Other Psychology Commons^™

Hoarding And The Hoarded Home: A Phenomenological And Psychoanalytic Study, Brianna Stich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While research on hoarding tends to isolate hoarders from the homes they hoard and in which they live, the hoard and the hoarder share a life in the home. This study explores how hoarders live with and live through their hoard at home. It combines psychoanalysis and phenomenology within a unique methodological framework to provide a hermeneutic reading of the psychological significances of the hoarded home. In this study, the contemporary conceptualization of hoarding is historically situated and critiqued from a phenomenological perspective, and the view that hoarding is a single, behaviorally-defined syndrome that is explainable by a cognitive-behavioral model …

Do Resiliency And Coping Skills Moderate The Relationship Between Mood Disorders And Parenting Styles Due To Parental Relationship Distress?, Tiffany Burks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parental relationship dynamics such as intimate partner violence (IPV), interpersonal distress (IPD), and parental alienation (PA) can significantly affect both mental health and parenting practices. This study examined whether personal strengths, specifically resilience and problem-focused coping, could help buffer these negative outcomes. Correlational analyses showed that IPV, IPD, and PA were positively associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. IPV and PA were also negatively associated with the use of an authoritative parenting style. In contrast, resilience and problem-focused coping were linked to fewer mood-related symptoms and greater use of authoritative parenting. Multiple regression analyses revealed that IPV significantly predicted …

Finding An Effective Measure Of Religiosity And Substance Use Levels For The Deaf: An Attempted Pilot Study, Angela Masiello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Deaf often lack access to health-promoting services (Meador & Zazove, 2005), though they have an increased risk of developing substance use disorders (Hommes et al., 2018). Communication has been a prominent barrier to the accessibility of healthcare services and participation in research for the Deaf (McKee et al., 2012). Literature has shown multiple methodological challenges when conducting research with the Deaf (Napier et al., 2018). This pilot study used Jones et al.’s (2001) cross-cultural translation model to translate two measures into American Sign Language (ASL). Six bilingual experts in ASL and English translated the RSAS-5 and the TAPS into …

Excessive Before It Begins: A Critical Analysis Of Racialized Encounters Between Police And African American Men, Lucas Goodwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last decade, the racial violence that plagues relations between African Americans and the police has been brought to the attention of the American public by means of cell phone video footage of police use of excessive, and at times lethal, force in encounters with African American men. The images of police brutality that have emerged in this time have outraged millions of Americans, sparking nationwide protests, as well as various social and political movements. While perspectives may abound regarding the causes and significance of such brutality, the data is clear on one thing: Police violence disproportionately harms African …

Neuropunk: A Discursive Ethnographic Study Of The Do-It-Yourself Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Community, Erick Guzman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to understand the sociocultural contexts surrounding the do-it-yourself (DIY) use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) devices. TDCS is a non-invasive method of brain stimulation which has a history of use in (1) human brain mapping for basic neuroscience studies, (2) neuropsychological rehabilitation and the treatment of psychological disorders in clinical populations, and (3) cognitive enhancement in healthy people. However, its validity and effectiveness across these uses remain open to debate. Since the early 2010’s, tDCS has attracted a number of lay individuals interested in using it outside of formal scientific and medical contexts. These DIY tDCS …

A Force To Be Reckoned With: Testimonios From Latina/E Senior Leaders Across Psychology Contexts, Sandra Bertram Grant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latinas currently make up 76% of overall Latino/a/e participation in psychology (American Psychological Association, 2022); however, the numbers of Latinas in top echelon leadership positions are low (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021, 2022). Notedly, the information on the current state of Latine representation in the field of psychology is even more limited. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the testimonios of eight Latina/es regarding their professional development, decision making process, pursuit, and persistence in leadership positions, particularly within the field of psychology. This study is guided by Testimonio (Huber, 2009) as the methodological approach and analysis, …

