Search results

Title: Decreasing Body Dissatisfaction in Male College Athletes: A Pilot Study of the Male Athlete Body Project
Creator: Perelman, Hayley
Date: 2020
Description: Body dissatisfaction is associated with marked distress and often precipitates disordered eating symptomology. Body dissatisfaction in male...
Show moreBody dissatisfaction is associated with marked distress and often precipitates disordered eating symptomology. Body dissatisfaction in male athletes is an important area to explore, as research in this field often focuses on eating disorders in female athletes. The current body of literature regarding male college athletes suggests that they experience pressures associated with both societal muscular ideals and sport performance. While there is a clear association between drive for muscularity and body dissatisfaction in college male athletes, no study to date has evaluated the efficacy of a body dissatisfaction intervention for this population. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of a pilot intervention program that targeted body dissatisfaction in male college athletes. Participants were randomized into an adapted version of the Female Athlete Body Project (i.e., the Male Athlete Body Project) or an assessment-only control condition. A total of 79 male college athletes (39 in treatment condition) completed this study for a retention rate of 84.9%. Participants in the experimental group attended three 80-minute group sessions once a week for three weeks. All participants completed measures of body dissatisfaction, internalization of the body ideal, drive for muscularity, negative affect, and sport confidence at three time points: baseline, post-treatment (three weeks after baseline for the control condition), and one-month follow-up. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was used to assess differences between conditions across time. Participation in the MABP improved men’s satisfaction with specific body parts, drive for muscularity, and body-ideal internalization at post-treatment. Men in the MABP also reported improvements in appearance evaluation and overweight preoccupation at post-treatment and one-month follow-up, and in negative affect at one-month follow-up only. Improvements in drive for muscularity were retained at one-month follow-up. This study provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility and efficacy of the Male Athlete Body Project.
Show less

Title: Health Information Seeking, Depression, and Satisfaction with Life in Racial/ethnic Minority vs. White individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries
Creator: Stipp, Kelsey
Date: 2022
Description: Health information is available both traditionally by conversations with health care professionals, and non-traditionally via use of the...
Show moreHealth information is available both traditionally by conversations with health care professionals, and non-traditionally via use of the Internet and other media sources. Health information is crucial to individuals with chronic health conditions and/or disabilities, such as spinal cord injury (SCI), to promote health, minimize comorbidities, and improve quality of life (QOL). Methods of health information seeking have been shown to differ between individuals who are racial/ethnic minority individuals and individuals who are White. Existing research appears to show health information seeking may increase QOL in populations with chronic health conditions and/or disabilities. However, it is unclear how aspects of QOL differ between individuals within the SCI population by race/ethnicity. The present study used Chi Square analyses to test racial/ethnic group differences in health information seeking and multiple analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) to test whether method of health information seeking and aspects of QOL, specifically depression and satisfaction with life, were moderated by race/ethnicity. An adult sample of 9,403 individuals with SCI who completed a survey on their injury, health, and QOL between 2011 and 2016 was used. Participants identified their source of health information as traditional (i.e., conversations with health care professionals) or non-traditional (e.g., newspaper, television, radio, etc.). Results indicated non-traditional sources of health information were utilized more frequently regardless of race/ethnicity. Unexpectedly, moderation results suggested that associations between source of health information and depression and satisfaction with life did not differ by race/ethnicity. However, source of health information was associated with satisfaction with life and depression for the entire sample. Study findings demonstrate the shift towards non-traditional (e.g., newspaper, television, radio, etc.) health information seeking within the SCI population. Further, findings support previous empirical work demonstrating the association between method of health information seeking and depression and satisfaction with life. These findings can be used to improve dissemination of accurate health information to the SCI population via non-traditional sources. Further research should include more diverse samples of individuals to better understand health information seeking as well as depression and satisfaction with life within the SCI population.
Show less

