Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Anger, And Substance Use As Risk Factors For Trauma Revictimization, Hannah E. Walker

Dissertations

Maltreatment survivors are at an increased risk for adult revictimization. Yet, existing work has specifically focused on sexual revictimization, and it is unclear what factors increase one’s risk for revictimization more broadly. Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), anger, and substance use have been identified as potential risk factors for sexual revictimization. Still, the role of these variables is ambiguous in the broader revictimization framework. There is also a lack of understanding regarding the roles of the DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters and revictimization. This study aims to: 1) examine the links between maltreatment and revictimization and three factors (i.e., …

The Role Of Prenatal Anxiety Sensitivity On Postpartum Anxiety And Depression, Ryann Holman

Honors Theses

Pregnancy is a vulnerable period for women, with roughly 15% of women experiencing psychopathology during pregnancy and postpartum. The most common mental health concerns during this period are anxiety and depression, which have been linked to adverse outcomes on both mother and baby, such as low birth weight and preterm birth. In understanding their onset, anxiety sensitivity has been found to be a potential mechanism for the development of both anxiety and depressive disorders. The goal of the current study was to examine the association between prenatal anxiety sensitivity and postpartum anxiety and depression. Pregnant women were given a battery …

The Relationship Between The Contrast Avoidance Model And Dysfunctions Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Whitney S. Shepherd

Honors Theses

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) features excessive worry, with additional symptoms including sleep disturbances, muscle tension, concentration issues, fatigue, and irritability (APA, 2013). The Contrast Avoidance Model (CAM) posits that those with GAD maintain worry to avoid emotional shifts by engaging in contrast avoidance (CA) tendencies (Newman & Llera, 2011). Additionally, chronic worry is associated with dysfunctional outcomes of GAD such as sleep difficulties and quality of life (QoL; Henning et al., 2007; Smith et al., 2000). Although both CA tendencies and these dysfunctional outcomes of GAD have shown to be related to worry, CA tendencies have yet to be explored …

Anxiety At The Beginning Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Associations Between Health Anxiety, Covid-19 Anxiety, And Preventative Behaviors, Lauren Elmore

Honors Theses

Following the emergence of COVID-19, there was a significant increase in mental health issues (Shahyad & Mohammadi, 2020). Anxiety was of note (Salari et al., 2020), and preventative behaviors typical of health anxiety were prevalent. Health anxiety is the phenomenon of interpreting benign bodily sensations as symptoms of a more serious disease and is often accompanied with disproportionate thoughts of anxiety. Little work has examined the association between COVID-19 anxiety and health anxiety. The aims of this study were to: 1) characterize COVID-related anxiety symptoms, and 2) examine the bivariate associations of COVID-19 anxiety, health anxiety, and COVID-19 preventative behaviors …

Effects Of Music Exposure On Autobiographical Memory In Alzheimer's Patients: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Gregory Vance

Honors Theses

The progression of Alzheimer’s disease is primarily characterized by a loss of memory concerning past events, as well as a lack in ability to create new memories. While this spans across many subsets of memory, such as recognition, recall, and autobiographical memory, there seems to be a lesser impact on musical memory in those with Alzheimer’s. Multiple studies have suggested that exposure to music and introduction of music therapy can even improve other aspects of memory in Alzheimer’s patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to examine the relationship between music exposure and autobiographical memory specifically. A pool of electronic …

Investigation Into The Comorbidities Of Disordered Eating And Social Anxiety Disorder In College Students, Alice Mccraney

Honors Theses

In recent years, psychiatrists have reported a trend that individuals with social anxiety disorders are more likely to also have disordered eating and vice versa. Research into this connection has suggested that risk factors, such as stress reactivity, negative self- esteem, perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation are potential links. This is important because understanding the correlation between the two disorders could help develop better treatments plans for people who suffer from these disorders. This study investigates the relationship between the two. A total of 257 college students between ages 18-22 completed a questionnaire using the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale …

The Effects Of Childhood Trauma And Stressors On Problem Behaviors: Coping As A Moderator, Halle C. Letizio

