Other Psychology Commons^™

Embodiment Among Collegiate Women Athletes: The Perceived Impact On Sport Performance, Commitment, And Enjoyment, Hannah Lynne Silva-Breen

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Collegiate women athletes report high rates of body dissatisfaction and wanting more support for improving their body image within their athletic departments. Guided by the Developmental Theory of Embodiment (DTE; Piran, 2017), the purpose of this study was to examine collegiate women athletes’ perceptions of the relationship between their embodiment and aspects of their sport experience. Participants were 311 women currently competing in 24 different sports within NCAA and NAIA athletics. Participants completed the Experience of Embodiment Scale, Subjective Performance Questionnaire, Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2, and open-ended response questions about the perceived relationship between these variables. A convergent parallel mixed methods …

Effects Of High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation On Impulse Control Disorders In Patients With Parkinson’S Disease On Dopamine Replacement Therapy, Katherine Muksuris

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Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that causes motor deficits, cognitive impairment, and depression. The mainstay treatment for motor symptoms is dopamine replacement therapy (DRT). DRT takes the form of levodopa or dopamine receptor agonists (DAs) and can be associated with impulse control disorders (ICDs). Currently, the approach to mitigating these side effects is to decrease or stop DRT, which may cause motor symptoms to return, making the management of the disorder more difficult. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation treatment for multiple disorders, including its approved use for smoking cessation. It has also shown …

Investigating The Psychological Determinants Of Rural Volunteer Firefighters’ Health, Occupational Performance, And Resilience, Candice Jaye Brown

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Volunteer firefighters (VFFs) are essential to rural emergency response, and their ability to perform effectively depends on their mental and physical readiness. Given the high prevalence of mental and physical health challenges among VFFs, there is a critical need for research to better understand how these factors interact to develop targeted interventions that can systematically improve VFF functioning. This study addressed gaps in the literature by examining the intersections and mechanisms shaping rural VFFs’ coping functions, physical health, occupational performance, resilience, and social support. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed, beginning with a quantitative survey of 180 West …

Trauma-Informed Yoga As An Adjunct To Treatment As Usual Within Inpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Feasibility Trial., Suzanne Vogler

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Yoga interventions have been used more frequently in recent years within health and wellness settings to address both clinical and non-clinical issues. More specifically, yoga interventions and trauma-informed yoga (TIY) interventions are being explored within the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD). Initial research suggests that yoga interventions could be beneficial to the treatment of SUDs as an adjunct to treatment or a stand-alone intervention as part of continued recovery (post-clinical treatment) (Fitzgerald et al., 2021; Mallik et al., 2019). Although initial research is promising, the current quantity and quality of studies specifically exploring the feasibility and potential benefit of …

An Analysis Of Usopc National Governing Body Policies Related To Body Pressures, Body Image Concerns, And Eating Pathology, Sarah Margaret Sadler

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Athletes are often exposed to body pressures in sport environments (Voelker & Reel, 2020), which can contribute to body image concerns and eating pathology (Petrie & Greenleaf, 2007, 2012) with lasting consequences for performance and well-being. Although research has highlighted the harmful impacts of these concerns, and has called for a broader investigation into the sources of athletes’ experiences of these concerns (Voelker et al., 2022), little is known about the role of sport organizations in influencing athletes’ body pressures, body image concerns, and eating pathology. Using a descriptive qualitative research design within a post-positivist paradigmatic approach, the current study …

Examining The Online Marketing Of Sport Psychology Services By Certified Mental Performance Consultants: A Rhetorical Analysis, Jaxson S. Judkins

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In recent years, Certified Mental Performance Consultants (CMPCs) have increased their footprint in social media to connect with those that seek sport psychology services (Cotterill & Symes, 2014). The aim of this study was to identify what social media platforms are most used among CMPCs and what persuasive elements are used to draw in potential clients. All active CMPCs from 1992 to 2023 were examined to determine the most popular social media platforms used, followed by an analysis of 219 CMPCs based on their ownership of a LinkedIn account and professional website. Results indicated that LinkedIn and the consultants’ custom …

Abuse Liability Of Electronic Cigarettes In Non-Smoking Electronic Cigarette Users, Andrea Renee Milstred

