Psychology Commons^™

Cusp Catastrophe Models For Cognitive Workload And Fatigue In Teams, Stephen J. Guastello, Anthony N. Correro, David E. C. Marra

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The use of two cusp catastrophe models has been effective for untangling the effects of cognitive workload, fatigue, and other complications on the performance of individuals. This study is the first to use the two models to separate workload and fatigue effects on team performance. In an experiment involving an emergency response simulation, 360 undergraduates were organized into 44 teams. Workload was varied by team size, number of opponents, and time pressure. The cusp models for workload and fatigue were more accurate for describing trends in team performance criteria compared to linear alternatives. Individual differences in elasticity-rigidity were less important …

Investigating The Feasibility Of Advanced Law Enforcement Resilience Training (A.L.E.R.T.): An Innovated And Practical Intervention To Enhance Police Mindfulness And Resilience, Stephanie B. Stern

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Policing is thought to be one of the most stressful occupations. Without effective strategies to cope with chronic work-related stress, police are vulnerable to developing mental and physical health problems. The police literature and research highlights the need for proactive, evidence-based interventions to help police maintain their resilience throughout their careers. The current study sought to bridge a gap between police literature, research and practice by developing and testing the feasibility of using the Advanced Law Enforcement Resilience Training (A.L.E.R.T.) mobile app to help police learn and practice mindfulness skills after engaging in a brief in-person training. Using a pre-test, …

Resilience Among Survivors Of Adverse Childhood Experiences In Appalachia, Bridget Jeter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The empirical investigation of adverse childhood events (ACEs) and their relationship with health and well-being outcomes in later life is increasing. Less is known about factors that may promote resilience for those who have survived such challenges, such as how resilience may be facilitated for those with ACEs residing in a marginalized region such as South Central Appalachia. Multidimensional spirituality, social support, stigma related to ACEs, and Appalachian acculturation may serve as both valid cultural factors and potential indicators of resilience. Cross-sectional, simultaneous multiple regression analysis was performed on data collected from 272 adult patients of a South Central Appalachian …

A Culturally-Sensitive Exploration Of Adversity And Resilience Among Trinidadians, Christabel Léonce

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as abuse, household challenges, and neglect were linked to later health risks in life and overall well-being (CDC, 2019). Adverse experiences occur worldwide in a variety of culturally-specific ways. Research involving youth in Trinidad and Tobago outlines emerging concerns with violence in homes, communities, and schools (Baker-Henningham et al., 2009). Currently, however, there is limited data on adverse experiences and their long-term impact in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidadians (n = 79), born and lived in Trinidad till 18 years was surveyed, ranging from ages …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Problematic And Non-Problematic Alcohol Use After Bariatric Surgery, Danielle L. Reaves, Joanne M. Dickson, Jason C. G. Halford, Paul Christiansen, Charlotte A. Hardman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

OBJECTIVES: Bariatric surgery is an effective weight loss tool, but an under-communicated side effect may include the increased risk for alcohol problems. Few studies have examined contributors towards alcohol problems following surgery using a qualitative approach. Therefore, the current study aimed to generate insight informed by participants with problematic alcohol use following bariatric surgery, in comparison with participants without.

METHODS: Participants (14; females, n = 9; males, n = 5) completed semi-structured interviews using questions relating to alcohol use, relationship to food, support and surgical experiences. Thematic analysis was conducted to provide insight into the factors which influenced drinking behaviours …

The Impact Of Trauma Experience, Adverse Early Circumstances And Unit Cohesion On Posttraumatic Growth In Active Duty Service Members, John Charleson

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Active duty service members are regularly exposed to highly traumatic events. Commonly, individuals exposed to trauma experience positive changes as a result of the trauma they experienced. The likelihood of these changes occurring can be positively or negatively influenced by characteristics of the event itself, the biopsychosocial history of the service member, and the availability of internal and external coping resources. The present study aimed to evaluate how threat to life during a traumatic event influences posttraumatic growth using a sample of active duty service members (N = 818). Participant’s ranged in age from 19 to 54 (M …

Examining Successful Aging And Resilience After Disasters, Katie Elizabeth Stanko

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Resilience, a psychological adaptive process and outcome, is the ability to return to normal functioning after a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster. Successful aging entails biological, psychological, and social factors. The Great Flood of 2016 in the greater Baton Rouge area caused catastrophic structural damage to thousands of homes and businesses. Some of these individuals had previously moved to the Baton Rouge area after receiving catastrophic damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In this study, I investigated the role that age group (younger, middle-aged, older) and disaster exposure group (control, single exposure, double exposure) had on post-disaster well-being. …

