Psychology Commons^™

Positive Epidemiology, Revisited: The Case For Centering Human Rights And Economic Justice, Farah Qureshi, Christy Denckla, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, a growing body of research in positive epidemiology has sought to expand the traditional focus of epidemiologic research beyond risk factors for disease and towards a more holistic understanding of health that includes the study of positive assets that shape well-being more broadly. While this paradigm shift holds great promise for transforming people’s lives for the better, it is also critiqued for showcasing decontextualized perspectives that could cause great harm to the public’s health if translated uncritically into population-based interventions. In this commentary, we argue for orienting positive epidemiology within a human rights and economic justice framework …

Lived Experiences Of Young Adults Exposed To Negligent And Permissive Parenting Styles, Jessica Hernandez Sanchez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of young adults of permissive and negligent parenting styles and their experiences of resilience and self-sufficiency. The theoretical frameworks were Lazarus and Folkman’s diathesis stress model and Baumrind’s theory of parenting styles. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 20 individuals ages 18–25 who met the inclusion criteria and parenting style experiences for this study. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed and three themes and seven subthemes emerged. The interpretation of the findings led to five themes: (a) the impact of attachment and parenting styles on the …

Hospital Staff Members’ Lived Experiences Of Facilitating Yalom Focus Groups With Inpatient Adults In Psychiatric Units, Yemisi T. Abiona

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increase in inpatient psychiatric admissions across the United States with a decrease in funding necessitated a need to investigate clinical and cost-effective interventions to meet the demands. Research indicated that therapeutic group interventions are clinically sound and cost-effective. However, there are few evidence-based group interventions designed for acute and chronically ill psychiatric patients. The objective of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Yalom group facilitators to determine whether the group could be further researched and adopted as a specialized group intervention for this population. Existential theory served as the theoretical framework for this study. …

Integrative And Holistic Approaches To Treating Ptsd: Two Theoretical Models To Guide Best Practice, Audrey G. Mcguinness

Psychology Honors Projects

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder that deserves quality psychotherapeutic treatment. As research on PTSD has progressed, it has become increasingly clear that the disorder is rooted in both neurological and psychological abnormalities. However, many currently available gold-standard psychotherapies target symptoms which arise from only one of these dysfunctional origins, leaving symptom profiles inadequately addressed and contributing to issues with attrition and residual symptoms. Integrative therapies, while still in the early stages of gaining empirical support, seem promising in terms of their ability to offer more complete symptom resolution than cognitive or somatic therapies alone. Another crucial aspect …

The Anatomical Embodiment Of Morning Routines In The Reduction Of Anxiety: An Intervention, Natalie Wright

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The topic under investigation is whether physically embodying a morning routine that was designed through the lens of Laban Bartenieff Movement Analysis (LBMA) will reduce daily symptoms of individuals diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Since morning routines play a significant part in one’s preparation for the day, I created an individualized LBMA morning routine for a specific client to embody. In addition to the routine, the client documented the process of their anxiety levels on a weekly basis. This client was a white, female, 19-year-old, lesbian college student who was previously diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The movement analysis …

Assessing Social Engagement Differences Across The Continuum Of Sexuality, Ariana Cunningham

Honors Projects

Individuals attracted to more than one gender identity, also known as non-monosexuals, exist in a unique place in the sexuality dichotomy. Often experiencing prejudice from both their heterosexual and homosexual peers, they are prone to increased rates of loneliness. Loneliness has been shown to increase both mental and physical health risks. Due to the dangers of loneliness, the current study set out to examine this relationship between non-monosexuals and loneliness. A two-phase study was created containing an online survey portion and an in-person interview procedure. Due to small sample sizes, no statistical significance was found but data has been trending …

An Evaluation Of The Book Of Hosea And Its Impact For Our Lives Today, Nathan Fulton

Honors Projects

The book of Hosea provides a rich story of the life of the prophet Hosea and the constant woes of the nation of Israel. Through analysis of commentaries from past theologians and modern psychological studies, the contents of Hosea will be reinforced as viable literature to learn from. Despite belief in the historical legitimacy of the book, through research, we find humanity’s deepest desire is to be fully loved and fully known. Analysis of attachment theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs show us that the story of Hosea demonstrates our insecurities and the proper response to them.