Title: DO ACT CONSTRUCTS MODERATE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA AND EATING PATHOLOGY?
Creator: Badillo Regan , Krystal E
Date: 2022
Description: Limited research has assessed individuals with disordered eating and their social media use. Additionally, there has been limited...
Show moreLimited research has assessed individuals with disordered eating and their social media use. Additionally, there has been limited investigation into psychotherapy constructs that could be used when addressing social media use in those with eating pathology. This study aims to improve the existing literature on social media and eating pathology by recruiting a sample of probable eating disorders and assessing if Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) constructs moderate the relation between social media and eating pathology. It is anticipated that 1) eating disorder pathology severity will be positively correlated with photo-based social media behavior; 2) eating disorder symptom severity will be positively associated with importance of social media; and 3) those who score higher in mindful eating, body image flexibility, and body image acceptance will have a weaker positive association between ED pathology and importance of social media and those who score lower in body image cognitive fusion will have a weaker positive association between ED pathology and importance of social media mindful eating, body image flexibility, body image acceptance, and body image cognitive fusion will moderate the relation between eating disorder symptom severity and social media use. To test the hypotheses women with a probable eating disorder (N=121) completed online questionnaires via prolific. The majority of participants identified as non-Hispanic (81%) and White (45.5%). Results suggest that there are associations between ED pathology, ACT constructs, Importance of Twitter and Instagram, and photo-based behaviors but not Importance of Facebook. Additionally, the moderation models examined were not statistically significant. Implications of these findings are discussed as well as future direction for research and clinical work.
Show less

Title: A Network Analysis of the Six Core Processes Associated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Creator: Bailey, Jennifer Rose
Date: 2022
Description: According to the theoretical model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, six core processes comprise a latent factor of psychological...
Show moreAccording to the theoretical model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, six core processes comprise a latent factor of psychological flexibility: present moment, chosen values, committed action, self as context, cognitive defusion, and acceptance. Little research has directly examined the unique relations among the processes. The present study extended our knowledge of the structure and relations between these processes by examining the relative importance and influence of a single process to the system of processes as a whole utilizing network analysis with a sample of 277 adult, non-clinical participants. Committed action was the most central of all the processes, demonstrating the highest strength centrality and most number of edges. Cognitive defusion and present moment also showed high strength centrality, suggesting that these processes exert the greatest influence on other processes in the network based on partial correlations controlling for all other constructs. Results provided support for the conceptualization of the three response styles (i.e., open, centered, and engaged). The addition of neuroticism to the core processes network showed little effect on the number of edges present between the six core processes. Neuroticism was strongly related to cognitive defusion and more weakly related to committed action. Results not only increased our understanding of the relations between processes and provided knowledge that may be useful to our understanding of the ACT theoretical model, but it also may have potential clinical implications, such as aiding in the identification of treatment targets to enhance psychological flexibility.
Show less

Title: FACILITATORS AND BARRIERS TO PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP) UPTAKE WILLINGNESS FOR FULL-SERVICE SEX WORKERS
Creator: Ramos, Stephen D
Date: 2022
Description: Full-service sex workers (FSSW) are individuals who exchange direct sexual services for goods, money, or other services (Centers for Disease...
Show moreFull-service sex workers (FSSW) are individuals who exchange direct sexual services for goods, money, or other services (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022a). FSSW report relatively poorer physical and mental health compared to others (Ramos et al., 2022; Rekart, 2005). Related, the CDC indicates that due to the nature of sex work, sex workers may be disproportionately at-risk for contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022a). However, a variety of factors may relate to HIV-risk in this population. Specifically, different multi-level factors may relate to sex workers’ willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a once-daily HIV preventative medication (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022a). While highly effective against HIV, PrEP uptake in several key HIV populations is slow (Holloway et al., 2017). Here, I adapted the Social-Ecological Model (Kaufman et al., 2014), with the assistance of lived-experience members and community organizations in developing and disseminating the study, to assess barriers and facilitators towards PrEP uptake willingness for FSSW and investigated a distal-proximal stigma-based mediation analysis to PrEP willingness. I found that two barriers and two facilitators initially emerged as significant predictor of PrEP uptake willingness. However, in adopting a more conservative approach, only (a) anticipating stigmatizing disapproval from others, and (b) providing others with PrEP knowledge, independently remained as a significant barrier and facilitator to PrEP uptake willingness, respectfully. Mediation analysis did not yield a distal-proximal stigma-based mediation of PrEP uptake willingness. Implications for future research, clinical work, and policy are discussed.
Show less

