Health Psychology Commons^™

Repositioning Art Work From Patients Suffering From Anorexia Nervosa In A Gendered, Socio-Cultural Context: A Self-Reflective Study, Dafna Rehavia-Hanauer

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

This article, conceptualized within a post-structuralist, feminist approach to art therapy, addresses the role of visual images as a controlling constituting discourse significant to the formation of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. As a core position this article argues for a change in the way art work created within the art therapy process by women who suffer from anorexia nervosa is interpreted and analyzed by art therapists. The article argues for an enhanced appreciation and critical analysis of gendered, social-cultural contextualization of visual images and recognition of how these forces have a role in directing women to enact behaviors of …

The Use Of Creative Art As A Strategy For Case Formulation In Psychotherapy: A Case Study, Semra Karaca Phd, Nurhan Eren

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

Case formulation refers to the appraisal of the individual data and the treatment plan in terms of certain principles. In psychotherapy, case formulation is relevant for the recognition of conceptual and clinical tools, as well as for the evaluation of the therapeutic endeavor. Art work (painting) provides an effective tool for case formulation because it allows the individual to express his/her thoughts and emotions, which are prone to the influences of subconscious drives, conflicts, fears, and desires in a symbolic fashion. In this study, case formulation of a 31-year-old woman, who could not overcome her verbal and physical aggressive behaviors, …

Editorial Poem, Einat Metzl

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

No abstract provided.

Journal Cover And Front Matter

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

No abstract provided.

Create Workshop 2014: Leveraging Mobile Technology And Social Media In Behavioral Research, Andre M. Müller

Andre M Müller

The 2014 CREATE workshop brought together some forty young health behavior researchers from thirteen different countries, all sharing an interest in mobile technology and social media research. The three- day workshop was held in Innsbruck, Austria,...

Weighing In: Therapeutic Benefits Of Online Communities For Individuals With Eating Disorders, Cheri L. Greenfield

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The treatment of eating disorders involves a complex approach. In recent years, a number of websites have developed in an attempt to meet the needs of individuals struggling with this set of disorders. Some of these websites are nationally recognized organizations dedicated to improve treatment and provide educational resources, while other websites have been authored by individuals with eating disorders in an attempt to create a safe community of support. This project explores various components found in online communities, examines characteristics of eating disorders, and evaluates the worth of such resources, even when in perceived contrast with traditional treatment. Rather …

An Examination Of Psychological Variables Influencing Perceptions Of The Self Among A Sample Of Female Exercise Initiates, Lisa Cooke

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The general purpose of this dissertation was to explore the relationship among and within cognitive variables associated with exercise initiation and maintenance in a sample of female exercise initiates.

Manuscript 1 was structured to explore the changes to exercise identity among a population of female exercise initiates (N = 78) grouped into an imagery or control condition. Previous research has found that a strong exercise identity is associated with more frequent exercise (Strachan et al., 2009) and increases over time as a person continues to exercise (Cardinal & Cardinal, 1997). Participants were assessed multiple times (weeks 0, 5, 9, …

Developmental And Cultural Perspectives On Children’S Postoperative Pain Management At Home, Brooke N. Jenkins, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Outpatient surgery is extremely common in children, and approximately 4 million children experience significant pain after surgery in the USA each year. Management of children's postoperative pain in the home setting is suboptimal and is impacted by characteristics of children and parents, as well as the larger family and cultural context. In particular, developmental status of the child, parental beliefs regarding pain expression and analgesic use in children, cultural values and language barriers can affect management of children's postoperative pain. Targeting the myriad barriers to children's pain management by capitalizing upon the use of tailored interventions may help bridge the …

Hemispheric Bases For Emotion And Memory, Tad T. Brunyé, Sarah R. Cavanagh, Ruth E. Propper

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The goal of this Research Topic was to bring together diverse scientific perspectives on lateralized brain mechanisms underlying emotion, motivation, and memory. The Topic resulted in eight articles, three of which report original research and five of which review and synthesize past research with the aim of developing new hypotheses and theory. A range of international experts with diverse backgrounds, theoretical perspectives, and experimental methods contributed to the Topic. Contributions strongly reflect this diversity, ranging from examining pupil dilation in response to viewing Rembrandt portraits to understanding how caffeine supplementation influences levels of spatial processing. In all cases, the authors …

