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Title: MEASURING DEGREE OF BILINGUALISM AND ITS EFFECT ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE
Creator: Leon, Adeline
Date: 2017, 2017-07
Description: Bilingualism is a unique experience that has been shown to have a distinct impact on cognitive performance: disadvantages in language...
Show moreBilingualism is a unique experience that has been shown to have a distinct impact on cognitive performance: disadvantages in language production (Gollan, Montoya, Fennema-Notestine, & Morris, 2005) and advantages in executive functioning skills (Bialystok, Craik, Klein, Viswanathan, 2004; Costa, Hernandez, Sebastian-Galles, 2008). However, some researchers assert that bilingual differences do not exist at all (Kousaie & Phillips, 2012a, 2012b; Paap & Greenberg, 2013). These discrepancies can have a substantial effect on neuropsychological assessment results, diagnoses, and treatment recommendations. The purpose of this study was to measure bilingualism in patients presenting for neuropsychological testing to determine the effect of degree of bilingualism on cognitive performance. Bilingualism was measured in an objective, continuous manner using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT; Dunn & Dunn, 2007) to assess proficiency in English and the Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes Peabody (TVIP; Dunn, Lugo, Padilla, Dunn, 1986) to assess proficiency in Spanish. This bilingualism index was used to measure the effect of degree of bilingualism on neuropsychological test performance in English/Spanish bilinguals assessed in their dominant language. Archival data from 99 participants presenting for neuropsychological testing were used to examine the bilingualism effect on the following cognitive domains: shifting of set, divided attention, naming, lexical retrieval, and verbal working memory. With the exception of the BNT, results of linear regression analyses revealed no significant effect of bilingualism on cognitive performance in any of the domains measured. Future research may investigate alternative ways to measure bilingualism to facilitate proper diagnosis and treatment recommendations in a clinical population.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2017
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Title: COMPARISON OF NEUROPSYCHOLOCICAL PROFILES OF CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION.DEFIC ITiHYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD), READING DISORDER (RD), AND COMORBID ADHD AND RD
Creator: Hinkle, Clayton D.
Date: 2013, 2013-07
Description: The aim of this study was to expand our understanding of the patterns of executive functioning, memory and learning, and reading achievement...
Show moreThe aim of this study was to expand our understanding of the patterns of executive functioning, memory and learning, and reading achievement in older children and adolescents with ADHD, RD, and comorbid ADHD and RD. Each participant completed neuropsychological assessments, including a measure of intelligence and reading achievement, as well as several measures of executive functioning, memory, and learning. Results suggested that children in these diagnostic groups do significantly differ from each other on these tasks, although those with comorbid ADHD and RD did not demonstrate any specific deficits above and beyond those that manifest in either ADHD or RD alone. Clinical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research are discussed.
PH.D in Psychology, July 2013
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Title: MAKING GOOD DECISIONS: THE ROLE OF TEAM PERSONALITY DIVERSITY AND GROUP POLARIZATION
Creator: Watson, Jeremy Beau
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Making high quality decisions is central to organizations in order to remain competitive, increase productivity, quality, and/or remain...
Show moreMaking high quality decisions is central to organizations in order to remain competitive, increase productivity, quality, and/or remain responsive to customers. Most often, teams are responsible for making vital decisions and decision accuracy is key to obtaining desired outcomes. This study examined the role of team personality diversity as it pertains to decision quality. Additionally, a common phenomenon known as group polarization was studied with regard to cooperative and competitive attitudes as a potential important process. Using several decision scenarios and the Lost on the Moon task, 279 individuals in teams of three (n = 93 teams) participated in a laboratory study to investigate the relationship between team personality diversity, group polarization of cooperative/competitive attitudes, and decision quality. Results indicated that team agreeableness diversity was positively related to group polarization, and team openness diversity was negatively related to decision quality. Previous research, implications, and limitations to this study are also discussed.
PH.D in Psychology, May 2014
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Title: BELIEFS AND CONTEXTUAL MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS OF DISCRETIONARY WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR
Creator: Raad, Jason H.
Date: 2014, 2014-07
Description: The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been successfully used to link attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control to the...
