Psychology Commons^™

Understanding Athletes’ Experience When Transitioning To Life Beyond Sport, Mary L. Dell'arciprete, M Lauren Dell'arciprete

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

Discontinuation may be by choice or may be due to an injury; however most collegiate athletes’ sports engagement ends due to graduation causing them to shift their role in an occupation that played a crucial role in their self-identity. Athletes of all levels are challenged in their transition beyond sport and in the adjustment to the various role changes that occur. A significant life event, such as the end of one’s athletic engagement, can cause a loss of identity, purpose, and mental health decline. Former athletes may experience occupational disruption, a temporary inability to adequately engage in meaningful tasks due …

A Daily Investigation Of The Recovery Paradox: Examining The Dynamic Interplay Of Workload, Recovery Experiences, And Microbreaks, Morgan Rose Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

Research has highlighted the importance of recovery from work stress during non-work time for employee health and wellbeing. Building on the recovery from work stress literature, this study examines the recovery paradox which suggests that employees may recover from work demands the least when they need it the most. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the recovery paradox. Specifically, this study examined whether a common work stressor, workload in the morning, is indirectly related to poorer recovery experiences in the evening through negative states at the end of workday. Furthermore, this study …

Sports, Family, And Leadership In Youth: Impacts Of Family Environments And Sport Participation On Youth Leadership Development, Michael Stout

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study investigated the effects of family relationships/environment and sport participation on youth leadership development using the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) questionnaire. Responses from 9^th and 11^th graders were used, resulting in 81,885 total participants between the ages of 13 and 19 for this archival, cross-sectional study. This study had two aims: One, to investigate the relationship between family relationships/environment and sport participation, and their impact on youth leadership skills and development; and two, to investigate whether participation in youth sports provides enough scaffolding to foster the development of youth leadership skills despite poor family relationships/environments. Scales …

Dating During The Time Of Covid-19: Risk Perceptions And Political Ideology, Danielle L. Kellogg, Tracy Dehart, Julie Longua Peterson, Hannah R. Hamilton

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study examined predictors of single people's beliefs about COVID prevention behaviors, intentions to engage in COVID prevention behaviors while dating, and actual dating behavior during the pandemic. Results revealed that single participants engaged in “riskier” dating behaviors (i.e., in-person unmasked) more frequently than “safer” dating behaviors (i.e., remote, or in-person masked/distanced). Individuals who perceived greater (vs. lesser) risk associated with COVID more strongly endorsed beliefs about social distancing (self and other) and were more likely to personally (or request others) engage in COVID prevention behaviors while dating. However, perceived risk did not predict actual dating behaviors. Conservatives (vs. liberals) …

Effects Of Childhood Health And Adversity On Women’S Estrous And Extended Sexuality In Romantic Relationships, Tran Dinh

Psychology ETDs

Variations in childhood conditions may favor different strategies of investment in pair-bonds and reproduction. The current study followed 213 romantically-involved women up to four times across the ovulatory cycle. Analyses find that childhood health and adversity moderate hormone-dependent changes in women’s sexual interests, oxytocin responses, and mate preferences. In light of proposed paternity assurance functions of extended (non-conceptive) sexuality, results suggest women with poorer, compared to better, childhood conditions prioritize bond formation but invest less in maintaining or bolstering partner investment. The estrous (conceptive) sexuality of women with poor childhood health may reflect greater investments in current reproduction, even when …

The Processing Of Task-Relevant And Task-Irrelevant Information In Working Memory, Stephanie M. Saltzmann

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers have aimed to better understand the capacity limits and boundaries of working memory (WM) for decades. With a growing body of literature, researchers have started to direct their focus to identifying and understanding specific processes of WM. Information enters WM and is processed differently based on bottom-up (i.e., feature-driven) and top-down (i.e., task-driven) processes. Specifically, the current dissertation aimed to better understand how task-relevant and irrelevant information is maintained, selection, and prioritized in WM. In Chapter 1, we explored how the maintenance of task-relevant information in WM impacts the maintenance of task-irrelevant information. During a hybrid search task, participants …

