Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons^™

Fentanyl Mediated Distortions Of Phasic Dopamine Release Dynamics Encoding Natural Reward And Aversive Processing In The Mammalian Mesolimbic Circuit, Oliver P. Culver Iv

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists are recognized to disinhibit tonic dopamine (DA) in the ventral striatum (VS), contributing to opioid addiction and euphoria. However, MOR agonists can also inhibit non-drug reward-seeking, and disrupt conditioned responding to aversive stimuli, a phenomenon not readily explained by tonic DA disinhibition. We hypothesized that this effect could be due in part to disruption of phasic DA responses to conditioned stimuli (CS) which critically shape and maintain behaviors during naturalistic reward and aversive processing. Because MOR effects on CS-evoked phasic DA are largely unexamined, we conducted in vivo fiber photometric recordings in water-deprived male and …

Understanding And Enhancing Suicide Prevention Strategies In The Military: The Roles Of Culture, Leadership, And Command Climate, Kelly Johanna Pires

Dissertations

Military service members are shaped and molded to fit a military culture that emphasizes mission readiness and continuous preparedness. Countless hours are spent training for various situations that can arise. Many trainings are geared toward worst-case scenarios that can cause an increase in stressors and traumatic events. They are expected to demonstrate resilience and overcome adversity to remain mission-ready. This expectation to be mission-ready creates the space for mental health difficulties as well as stigma and avoidance of help-seeking behaviors. In many cases, the desire to stay mission-ready creates a barrier for conversations around mental health. The military emphasizes qualities …

Evaluation Of Neuroplastic Changes In Psychological Intervention And Contemporary Treatments Of Depression, Taylor Severance

Dissertations

Major depressive disorder is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders worldwide. There is a vast range of treatment options for depression, with varying levels of effectiveness. Recent treatments for depression have expanded, increasing alternative treatments, and it is unknown which treatments have the largest impact on depression. This research was designed to examine the treatments of depression, with a focus on psychotherapy and contemporary treatments such as ketamine, psilocybin, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. A literature review was conducted to assess treatment outcomes and neuroplastic changes in these interventions, as well as combinations of the interventions. Data were evaluated …

When The Therapist Is An Algorithm: Understanding Autism Spectrum Students’ Acceptance Of Generative Ai As A Mental Well-Being Tool Through The Technological Acceptance Model, Jossy P. George, Peter Muttungal, Benny Jeyekumar Davidson, Nishi Priya

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

This study examines the psychological and technological factors of the acceptance and emotional well-being of 349 college students with autism who use generative artificial intelligence tools as sources of psychological and emotional support. Grounded on the model of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research studies relationships among perceived empathy, perceived usefulness, ease of use, emotional trust, continuance intention, and overall well-being. Structural equation modelling found that the perceived empathy was a significant predictor of ease of use and usefulness, while emotional trust and continuance intention proved to be significant predictors of emotional well-being. To reinforce these results, predictive modelling performed …

Using Weekly Guided Meditation To Develop Community, Connection And Improved Overall Experience And Wellbeing At Work, Mary Patterson Friedmeyer

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

The majority (99%) of respondents rated the Weekly Guided Meditation (via zoom) as being both impactful and valuable in their lives. The majority (82%) of respondents reported finding more balance in the workday and improvement in overall well-being. The majority (63%) of respondents were neutral on building community, with just over one third (36%) of respondents responding positively to community building.

Tiktok And The Brain: Neuropsychological Correlates Of Short-Form Video Consumption, Caty Enders

Psychology ETDs

Short-form video platforms like TikTok have quickly become the fastest growing segment of social media, thanks to powerful algorithms serving up personalized content driven by large quantities of user data. This study investigates the neuropsychological correlates of digital media use, with a particular focus on TikTok and smartphone screen time among young adults. Combining correlational analyses and an experimental design (n = 49; n = 44 included in final sample), we examined the relationship between digital media use and cognitive and emotional functioning across multiple domains. Objective measures of digital media consumption (daily average screen time and time on TikTok) …

Playfulness And Awe: How Ecodramatherapy Can Facilitate The Experience Of Positive Emotional States To Reduce Perceived Stress, Corey Jennifer Maier

Expressive Therapies Theses

This paper investigates the question, “can a play and awe-based Ecodramatherapy intervention help to reduce levels of perceived stress in a group of food forest volunteers?” Methods for investigation and subsequent discussion of results draw from the Biophilia Hypothesis, Stress Reduction Theory, and Trait Activation Theory to guide conceptualization. Based on a review of the literature suggesting that playfulness and awe have an effect on both perceived and physiological stress, the author created an Ecodramatherapy intervention designed to evoke playfulness and awe for a group of 4 stressed food forest volunteers. The volunteer group was of mixed ethnicities and genders …

