Psychology Commons^™

The Impact Of In-Service Training On Burnout At The Institute Of Public Administration, Maghram M. Al-Amri

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to assess the effects of training on burnout and job satisfaction by conducting pre- and post-tests of participants in various training programs provided by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). This study used a Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) modified survey. The results suggested that the burnout levels among trainees after the professional in-service training program were not significantly different from the burnout level before the professional in-service training. At the organizational level, the findings supported a relationship between burnout and promotion, departmental and organizational tenure, age, and changing jobs and organizations. This study provided some valuable …

The Relation Between Optimism And Job Performance: An Applied Setting, Mary Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on cognitive ability measures consistently concludes that they are predictive of employee performance. While accounting for only about 9% of the variance in performance, however, cognitive ability measures are not sufficient. Alternative measures, such as measures of personality constructs, must be included to fully predict employee performance. The research on personality measures suggests that they are marginally predictive of employee performance. Research also suggests that predicative accuracy of personality measures can be enhanced when the measure is specific to the situation (i.e., stress measure are more predictive of performance in high stress situations compared to moderate or low stress …

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Chronic Stress And Divided Attention Performance, Diane Petrac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While previous research has extensively examined the effect of acute stress on cognitive performance, relatively little research has explored the relationship between chronic stress and cognitive performance. The current study aimed to control for current state anxiety to better isolate more chronic stress, when examining the relationship with performance on divided attention tasks. Fifty-four university undergraduates, who self-reported a wide range of perceived chronic stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale), completed the Trail-Making Test and a dual (auditory and visual) Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Hierarchical regressions were performed to explore cognitive predictors of chronic perceived stress. After covarying for state anxiety …

The Relationship Between Parenting Stress And Family Cohesion In Non-Abusing Parents Of Sexually Traumatized Children, Danielle Marie Bronk

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Psychological Symptoms, Marital Quality, And Environmental Stress In Newly-Married Couples, Constance B. Sharp

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-sectional relationships between psychological symptoms, marital quality, and stress experienced over the past week were explored using data from 310 newly married couples. Couples were recruited through newspaper ads and paid to participate. Couples were eligible if they had been married for less than six months and were not receiving therapy when they contacted the researcher. The Global Severity Index (GSI) of the Brief Symptom Inventory measured psychological symptoms. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) measured marital quality, and scaled ratings of 11 types of stressors experienced over the previous week measured stress. Husband and wife measures were taken of each …

The Predictive Relationship Of Inhibitory Control, Emotion Regulation, Moral Emotions, And Life Stressors On Behavior Problems In School-Aged Children Of Incarcerated Mothers, Geraldine M. Lotze

Theses and Dissertations

Children whose mothers go to prison are at high risk for poor outcomes of many kinds,including externalizing behaviors, internalizing disorders, school dropout, and eventual criminal activity. Inhibitory control, moral emotions, emotion regulation, and stressful life events were examined as predictors of externalizing and internalizing behaviors in children of incarcerated mothers. Participants were 50 children age 6 to 12 years (M = 9.77 y, SD = 1.54) with mothers currently in prison who attended a faith-based recreational summer camp. Inhibitory control was not impaired in these children, showing that their brains were functioning appropriately in this area of executive functioning. Inhibitory …

The Long-Term Effects Of Direct Verbal Victimization And Family Support On Anxious And Aggressive Behaviors In Urban Adolescents: Do Mean Words Have A Lasting Impact?, Amie Bettencourt

Theses and Dissertations

Stressful life events that occur within the context of interpersonal relationships are problematic for adolescents. Peer victimization, a stressful interpersonal event, involves acts of both physical and verbal harassment, and can contribute to psychosocial maladjustment among youth. Direct verbal victimization is a specific form of peer victimization involving name-calling and teasing that is particularly prevalent among adolescents, but has rarely been studied separately from other types of victimization.This form of victimization is associated with adjustment problems, including anxiety and aggression among adolescents. Despite the significant association between direct verbal victimization and negative adolescent adjustment outcomes, not all youth who experience …

