Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Psychological Constructs Of International Graduate Students Transitioning To A University In America: A Thematic Analysis, Umadevi Ramesh

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation employed a qualitative analysis methodology to explore the experiences of first-time international graduate students during their transition to university, focusing on initial adjustment, perceived support, perceived discrimination, and mental well-being. Previous studies about international student experience have mainly focused on undergraduate students. Furthermore, few have examined the initial transition period to university and factors involved in both positively and negatively impacting students’ adjustment process as well as overall psychological well-being. Nine participants qualified for inclusion in the present study and participated in semi-structured interviews, which the researcher analyzed using a thematic analysis framework. Participants expressed a strong need …

Hormonal Modulation Of Sexual Approach And Avoidance Among Women With A History Of Sexual Trauma, Anneliis Susan Sartin-Tarm

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

A history of sexual trauma places women at a high risk for sexual dysfunction and other health sequelae, yet the influence of ovarian hormones in this population is poorly understood. This dissertation tested the theory that the effects of ovarian hormones are mediated by cognitive approach-avoidance systems to shape sexual well-being, and that this process is moderated by sexual trauma history. This was investigated across three studies examining the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptive use, and menopause. Across each chapter, I present complementary evidence demonstrating that hormones interact with the interpretation of ambiguous internal and external cues with respect to sexual …

The Intersection Of Appalachian Identity And Gambling Behavior, Noah S. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relation between Appalachian identity and gambling behavior among students in central Appalachia (n = 395). One-way ANOVAs revealed no significant differences in engagement, F(2, 392) = 0.65, p = .523, or severity, F(2, 392) = 0.33, p = .718, across identification groups. Moderated regression showed that identity did not significantly moderate the engagement–severity relation (B = 0.073, p = .099), though engagement itself was a strong predictor of harm (B = 0.696, p < .001, R² = .521). Negative affect predicted both engagement (B = 0.074, p = .001) and severity (B = 0.069, p = .001), while identity remained non-significant. Logistic regression found that identity predicted gambling engagement (Exp(B) = 1.18, p = .034) only when controlling for severity. These findings relay the importance of empirical efforts in Appalachia and suggest that Appalachian identity may not be an independent risk factor in gambling behavior.

Dermatoglyphic Fluctuating Asymmetry In Schizotypy, Marcus R. Thomas

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schizotypy has been linked with many of the proposed endophenotypes of schizophrenia, but research is limited on the relationship between schizotypy and dermatoglyphic fluctuating asymmetry. The present study sought to examine relationships between schizotypy, dermatoglyphic fluctuating asymmetry, handedness, and season of birth. 146 undergraduate students were identified as schizotypes (n = 52) or controls (n = 94) based on the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale and had their finger and palm prints collected along with completing additional measures of schizotypy and handedness. Schizotypes did not exhibit a greater degree of dermatoglyphic fluctuating asymmetry, negative schizotypy was associated with increased absolute finger ridge …

Investigating The Effects Of Drinking Environments On Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategy Use, Perceived Self-Efficacy, And Perceived Effectiveness Through Experimental Vignette Design, Skyler Hoover

Dissertations

Derived from a Social Cognitive Theory framework (Bandura, 1986), the aim of this study was to assess the impact of different drinking environments on college students’ expected use of alcohol protective behavioral strategies, perceived effectiveness of those strategies, and perceived self-efficacy to use them. To accomplish this, we sought out to create and employ experimental vignettes consisting of a bar/club or party drinking environment in a two-part study. Study one aimed to pilot test the vignettes prior to their use in study two, whose aim was to test our initial hypotheses. Both analytic samples were recruited from a nationwide participant …

Drinking To Compensate: Expanding Upon The Motivational Model Of Alcohol Use, Douglas J. Glenn

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The motivational model of alcohol use identifies four key drinking motives – coping, conformity, social, and enhancement – as important proximal antecedents of problematic drinking. However, applications of this model have been inconsistent in explaining drinking outcomes. Specifically, it is unclear under which conditions each drinking motive can be a risky or benign indicator of drinking behaviors. The current study theorized that a problematic drinking to compensate behavior could emerge across all drinking motives when alcohol is used to counteract a psychosocial (i.e., nondrinking) deficit. It was hypothesized, at the cross-sectional and daily level, that the associations between each drinking …

Testing An Ironic Process Model Of Emotion Expression In Daily Life, Laura B. Kenneally

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Expressive suppression, or suppressing the expression of an emotion, is a common emotion regulation approach that has been found to have substantial negative implications for one’s mental health, physical health, and relationship functioning. However, expression of emotion, and of negative emotion in particular, has not consistently been found to be beneficial for mood or relationships. Moreover, the social expression of emotion that is culturally valued among Black-identifying Americans is different in White-identifying Americans, particularly in regard to expression of negative affect. However, it is unknown whether this cultural context mitigates the potential consequences of expressive suppression and emotion expression.