Show moreThe Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been successfully used to link attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control to the enactment of various behaviors in numerous situations; however, the TPB in not frequently used in organizational settings. Similarly, contextual factors may represent important moderating and mediating effects that have not been fully explored in prior TPB research. The current study employs the TPB in a healthcare setting to assess the use of Outcome Measures (OMs) by practicing clinicians. Two contextual mediators and a one contextual moderator were added to the standard TPB framework in an attempt to better explain the enactment of discretionary workplace behavior. Results suggest that TPB components are related to the discretionary use of Outcome Measures in clinical practice; however, results also suggest that hypothesized relationships between TPB factors may diverge significantly from those proposed in the original theory. Implications, limitations, and future directions are also discussed.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2014
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Title: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF WEATHER ON THE MOOD AND ENERGY OF PEOPLE WITH WINTER DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS: AN EXPERIENCE SAMPLING METHOD
Creator: Mosqueda, Andrea I.
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a depressive disorder characterized by recurrent episodes most often beginning in the fall and remitting...
Show moreSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a depressive disorder characterized by recurrent episodes most often beginning in the fall and remitting in spring and summer. Individuals with SAD experience both vegetative symptoms (e.g., fatigue, increased appetite and weight gain, and an increased need for sleep) and psychological symptoms (e.g., sadness, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness. In addition to the seasonal variations in vegetative and psychological functioning in SAD, daily weather also can potentially affect these phenomena. Symptoms such as mood, cognition, and energy can vary between and within days as a function of weather variables in a population experiencing seasonal symptoms. Using experience sampling method (ESM), which allows for less reliance on participant memory, we examined the impact of weather on day-to-day variability of mood and fatigue, and specifically in individuals with seasonal symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use ESM to examine the impact of weather on this symptomatology. Results failed to find evidence of a relationship between variability in daily weather and either daily mood or fatigue in this sample of seasonal individuals. This was the case for both same day weather and weather aggregated over the previous six days. Future studies would benefit from a longer data collection period in order to determine if there are long-term effects of weather variables on mood or fatigue. ESM would be useful in studying the effect of various time-varying variables on a variety of time-related aspects of SAD symptomatology.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2016
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Title: EXPLORING BODY IMAGE DISSATISFACTION IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETES
Creator: Perelman, Hayley
Date: 2017, 2017-07
Description: Research on body dissatisfaction in college athletes is largely mixed regarding its prevalence and occurrence. Most of the current literature...
Show moreResearch on body dissatisfaction in college athletes is largely mixed regarding its prevalence and occurrence. Most of the current literature indicates that athletes in lean-promoting sports, regardless of sex, experience greater body dissatisfaction than athletes in non-lean-promoting sports. Division I athletes as compared to Division III athletes report significantly more body dissatisfaction. This study sought to further investigate group differences between sport type, sex, and division level for the following constructs: body dissatisfaction, sport competitiveness, mindfulness, perfectionism, self-esteem, and sport confidence. A sample of 191 males and females completed self-report questionnaires. A series of six 2x2x2 factorial analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the data: sex (males vs. females), sport type (lean-promoting and non-lean-promoting), and division level (Division I vs. Division III). Results revealed a significant main effect for sex and body dissatisfaction, such that females reported high levels of body dissatisfaction regardless of division level and sport type. A significant interaction (sex vs. sport type) for body dissatisfaction was also found, indicating that males in lean-promoting sports reported greater body dissatisfaction than males in non-lean-promoting sports. Body dissatisfaction did not differ significantly by division level, but Division I as compared to Division III athletes reported significantly greater sport competitiveness, trait mindfulness, self-esteem, and sport confidence. As body dissatisfaction is related to disordered eating, future research should aim to examine the longitudinal trajectory of body dissatisfaction in college athletes and how it relates to the development of eating disorders.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2017
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Title: AN APPLICATION OF PARETO-OPTIMALITY TO PUB"LIC SAFETY SELECTION DATA: ASSESSING THE FEASIBILITY OF OPTIMAL COMPOSITE WEIGHTING
Creator: Porter, Maxwell G.
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: This study examined the application of Pareto-optimal weighting schemes to real selection data from the public safety sector. Of particular...
Show moreThis study examined the application of Pareto-optimal weighting schemes to real selection data from the public safety sector. Of particular interest was the evaluation of how well Pareto-optimal weighting estimates approximate observed validity and adverse impact statistics when applied to selection data. Pareto-optimal methodology was applied to entry-level selection data from two U.S. municipalities in the public safety sector. Results indicate that Pareto-optimal estimates maintain robustness when compared to real selection outcomes. Specifically, near identically-shaped Pareto fronts were obtained when inputting both raw and corrected validity estimates, suggesting suitable sensitivity to varying input parameters. Practical challenges of implementing Pareto-optimal methods as well as the implications for adopting Pareto-optimal weights are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2016
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Title: POLITICAL ORIENTATION AS ASSOCIATED WITH STIGMATIZING AND AFFIRMING ATTITUDES TOWARD MENTAL ILLNESS
Creator: Powell, Karina J.
