Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Increasing Mental Health Treatment-Seeking In Emerging Adult College-Student Survivors Of Sexual Assault: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of An Online Intervention, Jessica Huntt

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of sexual violence, particularly in emerging adult women, is alarming (Sinozich & Langton, 2014; Smith et al., 2017), and rates of treatment seeking are low (e.g., Smith et al., 2010). Engagement strategies and motivational interviewing have garnered support in mitigating barriers to mental health treatment-seeking (e.g., Lerch et al., 2017). However, young college women often do not seek treatment for symptoms following sexual violence due to additional barriers such as shame and institutional betrayal (Holland, 2019; Logan et al, 2005). Lack of treatment can lead to long-term detriments (e.g., Halpern et al., 2018) and there is little research …

When Do Therapist Characteristics Matter Or Do They?, Han Lim Kim

Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to establish that considerable differences exist between therapists on how much their clients improve in treatment and understand the factors that contribute to such variability. Therapists’ sex, personality, and similarity of their personality with their clients’ personality were examined as moderators of change in treatment outcome. Findings must be interpreted with caution due to limitations of the dataset which make therapists effects hard to separate from client effects. There is variation around the amount of change therapists produce in their clients; however, this variation is much smaller compared to the variance among clients. Female therapists consistently had …

The Role Of Child Maltreatment On Personality From Adolescence To Young Adulthood, Morgan T. Cohen

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, a defining feature of personality characteristics has been their stability and consistency across time. However, research over the past decade has established patterns of personality change across the lifespan, with the most mean-level trait change occurring between 20 to 40 years old (Roberts & Mroczek, 2009), making young adulthood a fruitful developmental period to study personality change. There are several factors that can influence personality trait change and some literature has suggested that major life events such as childhood adversity can impact the stability and change of personality traits across time. The present study uses two waves of data …

When Crying Turns To Hitting: Examining Maternal Responses To Negative Affect, Brooke Edelman

Theses and Dissertations

Most children exhibit some form of physical aggression in the first years of life, and physical aggression is particularly common in toddlerhood (Hay, 2005; Lorber et al., 2017; Lorber et al., 2019; Nærde et al., 2014; Tremblay & Nagin, 2005). Further, aggression is conceptualized as a byproduct of frustration and related negative affect (Berkowitz, 1989), and early physical aggression is empirically linked to anger (Lorber et al., 2015). The current study is part of a body of research examining early aggression and will explore the mechanisms by which children’s negative affect escalates to aggression in a brief conflict episode. Given …

Predictors And Mediators Of Eating Disorder Pathology In Individuals With Eating Disorders, Alexandra Allam

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade there has been accumulating evidence that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and eating disorders frequently co-occur, but little is known about the possible mechanisms that might account for their co-occurrence. Likewise, relatively little research has examined the ways such comorbidities impact the maintenance of or recovery from eating disorder (ED) symptoms after treatment. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 95 adult participants who had received an ED diagnosis and 24-hour treatment for an ED in the past 10 years, and obtained measures of ADHD symptoms and ED symptoms to explore their association and possible mediators thereof. In particular, …

Stepping In The Right Direction? Exploring Mental Health Providers’ Beliefs About, Training In, And Use Of Stepped-Care Practices, Caroline Lucy

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Interventions that can be efficiently and effectively delivered to a larger number of people are needed to address the large, unmet need for mental health services. Stepped-care models have the potential to address this need and provide benefit to a significant number of patients while managing provider burden. The present study sought to clarify providers’ current use of, beliefs about, and training in stepped care practices, as well as barriers to its use. Providers generally agreed with the model and believed in the effectiveness of lower intensity methods. While the majority endorsed engaging in multiple stepped practices, few reported explicitly …

Characterizing And Predicting Canadian Adolescents’ Internalizing Symptoms In The First Year Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Haley E. Green, Andrew R. Daoust, Matthew R. J. Vandermeer, Pan Liu, Kasey Stanton, Kate L. Harkness, Elizabeth P. Hayden

Psychology Publications

To date, most longitudinal studies of adolescents’ internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic include few time points, limiting knowledge about the long-term course of adolescents’ mental health during the pandemic. Moreover, examining intraindividual variability in symptoms, which may have important implications for adolescents’ adjustment beyond mean or “typical” symptoms, requires multiple time points. We examined the course of internalizing symptoms in 271 Ontario adolescents (mean n = 193 across time points) during the first year of the pandemic (March 2020–April 2021) via mixed-effect location scale models, drawing upon established internalizing symptom risk factors as predictors of mean trends and intraindividual …

Validation Of The Occupational Depression Inventory In Sweden, Markus Jansson-Fröjmark, Farzaneh Badinlou, Tobias Lundgren, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Background The Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI) was recently devised to assess depressive symptoms that individuals specifically attribute to their work. One purpose of the ODI is to overcome limitations in current assessments of job-related distress. This study aimed to validate the Swedish version of the ODI.

