Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Effects Of Anger Awareness And Expression Training Versus Relaxation Training On Headaches: A Randomized Trial, Olga Slavin-Spenny, Mark A. Lumley, Elyse R. Thakur, Dana C. Nevedal, Alaa M Hijazi

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

Background and purpose: Stress contributes to headaches, and effective interventions for headaches routinely include relaxation training (RT) to directly reduce negative emotions and arousal. Yet, suppressing negative emotions, particularly anger, appears to augment pain, and experimental studies suggest that expressing anger may reduce pain. Therefore, we developed and tested anger awareness and expression training (AAET) on people with headaches.

Methods: Young adults with headaches (N = 147) were randomized to AAET, RT, or a wait-list control. We assessed affect during sessions, and process and outcome variables at baseline and 4 weeks after treatment.

Results: On process measures, …

Religion And Spirituality In Mental And Physical Well-Being Of Korean And White Americans, Mila Kil

Wayne State University Dissertations

An increasing number of researchers have confirmed the important role of religion and spirituality, not only in the psychological and emotional domains but also in physical health. Several researchers note that various forms of spirituality and religiousness can help Asian immigrants cope with the upheavals of immigration, adaptation to a new country, and other difficult personal and social transformations related to being in a new culture. Especially for Korean immigrants, churches and religious organizations act as a powerful support group. However, few empirical studies have paid attention to this topic, considering the importance of religion and spirituality to most individuals. …

Anger Expression: Evaluating The Construct Validity Of Several Emotion Regulation Measures, Matthew James Jasinski

Wayne State University Theses

Researchers have used the Anger Expression Inventory (AEI), Ambivalence of Emotional Expression Questionnaire (AEQ), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 (TAS) self-report measures to draw conclusions about relationships between emotion regulation and many other variables, but there is an insufficient amount of validation evidence about these measures. After first filling out the self-report measures, 75 participants with chronic low back pain completed a videotaped anger induction paradigm, in order to provoke the naturalistic experience of anger. Participants were next given the opportunity to express their anger to the experimenter, in either a guided or unguided condition. We then coded the videos …

Life Factors And Attendance Rates For Women Enrolled In A Parenting Program, Lilia Elizabeth Mucka

Wayne State University Theses

Parenting interventions consistently have been shown to improve positive parenting effectiveness, child adjustment, and family functioning (Gardner et al., 2010). However, attendance rates reported in the literature tend to be low and dropout rates tend to be high, which likely diminishes the positive impact of such programs (Dumas et al., 2007). Parenting group success begins with attendance, therefore, the study aimed to understand which life factors were associated with attendance. Specifically, the study both qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated parents' responses to a brief intervention using MI techniques by using a coding system developed by the author to understand maternal expectations …

Stress And Substance Abuse In Homeless And Matched Housed Adolescents: A Longitudinal Model, Corissa Carlson

Wayne State University Theses

The relationship between stress and substance abuse within an at-risk adolescent population is an important topic to research. There are several models examining the relationship between stress and substance abuse; however, this study will look to longitudinal methods to examine if there is a temporal relationship between stress and substance abuse in a high risk population. Interviews were conducted at a baseline time point as well as follow-up time points at two, five, and seven years. Two hundred fifty-four participants were retained at the two year follow-up and their data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The two proposed models …

Risk Taking Behaviors In Emerging Adults And Peer, Sibling & Parental Relationships, Malasri Rani Chaudhery-Malgeri

Wayne State University Dissertations

Research shows emerging adults are more likely than younger and older cohorts to engage in such risky behaviors. However, research on the outcomes of emerging adults and their relations with peers, parents, and siblings is less conclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between emerging adults' perceptions of peers', siblings', and parents' risk-taking behaviors, and risk behavior after controlling for participants' sensation seeking tendencies. This study explored the moderating role of emerging adults' relationships with peers, siblings, and parents in the relation between these models' risk taking behaviors and emerging adults' risk taking behaviors, The mediating …

Work-Related Stress And Mental Health Of Child Care Center Workers, Sarah Lietzow Witherell

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what factors are associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, somatization, and general psychological distress in a sample of child care center workers. A sample of 101 employees from 14 different child care centers in the southeastern Michigan area were administered questionnaires that asked about work and home life, social support, and mental health. Data was also collected from center directors regarding the type and size of the child care program and the annual turnover rate of each facility. One of the key findings of the study was that a significant number of …

