Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Stigma, Shame, And Narcissism: A Literature Review, Alex Gaither

University Honors Theses

This thesis is a literature review of 12 peer reviewed journal articles accessible through the Portland State University library database on the relationship between stigma, shame, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This thesis discusses ideas brought up in these articles regarding the classification and conceptualization of NPD as a disorder, the role that shame plays in the pathology of NPD, the ways that shame is addressed through treatment, and public and practitioner held bias resulting from the stigmatization of the disorder. New and upcoming ways of conceptualizing the disorder are also briefly discussed as there has been a push to …

As Good As It Gets? Comparing Clients’ And Treatment Providers’ Perceptions Of Engagement Barriers And Facilitators For Exposure And Response Prevention Ocd Treatment, Samuel Mutschler-Aldine

University Honors Theses

This mixed-methods study compared clients' and providers' sentiments toward research-based themes on barriers and facilitators of client engagement in treatment. For individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), engagement in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is a crucial ingredient of successful treatment and symptom remission. Therefore, it is imperative to thoroughly understand the perspectives on engagement barriers and facilitators of people with field experience: ERP patients and therapists.

The researcher administered two Qualtrics surveys to thirty current providers and six current or former clients of ERP for OCD. Each survey contained five-point, Likert-style scales to measure the level each participant agreed …

The Impact Of Child And Parent Trauma Exposure On A School-Based Trauma-Focused Child Intervention, Andrea Donis

Master's Theses

National statistics demonstrate that vast majority of Latine youth living in low-income neighborhoods in the United States experience on-going trauma exposure throughout their life. However, most trauma-focused therapies were designed without considering the impact that experiencing new trauma exposure during treatment may have on treatment effectiveness, limiting our understanding of the potential attenuation caused by new traumatic experiences. In addition, most youth research has focused on the impact of child trauma exposure, with little attention given to the impact of parental trauma exposure on child treatment outcomes despite the salient role that parents play in child development. In particular, little …

Revising And Consolidating The Dsm-5 And Icd-11 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Into A Dimensional Spectrum-Based Disorder: A Literature Review, Samuel Milton Shatsky

University Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the clinical, cultural, and theoretical implications of replacing the current DSM-5 and ICD-11 categorical diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) with a unified dimensional framework: trauma spectrum disorder (TSD). The proposed TSD model addresses ongoing concerns around diagnostic inflation, treatment misalignment, and clinical confusion stemming from binary trauma categorizations. This thesis explores whether adopting a dimensional diagnostic model to replace DSM-5 and ICD-11's current PTSD and CPTSD designations could lead to improved treatment outcomes and diagnostic clarity.

Methodology consisted of an extensive literature review of the field's current research. Using the …

An Examination Of Positive Risk-Taking: Testing The Effect Of Modeling, Allison M. Schuck

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Positive risk-taking is a common behavior which may be associated with favorable outcomes. However, there has been little theoretical and empirical investigation of potential predictors and pathways to this behavior. Both social/behavioral and psychological factors may play a role in engagement in positive risk-taking. Modeling, along with related factors (i.e., perceived similarity and perceived credibility of the model), may lead to engagement in positive risk-taking behavior and intentions. Further, internal psychological characteristics (i.e., autonomy, fear of negative evaluation, empathy, and previous positive risk-taking behavior) may also be associated with engagement in positive risk-taking behavior. As such, the present study sought …

Evaluating The Use Of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation In A Patient With Treatment Resistant Depression, Autism Spectrum Disorder, And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report, Luke Fritsch Ba, Mba, Msiv, Oluwafunke O. Ogunremi Bs, Msiv, Alexandra R. Job Bs, Msiv, James Hellekson Md

Aesculapius Journal (Health Sciences & Medicine)

Despite a wide array of therapeutic modalities, many patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) experience no significant improvement in symptoms with traditional treatment. Given the prevalence of Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD), other alternative therapeutic modalities for MDD are being researched. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is one modality that continues to show successful therapeutic outcomes for those with TRD. The aim of this study is to highlight a case of rTMS being used on a patient with TRD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use.

