Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Transition To College And Psychological Outcomes: The Effect Of Identity Development, College Stress, And Activity Involvement On Body Dissatisfaction And Disordered Eating In First-Year College Women, Ashley Marie Rolnik

Master's Theses

The first year of college is an at-risk time period for the development of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Thus, it is important to understand the underlying components of the first-year experience - specifically identity development, college stress, and extracurricular activity involvement - that contribute to these psychological disorders. During this developmental time period, first-year students experience many changes and challenges. The goals of the current prospective study are to examine how identity development, college stress, and extracurricular activity involvement affect the development or exacerbation of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction in first-year college women. This longitudinal study aims to …

Do Family Dynamics Mediate The Relationshp Between Early Pubertal Development And Depression For Girls With And Without Spina Bifida?, Rachel Wasserman

Master's Theses

Girls who experience premature puberty have higher levels of depressive symptoms than their peers (Rierdan & Koff, 1991; Hayward et al., 1997). However, girls with spina bifida (SB) experience different psychosocial changes during puberty. This study proposed two longitudinal, mediated moderation models to investigate whether family variables (i.e., parent-child conflict and emotional distancing) contributed to differences in the connection between early pubertal timing and depressive symptoms for girls with and without SB. 62 families (31 SB, 31typically developing) were recruited for a larger longitudinal study. Constructs were assessed subjectively and objectively with the use of questionnaire and observational data. Findings …

Youth In Substitute Care Presenting With Sexual Behavior Problems, Christopher Zaddach

Master's Theses

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the traumatic history of youths in the foster care system presenting with sexual behavior problems. Moreover, co-occurring trauma symptoms will be investigated as possibly contributing to the severity of sexual behavior problems in this population. The present study has four primary goals: (1) This study will focus on identifying traumatic experiences that are associated with sexual behavior problems in children and adolescents in the child welfare system; (2) Co- occuring levels of trauma symptoms including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) and sexual concerns (SC; Briere, 1996) will be tested as possible moderators …

Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Clusters And Externalizing Problems In Young Urban African American Adolescents, Maria Ann Horn-Rollins

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between five posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters and two forms of externalizing problems within and across the middle school years in a low income urban sample of young adolescent African Americans. A secondary aim of this study was to explore moderation effects by gender. Total PTSS positively predicted a little over 58% of the cross-sectional externalizing outcomes and uniquely explained between 5 and 12% of the variance in these outcomes over and above gender and exposure to violence. Total PTSS significantly and positively predicted one-third of the longitudinal outcomes and …

Predictors Of Mental Health Outcomes Among Foster Care Children Receiving Community-Based Services, Alison Merri Dunleavy

Master's Theses

Historically, children served in the foster care system experience less favorable mental health outcomes compared to those in the general population (Anctil, McCubbin, & Pecora, 2006; Burns et al., 2004; Garland et al., 2001; Zima, Bussing, Yang, & Berlin, 2000). As a result, the child welfare system has been described as a "de facto public behavioral health care system" (Lyons & Rogers, 2004), prompting state child welfare agencies to seek to put systems and policies in place to serve the needs of these youth, such as Illinios' statewide community-based program, System of Care (SOC), designed to provide multi-modal services to …

Differential Effects Of Personality Disorders On Treatment Outcome For Adult Patients With Adhd, Emily M. Tomer

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Approximately seven million adults meet the diagnostic criteria for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the prevalence rate is between 3.3 and 5.3%; however, these are likely underestimates because the diagnostic criteria are based on those originally devised for children, aged four to 17 years. Not only does this underdiagnosis cause a problem in making an accurate diagnosis, but also the high rate (65-89%) of psychiatric comorbidity complicates the situation, resulting in poorer treatment outcome for individuals with comorbid diagnoses, when compared with those who have no comorbid diagnoses. Therefore, the current study was designed to examine whether or not the …