Temporal Relationships Between Psychological Distress And Risky Behaviors In A Sample Of Homeless And At-Risk Youth, Tegan Lesperance

Wayne State University Theses

The present study examined temporal relationships between psychological distress and two types of risk behavior; risky sexual behavior and substance abuse/dependence, in a sample of 253 at-risk youth. Using structural equation modeling, the self-medication and risk-first hypotheses were tested using longitudinal data spanning 7 years. Each model lent support to both hypotheses, further supporting the relationship between risk-taking behaviors and psychological distress among youth. Early psychological distress predicted later involvement in risky sexual behaviors, while later distress predicted substance abuse/dependence. Earlier risky sexual behaviors and substance abuse/dependence predicted psychological distress at later time points. These findings suggest the need to …

Neurobiological Correlates Of Personality And Emotional Expression In Traumatic Brain Injury, Christina G. Wong

Wayne State University Theses

Many individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience cognitive, emotional, and functional deficits, all of which can contribute to chronic stress. Unfortunately, individuals with TBI often engage in less effective coping than non-brain-injured individuals, which has negative implications for rehabilitation. Differences in personality traits have been linked to individual differences in coping styles, physiological stress reactivity, and emotional disclosure. Research on personality and coping after TBI has been sparse. Thus, the present study examined the influence of TBI on the pattern of the relationships between personality, emotional expression, and stress reactivity. Eighty-one adults who sustained moderate to severe TBI and …

The Effect Of Sensory Impairment On Cognitive Functioning And Functional Status In Octogenarians And Centenarians, Annalise Marie Rahman

Wayne State University Theses

Two theories predominate to explain the covariation of cognitive and sensory functions across the lifespan: The Common Cause hypothesis and the Sensory Deprivation hypothesis. It was hypothesized that the Common Cause hypothesis better accounted for the these relationships. This hypothesis was assessed by examining the associations between sensory functioning, cognitive functioning, functional status, and motor functioning in samples of octogenarians (n = 80) and centenarians (n = 244) drawn from the Georgia Centenarian Study, Phase 3, Project 3. Special attention was given to cross-sensory-modality associations. Hierarchical regressions were also utilized to determine whether inclusion of either measured or self-reported sensory …

Community Violence, Ethnicity, Psychological Distress, And Externalizing Behaviors In Emerging Adulthood: The Moderating Effects Of Social Support, Holly Hannah Reid

Wayne State University Theses

Using hierarchical multiple regression, overall social support was found to moderate the relationship between exposure to community violence and psychological distress for European American and African-American at-risk emerging adults. For both ethnic groups, neither ISEL total nor SNI helping social support moderated the relation between community violence and the outcomes of substance abuse and conduct disorder/deviant behaviors. Ethnicity moderated the relationship between exposure to community violence and substance abuse behaviors within an SNI helping support regression, such that European Americans who reported greater violence exposure reported more substance abuse symptoms. SNI helping support moderated the relationship between exposure to community …

Does Empathy Promote Emotion Regulation In The Context Of Pain? An Experimental Investigation, Laura E. M. Leong

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a perspective-taking instruction would promote empathic behaviors in couples, resulting in better emotion regulation and greater pain tolerance during a cold pressor task. Based on empathy and intimacy theories, it was expected that observers who were instructed to take the perspective of their partner would feel and express more empathy, and that their partners would have better pain and pain tolerance compared to a control group. A sample of 128 undergraduate romantic couples participated where one partner was randomly assigned to complete the cold pressor task while the …

Examination Of The Acquired Preparedness Model And Alcohol Use In Emerging Adults, Richard Michael Staszkow

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive utility of the acquired preparedness and alcohol use in emerging adults. Data were collected from a sample of 273 participants, ages 18 to 25 years old, from an urban university in the Midwest. The participants completed self-report questionnaires via SurveyMonkey. It was predicted that expectancy variables would mediate the relations between impulsivity and the frequency and quantity of drinking. Results suggest that social pressure self-efficacy was found to fully mediate the relation between the impulsivity variables (lack of premeditation and positive urgency) for both drinking frequency and quantity. Increased confidence, …