Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Cybervictimization As A Predictor Of Aggression And Cyberbullying Among Adolescents: Examination Of Potential Risk And Protective Factors, Laura Ashley Cook

Dissertations

The current study examined how cybervictimization is related to aggression outcomes among adolescents. The current study also examined various potential risk and protective factors, including depressive symptoms, anger rumination, impulsivity, social support, and gender. It was hypothesized that the relation between cybervictimization and aggression or cyberbullying would be intensified when levels of depressive symptoms, impulsivity, and anger rumination were higher and that the relation between cybervictimization and aggression or cyberbullying would be attenuated when levels of social support were higher. Gender was examined as a research question, with no specific directionality hypothesized. The data for the current study were collected …

Lack Of Forgiveness Of Parents And Intimate Partner Violence, Hannah Doucette

Master's Theses

This study examined whether there was an association between lack of forgiveness for adverse events/circumstances perpetrated by parents and intimate partner violence (IPV) in emerging adulthood. Participants were 208 (85.6% female) 18- and 19-year-old undergraduate students. Participants were asked to describe events/circumstances in which they felt hurt by their parents when they were growing up. They then answered questions related to the most hurtful event including items pertaining to forgiveness. Participants also answered questions about the perpetration and victimization of IPV in the past year. The forgiveness-IPV relation was observed primarily for physical injury. Findings indicated that revenge seeking and …

Predictors Of Binge Eating In College Women, Emily E. Prather

Dissertations

Binge eating has received increased attention in the psychological literature, as the health consequences are becoming increasingly well known. The prevalence of subclinical binge eating (i.e., binge eating that is not associated with a diagnosable eating disorder) is elevated among college women, some of whom will go on to develop more serious problems. Thus, improved understanding of subclinical binge eating in this population can help to inform prevention and intervention strategies.

In a sample of 472 college women this study evaluated the relationships among four theoretically relevant factors hypothesized to predict binge eating: trait anger, anger suppression, impulsivity, and emotion …

Unique And Combined Contributions Of Callous-Unemotional Traits And Parental Incarceration On Juvenile Delinquency In An At-Risk Sample, Lacey Loy Herrington

Dissertations

The current study examined the interrelations among callous-unemotional (CU) traits, a history of parental incarceration, and juvenile delinquency. More specifically, although research suggests that both CU traits and parental incarceration are predictors of juvenile delinquent behaviors, their interaction in influencing such behaviors had yet to be investigated. Two-hundred thirteen (213) adolescents (201 males, 12 females) who were enlisted in a residential program designed for adolescents that dropped out of school participated in this study. Participants ranged in age from 16 to 19 (M = 16.92; SD = .77). Higher levels of overall CU traits reported by the adolescent significantly …

Risk And Protective Factors Of Internalized Mental Illness Stigma, Kathleen Klik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The internalization of mental illness stigma is associated with an array of negative consequences; however, not all individuals experience the deleterious effects of internalized mental illness stigma. The present dissertation focuses on factors associated with internalized stigma, and will be the first to examine simultaneously both risk (i.e., shame, shame proneness and shame aversion, insight, and centrality and valence) and protective factors (social support and self-compassion) of internalized mental illness stigma. Using two of the most widely used assessments of internalized mental illness stigma (i.e., Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale [SSMIS] and the Internalized Mental Illness Scale [ISMI]), risk and …

Examining The Role Of Antisocial Personality Disorder In Intimate Partner Violence Among Substance Use Disorder Treatment Seekers With Clinically Significant Trauma Histories, Rita E. Dykstra, Julie A. Schumacher, Natalie Mota, Scott F. Coffey

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study examined the associations among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) diagnosis, and intimate partner violence (IPV) in a sample of 145 substance abuse treatment-seeking men and women with positive trauma histories; sex was examined as a moderator. ASPD diagnosis significantly predicted both verbal and physical aggression; sex moderated the association between ASPD diagnosis and physical violence. PTSD symptom severity significantly predicted engaging in verbal, but not physical, aggression. Overall, these results suggest that an ASPD diagnosis may be an important risk factor for engaging in IPV among women seeking treatment for a substance use …

