Health Psychology Commons^™

Building Futures: How The Built Environment, Out-Of-School Time Programs, And Community Service Participation Relate To Social-Emotional Development Of U.S. Youth, Bailey A. Perez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: This dissertation aimed to explore the relationship between built environment features, participation in out-of-school time (OST) programs, participation in community service activities, and the social-emotional development of youth aged 6 to 17 years residing within the United States (US). Previous research indicates that built environment features, as well as participation in OST programs and community service activities, could impact youth’s social-emotional development. However, few studies have explored these effects on individual social-emotional development measures in this specific age group. In addition, little is known regarding whether built environment features and youth’s sex moderates the relationship between youth participation in …

Relation Between The Negative Cognitive Triad, Perceived Everyday Discrimination, Depressive Symptoms, And Tnf-A In Adolescents., Ashley Ann Marshall Dondanville

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is based on Beck's cognitive stress-vulnerability model of depression and previous research on (a) the increased risk for severe illnesses associated with TNF-⍺ (i.e., an inflammatory cytokine), (b) the effect of perceived everyday discrimination (PED) on depressive symptoms and TNF-⍺, (c) the association between depressive symptoms and TNF-⍺, (d) and findings that the negative cognitive triad (i.e., negative views of the self, world, and future) serves as a partial mediator between PED and depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study is to integrate Beck’s model and these different research lines by inspecting the associations between the stressor PED …

Exploring Chronic Stress, Avoidance Coping, And Diurnal Cortisol In Head And Neck Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study Of Best Practices In Diurnal Cortisol Sampling., Brooks R. Harbison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer patients are vulnerable to the deleterious effects of chronic stress, especially those prone to avoidance coping. Research in the general population has linked these effects to aberrant diurnal cortisol. However, the current literature on cancer patients has shown inconsistent results in associations between chronic stress, avoidance coping, and diurnal cortisol, possibly due to inconsistent cortisol sampling practices. This pilot study of head and neck cancer patients aimed to address this gap in the literature by implementing best cortisol sampling practices to investigate the links among chronic stress, avoidance coping, and diurnal cortisol slope, average bedtime cortisol, and average wake …

The Relationship Between Overparenting, Psychological Needs Satisfaction, And Alcohol Use On Risky Sexual Behavior, Melanie Prater

Master's Theses

Studies have shown college students to be vulnerable to negative outcomes, including engaging in risky alcohol use (Lewis et al., 2014; Kilwein & Looby, 2018; Cui et al., 2019) and risky sexual behavior (Dir et al, 2014; Trub & Stark, 2017; Kilwien & Looby, 2018). Understanding predictors and mediating variables associated with risky sexual behavior is one important means of improving prevention strategies. Parenting may be one variable associated with risky sex. Overparenting, a parenting style characterized by parental overinvolvement, has received recent attention due to its association with poor outcomes for adolescents and emerging adults, including an increased risk …

The Role Of Positive Affect In Asthma Control And Symptom Severity In Adolescents, Brooke N. Jenkins, Logan T. Martin, Jill S. Halterman, Judith T. Moskowitz, Laura M. Glynn, Pornchai Tirakitsoontorn, Sunil Kamath, Zeev N. Kain

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

We test the effects of positive affect and its arousal subscale components of calm, wellbeing, and vigor on asthma control and symptom severity in adolescents with moderate to severe asthma. Additionally, we test whether positive affect (and its arousal components) moderate how stress impacts asthma control and symptom severity.

Methods

Adolescents with asthma (N = 66, ages 12–17) completed brief surveys 4 times a day for 7 days reporting on their positive affect, stress, and asthma symptom severity and conducted a morning peak expiratory flow assessment each day. Asthma control and psychological asthma triggers were assessed at the …

Framing The Path To Fitness: Age Differences In Response To Framed Exercise Messages, Iliya Sherif, David B. Taullahu, Alyssa R. Minton, Joseph A. Mikels

DePaul Discoveries

Physical activity is one of the most protective health behaviors one can engage in, yet 75% of active adults in the US, meaning those who exercise regularly, fall short of the recommended levels of physical activity, with an even greater percentage of older adults living inactive lives, meaning they exercise minimally and engage in prolonged sedentary behavior (CDC, 2019). The goal of the current study was to explore different types of message framing targeted at encouraging older and younger adults to exercise. We recruited older adults (n = 184; Mage = 69.45 years, age range: 65- 80 years) and younger …

Perception Of Disordered Eating Among Different Ncaa Divisions Of Collegiate Athletes, Kearsten Powers, Luis Torres, Fredrick A. Gardin

