Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Clinical Supervision And Trainees' Perceptions Of Their Ability To Force Therapeutic Alliance, Julia Taddonio

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Countertransference is a construct that originated in psychoanalysis that has been acknowledged in most forms of therapy. The management of countertransference is important for preventing it from adversely affecting treatment, especially for clinicians in training. While all therapists experience countertransference, training therapists may be more vulnerable to it impeding the development of a strong working alliance with clients. Outcome research has found a moderate relationship between the working alliance and treatment outcome. Only a small amount of writing has focused on the relationship between content and process of supervision and the trainee’s ability to form strong working alliances with clients. …

Alliance Expectations And Alliance As Predictor Of Therapy Engagement And Outcome, Daniel C. Greif

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Clients begin psychotherapy with expectations that may or may not be met during treatment. Discrepancies between pretherapy expectations and the therapy experience may influence client response to treatment. This naturalistic observational pilot study investigated whether the discrepancy between initial expectations of the working alliance and the experience of the alliance predicts early client engagement and outcome. Participants were adult therapy clients at a university training clinic. Each participant completed the Expected-Working Alliance Inventory before their first session and a shortened version of the Working Alliance Inventory after. We hypothesized that the difference between expected alliance scores and actual alliance scores …

Child-Centered Play Therapy For Children With Autism: A Case Study, Ashley H. Morgenthal

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation evaluated archival data from the implementation of a child-centered approach to play therapy with a young girl diagnosed with autism. Goals of treatment included promoting spontaneous symbolic play and increasing verbal communication skills. Young children with autism who engage in early intervention often receive behavioral interventions, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), on a regular basis. However, the use of child-centered play therapy as an intervention is not as common, as play is frequently viewed as being a deficiency for children with autism. In psychological theory, play is often regarded as a child’s work, and his or her …

Defining And Characterizing Differences In College Alcohol Intervention Efficacy: A Growth Mixture Modeling Application, James M. Henson, Matthew R. Pearson, Kate B. Carey

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: While college alcohol misuse remains a pervasive issue, individual-level interventions are among the most efficacious methodologies to reduce alcohol-related harms. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used as an exploratory moderation analysis to determine how many types of college drinkers exist with regard to intervention efficacy over a 12-month period.

Method: Data from 3 randomized controlled trials were combined to yield a sample of 1,040 volunteer and mandated college students who were given 1 of 3 interventions: a brief motivational intervention, Alcohol Edu for Sanctions, or Alcohol 101 Plus. Participants were assessed at baseline, and 1, 6, and 12 months …

Effects Of A Brief Relaxation Intervention On Stress-Related Eating, Laura Lynn Mayhew-Purcell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The experience of stress may contribute to increased food consumption and selection of unhealthy food options. Resource depletion theory suggests stress temporarily depletes resources needed to regulate behavior. Depletions of self-control may result in subsequent failure to regulate eating behaviors, which is particularly salient in restrained eaters. Restraint theory posits people high in dietary restraint require significant effort to control eating. Emotional eating theory further suggests palatable foods may be used to regulate emotional stress reactions. Relaxation exercises to mitigate stress reactions are recommended in eating and weight management programs, but lack quality scientific support. The current study examined the …

Effects Of Nicotine Withdrawal On Motivation, Reward Sensitivity And Reward-Learning, Jason A. Oliver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research on addictive behavior has traditionally emphasized the role that primary reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse plays in the development and maintenance of dependence. However, contemporary behavioral economic theory and animal models of nicotine dependence suggest the need for greater attention to the impact that response to alternative rewards may have on smoking behavior. The present study sought to investigate the impact of nicotine withdrawal on self-report, behavioral and neural indices of motivation, immediate response to rewards and the capacity to learn and modify behavior in response to positive and negative feedback. Heavy smokers (n = 48) completed two …

Factors Influencing The Association Between Religiosity And Drinking Behavior In Underage College Students, Hayley Cole

