Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Intimate Partner Violence And Emotion Regulation Among Emerging Adults: Investigating The Roles Of Dispositional Mindfulness And Executive Function In The Context Of A Laboratory-Induced Stress Paradigm, Mikell Bursky

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major public health concern that impacts an estimated 10 million men and women in the United States annually. IPV refers to a range of physical, sexual or psychological forms of aggression committed against a current or former romantic partner in the context of a relationship. The highest rates of IPV are observed in emerging adulthood, a developmental period between the ages of 18 to 25 that is significant for the transition from adolescence into adulthood, and the establishment of first meaningful intimate relationships. Although distal risk factors for IPV such as violence in the …

Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementias Risk Profiles And Health Literacy Among South Asian Seniors, Sandra A. Kennedy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) pose significant health challenges globally, with South Asian seniors in the United States facing elevated risks due to high rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and limited health literacy. This study assessed dementia literacy and the prevalence of cardiovascular, psychosocial, and lifestyle risk factors among South Asian seniors in New York City, utilizing community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles in collaboration with India Home, a community-based organization. Fifty-six (N=56) South Asian seniors aged 55 and older (M = 69.05, SD = 6.36), primarily of Indian or Bangladeshi origin, participated in the study. Data collection involved a …

Scrolling Through Stress: Physiological Stress Recovery Shapes Risk For Problematic Social Media Use In Young Adults With Depressive Symptoms, Abigail Findley

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Depression is among the most consistent correlates of problematic social media use (PSMU), yet how depressive symptoms confer this risk, and for whom, remains poorly understood. The present study examined whether stress regulation explains the link between depressive symptoms and PSMU in young adults, testing specifically whether stress recovery acts as a mechanism linking the two or as a vulnerability that determines for whom they are linked, and whether distress tolerance (DT) shapes these pathways. Participants (N = 77) were young adults (18–25) with elevated depressive symptoms. Following the Trier Social Stress Test, participants completed a 15-minute social media …

The Development And Piloting Of A Novel Client-Rated Trans And Gender Expansive Clinical Competence Scale For Mental Health Providers, Karen Abraham

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Transgender and gender expansive individuals (TGEI) are people who encompass a broad and comprehensive set of experiences of gender diverse individuals and identities that exist both within and beyond a binary framework. In the United States, the Williams Institute identified a proportion of 0.5% of American adults identifying as transgender (Herman et al., 2022). TGE samples report poorer physical and mental health than their cisgender counterparts across the lifespan (Rastogi et al., 2025; Reisner et al., 2015; Reisner, Poteat, et al., 2016). Health disparities of TGEI relative to their non-TGE counterparts can be seen in the prevalence of mood disorders …

Cognitive-Affective And Somatic Depressive Symptom Domains Related To Psychological Mechanisms And Sociodemographic Factors, Danielle B. Hazeltine

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Major depressive disorder is prevalent, chronic, and heterogeneous, including cognitive- affective (e.g., maladaptive beliefs or thinking patterns and sad mood) and somatic (e.g., fatigue, appetite, or sleep changes) symptom domains. While depression domains have been long theorized, research examining psychological mechanisms underlying this distinction is limited. Preliminary research suggests cognitive-affective symptoms relate more strongly to cognitive mechanisms (cognitive bias, perseverative thought), somatic symptoms relate more strongly to behavioral mechanisms (behavioral inhibition/activation), and gender, race, and ethnicity moderate these relationships. This study examined whether cognitive-affective and somatic symptom domains differentially relate to cognitive and behavioral mechanisms, and whether these relationships are …

Distinguishing Between Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Role Of Childhood Maltreatment, Catherine Harris

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current study examined whether court-substantiated childhood maltreatment may be associated with increased risk for Complex PTSD (CPTSD) and whether individuals with CPTSD and individuals with PTSD could be distinguished in terms of complex trauma exposure. Children with documented cases of abuse and neglect prior to age 11 were matched on age, race, sex, and approximate family socioeconomic status with children without documented histories of maltreatment (controls) and both groups were followed prospectively into adulthood. Participants (N = 1,196) were assessed using a DSM-III-R based structured interview of PTSD symptoms and other self-report measures of psychiatric symptoms at mean age …

