Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of A Transaffirmative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Group-Based Intervention To Help Transgender Individuals Suffering From Depression, Joy Riach

Doctoral Dissertations

Transgender individuals report higher levels of elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety due to psychological distress caused by pervasive transphobic discrimination and prejudice that persist in pathologizing and stigmatizing their lived experiences. An important first step would be to develop, implement, and assess transaffirmative interventions that address the mental health issues that this population is particularly susceptible to, such as depression. This current study was designed to assess the effectiveness of one such culturally adapted intervention, which was a 5-week-long, group-based therapy developed for treating depression in transgender individuals using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This was then followed with one …

Examining The Mental Health Of Older Hispanic/Latino Adults: Relationship Between Psycho-Social-Cultural Factors And Depressive Symptomatology, Anna Prado

Theses and Dissertations

The most prevalent disorders affecting the older adult population worldwide are dementia and depression. Ethnic minorities are disproportionately more likely to be affected by these two distressing and debilitating conditions. Hispanic/Latino older adults encounter numerous psycho-social-cultural factors that influence health behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs in positive and negative ways. Presently, research on the influence of these factors on Hispanic/Latino mental health is highly inconsistent. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between selected psycho-social-cultural factors and the mental health of older Hispanic/Latino adults. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, the association between the Hispanic/Latino …

Effects Of Adolescent Motivation And Personality On Adherence And Success In A Voluntary Residential Bootcamp Program, Lydia Sigurdson

Master's Theses

The Youth ChalleNGe Program is a voluntary program for adolescents who have dropped out of high school and is intended to address various needs of at-risk youth. As a result, individuals are motivated to enroll for an array of reasons. Though prior research on the Youth ChalleNGe Program has sought to identify individual factors that determine program outcomes, no study has considered motivation for enrollment as a predictor of program success. Further, personality traits related to goal setting and self-regulation may impact the relationship between motivation and program outcome. Archival data was gathered from 710 participants in the Youth ChalleNGe …

Effects Of Sleep On Intrusive Symptoms And Emotional Reactivity In A Laboratory-Based Film Analog Study, Anna Marie Thi Thanh Nguyen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by four symptom clusters. Recently, research highlights the need to focus on the impact of intrusive symptoms as a possible risk factor for the development and maintenance of PTSD. Cognitive and sleep models contribute to further understanding of intrusive symptoms. Recent work also highlights disgust as an emotion closely associated with the emergence of posttraumatic stress symptomology following traumatic events. This study used a film eliciting disgust in order to examine the effects of sleep on the intensity of intrusion symptoms and emotion reactivity. The sample consisted of 49 college students randomly assigned to …

The Role Of Religious Coping, Age And Meaning In Life In The Development Of Post-Traumatic Growth In Egyptian Breast Cancer Survivors, Nashwa Rashad

Theses and Dissertations

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common types of cancer. Research reported survivors experienced positive changes in their relationship, strength level, and how they admired life after cancer. They said that they recognized elements that promoted post-traumatic growth, such as altering their way of life and accomplishing individually meaningful actions. This literature review reported that religious coping and meaning in life could predict post-traumatic growth. Some sources had conflicted analyses on the effect of age and education on cancer survivors and the development of PTG. This study investigates if religious …

Changes In Big Five Personality Characteristics During Law Enforcement Academy Training, Randi A. Mitchell

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Personality is considered a relatively stable construct. However, research indicates personality is more malleable when facing adverse life events and as an individual ages across the lifespan. Some research suggests personality could be used to predict performance. The current study seeks to examine changes in personality characteristics following law enforcement academy completion. Given the demands of a job in law enforcement, one would expect certain changes to occur. The law enforcement academy curriculum includes topics such as, justification-use-of-force, confessions, and arrests, in the first week alone. The curriculum reflects the reality law enforcement professionals will face. It is a dangerous …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Remote Act-Based Intervention Designed For Children With Parent-Child Dyads, Crystal K. Tracy

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The current study evaluated a remote Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based intervention designed for children implemented with parent involvement. Each parent-child dyad completed a total of nine sessions, which included an introductory session, one baseline session, six ACT-based intervention sessions, and one follow-up session. The study was conducted using a multiple-baseline across participants design. The effects of the intervention on both the parent and child well-being were evaluated using between sessions measures that measured values-based behavior and challenging behaviors. Pre- and post-test measures were taken on psychological flexibility, parent stress, and child behavior. Although the present intervention is designed for …

