that researchers measure acculturation as a unidimensional, rather than multidimensional, construct. The present study examined not only acculturation, but also biculturalism, as correlates of depression and anxiety symptoms in a Latino population. Additionally, the present study identified potential Latino cultural buffers against depressive …

Suicide Attempts In Latinx: Findings From A Household Survey Among A Predominantly Mexica-American Sample Living In El Paso, Tx, Giovanna Monique Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Suicidality in the U.S. has increased dramatically in recent years (Stone et al., 2018). In 2016, 1.3 million U.S. adults attempted suicide (NIMH, 2018). The demographic breakdown showed that Latinx adults had a suicide attempt rate of 6%. In addition, among Latinx adolescents rates were highest among Latinx students (11.3%) compared to white students (6.8%) (CDC, 2016). Latinx are the largest minority in the United States and make up 17% of the U.S. population (United States Census Bureau, 2016). El Paso presents a unique demographic since over 80% of the city's population is Latinx (Pew 2016). To date, there has …

Mediating Effect Of Masculinity And Femininity On The Female Preponderance In Depression, Tara A. Baluck

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Sex differences in major depressive disorder have been a consistent research finding, with women receiving a diagnosis nearly twice as often as men. A substantive amount of research has attempted to address this preponderance. One area that warrants further investigation is the role that gender, a social construct that, in part, refers to the degree to which one enacts traditionally masculine and/or feminine traits, may play in mediating the relationship between sex and depressive symptoms. Secondary data analysis was conducted using a previously collected sample of undergraduate students from a moderately sized Midwestern university. Measures include the Extended Personal Attributes …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Phq9 And Global Pain Scale (Gps) Scores In Opioid Dependent Adults: A Retrospective Correlational Study, Lori Nolan

DNP Projects

Background: Depression, chronic pain and opioid dependence are conditions commonly encountered in primary care settings. These comorbidities create treatment challenges while negatively influencing outcomes of care. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) and Global Pain Scale (GPS) are valid screening tools used to score depression and pain symptoms. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the PHQ9 and Global Pain Scale (GPS) scores in opioid dependent adults with chronic pain to determine whether both tools are necessary.

Methods: This was a descriptive study using a retrospective correlational research design. Data was obtained from the electronic medical records …

Diabetes-Related Distress Screening: A Survey Of Primary Care Providers' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices In Treating Patients With Difficulty Meeting Glycemic Goals., Michele Patrice Paxton

DNP Projects

A patient with diabetes is two to three times more likely to be depressed than the general population. Furthermore, the combination of diabetes and depression is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, research has shown that treatment for depression does not correlate with lower HbA1c levels or a decrease in morbidity and mortality. Recently, a body of evidence has shown that increased HbA1c levels and depression are associated with the emotional burden of managing diabetes. The emotional burden is caused by the constant behavioral and mental demands of managing the disease and the worry and fear of the impending …

On The “Bubble” Of Burnout's Prevalence Estimates, Eric Laurent, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi, Laura Hawryluck, Peter G. Brindley

Publications and Research

Hawryluck and Brindley (2018) addressed the issue of burnout—a syndrome thought to be induced by job stress—among critical care medicine (CCM) practitioners. Although we agree that the practice of CCM can be stressful, relying on burnout as an indicator of the practitioners’ response to occupational adversity is unwarranted. Despite its popularity, burnout remains poorly defined. Disconcertingly, investigators have widely relied on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for “diagnosing” burnout in spite of the fact that the MBI is not a diagnostic instrument.Experiencing fatigue or distancing oneself from one’ work—what burnout is about—is not necessarily a sign of ill-being in itself. …

Is A Meta-Analytic Approach To Burnout’S Prevalence Timely?, Eric Laurent, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Cañadas‐De la Fuente et al. performed a meta‐analysis of the prevalence of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment—the three definitional components of the burnout syndrome—among nursing professionals working in oncology units. All in all, their meta‐analysis was inconclusive because of the very state of burnout research. Because there is mounting evidence that burnout is a depressive condition, we recommend that investigators focus on depression, rather than burnout, in occupational health research and practice.

When We Say 'Physician Burnout,' We Really Mean Depression, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

There has been controversy regarding the extent to which burnout overlaps depression. I enumerate eight reasons explaining to why depression is at the heart of burnout. Some of these reasons pertain to the highly similar work-related causes of burnout and depression, burnout adherents' faulty categorical and dimensional conceptualizations of burnout and depression, problematically high correlations between emotional exhaustion (the core of burnout) and depressive symptoms, research on physicians and dentists that underline burnout-depression overlap, and the problem of alexithymia being similarly related to burnout and depression. Suggestions for addressing the problem of burnout-depression among physicians are presented.

