Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Comparative Validity Of Mmpi-A Scales Scores In African American And Caucasian Male Juvenile Delinquents, Stacy Natasha Wilson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined comparative validity of the MMPI-A scale scores of African American and Caucasian male juvenile delinquents utilizing a step down hierarchical regression procedure proposed by Laughtenschlager & Mendoza (1986). The MMPI-A (Butcher et al., 1992) was administered to 281 African American and Caucasian juvenile delinquents while their caretakers filled out the CBCL (Achenbach, 1991; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) and DBRS (Barkley & Murphy, 1998), which were used as extra-test measures. Significant overall prediction bias was detected in 15 out of 56 regressions. Statistically significant prediction bias was found for a subset of criterion variables for Clinical Scales 2, …

Inpatient Group Psychotherapy: Predicting Attendance And Participation, Sharon E. Silverberg

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Inpatient group psychotherapy is one of the primary talk therapy interventions offered to patients necessitating acute psychiatric treatment. Research indicates that patients who attend and participate in group psychotherapy sessions while admitted to psychiatric hospitals have a lower rate of recidivism and are more successful in the community utilizing lower levels of psychiatric care. Unfortunately, not all patients attend group psychotherapy while admitted to a psychiatric facility and therefore do not benefit, possibly contributing to non-compliance with community-based treatment and readmissions to inpatient psychiatric institutions for stabilization and safety. This lack of participation in group psychotherapy deprives the patient the …

The Association Between Parental Perceptions Of Children's Residential Mental Health Treatment And The Parent-Child Relationship, Susanne Elizabeth Preston

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Residential mental health treatment for children as an intervention for children is increasing, potentially affecting the relationship within families. The purpose of this study was to examine the parental perspectives of the associations between the parent-child relationship and children's residential mental health treatment. This study explored parental perspectives of specific aspects of the parent-child relationship: parental support, satisfaction with parenting, parental involvement, communication, and limit setting-and the association between these aspects and the child's residential mental health treatment. Paired samples t-tests were conducted; resulting in statistically significant changes on all scales measured, with varying effect sizes. Results indicated parents …

Executive Deficits In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Examining The Consequences Of Self-Regulatory Impairment On Quality Of Life, Abbey R. Roach

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks the motor system and contributes to a range of cognitive and behavioral impairments (e.g., behavioral and emotional disinhibition, planning and problem solving difficulties, impulsivity, attention, and personality change). This executive dysfunction may contribute to selfregulatory impairment across several domains, including cognitive skills, thought processes, emotion regulation, interpersonal skills, and physiology, that may be crucial to the quality of life (QOL), or well being, of patients and their caregivers. Given the relentless course and prognosis of ALS, palliative treatments for ALS should target the full range of self-regulatory deficits. Thirty-seven …

The Development Of An Advanced Filial Therapy Model, Amy Cathleen Wickstrom

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study sought to develop an advanced filial therapy model by examining the experiences of seven parents who participated in a preliminary advanced filial therapy intervention. These parents had previously completed a 10-week basic filial therapy model called Child Parent Relationship Therapy. A phenomenological qualitative design was employed, wherein data was obtained from parent playtime notes, researcher field notes, group process transcriptions, and focus groups. Parent experiences of the intervention were examined from a systems-relational lens, and four categories emerged, which include relational epiphanies, enhanced understanding of the playtimes, model format, and skill development. Additionally, a variety of themes were …

Attachment: The Antidote To Trauma, Joshua Straub

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Trauma and loss in life are inevitable. And all too often the traumatic experience itself can be enough to paralyze the mental, emotional, and spiritual state of any given person. Unable to interpret the traumatic experience, many instead are left defined by it. Helping clients discern the objective experience and their subjective reactions to it will help free them from the emotions and beliefs that subsequently control their lives. Based on the most relevant attachment theory research and clinical techniques, this workshop teaches the attentional strategies necessary to helping clients overcome trauma.

Comparison Of Rationally-Derived And Empirically-Derived Methods For Predicting Failure In Residential Treatment, Jennifer Pester Grattan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Patient-focused research methods have been used in adult mental health treatment to improve outcomes by tracking individual treatment response and comparing it with expected recovery patterns. One such approach has used rationally- and empirically-derived methods to analyze data from the OQ-45 and identify patients who are not responding as expected to treatment. Treatment is then adjusted, improving outcomes and lowering overall costs.

