Psychology Commons^™

The Prevalence And Perceptions Of Self-Relevant Research (“Me-Search”) In Psychological Science, Andrew R. Devendorf

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self-relevant research (i.e., me-search; SRR) is research that is informed by lived experience or having close connections to a topic. The disclosure of SRR may impact how a researcher is viewed in professional contexts, like an application to graduate school, and thus can impact who is recruited and retained in psychology. Although SRR appears to be common in psychology, little systematic research exists on its prevalence by subfield of psychology or how SRR is perceived. This study examined SRR across psychology disciplines. An online survey was administered to faculty and graduate students (N = 1313) affiliated with accredited doctoral programs …

The Association Between Problematic Drinking And Ends Use In College Students: The Role Of Alcohol Expectancies, Nina Glover

LSU Master's Theses

Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use and alcohol use are prevalent among young adults and college students. Recent data indicate that ENDS use is significantly associated with alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking behavior (e.g., binge drinking). Given the perceived benefits students report that are common across ENDS and alcohol use (e.g., tension reduction), it is important to examine the role these beliefs play in the co-use of alcohol and ENDS, as both behaviors are associated with risks. In the present study, we investigated the relationship among ENDS use, alcohol use, ENDS use motives, and alcohol expectancies in undergraduate college students …

The Relationship Between Stress Mindset And Burnout In College Athletes, Amber M. Shipherd, Creighton Avery, Sarah Gomez, Kelly B. Renner

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

High levels of stress can result in college athletes experiencing symptoms of burnout, and electing to terminate their sport participation. Research suggests there may be a relationship between athlete burnout and one’s view of stress (Avery et al., 2022). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between stress mindset and burnout in college athletes, while controlling for gender, coping self-efficacy, and perceived stress. College athletes (N = 118) completed measures of stress mindset, athletic burnout, coping self-efficacy, and perceived stress via online survey software. Non-parametric partial correlations were conducted to determine relationships between variables while controlling …

Neuroplasticity In The Dentate Gyrus: A Multimethod Investigation On Hippocampal Ltp Following Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Monica Goncalves-Garcia

Psychology ETDs

Studies have demonstrated alcohol-related deficits in LTP associated with histaminergic and glutamatergic impairments. The histaminergic H3R inverse agonist ABT-239 has shown promise in reversing these deficits. The present study focuses on another H3R inverse agonist, SAR-152594, and its impact on LTP deficits following moderate PAE. The findings reveal that systemic administration of 1 mg/kg of SAR-152594 reverses deficits in potentiation fEPSPs in adult male rats exposed to moderate PAE. Time-frequency analyses of evoked responses indicate PAE-related reductions in power during the fEPSP and increased power during later components of evoked responses, both reversed by SAR-152594. These results provide further evidence …

Quality Improvement Protocol: Improving The Use Of Nonpharmacological Pain Management Strategies Within The Inpatient Hospital Setting, Katherine Salamon, Christina Russell, Dara Devinney, Catherine M Soprano

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Background: There are many nonpharmacological pain management services available to hospitalized youth; however, not all youth are offered these services. Lack of knowledge about resources, difficulty with the referral process, and lack of understanding about nonpharmacological pain management services and when to refer patients are among the main reasons for lack of utilization. Quality improvement (QI) initiatives have grown within hospital settings and can serve to create change in fast-paced environments. Methods: The current QI project aimed to pilot an educational program to increase the use of nonpharmacological pain management interventions. Staff located on one floor of a pediatric hospital …

Latent Growth Model Analysis Of Saebrs Scores: Establishing Typical Rate Of Growth And Predictive Validity Of Academic Outcomes, Thomas Koza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are rising rates of student social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) concerns for students in the United States. Universal screening tools, such as the mySAEBRS (student self-report) and SAEBRS (teacher report), can be used to help identify students who may need additional SEB support. The current study uses Latent Growth Modeling (LGM) as a novel approach to identify growth trajectories of student mySAEBRS and SAEBRS domain scores (i.e., social domain, academic domain, and emotional domain) and aReading scores to provide insight into typical SEB growth rates and the ability of these domain scores to predict reading achievement. The study uses a …

