Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Social Support, Gender, And Burden In Caregivers Of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease, Jennifer Lynne Wisneski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are 15.9 million adults in the United States providing care to a family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Family member caregivers experience detrimental physical and mental health stress because of their caregiving role. The purpose of this study was to determine if the independent variables of marital status, perceived social support, and gender of family member caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease were related to the dependent variable of caregiver burden. The variables were examined through the lens of John Bowlby's attachment theory using archival data (n = 586) from the REACH II program. The results of the analysis …

Childhood Lead Exposure And Adult Verbal Comprehension And Perceptual Reasoning, Carrie A. Wonderly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lead neurotoxicity is considered a problem in young children and the long-term effects of lead exposure on them have yet to be determined. Studies have been completed to determine how lead exposure has affected children through their most important developmental stages. However, there is a lack of research to uncover any long-term effects lead may have as children enter adulthood. The purpose of this study was to determine long-term effects of lead exposure on IQ. The theoretical foundation for this study is the Cattell Horn Carroll theory of intelligence, which is based on fluid (novel experiences) and crystallized (previous experiences) …

Neurodevelopmental Basis Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Based On Age And Gender, Sursatie Chetram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication, socialization, and restricted/repetitive behaviors. In 2012, one out of every 55 children (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) have been diagnosed with ASD in the United States. Only 30-40% of ASD has a known etiology (e.g., genetic predisposition) and the other 60-70% is unknown. Prior to this study, there was no known literature on age and gender differences related to neuro-developmental functioning of ASD. The purpose of this study was to examine how the differences in age and gender of people with ASD were related to …

The Impact Of Depakote On Agitation And Short-Term Memory In Nursing Home Dementia Residents, Kristin E. Fazzolari-Pleace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have linked dementia to common psychiatric symptoms such as agitation and aggression, known as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). To treat residents manifesting BPSD, nursing homes (NHs) use psychoactive medications. However, research is limited and inconsistent regarding the impact of Depakote treatment on agitation and short-term memory (STM) in NH residents who have dementia. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to evaluate for 1 year the impact of Depakote treatment on agitation and STM in NH residents as measured by each resident's Minimum Data Set (MDS). Moncrieff and Cohen's drug-centered theory served as the theoretical …

Parenting And Discipline Correlations With Social Supports For Single, African American Mothers, Veronica D. King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Assistance to young, single, African American mothers requires adaptation to their environmental stressors along with reliance on social support. Further information is necessary for developing and supporting an appropriate model for delivery of that assistance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine potential correlations between general social support and parenting skills and disciplinary practices amongst low-income, African American single mothers. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory model supported this study to further develop an accurate perspective of African American families to inform more effective approaches to parenting. The participants for this correlational research design study were 78 mothers who had …

Effects Of Religious Returnees' Observance Of Family Purity Laws On Marital Satisfaction Scores, Tamar Eva Shtrambrand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Baal teshuvas are traditionally observant Orthodox Jewish individuals who were previously not religiously observant and chose to become observant at a later juncture in their lives. This population is at risk of psychosocial dysfunction, particularly in the area of marriage, but little or no research has been conducted with this population. The purpose of this study was to study how 1 factor, the laws of family purity, an ancient set of Jewish laws governing sexual behavior between husbands and wives, may have an effect on marital satisfaction among baal teshuvas. Areas of marital satisfaction were measured by the Revised Dyadic …

Predictors Of Gambling-Related Problems In Adult Internet Gamblers, Barbaradee Foote

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of the Internet to gamble has become increasingly prevalent in recent years.

