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Health Psychology Commons

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2015

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Articles 1 - 30 of 184

Full-Text Articles in Health Psychology

"There’S More To Us Than This:" A Qualitative Study Of Black Young Adults’ Perceptions Of Media Portrayals Of Hiv, Maya Corneille, Anna Lee, Roseina Britton, Judith C. Barker Dec 2015

"There’S More To Us Than This:" A Qualitative Study Of Black Young Adults’ Perceptions Of Media Portrayals Of Hiv, Maya Corneille, Anna Lee, Roseina Britton, Judith C. Barker

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The extent to which the targeted group attends to and is engaged by HIV/STI prevention messages is one component of effective health communication. Through an empirical examination of the cumulative perceptions of HIV/STI prevention media messages targeted to Black youth and young adults, this qualitative study privileges the voices of Black/ African American young adults as a group that is frequently targeted in HIV prevention campaigns. Semi-structured interviews with 23 Black/African American young adults yielded key themes that suggest barriers to effective health communication. Traditionally, health promotion has advocated for targeted messages as a means to increase risk perception and …


Smoking And Exercise: Mechanisms And Effects During Simulated And Genuine Quit Attempts, Stefanie De Jesus Dec 2015

Smoking And Exercise: Mechanisms And Effects During Simulated And Genuine Quit Attempts, Stefanie De Jesus

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cigarette smoking is a leading agent for premature morbidity and mortality among the global community. Most individuals surrender to tobacco use disorder due to the inability to cope with cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Exercise appears to provide acute relief. Currently, it is unclear how exercise attenuates these reductions. Furthermore, the available evidence has focused on acute outcomes besides smoking behaviour and is limited to simulated quit attempts. Three experimental studies were designed to address these outstanding issues. Not surprisingly, a bout of moderate intensity exercise was found in study 1 (chapter 2) to reduce cravings associated with a temporary period …


The Use Of Peer Mentoring To Decrease Stress In Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Elise G. Head Dec 2015

The Use Of Peer Mentoring To Decrease Stress In Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Elise G. Head

Doctoral Projects

Nurse anesthesia programs throughout the nation are extremely competitive with strict admissions criteria and demanding curriculum. Students enrolled in these programs, termed Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs), experience high average daily stress levels throughout their enrollment in a nurse anesthesia program (NAP). This quantitative study examined whether there is a decrease in SRNA average daily perceived stress when peer mentoring is employed. Inclusion criterion was all SRNAs enrolled in a single 3 year, post-baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) NAP at a comprehensive Carnegie research university with Southern Regional Education Board-Level 1 designation. Fifty-six SRNAs were surveyed using a modified …


Utilization Of A Focus Group To Evaluate The Perceived Stress Levels And Coping Mechanisms Of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Cillora Hicks Dec 2015

Utilization Of A Focus Group To Evaluate The Perceived Stress Levels And Coping Mechanisms Of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Cillora Hicks

Doctoral Projects

Each year, thousands of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) matriculate into a nurse anesthesia educational program, confronted with unforeseen challenges and stressors. Although a certain amount of stress is essential to stimulate learning, excessive stress can have dire consequences in delaying a students’ academic and clinical progression. The purpose of this Capstone Project was to explore and describe the perceptions of 12 SRNAs relevant to their stress levels and coping behaviors in the management of academic and personal stress. The clinical research questions guiding the study examined the stress levels and coping behaviors of the SRNAs as measured by the …


Recuerdos Que Curan. Memoria Y Ciencia Ficción En Chile, Kaitlin R. Sommerfeld, Juan C. Toledano Dec 2015

Recuerdos Que Curan. Memoria Y Ciencia Ficción En Chile, Kaitlin R. Sommerfeld, Juan C. Toledano

Alambique. Revista académica de ciencia ficción y fantasía / Jornal acadêmico de ficção científica e fantasía

A través del análisis de la novela Synco de Jorge Baradit y el cuento "Exerion" de Pablo Castro, se propone el uso de la literatura de ciencia ficción como vehículo para la curación de traumas producidos por la dictadura chilena de Augusto Pinochet. Los autores creen que a través del extrañamiento y la heterotopía, la ciencia ficción puede ser útil y pertinente a lo que se ha venido a llamar como literatura del trauma.