Methods The study involved 365 individuals employed in Sweden. In addition to the ODI, the study included the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, the Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire, the GAD-2, and the PHQ-9. We inquired into the factorial validity, dimensionality, scalability, test-score reliability, criterion validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and measurement invariance of …

Sexual Violence, Identity Centrality, And Mental Health Among Racial And Sexual Minoritized Individuals: An Application Of Cultural Betrayal Trauma Theory, Brettland D. Coolidge

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sexual violence (SV) is a pressing concern in the United States. SV (i.e., unwanted sexual contact, coercion, and wanted or unwanted penetration of another). Individuals with minoritized sexual, racial/ethnic, and gender identities experience worse psychosocial outcomes than their majority counterparts. People with multiple marginalized identities have been shown to experience traumatic events at greater rates and with significantly different outcomes compared to those with one minoritized identity. Cultural betrayal trauma theory proposes that these differences in mental health outcomes may be explained in part by a shared cultural identity between a SV perpetrator and victim, which is posited to exacerbate …

Exploring Perspectives Of African American Pentecostal Clergy Scripture Teachings Regarding Mental Illness, Phyllis Bethea Foye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous literature has noted that African American Pentecostals (AAP) avoid seeking secular care for mental health concerns. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of AAP pastors’ beliefs and teachings associated with mental health care as well as stigmas regarding that care, using Niebuhr’s synthesis theory, Arnheim’s convergence theory, and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory of human development. Sixteen AAP senior pastors were interviewed to explore four research questions regarding their beliefs about secular mental health care, Bible Scripture teachings, seeking support from clergy, and mental health education that may impact the acceptance of secular …

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms Stratified By Age In Primary Care, Robin E. Mccoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little is known as to the age-related presentation of somatic complaints of those diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder in primary care settings. A retrospective medical records review sought to identify the affective symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) by age as recorded by primary care providers and to test the association of these symptoms by age. Guided by Engle’s (1977) biopsychosocial (BPS) model, a large administrative claim database system was used to derive a sample of 1,336, including 500 patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder between 2018 to 2021. Binary logistics regression, one-way ANOVA, chi-square, correlation, and logistical regression with …

Dynamic Risk As A Predictive Of Sexual Offense Treatment Outcomes, Kaylee Bartnes Ma, Jessica Cantley Ms, Jaycee Hallford Ms, Cameron Stumpf Ma, Nicholas Rodgers Ma, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Past Research  Those with higher criminogenic needs are more likely to recidivate (Andrews and Bonta, 1998).  Mandated therapy services have shown to have lower completion rates due to the lower intrinsic motivation (Rosenfeld, 1992).  Individuals mandated to treatment as a consequence of a previous sexual offense find engaging in treatment more challenging to complete as stigma, bias, social norms, and risk factors complicate and hinder their success (Olver et al., 2011). Current Study. We explored how dynamic risk factors differ between individuals who do and do not successfully complete mandated sexual offense treatment.

An Exploration Of Differences In Perceptions Of Gerotranscendent Behaviors Between Younger And Older Adults, Gabrielle E. Anderson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The theory of gerotranscendence was developed as a means of addressing limitations in current developmental theories. It is defined as the natural developmental process in which people gradually change their fundamental views of themselves, the world, their relationships, and reality in general. Research has shown that gerotranscendent behaviors are viewed as pathological by younger adults. The purpose of this study was to further explore differences in perception of gerotranscendent behaviors between college students and older adults. An additional goal was to better understand how and why these behaviors are interpreted differently by younger and older adults. Perceptions of gerotranscendent behaviors …

The Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic: Correlates And Implications For Therapists, Mariah Severud

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The goal of the current study is to examine the belief in SRA and correlating variables among the next generation of psychologists. 26 participants completed the full questionnaire to be included in the analyses. Pre-doctoral internship sites were selected from the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers’ (APPIC) directory that were located in the United States, accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), and offered training opportunities in the areas of sexual abuse, empirically-supported treatments, evidence-based practice, and/or evidence based research. Interested interns could click on the questionnaire’s link, which connected them to Qualtrics, an online survey platform. Generally, …

Development Of A Reinforcer Assessment: A Measure Of Potential Reinforcers In The Lives Of Older Adults, Nicole A. Praska

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The aim of this study was to create a new measure that assesses potential reinforcers in the lives of older adults residing in assisted living facilities. It is important to assess what an individual finds rewarding since individuals have a greater quality of life if they are doing activities that they enjoy. The study involved a two-step process. First, a list of potential reinforcers was created and evaluated by professionals in the field. Then this list was formatted into a survey and presented to 612 older adults. Participants rated these potential reinforcers on a Likert scale. Results were then evaluated …

Bibliography, Aaron Wichman

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Aaron Wichman.

