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Cognitive Psychology Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2015

Health Psychology

Articles 1 - 10 of 10

Full-Text Articles in Cognitive Psychology

A Feasibility Study: Emotional Freedom Techniques For Depression In Australian Adults, Peta Stapleton, Sharon Devine, Hannah Chatwin, Brett Porter, Terri Sheldon Aug 2015

A Feasibility Study: Emotional Freedom Techniques For Depression In Australian Adults, Peta Stapleton, Sharon Devine, Hannah Chatwin, Brett Porter, Terri Sheldon

Peta B. Stapleton

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to treat Major Depressive Disorder in an adult population by way of a therapeutic group setting. Adults were assigned to EFT group treatment for a period of eight weeks. Diagnostic assessment was completed immediately pre and post treatment using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. In addition to this, self-report assessments measuring symptomatic evidence of depression were completed by the participants before the treatment, after the treatment and at three month follow-up. Comparisons with a community group were made at pre and post intervention …

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Medicalization Of Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Adhd, Childhood Bipolar Disorder And Tantrums: Scientific Breakthrough, Or Broad-Based Delusion?, W. Wyatt Jul 2015

Medicalization Of Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Adhd, Childhood Bipolar Disorder And Tantrums: Scientific Breakthrough, Or Broad-Based Delusion?, W. Wyatt

W. Joseph Wyatt

Clearly, a number of psychological and behavioral disorders arise within our biology. These include autism, Down’s syndrome, those due to toxin exposure, metabolic and endocrine difficulties, and several others. In contrast, there is minimal research evidence to support biological origins of the vast number of common disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia or child problems such as conduct disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), childhood bipolar disorder, oppositional behaviors or tantrums. These disorders have been medicalized when, in the absence of supportive research evidence, they are said to be caused by genetic defects, chemical imbalances or other biological phenomena. …

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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 Jul 2015

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 …

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Perfectionism, Psychological Wellbeing, And Maladaptive Eating Practices., Bridget Kenny, Richard Hicks Apr 2015

Perfectionism, Psychological Wellbeing, And Maladaptive Eating Practices., Bridget Kenny, Richard Hicks

Richard Hicks

The links between perfectionism and maladaptive eating practices are reasonably well established. However, little is understood about how or why these links occur. The aim of the current study was to investigate psychological wellbeing as a potential mediating variable in this relationship and to determine how gender differences impacted these variables. A sample of 67 males and 162 females completed the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), the Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scales (PWB), and the Maladaptive Eating Practices Questionnaire (MEPQ-25) among several questionnaires completed for a recent body image and eating disorders research project. Results indicated that females aged below 30 …

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The Role Of Cognitve Distortions In Adaptation To Disability And Perceived Quality Of Life In Spinal Cord Injury Survivors, Kerri M. Garruba Jan 2015

The Role Of Cognitve Distortions In Adaptation To Disability And Perceived Quality Of Life In Spinal Cord Injury Survivors, Kerri M. Garruba

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a sudden, dramatic insult to the central nervous system that results in instant loss of sensory and/or motor function. In addition to physiological changes, survivors also endure both cognitive and emotional changes that increase susceptibility to depression, anxiety, and suicidality, all of which have been associated with cognitive distortions. This study sought to investigate the influence of cognitive distortions in relation to the ability to adapt to disability and establish a high quality of life among spinal cord injury survivors. Participants were 116 men and women living with spinal cord injury recruited via the …

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Tornado Trouble: How Can Current Tornado Warnings Be Improved?, Jonathan P. Evans Jan 2015

Tornado Trouble: How Can Current Tornado Warnings Be Improved?, Jonathan P. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are many unnecessary deaths from tornadoes every year (NOAA.org, 2013). Although there have been great advancements in tornado warning systems (Coleman, Knupp, Spann, Elliot, & Peters, 2010), more changes to systems could be made to motivate people to take action in preparation for tornadoes (Brotzge & Donner, 2013). Protection motivation theory outlines the process by which we assess threats and decide whether or not preventative actions are worth performing. If the threat is perceived as severe enough and the preventative actions are seen as capable of mitigating the threat, the individual is motivated to act (Rogers, 2000). One means …

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Engaging Youth In Bullying Prevention Through Community-Based Participatory Research, Jen Gibson, Paul D. Flaspohler, Vanessa Watts Jan 2015

Engaging Youth In Bullying Prevention Through Community-Based Participatory Research, Jen Gibson, Paul D. Flaspohler, Vanessa Watts

Faculty Scholarship

Few studies that engage youth in community-based participatory research (CBPR) focus on issues of safety/violence, include elementary school-aged youth, or quantitatively assess outcomes of the CBPR process. This article expands understanding of CBPR with youth by describing and evaluating the outcomes of a project that engaged fifth-grade students at 3 schools in bullying-focused CBPR. Results suggest that the project was associated with decreases in fear of bullying and increases in peer and teacher intervention to stop bullying. We conclude with implications for the engagement of elementary school-aged youth in CBPR to address bullying and other youth issues.

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School Mental Health Early Interventions And Academic Outcomes For At-Risk High School Students: A Review Of The Research, Aidyn L. Iachini, Elizabeth Levine Brown, Annahita Ball, Jen Gibson, Steven E. Lize Jan 2015

School Mental Health Early Interventions And Academic Outcomes For At-Risk High School Students: A Review Of The Research, Aidyn L. Iachini, Elizabeth Levine Brown, Annahita Ball, Jen Gibson, Steven E. Lize

Faculty Scholarship

The current educational policy context in the United States necessitates that school-based programs prioritize students’ academic outcomes. This review examined the quantitative research on school mental health (SMH) early interventions and academic outcomes for at risk high school students. Seven articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. All articles were examined according to study design and demographics, early intervention characteristics, and outcomes. Of the studies included, most were conducted in urban settings, involved the implementation of group-based early intervention strategies, and monitored GPA as a distal academic outcome. Counselors were frequent implementers of these early interventions. A meta-analysis found …

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Evaluating An Abbreviated Version Of The Paths Curriculum Implemented By School Mental Health Clinicians, Jen Gibson, Shelby Werner, Andrew Sweeny Jan 2015

Evaluating An Abbreviated Version Of The Paths Curriculum Implemented By School Mental Health Clinicians, Jen Gibson, Shelby Werner, Andrew Sweeny

Faculty Scholarship

When evidence-based prevention programs are implemented in schools, adaptations are common. It is important to understand which adaptations can be made while maintaining positive outcomes for students. This preliminary study evaluated an abbreviated version of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) Curriculum implemented by school-based mental health clinicians in preschool/kindergarten classrooms. Results suggest that students (N = 80) demonstrated increases in emotional understanding and prosocial behavior. Children with low initial levels of problem behavior demonstrated large and continual increases in prosocial behavior over the entire course of the intervention, whereas children with high initial levels of problem behavior only demonstrated …

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Neuropsychological, Cognitive And Physiological Implications Of Barefoot Running On Working Memory, Shelley Ann Floyd Jan 2015

Neuropsychological, Cognitive And Physiological Implications Of Barefoot Running On Working Memory, Shelley Ann Floyd

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of barefoot versus shod running on working memory. I recruited exercise science students from the University of North Florida who exercised recreationally. Participants ran both barefoot and shod while hitting targets (poker chips) on a running track and without targets. I measured working memory using backward digit recall and also recorded participants’ heart rate, speed, and target accuracy. The main finding from this study was that working memory performance increased in the barefoot condition when participants hit targets (poker chips). This result supports the idea that additional attention is …

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