Expressive …

Exploring The Relationship Between Cannabis Use Motives And Readiness To Change Among Young Adult College Students, Emma Kathryn Rawls

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Cannabis use among young adult college students has risen steadily over the past decade, raising concerns about the associated health, academic, and psychological consequences. While cannabis use motives and readiness to change have each been linked to use patterns and outcomes, limited research has examined how these factors interact. The current study investigated whether readiness to change, based on the Transtheoretical Model (TTM), moderates the relationship between cannabis use motives and cannabis-related consequences as well as past-30-day use frequency. A sample of 100 college students 18-25 years old (M_age = 20.08, SD = 2.12; 67% female; 55.0% Black or …

A Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention For Emotion Regulationand Aggression In Justice-Involved Adolescents: Preliminary Outcomes From A Non-Randomized Trial In Short-Term Juvenile Detention, Cassidy L. Tennity

Dissertations

Justice-involved youth are at risk for a variety of psychosocial difficulties, including anger, aggression, and emotion regulation challenges. Short-term juvenile detention settings offer a unique opportunity to provide psychological interventions to youth before they are returned to the community or sentenced to long-term placements. However, implementation barriers within these settings often hinder the delivery of evidence-based care. This study developed and tested a brief, two-session anger management intervention for adolescents detained in a short-term juvenile detention center in the Southeastern United States, drawing on evidence-based practices from prior work with justice-involved youth. The present study examined implementation outcomes (i.e., feasibility, …

Using Interpersonal Motives To Identify Latent Profiles Of Borderline Personality Pathology: Implications For An Overcontrolled Style Of Bpd, Regina Schreiber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is conceptualized as a disorder of undercontrol (i.e., behaviorally impulsive, emotionally expressive), with affective, interpersonal, and identity instability. BPD related impairment is high, yet diagnostic accuracy remains a problem for individuals who present with greater overcontrol (i.e., behavioral inhibition, expressive suppression), which occurs in some BPD subtypes. The current study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to expand on prior research by identifying latent profiles based on interpersonal motives for agency and relatedness, desire for predictability, perceived dependency, and self-efficacy in a sample of people with elevated BPD features (n = 136). Individual differences in overcontrol, undercontrol, …

Assessment Of Mental Health Needs For Chronically Unhoused Individuals Living In A Bridge Housing Community, Isabel Furse Augur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher rates of psychopathology and substance use are reported in individuals experiencing homelessness compared to the general population, especially in those who are chronically unhoused. Chronically homeless individuals are also less likely to access treatment for these problems because of barriers to care. Addressing housing needs is an important first step in engaging people who are homeless with the care they need. This project focused on assessing the mental health needs of a Housing First community in Northwest Arkansas, which has few barriers for entry but does not provide direct support for mental health. This project adopted a community-based participatory …

Lifetime Stressor Exposure, Race And Ethnicity, And Habitual Stress Processes: An Evaluation Of Repetitive Negative Thinking And Hair Cortisol Concentration, Harrison Dickens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Habitual stress processes are thought to influence acute stress reactivity and stress-related disease. Habitual stress processes have been shown to adapt in response to stressor exposure experienced across the lifespan. The current study seeks to explore whether two habitual stress processes, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and repetitive negative thinking (RNT), were associated with lifetime stressor exposure (self-reported and objective neighborhood-level stressors). Additionally, the current study attempts to quantify how this process may be moderated by race and ethnicity. Participants (N = 134, Mage = 18 [SDage= 1.69], 56.7% female) consisting of White (N = 52), Black (N = 37 ), …

Shared Themes Among Teachers And Students On The Impact Of Teacher Well-Being On Student Wellbeing And Academic Success, Brian Duncan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers have experienced increasing burnout and high attrition rates, alongside a parallel decline in student well-being and academic success. Prior research has linked teacher well-being to student outcomes; however, little is known about whether teachers and students perceive this relationship similarly. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the shared perceptions of teacher well-being’s impact on student well-being and academic success among 10 high school teachers and 10 students from public schools in the southwestern United States. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Bowlby’s secure base theory, the study employed semistructured interviews and Saldana’s two-cycle coding to identify themes across both …

Testing The Utility Of The Three Good Things Intervention For Cannabis Misuse Among College Students, Paige Morris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

College students experience high rates of cannabis use and use-related problems. Existing brief online interventions for cannabis misuse among college students do not significantly reduce cannabis use and use-related problems relative to control conditions. This may be due to limited consideration of the role of affect, given that cannabis is frequently used for managing affect, especially among individuals with greater depression and social anxiety. The present study sought to improve the efficacy of brief online interventions for cannabis misuse among college students by testing the efficacy of the Three Good Things (3GT; Seligman et al., 2005) intervention, a daily exercise …