Social Media-Based Social Comparisons Among Socially Anxious Young Adults: The Role Of Cognitive Reappraisal, Jennifer L. De Rutte

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Social media is a central context for social interaction and self-evaluation among young adults. For those with elevated social anxiety, these environments may be especially salient because they provide frequent opportunities for social comparison. Although upward social comparison on social media has been linked to poorer emotional outcomes, less is known about its experimental effects among socially anxious young adults or whether upward and downward comparison have distinct effects that extend to later socially evaluative situations. The present study examined these questions in 84 socially anxious young adults randomly assigned to view simulated Instagram feeds eliciting upward comparison, downward comparison, …

Parenthood And Re-Appraisal Of Childhood Maltreatment, Gayathri Cheran

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Child maltreatment is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes across the lifespan.  Individuals’ appraisals of childhood maltreatment have important implications for these outcomes.  Appraisal is shaped by biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors, each of which undergoes change in parenthood.  Parenthood may prompt re-appraisal of childhood maltreatment in that being a parent evokes one’s experience of being parented.

Hypotheses: (1) Re-appraisal will be more likely in parents than non-parents.  In parents, re-appraisal will be more likely among: (2) primiparous parents, (3) parents with offspring of the same sex, and (4) parents who experienced maltreatment older in childhood (at …

Interoceptive Forecasting And Recall: The Role Of Anxiety Sensitivity And Disgust Sensitivity, David Lloyd Yap

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Predicting and remembering emotional states (affective forecasting and recall) are adaptive processes that allow individuals to engage with the future and past to guide behavior, yet these processes are prone to bias. Although affective forecasting and recall biases are common across healthy populations, more pessimistically biased affective forecasts and recall have been linked to greater anxiety and depression symptom levels and to emotional disorders. A crucially understudied aspect of affective forecasting and recall is the perception of the somatic (interoceptive) symptoms that accompany emotions. This study investigated forecasting and recall accuracy of somatic symptom levels (i.e., interoceptive forecasting and recall). …

Understanding Why Individuals Maltreated As Children Do Not Retrospectively Self-Report, Kristin S. Lynch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Individuals with documented histories of childhood maltreatment who do not retrospectively self-report these childhood experiences demonstrate better emotional and psychological outcomes in adulthood. Understanding why these individuals do not retrospectively self-report is important for the development of effective interventions focused on mitigating the long-term consequences of maltreatment. The current study compared maltreated individuals who did not retrospectively self-report (O-R group) to those who did retrospectively self-report (O+R group) to examine theoretical explanations related to intentional nondisclosure (i.e., social desirability and discomfort during the interview) and memory processes (i.e. infantile amnesia, use of mental health services, avoidant coping …

The Interaction Of Multilingualism And Depressed Mood On Cognitive Set-Shifting, Annalise Caviasco

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Although findings are mixed, many researchers believe there are cognitive benefits to multilingualism, a phenomenon dubbed the “bilingual advantage”. Of these apparent benefits, cognitive flexibility, or the ability to shift thinking styles based on the context or specific demands of a certain situation, is thought to be highly relevant. Current literature suggests that one aspect of multilingualism, the practice of “code-switching” between languages throughout their daily lives, is related to increased general cognitive flexibility compared to monolinguals. Another branch of research on cognitive flexibility investigating the role of affect in cognition demonstrates that clinical depression as well as transient negative …

Non-Linear Heart Rate Variability: Investigating Cardiac Complexity Of Psychopathic Traits, Khaya A. Roach

