Cultural Beliefs And Self-Efficacy In Diet Adherence Among Type 2 Diabetics, Sonika Kravann Ung

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a global epidemic that disproportionately affects socioeconomic and ethnic minority populations (International Diabetes Federation, 2013). Mapuches, the largest Native American population in Chile, shifted from the lowest incidence of T2D to equal rates in comparison to mainstream Chileans within a decade (King & Rewers, 1991; Perez-Bravo et al., 2001). This may be due to economic growth and rapid nutritional shifts (Yu & Zinman, 2007). Previous research has identified the importance of cultural beliefs in explaining health behavior (Betancourt, Flynn, & Ormseth, 2011). This study, guided by Betancourt’s Integrative Model for Culture, Psychological Factors and Behavior …

Parental Stress And Child Behavior Problems In Families Of Children With Autism, Allyson Davis

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Studies have shown that parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit higher levels of stress than parents of typically developing children or children with other types of developmental disabilities. This relationship appears to be mediated by elevated levels of behavior problems observed in children with ASD. However, little is known about what specific child behavior problems are most common in this population, how these behavior problems relate to parental stress, and/or how these behavior problems may impact the efficacy of a stress-reduction intervention. We examined the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior problems in parents of …

Self-Protective Behaviors And Campus Threat Assessment, Sarah Hoff

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Extreme acts of targeted violence on postsecondary campuses have prompted many institutions to commit more resources to increasing safety while maintaining an open and creative environment. Investigations after incidents of targeted violence on campuses have identified pre-incident behaviors, or “red flags,” that were observed before the perpetrator engaged in violence. Threat assessment is a proactive approach to preventing acts of targeted violence that was initially developed by members of the United States Secret Service (USSS), and has since expanded into the context of postsecondary campuses. Research has shown some individuals may engage in self-protective behaviors in order to reduce their …

The Effects Of Schedule Density Of Reinforcement For Alternative Behavior On Resurgence, Kathryn M. Kestner

Dissertations

Resurgence is the reemergence of a previously extinguished response when an alternative response no longer produces reinforcement. Although returning to previously successful methods for obtaining reinforcement is likely advantageous, resurgence also occurs in the form of treatment relapse. An individual may return to problematic behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury, drug use) when an alternative behavior (e.g., communication response, coping skill, social behavior, etc.) is no longer successful at producing a reinforcer. Behavior analysts rely on treatments based on differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, and resurgence has been demonstrated following changes to reinforcement schedules due to errors in treatment integrity or intentional …

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Compared To Watchful Waiting For Enhancing Social Connectedness: A Randomized Clinical Trial With A Diagnosed Sample, Daniel W. M. Maitland

Dissertations

The efficacy of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) has not yet been show in randomized controlled trials in any population. The current study utilized a stratified randomization technique conducted by a computer system to assign twenty-three college students recruited for difficulties in interpersonal functioning who scored one standard deviation below the norm on the Fear of Intimacy Scale and met diagnostic criteria via independent assessment for Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder, or Dependent Personality Disorder to either a FAP condition or a Watchful Waiting Condition to assess the conditions ability to increase social relating …

Triple Stigma In Forensic Psychiatric Patients: Mental Illness, Race, And Criminality, Michelle Leigh West

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Stigma involves negative beliefs and devaluations of people in socially identified groups (e.g. race, mental illness). Although people have many reactions to social stigma, some labeled people internalize these attitudes. Research has increasingly explored mental illness self-stigma, when people with mental illness begin to believe that society's negative beliefs are true of them (e.g., that they are hopeless due to mental illness). Self-stigma predicts poorer functional and treatment outcomes. Stigma research has typically investigated stigmatized labels individually. Forensic psychiatric patients, people with mental illness with history of criminal conviction, by definition experience multiple stigmas, yet no research has explored how …

Electrophysiological Markers Of Short-Term Visual Adaptation: An Examination Across The Schizophrenia Spectrum, Gizely N. Andrade