The Impact Of Kangaroo Care (Kc) On Parent Stress, Infant Neurobehavioral Regulation, And Parent-Infant Attachment In Very And Extremely Preterm Infants, Justine Vecchiarelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the high-risk population of infants born atinfants, developmental delays in infants, and parent-infant relationship disruption. Kangaroo care (KC) has shown promise as an intervention to buffer these adverse effects, however, KC engagement in NICUs is obstructed by lack of clear guidelines. Furthermore, limited research exists on KC including infants born atoutcomes, infant behavioral/developmental outcomes, and parent-infant relationship outcomes conjointly. The aim of this study was, therefore, to examine the impact of kangaroo care engagement on precursors of adverse outcomes including parent stress, infant neurobehavioral organization, and parent-infant bonding with the intent of informing clinical practice. Data was …

Informed Consent Document Delivery: Effects On Appalachian Caregivers' Comprehension, Trust In Researchers, And Willingness To Participate, Tess A. Simpson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether altering an informed consent document (ICD), in ways that either promote or inhibit accessibility, would affect potential participants’ willingness to participate in a child development laboratory-based study. Specifically, I was interested in assessing the willingness to participate of historically underrepresented groups, especially Appalachian caregiver-child dyads. I altered three parameters of a previously approved and employed ICD to explore whether these parameters impacted Appalachian caregivers’ comprehension of the study, willingness to participate, and trust in the researchers. The manipulated parameters included reading level, utilization of illustrative pictures, and inclusion of text-to-speech …

Cannabis Exposure During Pregnancy And Neural Mechanisms Of Parenting: Assessing Neural Responses To Infant Cues And Parenting Outcomes, Shannon Powers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As legalization of cannabis and cannabinoids spreads in the United States, access and use of cannabis during the prenatal period has increased. There is limited knowledge on the effects of prenatal cannabis use on the parental brain. One way to identify potential effects of cannabis on parenting is through studying parenting brain functions and behavior. Cannabis use disorder (CUD) has been shown to be associated with lower positive parenting and lower sensitivity to infants, but it is unclear by what mechanisms. The following two studies address this gap in knowledge by examining the association between cannabis use during the prenatal …

Reconciling Moral Dissonance: A Framework For Re-Integrating Moral Orientation With Life Agency During Warfighters’ Struggles With Military Moral Injury, Jeffrey L. Zust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses case studies to critically examine the Three Mirror Model (TMM) as a framework for understanding the formation and healing of Military Moral Injury (MMI). I adapt the work of Stephen Brookfield and Neal Krause to evaluate using the TMM as a methodology for dealing with the complex issues of MMI within a military deployment cycle (training, warfighting, and healing) (Brookfield 2012, 2017; Krause 2022). Specifically, I use theorists, researchers, healers, and warfighters as key stakeholders to identify and critically examine the intersections of disciplines and the subsets of models where warfighters’ moral orientations and moral agency form …

Extending The Utility Of Ant Colony Optimization Through The Incorporation Of An Intraclass Correlation Coefficient To Assess For Rater Consistency, Mark Leveling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is a flexible algorithm designed to solve complex combinatorial problems. While the method was derived from the behavior of ants by researchers in the field of computer science, its application to solving complex combinatorial problems is widespread in a growing number of fields in behavioral science, including psychometrics. Over the last two decades, psychometricians have adapted ACO to measurement model specification problems with the intention of generating measurement models that express measurement model fit and reliability within the standards of what is considered acceptable. Additionally, psychometricians have used ACO to generate shortened versions of existing measures …

The Entrepreneur’S Burden: Investigating The Interplay Between Impostorism And Entrepreneurial Identity, Megan Laura Weber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Entrepreneurship is often portrayed as a glamorous pursuit of success but conceals a darker side, exacerbated by impostorism, characterized by challenges, identity conflicts, and diminished well-being. This "dark side" of entrepreneurship is seldom explored due to our collective fascination with the central figure of the entrepreneur. Impostorism is a prevalent phenomenon among individuals who perceive that their role is beyond their capabilities and fear being exposed as a "fake." Impostorism can have negative consequences, including self-sabotage, missed opportunities, and difficulty in seeking help or support, which can impact the ability of entrepreneurs to take entrepreneurial action and experience well-being.