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Psychopathy is a complex personality disorder characterized by distinct emotional and interpersonal deficits, and affects approximately 25% of the prison population and 4.5% of nonincarcerated populations. The manifestation of psychopathy can be understood through two distinct variants, each demonstrating unique etiological pathways and clinical presentations. Primary psychopathy is characterized by core interpersonal and affective deficits, including shallow emotions and manipulativeness, while demonstrating reduced autonomic responsivity and lower anxiety levels. Secondary psychopathy presents with higher levels of impulsivity, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, showing stronger associations with various psychopathologies. Treatment outcomes also vary between the variants, with primary psychopaths typically showing poor …

The Role Of Parent Psychiatric Symptoms In The Intergenerational Continuity Of Child Neglect: A Prospective Examination, Cody D. Stitzel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Parental history of childhood neglect is a risk factor for offspring neglect. When a parent and their offspring both experience neglect in childhood, the phenomenon is referred to as the intergenerational continuity of child neglect. Understanding how child neglect is continued from one generation to the next is essential for creating effective interventions and prevention strategies that may help break the cycle. Since links between childhood neglect and heightened risk for various psychiatric symptoms have consistently been identified in research, as well as links between various psychiatric symptoms and heightened risk for child neglect, it may be that parents’ psychiatric …

Improving The Assessment Of Functional Ability In Older Adults, Aneela Rahman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Deficits in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are a hallmark of dementia, and the unprecedented aging of the population strongly motivates early identification of older adults at-risk for functional decline. In 2015, the White House Conference on Aging emphasized the need to improve detection of diminished capacity across important areas of functioning. To date, there is very limited research on early IADL changes in cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals and those with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who may be in early preclinical dementia stages. Additionally, little is known about how changes in functional brain networks …

Investigating The Impact Of Affect In Suicide-Specific Attentional Biases, Beverlin Rosario-Williams

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: Biased processing of suicide-related information has been implicated in risk of future suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Although previous studies have classified this biased processing, the tasks used to examine these biases cannot definitely specify which attentional processes are related to risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, via two independent studies, this dissertation sought to distinguish suicide-specific attentional engagement and disengagement biases from other forms of cognitive processing, such as accessibility of suicide-related stimuli and threat bias toward and away from socially threatening stimuli. Additionally, this dissertation investigated under which affective conditions suicide-specific engagement and disengagement biases emerged. …

Association Of Autistic Traits And Psychiatric Symptoms In Children With A Fragile X Premutation Allele: The Neurodevelopmental Profile, Ariel Zucker

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Throughout the lifespan, approximately 14% of males and 5% of females with a fragile X premutation (PM) (defined as 55-200 CGG repeats on the X-linked FMR1 gene) are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For individuals that do not meet diagnostic criteria for ASD, autistic traits (ATs) are often present in this population and have been shown to have a subtle and sub-clinical presentation of social communication and interaction deficits. While less is known about the phenotype of children with a PM, studies have found increased rates of ASD and ATs in adults with a PM allele compared to controls. …

Intimate Partner Violence And Negotiation During Covid-19: Stressors, Resources, And Perception, Victoria P. Diamond

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health concern that affects millions across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic created unforeseen stress, and necessitated safety policies that required social isolation, often extended exposure to one’s intimate partner, and an inability to access stress-reduction resources. These factors, along with many others, lead to an abrupt increase in IPV in many couples. Using the couple-adapted family stress model (ABCX), the current study examines both previously defined (e.g., emotional dysregulation, stress, unemployment, communication issues) and COVID-19 specific risk (e.g., quarantine, unprecedented social isolation, fear of contracting COVID-19) and protective factors (e.g., meaning in …

Brain Injury And Psychosocial Trauma: Outcomes Among Justice-Involved Individuals, Mahathi D. Kosuri

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Justice-involved individuals experience disproportionately high rates of both traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and psychosocial traumas. However, these traumas have yet to be conceptualized together, leaving a chasm of research on how they interact and influence this population. The current study was the first to measure the effects of TBIs as well as psychosocial trauma among justice-involved men, within the context of executive functioning, history of justice involvement, and recidivism. A sample of men (N=95) from a private correctional facility were given the Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire (OSU-TBI-ID), the Lifetime Stressor Checklist- Revised (LSC-R), along with …