Defeat, Entrapment, And Suicide Desire: Analyzing The Role Of Mindfulness Using Ecological Momentary Assessment., Emma H. Moscardini

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Extant literature has indicated that the experience of defeat confers risk for experiencing conceptions of entrapment, which in turns increases one’s risk of experiencing suicidal ideation. In addition, certain cognitive processes are hypothesized to increase or decrease the likelihood of feelings of entrapment emerging when one feels defeated. One such cognitive process is mindfulness, defined as present moment awareness with an orientation of openness and acceptance. Better understanding the interplay of defeat, entrapment, mindfulness, and suicidal thinking will contribute to intervention strategies aimed at reducing the severity of suicidal thinking; however, said research should be conducted with consideration that one’s …

Managing Student Behavior: Occupational And Discrimination-Related Stress As Moderated By Coping Resources, Madeline S. Blocker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Student behavior management is a critical component of efficacious teaching and a leading contributor to teachers’ stress. Prior research has shown that teachers experiencing greater levels of workplace stress may utilize more punitive and exclusionary disciplinary techniques. However, these strategies often do not effectively manage student problem behavior and are associated with adverse student outcomes. In contrast, positive behavior management techniques have shown efficacy in managing student behavior while promoting students’ success and wellbeing. This study explored the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of workplace stress (i.e., work-related and discrimination-related) and their use of positive or punitive behavior management techniques. Additionally, …

Detecting Mental Distresses Using Social Behavior Analysis In The Context Of Covid-19: A Survey, Sahraoui Dhelim, Liming Chen, Sajal K. Das, Huansheng Ning, Chris Nugent, Gerard Leavey, Dirk Pesch, Eleanor Bantry-White, Devin Michael Burns

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Online social media provides a channel for monitoring people's social behaviors from which to infer and detect their mental distresses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online social networks were increasingly used to express opinions, views, and moods due to the restrictions on physical activities and in-person meetings, leading to a significant amount of diverse user-generated social media content. This offers a unique opportunity to examine how COVID-19 changed global behaviors regarding its ramifications on mental well-being. In this article, we surveyed the literature on social media analysis for the detection of mental distress, with a special emphasis on the studies published …

Motives For Sex And Sexual Perpetration In College Men: An Exploratory Study, Nili Gesser, Francis G. Eby, Raeann E. Anderson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Prior research has rarely focused on sexual motives (e.g., motives for having sex) when studying sexual violence perpetration prevention. The current study examined the role of sexual motives alongside other risk factors like alcohol expectancies in predicting sexual violence. We analyzed data from 205 male college students; 36% reported sexual perpetration of some type. Participants completed a series of questionnaires in a randomized order, including: measures of prior sexual perpetration, sexual motives, rape myth acceptance, alcohol expectancies, and a measure of social desirability. Data were analyzed using a series of T-tests and logistic regressions. With one exception (coping motives), all …

Examining Treatment Differences In Anxiety Disorders And Body-Focused Repetitive And Related Disorders In A Pediatric Clinic Sample, Katrina Scarimbolo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health concerns that affect youth. It is estimated about 9.4% of youth have an anxiety disorder such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder or specific phobias (CDC, 2022). The present study includes obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder as a part of the definition of anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders can be comorbid with many mental health conditions. The focus of this study was on the comorbidity between anxiety disorders and body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) and related disorders. BFRBs are behaviors that involve repeated picking, …

Patterns Of Classroom Organization In Classrooms Where Children Exhibit Higher And Lower Language Gains, Laura Cutler, Rachel E. Schachter, Clariebelle Gabas, Shayne B. Piasta, Kelly M. Purtell, Nathan P. Helsabeck

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

Previous research suggests that the ways in which early childhood classrooms are organized may facilitate children’s language learning. However, different measures of classroom organization often yield inconsistent findings regarding child outcomes. In this study, we investigated multiple aspects of classroom organization across two time points in classrooms where children made varying language gains. Using a purposeful sample of 60 early childhood classrooms, 30 in which children made higher language gains and 30 in which children made lower language gains, we explored the organization of the physical classroom literacy environment, classroom management, classroom time, and classroom activities. Research Findings: Results indicated …

