Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Cps Workers’ Perspectives On Mst-Ipv And Other Interventions For Child Maltreatment And Intimate Partner Violence: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Malea Lash

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Although the co-occurrence rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) and child abuse and neglect (CAN) is about 40% (Appel and Holden, 1998; Herrenkohl et al., 2008), little research currently exists on integrated treatment for these concerns. Furthermore, no known published studies investigate child protective services (CPS) workers’ perspectives on such treatment. The present study explores the perspectives of CPS workers on treatment for co-occurring IPV and CAN, specifically focusing on Multisystemic Therapy for Intimate Partner Violence (MST-IPV). A total of 18 Connecticut CPS workers participated in semi-structured interviews. Seven participants had experience working with MST-IPV treatment providers, while 11 participants …

The Influence Of Highly Visual Social Media Engagement On The Body Image Of Cisgender Heterosexual Emerging Adult Men. A Grounded Theory Approach, Isaac Cheng

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The effects of highly visual social media (HVSM) on the body image of users is a widespread concern amongst consumers and popular topic of research. While numerous studies have explored the effects of HVSM on women's body image, the literature on men's body image, particularly among cisgender heterosexual men, is comparatively sparse. The present study utilized constructivist grounded theory methodology to develop an explanatory model illustrating how HVSM engagement by cisgender heterosexual emerging adult men influences their body image. Data analysis revealed how specific HVSM platform attributes, a user’s behavior on an HVSM platform, a user’s perception of an ideal …

Characterizing Resting Cerebral Blood Flow In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Arterial Spin Labeling, Hannah R. Wild

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) profoundly impacting daily functioning and quality of life. Neuroimaging studies using various techniques have revealed inconsistent resting cerebral blood flow (rCBF) patterns in OCD patients, particularly within the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit and sensorimotor network. Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI offers a promising, noninvasive method for directly measuring rCBF. This study, using data from the Yale HCP Trio study, analyzed unmedicated OCD patients and healthy controls, who underwent two consecutive resting pulsed-ASL scans. OCD patients with lower obsessional severity exhibited higher perfusion in the pre- and …

Relationship Of Criterion A Level Of Personality Functioning With Borderline Personality Disorder Over The Course Of Brief Treatment, Michelle M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) housed within DSM-5 Section III posits that impairments in personality functioning, operationalized by the Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) “constitute the core of personality psychopathology” (APA, 2013, p. 762). If this is the case, there should be strong associations between LPFS and DSM personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder (BPD). BPD Compass is a comprehensive CBT-based treatment for BPD which aims to reduce BPD symptoms over the course of 18 weekly sessions. This study examined if a) LPFS would be associated with changes in BPD symptoms, b) whether LPFS has incremental validity …

The Experience And Regulation Of Posttraumatic Shame Among Women With Interpersonal Trauma Histories, Jordyn M. Tipsword

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Posttraumatic shame – an emotion stemming from harsh attitudes about the self after trauma – is central to PTSD for many women following physical or sexual assault or abuse (interpersonal trauma [IPT]). However, knowledge of the frequency, intensity, and stability of shame in the daily lives of women post-IPT is lacking. Additionally, while some work has explored shame-specific emotion regulation (ER), or processes aimed at changing emotional responses, it remains unclear which ER strategies are effective in reducing shame, and the role of PTSD severity in shame regulation also remains unexplored. This project explored daily experiences and regulation of posttraumatic …

Development Of The Trait Response To Emotion Dimensional Measure For Use In Minoritized Populations, Anita Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Trait responses to emotion (TREs) are personality traits that develop from how one consistently responds to and copes with emotions. TRE development is influenced by demographic factors, such as age, gender, and early life adversity, and TREs can influence how one copes with a variety of stressors. TRE theory and measurement is relatively new, and although TREs have been validated in majority race samples, TRE theory and measurement have not been validated in minority race samples, particularly in African American populations. This dissertation is taking the first preliminary steps for the development of a cross-cultural trait response to emotion dimensional …

Hormonal Effects On Adhd Symptoms In Adolescents Across The Menstrual Cycle, Ashley G. Eng

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Background: Females with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) become particularly impaired during adolescence, experiencing increased rates of depression and anxiety, as well as important public and personal health outcomes like increased suicide attempts, risky sexual behavior, and substance use. However, female-specific risk factors for ADHD have been vastly understudied despite this increased impairment and comorbidity. One particularly understudied risk factor is the dramatically rising and fluctuating levels of ovarian hormones during late puberty that begin cycling monthly. In adult women, rapid decreases in estrogen levels increase risk for ADHD symptoms across the menstrual cycle, particularly for those with high trait impulsivity. Preliminary …