Title: POLYTRAUMA CLINICAL TRIAD ASSOCIATED ATTENTION AND MEMORY FUNCTIONING
Creator: Ramirez, Amanda M.
Date: 2021
Description: The purpose of the current study was to explore cognitive functioning associated with the polytrauma clinical triad in a sample of post-9/11...
Show moreThe purpose of the current study was to explore cognitive functioning associated with the polytrauma clinical triad in a sample of post-9/11 veterans. More specifically, it sought to determine if a component (i.e., PTSD, mTBI, or pain), in the context of the triad, accounted for variability in attention and memory functioning as measured by neuropsychological assessments. The study also sought to evaluate the relation between PTSD and cognition more comprehensively by examining if the four PTSD symptom clusters were associated with differential patterns of neuropsychological performances. Participants included 111 veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn, otherwise known as post-9/11 veterans. Participants completed a brief structured interview and neuropsychological battery. Several hierarchical regressions examined the association between the polytrauma clinical triad and performances on select measures of attention and memory. Results indicated that the triad did not significantly predict sustained attention, visual memory, or verbal memory. These findings suggested that despite the rates of the polytrauma clinical triad among a significant portion of post-9/11 veterans, the current evidence does not support the presence of related cognitive impairment.
Show less

Title: Child Temperament, Attachment, and Loneliness: The Mediating Effects of Social Competence
Creator: Evans, Lindsey M
Date: 2021
Description: Chronic loneliness is a risk factor associated with adverse psychological, physical, and academic outcomes. Converging evidence suggests that...
Show moreChronic loneliness is a risk factor associated with adverse psychological, physical, and academic outcomes. Converging evidence suggests that young children experience and can reliably report on their own loneliness. Due to the significant negative sequalae associated with childhood loneliness, it is critically important to examine risk factors for child loneliness. The aims of this study were two-fold: (a) to examine if temperament (i.e., negative affect, effortful control, and inhibitory control) and attachment security assessed at 4 years of age predict loneliness at age 6; and (b) to determine if social competence at age 5 mediates the relation between temperament and attachment security at age 4 and loneliness at age 6. Participants included a diverse sample of 796 4-year old children, about half of whom were male. At age 4, temperament was assessed with the Rothbart Child Behavior Questionnaire and three inhibitory control tasks, and attachment security was assessed with the Attachment Q-Sort. At age 5, the Social Skills Rating Scale was used to assess social competence, and, at age 6, loneliness was assessed with the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that lower levels of effortful control and inhibitory control at age 4 significantly predicted higher levels of loneliness at age 6. Also, lower levels of negative affect and higher levels of effortful control and attachment security at age 4 significantly predicted higher levels of social competence at age 5. However, social competence at age 5 did not predict loneliness at age 6. There was no evidence that social competence at age 5 mediated the relation between age 4 temperament, attachment security and age 6 loneliness. These findings reveal that early self-regulation is associated with later child-reported loneliness and that intervention for children who struggle with cognitive regulation may be effective in decreasing risk for later loneliness.
Show less

Title: PARENTAL RELATIONSHIP FACTORS, ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS, AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ADHD
Creator: Small, Eva E.
Date: 2022
Description: Individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at a higher risk for developing comorbid psychological conditions...
Show moreIndividuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at a higher risk for developing comorbid psychological conditions including depression and anxiety by the time they reach adulthood. While there has been some research on potentially beneficial aspects of parent-child relationships that can help to improve the mental health of pediatric populations with ADHD, less work has been done to assess the long-term influence of the parent -child relationship in adults with ADHD. The purpose of this study was to add to previous research by utilizing the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to investigate how parenting relationship and family factors (i.e., parental warmth, behavioral autonomy, family cohesion, and parental academic expectations) predict symptoms of stress and depression in adults with ADHD. Using data from Waves I, III, and IV of the Add Health study, analyses examined whether positive parenting relationship factors were related to levels of depression symptoms and stress in a sample of participants with self-reported ADHD (N = 316). Results indicated that higher levels of family cohesion experienced in adolescence were associated with lower depression symptoms reported in adulthood, thus suggesting that family cohesion is a beneficial for individuals with ADHD. Future research should continue to examine the role that child-relationship factors can have on long term mental health outcomes in individuals with ADHD
Show less

