Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Trauma And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Therapeutic Day School Students: Prevalence In This Population And Effective Treatment Programs, Monica Roberts

Dissertations

This survey-based, comparative study investigated the percentage of students at a suburban Chicago therapeutic day school who meet criteria for clinically significant levels of PTSD as compared to students in a general education setting. The directional hypothesis was that students placed at therapeutic day schools have a higher prevalence of PTSD than a general population of students. The method used was a survey assessment called the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) given to 16 students at a suburban Chicago therapeutic day school. These CPSS scores were analyzed and statistically compared to CPSS scores of an already published study with students …

Play And Treatment Outcomes In A Cognitive-Behavioral Program For Children With Anxiety: The Role Of Child Involvement And Collaboration, Enid S. Flagg

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined a mediation model of the relationship between play, process variables (child involvement and collaboration), and treatment outcome in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of CBT for childhood anxiety disorders. Additionally, it explored the use of play in CBT for children. Participants (N=43; M age = 10.09) took part in a RCT which evaluated the effectiveness of an individual cognitive-behavioral treatment (ICBT) versus a family cognitive-behavioral treatment (FCBT), for childhood anxiety disorders. Archival data (videotaped treatment sessions) at a university based clinic for childhood anxiety disorders was coded for treatment interventions (play and cognitive-behavioral) and process variables (child …

A Self-Regulated Learning Approach For The Remediation Of Behavioral Issues In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Richard G. Allen

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Behavioral-based interventions have long been demonstrated to be effective for
addressing behavioral difficulties for children with ADHD; however, such interventions do not always include explicit procedures to develop self-regulated learning. This is surprising, considering the strong evidence-based literature related to behaviorally-based self-management interventions. Considering the neurocognitive basis of ADHD, current assessment and intervention practices should emphasize the identification of self-regulatory deficits and evidence-based interventions to build such capacities. The current outcome study examined archival data from 12 cases to determine the clinical effectiveness of a function-based self-management intervention model for children diagnosed with ADHD in a community behavioral health program. …

Bayesian Analysis Of Parental Drinking Motives And Children's Adjustment, Aaron A. Duke

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Harm reduction strategies can mitigate against some of the deleterious effects of alcohol on families. These strategies are most feasible and cost-effective when they can be targeted at those who are most at risk. Previous studies examining the relation between parents’ alcohol use and their children’s psychological adjustment have failed to consider important contextual questions such as drinking motives. The current investigation set out to identify the extent to which parents’ drinking motives predict internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in their children. The investigation consisted of cross sectional analysis of parents’ drinking motives and their children’s adjustment using data from 154 …

A Preliminary Investigation Of The Validity Of Time-Based Measures Of Sustained Attention For Children, Michael R. Kulfan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study is a preliminary investigation of the validity of using time-based measures to quantify sustained attention in children ages 6-12. Problems with sustained attention negatively affect childhood learning and development. The prevalence of disorders known to impact sustained attention performance continue to rise in the United States. Currently, commercially available, objective measures of sustained attention use normative comparisons that provide limited information about the effect such problems have on child performance in natural settings. We reviewed test data from 290 charts of children ages 6-12 referred for neuropsychological evaluation. The Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch) is an …

Detection Of Malingered Ad/Hd In College Students, Andrea Williams

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Science by Andrea Williams on December 6, 2012.

Eating Behaviors Of Older Adults Participating In Government-Sponsored Programs With Different Demographic Backgrounds, Yeon Bai, Shahla M. Wunderlich, Joseph Brusca, Johnson-Austin Marti, Michelle O'Malley

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study was to determine the food behaviors of nutritionally high-risk seniors as a function of their racial background, gender, marital status, and education level. A total of 69 seniors were identified to be at high nutritional risk using the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist. A supplemental questionnaire (SQ) was created to examine the risk factors in relation to the participant’s demographic background. Key results indicated that Asians practiced healthy food behaviors and women were more likely to eat alone (p≤0.05). Married participants (90.9%) were most likely to consume 2 meals or more each day. College educated …

Narcissism And Interpersonal Relationships: Examining The Use Of Prosocial And Coercive Behavior Strategies Among Adolescents In A Residential Setting, Marion Tam'eca Wallace

