Effective Methods In Communicating Assessment Results To Individuals With Limited English Proficiency: A Survey Of Current Psychologists’ Practices.,
2024
Augsburg University
Effective Methods In Communicating Assessment Results To Individuals With Limited English Proficiency: A Survey Of Current Psychologists’ Practices., Dee Vang
Theses and Graduate Projects
The use of language interpreters is a primary solution for providing inclusive language services when conducting psychological assessments for people with limited English proficiency. However, this approach has limitations that have negatively affected the ability of clients with limited English proficiency to comprehend assessment results and adhere to recommendations. The purpose of this study was to improve the current understanding of effective methods for communicating assessment results to persons with limited English proficiency (PLEP) and working with language interpreters. Eight participants were interviewed about their current methods of communicating results and working with language interpreters during a feedback session. Consensual …
Expanding On The Factor Structure And Construct Validity Of The Short-Term Assessment Of Risk And Treatability (Start),
2024
University of South Florida
Expanding On The Factor Structure And Construct Validity Of The Short-Term Assessment Of Risk And Treatability (Start), Haomin Chen
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Research finds better reentry/recidivism program outcome when individuals receive service that matches their risks and needs. It is thus essential to measure recidivism risks and needs appropriately. The Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START) is a clinically-oriented instrument that assesses risks of future violence/offending and identifies areas for treatment. We see its potential use as an assessment tool for reentry/recidivism programming. More empirical evidence is needed to identify the psychometric properties of the instrument in this setting before it may be used in practice. The current thesis explored the factor structure of the START strengths and vulnerabilities scales using …
A Multifactorial Study Of Factors Influencing Self-Health Behaviors In Dementia,
2024
National Louis University
A Multifactorial Study Of Factors Influencing Self-Health Behaviors In Dementia, Elizabeth Malkin
Dissertations
The global increase in dementia cases presents a significant public health challenge, particularly given the absence of a cure and the rising healthcare burden on individuals and society. This study aims to examine the influence of knowledge, beliefs, and motivation on self-health behaviors to mitigate the risk of dementia among individuals residing in the United States. With the use of an online survey, the study utilized the U.S. normed MCLHB-DRR scale and supplemental questions about knowledge of risk factors and degree of closeness to family members with dementia to determine whether (1) more closely related relatives (first-degree relatives) and those …
Infertility’S Impact On Couples’ Functioning,
2024
National Louis University
Infertility’S Impact On Couples’ Functioning, Elizabeth Sanders
Dissertations
Historically, infertility has been a taboo topic of discussion and is often avoided in conversation because of the stigmatization of the diagnosis. According to the World Health Organization (2022), infertility affects 186 million individuals globally. However, there seems to be a gap in the research as it pertains to the psychological well-being and treatment of men and women diagnosed with this condition. While it has become less of a feared topic, it still is not discussed or researched enough, thus further exacerbating the gap in research on mental health and treatment options. The following dissertation completed a critical review of …
Brain Injury And Psychosocial Trauma: Outcomes Among Justice-Involved Individuals,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Brain Injury And Psychosocial Trauma: Outcomes Among Justice-Involved Individuals, Mahathi D. Kosuri
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Justice-involved individuals experience disproportionately high rates of both traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and psychosocial traumas. However, these traumas have yet to be conceptualized together, leaving a chasm of research on how they interact and influence this population. The current study was the first to measure the effects of TBIs as well as psychosocial trauma among justice-involved men, within the context of executive functioning, history of justice involvement, and recidivism. A sample of men (N=95) from a private correctional facility were given the Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire (OSU-TBI-ID), the Lifetime Stressor Checklist- Revised (LSC-R), along with …
Resting-State Eeg Microstate Features For Major Depressive Disorder Classification,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Resting-State Eeg Microstate Features For Major Depressive Disorder Classification, George M. V. Quinn
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Neuroimaging studies have revealed consistent abnormalities in functional connectivity within specific neural networks that may serve as biomarkers for major depressive disorder (MDD). It is important to find inexpensive, non-invasive techniques that target these biomarkers to make diagnosis easier and more objective. EEG microstates are quasi-stable potential topographies that are thought to reflect the quasi-stable network activity of the underlying neural generators. MDD has been shown to alter features of the four canonical EEG microstates (A, B, C, D) with some conflicting results. The most consistent network abnormalities in MDD are found in the anterior default mode network, and this …
Original Vs. Simplified Miranda Rights: The Impact On Miranda Rights Comprehension And Subsequent Waiver Decisions,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Original Vs. Simplified Miranda Rights: The Impact On Miranda Rights Comprehension And Subsequent Waiver Decisions, Sydney Baker
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Youths’ developmental immaturity negatively impacts their ability to meaningfully understand and appreciate their Miranda rights, raising questions about the validity of their waiver decisions. Moreover, most Miranda warnings are long, written at advanced reading levels, and contain complex sentence structure and vocabulary, which further hinders comprehension. In response, several jurisdictions have begun to use developmentally informed Miranda warnings for youth. However, research has yet to determine whether this improves youths’ ability to make informed Miranda waiver decisions. As such, the current research study explored whether simplified Miranda warnings increased youths’ comprehension of their rights, whether Miranda comprehension was related to …
