Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Posttraumatic Stress And Posttraumatic Growth And Their Relationship To Coping And Self-Efficacy In Northwest Australian Cyclone Communities, Julie Ann Pooley, Lynne Cohen, Moira O'Conner, Myra Taylor

Research outputs 2012

The main focus of disaster research conducted to date has been on providing insights into the negative consequences of experiencing a serious threat or adversity. The present study extends this research endeavor by investigating the positive posttrauma resiliency experiences of 512 survey respondents living in four cyclone-prone communities in Northwest Australia. The findings reveal that disaster stress is often accompanied by disaster growth and, thus, provides an alternative resilience-based way of viewing postdisaster interventions.

A Theory Of The Mind As A Complex System, Craig Speelman, Kim Kirsner, Stephan Halloy

Research outputs 2012

Five principles of skill acquisition are presented based on a review of research on human learning and expertise. Essentially these principles state that practice leads to faster and more efficient uses of knowledge. This enables faster performance and results in less demand on mental resources. In turn these outcomes enable higher level behaviours to be attempted. Ultimately skills are developed through refinement of many component processes. A theory of the mind is proposed that borrows from theories of complex adaptive systems. In this theory, the mind is conceived of as consisting of agents that compete for resources associated with processing …

Nicotine Sensitization And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Content In Adolescent Rats Neonatally Treated With Quinpirole., Addie Roberts

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Neonatal treatment of quinpirole in rats increases dopamine D2-like receptor sensitivity over the animal’s lifetime, a phenomenon referred to as D2 priming. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given quinpirole (1mg/kg, i.p.) or saline on postnatal days (P)1-21. After habituation to a locomotor arena on P29-31, beginning P33, animals were administered nicotine (0.3 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg, or 0.7 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline and placed into a locomotor arena for behavioral testing every second day for a total of 9 treatments. The results showed that adolescents neonatally treated with quinpirole produced more enhanced sensitization to nicotine than controls. Brains tissues were …

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels In D2 Receptor Primed Adolescent Rats Given Twice Daily Nicotine Administrations., Josie Minnigh

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nicotine use is very prevalent in the schizophrenic population, which is a 2.5 fold greater than the general population. In the present study, the drug quinpirole (dopamine D2/D3 agonist) or saline was given neonatally to 25 Sprague-Dawley male and female rats. Rats were randomly assigned to condition. Beginning postnatal day 33 animals were given twice daily administrations of nicotine (0.5 mg/kg free base). After the first of the daily injections they were placed in a locomotor arena every other day for behavioral testing. One day after behavioral testing, the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens were removed for brain-derived neurotrophic factor …

Genome-Wide Association Analysis Of Major Depressive Disorder And Its Related Phenotypes., Nagesh Ramarao Aragam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a complex and chronic disease that ranks fourth as cause of disability worldwide. Thirteen to 14 million adults in the U.S. are believed to have MDD and an estimated 75% attempt suicide making MDD a major public health problem. Recently several genome-wide association (GWA) studies of MDD have been reported; however, few GWA studies focus on the analysis for MDD related phenotypes such as neuroticism and age at onset of MDD. The purpose of this study is to determine risk factors for MDD, identify genome-wide genetic variants affecting neuroticism and age at onset as quantitative …

The Overtraining Syndrome In Endurance Athletes; A Guide For Coaches And Athletic Trainers For Prevention And Treatment, Shannon M. Hughes

Graduate Theses

Training may be the most vital aspect of competition for serious athletes. The goal of training is to improve athletic performance by improving physiological performance, but there are instances when training can push an athlete physiologically beyond the threshold of tolerance. Most coaches and athletic trainers are aware that overtraining leads to physical injury when little recovery time is allowed, but what is still unclear is how overtraining affects the emotional and psychological stability of the athlete. The purpose of this guide is to educate coaches, athletic trainers, and even athletes, on the methods to potentially avoid overtraining, to recognize …

