Clinical Psychology Commons^™

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Personality Traits And Cognitive Functioning In Neuropschological Outpatients In Community Based Treatment, Stacey Rivenburg

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined whether behavioral disturbances in obsessive compulsive personality disorder and borderline personality disorder were related to executive functioning. An archival database was used; this consisted of 104 subjects who had been given the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) at a local neuropsychology practice. Comparisons in executive functioning abilities were made between groups of subjects identified as reporting obsessive compulsive personality disorder traits or borderline personality disorder traits, and also between groups of subjects identified as reporting both obsessive compulsive personality traits and borderline personality traits. Findings concluded that a relationship does …

Does Participation In Christian Faith Affect The Healing Process Of Female African American Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Tamika A. Thomas

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is often associated with devastating effects that are long-lasting and pervasive in nature. Though the sequelae vary from survivor to survivor, difficulties typically manifest psychologically, interpersonally, behaviorally, and in physical health problems. While there are many articles in the CSA literature on coping strategies and various treatment modalities, literature on the efficacy of treatment for this population is limited. Further absent from the CSA literature is an understanding of the impact that participation in religious activities has on the healing process within this population. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact that …

Psychosocial Factors Associated With Bullying Typologies In A Mental Health Population Of Adolescents, Jamie M. Bolton

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Despite the well documented mental health consequences of bullying behavior, bullying has not been studied in a mental health population. This study has examined psychosocial factors (symptoms of internalizing disorders and cognitive style) in a population of adolescents admitted into a partial hospitalization program. Sixty-four participants completed five self-report measures. This study was not able to differentiate among bully typologies based on internalizing symptoms (PTSD and depression) or self-debasing cognitive style. Instead, a more relevant finding was that more than half of the sample had clinical levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms. Because this sample was more similar than it …

Addressing Disproportionality In School Discipline Through Universal School-Widepositive Behavior Support, Kelly Lane

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Suspensions are the most commonly used discipline strategy in schools and in many cases these lead to poor academic and behavioral outcomes for students. Suspensions are also implemented inconsistently as a consequence of disciplinary infractions; this has resulted in the disproportionate suspension rates of minority and special education students. Recently, school-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) has emerged as an alternative model to suspension. SWPBS is a proactive, school-wide approach to discipline, which focuses on teaching and reinforcing appropriate behavior to all students. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effectiveness of SWPBS on reducing disproportionate rates of …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Homeless Women With Children In Transitional Housing: What Are Their Needs?, Urmi B. Jani

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

In 2004, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty indicated that approximately 3.5 million people experienced homelessness. The literature indicates that families, specifically female-headed ones, are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. The development of transitional housing has shown promise by seeking to move these homeless families towards independent living. A qualitative study based in grounded theory was utilized to explore the experiences of 10 female homeless participants at two regional transitional living facilities. Consistent themes that emerged included dissolution of relationships and a lack of personal supports as being the primary pathways that lead to homelessness. …

Changes In Appetite And Eating Behavior Associated With The Combination Of Sibutramine And Behavior Therapy, Raymond Carvajal

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This archival-data study assessed the potentially complementary mechanisms of action of sibutramine and behavior therapy (also known as lifestyle modification) believed to be responsible for the greater weight loss observed with combining the two approaches than with either approach alone. One hundred and seventy-one subjects were randomly assigned to receive 15 mg of sibutramine per day alone, delivered by a primary-care provider in five brief office visits; behavior therapy alone, delivered by a psychologist in

18 group sessions; and sibutramine (15 mg/day) plus 18 group sessions of behavior therapy (i.e., combined therapy). Mixed effects linear model analysis was used to …

A Multi-Method Assessment Approach To The Detection Of Malingered Pain: Association With The Mmpi-2 Restructured Form, Jaime L. Anderson

Online Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the utility of the MMPI-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) over-reporting scales (F-r, Fp-r, Fs, and FBS-r) and the Response Bias Scale (RBS) to detect symptom exaggeration among litigants claiming chronic pain. Utilizing the Bianchini et al. (2005) multi-method criteria for Malingered Pain Related Disability (MPRD), patients were classified along a continuum ranging from incentive only to definite malingering. Malingering classification was found to have a significant effect on MMPI-2-RF over-reporting scales, particularly the RBS, Infrequent Symptoms Scale (F-r), and Infrequent Somatic Responses scale (Fs), which supports the use of the MMPI-2-RF in forensic disability evaluations.

