Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Religious Coping And Depression Among Blacks And Whites After Sexual Abuse, Richelin Dye

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

According to the theory of Fundamental Assumptions, childhood sexual abuse survivors have more depressive symptoms as a consequence of disrupted assumptions relating to optimism and mastery (Janoff-Bulman, 1992). This study tested whether positive religious coping preserves the fundamental assumptions to decrease depressive symptoms. In contrast, negative religious coping was posited to challenge assumptions. These hypotheses were tested in 2949 women from the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health study of which 246 reported childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with no childhood physical abuse and no adult sexual assault. Across all participants, positive religious coping (benevolent God reappraisal, collaborative religious coping, and spiritual connection) …

Memory For Emotional Images: Mechanisms Of Episodic Processing And Its Psychophysiological Correlates, Gregory E. Devore

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Negative emotional stimuli are usually better remembered than neutral emotional stimuli. Previous examination of binding theory found no differences in recall for pure lists of taboo and neutral words. A similar result was found with equivalent recognition memory performance between pure lists of negative, positive, and neutral images. The current research is designed to test the predictions of binding theory using negative and neutral visual stimuli in mixed lists. A rapid serial visual presentation paradigm and recognition memory item-discrimination tasks are used. Binding theory predicts differences in recognition memory performance between arousing and neutral images in mixed lists, but not …

Exploring Gender Differences In Online Cancer Support Groups, Natalie Christine Kaiser

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Gender differences in depression and other psychiatric conditions have been widely

documented in the general population (Nolen‐Hoeksema, 2006). Therefore, several studies have

analyzed the differential gender‐based adaptation of a cancer diagnosis. However, there seem to be contradictory results. While some studies have found there to be no gender differences in terms of cancer‐related distress (Beresford et al., 2006; Deimling et al., 2006; Zabora et al., 2001; & Carlson et al., 2004; Matthews, 2003), other studies have found that females tend to display more anxiety and depressive symptoms (Mystakidou et al., 2005; Deimling et al., 2006). Interestingly, limited studies have reported …

The Impact Of Pomegranate On Memory Dysfunction After Cardiac Surgery, Sapna Patel

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Studies have shown a decline in certain cognitive abilities in individuals diagnosed with heart disease of any type or etiology. This decline is observed as the disease progresses (Muller, Grobbee, Aleman, Bots & van der Schouw, 2006; Ernest et al., 2006), as well as after certain interventions, such as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and heart valve surgery. In recent years, there has been a great deal of emphasis on the beneficial effects of pomegranate on health, including diseases of the brain and the heart. Few, however, have explored the impact of pomegranate on cognitive functions. Thus, the current …

Myelomeningocele And The Neuropsychological Functioning Of Bilingual Children, Claudia Resendiz

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Myelomeningocele is the most common and most severe form of spina bifida, affecting the brain and spinal cord of millions of children. Children of Hispanic background have the highest prevalence rate of this condition. Despite this fact, research that examines the cognitive profiles of Hispanic children with myelomeningocele is limited. A review on bilingualism and neurocognitive performance suggests that a cognitive advantage is present among those who are able to learn and utilize two languages. Although some have investigated the neuropsychological performance of children with myelomeningocele, research has yet to examine whether a bilingual cognitive advantage is present among bilingual …

Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation: Ethnic And Psychosocial Predictors Of Recovery Outcome, Anna Olga Wong

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

As the new focus on preventative medicine has emerged, research continues to expand on diseases that impact physical and cognitive functioning, lead to long-term disability, and increase the risk of mortality. Stroke or cerebral vascular accident (CVA) has been identified as one of such diseases by the Centers for Disease Control (2007). Past literature has identified disparities between ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other diseases in the recovery of stroke. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of ethnicity and psychosocial factors on stroke recovery during inpatient rehabilitation. The study included 446 patients who had suffered an …

