Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Assessing The Impact Of Crisis Intervention Team (Cit) Training And Local Mental Health Resource Availability On Officer Perceptions Of Efficacy In Responding To The Mentally Ill, Chelsea Jordan Bennett

Theses and Dissertations

Police officers are often the first responders to emergency mental health and crisis situations, with almost one-third of all mental health referrals stemming from law enforcement interaction. As a result of deinstitutionalization, a large number of mentally ill individuals have become involved in the criminal justice system and brought to police attention, resulting in unnecessary arrests and an overrepresentation of individuals with mental illness in jail populations. Recent decarceration trends have now placed the focus on diverting individuals with mental illness into treatment. However, officers often lack the proper skills, training, and knowledge of how to interact with individuals with …

Closing The Achievement Gap: Analysis Of A Reading Academic Intervention In Conjunction With Integrated Social Services., Alejandra E. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

Educators, legislators, and social activists have long debated the most efficient way to address the high needs of students in Title I middle schools that stem from persistent inequalities in education due to generational poverty and racism. Social activists have proposed integrated social services as a means to remove barriers that prevent students from learning. Providing integrated social services in conjunction with academic reading interventions should efficiently aid in closing the achievement gap that exists from the inequalities in education. This study examines the effectiveness of implementing the Middle School Quality Initiative, a reading and literacy program, in conjunction with …

The Politics And Poetics Of Memory: Law And Temporality In Contemporary Egypt, Mayy El Sheikh

Theses and Dissertations

Eight years have passed since the 25th of January revolution in 2011 which succeeded in removing former President Hosni Mubarak after 30 years in power. Initially, the revolution was hailed for its promise of democratization and its anticipated positive impact the condition of human rights. Today, Egypt is under military authoritarian rule and the human rights situation is worse than it has ever been in the country's modern history. This thesis investigates the role of law in Egypt's current wave of tyranny and how it contributed to, rather than stood up against, the failure of the revolution's promise. This thesis …

Government Export Support Program In Egypt: Challenges And Influencing Factors, Ahmed Kamal Alhelewa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine the challenges and influencing factors of the Government Export Support Program (ESP) in Egypt. The program was initiated in 2002 with the aim of upgrading the value added of Egyptian exporters and strengthening their international market share. The research identifies twelve challenges categorized into two groups: 1) program design issues (service-based not result-based program, absence of strong monitoring and evaluation systems, a lack of a sustainability strategy, underrepresentation of private sector in the board of directors of the Export Development Fund, restricted support and rigid budget distribution, inappropriate response to different needs …

Macro And Micro-Level Determinants Of Life Insurance Consumption: A Case For Policy Intervention In Uganda., Doreen Nambafu

Theses and Dissertations

The importance of life insurance to the social and economic welfare of a country cannot be overemphasized. Life insurance does not only boost a nation’s financial investment sector, but it also ultimately creates a safety net for families. Despite the significant growth of the insurance industry in Africa over the years, the growth of the sector in Uganda continues to lag behind with a measly penetration rate of 0.8 percent. This low use of life insurance across Uganda raises questions about what determines life insurance consumption. This thesis addresses this concern through the application of a mixed methods approach—combining both …

Does Clicker Training Lead To Faster Acquisition Of Behavior For Dog Owners?, Brian J. Burton

Theses and Dissertations

Clicker training is a method of dog training that has increased in popularity over the past 20 years (Feng et al., 2017). However, while there has been an increased use of clicker training, studies examining the claims that clicker training leads to faster acquisition of new behavior (Skinner, 1951; Pryor, 1999) has only been investigated in a handful of studies with domesticated animals. In addition, all known published studies comparing a clicker-plus-food group to a food-only group have found no significant difference in acquisition of a novel behavior (Dorey & Cox, 2018; Feng et al. 2017), which suggests that a …

The Sound Of Bone: The Initial Testing And Analysis Of Sound As A Species Identification Method For Osteological Remains, Emily J. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

This paper represents a preliminary test to an alternative method of species remains identification, namely bone acoustics. It is hypothesized that human and non-human long bone remains of similar diameter produce different amplitudes of sound from one another, resulting in the ability to distinguish human remains from non-human remains.

The Effect Of The 2014-17 Refugee Crisis On The Sicilian Labor Market, Tamara Planer

Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the effects of the 2014-17 migration crisis on the Sicilian labor market. I find that low-skilled Italian men experienced declines in employment and workforce participation, and both low-skilled Italian men and women experienced increases in duration of non-employment. The effects on salaries were modest and largely insignificant.