This …

Safest Kid (A Sexual Assault Framework In Education To Support Trauma In Kids With Intellectual Disability): Delphi Study Development Of A Model And Utilization, Ashley M. Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a grave need for additions to the school psychologist’s toolbox to support students with intellectual disability (ID) and sexual trauma. These children are especially vulnerable to adverse life experiences overall and are at a particularly high risk of experiencing sexual abuse and resulting trauma. Children with ID are less likely to have their trauma symptoms identified by those around them, as symptoms do not always present in the same way as their neurotypical peers and trauma symptoms are more likely to be grouped into the rest of their disability through diagnostic overshadowing. Additionally, individuals with ID are at …

An Existential Punchline: How Humor Functions In A Young Adult Friendship Facing Advanced Cancer, Megan E. Solberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Young adults (i.e., age 18-39) only comprise 4% of the total cancer population, yet cancers in this group are commonly found at more advanced stages due to situational factors influencing delayed diagnosis including access to healthcare, quality health insurance and competing life demands that may hinder prioritization of healthcare. Young adults with cancer also face unique challenges including higher rates of psychological distress, which may contribute to increased risk of social disconnection in response to cancer. Research suggests that humor may be a helpful coping approach and communication mechanism for mitigating distress and discussing difficult topics. Grounded within the frameworks …

The Words. Or Holes. Or Both: Writing As An Integrative Methodology For Trauma, Daniel A. Castle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project seeks to identify methods authors have used to integrate their traumatic experiences. My work will analyze the genre of War Literature and specific authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and Kurt Vonnegut to explore the way writers describe the trauma of combat. Using insights from neuroscience and psychology, I will expand the field of Cognitive Literary Studies from a focus on the reader to a focus on the writer by linking neurological functions with narrative tools.

Taiwanese International Students In Clinical Supervision: A Phenomenological Study, Joey Chiao-Yin Hsiao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The population of international students has continued to grow in the past two decades and become an important segment of U.S. university enrollment (Ng & Smith, 2001). Altogether, there is limited literature that is devoted to international students’ experience in clinical supervision and merely any international students studies specifically focused on the Taiwanese international student subgroup. This study examined the experiences of Taiwanese international students in clinical supervision. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to extract the phenomenon of participants’ lifeworld and qualitative data were collected from individual semi-structured interviews with Taiwanese international students (N=6). Data analysis led to four …

Risky Behavior As Motivated Emotion Regulation: A Mixed-Method Approach, Lyneé A. Herrera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Engaging in risky health behaviors is a ubiquitous human experience that often marks developmental progression from adolescence into adulthood. While much previous research has framed risky behaviors in terms of negative legal, social, and public health consequences, less empirical work has been done on potential benefits of their engagement. A growing body of research has identified emotion regulation deficits as a significant driver of risky behavior engagement, suggesting that these behaviors may offer perceived emotional benefits when other regulation strategies are less accessible. Previous research has shown that emotional outcomes can be influenced by the regulation strategies one chooses to …

Risk And Promotive Factors For Perinatal Mental Health Problems: Adverse And Benevolent Childhood Experiences And Contemporaneous Support And Stress, Jillian S. Merrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite a growing body of research on childhood risk and promotive factors for perinatal mental health, as well as extensive research on adulthood risk and promotive factors for these problems, little research considers childhood and adulthood experiences alongside one another. The current study addressed this gap by examining childhood experiences, both adverse and benevolent, alongside contemporaneous sociodemographic stress and social support as predictors of depression and PTSD symptoms during pregnancy and at 3-4 months postnatal.

