Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Quality Of Sibling Relationship And Age Spacing In Single-Parent Households Versus Two-Parent Households, Mari Varga Overlock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sibling relationship quality is affected by several variables, such as gender, age spacing, marital conflicts, parenting, and parent-child relationship, which simultaneously influence personality and developmental outcomes. Furthermore, sibling relationships can significantly influence the social climate of the family and vice versa. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of household composition (1-parent home vs. 2-parent home) and the number of years between siblings ages on sibling relationship quality, and to determine whether parental conflict response management strategies differ between single-parent and 2-parent homes. The participants were 124 adult mothers with at least 2 children. Participants provided demographic …

Substance Abuse And Depression: Exploring Changes In Symptomology In Minority Subgroups, Ruth Michel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While a comorbid relationship between substance abuse and depression in Caucasian adults has been widely documented, comorbid substance abuse and depression in minorities remains unexplored, leaving a gap in knowledge concerning the treatment of these comorbid disorders in the fastest growing population in the United States. Cognitive behavior theory posits that specific stressors increase the likelihood of substance abuse. These factors may include structural discrimination experienced by minorities. This quantitative, pretest-posttest archival study examined the effects of a substance abuse treatment program in reducing comorbid depressive symptoms among 317 participants from 3 minority subgroups and a comparison nonminority group enrolled …

Resilience Or Recovery: A Phenomenological Investigation Into Parental Bereavement, Anita Elderkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Facing the death of a loved one is often a traumatic experience; when the deceased is one's own child, the loss may be the most stressful event of one's life. There has been very little research into the phenomenon of being a bereaved parent. This study is a phenomenological investigation into the lived experience of being a bereaved parent and whether resilience or recovery plays a role in how parents move through and eventually past such a loss to continue with their own lives. Previous research has indicated that adjustment to traumatic experiences can take multiple pathways or trajectories, depending …

The Big Five As Predictors Of Behavioral Health Professional Burnout, Alicia Mae Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the majority of studies appeared to focus on health service workers and job satisfaction, there was a substantial lack of literature that explored the relationship of personality traits and burnout specific to behavioral health professionals. Research has indicated that behavioral health professional burnout is a mediating factor in early job exodus primarily due to highly interactive work with people. The purpose of this study was to consider the relationship between behavioral health professional burnout, as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Health and Human Service workers, and the big five personality traits, as measured by the NEO Five …

Inclusion In Jamaican Primary Schools: Teachers' Self-Efficacy, Attitudes, And Concerns, Jillian Samms

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inclusive education has become an international phenomenon; however, many developing countries struggle with its implementation. At last assessment of the Jamaican educational system in 2004, findings revealed exclusionary practices which are in contrast to international standards on education. Many children with special needs may not be receiving adequate support for education. Using Bandura's social learning theory as a foundation, this study examined whether there is a predictive relationship between grade level, type of school, location of school, access to support resources, perceived school climate, pedagogical beliefs, extent of inclusion training, attitudes to inclusion, and teachers' ratings of self-efficacy for inclusive …

The Impact Of Parental Incarceration On Childhood Health, Nastassjiah Cunningham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many children in the United States have experienced the imprisonment of a parent, given the country's high rate of incarceration. Researchers have found that such children have a higher likelihood of having health problems than do other children. However, a gap in current literature exists regarding these children's ability to acquire needed health care services to accommodate health issues resulting from the experience of parental incarceration. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between these children's health status and their experience of parental incarceration. Bowlby's attachment theory, along with life course theory, constituted the conceptual …

The Relationship Between Infertility, Infertility Treatment, Psychological Interventions, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Antoinette Corley-Newman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of women diagnosed as infertile continues to grow every year. The psychological impact of the infertility experience has been said to create distress equivalent to that associated with life-threatening illnesses and has been linked with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using shattered assumption and stress-buffering theory, this quantitative causal comparative study explored the potential functional relationship between infertility and PTSD. The majority of the (all-female) participants were 24- to 34-year-old college graduates. A 2 X 3 factorial between-subjects ANOVA examined and compared the cause and effect of the independent variables, fertility treatment and psychological intervention, on the dependent variable, …