The College Experience: Exploring The Relationship Between Sleep, Executive Function, And Alcohol Use, Evelyn R. Conner Dec 2015

The College Experience: Exploring The Relationship Between Sleep, Executive Function, And Alcohol Use, Evelyn R. Conner

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.


Community-Based Rehabilitation Supports For Social Inclusion And Work Participation Of Young Adults With Visual Impairment In Kenya: A Case Study, Philomena Jepkemboi Tanui Dec 2015

Community-Based Rehabilitation Supports For Social Inclusion And Work Participation Of Young Adults With Visual Impairment In Kenya: A Case Study, Philomena Jepkemboi Tanui

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young adults with a visual impairment (VI) experience less interaction with the community that impacts the way they relate to the world as they transition to the larger society where they face significant barriers of adjustment, exclusion, and work participation. Young adults with VI contend with cultural stigma, inequality, poor self-esteem caused by marginalization, a low quality of life (QOL), and lack of Social support systems that exist beyond the home. The aim of this study was to understand the perceptions of young adults with VI in Elgeyo-Marakwet and Kisumu Counties of Kenya concerning the barriers to community inclusion and …


Examining The Association Between Psychotropic Medication And Suicidal Desire And Risk, Brittney L. Assavedo Dec 2015

Examining The Association Between Psychotropic Medication And Suicidal Desire And Risk, Brittney L. Assavedo

Master's Theses

The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between components of suicidal desire and psychotropic medication. Specifically, the usage of psychotropic medication, the usage of specific classes of psychotropic medications and the amount of psychotropic medication utilized and differences in feelings of perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness and overall suicide risk were examined. The present study utilized pre-collected data consisting of 225 patients with substance use disorder undergoing residential treatment for substance dependence. It was posited that individuals utilizing psychotropic medications would exhibit higher mean levels of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicide risk relative to individuals not …


Measuring Depression In Prostate Cancer Patients: Does The Scale Used Make A Difference?, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie, Myra Hunter Nov 2015

Measuring Depression In Prostate Cancer Patients: Does The Scale Used Make A Difference?, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie, Myra Hunter

Vicki Bitsika

This study investigated differences in the scores, relative severity and major depressive disorder (MDD) and subsyndromal depression status from three standardised self-report scales for depression in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Depression subscale (HADS-D), the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression were administered to a sample of 138 PCa patients via mail-out self-reports in Queensland, Australia during May 2014. Despite significant correlations between the total scores from the three scales, severity classification differed across the three scales and there was evidence of considerable underestimation of depression by the HADS-D …


The Influence Of Gender, Anxiety And Food Cravings On Alcohol Use Within A University Population, Jaques Marissa, Peta Stapleton Nov 2015

The Influence Of Gender, Anxiety And Food Cravings On Alcohol Use Within A University Population, Jaques Marissa, Peta Stapleton

Peta B. Stapleton

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of gender, anxiety and food cravings on alcohol use within a university population. University students (N = 150) completed a survey containing a demographic questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Food Cravings Inventory. Results revealed gender was a significant predictor of alcohol use in university students, with males reporting greater levels of alcohol consumption than females. Food cravings were also observed to be a significant predictor of alcohol use in university students, independent of gender. Unexpectedly, state and trait anxiety failed to significantly predict …


The Role Of Fear Avoidance Beliefs In Return To Work Post-Injury, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah M. Doley, Sabrina Ong, Katarina Fritzon, Richard Hicks, Tony Cacciola Nov 2015

The Role Of Fear Avoidance Beliefs In Return To Work Post-Injury, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah M. Doley, Sabrina Ong, Katarina Fritzon, Richard Hicks, Tony Cacciola