Participants were 175 ethnically-diverse women (M = 28.07 years, SD = 5.68, range = 18-40; 38.9% White, 25.7% Latina, 16.6% Black, 12.0% biracial/multiracial, 6.8% …

Childhood Maltreatment And Romantic Relationship Functioning During Pregnancy: Women’S Narrative Coherence About Partners And Couples’ Conflict Communication And Recovery, Laura M. River

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with difficulties in romantic relationships in adulthood, including conflict, less support, and difficulties in communication. However, little is known about the impact of CM on romantic relationship functioning in the context of pregnancy, during which time romantic relationships are highly influential for family well-being. Additionally, very limited research has been conducted on fathers’ relationship experiences after a history of CM. In a set of two papers, this dissertation examined the effects of CM on 1) pregnant women’s narrative coherence about their romantic partners and 2) couples’ (pregnant women and babies’ fathers) observed conflict communication and …

Anxiety As A Compensatory Factor For Executive Functioning Abilities And Later Adhd Symptoms In Youth With Adhd, Rebecca Slomowitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher ADHD symptoms have been associated with reduced executive functioning (EF) performance in children. However, an emerging body of research has suggested that in children with higher ADHD symptoms, higher levels of anxiety symptoms may contribute to buffered executive functioning (EF) performance, termed a compensatory interaction. However, results investigating this hypothesis have been mixed, possibly due to the use of smaller sample sizes, cross-sectional datasets, and infrequent testing of compensatory interaction effects between ADHD and anxiety symptoms. The current study expands upon the previous literature by testing for compensatory interactions between anxiety symptoms and ADHD symptoms (e.g., inattention and hyperactive-impulsive …

A Pandemic’S Potential To Haunt: A Longitudinal Look At The Professional Wellbeing Of Tn’S Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health (Iecmh) Workforce, Robyn A. Dolson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) providers engage in uniquely relational work with high-risk families that expose them to the full advantages (i.e., compassion satisfaction [CS]) and disadvantages (e.g., burn-out [BO]) of a helper role. Though the pandemic seemed poised to escalate disadvantage, most early pandemic studies found high CS alongside elevated BO. Unfortunately, as COVID-19 has continued, CS has declined while BO has increased. Given the delayed COVID-19 impact on children, these changes may be particularly acute for IECMH providers. Using a longitudinal cohort of 27 IECMH providers, this study aimed to describe and quantify changes in professional …

School Psychologists’ Knowledge And Perceived Competence Regarding Concussion Management In Schools, Braelyn Tracy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that can have a serious effect on a young, developing brain. Following a concussion, it is common for children and adolescents to experience difficulties in the school setting. Schools may be the ideal setting to address some of the problems children experience as schools employ some personnel with expertise and experience in assessment and intervention. If return to learn is put to the side, students experiencing concussion signs and symptoms could potentially have long-term cognitive problems. School psychologists play a key role in the prevention and assessment of, and intervention for …

Social Ecological Resilience, Social Capital, Anomie And The Impact Of Covid-19., Kevin Pacifico Gonzaga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From climate change to racial tension and income inequality, many difficulties face the United States and those who live within its borders. The extreme and increasing political polarization in the United States as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have only made these challenges more difficult to address. In this complex web of adversity, the concept of resilience is important to study. Resilience may be broadly defined as the ability to “bounce back” or return to adaptive functioning after experiencing significant adversity or challenges (Smith et al., 2008). Better understanding how resilience functions and the general state of …

The Effects Of Personal Growth Initiative, Grit, And Spirituality On Competition Anxiety In Student Athletes, Taylor Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Personal growth initiative (PGI) is an intrinsically motivated engagement in growth processes that contribute to their ability to excel in sporting performance (Robitschek, 1998), and PGI may also predict their grit as well. Like PGI, team cohesion influences both performance and well-being in athletes, and little research has explored how spiritually oriented coaching influences team cohesion. This study explored PGI, grit, competition anxiety, intrinsic motivation, and the impact of spiritual involvement in sports on team cohesion. A sample (N = 45) of collegiate athletes at private Christian universities completed self-report measures in a survey. PGI was not a significant predictor …