Impact Of Childhood Adversity On Executive Functioning And The Relationship Between Hypervigilance And Heuristics Among College Students, Tamara S. Van Newhouse

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The topic of exposure to childhood adversity has comprehensively been explored, and the effects of childhood trauma can undoubtedly impact a person on a lifelong continuum, still, investigation is unceasingly conducted. Much research has yet to be done when considering early adversity's outcomes on various stages throughout life and just how reoccurring consequences from early trauma may impair regulatory abilities and executive functioning beyond childhood. Research objective is to discover how early adversity influences later executive functions in conjunction to heuristics and the effects of hypervigilance in a college student populace. This study aims to examine the several variable differences …

The Effects Of A Six-Week Mindfulness Intervention Designed For Adolescents On Emotion Regulation And Perceived Stress In College Students, Theodora Malinowski

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

College students are a vulnerable population to developing mental health problems. Without adequate emotion regulation abilities and adaptive coping skills to manage stress, college students are at risk of experiencing negative mental and physical health outcomes. Mindfulness has been shown to improve mental and physical health. Unfortunately, many mindfulness interventions are developed with the needs of adults in mind. Some features of common mindfulness programs, such as cost and required length of daily practice, make the interventions difficult for most college students to access. The present study investigated the effects of a six-week mindfulness intervention (Learning to BREATHE) that was …

Social Media Use In Adolescence: Longitudinal Relationships With Social Functioning And Psychopathology, Aidan P. Schmitt

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Social media use and psychopathology are both prevalent during adolescence; however, the relationship between these two variables is not yet fully understood. Research on these topics is generally myopic in that it focuses on a brief window of time (e.g., cross-sectional studies), a small number of variables (e.g., hours spent per day; depressive symptoms), and uses single reporters and measures (e.g., adolescent report using a questionnaire). Extant literature shows moderate relationships between frequency of social media use and depressive symptoms; however, most studies do not use statistical methods that investigate bidirectionality or parse apart between-person and within-person effects, so effects …

Psychology Of Platonic Relationships, Amber V. Heinig

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Romantic relationships (RR) regarding attachment styles and theory have been widely studied, whereas platonic relationships (PR) have received comparatively less attention in research. This study aims to explore two hypotheses: (1) individuals exhibit more avoidant behavior in platonic relationships rather than anxious behavior, and more anxious behavior in romantic relationships than in platonic ones; (2) attachment styles in platonic relationships manifest uniquely and can exist independently of romantic attachment. This research aims to better understand the way that attachment differs between both relationship types. Through a quantitative study involving a survey with a 5-point Likert scale measuring attachment, administered to …

Age-Related Microaggressions: A Follow-Up Descriptive Study, Hannah M. Lewis

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Age-related microaggressions are forms of ageist discrimination that occur during day-to-day interactions. The aim of this study was to identify common types of age-related microaggressions as well as to determine how negative affect influences emotional reactions to microaggressions. Using an online survey, participants (n = 200) were asked if they had experienced any of the 20 most common examples of age-related microaggressions reported in previous research (Gietzen et al, 2022). Follow up questions inquired about the frequency, emotional reactions, and behavioral responses to these microaggressions. Participants also rated their physical health and completed the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS; …

The Role Of Savoring In The Relationship Between Concussion History And Consummatory Reward, John O'Donnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Concussions are a relatively common neurological injury and are associated with several adverse outcomes including depression. Anhedonia is a core feature of depression, with multiple subtypes, including consummatory anhedonia (i.e., diminished reward liking). Reward liking is related conceptually to the practice of savoring pleasurable stimuli. Savoring has been a component of mindfulness-based interventions that have efficacy in treating depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between lifetime concussion history, reward liking, savoring, and depression severity. 293 participants (56% women; mean age: 19.31) completed an online questionnaire and computer-based image savoring task. Contrary to expectations, no …

The Conditional Effects Of Emotion Regulation On The Relationship Between Occupational Stress And Suicidal Behaviors In Veterinary Students, Sara Carroll Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Suicide is an area of increasing concern in the field of veterinary medicine. As veterinary students prepare to enter the profession and take on the unique stressors associated with this line of work, there is a need for models that identify protective factors for suicidal behaviors. Specifically, research is needed to identify factors that offset the relationship between occupational stress and suicidal behaviors. To better inform interventions designed to prevent suicidal behaviors in veterinary students, emotion upregulation and downregulation strategies were evaluated as potential moderators in the relationship between occupational stress and suicidal behaviors in a sample of veterinary students. …

