Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Coloring Methods For Anxiety Reduction, Laura Ashlock, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso Dr.

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health concerns in the United States according to the National Institute of Mental Health. A popular nonprofessional approach to managing anxiety is coloring. While mandala patterns have long been considered meditative and anxiety reducing, adult coloring books bring a new possibility to anxiety treatment. The present study compared the effects of four different coloring methods on state anxiety scores to determine whether adult coloring books are similar to other coloring approaches in impacting anxiety. Participants included 160 undergraduates (96 female, 64 male) attending a private, liberal arts university who were randomly assigned …

A Student's Search For Meaning: The Creation Of An Existential Therapy Models Course For Clinical Psychology Graduate Students, William Y. Hwang

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This writer explores the process of creating a models course which introduces the foundations of existential therapy to graduate students in clinical psychology programs. The first section of this paper presents the rationale for developing such a course, especially in the context of the contemporary call in the field of clinical psychology for evidence-based treatment. This author discusses how this course is pertinent specifically for the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver as well as necessary at large for any clinical psychology program to claim and maintain competency in psychological theory. The second section of this …

The Use Of Reappraisal During Expressive Writing And Its Impact On Affect And Insight, Alleana Micaela Maglaque Fuentes

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis looked into the role of reappraisal in expressive writing and its impact on affect and insight. The study looked into (1) differences in reappraisal between writing in the first person versus third person, (2) differences in one’s perceived inclusion of the stressor in the self between the two groups, (3) changes produced in positive and negative affect, (4) outcomes on insight, and (5) the role of reappraisal as a mediator between expressive writing and its outcomes. 64 undergraduate students were asked to answer questionnaires and engage in a writing task. Results of the study are as follows: (1) …

Diabetes-Specific Distress And Glycemic Control In Children And Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Moderating Effect Of Social Support, Carolyn E. Turek

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the roles diabetes-specific distress and social support play in impacting glycemic control trajectories in youth with type 1 diabetes. Due to the increase in responsibilities and stressors occurring during pre-adolescence and adolescence, it is particularly important to consider the impact of diabetes-specific distress on glycemic control trajectories during this time, in order to determine best practices for screening and treating this population. It is also important to consider how social support may serve as a buffer against negative diabetes outcomes. In order to determine how diabetes-specific distress and social support impact glycemic control trajectories in this population, …

The Reciprocal Effects Of Language Proficiency And Depression Among Low Income Latino Youth, Nicole Colon Quintana

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Extant research suggests that language plays an important role in both social processes and emotional encoding and regulation. In dual language youth, the maternal tongue has been observed as a protective factor against maladaptive outcomes (Toppelberg & Collins, 2010). Although Latino youth are at a heightened risk for depression (CDC, 2013), and a majority grow in Spanish-English speaking households (Pumariega et al., 2013), the impact of dual language development in their psychosocial well-being remains poorly understood. It is known that limited English language proficiency during early school years is predictive of maladaptive outcomes such as externalizing problems (Dawson & Williams, …

Grandparents As Foster Parents: Psychological Distress, Commitment, And Sensitivity To Their Grandchildren, Karine Poitras, George M. Tarabulsy, Emmanuelle Valliamée, Sylvie Lapierre, Marc Provost

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Grandparents are increasingly solicited to become foster parents. This study aims to describe the psychological distress, parental sensitivity, and parental commitment of a group of Quebec foster grandparents. Forty-eight foster parents were assessed in this study, including 12 grandparents. Psychological distress was assessed using the Symptom Checklist–90–R (SCL–90–R®; Derogatis & Lazarus 1994), parental sensitivity using the short version of the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (Tarabulsy et al., 2009; Pederson & Moran, 1995) and commitment using a semi-structured interview (This is My Baby; TIMB: Bates & Dozier, 1998). Results indicate no difference between foster parents and grandparents as a function of parental …

Neuroendocrine And Psychological Factors Associated With Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, And Reduced Compassion Satisfaction In Mental Health Professionals, Michelle Huffman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Mental health professionals are at increased risk for burnout, compassion fatigue, and reduced compassion satisfaction. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and loss of personal accomplishment. Compassion fatigue is a more progressed disruption relative to burnout marked by insomnia/nightmares, arousal, loss of objectivity, isolation, and intrusive thoughts. Compassion satisfaction buffers against burnout and compassion fatigue. Although links between demographic, psychological, and biological factors have been documented, interactions between these factors have not been explored. Mental health professionals completed psychological inventories measuring depression, anxiety, burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. Saliva samples were collected during the Trier Social Stress Test …

