Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Perspectives On Help-Negation, Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Help-negation refers to the process of help avoidance or refusal that commonly occurs in clinical and non-clinical samples with varying forms and levels of psychological symptoms. In the last decade the effect has been established as an inverse relationship between the severity of symptoms and help-seeking for suicidal ideation, depression, and general psychological distress, for a variety of professional and non-professional help sources [see Wilson CJ, Bushnell JA, Caputi P. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 2011; 5: 34-39, for a review]. Findings from now over 20 help-negation studies suggest that at least some types of psychological symptoms or processes associated with …

Neural Underpinnings Of Prosody In Autism, Inge-Marie Eigsti, Jillian Schuh, Einar Mencl, Robert T. Schultz, Rhea Paul

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

This study examines the processing of prosodic cues to linguistic structure and to affect, drawing on fMRI and behavioral data from 16 high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 11 typically developing controls. Stimuli were carefully matched on pitch, intensity, and duration, while varying systematically in conditions of affective prosody (angry versus neutral speech) and grammatical prosody (questions versus statement). To avoid conscious attention to prosody, which normalizes responses in young people with ASD, the implicit comprehension task directed attention to semantic aspects of the stimuli. Results showed that when perceiving prosodic cues, both affective and grammatical, activation of …

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 …

Research Brief: "Impact Of The Seeking Safety Program On Clinical Outcomes Among Homeless Female Veterans With Psychiatric Disorders", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the effect of the Seeking Safety program's services on improvement in PTSD, psychiatric symptoms, and social support among homeless female veterans. In policy and practice, clinicians should be trained on how to use the program to better serve homeless female veterans, and policymakers should push for clinician training for those who work with homeless veterans. Suggestions for future research include applying this study and the Seeking Safety program to non-VA healthcare systems, assessing substance use within the program, and assessing the long-term effects of the Seeking Safety program.

The Role Of Melancholia In Prostate Cancer Patients' Depression, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Background: Although it is well established that prostate cancer (PCa) patients are more likely to experience clinical depression than their age-matched non-prostate cancer peers, and that such depression can have negative effects upon survival, little is known about the underlying nature of the depressive symptomatology that these men experience. In particular, the incidence of melancholic symptoms of depression, which are signs of increased risk of suicide and resistance to treatment, has not previously been reported in PCa patients. The present study aimed to measure the incidence and nature of Melancholia in PCa depression.

Method: A sample of 507 …

Does Psychopathy Predict Future Risky Sexual Behavior?, Jessica Jade Fulton

Dissertations

Risky sexual behavior (RSB), such as having sex with an unknown partner, is associated with a variety of negative consequences including sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy. Previous research (e.g., Fulton, Marcus, & Payne, 2010) suggests that psychopathic personality traits as assessed by the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (Lilienfeld & Andrews, 1996) are associated with RSB. Self-Centered Impulsivity (SCI), which is characterized by impulsivity, irresponsibility, and reckless behavior, was positively associated with RSB among men and women. In contrast, Fearless Dominance (FD), which is characterized by fearlessness, manipulativeness, and social dominance, was positively associated with RSB among men but not women. …

Construct And Criterion Validity Of The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test-Spanish Version In Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury, Cristobal Neblina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is among the most commonly used English-language neuropsychological tests of verbal learning and memory. Previous research supports the validity and clinical utility of adaptations of the RAVLT into many diverse languages. In the United States, Hispanics represent the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority group. As the Hispanic populace continues to grow, so does the need for empirically validated Spanish-language neuropsychological measures. In 2002, a Spanish adaptation of the RAVLT was developed in Puerto Rico (Acevedo-Vargas, 2002). However, validation studies have not been undertaken with clinical samples, and little is known regarding its psychometric …

Psychotherapy Clients’ Online Behavior And Opinions Regarding Internet Searches Conducted By Therapists, Emily B. Gale