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The experiments comprising this dissertation sought to contribute to the understanding of basic sensory processing in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and risk-liability. We leveraged the sensitivity of visual processing deficits along with widely reported sensory-gating deficits (in other modalities) to develop a new paradigm assaying short-term visual adaptation to repetitive stimuli. In the first experiment, adaptation properties of the visual system were characterized in neurotypical adults using a classic "paired adaptation paradigm" and a more taxing "block adaptation paradigm," using high-density EEG. In the second experiment, we deployed our new visual adaptation assay in a clinical population. We replicated classic early VEP …

Factors That Affect Treatment Compliance Among Individuals With Mental Illness, Marsha Brown

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Approximately 6% of the American population suffers from a severe mental illness such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Treatment compliance in individuals with severe mental illness is imperative as without treatment these individuals may experience homelessness, unemployment, and a decreased life expectancy of up to 34 years. Consequently, researchers have increasingly examined factors that may affect overall compliance among these individuals, such as insight, social support, symptom severity, and substance abuse. However, many of these studies focus on compliance with prescribed medications and few examine compliance with recommended psychological treatment. The current …

Psychosocial Sequelae Of Homicide Among Murder Victims' Family Members: An Appraisal Of Depression, Grief, And Posttraumatic Stress, Sarah Kopelovich

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current investigation explored what is known regarding the psychological sequelae of the post-homicide experience for murder victims' family members and friends (MVFM). Participants were also asked about whether they felt they had attained closure, a term which populates anecdotal and theoretical accounts of MVFM's experience. Previous literature guided a theoretical definition of closure as a dimensional construct that represents adaptive functioning following a murder, and includes (1) absence of disabling symptomatology, (2) absence of ruminations about the event or murder victim, and (3) subjective return to baseline functioning. This quasi-experiment consisted of a between-subjects cross-sectional design. The dependent variable …

Effectiveness Of Psychological Techniques In Increasing Deviant Sexual Fantasy Self-Disclosures, Christian Maile

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The assessment of deviant sexual fantasy and interests is an important component in sex offender risk assessment and subsequent treatment planning. However, clinicians and researchers have long acknowledged that sex offenders often distort or underreport details related to their sex offenses, particularly details relating to offense-related deviant sexual fantasy and interests. Some of the common methods used to minimize underreporting of deviant sexual fantasy and interests include the use of phallometry (or plethysmography) and polygraphy; however, not all assessment/treatment facilities or private practitioners providing services to sex offenders have access to such resources. Thus, the development of more efficient, cost-effective …

Negative Cognitive Style, Rumination, And Negative Emotionality As Mediators Of The Antidepressive Effects Of Physical Activity Among Young Adults, Kara Pegram

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Abstract

This study assessed whether three potential cognitive and affective mechanisms mediated the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms. Participants were 143 young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 (M = 19.29, SD = 1.65); the majority of participants were female (72%) and Caucasian (69.9%). Participants were followed across eight weeks and completed measures of trait and state rumination, negative emotionality, cognitive style, depressive symptoms, and physical activity. A mediated model was proposed hypothesizing negative association between physical activity and depression mediated by less rumination, negative emotionality, and cognitive style. Hypotheses were examined cross-sectionally and prospectively. …

Investigating Sleep Behaviors In Autistic Infants, Alanna R. Flynn

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined by social, emotional, and learning deficits. Past research suggests that ASD and sleep problems often co-occur. The goal of this research was to investigate sleeping behaviors in autistic infants in comparison to typically developing infants (TD). The data of this study has been acquired at the University of California San Diego Autism Center of Excellence. One main goal of this center is to identify early indicators of ASD in infants (1-3 years of age), which could lead to earlier treatment and better therapy techniques. The current study used a sleep questionnaire to compare parent-reported …

The Relation Of Hyperactivity To Parenting Stress Within The Parent-Child Relationship In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Heather Davis

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Research indicates that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience more total stress and more stress within specific domains of the parent-child relationship. Specific externalizing behaviors such as hyperactivity have been related to elevated adverse parent-child outcomes in families with typically developing children. To date, the relation of child hyperactivity to parenting stress has not been examined in children with ASD. This study investigated the extent to which child hyperactivity differs between children who are typically developing (TD) and children with ASD. In addition, this study also examined the relation of child hyperactivity to parenting stress. Participants included …

Examining The Effect Of Education Type On Common Misconceptions Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Monica De Iorio