Parents’ Perceptions Of The Philly Goat Project’S All Abilities Ramble: A Qualitative Study Of Animal-Assisted Intervention For Intellectual And Developmental Disorders, Patricia Flaherty-Fischette, Jenée Lee, Yvonne D'Uva-Howard, Elizabeth P. Cramer, Karen Krivit, Sarah Meehan

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are a growing population. Considering the wide diversity in IDD and the financial burden of traditional treatment modalities, Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) has emerged as an innovative and non-traditional treatment for individuals with a range of disabilities, including individuals with IDD. To the authors’ knowledge, the present study was one of the first to explore a goat-assisted therapy experience for children with IDD. This study explored the experiences of 23 children with the All Abilities RAMble – a goat-assisted therapeutic activity offered by the Philly Goat Project (PGP). Key themes in our study included …

Applying The Self-Determined Learning Model Of Instruction To The Psychotherapeutic Context For People With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, Richard Chapman, Jessica Schuttler, Karrie Shogren, Sydney Walls, Hannah Adams, Aderonke O. Oyetunji

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

The Self Determined Learning Model of Instruction is an evidence-based intervention for supporting self-directed goal setting and problem solving. Traditionally, the SDLMI has not been applied in the psychotherapeutic context, however we propose that the SDLMI is an approach that could be integrated into such a context to support self-determination, goal setting, and goal attainment. In this paper, we specifically focus on connections between the SDLMI and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and how the approaches can be used jointly, during psychotherapy to support teens and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to set, work towards, and reach goals. Implications …

Contributions Of Community Organizations To Personal Outcomes For People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: A Study Of Special Olympics Program Participation, Seb M. Prohn, Parthenia Dinora, Kayla Diggs Brody

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Community organizations can enhance the intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) service system’s ability to improve the health, wellness, and participation of people with I/DD. This study added an item about Special Olympics (SO) participation to the 2019-2020 National Core Indicators In-Person Survey to predict active SO participation and to determine whether personal outcomes differed for SO participants. Results of a multinomial logistic regression showed that people who were younger or who did not require mobility aids were more likely to participate in SO. Compared with people who never or formerly participated in SO, current SO athletes had better personal outcomes. …

Seriously, What Did One Robot Say To The Other? Being Left Out From Communication By Robots Causes Feelings Of Social Exclusion, Astrid M. Rosenthal-Von Der Pütten, Nikolai Bock

Human-Machine Communication

While humans actually need some overt communication channel to transmit information, be it verbally or nonverbally, robots could use their network connection to transmit information quickly to other robots. This raises the question how this covert robot-robot communication is perceived by humans. The current study investigates how transparency about communication happening between two robots affects humans’ trust in and perception of these robots as well as their feeling of being included/excluded in the interaction. Three different robot-robot communication styles were analyzed: silent, robotic language, and natural language. Results show that when robots transmit information in a robotic language (beep sounds) …

Incorporating Poi As A Therapeutic Modality For Preschool Aged Children In The Care Clinic, Danielle Zirkle

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Can I Count On You? Social Support, Depression And Suicide Risk, Christiana Silva, Christopher Mcgovern, Stephanie Gomez, Eleanor Beale, James Overholser

Student Scholarship

Objectives: Interpersonal factors play an important role in the etiology and treatment of depression. Social support derives from compassionate words and helpful actions provided by family, friends or a significant other. The present study was designed to examine various sources of social support as they relate to the severity of depressive symptoms, hopelessness and suicide risk in adult psychiatric outpatients. Method: Participants were recruited through mental health clinics at a veteran's affairs medical centre. A total of 96 depressed patients were assessed using a diagnostic interview and self-report measures of depression severity, hopelessness and social support. Among these depressed adults, …

Collaborative Decision Making Improves Interpersonal Psychotherapy Efficiency: A Randomized Clinical Trial With Postpartum Women, Scott Stuart, Rebecca L. Brock, Erin Ramsdell, Stephan Arndt, Michael W. O'Hara

