Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Efficacy Of Dialectical Behavior Therapy For Anorexia Nervosa In Adolescent Females: A Literature Review, Tyler L. Brink

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Anorexia nervosa (AN) in adolescent females is associated with high mortality, significant relapse rates, and cognitive and emotional disturbances, suggesting that existing treatments may not sufficiently address core maintaining mechanisms. This literature review synthesizes current research examining the efficacy of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT) for adolescent females with AN, with emphasis on neurobiological vulnerability, emotional dysregulation, and maladaptive overcontrol. Neuroimaging research indicates reductions in cortical thickness and gray matter in regions associated with self-referential processing and emotional regulation, while emerging evidence suggests structural plasticity following mindfulness-based interventions. Behavioral studies demonstrate that emotional dysregulation …

Examining The Psychosocial Impact Of Having An Adolescent Sibling With A Leukemia Diagnosis, Jordan A. Barczak

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current research regarding the impact of having a sibling undergoing cancer treatment is inconsistent and limited in scope. The current study explored the psychosocial effects, including peer relationships, academic outcomes, and overall mood in siblings of children with a cancer diagnosis. This study also explored the interaction patterns between children, their siblings with a leukemia diagnosis, and other members of the family. The participants of this study consisted of five youth from different families with a child or adolescent sibling with a leukemia diagnosis. The participants were recruited via social media and other community outreach avenues. Participants were between …

Playing Catch Up: A Brief Look Into Modern Internet Culture And Its Impact On Adolescent Male Development, Xavier Bird

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This doctoral paper argues that the internet, particularly the "manosphere," poses three significant threats to the development of adolescent males in the U.S.: the influence of misogynistic online personalities, the normalization of risky online behavior, and the spread of right-wing misinformation. The paper highlights the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in exacerbating these issues due to increased internet usage. Furthermore, it proposes a research study to investigate the link between exposure to online misogynistic content and aggressive behavior in schools, emphasizing the unique challenges of studying adolescents and their online culture. Finally, the paper stresses the urgent need for updated …

Exploring Psychological Impacts, Coping, And Conflict Resolution Of Transnationalism On Parent-Child Relationships, Sally Sanchez

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The number of immigrants migrating to the United States has increased over the past 30 years. Many of these immigrants leave behind their spouses and children, creating transnational families. Researchers have focused on the experiences of transnational families, but there is a need for continued research to further explore the psychological impact of separation and reunification. The purpose of this study was to identify the possible psychological impact of the separation and reunification process experienced by transnational families, and the coping strategies used during the process. This study used a qualitative design to explore the experiences of transnational families who …

Symptom Network Comparisons Between Pre- And Post-Concussion, Christine Salva

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Increased awareness about the short and long-term negative outcomes associated with sport-related concussion has resulted in active monitoring of cognitive and symptom profiles of athletes using a variety of assessments. The traditional approach to interpretation of cognitive and symptom measures has been based on a latent construct framework where domain scores reflecting latent constructs representing cognitive or symptom domains are collected at baseline and then compared to those obtained after concussion during the acute injury phase, with repeated additional assessments to determine when cognitive and symptom alterations have resolved. More recently, network approaches have been used to examine changes in …

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 …

Gender Measurement Invariance Of The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent - Restructured Form (Mmpi-A-Rf) Internalizing And Externalizing Specific Problem Scales, Thomas Jay Augustin

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Due to social, psychological, biological, and cultural differences in adolescent development, it is important to evaluate measurement invariance in psychological measures. Although the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) assessments have a plethora of research to evaluate their utility in clinical practice, few published studies have examined the measurement invariance between males and females for any of the scales in the adolescent versions (MMPI-A/MMPI-A-RF). The present study examined the measurement invariance of the MMPI-A-RF Internalizing and Externalizing Specific Problem Scales between male and female adolescents. Data were obtained from an outpatient sample and from Pearson’s mail-in service resulting in 1,622 valid …

Adolescent Bereavement And Resilient Outcomes: A Comprehensive Analysis, Jenna Holmes

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the complexities of adolescent bereavement and factors that improve resilience. Bereavement in adolescence is particularly difficult and complicated because it occurs during a crucial developmental period, and maladaptive coping during this time has been linked to many negative outcomes. This review covers three different theoretical models (i.e., Model of Adolescent Grieving, Multidimensional Grief Theory, and the Contextual Resilience Model for Bereaved Adolescents) of adolescent bereavement and compares their strengths and weaknesses. The importance of promoting resilience and healthy bereavement is underscored, followed by a discussion of how the type of loss (e.g., parent, sibling, and friend), different …

