Clinical Psychology Commons^™

An Exploration Of The Paradox Of Bisexuality In Women: The Dawn Research Study, Anna Levy-Warren

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research on lesbian, gay and bisexual populations has reported higher levels of emotional distress among bisexual adults than their gay and lesbian peers. Findings also demonstrate substantial variability in distress levels within populations of bisexual adults. Little research has examined reasons for this variability. Theoretical explanations for distress among bisexuals include foundations in Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Minority Stress Theory, though these theories have not addressed the variability across outcomes. The current study proposes a new theoretical model to explain variability in levels of distress across bisexual women. According to this theory, levels of psychological distress in bisexual women are …

Queers In The Hands Of A Loving God: God Image, Strength Of Faith, And Campus Climate In Predicting Self-Stigma, Sage Liam Willis

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

There is a complex relationship between the intersections of religious or spiritual faith and sexuality when it comes to sexual minorities. Sexual minorities’ sexualities have historically been stigmatized within the many of the faith traditions that sexual minorities may have grown up in. Further, college/university is a time when intersecting identities are often explored. In order to investigate the relationship between sexual minority students’ internal working models of God (God image benevolence and God image acceptance) and internalized self-stigma as a function of both strength of faith and campus climate, I recruited 68 sexual minority students and recent students from …

Spfc Research Conference Guide 2016, Seattle Pacific University

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Full 2016 conference guide with descriptions of each poster or paper presented by students in Seattle Pacific University's School of Psychology, Family, and Community's annual research conference.

Multi-Level Model Of Parent-Child Attachment, Depression & Self-Concept In Pediatric Chronic Illness, Natacha Donoghue Emerson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Pediatric patients may be at higher risk for depression and a lower self-concept when difficulties within the family arise. The Mastering Each New Direction (MEND) program is a psychosocial intervention aimed at addressing adherence and family issues in adolescent CI. Methods: Drawing data from 50 MEND participants, we used multilevel modeling techniques to test changes in self-concept over time as predicted by number of weeks in MEND, depression, family cohesion and flexibility, and baseline levels of maternal and paternal attachment. Results: At Level 1, depression negatively predicted self-concept over time. At Level 2, higher baseline maternal and paternal avoidant …

Emotional Memory: Examining Differences In Retrieval Methods, Audrey Martinez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Emotional information is generally remembered better than non-emotional information, especially when the emotional information is highly arousing. Priority Binding Theory has grown out of several years worth of research on memory and emotion. The theory proposes that in mixed lists comprised of negative and arousing words and neutral words, negative and arousing words will take priority during mental processing resulting in stronger encoding for the emotional words relative to neutral words with no such effect predicted for pure lists. Our lab made several attempts to extend the theory to picture stimuli, but were unsuccessful. However, the predictions of Priority Binding …

The Frontal-Temporal Signature Of Tbi-Induced Acute Cerebral Metabolic Crisis, Christina Mannino

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often leads to acute cerebral metabolic crisis (ACMC), which appears to have the greatest impact on the frontal-temporal regions. A recent study demonstrated that atrophy in the frontal and temporal lobes related to acute metabolic crisis due to moderate or severe TBI was associated with poorer attention, executive functioning, and psychomotor abilities at 12 months post-injury. In addition, participants with greater frontal-temporal atrophy had T-scores on all of the standard tests that were in the deficit range indicating deficits in cognition. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the ability of direct measures of …

General Fatalism And Diabetes Fatalism As Predictors Of Diabetes Treatment Adherence, Esmeralda Ibette Nuñez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Greater conceptual distinction between fatalism as a cultural value orientation (general fatalism) and disease-specific fatalism is necessary to evaluate fatalism as a predictor of health behaviors such as diabetes treatment adherence. We tested an integrated, theory-driven structural model of relationships among income, education, age, gender, general fatalism, diabetes fatalism, and type 2 diabetes treatment adherence, as measured by hemoglobin a1c levels (hba1c), in a sample of mainstream-Chileans (n=229) and indigenous people of Chile known as the Mapuche (n=134). Hypotheses were that higher income and education would predict more general fatalism and diabetes fatalism across ethnic groups and higher general fatalism …