16pf Couples Counseling Report: Gender Differences In Marital Satisfaction, Personality Similarity, And Relationship Adjustment Of Dual-Veteran Couples Following Deployment, Bliss Quintana

Theses and Dissertations

The present study utilized the 16 Personality Factor Couple’s Counseling Report (16PF CCR) to contribute to the limited amount of research evaluating gender differences on personality factors which may influence relationship adjustment and marital satisfaction between males and females in dual-veteran couples following deployment. Results were obtained from a total of 23 heterosexual dual-veteran couples (23 males and 23 females) who volunteered to participate in the present study. Statistically significant gender differences were found for one of the Global Personality Factors, Independence; however, there were no significant findings in the Individual Satisfaction Items, Primary Personality Factors, Relationship Adjustment scores, or …

The Relationship Between Resilience And Social Support Among College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Baskin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the unprecedented and unexpected nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is little data to date that have investigated the impact on college students. The current study evaluated the relationships between resilience, social support, and distress levels among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. One-hundred and ninety-one college students in a psychology course completed three measures assessing resilience, social support, and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first hypothesis was that as social support increases, then resilience will also increase in a college population during a worldwide pandemic. A second hypothesis was that as resilience increases, then distress will …

Cultural And Psychosocial Moderators Of The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Alcohol And Marijuana Use Among Latinx College Students On The U.S./Mexico Border, Claudia J. Woloshchuk

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been historically associated with negative life outcomes among the general population. There has been no research, to the author's knowledge, on psychosocial and/or cultural moderators of the associations between ACEs and substance use among Latinx college students living on the U.S./Mexico border. This study assessed how specific constructs within the socioecological framework moderate the association between ACEs and alcohol and marijuana use. Participants (Females: N = 283, Mage = 20.86, SD = 3.71, Males: N = 111, Mage = 20.65, SD = 3.13) completed an online survey which included: demographics, the Center for Youth Wellness …

A Qualitative Investigation Into The Trauma Exhibited By First Responders Tackling The Opioid Epidemic In Tennessee, Thalia Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent increases in opioid overdose rates have changed the role of first responders on the front lines of this national crisis. The present study used a semi-structured qualitative interview to investigate how the increase in opioids, opioid-related harm, and opioid-related death within Tennessee has affected the first responder population. Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and paramedics (N = 30) from rural-serving counties in Tennessee completed a semi-structured interview. Eight themes emerged from the interviews: (1) mental health symptoms, including posttraumatic stress disorder and secondary traumatic stress symptoms; (2) coping behaviors; (3) available resources; (4) barriers to accessing resources; (5) recommendations …

Observation And Detection Of Adhd Malingering In College Students, Zoe Tenner

Honors Theses

The rate of college students attempting to obtain Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses in order to gain access to prescription stimulant medications has shown a large increase over the past 20 years. Research has also shown that college students are frequently able to convincingly present themselves as meeting clinical criteria for ADHD with relative ease, meaning that the barrier to false presentation for the purpose of obtaining inappropriately prescribed medication is minimal. There is a need for more concise, accurate tools to detect these efforts in clinical settings, which is an area of research pursued by members of the University of …

Everyday Memory In People With Down Syndrome, Yingying Jennifer Yang, Zachary M. Himmelberger, Trent Robinson, Megan Davis, Frances Conners, Edward Merrill

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Although memory functions in people with Down Syndrome (DS) have been studied extensively, how well people with DS remember things about everyday life is not well understood. In the current study, 31 adolescents/young adults with DS and 26 with intellectual disabilities (ID) of mixed etiology (not DS) participated. They completed an everyday memory questionnaire about personal facts and recent events (e.g., school name, breakfast). They also completed a standard laboratory task of verbal long-term memory (LTM) where they recalled a list of unrelated words over trials. Results did not indicate impaired everyday memory, but impaired verbal LTM, in people with …

Understanding Black Experiences And Access Barriers In The Expressive Arts Activities And Therapies, Jadea Harris, Ana K. Marcelo

Psychology

Black individuals in America experience racism, discrimination, and microaggressions that can affect their mental and physical health. (Alvarez, Liang, & Neville, 2016). Unfortunately, Black individuals typically do not seek out mental health treatment because of mistrust, stigma, misdiagnosis, and lack of culturally sensitive approaches to treatment (NAMI, 2002). One way to encourage Black individuals to seek mental health support and to provide more support could be through expressive arts. Expressive outlets may act as a protective barrier against adverse experiences and serve as an opportunity to bring healing amongst uncomfortable feelings of racial trauma and more. Historical and empirical evidence …