Self-Esteem Among Adults With Adhd Symptoms, Dana Richelieu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study assessed if attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment, ADHD symptoms, social support, gender, coping, and educational attainment predicted self-esteem among adults. It differed from previous research on this topic because it included participants with ADHD symptoms compared to those with formal ADHD diagnoses. Grounded in Leary and Baumeister’s sociometer theory, the study involved using a nonexperimental correlational survey research design to assess this issue. A sample of 272 adult participants living in the United States were recruited. A multiple regression analysis revealed ADHD symptoms, social support, and coping were statistically significant predictors of self-esteem, while ADHD treatment, gender, …

Rehabilitation Counselor Interventions On Parental-Disability Acceptance, James Samuel Rothrock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rehabilitation counselors work with families to assist in transitioning adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) from school to adult services. Currently, there is no evidence base for rehabilitation counselors to conceptualize and promote disability acceptance in parents. The purpose of this research was to identify interventions used by rehabilitation counselors with parents at various levels of disability acceptance. The research questions focused on what experiences rehabilitation counselors have had coordinating services with parents of adolescents with ID experiencing various degrees of acceptance and how do they understand and intervene with parental acceptance? The theoretical foundations girding the formation and interpretation of …

Perspectives Regarding Cannabis Use: Results From A Qualitative Study Of Individuals Engaged In Substance Use Treatment In Georgia And Connecticut, Charles A. Warnock, Ashlin R. Ondrusek, E. Jennifer Edelman, Trace Kershaw, Jessica L. Muilenburg

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Cannabis use is increasingly pervasive throughout the U.S. People in treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) may be especially at-risk of harm due to this changing context of cannabis in the U.S. This study’s objective was to qualitatively describe experiences and beliefs around cannabis among people who had entered treatment for any SUD in the past 12-months.

Methods: From May to November of 2022, we conducted 27 semi-structured interviews (n=16 in Georgia, n=11 in Connecticut) with individuals in treatment for SUD in Georgia and Connecticut. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using an emergent approach.

Results …

The Experience Of Grief, Coping, And Community In Black Families And Friends Of Homicide Victims, Rachel A. Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black families and friends of homicide victims (BFFHV) are left behind to grieve and cope with the traumatic loss of a loved one to homicide. The evidence reveals a risk of developing emotional and psychological issues for the survivors. The purpose of this study was to explore four phenomena the BFFHV experience: (a) the experience with local law enforcement and the courts during the investigation of the homicide, (b) the experience of grieving over traumatic loss, (c) the experience of coping with traumatic loss, and (d) their current relationship with the community. Heider’s attribution theory was used to guide the …

The Effect Of Emotion On Risk Perception And The Blackstone Ratio, Brianna Duncan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the public debate concerning crime, there are generally two opposing positions regarding error rates within guilt convictions: a greater concern for false positives (convicting an innocent person) or a greater concern for false negatives (not convicting a guilty person). Public attitudes have typically indicated that false positives should be considered worse, with a range in global surveys from 51% (Zhuo, 2021) to as high as 85% (Scurich, 2015) of the population expressing this perspective. To explore the reason behind these beliefs, the current study explores the effect of emotions. Lerner and Keltner (2000) found that fear and anger, though …

The Theoretical Epigenetic Relationship Between Complex-Ptsd And Adhd In Holocaust Survivors’ Descendants, Y. Sahara Brodsky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When comparing ADHD and Complex-PTSD, these two disorders share many overlapping features in both areas of the brain that are affected and the behavioral aspects due to deficits in certain brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex. It is due to this similarity that I predict that c-PTSD is the precursor to the development of ADHD in later generations. Through epigenetic changes that are consistent with c-PTSD diagnosis, these changes to the brain are then passed down the generational line. When this is combined with trauma transference and generational trauma, it creates a situation where both the behaviors inform how …

