Impact Of Covid-19 On Families With A Child In Cancer Treatment, Mirae J. Fornander

Research Days

Background: A new diagnosis of pediatric cancer diagnosis is a sudden and tremendous stressor to families (Long & Marsland, 2011). The COVID-19 pandemic presented an acute, universal stressor that impacted daily life around the world (Brooks et al., 2020). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with cancer and their families is not yet known.

Objectives/Goal: The current study is a pilot investigation of COVID-19 exposure and impact among a sample of families with a child being treated for cancer.

Methods/Design: Primary caregivers (N=22) of a child (M age=7.4, SD=4.6) who was diagnosed with cancer within the last 18 …

The Use Of Animal-Assisted Interventions To Treat Child Victims Of Sexual Abuse, Stephanie Johnston

Counseling Psychology | Master's Theses

This study examines the therapeutic benefits of incorporating dogs into the mental health treatment of child victims of sexual abuse in both formal and informal settings. In 1962, Dr. Boris Levinson began incorporating his dog into therapy sessions with his child clients. He noticed that incorporation of dogs into psychotherapeutic treatment encouraged communication in withdrawn children and published his results in 1969, initiating a widespread interest in animal-assisted therapy (AAT). Other variations of AAT soon followed in the form of animal-assisted activities (AAA). The human-animal bond can be a powerful tool that effectively improves mental health and can play a …

Breaking The Cognitive Spell: Cognitive Fusion Mediates The Relation Of Cognitive Anxiety Sensitivity And Rumination In Undergraduate College Students, Jacey L. Anderberg

Honors Thesis

Rumination (i.e., intrusive and repetitive self-directed thinking) predicts the onset, severity, and maintenance of depression (Galecki & Talarowska, 2017). Ruminative behavior is positively associated with cognitive anxiety sensitivity (i.e., fear of losing internal control; CAS), which may be attributed to cognitive vulnerabilities of depression. However, researchers have not clarified the link between these variables, and mechanisms responsible for change in CAS following treatment are unclear (Tull & Gratz, 2008). Accordingly, clarification of intermediate factors that may be targeted in psychosocial interventions appears warranted. Cognitive fusion (i.e., engaging with thoughts as true reflections of reality rather than products of thinking; CF) …

Examining The Influence Of Mental Health On Expressions Of Verbal Aggression And Assertiveness, Juliet Aura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Recent reports in the media suggest an increase in the number of aggression cases in schools and the community. One of the forms of aggression experienced over the lifespan is verbal aggression. Verbal aggression has been considered a negative trait because of the harmful effects it has on the recipient. On the contrary, assertive behavior is a socially desirable trait and is considered a positive communication trait. The purpose of the study was to establish the effectiveness of psychological services and self-care in reducing verbally aggressive behavior. The study also aimed to determine how psychological services can improve assertiveness. …

An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Psychotherapists' Experiences Of Vulnerability, Kay Yu Yuan Chai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the service of forging a deep authentic connection that has the power to heal and transform, psychotherapists create and hold space for their patients to show themselves in a deeply vulnerable manner so that they can be known and accepted as they are. At the same time, psychotherapists are also flawed and wounded mortal beings who cannot help but bring their own woundedness, personalities, and limitations into the space, and must negotiate the delicate balance between restraint and expressiveness of their vulnerability. This study is a phenomenological inquiry into how psychotherapists experience their vulnerability given the demands of their …

How College Men Describe Their Understanding Of Sexual Assault, Sarah Anolik

Dissertations, 2020-current

Despite the proliferation of many vital bystander intervention programs across the country, approximately one in four college women will experience sexual violence. Though it was once believed that a small minority of men were responsible for the vast majority of sexual violence, an estimated 12%-25% of college men report having used sexual violence as an undergraduate student. Research across disciplines suggests several factors associated with the perpetration of sexual violence. While numerous studies have explored these constructs quantitatively on and off college campuses, there have been far fewer qualitative studies that provide insight into how men who have perpetrated violence …

Investigating The Effects Of Endurance Of Marriage On The Relationship Between Attachment And Love Style, Melissa Caris

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Married individuals, like all other adults use the attachment styles they developed in childhood as part of their framework for how they experience loving relationships. Love can be experienced as commitment, passion, or intimacy or any combination of those styles. The degree of attachment related anxiety or avoidance a married person has can influence how they perceive the experience of different love styles in their close relationships. The present study aimed to evaluate how attachment style influences love style in a sample of married adults (N= 248). Participants ranged in age from 23 to 69 (M=38.6) …