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Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are devices designed to aerosolize nicotine and are increasing in popularity among both former cigarette smokers and naïve tobacco users. Extant research has shown the dependence potential of ECIGs, though there is not a consensus on the severity of nicotine dependence caused by ECIG use. As a result of becoming dependent on nicotine, individuals may experience withdrawal symptoms (i.e., irritable, craving, depressed mood) when abstaining from nicotine. The majority of previous research on ECIG use has included samples of ECIG users who are former or current smokers. The present study evaluated ECIG withdrawal suppression among a population …

A Grounded Theory Investigation Of Basic Psychological Needs Theory As A Framework For Effective Mental Health Referrals In Collegiate Sport, Luna Ugrenović

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Using a grounded theory approach, this study explored collegiate athletes’ mental health referral experiences and identified mechanisms explaining those experiences based upon perceptions of psychological need fulfillment and thwarting according to Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT). Interviews were conducted with a purposive, maximum variation sample of 14 current and former collegiate athletes who were referred to mental health services by support personnel or other athletes. Analyses yielded three overarching theoretical categories/properties: pre-referral factors, proactive and reactive referral conversations, and referral outcomes. Referral is often understood as an isolated conversation in which athletes are provided mental health resources in response to …

Drivers Of Change In Mindfulness- And Acceptance-Based Interventions With Athletes: Investigating The Influence Of Dosage, Readiness, And Attitudes, Thomas O. Minkler

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Mindfulness- and Acceptance-based interventions (MABIs) are being used with increasing frequency with sport participants. Research suggests that such interventions may promote sport performance and impact performance-relevant factors, although the current quality and quantity of research is low. Specifically, questions about intervention engagement (i.e., dosage), potentially impacted by stage of change and attitudes toward sport psychology, need clarification. The present study utilized a multi-method, quasi-experimental longitudinal design with female- and male- identified NCAA collegiate athletes to investigate the effects of an MABI. Specifically, one NCAA Division II team (n = 16) and three NCAA Division III teams (n = …

Living Your Best Life: The Mindful Pursuit Of Student-Athlete Thriving, Andrew Augustus

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Thriving, or the concurrent experience of healthy well-being and high-level performance, may serve as a valuable construct when studying the optimal student-athlete experience and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been shown to positively impact well-being and performance. The purpose of the present study began to examine the impact of an MBI for improving student-athlete experiences of thriving via a quasi-experimental longitudinal design. NCAA Division II student-athletes (n = 55) from three sports were randomly assigned to either a control or a 7-session MBI. While comprehensive measures of thriving did not yield significant change for those in the MBI relative to …

Cue Reactivity In Electronic Cigarette Users With Sign-Tracking Or Goal-Tracking Behaviors, Polina Krom

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Polina Krom

Cue reactivity is an important predictor of addiction course and relapse. However, cue reactivity is only observed after an addiction develops. As such, it is unclear to what degree cue reactivity represents a state stemming from the addiction process versus a trait-like propensity towards developing cue-reward associations. Work in animal models has pointed to important individual differences in trait-like inclination to attribute incentive salience to reward-predictive cues that is associated with addiction-relevant behavioral and neurobiological features. These individual differences manifest as sign-tracking (ST) and goal-tracking (GT) behaviors during Pavlovian conditioning. Little research has attempted to translate ST and …

Cue Reactivity In Non-Smoking Electronic Cigarette Users, Ashley E. Douglas

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Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are among the most popular nicotine products in the United States, particularly among youth and young adults. Many individuals who use ECIGs report an interest in quitting or unsuccessful quit attempts. In addition to nicotine dependence, one factor that may contribute to continued ECIG use is an individual’s response to ECIG-related environmental stimuli, or cues. Existing research demonstrates that exposure to ECIG cues increases craving for ECIGs among cigarette smokers, including those without previous ECIG experience. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of ECIG cue exposure in experienced ECIG users with minimal smoking history, …

Correctional Officer Opinions About Offenders With Mental Illness: The Relationships Among Opinions, Burnout, Emotional Intelligence, And Mental Health Training, Courtney Hull

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Rates of mental illness among incarcerated individuals in the United States are high and have been well documented. Correctional officers are on the front line of identifying symptoms and alerting mental health professionals to problems as they arise. Correctional officers often lack an understating of mental illness, feel ill-equipped to manage mental health crises, and experience high levels of job-related stress. The objective of this study was to better understand the relationship between correctional officers’ emotional intelligence and opinions about mental illness, and to identify if burnout moderated the relationship between the variables. Additionally, the study sought to understand the …

