Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Early Relational Experiences And Poor Psychological And Social Outcomes As Mediated By Internalized Heterosexism In Sexual Minority Women: Illustration Of A Theoretical Model, Katharine Williams

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research has indicated that LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) individuals are at elevated risk for psychopathology when compared with their heterosexual peers, a finding that was highlighted in the Institute of Medicine’s report on The Health of LGBT People (Cochran & Mays, 2000; Cochran et al., 2003; IOM, 2011; King et al., 2008). Sexual minorities and sexual minority couples also have been found to have greater romantic relationship difficulties than heterosexual peers (Balsam & Szymanski, 2005; Frost & Meyer, 2009; Mays, Cochran, & Roeder, 2003; Meyer & Dean, 1998; Otis et al., 2006; Spencer & Brown, 2007). Therefore, this study targeted …

Vocal Rhythm Coordination And Preterm Infants: Rhythms Of Dialogue In A High-Risk Nicu Sample, Adrianne E. Lange

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The contemporary bio-psycho-social view of mother-infant relationships holds that early interactions form the foundation of the growing infant’s sense of himself and the world. Prior to the development of linguistically-based communication, nonverbal communication patterns foster the infant’s socio-emotional growth, cognitive capacity and the development of optimal regulatory patterns. Preterm birth significantly alters the typical developmental trajectory on multiple levels and disrupts normal neurobiological and socio-emotional maturational processes, including those that build on early interpersonal experiences with caregivers. The current study of vocal rhythm coordination in preterm mother-infant dyads is the first of its kind. Aspects of infant prematurity (degree of …

Investigating The Construct Of Psychopathy In Lebanese And American Adults, Marie-Anne Issa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Psychopathy has been primarily investigated in forensic and psychiatric populations in North America. Cross-cultural studies, mainly conducted in Europe, have shown disparities in psychopathy scores and the measures’ psychometric properties, which raise the issue of cultural factors, such as individualism-collectivism, values, and different ways of emotional expression, and the impact of these cultural factors on the construct and its manifestation. Psychopathy has been rarely explored in Arab populations. This dissertation examines the construct of psychopathy among Lebanese adults, to assess its meaning, relevance, and utility among this population and compares the responses of Lebanese to American adults. The design of …

Perceptions Of Money: Relationships Between Remembered Parental Rejection, Extrinsic Life Aspirations And Maladaptive Attitudes Toward Money, Rebecca J. Smith

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined the extent to which maternal rejection, paternal rejection, maternal care, and maternal overprotection predict extrinsic life aspirations as well as maladaptive money attitudes in young adults. Additionally, this study sought to determine if the Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire correlates with the Parental Bonding Instrument. The variable, extrinsic life aspirations, was examined to determine if it mediates between parental rejection and maladaptive money attitudes. Finally, the present study examined gender differences with regard to parental rejection, extrinsic life aspirations, and maladaptive money attitudes. A multiple regression analysis was conducted in a college sample of 366 participants using self-report …

Possible Underlying Mechanisms Of Hyperactivity In Children With Adhd, Nicole Feirsen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Conceptualizations of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have evolved significantly over the years. Historically, early conceptualizations of ADHD described hyperactivity as the core symptom of the disorder. However, when the third version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) was published (1980), hyperactivity became a specific qualifier of the disorder and was no longer necessary for a diagnosis. Despite this shift in conceptualization of the disorder, there is an abundance of empirical evidence, both recent and historical, supporting the fact that hyperactivity is an enduring and clinically impairing symptom domain in ADHD. Despite having numerous validated instruments available to …

Real Gender: Identity, Loss, And The Capacity To Feel Real, Hannah Wallerstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project concerns gender and feeling real. It begins with a seeming paradox: on the one hand, since Judith Butler (1999; 2011) we can no longer think gender as ontological in any simple sense; on the other, clinical experience and the voices of transgender and gender-queer individuals shows gender to function on the order of reality, and one exceeding the social. In other words, if feeling real depended entirely on being read as such, how would we account for the many who pass easily as “real” men or women and yet feel unreal, or come to feel more real by …