Predicting Sexual Revictimization In Childhood And Adolescence: A Prospective Examination Using Ecological Systems Theory, Samantha L. Pittenger

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Child sexual abuse is a prevalent problem in the United States and is associated with revictimization: a victimization episode perpetrated by a different individual and occurring subsequent to initial abuse experiences (Barnes, Noll, Putnam, & Trickett, 2009). While evidence shows that 20-39% of sexual abuse victims report revictimization within childhood or adolescence, much of the research to date has focused on its occurrence in adulthood. Thus, there is a limited understanding of the pathways to revictimization and its associated outcomes for youth. The present study examined predictors of sexual revictimization within childhood and adolescence using ecological theory, which includes individual, …

Do Holistic Practices As An Adjunct To Traditional Psychotherapy Affect Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (Gad-7) Scores?, Samantha Suyon Woo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effect of holistic practices on anxiety. The study used a pre-experimental design and measured any differences in outcomes in Generalized Anxiety Disorder clients as measured by General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) between the two following groups: 1) the experimental group who received holistic services in addition to traditional treatment such as psychotherapy and/or medication as compared to 2) the control group who received psychotherapy and/or medication alone. Pretest of GAD-7 at intake and post-tests at about 4 months into treatment were measured along with a holistic practice survey and analyzed post-hoc through SPSS data analysis. This …

Nicotine And Methylphenidate Chornic Exposure On Adult Cannabinoid Receptor Agonist (Cp 55,940) Place Conditioning In Male Rats, Christopher P. Plant

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A problematic connection has been reported between those who use nicotine related products alone or in combination with ADHD medications, like methylphenidate (MPH), in late childhood or early adolescence and the increased likelihood of later marijuana abuse in adulthood. Pre-clinical studies have found that the use of nicotine during the early adolescence period produces enduring changes to the endocannabinoid system in the brain. Since CB agonists, like marijuana, exert their effect through the eCB system, it is possible that early nicotine use may alter the rewarding nature of CB agonists in adulthood. In addition, MPH has also been shown to …

Childhood Sexual Assault, Schemas, And Revictimization: The Role Of Early Maladaptive Schemas On Revictimization, Lisa S. Motley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Childhood sexual assault (CSA) refers to a sexual act that is imposed on a child or adolescent who lacks the emotional capacity, maturity, and cognitive development to understand what they are engaging in, and is incapable or unwilling to give consent. Many individuals who experience CSA also experience adult sexual assault, such as rape. To date, there is limited research that has examined early maladaptive schemas (EMS) and CSA, and no research that examines the relationship between CSA, EMS, and revictimization. The present study examined EMS as mediators of revictimization and mental health outcomes (i.e., depression and PTSD) among 263 …

Self-Reported Sexuality Among Women With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Hillary Hurst Bush

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) – characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities –increasingly are being diagnosed in individuals of all ages. However, as children on the autism spectrum enter adolescence, self-report research on ASD and sexuality is currently limited to 14 empirical, peer-reviewed articles, misconceptions are prevalent, and professionals remain underequipped to support their sexuality needs. The goal of the current study was to expand the current knowledge base by exploring multiple aspects of sexuality (including relationship and family status, gender identity, sexual history, sexual orientation, sexual desire, sex education exposure, …

Interacting Beliefs And Processes In Mothers Of Children Diagnosed With Autism, Lara L. South

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to expand previous research regarding beliefs in mothers of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (MCDAs). Specifically, the pilot to this dissertation showed that mothers believed that the disorder was more stable than any specific behavior, but this distinction was not found for beliefs about treatment being able to control the disorder versus behaviors. Consequently, the quantitative strand of this study aimed to determine whether the mothers’ beliefs about locus of control interacted with beliefs about treatment control. It was hypothesized that mothers with a higher belief in personal locus of control (LOC) compared …