Parents As Reporters Of Middle School Students’ Subjective Well-Being, Daijah N. Hines

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically, self-report has been the predominant method for assessing the subjective well-being of adolescents (SWB). Regarding the use of secondary reporters, especially parental/caregiver reports, in assessing adolescent SWB, there is a gap in the literature. Gaining a better understanding of how to best evaluate adolescent SWB can assist in the identification of adolescents who may be at risk for mental health concerns or who could benefit from increased well-being. It may also assist in the development of future interventions in positive psychology for adolescents. This validity study explored (1) What is the reliability of a newly developed parent report measure …

Opportunities And Challenges For The Use Of Deep Brain Stimulation In The Treatment Of Refractory Major Depression, Prashin Unadkat, Joao Quevedo, Jair Soares, Albert Fenoy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Major Depressive Disorder continues to remain one of the most prevalent psychiatric diseases globally. Despite multiple trials of conventional therapies, a subset of patients fail to have adequate benefit to treatment. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment in this difficult to treat population and has shown strong antidepressant effects across multiple cohorts. Nearly two decades of work have provided insights into the potential for chronic focal stimulation in precise brain targets to modulate pathological brain circuits that are implicated in the pathogenesis of depression. In this paper we review the rationale that prompted the selection of various brain …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Juvenile Offender Typology, Aliza Beth Lipman

Dissertations and Theses

Approximately 1 in 5 girls and in 20 boys in the United States are victims of child sexual assault every year. Child sexual assault can lead to multiple negative short term and long-term impacts affecting general health, mental health, interpersonal relationships, socio-economic status, criminal behavior and more. Prevention research focuses on a thorough understanding of the perpetrators of assault and the context surrounding offenses in order to reduce and prevent assault. Within this research, juvenile offenders are perceived as a single homogenous group whereas adult offenders are consistently specified based on offender and offense characteristics. The exploration of the relationship …

The Experience Of Knowledge Workers In Remote Environments During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dale F. Knapp

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

When regional quarantine restrictions were rapidly implemented in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, knowledge workers were forced to vacate their traditional shared office spaces and transition to remote work environments. This unprecedented mass exodus from traditional in-person physical workplaces was facilitated by existing and new software and technology that allowed workers to remain connected and working. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences and perceptions of knowledge workers who experienced this transition to a full-time remote work environment. The study also examined how knowledge workers perceived work performance relative to their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were …

Police Officer Perceptions Of Parenting Experience Changes Following An On-Duty Child Death, Jennifer Sellers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) work in careers that can be demanding, stressful, and traumatizing. Although researchers have explored vicarious, or secondary, trauma as it relates to a LEO bringing their experiences at work into the home environment, influencing their spouse or partner’s mental and physical well-being, they have not yet investigated how a LEO’s experience of a child death while on-duty might affect their parenting styles. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the parenting styles that LEOs use or change when they have experienced a traumatic incident at work, specifically a child death. The study was …

Clinicians’ Experiences Of Using Schema-Focused Therapy In Black Americans With Panic Disorder, Martin E. Akanaefu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black Americans have a history of racism, oppression, subjugation, and discrimination, which could increase the risk of developing panic disorder. Because panic disorder and other chronic psychological problems resist Beck’s short cognitive therapy and other interventions that overlook the roots of psychological problems, schema-focused therapy has been adopted more conveniently over the most recent years for their effective treatment. In this study, clinicians’ experiences of using schema-focused therapy with Black Americans with panic disorder was explored. The concept that grounded this study was the integrated schema-focused model, a convenient clinical model that integrates several models of schema therapy. Generic qualitative …

Look At Grandma! Joint Visual Attention Over Video Chat During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lauren Myers, Gabrielle Strouse, Elisabeth Mcclure, Krystyna R. Keller, Lucinda I. Neely, Isabella Stoto, Nithya S. Vadakattu, Erin D. Kim, Georgene Troseth, Rachel Barr, Jennifer Zosh