Richard Hicks

BACKGROUND: Fear avoidance beliefs have been demonstrated significant predictors of disability and work status post occupational injury and appear particularly important in explaining the transition from acute to chronic disability. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between fear avoidance beliefs, health-related quality of life, and their influence on return to work (RTW) outcomes, including durable RTW, post-occupational injury. METHODS: A total of 1179 questionnaires were posted to clients previously receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the Return to Work Assist program in Queensland, Australia. Participants were asked to indicate their current RTW status in addition to completing questionnaires measuring fear avoidance …


The Role Of Fear Avoidance Beliefs In Return To Work Post-Injury, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah M. Doley, Sabrina Ong, Katarina Fritzon, Richard Hicks, Tony Cacciola Nov 2015

The Role Of Fear Avoidance Beliefs In Return To Work Post-Injury, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah M. Doley, Sabrina Ong, Katarina Fritzon, Richard Hicks, Tony Cacciola

Rebekah Doley

BACKGROUND: Fear avoidance beliefs have been demonstrated significant predictors of disability and work status post occupational injury and appear particularly important in explaining the transition from acute to chronic disability. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between fear avoidance beliefs, health-related quality of life, and their influence on return to work (RTW) outcomes, including durable RTW, post-occupational injury. METHODS: A total of 1179 questionnaires were posted to clients previously receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the Return to Work Assist program in Queensland, Australia. Participants were asked to indicate their current RTW status in addition to completing questionnaires measuring fear avoidance …


The Role Of Fear Avoidance Beliefs In Return To Work Post-Injury, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah M. Doley, Sabrina Ong, Katarina Fritzon, Richard Hicks, Tony Cacciola Nov 2015

The Role Of Fear Avoidance Beliefs In Return To Work Post-Injury, Bruce Watt, Lucas Ford, Rebekah M. Doley, Sabrina Ong, Katarina Fritzon, Richard Hicks, Tony Cacciola

Bruce Watt

BACKGROUND: Fear avoidance beliefs have been demonstrated significant predictors of disability and work status post occupational injury and appear particularly important in explaining the transition from acute to chronic disability. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between fear avoidance beliefs, health-related quality of life, and their influence on return to work (RTW) outcomes, including durable RTW, post-occupational injury. METHODS: A total of 1179 questionnaires were posted to clients previously receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the Return to Work Assist program in Queensland, Australia. Participants were asked to indicate their current RTW status in addition to completing questionnaires measuring fear avoidance …


Community-Based Memory Screening Intervention And Memory Knowledge In Older Adults, Tessa S. Lundquist Nov 2015

Community-Based Memory Screening Intervention And Memory Knowledge In Older Adults, Tessa S. Lundquist

Doctoral Dissertations

As the United States’ population ages, there is a growing need for older adults to screen for age-related memory problems. Four theoretically-derived psychosocial factors are predictive of dementia screening intention: perceived benefits, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, and knowledge about aging memory. The current study preliminarily tested whether these factors could be increased with a community-based, educational memory screening intervention. Educational presentations were offered at community senior centers and data on psychosocial factors and willingness to screen were collected pre- and post-presentation from 32 older adult participants (age M = 78.69, SD = 7.12). Perceived benefits and self-efficacy significantly increased from pre- …


Poverty Indicators And Mental Health Functioning Among Adults Living With Hiv In Delhi, India, Ezer Kang Oct 2015

Poverty Indicators And Mental Health Functioning Among Adults Living With Hiv In Delhi, India, Ezer Kang

Department of Psychology Faculty Publications

Poor mental health functioning among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) has gained considerableattention particularly in low-income countries that disproportionately carry the global HIV/AIDSburden. Fewer studies, however, have examined the relationship between poverty indicators andmental health among PHLIV in India. Based on this cross-sectional study of 196 HIV-seropositiveadults who received medical services at Shalom AIDS Project in Delhi, India, structural equationmodeling and mediation analysis were employed to estimate the associations between povertyindices (household asset index, food security, unemployment, water treatment, sanitation), HIVhealthfactors (illness in the past 3 months, co-morbid medical conditions), and psychologicaldistress. In the final model, ownership of fewer household …