Title: DOES FAMILY QUALITY OF LIFE MEDIATE THE RELATION BETWEEN AUTISM WAIVER SERVICES AND CHILD PROGRESS?
Creator: Desai, Shivani S.
Date: 2022
Description: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a child’s language, social, and behavioral development,...
Show moreAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a child’s language, social, and behavioral development, and also is associated with difficulty with academics, independent completion of daily living skills, and emotion regulation. Diagnosed individuals often require comprehensive, long-term, and family-based intervention that is costly. Several states, including Maryland, have adopted Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver services that specifically serve children and young adults with ASD at no out-of-pocket cost to families. The Maryland autism waiver (AW) also includes services to support diagnosed individuals’ family members, including family consultation and respite services. Family factors, such as specific parenting behaviors and parental mental health, contribute significantly to symptom improvement in children with ASD and child development more broadly, highlighting the importance of studying family systems and targeting them in treatment. Prior research has found that AW services have a positive impact on family quality of life (FQoL), which is a multidimensional concept of family functioning. The aim of the present study was to examine if the several domains of FQoL are mediators in the relation between receipt of Maryland HCBS AW services and caregivers’ perception of their child’s improvement in several domains of functioning. The participants in this study consisted of 460 families who were enrolled in a larger study examining effects of Maryland AW services. Half of these families (n = 230) received the Maryland Medicaid AW services (n = 230) and the other half were on a registry to receive services (n = 230). Deidentified survey data were collected between 2013-2016 from caregiver informants who had a child under the age of 21 who exhibited symptoms of ASD. The survey included questions about demographics, FQoL, and their child’s progress in the areas of academics, independent living skills, social communication skills, stereotypic and repetitive behaviors, and aggressive behaviors over the past 6 months. Results of the mediation analyses revealed that FQoL in the domains of parenting, emotional well-being, and disability support services (but not in the domains of family interaction and physical/material well-being) each mediated the relations between AW services and caregiver report of improvement in all measured domains of child functioning (academics, independent living skills, social communication skills, stereotypic and repetitive behaviors, and aggressive behaviors). These findings highlight the significant role of FQoL as a mediator in the relation between waiver serves and child outcome. They also reveal the importance of increasing family quality of life when providing treatment services to children with symptoms of autism and their families.
Show less

Title: Keeping the Spark Alive: Examining Associations Between Technology Use For Cybersex, Health and Relationship Satisfaction In Long-Distance Relationships
Creator: Khan, Humza
Date: 2022
Description: Background: Technology is important to many romantic relationships, especially long-distance relationships (LDR), insofar as technology can...
Show moreBackground: Technology is important to many romantic relationships, especially long-distance relationships (LDR), insofar as technology can minimize the impact of the lack of proximity that is characteristic to LDR. Cybersex, a specific use of technology within romantic relationships, is associated with increased relationship satisfaction among partners in proximal relationships. Cybersex also relates to health broadly, and to anxiety and depression specifically, with mixed associations. Despite LDR lending themselves to cybersex, associations between cybersex, relationship satisfaction, and health have not been studied in LDR. This study has three aims: (1) to provide the first descriptive data related to cybersex behavior, relationship satisfaction and health in LDR; (2) to examine associations between cybersex behaviors and relationship satisfaction, and cybersex and health in LDR; and, (3) to test whether biological sex moderates cybersex-relationship satisfaction and cybersex-health associations among those in LDR. We predicted that cybersex behaviors would relate positively to relationship satisfaction for both males and females, although we predicted males would report stronger associations than females. We predicted cybersex behaviors would relate positively to health for both males and females, although we predicted females would report weaker associations than males. Methods: Participants (N = 146; 18 years or older; English speaking; in LDR for 3+ months) completed a paid online survey on relational experiences and health/well-being. Cybersex behaviors were assessed through an internally created “sex and cybersex behaviors” scale. Relationship satisfaction was assessed via the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI). Both broad health, and anxiety and depression, were assessed with the PROMIS-29. Correlations were assessed between key study variables. Regression analyses were used first to test associations between cybersex and relationship satisfaction, then cybersex and health, and finally, the moderation effect of biological sex in these associations. Results: The average member of our sample was White, college aged, had no children, a full-time undergraduate student and low SES. Correlation analyses show significant correlations between core study variables (relationship satisfaction, global health, cybersex behavior, depression & anxiety) at some level. Sex-level analyses show that when compared to males, females reported significantly higher average anxiety scores, and more texting sex behavior. Linear regressions established cybersex behavior as a negative predictor of global health and a positive predictor of depression and anxiety, but not relationship satisfaction. Moderation analyses indicated that biological sex moderated the cybersex behavior-global health association such that more cybersex behavior negatively predicted global health for males but not females. Discussion: These differences among sexes and health in LDR observed within our findings may be explained by the social role theory, in which females have worse health than males however, males having worse overall physical health than females may be due to a lack of copresence from their partner. In addition, females engaging in higher levels of texting cybersex may be related to sociocultural factors. Conclusion: Overall, our study contributes to the understanding of cybersex behavior, relationship satisfaction and health outcomes by among males and females in LDR. Our findings suggest that this sample of LDR females engage in more texting cybersex, have higher anxiety symptom severity, and have equal levels of relationship satisfaction.
Show less