The Neuropsychological Profile Of Older Adult Musicians And Non-Musicians : Implications For Cognitive Reserve In Late Life., Jessica Vemich Strong,

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Published literature studying children and adults musicians suggests significant differences in neuroanatomy, in brain regions that include the auditory and motor cortices, language centers, and frontal regions and tracts. Studies examining cognitive correlates to these neuroanatomical differences have consistently found that children and adult musicians have better cognitive abilities in the domains of language, verbal or non-verbal memory and executive function. Only one study has examined the differences in cognitive performance between older adult musicians and non-musicians to see how normal age-related cognitive changes may affect these differences. The current study compared cognitive test performance among older adult non-musicians, low-activity …

Testing The Chronic Care Model For Depression In Homebound Older Adults., Brittney Rose Getz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Homebound older adults are a unique population of older adults with many chronic illnesses and complex care needs (Qui et al., 2010). Depression is highly prevalent in homebound older adults (Qui et al., 2010). Many Chronic Care Models (CCMs) have been developed to provide a better system of care to those with chronic health conditions (Bodenheimer, Wagner, & Grumbach, 2002; Wagner et al., 2001; Wagner, Austin, & Von Korff, 1996a, 1996b). The Chronic Care Model for Depressed Homebound Older Adults is a model that was specifically designed for the depressed homebound elderly. It addresses many areas for improvement of care …

Awareness Of Executive Functioning As A Diagnostic Tool For Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer's Disease., Jeremy Stark Carmasin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the utility of older adults’ awareness of their executive functioning abilities to predict future cognitive decline. The recently revised Cognitive Awareness Model (CAM) forms the conceptual background of this approach, and suggests that executive dysfunction disrupts awareness in a manner distinct from episodic memory dysfunction. The study design examined how awareness of executive functioning ability may predict both continuous decline on neuropsychological testing and qualitative change in diagnostic status. This form of prediction was tested using a longitudinal sample (n = 661) of older adults with either normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). …

Objectification Theory And Eating Pathology In Latina College Students: Testing A Culture-Specific Model, Kimberly Claudat

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

To date, sociocultural risk factors for eating disorder development in Latina women are poorly understood. Objectification theory provides a useful framework for understanding how sociocultural and intrapsychic variables influence eating pathology in women. However, few studies apply an objectification theory framework to the study of disordered eating in Latina women and even fewer studies examine the influence of culture-specific variables, such as acculturative stress and marianismo beliefs. Consequently, to address limitations in extant research, the present study applied the tenets of objectification theory to the study of eating pathology in Latina women using a culture-specific model. Specifically, this study investigated …

Self-Compassion And Self-Forgiveness As Mediated By Rumination, Shame-Proneness, And Experiential Avoidance: Implications For Mental And Physical Health, Elizabeth Conway Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-compassion and self-forgiveness appear to have much in common, as both relate to one’s self-regard during challenging circumstances; however, their empirical relationship is largely yet to be explored. The present study examines theoretical and empirical areas of overlap and proposes a theory of their relationship, including its possible impact on health. Self-compassion and self-forgiveness were proposed to have a direct relationship that may be mediated by reduction in rumination, shame, and experiential avoidance. These factors together were also hypothesized to have a positive impact on health functioning. The current study tested these models in a sample of undergraduate students (n …

Perceptions Of Child Wellbeing And Attitudes Towards Polygamy Between Members And Non-Members Of The Lds Church, Mccall Bowcut Lyon

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Perceptions of the wellbeing of children in polygamous families and attitudes toward polygamy in general were examined in this study, with comparisons between individuals who have a history of membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) and individuals who have never been members of the LDS church. No significant differences were found between members and non-members. Comparisons were also made between current and past members of the LDS church, resulting in only one significant difference: support/opposition for the legalization of polygamy. These results suggest that having a recent religious history of practicing polygamy does not necessarily …

Assessment Of Validity And Response Bias In Neuropsychiatric Evaluations, Dustin Wygant, Robert Phillip Granacher

Psychology Faculty and Staff Research

BACKGROUND: Forensic neuropsychiatric assessment requires thorough consideration of malingering and response bias. Neuropsychiatric evaluations are complicated due to the multiple domains in which symptoms and impairment present. Moreover, symptom exaggeration in these evaluations can also present along various symptom domains (e.g., psychological, neurocognitive, somatic). Consequently, steps must be taken to ensure adequate coverage of response bias across all three domains of function.