ETD Archive

Childhood trauma and childhood stressors are extremely common, impacting two- thirds of children aged twelve to seventeen [Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2019]. Whether these adversities are egregious or subtle, the impact of such adversities can last well beyond childhood and can extend into young adulthood. The current study aimed to determine if young adult substance use and criminal involvement are long-term effects of childhood trauma and childhood stressors. Another goal was to determine whether these effects could be alleviated to some extent with the utilization of positive coping mechanisms. In a diverse sample of young adults …

What’S Religion Got To Do With It?: Differing Religiosity Domains’ Association With College Students’ Sexual Consent During First-Time Intercourse, Kaylee Richmond

Dissertations

Within the U.S., 36% of women and 17% of men report experiencing sexual assault (Smith et al., 2017). The absence of sexual consent is often regarded as a defining component of sexual assault (Beres, 2014); thus, a potential area to examine to decrease rates of perpetration and victimization. To date, there has been a lack of research on contextual factors that are likely related to sexual consent, with a general focus on external consent (i.e., verbal/behavioral indicators; Muehlenhard et al., 2016). The present study examined the role of a contextual factor, religiosity, on sexual consent processes during the context of …

The Interaction Between Anxiety Sensitivity And Sleep Disturbance In Relation To Alcohol Use Among Adolescents, Gabrielle Meshell Armstrong

Honors Theses

Both substance use and sleep disturbance are common in adolescence. Additionally, alcohol use specifically is positively associated with a number of sleep disturbances. However, little to no research has examined factors that may influence the relation between problematic alcohol use and sleep disturbances among adolescents or adults. One factor that may be particularly important to consider in this regard is anxiety sensitivity (AS; i.e., the tendency to interpret unpleasant physiological sensations as dangerous). Among previous studies, anxiety sensitivity has been found associated with both increased alcohol consumption and sleep disturbances. The current study evaluated the main and interactive effects of …

A Survey Of The Presentation Of Pharmacogenomic Testing For Psychotropic Medications In Rural Areas, Laken Hancock

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to assess the knowledge and opinions of the general public in rural areas in regard to genetic testing and pharmacogenomics. 40 people from self-identified rural areas participated in this study by completing an online Qualtrics questionnaire and an in-person or online semi-structured qualitative interview. The Qualtrics questionnaire measured demographic information, as well as depression, anxiety, stress, positive affect, and negative affect using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) measures. The semi-structured qualitative interview included questions pertaining to the decision support tool (DST) presented to participants, …

A Mixed-Methods Examination Of Transgender Youth Desistence, Mirae J. Fornander

Research Days

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Background: Access to gender-affirming medical care (GAMC) for transgender/gender diverse (TGD) individuals is one of the most pressing social justice issues of our time. Research has begun to identify the benefits of GAMC. However, little is known about the healthcare needs of TGD youth, especially those who discontinue GAMC. Available literature lacks clear and consistent terms to define TGD youth who stop care. Further, a significant criticism of current research is the assumption that discontinuing care is equivalent to detransitioning. There are no studies, to our knowledge, that differentiate between TGD youth who choose to …

Mental Health Stigma And Psychological Help-Seeking In Adolescence, Laura Austin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although an overwhelming number of adolescents in the U.S. experience significant psychological distress, the majority of these youth do not receive formal mental health services. Mental health stigma has been identified as a significant barrier to psychological help-seeking during adolescence, with treatment stigma (or the stigma associated with seeking formal psychological services) as the strongest predictor of help-seeking when compared to other types of mental health stigma. Given the long-term impacts of untreated psychological distress in adolescence, more research is needed to understand the influence of mental health stigma on help-seeking during this developmental stage. Furthermore, more research is needed …

Lifetime Cannabis Use Is Associated With Suicidal Ideation And Non-Suicidal Self Injury, Diamonde Mccollum, Katie Moskal, Jenni Teeters

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

Poster regarding cannabis use.

The current study hypothesized lifetime cannabis use frequency would be linked to greater risk of lifetime suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide attempts and lifetime non-suicidal self injury.