Ptsd From Childhood Trauma As A Precursor To Attachment Issues, Christy Owen

Fidei et Veritatis: The Liberty University Journal of Graduate Research

The past 20 years have been turbulent regarding Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), with conflicting research about its causes, effects, treatment, and prognosis. The current diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5 fails to adequately address this disorder. A number of deviant and maladaptive behaviors common amongst children with RAD are not even mentioned in the diagnostic criteria. As such, the diagnostic definition is almost unidentifiable or incompatible with real-life conduct manifestations of the disorder. Rather, this author contends that RAD is foundationally a unique and extreme form of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from Early Childhood Trauma. The child endured unspeakable neglect and/or …

Sleep Disruption Among Cancer Patients Following Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Ashley M. Nelson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Sleep disruption is one of the most commonly reported quality of life concerns among cancer patients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Despite the high percentage of patients reporting sleep concerns, relatively little research has characterized sleep problems or explored relationships with psychological factors. In addition, no studies have used actigraph technology to characterize sleep issues among transplant recipients.

Method: Autologous HSCT recipients who were 6 to 18 months post-transplant were invited to participate. Patients completed self-report measures of cancer-related distress, fear of cancer recurrence, dysfunctional cognitions about sleep, and maladaptive sleep behaviors upon enrollment, wore an …

Assessing Adult Attachment Using The Dynamic Maturational Model: Exploring A Novel Measure, Albert Pace

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is perhaps the most widely used and best-known assessment tool for assessing adult attachment. Several methods for scoring and coding the AAI exist; the Dynamic Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation (DMM) offers one theoretical perspective that accounts for the dynamic nature of attachment in high-risk populations, and incorporates contemporary information processing theory (Crittenden, 2015a). Despite the AAI’s empirical and clinical power, its utilization in both clinical and research practice is time consuming and costly. Conversely, most self-report questionnaires are readily accessible, cost effective, and time efficient. Nevertheless, there has been concern regarding the psychometric …

Lung Cancer Stigma: Associated Variables And Coping Strategies, Kevin R. Criswell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Lung cancer stigma is a burgeoning area of literature, yet two important questions remain unanswered: a) What are the associations between lung cancer stigma and psychosocial outcomes across lung cancer survivors with different smoking histories and b) how would lung cancer survivors describe their experience of coping strategies they utilize to cope with lung cancer stigma. This dissertation presents two studies that seek to answer the above-mentioned questions: a) a quantitative study that describes the rates of Personal Responsibility, Regret, and Medical Stigma and the associations between the above-mentioned constructs and psychosocial outcomes; and b) a qualitative study of coping …

Neuropsychological Effects Of Pomegranate Supplementation Following Ischemic Stroke, John A. Bellone

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Polyphenols are compounds found in fruits and vegetables that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Mounting evidence suggests that dietary polyphenol intake can reduce the detrimental effects of various disease processes, and pomegranates have frequently been examined because of their particularly high polyphenol content. Since stroke induces both oxidative stress and inflammation and is currently the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S., we sought to determine whether dietary supplementation with polyphenols could enhance cognitive recovery in individuals who had suffered an ischemic stroke. We administered polyphenols via 2 POMx pills containing polyphenols derived from pomegranates equivalent to the content …

The Adolescent Smoking Prevention Project: A Web-Based Smoking Prevention For Adolescents, Whitney N. Brown

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In 2014 2.5% of middle school students and 9.2% of high school students reported smoking cigarettes in the past 30 days (CDC, 2014). However, there is currently a lack of evidence-based programs targeting prevention of adolescent smoking. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a novel web-based adolescent smoking prevention program, the Adolescent Smoking Prevention Project (ASPP), based on the sensitization-homeostasis theory of nicotine dependence and developed by the study investigators. A sample of 54 adolescents (aged 12-15) were recruited from public schools in Southern California. Of these adolescents 26 were randomly assigned to the ASPP program and 28 were …

Hypertension In Older African Americans: Testing Psychosocial Mediators, Taylor L. Draper

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Past research has shown that low socioeconomic status (SES) and experiencing racial discrimination are both related to hypertension in African Americans. Further, low SES and racial discrimination have been found to affect hypertension indirectly through stress, low levels of psychosocial resources, and lifestyle risk factors in African American adults. Past studies have used the Reserve Capacity Model (RCM; Gallo & Matthews, 2003; 2005) to understand these relationships. The RCM asserts that stress can be mitigated by psychosocial resources (mastery, optimism, self-esteem) which lead to healthy lifestyle behaviors predictive of cardiac health. However, there are few studies that use the RCM …

Interleukin-6, Depression, And Religious Coping In Older Seventh-Day Adventists, Palak Dipak Kothari