Relationship Interventions For Autistic Children And Their Non-Autistic Siblings,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Relationship Interventions For Autistic Children And Their Non-Autistic Siblings, Susan Vanessa Mchugh
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Relationships between children with autism and their non-autistic siblings are often characterized by great warmth, empathy, and affection. However, because of core deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, autistic children and their siblings often experience difficulties with communication, play, and associated mental health problems. Interventions aimed at improving relationships in these sibling dyads historically have involved teaching non-autistic children to behave similarly to interventionists for autistic siblings, and support groups for children with broad chronic illnesses. More recent interventions have shifted focus to improvement of play between siblings, and support groups for siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder. Some are naturalistic …
Defining Resilience In Young People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Theory Informed Approach,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Defining Resilience In Young People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Theory Informed Approach, Barbara Storch
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal illness for which there is no existing cure. There is significant literature documenting the increased likelihood of adverse biopsychosocial outcomes in young people with IBD (e.g., Greenley et al., 2010); however, many individuals with IBD respond by either maintaining or increasing outcomes categorized as positive. These trajectories can be thought of as characterized by a resilient response. The study of resilience in young people with IBD is nascent. Given the unique disease-specific and developmental contexts young people with IBD experience, the first step in understanding the process of resilience in young people …
Investigating The Impact Of Affect In Suicide-Specific Attentional Biases,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Investigating The Impact Of Affect In Suicide-Specific Attentional Biases, Beverlin Rosario-Williams
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Objective: Biased processing of suicide-related information has been implicated in risk of future suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Although previous studies have classified this biased processing, the tasks used to examine these biases cannot definitely specify which attentional processes are related to risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, via two independent studies, this dissertation sought to distinguish suicide-specific attentional engagement and disengagement biases from other forms of cognitive processing, such as accessibility of suicide-related stimuli and threat bias toward and away from socially threatening stimuli. Additionally, this dissertation investigated under which affective conditions suicide-specific engagement and disengagement biases emerged. …
The Effects Of Mood And Anxiety Sensitivity On Attentional Engagement And Disengagement In Sleep Disturbance,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
The Effects Of Mood And Anxiety Sensitivity On Attentional Engagement And Disengagement In Sleep Disturbance, Kara L. Buda
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Insomnia is a highly prevalent, chronic disorder that is associated with adverse psychological, physical, and psychosocial outcomes. Harvey’s (2002) cognitive model of insomnia and Espie’s (2006) attention-intention-effort pathway model highlight two critical processes believed to play a role in the onset and persistence of insomnia: (a) emotional distress and physiological arousal and (b) selective attention and monitoring. However, investigations examining attentional bias in sleep disturbance have produced mixed results and have exclusively used paradigms that are limited in their ability to differentially examine the two unique components of attentional bias (i.e., facilitated engagement, impaired disengagement). Discrepant findings in the attentional …
Computerized Cognitive Training In The Treatment Of Depression: Individual Differences And Perceptions Of Cct,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Computerized Cognitive Training In The Treatment Of Depression: Individual Differences And Perceptions Of Cct, Sophie Schiff
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Major Depressive Disorder is a serious mental health disorder that affects 8% of adults in the United States. Adults aged 18-29 are at an elevated risk with a prevalence of 12%. Depression is most often characterized by mood symptoms, however, individuals with depression often also present with cognitive weaknesses on objective neuropsychological measures across several domains. These deficits are not only associated with mood symptoms, but significantly interfere with treatment and have been found to persist even with successful treatment of affective symptoms. Research into interventions directly targeting cognition has increased in recent years. While traditional first-line treatments for depression, …
Association Of Autistic Traits And Psychiatric Symptoms In Children With A Fragile X Premutation Allele: The Neurodevelopmental Profile,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Association Of Autistic Traits And Psychiatric Symptoms In Children With A Fragile X Premutation Allele: The Neurodevelopmental Profile, Ariel Zucker
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Throughout the lifespan, approximately 14% of males and 5% of females with a fragile X premutation (PM) (defined as 55-200 CGG repeats on the X-linked FMR1 gene) are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For individuals that do not meet diagnostic criteria for ASD, autistic traits (ATs) are often present in this population and have been shown to have a subtle and sub-clinical presentation of social communication and interaction deficits. While less is known about the phenotype of children with a PM, studies have found increased rates of ASD and ATs in adults with a PM allele compared to controls. …
Measuring Intersectional Strength And Stigma Among Racially Minoritized Gender Diverse Young Adults,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Measuring Intersectional Strength And Stigma Among Racially Minoritized Gender Diverse Young Adults, Joseph Carter