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Disordered eating is an unhealthy pattern of eating that may develop into an eating disorder. It can include the use of excessive exercise, caloric restriction, binging, or inappropriate use of diet pills/laxatives. It commonly affects collegiate athletes due to the pressure they face to continue to perform well, maintain a specific body composition or appearance, and be influenced by their teammates' eating and exercise habits. This study was conducted to gain qualitative knowledge on how college athletes perceived and experienced disordered eating risk factors during their participation in an NCAA sport. This information can be used to further understand …

Stakeholder Involvement And Systematic Review Of Elements That Determine A Successful Return To Work For Injured Workers: A Scoping Review, Sundip Kaur Khosa, Wilma Jelley Professor

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Introduction: A healthy and sustainable return to work (RTW) for a worker after injury or illness has benefits for the worker, their family, the employer, and society.¹ For this research we used the following definition of RTW success; return to positive and meaningful work in a position or occupation not necessarily including all the aspects of the worker’s pre-injury or pre-illness functions or tasks. Purpose: The question behind this survey-based research was, What elements are perceived as essential, to ensure return to employment of injured or ill workers, by stakeholders with experience in the RTW process? Methods: A 32 …

Training In Trauma-Responsive And Anti-Racist Telehealth: A Model For Behavioral Health Clinicians And Providers, Ritchie Rubio

Psychology Division Scholarship

Telehealth's uptake in behavioral health services has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many clinicians continue to lack focused training in providing trauma-informed and culturally-responsive telehealth care. This article outlines a model curriculum that was created to instruct and coach behavioral health providers in California on how to integrate anti-racist and trauma-responsive techniques into telehealth. Topics like evidence-based trauma therapies, racial/ ethnic trauma, marginalized communities, digital divide, and provider selfcare were all covered in the nine-part curriculum. Every three-hour session included evidence-informed didactic content, telehealth skills practice, and concrete planning for implementation. Trauma-responsive frameworks such as the tri-phasic model …

Predictors Of Help Seeking Among Asian Americans With Chronic Pain, Cory Duffield

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Purpose: Chronic pain can contribute to both physical discomfort and psychological distress. Psychological distress may sometimes increase the odds of seeking help for pain. On the other hand, factors such as attitudes towards receiving help and the need to present oneself as perfect may constitute barriers to seeking help for pain. However, relatively little research has examined such processes in Asian American individuals experiencing chronic pain.

Aim: This study aimed to better understand, in Asian Americans that reported chronic pain, the relationships among distress, help-seeking attitudes, perfectionistic self-presentation (PSP) in predicting help-seeking behaviors. It tested whether higher distress would predict …

What Factors Affect Empathy In People With Narcissism?, Ya Yang, Liza Oh

Pacific Journal of Health

This literature review analyzes factors that may affect how people with narcissism experience empathy. The articles that were analyzed in the literature review included those that discussed the relationship between narcissism and empathy. Using a systematic review, a total of 11 articles were chosen from PsycINFO through a three-stage screening process. The studies mainly revolved around perspective-taking, traits associated with narcissism, motivation, and gender. The participants included in the studies were mainly adults in the United States that had no, low, or high narcissism. The main finding was that factors that caused people with narcissism to view others as if …

Effects Of Intimate Partner Violence And Machismo On Pregnant Women In Mexico: A Systematic Review, Amber Casarrubias-Enriquez

University Honors Theses

This thesis aims to understand the effects of machismo and its link to intimate partner violence against pregnant women in Mexico. Machismo is a common underlying social norm in Latin America with Mexico being my target of interest. The term is defined as extreme masculinity that often contributes to gender inequalities and can have violent characteristics. Intimate partner violence is categorized as violent threats or acts against a partner and affects nearly 44% of women in Mexico (Carney et al., 2022). Barriers to help stem from shame, family expectations, and the overall violence against women in Mexico. Sadly, abuse persists …

The Institutional Challenges Of A Quantified Self Study: An Attempt To Ascertain How Data Collected From A Mobile Device Can Be An Indicator Of Personal Mental Health Over Time, Julian Lazaras

University Honors Theses

The adoption of an application of new technology always comes with a bias, this is never more true for the case of human behavioral analytics within higher education. While movements such as the quantified self movement make strides to reinterpret the realm of data analytics, psychology, and computer science, there are inevitably limitations to the adoption and application of such approaches within the standard realm of research. Herein is presented a case where an effort to evaluate the prospect of use of mobile phone data as secondary indicators of personal mental health through the lens of data analysis was put …

Exploring Cultural, Health, And Technology Intersections: A Focus On Migrant Experiences, Merna Mina, Sahij Gill

