Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Mediating Role Of Gun Attitudes In The Association Between Dsm-5 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Clusters, And Gun Ownership In Young Hispanic Adults With Exposure To Interpersonal Trauma, Vanessa Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Despite growing interest in gun attitudes and gun ownership among United States citizens, the current body of literature is limited and tends to focus on white non-Hispanic individuals. The present study examined the effect of interpersonal trauma-related PTSD symptoms on gun attitudes and protective gun ownership. The associations between experiencing PTSD symptoms, gun attitudes, and protective gun ownership were examined in a sample of 176 young Hispanic adults (n = 127 women, n = 49 men) with exposure to interpersonal trauma. Specifically, the mediating role of positive attitudes towards guns in the associations between the four clusters of DSM-5 …

The Role Of Facial Emotion Recognition Abilities In Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration, Margot Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

Interpreting facial affects is a key aspect in everyday human interaction and intimate partner relationships. Being unable to accurately recognize facial expressions may prompt an inappropriate reaction from the viewer. Limited literature suggests perpetrators of intimate partner violence are less able to accurately recognize facial expressions. The previous body of literature regarding facial affect recognition (FAR) abilities in intimate partner violence failed to take into account the role empathy and emotion regulation play in the relationship between intimate partner violence and FAR abilities. In addition, prior studies investigated these differences in primarily White Non-Hispanic individuals limiting the generalizability of their …

Validating An Internet Gaming Disorder Measure During Covid-19: Video Game Use, Distance Learning, And Impacts Of Covid-19 On Gaming Behavior, Christin Collie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For most students, playing video games is a popular, enjoyable activity to do in their leisure time. While many people play video games for fun, some do develop problems associated with their play. Excessive engagement in video game play can lead to significant impairment and clinically significant levels of harm. However, there are several important gaps in the research literature which limit understanding of potential harm. First, little is known about the gaming behavior of students, ranging from middle-school to graduate school, specifically as it relates to their reasons for playing video games and their time spent playing. Second, concerns …

Coping Strategies And Self-Compassion As Protective Factors In The Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce, Megan Wolff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mental health field experiences high levels of stress, resulting in a greater risk of poor professional quality of life, likely exacerbated by the additional stress associated with COVID-19. The present study examined the effect COVID-19 stress had on the professional quality of life of the infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) workforce and whether coping strategies and self-compassion acted as protective factors. Results indicated that higher COVID-19 stress was associated with higher burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) and lower compassion satisfaction (CS). The results also showed that the pathway from COVID-19 stress to burnout was moderated by …

Analyzing Emerging Adulthood Narratives And The Role Of Anxiety In Developmental Functioning, Daryl Parungao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adulthood is a developmental period characterized by the themes of identity exploration, instability, feeling in-between, being self-focused, and exploring possibilities (Arnett, 2006). Emerging adults are at higher risk for anxiety as they navigate novel developmental experiences and responsibilities (Kranszler et al., 2019). This study explores whether these themes map on to the experiences of modern-day emerging adults, and whether developmental functioning corresponds to anxiety. College students completed standard questionnaires and provided free-text responses about adjusting to adulthood. Identity exploration and instability were perceived as the most positive and negative aspects of aging, respectively, though response-type varied by participant demographics. …

Borderline Personality Disorder And Violent Crime: The Moderating Role Of Sex And Race, Genevieve Allison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

People receiving treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) are at risk of justice involvement. Although it is well-established that borderline personality disorder (BPD) increases risk for criminal involvement, it is unclear whether this relationship exists among people with SUDs. Furthermore, prior research has found sex and race differences in the relationships between BPD and justice involvement as well as violence, but these moderators have not been explored within a substance using sample. The current study utilized a sample receiving SUD treatment to examine whether BPD is associated with prior violent charges and, if race and sex moderated this relationship. Results …

Neurocognitive And Momentary Assessment Of Fear-Based Mechanisms Underlying The Transition From Partial To Full Remission In Anorexia Nervosa., Caroline Christian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric illness, with high mortality, chronicity, and societal costs. Many individuals with AN that are weight restored do not to fully remit from cognitive-affective symptoms (e.g., fear of weight gain) maintaining the disorder, contributing to the poor outcomes. This critical stage of AN is called partial remission. AN is characterized by high levels of fear and avoidance, which may prevent full remission; however, the role of fear-based mechanisms (i.e., fear approach; avoidance) in partially-remitted AN remains untested. Methods. In the current study (N = 55 partially-remitted AN), participants completed two behavioral paradigms …