Differences In The Prevalence, Severity And Symptom Profiles Of Depression In Boys And Adolescents With An Autism Spectrum Disorder Versus Normally Developing Controls, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley Oct 2015

Differences In The Prevalence, Severity And Symptom Profiles Of Depression In Boys And Adolescents With An Autism Spectrum Disorder Versus Normally Developing Controls, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley

Vicki Bitsika

The prevalence, severity and symptom profiles for major depressive disorder (MDD) were compared in samples of boys and adolescents with and without an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Self-reports were obtained on the Depression subscale of the Child and Adolescent Symptoms Inventory (CASI-D) with 70 ASD and 50 non-ASD male participants between the ages of 8 and 18 from Queensland, Australia who were matched for age and IQ. Results indicated that the ASD participants had significantly higher total CASI-D scores, a greater proportion of participants who qualified for a diagnosis of MDD, and over 50% higher scores for 8 of the …


Eight-Month Test-Retest Agreement In Morning Salivary Cortisol, Self- And Parent-Rated Anxiety In Boys With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, Linda Agnew, Nicholas Andronicos Oct 2015

Eight-Month Test-Retest Agreement In Morning Salivary Cortisol, Self- And Parent-Rated Anxiety In Boys With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, Linda Agnew, Nicholas Andronicos

Vicki Bitsika

The agreement over time in morning salivary cortisol concentrations and also self- and parent-rated anxiety was investigated in a sample of 16 boys with an ASD. Cortisol and anxiety data were collected eight months apart. Results indicated that there were significant correlations between each pair of measures from the two occasions, suggesting that cortisol concentrations and anxiety did not vary much at all over that time, challenging the assumption that cortisol needs to be measured over multiple days to obtain reliable data from children with an ASD. Implications for research into the ways these children respond to chronic stressors are …


A Neurobiological Pathway That Mediates Stress-Induced Drug Use, Oliver Vranjkovic Oct 2015

A Neurobiological Pathway That Mediates Stress-Induced Drug Use, Oliver Vranjkovic

Dissertations (1934 -)

Cocaine addiction represents a tremendous health and financial burden on our society and the high rate of relapse to cocaine use in abstinent addicts represents a major barrier to effective therapy. Thus, understanding the factors that contribute to relapse and the underlying neurobiological processes is important for guiding the development of treatment for addiction. Stressful life events often trigger drug use in recovering addicts. The contribution of stress to drug use is problematic due to the unpredictable and often uncontrollable nature of stress. A growing literature indicates that norepinephrine and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in the brain play key roles …


The Sixties Scoop Among Aboriginal Veterans: A Critical Narrative Study, Munira Abdulwasi Sep 2015

The Sixties Scoop Among Aboriginal Veterans: A Critical Narrative Study, Munira Abdulwasi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored the experience of Aboriginal Veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop using critical narrative inquiry. The objectives were to: 1) understand the lived experience of Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, 2) explore any health needs expressed by Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, and 3) provide recommendations for the implementation of health services and programs to assist this group of Aboriginal veterans with their health needs. Eight individual interviews were conducted with participants in Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using …


Clinical Data Warehousing: A Business Analytics Approach For Managing Health Data, Lekha Narra, Tony Sahama, Peta Stapleton Sep 2015

Clinical Data Warehousing: A Business Analytics Approach For Managing Health Data, Lekha Narra, Tony Sahama, Peta Stapleton

Peta B. Stapleton

Heterogeneous health data is a critical issue when managing health information for quality decision making processes. In this paper we examine the efficient aggregation of lifestyle information through a data warehousing architecture lens. We present a proof of concept for a clinical data warehouse architecture that enables evidence based decision making processes by integrating and organising disparate data silos in support of healthcare services improvement paradigms.