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Internet has become possibly the most popular medium to find information and communicate in our society. For the field of psychology, the Internet offers a new way to collect data and communicate with both study participants and, for practicing psychologists, possibly clients. Little is known, however, about the implications of interacting with clients online. The existing empirical studies in this area (DiLillo & Gale, 2011; Lehavot, Barnett, & Powers, 2010; Taylor et al., 2010) have focused on psychology graduate students’ actions online. These studies highlight the importance and paucity of research regarding the online behaviors of psychotherapy clients and …

The Effects Of Combat Exposure On Post-Deployment Coping Deficits In Oef/Oif/Ond Veterans, Alex Emerson Dryden

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

As members of the United States Military return stateside from the combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, an increasing number of veterans exposed to combat are reporting symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as other significant detrimental impacts on their ability to cope with the stressful situations they experienced in the combat arena. The purpose of the current study is to ascertain the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and Operation New Dawn (OND), the potential impairment in their abilities to cope with the combat-related stress. The …

Prospective Investigation Of A Ptsd Personality Typology Among Individuals With Personality Disorders, Meghan E. Mcdevitt-Murphy, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, John C. Markowitz, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

This study investigated the replicability of a previously proposed personality typology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, and explored stability of cluster membership over a 6-month period. Participants with current PTSD (n = 156) were drawn from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS). The CLPS project tracked a large sample of individuals who met criteria for 1 of 4 target diagnoses (borderline, schizotypal, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive) and a contrast group of individuals who met criteria for depression but no personality disorder. A cluster analysis using scales from the Schedule of Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality yielded 3 clusters: “internalizing,” “externalizing,” and …

Help-Negation For Suicidal Thoughts In Sub-Clinical Samples Of Young People, Coralie Joy Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Across the popular and academic literature, it is widely recognised that young people with persistent suicidal thoughts are at high risk for suicide completion. It is also accepted that seeking and receiving appropriate help offers protection against the development of acute forms of suicidality, along with suicide completion. Yet, as promising as appropriate help-seeking appears for suicide prevention, a growing number of studies suggest that suicidal ideation itself may impede the help-seeking process. There is evidence that acutely suicidal samples will negate or avoid available help, and there are indications that the help-negation process may occur in samples before levels …

The Role Of Engagement Across Conceptually Distinct Treatment Elements For Social Anxiety Disorder, Timothy M. Emge

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There are currently several efficacious treatments for social anxiety disorder (e.g. exposure therapy and cognitive therapy). Each of these treatments is thought to reduce symptoms of social anxiety by disrupting maintenance mechanisms of the disorder, yet mechanism of change research has not supported this view. The current study compared components from each therapy modality in order to better understand why symptoms reduce similarly between conceptually distinct treatments. Participants with high social anxiety were randomly assigned to give a speech with cognitive restructuring and engagement-enhancing procedures, cognitive preparation and video feedback, or a speech alone. Self-ratings of speech performance, confidence in …

Dimensions Of Individuals' Judgements About Sexual Attraction, Romantic Attachment, And Sexual Orientation, Luis F. Morales Knight

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Despite 150 years of scientific interest in sexual orientation, contemporary investigators grapple with a number of serious difficulties. A precise, unified definition of sexual orientation appropriate for scientific use continues to elude researchers, most likely because there is still no single coherent theory of sexual orientation. This lack impedes research into the measurement of sexual orientation. Existing measurements of sexual orientation rely on partial or incompletely empirical research. The present study identified promising avenues for development of credible definitions, theories, and measurements of sexual orientation: (a) mate-selection tasks; (b) the idea that bisexually-identified individuals place a lower priority on partner …

Working With Families With A Member On The Spectrum, Scott Browning Phd

Annual Foundations Behavioral Health/La Salle University Autism Spectrum Disorders Conference

This workshop is an examination of family therapy with a family when at least one member is on the spectrum. A trait scale (developed by the speaker) is utilized to assist therapists in having a clear direction to assist families in this position. Case studies will be utilized.