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Randomized controlled trials of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and other psychotherapies for depression have required strict adherence to protocol and do not allow for clinical judgment in deciding frequency of sessions. To determine if such protocols were more effective than allowing therapists to use their clinical judgment, we compared “Clinician- Managed” IPT (CM-IPT), in which clinicians and patients with postpartum depression were allotted 12 sessions and determined collaboratively when to use them, to a once weekly 12 session protocol (“Standard IPT”). We hypothesized that CM-IPT would be more efficient, requiring fewer sessions to reach an equivalent acute outcome, and …

Considerations For Developing Effective Mobile Mental Health Applications, Brennan Remington, Daniel F. Upchurch

Multidisciplinary Psychology: A Journal of Collaboration

Mobile mental health applications (MMHAs) are mobile applications developed with the intention of bettering the mental health of their users. There is a wide array of MMHAs currently available on digital markets, but the effectiveness of these applications remains in question. Research on the persuasive strategies employed by these applications would lead to an increase in the effectiveness of intervention methods utilized. Developing guidelines to assist in the creation of these applications would benefit developers and end-users. There is a critical need for MMHAs as they are accessible and often affordable treatment options for hard-to-reach, stigmatized or undertreated populations. This …

Editorial: Implementation Of Evidence-Based Treatments For Child Anxiety And Related Disorders Across Diverse Contexts, Emily M. Becker-Haimes, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez, Courtney Benjamin Wolk

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Youth anxiety and related disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, are prevalent (1), and on the rise (2). Ensuring that anxious youth receive timely and evidence-based treatment is critical; left untreated, these disorders are predictive of a host of future negative outcomes including continued or worsening anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicide (3–8). Unfortunately, it can take 15 years or more after a problem is recognized for someone with an anxiety or related disorder to connect with evidence-based psychosocial care, and most youth with anxiety who seek treatment will …

Modeling Variability In Personality Development: Quantifying, Explaining, And Examining The Predictive Utility Of Person-Specific Variance Around Personality Trajectories, Amanda Jo Wright

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Decades’ worth of research has identified replicable, average patterns of normative personality development across the lifespan. Underlying these findings lie a few assumptions, however, and work seeking to provide incremental knowledge seems to have yet offered a clear path forward. This impasse in progress, in conjunction with studies highlighting the complexity of personality, would suggest these assumptions are perhaps untenable. The current study uses five longitudinal datasets (N = 128,345) to examine personality development using mixed effects location scale models. This permits there to be individual differences in within-person residual variability, or sigma, around trajectories – thereby testing if standard …

Integrating Behavioral Research Findings With A Liberal Arts Paradigm, Jonathan Peterson

LSU Master's Theses

This paper explores the role of behavioral research in understanding the complexity and relevance of creativity. A brief history of the liberal arts and its current application is followed by a discussion of the importance of variability in generating novel and diverse responses, challenging the notion that creativity is solely a product of innate talent. The effects of reinforcement on variability, and how it relates to a complex relationship between reinforcement and the probability of variable responding leads to a discussion of how the combination of previously trained behaviors can lead to creative problem-solving, emphasizing the role of combinatory behavior …

Women's Interracial Friendships: Cultivating Coalitional Possibilities Across Difference Through Dialogue, Akie Fukushige Wenk

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In my dissertation, I thread through the macro-structure as well as micro-operations of hegemonic ideologies, namely white-supremacist capitalist cis-hetero patriarchy (hooks, 1995, Valdes, 1996), that has historically plagued the United States, eventually gaining a global reach over time. I center interracial friendship between Black and White cis-women, where I locate coalitional possibilities that begin at the grassroots level. I situate this interracial relationship within the socio-ecological system where the personal meets the social (including racialized backgrounds). I use a series of analogies to equate these ideologies as toxins in the air, water, and soil. Soil is where we can work …

Implicit Bias In School-Based Suicide Risk Assessment, Jessie Munson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Suicide remains a leading cause of death for youth, and the prevalence of suicidal behaviors continues to increase while demographic trends shift. Despite the considerable scope and impact of this global public health issue and robust evidence that cultural minority and gender-diverse youth are at particular risk, there is a significant dearth in the literature with respect to nonrandom variance or possible systematic error in suicide risk assessment practices. Moreover, studies related to school-based risk assessment are scarce despite the ethical and legal imperative to identify and serve at-risk youth as well as the unique ecological position of schools to …