A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy As A Strategy To Promote Tobacco Treatment Equity At Cancer Center Cessation Initiative Sites, Marguerite A. Webster

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a safe, efficacious smoking cessation treatment for cancer patients; however, equitable access is limited due to insurance gaps. Offering free NRT to patients with cancer has potential to increase tobacco treatment engagement and promote equity. This mixed-methods study aims to describe how some Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) sites implemented free NRT within their tobacco treatment programs (TTPs) to inform future development of equitable TTPs. Participating sites’ (N=9) TTP and patient population characteristics were assessed via survey and analyzed with descriptive statistics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 individuals and analyzed using directed …

Fluctuations In Alcohol Impairment Of Working Memory Across The Menstrual Cycle, William Mcgarrigle

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Behavioral endocrinology studies in women suggest that higher circulating levels of the ovarian sex hormone estradiol (E2) may be linked to better working memory performance, especially under conditions of cognitive impairment (e.g., age-related cognitive decline). Phases of the menstrual cycle characterized by different levels of E2 may therefore influence the degree to which women are vulnerable to alcohol impairment of working memory. The current thesis used a within-subjects design to test the hypothesis that women are less sensitive to acute alcohol-induced impairment of working memory when E2 is elevated during the menstrual cycle. A sample of 75 premenopausal women completed …

Power Of Perception: The Role Of Perceived Caregiver Mindset Beliefs On Undergraduate Student Academic Engagement, Katherine R. Tanaka

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Promoting academic engagement is vital for college student success. Researchers have explored factors like growth mindset, the belief that intelligence can improve with effort, as a driver of academic engagement. Beyond personal mindset, students’ perceptions of key social influences, such as caregivers, also play a role. This study examined how undergraduate students’ own mindsets and perceptions of their caregivers’ mindsets relate to four components of academic engagement: behavioral and emotional engagement, and behavioral and emotional disaffection. Data from undergraduates (N = 1417) were analyzed using surveys, descriptive statistics, hierarchical regression, and exploratory moderation. Students generally reported both a personal …

Menstrual Cycle Phase And Hormonal Effects On Emotional Eating In Females With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Urveesha Nirjar

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Previous research has shown that cyclical fluctuations in ovarian hormones can predict changes in ADHD symptoms as well as eating behaviors, particularly emotional eating across the menstrual cycle. Previous studies have so far only examined the effects of estrogen (E2), progesterone (P4) and cycle phase in predicting individual symptoms or disorders such as ADHD or eating disorders or related behaviors separately. The aim of this study is to examine how emotional eating is influenced by naturally occurring hormonal and cycle changes in a sample overrecruited for ADHD. Seventy-eight individuals (assigned female at birth) with menstrual cycles overrecruited for ADHD provided …

Pain Anxiety And Pain Interference As Mediating Factors In The Relation Of Childhood Trauma And Fear Of Cancer Recurrence, Jennifer Kuo

Dissertations and Theses

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), which is broadly defined as “the fear that cancer could return or progress in the same place or in another part of the body” (Vickberg, 2003), is often identified as an unmet need among cancer survivors, with rates ranging from 20-79% (Simard et al., 2013). Pain, another symptom commonly endorsed in cancer survivorship, is positively associated with fear of cancer recurrence (Janz et al., 2011; van den Beuken-van Everdingen et al., 2008). The Cancer Threat Interpretation Model suggests that cognitive biases exist in interpreting threat appraisal and pain coping by increasing the saliency of pain …

Online Perceived Social Support And Its Association With Psychopathology In Rural And Urban Youth, Ellen Alexandra Knowles

Dissertations and Theses

Social support is a fundamental aspect of development throughout adolescence. It has been found to buffer against the negative impacts of stress and provide general benefits to one’s well-being. Youth today are exposed to a range of opportunities for socialization with peers, both in-person and online, including interacting with others through texting, social media, video games, and other digital means. These online interactions have begun to be investigated as accessible methods through which adolescents can connect with others and maintain healthy relationships. Furthermore, digital social networks may be most critical for youth from isolated communities, including those from rural areas. …

