Health Psychology Commons^™

The Effect Of Deep Pressure Therapy On The Health Of Individuals With Developmental Disorders, Kaitlin Faulcon

Capstone Showcase

Many individuals with Autism (ASD), Anxiety, and other disabilities seek out tactile input, in the form of Deep Pressure Therapy, to calm themselves during stressful situations. First developed in Eastern culture and massage, Deep Pressure Therapy evolved into a mainstream technique used by various populations, including neurotypicals. Weighted blankets, compression vests, and other materials are useful in treatment but have their limitations as well. These garments and tools provide tactile input that positively impacts the individuals' biological functions, self-reported anxiety, and other essential factors. Other sensory treatments like exercise and swaddling provide similar effects but not specific to the deep …

Problems With Adherence And Social Stigma In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Lauralee Davis

Master’s Theses

For adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes the clinical importance of both adherence to disease management and social support from family and friends is apparent. However, the role that family support or peer support plays on adherence to diabetes management or how stigma impacts adherence is still unclear. This study aims to determine differences between the type of support provided by family compared to peers, to examine how possible differences in the type of support impact adherence, to examine how social anxiety and stigma may be related to adherence, and to examine the types of barriers adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes …

Cancer Patients’ Tobacco Use And Tobacco Treatment Referral Response: Implementation Outcomes At A National Cancer Institute- Designated Cancer Center, Tia Borger

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Smoking after cancer diagnosis is linked to cancer-specific and all-cause mortality among other adverse outcomes. Yet, 10-20% of U.S. cancer survivors are current smokers. Implementation of evidence-based tobacco treatment in cancer care facilities is widely recommended, yet rarely accomplished. This study focuses on the early outcomes of a tobacco treatment program integrated within an NCI-designated cancer center. Participants consist of 26,365 patients seen at the cancer center during the first 18 months of implementation. The study is a retrospective chart review of patients’ tobacco use, and among current users, patients’ treatment referral response. Over 99% of patients were screened for …

Peer Perceptions And Social Support For Young Adults On The Cancer Continuum, Emily Lehman

Student Research Posters

While on the cancer continuum, individuals report a sense of social isolation due to a lack of understanding among peers about their experiences and diagnoses (Iannarino et al., 2017). Increasingly, social support is given online rather than in person due to the positive language and communication that relies on the written word more than social cues (Warner et al., 2018). Participants in this study were 152 young adults recruited from a private university and via social media platforms. Participants were asked to complete a survey including The Measure of Interpersonal Attraction Social Attraction sub-scale (McCroskey & McCain, 1974) and a …

Effects Of Illness Type And Empathy Induction On Illness-Related Stigma In Undergraduate Students, Karlie Hill

All Master's Theses

The current study investigated if increasing empathy would decrease stigma toward populations with illness. One hundred and seventy-nine participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) sexually transmitted infections (STIs), 2) mental illness, or 3) cancer. Participants were primed with either a high-empathy prompt or low-empathy prompt. After reading the prompt, participants read a vignette detailing the experience of being diagnosed with the illness in their condition. Participants then responded to three stigma measures to assess their stigmatizing attitudes toward the person in the vignette with the illness. To test the experimental hypothesis, a multivariate analysis of covariance …

Attributions Of Blame In A Hypothetical Child Sexual Abuse Case: Roles Of Behavior Problems And Frequency Of Abuse, Kate Theimer, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Youth who are blamed for their sexual abuse may experience increased negative outcomes, such as amplified self-blame. Similarly, blaming nonoffending parents can impede their ability to support their child following disclosure. Understanding the factors that influence how people perceive victim, caregiver, and perpetrator responsibility is imperative for the protection and treatment of families who have experienced sexual abuse. Little research has explored victim and abuse characteristics that influence the perception of sexual abuse. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine the roles of behavior problems and frequency of abuse in the attribution of blame in a hypothetical …

The Relationship Between Intensity Of Fitness Tracker Usage And Motivation, Rachel Cannata, Abigail C. Daugherty, Madison O. Dirocco, Julianne Green, Pial Dasgupta