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Research has consistently demonstrated a negative association between religiosity and college students’ alcohol consumption. However, few studies have explored the unique roles religious beliefs and behaviors might play in this relationship. Using 283 underage college students, we investigated the influence of internal and external factors on drinking behaviors for students with differing combinations of religious beliefs and religious behaviors. Tests of mediation and mediated-moderation were used to help explain the unique influences beliefs and behaviors have on alcohol consumption. Results indicated that religious beliefs only functioned as a protective-factor against underage drinking when accompanied by religious behaviors; students with high …

The Five-Factor Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory: An Item Response Theory Analysis, Jennifer R. Presnall-Shvorin

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Arguments have been made for dimensional models over categorical for the classification of personality disorder, and for the five-factor model (FFM) in particular. A criticism of the FFM of personality disorder is the absence of measures designed to assess pathological personality. Several measures have been developed based on the FFM to assess the maladaptive personality traits included within existing personality disorders.

One such example is the Five-Factor Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (FFOCI). The current study applied item response theory analyses (IRT) to test whether scales of the FFOCI are extreme variants of respective FFM facet scales. It was predicted that both the …

The Rewarding Nature Of Anger Rumination In Borderline Personality Disorder: An Fmri Investigation, Jessica R. Peters

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Anger rumination, or persistently dwelling on feelings of anger, is associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and related features, such as aggressive behavior and cognitive distortions. To develop more effective treatments, it is crucial to understand why individuals with BPD engage in anger rumination despite its negative outcomes. The activation of energy associated with anger, as well as feelings of justification and validation, may be experienced in the short-term as rewarding. This may prevent individuals with BPD from attempting to reduce their rumination.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioral methods were utilized to examine this theory in a sample …

Distinguishing Among Within-Person Variability: Affective Intra-Individual Variability, Affective Psychological Flexibility, And Health In A National Us Sample, Jaime Hardy

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Affective intra-individual variability (IIV) and affective psychological flexibility (PF) are both types of within-person variability. Affective IIV is defined as the range of emotions experienced by an individual assessed at multiple time points. PF is defined as the ability to vary one’s responses in a contextually dependent manner in order to appropriately meet situational demands. Currently, there are no comparisons between affective IIV and PF demonstrating how these constructs might be uniquely different from each other. The current study proposed to examine affective IIV and PF in order to establish discriminant and convergent validity, and stability data for each construct. …

Purpose In Life In Als Patient-Caregiver Dyads: A Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis, Natasha E. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Despite the debilitating nature of this disease, some evidence suggests patients maintain their quality of life (QOL). Caregivers, on the other hand, experience decreased QOL. Evidence suggests existential aspects of well-being such as purpose in life (PIL) may be unique and stable sources of well-being for patients and caregivers. Furthermore, patients’ and caregivers’ well-being may impact one another. The present study examined the variance structure, trajectory, and dyadic relationship of PIL and QOL in patients with ALS and their caregivers (N = 110 dyads). Data from the Seattle ALS Patient …

The Reciprocal Predictive Relationship Between Personality And Risky Behaviors: An 8-Wave Longitudinal Study In Early Adolescents, Elizabeth N. Riley

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

While the overall stability of personality across the lifespan has been well-documented, there is also evidence of meaningful personality change. This is particularly true when individuals are going through periods of developmental transition. Over time, one sees incremental changes not just in behavior but in basic personality as well. 1,906 early adolescents were assessed for urgency scores, levels of maladaptive behavior engagement (drinking, smoking, and binge eating), and pubertal status every six months for four years. Zero-Inflated Poisson structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the model of reciprocal influence between behavior and personality. Across most six-month intervals over …

Development Of A Measure Of Craving Suppression, Brian T. Upton

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

While there is evidence to support the efficacy of mindfulness-based treatment for substance use, the mechanisms through which they lead to therapeutic outcomes have received less attention. A growing body of literature suggests that the ways in which people respond to cravings may be an important mediator of change. Individuals with substance use problems may use them to cope with or avoid negative experiences, which could include the experience of craving itself. Thought suppression in particular has been investigated as a specific form of experiential avoidance, and findings suggest that thought suppression strategies may interfere with attempts to quit using …