Feeding Feelings: Is There A Relationship Between Emotional Eating And Body Mass Index In Adults?, Peta Stapleton, Eleanor Mackay Sep 2015

Feeding Feelings: Is There A Relationship Between Emotional Eating And Body Mass Index In Adults?, Peta Stapleton, Eleanor Mackay

Peta B. Stapleton

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between emotional eating and body mass index (BMI) in an international sample of healthy weight, overweight, and obese adults (N = 226). It was hypothesised emotional eating scores would differ significantly between the BMI classification groups. Consistent with expectations, ANCOVA results revealed significant differences in emotional eating scores across weight groups, after controlling for gender. Post-hoc analyses revealed participants who were overweight or obese reported higher emotional eating levels than participants who were normal weight. An analysis of variance indicated that being over the age of 50 was the strongest predictor of …


An Investigation Of Relationship Satisfaction On Resilience And Body Image, Peta Stapleton, Olivia Gergis Sep 2015

An Investigation Of Relationship Satisfaction On Resilience And Body Image, Peta Stapleton, Olivia Gergis

Peta B. Stapleton

The aim of this study was to explore the association between relationship satisfaction and low body image. The current research also investigated whether body image dissatisfaction (BID) was affected by ethnic diversity. Past research has examined many factors which are highly related to BID; however, there is a paucity of research investigating relationship satisfaction, resilience, and body image as interrelated factors. A community sample consisting of male and female participants (N = 169) classified as “in a relationship” completed an online survey. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated, consistent with expectations, that resilience was a predictor of relationship satisfaction and …


Beliefs About Causes Of Obesity: A Comparison Of Australian Doctors, Psychologists And Community Members, Peta Stapleton Sep 2015

Beliefs About Causes Of Obesity: A Comparison Of Australian Doctors, Psychologists And Community Members, Peta Stapleton

Peta B. Stapleton

The current study aimed to investigate differences in beliefs about causes of obesity between Australian doctors, psychologists and a community sample. Forty-one doctors, 66 psychologists and 98 community members completed questionnaires regarding beliefs about causes to obesity, including measures of obesity stigma. The results showed a consistent pattern of beliefs across groups, with all three groups having strong beliefs about behavioural and psychological causes to obesity. Further, results showed that the three groups did not have particularly strong or weak antifat attitudes and although they did not have overly favourable attitudes towards obese people, their attitudes were not highly negative. …


What Is More Likely To Predict Prejudicial Attitudes Towards Overweight Individuals: Gender, Locus Of Control, Or Social Dominance Orientation?, Joanna Kelly, Peta Stapleton Sep 2015

What Is More Likely To Predict Prejudicial Attitudes Towards Overweight Individuals: Gender, Locus Of Control, Or Social Dominance Orientation?, Joanna Kelly, Peta Stapleton

Peta B. Stapleton

As obesity has become an important healthcare issue, more research has revealed a pervasive bias against overweight individuals. Individuals are often perceived to be in control of their own weight, and therefore, if one is overweight they are considered lazy, lacking in self-control, and non-compliant (Rukavina & Li, 2011; Stapleton, 2013). Although obesity rates are rising across countries, there has been no reduction in the negative attitudes and prejudices expressed towards the overweight (Stapleton, 2013). This study was conducted to assess the effects that Health Locus of Control (HLOC), Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) (Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth & Malle, 1994), and …


Cross-Cultural Differences In Coping, Connectedness And Psychological Distress Among University Students, Tara Bales, Aileen Pidgeon, Barbara Lo, Peta Stapleton, Heidi Magyar Sep 2015

Cross-Cultural Differences In Coping, Connectedness And Psychological Distress Among University Students, Tara Bales, Aileen Pidgeon, Barbara Lo, Peta Stapleton, Heidi Magyar

Peta B. Stapleton

Globally the high prevalence of psychological distress among university students is concerning. Two factors associated with low psychological distress among university students are adaptive coping strategies and campus connectedness. The current study examines the cross-cultural differences among university students across three countries, Australia, United States of America and Hong Kong in the utilization of academic coping strategies, levels of campus connectedness and psychological distress. Cross-cultural differences were examined using the theory of cultural orientations; individualism and collectivism. Participants consisted of 217 university students. The results indicated no significant differences between the countries on individualism or collectivism or on the reported …