Examining Protective Factors That Promote Resilience Among Children With An Incarcerated Parent, Celeste A. Jackson

Dissertations

Children of incarcerated parents (CIP) represent one of the most vulnerable, at-risk populations in the United States (Johnston, 1995). Best estimates suggests there are 2.7 million children with an incarcerated parents and African-American children are disproportionately represented at a figure of 1 in 9 children (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008). Much of the research attempting to understand this population and guide intervention efforts has employed a deficit-based approach, highlighting the plethora of adverse risk factors and negative outcomes associated with being the child of an incarcerated parent. This approach fails to acknowledge the presence of resilience inherent in these youth. The …

The Role Of Self-Compassion In The Relationship Between Moral Injury And Psychological Distress Among Military Veterans, Mernyll Manalo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

While there is considerable research linking trauma to psychological distress, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among military populations, some service members may develop other variants of psychological difficulties following exposure to traumatic life events. For example, moral injury, a more recently studied outcome within the field of trauma, is conceptualized to occur when a person perceives their response to a morally challenging situation as a transgression that may lead to an incongruence with their morals producing moral emotions (i.e., shame, guilt, and anxiety; Litz et al., 2009). The current study investigated the role of self-compassion in the relationship between …

Promoting Resilience In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents Through School-Based Expressive Arts Groups, Bailey Knox

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Since 2013, the majority of students served by the public school system in the United States have been considered “low-income” by the federal government. The stressors associated with low socioeconomic status significantly increase risk for social, emotional and behavioral challenges at all age levels, but can be particularly damaging to adolescents coping with heightened stress levels related to the intense multi-dimensional changes that define this developmental period. As the correlation between economic disadvantage and negative socio-emotional and academic outcomes is increasingly evidenced, schools have begun to recognize their responsibility for providing preventative mental health care to high-risk students. Over the …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Peer Engagement And Knowledge (Peak): A Community-Based Group Intervention For Youth In Hawai‘I, Jennifer T. T. Ho

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation with a mixed methods design that evaluated the effectiveness of Peer Engagement and Knowledge (PEAK), a six-week community-based group intervention that incorporates mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to address multiple health behaviors for multiracial youth in Hilo, Hawai‘i. A total of 51 youth, ages 12-23 years old, participated in this study which included pre-/posttest analyses of health risk factors such as substance use and depression and health promoting factors such as resilience, self-esteem, and mindfulness. Responses from two subsets of participants, who engaged in a focus group (n = 11) and composed gratitude letters ( …

Examining The Acculturation Experiences Of Syrian Refugee Emerging Adults In The United States Of America, Fatemah Alghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Refugees are vulnerable populations who experience premigration traumatic events and postmigration acculturation stress. While research on immigrant mental health issues has been plentiful, there has been a clear lacuna of scholarly investigation into the acculturation experiences of Syrian emerging adults, particularly as it relates to the types and dynamics of acculturation behaviors. Acculturation is a factor that predicts emerging adults’ academic and occupational success and their interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships.

This qualitative investigation was conducted within the framework of interpretative phenomenology, which allows for meaningful, organic exploration and description of participants’ stories. Data were collected from 12 emerging adult Syrian …

An Initial Development Of A Hardiness Scale For Elementary School Students, Stephen Ferrara

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

There are limited studies that have investigated levels of hardiness in children. There is even less information on finding hardiness scales that have been normed on children in elementary school. The purpose of this study was to test the validity and reliability of the Hardiness Scale for Children (HSC), which assesses the three subscales of hardiness: Challenge, Control, and Commitment. 121 elementary school students (2^nd-5^th grade) were selected to complete the HSC. Their parents were also asked to complete a three-item scale to measure their child’s hardiness. The results indicated that older children tended to give themselves …

Comparing Suicide Risk, Acquired Capability, Distress Tolerance, And Reasons For Living In Those With Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Or Disordered Eating, Brooke Beck

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

Acquired Capability has been a longstanding measure used to predict the likelihood that one may attempt suicide. However, does it hold true in every scenario? Are there other measures that would prove more accurate? This research evaluated these questions, examining archival data of two identified risk groups: those participating in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) and Disordered Eating (DE).