The Effects Of Stigma On Quality Of Life And Psychological Outcomes In Participants With Varying Reports Of Subjective Cognitive Decline., Lauren Flaherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Diagnostic labels such as cognitive impairment, dementia or MCI often carry associated stigmatization. Stigma can lead to social isolation and rejection; increasing the likelihood of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Depression and anxiety can be predictive of cognitive function; depression and anxiety are linked to stigma. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) can be indicative of actual cognitive impairment. Subjective impairment and stigma can significantly predict quality of life. The aim of the proposed dissertation study was to explore whether higher SCD scores associate with more internalized stigma, and if this stigma mediates the relationship between SCD and depression, SCD and …

Call The Doctor! A Study Of Parental Medical Nonadherence Within Child Custody Proceedings, Karissa Lynn Cummons

Theses and Dissertations

Medical nonadherence is a common and formidable problem that many pediatric healthcare providers face when treating children with acute and chronic medical conditions because adhering to a physicians’ treatment recommendations is beneficial for successful treatment, disease prevention, and healthy promotion (Dawood et al., 2010). It was estimated that at least one third of patients are unable to complete or adhere to relatively short treatment regimens (Dawood et al., 2010). Reasons for nonadherence to a physicians’ recommendations range from extended duration of treatment, multiple prescribed medications, and periods of symptom remission (Dawood et al., 2010). Despite a parent’s or family’s reason …

How Well Do Your Family Members Know You? The Relationship Between Informant Report And Cognitive Performance Of Older Adults, Mairy Yousif

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Given the clear impact and prevalence of dementia on the aging population, there is a need for greater research and understanding in this area. As the dementia progresses, medical providers rely heavily on caregiver and family member reports of the patient’s functioning and other aspects of their care. Therefore, it is important to know how accurate caregivers and family members are in judging their loved ones’ cognitive and physical strengths and weaknesses. This study aims to expand upon these previous studies by comparing caregiver/collateral reports of cognitive and functional status on the DSRS to neuropsychological tests and an objective …

Therapists’ Demonstrated Multicultural Competence In Treating Latinx Immigrants, Dulce Diaz Benitez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies suggest that health disparities occur when people from marginalized communities receive care that is inadequate based on their cultural needs (USDHHS, 2011). Multicultural competence (MCC) models have been proposed to provide a framework of the competencies that therapists should develop to work with multicultural populations (Sue et al., 1992). Researchers have questioned the validity of measures, which are mostly based on therapist self-report (Cartwright, 2008). The multicultural case conceptualization ability task has been used in previous studies as a measure of demonstrated cultural competence using a vignette to assess case conceptualization abilities (Ladany et al., 1997). However, it has …

Parent Emotion Socialization And Emerging Adult Internalizing Symptoms: Differences And Moderation By Rurality, Cheston West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adulthood is a unique developmental period from late adolescence to late 20s during which individuals experience a multitude of developmental transitions and are at an increased risk for internalizing symptoms. Parent emotion socialization in childhood can also contribute to risk for internalizing symptoms and is shaped by parent gender and sociocultural context. Rurality is a sociocultural context that has implications for parenting, but less research has explored how parent emotion socialization varies by rurality. The present study examined maternal and paternal emotion socialization in relation to rurality and emerging adult internalizing symptoms. Participants were 270 emerging adults (18-29 years …

Distress In The Workplace: Characterizing The Relationship Of Burnout Measures To The Occupational Depression Inventory, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Burnout has been found to problematically overlap with depression. However, the generalizability of this finding remains disputed. This study examined burnout–depression overlap using the recently developed Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI) and two burnout measures, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). The study involved two teacher samples employed in France (N = 1,450) and New Zealand (N = 492). We found the correlations of the ODI with (a) the MBI’s emotional exhaustion (EE) subscale and (b) the CBI to reach .80. An explanation of these high correlations based on content overlap in fatigue-related items was ruled …

How Medical Students Use Social Support To Cope With Burnout: A Grounded Theory Approah, Michelle Nicole I. Janeo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Medical education to become a physician is a rigorous training process resulting in high rates of burnout in medical students. Research on burnout in human service providers results in negative impacts on professionalism, well-being, and the future healthcare workforce. Previous research investigating strategies to combat burnout has demonstrated that resilience is a dominant explanation for recovery from burnout. There is limited data exploring how social support is used by medical students as a resource to cope with the demands of training. Considering that social support is one primary factor that contributes to resilience, it is important to understand the process …

The Relationship Between Hallucinations And Visuospatial Impairment Among Individuals With Dementia, Ruta Sohoni

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: This study examines the neuropsychological functioning, specifically using the Hooper Visual Organization Test (VOT), to understand the impact of hallucinations on the level of impairment in the visuospatial domain.