Dissertations

The association between Machiavellianism and bistrategic control has been demonstrated in children and adolescents (Hawley, 2003). Machiavellianism shares several features with narcissism. The present study investigated whether adolescents with higher levels of narcissism were perceived by peers as engaging in prosocial or antisocial behaviors depending on the phase of the relationship and whether control strategies translated to peers’ ratings of likability. Forty-seven participants (43 males, 4 females) provided data for this study. Overall, individuals who reported higher levels of Machiavellianism also reported using more coercive behavior strategies. Self-reported narcissism was only associated with self-reported use of more coercive control strategies …

The Prefrontal Cortex: A Predictor Of Psychotic Symptoms In Children With 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome?, Nicole Addonizio

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Up to 30% of young adults with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS; 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome) develop schizophrenia or psychosis. As a result, identifying the neuroanatomic trajectories that increase risk for psychosis in youth with VCFS is of great interest. Pinpointing a specific subregion of the brain that has a pattern of change in VCFS could aid in further research of schizophrenia and help to distinguish neuroanatomic changes.

In this study, high-resolution anatomic magnetic resonance brain images and measures of psychiatric function (i.e. symptoms of psychosis) were recorded in 40 youth with VCFS, 14 unaffected siblings, and 19 age-matched community control subjects at …

The Influence Of Parent Factors On Child Perfectionism: A Cross-Sectional Study, Lisa Caitlin Cook

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Perfectionism is a multidimensional construct that affects adults and children and is associated with psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsiveness. Studies regarding risk factors for perfectionism are scarce but extant research and theories suggest parents may be involved in the development of perfectionism in children. The present study included 160 children aged 8-17 years (67 males, 93 females) and their parents. The study examined child perfectionism across five age groups (8-9 years, 10-11 years, 12-13 years, 14-15 years, 16-17 years) as well as relationships between parent and child perfectionism and between parent psychopathology and child perfectionism. Self-oriented …

Case Study Of An Art Intervention For Older Foster Youth, Ashley Plushnik, Sarah Morris

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Fostering Art is a photography intervention for adolescent foster youth. Participants in the evaluation study completed a pretest at the start and a posttest upon completion of the one-year program. Seven participants completed both the pre and posttest in their first year of the program. Data about demographics, general feelings, and expression of feelings, as well as standardized measures of self-esteem and stress were collected.,. Results suggest that alternatives to traditional mental health treatment for older foster youth, such as a photography class, may be an effective method of providing stability and continuity for these vulnerable youth.

Attachment Intervention With Parents And Infants In Early Substance Abuse Recovery, Rosana Aguilar

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The current study evaluates the impact of a 10-week infant massage intervention program designed to increase attachment between parents in a drug rehabilitation facility and their infants. Parents were interviewed before and after the intervention. Analyses revealed a non-significant decrease in parental stress. Depression scores were essentially the same before and after the intervention. Knowledge of infant development scores revealed non-significant trends demonstrated higher levels of knowledge after the completion of the intervention. Parents who completed the intervention indicated that they learned about infant development, how to understand and soothe their baby, and how to communicate with their baby.

Culture Ontogeny: Lifespan Development Of Religion And The Ethics Of Spiritual Counselling, Glen Milstein, Amy Manierre

Publications and Research

The counsellor has an ethical obligation to treat the whole person. Humans are cultural beings and the foundation of most cultures is religion. Religion and culture are received from our early relation~ ships and modified through later relationships across the lifespan. The paper introduces the term "culture ontogeny" to emphasize that this is a biological process wherein abstract ideas of culture and religion become material in the developing neurophysiology of each brain. A framework and methods are offered to examine the changing roles of religion in clients' emotional self~ structure, inclusive of those who describe themselves as spiritual, not religious. …

Trauma Severity And Defensive Emotion-Regulation Reactions As Predictors Of Forgetting Childhood Trauma, Bette L. Bottoms, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Michelle A. Epstein, Matthew J. Badanek

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Using a retrospective survey, we studied a sample of 1679 college women to determine whether reports of prior forgetting of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and other traumas could be explained by trauma severity and individual differences in the use of defensive emotion-regulation reactions (i.e., repressive coping, dissociation, and fantasy proneness). Among victims of physical abuse (but not sexual abuse or other types of trauma), those who experienced severe abuse and used defensive reactions were sometimes more likely to report temporary forgetting of abuse, but other times less likely to report forgetting. We also found unanticipated main effects of trauma severity …

The Relationship Between Parental Stress, Cognitive Distortions, And Child Psychopathology, Daniel Kennedy

