Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Conversational Dynamics Between Caregivers And Children : The Role Of Elaboration And Autonomy Support On Children’S Memory Reports, Whitney L. Dartnell

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Maltreatment allegations most often arise during informal conversations between a child and a non-maltreating parent or caregiver. Due to the sensitive nature of these conversations, the ways in which parents respond and in turn question their children about the events they have experienced can take many forms. The conversational dynamics that occur between caregivers and their children during the subsequent dialogue that ensues can impact the accuracy and completeness of children’s reports, as well as children’s memory of the alleged maltreatment or abuse. Legal professionals and developmental psychologists have expressed concern regarding how such conversations may impact children’s later testimony. …

An Analysis Of The Sophistication–Maturity Of Justice And Non-Justice Involved Youth And Young Adults, Lauren Grove

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Juvenile transfer refers to a set of mechanisms whereby a juvenile’s case may be processed in criminal court. Forensic mental health evaluators often assess youths’ risk/dangerousness, sophistication–maturity, and treatment amenability to assist judicial determinations regarding youth disposition. Of these three factors, sophistication–maturity—in which the law is concerned with the extent to which a juvenile defendant’s criminal sophistication and maturity level parallels that of an adult—has traditionally been the most challenging for practitioners to define and apply in practice. The Risk-Sophistication-Treatment Inventory (RSTI) is the only commercially available, specialized forensic assessment instrument for the assessment of youths’ sophistication–maturity. However, this tool …

A Survey Of Knowledge And Beliefs On Child Maltreatment, Brooke R. Stettler

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a wide-spread problem and challenging to prosecute in a court of law for many reasons, among these being the manner in which children disclose abuse. A recent Supreme Court ruling decided upon the admissibility of expert testimony in cases of CSA, which raise important questions about how lay individuals think about different disclosure behaviors. As such, the current study investigated knowledge and beliefs about two common CSA disclosure behaviors—delayed disclosure and recantation—in a sample of jury eligible lay persons. The primary aims associated with this study were to characterize individuals’ knowledge and beliefs regarding the …

Moral Objections To Pornography: Does The Reason For Opposition Affect Consumption?, Grant Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature has suggested a link between self-described “problematic” pornography usage or pornography addiction and moral incongruence (Grubbs et al., 2022; Guidry et al., 2019). That is, when someone is morally opposed to pornography, they feel worse about their use of it. As of yet, however, no link has been established between specific reasons for objecting to pornography and their effects on consumption. Participants were 54 adults selected randomly using Amazon’s MTurk survey distribution platform. Respondents completed demographic questions and 6 scales measuring frequency of pornography use, objections to pornography, self-perceived problematic porn use, external and internal shame, God representations, …

Attitudes Towards Mental Health, Spiritual Seeking, And Well-Being, David Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religion plays a crucial role in many peoples’ lives, shaping the way they interact with the world and react to stressors. The Relational Spirituality Model (Sandage & Shults, 2007) posits that individuals’ relationship with God resembles humans’ relationships with one another. That is, relationships consist of intimacy and closeness as well as independence and time away from each other, otherwise known as dwelling and seeking. Previous literature has analyzed the relationship between spiritual coping and well-being, yet none have analyzed the relationship between spiritual seeking and overall well-being using attitudes towards mental health as a moderator. Participants were 84 undergraduate …

Understanding The Impact Of Social-Environmental Context On The Relationship Between Drinking Motives And Drinking Frequency, Janiah Henderson, Ian A. Mcnamara, Ryan Carpenter

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Several studies have shown that drinking motives are a common and proximal pathway to alcohol use, which is in turn linked to long-term health risks such as chronic disease and cancer. The present study builds on earlier research by examining how drinking alone modifies the relationship between drinking motives and frequency of alcohol consumption. Cross-sectional data were collected from undergraduate students (n = 153) at the University of Missouri - St. Louis through an online Qualtrics survey. Participants (mage = 24.42) were largely female (71.9%) and white (71.9%). Linear regression was conducted in RStudio 4.2. RESULTS: In univariate models coping-anxiety, …

Loneliness As A Predictor Of Stress, Brendan T. Spencer, Ian A. Mcnamara, Ryan Carpenter