Title: CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER: INTERPERSONAL FACTORS AND DEPRESSION AS PARALLEL-SERIAL MEDIATORS BETWEEN STIGMA AND SUICIDAL IDEATION
Creator: Tsen, Jonathan Y.
Date: 2022
Description: Background/Objectives: This study applied Joiner's Interpersonal PsychologicalTheory to a caregiver population, by describing relationships...
Show moreBackground/Objectives: This study applied Joiner's Interpersonal PsychologicalTheory to a caregiver population, by describing relationships among affiliate stigma, thwarted-belongingess (TB), perceived-burdensomeness (PB), and depression, and suicidal ideation (SI). Participants/Setting: 243 adult caregivers participated in this study via Prolific Academic and caregiver-related websites. Design/Main Outcome Measures: This study used a cross-sectional, survey-based design including demographics, the Affiliate Stigma Scale (α=.93), Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (α=.95), Center of Epidemiology Studies–Depression-10 (α=.90), and Depressive Symptom Inventory— Suicide Subscale (α = .91) via Qualtrics. Analyses run on SPSSv27/Hayes’ PROCESS macro. Results: Parallel-serial mediation found after controlling for covariates that the total indirect effect of affiliate stigma on SI through both TB and PB then through depression was significant, B = .0271, SE = .0062, β = .1659, 95%CI [.0152, .0393]. Conclusions: Findings indicated that affiliate stigma indirectly affected SI through both TB and PB then through depression. Interventions to improve caregiver wellbeing should capitalize on both improving interpersonal functioning and depressive symptoms in tandem in order to reduce SI risk.
Show less

Title: Quality of Life in People with Epilepsy: The Associations of Anti-seizure Medications and Biopsychosocial Variables
Creator: Thomas, Julia A.
Date: 2022
Description: People with epilepsy, on average, experience lower quality of life (QOL) than healthy controls (Taylor et al., 2011). This study examined the...
Show morePeople with epilepsy, on average, experience lower quality of life (QOL) than healthy controls (Taylor et al., 2011). This study examined the associations between specific anti-seizure medication, biopsychosocial factors, and QOL in people with epilepsy. Analysis of covariance revealed that individuals taking three or more anti-seizure medications had significantly lower QOL than those taking levetiracetam. Findings also demonstrated that when looking at biopsychosocial factors as predictors of QOL in hierarchical regression, anxiety, depression, and daytime sleepiness were significant predictors of QOL. Once these factors were entered into the model, number of medications was no longer significant. The final model predicted 59.6% of the variance in QOL. Lastly, a moderation analysis to examine the moderating effect of employment on the association between number of anti-seizure medications and QOL was not significant. Additional exploratory analyses looking at individuals who were employed versus those who were not employed were completed. These findings underscore the importance of addressing psychological health and sleep factors within the epilepsy population.
Show less