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Background: Racially minoritized transgender and gender expansive young adults (RMTGEYA; aged 18-26) experience mental health inequities due to intersectional, multilevel stigma. RMTGEYA communities embody intersectional strength and resilience that can mitigate the impact of stigma. Understanding and capturing strength and stigma factors to address these inequities has significant implications for clinical science research and practice. There is, however, a complete absence of instruments that are validated to do so. Objective: The goal of this study is to conduct a three-phase, mixed methods study that centers intersectional and community engaged methods of psychometric development for a measure that captures daily experiences …
Enhancing The Accuracy Of The Mild Cognitive Impairment Diagnosis In Community-Based, Racially/Ethnically Diverse Older Adults,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Enhancing The Accuracy Of The Mild Cognitive Impairment Diagnosis In Community-Based, Racially/Ethnically Diverse Older Adults, Katherine H. Chang
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is thought to represent an intermediate stage of cognitive impairment that is often, but not always, a transitional phase between normal aging and dementia. Diagnostic criteria for “MCI” and international consensus criteria have been developed and refined over decades beginning in the 1990s, but the definition is still debated. Moreover, the operationalization and measurement of one of the criteria for MCI (i.e., subjective cognitive concerns, SCC), which is included in most classification approaches, is highly variable and there is great inconsistency across the literature. Some research efforts even support the removal of this criterion on the …
The Effect Of Working Memory Performance Under Stress On The Relationship Between Trauma History, Ptsd Symptoms, And Intimate Partner Violence,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
The Effect Of Working Memory Performance Under Stress On The Relationship Between Trauma History, Ptsd Symptoms, And Intimate Partner Violence, Gabriella Robinson
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Background: Over 12 million people annually experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States. Emerging adulthood has the highest rates of IPV across the lifespan. While many theories attempt to explain why IPV rates are markedly increased during this age period, researchers call for more empirical studies to understand processes occurring during this period that result in increased IPV perpetration. Of the studies that assess IPV perpetration, samples generally consisted of male batterers that perpetrated severe IPV. Trauma history and PTSD symptoms have been seen as risk factors for IPV perpetration. Cognitive risk factors for IPV perpetration, such as …
Intimate Partner Violence And Negotiation During Covid-19: Stressors, Resources, And Perception,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Intimate Partner Violence And Negotiation During Covid-19: Stressors, Resources, And Perception, Victoria P. Diamond
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health concern that affects millions across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic created unforeseen stress, and necessitated safety policies that required social isolation, often extended exposure to one’s intimate partner, and an inability to access stress-reduction resources. These factors, along with many others, lead to an abrupt increase in IPV in many couples. Using the couple-adapted family stress model (ABCX), the current study examines both previously defined (e.g., emotional dysregulation, stress, unemployment, communication issues) and COVID-19 specific risk (e.g., quarantine, unprecedented social isolation, fear of contracting COVID-19) and protective factors (e.g., meaning in …
Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients,
2024
National Louis University
Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, Lynn Murphy
Dissertations
This phenomenological study involved assessing the experiences of Black therapists who engaged Black clients in outdoor therapeutic contexts. The study was founded on the existing literature that shows the quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal for client retention and the Western standards that have historically favored treatment within indoor environments. To contextualize this research, a comprehensive literature review was commenced, covering topics such as the decolonization of therapy, the historical and present-day relationship between Blacks and the outdoors in the United States, sedentary lifestyles, the psychological benefits of time spent in nature, various types of outdoor therapy, and the …
Health Behaviors And Physical Health Among Young Adults With Varying Psychometric Schizotypy,
2024
CUNY Graduate Center
Health Behaviors And Physical Health Among Young Adults With Varying Psychometric Schizotypy, Christopher Liong
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Schizophrenia has consistently been associated with increased rates of physical illness and early mortality. One explanation for this association might be poor health behaviors, as people with schizophrenia are more sedentary, less physically active, and more likely to engage in substance use compared to the general population. Schizotypy may be conceptualized as the phenotypic expression of increased risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and dimensional models of schizotypy suggest that it varies on a continuum ranging from non-clinical (i.e. low schizotypy) to clinical (i.e. high schizotypy and dysfunction, as in schizophrenia). Though schizotypy and schizophrenia appear to share similar deficits and …
An Exploration Of Adult Children’S Attachment To Their Parents Across Two Cultural Groups: Indians In India And Indians Who Immigrated To The United States,
2024
The University of San Francisco
An Exploration Of Adult Children’S Attachment To Their Parents Across Two Cultural Groups: Indians In India And Indians Who Immigrated To The United States, Vilasini Meenakshi Arun
Doctoral Dissertations
Typically, attachment theory has been studied and explored with western populations. Individuals seeking mental health treatment within the United States include western and nonwestern cultural groups and research, theories and interventions that apply to diverse populations are necessary. Attachment relationships are often a part of, or reasons for clients to seek therapy either overtly or covertly, thus allowing research on attachment to better inform treatment plans and practice. An attachment relationship between a parent and child can be influenced by several factors and may change over the course of development, but little is known about this process among Indians …