Methods:

Our patient is a 53-year-old female who first presented to …

Introduction To Clinical Psychology Syllabus (Psych 347), Valentina Nikulina

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Effective Adapted Psychotherapy Approaches For Autistic Adults: Perspectives From Clinical Psychologists, Emily Morgan Hilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autistic adults face a high risk of co-occurring mental health challenges, yet standard psychotherapy often fails to meet their unique needs, raising concerns about treatment effectiveness. This qualitative study aimed to understand how clinical psychologists decide on therapeutic approaches and adaptations for their autistic adult clients through three research questions: RQ1: How do clinical psychologists decide on the appropriate therapeutic approach they use with their autistic adult clients? RQ2: How do clinical psychologists decide which adaptations are appropriate to implement in psychotherapy with their autistic adult clients? RQ3: Does the therapeutic approach affect how a clinical psychologist chooses appropriate adaptations …

Optimal Well Being Of Those Recovering From Alcohol Use Disorder: An Exploration Of Individual Difference Factors And Treatment Outcomes, Jared Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Harmful alcohol use has continued to be one of the largest negative impact factors of daily living worldwide. Despite the pervasive use of alcohol and negative impacts that it has on the individual and society there is large disagreement on how to know when someone has “recovered” from AUD (El-Guebaly, 2012), with much of the literature focused narrowly on negative indicators (e.g., return to heavy drinking, re-occurrence of AUD symptoms). Such views have not only restricted definitions of recovery but has also created public perception that those with AUD will continue to struggle even when cessation of drinking has occurred. …

Inhibitory Control: A Mediator Between Sensory Responsivity And Externalizing Behaviors In Children On The Autism Spectrum, Kaitlyn M. Drafton

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Sensory differences are among the most commonly reported symptoms in children on the autism spectrum and have been linked to both externalizing behaviors and executive functioning challenges. However, few studies have explored the potential mechanisms that underlie these relationships. The present study examined whether inhibitory control mediates the relationship between sensory responsivity and externalizing behaviors in young autistic children, each rated via caregiver-report measures. Participants included 107 caregivers of autistic children between the ages of 5-10 years old. It was hypothesized that higher levels of sensory responsivity would predict greater difficulty with inhibition, which in turn would be associated with …

The Role Of Gender And Sexual Identity In Mental Health Outcomes For Asylum-Seeking Survivors Of Sexual Torture, Samantha A. M. Doerr

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Millions of people worldwide flee violent persecution each year, with more than 6.8 million estimated to have sought asylum in 2023 alone (United Nations High Commission on Refugees, 2025). Up to 40% of refugees and asylum-seekers are reported to be survivors of torture, with sexual torture one of the most commonly-reported means of torture, particularly among women and LGBTQ+ populations (Abu Suhaiban, 2019; Hopkinson et al., 2017; United Nations High Commission on Refugees, 2017). Sexual torture has been associated with severe impacts on mental health, including posttraumatic and depressive symptoms. Despite marked differences in sexual torture risk across gender and …

Reading Patients' Personalities The Sentence Completion Way, Stephen P. Joy, Lawrence Mccloskey, Wilson Mcdermut

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Previous research has shown that reliable, valid measures of major personality traits can be derived from a sentence completion test, the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (RISB). However, all previous samples consisted of undergraduates. Here, we report findings for two clinical samples (N = 120) to whom a variety of self-report inventories and structured clinical interviews were also administered. RISB-based ratings of Extraversion and Neuroticism were consistently correlated with relevant variables in both samples and displayed convergent and discriminant validity vis a vis self-reported traits. RISB-based ratings of Psychoticism were clearly associated with relevant variables in one sample with mixed but …

The Clinical Utility Of Measuring Emotion Dysregulation In Autistic Youth, Monica S. Trevino

Dissertations

Autistic youth experience disproportionately high rates and severity of emotion dysregulation, which is linked to behavioral challenges, psychiatric comorbidities, familial stress, and increased emergency service and hospitalization use. Despite its clinical significance, emotion dysregulation in autistic youth remains relatively understudied and misunderstood, partly due to the lack of standardized assessment tools and limited research on its heterogeneity within autistic populations. In the present study, structural equation modeling was used to 1) validate the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI) and assess measurement invariance in a diverse sample and 2) explore associations among emotion dysregulation, autism symptoms, and related child and family characteristics, …

Secondary Medical Conditions In Pediatric Survivors Of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Role In Performance-Based Neurocognitive Functioning, Caregiver-Reported Outcomes, And Adaptive Functioning And Transition Readiness Intervention, Victoria Seghatol-Eslami

