Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Examination Of The Clinical Benefit Of Adding Reversal Theory Concepts To The Expressive Writing Paradigm, Stephanie Ellis

Doctoral Dissertations

Expressive writing as a form of emotional disclosure produces many physical and psychological benefits (Pennebaker, 2004). Central to the present study are findings that expressive writing decreases symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD (Koopman, Ismailji, Holmes, Classen, Palesh, & Wales, 2005; Opre, Coman, Kallay, Rotaru, & Manier, 2005; Russ, 1992). Reversal Theory (RT) suggests that individuals experience the world from eight different psychological states including serious, playful, conforming, rebellious, mastery, sympathy, self, and other (Apter, 2007). Teaching individuals to be aware of and elicit these states also decreases depression and anxiety (Charat, 2006). The present study sought to determine if …

Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument Long-Term Outcomes And Scale Stability, Elise Christina Simonds Bisbee

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2; Grisso & Barnum, 2006) was developed in 1998 to offer an efficient measure for identifying adolescents within the juvenile justice system in need of further psychiatric evaluation, treatment, or specialized care. Since the instrument's publication, several studies have evaluated the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the MAYSI-2. The current study adds to the literature examining the reliability and validity of this measure. Specifically, the current study sought to evaluate the long-term characteristics and predictive utility of the MAYSI-2 scale scores. This study utilized a sample of 8,929 boys (n = 6.780) and …

Relationships Between Black Female College Students' Relationships With Their Fathers And Adult Romantic Attachment, Nicole A. Dock

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the relationships between the quality and quantity of time that young Black female college students spent with their fathers during high school as related to romantic attachment and fear of intimacy. Although researchers have investigated the impact that early attachment bonds to mothers have for later psychosocial development, much less research has examined how attachment to fathers may be associated with psychosocial adjustment in young adulthood. In particular, there is a lack of information on how relationships to one's father or father figure may be associated with adjustment in young women from culturally diverse populations.

To …

Relationship Predictors Of Unwanted Pursuit, Farrahdya Tassy

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated relationship variables related to unwanted pursuit post dissolution of a romantic relationship. Online surveys were administered to 277 undergraduate and graduate students from a large southeastern university. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed levels of idealization, satisfaction, perceptions of alternatives to the relationship, investment size, commitment, and unwanted pursuit. These variables are often essential in romantic involvements, and contribute greatly to the continuation of a relationship. Additional measures of attachment, self-esteem, neuroticism, and jealousy were included to control for their potential effect on pursuit. The sample consisted of individuals who engaged in the pursuit of a former …

Effects Of An Educational And Support Program For Family And Friends Of A Substance Abuser, Amanda Jeffrey Platter

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many family members are adversely affected by their loved ones drinking or drug problem. The aim of the present study was to explore changes in coping and enabling behaviors among family members who attended a community educational and psychosocial group for friends and family of a substance abuser, and to examine the concerns of these family members.

Participants were 32 family members (i.e., parents, spouses/romantic partners, and siblings) who attended one of four consecutive Family and Friend (FF) programs between fall and spring of 2008. Participants completed the Behavioral Enabling Scale (Rotunda & Doman, 2001) and Brief COPE Inventory (Carver, …

Test Anxiety And Other Factors As Predictors Of Outcome For An Undergraduate University's Examination Of Writing Competency, Carrie D. Smith

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Testing in American schools has increased dramatically in recent years (Cizek & Burg, 2006), increasing the need for research in test anxiety (TA). Writing apprehension, a subcategory of TA, may be of particular concern among students at all levels of education given the recent addition of writing assessments on the SAT and GRE tests.

Very few recent studies have examined demographic correlates of TA and the demographics of students in higher education have been changing for some time. These changes include an increase in all categories of nontraditional students. Nontraditional students, by definition, face a particular set of challenges in …

Neuropsychological Effects Of The Traumatic Stress Response In Sexually Abused Adolescents Throughout Treatment, Kathryn R. Wilson

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Child maltreatment is a pervasive problem in our society that has long-term detrimental consequences to the development of the affected child such as future brain growth and functioning. The alteration of the biochemical stress response system in the brain that changes an individual’s ability to respond efficiently and efficaciously to future stressors is conceptualized as the traumatic stress response. The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of the traumatic stress response on sexually abused adolescents’ through a two-tiered study of neuropsychological functioning throughout treatment. It was determined that there are measurable differences in neuropsychological processing in sexually …

Predictors Of Help-Seeking In Returning Operation Enduring Freedom (Oef) And Operation Iraqi Freedom (Oif) Veterans, Carole Porcari