PURPOSE: The following article reviews the conceptualization of malingering in neuropsychiatric settings, as well as various approaches and measures that can be helpful in the assessment of malingering and response bias.

CONCLUSIONS: Forensic neuropsychiatric assessment requires thorough consideration …

Factors Affecting Academic Procrastination, John Paul Reynolds

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study sought to understand the relationships among locus of control, parenting style, academic procrastination, and financial independence with a population of undergraduate students. A sample of 61 students (39 females, 21 males, 1 other) completed measures of demographics, locus of control, parenting style, and academic procrastination. Participants were recruited within the last two weeks of the semester. Therefore, the sample probably contained a higher percentage of procrastinators than the general population. There were no significant correlations across the total sample. There was a significant positive correlation between higher scores on the Parental Authority Questionnaire authoritative scale and the Procrastination …

Effects Of Life Review On Happiness And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults, Molly C. White

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Life review involves a systematic, chronological review of an individual’s life from birth to death as well as an examination of the meaningfulness of life experiences and events. The purpose of the current study was to discover the effects of life review on happiness and life satisfaction in the older population. Participants from 71 to 85 years of age completed a demographics questionnaire, the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). SHS and SWLS were completed every other day from the beginning to the end of the data collection process. Once a consistent baseline was reached …

Impact Of A Teacher Training Program To Increase Informative Praise And Decrease Commands And Negative Comments, Lauren A. Binford

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research has found that many children who come from a low socioeconomic background often begin their schooling careers behind most students. Head Start programs around the nation are utilized to close the gap in achievement, by providing those students with the educational support necessary to prepare them for future schooling. However, when assessed with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), Head Start programs have been found to be weaker in the area of Instructional Support. As a result, teachers are falling short in the way they provide feedback, incorporate higher thinking skills, and foster language development. In order to strengthen …

Suicidal Thoughts And Behavior Among Black College Students: Examining The Impact Of Distress Tolerance And Social Support On Suicidality, Anisha L. Thomas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the role of distress tolerance in suicidality among Black college students. It was hypothesized that (1) individuals with low levels of distress tolerance would report higher levels of suicide ideation; (2) individuals with high levels of distress tolerance would report greater suicide attempts; (3) social support would moderate the relationship between distress tolerance and suicide ideation; (4) social support would moderate the relationship between distress tolerance and suicide attempts; and that (5) family and peer support would act as distinct buffers against suicidality. These hypotheses were tested by surveying 47 undergraduate university …

Application Of Item Response Theory To Measures Of Verbal Learning, Indrani K. Thiruselvam

Dissertations (1934 -)

This study utilized item response theory (IRT) methods to investigate if item parameters of select trials in the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II; Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 2000) and the Logical Memory subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scales – Fourth Edition (WMS-IV; Wechsler, 2009) vary as a function of the serial position effect. In addition, this study compared the effectiveness of CVLT-II and LM in quantifying verbal memory functioning, and determined if a weighted scoring approach improves the quantification of verbal memory. Archival data from 755 individuals (516 college students, 239 patients at a neuropsychology clinic) were utilized …

The Effects Of Specific Mental Illness Stigma Beliefs On Treatment Seeking Attitudes, Henry Arthur Boeh

Dissertations (1934 -)