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

It has been widely shown that misconceptions related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) are held among both family members of people with TBI and the general public. These misconceptions have the potential to increase the distress of people with TBI and negatively impact rehabilitation processes. Although increased education has often been suggested to reduce misconceptions, few studies have examined which methods are most effective in providing information to the public. In the current study, I investigated the effects of existing education materials – either a TBI factsheet or personal stories of people with TBI. These materials are currently easily accessible …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Testing Direct And Reciprocal Effects On Maternal Depression, Erin L. Neill

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Children exposed to trauma experience many negative outcomes including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fortunately, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for PTSD. Theoretically it may be that not only do children do better in treatment when their parents are involved, but that there is also a reciprocal relationship such that as children improve their parents feel better as well (and vice a versa). Using data from a randomized trial (Scheeringa & Weems, 2014), this thesis used Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) to test if change in child PTSD symptoms mediates change in parent depression symptoms, and vice a versa, across …

Functional Analysis Of Gambling, Mack S. Costello

Dissertations

Given high rates of gambling and the growing population of disordered gamblers, there is a need to develop assessment strategies with improved treatment validity. More specifically, assessment strategies are needed that identify the controlling variables for disordered gambling and, thus, provide guidance in the selection of treatment and prevention strategies. This study sought to develop a functional analysis for gambling by utilizing a simulated gambling environment in which contextual variables hypothesized to be causally linked to disordered gambling could be systematically manipulated. Seven experienced gamblers participated in the multi-element, single-subject experimental study. Participants who endorsed at least some problems from …

Deception Detection In Clinical Interview, Olivia Preston, Melissa Lewis

Student Research Symposium

The objective of Forensic Assessment of Client Truthfulness (FACT) measure is to detect deception in forensic psychology consultations. A statistically significant tool using verbal content analysis was created, based a synthesis of previous research in the field. This presentation reviews the research project and highlights one phase of the study where ratings true and deceptive statements in cases of accused sex offenders or insanity defense claimants were compared. Multiple ANOVAs, t-tests, and factor analyses were conducted. When FACT scores were dichotomized, 86% of the ratings characterized the true statements as true, and 81% of the ratings categorized the false statements …

Direct Versus Indirect Assessment Of Truthfulness, Lauren Bowling, Olivia Preston, Bridgette Norris, Jennifer Gill, Shawn Johnston

Student Research Symposium

This study uses a verbal content analysis measure, the Forensic Assessment of Client Truthfulness (FACT), derived from the most empirically-supported measures in deception detection, Criteria-Based Content Analysis and Reality Monitoring. This study tests the accuracy of the indirect assessment of truthfulness (i.e. consideration of the FACT criteria, which are empirically-related to truthfulness) in comparison to direct assessment of truthfulness (i.e. subjective consideration of whether a statement is true or false). The FACT, an indirect measure, is employed along with a direct assessment of truthfulness to distinguish between true and false statements. The study contains four research conditions including the true …

Attributes Of True And False Statements Of Criminal Defendants, Camilla Cummings, Olivia Preston, Nicolette Wise, Shawn A. Johnston

Student Research Symposium

The research study uses a verbal content analysis measure, the Forensic Assessment of Client Truthfulness, derived from the most empirically-supported measures in deception detection (i.e. Criterion-Based Content Analysis and Reality Monitoring). This measure is employed in the study to distinguish between true and false statements in forensic psychological evaluations. The study contains four research conditions including the true and false statements of men accused of sex offenses and of men claiming an insanity defense. Using a repeated measures design, the four statements were rated by 127 university students. Using factor analyses, ANOVA analyses, and t-tests, the results showed that the …

The Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (Odara): A Validation And Comparison Study For An Oregonian Law Enforcement Agency, Jennifer C. Ulmer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The predictive validity of intimate partner violence (IPV) risk measures continues to be a newer, but significant, area of research within the domain of violence risk assessment. This study describes local (Oregon) normative data for the ODARA (IPV risk measure) as well as investigate, for a specific law enforcement agency, which tool is a superior predictor for the agency, a general violence risk assessment tool, i.e., the LS-CMI (part one), or an !PY-specific risk tool, i.e., the ODARA. Archival data was obtained through a law enforcement agency's research department. Descriptive and comparative analysis was done for the ODARA and LS/CMI …