“I Cannot Bring A Child Into This World”: Hearing And Writing I Poems With Birthstrike Testimonials, Leola Meynell

The Qualitative Report

BirthStrike for Climate was a UK-based movement whose members “striked” against having children, to demonstrate the desperate need for political action on climate change. In this article, I engage with the Listening Guide (Gilligan & Eddy, 2017) to hear, trace and construct “I poems” with BirthStrike members’ testimonial statements, which were published online between 2019-2020. My analysis focusses on how BirthStrike stories articulate the psychosocial impacts of climate change, particularly in relation to questions about having (and not having) children in times of environmental and social crises. I provide an iteration of how the Listening Guide can be applied to …

Telehealth Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Adolescents With Transdiagnostic Health-Related Anxiety: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Julie M. Petersen, Marissa L. Donahue, Leila K. Capel, Emily M. Bowers, Mercedes G. Woolley, Sara Boghosian, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Health-related anxiety is an under-researched and pressing issue to understand in adolescents, particularly given the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study is a randomized, waitlist-controlled trial of 10 weekly, 50-minute sessions of telehealth ACT targeting health-related anxiety in adolescents as compared to a waitlist. A sample of 30 adolescents (ages 12- 17), plus one caretaker each (N = 60), currently struggling with clinical levels of health-related anxiety were enrolled. The majority of caretakers and adolescents were White, non-Hispanic/Latine, and female. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling across pre-, mid-, post-treatment, and one-month follow-up. Adolescents reported small, significant decreases in health-related anxiety …

Exposure To The Trier Social Stress Test Enhances Central Detail Memory, Reduces False Memory, And Results In Intrusive Memories That Last For Days, Mercedes L. Stanek, Kayla Boaz, Taylor D. Niese, Kristen E. Long, Matthew S. Risner, John G. Blasco, Koen N. Suzelis, Kelsey M. Siereveld, Boyd R. Rorabaugh, Phillip R. Zoladz

ONU Student Research Colloquium

Recent work has used a modified version of the well-known laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), to study participant memory for a stressful experience. The paradigm is useful because, unlike most studies examining stress effects on memory, it allows investigators to measure what participants remember about the stressor, not unrelated information. It also presents an opportunity to model other stress-related symptoms, such as intrusive memories, but these have yet to be assessed with this paradigm. Intrusive memories have been notoriously difficult to measure in laboratory settings; most of this research involves participants watching arousing videos and subsequently reporting …

Combating Trauma And The Immigrant Paradox In Schools, Emma Bergman

Honors Projects

Over time, research on immigrant populations has revealed a trend known as the immigrant paradox in which, the further generations get from the generation of immigration, the poorer their outcomes are in areas such as mental health, delinquency, substance abuse, and education. Though a definitive explanation for this trend has yet to be identified, prevailing theories include several social, familial, and community-based factors such as the impacts of bilingualism, parental expectations, biculturalism, co-ethnic peers, quality of schools, and community support. Little attention has been paid to individual factors such as mental health and trauma. The present study proposes the transgenerational …

The Relationship Of Psychology And Music, Thomas Pulling

Honors Projects

This paper discusses the relationship between psychology and music, examining some of the foundational research in the field, and looks at some of the historical context surrounding the psychological study of music and of music theory. The goal of this project is to use my experience as a performing musician and psychology student to emphasize the importance of furthering research into the psychology of music.

Impact Of Emotional Intelligence On Client Satisfaction In Project Management, Mousami Berawala

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates the correlation between emotional intelligence (EI) and client satisfaction in project management. It is guided by the central research question: Is emotional intelligence linked to client satisfaction? To explore this, the research is structured around Practice of EI on Leadership and Junior level and impact on client satisfaction, the impact of varying work environments, including remote, hybrid, office-based, and site-based settings, on project outcomes post-pandemic; differences in EI practices across countries and the effect of diverse work cultures; the comparison of EI application across different fields, with a focus on work-life balance and industry-specific practices in banking, …

Autism And Experiences In Relationships: A Moderated Mediation Analysis Exploring Different Pathways For Gender And Sexuality, Evah-Marie Lemma

Undergraduate Theses

Objective: Autistic individuals are at higher risk of sexual victimization than the general population. The purpose of this study was to examine experiences of insecurity and adverse sexual experiences in romantic relationships from the perspective of those with autism diagnoses, those who suspect they have autism, and those with autistic traits, as well as determine potential mediating and moderating factors.

Methods: Participants (N=452 U.S. adults) completed various measures assessing autistic traits, masking, insecurity in relationships, adverse sexual experiences, perceived social support, discrimination, and perceived availability of partners via online survey. Participants also reported formal autism diagnosis or suspected …

Effects Of Postural Position, Eeg Asymmetry, And Temperamental Style On Cognitive Task Performance, Taylor Cops, Christy D. Wolfe

Undergraduate Theses

The literature shows hemispheric asymmetry in individuals corresponding with temperamental style. Those with greater right-frontal activation tend towards withdrawal/inhibition and those with greater left-frontal activation tend towards approach/activation (e.g., Davidson, 1992). Other literature suggests that greater right-parietotemporal activation is associated with increased arousal (Heller, 1993; Wolfe & Bell, 2014). Temperamental style has been linked with cognitive performance with approach-oriented temperaments being associated with both higher and lower performance depending on the task requirements (Khan et al., 2024; Wolfe & Bell, 2007). Literature further suggests that postural position (e.g., sitting, standing, lying down) may influence feelings of approach/withdrawal and cognitive processing. …