Title: Child and Family Outcomes Associated with Specific Maryland ASD Waiver Services and Choice and Control as Mediators of These Outcomes
Creator: Turchmanovych-Hienkel, Nataliya
Date: 2022
Description: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects 1in 44 children and is characterized by impairments in cognitive...
Show moreAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects 1in 44 children and is characterized by impairments in cognitive, behavioral, and social domains of functioning. Literature suggests that ASD not only impacts the quality of life of the individuals diagnosed with this condition, but also has a negative impact on family quality of life (FQoL). Interventions and services offered through the Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services waiver programs can enhance child and family outcomes. The present study looked at one specific waiver program, the Maryland ASD waiver, and examined the frequency at which families received different waiver services and the associations between those service frequencies and child (i.e., academic performance, independent living skills, social communication and interaction skills, stereotypic and repetitive behavior, and aggressive behavior) and family (i.e., FQoL) outcomes, as well as explored whether the family’s perception of choice and control mediate these child and family outcomes. Results suggest that frequencies of some waiver services are associated with progress in some child outcomes, but not in FQoL. This study also suggests that the choice and control that families have over services do not mediate the relation between frequency of waiver services and child and family outcomes. Overall, results suggest that the Maryland ASD waiver program may help improve some domains of child functioning.
Show less

Title: Eating disorder support group utilization: Associations with psychological health and eating disorder psychopathology among support group attendees
Creator: Murray, Matthew F.
Date: 2023
Description: Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) report psychosocial impairments that may persist beyond ED symptom remission, suggesting a need to...
Show moreIndividuals with eating disorders (EDs) report psychosocial impairments that may persist beyond ED symptom remission, suggesting a need to examine ED treatment-adjunctive services that foster psychosocial health. One promising resource is support groups, as evidence across medical and psychiatric illnesses shows associations between group utilization and wellbeing. However, virtually no literature has examined ED-specific support groups and psychosocial health, and it is also unknown how use of supportive services relates to ED symptoms. The present study examined associations between past-month ED support group attendance and participation frequency, psychosocial health indices, and ED symptoms. A total of 215 participants who attended weekly virtual clinician-moderated ED support groups completed measures of psychosocial health, internalized stigma of mental illness, psychosocial impairment from an ED, specific types of social support elicited in group, and ED psychopathology. Adjusting for past-month ED treatment, Benjamini-Hochberg-corrected partial correlation analyses indicated that more frequent attendance was negatively related to body dissatisfaction, purging, excessive exercise, and negative attitudes toward obesity, and positively related to social support. More frequent verbal and chat participation were positively related to emotional and informational support and social companionship. Chat participation was additionally negatively related to excessive exercise and negative attitudes toward obesity. Results suggest that utilizing and participating in clinician-moderated ED support groups could provide an outlet for ED symptom management and solicitation of social support. Findings highlight areas for further consideration in the delivery of and future research on ED support groups.
Show less

Title: Sense of Community and Virtual Community Among People with Autism Spectrum Conditions
Creator: Rafajko, Sean I
Date: 2020
Description: Individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) face poorer quality of life (QOL) and psychological well-being. Sense of community (SOC) has...
Show moreIndividuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) face poorer quality of life (QOL) and psychological well-being. Sense of community (SOC) has been studied in the general population as well as in other disability populations and found to be associated with increased QOL outcomes. However, SOC has never been examined quantitatively in the ASC population. Additionally, a number of communities exist online, and there has been recent research showing that people may feel sense of virtual community (SOVC), which may be particularly important to the ASC population, as internet use is higher in the population, and people with ASC report positive experiences with online communication and relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine SOC and SOVC in the ASC population. A sample of 60 participants with ASC completed an online survey about their communities, SOC, SOVC, QOL, and psychological distress, and their results were compared with a sample of 60 general population participants (N = 120). Results indicated that people with ASC reported participating in a greater number of smaller relational communities compared to the general population sample. There were no significant differences between the ASC and general population samples on levels of SOC or SOVC, suggesting that the differential relationship of the ASC group with their communities does not reduce the experience of SOC. SOC significantly contributed to QOL but not psychological distress. Results indicated that the magnitude of the relationship between SOC and SOVC on QOL was not different between those with ASC and those in the comparisons sample. Findings from this study help frame the different ways in which people with ASC interact with their communities and inform individual and community-level interventions.
Show less