School of Education Faculty Publications

Social interactions are crucial for many aspects of development. One developmentally important milestone is joint visual attention (JVA), or shared attention between child and adult on an object, person, or event. Adults support infants’ development of JVA by structuring the input they receive, with the goal of infants learning to use JVA to communicate. When family members are separated from the infants in their lives, video chat sessions between children and distant relatives allow for shared back-and-forth interaction (turn taking) across the screen, but JVA is complicated by screen mediation. During video chat, when a participant is looking or pointing …

Techno-Legal Solutionism: Regulating Children's Online Safety In The United States, Maria P. Angel, Danah Boyd

Scholarly Works

Convinced that social media is directly harming children, policymakers have started to introduce legislation that requires technology companies to be safe by design through “duty of care” provisions. Unlike regulations that focus on product safety, these bills incorporate technosolutionist logics into regulation by presuming that technology companies can remedy complex harms like mental health duress and bullying if their products were only designed better. In this paper, we unpack the theory of change at the center of the “duty of care” included in the “Kids Online Safety Act” (KOSA). We argue that techno-legal solutionism is both ineffective as a framework …

Faculty Mentors' Influence On Latino/A/X Stem Undergraduates' Stem Identity Development, Sandy Cerda-Lezama

Dissertations and Theses

Despite Latino/a/x college student attendance rising substantially over the past decades, their graduation rates do not match the increased admission rates. In addition, Latino/a/x students are considerably under-represented in STEM. However, research suggests that when these students are encouraged by social partners to have meaningful participation and given resources such as mentoring, this eases the barriers they experience. The current study utilized interviews with 11 Latino/a/x STEM undergraduates (aged 18-29) to understand how faculty mentors influence their STEM identity development. Students shared answers about how faculty promoted and inhibited their STEM identity development through conversations about their sense of competence, …

Black Social Workers Use Of Racial Identity And Self Concept In The Workplace, Shielah Monique Deblanc

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Navigating the Black professional identity in U.S. work environments poses challenges for social workers, with limited research addressing racial salience, power dynamics, and self-concept within their specific workplace contexts. Using self-concept theory, and the multidimensional model of racial identity as theoretical and conceptual frameworks, the purpose of this research was to examine Black social workers’ attitudes about self-concept using racial salience, power distance, and employee tenure as predictors. Using web-based surveys to collect data, a purposive sample of 77 participants were used to complete demographic information, a measure of centrality to gauge racial salience Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, a …

Role Of Glia In Diurnal Rhythms In Neuroinflammation And Blood-Brain Barrier Breakdown, Jennifer Hoi-Ping Lawrence

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

While inflammation is an important mechanism for the return to homeostasis post insult or injury, inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) can lead to irreparable damage. To mitigate this process, the brain is protected from circulating neurotoxic molecules as well as peripheral immune cells through the tightly regulated blood-brain barrier (BBB). The balance between pro- and anti- inflammation in the CNS rapidly shifts towards a neurotoxic proinflammatory state during acute bacterial or viral infections or chronic neuroinflammatory diseases. Excessive inflammatory responses are also coupled with extensive BBB leakage and breakdown, allowing rampant entry of peripheral inflammatory cells and mediators …

Do Focused Interests Support Word Learning? A Study With Autistic And Nonautistic Children, Sudha Arunachalam, Amelia Steele, Taisha Pelletier, Rhiannon Luyster

Emerson Authors, Researchers, & Creators

Although focused interests are often associated with a diagnosis of autism, they are common in nonautistic individuals as well. Previous studies have explored how these interests impact cognitive, social, and language development. While some research has suggested that strong interests can detract from learning (particularly for autistic children), newer research has indicated that they can be advantageous. In this pre-registered study, we asked whether focused interests support word learning in 44 autistic children and a vocabulary-matched sample of 44 nonautistic children (mean ages 58 and 34 months respectively). In a word-learning task administered over Zoom, children were exposed to an …