Examinations Of The Close Relationship Processes And Health Framework Among Adult And Adolescent Sexual Minority Men, Trey Victor Dellucci

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Despite advancements in biomedical preventions for HIV, sexual minority males continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. Previous research has estimated that up to two thirds of HIV incidence among sexual minority male adults occur between main partners. In the past decade, a growing number of studies and intervention trials have focused on main relationships as a context for HIV. Much of this work has focused on adult relationships and has been grounded in interdependence theory and highlighted the importance of relationship functioning in facilitating the decisions couples make around condom use. Fewer studies, however, have examined the association between …

Health Service Utilization And Conduct Problems: The Role Of Callous-Unemotional Traits And Juvenile Justice System Processing, Julianne Speck

LSU Master's Theses

Previous research indicates that youth with conduct problems, who are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, are at risk for utilizing a disproportionate amount of health services compared to youth without these problems. The present study investigates self-reported antisocial behavior, juvenile justice system processing type, and callous-unemotional (CU) traits as predictors of health service utilization (medical and mental health service use and out-of-home placement) across adolescence in a sample of justice-involved males from the Crossroads Study. A total of 766 participants provided data at ten appointments over a period of seven years. A series of linear multiple regressions were used …

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 …

The Inventory Of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version: The Development And Validation Of A Psychometric Test For The Measurement Of Cognitive Distortions In Youth, Kelsey Jones

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Cognitive distortions are systematic biases in an individual’s thinking that maintain a person’s belief in their negative views of themselves or others, even in the presence of contradictory evidence. The Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (ICD), created by Yurica and DiTomasso, measures distorted thinking in adults. Currently, there is not a youth measure of distortions that adequately encapsulates the range of distorted thinking that may be present in youth. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to create and validate a newly designed instrument of cognitive distortions, The Inventory of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version (ICD-YV), with youth ages 11 to 17. …

Psychologist Perspectives On The Treatment And Assessment Of Problematic Sexual Behavior In Neurodivergent Youth, Emily R. Marhan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The following dissertation explored the subjective experience of mental health clinicians regarding their perceptions of providing treatment and assessment to neurodivergent youth (ND) who exhibited problematic sexual behavior (PSB). Prior to this study, scant research has been conducted pertaining to the treatment and assessment of youth who exhibit PSB, and less still on those with comorbid neurodivergence (Jones & Chaplin, 2017; Malovic et al., 2016; Pratt, 2013). This study utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to inform interpretations of participant responses collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants consisted of five licensed psychologists with experience providing assessment and/or treatment to both neurotypical and ND …

Associations Among Executive Functioning, Family Functioning, Adolescent Responsibility, And Adherence In Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Cecily Newel Conour

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a common cause of chronic pain for adolescents in the United States. Adherence to the treatment regimen is a significant concern, particularly for adolescents. Barriers to adherence are varied, but include cognitive factors, such as forgetting. Parent involvement is associated with increased adherence in this population, though adolescent involvement is less studied. Family functioning is associated with adherence to medication regimen across pediatric chronic illnesses, including IBD treatment regimen. To better inform clinical care, this study aims to understand the relations among adolescent’s responsibility, executive functioning, family functioning, and adherence. Methods: The current study …

Factors Associated With Racial And Ethnic Minority Youths' Mental Health Help-Seeking At School, Sam Allouche

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the high prevalence and associated consequences of mental health problems in youth, adolescents with these problems are often left untreated. This service gap is even greater in racial and ethnic minority youth who not only engage in treatment less frequently, but also experience far greater discrimination and systemic inequality than non-ethnic or racial minority students; factors further contributing to a need for service. Schools may provide an ideal location to treat mental health problems in youth, in part because schools eliminate structural barriers, but also because school staff have an opportunity to observe students across a range of functioning. …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Adolescent Social Media Use Inventory, Johannah Smith

LSU Master's Theses

Adolescents are the largest population group that accesses social media applications (Boneva et al., 2006; Gross, 2004; Subrahmanyam, Reich, Waechter, & Espinoza, 2008). However, there is little known on how to measure the positive (i.e., enabling privacy settings, friending parents and other family members on social media platforms) and negative (i.e., public social media account, hiding posts from parents) adolescent social media use. This is an important oversight given the relationship between negative uses of social media and increased delinquency, aggression, and decreased parent-adolescent communication (Coyne et al., 2014). The present study sought to address this limitation in the research …

Pornography: Social, Emotional And Mental Implications Among Adolescents, William K. Canady

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation will explain the historical development of pornography. It will highlight four segments: 1- Porn’s impact on brain development of reward pathways, ultimately increasing the appetite for more porn. 2- Porn can be a false substitute for real intimacy, resulting in decreased sexual satisfaction with a real person and increased verbal and physical aggression. 3- Porn promotes sex trafficking, promotes multiple sex partners and reduced STD prevention. 4- A review of interventions available to assist clients in navigating a lifestyle away from pornography.