Influence Of The Discipline Of Authentic Movement Practice On Interpersonal Relationships, Joy Ruben Welts

Educational Studies Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored how practicing the Discipline of Authentic Movement impacts relationships. This research was conducted to fill in the gaps around attunement and use of the Discipline of Authentic Movement as an intervention to support healthy relationships. Five self-selected adults met on Saturday afternoons for eight weeks to practice the Discipline of Authentic Movement. They completed a pre and post Revised Adult Attachment Scale and reflected weekly on their experience through journaling. Participants reported that it was the structure of the Discipline of Authentic Movement that allowed them to feel more comfortable being themselves with others. The …

“There Was Nothing Left To Give”: Experiences Of Compassion Fatigue Among Former In-Patient Psychiatric Clinicians, Katie Ladner

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Compassion Fatigue (CF) is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to stressful or traumatic experiences, specifically among healthcare workers, and it negatively impacts their ability to provide care to their patients and perform their jobs effectively (Singh et al., 2020). The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of compassion fatigue in mental health clinicians who previously worked in in-patient psychiatric hospitals and their subsequent resignations. This phenomenological research explored participants' understanding and descriptions of their CF experiences in their roles within psychiatric hospitals and how CF contributed to their leaving …

What Is Screen Apnea And How Does It Affect You?, Kristi M. Soileau

New Orleans Dental Association News

Screen apnea is a modern epidemic of significant proportions. Research suggests that nearly 80% of people unconsciously alter their breathing, often holding their breath or breathing shallowly, while working on digital devices. This subtle shift in respiration, sometimes called “email apnea,” can place the body into a low-grade stress response without being noticed by the individual at the screen. When breathing becomes restricted from poor posting or content anxiety, the nervous system enters into a sympathetic response, much as it interprets signs of threats to that person. The resultant physiological response may be exhibited by muscle tension, mental fog, increased …

Light Therapy Vs. Pharmacotherapy In Improving Quality Of Life In Seasonal Affective Disorder, Hitanshi Patel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a pattern of depressive episodes triggered by seasonal changes. Light therapy involves exposure to artificial bright light by stimulating the production of serotonin. Pharmacotherapy primarily requires careful consideration of side effects and patient response times. Findings indicate that light therapy not only leads to significant improvements in depressive symptoms but also long-term enhancement in quality of life. Pharmacotherapy, while effective for some, often involves delays in response and potential adverse effects that can diminish overall satisfaction.

Worsening Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Ocd) With New Onset Dementia, Melvin D. Ways Jr

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric condition typically characterized by intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors with preserved insight. Dementia, a progressive neurocognitive disorder, is frequently associated with behavioral and psychiatric symptoms; however, its impact on pre-existing OCD is less well understood.

Subject of study includes evaluation of neurodegenerative processes to exacerbate pre-existing OCD symptoms. Evidence suggests that dysfunction in shared fronto-striatal circuits—particularly involving the orbitofrontal cortex and basal ganglia—may underlie this relationship. Additionally, cognitive impairment may reduce the ability to inhibit intrusive thoughts, further reinforcing compulsive behaviors. Emerging research also indicates a bidirectional association, with OCD linked to an …

Impostor Phenomenon In Healthcare: Prevalence, Implications, And Educational Responses, James Espinosa, Robin Lahr, Sergey Medlenov, Swet Patel, Nicholas Tomasello, James Lee, Neel Parikh, Alan Lucerna, Henry Schuitema

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The impostor phenomenon describes persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud despite objective evidence of competence. The term 'impostor phenomenon' is preferred over the term "imposter syndrome" because it is not a psychiatric diagnosis and avoids pathologizing normal developmental uncertainty. The original authors used the term 'phenomenon' (Clance & Imes, 1978), and contemporary scholarship increasingly adopts this terminology.