Mrs And Neuropsychological Outcome In Children With Non-Accidental Tbi, Aileen Arratoonian

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Despite the severe and long-term neurological consequences and the prevalence of non-accidental head trauma (NAT) among infants, few empirical studies have specifically examined the neuropsychological consequences in this population of children. The current study examined the relationship between clinical variables, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS), and neuropsychological outcome in this high-risk population of children. Infants and children with a confirmed diagnosis of NAT were recruited by the Division of Pediatric Neurology at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and administered a comprehensive follow-up neuropsychological evaluation and neurological exam several months post injury. At the conclusion of the study, there were 13 participants …

Lateralization Of Emotion, Reaction Time, And Skin Conductance Responsiveness, Kimberley Erin Rose

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Bilateral presentations of brief (250 ms), unmasked emotional and neutral stimuli were examined in two experiments with primarily female samples. Reaction time and accuracy data were used to measure perception of emotion and skin conductance response (SCR) was used to measure experience of emotion. Both words and pictures were used to account for hemispheric differences in language and visuospatial dominance. Response time was faster to emotional pictures than words. Reaction time and speeded accuracy data did not support right hemisphere hypothesis (RHH) or valence hypothesis (VH) in the expected manner. Data suggested emotion caused greater interference under speeded conditions in …

Parental Grief And Loss And The Medical Staff Relationship: A Function Of Attachment, Peter Christopher Gleason

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Each year, too many parents must face the horrific ordeal of having to prepare for the death of their child; thought to be the most traumatic event in the life of an adult (Widger & Picot, 2008). It is in the desperate hours just prior to death that these parents, for many reasons, reach out for support to the medical staff around them. This process, particularly if negative, can leave scars that parents will carry for a lifetime (N. Contro, Larson, Scofield, Sourkes, & Cohen, 2002; Tinsley, et al., 2008). However, there appear to be factors that serve to lessen …

Interpersonal Aggression Perpetration: Static And Emotion Regulation Risk Factors, Jill Panuzio

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is a serious public health problem for both men and women in the United States. With aspirations of alleviating the significant negative effects of IPA, a substantial body of literature has been devoted to uncovering risk factors for IPA perpetration. Much of this research has focused on static, or relatively stable, factors that may influence IPA, such as life stress, distress tolerance, rumination, and jealousy. However, considering situational variables that influence individuals more proximally to aggressive acts, in conjunction with these static factors, may provide more precise prediction of partner aggression. Current theoretical and empirical work …

Intact Statistical Word Learning In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jessica Mayo

Master's Theses

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have impairments in language acquisition, but the underlying mechanism of these deficits is poorly understood. Implicit learning appears potentially relevant to language development, particularly in speech segmentation, which relies on sensitivity to the transitional probabilities between speech sounds. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between implicit learning and current language abilities in school-aged children with autism (n = 17) and typical development (n = 24) using a well-studied artificial language learning task. Results suggest that the ASD and TD groups were equally able to implicitly learn transitional probabilities from a lengthy …

The Interpersonal Process And Predictors Of Consent In Tissue Donation Requests, Lindsey Dorflinger

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the interpersonal process during tissue donation requests and evaluated demographic and interpersonal/behavioral predictors of consent or refusal to donate. One hundred and two audiorecordings of tissue donation requests were evaluated using several different observer measures of interpersonal behavior and decision making. Results showed that tissue requesters (TRs) and next-of-kin (NOKs) tended to match one another’s level of affiliation, and complemented one another on interpersonal dominance. TRs infrequently used negative or disapproving statements during the request, but when they did NOKs were less friendly, more disapproving, and more likely to express concern. Overall there were few differences …

Cumulative Risk As A Moderator Of The Association Between Intimate Partner Violence And Maternal Parenting Behaviors With Infants, Erin Gallagher

