Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Discriminating Between Technical And Global Competence In Cbt Programs For Youth Anxiety, Jennifer Cecilione

Theses and Dissertations

Therapist competence refers to the skillfulness and responsiveness demonstrated when delivering an intervention and is an important factor to consider in the training and evaluation of therapists. However, competence research is sparse, especially in the youth psychosocial treatment field. A primary discrepancy is whether technical (related to interventions associated with a specific treatment program) and global (general clinical expertise) competence can be measured as distinct dimensions of competence. The goal of the current study was to determine whether instruments of technical (Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Anxiety in Youth Competence Scale; CBAY-C; McLeod et al., 2018) and global (Global Therapist Competence Scale …

The Impact Of Stress On Resilience: Examining The Moderated Effects Of A Savoring Intervention, Hannah L. Newman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Resilience is characterized by the ability to bounce back from stress (Bonanno, 2004; Ong et al., 2006; Smith et al., 2008). Research suggests resilience is a personal resource that helps individuals effectively cope with stress and provides protection from negative outcomes (Loh, Schutte, & Thorsteinsson, 2013). Exposure to stress is a prerequisite to building resilience across many different contexts (Graber et al., 2015; Hennessey & Levine, 1979; Rutter, 2006). Interestingly, a high accumulation of stress detracts from an individual’s abilities to build resilience (Ong et al., 2006; Tuguade & Frederickson, 2007). However, it is unknown what types of interventions explicitly …

An Examination Of The Effects Of Guided Imagery Theme On Stress And Mood Following An Ego-Depletion Task, Thomas H. Hutchison

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

People experience stress on a daily basis. If not properly managed, stress can lead to disturbances in cognitive functioning, mood-related problems, obesity, and heart disease. Guided imagery has been shown to be an effective technique to help people recover from stress. The literature on guided imagery, however, does not take the theme of the guided imagery script into account. Additionally, there are gaps in the research regarding any interaction between rurality and mood, stress, and guided imagery. A repeated measures MANOVA was conducted to test the main aim of this study; that is, to determine if theme of guided imagery …

Drug Of Choice: An Exploration Of Coping With Caffeine, Kaleigh E. Caldwell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world. It is deemed socially acceptable and is associated with many benefits; however, some research suggests that caffeine can cause significant impairments in functioning if consumed in excess. Caffeine-related disorders are now included in the Substance Use Disorders section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), though not much is known about the negative effects of caffeine, as substance abuse theories and coping models have not been applied to caffeine. Purpose: This study seeks to provide knowledge about the abuse of caffeine and to explore …

Psychometric Properties Of A New Measure For Orthorexia Nervosa: The Orthorexia Nervosa Scale (Ons), Rebecca Conrad

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a disordered eating pattern that has recently attracted attention from researchers and clinicians, and can lead to some of the same negative effects as other recognized eating disorders, including malnutrition. To continue exploring unique symptoms and features of this disorder, a new scientifically rigorous and inclusive measure needs to be created, focusing on a sample of individuals in the United States. The purpose of this dissertation was to create a valid measure for ON symptomology using rigorous statistical procedures with samples of United States adults. The first study determined the factor structure of the items though …

An Evaluation Of Preexisting Psychiatric Diagnosis: Patient Outcomes In An Intensive Care Setting, Nicole R. Ryan

DNP Projects

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual is able to acknowledge ability levels, cope with the normal stresses of life, be a productive member of society and contribute to the community. An important consideration for DNP prepared nurses is implementing principles of the Collaborative Care Model as a guiding framework to improve access to evidence-based mental health care in a medical care setting.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this DNP project was to examine the demographic, clinical and treatment characteristics of patients with both medical and psychiatric diagnoses admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) …

Burnout And Self-Stigma Of Seeking Psychological Help In Military Healthcare Providers, Odelia N. Mcfadden

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Military healthcare providers (HCPs) are tasked with maintaining the military’s mission readiness while balancing the roles of being providers and military members themselves. As such, military HCPs serve in various settings, including hospitals, clinics, ships, and austere environments. Military HCPs may experience a host of occupational stressors, such as long deployments, being in the line of fire, seeing dead or injured comrades, responding to mass casualty events, having excessive caseloads, and working prolonged hours. These factors make military HCPs susceptible to burnout. Unfortunately, stigma of seeking psychological help is prevalent in the military and may deter individuals from seeking the …