Psychological Distress And Susceptibility To Disease In The Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health (Iecmh) Workforce In The Time Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ashley Sexton

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chronic stress, anxiety, and depression can have many adverse effects on physical health, including immunosuppression and increased susceptibility to disease. For the last year, the world has endured sustained stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which has had its own impact on mental health. Stress from COVID-19 will likely have an even greater impact on the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) workforce due to the stressful nature of their work. Self-care has been shown to improve overall wellbeing and act as a buffer for stress. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate if IECMH workers with clinically significant …

Using A Dual-Factor Model To Understand The Mental Health Of Students With School Refusal Behavior, Zachary D. Maupin

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Students with school refusal behavior (SRB) often present complex cases that include variations of internalizing (anxiety and depression) and externalizing (opposition and defiance) mental health struggles. Historically, incongruent classification methods and terminology have hindered the progress of effectively or consistently assessing SRB. Consequently, practitioners face several obstacles in the process of identifying and understanding these students. Despite guidance from past literature, several questions about how SRB interacts with students' mental health are left unanswered. The present study used data from over 100,000 student responses on the California Healthy Kids Survey-Secondary Core Module. A review of attendance questions from this survey …

Picky Eating In Children: Associations With Iq And Executive Functioning, Ara Nazmiyal

Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses

Picky eating is an under-researched behavior in children. The current study aims to assess what behaviors correlate with picky eating to better understand potential risk factors for Anorexia Nervosa. 111 children were evaluated at 5 and 6 years old, and a subset was evaluated again at 7 and 8 years old (n=36). Executive function and IQ were evaluated using parent reports and behavioral measures at baseline. Picky eating was reported by a parent questionnaire. Results showed deficits in shifting to be a predictor of higher picky eating behaviors at ages 5-6 years. Additionally, children who were reported extremely picky eaters …

“In This Industry, You're No Longer Human”: An Exploratory Study Of Women’S Experiences In Pornography Production In Sweden, Meghan Donevan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Despite being a global, billion-dollar industry, very little is known about the conditions women face within the pornography industry. The aim of this study was to explore women’s experiences in pornography production, with a particular focus on structural antecedents to entrance, coercion, and violence within the industry, as well as current needs and any barriers to exiting the industry. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine women with experiences in pornography production in Sweden. Participants identified young age, financial insecurity, earlier exposure to sexualized violence, and poor mental health as typical antecedents to entering the pornography industry. Once in the …

A Network Investigation Of Eating Disorder Symptoms And Risk Factors Before And After A Prevention Program In Adolescent Girls., Jordan E. Drake

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Eating disorders (EDs) are psychological disorders characterized by disturbances in eating that commonly develop during adolescence and may be influenced by risk factors, both ED-specific (i.e., factors linked to future ED symptoms) and transdiagnostic (i.e., factors underlying multiple psychological disorders). Network analysis allows for the study of the connections between ED symptoms and risk factors by identifying central symptoms (i.e., the most interconnected symptoms) and bridge symptoms (i.e., symptoms which strongly connect across the symptom and risk factor clusters). Examining networks of ED symptoms and risk factors in adolescence can inform how risk factors influence ED development, as well as …

Cultural And Psychosocial Moderators Of The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Alcohol And Marijuana Use Among Latinx College Students On The U.S./Mexico Border, Claudia J. Woloshchuk

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been historically associated with negative life outcomes among the general population. There has been no research, to the author's knowledge, on psychosocial and/or cultural moderators of the associations between ACEs and substance use among Latinx college students living on the U.S./Mexico border. This study assessed how specific constructs within the socioecological framework moderate the association between ACEs and alcohol and marijuana use. Participants (Females: N = 283, Mage = 20.86, SD = 3.71, Males: N = 111, Mage = 20.65, SD = 3.13) completed an online survey which included: demographics, the Center for Youth Wellness …

Negative Urgency Predicts Maladaptive Coping Strategies, Alec Martin

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Negative urgency is defined as the disposition to act rashly when under distress. This personality subtype is strongly tied to problematic alcohol and substance use, self-harming behaviors, and binge eating following a distressful period (Cyders et al., 2013; Fischer et al., 2004). The current study hypothesized that participants (62.07% Female, M = 19.81, SD = 4.16, 73.28% White, 6.90% Hispanic, 6.90% African American, 3.45% Native American/Alaskan Native, 3.45% Asian American, 3.45% Middle Eastern, 1.72% Other) who scored high in negative urgency would endorse more maladaptive coping strategies after a negative mood induction (n = 57), compared to a neutral …