Date: 2013-02-04, 2013-05
Description: Stigma toward people with mental illness can have deleterious effects; employers avoid hiring them, landlords avoid renting to them, and...
Show moreStigma toward people with mental illness can have deleterious effects; employers avoid hiring them, landlords avoid renting to them, and negative attitudes are often a barrier to receiving quality health care. Literature on political ideology indicates that people tend to have fairly stable attitudes over time that are consistent with their political orientation. It is also the case that political ideology is an underlying factor of attitudes toward personal responsibility and hierarchical societal structure. Political ideology, as an underlying framework for attributing controllability through which many individuals view the world, is a demographic variable that needs to be further explored to more completely integrate variances into anti-stigma approaches. Pre-intervention data from a larger study assessing the effects of newspaper articles on attitudes about mental illness were utilized to examine the influence of political orientation on stigmatizing and affirming attitudes toward people with mental illness. Pearson product moment correlations between demographics, political orientation variables, stigmatizing attitudes, and affirming attitudes were conducted. Regression analyses were conducted to determine if political orientation or the interaction between political orientation and demographics are significantly related to stigmatizing attitudes. Results showed that political affiliation emerged as significant associated with pity, danger, blame, and anger when moderated by other demographics suggesting that endorsement of affiliation with a particular political party alone is not sufficient to emerge as related to stigmatizing attitudes, but rather varies at levels of other demographic variables.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2013
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Title: SELF DETERMINATION AND MEDICATION ADHERENCE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS
Creator: Sheehan, Lindsay
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: When people with serious mental illness fail to take prescribed psychiatric medications, they may be at risk for hospitalization or other...
Show moreWhen people with serious mental illness fail to take prescribed psychiatric medications, they may be at risk for hospitalization or other negative outcomes. One theoretical model for explaining medication adherence behavior is self-determination theory (SDT). According to SDT, autonomously motivated behaviors are more likely to persist than are behaviors motivated by external forces. For people with serious mental illness, psychiatrists, mental health providers, family and peers are all potential external influencers on medication-related decisions. However, interactions with mental health professionals around medication adherence may be perceived as coercive by people with mental illness and professionals may fail to adequately address valid concerns of mental health consumers. This study aimed to examine how perceived autonomy support (the degree to which people with mental illness view others as encouraging towards selfdirected medication decisions) is related to medication adherence. Sixty-six individuals with serious mental illness completed measures of self-reported medication adherence, motivation to take medication and the perceived autonomy support of psychiatrists, mental health providers, peers and family members. Perceived autonomy support failed to predict one month adherence for any of potential social influencers. However, global autonomy support and autonomy support of psychiatrists were related to both autonomous motivation and depressive symptoms, such that participants who felt more supported in making autonomous decisions cited more internally motivated reasons for taking medications and were less depressed.
Ph.D. in Psychology, May 2016
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Title: Serostatus Disclosure as a Predictor of Metal Health and Physical Health Among HIV-Seropositive Adults
Creator: Niel, Kristin
Date: 2011-05-09, 2011-05
Description: As estimated 1,200,000 people in the United States were living with HIV in 2009 (UNAIDS, 2010). African Americans have an incidence rate seven...