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many college students engage in unhealthy behaviors which may contribute to diseases. Additionally, some students may lack motivation to rectify these behaviors to improve their long-term health. This study assessed the relationship between intensity of fitness tracker usage and motivation among health professions students at a large, public Midwestern university. This non-experimental, correlational study used convenience sampling and a theoretical framework based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. Online recruitment announcements were emailed and included links to the consent form and survey. Motivation was measured with Deci and Ryan’s modified self-determination tool. Intensity of tracker usage was measured using a scale …

Acute Stress Disorder In Neonatal Intensiver Care Unit Mothers: Modeling Risk Factors And Trauma Appraisals Modeling, Allison Baylor 5435882

Theses and Dissertations

Postpartum mental health is a public health priority, particularly for mothers with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), who may have experienced a precipitous birth, followed by a traumatic NICU hospitalization. However, little research has focused on NICUrelated posttraumatic stress (PTSS), despite its presumed prevalence and ripple effects on infant development, family functioning, and provider burnout during the critical early bonding period. In particular, little research has evaluated: early posttraumatic stress (Acute Stress Disorder symptoms, ASD), index and sequential traumas related to NICU/birth, and relations among preexisting risk factors, and trauma appraisals/ objective trauma characteristics (related to infant …

Relationships Among Parkinson’S Disease Symptoms, Stigma, And Mental Health: A Strengths-Based Perspective, Richard S. Henry

Theses and Dissertations

As rates of Parkinson’s disease (PD) increase, so does the need to examine some of the negative social consequences experienced by people with PD. Symptoms of PD have been linked to greater experiences of stigma, and the more visible symptoms of PD increase an individual’s likelihood for experiencing stigmatization and social rejection. Individuals who experience high levels of stigma generally have poorer mental health outcomes. While these relationships are well documented, little is known about whether stigma mediates the relationship between PD symptoms and mental health outcomes. Additionally, some past research suggests that the personal strengths of social support and …

Changing Weight Management Self-Efficacy Among Obese Puerto Rican Adults: A Quantitative Study Using A Health Coaching Intervention, Richard Valentin Ayala, Josh Bernstein

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Obesity and associated healthcare-related issues continue to increase. The prevalence of obesity is on the rise, which has led many health professionals to find ways to improve health interventions. Health coaching can be a viable tool to reduce the obesity epidemic. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the effects of an 8-weekhealth coaching intervention in obese individuals from Puerto Rico and to determine if self-esteem and body image influence weight managementself-efficacy. Method: A pretest-posttest design using a weight management self-efficacy scale helped the researcher evaluate the effectof the coaching sessions. In addition, body image …

Does Resilience Moderate The Impact Of Children’S Experiences Of Racial And Ethnic Discrimination On Internalizing Problems?, Dahlia Abbas

Dissertations and Theses

This study’s objectives were to investigate how children’s experiences of discrimination impact the severity of their internalizing symptoms, and whether the relation between discrimination and internalizing symptom severity is moderated by resilience. It was predicted that children who had experienced more discrimination would have more severe internalizing symptoms, especially when they have low levels of resilience. Children [N=20; Mean (SD) age= 11.83 (2.50)] receiving low-cost music lessons in northern Manhattan were recruited into a larger study examining how learning music affects cognitive and emotional development. Children were interviewed in-person about experiences of discrimination because of their race/ethnicity using the Perceptions …

“The Power Of Love": The Role Of Sexual Communal Motivations And Relationship Power In Sexual Risk Taking, Robert Vincent Phillips

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

College-age students are an at-risk population for an unplanned pregnancy. Current sexual health interventions focus on methods of preventing pregnancy but fail to address communal motivations (being oriented towards the needs of others) which are important in relationships. Current interventions are long and require an increased attention span which is less effective today because the current generation of adolescents has a decreased attention span. The present study develops a WISE sexual health intervention (a simple yet targeted intervention) that incorporates sexual communal motivations to reduce unplanned pregnancy in college-age students. It was hypothesized that participants will have increased condom use …

