Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Social Anxiety And Drinking Behaviors In College Students: Mediated By Alcohol Outcome Expectancies Specific To Social Situations?, Toby Board

Masters Theses

Understanding the relationship between social anxiety and problematic drinking is a difficult task. Studies examining this relationship have commonly found a positive correlation between social anxiety and drinking behaviors, although the literature is marked by mixed results. If social anxiety does positively predict alcohol use, then what accounts for this relationship? Some researchers posit that alcohol outcome expectancies may be a mediator for this relationship. Alcohol outcome expectancies specific to the context of social evaluative situations may be a stronger mediator than general alcohol outcome expectancies. A study to test this mediation was conducted with xxx undergraduate students. Results showed …

Ordering And Arranging Behaviors In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Replication And Extension, Sarah R. Lee

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In the existing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) research literature, some of its “symptom dimensions” have been studied more extensively than others (McKay et al., 2004; McLean et al., 2001). Symmetry and ordering concerns, for example, have been the subject of far less research than washing or checking symptoms. In one of the few extant studies of these concerns, Radomsky and Rachman (2004a) found that participants with elevated ordering concerns reported higher anxiety in response to a stressful task when assigned to a disorganized office space, as opposed to an organized one. The current study was intended as a replication of theirs …

Examining Outcomes And Mechanisms Of The Honest, Open, Proud Intervention In College Students With Mental Illness, Carol Hundert

Master's Theses

Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage involving many changes and transitions (Arnett, 2004). The instability during this time can cause significant distress, making this a period of increased vulnerability for the development of mental illness (Kessler et al., 2007). The rise in the incidence of mental illness on college campuses has caused an increased demand for mental health services (Kadison & Digeronimo, 2004). Unfortunately, college students face many barriers to treatment, including self-stigma (Eisenberg, et al. 2009). Honest, Open, Proud for college students (HOP-C) is a peer-led group-based intervention designed to reduce self- stigma in college students living with mental …

Treatment Satisfaction And Adult Mental Health Outcomes Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Tarila Abbott

Theses and Dissertations

In the current study, we examined the impact of trauma-specific treatment and treatment satisfaction to determine if receiving treatment had an impact on the adult mental health outcomes of childhood sexual abuse survivors. One hundred ninety-four participants completed a series of self-report measures that captured their experience of childhood sexual abuse, possible enrollment in treatment, experience in treatment, and current PTSD, Depression, Alcohol Abuse, and Experiential Avoidance levels. MANOVAs were conducted to identify and examine any relationships between treatment groups. It was hypothesized that participants who received therapy specific to their childhood sexual abuse would endorse lower levels of PTSD, …

Influence Of Poverty, Parental Substance Use, Ethnicity, And Employment On Reactivation Following Family Reunification, Judith Anne Cornell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The maltreatment of children impacts individuals, communities, states, and societies. One response to the problem is the removal of children from their families, which can cause significant trauma for all involved. Moreover, the financial, legal, and emotional costs increase exponentially when subsequent re-removal, known as reactivation, occurs. Nationwide, the rate of reactivation averages just over 6%; in Arizona, the rate is significantly higher, with 11% of children being reactivated within 2 years of initial reunification. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine whether poverty, ethnicity, parental substance use, parental employment, marital status, and number of children in …

Back On The Block: Spousal Transitional Difficulties In Military Retirement, Rhianna Kelsey Flohr

PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Dissertations (New England)

Service members who serve active duty for 20 years qualify for military retirement with retired pay. This study examined whether sociodemographic and clinical factors are associated with higher levels of transitional difficulty in spouses of retired military service members following at least 20 years of active duty service. Veteran research has shown that a variety of sociodemographic and clinical factors influence the ease with which the service member transitions back into a civilian lifestyle. Factors contributing to greater transitional difficulties for veterans include: (a) experience of a traumatic event, (b) probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (c) race and ethnicity, (d) …

Acculturation, Biculturalism, And Familistic Cultural Values' Relationship With Latino Mental Health, Nathalie Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As the Latino population increases in the United States, mental health professionals encounter mixed research findings on immigrant mental health. There seems to be an epidemiological paradox in relation to Latino mental health and the effect that acculturation has on anxiety and depression symptoms among this minority population. One discernible research limitation in the existing literature is that researchers measure acculturation as a unidimensional, rather than multidimensional, construct. The present study examined not only acculturation, but also biculturalism, as correlates of depression and anxiety symptoms in a Latino population. Additionally, the present study identified potential Latino cultural buffers against depressive …