The Effects Of Variations Of Victim Impact Statements On Juror Bias, Emily Sutton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Victim impact statements (VIS) are federally protected statements describing the physical, emotional, and financial impact of a crime on a victim. States can decide the content and timing of the VIS, resulting in much variation. Previous research has found an effect of these variations on mock juror bias in capital trials. The current study examined if variations such as changing the strength of emotion, crime type, and including sentencing recommendation within a VIS affects the judgements of mock jurors. The results showed the sexual assault VIS produced higher guilt ratings and longer sentences. Furthermore, the inclusion of a high sentencing …

K-5 Elementary Alternative Program: A Case Study, William E. Scheuer Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine how the K-5 elementary alternative program All Students Can Thrive (ASCT) used student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. There is a lack of research on K-5 elementary alternative programs, such as ASCT, and specifically those that integrate student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. Literature does not contain universally accepted interventions that are effective in the elementary alternative setting to help students return to the mainstream classroom setting better prepared to display appropriate behaviors when a student is removed from a mainstream classroom setting due to disruptive behaviors. …

Emotion Dysregulation And Intimate Partner Aggression During Pregnancy: Leveraging Both Partners’ Experiences With Dyadic Data, Victoria M. Atzl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner aggression (IPA) during pregnancy is a significant public health problem that has negative consequences for maternal and fetal health. This study examined emotion dysregulation as a potential predictor of IPA during pregnancy from a dyadic perspective. Participants were 113 couples expecting a baby and included 113 mothers (MOBs; Mage = 27.50 years, SDage = 5.53, rangeage = 19-40; 38.1% White, 24.8% Latinx, 15.9% African American, 14.2% biracial/multiracial, 3.5% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 2.7% Native American and .8% other) and 113 fathers (FOBs; Mage = 29.83 years, SDage = 7.61, rangeage = 18-55; 38.1% White, 22.1% African American, 20.4% Latinx, …

Critical Experiences Of Being Humbled In Psychotherapy Training: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Mackenzie White Jessen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Therapists’ cultural humility has shown promise for being a “trait like” quality that improves psychotherapy treatment for marginalized populations (Hook et al., 2016, Owen et al., 2016). However, researchers have emphasized that it is important to establish whether cultural humility can be fostered or developed through training (Davis et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to understand the phenomenon of trainees being humbled in session during graduate school training and its potential relationship to trainee development. This is the first study to specifically examine the experience of being humbled by clients in session or that explores the potential …

Evaluating The Impact Of Individual And Couple Relationship Education On Postpartum Depression, Maggie O’Reilly Treter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation evaluated the impact of relationship education on postpartum depression using data from two randomized controlled trials of relationship education for individuals and couples who were pregnant or recently had a baby. Paper 1 focused on a well-established relationship education program for low-income couples in Oklahoma City, Family Expectations. Key findings from Paper 1 demonstrated that being randomized to Family Expectations was associated with lower odds of experiencing depression in the first 12 months after having a baby among both mothers and fathers, though this effect was only marginally significant, and that the program had the strongest impact among …

Interrupting Holistic Processing May Improve The Detection Of Deceptive Emotional Facial Expressions, Christopher A. Gunderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although a growing body of evidence suggests that genuine and deceptive facial expressions differ, previous work is mixed as to whether observers can discern between them. One explanation is that cues to deception on the face are subtle and not readily perceived by observers. I argue that the way people process faces may obscure these cues, making them ‘unseen’ by observers. In the current work, I pit two hypotheses against each other to test whether interrupting holistic processing improves or impairs the ability to identify deceptive emotional expressions. Since people process faces holistically, one region of the face may interfere …