All ETDs from UAB

Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at risk of secondary medical conditions arising from disease and treatment effects. Secondary medical conditions are associated with adverse survivorship outcomes (e.g., neurocognitive, psychosocial, and adaptive functioning/healthcare transition) in adult survivors of childhood ALL. Little is known about secondary medical conditions in pediatric ALL survivors. Further, the relationship between secondary medical conditions and survivorship outcomes has not been explored in this younger population. This dissertation examined 1) the role of secondary medical conditions in performance-based and caregiver-reported neurocognitive, psychosocial, and adaptive functioning; and 2) the roles of secondary medical conditions and neurocognitive …

Balancing The Clinical Response To Sleep Disturbance In Adults 65 And Older, Katherine C. Ward

All ETDs from UAB

Older adults are more likely to have symptoms of insomnia than other age ranges. Ensuring an appropriate clinical response to insomnia in older adults is vital to their health and well-being. This paper addresses the assessment and treatment of insomnia symptoms in older adults in two separate studies analyzing data from the AMBulatoRy blOod preSsure In older Adults (AMBROSIA) study, which recruited older adults (≥65 years old) who had hypertension and were living in Southern California. The first study aimed to investigate the ability of the insomnia severity index (ISI), a standard self-report measure used to assess insomnia symptoms, to …

Intersectionality And Experiences With Mental Health Care: Transgender And Gender Diverse Autistic Adults, Megan Callahan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Current prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in transgender and gender diverse (TGD) populations range between 4 and 13% (Thrower et al., 2020). Studies into autistic TGD individuals’ experiences with healthcare have primarily collected qualitative data, identifying themes including barriers to healthcare, invalidation of both autistic and TGD identities, difficulty finding competent providers, limited support and resources, and refusal of care (Cooper et al., 2022; Maroney & Horne, 2022; Hall et al., 2020). N = 3094 self-identified TGD adults completed the 2017 TransLifeline Mental Health Survey, a collaborative effort between the National LGBTQ Task Force and the TransLifeline, which …

Functional And Cultural Values Of Shame: A Motivator To Seek Help For Suicidal Ideation, Yu-Chin Lin

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Suicide is a global issue with rates continuing to rise despite decades of research and prevention efforts. The role of shame in the development of suicidal ideation, especially within non-Western contexts, remains underexplored. This mixed-methods study explored the relationships among shame, suicidal ideation, and help-seeking intentions in a Taiwanese sample, focusing on four culturally distinct Mandarin terms for shame—diu lian, can kui, xiu kui, and xiu chi. A total of 101 participants who has experiences of suicide-related thoughts or behaviors responded to an online survey. Quantitative analyses revealed that all shame terms were strongly correlated …

Do Resiliency And Coping Skills Moderate The Relationship Between Mood Disorders And Parenting Styles Due To Parental Relationship Distress?, Tiffany Burks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parental relationship dynamics such as intimate partner violence (IPV), interpersonal distress (IPD), and parental alienation (PA) can significantly affect both mental health and parenting practices. This study examined whether personal strengths, specifically resilience and problem-focused coping, could help buffer these negative outcomes. Correlational analyses showed that IPV, IPD, and PA were positively associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. IPV and PA were also negatively associated with the use of an authoritative parenting style. In contrast, resilience and problem-focused coping were linked to fewer mood-related symptoms and greater use of authoritative parenting. Multiple regression analyses revealed that IPV significantly predicted …

Feasibility And Effectiveness Of A Mindfulness Stress Reduction Intervention, Diana Guadalupe Marin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Health disparities in low-resource communities lead to poor physical and mental health outcomes. To reduce health disparities, the United States has looked to global health initiative and is starting to rely on lay health workers more consistently as a promising and sustainable force. Community Health Worker (CHWs) work alongside the local health care system to connect vulnerable populations to needed care. However, the demand of their role puts CHWs at risk for stress, burnout, and vicarious trauma. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a stress reduction intervention that has been empirically supported to reduce stress and burnout in numerous populations. To …

Religiosity And Mental Distress In U.S. Healthcare Workers During Covid-19, Jasmine Logan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A major impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is the global increased rates of mental distress and decreased levels of resilience in healthcare workers. The development of quick, effective interventions for healthcare workers are all the more needed to maintain job performance and increase well-being. Associations between religion and health have been clearly established, and evidence suggests religious coping as an effective strategy for mental wellbeing. The current study investigated whether religious coping could predict levels of mental distress and resilience in a U.S. cohort of healthcare workers. The sample consisted of 137 healthcare workers from a large healthcare institution who …