The Nature And Impact Of Cyberbullying On The Middle School Student, Jacqueline K. Pilkey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cyberbullying is harassment through the Internet or other technologies. Forty-two percent of youth nationally have experienced cyberbullying and 53% admitted to being the cyberbully. A lack of understanding by adults of cyberbullying logistics and impact causes cyberbullying to remain a serious issue that has not yet been appropriately addressed within schools. A sequential, mixed methods study was implemented to investigate the prevalence of cyberbullying in one middle school and to determine the nature and impact of the experience in order to inform site-based interventions. Bandura's social learning theory, Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework, and Agnew's strain theory provided this investigation's theoretical foundation. …

Understanding Psychosocial Rehabilitation Workers' Perceptions Of Difficult Psychiatric Situations, James B. Arnold

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) is a community-based service that addresses the challenges faced by people diagnosed as having psychiatric disabilities. While working with co workers and clients, PSR workers may harbor perceptions that could lower the effectiveness of their work and hinder recovery by their clients. Although cognitive-behavioral theory has suggested an association, research has not yet connected PSR worker attitudes about psychiatric situations to their feelings and behavior. In this nonexperimental factorial design, 196 PSR workers were surveyed about the frustrations presented by stressful interpersonal job situations using the Psychiatric Situations Scale to identify whether occupation (case workers, residential workers, …

Discrete Trial Instruction: Comparing The Abbreviated Performance Feedback And Lecture Test Models, Tammy J. Dobbs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Growing media attention and a high diagnosis rate of autism places significant demand on the service industry to provide qualified staff to work with individuals who have autism. Discrete trial instruction (DTI) is one of the most sought-after treatment approaches for those individuals. However, there is a gap in research regarding the efficacy of training methods for those who train direct staff to implement DTI. This quantitative study used an applied behavior analysis basis, deriving from foundations of behavior theory, to compare the abbreviated feedback form (AFF) to the lecture test model (LTM) to understand which will improve direct staff's …

Craving Effect Of Unintentional Smoking Cues In Antismoking Images In Light Smokers, Francisco Isaac Salgado-Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Tobacco use is considered the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the nation. According to cue-reactivity models, environmental stimuli associated with smoking may elicit cravings in smokers. Antismoking advertisements, may also elicit cravings in smokers because of unintentional use of smoking cues, which may promote smoking maintenance and hinder quitting attempts. The purpose of this study is to assess if cue-reactivity elicits cravings in light and intermittent smokers and if impulsivity serves as a moderator. Data from 155 participants who reported smoking at least once in the past week to 10 cigarettes per day were collected. …

Resilience Factors Affecting The Readjustment Of National Guard Soldiers Returning From Deployment, D. Patricia Tackett

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Following the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States, there has been increased utilization of the Reserve Components (RC) by the military to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Service members in the National Guard and Reserve (NG/R) represent approximately 40% of the forces involved in these conflicts. Current research indicates that NG/R personnel and their families may be at greater risk to deployment stressors than their Active Component counterparts. Estimates for the development of mental health problems including PTSD among returning RC personnel, range as high as 42%. The focus of this study was to advance the …

A Conceptualization Of Treatment Stigma In Returning Veterans, Jason B. Flick

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The dissertation project combines three theoretical models that inform conceptualizations of the origins, manifestations, and consequences of stigma: the Social Psychological model (SPM), the Sociological model (SM), and the Cognitive-behavioral model (CBM). These models merge into a single, integrative lens, through which stigma can be examined on both cultural and individual levels. This lens is then applied to the cultural and individual manifestations of the stigma of seeking psychological treatment experienced by veterans who have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Through this lens, an understanding of the inception, maintenance, and effects of this treatment …

First Elderly Client In Therapy: Factors That Influence Student Interest In Geropsychology, Cristina E. M. Filippelli

