Clinical Psychology Commons^™

A Re-Examination Of The Motivations For Using Substances Questionnaire: Motives For Alcohol And Simultaneous Alcohol And Marijuana Use, Taylor Altenberger

Dissertations

The growing body of research examining simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use suggests motivations for alcohol-only, marijuana-only, and SAM use, especially among college-aged people, warrant further examination to ultimately tailor interventions to not only specific substances but also the underlying motivations for using those substances. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to test the measurement invariance of a novel broadband motives measure, the Motivations for Using Substances Questionnaire (MUSQ), across alcohol-only, marijuana-only, and SAM users and further test motivations’ relationships to use-related problems. However, due to insufficient sample sizes of marijuana-only users (n = 175), the MUSQ …

Factors Related To Cognitive Reserve In Healthy Older Adults, Ann Tram Nguyen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background. Physical and cognitive impairments are two of the most prevalent age-related conditions, with evidence that both factors interact prior to or concurrently with the earliest detectable stages of cognitive impairment. Cognitive reserve (CR) allows an individual to cope more successfully with age-related brain and functional changes and is associated with better cognitive function and reduced risk of cognitive decline. However, it remains unclear to date the specific roles of individual markers of CR, and whether or not this relationship is modified by genetic risk (ApoE-4 genotype) and/or physical function. Method. We assessed cognitive functioning (global cognition, psychomotor …

Symptoms, Executive Function, Mentalization, And Functional Capacity In Schizophrenia, Yasmine Kolahi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

One of the core features in schizophrenia is a deficit in real-world functioning as expressed through difficulties in the ability to work, engage in social relationships, attend to self-care, and participate in recreational and community activities. Due to this impact on overall quality of life, experts have investigated possible links between the observable symptoms of the illness, such as negative symptoms, with functional outcomes. Ample research has shown that neurocognition is one possible candidate, although fewer studies have explored the specific contributions of executive functioning, or the cognitive process associated with top-down regulation of cognition and behavior. The links between …

Manipulating Mindful Breathing Versus Mindful Eating: Examining The Effect Of Specific Mindfulness Mechanisms On Food Intake And Eating Disorder Symptoms., Irina Alexandrovna Vanzhula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. Understanding which specific mindfulness practices contribute to improvements in ED symptoms, as well as the mechanisms of action by which this change occurs, may help improve MBTs for EDs. The current study aims to compare the effects of various brief mindfulness exercises on state ED symptoms and food intake and to test whether a reduction in state rumination and state difficulties in emotion dysregulation and an increase in awareness of hunger, fullness, and satiety cues mediate these effects. Methods. Two hundred and two undergraduate females participated in the experiment. Participants were randomized to listen to one of the four …

The Influence Of Emotion Regulation, Maladaptive Coping, And Criminal Thinking On Maladaptive Behavior, Alondra Avila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Emotion regulation is a cognitive process that occurs due to emotional stimuli in the environment that promotes cognitive or behavioral action to soothe negative emotions. Emotion regulation can affect decision making that promotes maladaptive behavior, similar to criminal thinking. Criminal thinking patterns can be categorized as a form of maladaptive cognitive coping that promotes maladaptive behavior. The association between emotion regulation, criminal thinking, and maladaptive behavior is further explored. A total of (N = 227) MTurk workers participated in a cross-sectional study. Maladaptive emotion regulation and coping predicted willingness to engage in maladaptive behavior. Deficits in emotion regulation were further …

In Search Of A Simplified, Objective Attachment Style Assessment: The Attachment Implicit Measure, Lisa Savage

All NMU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

IN SEARCH OF A SIMPLIFIED, OBJECTIVE ATTACHMENT STYLE ASSESSMENT: THE ATTACHMENT IMPLICIT MEASURE

By

Lisa M. Savage

Attachment is a lasting bond between two people (Bowlby, 1958). Bonding starts at birth and lasts through the lifetime (Bowlby, 1958). Emotional and social development is impacted by attachment (Bowlby, 1976). Measuring attachment is beneficial to clinical psychologists and psychological research. There are both implicit and explicit measures of attachment. Explicit measures are subject to social desirability and other bias and require a person's honesty and understanding of self. Current implicit measures are lengthy and expensive to administer and score. The development …

Latent Variables Predicting Drug Use In Adolescents With High Versus Low Protective Factors, Jessica Jorgenson