Emotional Labor And Nursing Students: An Investigation Of Nursing Students' Emotion Work, Ann Caldwell Smolen-Hetzel

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined emotional labor as a potential source of stress for nursing students, as nursing students' performance of emotional labor may impact their working lives in important ways. Participants were 107 undergraduate and graduate nursing students enrolled in a large southeastern university who completed the Discrete EmotionsEmotional Labor Scale (DEELS; Glomb & Tews, 20041, the Student Nurse Stress Index (SNSI; Jones & Johnston, 1999), the Job Descriptive Index (JDI; Balzer et al., 20001, and the Job in General (JIG; Balzer et al., 2000) scales. Two sub-samples of nursing students were identified, one of which held a registered nurse license …

Supportive And Unsupportive Responses From Parents As Moderators Of The Relationship Between Stressful Events And Negative Outcomes In Adolescents, Karen A. Muehl

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between stressful events in adolescents and negative outcomes of substance use, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Parental support and unsupportive parental responses were examined as moderators of this relationship. The research design was cross-sectional, and self-report data were collected from 100 adolescents in the 8th and 9th grades. As hypothesized, significant positive associations were found between perceived stressors and each of the three negative outcomes, as well as between unsupportive parental responses and the outcomes. Also consistent with hypotheses, and previous literature, was the finding of a significant inverse association …

Comparison Of The Stress Levels And Gpa Of African American College Students At Historically Black And Predominantly White Institutions., Yashica Dearcie Woods

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stress levels of African American college students attending Historically Black and Predominantly White Institutions were compared. The GPAs of the students were correlated with their stress levels. Racism and social support were explored as factors contributing to stress. Results indicated that African American students attending the Predominantly White institution had higher stress than African American students attending the Historically Black institution and White students attending the Predominantly White institution. The results also indicated that GPA and stress were negatively correlated; as stress levels decreased, GPA increased. A negative correlation was found to be significant with social support and stress; as …

Stress And The Common Cold, Nicole Kinman, Angela Vincent

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Stress is very common among people especially in today’s world. People also seem to be getting colds much more often than they used to. Does stress cause people to get sick more often? In the present study 40 participants, all Lindenwood University students ages 18 to 29 years old took a stress test and a health questionnaire in an attempt to determine whether or not the more stressed a person is the more often they will get sick. The participants were asked to spare five minutes of their time to complete the two surveys. This study determined that there is …

An Investigation Of Reactance, Coping, Quality Of Life, And Well -Being, Monique Maria Matherne

Doctoral Dissertations

Psychological reactance (reactance) is a personality variable receiving a great deal of attention. Reactance has been defined as the motivational force aroused in an individual when a behavioral freedom is lost or threatened (Brehm, 1966). The current study assessed the interrelationships among psychological reactance, coping, quality of life, and well-being. A total of 353 participants were analyzed for this study. Participants completed four self-report instruments: (1) the Therapeutic Reactance Scale, (2) the Coping Styles Questionnaire, (3) the Overall Quality of Life Scale, (4) the General Well-Being Schedule, and a demographics questionnaire. Significant gender differences existed for reactance, detachment coping, emotional …

Effects Of 5-Ht2 Receptor Ligands On Tail Pinch-Induced Stress Responding And Open Field Behavior, John K. Hearn

LSU Master's Theses

Stress is known to exert an influence on neuroendocrine, autonomic, hormonal, and immune functioning. As a result of the debilitating effects of stress on numerous bodily systems, there exists a large body of research devoted to the etiology, physiological sequelae, and treatment of the condition. Further, the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) has been implicated in stress responding. Presently, there is conflict in the literature as to the precise role serotonin plays in mediating the stress response. This study was an attempt to further elucidate the role of 5-HT in mediating an organism’s response to tail pinch stress and the open field. …