Negative Impact Of Chronic Pandemic-Specific Financial Stress On Food Security Among College Students, Julia N. Soulakova,, Lisa J. Crockett, Mary Schmidt-Owens, Eric W. Schrimshaw

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Since the pandemic started, food insecurity has become a more serious issue for U.S. college students. The study goals were to evaluate whether pandemic-specific stress contributes to current food insecurity (as of February–March of 2022) and to determine which student characteristics are associated with food insecurity. We used the 2022 Spring American College Health Association— National College Health Assessment data (n = 620) collected at a public university. We estimated two multiple logistic regression models. The odds of having very low food security (OR = 8.65, 95% CI = 4.84:15.43) and low food security (OR = 2.87, 95% CI …

Who Puts The "Support" In Supportive Housing? The Impact Of Housing Staff On Resident's Well-Being, And The Potential Moderating Role Of Self-Determination, Kenna Estell Dickard

Dissertations and Theses

The provision of residential and community-based services for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) has become increasingly important following the deinstitutionalization movement. Much of the existing research on supportive housing focuses on housing outcomes rather than exploring how the program helps its residents thrive in the broader community. This study draws upon data collected from 176 people with SMI residing in 16 supportive housing locations in Portland, Oregon. Analyses employed an ecological approach, exploring how housing staff support relates to residents' well-being at three levels of analysis: loneliness (interpersonal level), residential satisfaction (housing and neighborhood level), and sense of community …

Systematic Review Of Variables Related To Instruction In Augmentative And Alternative Communication Implementation: Group And Single-Case Design, Joe Reichle, James E. Pustejovsky, Kimberly J. Vannest, Margaret Foster, Lauren M. Pierson, Sanikan Wattanawongwan, Man Chen, Marcus C. Fuller, April N. Haas, Valeria Yllades

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Purpose:

This article provides a systematic review and analysis of group and single-case studies addressing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention with school-aged persons having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities resulting in complex communication needs (CCNs). Specifically, we examined participant characteristics in group-design studies reporting AAC intervention outcomes and how these compared to those reported in single-case experimental designs (SCEDs). In addition, we compared the status of intervention features reported in group and SCED studies with respect to instructional strategies utilized.

Participants:

Participants included school-aged individuals with CCNs who also experienced ASD or ASD with an intellectual delay …

Factor Structure Of School Readiness Skills: Conceptual Vs. Statistical Distinctions, Robert Duncan, Kirsten L. Anderson, Jennifer Finders, David J. Purpura, Sara A. Schmitt

Purdue Center for Early Learning Faculty and Staff Publications

Introduction: School readiness skills are a broad set of abilities that children develop in early childhood that support achievement once they enter formal schooling. Three components of school readiness skills are of focus in the current study: executive function (EF), language/literacy, and mathematics. The current study examines to what extent 13 direct assessments of these skills statistically align with theoretical models for distinct construct- and timepoint-specific latent factors.

Methods: The sample included 684 children (52.34% male; 42% Black/African American; M_age = 4.80 years in the fall of prekindergarten) assessed in the fall and spring of the prekindergarten year.

Results: …

The Impact Of Offense Type, Race, And Disclosure On Perceptions Of Employability: Can Bias Towards Hiring A Person With A Criminal History Be Mitigated?, Rheanna Lee Standridge

Dissertations

Individuals with a prior criminal history experience many barriers in the reintegration process, including their ability to gain stable employment. Finding employment for this population is especially important in reducing potential of recidivism. However, research has demonstrated that returning residents experience negative attitudes from employers which are exacerbated by pre-existing stereotypes. Because returning residents are often stereotyped, research suggests that the fear of finding employment is confounded by how they disclose their criminal history to hiring managers. Further, previous research suggests that hiring decisions are impacted by not only offender status, but also by their offense type and race. Although …