Despite significant gains in the research base and effectiveness of psychotherapy, only thirty to forty percent of individuals experiencing mental illness symptoms seek treatment. A large barrier preventing many individuals from seeking psychotherapy is the stigma that surrounds mental illness. This study reviews the current state of mental illness stigma literature and presents a new Treatment Seeking Barriers Model (TSBM) that attempts to better explain the connection between stigma and treatment seeking. The goal of the current study was to isolate and manipulate responsibility or immutability beliefs related to depression in order to evaluate their relationship with treatment seeking stigma. …

Explicit And Inferred Motives For Nonsuicidal Self-Injurious Acts And Urges In Borderline And Avoidant Personality Disorders, Avigal Snir, Eshkol Rafaeli, Reuma Gadassi, Kathy R. Berenson, Geraldine Downey

Psychology Faculty Publications

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a perplexing phenomenon that may have differing motives. The present study used experience sampling methods (ESM) which inquired explicitly about the motives for NSSI, but also enabled a temporal examination of the antecedents/consequences of NSSI; these allow us to infer other motives which were not explicitly endorsed. Adults (n = 152, aged 18–65) with borderline personality disorder (BPD), avoidant personality disorder (APD), or no psychopathology participated in a 3-week computerized diary study. We examined 5 classes of explicit motives for engaging in NSSI, finding support primarily for internally directed rather than interpersonally directed ones. We then …

Maternal Prenatal Depression And Anxiety Affect Neonatal Neurobehavior, Shelby Siddall, Jason Gibbs, Aimee Martin, Nicki Aubuchon-Endsley (Mentor)

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Prenatal depression and anxiety have been linked to impaired infant neurobehavior including altered attention, responsivity, and quality of movement. No known studies have assessed individual and joint effects of prenatal depressive and anxiety on neonatal neurobehavioral outcomes. The current study compared these outcomes among (1) mothers diagnosed with comorbid Depressive and Anxiety Disorders, (2) mothers diagnosed with only Depressive Disorders, (3) mothers diagnosed with only Anxiety Disorders, and (4) mothers with no prenatal diagnosis.

Maternal prenatal diagnoses were assessed by the SCID-I. Offspring neurobehavior was assessed from 1-2 to 30 days using the NNNS. There was a between-subject's effect ( …

Making The Connection Between Disordered Personalities And Interpersonal Dysfunction: A Relational Study, Meggie P. Rowland

Doctoral Dissertations

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a constantly evolving record of the conceptualization of mental problems. With each new edition, researchers seek to come ever closer to defining complex dysfunctional human behaviors as they occur in nature. Significant evidence suggests that the current conceptualization of personality disorders (PDs) as defined in the DSM-5 is not adequately capturing these disorders, leading to inaccurate diagnosis and ineffective treatment outcomes. This evidence has led to the formation of a new diagnostic model of PDs which is outlined in Section III of the DSM-5 under conditions requiring further study. Several …

The Effects Of Alcohol On The Interpretation Of Social And Emotional Cues: A Field Study Of College Student Drinking, Emotion Recognition, And Perceptions Of A Hypothetical Sexual Assault, Alexander James Melkonian

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use and abuse among emerging adults is highly correlated with increased risk for sexual victimization. Alcohol myopia theory has been used to explain impairments in Social information processing resulting in decreased attention to environmental Social cues including risk factors for sexual assault as well as facial emotional recognition. Those with deficits in Social information processing may be at particular risk for the misperception of salient risk factors for sexual assault by victims, perpetrators, and bystanders when intoxicated. In this naturalistic field study, participants who had been consuming alcohol were recruited to engage in tasks of facial emotion recognition and …

I Judge, Therefore I React: An Experimental Investigation Of Acceptance, Jennifer Ann Shaver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to provide empirical tests of some of the mechanisms thought to operate in mindfulness-based treatments. Specifically, I tested the hypothesis that appraising distress judgmentally (as a needless and useless indication of personal weakness) would be associated with experiencing meta-distress (e.g., feeling ashamed about being distressed), which would, in turn, be associated with increased experiential avoidance (i.e., suppression or distraction from the distress) and shorter distress tolerance. In addition, I examined the hypothesis that compassionately appraising distress (as normal, understandable, and potentially a source of growth) would be associated with spending more time curiously exploring that …

Executive Function Predictors Of Children's Talk, Jacqlyne D. Weber

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Relatively few studies have investigated the relationship between executive functioning (EF) and language development, and even fewer have researched hot and cool EF as a predictor language development. This study is an investigation into the relationship between EF and language development in preschool aged children. More specifically, the ability for hot or cool EF to predict language, this will be the focus of the study. It was found that hot EF was a better predictor of language development in preschool aged children.