Warning Compliance: Effects Of Stress And Working Memory, Jessica Helmick-Rich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of cross-modality warning presentation and retention in a dual-task paradigm in a simulated military environment under various task-induced stress levels. It was also intended to determine what role working memory played in the mode of warning presentation that resulted in the highest retention and subsequent compliance. An all within participant design was created in order to determine if scores on working memory span tasks predicted performance across the varying forms of warning presentation. Furthermore, task-induced stress levels were varied over the course of the experiment to identify if workload transitions affected performance. Results revealed that …

Perceived Stress, Coping, And Adequacy Of Social Support: Implications For Subjective Well-Being In College Students, Kia Asberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stress is a widespread concept commonly associated with psychological and medical problems that may impair an individual's functioning and incur costs on society. Alarming rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and other stress-related problems have been found among college students. This study (N = 241)argues that reducing emotional and financial stress-related costs may be possible through increasing public and professional awareness of moderating variables, such as social support and coping resources. Results indicated that stress, inadequate social support, and escape-avoidance coping were related to higher levels of depression and lower life satisfaction in both males and females. Social support functioned …

A Meta-Analytic Review Of The Effects Of High Stress On Eyewitness Memory, Kenneth A. Deffenbacher, Brian H. Bornstein, Steven D. Penrod, E. Kiernan Mcgorty

Psychology Faculty Publications

In the past 30 years researchers have examined the impact of heightened stress on the fidelity of eyewitness memory. Meta-analyses were conducted on 27 independent tests of the effects of heightened stress on eyewitness identification of the perpetrator or target person and separately on 36 tests of eyewitness recall of details associated with the crime. There was considerable support for the hypothesis that high levels of stress negatively impact both types of eyewitness memory. Meta-analytic Z-scores, whether unweighted or weighted by sample size, ranged from -5.40 to -6.44 (high stress condition–low stress condition). The overall effect sizes were -.31 for …

Psychological And Neuropsychological Correlates Of Postconcussional Disorder, Joy Helena Wymer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chronic symptoms of Postconcussional Disorder (PCD) occur in a significant minority of mild brain injury patients. The latest research suggests an interactionistic perspective as the most logical and empirically supported pathogenesis for the development and maintenance of PCD. The interactionistic perspective implicates organic factors in the development of acute symptoms of PCD, and psychological factors in the maintenance of chronic symptoms. Possible psychological factors relevant in the maintenance of PCD symptoms include a grief response, a coping hypothesis, and the development of dysfunctional coping loops. Providing support for a psychological etiology of symptom maintenance is research indicating reduction of chronic …

Effects Of Voluntary Control On Performance Response Under Stress., Christina Shawn Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent stressful environments within military and non-military domains are producing a new challenge for the lab-based study of stress on task performance, one that requires knowledge of underlying cognitive-motivational and goal orientation factors. Results of recent stress on task performance research traditionally employ metaphorical explanations (i.e., resource theory) in order to rapidly apply stimulus-response outcomes to the real world counterparts. This dissertation provides an alternative perspective about these metaphorical, or black box, interpretations and reveals how they may be confounded with respect to the intended real world counterpart. To examine how voluntary human control can influence traditional stress/no-stress research findings, …

Gender And Ethnic Differences In Perceived Stress As A Predictor Of Smoking Behaviors In Rural Adolescents, Lashanda R. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted to examine the impact of perceived stress on current and future smoking behaviors of rural Virginia middle school students. Data were analyzed for 685 sixth grade students and 554 seventh grade students. Sixth grade students were 52% male, 53% Caucasian American (CA), and 47% African American (AA). For 7th graders, the sample was 53% female and 56% CA (44% AA). Of the 685 sixth grade students, 7% reported that they had smoked cigarettes at least once during the past 30 days (n=46,63% male and 67% CA). By the 7th grade, the percentage of smokers …

School Schedules And How They Impact Student Perceptions Of Stress, David C. Flocco

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Analysis Of Demographic Variables And Levels Of Stress In Law Enforcement Officers, Kathleen M. Jansen