First described by Clance and Imes (1978), the construct has since been studied across diverse professional domains, including medicine, nursing, and academic leadership. Subsequent research demonstrates that impostor experiences occur across genders, training levels, and healthcare roles (Bravata et …

I Lost My Number, Can I Have Yours? Body Image Satisfaction With Sexually Dimorphic Traits Is Associated With Men's Dating Anxiety And Confidence, David A. Frederick, Tania A. Reynolds, Nikoline L. Smart, Justin R. Garcia, David A. Puts

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary scientists posit that sexual selection processes caused males to develop sexually dimorphic traits to aid them during intrasexual competition and increase their likelihood of being chosen as mates. Evolutionary social sciences have extensively examined women's preferences for traits such as muscle mass and voice pitch, reasoning that these traits serve as cues of men's ability to provide direct benefits (e.g., resources) and indirect (genetic) benefits passed on to offspring. At the same time, body image researchers have extensively focused on the social causes and consequences of men's dissatisfaction with their muscularity and body fat. We connected these two research …

Big Feelings, Fast Decisions: Emotion Regulation As A Moderator Of Impulsivity In Binge And Emotional Eating, Emma G. Folk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Emotion-driven impulsivity and difficulties with emotion regulation are both associated with maladaptive eating behaviors, including binge eating and emotional eating. However, it remains unclear whether broader emotion regulation difficulties intensify the influence of impulsive responses to emotional states on these behaviors. This study examined whether emotion dysregulation moderates the relationship between emotion-driven impulsivity and maladaptive eating behaviors. Participants were 266 adults (ages 18–65) who completed measures of impulsivity, emotion regulation difficulties, binge eating, and emotional eating. Moderation analyses were conducted using PROCESS in SPSS, controlling for body mass index (BMI) and gender. Negative and positive urgency were significantly associated with …

Predictors Of Elevated Borderline Personality Disorder And Pai-Bor Scores: The Role Of Psychological, Trauma, And Treatment Factors, Isabel Avendano Gil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex and multifaceted mental health condition that significantly affects individuals' emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal functioning. BPD is characterized by impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, unstable relationships, and self-destructive behaviors, and often results in significant impairment across multiple life domains. Previous research has consistently identified Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), particularly sexual abuse (SA), as key contributors to the development of BPD. These early traumas are closely associated with core features of the disorder, including affective instability, identity disturbance, impulsivity, and maladaptive interpersonal patterns.

Psychotherapeutic interventions, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), have …

Questionnaire For Eudaimonic Well-Being: Psychometric Validation Among Malaysian Youth, Mohd Ahsani A. Malek, Nurulwahida Saad, Suzana Mohd. Hoesni, Muhamad Ariff Ibrahim, Nurul Shafira Adi, Mohd Nazir Mohd Nazori

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: The rising prevalence of mental illness underscores the need to understand how individuals can live and flourish under such conditions. In Malaysia, research has largely emphasized diagnosis and treatment, with limited focus on positive psychology and few validated instruments. This study aimed to translate and validate the questionnaire for eudaimonic well-being (QEWB) among Malaysian youth.

Methods: The QEWB was translated into Malay using back-to-back translation and administered to undergraduates from four public universities through a cross-sectional survey design. Convenience quota sampling was used, resulting in 229 respondents completing the online form to measure sociodemographic characteristics, eudaimonic well-being, …

The Impact Of Stress On Dream Content, Tessa Duncan, Mason Trevino

Posters - 2026

• This research investigated how daily stress levels influence the intensity of dreams. The study aimed to clarify the relationship between stress and dream intensity, enhancing understanding of stress’s broader effects on mental health. • Building on Rush’s concept of a “goldilocks zone” in the stress scale, where moderate stress benefits well-being while too little or too much stress can cause harm (2024). The current study used the hallucination model of dreaming from Gillespie and Trakas (2024), which views dreams as vivid, perception-like experiences that can amplify emotions. Drawing on Gessert’s methods for measuring stress and nightmare frequency, stress is …

The Effects Of Sour & Spicy Food On Visual & Auditory Reflexes, Aditi Kumar, Alondra-Sophia Martinez, Magdalena E. Saad, Emma J. Welsch

Posters - 2026

• The reflex reaction time measures how quickly the nervous system can respond to a stimulus. • In the experiment, both visual and auditory reflexes were measured to evaluate differences in reaction time after the consumption of sour and spicy foods. • Spices and herbs produce different signals that interact with the nervous system. (McMullen 2024) • Comparing the response times from before and after consumption, this experiment allowed us to determine if different tastes affect reflex reaction times.

The Role Of Loneliness On College Freshmen Retention, Amy Berg

Libraries Undergraduate Research Award (LURA) Winners

What factors contribute to student retention, dropout, and success within the first semester? We hypothesized that persistent feelings of loneliness across the semester play a major role in a student’s intentions to continue enrollment, and a lack of social connection to the university mediates this relationship. We assessed this in a sample of n = 30 first semester freshman enrolled in a university success seminar across the Fall 2025 semester, of whom n = 8 completed Wave 1 and Wave 4 surveys of a four-wave study spanning the whole semester. We used the 20- item UCLA Loneliness Scale, the 24-item …