Silver Linings Playlist: Exploring The Effectiveness Of Music As An Emotion Regulation Tool, Caitlin Fountain

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Music not only entertains listeners, but it also evokes emotions and facilitates emotion regulation (Gabrielsson, 2001; Krahe & Bienick, 2012). Specifically, music helps listeners to express their emotions and alter their mood through cognitive reappraisal (Chin & Rickard, 2014; Witvliet & Vrana, 2007). Listening to music also enhances relaxation and reduces physiological arousal after experiencing a stressful event (Yehuda, 2011). Stress often involves an influx of negative emotions, which when left unmitigated, may result in fewer positive emotions, increased depression, and maladaptive coping (Flynn & Rudolph, 2010; Lazenby et al., 2019). While music appears to be an effective stress management …

The Strong Families Program: Utility Of Telehealth Parenting Skills Psychoeducation, Grace C. Prosperi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Externalizing behaviors in children are a common problem experienced by many parents. If untreated, externalizing behaviors are associated with more serious consequences (Hann, 2012). Parents of children with behavior issues also report higher levels of stress (Dumas et al., 2009). Parenting stress is related to lower life satisfaction for parents and increased negative outcomes for children living in the home. Parent training programs, incorporating attachment building and discipline strategies, combat childhood externalizing behaviors in clinical settings. While reducing childhood externalizing behaviors is the main aim of parent training, there are other benefits to gaining parenting skills such as increased familial …

Pov - You Have Adhd: Examining Predictors Of Self-Diagnosis Of Adhd On Tiktok, Olivia Bowden

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Online self-diagnosis refers to an individual using the internet and applying their own knowledge to diagnose themself with a disorder without the input of a professional (Farnood, 2021). Social media platforms, such as TikTok, have created an environment full of mental health related information that may not always be correct. Individuals on this app may believe the videos they watch and which may ultimately lead to self-diagnosis. There has been a trend of popular mental health disorders on appearing TikTok, such as ADHD. The present study sought to examine potential predictors of self-diagnosis of ADHD through TikTok. This study examined …

Exploring The Moderating Role Of Psychological Flexibility On The Relationship Between Structural Barriers, Attitudinal Barriers, And Stigma On Mental Health Treatment-Seeking, Hannah Elyse Hays

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

College students face a multitude of stressors that have been found to significantly impact mental health, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and substance use problems (Hubbard et al., 2018; American College Health Association 2022a; American College Health Association 2022b). Despite a rising concern regarding mental health, over 70% of college students denied seeking mental health treatment in the past year (American College Health Association, 2022b). Psychological flexibility could be an area of intervention because it has been found to be negatively associated with psychological distress and positively associated with mental health service seeking (Christodoulou et al., 2021; Komiya et al., …

The Relationship Among Identity Development, Dark Personality, And Risk-Taking Behaviors, Reilly Branch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Previous research has found significant relationships between various dark personality traits (Machiavellianism, sadism, narcissism, and psychopathy) and externalizing behaviors including delinquency (Muris et al., 2013). Although many studies have examined the relationships among dark personality, risk propensity, and delinquency, little research has examined the role of identity development and identity distress in predicting risky or antisocial behaviors. Therefore, this study examined the utility of using both the Dark Tetrad and identity dimensions to predict risk propensity and delinquent behaviors. Emerging adult college students (N = 424) completed an anonymous online survey battery. Results indicated that specific dark personality traits (i.e., …

Music Therapy: Structural Music Modulation On Reducing Symptoms Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder., Isha Kaur Singh

Scripps Senior Theses

The present study examines whether modulating musical structural elements in therapeutic treatment reduces the severity of symptoms among individuals diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Music therapy has recently become a more utilized non-traditional treatment modality for anxiety. However, the specific elements of music that trigger relaxation responses alongside prevent rumination spirals has not received significant attention in literature thus far. This study aims to assess what type of music allows for the most effective treatment in reducing anxiety. Using a 2 (tempo: adagio, allegro) x 2 (timbre: string instrumental, vocal) x 2 (key: C major, D minor) between participants experimental …

Examining The Relationship Between Social Anxiety, Fear Of Negative Evaluation, Fear Of Positive Evaluation And Minority Stress In Lgb Versus Heterosexual Adults, Anvita Kamath

Masters Theses

Psychological research within the LGBTQ+ community is a relatively recent phenomenon due to the stigma that has been historically placed on this population. Sexual minority populations experience a plethora of mental health problems ranging from mood disorders to personality disorders and have a greater risk of suicide as compared to their heterosexual counterparts (Gilman et al., 2001; Meyer, 2003; Steele et al., 2017). Specifically, significant differences in social anxiety levels have been found while comparing sexual minority individuals to heterosexual individuals, which may be associated with factors such as Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Fear of Positive Evaluation (FPE) and …