Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Hypnosis, Hypnotizability, Memory And Involvement In Films, Reed Maxwell

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Researchers have reported increased involvement in reading (Baum and Lynn, 1981) and music-listening (Snodgrass and Lynn, 1989) tasks during hypnosis. We predicted a similar effect for film viewing of greater absorption and involvement in an emotional (The Champ) versus a non-emotional ( Scenes of Toronto) film clip. We also examined the effects of hypnosis and film valence on memory and state depersonalization. Our study is the first to use state dissociation to index response to hypnosis. We tested 121 participants who completed measures of absorption and trait dissociation and the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility and …

The Development And Validation Of The Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised (Pacs-R), Lauren M. Schaefer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Physical Appearance Comparison Scale (PACS; Thompson, Heinberg, & Tantleff, 1991) is a widely used 5-item measure that assesses an overall tendency to compare one's own appearance to the appearance of others in social situations. Research using the PACS and other measures of appearance comparison has shown this construct to be related to higher levels of body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. However, the measure is limited in that it only assesses comparison tendencies within a narrow range of social contexts and body sites. In the current investigation, the PACS was revised to examine a broader range of social contexts (e.g., …

Motivational Interviewing To Promote Physical Activity In Breast Cancer Survivors, Yasmin Asvat Patel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Despite documented health benefits, most breast cancer survivors (BCS) do not meet physical activity (PA) guidelines. Hence, evaluating diverse intervention approaches to promote PA in BCS is imperative. Motivational Interviewing (MI) offers a non-prescriptive, client-centered approach to PA promotion that has not been adequately evaluated in BCS. In this randomized-controlled trial, 66 Stage 0-IIIa BCS within three years post-treatment, insufficiently active and contemplating increasing PA were randomly assigned to a MI intervention or an active control condition. The MI intervention implemented motivational and behavior change strategies consistent with MI principles. The active control condition provided education and prescriptive recommendations …

Emotional Invalidation: An Investigation Into Its Definition, Measurement, And Effects, Meredith Brown Elzy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emotional invalidation is a construct closely related to childhood maltreatment, which has been linked theoretically and empirically to the development of psychopathology. This study sought to advance the empirical investigation into emotional invalidation through three primary objectives: 1) to critically review the way emotional invalidation is currently defined and measured in the existing literature, 2) to offer a novel approach at conceptualizing and measuring emotional invalidation as a two part construct comprised of emotionally invalidating behaviors and perceived emotional invalidation, and 3) to experimentally test the effects of invalidating behaviors on a person's perception of emotional invalidation and their level …

The Role Of Acquired Capability As A Differentially-Specific Risk Factor For Disordered Eating And Problematic Alcohol Use In Female College Students: A Measure Development And Validation Study, Christa D. Labouliere

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traditional college students are members of an age bracket noted for high levels of risky behavior, and research has shown that certain risky behaviors, such as disordered eating and problematic alcohol use, are particularly common among undergraduates. It is well established that certain events in the learning history predispose vulnerable persons to engage in maladaptive risky behaviors. What is less clear is why some persons facing these events go on to develop maladaptive behavior while others do not, or why people facing similar events develop different varieties of maladaptive behaviors. Current research has focused extensively on risk factors that are …

Exercise Barriers In Cancer Survivors: A Multi-Dimensional Approach, Morgan Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The population of cancer survivors is rapidly expanding, and promotion of health and quality of life for these individuals is a priority. Exercise confers numerous general and cancer–specific benefits, yet many cancer survivors are insufficiently active. Research on perceived exercise barriers in cancer survivors has been limited by methodological and conceptual problems. Recent research suggests barriers may be multi–dimensional, and different types of barriers may be salient depending on whether or not a person intends to engage in a given behavior. Global (i.e., abstract) barriers may be negatively associated with intention, while practical (i.e., concrete) barriers may be positively associated …

The Influence Of Campus Culture On Mental Health Help-Seeking Intentions, Jason I. Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mental health issues are widespread on college campuses. However, the majority of these individuals do not seek help. Prior research suggests many factors which may be related to mental health help-seeking including age, gender, and prior treatment experience. There has however been little work considering the context of the college campus on mental health help-seeking, specifically the influence of campus culture. Accounting for the context of mental health help-seeking may help to determine which social groups have the greatest influence on mental health treatment processes.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between perceived peer, student body, …