Phenotyping Double Transgenic Mouse Models Of Alzheimer’S That Express Human App And Apoe3 Or Apoe4, Shina Halavi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive cognitive and behavioral problems resulting from a build-up of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in the brain. The degree of neuropathology is partially related to apolipoprotein E (apoE), a fat-binding protein involved in transporting cholesterol to neurons. The APOE gene, which codes for the production of apoE, has several alleles in humans, including APOE3 (E3; the most common) and APOE4 (E4; which is associated with a high risk for developing AD). Transgenic mouse models of AD are commonly used to study the neuropathological processes behind the development of Aβ plaques, neurodegeneration, and …

Mental Health Practitioner Stigma, Attitude, And Belief: A Multidimensional Study On Marriage And Family Therapists, Clinical Social Workers, And Clinical Psychologists, Jessica Ann De La Rosa, Ruxandra Elena Tanase

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Existing stigma in the form of negative attitudes towards individuals with severe mental illness by mental health practitioners, has the potential to set barriers towards recovery. A survey of 72 mental health practitioners from three disciplines were surveyed, in an attempt to measure mental health practitioner attitudes towards individuals with severe mental illness, and how their attitudes impact their belief in client recovery. This was a quantitative study, based on two Likert Scale surveys and distributed both in paper form and using Survey Monkey. Participants were gathered through a snowball effect, and consisted of 42 social workers, 18 marriage and …

The Benefits Of Multicultural Eclectic Service Delivery, Eugena Griffin

Publications and Research

To date, Blacks in America are often misdiagnosed or mistreated due to the failure of mental health practitioners to provide services from a multicultural eclectic purview. It is necessary to attend to the past and present influences of psychosocial variables related to real and perceived discrimination on minority achievement, behavior, and clinically health outcomes. When providers do not take into consideration these factors, they have a limited conceptualization of their clients’ needs. Such psychosocial variables can exacerbate behaviors, symptoms, and at times be the antecedent that onset those symptoms. Thus, it is imperative that health providers learn methods to investigate …

The Influence Of Mentor-Youth Activity Profiles On School-Based Youth Mentoring Relationship Processes And Outcomes, Stella S. Kanchewa

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Although quality formal mentoring relationships are associated with beneficial effects on youth’s academic and social-emotional development, these effects have been relatively modest. As such, research has focused on factors that may contribute to relationship quality. Within this context, relatively little is known about the effects of activities that matches engage in on relationship processes and youth outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to investigate associations between mentor-youth activities, and processes and outcomes of school-based mentoring. First, a person-centered approach using latent profile analysis (LPA) was employed to examine whether match activity (i.e., how matches spend their time together) …

Peer Victimization In Youth With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, Danielle Ung

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peer victimization is a serious national concern affecting as many as 54% of typically developing children and adolescents. Although an extensive body of literature on peer victimization in typically developing youth exists, few studies have focused on how this problem affects youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who may be at a higher risk to experience peer victimization due to ASD symptomology and other common comorbid characteristics (e.g., anxiety and depressive symptoms) that may invite peer aggression. In this study, 81 school-aged youth between the ages of 9 and 17 years (M= 11.91, SD= 2.32) who were …

Smoking By Restrained Eaters Following A Food Prime In The Context Of An Alternative Distractor, Michelle Kovacs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research found that female smokers with elevated dietary restraint (“high-restrainers”) smoked more after a disinhibiting food event (Kovacs, Correa, & Brandon, 2014). The current study aimed to determine if high-restrainers smoked merely to distract themselves from eating, or if the appetite/weight-control aspects of smoking played a role. Female smokers (N = 128) attended a laboratory session and were randomized to receive a milkshake prime (Prime condition) or not (No-Prime condition). All participants then received ad-lib access to tempting foods, cigarettes, and a computer tablet with internet access. Our main aims were to test the effect of the prime on …

Selective Attention To Threat In People With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Meta-Analysis, Amberle Cusmano

Theses and Dissertations

People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show increased attention towards or away from threat in their environment; the current literature is divided on the direction of these effects. This meta-analysis aims to aggregate and examine if people with PTSD display selective attention to threat compared to people without PTSD.