The Effect Of Working Memory Performance Under Stress On The Relationship Between Trauma History, Ptsd Symptoms, And Intimate Partner Violence, Gabriella Robinson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Over 12 million people annually experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States. Emerging adulthood has the highest rates of IPV across the lifespan. While many theories attempt to explain why IPV rates are markedly increased during this age period, researchers call for more empirical studies to understand processes occurring during this period that result in increased IPV perpetration. Of the studies that assess IPV perpetration, samples generally consisted of male batterers that perpetrated severe IPV. Trauma history and PTSD symptoms have been seen as risk factors for IPV perpetration. Cognitive risk factors for IPV perpetration, such as …

Resting-State Eeg Microstate Features For Major Depressive Disorder Classification, George M. V. Quinn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Neuroimaging studies have revealed consistent abnormalities in functional connectivity within specific neural networks that may serve as biomarkers for major depressive disorder (MDD). It is important to find inexpensive, non-invasive techniques that target these biomarkers to make diagnosis easier and more objective. EEG microstates are quasi-stable potential topographies that are thought to reflect the quasi-stable network activity of the underlying neural generators. MDD has been shown to alter features of the four canonical EEG microstates (A, B, C, D) with some conflicting results. The most consistent network abnormalities in MDD are found in the anterior default mode network, and this …

Original Vs. Simplified Miranda Rights: The Impact On Miranda Rights Comprehension And Subsequent Waiver Decisions, Sydney Baker

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Youths’ developmental immaturity negatively impacts their ability to meaningfully understand and appreciate their Miranda rights, raising questions about the validity of their waiver decisions. Moreover, most Miranda warnings are long, written at advanced reading levels, and contain complex sentence structure and vocabulary, which further hinders comprehension. In response, several jurisdictions have begun to use developmentally informed Miranda warnings for youth. However, research has yet to determine whether this improves youths’ ability to make informed Miranda waiver decisions. As such, the current research study explored whether simplified Miranda warnings increased youths’ comprehension of their rights, whether Miranda comprehension was related to …

Relationship Interventions For Autistic Children And Their Non-Autistic Siblings, Susan Vanessa Mchugh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Relationships between children with autism and their non-autistic siblings are often characterized by great warmth, empathy, and affection. However, because of core deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, autistic children and their siblings often experience difficulties with communication, play, and associated mental health problems. Interventions aimed at improving relationships in these sibling dyads historically have involved teaching non-autistic children to behave similarly to interventionists for autistic siblings, and support groups for children with broad chronic illnesses. More recent interventions have shifted focus to improvement of play between siblings, and support groups for siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder. Some are naturalistic …

Defining Resilience In Young People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Theory Informed Approach, Barbara Storch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal illness for which there is no existing cure. There is significant literature documenting the increased likelihood of adverse biopsychosocial outcomes in young people with IBD (e.g., Greenley et al., 2010); however, many individuals with IBD respond by either maintaining or increasing outcomes categorized as positive. These trajectories can be thought of as characterized by a resilient response. The study of resilience in young people with IBD is nascent. Given the unique disease-specific and developmental contexts young people with IBD experience, the first step in understanding the process of resilience in young people …

The Effects Of Mood And Anxiety Sensitivity On Attentional Engagement And Disengagement In Sleep Disturbance, Kara L. Buda

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Insomnia is a highly prevalent, chronic disorder that is associated with adverse psychological, physical, and psychosocial outcomes. Harvey’s (2002) cognitive model of insomnia and Espie’s (2006) attention-intention-effort pathway model highlight two critical processes believed to play a role in the onset and persistence of insomnia: (a) emotional distress and physiological arousal and (b) selective attention and monitoring. However, investigations examining attentional bias in sleep disturbance have produced mixed results and have exclusively used paradigms that are limited in their ability to differentially examine the two unique components of attentional bias (i.e., facilitated engagement, impaired disengagement). Discrepant findings in the attentional …