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The primary objective of this study was to broaden psychological and scientific understanding of the lasting effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) on maternal parenting behaviors in families with infants. This study used longitudinal data to examine these associations. Much is to be gained from exploring the association between IPV and maternal parenting behaviors in families with infants because IPV is known to negatively impact a wide range of parenting capacities, as well as the social-emotional adjustment of young children. This study also examined an accumulation of social-contextual risk factors as a moderator between the chronicity and severity of IPV …

Academic Abilities In Children And Adolescents With A History Of Autism Spectrum Disorders Who Have Achieved Optimal Outcomes, Eva Troyb

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

International Trauma: War And Religious Conflict On The West Bank, Tajuana Wade, Rodger K. Bufford, George Rhodes, Kristie Knows-His-Gun

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Anxiety Sensitivity, Non-Acceptance, And Coping Motives For Alcohol Use, Jennifer Ann Shaver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study probed the concurrent relation of two theoretically associated risk factors for coping-motivated substance use - non-acceptance of negative affect and anxiety sensitivity - with coping-motivated drinking frequency (drinking to cope). A two-factor model of coping-motivated substance use put forth by Brown, Lejuez, Kahler, Strong, and Zvolensky (2005) suggests that both non-acceptance and the physical and Social dimensions of anxiety sensitivity might be related to coping motives for substance use broadly. The present study represents a particularly stringent test of this model in the field of alcohol use motives. It was hypothesized that the individual facets of AS …

The Relationship Of Ethnicity And Familial Factors In The Expression Of School Refusal Behavior In Clinical And Community Samples, Courtney Marie Haight

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Failure to attend school can have a devastating impact on a child’s social, emotional, academic, and later career development. Psychologists, educators, and researchers from other disciplines have produced large bodies of literature regarding problematic absenteeism. This has led to varying terminology, divergent approaches, assessment, and treatment of nonattendance. Additional research on contextual, proximal, and distal variables, such as culture and family, has been encouraged. The present study involved contextual variables related to school refusal behavior and contained a more representative sample of youth with attendance difficulties than previous studies. Contextual variables included youth and parent ethnic identity, family environment, school …

Examining The Experience Of Recent War Veterans Who Report Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Neda C. Raymond

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that develops following exposure to a traumatic event, has long been associated with military combat. Despite the well-documented negative effects of PTSD, careful, in-depth accounts of the experience of those suffering from PTSD are rare. The present study employed Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to explore the inner experience of seven Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans with combat-related PTSD. Potential participants completed the PTSD Checklist - Military Version to determine the presence and severity of PTSD symptomatology. Participants who reported significant symptoms of combat-related PTSD participated in DES. A …

Enhancing Therapists' Clinical Judgments Of Client Progress Subsequent To Objective Feedback, Michael M. Haderlie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Although it is intuitive that the judgments made by mental-health clinicians become increasingly accurate as they gain clinical experience, research has demonstrated only minimal effects of experience on clinical judgment. Feedback regarding the accuracy of judgments is widely considered to be an essential component in developing clinical judgment. However, very little research has systematically examined whether the provision of feedback following judgments leads to increased judgment accuracy. The current research explored the effects of providing feedback to therapists regarding client progress on the accuracy of therapists' judgments of change. The effect of feedback on therapists' confidence ratings regarding such judgments …

The Effect Of Alcohol On Attention To Social Threat: A Test Of The Avoidance-Coping Cognitive Model, Amy K. Bacon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Avoidance-Coping Cognitive model (Bacon & Ham, 2010) proposed that Socially anxious individuals may be particularly vulnerable to the anxiolytic effects of alcohol through reductions in attention biases to Social threat. Elements of this model and were tested in the present study, in which undergraduate volunteers (N = 41, 27% female) completed two dot probe tasks with photographs of angry, happy, and neutral facial expressions. Participants were randomized to either consume a moderate dose of alcohol (target BAC 0.06%) or a non-alcohol control beverage between the two dot probe tasks. Results indicated no evidence of a bias in attention to …