Title: PTSD Symptoms as a Potential Link Between Military Sexual Assault and Disordered Eating
Creator: Sandhu, Danielle
Date: 2020
Description: Despite increasing rates of sexual assault in the military and high rates of disordered eating and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among...
Show moreDespite increasing rates of sexual assault in the military and high rates of disordered eating and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans, little is known about how these constructs are related. The present study examined whether PTSD symptoms mediate the relation between military sexual assault and disordered eating among female veterans. Prolific Academic was used to recruit 98 United States female veterans as participants for the study. Participants completed an online questionnaire of self-report measures assessing demographic characteristics, military sexual assault, PTSD symptoms, and disordered eating. Mediational analyses were conducted using the PROCESS v3 macro in IBM SPSS Statistics. Within the sample, 61% of female veterans reported being sexually assaulted while serving in the military. Military sexual assault was associated with higher levels of PTSD symptoms and disordered eating. Findings did not support the hypothesis that PTSD symptoms would mediate the relation between military sexual assault and disordered eating among women veterans. Given the heterogeneous nature of disordered eating, post-hoc mediational analyses were conducted to examine specific facets of eating pathology. Results indicated that PTSD symptoms fully mediated the relation between military sexual assault and bulimia and food preoccupation. Awareness of these psychopathological sequelae following military sexual assault may improve screening and intervention efforts at Veteran Affairs (VA) medical centers. The present study highlights the importance of future longitudinal studies that can establish temporal precedence in order to better understand the pathways leading to disordered eating in female veterans.
Show less

Title: FEARING FORGETTING? DEVELOPMENT OF A SCALE TO ASSESS ATTITUDES ABOUT DEMENTIA IN THE LAY POPULATION
Creator: Ogu, Precious N
Date: 2020
Description: Individuals with dementia show a progressive decline in cognitive functioning which results in an inability to complete activities of daily...
Show moreIndividuals with dementia show a progressive decline in cognitive functioning which results in an inability to complete activities of daily living (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Early diagnosis of dementia is a positive prognostic indicator (World Alzheimer Report, 2011) and is widely regarded as an important pre-condition for improving dementia care (Kim et al., 2015; Vernooij-Dassen et al., 2005). However, negative attitudes and stigma towards dementia could possibly interfere with an individual’s willingness to recognize or accept the idea of themselves having the disease through label avoidance. The goal of the present study was to contribute to understanding the perception of dementia by developing a quantitatively derived and psychometrically validated measure that encompasses the positive and negative attitudes towards dementia held by people without dementia. This study also explored the potential association between negative attitudes about dementia and lack of familiarity with dementia as familiarity with individuals with mental illness is related to stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness. These goals were achieved by a principal components analysis (PCA) of 56 modified items from extant and well-validated mental illness attitude scales (Community Attitudes to Mental Illness, CAMI, Taylor & Dear, 1981; Social Distance Scale, SDS, Link, 1986; Depression Stigma Scale, DSS, Griffiths et al., 2004). Convergent validity was assessed by examining the relationship between the final derived measure and a construct associated with negative attitudes about mental illness (Mental Retardation Attitude Inventory-Revised, MRAI-R). Discriminant validity was assessed by examining the relationship between the final measure and a construct that should be unrelated to negative attitudes about mental illness (Belief in a Just World Scale, BJW). Finally, exploratory analyses were conducted to assess if attitudes measured by the newly created scale are related to participants’ familiarity with dementia (Level of Familiarity Scale, LoFS, Corrigan et al., 2001). 400 adults with no history of dementia were recruited through Amazon’s MTurk. Participants were compensated by a credit to their Amazon account upon completion of the survey. The PCA supported 2 conceptually different (not method variance) latent components titled Negative Attitudes and Positive Attitudes. These 2 components comprise the Attitudes to Dementia Inventory (ADI). Construct validity was partially supported for each component of the ADI. Degree of familiarity with dementia was not associated with negative or positive attitudes about dementia. Overall, this study is an important contribution to dementia attitudes research. Given the identification of Negative Attitudes and Positive Attitudes have been identified as distinct dimensions of dementia attitudes, the ADI can be used to further investigate how negative reactions towards dementia might cause delays in initiating medical intervention and treatment, and also to examine whether positive attitudes provide any protections against the probable effects of negative attitudes on stigma and help-seeking behaviors. Since the early recognition and diagnosis of dementia is widely regarded as an important condition for improving dementia care (Kim et al., 2015; Vernooij-Dassen, et al., 2005), the ADI can be used to inform stigma-prevention, which hopefully translates into improved help-seeking behaviors.
Show less