The Prevalence Of Mirror Gazing Behaviors In Men, Rutuja Pramod Chinchankar

Dissertations

Muscle Dysmorphia is when the individual is preoccupied with the idea that his or her body build is too small or insufficiently muscular. This study looked at the distinct criteria of MD, which is persistently and obsessively checking one’s appearance in the mirror and being dissatisfied with it. It studied the reasons behind these repetitive mirror-gazing behaviors. This study also attempted to understand the effect of an individual’s age, educational background, religious orientation, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status on his predisposition to MD via mirror-gazing behaviors. This study used a qualitative research design. Part I of the study included participants …

Improving Depression Screening And Follow-Up Care In Underserved Populations, Alicia D. Hankins

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

Depression is a substantial source of financial, emotional, and physical burdens to patients and their families worldwide. It also disproportionately affects economically disadvantaged populations. To combat the depression crisis, The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published guidelines to boost depression screenings of all patients presenting for healthcare services. A review of literature and the completed needs assessment confirmed low rates of depression screening in the rural primary care sector. This project took place in an outpatient primary care facility in rural Arkansas, where current depression screening tools were not being used. The goal was to increase the percentage …

The Effects Of Covid-19 Induced Stress, Anxiety And Depression On The Eating Behavior Of College Women, Natalie Simpson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Increases in the prevalence of disordered eating patterns have been linked to distress and poor mental well-being. Additionally, COVID-19 has been linked to both depressive and anxious symptomatology, along with increased feelings of distress (Fitzpatrick et al., 2020). Because disordered eating is particularly prevalent among college-aged women, this study sought to determine how depression, anxiety, and stress affect eating behaviors of college women in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 179 women at Butler University, aged 18-24, gave informed consent before completing a questionnaire pertaining to their demographics, their stress surrounding COVID, and their weight change since March 2020. The …

Mediation Of Intergenerational Trauma Transmission By Family Variables In Children Of Rwandan Survivors Of The 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi, Jessica L. Bonumwezi

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Twenty-eight years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, children of survivors are being increasingly documented to show increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes. However, no studies in Rwanda have empirically explored psychosocial factors underlying this intergenerational transmission of trauma. We investigated family factors that could underlie this transmission in 285 adult Rwandan children of survivors (mean age = 23.31; 50.2% female) who completed an online survey. We found that 42.2% of participants had clinically significant secondary PTSD symptoms and 37.8% had clinically significant symptoms of depression or anxiety. For participants with survivor mothers (n = 187), …

The Relationship Between Racial Microaggressions, Mental Health, And Academic Self- Efficacy In Black College Students : Is A Supportive Mentor Protective?, Devanté J. Cunningham

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Racial microaggressions are daily, often subtle, verbal, environmental, and behavioral slights and insults targeted at a person or their race. Racial microaggressions can have deleterious effects on the mental health and academic outcomes of Black college students. As research on this relationship increases, it is essential to assess factors that may moderate, or lessen, the impact of racial microaggressions. There is evidence that mentoring, a form of social support, may attune the adverse effects of racial microaggressions on mental health and academic outcomes. The current study explored the relationship between racial microaggressions and mental health and academic outcomes (social anxiety, …

Multiple Risk Factors For Schizotypy In A Non-Clinical Population : Exploring The Continuum Of Psychosis Two Years Later, Jill Del Pozzo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Schizotypy is a multidimensional construct that refers to a collection of cognitive and personality traits, impairments, and experiences thought to lie on a continuum for psychosis, which place an individual at increased risk for developing schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The expression of schizotypy varies along this continuum of psychosis (i.e., from healthy, to subclinical and prodromal symptomatology, to clinical and severe psychosis) and is dependent on several biopsychosocial factors and their interactions. Accordingly, it is important identify factors that correlate with higher levels of schizotypy over time, toward ascertaining knowledge about developmental pathways of risk and resilience for psychotic disorders. To …

Therapist Facilitative Interpersonal Skills In Simulated Text-Based Telepsychotherapy With Cultural Minority Clients, Carly Max Schwartzman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: The prevalence of mental health difficulties has increased, yet the availability and use of mental health services remains low, particularly in traditionally underserved groups. Telepsychotherapy via videoconferencing has been advertised as a means of mitigating barriers to accessing mental healthcare for these populations, though less attention has focused on text-based approaches. Indeed, although text-based telepsychotherapy is currently widely available, its efficacy in treating folx from cultural minority identities is unknown. Additionally, no research to date has studied the adaptation of multiculturally competent psychotherapy practice to a text-based platform. Thus, this project aimed to examine therapist facilitative interpersonal skills via …