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

Despite the plethora of theories and frameworks addressing culture, health, and technology adoption, there remains a notable absence of a unifying theory that comprehensively encompasses all three aspects, particularly concerning newcomers. The Health Belief Model, for example, underscores individual perceptions and attitudes toward health yet fails to consider the intricate interplay between cultural factors and technology adoption among immigrant populations. The Healthy Immigrant Effect, which posits that immigrants often exhibit better health outcomes than native-born individuals, does not mention the role of technology on health outcomes. Acculturation theories, while shedding light on the adaptation process, often fall short of explaining …

Mean Affect Moderates The Association Between Affect Variability And Mental Health, Brooke N. Jenkins, Lydia Q. Ong, Anthony D. Ong, Hee Youn (Helen) Lee, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Increasing evidence suggests that within-person variation in affect is a dimension distinct from mean levels along which individuals can be characterized. This study investigated affect variability’s association with concurrent and longitudinal mental health and how mean affect levels moderate these associations. The mental health outcomes of depression, panic disorder, self-rated mental health, and mental health professional visits from the second and third waves of the Midlife in the United States Study were used for cross-sectional (n = 1,676) and longitudinal outcomes (n = 1,271), respectively. These participants took part in the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE II), …

The Psychological Significance Of Cultural And Religious Values Among The Arab Population, Michel Sherif Mikhail

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Values, which are the guiding principles and beliefs of our lives, have an influence over one’s psychological health. This study aims to investigate how Schwartz’s four higher-order values (conservation, openness to change, self-transcendence, and self-enhancement) and religious values influence psychological health among the Arab population. Methods: A total of 1,023 respondent from nine Arab countries aged 18 to 71 filled an online survey with measures of the following constructs: Schwartz’s four higher-order values (Portrait Value Questionnaire-21), religious values (Sahin’s Index of Islamic Moral Values), and general psychological health (General Health Questionnaire-28). Results: Two models of multiple regression were …

Exploring How Factors Affecting Exercise Adherence May Inform Strategies To Increase Adherence In General And Depressed Populations: A Literature Review, Henry D. Link

University Honors Theses

Background: Exercise is associated with numerous physical and mental health benefits; however, many people struggle to exercise a sufficient amount and thus do not reap the benefits. Exercise is recognized as an effective treatment for depression with few risks. Professionals must understand the factors affecting exercise adherence to assist individuals of different backgrounds with adhering to exercise over the long term and to avoid common pitfalls that could hinder an individual’s progress.

Objective: This literature review aimed to identify factors affecting exercise adherence and to explore how those factors could inform strategies to increase exercise adherence among depressed …

I See You! Play: A Therapeutic Playgroup For Caregivers And Their Intensive Care Group Infants, Mariana Cerqueira Aokalani

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This paper articulates a new therapeutic playgroup for caregivers of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) infants, named I See You! Play. This intervention is an adaptation of WePlay! (Gross et al., 2021), a cooperative learning and therapeutic playgroup for caregivers and their children from 6 to 36 months old. Dr, Tracy Vozar developed this program inspired by Saleem Penny’s program with the same name in Chicago. Parents of ICU infants face several challenges that can affect their experience of parenthood, their parenting skills, caregivers' sensitivity, their mental health, and their relationship with their premature infant. This in turn affects infant’s attachment …

Using Self-Assessment Tools And Complementary Alternative Therapy For Chronic Migraines In Menopausal Women, Krystal Rachelle Bridwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Migraine headaches are ranked as one of the highest disabling conditions in the United States. Women who are in the perimenopausal transition phase have a higher prevalence of disabling migraines that can result in a decreased quality of life, loss of income, decreased productivity, and a higher risk for emotional difficulties. The gap in practice is the lack of education on complementary alternative medicine (CAM) and the use of a migraine diary to recognize individual symptoms as a substitute or cotherapy with pharmacologic treatments. The purpose of this scholarly project was to improve clinical practice and outcomes for perimenopausal …

Measurement Invariance Of The Pandemic Anxiety Inventory In Different Demographic Groups, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Tasmyn Prytherch, Mark Cropley, Jay Verkuilen, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Background The Pandemic Anxiety Inventory (PAI) was developed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its content allows it to assess anxiety in connection to any pandemic. Previous research has demonstrated the instrument’s reliability and validity. An important question for clinicians and researchers, however, remains open: Does the PAI have similar meaning for members of different demographic groups? The finding of measurement invariance would allow clinicians and researchers to comparatively assess pandemic-related anxiety across demographic groups, including favored and disfavored groups.

Methods We conducted a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis to assess the measurement invariance of the PAI using data obtained …