All-Offender Ignition Interlock Laws & Dui Arrest Rates, Kathleen E. Soper

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines whether all-offender ignition interlock laws cause statistically significant decreases in DUI arrest rates. Data consist of state and county-level arrest totals over a 16-year period. A difference-in-differences regression model with fixed effects for entity and time is used for the analysis. Results are inconclusive.

School Psychologists’ Training And Practice Regarding Sexual And/Or Gender Minority Students, Ashley Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

As sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) youth are at-risk for discrimination and mental health problems, the purposes of this study were to document the state of SGM-related training and professional development for school psychologists, understand school psychologists’ engagement in SGM-related activities, and gain insight into barriers to engagement in those activities. Three data sources were analyzed: 145 syllabi from 35 school psychology graduate programs; 1,905 presentations from ten years of National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) annual conventions; and survey data from 205 school psychologists. SGM content was appropriately represented at NASP but not in graduate education. Most survey respondents …

Positive Family Intervention For Families Of Children With Fragile X Syndrome: Using Telehealth To Reduce Problem Behavior And Improve Maternal Mental Health Author(S): Carmen Ann Kemper Mootz, Carmen Ann Kemper Mootz

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Positive Family Intervention (PFI), delivered via teletherapy, for a family of a child diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome (FXS). PFI combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and positive-behavior support (PBS). A single-subject AB design was used across one participant to evaluate changes in observed problem behavior. Following nine weeks of baseline data collection, the participating mother was administered PFI via WebEx for eight 90-minute sessions, once per week. After the treatment was complete, three weeks of post-treatment follow-up data on problem behavior were collected from video- recordings. The participant uploaded …

Social Constraints As A Mediator Of The Relations Of Discrimination To Anger Expression In A Community Sample, Sahira Hamid

Theses and Dissertations

Research has consistently demonstrated that anger is the dominant emotional response following experiences of racial discrimination. Studying anger itself may not be sufficient because anger can be expressed in a variety of ways, therefore it is necessary to examine different forms of anger expression. I hypothesized that social constraint would mediate the relations between discrimination and anger expression. Social constraint in the context of discrimination refers to an individual’s perception that communication about episodes of discrimination will be invalidated or minimized by others (either the same race or other race individuals). Social constraint, in turn, may influence the expression of …

Finding Agreeableness: A Replication Of Its Lower Order Factor Structure And An Exploration Of Cognitive And Psychopathology, Gerald Armando Pantoja

Theses and Dissertations

Although some effort has been made to reach an empirical consensus on the structure of agreeableness (Crowe, Lynam, & Miller, 2017; Davies, 2014), research exploring how facets of agreeableness relate to important psychological outcomes is lacking. Two studies were conducted to address these issues. In Study 1, in a large sample of 722 participants, we carried out an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis on agreeableness items from the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP; Goldberg, 2006) to determine the lower-order structure of agreeableness and examined whether the facets were differentially related to cognitive outcomes. In Study 2, in an …

Examining Start Times Among Schools In New York State: Patterns, Rationale, And Implications, Danielle Lundgren

Theses and Dissertations

School start times have a significant impact on students’ academic (Keller et al., 2015; Kelley et al., 2017; Lewin et al., 2017), social/emotional (Wahlstrom et al., 2017), and behavioral functioning (Keller et al., 2017). This present study examined the patterns, rationale, and implications for school start times among schools within New York State (NYS). School principals/CEOs completed a survey that included various questions about their school and start times, with additional data collected from the NYS Education Department website. Overall, this study found that a majority of schools in NYS start before 8:30 a.m. Factors rated to contribute most greatly …

Moving Up The Pipeline: Factors Associated With Interest In School Psychology Programs, Amrita Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the growing number of minority students in U.S. public schools, only a small percentage of school psychology graduate students, trainers and practicing school psychologists identify themselves as racial minorities. Analyses were conducted on 512 responses to a national survey that investigated demographic and other qualitative factors that are associated with interest in school psychology master’s and doctoral programs. Additionally, analyses were also conducted to examine demographic differences that exist between undergraduate students interested in PsyD versus PhD school psychology programs. The study aimed to investigate whether there was: (a) a significant relationship between doctoral interest and higher household incomes, …

Humor As A Moderator Of Neuroticism’S Effect On Psychopathology And Life Satisfaction, Adir Pinchot

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research studies evaluated self-enhancing humor (also referred to as coping humor) as a coping strategy that enables an individual to better manage the negative emotions elicited by external stressors. Research has not, however, adequately considered the role that humor may play for neurotic individuals who are characterized by a propensity to experience stress and negative emotions and are, therefore, more susceptible to developing depression, anxiety, and low life satisfaction. Nor has research adequately explored how self-enhancing humor interacts with the maladaptive form of self-directed humor, namely, self-defeating humor. This study attempts to address these lacunae by analyzing whether self-enhancing …