Validation Of The Intolerance Of Uncertainty Scale-12 In A Sample Of Pregnant People, Kayla Costello

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Background: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has been proposed as a transdiagnostic mechanism driving anxiety, depression, and eating disorder symptoms. Pregnancy is a time of significant uncertainty, yet few studies have examined the measurement of IU and its impacts on pregnant people. The current study aimed to examine the psychometric performance of two versions of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-27 and IUS-12) and its associations with psychopathologies common in pregnancy.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of participants (n = 254) recruited for a larger study of a single-session intervention targeting disordered eating in pregnancy. We examined fit …

The Transdiagnostic Role And Measurement Of Cognitive Inflexibility Across Understudied Eating Disorder Groups: A Multi-Method Investigation, Mckenzie Miller

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Cognitive inflexibility is an established transdiagnostic executive function deficit that maintains a wide array of psychiatric conditions. Eating disorders (ED) are serious, life-threatening conditions that remain underdiagnosed and understudied across diverse demographic groups. There is growing evidence for a role of cognitive inflexibility in driving hallmark ED symptoms, particularly in anorexia nervosa. Treatments targeting cognitive inflexibility may improve the currently poor outcomes of these conditions. To date, the role of cognitive inflexibility remains to be examined across demographically and diagnostically diverse ED groups. The first two studies presented here examine associations between cognitive inflexibility and symptom presentation in two relatively …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Supervisor Responsiveness Scale, Ramon Garcia

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Theoretically, responsiveness to the emergent needs of supervisees and clients is the primary means by which clinical supervisors help trainees become effective psychotherapists (Friedlander, 2012). To advance understanding and research on this aspect of supervision, the Supervisory Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was developed and assessed psychometrically.

First, 35 items reflecting trainees’ perceptions of their supervisor’s responsiveness, as defined by Friedlander (2012), were developed and rated for clarity, face and content validity by a panel of 12 experienced supervisors. After the item pool was refined based on these ratings, 216 supervisees representing all training levels rated each item on a 1 ( …

Determinants Of Medical Cannabis Use For The Treatment Of Anxiety: A Qualitative Study, Catherine Blasi

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety is a disorder characterized by feelings of tension, excessive fear, and physiological changes. Specific classes of anxiety disorders have been recognized, including social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, specific phobia, panic disorder, and separation anxiety disorder. Cannabis is the most commonly used federal substance in the U.S. In recent years, medical cannabis has been increasingly utilized as a treatment option following approval in many U.S. states. At present, no literature addresses explicitly why individuals with anxiety choose to utilize medical cannabis as a treatment option instead of other longstanding treatment options, including psychotherapy and medication. Therefore, the purpose …

The Lived Experience Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Among Mandate-Resistant Adults In Washington State, Amber N. Peterson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examined the lived experience of self-identified, mandate-resistant adults in Washington state. This study explored participants’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, from a retrospective framework by uncovering challenges, silver linings, decision-making, and self-reported mental health. Remote interviews were conducted with nine participants. Participants were between 23–31 years old, mostly male, and over half identified as Black. Through semi structured interviews, data was collected and analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants described their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted significant changes in the way they lived their lives. Most notably, participants described ways in which they defied COVID-19 …

The Pursuit Of Happiness: Freedom And Well-Being In Positive Psychology, Kevin J. Mckenzie

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This project explores the relationship between freedom and well‑being. Through reviewing the literature of positive psychology and existential psychology, clearer pictures of well‑being and freedom emerge, allowing for statistical analysis. By adopting Seligman’s well‑being theory as a model that incorporates hedonic and eudaimonic elements of well‑being and self‑determination theory’s conceptualization of autonomy as a proxy for freedom in existential psychology, this study explores the relationship between these constructs and their theorized factors through correlational analysis. A potential measurement model for an overall well‑being measure incorporating freedom as a factor is proposed and tested using confirmatory factor analyses. The effects of …

Posttraumatic Growth Following Pregnancy Loss, Megan Pinette

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is positive psychological change that can result from the struggle with trauma or other highly stressful events (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1999; Calhoun et al., 2010). The aim of this study was to capture the rich narratives of individuals who have experienced pregnancy loss and reported PTG. The narratives of ten participants were investigated to better understand what areas of posttraumatic growth they experienced following this often-devastating loss, as well as the processes that led to this growth. Participants of this study reported experiencing growth in the domains of (a) Relating to Others, (b) Personal Strength, (c) New …