Exploring Obesity, Adhd Severity, And Disordered Eating Behavior Among College Students, Carolina Rozario

Dissertations and Theses

Obesity is a global epidemic because of the potential health risks. There is evidence that many obese individuals manifest persistent ADHD symptoms, and that both disorders increase risk for binge eating. Nevertheless, how obesity and ADHD may increase risk for binge eating work is unclear. Neuropsychological deficits are common to all disorders and may help to explain the relations observed. The aim of this study was to explore whether neuropsychological dysfunction, especially inhibitory control weaknesses, moderate the association between greater BMI and more severe ADHD and disordered eating behaviors. Thirty-nine undergraduate college students (27 females; Mean age = 20.77, SD …

Alcohol Use And Drinking Motives In Bereaved Undergraduates, Laura J. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of the experience of a loss on alcohol use and drinking motives in a college sample. Participants for this study were drawn from the “Spit for Science” project (Dick et al., 2014). The sample included 3,013 students (31.8% men, 68.2% women; 44.3% White, 21.1% Black, 19.6% Asian, 6.0% Latinx; mean age = 18.96; 16.2% bereaved) from Virginia Commonwealth University. Data were collected from participants’ freshman spring and sophomore spring time points on the Life Events Checklist, Alcohol Consumption items, and Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised. Participants who were bereaved between the freshman and sophomore timepoint did not …

Executive Functions As Moderators Of Response To Behavioral Interventions For Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Stephen J. Molitor

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience significant academic impairment and multiple interventions have been developed to address common academic problems, such as difficulties with homework, organization, and planning skills. Given cost and resource constraints, research is needed on factors that mental health providers can use to select the most appropriate interventions. To date, there has been minimal research evaluating moderators of response to ADHD interventions. Further, many of the variables that have been studied do not have strong theoretical ties to the mechanisms of change invoked by the interventions. This study examined potential moderators of treatment response to two academic …

The Efficacy Of A Group Visual Art Bereavement Intervention With Older Adults, Rachel E. Weiskittle

Theses and Dissertations

Research on expressive art interventions for bereavement has burgeoned in recent years. Studies have supported their effectiveness in facilitating participants’ adjustment to loss (e.g., Rosner, Kruse, & Hagl, 2010; Uttley, 2015) and have revealed the frequency with which they are clinically implemented (Thompson & Neimeyer, 2014). Clinicians and recipients of expressive art interventions advocate for their helpfulness in grief processing (e.g., Gamino, 2015). Publications have highlighted particular visual art modules that facilitate adaptive adjustment to loss by providing avenues for self-expression, meaning making and continuing bonds with the deceased (Neimeyer, 2016), but few studies have quantitatively investigated whether they improve …

Associations Between Expressed Emotion, Mental Health, And Functioning In Families: Child Asthma Status As A Moderator, Katherine W. Dempster

Theses and Dissertations

Expressed emotion (EE), the affective attitudes and behaviors of one toward another, can affect caregivers’ behaviors toward their child. Research examining associations between EE and child/family outcomes is mixed; these associations may be affected by other influences such as the presence of a chronic disease or parent mental health. In this study of families living in an urban area, we examined associations between EE and child outcomes (anxiety/depressive symptoms) and family functioning, with parent anxiety as a covariate. We evaluated child asthma status as a moderator as the presence of a chronic illness may strengthen the association between EE and …

A Longitudinal Investigation Of Interpersonal Trauma Exposure, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, And Cannabis Use Phenotypes Among College Students, Terrell A. Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

College students have an increased risk for cannabis use, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cannabis use disorder (CUD) and PTSD comorbidity is high, and given the negative consequences of the comorbidity (e.g., poor academic outcomes), there is a need to understand comorbid CUD-PTSD etiology. Two primary etiologic models exist: self-medication (i.e., PTSD à CUD) and high-risk (i.e., CUD à PTSD) hypotheses. This study 1) examined the prevalence and predictors of cannabis use and interpersonal trauma (IPT) exposure; 2) investigated the relationship between cannabis use and IPT; and 3) examined cannabis use, IPT, and PTSD through mediational self-medication and …

Acculturative Stress And Depressive Symptoms And Anxiety Symptoms In Asian American Emerging Adults: Identifying Moderators And Mediators, Anh-Thuy Le

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored relations among acculturative stress (i.e., perceived discrimination, parent-child communication difficulties, incongruent parent-child values, and a general measure of acculturative stress), depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, family conflict, ethnic identity, and social support in a sample of 207 Asian American emerging adults (ages 18-25). Regressions showed that acculturative stress was positively associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. Likewise, acculturative stress was positively related to family conflict, regardless of how the former was operationalized. Greater family conflict was also associated with greater depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms.