Psychological Influences On Reaction When Faced With Failure And Difficult Experiences, Marcus Cunha

Honors Theses

The current study investigated the impact of psychological traits on emotional reactions in the face of challenges. The study employed tasks designed to induce negative psychological states, such as a Learned Helplessness (LH) task (Hooper & McHugh, 2013) and the difficult Compound Remote Associate (CRA) task (Bowden & Jung-Beeman, 2003). A correlational study was conducted using a within-subjects design. All participants were given initially the same questionnaires measuring the following predictor variables: Grit, Need for Cognition (NFC), Psychological Flexibility (PF), Trait Cognitive Fusion (CF), and Emotional Stability. Participants then engaged in the LH and CRA tasks followed by completing outcome …

Implementing Choice In Treatment Modality For Adolescents With Autism Learning Daily Living Skills, Silvia Robazza

Honors Theses

Daily living skills, categorized as personal-care activities within the home, community, and school setting, are crucial components in establishing daily routines amongst adolescents (Stabel, 2013). Many of these activities require gross motor and fine motor skills, which are skills that tend to be difficult for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD;Chen et al., 2022). When trying to express their wants and needs surrounding completing day-to-day activities, individuals with ASD may engage in problem behaviors as a way to communicate (Iwata et al., 1982). Nonetheless, implementing choice in treatment has been found to significantly decrease occurrences of problem behavior (Shogren et …

School Counseling Psychology Internship, Sarah S. Gathje

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This is a summary of my school counseling internship through the psychology program at WSU. I completed it on site at Caledonia Middle/High School under the supervision of school counselor Brent Schroeder. I was able to learn counseling techniques for individuals and groups of students, help teach character development lessons, attend meetings, and learn what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a school counselor.

I Am A "Fruit Eater": Predicting Fruit And Vegetable Consumption With Approach Self-As-Doer Identities, Melisandra R. Mclaughlin, Abree A. Dieterman, Katelyn R. Kelley, Hannah B. Dunlavy, Ashley M. Lenarz

Research & Creative Achievement Day

The daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables is 1.5-2 cups and 2-3 cups, respectively, but only one in 10 adults in the United States are meeting those recommendations (CDC, 2019). Research on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) indicates healthy eating behaviors can be predicted by intentions and other components of the theory (McDermott et al., 2015). Likewise, the self-as-doer, an identity that aims to describe individuals in terms of doing a behavior, also predicts healthy eating. However, less research has explored how the orientation of a doer identity predicts fruit and vegetable consumption. Those with an approach doer …

Health Literacy And Behaviors Among Students In Health Vs. Non-Health-Related Majors: Implications For Substance Use, Socialization, And Wellbeing, Amelie H. Pflamminger, Erin M. Farina, Ashley Lenarz

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Purpose: College is a pivotal time for young adults in relation to new experiences and behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine whether students' major relates to health literacy, substance use, peer behavior, and mental health. Prior research found a significant difference in substance use behaviors by college major (Chen & Chen, 2020), and students in health-related fields of study showed higher levels of health literacy, while students in non-health related majors showed weaknesses across all dimensions (Rababah et al., 2019). This study aims to expand on prior research by examining the relationship between health behaviors and …

My Internship Experience At The Winona Dac, Cameron P. Shores

Research & Creative Achievement Day

The DAC is a nonprofit organization that is funded by the government. I will talk about what the DAC is and what they do for the community. I will also talk about my experience as an intern at the DAC and what I learned while I was there. I will finish by talking about why the DAC and similar organizations are important and how they do much good for the disabled community.

Friendship Center, Abigail L. Wolfe

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This is a poster about my internship experience at the Friendship Center. The main focus of my internship was a club that I created called Joyful Aging. Joyful Aging is a club that focuses on finding joy in new experiences and topics. I was also involved in something the facility called tech appointments. Tech appointments are there to help the members with any technological issues they come across.