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Despite a significant number of Afghanistan and Iraqi veterans who reported symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, the majority of these veterans did not seek help for these problems. Past research has shown several variables that may contribute to an individual seeking help for a mental health problem including demographic variables, nature and severity of the mental health problem, and psychological variables. All Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans and service members that registered with the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System between 2001 and 2007 were contacted by mail and asked to participate in …

Intentions To Seek Therapy, Attitudes, And Stigma: An Analysis Of The Theory Of Reasoned Action, Matthew J. Altiere

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The relatively low utilization of mental health care is a concern for psychology, as only 32% of individuals with a psychological disorder receive treatment (Andrews, Issakidis, & Carter, 2001). It is typically attitudinal rather than structural barriers that influence individuals when deciding to pursue treatment (Outram, Murphy, & Cockburn, 2004). This study utilized the theory of reasoned action as a model to test the relationship among variables hypothesized to contribute to the intention to seek therapy: public stigma, self-stigma, social support, self-efficacy, attitudes toward seeking therapy, and psychological distress. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to evaluate barriers to …

Assimilative Demands: The Psychological Impact Of Legal Decisions On Lesbians’ Lives, Melissa J. Grey

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Covering, a construct that has been absent from the empirical psychological literature, is the pressure to or act of downplaying characteristics associated with a stigmatized identity (Goffman, 1963). This research investigated the covering demand in lesbian-identified women drawing on four related literatures: acculturation, discrimination, stigma, and self-concealment. The objectives of this research were to examine the impact of structural, legal covering demands on psychological domains and develop a grounded understanding of these demands in lesbian women. A mixed-method approach was utilized. Forty-six lesbian-identified women recruited from community venues participated in the quasi-experiment and focus groups, and five also engaged in …

Exposure To A Computer-Hosted Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention For Pathological Gambling: Impact On Gambling Symptomatology And Disclosure Of Gambling Participation In Required Counseling For Adults Receiving Opiate Substitution Therapy For Heroin Addiction, Andrew E. Cameron

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the prevalence of pathological gambling (PG) in an urban methadone-maintenance population (n=125) using the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). In addition, those meeting criteria for PG, and other inclusion criteria (n=42), were randomly assigned to one of two 6-week treatment groups and given the opportunity to utilize a computer-hosted cognitive-behavioral treatment program for PG. Seventeen participants used the treatment program, but no effect was found on their gambling behavior as measured by the SOGS and Timeline Follow-back procedure. Predictive factors of PG severity and treatment response were examined. Overall, 47.1% of those sampled …

Marginality And Coping: A Communal Contextual Narrative Approach To Pastoral Care With Korean American Christians, Jaesang Lyu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Focusing on Korean American experiences of racism, sexism, and intergenerational conflicts related to the acculturation process, this dissertation examines the social reality of marginality and constructs a communal contextual narrative approach to pastoral care. Current approaches to pastoral care in the Korean American church encourage a deferring style of religious coping that maintains the status quo—the internalized status of marginality—without activating self agency for the fulfillment of one’s own selfhood within the communal life of religious communities. A communally grounded sense of self agency is described in terms of three aspects of Korean indigenous culture: 1) uri (we-ness), 2) jeong …

Gene-Environment Interactions In Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Holly Donovan Barnard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall goal of this project is to advance our understanding of the multifactorial etiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by testing a diathesis-stress model of gene x environment (g x e) interactions. Although the literature increasingly supports g x e interactions in the manifestation of ADHD, few studies have investigated multiple genetic and environmental risk factors, included direct tests of gene - environment correlations (rG-Es), explored the specificity of interactions to symptom dimensions, or attempted to minimize comparisons. Therefore, utilizing both within-family (FBAT/PBAT) and case-control methodology, this study sought to (1) explore main effects of polymorphisms in the …

The Comparative Efficacy Of Dosed, Enhanced Dosed, Prolonged Exposure, And Mindfulness In The Reduction Of Anxiety, Sophie Rubin

Dissertations

Exposure-based treatments have proven effective in treating a range of fears and phobias and can be accounted for by mechanisms described in behavioral theory. Enhanced dosed and dosed-only exposure are promising new behavioral approaches for treating fears and phobias. Fifty participants with speech anxiety were randomly assigned to a prolonged exposure condition (PE), a dosed-only exposure condition (DE), a positively enhanced dosed exposure condition (PDE), a negatively-supplemented dosed exposure condition (NDE), or a mindfulness enhanced dosed exposure condition (MDE). End of session results for all of the enhanced groups resulted in significantly lower subjective ratings of discomfort than the non-enhanced …