The Effects Of Interpersonal Discrimination On Social Cognition And Depressive Symptoms, Emilia Eva Mikrut

Theses and Dissertations

Interpersonal racial/ethnic discrimination is a risk factor for poor psychological well-being, including symptoms of depression. Emerging research suggests that changes in social cognition, including relational schemas about the self and others that facilitate navigation of the social world, may be one mechanism underlying the relation between exposure to discrimination and psychological distress. Prior studies have often examined the mediating role of one or two negative relational schemas in isolation. However, less is known about the unique and combined effects of multiple dimensions of social cognition on the relation between exposure to interpersonal racial/ethnic discrimination and depressive symptoms. This study tested …

Colonial Trauma And Testimony In Mary Shelley’S Frankenstein And Jamaica Kincaid’S Autobiography Of My Mother, Leana Rene

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will examine Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle to examine the colonial trauma and loss found in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Jamaica Kincaid’s Autobiography of My Mother, not just on a character level, but in a much larger colonial context. Some scholars have suggested that Shelley’s monster is a symbol of a colonized other (due to his appearance and certain features he has). Kincaid’s Xuela is for sure a colonized other because of the heritage of her mother. This thesis explores their abandonment by their creators as the abandonment of colonized nations from their colonizers. Even now, formerly colonized …

Relation Of Conscientiousness, Hostility, And Negative Affect To Blood Pressure Measured In An Unrestriced And In A Restriced Condition: Supplemental Analyses Of Data Generated From Hypertension Optimal Treatment (Hot Study)., Samantha Vazquez

Theses and Dissertations

he relationship between personality and blood pressure (BP) was examined under two conditions. Six hundred and sixty-six participants were selected from the original HOT study data set and asked to complete the Big Five Inventory, Cook Medley Hostility Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. The two conditions were enrollment blood pressure, when the treatment of BP was unrestricted and qualifying blood pressure, when treatment of BP was restricted. Results revealed that conscientiousness had a strong relation to blood pressure in both conditions but had a stronger relation to blood pressure in the unrestricted condition. Hostility and negative affect …

Cognitive Performance In A Retired Nfl Population: Does Position Played And Racial Identity Impact Cognition?, Kimberly Chantelle Diah

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive functioning is integral to everyday life as it involves mental processes crucial to everyday survival. Over the last decade, there has been increasing focus and controversy surrounding concussions sustained by players in popular contact sports. This attention has sparked national debates that continue to polarize both the sports and scientific communities on the long-standing neuroanatomical, cognitive, and psychiatric challenges that many retired NFL players experience later in life (Alosco et al., 2017; Hart et al., 2013). While studies have been conducted on the predictors of long-term neuropsychiatric and psychosocial outcomes following a traumatic brain injury, there are few studies …

Psychometric Analyses Of A Comprehensive Neuropsychological Battery For Retired Nfl Players, Kimberly Ethridge Fitzgibbon

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined psychometric properties of the NFL Concussion Battery used to examine neuropsychological functioning in retired NFL players who were part of the NFL’s concussion settlement. This battery assesses multiple areas of cognitive functioning; executive functioning, language, processing speed, attention and memory. The study included 117 participants who were male with at least 16 years of education. The sample was 75.9% African-American and average age was 47. All participants completed the entire battery and passed the majority of effort measures. Those that did not pass the majority of effort measures or complete the entire battery were excluded.

T-test analyses …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory In An Ethnically Diverse Sample, Elizabeth Machado

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was designed to confirm the factor structure and to assess the psychometric functioning of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) in an ethnically diverse clinical sample using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Rasch modeling. The sample included 221 children and adolescents (72% male and 28% female) whose mothers completed the ECBI. Related to ethnicity, 43.4% of the sample was Hispanic American (HA), 41.2% was European American (EA), 12.2% was African American, and 3.2% identified as “other.”

Dimensionality of the ECBI was explored using CFAs and by evaluating model fit criteria. An Andrich Rating Scale Model was employed to …

Understanding The Distinctive Presentations Of Therapist Countertransference With Cluster B Personality Disorders, Sara Ashley Florence

Theses and Dissertations

Countertransference is one of several therapist variables that have been demonstrated to impact the quality of the therapeutic alliance. CT that is understood and managed by the therapist has the potential to serve as a tool in better understanding the patient, which puts the therapist in a better position to intervene therapeutically. CT that are emotionally charged can be more difficult to manage, and CT reactions tend to be especially emotionally intense when working with patients with Cluster B personality disorders (PDs). A better understanding of specific CT reactions to each Cluster B PD might aid in diagnosis and treatment …