Efficacy Of A Dissonance-Based Intervention For Self-Objectification: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Jessie Erin Menzel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self-objectification is the process by which women take on a third-person perspective in evaluating their physical appearance and sexual attributes. Objectification theory states that self-objectification may lead to negative mental health outcomes in women; a growing body of cross-sectional and experimental research supports the connection between self-objectification and the experience of shame, disordered eating, depression, and sexual dysfunction. This study sought to evaluate an intervention designed to reduce self-objectification behaviors and beliefs in order to prevent the development of disordered eating, depression, and sexual dysfunction. An efficacious prevention program using cognitive dissonance induction was adapted to target self-objectification. The efficacy …

Pharmacological Versus Social Alcohol Expectancies: Making An Important Distinction Between The Anticipated Rewarding Effects Of Alcohol, Megan Victoria Mcmurray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite over 30 years of research investigating alcohol expectancies, they have never been examined in terms of the anticipated pharmacological versus social rewards resulting from alcohol consumption, and both appear to play a central role in drinking motivation and behavior. The purpose of this study was to develop a two-dimensional instrument designed to assess both the pharmacological alcohol expectancies of pleasurable, internal states that result from alcohol consumption, as well as the social expectancies that drinking alcohol will result in higher social status and increased effectiveness in social situations. This measure, called the Pharmacological and Social Alcohol Expectancy Scale (PSAES), …

Cyber Bullying And Social Support In A College Population, Alicia Luscomb Autry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that bullying has detrimental effects for both bullies and victims. Data also indicates that bullying, especially chronic levels of bullying, during childhood may lead to lasting negative effects in adulthood. The recent introduction of bullying through electronic media has sparked interest in examining bullying with older adolescents and young adults, as early research on cyber bullying suggests that this is a growing problem in the young adult population. The purpose of this study is to examine how perceived social support influences the relationship between cyber bullying and psychological functioning cyber bullying in the college population. A sample …

A Self-Regulated Learning Approach For The Remediation Of Behavioral Issues In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Richard G. Allen

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Behavioral-based interventions have long been demonstrated to be effective for
addressing behavioral difficulties for children with ADHD; however, such interventions do not always include explicit procedures to develop self-regulated learning. This is surprising, considering the strong evidence-based literature related to behaviorally-based self-management interventions. Considering the neurocognitive basis of ADHD, current assessment and intervention practices should emphasize the identification of self-regulatory deficits and evidence-based interventions to build such capacities. The current outcome study examined archival data from 12 cases to determine the clinical effectiveness of a function-based self-management intervention model for children diagnosed with ADHD in a community behavioral health program. …

Autobiographical Memory And Theory Of Mind In Schizotypy, Andrew Deptula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit marked impairments on tasks assessing theory of mind (ToM) and autobiographical memory (AM) qualities, and preliminary research has indicated a positive link between these abilities. This study is the first to systematically explore this relationship in the related personality trait of schizotypy. In a study of 47 undergraduate students (23 males) reporting a wide continuous range of schizotypy, we found that females, but not males, exhibited a negative correlation between ToM and schizotypy, and an unexpected positive correlation between AM qualities and schizotypy. Factor score analysis within females indicated that disorganized schizotypy was the strongest correlate …

Categorical Vs. Dimensional Models Of Mental Health Assessment, Nic Stewart

Honors Program Theses

The model that is currently in place is the categorical model and its use has been widespread since 1980 when the DSM-III was published and used internationally for categorical assessment (Mayes & Horwitz, 2005). It has since been widely utilized by professionals, but is not without flaws. Based on the argument for an alternative approach, researchers have argued several limitations of the categorical model: that no true discrete mental illness can be reasonably operationalized by categorical measures; that negative stigmas can accompany a diagnosis of mental illness; that there is inherent uncertainty when making diagnoses, whether to perceive certain information …

