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PAST- AND FUTURE- ORIENTED COGNITIONS IN PTSD: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RUMINATION AND WORRY IN DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS
Title
PAST- AND FUTURE- ORIENTED COGNITIONS IN PTSD: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RUMINATION AND WORRY IN DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS
Creator
Stickney, Laurie
Date
2016, 2016-07
Description
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex disorder characterized by symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Likewise, individuals...
Show morePost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex disorder characterized by symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Likewise, individuals with PTSD experience Repetitive Negative Cognitions in the form of rumination and worry that may be focused on the past, present, or future. Although cognitions in individuals with PTSD have been studied, there is some question as to what types of cognitions individuals with PTSD generally experience and to what extent different types of cognitions contribute to different PTSD symptomatology. Further, although worry and rumination in PTSD have been studied, the question of the importance of the time-focus of cognitions in PTSD has not been adequately addressed. Time-focused cognitions and the relationships among depression, anxiety, rumination and worry were examined in this study using experience sampling method. Participants were asked to fill out a short survey measuring depression, anxiety, rumination, worry and time-focus five times per day for seven days. Results indicated that the presence of Current-focused cognitions strengthened the relationship between worry and anxiety compared to Future-focused cognitions. These findings suggest that in terms of the relationship between anxiety and worry, it is current-focus that is important not future-focus. Additionally, worry partially mediated the relationship between rumination and anxiety, and rumination partially mediated the relationship between worry and depression. Overall, the results suggest that time-focus may be important in some areas of PTSD, and the study highlights the complex relationships among depression, anxiety, rumination, worry and time-focused cognitions.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2016
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COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, DEPRESSION, AND INFLAMMATION IN OLDER HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS
Title
COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, DEPRESSION, AND INFLAMMATION IN OLDER HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS
Creator
Fong, Wing Man
Date
2015, 2015-07
Description
Cancer is a common disease that increases in prevalence with age; it predominantly affects individuals over the age of 55. Cancer can be...
Show moreCancer is a common disease that increases in prevalence with age; it predominantly affects individuals over the age of 55. Cancer can be associated with a number of health complications due to the disease itself and/or its treatments such as higher risk of infection, anemia, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. Risks of developing these complications increase with age. Despite the increased vulnerability among older individuals, the existing literature and clinical trials show a disproportionately low enrollment rate for this population. This study aimed to provide to a mechanism-based understanding of cognitive impairment in older patients with hematologic malignancy who were scheduled to undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Emerging evidence suggests that a significant portion of older persons with cancer demonstrate cognitive impairment prior to HSCT, and that cognitive deficits prior to HSCT are related to post-transplant complications. Hence, the goals of the study were to characterize cognitive impairment in older cancer patients prior to HSCT, and to examine the relations between cognitive impairment, depression, and inflammation. Sixty-one patients with hematologic malignancy participated in the current study and were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Results showed that 50% of the sample was impaired on verbal memory. Correlation analyses revealed a significant association between depression and attention, with inflammation found to be a non-significant mediator. Possible alternative explanations with implications for future research and limitations of the study were discussed.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2015
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THE ROLES OF SHAME, GENDER, AND ETHNICITY IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
Title
THE ROLES OF SHAME, GENDER, AND ETHNICITY IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
Creator
Ogu, Precious Nnedimma
Date
2017, 2017-07
Description
Anxiety is commonly comorbid with depression and negatively influences recovery (van Balkom et al., 2008). The aim of this study was to...