Distress Tolerance As A Potential Target For Change: The Relationship Between Distress Tolerance, Craving, And Alcohol Consumption In A Lab-Based Experiment, Isabel F. Augur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distress tolerance (DT) has recently been studied as a potential catalyst for the development ofalcohol use disorder (AUD). Research exploring the relationship between DT and craving is limited and has primarily focused on nicotine craving. Furthermore, there are no current studies examining the relationship between DT and alcohol consumption. This study was designed to fill this gap in the literature, which may shed light on a potentially important target for alcohol use treatment. Additionally, the role of mindfulness was explored in the context of the relationship between DT and alcohol craving and consumption, with the intention of expanding on the …

Proposed Subtypes Of Anger Rumination: Brooding And Reflection And Their Associations With Aggression, Fayth Walbridge

Master's Theses

Rumination maintains, exacerbates, and is related to several maladaptive outcomes including negative affect (e.g., sadness, anger), symptoms of depression, and aggression in samples of nonclinical and clinical populations across developmental periods (e.g., McLaughlin & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2011; Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991; Nolen-Hoeksema, 1996; Thomsen, 2006; Peled & Moretti, 2007; Yang, et. al., 2014). Recently, the construct of sadness rumination has been conceptualized as two distinct subtypes, reflection and brooding (Treynor, Gonzalez, & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2003). Brooding is considered maladaptive because feelings and situations are viewed through a negativistic lens and reflection is viewed as adaptive and uses a problem-solving approach (Lopez, 2010; Burwell & …

Effects Of Adolescent Motivation And Personality On Adherence And Success In A Voluntary Residential Bootcamp Program, Lydia Sigurdson

Master's Theses

The Youth ChalleNGe Program is a voluntary program for adolescents who have dropped out of high school and is intended to address various needs of at-risk youth. As a result, individuals are motivated to enroll for an array of reasons. Though prior research on the Youth ChalleNGe Program has sought to identify individual factors that determine program outcomes, no study has considered motivation for enrollment as a predictor of program success. Further, personality traits related to goal setting and self-regulation may impact the relationship between motivation and program outcome. Archival data was gathered from 710 participants in the Youth ChalleNGe …

The Effectiveness Of A Transaffirmative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Group-Based Intervention To Help Transgender Individuals Suffering From Depression, Joy Riach

Doctoral Dissertations

Transgender individuals report higher levels of elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety due to psychological distress caused by pervasive transphobic discrimination and prejudice that persist in pathologizing and stigmatizing their lived experiences. An important first step would be to develop, implement, and assess transaffirmative interventions that address the mental health issues that this population is particularly susceptible to, such as depression. This current study was designed to assess the effectiveness of one such culturally adapted intervention, which was a 5-week-long, group-based therapy developed for treating depression in transgender individuals using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This was then followed with one …

The Relationship Between Parental Personality, Attachment, And Subjective Well-Being, Mia Nguyen

Psychology | Senior Theses

Parents play a critical role in helping children develop into happy and well-adjusted adults. Factors such as secure attachment, parental rearing behaviors, and parental personality all interact to create a developmental context that impacts a child’s experience. Attachment between parent and child, for instance, is the foundation of later relationships in life. However, a variety of other parent factors including parental rearing behaviors and parenting style can influence attachment (Roelofs et al., 2006). Parenting styles that are nurturing, authoritative, and emotionally involved have not only demonstrated more secure attachments in children but have also been reflective of parents who score …

Electrophysiological Measures Of Context Updating Along The Schizophrenia Spectrum, Rachel J. Mcclure

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Objective: Schizotypy is conceptualized on the spectrum of schizophrenia spectrum, but is seldom studied with schizophrenia. We investigated whether individuals endorsing schizotypy traits exhibit P300 amplitude and power more similar to deficits in those with schizophrenia or more similar to healthy controls. Method: Participants consisted of 109 individuals, 63 females, ages 18 to 64, (M = 30.98 years, SD = 9.9 years). P300 was elicited with an auditory oddball task, and peak amplitude & latency as well as power within the peak window within the delta, theta, alpha, beta & gamma frequencies were calculated. Schizophrenia symptom severity was measured using …