Fight, Flight, Or Freezing? Investigating The Immobility Response In Military Veterans, Paige Elizabeth King

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When the body is faced with threat to life or limb, the autonomic nervous system works to overcome the danger – by either fight, flight, or freezing. While immobility may not appear to be the most logical solution, theories exist that it allows for judgement of the situation and preparation for action. This study investigated the stress response that military veterans, with or without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), demonstrate when shown unpleasant images. Researchers wanted to determine the extent to which veterans would show freezing or immobile responses when under an unpleasant image condition. It was hypothesized that veterans who …

Affect Variability And Predictability: Using Recurrence Quantification Analysis To Better Understand How The Dynamics Of Affect Relate To Health, Brooke N. Jenkins, John F. Hunter, Michael J. Richardson, Tamlin S. Conner, Sarah D. Pressman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Changes in affect over time have been associated with health outcomes. However, previously utilized measurement methods focus on variability of affect (e.g., standard deviation, root mean squared successive difference) and ignore the more complex temporal patterns of affect over time. These patterns may be an important feature in understanding how the dynamics of affect relate to health. Recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) may help alleviate this problem by assessing temporal characteristics unassessed by past methods. RQA metrics, such as determinism and recurrence, can provide a measure of the predictability of affect over time, indexing how often patterns within affective experiences repeat. …

Military Veteran Students Transition To Academic Life With Ptsd, Trauma, And Potential For Freezing Response., Alicia Marie Erchul

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study is the first known research to investigate the association of the freezing response with PTSD and traumatic stress in the military veteran student population. Current understanding of the freezing response are primarily based in comparative psychology, with some studies extending to human participants (Azevedo et al., 2005; Facchinetti et al., 2006; Hagenaars et al., 2012; Volchan et al., 2017). Models generally agree that the freezing response consists of reduced body sway with decreased heart rate (Porges, 2003, 2007; Hagenaars et al., 2014).

Thirty-eight military veteran students (n=38; 18 female; 20 male) with ages ranged from 19 to …

An Examination Of Social Connectedness On Ptsd And Freezing In A Student Military Population, Jessica Marie Ledwith

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of social connectedness (SC) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a military college population, and their relation to physiological measures such as body sway, heart rate (HR), and heat rate variability (HRV). According to previous research, people with PTSD are more likely to exhibit a freezing response to affective images. In the present study, we explore the potential freezing response for military personnel at the levels of PTSD symptom groups and social connectedness. We also investigate the possible buffering effect social connectedness has on the outcome of PTSD and freezing. There was a total of …

Maladaptive Personality Traits And Health Behaviors, Health Perceptions, And Inflammatory Biomarkers In Older Adults, Joshua R. Oltmanns

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Traits from dimensional models of normal-range personality have been shown to predict physical health outcomes including health behaviors, health perceptions, disease, and mortality. Maladaptive traits of personality disorders may predict even more variance in physical health indicators. Dimensional models of maladaptive personality traits are replacing categorical models of personality disorder, and the five-factor model of personality disorder (FFMPD) has been shown to be a useful dimensional model of maladaptive traits. However, there has been little work investigating the criterion validity of the FFMPD for predicting physical health indicators. The present study examines FFMPD scales in the prediction of health behaviors, …

“Is Therapy For Me?” Perceptions Of Therapy Inclusivity And Willingness To Seek Help Among Black Emerging Adults, Randl B. Dent