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

While there are a number of factors that may contribute to maladaptive parenting behaviors, parental stress has consistently been related to the increased risk of child maltreatment and, ultimately, the development of childhood. The question then is what drives parental stress and what are those key factors? Based on previous research, there are multiple parental, child, and environmental factors that lead to parental stress, but there is not a clear understanding of what initially drives parental stress. Based on cognitive behavioral models of stress and Abidin’s theory of parental stress, it is theorized that parental cognitions play an important role …

Understanding The Thoughts And Attitudes Related To Participation In Youth Sports, Jeanine A. Johnson

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine the thinking and attitudes that may be associated with elementary and middle school students participating in youth sports. Girls benefit physically, socially, and educationally from ongoing participation in sports. However, compared to boys, girls tend to start later, quit sooner, and participate less often in sports, despite the numerous advantages that athletics provides. The external barriers that contribute to girls’ decreased involvement in sports as they increase in age and grade are well researched. However, there is a lack of information about the possible cognitive variables related to a girls’ decision to play …

The Relation Between Children's Perceived Containment And Parental Antisocial Behavior, Joye L. Henrie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have invoked a variety of theories when discussing the relation between children's orientation to authority and the development of antiSocial behavior (ASB). Here, the focus is children's sense of containment. Previous studies revealed an association between perceived containment and child externalizing behaviors. In this study, the degree to which a child's sense of containment is related to parents' level of ASB was examined. One hundred sixty aggressive children and their parents participated. I hypothesized that ineffective discipline would moderate the relation between parent ASB and child perceived containment. I expected to find an inverse relation between parents' level of …

Examining The Effect Of Medical Risk, Parental Stress, And Self-Efficacy On Parent Behaviors And The Home Environment Of Premature Children, Kathryn Woods

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between medical risk and parenting stress and the extent to which parental self-efficacy moderates the relationship between medical risk, parenting stress, specific parenting behaviors (i.e., parental responsivity, acceptance of child, parental involvement) and the home environment (i.e., organization of environment, learning materials, variety in experience, and IT-HOME total score) of premature children. Participants included 72 parent-child dyads with premature children between the ages of 7 and 35 months corrected age. Measures included parent reports of medical risk, stress, self-efficacy, and the IT-HOME. Results show that medical risk was not significantly …

Rejection Sensitivity And Early Relationships: Explaining Differential Outcomes In Early Dating, Heather Holly

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Cognitive-Behavioral Group Treatment For A Sexually Abused Child And A Nonoffending Caregiver: Case Study And Discussion, Grace S. Hubel, Rosalita C. Maldonado, Poonam Tavkar, David J. Hansen, Mary Fran Flood

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study presents the case of 11-year-old Amanda and her mother (Ms. Jones) who completed Project SAFE (Sexual Abuse Family Education), a manualized group treatment for sexually abused children and their nonoffending caregivers. Amanda experienced sexual abuse by her stepfather on multiple occasions over a 4-year period. Prior to treatment, Amanda reported symptoms of anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and fear related to victimization. Ms. Jones also reported clinically significant internalizing problems for Amanda. Ms. Jones presented with stress related to parenting as well as depression and anxiety. Both Amanda and Ms. Jones completed the entire 12-session protocol. Amanda and Ms. Jones’s …

The Relationship Of Ethnicity And Familial Factors In The Expression Of School Refusal Behavior In Clinical And Community Samples, Courtney Marie Haight

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Failure to attend school can have a devastating impact on a child’s social, emotional, academic, and later career development. Psychologists, educators, and researchers from other disciplines have produced large bodies of literature regarding problematic absenteeism. This has led to varying terminology, divergent approaches, assessment, and treatment of nonattendance. Additional research on contextual, proximal, and distal variables, such as culture and family, has been encouraged. The present study involved contextual variables related to school refusal behavior and contained a more representative sample of youth with attendance difficulties than previous studies. Contextual variables included youth and parent ethnic identity, family environment, school …

School Refusal Behavior: The Relationship Between Functions And Symptom Sets, Marisa Charlene Hendron

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current study examined the relationship between functions of school refusal behavior and internalizing and externalizing symptom sets in a community sample of 200 youth and parents recruited from two truancy settings. The first hypothesis was that youth who endorsed refusing school primarily to avoid stimuli that provoke negative affectivity (function 1) would report more symptoms of generalized anxiety and depression. The second hypothesis was that youth who endorsed refusing school primarily to escape from aversive social or evaluative situations (function 2) would report more symptoms of social anxiety. The third hypothesis was that youth who endorsed refusing school primarily …

An Examination Of The Catch Nurture Program In The Treatment Of Children's Mental Health Disorders, Jessica Avart

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

School-based mental health services are in high demand due to the increased prevalence of diagnosable mental health disorders among the pediatric population, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) foremost among them. The majority of research examining school-based services has been conducted in highly controlled settings and there has been a lack of research investigating such services within the actual school environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Catch Nurture Program, a school-based intervention, in the treatment of school-aged children with behavioral and/or emotional disturbances in the real-world setting. This study also examined the impact of gender and diagnosis on …

The Claremont Autism Center, Alex E. Mitchell Mr.