Competency To Stand Trial Evaluations: Using Vignettes With Patients Who Lack Insight, Katelyn Fuller

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

In the United States, an attorney may request a competency to stand trial evaluation if they are concerned that their client is not mentally fit to adequately participate in their case and defense. Patients found incompetent must undergo treatment for restoration of competency, regardless of their willingness. Clinicians and psychiatrists may use vignettes, or hypothetical scenarios, to help restore competency if the patient lacks insight into their mental illness. While vignettes have been well documented in studying attitudes and awareness, decision making, and identifying mental illness, there is little to no research into their use in psychiatric hospitals due to …

The Examination Of The Relationship Social Media Usage And Self-Diagnosis Of Mental Disorders, Felicity West

ATU Scholars Symposium

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between algorithmic social media platforms and self-diagnosis of mental disorders. Looking specifically at psychopathology, the enhancements and pioneering of new algorithmic social media platforms have made the facilitation of forged disorders and exaggerated symptoms quickly widespread. The most notable example, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), has led a plethora of youth to self-diagnose and romanticize one of the most serious and rare mental health disorders recognized by the APA (Hatigan et al., 2023). This becomes increasingly problematic because it diminishes the severity and urgency for those who are clinically diagnosed with DID. To investigate the …

Psychological Science: Who’S Really In Charge? Popular Media’S Influences On Food Behavior, Chakuen W. Rambang, Amilya Bryant, Benjamin Ramer, Delvin Porter

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

With mass media, consumption being very accessible, many individuals are being impacted in their daily lives. Mass media influences have had the opportunity to persuade people in their daily choices such as nutritional behaviors. With different nutritional trends on the rise, the presentation of popular media applications, such as TikTok, may have correlations to how individuals react to different trends regarding nutrition. Many videos on the platform have different algorithms that persuade their viewers to partake in different trends. In addition to popular media possibly having the impact of changing an individual's behavior, the overall understanding of nutrition may play …

Denial Of Pregnancy Or Cryptic Pregnancy, Nadia N. Shuriah, Elaine Mcfarland, Bethany Spenn, Kaisha Butz Mcmanus

BIO4960: Practicum in Biology I

Denial of pregnancy, or cryptic pregnancy, presents a complex situation where individuals are unaware of their pregnancy until the late stages of labor. This study delves into the multifaceted nature of concealed and denied pregnancies, exploring their prevalence, factors contributing to them, and their implications for both individuals and healthcare systems. By reviewing relevant literature and case studies, we aim to illuminate the difficulties healthcare providers face in identifying and managing cases of denial of pregnancy. Additionally, we stress the significance of proactive screening and comprehensive care to ensure the well-being of mothers and infants. This research endeavors to deepen …

The Evaluation Of Non-Specific Risk Indicators In Improving Detection Of Psychosis-Spectrum Liability, Thomas W. O'Kane

Theses and Dissertations

Psychosis-spectrum disorders remain a leading cause of disability for both individuals and society, with early identification and prevention efforts representing a promising avenue of research for addressing these concerns. One potential impediment to improving early risk identification is the historical focus on indicators thought to be exclusive to the psychosis-spectrum. This focus often comes at the expense of non-specific risk factors (e.g., disrupted sleep, adverse childhood experiences) which contribute to the risk of developing psychosis as well as other mental illnesses. Research suggests the inclusion of these non-specific factors may improve our ability to identify those at risk. The present …

Predictors Of Sinonasal Improvement After Highly Effective Modulator Therapy In Adults With Cystic Fibrosis, Daniel M. Beswick, Christine M. Liu, Jonathan B. Overdevest, Anna Zemke, Aastha Khatiwada, David A. Gudis, Jessa E. Miller, Adam Kimple, Jeremy P. Tervo, Todd E. Bodner, Multiple Additional Authors

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The 22-question SinoNasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) assesses chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) severity. We aimed to identify predictors of SNOT-22 score improvement following highly effective modulator therapy (HEMT) initiation and to corroborate the SNOT-22 minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Burnout Symptoms Among Millennial Teachers In India: The Efficacy Of The Emotional Self-Care Online Intervention Program (Escoip), Joby Thomas, Marc Eric S. Reyes

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

The experiences of millennial teachers—currently comprising the majority of the teaching workforce—have gained attention in scholarly research. The phenomenon of teacher burnout, in particular, has gained greater attention in recent years due to its grave impact on the educational system and the well-being of teachers. Thus, developing an effective online intervention program is crucial to alleviate and avoid burnout among millennial teachers. Using Conklin’s program development model, which involves three phases, (1) planning, (2) design and implementation, and (3) evaluation and program validation, this study investigated the effectiveness of the Emotional Self-Care Online Intervention Program (ESCOIP) in treating burnout symptoms …

Social Media Among College Students, Julia Martorano

Honors Projects

Within the past decade, social media has become a huge part of most peoples’ everyday life. People use social media to keep up with old friends, to see what their current friends and family are up to, to follow celebrities, and so much more. Researchers and the general public have begun to wonder if this obsession with social media is detrimental to individuals and society. Throughout my research, I strived to answer two research questions. “How does social media affect a college student’s GPA, productivity, and life satisfaction?” and “How do celebrities and companies create social media content that drives …