Show moreAs estimated 1,200,000 people in the United States were living with HIV in 2009 (UNAIDS, 2010). African Americans have an incidence rate seven times that of Caucasians. Research has shown that HIV-positive people have high levels of psychological distress (Cook et al., 2006); depression is the most frequently diagnosed disorder (Treisman, Angelino, & Hutton, 2001). Distress negatively impacts physical health (Comer, Henker, Kemeny, & Wyatt, 2000; Cruess et al., 2005) and medication adherence (Cook, et al., 2006; Mellins et al., 2002) in HIV-positive patients. Although disclosure of HIV-seropositivity can lead to increased social support (Armistead, Morse, Forehand, Morse, & Clark, 1999), it may also lead to social rejection, prejudice and increased distress (Cederfjall, Langius-Eklof, Lidman, & Wredling, 2001; Kalichman, DiMarco, Austin, Luke, & DiFonzo, 2003). This study examined 110 HIV-positive patients at an urban medical clinic. Patients completed self-report measures as part of a larger study investigating posttraumatic growth in HIV/AIDS. It was hypothesized that (a) more participants would disclose to friends and partners than to family; (b) participants who disclosed to more people would endorse fewer symptoms of distress; and (c) participants who disclosed to fewer people would be less likely to adhere to medical regimens and routinely attend medical appointments, and have poorer health outcomes. Distress was measured by Psychiatric Symptom Index (PSI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Viral load and CD4 cell counts were found in medical charts, and the AIDS Clinical Trails Group Adherence Follow-up Questionnaire measured adherence. Analyses reveal that 67.3% of participants disclosed to family, 55.5% to at least one partner, and 45.5% to friends. A negative association existed between full disclosure and IES Avoidance scale (r = -.20, p< .05). There were positive associations between disclosure to family and the PSI Depression Scale (r = .22, p < .05), Cognitive Disturbance Scale (r = .21, p < .05), and PSI Total Score (r = .22, p < .05), implying that disclosure to more groups of people may be associated with increases in psychological distress ratings. Implications of these findings are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2011
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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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Title: MEDIA AND PROCTORING EFFECTS ON THE MEASUREMENT EQUIVALENCE OF THREE PERSONALITY SCALES
Creator: Sawhney, Gargi
Date: 2011-05-09, 2011-05
Description: Due to the increased use of technology in administering psychological measures, there has been a growing interest in establishing measurement...
Show moreDue to the increased use of technology in administering psychological measures, there has been a growing interest in establishing measurement equivalence of personality measures across paper-and-pencil and computer-based conditions. The present study examined the measurement equivalence of three personality measures across three administration conditions: paper-and-pencil proctored, computer-based proctored, and computer-based non-proctored. Participants were 415 undergraduate students, who were randomly assigned to the three conditions and completed measures of competitiveness, engagement, and pride in productivity. Adequate fit was found for a three-factor measurement model within each of the three conditions. Results from multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated good configural, metric, and scalar equivalence, as well as invariant uniqueness across the three conditions. Practically speaking, observed means can be compared across the paper-and-pencil, computer-based proctored and computer-based non-proctored conditions. Results of this study are consistent with previous research that showed support for measurement equivalence across paper-and-pencil and computer-based modes of administration. Future research with larger samples and employees should attempt to extend our findings to high-stake contexts, such as employment settings.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2011
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Title: RATING GOALS IN PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: DEVELOPMENT OF AN INITIAL TAXONOMY AND MEASURE
Creator: Overfors, Christine M.
Date: 2012-12-04, 2012-12
Description: Rating employee performance is a common task undertaken by managers across most organizations with significant outcomes and complex...
Show moreRating employee performance is a common task undertaken by managers across most organizations with significant outcomes and complex antecedents. Efforts to understand the processes behind performance ratings have been the focus of substantial research within the performance appraisal domain. This study examined the structure of conscious rating goals pursued by managers when assigning ratings to employees by investigating an initial taxonomy of these goals based on both theoretical literature and managerial interviews. Additionally, a scale was developed as a means to effectively measure these goals to better address future research questions. The results from this preliminary work suggest four distinct rating goals endorsed by managers: Positive Development, Conflict Avoidance, Weaknesses and Consequences, and Equitable Treatment. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2012
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Title: DYNAMIC MEASUREMENT OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH JOB PERFORMANCE
Creator: Paruchuri, Samantha
Date: 2017, 2017-07
Description: Employee engagement originally gained popularity among practitioners in their efforts to improve organizational measures of performance. The...
Show moreEmployee engagement originally gained popularity among practitioners in their efforts to improve organizational measures of performance. The attention has turned to employee engagement as a means of facilitating improvement in individual performance outcomes, with the expectation that individual performance improvements will also improve organizational performance. However, with conceptual and definitional inconsistencies between practitioners and researchers, the construct of employee engagement requires further study to refine the construct and its relationship with job performance. This study provides a review of the literature to clarify the construct of employee engagement. Next, a dynamic measurement of the change in employee engagement and its relationship with outcome variables is tested. Evidence supporting a curvilinear relationship between employee engagement and job performance is presented. Specifically, similar employee engagement scores between two time points corresponded to higher job performance ratings and dissimilar scores corresponded to lower job performance rating. Change in employee engagement scores also corresponded to intentions to leave the organization. Contributions to existing literature, implications for research and practice, and directions for future research are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2017
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Title: EXAMINING HEALTHCARE UTILIZATION AMONG HOMELESS WOMEN: THE ROLES OF CHRONIC ILLNESS, PTSD RELATED SYMPTOMS, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT
Creator: Osborn, Amanda
Date: 2016, 2016-07
Description: Homeless women face many psychological and physical challenges to their health, but they often report underutilizing needed healthcare...