When measured using the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale (ACSS), both groups have similar results in survey data as well as when measuring Distress Tolerance. This would imply that both are at the same risk of attempting suicide. However, when the groups were …

Book Review: Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, And Finding Joy, Ammon Kou

Marriott Student Review

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Suicide-Attempts And Resilience, Life Satisfaction, And Subjective Happiness In Minority Groups, Anna Siewers

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Non-suicidal self-injury and suicide ideation are important issues and known predictors of suicide attempts for any demographic, but specifically for minority groups who are significantly understudied and underreported in comparison to their White and Heterosexual counterparts. It has been found that among adolescents and college students, minority students are disproportionately impacted and are at greater risk for suicidal ideation and behavior. The goal of the present study was to examine the role of both ethnic and sexual minority experience in NSSI and suicide attempts, as well as potential protective factors. A sample of 2,280 undergraduate students completed a survey assessing …

Teachers' Perspectives On Their Role In Fostering Supportive Relationships With Their Students, Jamee S. Carroll

Dissertations (1934 -)

Adolescence is a critical developmental period when the risk for developing several mental health disorders and problem behaviors increases. Promoting resilience, which describes healthy functioning in the presence of adversity, can be beneficial to this population (Masten, 2014). Supportive relationships with caring, competent adults contribute to the promotion of resilience in adolescents. Research demonstrates that teachers can serve in this role (Yeung & Leadbeater, 2010). While there is evidence in the literature regarding the benefits of supportive teacher-student relationships for positive youth outcomes and school climate, there is little empirical research on the factors that serve to cultivate these relationships. …

Student Wellbeing Matters! Use Positive Psychology Interventions To Help Your Students Achieve And Succeed., Andrea A. Francis

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Positive Psychology Interventions (PPI), grounded in the psychological theory of Wellbeing (Seligman, 2002) are pathways to a life of purpose and meaning. Each intervention is proved to not only reduce anxiety and increase optimism, but to create protective factors needed to cope with stress, anxiety and trauma.

Foster Youth Perspectives: Self-Reported Strengths And Resilience, Julia Nelson, Rosana Aguilar, Saralyn Ruff Dr.

Psychology

This study examines the relational resilience, emotional self-efficacy, and self-reported strengths of foster youth, using a community based participatory research framework. The aggregate of research to date focuses on detrimental circumstances foster youth have experienced and the associated psychopathology. The present study expands the focus to individual strengths, informing our understanding of resiliency among foster youth.

A survey was co-created with foster youth focused on demographic background, perceptions of strengths, and resilience. This survey included items from the positive acceptance of change / secure relationships subscale of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-CDSC), and emotional self-efficacy subscale of the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire …

Passive Coping Strategies During Repeated Social Defeat Are Associated With Long-Lasting Changes In Sleep In Rats, Laura A. Grafe, Lauren O’Mara, Anna Branch, Jane Dobkin, Sandra Luz, Abigail Vigderman, Aakash Shingala, Leszek Kubin, Richard Ross, Seema Bhatnagar

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Exposure to severe stress has immediate and prolonged neuropsychiatric consequences and increases the risk of developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Importantly, PTSD develops in only a subset of individuals after exposure to a traumatic event, with the understanding of this selective vulnerability being very limited. Individuals who go on to develop PTSD after a traumatic experience typically demonstrate sleep disturbances including persistent insomnia and recurrent trauma-related nightmares. We previously established a repeated social defeat paradigm in which rats segregate into either passively or actively coping subpopulations, and we found that this distinction correlates with measures of vulnerability or resilience to …

The Impact Of Stress On Resilience: Examining The Moderated Effects Of A Savoring Intervention, Hannah L. Newman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Resilience is characterized by the ability to bounce back from stress (Bonanno, 2004; Ong et al., 2006; Smith et al., 2008). Research suggests resilience is a personal resource that helps individuals effectively cope with stress and provides protection from negative outcomes (Loh, Schutte, & Thorsteinsson, 2013). Exposure to stress is a prerequisite to building resilience across many different contexts (Graber et al., 2015; Hennessey & Levine, 1979; Rutter, 2006). Interestingly, a high accumulation of stress detracts from an individual’s abilities to build resilience (Ong et al., 2006; Tuguade & Frederickson, 2007). However, it is unknown what types of interventions explicitly …

The Relationship Between Social Support And Resilience Among School Nurses, Kathryn Vargo Hsu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research exploring the relationship between social supports and resilience among hospital-based nurses and teachers has offered little to illuminate how school nurses identify and access social support and the impact it may have on their ability to manage ongoing daily stressors or develop resilience. The social networks and social support model suggest that access to social support may underscore the development of effective coping. This study explored the relationship between social supports as measured by a self-report questionnaire, and resilience as measured by the Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). It was hypothesized that a positive correlation would exist between use of …