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Though much research indicates that loneliness may cause increases in stress, findings are not ubiquitous. In a literature review, only 64% of studies found significant associations between loneliness and stress. One possible explanation for this inconsistency is a non-linear association. Additionally, social support is shown to provide a buffer against stress. Understanding differences in which sources of social support create resilience against loneliness is critical in supporting students. This study examines 1) the shape and nature of the association between loneliness and stress, and 2) the impact of social support on this relationship. Data (n =153) were collected via online …

Mental Health Stigma And Social-Cognitive Factors Influence Behavioral Intentions To Seek Psychological Help, Bobbie Juaneza, Whitney Whitaker

Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research

Recent estimates suggest that one in five adults in the United States of America experience mental health issues each year; this is estimated to be approximately 51.5 million adults. Despite many individuals who might suffer from mental health issues, and perhaps be diagnosed with a mental health disorder, these same individuals may not seek psychological services when needed. The current study examined mental health stigma (i.e., public and self-stigma of mental health) and social-cognitive factors (i.e., attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control) that might influence a person’s willingness to seek out psychological help. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used …

Do Traits Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Typically Developing Population Relate To Early Face Processing As Measured By The N170 And N250 Neural Signals?, Anna Murdock

Honors Theses

This exploratory study used electrophysiology to examine whether traits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the typically developing population are related to early face processing. Previous literature has found mixed results about whether event-related potential (ERP) components appear differently in people with ASD, but two components that might be related to the observed deficit in face processing are the N170 component, which reflects the structural encoding of faces, and the N250 component, which reflects the individuation of faces. The present study analyzed data collected as part of the PURSUE EEG database. As part of the database, participants completed the …

Breaking Into Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center: A Lesson In (Non) Quantitative Research, Mackenzie Seward

Honors Theses

Gaps in the literature on juvenile justice and mental health within a juvenile correctional center prompted a study that focused on self-esteem, emotions, and empathy in residents living in a juvenile correctional center related to their participation in a storytelling course. First-year students from a local university visited the correctional center as part of a community-based learning component. They met with residents to swap stories about their lives. Several limitations and obstacles complicated the data collection process, forcing the researchers to pivot their study from quantitative analyses to qualitative observations. The experience of conducting a study within a juvenile correctional …

The Effects Of Activation And Values-Enhanced Activation On Mood, Joshua Bock

Honors Projects

Behavioral Activation (BA) is a contemporary behavioral therapy that aims to lessen depressive symptoms by increasing the activity of depressed individuals. There are many protocols for implementing BA, with most protocols being relatively similar. One difference frequently observed between protocols is the inclusion or omission of values (Kanter et al., 2006, 2009). Despite this variation in protocol, there has yet to be an empirical exploration of whether including values in BA makes the therapy more effective. The current study examines the effect of values-based activation on mood by manipulating the inclusion of values in an activation prompt with a general …

Cultural Concepts Of Distress And Clinical Intake Processes For Chinese And Chinese American Populations In The United States, Jasmina Harambasic

Undergraduate Theses

Research shows that Chinese Americans underutilize mental health services more than any other ethnic group in the U.S. This project aims to explore the mental health experiences of Chinese American and immigrant communities, with a specific focus on clinical intake processes, including interviews and screening assessments. Cultural concepts of distress refer to ways that cultural groups experience and communicate mental distress, and an exploration of these illness experiences within Chinese American populations can inform how to adapt or develop screening and interview tools to fully capture personal narrations of illness during intake processes in preparation for treatment. Challenges that may …

Job Stress Moderates The Effects Of A Mindfulness Intervention On Early Childhood Teachers' Emotion Dysregulation, Emily J. Starr

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Addressing the current crisis of early childhood (EC) teacher turnover is essential for supporting the development of young children. Teacher attrition remains a concern for policymakers globally, and in the United States, early childhood teachers frequently cite job stress and lack of support as reasons for leaving the field. For over 40 years, researchers who study childcare have been concerned about the consequences of work-related stressors. Even if these stressors do not result in turnover, EC teachers’ psychological well-being may be impacted, leading to increased emotion regulation difficulties and more frequent negative teacher-child interactions. Young children’s emotional development is significantly …

The Development And Psychometric Properties Testing Of Intolerance Of Uncertainty Scale For Indonesian Adults, Divani Aery Lovian, Dewi Maulina, Hilma Ramadina, Nathania Kusuma