Title: Testing actor and partner mediation effects of the mindfulness-relationship satisfaction association in long-distance relationships
Creator: Manser, Kelly A.
Date: 2023
Description: Long-distance romantic relationships (LDR) have become increasingly common as technology and sociocultural norms have evolved. Individuals in...
Show moreLong-distance romantic relationships (LDR) have become increasingly common as technology and sociocultural norms have evolved. Individuals in LDR, many of whom are post-secondary students, report LDR-specific experiences and stressors. Nonetheless, romantic relationship satisfaction (RS) nonetheless appears comparable between LDR and non-LDR relationships, although the underlying mechanisms are not well-understood. Mindfulness, which relates positively to RS and negatively to stress, is minimally studied in LDR. Moreover, despite empirical and theoretical support, few studies have tested stress as a mediator of associations between mindfulness and RS at the within-person level (termed actor effects) or between-person level (partner effects). This study tested a theoretically-grounded, empirically-supported Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM) in a sample (N = 150; 75 dyads) of post-secondary students and their LDR romantic partners. As hypothesized, an partner-actor indirect effect emerged of T1 actor mindfulness on T2 partner RS through decreased T2 partner stress. Unexpectedly, no direct, total, or indirect effects of T1 actor mindfulness on T2 actor stress or T2 actor RS emerged. Findings suggest that within- and between-person associations between mindfulness, stress, and RS may present uniquely in LDR, with implications for research, clinical practice, and policy.
Show less

Title: Associations between subjective cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and vascular neuroimaging markers: Findings from a multiethnic cohort
Creator: Gonzalez, Christopher
Date: 2023
Description: Mounting evidence suggests that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may provide a unique target to identify the earliest changes in cognitive...
Show moreMounting evidence suggests that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may provide a unique target to identify the earliest changes in cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In addition, vascular-related risk factors are also linked to increase the risk of clinical expression of AD, and independently increase the risk for vascular dementia (VaD). However, most investigations have not explored SCD across a multiethnic population. The study investigated 1) the associations between white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and targeted neuroimaging AD markers (hippocampal volume, cortical thickness of AD regions) with SCD amongst a multiethnic cohort, and 2) whether race moderated the relationship between them. A total of 871 older adults ages from 62-96 years old with a mean age of 74.48 (SD = 6.11), mean education of 12.79 years (SD = 4.53), and with 62% identifying as female were recruited from preexisting data from the Washington Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP). Linear regression model revealed a significant association between WMH and both AD targeted neuroimaging markers across the total sample. Secondary analyses revealed that race did not moderate the relationship between WMH and AD cortical thickness with SCD but did in fact moderate the relationship between hippocampal volume and SCD. Results suggest that cultural biological differences exist in the Hispanic/Latine individuals compared to non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black individuals.
Show less

Title: Toward a Network Model of Executive Functioning
Creator: Fuller, Jordan S.
Date: 2023
Description: The executive functions are the higher-order mental processes that are responsible for organized, strategic behavior. These functions have...
Show moreThe executive functions are the higher-order mental processes that are responsible for organized, strategic behavior. These functions have been a source of significant controversy since their initial introduction. This study sought to create a model of the executive functions utilizing psychological network analysis. Participants completed six measures reflecting inhibition, task switching, and working memory updating, as well as a fluid intelligence measure. A processing speed index was calculated from non-executive trials of various measures. Four networks were generated, including an executive functions network, an executive functions and intelligence network, an executive functions and processing speed network, and a network with all variables included. The resulting networks contained no stable edges between the executive functioning tasks. Stable edges were identified between the intelligence node and the two nodes reflecting working memory updating. There was an additional edge identified between processing speed and one measure of task switching. Results of the study may indicate that there is relative independence among executive functions. However, the management of task impurity in a psychological network analysis also merits further investigation.
Show less

repository.iit

Search the repository

Pages

Pages

Enabled Filters

Refine Results

Type

Date

Subject

Creator

Rights