Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Exploring Perceptions Of Self-Compassion In Individuals With Complex Trauma Symptomology: A Qualitative Approach, Brooke Roseman

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The aim of the present study sought to explore the perceptions of self-compassion through the perspectives of individuals who experience complex trauma symptomology and low rates of self-compassion to inform and enhance trauma treatment. Despite a growing accumulation of studies implicating self-compassion as an integral construct for alleviating symptoms associated with complex trauma, most research designs were quantitative and did not investigate the internal processes occurring within the individual. Based on this gap, the current study expanded the scope of the current literature to include a qualitative thematic analytic approach to better understand the nuances of how this population relates …

The Role Of Reward Probability And Dispositional Mindfulness On Substance Use In Trauma-Exposed Individuals, Sam Wayne

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Background: In 2020, 93,331 people died from drug overdoses (CDC, 2021), a 32% increase from the year prior and the largest figure recorded in a single year. Understanding the risk and resilience factors are crucial to taking steps towards slowing this trend. Robust research identifies trauma exposure as a risk factor for substance use. Emerging research suggests that dispositional mindfulness and reward probability as risk-resilience factors for substance use. The current study examines two of these potential factors: dispositional mindfulness and reward probability. Method: In a cross-sectional design, residents of a drug rehabilitation program who endorsed opioid use (n …

Neuroticism And Rumination As Mechanisms By Which Adverse Childhood Experiences Increase Vulnerability To Depression In College Students, Christopher Popielarz

West Chester University Master’s Theses

There is a high prevalence of depression among college students, and the consequences of untreated depression negatively impact those students’ academic and life outcomes. The following study analyzes the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the development of depression in college years as potentially mediated by neuroticism and rumination factors. The purpose of this research is to fill a gap in the current literature to determine whether neuroticism and rumination act together as mechanisms in conferring depression in college students following ACEs. Data from four questionnaires administered to undergraduate students at West Chester University (n = 127, 55.5% female, …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Perspectives Of Elderspeak, Katelynn Shimanski

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Compared to other forms of discrimination, ageism, and specific forms of ageism such as elderspeak are understudied. Despite the fact that the majority of older adults are community-dwelling, much of the existing literature on elderspeak focuses on caregiver perceptions on elderspeak occurring in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The present study analyzed community dwelling older adult’s perceptions of elderspeak using their personal examples of experiences of elderspeak. Results indicated that the majority of participants had negative perceptions of elderspeak that would likely not be influenced by changes in contextual factors such as setting, relationship to the speaker, and gender …

The Effects Of Cultural Responsiveness And Therapy Duration On Black Americans’ Therapy Preference, Katilyn M. Ashley Treem

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Marginalized groups are less likely to seek out mental health services than non-marginalized groups. There are various reasons why marginalized groups, such as Black Americans, are less likely to seek out mental health services, one of which is the cultural barriers between a clinician and client. Research suggests that Black Americans feel that clinicians struggle to overcome these cultural barriers. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to actively receive training on how to serve clients with diverse backgrounds. Cultural responsiveness, an extension from cultural competence, is the active application of the knowledge and skills obtained in training. Examining people’s therapy …

Examining The Moderating Effect Of Self-Compassion Between Rumination And Alcohol Use, Victoria Forgea Allen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Abundant research suggests alcohol use among college students as a public health concern (SAMHSA, 2014). Previous studies support rumination, a manner of responding to emotional distress which involves repetitively and passively focusing on the distress, is linked to problematic alcohol use among college students (Oswalt et al., 2020). On the other hand, not all college students who experience rumination engage in problematic alcohol use which suggests the presence of a moderating variable. Due to its emotion regulating abilities and positive associations to well-being, self-compassion may be on factor that affects the relationship between rumination and alcohol use (Diedrich et al., …

Development Of A Novel Measure To Assess For Alcohol Misuse In Older Adults: The Alcohol Misuse Scale For Older Adults (Amsoa), Nathan Jensen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Alcohol is the most regularly used intoxicating substance in most geographic locations. Alcohol use in the United States specifically is well over global averages. While alcohol misuse is generally considered to be understood as a problem for younger adults, it is often unrecognized and understudied older adult populations. Currently, there is an absence of a comprehensive tool measuring for developmentally salient behaviors, symptoms, and features of alcohol misuse in older adulthood, which blocks researchers’ ability to measure alcohol misuse well. The purpose of this study is to develop a psychometrically valid and reliable assessment of alcohol misuse for older adult …