Vibrotactile Working Memory As A Model Paradigm For Psychology, Neuroscience, And Computational Modeling, Tyler D. Bancroft, William E. Hockley, Philip Servos

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Gender Role And Males' Attitudes Toward Receiving Mental Health Therapy, Christina H. Thomas

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this research study was to build upon previous research pertaining to gender role and young adult male attitudes towards receiving mental health therapy. An additional purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between media exposure and attitude toward mental health therapy. The first hypothesis was that there would be a positive correlation between gender role scores and attitudes with the BEM Sex- Role Inventory (BSRI) and with scores on attitudes with the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) in young adult males. The second hypothesis was that young adult males who watched a …

Social Skills As Predictors Of Theory Of Mind Development Among Children, Lucia A. Salinas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study examined relationships among social skills including deceptive behavior, socioeconomic status, and theory of mind development in 98 predominantly Hispanic 3- to 7-year-old children residing in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Measures were of vocabulary, deceptive ability, true belief, and false belief understanding. Children’s interactions with others were also measured through observational methods and parental data was obtained to compute socioeconomic status and validate social skills information. It was hypothesized that social skill development, including deception would emerge along with theory of mind understanding in this population, and that children from households of lower socioeconomic status would …

Examining The Effect Of Medical Risk, Parental Stress, And Self-Efficacy On Parent Behaviors And The Home Environment Of Premature Children, Kathryn Woods

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between medical risk and parenting stress and the extent to which parental self-efficacy moderates the relationship between medical risk, parenting stress, specific parenting behaviors (i.e., parental responsivity, acceptance of child, parental involvement) and the home environment (i.e., organization of environment, learning materials, variety in experience, and IT-HOME total score) of premature children. Participants included 72 parent-child dyads with premature children between the ages of 7 and 35 months corrected age. Measures included parent reports of medical risk, stress, self-efficacy, and the IT-HOME. Results show that medical risk was not significantly …

Parenting Strategies As Predictors Of Cognitive Development Among Children, Nydia E. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study investigated relationships among parenting strategies, socioeconomic status, and theory of mind development in 88 (43 girls and 45 boys) predominantly Hispanic 3 – to 7-year-old children. Vocabulary and ToM reasoning (via one true and one false belief task) levels were assessed. Parents completed demographic surveys and a disciplinary questionnaire, which presented the parents with hypothetical corrective behavioral situations. Contrary to expectations there were no significant relations between ToM, parenting strategies, and socioeconomic status in the overall sample. However, examining children tested in English and children tested in Spanish separately yielded some significant results. In the Spanish-speaking sample, …

Does Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (Nsaid) Use Affect Dementia Progression And Survival Rates In Alzheimer's Disease? The Cache County Study, Trevor R. Buckley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has multiple factors that contribute to the disease process. Among these is a state of chronic inflammation that is endured by the brain during the aging process. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) decreases the amount of neuroinflammation sustained by the brain, and greater levels of NSAID use have been demonstrated to be associated with decreased probability of developing AD. This study looked at whether greater rates of NSAID use were also associated with decreased rates of cognitive and funtional decline and survival in a population-based sample of persons with AD. Linear mixed models failed to …

Do Exercise Motives Predict Obligatory Exercise?, Mary Pritchard, Jessica L. Beaver

Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Few studies have examined whether factors predicting obligatory exercise differ by gender. 303 participants completed the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire and the Reason for Exercise Inventory. All variables correlated significantly. However, the correlation between exercising for fitness and obligatory exercise was significantly stronger in women than men. In women, obligatory exercise was predicted by exercising to improve body tone, fitness, and to enhance mood; in men, obligatory exercise was predicted by exercising to improve body tone, enjoyment, and perceived attractiveness. Implications for treatment are discussed.