Los Efectos De La Violencia Familiar Y Las Percepciones De Las Mujeres Afectadas: Un Estudio De Las Mujeres Victimas De La Violencia Familiar A Ahmauta / The Effects Of Family Violence And Perceptions Of Women Affected :A Study Of Women Victims Of Domestic Violence To Ahmauta, Catherine Oidtman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Violence against women is a social problem that demands much attention from society because it is a human rights issue and is damaging to the mental health status of women. The purpose of this investigation is to use an ethnographic approach to analyze the perceptions of women who have suffered from domestic violence to determine how perceptions of domestic violence impact subsequent mental health outcomes. Women (n=6) were recruited from the NGO Amhauta, an educational program that advocates for the rights of women and children in San Jerónimo, a district of Cusco, Peru. This analysis uses an ethnographic approach to …

Dissociation And Sexual Trauma: The Moderating Role Of Somatization, Amineh Abbas

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined various types of trauma, with an emphasis on sexual trauma across the lifespan, in a clinical sample of male and female adult outpatients assessed for trauma, somatization, and dissociation. Two hundred forty-five adult outpatients at the University of Tennessee Psychological Clinic were administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), the Traumatic Experiences Checklist (TEC), and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), as part of the routine intake procedure. Of those individuals, 200 patients completed the questionnaires correctly and were included in the final study sample. The experience of sexual trauma indeed accounted for additional variance in somatization scores over and above …

Collaborative Models Of Care In The Appalachian Region Of Tennessee: Examining Relationships Between Level Of Collaboration, Clinic Characteristics, And Barriers To Collaboration, Jeffrey Ellison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have shown that there are significant advantages to maintaining close communicative and collaborative relationships between primary care and behavioral health providers. Fiscal, structural, and systemic barriers, however, often restrict the degree to which such interprofessional collaboration can occur. In the present study the authors examined relationships between primary care clinics in the Appalachian region’s characteristics (i.e., clinic type, rurality, and clinic size), barriers (i.e., fiscal, structural, and systemic) reported to using increased collaboration, and the level of collaboration used at a particular clinic.

For the present study 136 surveys were completed by providers working in primary care …

Shock Incarceration Programs Creative Problem Solving, Djuana L. Munn

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Abstract of Project

Shock Incarceration Programs Creative Problem Solving

Many women who are incarcerated inside correctional boot camp prisons might have substantial low self-esteem that could worsen due to the stress of the prison environment, confinement, and being far away from their children and family members. Shock Incarceration or “boot camp” male correctional programs are degrading for female inmates: They do not meet the special needs and problems of women. Programs are based on control theory, which implies that an individual’s behavior assimilates to that which is expected by society. Female inmates are taught discipline and responsibility by “breaking down …

Gender Differences In Exercise Dependence And Eating Disorders In Young Adults: A Path Analysis Of A Conceptual Model, Tevni Grajales, Shelli Meulemans, Peter Pribis, Gretchen Krivak

Faculty Publications

Abstract: The purpose of our study was to study the prevalence of exercise dependence (EXD) among college students and to investigate the role of EXD and gender on exercise behavior and eating disorders. Excessive exercise can become an addiction known as exercise dependence. In our population of 517 college students, 3.3% were at risk for EXD and 8% were at risk for an eating disorder. We used Path analysis the simplest case of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate the role of EXD and exercise behavior on eating disorders. We observed a small direct effect from gender to eating disorders. …

The Effect Of Brand And Caloric Information On Flavor Perception And Food Consumption In Restrained And Unrestrained Eaters, Kevin V. Cavanagh, Blina Kruja, Catherine A. Forestell

Arts & Sciences Articles

The goal of the current study was to determine whether provision of brand and caloric information affects sensory perception and consumption of a food in restrained (n = 84) and unrestrained eaters (n = 104). Using a between-subjects 2 × 2 × 3 design, female restrained and unrestrained eaters were asked to taste and rate a cookie that was labeled with a brand associated with healthful eating (Kashi®) or one associated with unhealthful eating (Nabisco®). Additionally, some participants were presented with a nutrition label alongside the brand name indicating that one serving contained 130 calories (Low-Calorie Condition), or …

“Putting The Occupation Back In Occupational Therapy:” A Survey Of Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ Use Of Gardening As An Intervention, Amy Wagenfeld, Ben Atchison

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background. This study examines how and why occupational therapy practitioners across practice areas use gardening as an intervention. Respondents’ interpretation of the best and least desirable aspects of their facility’s garden and whether they contributed to its design was also examined.

Method. A description and link to a 15-question online survey about gardening as an occupational therapy intervention was emailed to Western Michigan University Occupational Therapy alumni and posted on four OT Connections groups and the AOTA LinkedIn site.