Psychotherapist Awareness And Competence Managing Social Media Concerns, Jing Wen Ong

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Social media use increased substantially in recent years, spurring the growth of research focused on its association with mental health. Previous research examined the relationship between positive and negative aspects of mental health and social media use. Other studies explored the relevance of social media to professional practice of psychologists including the use of social media to reach populations with limited access to mental health services and ethical dilemmas arising from social media use; however, there is limited understanding of the pertinence of social media to concerns that clients discuss in therapy and therapist competence in handling these discussions. The …

Examining Stigma In Rural Mental Health Care Settings: A Mixed Methods Approach, Lainie Krumenacker

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

More than half of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime (CDC, 2021), yet stigma towards mental health affects both patients and providers. Although programs exist to address stigma, improve cultural competency among providers, and educate families on the importance of support, facilities are often limited on programs they provide due to allocation of resources and funds. Without a shift in treatment and programing, stigma will continue to impact patient care and outcome.

This study explored stigma among mental health providers in rural communities, while exploring potential differences in treatment among patients due to race. Mental …

Thought Control Mediates The Relation Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms In Undergraduates, Alex Elnashar

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Purpose: Body dysmorphia (BDD) has been shown to possibly result from multiple environmental factors. However, the exact mechanism by which these environmental factors play a role has yet to be examined. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and body dysmorphia symptoms through maladaptive thought control as a mediator.

Method: The current study collected data from 127 undergraduate students aged 18-25. A survey was given with questionnaires assessing demographics such as age, sex, and gender, as well as the frequency of ACEs, BDD symptoms, and obsessional beliefs. Pearson’s correlation analysis was …

Feasibility Of Influencing Clinician Perceived Knowledge And Competence Of Human Trafficking Via A Continuing Education Workshop, Rachel Wakefield

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has examined the complex mental and social health deficits of those who were trafficked that clinicians have to treat therapeutically (Litam, 2017; Pascual-Leone et al., 2017). Other research has explored how continuing education workshops often change the knowledge, competence, and attitudes of attendees to use more effective and evidenced techniques and skills (Neimeyer et al., 2009; Raghavan et al., 2008). However, there is a lack of understanding about how a complex topic, specifically treatment considerations of those who were trafficked, changes the knowledge and competence of continuing education workshop attendees. The purpose of the current study is to …

Dungeons And Dragons™ (D&D) As A Brief Intervention For College Students, Alexander W. Peralta

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of a table-top roleplaying game (ttrpg), specifically Dungeons and Dragons™ (D&D), on increasing feelings of social connection, decreasing perceived stress, increasing self-esteem and improving adjustment to college among first semester, first year students. participants signed up to either the D&D group or the comparison group. D&D participants (n = 18) attended five one-hour weekly D&D sessions, meanwhile the comparison group (n = 10) went through their first semester of college with no intervention, but completed the study measures at the same points in time as the D&D participants. All participants completed measures of social …

Analysis Of Research On The Effects Of Auditory Stimulation On Anxiety And Stress In Clinical And General Populations, Rebecca Lee

CMC Senior Theses

The use of auditory stimulation may be a useful method in treating clinical anxiety disorders, as well as aiding in coping with daily stress among general populations. The understanding of how certain forms of auditory stimulation can increase anxiety and stress is also critical so clinicians and the general population can approach decreasing anxiety and stress in the most effective way possible. The following paper will provide a literature review on studies published after the year 2000, analyzing the various impacts of different types of auditory stimulation, including impacts of music-therapy, music and noise at different frequencies, binaural beat stimulation, …

Impact Of Interparental Conflict And Maternal Attachment On College Students’ Social Anxiety And Emotional Regulation, Kendra Ostermeier