Show moreHomeless women face many psychological and physical challenges to their health, but they often report underutilizing needed healthcare services. This trend in healthcare utilization often leads to further health decline. Research has shown that chronic illness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related symptoms, and social support is associated with differential patterns in healthcare utilization. This study examined how healthcare utilization patterns of homeless women (N=317) related to these factors. The study tested six hypotheses. The first and second hypotheses predicted that increases in PTSD related symptoms and number of chronic health conditions would be associated with increases in healthcare utilization. The third hypothesis predicted that perceived support from friends would moderate the relation between PTSD related symptoms and healthcare utilization. The fourth hypothesis predicted that perceived familial support would not significantly moderate the relation between PTSD related symptoms and healthcare utilization. The fifth hypothesis predicted that perceived support from friends would also moderate the relation between number of chronic health conditions and healthcare utilization. The sixth hypothesis predicted that perceived familial support would not significantly moderate the relation between number of chronic health conditions and healthcare utilization. Results show the only significant predictor of healthcare utilization was the number of chronic health conditions, such that for each additional diagnosis there was a 17% increase in accessing healthcare utilization. Clinical implications, strengths, limitations, and future research are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2016
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Title: GENDER DIFFERENCES IN POSTCONCUSSIVE SYMPTOMS OF SPORT-RELATED CONCUSSIONS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Creator: Gretencord Roy, Ashley Aline
Date: 2016, 2016-07
Description: Current research on concussions indicates that both younger age and female gender are associated with a greater number of symptoms and a...
Show moreCurrent research on concussions indicates that both younger age and female gender are associated with a greater number of symptoms and a lengthier postconcussive recovery time. The aim of this research was to examine postconcussive symptoms (PCS) resulting from a sports-related concussion in both male and female children/adolescents. Data was collected using neuropsychology measures (Auditory Consonant Trigrams Test, Conners' Continuous Performance Test-2nd edition, Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing, Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement- Third Edition, and Behavior Assessment System for Children-2nd edition) and a neurological evaluation. Participants included 132 children/adolescents (10-18 years) who had sustained a sports-related concussion. Results indicated evidence of subtle, but clinically significant, impairments in executive functioning. This was particularly true for those with a premorbid attention, learning, and/or mood disorder. In addition, a history of previous concussions was associated with a higher number of reported cognitive PCS. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted for each of the dependent measures. As predicted, female gender was associated with increased executive dysfunction and a higher report of cognitive and emotional/behavioral PCS. Contrary to hypotheses, younger age was associated with less executive dysfunction and fewer reported cognitive PCS. No interaction between age and gender was identified. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2016
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Title: ASSESSING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TEACHER AND CHILD PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL SKILLS
Creator: Roberts, Christina M.
Date: 2012-11-26, 2012-12
Description: This study examined the effects of group membership on the perception of social skills by comparing discrepancies between self-ratings and...
Show moreThis study examined the effects of group membership on the perception of social skills by comparing discrepancies between self-ratings and teacher-ratings of social skills. Given that differences between groups are typically controlled for, profile comparisons of this kind are scarce in the current literature. In this study, social skills of children in third, fourth, and fifth grades (N=108) were rated both by the children and by their teachers. Results from the analysis of the data, using discrepancy scores on the Social Skills Inventory System (SSIS), suggest that significant group differences only exist between ratings of Latino and African American children and ratings by their teachers. Additionally, no significant differences were observed when examining groups by gender, Piagetian stage, and by child age. Implications indicate that ethnicity affects teacher perception of social skills.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2012
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Title: AFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: THE ROLE OF COUPLES’ EMOTIONS IN CARDIAC PATIENT HEALTH OUTCOMES
Creator: Pieczynski, Jessica
Date: 2011-12-12, 2011-12
Description: Research has found emotional expression is related to relationship satisfaction and cardiac health. The association between emotional...