What Is The Difference Between Depression And Burnout? An Ongoing Debate, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi, Stefano Palazzi

Publications and Research

Il burnout è concepito come una sindrome che si sviluppa in risposta a condizioni di lavoro cronicamente avverse. Si ritiene che il burnout comporti esaurimento emotivo, depersonalizzazione e riduzione della realizzazione personale. Storicamente, tuttavia, il burnout è stato difficile da separare dalla depressione. In effetti, i sintomi del burnout coincidono con i sintomi della depressione. L'evidenza della validità discriminante del burnout nei confronti della depressione è debole, sia a livello empirico sia a livello teorico. L'esaurimento emotivo, il nucleo del burnout, riflette una combinazione di umore depresso e affaticamento / perdita di energia e si correla molto bene con altri …

Ruminators (Unlike Others) Fail To Show Suppression-Induced Forgetting On Indirect Measures Of Memory, Paula T. Hertel, Amaris Maydon, Ashley Ogilvie, Nilly Mor

Psychology Faculty Research

Suppression is a useful everyday skill leading to the clinically important outcome of forgetting. Suppression-induced forgetting, investigated with the think/no-think (TNT) paradigm, is typically demonstrated on direct tests of memory, even though indirect tests are often more ecologically valid. We report results from two TNT experiments terminating in indirect tests—tests that seem not to measure memory. For a subset of the participants in Experiment 1, latencies to rate word valence were delayed by flankers previously learned but not by flankers previously learned and then suppressed on 16 occasions. For a similar subset in Experiment 2, cue meaning denoted by free …

Perceived Social Support And Suicide-Related Depression Symptom Clusters Among Queer College Students, John Kellerman, Daniel Krauss

CMC Senior Theses

LGBTQ+ individuals report disproportionately high rates of depression and suicidal behaviors compared to the general populations, particularly among queer youth. Certain depressive symptoms and symptom clusters, namely hopelessness and self-blame, are predictive of suicidal behavior and outcomes. In contrast, perceived social support may act as a buffer against suicide ideation. The disparity in the rate of queer suicidality may be predicted by higher rates of hopelessness and self-blame, as well as lower rates of perceived social support among depressed queer youth in comparison to depressed non-queer youth. The current study will test this hypothesis using a sample of depressed queer …

A Neglected Problem In Burnout Research, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Although we share with Eckleberry-Hunt et al. (2018) some of their criticisms regarding the problematic conceptualization of burnout, we are perplexed by the authors’ silence regarding burnout–depression overlap, which is arguably the most troubling problem attached to the burnout construct. The extensive research suggests that burnout reflects a combination of depressive responses. The emotional exhaustion component of burnout involves fatigue and depressed mood, two diagnostic criteria for depressive disorders. Maslach et al. (2001) wrote that there is “a predominance of dysphoric symptoms” in burnout. Depersonalization symptoms are commonly found in depressed individuals. Diminished personal accomplishment reflects well-known depressive manifestations of …

Interpretation Bias Toward Ambiguous Information In Burnout And Depression, Renzo Bianchi, Eric Laurent, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Jay Verkuilen, Chantal Berna

Publications and Research

Burnout has been defined as a job-related syndrome combining pervasive fatigue and loss of motivation. In recent years, evidence has mounted that burnout may reflect a depressive condition. In this study, we expanded on past investigations of burnout-depression overlap by focusing on interpretation biases toward ambiguous information among the two entities. We conducted a web-based study involving 1056 participants (83% female; mean age: 42.87). Burnout symptoms were assessed with the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure and depressive symptoms with the PHQ-9. The Ambiguous Scenarios Test (AST), a measure of interpretation bias validated among dysphoric individuals, was the outcome of interest. The AST …

Burnout Research: Eyes Wide Shut, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

In a study published in a recent issue of Critical Care Medicine, Colville and Smith (2017) found modest overlap between burnout and depression and assumed that burnout and depression are distinct entities. For four reasons, we think that the study is seriously flawed. First, Colville and Smith assessed burnout symptoms with an abbreviated version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the psychometric properties of which are unclear. Second, they used clinically and theoretically arbitrary cutoff scores for categorizing burnout, a modus operandi that, unfortunately, has become commonplace in studies of medical professionals. Third, participants could be categorized as “burned out” …