This program is designed to help you…

1. Provide therapy to families with a ASD member
2. Know how to utilize the ASD Trait Scale
3. Assist couples in discussing differences in their perception of their ASD member
4. Have specific interventions available after the workshop
5. Know how to incorporate all family members into treatment

Evidence Based Practice Implementation: Perceptions And Expectations Of Master Of Social Work Students, Mholi Kent Vimba

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Efforts to develop sustainable Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) implementation strategies in work settings have been generally unsuccessful. Scholars have focused on perceptions of workers already in work settings to identify implementation barriers and facilitators. None have focused on perceptions of social workers in training. This nationwide non-probability correlational study assessed Master of Social Work (MSW) students’ perceptions of EBP using a self-administered online survey. A total of 212 (57%) completed this survey with 164 (43%) timed out.

Perceptions were assessed using three sets of questions corresponding to the independent variables: EBP knowledge, attitude toward EBP and EBP self-efficacy. A …

Descriptive Experience Sampling Interactive Multi-Media Training Tool For Subjunctification And Illustrative Interviews, Stacy Lynne Reger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Modern experience sampling methods attempt to understand the phenomenology of inner experience through a variety of methods, including questionnaires, diaries, and verbalization of ongoing cognitive processes. The goal of such studies is to minimize potential roadblocks to accessing inner experience, such as retrospective recall, memory failures, and bias. The current project focuses on one such method, Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES). DES is an idiographic, exploratory, and ecologically valid method of studying inner experience. In this method, participants wear a beeper with an earphone that emits a random beep. When the beep sounds, the participant is to write down notes about …

8. Child Witnesses And The Confrontation Clause., Thomas D. Lyon, Julia A. Dente

Thomas D. Lyon

Avoidant Personality Disorder, Traits, And Type, Charles A. Sanislow, Katelin Da Cruz, May O. Gianoli, Elizabeth M. Reagan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

In this chapter, the evolution of the avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) diagnosis, its current status, and future possibilities are reviewed. AVPD is a chronic and enduring condition involving a poor sense of self and anxiety in social situations, and it is marked by fears of rejection and a distant interpersonal stance. AVPD may be conceptualized at the severe end of a continuum of social anxiety. In the extreme, traits, mechanisms, and symptoms become integral to chronic dysfunction in personality and interpersonal style. While AVPD is a valid diagnostic construct, the optimal organization of AVPD criteria for the diagnosis, and the …

27. Does Valence Matter? Effects Of Negativity On Children's Early Understanding Of Truths And Lies., Lindsay Wandrey, Jodi A. Quas, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

Using The Fcb Grid To Evaluate A Failed Mental Health Levy: The Marketing Implications Of Stigma, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Steffi Liotta, Wenhui Jin

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

This research found that using the FCB Grid to develop and evaluate a mental health levy campaign has merit. Likewise, stigma has both positive and negative impact on a mental health levy. Introduced is the ‘STIGMA’ planning model to help mental health professionals pass a public mental health levy.

Racial Disparity In The Diagnosis Of Conduct Disorder, Cortney R. Vanhook

Undergraduate Research Awards

African American youth are exposed to considerably more risk factors than their Caucasian counterparts, yet they are being diagnosed at comparably lower rates for Conduct Disorder (CD) in epidemiological studies. Empirical data supports the claim that African Americans are at greater risk of developing CD. However, the internal dysfunction benchmark of the Diagnostic Statistic Manual (DSM) discourages clinicians from diagnosing youth who display environmentally caused CD. The racial disparity in the diagnosis of CD is problematic for two reasons. First, African American youth who display antisocial personality are more likely to be referred to the justice system than to therapeutic …

Avoidant Personality Disorder, Charles A. Sanislow, Ellen E. Bartolini, Emma C. Zoloth

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

11. Twenty-Five Years Of Interviewing Research And Practice: Dolls, Diagrams, And The Dynamics Of Abuse Disclosure., Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

Long Term Predictive Validity Of Diagnostic Models For Personality Disorder: Integrating Trait And Disorder Concepts, Leslie C. Morey, Christopher J. Hopwood, John C. Markowitz, John G. Gunderson, Carlos M. Grilo, Thomas H. Mcglashan, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Charles A. Sanislow, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Background. Several conceptual models have been considered for the assessment of personality pathology in DSM-5. This study sought to extend our previous findings to compare the long-term predictive validity of three such models: the Five-Factor Model (FFM), the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP), and DSM-IV personality disorders (PDs).