Psychological Research on Urban Society

Uncertain situations have further exacerbated great vulnerability to stressors and a high risk of mental health problems in urban populations. The adverse effects of uncertainty on well-being have been increasingly concerning and heightened the need to understand intolerance of uncertainty (IU) as a factor that influences responses to uncertainty. However, few scales have been developed to measure IU, especially in Indonesia. To address this concern, the current study aimed to develop a reliable and valid Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Indonesian Adults (IUS-A). The scale was developed and validated using data from 588 participants aged 20–65 years (M = …

Mechanisms Linking Threat- And Deprivation-Related Childhood Adversity And Depression: The Biopsychosocial Model, Cut N. Kemala, Marijtje L.A. Jongsma, Donny Hendrawan, Eni Becker

Psychological Research on Urban Society

Childhood adversity involves a wide range of negative experiences that pose a serious threat to a child’s wellbeing. It has been consistently shown to predict (chronic) depression in subsequent stages of development, but mechanisms underlying the relationship are still less clear. Moving from a cumulative approach of lumping heterogeneous categories of childhood adversity to a dimensional approach of classifying negative experiences into two major dimensions (threat and deprivation) has facilitated the identification of specific processes by which childhood adversity can predict depression. This review aims to provide an integrative overview of how childhood adversity increases the risk for depression using …

Non-Abstinent Recovery In Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention: Exploring Mechanisms Of Change And Social Moderators, David I.K Moniz-Lewis

Psychology ETDs

Recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) is heterogeneous by nature. Yet, over the last 50 years, substance use treatment providers and researchers have often defined success as sustained abstinence from substances. An often overlooked but equally valid pathway to recovery for persons with SUD is non-abstinent recovery. However, the majority of the literature on non-abstinent recovery exists for individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) with little empirical inquiry into non-abstinent recovery for other types of SUD. Additionally, there is also no known literature, to date, that explores the mechanisms that lead to non-abstinent recovery for individuals who have engaged in …

Peer-Supervision Of Nursing Professionals: A Shield Against Burnout, Kyle Gamache, Sarah Gamache, Joseph Robillard

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Burnout is a major risk in healthcare professions and is a significant contributor to the current nursing shortage. Strategies to combat burnout of healthcare professionals are in desperate need. The purpose of this project is to introduce the clinical peer supervision model as a method to alleviate burnout in nursing professionals.

Approach: Eight nurses from in-patient settings participated in a peer-supervision support group, modeled after existing European nursing and mental health provider-support protocols. To assess the effect of this intervention, qualitative data analysis was conducted on the transcripts of session and the results described. All participants reported statistically high …

Neurocognitive Models Of Anxious Apprehension And Emotion Regulation: Implications For Working Memory, Paul Spano

LSU Master's Theses

Children and adolescents with internalizing disorders, such as generalized anxiety and major depression, often experience functional impairment across multiple domains that exacerbates psychopathology. Working memory is a cognitive process that has been scrutinized for its ubiquity in daily life, its strong association with academic success, and its susceptibility to interference from internalizing symptoms, such as a depressed mood or anxious apprehension. However, the literature on the relationship between youth internalizing symptoms and working memory span is sparse, and existing research is confounded by a lack of theoretical clarity and, consequently, incomparable procedures. The present study aims to clarify this relationship …

Motives And Mental Health In Adults, Jessica Pendley

Scholars Week

The relation between depressive symptomology and SU has been previously established; however, there is a lack of a consistent pattern of comorbidity (Swendsen & Merikangas, 2000). Further understanding of factors that contribute to or strengthen this relation is essential as these may be targets for intervention. Models of both SU and depression include two motivational processes, approach and avoidance (Ertel et al., 2018; Trew, 2011).

SU motives, or the reasons why individuals use substances, can be subdivided based on the functions underlying SU; 1) to avoid unpleasant states, either externally (i.e., using substances to avoid rejection from others; conformity) or …

The Effect Of A Gratitude Intervention On Acute Pain Toleration, Cynthia Ware

Honors College Theses

Gratitude interventions are emerging as a method to improve physical health outcomes; however, gratitude’s effect on pain perception and the autonomic response is understudied. Recent research suggests the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex is activated in gratitude interventions and is also involved in the perception of pain and the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. In this study, we investigated the effect of state gratitude induction on pain through the use of the cold pressor method. We found that although there were no significant differences in self-reported unpleasantness, participants in the gratitude condition reported a higher intensity of pain. Nevertheless, participants …