Results. Gardening as an occupational therapy intervention is meaningful and purposeful (93.66%, n = 56), motivating (80%, n = 48), fun …

Parent-Adolescent Communication About Health Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Ashley Charlene Moss

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Health risk behaviors, like drinking alcohol or using tobacco, are a common problem among adolescents in the United States. For healthy adolescents, health risk behaviors may be hazardous to their health; for adolescents with chronic illnesses, the risks associated with these types of behavior are compounded and may further impact their health status. This is particularly true for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), whose blood sugar may be directly impacted by consumption of alcohol or use of tobacco. Parent-child communication has been found to act as a protective factor against adolescent engagement in health risk behaviors; however, this …

The Paradox Of Commercial Photography: Power And Sexuality In Models, Christina Bell

e-Research: A Journal of Undergraduate Work

Commercial photography has a tendency to force upon us a standard template of what the ideal person is or looks like. Unfortunately, the artificial standard is horribly unachievable and detrimental to physical and mental health, which produces sentiments of insufficiency and abjection with the self, especially among young impressionable girls. In a sick - and very modern - twist of evolutionary progress we find ourselves idealizing the depictions of models appearing to be on the verge of starvation. This article examines the power and sexuality in models produced through commercial photography and its effects on society at-large.

The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Burnout Among Master Of Social Work Students, Jolanta Maria Piatkowska

Dissertations and Theses

Social work students frequently endure elevated levels of prolonged stress and psychological affliction that might result in serious consequences, such as development of burnout. Some experts suggest that burnout originates in the exposure to chronic interpersonal stressors in the work environment. Yet, there is emerging evidence suggesting that mindfulness practice might be beneficial in alleviating stress. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between mindfulness and burnout among Master of Social Work students. Burnout, mindfulness, religiosity, spirituality and their potential relationship were discussed and related to previous scholarly literature. Specifically, this study focused on testing …

Concussion Guidelines Step 1: Systematic Review Of Prevalent Indicators, Nancy Carney, Jamshid Ghajar, Andy Jagoda, Steven Bedrick, Cynthia Davis-O'Reilly, Hugo Du Coudray, Dallas Hack, Nora Helfand, Amy Huddleston, Tracie Nettleton, Riggio Silvana

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no evidence-based definition for concussion that is being uniformly applied in clinical and research settings.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the highest-quality literature about concussion and to assemble evidence about the prevalence and associations of key indicators of concussion. The goal was to establish an evidence-based foundation from which to derive, in future work, a definition, diagnostic criteria, and prognostic indicators for concussion.

METHODS: Key questions were developed, and an electronic literature search from 1980 to 2012 was conducted to acquire evidence about the prevalence of and associations among signs, symptoms, and neurologic and …

Collaborative Treatment Of Late-Life Depression In Primary Care (Germanimpact): Study Protocol Of A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial, Iris Wernher, Frederike Bjerregaard, Iris Tinsel, Christiane Bleich, Sigrid Boczor, Thomas Kloppe, Martin Scherer, Martin Härter, Wilhelm Niebling, Hans-Helmut König, Michael Hüll

Institute on Aging Publications

Background: Depression is not a normal side effect of aging, however it is one of the most prevalent mental health issues in later life, imposing a tremendous burden on patients, their families, and the healthcare system. We describe the experimental implementation of a collaborative, stepped-care model for the treatment of late-life depression (GermanIMPACT trial) in the German primary care context. GermanIMPACT was developed as an adaptation of a successful and widely used American model. The aim of the study is to evaluate the model’s applicability to the German primary care setting and its cost-effectiveness.

Methods/Design: The study will be conducted …

The Effect Of Exercise On Cigarette Craving And Withdrawal Symptoms While Using A Nicotine Lozenge, Amelia Tritter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

It is imperative that smoking cessation aids effectively alleviate cigarette craving and withdrawal symptoms because their intensity has shown to predict relapse. The nicotine lozenge is a pharmacotherapy that has shown to reduce symptoms of craving and withdrawal. Research has also shown that a single session of exercise can provide temporary relief from craving and withdrawal for smokers who are both temporarily abstaining and undergoing a real quit attempt. Applying two efficacious monotherapies concurrently may provide additive benefit and greater symptom relief. Thirty recently quit smokers were randomized to either the experimental (exercise and lozenge) or control (lozenge alone) condition. …

Possible Psychological Effects Of Ultrasound Scanning On Women, Hang Wu

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Questionnaires were designed and given to 30 female subjects to investigate the possible psychological effects caused by the use of ultrasound scanning. The answers were analyzed in a numerical way and correlation tests were run to explore the relations among various factors. No significant correlation was found between any pair of the four selected factors. Further interviews with the subjects and detailed qualitative study of the answers provided answers for the results, and suggested that the possible psychological effects introduced by the ultrasound scanning, if any, were very limited.