Mediation models found that, for each predictor of acculturative stress, family conflict …

The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On The Efficacy Of School-Based Interventions For Adolescents With Adhd, Cathrin D. Green

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience impairment in academic functioning in the school and home environment. Because of this, many school- and clinic-based interventions have been developed to target these problems. Initially, clinic-based interventions were mainly used; however, these interventions were associated with many barriers to care, such as lack of transportation, financial resources, and time. Therefore, school-based interventions were developed to address these barriers. However, there has been minimal research evaluating the role of social determinants of health on the efficacy of school-based interventions. In a sample of 222 adolescents with ADHD randomly assigned to receive either a …

Using Latent Semantic Analysis To Evaluate The Coherence Of Traumatic Event Narratives, Gabriella C. Scalzo

Theses and Dissertations

While a growing evidence base suggests that expressive writing about a traumatic event may be an effective intervention which results in a variety of health benefits, there are still multiple competing theories that seek to explain expressive writing’s mechanism(s) of action. Two of the theories with stronger evidence bases are exposure theory and cognitive processing theory. The state of this field is complicated by methodological limitations; operationalizing and measuring the relative constructs of trauma narratives, such as coherence, traditionally requires time- and labor-intensive methods such as using a narrative coding scheme. This study used a computer-based methodology, latent semantic analysis …

Effect Of A 14-Day Mindfulness Intervention On Daily Desire Experiences And Desire Regulation, Nabila Farhin Jahan

Theses and Dissertations

A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness, a receptive attentiveness to one’s present moment experiences, has the potential to adaptively regulate habitual behaviors. No prior study has tested the effect of mindfulness interventions on people’s daily desire experiences to inform the potential for adaptive desire regulation. The present exploratory randomized controlled trial examined the effect of a 14-day smartphone-based mindfulness intervention (versus a coping control intervention) on the frequency, intensity, duration, and enactment of everyday desires in 19 participants. The desire domains included basic need-based desires (i.e., for food, drink, sleep) and secondary desires (e.g., for sex, media, social …

Pokemon Go And Mental Health, Nathaniel Ed

Masters Theses

Pokémon GO is a new type of game that emphasizes physical activity and social interaction. In the literature, both physical activity and social interactions have been shown to be positively correlated with mental health. Much research has been conducted on the effects of gaming on mental health, but to date no research has been done on the possible correlations of the game Pokémon GO and mental health. The present study was conducted to determine whether Pokémon GO players scored significantly lower than a control group of traditional garners on scales of depression, anxiety, and pathological gaming, and if they reported …

Lifetime History Of Concussions And Behavioral Measures Of Anhedonia, John O'Donnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Concussions are the most common neuropsychological problem in the United States and are associated with sequelae such as cognitive complaints and depression-related symptoms. Recent research suggests that head trauma is associated with anhedonia and that concussions have the potential to damage axons and postsynaptic connections in neural circuits that play a role in reward processing. Anhedonia may be better understood as an overarching construct with multiple subtypes including motivational, decisional, and consummatory. The current study examines the relationship between lifetime concussion history and subtypes of anhedonia using behavioral measures of reward processing: the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task (EEfRT), Probabilistic …

Protective Behavioral Strategies And Alcohol-Related Sex Among College Students, Roselyn Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adverse sexual outcomes (e.g., sexual regret, sexual risk, and sexual assault) are a common experience among college students. In particular, regretted sex is reported by a third of college students and may result in psychological harm. Previous literature has found that alcohol is involved in approximately one third of regretted sex experienced by college students. A gap exists in the literature identifying who is more susceptible to experiencing a regretted sexual experience. Previous research has shown that students who implement protective behavioral strategies (PBS) while drinking are able to reduce alcohol-related negative consequences, including regretted sexual experiences. Three sub-types of …