Theses and Dissertations

Mental health issues are prevalent among Black emerging adults; however, they tend to underutilize mental healthcare services. The goals of the current study were to examine whether: (1) perceived therapy inclusivity would predict willingness to utilize mental healthcare services and (2) the relationship between perceived therapy inclusivity and willingness would be moderated by two indices of racial identity (i.e., centrality and private regard). Results provide evidence that greater perceptions of therapy inclusivity are associated with greater willingness to seek mental health services even after controlling for factors, such as gender, self-stigma, and previous mental healthcare utilization. Additionally, there was no …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Caregiver Goals For Urban Children With And Without Asthma, Megan M. Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric asthma is a major public health concern that disproportionately affects children of color and youth living in low-income, urban areas. The implications for public health, child health, and family functioning necessitates our understanding and addressing experiences by families who are facing barriers within their socio-demographic context in addition to the stressors associated with managing pediatric asthma. The current study applied qualitative methods to interviews with caregivers of children with and without asthma in an effort to more deeply connect with caregivers’ experiences and yield richer information about the intersection of identities as Black caregivers living in an urban setting …

A Microlongitudinal Study Of Menopause Symptoms And Problematic Eating In Midlife Women, Dana R. Schreiber

Theses and Dissertations

Women in midlife are at risk for engagement in problematic eating behavior which is associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. Despite this risk, little is known about precipitating factors that may increase risk in this population. One specific, yet unstudied, factor that may increase risk for problematic eating in midlife women is menopause, which is characterized by distinct symptomatology (e.g., vasomotor symptoms, negative mood, sleep). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the associations among psychological, behavioral, and social symptoms of menopause and problematic eating behavior in midlife women using both retrospective and prospective methodologies. As …

Characterizing Patterns Of Cannabis Use And Related Health Effects Among Young Adults Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Alyssa Rudy

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Rapid changes in cannabis use policy and prevalence, particularly among young adults, and the lack of information regarding cannabis harms warrant investigation regarding the daily use patterns of cannabis users. Little is known regarding how variability in cannabis use frequency and administration method use patterns may be associated with differential acute cannabis-related health effects (i.e., subjective intoxication and respiratory symptoms). The purpose of the study was to characterize daily and weekly cannabis use patterns and associated cannabis-related intoxication and respiratory symptoms and test the interactions of cannabis use frequency and cannabis administration method use on cannabis-related intoxication and respiratory …

Differential Identification Of Hyperacusis And Misophonia: Implications Of Discrete Decreased Sound Tolerance (Dst) Condition Subtypes, Rachel E. Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Hyperacusis and misophonia are two conditions of decreased sound tolerance (DST) studied in the psychological literature due to their association with psychological symptoms and mechanisms. DSTs are differentiated from normal sound sensitivity due to the reported impairment and distress individuals experience. Researchers suggest that DSTs are differentiated by types of sounds and emotional reactions elicited, such that hyperacusis is a fear and pain response to ordinary environmental sounds perceived as uncomfortably loud, and misophonia is an anger and disgust response to human-made sounds, but these distinctions, and associated characteristics, have not been empirically demonstrated. Undergraduate students (N = 1572) …

Food Choice As A Signal Of Racial Identity, Danyel Smith, Shawn C.T. Jones, Phd, Nao Hagiwara,Phd

Graduate Research Posters

Objectives: This study experimentally assessed food preference as one potentially important racial identity cue particularly for Black Americans, which in turn impacts interpersonal relations both between ethnicities/races (i.e., inter-group) and within ethnicity/race (i.e., intra-group). We hypothesized that preference for “Soul Food,” which is historically significant to Black Americans, as opposed to “Fresh Salad,” would be associated with stronger racial identity and induce more positive reactions among Black participants but more negative reactions among White participants.

Methods: Undergraduate students (N = 365) viewed one of four online profiles that were ostensibly completed by a Black Student. Student gender (i.e., DeShawn vs. …

An Ecological Momentary Assessment Of Self-Improved And Self-Evaluation Body Comparisons: Associations With College Women's Body Dissatisfaction And Exercise, Rachel I. Macintyre, Kristin E. Heron, Abby L. Braitman, Danielle Arigo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Upward body comparisons are prevalent among college women and associated with body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. However, less is known about distinguishing features of the comparisons themselves as they occur in daily life. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine whether two types of upward body comparisons previously studied experimentally (self-improvement and self-evaluation) are differentially associated with body- and exercise-related outcomes in real-life settings using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Undergraduate women (N = 74) between 18-25 years (Mage = 20.4, SD = 1.63) completed five surveys on smartphones daily for seven days. EMA measures …