Relationship Between Preparedness Training And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity In Combat Veterans, Charles F. Snay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the past decade, the military has deployed approximately 1 million members into combat, and a factor that plagues the military veterans returning from combat is the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A factor to examine is preparedness training before combat because the research has shown that postcombat resilience training has been effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD. Using the social cognitive theory, the purpose of this study was to determine whether self-reported preparedness training before deployments was related to lower severity of self-reported PTSD. Based on prior research, age and gender are other variables that this study examined. …

Bullying And Resilience In Elementary School Children And Mitigating Pro-Social Behaviors, Suzette A. Bean

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between bullying behaviors, as measured by the Personal Experiences Checklist (PECK), and resilience, as measured by the Social Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS), as well as whether the prosocial behaviors of controling anger, solving problems, and cooperating with others during activities mitigated the effects of bullying behaviors. A relationship between bullying behaviors and resiliency in children has been shown in past research. The theoretical framework for this study was social learning theory. The foundation of social learning theory is that children learned behaviors by imitating the behaviors of others. …

Positive Experiences Among Dui Offenders In Court-Mandated Substance Abuse Treatment, Katarzyna Blanka Pilewicz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and other drugs puts communities' and individuals' safety at tremendous risk. The excessive use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and/or some prescribed medications causes cognitive impairment and the physical incapability of operating a vehicle. The court system penalizes drunken driving behaviors by placing DUI offenders in a variety of mandated interventions to minimize the risk of reoffense. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore DUI offenders' positive experiences and perceptions derived from DUI programs and how they impacted well-being and commitment to positive change using Seligman's well-being theory as a conceptual framework. …

Under The Skin: Psychophysiological Consequences Of Racial Discrimination, Miriam Josephine Alvarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background. Attitudes toward one's ethnic group can have particular implications for health functioning among groups that are misrepresented or discriminated against by societal institutions. The present experiments tested the consequences of experiencing racism on psychophysiological stress and executive function. Resilience and ethnic identity are examined as a protective factors. Specifically, Experiment 1 testes how discrimination impacts (1) anxiety, (2) heart rate, (3) working memory, and (4) the role of resilience as a protective factor. Experiment 2 sought to (1) replicate Experiment 1, (2) explore the interaction of ethnic identification and perceived prejudice on stress among Latinxs, and (3) establish a …

Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience And Mental Health Among College Students In The El Paso Texas Border Region, Maribel G. Dominguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), mental health and resilience among adults living in the United States - Mexico Border region. Background: Numerous studies have investigated the negative impact of ACEs on adult mental health, but the concept of resilience as a protective factor for mental health has limited consideration in ACE treatment interventions. The proposed study addresses this gap in knowledge by investigating relations between ACEs, resilience, and mental health in the understudied U.S - Mexico Border population. Method: An online survey was administered to 221 university students to …

The Mediating Role Of Resilience In The Relationship Between Attachment Style And Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety, Melanie Jurgensen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Although previous research has identified a relationship between insecure attachment styles and symptoms of depression and anxiety, evidence regarding the mechanisms of action driving this relationship has been lacking. Consequently, the current study examined the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between insecure attachment styles (i.e. anxious-avoidant, anxious-ambivalent, helpless-disorganized and frightened-disorganized) and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The current study included a sample of 182 participants (i.e., 87 men and 95 women) who completed six questionnaires that assessed each participants' relationship with their caregivers during their childhood, present symptoms of depression and anxiety, and their resilience. Correlational analyses indicated …

Resilience And Healthy Adult Relationships Post-Childhood Maltreatment, Nicole Sharie Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of resilience and protective factors (PFs) in the life of women who have experienced childhood maltreatment (CHM). A further purpose was to understand how women who faced CHM develop resilience, and how the proper use or misuse of PFs later affected their adult relationships, whether intimate, social, or familial. Resiliency theory was the theoretical foundation that informed the study. A qualitative methodology with an interpretative phenomenological analysis design was used in this study. Participants included 7 women who were recruited through social media support groups for adult survivors of child …

Training Program Effectiveness In Building Workforce Agility And Resilience, Olya Taran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Decades of qualitative case studies suggest that organizations must be able to deal with change effectively to compete and survive. Many researchers have linked higher workforce levels of agility and resilience to organizations' abilities to deal with change more successfully; however, there is a scarcity of empirical research addressing the efficacy of agility and resilience development in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine the development of workforce resilience and agility, as measured by FIT for Change assessment. The theory of planned behavior was the study's theoretical framework, theorizing that changing attitudes and beliefs about change …