Although researchers have suggested that adult Internet gamblers are at high risk for

developing a gambling disorder, few studies, overall, have been conducted on the effects

of Internet gambling. Furthermore, conflicting research exists regarding what moderates

gambling-related problems. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if

age, gender, and emotions prior to the gambling experience are related predictors of

Internet problem gambling severity. A retrospective design was used. The pathways

model was used to support the belief that emotions felt before an Internet gambling …

Veterans Court: Examining The Effectiveness Of Veteran-Specific Rehabilitation, Rochelle Sundeen Diconti

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Due to the growing percentage of mental health illnesses related to combat trauma and traumatic brain injuries, the rates of incarceration, suicide, and substance use disorders are skyrocketing in the returning veteran population. The Veterans Court program directs veterans with certain criminal issues into a program designed to treat veterans in need, as opposed to incarcerating them. The purpose of this study is to conduct an initial examination of the effectiveness of this program by measuring four specific factors directly linked to veteran trauma and mental health. I included measures of problematic-anger, shame, thriving, and veteran-specific reintegration issues. Data was …

Using Instructed Response Times To Compare Inattentive Responding Across Paper And Online Modalities: Measuring Research Participant Inattention, Olivia B. Brooks

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

It is important to examine the equivalence of paper and online data collection methods across several domains. The current study compared paper versus online modalities from a data quality standpoint, with a specific focus on inattentive (i.e., careless) responding by using an easily-implemented method to capture participants’ careless responses: interspersing instructed response items (e.g., “Please select option 3, ‘Strongly disagree,’”) throughout a collection of 15 established measures. A between-subjects design compared the percentage of instructed response items missed (hence, inattentive responses) across three conditions: 1) lab paper, 2) lab online, and 3) non-lab online. The non-lab online condition was predicted …

Promoting Hope, Healing, And Wellness: Catholic Interventions In Behavioral Health Care, Thomas G. Plante, Gerdenio Manuel S.J.

Psychology

In this chapter, we will outline, highlight, and review some of the Catholic traditions and pastoral tools that can be integrated into any professional clinical practice in behavioral health care. We will focus our attention on six tools in particular that are particularly popular and unique within the Catholic faith tradition. We will also offer brief case illustrations to provide examples of how these Catholic tools can be effectively integrated into professional clinical practice.

Predicting Post-Treatment Recurrence Of Child Maltreatment Among Substance-Abusing Parents, Emily Noel Neger

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately one quarter of parents identified by Child Protective Services (CPS) as having committed child maltreatment will be reidentified within a year. Children who are multiply victimized are at the greatest risk for detrimental outcomes across development. This study looked to determine whether four predictors of interest could help differentiate parents who recommitted maltreatment within an 18-month follow-up period from those who did not. Predictors assessed were the severity of a parents’ substance use, parents’ level of social conflict, parents’ belief in the use of harsh parenting practices and parents’ overall quality of life. Covariates of interest included a parent’s …

Quantitative Forecasting Of Risk For Ptsd Using Ecological Factors: A Deep Learning Application, Nuriel S. Mor, Kathryn L. Dardeck

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Forecasting the risk for mental disorders from early ecological information holds benefits for the individual and society. Computational models used in psychological research, however, are barriers to making such predictions at the individual level. Preexposure identification of future soldiers at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other individuals, such as humanitarian aid workers and journalists intending to be potentially exposed to traumatic events, is important for guiding decisions about exposure. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a machine learning approach to identify individuals at risk for PTSD using readily collected ecological risk factors, which makes scanning …

Examining The Interaction Between Stress Exposure And Stress Reactivity As Predictors Of Reward Sensitivity And Anhedonia Symptoms, Joshua Ahles

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

There is a well-documented relationship between stress and depression, although only recently has the field begun to articulate clear models regarding how stress exerts this effect. One prominent model highlights the disruptive impact of stress on reward processing, which relates to anhedonia – a cardinal symptom of depression. Vulnerability-stress models also play an important role in depression research and hold that individual differences in responses to stress may exacerbate the relationship between stress and depression. Pre-ejection period (PEP) reactivity to reward has been posited as an index of reward sensitivity and approach motivation and has been increasingly linked to depression. …

Examining The Interacting Effects Of Marital Role Salience And Satisfaction On Mental Health Trajectories Of Female Expatriates, Kaitlin M. Patton