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In the coming decades, the elderly population in United States (U.S) is expected to grow significantly (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1996). Consequently, the number of older individuals seeking mental health services will be greater than at any other time in the history of the U.S. The field of clinical psychology, however, is unable to meet the mental health needs of the current elderly population, and this gap is expected to widen in coming years. There is an ongoing discussion within the field of professional psychology as to how to train more clinicians to work with the elderly population (Gatz …

A Concept Mapping Needs Assessment Of Young Families With Parental Cancer, Richard P. Durant

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research is to investigate the support needs of young families living with and beyond a parental diagnosis of cancer. The sample includes 56 participants comprised of 31 professional stakeholders and 25 patient stakeholders affiliated with the Charles R. Wood Cancer Center. It was hypothesized there would be differences in how the groups of stakeholders rated needs in terms of importance, satisfaction, and utilization. Differences in ratings are thought to be barriers to effective program development. While not a formal research hypothesis, it was anticipated other program development barriers germane to naturalistic clinical settings would emerge from …

Descending Into And Out Of The Maelstrom: Soma And The Survival Struggle, Rachel M. Urbano

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to highlight the ways “surviving therapists” adapt to the inner-spaces in which they are still affected by their traumas. Surviving therapists are defined as therapists who identify as having experienced a trauma caused by another human being while maintaining an observational stance in relation to their body and self-experience. Therapists are not immune to the lasting effects of trauma: they may experience somatic reactivity and painful affective states in working with trauma patients. As surviving therapists have experienced events they may unconsciously choose to keep out of awareness, they may rely on …

Effects Of A Short-Term Mindfulness Intervention On Depression And Immune Function, Erin C. Walsh

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Pro-inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathophysiology and maintenance of depression. This study investigated the effects of a short mindfulness intervention on pro-inflammatory correlates of depression (IL-6 and TNF-α) and selfreported psychological health. Sixty-four college females were assigned to a four-week mindfulness training group or a contact-control group. Cytokines and psychological health were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up (mindfulness group only). IL-6 and TNF-α significantly decreased from baseline to post-treatment in the mindfulness group only; these changes were sustained at 3-month follow-up. No between-group differences in psychological health emerged. Although reductions in proinflammatory cytokines in the mindfulness …

A Developmental Model Predicting Adjustment In Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Role Of Executive Functions, Social Impairment, And Friendship Quality, Rebecca Wasserman Lieb

Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are pervasive developmental disorders characterized by several core deficits including social skills impairments and difficulty processing social information. Little is known about the role of contributing factors adjustment in this population. The first aim of this study was to evaluate two meditational models of youth with ASD in which social impairment and friendship quality mediated the relation between various domains of executive functions (EF) and adjustment, as well as a full developmental model in which EF contributed to compromised social skills which influenced friendship quality leading to increased adjustment difficulties in this population. The second aim …

Body Image And Body Mass Index: An Investigation Of Preadolescent Low-Income, Urban Ethnic Minority Girls, Amanda K. Ward

Master's Theses

Utilizing a sample of low-income, urban preadolescent African American and Latina girls, this study examined ethnic differences in two aspects of body image (i.e., body dissatisfaction and weight descriptions), and determined if this relation varied as a function of age. This study also examined the relation between the body image variables and self-esteem and BMI and self-esteem, and determined if these relations differed depending on age or ethnicity. Participants were recruited from 3rd through 5th grade at five Chicago Public Schools, and completed measures of body dissatisfaction, weight descriptions, self-esteem, and had their anthropometric measurements taken. Results showed that Latina …

The Influence Of Supportive Parenting And Racial Socialization On Internalizing And Externalizing Behaviors Among African-American Youth, Corinn Elmore

Master's Theses

The current study examined the additive and interactive effects of racial socialization on internalizing and externalizing behaviors. One hundred and thirty-six youth (mean age = 11.49, SD = 1.71) in fourth through eighth grade and parents of children these ages (n = 150) from 3 three locations of a community based family support agency reported on the youth's internalizing and externalizing behaviors, parental behavior, and racial socialization experiences. Correlational analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between study variables. Consistent with hypotheses, supportive parenting was associated with fewer maladaptive outcomes. Racial pride messages showed a trend level association to outcomes. …