Career Counseling With Foster Adolescents Transitioning To Adulthood: A Phenomenological Study Using A Psychoeducation Group Counseling Approach, Carly Paro-Tompkins, Elda Veloso Ph.D., Galaxina G. Wright, Jennifer Reeves, Samantha Both

The Qualitative Report

Young adults who age out of the foster care system face a unique set of challenges including increased risk of homelessness, substance use, mental health problems, and difficulty with employment. The current phenomenological study aims to understand participants’ experiences of Project P.A.T.H., a group psychoeducational group intervention aimed at improving self-efficacy, employment hope, and job search knowledge in individuals who were unemployed or underemployed and actively seeking employment. Participants were recruited through the FLITE Center, a nonprofit organization providing services supporting individuals transitioning out of the foster system. A total of 23 participants aged 18-26 participated in this study. The …

Delusion Or Faith? Exploring Religious Delusions In Individuals With Schizophrenia Within The Banjar Culture, Nabila Regita Putri Mustafa, Nur’Aulia Maisyarah, Aulia Maulidina, Muhammad Reza Aditya, Muhammad Abdan Shadiqi

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

Schizophrenia is often characterized by delusions and hallucinations, which often appear as manifestations of religious delusions in the Banjar cultural context. This phenomenon can be understood through the hyper-religiosity theory, which explains excessive religious behavior in individuals with schizophrenia. This qualitative case study aims to identify the forms of religious delusion in individuals with hyper-religiosity and the underlying causal factors. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations with 10 informants, comprising four individuals with religious delusions selected using purposive sampling based on their experience of studying Tasawwuf and experiencing religious delusions and six significant others. The findings show that …

Road To Recovery: Understanding The Personality Typology, Clinical Features, And Risk Of Relapse In Filipinos With Substance Use Problems, Marc Angelo Ronquillo, Marc Eric Reyes, Ryan Francis Cayubit

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

Knowing the patient’s personality can assist the clinician in improving their relationship and tailoring the interventions for the patient. Several studies have reported that treatment and prevention programs must be tailored to an individual’s social and cultural attributes to facilitate continuous recovery and prevent relapse. This study aimed to develop a deeper understanding of the personality typology, clinical features, and risk of relapse in Filipinos with substance use problems in rehabilitation centers. We used a sequential-explanatory mixed-method approach with two phases (Phase 1: descriptive, cross-sectional design; Phase 2: phenomenological design) to provide an evidence-based framework to tailor treatment according to …

Factors Influencing Successful Community Reentry For Formerly Incarcerated Men Who Have Received Supportive Services: A Qualitative Study, Ryan W. Fechner

Theses and Graduate Projects

The current study examined reentry experience among men following incarceration to determine salient protective and risk factors. The study reviews the impacts of incarceration, previous factors of recidivism identified in research, and qualitative research conducted on justice-involved individuals. Using a grounded theory qualitative approach, nine men recruited from a substance use treatment program who were released from prison within the past five years were interviewed to explore protective and risk factors. Findings from the current study were consistent with previous research in identifying barriers to reentry, such as difficulties finding housing, employment, and transportation. Additional findings indicate the importance of …

Navigating Health Management Decisions In Pediatric Food Allergy: Exploring Caregiver Needs, Experiences, And Behaviors, Perry Allen Catlin

Dissertations (1934 -)

Food allergy (FA) is a prevalent and often severe condition affecting approximately 8% of U.S. children (Gupta et al., 2018; Robson & Assa’ad, 2024). The responsibility for daily management of FA, including making critical health management decisions, often falls to caregivers. These responsibilities can impose significant psychosocial demands on caregivers, particularly as treatment options expand and require more nuanced decision-making (Collins et al., 2024; Hamadi et al., 2024; Knibb & Jones, 2024; Lieberman, 2024; Umetsu, 2024). Caregivers' decisions are shaped by a range of individual needs, experiences, and sociodemographic characteristics (Dale & Hemmerich, 2009; Hoefel, O’Connor, et al., 2020). As …

Nutrition, Physical Activity, Faith, And C-Reactive Protein As Predictors Of Depression In A Large Prospective Sample, Rebecca L. Banning

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Depression is an increasingly common mental health concern and has been linked to both lifestyle factors and biological markers of inflammation. This study examined whether physical activity, dietary patterns, and religiosity/spirituality (R/S) predicted depression symptoms through their associations with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a widely used biomarker of inflammation. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, participants were assessed at Wave II (ages 12–20) and Wave IV (ages 24–32). Predictors included self-reported physical activity, proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory diet composites, and R/S engagement. Outcomes included concurrent and prospective depression symptoms, as well as hs-CRP concentrations. Results …