Dissertations

The present study utilized archival data provided from the Minnesota Student Survey (2013). The study consisted of two levels of analysis. The first level involved the development of measurement models for various latent constructs (i.e., disaffiliation, normalized use, internalizing behaviors, and externalizing behaviors). Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the second level applied the observed (i.e., abuse) and measured latent variables to the prediction of the outcomes of interest (i.e., a latent variable estimate of substance use) for middle- and high school-aged youth. Models for adolescent girls and boys were examined separately based on sex and high vs low protective factors. …

Development And Initial Evaluation Of The Assessment Of Teacher Expectations And Practices (Atep), Kimberly Barajas

Dissertations

Teacher practices and expectations are important factors for students’ academic and behavioral functioning (Andersson & Palm, 2016; Oliver, Wehby, & Reschly, 2011; Rimm-Kaufman, Storm, Sawyer, Pianta, & LaParom 2006; Rubie-Davies, 2007; Sandholtz, 2011). The current measures available require a great deal of resources (i.e., time, money, personnel), have poor psychometric properties, or are not comprehensive (e.g., facets assessed; assessment of teacher practices for different grade levels). Given these concerns, the proposed study aimed to develop a psychometrically sound measure that is time and cost efficient and comprehensively assesses the multi-faceted construct of teacher practices. This measure is expected to allow …

Interpersonal Needs And Suicide Risk: Examining Indirect Effects Of Internal Hostility And Feeling Forgiven, Kelley C. Berto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is a national public health concern, and unmet interpersonal needs (i.e., perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness) may contribute to enhanced risk. However, mechanisms of action and certain protective variables are not well understood. The present study examined simple mediation models, with internal hostility as a mechanism of action between interpersonal needs and suicide risk. Additionally, our study examined the moderating role of various aspects of receiving forgiveness on the association between interpersonal needs and internal hostility in these simple mediation models. A community-based convenience sample was surveyed (N=712). Our findings indicated that internal hostility partially mediated the association …

Forgiveness, Gratitude, Humility, And Spiritual Struggle: Associations With Religious Belief Status And Suicide Risk, Benjamin B. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religion is a known contributor to suicide risk, with both positive and negative effects. Negative religious experiences, such as spiritual struggle, can exacerbate suicide risk. Alternatively, religion may promote positive psychological characteristics associated with reduced suicide risk, such as forgiveness, gratitude, and humility. However, research has yet to assess how religious changes, including conversion and deconversion, affect the linkage between religious risk and protective factors and suicidal behavior. We conducted three studies assessing these associations across four belief status groups: life-long religious believers, former religious non-believers who now believe, life-long religious non-believers, and former religious believers who no longer believe. …

Exploration Of Patient Variables And Characteristics Best Suited For Medical Marijuana Treatment For Anxiety And Depressive Disorders, Corey Gazoo

Dissertations

Individuals with posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depressive disorders are currently being prescribed medical marijuana as a treatment in many states across the United States. However, marijuana is still considered a schedule one narcotic by the Drug Enforcement Administration and federal government, which provides several barriers and challenges to conduct research such as approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and following guidelines from the National Institute on Drug Abuse issued by the DEA. Additionally, individuals prescribed medical marijuana for mental health disorders are not always thoroughly instructed on the type of medical marijuana, the dosage, and how frequently to …

The Influence Of Dsm-5 Mental Disorders And Type Of Offense On Perceived Guilt Of Offenders, Sydney N. Stone

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study addresses the influence of mental disorder in the perceptions of guilt in offenses by offenders with DSM-V mental disorders. An attitudes survey and vignettes describing combinations of DSM-V disorders and offenses were distributed to 42 participants at Missouri State University, who were then asked to make guilt judgements and rate the magnitude of guilt of the vignette characters. An ANOVA test revealed no significant difference between conditions with mental disorders versus conditions without mental disorders. A regression analysis found significant relationships between guilt ratings and specific mental disorder conditions. Type of mental disorder was concluded to influence the …

Why Am I Like This? An Examination Of The Impact Of Early Childhood Experiences On Adult Attachment Style, Amaris Clay

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Early childhood experiences and parental relationships have a lasting influence on future interpersonal relationships and the associated behaviors (Cortazar and Herreros 2010; Raby et al. 2015; Simons et al. 2014; Treger and Sprecher 2011). The proposed study is investigating the complex links between adverse childhood experiences, parenting style, and attachment style. The purpose of this study was to examine the lasting impact of early childhood factors and how they affect relationships in adulthood. The study intends to replicate previous research on parenting style and attachment style. The results of this study will add to the body of research centered on …

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Measures Of Anxiety And Sensory Processing, Elizabeth R. Troutwine