Computerized Cognitive Training In The Treatment Of Depression: Individual Differences And Perceptions Of Cct, Sophie Schiff

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Major Depressive Disorder is a serious mental health disorder that affects 8% of adults in the United States. Adults aged 18-29 are at an elevated risk with a prevalence of 12%. Depression is most often characterized by mood symptoms, however, individuals with depression often also present with cognitive weaknesses on objective neuropsychological measures across several domains. These deficits are not only associated with mood symptoms, but significantly interfere with treatment and have been found to persist even with successful treatment of affective symptoms. Research into interventions directly targeting cognition has increased in recent years. While traditional first-line treatments for depression, …

The Blackgirl Project: Examining The Impact And Manifestation Of Colorism Among Black Adolescent Girls In The United States: A Critical Participatory Action Research Approach, Gina (Diagou) R. Sissoko

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Colorism is a skin tone stratification system that privileges lighter-skinned people over their darker-skinned counterparts. Although colorism remains surprisingly understudied, it has been linked to a variety of negative mental health and social outcomes. Colorism particularly impacts Black girls—particularly in adolescence. This dissertation utilized microaggressions theory and a critical participatory action research framework to describe (1) the manifestation of colorism in the lives of darker-skinned Black girls, (2) the impact of colorism on Black girls’ mental health, (3) the ways in which Black girls cope with and resist colorist experiences, and (4) create a taxonomy of colorist microaggressions. Ten Black …

Measuring Intersectional Strength And Stigma Among Racially Minoritized Gender Diverse Young Adults, Joseph Carter

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Racially minoritized transgender and gender expansive young adults (RMTGEYA; aged 18-26) experience mental health inequities due to intersectional, multilevel stigma. RMTGEYA communities embody intersectional strength and resilience that can mitigate the impact of stigma. Understanding and capturing strength and stigma factors to address these inequities has significant implications for clinical science research and practice. There is, however, a complete absence of instruments that are validated to do so. Objective: The goal of this study is to conduct a three-phase, mixed methods study that centers intersectional and community engaged methods of psychometric development for a measure that captures daily experiences …

Enhancing The Accuracy Of The Mild Cognitive Impairment Diagnosis In Community-Based, Racially/Ethnically Diverse Older Adults, Katherine H. Chang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is thought to represent an intermediate stage of cognitive impairment that is often, but not always, a transitional phase between normal aging and dementia. Diagnostic criteria for “MCI” and international consensus criteria have been developed and refined over decades beginning in the 1990s, but the definition is still debated. Moreover, the operationalization and measurement of one of the criteria for MCI (i.e., subjective cognitive concerns, SCC), which is included in most classification approaches, is highly variable and there is great inconsistency across the literature. Some research efforts even support the removal of this criterion on the …

Health Behaviors And Physical Health Among Young Adults With Varying Psychometric Schizotypy, Christopher Liong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Schizophrenia has consistently been associated with increased rates of physical illness and early mortality. One explanation for this association might be poor health behaviors, as people with schizophrenia are more sedentary, less physically active, and more likely to engage in substance use compared to the general population. Schizotypy may be conceptualized as the phenotypic expression of increased risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and dimensional models of schizotypy suggest that it varies on a continuum ranging from non-clinical (i.e. low schizotypy) to clinical (i.e. high schizotypy and dysfunction, as in schizophrenia). Though schizotypy and schizophrenia appear to share similar deficits and …

Family Fragments: Pressure And Proximity In First-Episode Psychosis, Cassandra B. Seltman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study explores the value of assuming a position that decenters the identified patient in families with a member with schizophrenia. Instead, a systemic view of the family is taken, as subject to pressures from without and within, and utilizing observable processes for the management and discharge of tension. It attempts the difficult balance of thinking dynamically without sacrificing scientific rigor, considering the social without discounting the biological, and exploring the functionality of the family without collapsing into blame, reductive cause-and-effect thinking, and the search to prioritize one true origin.

When treating family members as discrete units around an identified …