Using Social Cognitive Theory To Predict Behavior, Gretchen Walker, Amy Posner

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model where self-efficacy is hypothesized to influence people’s behavioral intentions directly and indirectly through effects on outcome expectancy. Data on self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and intention to jog two consecutive miles were collected from 115 college students enrolled in general education classes. As anticipated, path analyses indicated that efficacy had both a direct impact on intention and an indirect impact through its effects on outcome expectancy. The more efficacious people were, the more positive the outcomes they associated with jogging and the surer they were they would jog. The model tested …

Correlation Between Health And Stress, Hang Wu

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This study examined participants’ level of stress and their perceived level of stress and success in school. The subjects were given the stress questionnaire in order to determine the level of stress they were experiencing and the frequency of health issues experienced during the previous year. The results of the study suggest that although level of stress may be similar between individuals, how they perceived the stress impacted their health level. Students who perceived the stress in a negative fashion were more likely to be sick than individuals who were less impacted by the stress. By identifying the correlation between …

At Risk For Ptsd: The Public Health Implications Of Trauma, Madeline Peyton

Master's Projects and Capstones

The fieldwork experience is the summation of six semesters of graduate level public health training. At commencement, students are to be proficient in basic data analysis and epidemiological principles, in how environmental risks impact health, and demonstrate strong program planning, evaluation and leadership skills. Throughout, students are encouraged to focus their academic work on an area of public health that interest them and on a problem that they hope to impact in their professional work. I continued in an area I began as an undergraduate student of medical anthropology and explored the systems that interact to influence mental health of …

The Impact Of Weather Conditions On Mood Variability In Geographically Relocated Versus Non-Relocated Individuals, Jamie M. Scott

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

A void exists in the literature in regards to how identical weather conditions impact individuals from different geographic locations. It is believed relocated individuals are more susceptible to fluctuations in mood stemming from novel weather conditions than indigenous individuals. The sample consisted of 70 life-long Minnesota residents and 25 individuals who have spent minimum of one year living outside of Minnesota. Participants completed a mood self-report measure online for four consecutive weeks to determine positive and negative affect levels. Data was then matched with corresponding weather data for the same time period. No support was found for the hypothesis. However, …

Masculinity, Male Empowerment, And Hiv/Aids Risk In Caprivi, Namibia, Mark Perry

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Namibia has a generalized HIV epidemic, with 13% of adults being infected. Its East Caprivi Region has the highest prenatal HIV prevalence in the country, 21%, among girls and women aged 15-24 years. In recent years, researchers have pointed to men who express their masculinity through high-risk sex as driving the epidemic in East Caprivi. This exploratory study examined the role that men and their masculinity concepts played in transmission, how those concepts were evolving over time, what was influencing the change, and in which directions. Employing grounded theory methods and guided by Robert Connell's theoretical framework on masculinities, the …

Relationships Among Constructive Communication, Self-Efficacy, And Motivation In Latino Men Who Smoke: A Path Analysis, Alexander Malik Khaddouma

Masters Theses

Previous authors have posited that the health and functioning of romantic relationships may play a role in individual partners’ motivation to engage in healthier behavioral patterns. This effect of romantic relationship functioning may be particularly applicable to Latino couples, given the cultural value of familismo (Galanti, 2003). Utilizing specific factors of Lewis and colleagues’ (2006) Interdependence Model, the present study tested a model of motivation for smoking cessation in which self-efficacy mediates the effect of perceived spousal constructive communication patterns on male partners’ motivation to quit smoking. The model was tested in a sample of 173 Latino couples who underwent …

Hair Cortisol As A Biomarker Of Stress In Mindfulness Training For Smokers., Simon B Goldberg, Alison R Manley, Stevens S Smith, Jeffrey M Greeson, Evan Russell, Stan Van Uum, Gideon Koren, James M Davis

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

OBJECTIVES: Stress is a well-known predictor of smoking relapse, and cortisol is a primary biomarker of stress. The current pilot study examined changes in levels of cortisol in hair within the context of two time-intensity matched behavioral smoking cessation treatments: mindfulness training for smokers and a cognitive-behavioral comparison group.

PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen participants were recruited from a larger randomized controlled trial of smoking cessation.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Hair samples (3 cm) were obtained 1 month after quit attempt, allowing for a retrospective analysis of hair cortisol at preintervention and post-quit attempt time periods. Self-reported negative affect was also assessed before and after …