A Visit To The Doctor: Preparation For Activism, Simone Watson

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Being, Doing, And Play: A Theoretical And Clinical Exploration, Nathan A. Haskell

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This paper explores the metonymy of the following aphorism, delivered by Winnicott in a 1967 lecture: “From being comes doing, but there can be no do before be.” (1970, p. 25, emphasis in original). This aphorism has been little discussed or explored in the literature, but Winnicott articulated similar ideas in his more academic papers (e.g., 1965, 1970). These similar communications about being and doing will be examined alongside more contemporary thinking about the ideas to which Winnicott alludes in this aphorism; works by Benjamin (1988) and Akhtar (2000) in particular will be brought to bear on the subject. Two …

Human Sex Trafficking: How Sex Trafficking Victims And Survivors Experience Hope And Resilience, Adrian Egger

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Few studies have examined the experiences of sexually trafficked victims and survivors in the United States.

As the population increases it is important to understand how sexually trafficked victims and survivors cope with trauma, experience recovery, and respond to therapy. Research indicates that factors of hope and resilience play a vital role in the way individuals cope with trauma and experience recovery (Masten & Narayan, 2012).

This study examined factors of hope and resilience of 12 sexually trafficked victims and survivors, ages 14 to 21. Interviews were conducted and a mixed-methods design was employed to establish common themes related to …

The Impact Of Interpersonal Violence On Depression And Social Support, Katherine Dautenhahn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study explores the impact of sexual assault, interpersonal trauma, and non-interpersonal trauma on depression and social support. Female adult, Seventh-day Adventists in the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study were surveyed and regressions controlling for age, difficulty meeting expenses, education, and race tested whether trauma types predicted depression and social support. Results indicated sexual assault and interpersonal trauma predicted depression while non-interpersonal trauma did not. When sexual assault was combined with other interpersonal traumas, interpersonal trauma was associated with higher depressive symptomatology than non-interpersonal trauma. Trauma significantly predicted negative but not positive social support. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Keywords: Interpersonal …

Cumulative Sexual Victimization And Mental Health Outcomes Among Incarcerated Women, Jennifer Hartsfield, Susan F. Sharp, Sonya Conner

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This research explores the relationship between three different types of self-reported sexual victimization and subsequent mental health problems in a sample of incarcerated women. Previous literature establishes a link between victimization histories and poor mental health outcomes. This study focuses on sexual victimization experienced as a child, as an adolescent and as an adult, both individually and cumulatively, in relation to entering prison with a mental health diagnosis as well as reporting current depressive symptoms while incarcerated. Each type of victimization is significantly related to both prior mental health diagnosis and current depression in prison. Furthermore, there is an additive …

Water Maze Strategies Used By Mice Exposed To Radiation And Pomegranate Juice, Pamela V. Lorenzo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Space radiation can be detrimental to the whole body and can produce oxidative stress in specific areas in the brain. Research has shown that radiation affects the hippocampus, which is responsible for relational/contextual types of learning and memory. Spatial learning and memory is one type of relational learning that is easy to study in animals. The water maze is a test that requires the animal to use spatial navigation skills to find a submerged (hidden) platform in a pool of water. Disease and injury that affect the hippocampus result in spatial learning deficits and altered search strategies in the water …

An Examination Of The 16pf Global Factors As Predictors Of The Scale Of Accurate Personality Prediction (Sapp), Maria Christina Mandina

Theses and Dissertations

The Scale of Accurate Personality Prediction (SAPP), first developed by Miller (2000), was designed to measure one’s self-knowledge regarding their personality traits. The SAPP was derived from the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) by means of comparing the differences between a respondent’s predicted and obtained scores on the 16PF. Numerous studies to date have examined both the reliability and validity of the SAPP. A recent study looked at the predictability of the SAPP score utilizing the 16 obtained primary scales of the 16PF (Mazur, 2015) so as to be able to derive a SAPP score directly from the obtained 16PF …