Show moreResearch has found emotional expression is related to relationship satisfaction and cardiac health. The association between emotional expression and these outcomes within the context of couple interactions has not been studied. This study examined the role that positive and negative affect have on the relationship satisfaction and cardiac health of couples where one individual has a cardiac illness. Forty four couples were enrolled in the study and emotional expression was coded using naïve raters. The use of naïve raters was found to be reliable for measuring general emotional constructs, but not specific emotions. The results indicated that Empathic Engagement was associated with cardiac patient mental health and physical health, but did not significantly mediate the association between relationship satisfaction and mental health. Partners’ expression of Hostility and Affection were associated with patients’ relationship satisfaction. These results underscore the importance of targeting couples communication for cardiac interventions.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2011
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Title: IMPACT OF RELATIONSHIP FUNCTIONING AND PATIENT MOTIVATION ON ADHERENCE AND WEIGHT LOSS AFTER BARIATRIC SURGERY
Creator: Noth, Kathryn
Date: 2013, 2013-07
Description: Background: Bariatric surgery is the most successful intervention to treat severely obese individuals, yet there is significant variability in...
Show moreBackground: Bariatric surgery is the most successful intervention to treat severely obese individuals, yet there is significant variability in surgical outcome (Hsu et al., 1998, Sarwer, Wadden, & Fabricatore, 2005). Success primarily depends on patients’ ability to make and maintain recommended changes to their lifestyle after surgery. Patients’ ability to make and maintain changes to behavior is impacted by elements of the socioenvironmental context. Prior research on a number of different medical populations suggests that an individual’s partner or spouse may facilitate or hinder behavior change (Sher et al, 2011). Study Aim: The current study examined the role of relationship functioning on patients’ motivation for and adherence to health behavior changes and weight loss (%EWL) after bariatric surgery. Based on self-determination theory, it was hypothesized that better relationship functioning, higher levels of autonomous motivation to make lifestyle changes, and less emotional eating (EE) would be associated with better adherence and %EWL after bariatric surgery. Procedure: Participants were 111 women who had undergone a bariatric procedure at least 2 years prior to study participation and who were also in a monogamous relationship for at least six months. Participants completed a series of online questionnaires that assessed relationship functioning, motivation, EE, adherence to recommended changes after surgery, and %EWL. Results: Results indicated that better relationship functioning and higher levels of autonomous motivation were directly associated with better adherence to recommended changes postsurgery. Better adherence to recommended eating behaviors was related to higher %EWL, and both relationship functioning and autonomous motivation were indirectly x associated with %EWL through their impact on eating behavior adherence. Emotional eating was negatively associated with both %EWL and eating behavior adherence. Conclusions: These findings indicate that both individual (motivation, EE) and couples factors (relationship functioning) directly impact patient outcome after bariatric surgery. Clinical application, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
PH.D in Psychology, July 2013
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Title: POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH AMONG HIV-SEROPOSITIVE ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS
Creator: Niel, Kristin A.
Date: 2016, 2016-12
Description: An estimated 1,218,400 individuals in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS in 2014 (CDC, November 2015). In addition, 9,731 youth...
Show moreAn estimated 1,218,400 individuals in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS in 2014 (CDC, November 2015). In addition, 9,731 youth between the ages of 13 and 24 were newly diagnosed with HIV, with 81% of those diagnoses between ages 20 and 24. African-Americans accounted for 44% of new infections, with young gay and bisexual men accounting for 72% of new infections in all persons between 13 and 24. Research has suggested that a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS can be experienced as a trauma (Kelly et al., 1998; Nightingale, Sher, Mattson, Thilges, & Hansen, 2011). Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is characterized by significant, positive transformations that may occur in response to trauma and has been linked to improved mental and physical health among people living with cancer and adults living with HIV (Barskova & Oesterreich, 2009); however, these relations have not been sufficiently explored among youth living with HIV/AIDS. This study examined 71 HIV-seropositive youth at an urban medical clinic. It was hypothesized that (1) some youth would experience their HIV diagnosis as traumatic; (2) some youth would experience PTG; (3) higher levels of PTG would be associated with better health-related quality of life; (4) PTG would be positively associated with medical regimen adherence, and this relation would be mediated by serostatus disclosure; (5) PTG would be positively associated with physiological health, and this relation would be mediated by serostatus disclosure; and (6) the relation between serostatus disclosure and PTG would be moderated by social support satisfaction. Analyses revealed that 73.2% of participants experienced their diagnosis as traumatic, and 71.8% reported some level of PTG. A positive relation existed between PTG and the Social Relationships Domain of quality of life (β= .32, p < .01). Serostatus disclosure did not act as a mediator for the relations between PTG and adherence or health; however, there was a negative relation between disclosure and appointment attendance (β = -.46, p < .05). Finally, social support satisfaction moderated the relation between disclosure and PTG, such that the relation was stronger in those with average or high support satisfaction than those with lower satisfaction. Clinical and future research implications of these findings are discussed.
Ph.D. in Psychology, December 2016
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