Educator And Caregiver Perceptions Of Project Begin Well: An Early Childhood Risk Identification Course, Samin Khallaghi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The early years of a child's life are vital to building the foundation for early childhood, and educators and caregivers are at the heart of making this foundation for children. However, educators and caregivers often lack knowledge on correctly identifying risks in children. The current study used a quantitative non-experimental design to examine early childhood educator and caregiver perceptions of a training program called Project Begin Well. Project Begin Well included a risk identification course for educators and caregivers of children aged 3-5 years. Specifically, educators' and caregivers' knowledge, skills, attitudes, aspirations, and behaviors toward the risk identification course were …

An Analysis Of Therapeutic Alliance And Group Cohesion In A Group Positive Psychology Intervention Serving Middle School Students Reporting Low Life Satisfaction, Alexis Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While previous research has focused on how positive psychology treatments relate to outcomes, it is also essential to evaluate the therapeutic process of these treatments. The therapeutic process consists of elements like the therapeutic alliance and the efforts the clinicians and the client put into the process (Bordin, 1979). Positive psychology intervention therapeutic processes differ from traditional treatments, as they have a skills-building perspective rather than a problem-focused perspective (Cunha et al., 2019; Datu & Bernardo, 2020; Kwok et al., 2016). Thus, the therapeutic relationship may take on a different form. Furthermore, as therapy approaches differ, so do the modalities …

Navigating Multiracial Identity Development In The Digital Ages: An Intersectional Exploration, Diana Mccullough

National Cross-Cultural Counseling & Education Conference for Research, Action & Change (2016-2024)

In the 2020 U.S. Census, 33.8 million individuals reported multiracial identities, which increased since 2010 from nine million (US Census, 2020). Despite the substantial growth in multiracial individuals, there remains a dearth of understanding regarding the unique challenges and determining factors shaping their identity. This session aims to equip counselors and counselor educators with evidence-based strategies to navigate and support the intricate identity development of multiracial clients and students.

Now It’S Your Turn!: Eye Blink Rate In A Jenga Task Modulated By Interaction Of Task Wait Times, Effortful Control, And Internalizing Behaviors, Kelley E. Gunther, Xiaoxue Fu Ph.D., Leigha A. Macneill, Morgan Jones, Briana Ermanni, Koraly Pérez-Edgar

Faculty Publications

Dopamine is a versatile neurotransmitter with implications in many domains, including anxiety and effortful control. Where high levels of effortful control are often regarded as adaptive, other work suggests that high levels of effortful control may be a risk factor for anxiety. Dopamine signaling may be key in understanding these relations. Eye blink rate is a non-invasive proxy metric of midbrain dopamine activity. However, much work with eye blink rate has been constrained to screen-based tasks which lack in ecological validity. We tested whether changes in eye blink rate during a naturalistic effortful control task differ as a function of …

Nonprofit Leader Experiences In Sector-Bending After Lean Six Sigma Training: Tension, Concepts, And Changed Behaviors, Beverly Codallos

Dissertations

Government, business, and nonprofit represent three distinct types of organizations governed by different legal frameworks designed to facilitate collective action (DiMaggio & Anheier, 1990). The emergence of hybrid forms and increasing isomorphic pressures in the nonprofit sector (Bromley & Meyer, 2017; McCambridge, 2014) have challenged the traditional separation of organizational forms. This study explored the phenomenon popularized as sector-bending, “a wide variety of approaches, activities, and relationships that are blurring the distinctions between nonprofit and for-profit organizations, either because they are behaving more similarly, operating in the same realms, or both” (Dees & Anderson, 2003, pg. 16). This qualitative study …

Ptsd As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Police Discrimination And Family Relationship Among Black Americans, Mary A. Camper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police discrimination among Black Americans has been an ongoing trend for many years. Researchers have linked police discrimination to a traumatic experience that may result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In addition, researchers found that PTSD symptoms may impact the family relationship negatively. This quantitative study examined whether PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship between experiences of police discrimination and family relationships. The family system theory and the critical race theory guided this study. The family system theory described how one family member affects the whole family unit. The critical race theory described the systems that are in place …