Attitudes Of Clinical Psychologists Towards The Reporting Of Nonhuman Animal Abuse, Laetitia Geoffroy-Dallery

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Research consistently demonstrates that nonhuman animals are capable of cognition and complex emotions, but their legal status in the United States remains similar to that of property. As such, they are not protected under laws mandating psychologists to report suspicions of abuse of populations that are judged to be vulnerable and unable to protect themselves, such as children, the elderly and people with disabilities (American Psychological Association [APA], 2010). Findings from previous research suggest that animal abuse is a relatively common topic encountered in therapy and the majority of clinicians are in favor of allowing voluntary reporting of nonhuman animal …

Delirium Predicts Three-Month Mortality In Critically Ill Patients: A New Model, Katharine E. Hartnack

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Delirium is a neurocognitive disorder defined as an acute disturbance in attention, awareness, and cognition with a fluctuating course not better explained by a preexisting condition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It is prevalent in up to 70% of hospital patients and 82% of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU; Ely, Speroff, Gordon, & Bernard, 2004; Kavanagh & Gottfried, 2007; Mcnicoll, Pisani, Ely, Gifford, & Inouye, 2005). The impact of delirium on mortality is inconsistent in the literature. Many studies have concluded that delirium prevalence is associated with increased risk of mortality (Cole, 2004; Kavanagh & Gottfried, 2007; Moskowitz et …

Equine-Facilitated Therapy: An Adjunct Treatment For Pre-Adolescent Girls With Adhd, Maya E. Michel

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examined the potential impact of equine-facilitated therapy (EFT) as an adjunct treatment for pre-adolescent girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Research on EFT has shown some promise in helping children develop a sense of self and greater awareness of their behavior and body language. It has also shown potential for increasing externalizing and internalizing behaviors. The rationale behind the use of EFT with children with ADHD is that by taking part in an EFT program, they will receive immediate feedback on their behavior and will therefore experience an increase in attentional control and a decrease in impulsivity. …

Proactive Stress Management For Firefighters, Amanda M. Mead

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Firefighters in the United States face significant risks as they serve their communities. Despite research that has thus far demonstrated the benefits of proactive coping strategies, and a previously suggested need for a proactive stress management program for firefighters, no such program has yet been implemented or evaluated specifically for firefighters. The purpose of this dissertation was to research stress and stress management using qualitative interviews with New Hampshire and Arizona firefighters to inform the development of a future primary prevention program (proactive stress management) to this at-risk population. Results yielded themes of sleep deprivation, stigma, protectiveness, mental health, lack …

Developing A Comprehensive Model Of Personality, Beliefs, And Religiosity To Explain Underage Drinking In College Students, Hayley A. Cole

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Researchers have demonstrated that college students with strong religious beliefs unsupported by religious behaviors report greater involvement in underage drinking, drug use, and risky sex than students with concordant high or concordant low religious beliefs and behaviors. Recent research also suggests personality traits, belief systems, and environments may be influencing this group’s risky behaviors; however, further research is needed to identify factors contributing to these students’ life choices (including the decision to not support their religious beliefs with specific religious behaviors). This study reports on tests of a psychosocial mediational model, connecting personality traits, religious beliefs, religious behaviors, and underage …

The Role Of Diaphragmatic Breathing In Self-Regulation Skills Training, Matthew E. B. Russell

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

A central component of many psychological interventions is breathing training. Breathing training protocols based on a mindfulness or a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have demonstrated value in the management of psychological and medical ailments. Yet, despite the wealth of literature examining each approach, little direct comparison exists. An additional concern is the proliferation of smart phone health (mHealth) applications (apps) providing breathing training with little empirical evidence to support their clinical use. A possible explanation for the interest in breathing and mHealth apps is the growing body of literature indicating breathing training provides wide ranging health benefits through improved stasis …