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 …

Participation In Prevention Programs For Dating Violence: Beliefs About Relationship Violence And Intention To Participate, Tara L. Cornelius, Kieran T. Sullivan, Nicole Wyngarden, Jennifer Milliken

Psychology

This study utilizes the Health Belief Model to examine the factors related to the intention to participate in prevention programming for dating violence. Perceptions of susceptibility to future violence and the benefits of prevention programming appear to be the strongest predictors of participation in prevention programs. Perceptions of the severity of dating violence do not appear to be related to intentions to participate. There were no differences in intention between those reporting psychological or physical violence in their dating relationship, although some of the HBM factors were associated with a history of violence. Contrary to hypotheses, psychological and physical violence …

Water Intake And Adherence To Clear Fluid Goals In Children Receiving Treatment For Encopresis, Elizabeth Shannon Kuhl

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A six-session group intervention for treatment of retentive encopresis designed by Stark and colleagues yields high adherence for fiber (Stark et al., 1990a; Stark et al., 1997), but not fluid (Kuhl et al., 2009), recommendations. Children may also rely heavily on drinking juice to meet their clear fluid targets (Kuhl et al., 2009). This study examined the effectiveness of an enhanced intervention (EI) in improving children’s fluid goal adherence and modifying their daily fluid intake to include more water and less juice.

Data for 19 children who completed treatment previously served as the Non-Enhanced Intervention (NEI), and 18 children completed …

Acceptability Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Jacqueline Mezza Titus

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The behaviors associated with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and other disruptive behavior disorders constitute the most common reason for referral of young children to mental health services (Schuhmann, Durning, Eyberg, & Boggs, 1996). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is an empirically supported treatment for such disorders. However, families are frequently unable to maximize their use of such treatments. Barriers to treatment participation prevent families from entering or staying in treatment. While most of the treatment effectiveness research has been conducted with Caucasian families, African American families and Caucasian families experience these barriers to different degrees, resulting in varying treatment adherence and unclear treatment …

Qualitative Study Of Trauma Outcomes Among Acehnese Tsunami Survivors, Amrit Kaur

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study uses qualitative methods to understand trauma from an indigenous perspective and to assess the validity of the DSM-IV (APA, 2000) diagnosis PTSD and depression in a remote Asian population. Twelve individuals were interviewed about their post-tsunami difficulties in the Indonesian province of Aceh. Contrary to our expectations, participants reported significant numbers of almost all DSM-IV-TR symptoms of PTSD and depression. Although the expressions of illness symptoms were colored by the local language and customs, participants reported few symptoms that could be seen as unique to this culture. These finding suggest that Western developed DSM-IV-TR symptomatology may be largely …

History Of Maltreatment And Psychiatric Impairment In Children In Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment, Kerry Gagnon

Honors Scholar Theses

There is increasing evidence that childhood victimization and attachment disruptions impact a child’s development. In this study, children and adolescents from an outpatient psychiatric clinic were assessed, measuring history of trauma, history of out-of-home placement, initial diagnoses, and CBCL internalizing and externalizing problem scores. Multiple regression analyses showed that both violent abuse trauma (physical/sexual abuse) and victim trauma (physical abuse/sexual abuse/witnessing domestic violence/witnessing community violence) are prevalent among patients with externalizing severity problems; concluding that diagnosis alone may not account for a history of victimization, but externalizing problem severity does. Overall, the study is consistent with past literature that it …

Salivary Cortisol, Psychological Stress And Depressive Symptoms Among Patients Undergoing Colon Cancer Screenings, Allyson Reid

Honors Scholar Theses

As the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, colon cancer has a high cure rate if detected early by a colonoscopy (U.S.

Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2007). However, more than 41 million at-risk Americans are not properly receiving colonoscopy screenings according to the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control. This study provides insight into the physiological and psychological benefits of the colonoscopy procedure over and above cancer detection and prevention. Thirty-six patients receiving colonoscopic screening at the University of Connecticut Health Center participated in this study. A questionnaire battery that assessed perceived stress, depressive symptoms, …

Behavior Rating Scales As Screeners For Autism? A Closer Look At The Cab-P And Cbcl/1.5-5, Brandy Mickele Mcreynolds

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In recent years, autism diagnoses have steadily increased, putting a substantial emphasis on early identification as a crucial component for intervention. Autism diagnoses, however, often require a thorough and comprehensive assessment from a highly trained practitioner. Although ideal, such assessments are often time consuming and expensive, creating a need for a quicker, more simplistic method of screening for autism. Clinicians customarily used behavior rating scales to identify a number of various problem behaviors and/or disorders. The purpose of the present study is to examine the utility of two common behavior rating scales in accurately discriminating between a group of preschoolers …