Predictors Of Treatment Outcome In A Family-Based Hospitalization Program For Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa, Kellsey Launius

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Family-based treatment (FBT) is the first-line treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). Although FBT works for many, it does not work for everyone. The current study explored variables that are believed to impact treatment outcome in FBT, (a) initial weight gain, (b) parental criticism, and (c) obsessive-compulsive features, and investigated three additional factors expected to predict positive treatment outcome, (d) fear of food, (e) exposure to feared foods, and (f) parent-child concordance. Participants were 240 children, adolescents, and young adults with AN or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) enrolled in a family-based partial hospitalization program (PHP). Pearson …

Psychological Functioning And Community Support In Adolescents Exposed To A School Shooting, Jessica Taylor Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

This study evaluated the impact of community support, specifically the impact of a trauma-related community-led campaign, on high school youth following a school shooting. Adolescents are at risk for the adverse impacts of trauma exposure (Katsiyannis et al., 2018; Rajan et al., 2019; Heleniak et al., 2016; McDermott & Cobham, 2012; McLean et al., 2013; Schonfeld & Demaria, 2020). However, social support from one’s community has been found to protect against the psychological and functional consequences of exposure to trauma (Bal et al., 2003; Cheng et al., 2014; Derivois et al., 2014. The purpose of this study was to assess …

Assessment Of Adolescent Anxiety, Anna E. Martinez-Snyder

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of any group of disorders among adolescents. Further, the prevalence of anxiety disorders has been shown to increase from adolescence to young adulthood, underscoring the importance of researching adolescent anxiety. Screening for anxiety in adolescents is necessary to identify and treat these disorders, which requires measures with good psychometric properties. One aim of the present study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties of the separation anxiety, social anxiety, panic, and generalized anxiety scales of the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS), and the Youth Anxiety …

Understanding And Improving Adhd Symptom Recall: An Investigation Of Temperament And Childhood Symptom Recall Over Time, Lea Elizabeth Taylor

Dissertations - ALL

Background: ADHD is characterized by a high prevalence, functional impairment across the lifespan, negative long-term consequences, and a heterogeneous etiology, rendering it of significant public health import. Despite this, there is still a significant delay to treatment as well as low rate of lifetime treatment contact in the ADHD population, which may potentially increase the associated personal and public health burdens. Due to this delay to treatment and requirement of symptom onset before the age of 12, adults seeking ADHD assessments provide a challenge to clinicians to determine if symptoms were present in childhood. The current study investigated the consistency …

The Use Of Animal-Assisted Interventions To Treat Child Victims Of Sexual Abuse, Stephanie Johnston

Counseling Psychology | Master's Theses

This study examines the therapeutic benefits of incorporating dogs into the mental health treatment of child victims of sexual abuse in both formal and informal settings. In 1962, Dr. Boris Levinson began incorporating his dog into therapy sessions with his child clients. He noticed that incorporation of dogs into psychotherapeutic treatment encouraged communication in withdrawn children and published his results in 1969, initiating a widespread interest in animal-assisted therapy (AAT). Other variations of AAT soon followed in the form of animal-assisted activities (AAA). The human-animal bond can be a powerful tool that effectively improves mental health and can play a …

Adolescent Healthcare Contacts In The Year Before Suicide: A Case Control Study, Ana Lanier, Jordan Braciszewski, Hsueh-Han Yeh, Gregory Simon, Rebecca Rossom, Frances Lynch, Stephen Waring, Christine Lu, Ashli Owen-Smith, Arbe Beck, Brian Ahmedani