The Effect Of Homesickness On Air Force Academy Cadets, Earl J. Banning

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

A slightly modified version of the Homesickness Questionnaire (HQ) was administered to 176 Air Force Academy cadets during the spring semester of 2010. Total HQ scores were positively correlated with cadet somatic complaints. Total HQ scores were negatively correlated with cadet Grade Point Average (GPA), but only for male cadets. Factor analysis of the HQ revealed two factors, as in previous studies, disliking the Academy and attachment to home. There were no significant correlations found between cadet HQ total score and Military Performance Average (MPA), Physical Education Average score (PEA), or number of demerits received. Cadets were less likely to …

A Qualitative Study Examining Factors Related To Treatment Adherence In Persons With Long Qt Syndrome, Alison B. Steinhauser

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an electrophysiological disorder of the heart affecting as many as 1 in 2,000 persons. LQTS can result in potentially catastrophic and fatal arrhythmias in infants, children, adolescents, and adults. Maintaining adherence to treatment can decrease these negative outcomes and result in favorable quality of life in this population. The present study utilized a qualitative research design to examine and understand nonadherent and adherent behaviors in persons with LQTS. This study was part of a larger study and used a sample from an existing online LQTS user group message board consisting of 780 international members. A …

Suicide Survivorship Among Lesbians, Amy S. Davis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

It is commonly understood that approximately 10 % of the U.S. population is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. It has been well-documented that gay people face a heightened risk of suicide that is different and more severe than heterosexuals. Although it is known that both suicide attempts and completions are disproportionately higher among gay adolescents than heterosexual ones, there is a paucity of research on the phenomenon of suicide survivorship. Because lesbian adolescents in particular have higher rates of depression, drug or alcohol abuse, and suicidality than heterosexuals, there is a demonstrated need for studies which explore the experiences of lesbian …

The Impact Of Therapeutic Alliance On Outcomes In Parent-Child Dyadic Interventions, Ryan M. Smith

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

An infant’s attachment relationship with primary caregivers has been demonstrated to have a long-term relationship to an individual’s social and emotional functioning throughout the lifespan. Recognizing the critical importance of this period, interventions to facilitate secure attachment are now being evaluated for treatment efficacy. Evaluation of these treatments has typically focused on the components of treatment, examining changes in maternal sensitivity, parental attachment representations, and concrete support to address basic needs, housing, or other contextual factors, and evidence has been found to support the inclusion of these factors. However, little is known regarding what elements of treatment impact the effectiveness …

Promoting Resiliency: Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth In Trauma Clinicians, Christopher Howard

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth (VPG) and Vicarious Traumatization (VT) are two potential outcomes of clinical work with trauma survivors. The aim of this study was to test a predictive model of these constructs, allowing a fuller understanding of preventive strategies clinicians might employ to inoculate themselves against the potential hazards of service provision and provide the highest quality of clinical care. VPG and VT were investigated in 63 self-identified trauma therapists. The results showed that VPG is facilitated by engagement in successful services subsequent to a traumatic event. Self-Care emerged as a poignant buffer against various indices of vicarious traumatization. Other …

Neuropsychological Correlates And Underlying Cortical Mechanisms Of Working Memory In Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Jessica Ann Clark

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a relatively new tool that has been used to examine patterns of neural activation within those with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). A review of relevant literature is presented, including alterations in activity within the frontal and parietal regions that are thought to be compensatory in nature. In addition, possible explanations for discrepancies within this research are discussed. The current study expands upon previous work by incorporating a delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) task within an event-related paradigm and neuropsychological testing to compare 12 individuals with a history of TBI to 12 control participants with orthopedic injuries (OI). …

Alcohol Dose And Aggression: Another Reason Why Drinking More Is A Bad Idea, Aaron Adriel Duke

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A wealth of studies have examined the impact of alcohol on violence; however, only a small number have addressed differences elicited by different doses of alcohol. Such studies are seriously limited by mixed findings, small sample sizes, inconsistent alcohol doses and control conditions, a bias toward studying only male participants, and the predominant use of only one particular measure to assess aggression. The present laboratory investigation was designed to elucidate and advance this literature by improving upon these limitations. Participants were 187 (95 men and 92 women) social drinkers. Following the consumption of one of 6 alcohol doses (i.e., 0.0g/kg; …