Similar but less extensive research has shown analogous methods can be used with children and adolescents. This would be particularly useful in residential treatment, which is an expensive and inadequately researched approach. This study used archival data gathered …

Profiles Of Drug Endangered Children: Investigation In A Clinical Sample, Imanie Samanmali Wijayaratne

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Despite the increase in children born prenatally exposed to methamphetamine, little is known about the cognitive and neuropsychological outcomes of these children. Research specific to prenatal-methamphetamine exposure is extremely limited and has been primarily restricted to rat studies. This research combined with the few studies examining children prenatally exposed to methamphetamine suggests that methamphetamine-exposure is associated with various cognitive and neuropsychological delays and is impacted by both biological and environmental factors. Given the scarcity of research in this area, the current study used archival data from a psychological assessment clinic to (1) describe the frequency of prenatal methamphetamine-exposure cases, (2) …

The Role Of The Peer Group In Adolescence: Effects On Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms, Glen J. Veed

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

An adolescent’s peer group has been theorized to influence the development of psychopathology. However, little research has examined the adolescent peer group using information obtained directly from peers in a longitudinal framework. Research has also been limited on peer group influence on the development of internalizing disorders. The study used Social Network Analysis to examine self-reported anxiety, depression, aggression, and delinquency in the fall and spring of one school year for students in a rural high school. In addition to examining the effect of the peer group on individual reports of psychopathology, the strength of this relation was compared to …

A Pilot Study Of Bibliotherapy To Reduce Alcohol Problems Among Patients In A Hospital Trauma Center, Paul Amrhein, Timothy Apodaca, William R. Miller, Carol R. Schermer

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Because alcohol use plays a major role in many injuries that require hospital care, there is increasing interest in developing interventions to address alcohol problems among emergency department and trauma center patients. The aim of the current study was to extend past research on brief interventions by investigating the use of a self-help manual to treat problem drinkers in a hospital trauma center. Forty injured patients who were either intoxicated at the time of injury or screened positive for harmful drinking were randomly assigned to receive either a brief assessment and a self-help booklet with no more than 5 minutes …

A Psychoeducational Group Intervention For Fibromyalgia Patients, Derek O. Bacchus

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study examined the effect of a multidisciplinary psychoeducational treatment group on Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) pain, depression, catastrophizing, and quality of life. The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment—Abbreviated Version were used to assess these constructs in 15 participants. The sample was composed entirely of female participants and was predominantly middle aged, which is typical of the FMS population. Two separate groups of FMS patients—seven in Group 1, eight in Group 2—completed a 10-week psychoeducational intervention where they were presented with …

Spiritual Struggles And Self-Discrepancy, Robert Carlisle

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spiritual Struggles occur when a person's spirituality has been threatened and must be modified or changed. Researchers explain that there are three types of struggles - divine, interpersonal and intrapersonal. In this study it was proposed that religious discrepancies could lead to spiritual struggles. There are two major types of discrepancies: actual/ideal and actual/ought. Actual/ideal discrepancies exist when there is a difference between what people think they ideally should be like and what they are actually. An actual/ought discrepancy is a difference between what people think they ought to be and what they actually are. It was proposed that religious …

Examining Adolescent Suicide: How To Identify The Risks, Kelsey Moellering

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

The Effects Of Visual Media On Participants' Boundary Expectations, Joy P. Brock

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine participants' expectations of psychotherapeutic boundaries and the influence of the media in the creation of these expectations. Four hundred forty seven Old Dominion undergraduates completed an online survey consisting of five separate scales: Exposure to Cine therapy Scale, Exposure to Cinematic Boundary Infringements Scale, Boundary Expectation Scale, Past Therapy Experiences Scale, and Demographic Questionnaire. Bivariate correlations were calculated and exposure to cine therapy was found to be significantly, positively related to participants' perceptions of the frequency of various boundary infringements. A principle components analysis was also computed to examine the underlying structure …

Minority Stress And Health: Implications For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Questioning (Lgbtq) Young People, Cathy Kelleher

Articles

Historically, the pathologisation of LGBTQ orientations shaped research and professional practice, while the impact of stigma was not considered. Within a minority stress conceptualisation however, stigma-related prejudice and discrimination experienced by LGBTQ people constitute chronically stressful events that can lead to negative health outcomes. Minority stress has been linked to psychological distress among gay men and lesbians and may contribute to elevated rates of distress frequently observed among LGBTQ youth. This study explored the impact of minority stress on psychological distress among LGBTQ youth in Ireland. Measures assessing three components of minority stress (sexual identity distress, stigma consciousness, and heterosexist …