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Suicide rates among adolescents have risen steadily since 2007, creating a dire need to expand prevention protocols. Healthcare systems have been identified as a key avenue for identification and intervention. To date, no comprehensive analysis has been done to understand adolescent-specific characteristics and healthcare utilization prior to suicide death.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted using records from eight healthcare systems nationwide. Data from 450 subjects aged 10-24 who died by suicide between the years 2000-2013 was matched with 4500 controls based on health system and time period of membership. We examined past-year health diagnoses and patterns of visit …

Longitudinal Examination Of Contextual Risk, Promotive Factors, And Psychosocial Functioning Using Structural Equation Modeling With A Sample Of Serious Adolescent Offenders, Daniel J. Knauer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Mental health problems, including substance use problems, are more prevalent among adolescent criminal offenders than among the general population and are associated with an elevated risk of re-offending. It is important to understand what factors are associated with serious adolescent offenders’ future mental health and re-offending outcomes to promote their positive development. This study examined potential mechanisms behind established relationships between risk factors for mental health and criminal offending and psychosocial outcomes while integrating ecological theory and a risk and protective framework. To do this, a mediation model was examined using structural equation modeling in which contextual risk was hypothesized …

Evaluating Antecedents To Treatment Success In Juveniles With Sexually Problematic Behavior, Alexandra P. Pappas

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The impact of rape and other sexual offenses represents a major problem in society and can lead to chronic and harmful physical, psychological, and social consequences. Juveniles (younger than 18 years old) account for 20% of sexual offense arrests in the United States, with 96% of reported cases committed by male perpetrators. Risk indicators and characteristics of juveniles who sexually offend include demographic factors (e.g., history of sexual abuse), personality factors (e.g., antisocial behavior), and below average intelligence and cognitive functioning. Treatment of problematic sexual behavior in juveniles varies in intensity, structure, and level of supervision, though research investigating unsuccessful …

Quality Of Crisis Stabilization Units: Assessing The Treatment Of Adolescents With Co-Occurring Symptoms, Vincent Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental one-group pretest/posttest design study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Las Vegas Valley crisis stabilization units (CSU) in treating adolescents with comorbid mental health disorders. The specific problem entailed examining the efficacy of CSUs in addressing comorbidities among adolescents when dual-diagnosis symptoms were present. Scholarly evidence in this regard was lacking. The quantitative examination included patient data from the Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (CCSM). Baseline and outcome CCSM scores of the test required determining whether a statistically significant difference in CCSM scores occurred between the baseline and outcome. The sample was 120 adolescent patients with …

Impact Of Violence Exposure On Children's Mental Health And Family Functioning: An Ecological-Transactional Approach, Rice Mary Dusing

Dissertations

N/A

Pediatric Health Care Providers’ Perceptions And Knowledge Of Caregiving Youth, Brianna Bliss

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Many young people younger than the age of 18 years are involved in providing care to family members who are unable to manage their own medical, physical, or mental illnesses. Youth caregivers are an understudied population in the United States. The small yet growing research base has illustrated the relationship between the caregiving role, academic performance, and an individual’s social and psychological well-being. Medical settings are uniquely positioned to identify caregiving youth and provide supportive resources. A survey was created and administered to pediatric health care providers who offered medical and psychosocial support to children and adolescents. Providers were recruited …

The Relative Impact Of Risk And Protective Factors On The Psychological Functioning Of Sexual And Gender Minority Youth, Ilayna Krysten Mehrtens

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research has consistently indicated that sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth are at increased risk of psychological and emotional concerns relative to their cisgender heterosexual (cis-heterosexual) peers. A large body of research has sought to identify the risk factors that may contribute to this disparity; however, fewer studies have investigated the factors that may promote resiliency, thereby reducing risk. Subsequently, very little is known about the relative influence of risk and protective factors among SGM youth. Additionally, significant methodological concerns have been identified, which may affect the interpretability, generalizability, and clinical applicability of existing research. The purpose of this study …

Mental Health Service Utilization Among Urban Adolescents: The Roles Of Perceived Mental Health Problems, Attitudes Towards Professional Help, And Stigma, Yi Tak Tsang

Wayne State University Dissertations

Mental health among adolescents is widely acknowledged as a significant concern in the United States. Based on a national survey, Merikangas et al. (2010) found that among 13-17 year olds, 42% to 48% reported experiencing mental health concerns. It is estimated that only half of adolescents with mental health problems utilize mental health services (Costello et al., 2014). An initial study found that caregivers of disadvantaged youth appeared to function as the “gatekeepers” to mental health services (Tsang et al., 2020). Also, the results suggested that positive attitude towards professional psychological help, but not stigma, predicted service enrollment. The current …