Exploring Family Change Processes: A Dynamic Qualitative Analysis Of Family Trajectories, Change And Coordination In Child Protection Cases, Ana Teixeira De Melo, Madalena Alarcão

The Qualitative Report

This paper reports an exploratory discovery-oriented study aimed at inspecting change processes and dynamics in families referred by the Courts and Child Protection Services for family assessment in the Integrated Family Assessment and Intervention Model (IFAIM; Melo & Alarcão, 2011, 2013) due to child neglect. The families received support for change during an assessment aimed at facilitating and exploring their potential for change. The parents reported, in quantitative diaries, their family’s experiences and changes inside and outside the sessions. We coded the data with a qualitative coding-scheme emergent from a preliminary qualitative exploration based on grounded theory methods and sensitizing …

Being While Doing: An Inductive Model Of Mindfulness At Work, Christopher Lyddy, Darren J. Good

School of Business Faculty Publications

Mindfulness at work has drawn growing interest as empirical evidence increasingly supports its positive workplace impacts. Yet theory also suggests that mindfulness is a cognitive mode of “Being” that may be incompatible with the cognitive mode of “Doing” that undergirds workplace functioning. Therefore, mindfulness at work has been theorized as “being while doing,” but little is known regarding how people experience these two modes in combination, nor the influences or outcomes of this interaction. Drawing on a sample of 39 semi-structured interviews, this study explores how professionals experience being mindful at work. The relationship between Being and Doing modes demonstrated …

Sexual Assault Coping Self-Efficacy As Moderated By Legal Advocacy Social Support, Clara Jane Roberts

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Sexual assault is a pervasive issue with the potential to impart serious and lasting consequences. Of the many possible factors that may influence outcomes, coping self-efficacy (CSE) and social support (SS) may play a role. Specifically, higher levels of SS appears to predict higher CSE following trauma (Hohl et al., 2015). SS also appears to be impacted by age, such that older individuals are often more negatively impacted by low SS (Matt & Dean, 1993; Schnittker, 2007). This study examined if the SS provided by a legal advocate (LASS) produced similar effects on CSE, with age as a moderator. Participants …

Predicting Modification And Revocation Of Insanity Acquittees On Conditional Release Using The Short-Term Assessment Of Risk And Treatability, Heidi Oliver

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Violence risk assessment has evolved significantly over the past 50 years. The newest generation of risk assessment tools is intended not only to assess risk but also to inform treatment. The Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability, i.e., the START, is an example of a 4thgeneration tool that identifies risk and protective factors, highlighting the dynamic variables that may decrease risk. As treatment for mentally ill offenders shifts from inpatient hospital environments to community-based treatment settings, a focus on dynamic risk factors is crucial for maintaining safety for patients and the community. This study aimed to identify the predictive validity …

The Relationship Between Gratitude And Health Behaviors, Jacob Lowen

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Gratitude interventions lead to significant increases in subjective, psychological, spiritual, and physical well-being. These benefits may be because grateful individuals are better able to form social bonds, better able to utilize coping skills to defer stress, better able to maintain positive affect, and are more creative in problem solving. It remains unclear what mechanism(s) are responsible for the positive benefits associated with gratitude and whether the link between gratitude and health enhancement is bidirectional. The current study seeks to explore the link between gratitude and health behaviors by measuring the increase or maintenance of gratitude over time in response to …

Norming The Young Schema Questionnaire In The U.S., Elizabeth Di Francisco

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Since publication in 2005, the Young Schema Questionnaire Short-­‐version 3rd Edition (YSQ-­‐S3) has increased in popularity over the years among psychologists in Europe and the U.S.; yet to date it has not been normed within a U.S. sample. A sample of 148 participants completed eight demographic questions, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder -­‐7 (GAD-­‐7), Patient Health Questionnaire -­‐9 (PHQ-­‐9), and YSQ-­‐S3 via Survey Monkey. Participants were classified into clinical and non-­‐clinical groups depending on responses to the GAD-­‐7, PHQ-­‐9, and demographic questions. YSQ-­‐S3 results were analyzed via SPSS 23.0 to conduct descriptive statistics, one-­‐way ANOVA, and exploratory analyses to test the …