Traumatic Stress As A Predictor Of Suicidality, Sherry Malana Todd

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Suicide is a deliberate act of annihilation against one's self due to a crisis of problem solving. Far too many youth are dying by their own hands resulting in suicide being the third leading cause of death for 10-19 year olds (CDC, 2005). Suicide is particularly problematic for adolescents due to the impulsivity inherent in adolescent development. Since 1980, the national suicide rate of African American youth has increased by 114 percent (CDC). Suicidality has been positively correlated with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Kessler et al., 1999). Suicidality is more prevalent when a person experiences a tragic or …

Eye Movement, Rem Sleep And Adhd: An Examination Of Eye Movement Patterns During Rem Sleep In Adhd Populations, Elin Marie Grissom

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigates differences in patterns of eye movement and sleep architecture during REM stage sleep in children with a diagnosis of ADHD, compared to those without the diagnosis. Existing studies have found differences in eye movement patterns during waking hours in these two groups (Munoz, Armstrong, Hampton, & Moore, 2003; O'Laughlin, Brubaker, Gay, Deans, & Aaron, 2006) as well as differences in patterns of REM sleep. The current study will focus on the fine structure of eye movement in REM in children with and without ADHD. Using pediatric polysomnographic recordings, the frequency, density, strength, and inferred direction of …

Combined Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Plus Caregiver Sessions For Childhood Depression, Dikla Eckshtain

Dissertations

Childhood depression is intimately related to the family context and caregiver-child relations, but only a limited number of treatment outcome studies for depressed youth have formally included members of the family in the intervention. To address this discrepancy the present study evaluated the efficacy of adding caregiver sessions to individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of depressed youth. The treatment included 16 individual sessions and 7 caregiver sessions administered in the child's school to promote accessibility. Fifteen children (10 females and 5 males ranging in age from 8-13), who met inclusion criteria based on self-report and interview measures …

Broken Masks: A Study In Sanity, Jessica Ann Schmidt

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Broken Masks: A Study in Sanity" is a mixed work of fiction and nonfiction short stories that explore the lives of people who are off center of normal. Some of the protagonists are different because of psychological trauma, some are different because of the circumstances of their birth, and some are different because what is normal to them seems horrific to the reader. The idea of the mask, sense of Self or social role, has interested me since my undergraduate days in psychology, and I have attempted to blend current psychological understanding of trauma and psyche with fictional and nonfictional …

Treatment Of Co-Morbid Methamphetamine Substance Abuse And Borderline Personality Disorder Features Using Modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Jessica R. Schultz Fischer

Dissertations

The study investigated the effectiveness of a time-limited, skills-based treatment in a population of female substance abusers. This project implemented a pilot clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-session modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) protocol among a small sample of women, with co-morbid borderline personality disorder features, receiving concurrent outpatient treatment for methamphetamine abuse. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was used. In addition to on-going assessment conducted during baseline and weekly over the course of treatment, a comprehensive assessment battery was administered pre-, and post-treatment as well as at 1 and 3 months following treatment. Findings suggest that …

Evaluation Of A Sleep Hygiene Program To Improve Inmate Sleep Quality, Jennifer F. Hodges-Crowder

Doctoral Dissertations

Research investigating the effectiveness of treatments for inmates with poor sleep quality appears minimal. Some difficulties related to poor sleep quality can be addressed effectively with little time and expense. Studies show that psychoeducational interventions are effective in reducing sleep complaints and improving sleep quality in a variety of populations including college students and adults. However, the effect of sleep hygiene interventions on inmate sleep complaints is unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate a psychoeducational intervention program aimed at improving prison inmate sleep habits, length, and quality.

Participants of this study were inmates at a department …

Getting To The Heart Of It (Book Review), Kristina M. Kays

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Reviews the book, "Assessment of Client Core Issues" by Richard W. Halstead (see record 2006-21518-000). According to Kays, this book offers a conceptualization of clinical cases synthesizing elements from narrative, schema, and cognitive therapy traditions. The author's stated goal is "to present a model that might help counselors think past a symptom-based formulation for diagnosis and incorporate a structured process for analyzing the vast amount of information clients reveal about their struggles in life". Depending heavily on schema therapy concepts originally developed by J. E. Young, Halstead develops an assessment approach that addresses both the unremarkable and problematic client situations. …

Risk Markers Associated With Physical And Psychological Abuse By Intimate Partners Against Women In Substance Abuse Treatment, Scott J. Buchanan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Delphi Survey Of Experts’ Opinions Regarding Prevention Of Impairment In Professional Psychology Training, Kin-Ming Chan