Cross-Cultural Differences In Coping, Connectedness And Psychological Distress Among University Students, Tara S. Bales, Aileen M. Pidgeon, Barbara C.Y. Lo, Peta Stapleton, Heidi B. Magyar Sep 2015

Cross-Cultural Differences In Coping, Connectedness And Psychological Distress Among University Students, Tara S. Bales, Aileen M. Pidgeon, Barbara C.Y. Lo, Peta Stapleton, Heidi B. Magyar

Aileen M. Pidgeon

Globally the high prevalence of psychological distress among university students is concerning. Two factors associated with low psychological distress among university students are adaptive coping strategies and campus connectedness. The current study examines the cross-cultural differences among university students across three countries, Australia, United States of America and Hong Kong in the utilization of academic coping strategies, levels of campus connectedness and psychological distress. Cross-cultural differences were examined using the theory of cultural orientations; individualism and collectivism. Participants consisted of 217 university students. The results indicated no significant differences between the countries on individualism or collectivism or on the reported …


Resilience Attributes Among University Students: A Comparative Study Of Psychological Distress, Sleep Disturbances And Mindfulness, Cher J. Mcgillivray, Aileen M. Pidgeon Sep 2015

Resilience Attributes Among University Students: A Comparative Study Of Psychological Distress, Sleep Disturbances And Mindfulness, Cher J. Mcgillivray, Aileen M. Pidgeon

Aileen M. Pidgeon

Australian university students report experiencing higher levels of psychological distress compared to other Australians, and are at increased risk of developing mental health problems. Psychological distress has been connected with poor academic performance, higher attrition rates and sleep disturbances. A protective factor associated with sleep-related self-regulation is mindfulness. Mindfulness based programs have shown benefits in stress reduction and resilience. Resilience is considered a protective factor that interacts with stressors to reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes. Resilience is also associated with positive social and personal well-being together with enhanced mental health and adjustment to university life. The current study examines …


Clinical Essentials For Obesity, Ryan Garry Montanari Sep 2015

Clinical Essentials For Obesity, Ryan Garry Montanari

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In order for health psychologists to be prepared to address obesity, foundational information on obesity is required. Psychologists have the potential to assist with lifestyle and behavioral modifications, especially when weight problems are tied to mental health conditions. Furthermore, clinicians can focus on triggers for unhealthy choices, in addition to unhealthy beliefs about eating and weight. The purpose of this research project is to provide health psychologists with essential information on the scope, associated risks, and evidence-based interventions for obesity so that they will be better prepared to deliver effective treatments.


Child Maltreatment And Military-Connected Youth: Developing Protective School Communities: School Responses Of Referral And Clinical Interventions Do Not Address Needs Of Military Families, Kris T. De Pedro Sep 2015

Child Maltreatment And Military-Connected Youth: Developing Protective School Communities: School Responses Of Referral And Clinical Interventions Do Not Address Needs Of Military Families, Kris T. De Pedro

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"Since the beginning of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, more than 2 million school-aged youth in the United States have had a parent enlist in the military. About 1.2 million of these youth have experienced the deployment of a parent. Multiple and prolonged deployments and exposure to veteran trauma disrupt family relationships and financial stability. The deployment cycle also effects the mental health and well-being of service members and left-behind caregivers and children. Indeed, the caregivers in particular must cope with emotional stress and may have feelings of social isolation. Even when seeking help, left-behind caregivers may have difficulty locating …


Attentional Biases In Processing Emotional Facial Expressions: Effects Of State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety And Awareness, Mark Edwards Aug 2015

Attentional Biases In Processing Emotional Facial Expressions: Effects Of State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety And Awareness, Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards

The effect of state anxiety and trait anxiety on selective attention for threatening, neutral and happy schematic faces was investigated. A student sample was assigned to high trait anxious (HTA) or low trait anxious (LTA) groups using questionnaire scores and state anxiety was manipulated through the threat of electric shock. Stimulus materials were presented both outside (using a backward masking procedure) and within awareness. A novel version of a probe classification task was developed to assess performance when distracting information and the central task were spatially separated. For the masked trials, the LTA group were slower to identify the status …