Method: Archival data obtained over three years from a total of 73 patients from the Health First Memory Disorder Clinic was used in this study. Participants were included in the study if they endorsed experiencing hallucinations, were given the VOT during their brief neuropsychological evaluation, and were diagnosed with dementia or unspecified neurocognitive disorder. The patient’s electronic medical record was used to retrospectively gather additional details regarding their hallucinations and …

Disentangling Instrumental And Reactive Aggression In The Competitive Reaction Time Task And Their Associations With Factors Of Meanness In Psychopathy, Ashley Michelle Poston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Aggression is often subtyped into reactive and instrumental aggression. Reactive aggression occurs in response to some form of provocation and is often accompanied by anger. Instrumental aggression is not provoked and is relatively unemotional. Existing aggression paradigms primarily measure reactive aggression, and the laboratory measurement of instrumental aggression has proved challenging. This study modified the competitive reaction time task to include an entire block of instrumental aggression trials, in addition to the standard block of reactive trials, in effort to create a single paradigm within which both reactive and instrumental aggression can be measured in the laboratory. Psychopathy is a …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Loneliness And Binge Eating Symptoms, Kimberly Stevens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Loneliness is implicated in several mental health conditions and may also be linked to eating pathology, like binge eating symptoms (e.g., loss-of-control eating). However, the pathways by which loneliness might be associated with binge eating symptoms are less well understood. Preliminary evidence suggests perceived stress may be a key explanatory pathway. Specifically, perceived stress mediates the impact of loneliness on other mental health outcomes and is associated with increased risk of binge eating symptoms. This study investigated relationships between loneliness, perceived stress, and binge eating symptoms and tested whether heightened levels of binge eating was accounted for by increases in …

The Effects Of Neuroticism And Treatment Delivery Modality On Therapeutic Outcomes In A Community Mental Health Training Clinic, Michelle Elizabeth Sibol

Theses and Dissertations

The onset of the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) two and a half years prior to this writing resulted in shifts in everyday life, as individuals worldwide were required to shelter-in-place and abide by social distancing guidelines to slow the spread of the disease. This resulted in a marked increase in the utilization of virtual platforms (“teletherapy”) by mental health care providers, including training clinics, to continue providing therapy services to the community at large. Although the pandemic restrictions have lifted, adaptations made during shelter-in-place mandates remain, including provision of services via teletherapy platforms. The pandemic shed light on the …

Headache Disorders And Neurocognitive Performance Pre- And Post-Concussive Injury, Kaci Gorres

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between pre-existing headache disorders, such as headache or migraine, and neurocognitive testing obtained before and after college-athletes sustain a concussion. Method: A total of 1129 NCAA Division II college athletes from Florida Tech were included in the present study. Participants were included in this study if they completed baseline and/or post-trauma neuropsychological evaluations that included the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool – Fifth Edition (SCAT-5) and Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Tool (ImPACT). Athletes’ headache and/or migraine history was self-reported at baseline and indicated their position in headache history or …

Fear And Trembling While Working In A Pandemic: An Exploratory Meta-Analysis Of Workers’ Covid-19 Distress, William P. Jimenez, Ian M. Katz, Elissa A. Liguori

Psychology Faculty Publications

The global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of workers and taken its toll on health and well-being. In line with recent calls for more inductive and abductive occupational health science research, we exploratorily meta-analyzed workers’ COVID-19 distress, defined as psychological and psychosomatic strain contextualized to experiencing the virus and pandemic broadly. We identified many existing COVID-19 distress measures (e.g., Fear of COVID-19 Scale by Ahorsu et al., 2020; Coronavirus Anxiety Scale by Lee, 2020a) and correlates, including demographic variables (viz., gender, marital status, whether worker has children), positive well-being (e.g., quality of life, perceived social support, resilience), negative well-being …