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Expatriate populations encounter significant change throughout their expatriation experience, yet little is known about the individual expatriate’s mental health changes throughout the first year of this process. Even less explored is the impact that marital satisfaction and marital role salience have on the mental health trajectories of this population. Using hierarchical linear modeling, this study examined the mental health trajectories of a cohort of females (N = 32; age M = 38.63, SD = 2.65) moving with their spouses to Turkey. Further, the moderating effects of marital satisfaction (KMSS; Schumm, Milliken, Poresky, Bollman, & Jurich, 1983) and marital role …

Individual Growth Through Forgiveness: A Multiple Case Study On The Process Of Forgiveness, Bianca Kazoun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychology researchers have been gathering information regarding the positive effects of forgiveness, demonstrating that they contribute to better overall physical and emotional wellbeing. Individuals who have suffered a transgression can remain in a place of destructive anger and resentment for years. Long-term, these negative states can have deleterious effects emotionally, physically, and socially. Understanding how to help those who are suffering move past their victimization can have a positive impact. It is therefore important to conduct research to better understand forgiveness through the lived experience of individuals who have experienced some form of victimization. Using evolutionary psychology as the theoretical …

Therapists' Comfort Level In Providing Psychotherapy In Home-Based Therapy Settings, Jacqueline A. Ramirez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Home-based psychotherapy has expanded in the mental health community; however, little was known about the therapists' comfort level in a home-based venue. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess therapists' comfort level (TCL) in providing psychotherapy in a home-based setting and how therapeutic competency (TC), therapeutic relationship (TR), and advanced therapeutic training (ATT) related to the comfort level. The social-ecological systems theory and the theory of comfort served as the theoretical frameworks. The present study used the Therapist Comfort Scale, Counseling Competencies Scale-Revised, the Scale to Assess Therapeutic Relationship in Community Mental Health Care-Clinician, and a demographic questionnaire. …

Rural High School Staff Experiences In Implementing Intervention Strategies Against Bullying Of Lgbtq Students, Ashley Gray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students in rural schools experience verbal and physical harassment due to their sexual orientation, which leads to higher rates of substance abuse, psychological problems, and greater academic failure when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Because of the high percentage (81%) of LGBTQ students in rural schools experiencing bullying incidents, it is important to explore how the attitudes and perceptions of professional school staff influence the implementation of intervention strategies to prevent bullying in rural schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain insight into, and knowledge of, professional school …

Meta-Analysis Of The Effectiveness Magnitude Of Hypnosis On Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment, Gueorgui Klissourov

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increased intensity of modern life and the experiences in combat situations has brought on enormous stress and has led many individuals to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hypnosis is one of the treatment methods available to professionals and has been proven to provide fast, reliable results in multiple studies. Despite these results, the lack of understanding of the physiological effects of hypnosis on the brain has prevented its use as a common treatment method for PTSD. By examining the differences between the effectiveness of hypnosis in military and civilian populations, the aim of this meta-analysis was to isolate the …

Quantitative Assessment Of Psycho-Social Factors Associated With Alcoholics Anonymous Involvement, Dianne Bentley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alcohol use disorders are a major health problem in the United States; approximately 7.4% of the population meets the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence. However, Reed, Levin, and Evans (2012) reported a lack in research regarding alcoholism's risk factors and how these influence Alcoholics Anonymous involvement. Though there is evidence for several risk factors, researchers have found mixed results regarding gender and impulsivity. Social learning theory was the theoretical foundation of this study and guided the exploration and interpretation of these risk factors. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to understand the relationship that impulsivity (as …

On The “Bubble” Of Burnout's Prevalence Estimates, Eric Laurent, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi, Laura Hawryluck, Peter G. Brindley

Publications and Research

Hawryluck and Brindley (2018) addressed the issue of burnout—a syndrome thought to be induced by job stress—among critical care medicine (CCM) practitioners. Although we agree that the practice of CCM can be stressful, relying on burnout as an indicator of the practitioners’ response to occupational adversity is unwarranted. Despite its popularity, burnout remains poorly defined. Disconcertingly, investigators have widely relied on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for “diagnosing” burnout in spite of the fact that the MBI is not a diagnostic instrument.Experiencing fatigue or distancing oneself from one’ work—what burnout is about—is not necessarily a sign of ill-being in itself. …