Moderated Mediation Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) Symptoms And Peer Relations, Christine A. Lee

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience frequent and persisting peer rejection, yet current social skills training is ineffective. The current study focused on emotion dysregulation as a possible mediator between ADHD symptoms and poor peer outcomes with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms as a moderator. Participants included 145 elementary-age children ranging from 8-10 years old. Parents and teachers rated children’s ADHD and ODD symptoms as well as their social skills. Parents also rated children on their emotion regulation abilities. Children then participated in a three-hour playgroup with unfamiliar peers in six structured and unstructured tasks. Research assistants provided global ratings …

Bidirectional Relations Of Impulsive Personality And Alcohol Use Over Two Years, Alison J. Kaiser

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Impulsive personality traits have been found to be robust predictors of substance use and problems in both cross-sectional and longitudinal research. Studies examining the relations of substance use and impulsive personality over time indicate bidirectional effects, where substance use is also predictive of increases in later impulsive personality. The mechanism(s) accounting for the impact of substance use on later personality remain unknown. The present study sought to explore the bidirectional relations of alcohol use with the impulsive personality traits over three time points, and to examine two potential mechanisms that could account for the impact of alcohol use on personality: …

Affective Instability Across Diagnostic Models, Whitney L. Gore

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDoC; Insel et al., 2010; Sanislow et al., 2010) were established in an effort to explore underlying dimensions that cut across many existing disorders as well as to provide an alternative to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; APA, 2013). The present dissertation aimed to study one major component of the RDoC model, negative valence, as compared to other models hypothesized to be closely related, as well as its relationship to a key component of psychopathology, affective instability. Participants were adult community residents …

Developmental Trajectories Of Excessive Exercise And Fasting Across The Middle School Years, Heather A. Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Repeated excessive exercise (EE) fasting behavior, in the absence of binge eating and purging, are important eating disorder behaviors that are not captured by the current diagnostic system. Though they appear to be harmful and distressing for adults, little is known about these behaviors in youth. To begin to understand their development, I studied the course of the behaviors across the three years of middle school (n = 1,195). Both behaviors were present in middle school girls and boys, and youth progressed along different developmental trajectories of engagement in the behaviors. Youth involved in either behavior experienced elevated levels of …

Interpersonal Rejection Sensitivity Predicts Burnout: A Prospective Study, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We examined whether interpersonal rejection sensitivity (IRS)—the hallmark of atypical depression – prospectively predicted burnout, controlling for baseline symptoms, history of depressive disorders, antidepressant intake, gender, age, and length of employment (mean between-assessment duration: 21 months; n = 578; 74% female). IRS was related to a 119% increased risk of burnout at follow-up. Three of four burned out participants reported to be affected by IRS, or 2.5 times the rate observed in participants with no (or subthreshold) burnout symptoms. Our study highlights a dispositional factor in burnout’s etiology also known to be a key component of atypical depression’s etiology. The …

Burnout Does Not Help Predict Depression In French Schoolteachers, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Objectives: Burnout has been viewed as a phase in the development of depression. However, supportive research is scarce. We examined whether burnout predicted depression among French school teachers.

Methods: We conducted a 2-wave, 21-month study involving 627 teachers (73% female) working in French primary and secondary schools. Burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory and depression with the 9-item depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 grades depressive symptom severity and provides a provisional diagnosis of major depression. Depression was treated both as a continuous and categorical variable using linear and logistic regression analyses. We controlled …

Working Memory In Children With Neurocognitive Effects From Sickle Cell Disease: Contributions Of The Central Executive And Processing Efficiency, Kelsey Erin Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurocognitive impairment due to disease effects including stroke, sleep disordered breathing, anemia-induced hypoxia, and small vessel occlusion. In particular, problems in working memory are an area of concern due to the importance of this construct in determining intelligence and academic functioning. According to Baddely’s model, working memory is composed of verbal and spatial working memory, but it is unclear whether one aspect of working memory is more impacted than another in children with SCD. In addition, little is known about the role of two key components in SCD-related working memory …