Minocycline As A Treatment For Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Impulsive And Attentional Deficits, Kristen M. Pechacek

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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) impacts millions worldwide and can cause lasting psychiatric symptoms. Chronic neuroinflammation is a characteristic of post-injury pathology and is positively associated with psychiatric conditions such as ADHD and bipolar disorder. Therefore, the current study sought to treat TBI-induced impulsivity and inattention using minocycline, an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties. Rats were trained on the five-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRT), a measure of motor impulsivity and attention. After behavior was stable on the 5CSRT, rats received either a bilateral frontal TBI or sham procedure. Minocycline was given at either 1 h post-injury or beginning at 8 weeks …

The Dark Tetrad, Social Dominance Orientation, And Online Political Discussion, Cory D. Taylor

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Previous literature into online trolling behavior has focused upon the role of the Dark Tetrad and political measures separately. This study extended the existing body of research by examining the relationship between the Dark Tetrad personality traits, social dominance orientation (SDO) and online political trolling in the United States of America. The data was collected using an online questionnaire from American users of Facebook and Reddit in the summer of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement, and in the runup to a hotly contested national election. Positive correlations were found between all of the Dark Tetrad traits, …

Jurors' Perceptions Of Preschoolers And Younger School Aged Children's Memory Errors, Emily Margaret Deming

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The purpose of this study was to examine jurors’ perceptions of different types of memory errors in the context of a child recalling information about alleged maltreatment. Additionally, this study assessed whether developmental differences in memory errors affect jurors’ perceptions of the child, the external influences that may be affecting the child, and the defendant. Participants (N=372) were randomly assigned to one of eight vignettes that contained three different memory errors (major reconstructive memory error, minor reconstructive memory error, source monitoring error) or a control condition (no memory error), as well as two age groups (4-year-old child and …

Being Mindful Of Perfectionism And Performance Among Athletes In A Judged Sport, Erika D. Van Dyke

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Literature pertaining to mindfulness and perfectionism in sport has expanded greatly in recent years. However, little research has integrated mindfulness and perfectionism, particularly within sports where athletes are judged on performance to a standard of perfection. The current study had two primary aims: (1) to explore profiles of mindfulness and perfectionism among intercollegiate gymnasts through a person-centered approach, and (2) to analyze differences in objective performance measures across the resulting profiles. The analytic sample consisted of 244 NCAA gymnasts representing NCAA Division I, II, and III institutions. Gymnasts completed self-report measures of mindfulness and perfectionism. Competitive performance records (i.e., national …

Dispositional Empathy And Autonomic Reactivity During A Comfort Interaction, Alaina G. Tiani

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The purpose of the current study was to examine the association between dispositional (trait) empathy and autonomic reactivity during dyadic interactions among women enrolled in undergraduate psychology courses. The primary research question was: do individuals who are deemed higher in dispositional empathy according to self-report exhibit differential autonomic reactivity patterns during a task in which they are asked to comfort another student experiencing emotional distress than those who are deemed lower in dispositional empathy? The literature on this relation has been mixed and has utilized photos or videos to evoke emotion; thus this study sought to examine the relation between …

Service Dogs For Veterans With Ptsd: Taxonomy, Work Stress Reduction, And Matching, Lindsay Parenti

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Research suggests that many veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) struggle with reintegration (Sayer et al., 2010), but are unlikely to seek help or complete treatment (Schottenbauer et al., 2008). To make matters worse, available treatment options are often time consuming, challenging, and/or associated with negative side effects (Carafano & Hutchinson, 2017). Using animals as a treatment modality for veterans with PTSD is an emerging topic of interest and has shown promise (Owen, et al., 2016; Richie et al., 2016). However, several factors have hindered the advancement of this field. Obstacles include a lack of standard terminology and classification system, …

Coaching Life Skills Through Sport: An Application Of The Teaching Personal And Social Responsibility Model To Youth Sport In Eswatini, Zenzi Huysmans

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Adolescence is a formative developmental period where youth learn the life skills and values needed to become compassionate and civically-engaged young people and navigate increasingly challenging global environments. Youth in eSwatini face major context-specific challenges that impede their healthy development as well as limited engagement with government initiatives intended to support their development. This feasibility study aimed to employ youth sport as a creative and engaging context to facilitate life skills development in underprivileged youth in eSwatini. Specifically, this study explored the youth participation experiences, positive youth outcomes, and implementation successes and challenges of a sport program for underprivileged youth …