Masters Theses

The potential impact that interparental conflict experienced during adolescence can have subsequently on college students was examined. The literature has demonstrated a positive relationship between interparental conflict and emotional dysregulation (Schwarz et al., 2012) and social anxiety (Adare et al., 2021). Maternal attachment was examined as a mediator of this relationship, as El-Sherkiah and Elmore-Staton (2004) identified it as a mediator between martial conflict and negative child outcomes. Specifically, this study examined the relationship between interparental conflict with social anxiety and emotional dysregulation. Additionally, this study examined maternal attachment as a mediator of those relationships. Interparental conflict was correlated positively …

Transitions In Patterns Of Substance Use During Early Adolescence: Bidirectional Associations With Externalizing Behaviors, Courtney B. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

Early adolescents who engage in polysubstance use, defined as the use of three or more different substances, are at particularly high risk of future substance use disorders and adverse psychosocial outcomes. However, little is known about the development of substance use patterns during early adolescence, particularly among youth living in urban settings. Although theory and research suggest that youth with greater externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression, delinquent behavior) may be more likely to escalate to polysubstance use at an early age, few studies have examined bidirectional relations between externalizing symptoms and polysubstance use. The goal of this study was to (a) …

Legal Pressure To Attend Substance Abuse Treatment, Angelicia Courteau

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

This paper was written to bring awareness of how the legal system does not take into consideration those who suffer from substance use disorder, as well as ACEs. Brian Luke Burijon’s battle with addiction while incarcerated was used as an example of how the legal system’s one-size-fits-all approach is flawed. Mr. Burijon opted for a treatment he did not feel was ideal for him because the alternative was to remain incarcerated for a long period. Mr. Burijon was unable to tolerate the treatment at the facility and left early, which resulted in his overdose death.

Autism Clinicians' Bias In Detecting Female-Typical Rrbi In Young Children, Megan Young

Scripps Senior Theses

With four times as many boys than girls diagnosed with autism, psychologists must investigate whether this is due to an intrinsic difference or gender bias. This proposed study aims to evaluate autism clinicians’ bias in detecting restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests (RRBI) in young children by presenting autism specialists with a vignette depicting one of four children, depicting either the male or female autism phenotype, and a masculine or feminine name. Gender of child and phenotypic presentation is expected to have a significant effect on detection and identification such that feminine names presenting with the Female Autism Phenotype (FAP) …

Communicating Through Dance: Examining Dance & Behavioral Therapy To Treat Selective Mutism, Clara Spitz

Scripps Senior Theses

Very little research has been done to examine the efficacy of treatments for adolescents with selective mutism (SM). Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been distinguished as one of the optimal treatment styles for SM, a significant portion of research in this area has focused on children. Additionally, it often incorporates play therapy, which may not necessarily apply as effectively to older populations. Dance therapy has emerged as a promising and innovative treatment for various anxiety and communication issues. Although specific studies on its application to SM are limited, existing research suggests its potential effectiveness in addressing this condition as …

Autism-Related Support Services On Mental Health And University Connectedness, Adeline E. P. Rogers

Scripps Senior Theses

College is notoriously challenging, with many student concerns associated with adapting to the new expectations for lifestyle, workload, and socializing that come with transitioning to college and/or university (Gelbar et al., 2015). For college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the impact of these changes can be far more challenging, as their needs can be different from their neurotypical peers. This study implemented an online survey to gather data on autistic students’ feelings of depression, anxiety, stress, university connectedness, experiences with university autism support programs, and basic demographics. Unfortunately, the results found from this study were contaminated by a large …

Exploring The Therapeutic Relationship In Mental Health Therapy With Queer And Disabled Adults, Rachel Womack

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Queerness and disability have been shown to be intimately connected, with members of the LGBTQIA+ community significantly more likely to identify as disabled compared to the general population. Though there are roughly 3-5 million queer and disabled individuals living in the United States, this remains a multiply marginalized and understudied population. Owing partially to stigma, minority stress, and discrimination, these individuals face an increased risk of a variety of mental health problems including depression, anxiety, self-harm, PTSD, and suicidality. Additionally, several barriers to mental health treatment exist, including inaccessible services, lack of provider knowledge, and outright discrimination from providers. Though …