Dissertations

This study sought to identify the most important measures that may be implemented in professional psychology training to prevent the future impairment of professionals. An adjunctive research question of this study addressed how these important measures can be successfully implemented. A 2-round Delphi method was conducted. Twenty-eight experts in impairment prevention participated in the first round study, and 20 of them continued to participate in the second round. In the first round, the experts rated the importance of an original list of 38 preventive measures, suggested additional important preventive measures, and provided considerations for successful implementation of their most important …

A Critical Review Of The Clinical Applications Of Continuous Performance Tests, Yvette Gutierrez

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computerized testing has emerged as an important assessment tool for clinicians. In particular, continuous performance tests (CPTs) have become popular measures to assess sustained attention; yet research regarding the clinical usefulness of CPTs appears mixed. This paper will review research literature on CPTs published in peer-reviewed journals/periodicals between 1980 and 2004. A range of descriptive data will be gathered and summarized from the articles including history and present uses of CPTs and psychometric information on various versions of commercially available CPTs. This information will be used to present a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of CPTs as well as …

College Students And Gambling: Gauging The Effects Of Gender On Impulse Control, Sensation Seeking, And Mental Health As Predictors Of Involvement, Terry D. Burger

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of the current study was to enhance the global understanding of adolescent Internet gambling involvement by examining rates of participation and the influence of impulse control, sensation seeking, and mental health problems as predictors of involvement. In addition to a demographic survey to gather information including year in school, age, gender, mode of gambling participation (online vs. traditional venues), age gambling participation began (for both non-Internet and Internet modes), disposable income, and hours spent online each week, the current research study questionnaire was comprised of a three standardized instruments: {a) the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS); (b) …

Perceived Smoking Environment And Smoking Initiation Among Multi-Ethnic Urban Girls, Tracy R. Nichols, Amanda Birnbaum, Sara Birnel, Gilbert J. Botvin

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

To examine associations between the perceived smoking environment and smoking initiation among urban multi-ethnic adolescent girls in New York City.

Methods

Self-report surveys completed in grades 7, 8, and 9 assessed girls’ (n = 858) smoking initiation, and perceived smoking environment (family smoking, friends’ smoking, smoking norms, and cigarette availability). Carbon monoxide breath samples were collected from girls using a variation of the bogus pipeline procedure.

Results

Differences were found in smoking prevalence with white girls reporting the highest prevalence of smoking at baseline and the greatest increase in smoking prevalence from seventh to eighth grade. Black girls reported …

Mixing Motives: The Relationship Between College Students' Helping Behaviors And Alcohol Use, Randy Lee Halberda

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigates the relationship between volunteer helping and alcohol use and drinking problems in a sample of 396 college students. Two pilot studies were conducted to adapt a measure of helping behavior (Kaskutas, Oberste, & Zemore, 2002) for use with college students. The present study tests the hypothesis that students who help others are less likely to consume alcohol and subsequently less likely to suffer alcohol-related problems than their peers. Additionally, a path model specifying mediators between helping behaviors and drinking outcomes was examined. The proposed path model predicted that volunteer helping affects well being and perceived peer …

The Clinical Utility Of The Behavior Rating Inventory Of Executive Function (Brief) In The Diagnosis Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Stephen J. Mccandless

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current theories hypothesize that deficits in executive :functioning (EF) are responsible for the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and that specific patterns ofEF deficits may be associated with different subtypes of ADHD. Standard assessment practices for ADHD include behavior rating scales filled out by teachers and parents. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) is a behavior rating scale designed to assess dimensions of executive :functioning. This study evaluated the validity and clinical usefulness of the BRIEF in assessing for ADHD in a • clinic-referred sample of children and adolescents. This study also examined the effectiveness of …

The Relationship Among Pathological Internet Use, Level Of Social Anxiety, And Degree Of Self-Esteem, Mark Tanner Gibson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the variables of degree of selfesteem, level of social anxiety, level of education, age, and gender can predict whether or not individuals meet criteria for Pathological Internet Use (PIU). The Diagnostic Questionnaire was used to ascertain the degree of pathology in each participant's Internet use. Participants also completed a 25-item Social Anxiety Inventory, a 30-item SelfEsteem Inventory, and several demographic items. The sample consisted of399 individuals, 31 of whom met criteria for PIU (leaving 368 Non-PIUs). A discriminant analysis was used to analyze the data to determine whether PIUs and Non-PIUs …