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Auditory sensory gating, a type of sensory processing, is a physiological mechanism that allows the brain to filter out and respond less to redundant sensory information. Poor sensory gating has been found in clinical groups such as Alzheimer’s dementia (Jessen et al., 2001), bipolar I disorder (Lijffijt et al., 2009), schizophrenia (Patterson et al., 2008), and other anxiety-related psychopathologies such as panic disorder (Ghisolfi et al., 2006), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Orr et al., 2002), and obsessive-compulsive-disorder (OCD) (Hashimoto, 2007). Research is limited regarding effects of chronic worry and anxiety on sensory gating ability. This study will explore the relationship …

Healing Attachment Wounds: Drama Therapy Within An Interpersonal Theoretical Frame As A Group Treatment Modality, Julia Dobner-Pereira

Dissertations, 2020-current

Drama Therapy is an active and experiential form of psychotherapy that is useful for group and individual therapy with a variety of populations (Dintino & Johnston, 1996; Emunah, 1999; Johnson, 2009; Landy, 1996, 2009; Sajnani, 2010). Often, there is ample work within the therapy process on understanding and shifting interpersonal patterns. Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy (Benjamin, 2006; 2018) offers a set of organizing principles emphasizing how early relationship patterns are copied in present relationships with self and other in order to conceptualize and guide treatment, focusing on in-session processes (Critchfield & Benjamin, 2006). The potential for integrating Drama Therapy and interpersonal …

A Gap Analysis Of Reentry Services For Corrections-Involved Populations In Rural East Tennessee, Alyssa P. Gretak Leal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Returning citizens face a host of barriers when attempting to reintegrate into society; thus, services for these concerns are imperative for successful reintegration. Unfortunately, services are often lacking, particularly in rural communities which tend to be overlooked in reentry research. In order to better determine service need for justice-involved populations in rural communities, the current study completed a gap analysis, both inspired and supplemented, by qualitative information collected from mental health providers (MHPs) in a rural Appalachian region of Tennessee. To complete the gap analysis, an estimation of need was collected via local crime statistics. Using this data, a two-sample …

The Power Of Friendships: Associations Between Friendship Quality, Satisfaction, And Well-Being For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Melanie S. Feldman

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit characteristic deficits in the social domain, which can interfere with their ability to form and maintain high quality relationships with their peers. Indeed, children with ASD are generally regarded as having lower quality friendships than typically developing (TD) children. However, based on a small emerging literature, children with ASD, despite reporting having lower quality friendships, indicate that they are satisfied with their friendships at similar levels to their TD peers. This apparent discrepancy between friendship quality and satisfaction for children with ASD as compared to TD children suggests that another factor may account …

Measures And Conceptualizations Of Symptoms In Schizophrenia, Nina B. Paul

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Schizophrenia presents as a heterogenous disorder characterized by diverse expression of symptoms between individuals. Thus, clinicians and researchers rely on comprehensive symptom measures for diagnosis and treatment. This dissertation investigated two symptom measures, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS; Kay, Fiszbein, & Opler, 1987), a commonly used scale that assesses a broad range of symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS; Kirkpatrick et al., 2011; Strauss et al., 2012), a novel scale that focuses on the assessment of five negative symptom domains (i.e., anhedonia, asociality, avolition, blunted affect, and alogia). The first study of …

It’S Not You, It’S Me: Measuring Erotic Self–Focus, Evan Fertel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research suggests the presence of a non-relational aspect of women’s sexuality wherein a focus on oneself may be linked to elevations in sexual desire/arousal. Some theorists have even asserted that women may be, in some ways, their own sexual objects. Building on a previous exploration of what is now termed Erotic Self-Focus (ESF; Fertel, 2015), the present study developed a refined measure of ESF to further assess the validity and nature of this new construct. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors: Arousal to Own Body, Self/Own-Gender Focus vs. Partner/Other-Gender Focus, Self-Focused Arousal – Physical, Self-Focused Arousal – Mental. Although …

Defining Problematic School Absenteeism: Identifying Youth At Risk, Mirae J. Fornander

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Study 1: School attendance is an important foundational competency for children and adolescents, and school absenteeism has been linked to myriad short- and long-term negative consequences, even into adulthood. Many efforts have been made to conceptualize and address this population across various categories and dimensions of functioning and across multiple disciplines, resulting in both a rich literature base and a splintered view regarding this population. This article (Part 1 of 2) reviews and critiques key categorical and dimensional approaches to conceptualizing school attendance and school absenteeism, with an eye toward reconciling these approaches (Part 2 of 2) to develop a …