A Comparison Of The Reiss Profile With The Neo Pi-R Assessment Of Personality, Sara E. Boyd

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) could account for significant variance within a measure of personality developed for the intellectually disabled (i.e., the Reiss Profile of Fundamental Motives), as well as to consider their comparative validity. The NEO PI-R and the Reiss Profile of Fundamental Motives were administered to 127 undergraduate students in conjunction with the Personality Research Form (PRF) and the Behavior Report Form (BRF). The NEO PI-R was able to account for a substantial amount of variance in the Reiss Profile scales, and the Reiss and the NEO accounted …

Executive Deficits In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Examining The Consequences Of Self-Regulatory Impairment On Quality Of Life, Abbey R. Roach

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks the motor system and contributes to a range of cognitive and behavioral impairments (e.g., behavioral and emotional disinhibition, planning and problem solving difficulties, impulsivity, attention, and personality change). This executive dysfunction may contribute to selfregulatory impairment across several domains, including cognitive skills, thought processes, emotion regulation, interpersonal skills, and physiology, that may be crucial to the quality of life (QOL), or well being, of patients and their caregivers. Given the relentless course and prognosis of ALS, palliative treatments for ALS should target the full range of self-regulatory deficits. Thirty-seven …

The Influence Of Religion And Spirituality On Rehabilitation Outcomes Among Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors, Brigid Waldron-Perrine

Wayne State University Dissertations

The long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury affect millions of Americans, many of whom report using religion and spirituality to cope. Little research, however, has investigated how various elements of the religious and spiritual belief systems affect rehabilitation outcomes. The present study sought to assess the use of specifically defined elements of religion and spirituality as coping resources in a sample of traumatically brain injured adults. Furthermore, various mechanisms by which religion and spirituality may affect outcome were explored.

The sample included 88 adults with brain injury from 1 to 20 years post injury and their knowledgeable significant others (SOs). …

Gender Role Conflict Among Formerly Incarcerated And College Black Males: The Mediating Effects Of Racial Identity On Psychological Distress, Natasha N. Manning

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Association Between Parental Perceptions Of Children's Residential Mental Health Treatment And The Parent-Child Relationship, Susanne Elizabeth Preston

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Residential mental health treatment for children as an intervention for children is increasing, potentially affecting the relationship within families. The purpose of this study was to examine the parental perspectives of the associations between the parent-child relationship and children's residential mental health treatment. This study explored parental perspectives of specific aspects of the parent-child relationship: parental support, satisfaction with parenting, parental involvement, communication, and limit setting-and the association between these aspects and the child's residential mental health treatment. Paired samples t-tests were conducted; resulting in statistically significant changes on all scales measured, with varying effect sizes. Results indicated parents …

Factors That Influence Help-Seeking Behaviours In Young Men Aged 25 To 30 Years, Meredith Bolland

Theses : Honours

Using Heidegger's (1962) hermeneutic phenomenology informed by van Manen (1984) and Gadamer (1975), this qualitative inquiry has been an exploration, analysis and interpretation of the lived experiences of the help-seeking phenomenon in young men aged 25 to 30 years. A purposive sample of thirteen young men, 25 to 30 years of age, living in urban areas of Perth, were interviewed using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The ultimate aim of this study was to discover meaning and enhance the understanding of the essential experiences that influence help-seeking behaviours of these young men. The findings of this inquiry indicate a sophisticated emotional discourse …

The Effective Use Of Confrontation In Family Therapy: A Process Study, Timothy Michael Digiacomo

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although contemporary practitioners have rejected the confrontational style and perceived aggressiveness of earlier family therapists in favor of a more "collaborative" stance, confrontation, as a technique, is still widely used in almost all forms of psychotherapy, including family therapy. The present process study explored what makes confrontation more or less effective in motivating clients to recognize and reevaluate counterproductive ways of interacting. Using videotaped family therapy sessions, confrontation clarity, emotional reactivity, and the use of suggestion were examined in relation to client levels of acceptance of confrontation immediately following the confrontation, as well as in relation to overall …