The Design Of A Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility In Wheelwright, Kentucky Serving Adolescent Males, Jenna Clem

Kaleidoscope

During the spring semester of 2010, I have been working on the design of a psychiatric residential treatment facility in Wheelwright, Kentucky as part of the requirements for ID 659, Interior Design Graduate Studio. I am a senior, but was allowed permission to enroll in this class because of my interest in research-based design. The facility will offer therapy services in a home environment for seven adolescents between the ages of ten and seventeen. This paper describes the process that I followed throughout the design process and the specific issues that were addressed in the final solution. The design process …

An Automated Internet Application To Help Patients With Bipolar Disorder Track Social Rhythm Stabilization., Daniel Z Lieberman, Susan Swayze, Frederick K Goodwin

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

This column describes a pilot study of a fully automated, Internet-based program that provides a key element of interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, a form of psychotherapy shown to be effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder when combined with mood-stabilizing medication. Participants (N=64) recorded the time they completed activities of daily living and their mood at the time of each entry. After 90 days they demonstrated a 31% increase in social rhythm stability and a small, though statistically significant, decrease in symptoms of abnormal mood. Internet-based programs can enhance access to a best practice in the management of bipolar …

Peer Influence: Use Of Alcohol, Tobacco, And Prescription Medications, Mary E. Pritchard, Alberto Varela

Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: Risk-taking behavior (e.g., alcohol abuse, tobacco usage, misuse of prescription medications) among college students is a widespread problem. Our study focused not only on the frequency of risky health behaviors in college students, but also the companions with whom they engaged in such behaviors.

Methods: Three hundred and twelve college students completed a survey examining the frequency with which they engaged in alcohol, tobacco, and improper prescription medication use, as well as with whom they were most likely to engage in these behaviors.

Results: Results indicated that participants were most likely to take health risks when accompanied by someone …

Children’S Episodic And Generic Reports Of Alleged Abuse, Luke Schneider, Heather L. Price, Kim Roberts, Amy M. Hedrick

Psychology Faculty Publications

With the present data, we explored the relations between the language of interviewer questions, children’s reports, and case and child characteristics in forensic interviews. Results clearly indicated that the type of questions posed by interviewers – either probing generic or episodic features of an event – was related to the specificity of information reported by children. Further, interviewers appeared to adjust their questioning strategies based on the frequency of the alleged abuse. Children alleging single instances of abuse were asked more episodic questions than those alleging multiple abuses. In contrast, children alleging multiple incidents of abuse were asked a greater …

Associations Between Young Adults' Use Of Sexually Explicit Materials And Their Sexual Preferences, Behaviors, And Satisfaction, Elizabeth M. Morgan

Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The present study examined how levels of sexually explicit material (SEM) use during adolescence and young adulthood were associated with sexual preferences, sexual behaviors, and sexual and relationship satisfaction. Participants included 782 heterosexual college students (326 men and 456 women; Mage = 19.9) who completed a questionnaire online. Results revealed high frequencies and multiple types and contexts of SEM use, with men’s usage rates systematically higher than women’s. Regression analyses revealed that both the frequency of SEM use and number of SEM types viewed were uniquely associated with more sexual experience (a higher number of overall and casual sexual intercourse …

Factors Related To Psychiatric Readmissions In A Large Community Academic Hospital, William Stern, Edward R. Norris Md, Fapa, Fapm, Karen Burke Rn, Julia R. Correll Ba, Michael Kaufmann Md

Department of Psychiatry

No abstract provided.

Smoking Cessation Outcomes Among Individuals With Substance Use And/Or Psychiatric Disorders, Milan Khara, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objectives: The population of individuals with substance use (SUD) and/or psychiatric disorders (PD) has a high prevalence of smoking and a consequent increase in tobacco-related morbidity and mortality when compared to the general population. The aim of this study is to examine the outcomes of a program in a real-life setting which takes a tailored approach to smoking cessation among individuals with SUD and/or PD.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of tailored tobacco dependence treatment was performed on individuals with histories of SUD and/or PD attending a Tobacco Dependence Clinic (TDC) program in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Participants of the …