Discrimination, Coming-Out, And Self-Esteem As Predictors Of Depression And Anxiety In The Lesbian Community, Adrien Purvis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mixed findings in the research on mental health issues in the lesbian community have resulted in conflicting conclusions as to whether the prevalence rate of generalized anxiety disorders and depression in the lesbian population differs from that of non-lesbians. The variability of findings may be due to factors such as discrimination, coming-out, and self-esteem. Using the minority stress model a framework, the purpose of this quantitative survey study was to examine whether perceptions of discrimination, coming-out, and self-esteem levels predict lesbians' anxiety and depression. Participants anonymously completed online measures of the Outness Inventory, the Schedule of Sexually Discriminatory Events, the …

The Effect Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Chiropractic Care On Stress Reduction, Tracee Felice Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Decreasing the impact of stressors on the body remains an important area of study for the affected population. While there is evidence showing that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), a psychotherapy approach, results in decreased stress, little was found about the effects of chiropractic treatment (CC) on stress. The purpose of this quantitative archival study was to determine whether the combination therapy of CC and CBT was more effective in decreasing stress than CBT independently. Cognitive neuropsychology served as the theoretical lens. Client data from a mental health and chiropractic care center on the West coast (N = 112) were divided …

Sentence Recall In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Brett Wallace

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is an age-shift in neurotypical children: younger children tend to remember information in a verbatim manner so they store item-specific surface characteristics; between nine and ten children engage in gist recall where they store meanings of presented information. The aim of the present study was to explore false memory in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as some research suggests that they develop gist recall at a later age than neurotypical children. We are also interested in the role of working memory.

One approach to understanding false memory creation is activation-monitoring (AM) theory. Working memory can play a role …

The Knowledge And Beliefs Of Childhood Sexual Abuse (Csa) Professionals On The Use Of Animal-Assisted Activities (Aaa) And Animal Assisted Therapy (Aat) In Forensic Interviews, Alyssa Mari Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed at exploring the current level of knowledge of professionals in the field on Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA), childhood memory development, and the legal aspects of CSA cases, as well as surveying attitudes and beliefs regarding the practice of using therapy animals during forensic interviews. Forty-five participants, who worked with maltreated children in the mental health profession completed the survey. Based on prior research, I hypothesized that those with higher educational attainment would rate themselves higher on knowledge of childhood memory development, which was not supported by the data. I also hypothesized that those with experience with …

Reducing Substance Abuse Stigma In Employment Application, Timothy W. Curran

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

A history of substance use and having a history of legal charges can be a barrier to employment. Available research shows individuals with a criminal history of substance related charges have greater difficulty obtaining employment due to the presence of substance abuse stigma and criminal history stigma. Research also shows that employers with higher levels of fundamentalism and conservativism are more likely to negatively evaluate applicants with a criminal history of substance charges. Furthermore, available research demonstrates employers in rural areas are more likely to deny employment to an individual with a legal history of substance charges based upon higher …

Romantic Interest Selection From An Imago Relationship Therapy Perspective, Lauren O. Patterson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) is a model of couples therapy that is not empirically validated (Jakubowski et al., 2004). IRT proposes that individuals select Romantic Interests (Interests) that are similar to their Childhood Caregivers (Caregivers) in an effort to heal childhood wounding (Hendrix, 1988). The current study sought to evaluate the IRT proposition of romantic interest selection by evaluating patterns in romantic interest selection, particularly the relationship between Caregiver and Interest personality characteristics, adult attachment dimensions, gender, and geographical location of origin. In addition, the study considers similarities in participant narratives of positive and negative experiences with Caregivers and Interests. …

Resilience As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Negative Life Events And Psychological Well-Being, Anna L. Faircloth

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The relatively young field of positive psychology serves to redirect the focus of common psychological investigation and intervention on factors that deplete well-being, toward characteristics and experiences that promote happiness and well-being (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Two features that have been consistently associated with measures of psychological well-being are resilience and negative life events (Avey et al., 2010; Shonkoff et al., 2012). The current study examined the relationship between negative life events, well-being, and resilience. Specifically, the study was designed to determine if resilience mediates the relationship between negative life events and psychological well-being among emerging adults. Participants were 325 …