Shadow Women: Wives Betrayed By Sex Buyers, Ingeborg Kraus

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Shadow women are women whose husbands betray them by using prostituted women. Until now, there has been almost no attention paid to the harm to the wives or partners of men who use prostituted women. In this interview, Dr. Ingeborg Kraus talks to the former wife of a sex buyer. She describes the impact of her husband’s betrayal on her and her family. This type of harm needs to be taken seriously and more research done on it.

Doubled Up With Pain: Applying A Relational Framework To The Primary Care Provider - Chronic Pain Patient Relationship, Rebecca Hillel

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Treatment relationships between primary care providers (PCPs) and chronic pain patients are often rife with difficult interpersonal dynamics and experienced by both parties as being noncollaborative. It is important that PCPs are provided with recommendations to make these treatment relationships more collaborative. Relational psychological frameworks, such as intersubjectivity, can teach PCPs how to improve their relationships with chronic pain patients. This paper focuses on how to strengthen the working alliance between PCPs and chronic pain patients using intersubjective principles. Conceptualizing the working alliance from an intersubjective lens gives PCPs guidance about where to turn if their treatment relationships with chronic …

Secondary Trauma Of Lay Mental Health Workers In Low Resource Locations: Bukavu, Janny Jinor

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

A general consensus exists in the literature that working with a trauma population will produce negative personal, psychological, and professional consequences including secondary trauma. However, a significant research gap occurs with regard to how secondary trauma affects psychosocial assistants (PAs) who work in low-resource and conflict-stricken Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC is plagued by psychological problems resulting from numerous past and ongoing conflicts, but sufficient trained mental health personnel and resources are lacking. As a result, the dire responsibility of providing mental health services to survivors of rape has shifted to minimally trained PAs. This …

Culture Moderates The Link Between Perceived Obligation And Biological Health Risk: Evidence For Culturally Distinct Pathways To Achieving Positive Health Outcomes, Andree Hartanto, Yee-Man Ivy Lau, Jose C. Yong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Rationale: Although perceived obligations to meet the expectations of family, friends, and society can be detrimental to physical health, much research in this area has thus far been conducted exclusively on Western samples. Cross-cultural research importantly suggests that positive health can be dependent on whether one engages in modes of being that are sanctioned by one's culture. Specifically, studies show that better health is predicted when people from cultures that value independence are able to exercise their personal autonomy and when people from cultures that value interdependence are able to maintain relational harmony (Kitayama et al., 2010). Objective: Based on …

Smartphones, Stress, And The Reduction Of Cognitive Resources, Jenay R. Stone

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Smartphones are a ubiquitous part of daily life for most Americans. They offer an abundance of information, connectivity, and entertainment. Previous research suggests that smartphones are also responsible for cognitive costs in educational, public, private and professional settings when in use or audibly creating stimuli in the environment. Smartphones are also linked to an automatic attenuation of cognitive resources even when not in use and merely salient (Ward, Duke, Gneezy and Bos; Journal of the Association for Consumer Research; 2, 141, 154, 2017). The purpose of the present study was to experimentally test the effect of cell phone salience …

The Role Of Awareness In Traumatic Brain Injuries: Interviews With Experts, Dominique Chao

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Approximately 2.8 million US citizens sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually, with more than 275,000 requiring inpatient rehabilitation (Taylor, Bell & Breiding, 2013). As rehabilitation techniques are refined and adapted to increase the speed of recovery and functional independence following TBIs, there is an ongoing need for better prognostic assessment tools. Research has shown that a lack of self-awareness following TBI is associated with poorer outcomes (e.g. employability, community reintegration) following discharge from inpatient hospitalizations (Cheng & Man, 2006; Robertson & Schmitter, 2016) and can result in decreased motivation (Simmonds & Fleming, 2003), compromised safety, poor community re-integration, and …