Show moreAnxiety is commonly comorbid with depression and negatively influences recovery (van Balkom et al., 2008). The aim of this study was to examine shame as a possible link between depression and anxiety. Shame has been found associated with means of coping with depression and anxiety (Treeby &Bruno, 2012) and to mediate the relationship between stigma formation and depression severity (Hsu et al., 2008) and is related to anxiety in a variety of clinical and non-clinical populations (Fergus, Valentiner, McGrath, & Jencius, 2010; Li, Qian & Zhong 2005). Recent research has shown crosscultural differences in the meaning and experience of shame and in subsequent shame-related behaviors (Zhong et al., 2008). Shame had a stronger relationship with social anxiety in Chinese culture than in American culture (Zhong et al., 2008). And mediated the relationships between personality traits and social anxiety symptoms in a sample of Chinese adolescents (Li, Qian, & Zhong, 2005). Since shame has been found to be related to depression and to anxiety, it could follow that crosscultural differences also exist in the relationships among depression, anxiety, and shame. The first hypothesis of this study was that shame mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression, with higher levels of depression being related to higher levels of shame which, in turn, are related to higher levels of anxiety. The second hypothesis was that males and ethnic minorities exhibit a stronger relationship between depressive symptoms and shame. 250 adults who self-identified as Asian, Caucasian, or Hispanic were recruited through online postings on Craigslist.com and WeSearchTogether.org for a study of how viii peoples’ perception of their moods affects how they feel about themselves. Participants were provided a link to an online questionnaire, which they could fill out at their convenience. Upon completion, they were entered in a raffle to win one of four $50 gift cards. Participants completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-Shame Scale-3, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Data were analyzed with the multiple regression based PROCESS program (Hayes, 2013) for studying mediation and moderation. The hypothesis regarding shame as a mediator was confirmed. The mediated effect of depression on anxiety through shame was significant. The direct effect also was significant, meaning that the mediation was partial. The shame-mediated path accounted for 8.3% of the total relationship between depression and anxiety. The hypothesis regarding ethnicity was partially confirmed. Being Asian (vs. Caucasian) significantly moderated the relationship between depression and shame, with the relationship being stronger for Asians. However, neither being Hispanic (vs. Caucasian) nor gender was a significant moderator. These results will hopefully foster more culturally-informed understanding of the place of anxiety symptoms in depression, and potentially motivate clinicians to pay attention to demographic variables and their implications during treatment of depression and anxiety.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2017
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APPLICATION OF THE FEAR-AVOIDANCE MODEL OF CHRONIC PAIN TO UNDERSTAND NEUROCOGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE
Title
APPLICATION OF THE FEAR-AVOIDANCE MODEL OF CHRONIC PAIN TO UNDERSTAND NEUROCOGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE
Creator
Piper, Lauren E.
Date
2017, 2017-07
Description
Acute and chronic pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) are associated with functional impairment and depressive symptoms. Given the suboptimal...
Show moreAcute and chronic pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) are associated with functional impairment and depressive symptoms. Given the suboptimal management of pain in SCD and serious health risks associated with current treatment methods for pain, there is a need to identify factors associated with pain that impact functional outcomes and depression. The fear-avoidance (FA) model of chronic pain has been examined in other chronic pain populations as a means to understand how pain-related cognitive and behavioral factors contribute to functional impairment and depression, but has not been applied in individuals with SCD. The purpose of the present study was to apply the FA model of chronic pain to adults with SCD via mediation analyses. Additionally, mental flexibility was examined as a possible moderator in the FA model. Results demonstrated that pain catastrophizing mediated the relationship between pain severity and pain-related fear. No other mediators within the model were identified. Additionally, results did not demonstrate that mental flexibility moderated the relationship between pain severity and pain catastrophizing. Post-hoc exploratory analyses demonstrated that pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear significantly predicted functional impairment and depression, respectively, above and beyond pain severity. Overall, results suggest that the FA model of chronic pain does not apply to individuals with SCD and the predictive roles that pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear play in functional impairment and depression are not consistent with results in other chronic pain populations. Further studies are needed to identify factors that explain the relationship between pain, functional impairment, and depression so that these factors may be targeted for intervention as a means to improve pain, mood, and functional independence.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2017
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THE PATH TO DEPRESSION: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DURATION OF ILLNESS, SELF-STIGMA HARM, AND COGNITIVE INSIGHT IN A MIXED SAMPLE OF PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS
Title
THE PATH TO DEPRESSION: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DURATION OF ILLNESS, SELF-STIGMA HARM, AND COGNITIVE INSIGHT IN A MIXED SAMPLE OF PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS
Creator
Bink, Andrea B.
Date
2017, 2017-05
Description
Two models are proposed to explain the development and maintenance of comorbid depressive symptoms for people with serious mental illness....
Show moreTwo models are proposed to explain the development and maintenance of comorbid depressive symptoms for people with serious mental illness. Model 1 suggests duration of illness and cognitive insight will have an independent and direct effect on self-stigma harm and self-stigma harm will have a direct effect on depressive symptoms. In Model 2, duration of illness and self-stigma harm are proposed as the indicator variables with cognitive insight as the mediator directly and independently predicting depressive symptoms. Data from the current study were drawn from a larger longitudinal investigation examining predictors and correlates of mental health treatment decisions, including medication options. Potential participants were recruited from two community health centers and were screened for inclusion. Baseline and one-month data gathered during in-person interviews for 98 participants were included in the current analysis. Results of structural equation modeling found no support for either model. Thus, no clear conclusions can be made from these results. This study was limited mainly by a small sample size. However, other factors such as directionality or exclusion of certain variables might have also limited the results. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
M.S. in Pyschology, May 2017
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