Mental Health Support And Advocacy For Undergraduate Bgsu Students In Wood County, Oh, Robert Lince

Honors Projects

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has been a topic receiving significant focus on college campuses across the United States. Thus, it is important for all undergraduate college students to understand the available organizations and facilities that will provide the most quality and effective mental health care. With BGSU undergraduates already facing academic and social pressures, in addition to the financial and other hardships brought on by the pandemic, it is imperative that students are aware of resources both on campus and in the local community so that their needs can be met appropriately and in a …

The Joint Influence Of Social Support And Coping On Anxiety In Aya Cancer Survivors, Genevieve Durso

Theses and Dissertations

Background Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors experience unique psychosocial needs during remission. Cancer-related anxiety is endemic amongst AYA survivors and can impede upon the survivor’s life post-cancer treatment. Independent of one another, confiding in a social support system and frequent engagement in coping mechanisms benefit those throughout the cancer experience, leading to more positive psychosocial outcomes. Hypothesis The dual utilization of one’s social support network and coping mechanisms would reduce cancer-related anxiety in AYA cancer survivors. Methods This study’s data was derived from a prior study conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, consisting of 128 adolescent and …

Influences Of Cultural Similarities And Differences On Coworker Relationships And Perceived Levels Of Workplace Psychological Stress, Natalie Hidaka

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

One of the most important environments for many adults is the workplace, and we increasingly find co-workers with a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. Different cultural backgrounds must communicate and collaborate for an effective team to meet the common goal for a workplace. However, different cultural values and practices in one place often create misunderstandings and fraught challenges. One of the significant differences in culture is how people interact socially and their primary motivation when interacting with others. When independent and interdependent cultural backgrounds are considered, it is suggested that interdependent cultures tend to focus on relationship-preserving while independent cultures …

The Effect Of Parenting Styles And Religiosity On Emerging Adults, Genesis Rivas

Campus Research Month

No abstract provided.

Social Media & Negative Effects On Body Image, Jack Fechter

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Since the beginning of the 2010’s, social media has grown to affect every aspect of our daily lives. With children using it earlier in their lives, they are getting mass exposure to societal ideals about what body type should be. This has negatively impacted adolescents’ view of body image, which has led to dissatisfaction with their own bodies. This leads to depressive symptoms and even in some cases suicide, which has gone up among adolescents in the past decade. The article that follows details how and why these issues occur, as well as solutions to fix them. These solutions discussed …

Challenging The Empirical Utility Of The Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale: Revisiting Factor Structure Across Race/Ethnicity And Gender Through Measurement Invariance, Alexandra Hernandez-Vallant

Psychology ETDs

The Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) is the most commonly used scale to measure domains of color-blind racial ideology (CBRI). CBRI broadly refers to the denial of racism on individual and societal levels. The factor structure of CoBRAS has yet to be rigorously tested to confirm the replicability of the factor structure and demonstrate measurement invariance across multiple groups. This study examined the factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and measurement invariance of the CoBRAS across race/ethnicity and gender in 911 diverse college students. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and measurement invariance of the CoBRAS were tested across race/ethnicity (Black, Latinx, and …

Borderline Personality Disorder: Interventions For Adolescents And Caregivers, Addison Odum

Evidence-Based Social Work Practice Guide Series

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) encompasses a wide range of symptoms characterized by emotional dysregulation, including challenging interpersonal relationships, impulsivity, disturbances in cognition and identity, and is often accompanied by intentional self-injury and suicidal behaviors. In this guide, emphasis is placed on three aspects of intervention: (1) clinical interventions for adolescents who meet the criteria for BPD; (2) interventions clinicians can teach to parents/caretakers so they can better work with their child’s diagnosis; and (3) due to the negative impact this can have on adolescents, clinical interventions for parents/caregivers diagnosed with or exhibiting common symptoms of BPD is also provided.