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Employment in a law enforcement profession exposes an individual to potential stressors not experienced in most other professions. Sporadic efforts have been made to design stress management programs to assist officers in coping with the demands of their jobs. Much of the previous research on law enforcement stress has focused on examining the effectiveness of various coping skills; however, the training has focused on teaching a healthy lifestyle. This study seeks to add to the existing research by examining what elements of the job are perceived as the most stressful and what demographic variables, if any, may influence an individual's …

The Effects Of Auditory Distraction On Attention Performance In Asymptomatic College Students With A History Of Mild Head Injury, John H.,Ii Denning

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Introduction: The majority of individuals experiencing a mild head injury (MHI) recover fully experiencing few residual symptoms. Some individuals who fully recover have shown evidence of residual, albeit subtle, brain functioning disturbances on tasks requiring high levels of cognitive effort. Also, memory complaints in MHI patients may be related to these subtle difficulties when cognitive resources are overwhelmed. This study assessed a group of asymptomatic college students with a history of MHI to determine if there were any residual attention difficulties as well as increased memory complaints. Method: One-hundred twelve college students with and without a history of MHI were …

Beyond The Downside Of War And Stress: A Commentary On Danieli, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes areas of psychological functioning that are often ignored or discounted by authors commenting on the psychological effects of war.

A Psychologist’S View On And From Iraq, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses her personal experiences in Iraq in early 2003. Opposed to what she considered "a groundless war and to destructive and largely ineffective sanctions," she saw her trip as an opportunity to observe the social psychological impact of the aforementioned actions on the Iraqi people.

Patients Presenting For Psychiatric Emergency Services : Clinical Characteristics, Psychosocial Stressors And Disposition, Kristen Maura Cirelli

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of 600 individuals who presented to two Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) located in one county of southern New Jersey. A retrospective chart analysis investigated demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables that describe the PES presenter. It also examined how these variables differ between the urban and suburban sites, and how they affected the disposition decision. Because there is a paucity of information investigating the role that psychosocial stressors play, there was specific focus on psychosocial stressors as defined by Axis IV of the multiaxial system outlined in the American Psychiatric Association's …

Psychosocial Predictors Of Visceral Adiposity, Paula C. Rhode

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Psychosocial factors are thought to influence health through primarily direct physiological mechanisms or the alteration of health related behaviors. Three factors hypothesized to negatively impact health include arousal, life stress, and depressive symptomatology. One recent theorist suggests that the interaction between psychological stress and stress hormones on the neuroendocrine system may result in adverse changes to body composition, most notably the increased deposition of visceral adipose tissue (Bjorntorp, 1993). The current study prospectively examined the relationship between self-reported stressful life events, depressive symptoms and trait arousal on the deposition of visceral fat, as measured by computerized tomography (CT). Subjects were …

The Role Of Stress Resiliency And Perceived Procedural Fairness In The Coping Processes Of Layoff Survivors, Sue E. Schonberg

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Major And Minor Life Events As Predictors Of Medical Utilization, Gareth R. Dutton

LSU Master's Theses

Research suggests stressful life events can negatively influence physical and mental health in a number of ways. While previous research indicates both major and minor life events contribute unique variance to the prediction of physical and mental symptoms, little research has examined the relationships of both major and minor life events with medical utilization. The current study included a predominantly African American, low-income sample of adults (N = 207) attending two primary care outpatient clinics and assessed their experience of both major and minor life events over the course of one year. Medical utilization data were collected over a subsequent …

9/11 Stress About Coping With 9/11 Stress, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies paradoxes and conceptual difficulties with behavioral scientists and expert advice on coping with 9/11-related stress.

A Study Of The Relationships Among Secondary Traumatic Stress, Coping, And Years Of Service In Firefighter/Emergency Medical Service Personnel, Lynne S. Sanders

Faculty Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine relationships among stress, coping, and years of service in rescue personnel. One hundred sixteen voluntary subjects employed in Fire/EMS service in a small southern city participated in the study. Subjects completed a demographic questionnaire, The Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), and The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS).

The incidence of symptomatic stress for the sample was 19.8 percent, higher than the general population but comparable to rates found in other studies of rescue workers. Calls involving children were rated as most disturbing by the subjects. There was no relationship found between years …