The Process Of Resolving Spiritual Struggle Following Adulthood Trauma, Aimee L. Keith

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Spiritual struggle has been described as a disruption in religious practice and spirituality resulting in questioning beliefs, experiencing discord within religious communities, decreasing spiritual practices, and experiencing painful cognitions such as the belief that one is being punished by God. This study used constructivist grounded theory to explore how women identifying as Protestant Christians at the time of the traumatic event resolve their spiritual struggles. Eleven conceptual categories, which are presented in a stage model, emerged from the data. The stages were Experiencing an Event Discordant with Beliefs, Emotional Reaction (following the traumatic event), Questioning (of beliefs, suffering and identity), …

Exploring Acceptable Alternatives To Psychotherapy For Distressed Clients In Integrated Primary Care, Paul N. Leandri

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Integrated Primary Care (IPC) is an effective, cutting-edge modality to treating both physiological and psychological problems using a holistic approach within primary care. One of the primary challenges associated with IPC is figuring out the most cost-effective way of treating the largest possible number of patients with behavioral health-related conditions, within staffing constraints. This has led to a preference for time-limited psychological interventions that work well for common mild behavioral health conditions. These time-limited interventions, however, are often inadequate for patients struggling with moderate to severe psychological distress. As such, we need alternative treatment options for this population. Research has …

The Experience Of Qigong Among Women Cancer Survivors, Jennifer Sveund

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Research has shown that qigong can be beneficial for a variety of health related conditions; However, evidence suggests that in the United States, a lack of well designed clinical trials limits the efficacy of qigong in the context of cancer treatment. Research has indicated that careful consideration should be given to the design of randomized control trials using qigong due to the conflicting philosophical methodologies. In the United States, qigong has been under investigated, particularly lacking are qualitative inquiries into qigong use and cancer survivorship. This study is an interpretative phenomenological inquiry that sought to understand women’s experience of qigong …

Provider Perspectives On Self-Injurious Behavior: Past, Present, And Future Directions, Laura A. Hilton

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Self-Injurious behavior (SIB) has received a great deal of attention in recent years. Although concern about the prevalence of this behavior has increased, some therapists feel that they cannot adequately treat those who engage in self-injurious behavior (Miller, 2005). In this study, mental health providers were asked to complete a brief survey about their experiences providing treatment to those who engage in self-injurious behavior. The goal was to gather information with respect to their experiences treating self-injurious behavior. The study explored provider perspectives with regard to attitude, prognosis, best treatment practices, clinical preparedness, and comfort level in treating individuals who …

Effects Of A Mindfulness-Based Mobile Application On Empathy And Mindfulness With Psychotherapists, Sarah M. Kopencey

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores the feasibility of using a mindfulness-based mobile application (MBMA) with psychotherapists, and investigates whether the use of the MBMA has an impact on psychotherapists’ levels of empathy and mindfulness. The study employs a within-subjects, pretest-posttest design in which participants (n=16) completed questionnaires 30 days apart. Between these questionnaires, the participants utilized the smartphone application Insight Timer (Insight Network, Inc., 2016) on a daily basis. Professionally qualified therapists and doctoral psychology trainees currently practicing psychotherapy who have no or minimal experience with mindfulness practice were considered for inclusion in this study. The study generated paired samples t-tests using …

An Experimental Investigation Of The Effects Of Self-Compassion And Self-Criticism On Implicit Associations With Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Laura M. Nagy

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is the intentional destruction of bodily tissue in the absence of suicidal motives. NSSI is strongly associated with self-criticism (Gilbert et al., 2010) and individuals who self-injure often report doing so to punish themselves. Conversely, self-compassion, or the tendency to be caring with oneself, is associated with psychological well-being (Neff et al., 2007). The aim of the present study was to determine whether experimentally inducing self-criticism or self-compassion would lead to changes in implicit identification with NSSI. The Self-Injury Implicit Association Test (SI-IAT; Nock & Banaji, 2007) is an assessment of the strength of the automatic associations …