CMC Senior Theses

The Claremont Autism Center is a 23 minute documentary on the strengths and benefits the Center brings to Claremont McKenna students, as well as children and families from the Inland Empire that deal with Autism on a daily basis.

Using Environmental Sounds To Initiate Receptive Language Training For Children With Autism, Woan Tian Chow

Dissertations

A pre-test showed that three pre-school children with autism had difficulty learning to match spoken words to objects (receptive identification). Therefore, they were first taught to match environmental sounds to objects (e.g., to touch a tambourine, when they heard the sound of the tambourine) and then to match spoken words to other objects while continuing to match the mastered environmental sounds to the original objects.

For all three children, simply learning the environmental-sound/object matching did not facilitate learning spoken-word/object matching; however intermixing the training of spoken-word/object matching with the previously mastered environmentalsound/ object matching did result in the mastery of …

Evaluating The Effects Of Camera Perspective In Video Modelingfor Children With Autism: Point Of View Versus Scene Modeling, Courtney Cotter

Dissertations

Video modeling has been used effectively to teach a variety of skills to children with autism. This body of literature is characterized by a variety of procedural variations including the characteristics of the video model (e.g., self vs. other, adult vs. peer). Traditionally, most video models have been filmed using third person perspective (i.e., scene models), where the viewer is watching the actor perform in a scene. Recently, studies have successfully incorporated the use of first person perspective into video models (i.e., point of view models), where the view is directly from the actor's point of view. Currently, no studies …

Examining The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Two Delivery Models To Teach Children Abduction Prevention Skills, Kimberly E. Seckinger-Bancroft

Dissertations

Nearly all children receive abduction prevention training. Most traditional education programs increase the learner's knowledge, but often fail to produce concomitant behavior change. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is a multicomponent, behavior-based training strategy with empirical support demonstrating its effectiveness in teaching children safety skills, behavioral generalization and maintenance over time. BST, however, is restricted by financial, human and time costs and limited resources to implement the training protocol. These factors likely limit widespread adoption of the training model. This study examined the use of computer-based instruction that emphasized active responding and mastery level performance requirements to teach school-aged children abduction …

Willingness Of Individuals To Seek Mental Health Treatment: The Impact Of Gender And Parent Therapy Experience, Amanda Kristin Mcclure

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether parent therapy experience and gender influenced men's and women's attitudes toward seeking mental health treatment. Participants included 207 women and 212 men ages 18 to 30 years attending Western Kentucky University. Participants completed a demographics survey and the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Treatment. Results indicated that more favorable attitudes toward seeking mental health services were exhibited by participants who reported that a parent attended therapy. Additionally, a gender difference in attitudes toward mental health services was uncovered, in that women were found to display more positive attitudes toward …

Psychological And Support Characteristics Of Parents Of Child Sexual Abuse Victims: Relationship With Child Functioning And Treatment, Poonam Tavkar

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Child sexual abuse continues to be a prevalent and complex problem in today’s society as it poses serious and pervasive mental health risks to child victims and their non-offending parents. The main objectives of this study were (a) to elucidate the psychological symptoms and support needs of parents of child sexual abuse victims as they present to group treatment, (b) to examine changes in psychological symptoms and support needs and their relationship with child functioning over the course of a parallel group treatment, and (c) to examine the impact of these factors on completion of group treatment. Participants included 104 …

Exploring Obesity And After-School Supervision With Adolescents In Rural West Virginia, Sallie Dawn Richards

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Both childhood obesity and the number of children in self-care have increased during the past several decades. Child care arrangements for working parents of middle school children can be a complex problem because unsupervised children who “hang out” with peers after school are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, although unsupervised children at home after school tend to watch more television than their supervised peers. Because children in self-care at home after school tend to engage in more sedentary activities, they may be at greater risk for becoming overweight or obese. The purpose of the present study was to …