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 …

Implications For Sin And Psychology: An Investigative Study Of The Sin Awareness Scale, Keith A. Louwerse

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Though scientific psychology once attempted to distance itself from religious constructs, times have changed. It now seems clear that the clinical practice of psychology involves metaphysics as well as science (O'donohue, 1989, Jones, 1994). Recent research also shows significant relationships between religion, spirituality and health (Hill and Pargament, 2003, Richards and Bergin, 2005). Yet the body of psycho logy and scholarship largely overlooks the study of sin. As a result, there is a shocking absence of measurement tools for research on perceptions of sin. What are the psychological implications of a Christian view of sin? Before studying the religious notion …

The Effects Of Prenatal Exposure Of Valproic Acid On Cranial Nerve Nuclei: A Rat Model For An Autistic Phenotype, Shannon Pickup

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Autistic spectrum disorder is a term referring to five pervasive developmental disorders characterized by impairment in social interaction, deficits in verbal and non-verbal communication and stereotyped repetitive behaviors and interests. The underlying brain injury that leads to autism is also unknown. The cause is also unknown but appears to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. A study on prenatal thalidomide exposure found patients exposure on days 20-24 of gestation lead to a 1/3 rate of autism, a huge increase from the 1/150 rate of the general population. The thalidomide data suggests the initial injury leading to autism occurs …

Parental Abduction From The Perspective Of The Victims: Implications For Counselors, Mary Jo L. Gibbs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This is a descriptive study that examined parental abductions from the perspective of the abductee. The results will help counseling professionals better to understand the psychological consequences of parental abduction, coping mechanisms that were used by the abducted children and counseling techniques and strategies that helped the children through this difficult time and after being returned to the left-behind parent.

A 32 multiple choice and short answer questionnaire was developed for this study. The survey consists of 12 closed answer (Yes or No) questions, three open ended questions, and seventeen demographic questions. The questionnaire was given through a phone interview …

Suicide Associated With Military Service, Margo R. Genderson, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Mark S. Kaplan, Michael J. Lyons

Publications and Research

Suicide rates among soldiers and veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) have been steadily growing since 2004, with sharp increases observed more recently. Suicides in the Army are a growing concern on Capitol Hill and in the media. Last month, the Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings on the growing incidence of suicides across the armed forces (Federal city digest, 2009, March 18). The Associated Press (AP) underlined the increasing suicide rates among Army personnel (Army reports sharp rise in suicides in January, 2009, Feb. 5). According to the AP, there were 64 suicides in 2004, and …

Adult Estimation, Eye Movements And Math Anxiety, Robert T. Durette

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this experiment the estimation ability of college undergraduates was examined using a number line task, with lines numbered 0-to-100, 0-to1,000 and 0-to-723 presented on a computer monitor. Previous research on kindergarteners' through 6^th graders' ability to estimate showed a progression from a logarithmic mental representation of numbers to a linear mental number line. Children's ability to estimate was found to correlate strongly with math achievement. We used this task to examine the hypothesis that remnants of the underlying logarithmic number line representation persist into adulthood despite formal educational experience with the number system (e.g. Dehaene, 1997). 0 to …

An Evaluation Of Referral Patterns And Therapy Outcomes At A University Counseling Center: Analysis Of A Dialectical Behavior Skills Training Group, Eri Suzuki Bentley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to answer two research questions. First, factors associated with placement decisions to three treatment modalities in a university counseling center were examined; the skills training group for dialectical behavior therapy plus individual therapy (DBT), the interpersonal process group plus individual therapy (IP), and individual therapy only (IND). Individual therapy in all three conditions did not follow a specific theoretical orientation. Of 203 participants (55 males, 148 females), 83 were in DBT, 53 were in IP, and 67 were in IND. Client information included demographic variables (e.g., age, gender) and clinical variables (i.e., diagnosis, and scores from …

The Utility Of Mathematics Curriculum-Based Measurement To Predict Student Risk Status On Standardized Academic Achievement Measures, Kyle Max Hancock

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The predictive utility of mathematics curriculum-based measurement (MCBM) to identify students who are at risk for failure on important educational measures is an emerging area of study in need of further investigation. The present study sought to identify which of four MCBM probes could be accurately used to determine students' risk status on selected subtests of three important educational measures commonly used to make educational placement decisions (WIAT-II, WJ-ACH-III, and KM 3) in grades 2 (n = 49), 4 (n = 48), and 6 (n = 47). The study also sought to determine which type of student …