Work-School Conflict, Stress, And Alcohol Use Among Employed College Students, Casandra Faith Rollins

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between work-toschool conflict (WSC), role stress in the school domain, and alcohol use among employed, full-time college students (n = 51). It was also examined whether the relationship between WSC and school stress is influenced by student role salience. A within-person, daily diary design was used in order to measure participants’ daily WSC, school stress, and alcohol use over a 14-day period. Multilevel Random Coefficient Modeling (MRCM) was utilized to investigate the relationships of interest. A small nonsignificant, positive relationship between daily WSC and daily alcohol use was found. Although …

Aasp Cmpc® Recertification Survey: Analysis Of Perceived Benefits And Barriers, Ben Sammet

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A survey of 212 individuals who recertified or certified as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC) provided information on the perceived benefits of and barriers to the credential. Primary reasons for recertification and certification were the perceived credibility and expertise implied by the credential, with some indicating the certification to be central to their practice. Similarly, the primary value of the CMPC® certification cited by respondents was an indication of meeting professional standards; being listed on the CMPC® registry also was valued. In addition to perceived credibility, being perceived as ethical was highly ranked as a benefit of certification. Supporting …

Gender Differences In The Association Between Emotion Dysregulation And Suicidal Behavior, Eliza Hope Laves

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 years old (Drapeau & McIntosh, 2020). Being younger and female is significantly associated with suicidal behaviors (e.g., suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts), and girls report higher scores on suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts that result in a hospital visit compared to boys (Kann et al., 2018; Nook et al., 2008). Additionally, adolescents (e.g., 17.2%) reported the highest levels of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) engagement compared to young adults (e.g., 13.4%) and adults (e.g., 5.5%), and girls reported more NSSI engagement than boys among adolescents …

Alcohol Use And Emotion Dysregulation In Adolescence, Shelby King

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Underage drinking is a serious public health concern with magnified physical and psychological risks for adolescents. Consequences can include impaired judgement, increased risk for alcohol problems later in life, increased risk of physical and sexual assault, interference with brain development, injuries, and death (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2021). In a 2019 survey, 29% of high school students reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Given the high rates of use and adverse effects associated with adolescent substance use, research on risk factors related to alcohol use among this age …

Emotional Support Animals For College Students: Do The Benefits Outweigh The Costs?, Sidney Street

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Mental health problems have been drastically increasing in recent years among college students. Alongside the rising prevalence of psychological distress, universities have also experienced an increase in requests to have Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) live on campus. To date however, data are scarce on students’ experiences living with and around ESAs. The present study aims to investigate attitudes and perceptions about ESAs, in both owners of ESAs as well as students who do not own an ESA but have interacted with one. Specifically, owners were interviewed to find whether the perceived benefits of owning an ESA outweigh the associated costs …

Experience Of Loss And Resilience In Persons With Chronic Pain, Lauren Abshire

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Chronic pain is one of the most common concerns people seek medical treatment for, yet it is historically difficult to treat. The current best evidence practice in chronic pain treatment is through a multidisciplinary team with psychologists implementing cognitive behavioral therapy or acceptance commitment therapy. These approaches are efficacious in decreasing pain-related behaviors and improving mood and quality of life. Resilience has also been shown to mitigate the impact of chronic pain. However, the sense of loss or grief related to the experience of chronic pain has been inadequately explored in the research literature and may be related to poor …

Developing A Predictive Model Of Depression And Suicidal Tendencies In Pilots, Tanya Kim Bulleigh

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The mental health of commercial airline pilots is as important as their physical health because of their immense responsibility for the safety of their passengers and crews. Pilot suicides that end in fatal aircraft crashes result in many injuries and deaths. Although depression and suicidal tendencies are common across all genders, ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, the mental health of aviation pilots has been challenging to evaluate and quantify through routine flight medical exams.

The purpose of this study was to determine predictive factors of depression and suicidal tendencies among commercial airline pilots. Previous research has determined predictive factors of depression …

The Role Of Interior Design In The Psychotherapist's Office, Vincent Ylagan

Senior Theses

A growing body of research in environmental and design psychology indicates that our surroundings can have subtle but significant effects on how we feel and think. One setting where thoughts and feelings are at the forefront of the work done is the psychotherapist’s office, where clients go to process stressors and learn strategies to overcome emotional difficulties. The current study aimed to investigate how therapists and clients view the therapist office and identify the features associated with the “ideal” therapist office. Therapists, current or past therapy clients, and individuals who have not been to therapy completed short surveys. Surveys asked …

Anxiety In Preschool-Aged Children With Autism: Rates, Symptoms, And Predictors, Neilson Chan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Epidemiological studies indicate that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at high risk for developing co-occurring anxiety symptoms and diagnosable anxiety disorders, with prevalence rates ranging from 40% to 78%. Further, studies have suggested that children with ASD experience more clinically significant symptoms of anxiety compared to children without ASD as early as toddlerhood. However, few studies have examined the comorbidity of anxiety and ASD in early childhood. In the current study, we included a sample of young children (ages 3 to 5) with ASD (n = 77) and an age-matched typically developing comparison group (n = 55) to …