Avoidance As An Explanatory Mechanism For Poor Outcomes In Treatment For Substance Use Disorders, Andrew Oakland

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are prevalent and lead to significant impairments in people's lives in a variety of ways. One area which has gained attention is that of SUDs and their high comorbidity with mood and anxiety disorders. Many theories exist as to why these conditions often occur together, and the self-medication hypothesis is one that has perhaps the most research and general support behind it. The self-medication hypothesis states that individuals use substances to reduce negative affect which creates a feedback loop of negative reinforcement. Individuals then develop problematic substance use in addition to emotional dysregulation. One recent theory …

A Comparison Between Telehealth And Face-To-Face Brief Alcohol Interventions For College Students, Sarah Christine King

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Problematic alcohol use is a common occurrence among college students. While empirically supported interventions exist, their access is typically limited to those who attend large universities. In the health care field there has been an expansion of services provided via telehealth to increase client access to treatment. However, the evidence is mixed regarding the effectiveness of face-to-face versus telehealth interventions and there is a gap in the literature regarding the use of telehealth interventions for brief alcohol interventions in college students. As such, the purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a well-validated brief alcohol screening and …

Donepezil’S Effect On Cardiac Function In Patients With Alzheimer’S Disease Through An In Vivo, Non Invasive Measure Of Cardiac Autonomic Function, Lewis P. Hackett

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The aim of the current study was to explore the effects of the medication Donepezil (Aricept®) on cardiac autonomic function for individuals diagnosed with mild to moderate (probable) Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using age (± 3 years) and gender matched controls, differences in heart rate variability (HRV) among individuals with Alzheimer’s disease were compared to healthy controls over a period of six months (session 1 [baseline], session 2 [3 months], and session 3 [6 months]) in both supine and standing positions. HRV was obtained through frequency-domain (Low Frequency Power, High Frequency Power, RMSSD, LF/HF Ratio) and time-domain (six minutes) measures using …

Examining The Measurement Invariance Of The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form Internalizing Specific Problem Scales In African- American And Caucasian Men, Megan Anne Brokenbourgh

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Test bias has long been an area of investigation in the personality assessment literature, including the MMPI-2-RF. Research on previous versions of the MMPI and MMPI-2-RF has pointed to mixed results. The current study aims to examine test bias on the MMPI-2-RF’s nine Internalizing Specific Problem Scales by examining measurement invariance using MIMIC modeling and investigating differential item functioning (DIF). After removal of invalid protocols, the first sample consisted of 2,980 protocols from various settings requested from Pearson (255 African American and 2,755 Caucasian protocols). The second sample consisted of 1,379 valid protocols from psychiatric inpatient settings (1,245 Caucasian and …

Effects Of Varying Degrees Of Fixed And Random Responding On The Validity Of Score Interpretation For The Sp And Psy-5 Scales Of The Mmpi-2-Rf, Joseph Brooks Minifie

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – 2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2- RF; Tellegen & Ben-Porath, 2008/2011) is a widely used self-report measure of psychopathology and personality. However, the self-report format of the MMPI-2-RF suggests that interpretation of its scales and the clinical recommendations that follow are vulnerable to invalid response styles. This dissertation builds upon previous research (Handel, Ben-Porath, Tellegen, & Archer, 2010) to examine the effect of random and fixed responding, as measured by the VRIN-r and TRIN-r Scales, on the 28 SP and PSY-5 Scales. A computer simulation procedure was used to insert increasing degrees of inconsistent responding into …