Bipolarity And The Five Factor Model Of Personality Disorder, Cristina Crego

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The predominant model of general personality structure is arguably the Five Factor Model (FFM), consisting of the five broad domains of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The FFM of personality disorder (FFMPD) has proposed maladaptive variants at both poles of the FFM. The purpose of the current study was to identify a subset of FFMPD scales, utilizing factor analysis, that illustrate, and provide a potential measure of, the bipolarity present in the FFMPD. All of the FFMPD scales were administered to 443 community participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Bipolarity was evident in a series of factor analyses of …

Person-Centered Analysis Of Adhd Comorbidities And Differential Characteristics And Outcomes, Christine Anne Lee

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent and impairing childhood disorders (5%; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), yet it is often studied in isolation. Such an approach is at odds with the clinical reality, where ADHD has a high comorbidity with oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety, and depression (Jensen, Martin, & Cantwell, 1997). Based on the possible presentations of ADHD with both externalizing and internalizing symptoms, there may be differences in associated characteristics, areas of impairment, and resulting assessment interventions. Therefore, the present study investigated how ADHD comorbidities manifested in a population of 233 elementary age children and how these …

Causal Attributions And Smoking Behaviors In Cervical Cancer Survivors: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study, Gabriella E. Puleo

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

This cross-sectional, mixed-methods study examined the nature of, and association between, causal attributions and current smoking behavior in cervical cancer survivors who were smokers at cancer diagnosis (n=50). As a whole, participants’ beliefs about smoking as a risk factor or cause of cervical cancer in general (i.e., global attribution) and/or their own cervical cancer (i.e., personal attribution) reflected far greater endorsement of global than personal attributions. Data collection involved a quantitative survey and an optional semi-structured interview to assess key variables (i.e., smoking behavior and causal attributions). Data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and inferential tests, all of …

The Relation Between Early Adolescent Physical Activity And Internalizing Problems: Variations In Exercise Motivations As A Critical Moderator, Stephen Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Although research suggests there is a bidirectional relation between Physical Activity (PA) and internalizing symptomology, there are inconsistencies in the literature regarding this relation for early adolescents and little research exists that investigates potential moderators that may account for these discrepancies in underserved (i.e. low SES and minority status) populations. The current study was the first to utilize a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework to investigate the main effects five key motivations to exercise and their moderating effects between PA and internalizing problems in an underserved sample of early adolescents (N = 167; M age = 12.19 years; 58.1% female and …

Measuring Community Violence, Trauma, And Family Functioning Among Youth Living In Low-Income, Urban Environments, Kyle Deane

Dissertations

Exposure to community violence is a pressing public health concern that has profound effects on an adolescent’s development and psychological well-being, and is disproportionately experienced by ethnic minority youth living in economically disadvantaged urban environments. Efforts to measure violence exposure and its sequelae have centered primarily on the use of retrospective questionnaires and cross-sectional design and often fail to consider other contributory risk or resilience factors. Comprised of three related studies, the goal of this dissertation is to address the relations between of exposure to community violence, adjustment difficulties, such as posttraumatic stress, and family functioning among African American and …

The Experience Of Mentors In A Cross-Age Peer Mentoring Program: Exploring The Helper Therapy Principle, Dakari Quimby

Dissertations

Mentoring programs are increasingly popular interventions for promoting positive development in Black youth from high risk environments. Cross-age peer mentoring refers to an older youth serving as a mentor for a younger mentee. Although not as widely studied as adult mentoring, this relationship has been found to have a beneficial effect for both the mentor and mentee. The current study seeks to better illuminate this bidirectional benefit by focusing on one half of the relationship—the experience of cross age peer mentoring by Black American mentors from low income communities. This is an important untapped area of study as peer mentoring …

Cognitive Remediation Of Working Memory Deficits In Children With Chronic Health Conditions: Tailoring Cogmed Training To Address Barriers To Adherence, Kelsey Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and cancer are at risk for working memory impairment due to the disease and treatment. However, inconsistency in adherence to cognitive training programs conducted with this population suggests that adaptations are necessary in order to improve the effectiveness of this intervention. In addition, it is unclear whether gains in working memory translate to improvement in classroom functioning.

Methods: Children engaged in cognitive training exclusively over the summer in order to improve adherence to Cogmed Working Memory Training. A total of 17 children ages 7- 17 with a diagnosis of SCD (n = 14) …