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Prior research suggests that depression and chronic inflammation have a bidirectional relationship. This study examined how depressive symptoms and the inflammatory marker, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interact over time in 287 older adults (54% female, 63% White, Mage = 66, SDage = 10.9) from the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study and whether religious coping moderated this relationship. Depressive symptoms and IL-6 were assessed in 2006-7 and 2010-11. Results of the hierarchical multiple regressions indicate that initial depressive symptoms predicted IL-6 three to five years later, and that this relationship was moderated by positive religious coping. Moreover, negative religious coping predicted depressive symptoms …

Relationship Between Crime, Psychological Diagnosis And Cognitive Functioning, Kayla M. Kinworthy

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Within various forensic state hospitals, neuropsychological testing is used to improve patient management through treatment and release planning because cognitive impairment and a diagnosis of Schizophrenia have direct implications on chance of release from a state hospital and risk of future violence. To understand the seeming inter-workings of the variables of cognitive functioning, mental health diagnosis, and violence, this study sought to test how various demographic, developmental, mental health, and cognitive factors impact a patient's crime committed and the presence of violence during the commission of the crime, as well as testing the direct relationships between these variables. Results from …

Heart-Focused Anxiety And Cardiac Treatment Adherence, Angelyna M. Lowe

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cardiac disease is the leading cause of death and functional impairment in North America. Treatment adherence in general is a major obstacle for the cardiac population. Anxiety is a potential barrier to treatment adherence, yet results of previous studies are equivocal, possibly due to anxiety being measured too generally. Heart-focused anxiety was measured in the current study to determine if it is a better predictor of treatment adherence than general anxiety, after controlling for other known predictors of adherence. Sixty-five participants between 29 and 96 years of age (M = 69.24, SD = 14.18; 56.9% female) were recruited from the …

Effects Of Stress, Sex Differences, And Cognitive Reserve On Cognitive Decline In Healthy Elderly Subjects, Courtney Ray

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Extensive research has been conducted linking stress to increased allostatic load and degradation of various organs over time. In the brain, the hippocampus appears to be particularly vulnerable. This deterioration is manifest clinically by impaired performance on tasks of declarative memory. The Social Readjustment Ratings Scale (SRRS) is an inventory of high intensity psychosocial stressors. This instrument has previously been used to help calculate risk of disease. Using measurements of stressful life events, it may be possible to similarly predict risk of cognitive impairment. To test this, the current study explored the cumulative effect of discreet psychosocial stressors that have …

Appearance-Related Commentary And Body Image In Women, Christina P. Moldovan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research has shown that sociocultural factors such as interpersonal appearance-related commentary influence body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Few studies have investigated the effects of appearance-related commentary among undergraduate women of different ethnic groups. The aims of the current study were to examine: (1) ethnic differences in body dissatisfaction, eating disorder psychopathology, sociocultural attitudes towards appearance, appearance-related commentary, and acculturation to Western culture in African-, European-, and Hispanic Americans; and (2) negative appearance-related commentary and acculturation to Western culture as moderators of the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder psychopathology. Participants included 345 undergraduate women (Mage = 19.17, SD = …

Predictors Of Adolescent E-Cigarette Use, Denise Dao Tran

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

E-cigarette use among adolescents in the U.S. has recently tripled. Studies suggest that e-cigarettes may be as addictive as conventional cigarettes, and that adolescents may be at particular risk for nicotine addiction, as well as for the neurological, developmental, and behavioral problems caused by nicotine use. The objective of the present study was to identify potential risk factors for adolescent e-cigarette use, particularly those related to conventional cigarette smoking. Respondents (N = 177; Mean age = 13.23 years; SDage = 0.90; 60.00% female) were recruited from one public middle school and one public high school in Southern California, and completed …

Survive Or Thrive: Focusing On The Forest (Global) Or The Trees (Local) Impacts Meaning Making, Seda Terzyan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Focusing on the forest versus the trees illustrates a fundamental difference in how people see the world and make meaning, termed global and local attention. How we shift between them may impact whether we experience happiness or anxiety. We explored how different emotions serve as triggers for shifting between global and local attention using film clips and measuring responses to computerized attention tasks. We found that negative film clips localized attention, while positive films globalized attention, concluding that emotions can impact whether we attend to the forest or the trees. However, different induction strategies and various studies have led to …