The Effects Of Sleep Restriction On Biological, Psychological, And Neurocognitive Measures Of Health, Margaret S. Lorenzetti

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic sleep restriction impacts a significant proportion of the population, even though health is optimized following a minimum of seven hours of sleep. A preponderance of the literature examining the effects of sleep loss focuses on males and total sleep deprivation. Sleep restriction paradigms provide more ecological validity, as they are more consistent with sleep loss characterized in epidemiological studies. Moreover, enhancing the understanding of sleep loss among women, who are generally the gender most likely to encounter negative health as a result of poor sleep quality, is crucial. Thus, this investigation aimed to examine sleep restriction amongst a female …

Toward A Biopsychosocial Model Of Obesiy: Can Psychological Well-Being Be The Bridge To Integration?, Alexia Holovatyk

Theses and Dissertations

The complications associated with obesity are some of the most pressing health concerns facing the United States. At present, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer are some of the leading causes of death, and researchers have cited obesity as one related factor (NIH, 2000). The topic of obesity has typically been approached through two seemingly contradictory lenses: The biomedical model that views obesity as a disease risk factor (e.g. Huxley, Mendis, Zheleznyakov, Reddy, & Chan, 2010) and the psychosocial model that considers the stigma associated with obesity to be more harmful than weight itself (e.g., Hatzenbuehler, Keyes, & …

Integrating Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Processes With Information-Processing Theory In Anxious Early Adolescents, Gilly Kahn

Theses and Dissertations

The social information-processing (I-P) model states that cognition assumes several cognitive steps (encoding, interpretation, response access, and selection). It has been shown that anxious youth display deficits or distortions at various stages of the social I-P model. In response to ambiguous situations, they show threat perception and interpretation biases, choose maladaptive responses, and engage in greater levels of avoidance than do non-anxious youth. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an empirically-supported treatment for anxious youth. It aims to increase mindfulness, acceptance, and cognitive defusion, and to decrease experiential avoidance. The mechanisms explaining the effectiveness of ACT processes suggest that they …

A Novel Cognitive Stress Test For The Detection Of Early Alzheimer’S Disease In African Americans, Kimberly Capp

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. population is currently undergoing a major demographic transition, with increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the older adult population. As the growing population of older adults advances in age, memory complaints are projected to increase in prevalence particularly among African Americans and present a challenge to clinicians who must differentiate between normal aging and progressive neurocognitive conditions (Celsis, 2000; Sherwin, 2000). As targeted therapeutic interventions and emerging therapies for AD are much more likely to be effective in the earlier stages of the disease (Loewenstein, Curiel, Duara & Buschke, 2017), early assessment and detection of AD, especially in …

Breaking Away: The Role Of Homeostatic Drive In Perpetuating Depression, Jonathan Tory Toole

Theses and Dissertations

The brain can be considered a complicated system of feedback mechanisms that maintain physiological homeostasis. Through psychological activity, neurochemicals act as homeostatic regulators. This study proposes that these components are part of a regulatory system that is capable of supporting multiple homeostatic regimes that, in turn, give rise to self-sustaining psychological behaviors. This project hypothesizes that such alternate regulatory programs may play a role in perpetuating psychological dysfunction. Interactions within and between components of the neurotransmitter network are represented as a set of discrete logic circuits. Neurotransmitter levels are linked to psychological constructs such as depression based on current literature. …

Exploration Of The Wechsler Memory Scale Fourth Edition (Wms-Iv) Designs Content And Spatial Memory Scales, Maya Pinjala

Theses and Dissertations

The Designs subtest was newly added as a measure of visual memory to the Wechsler Memory Scale, 4th edition (WMS-IV). This study examined this measure in a mixed clinical sample (n = 158). Specifically, the aim of the study was to evaluate the publishers’ claims that the Designs test assesses both visual content (“what”) and spatial (“where”) memory, as these functions are processed within distinct neurological systems. To date, no studies have specifically examined the individual Content and Spatial scores in relation to other neuropsychological variables. The purpose of this study was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the …

Ptsd And Immunological Correlations Of Attention And Working Memory In Gulf War Illness, Mary Jeffrey

Theses and Dissertations

Gulf War Illness (GWI) impacts 25 to 32 percent of those deployed in the 1991 Gulf War (White et al., 2016) and includes symptoms related to fatigue and mood/neurological disturbances. Therefore, it is difficult to ascertain the influence of trauma exposure and chemical exposure when investigating neuropsychological symptoms. This cross-sectional study utilized a group of veterans with and without GWI (n=61) to investigate: 1) the unique impact that GWI has on a survey measure of attention and memory or the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). We also investigated how PTSD symptoms, followed by fatigue levels, improved the GWI model …