Bisexuality And Identity Formation, Jessica Fuoss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the identity development and psychological adjustment of bisexual individuals (n = 138) as compared to homosexual (n = 45) and heterosexual participants (n = 558). Undergraduate students recruited from psychology classes at a large metropolitan university in Florida (67% female, 65% Caucasian) took an online survey for course extra credit. Bisexual and homosexual participants scored higher in identity exploration than the heterosexual participants. Bisexual participants scored significantly higher in psychological symptom severity than heterosexual participants. The three groups were not significantly different in identity commitment nor in identity distress. Female bisexual participants scored more similar to the …

An Event-Related Potential Investigation Of Error Monitoring In Adults With A History Of Psychosis, Chi Chan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metacognition, which involves monitoring and controlling of one’s thoughts and actions, is essential for guiding behavior and organization of information. Deficits in self-monitoring have been suggested to lead to psychosis and poor functional outcome. Abnormalities in eventrelated potentials originating from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain region associated with error detection, have been consistently reported in individuals with schizophrenia during error monitoring tasks. This study sought to examine whether these abnormalities are present in individuals with a history of psychosis across diagnostic categories and whether they are associated with subjective appraisal of self-performance and personality traits related to psychosis. …

Psychopathology And Functional Impairment In Adolescents With Social Anxiety Disorder, Franklin Mesa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although social anxiety disorder is most often diagnosed during adolescence, few investigations have examined the clinical presentation of this disorder exclusively in adolescents. Prior studies have demonstrated that some clinical features of SAD in adolescents are unique relative to younger children with the condition. Furthermore, the extant literature on daily functional impairment in this population is limited. In this investigation, multiple areas of functioning were examined in adolescents with SAD (n = 16) and normal control adolescents (n = 14): specific social skills, subjective distress and physiological reactivity during one speech performance task and one social interaction task; alcohol use …

Is Experiential Avoidance A Factor In Maternal Overprotection?, Melissa Nieves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined experiential avoidance (EA) as an explanation for parental overprotectiveness, a behavior often found among parents of anxious children. EA parenting theory posits that parents engage in overprotective behaviors in order to reduce their own anxiety. In order to test the theory, mothers’ electrodermal activity (EDA) and blindly-coded overprotective behaviors were examined when a child with SAD was engaged in a reading performance task. In line with EA theory, it was hypothesized that EDA levels would increase before an overprotective behavior (OB) occurred and decrease afterwards as a result of decrease in anxiety. The sample consisted of …

Multicultural Personality And Psychological Functioning, Lauren Trottier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the U.S. becomes increasingly diverse, individuals will need to interact effectively with a wide range of people. The theory of multicultural personality refined by Ponterotto (2010) proposes that some individuals may be better suited than others to adapt to the changing demographic landscape. Individuals with a multicultural personality are theorized to have the ability to interact effectively within a wide range of contexts and draw on diverse experiences and resources to solve everyday problems in multiple ways as well as seek out diversity in their lives. Because of their skills and disposition, Ponterotto (2010) suggests that those with a …

Suicide Promotion Online: Frequency Of Access By High Risk Individuals, Daniel Stabin

Masters Theses

Online suicide promotion is a recent and potentially problematic phenomenon in which individuals provide detailed instructions for or encouragement to enact self-harm to other internet users. These types of resources are freely available to anyone willing to look for them, and there is no legal hindrance to prevent their continued operations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency with which people in the general, nonclinical population access these sites with a particular interested in individuals experiencing depressive symptoms and in young adults. Both populations are likely to be influenced by suicide promotion. I predicted that individuals with …

Sibling Closeness And Similarity And The Presence Of Perfectionism, Jennifer L. Crowe

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explored whether characteristics of the sibling relationship are related to the level of perfectionistic tendencies that an individual reports. The framework of this study was based on Tesser's Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model, which says that the effects of comparisons with a close other, such as a sibling, can be mediated in one of three ways: (a) by reducing the closeness of the relationship, (b) by improving one's performance/impeding on the other's performance, or (c) by decreasing the relevance of the performance to one's self-concept (pursuing different areas and interests). Several hypotheses were offered which were based on the presumption …