Method. An inception cohort from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorder Study (CLPS) was followed for 10 years. Baseline data were used to predict long-term outcomes, including functioning, Axis I psychopathology, and medication use.

Results. Each model was significantly valid, predicting a host of important clinical outcomes. Lower-order elements of the …

Long-Term Outcomes In Borderline Psychopathology: Old Assumptions, Current Findings, And New Directions, Charles A. Sanislow, Katherine L. Marcus, Elizabeth M. Reagan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and historical variants of the diagnosis were long held to represent an intractable syndrome of psychopathology consisting of interpersonal, intrapsychic, and affective disturbances. For years, patients labeled “borderline” were regarded pejoratively due at least in part to the lack of effective treatments. Prospective data from recent naturalistic follow-along studies along with the development of treatments with empirically demonstrated efficacy have changed how BPD is viewed. It is now less common to hide the diagnosis from the patient, and BPD has become a useful label to guide the treatment process and help the patient make sense of …

Risky Sexual Behavior: A Race-Specific Social Consequence Of Obesity, Tamara Leech, Janice Johnson Dias

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Scant attention has been given to the consequence of actual weight status for adolescents' sexual wellbeing. In this article, we investigate the race-specific connection between obesity and risky sexual behavior among adolescent girls. Propensity scores and radius matching are used to analyze a sample of 340 adolescents aged 16-17 who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Young Adult Survey in 2000 or 2002. Nearly even numbers of these participants identified as white and black (183 and 157, respectively). We find that compared to their non-obese white peers, obese white adolescent girls exhibit higher rates of multiple sex partners …

Functional Correlates Of Verbal Working Memory In Healthy Aging And Early Alzheimer's Disease, Michael Adam Sugarman

Wayne State University Theses

Deficits in the working memory system are common in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, little is known regarding the neurobiological basis of this impairment. The current study examined the neurobiological functional correlates of the working memory system in early AD patients and cognitively intact control participants using a word list repetition task performed during positron emission tomography (PET). Compared to a reading control task, both the AD and control groups utilized a network of parietal, frontal, and cerebellar regions while completing the word rehearsal task. However, control participants displayed greater activation in all regions, especially in the parietal …

Fruit Of The Spirit: Next Steps, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Overall, the chapters provide support for the notion that religious and spiritu al practices, behavior, and engagement are associated with improved psychological, physical, and community functioning and wellbeing. Religion and spirituality can make us better. The fruit of the spirit can result in a better quality of life. However, we must be mindful of the need for future quality research as well as the downside of religious engagement, too. Intolerance, rigidity, and in-group/out-group conflict can be problematic and create a situation in which tills type of religious engagement can lead to fruit that is not healthy but unhealthy. This fruit …

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. …

Capp: A Comprehensive Preventative Program Model Addressing Alcohol Misuse Among College Freshmen, Laura Tsotsis

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Alcohol consumption by college students in the United States has increased in quantity and frequency over the past five years. With this increase, there has come evidence of a rise in negative consequences caused by alcohol misuse. To help reduce these problems, colleges and universities nationwide have begun implementing alcohol programs for their undergraduate students. The vast majority of these programs are intervention programs for students who have previously displayed dangerous drinking habits, often seen through campus judicial violations. Research shows that preventative program models, as compared to intervention programs, provide longer lasting changes in individuals and groups. Thus, a …