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The Effects of Parental Substance Abuse on the Behavior of School Children (open access)

The Effects of Parental Substance Abuse on the Behavior of School Children

The purpose of the present archival study was to investigate the relationship between parental substance abuse and the risk for maladjustment and psychopathology in children in a clinic sample. Children of alcoholic parents and children of drug-dependent parents were compared to children of non-substance abusing parents. The subjects were 83 boys age 6 to 12. Children of substance abuse parents had lower levels of adaptive functioning and higher levels of school behavioral problems. Although previous studies have reported a strong association between an adverse family environment and the risk of child maladjustment, the present study did not find that the addition of an adverse family environment increased the risk for maladjustment or school behavioral problems in children of substance abusers.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Prelow, Hazel (Hazel M.)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluation of Transfer of Technical Training: A Prototype (open access)

Evaluation of Transfer of Technical Training: A Prototype

The degree of transfer of technical training to workplace behavior was evaluated using a Solomon Four-Group experimental design. Additionally, all groups received retrospective pretests. Subjects were 103 technicians in an electronics company. Supervisors rated technicians on behaviorally anchored rating scales which were developed and labeled as behavior description scales for simplicity. Analysis of variance revealed no effect for training nor pretest. A training-pretest interaction effect was revealed for one dimension (Communication with Support Groups). Analysis of covariance revealed main effects for pretesting for two dimensions (Problem Solving and Communication with Supervisor) and a pretest-training interaction-for one dimension (Problem Solving). Except for one dimension, t tests revealed no significant differences between traditional pretests and retrospective pretests, thus negating a hypothesized response shift bias.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Stubbs, Carol A. (Carol Ann)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Test Order Effects on Children's Rorschachs (open access)

Test Order Effects on Children's Rorschachs

Thirty-three children from a community sample, ages 5 to 13, were administered the Rorschach Inkblot Test, along with projective Draw-an-Animal and Draw-a-Person tasks and other psychological measures. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three test order conditions: Draw-an-Animal followed by the Rorschach, Draw-a-Person followed by the Rorschach, and Rorschach before any other projective test. The number of Human and Animal contents in the test records was examined. Analysis showed no significant differences among the three groups for production of the content variables, suggesting that the Rorschach Inkblot Test is relatively robust with respect to test order effects.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Coyle, Edward L. (Edward Louis), 1965-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Validity of the Health Belief Model as a Predictor of Activity in Younger and Older Adults (open access)

Validity of the Health Belief Model as a Predictor of Activity in Younger and Older Adults

The present investigation assessed Health Belief Model (HBM) variables and a measure of physical activity for both younger and older adults. Results of discriminant analyses suggest HBM variables and physical activity can predict age-group membership with 89% accuracy. The younger sample (n = 88; M= 21.5 years) was significantly more anxious about aging, perceived more barriers to exercise, less control from powerful others, and more social support than the older sample (n = 56; M = 71.8 years). For the younger sample, those who perceived more benefits of exercise, had social support, were male, and were less anxious about aging were more active. For the older sample, those who perceived more benefits of exercise were more likely to be active.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Weigand, Daniel A. (Daniel Arthur)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Angoff Method and Rater Analysis: Enhancing Cutoff Score Reliability and Accuracy (open access)

The Angoff Method and Rater Analysis: Enhancing Cutoff Score Reliability and Accuracy

At times called a philosophy and other times called a process, cutting score methodology is an issue routinely encountered by Industrial/Organizational (I/0) psychologists. Published literature on cutting score methodology appears much more frequently in academic settings than it does in personnel settings where the potential for lawsuits typically occurs more often. With the passage of the 1991 Civil Rights Act, it is no longer legal to use within-group scoring. It has now become necessary for personnel psychologists to develop more acceptable selection methods that fall within established guidelines. Designating cutoff scores with the Angoff method appears to suit many requirements of personnel departments. Several procedures have evolved that suggest enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the Angoff method is possible. The current experiment investigated several such procedures, and found that rater accuracy methods significantly enhance cutoff score reliability and accuracy.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Baker, Charles E., 1957-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intellectual Ability, Personality, and Vocational Interest as Predictors of Successful Job Performance in Restaurant Managers (open access)

Intellectual Ability, Personality, and Vocational Interest as Predictors of Successful Job Performance in Restaurant Managers

The history and use of tests of intellectual ability, personality, and vocational interest is briefly discussed as background for an exploratory study in the use of these instruments in predicting successful restaurant manager performance. Most previous research regarding managerial potential has focused on perceptions of managerial ability rather than on performance issues. Sixty-eight restaurant managers were tested in order to assess general intellectual ability, personality traits, and vocational interests as predictors of performance criteria. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that general intellectual ability, vocational match, masculinity, ascendance, and sociability would be positively correlated with effective job performance ratings. Results of the study did not confirm these predictions.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Olds, F. Ray
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparison of Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Tests in Adults (open access)

Comparison of Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Tests in Adults

Two continuous performance tests were administered to normal adult subjects. The mode of presentation (visual or auditory) and the type of task (vigilance or distractibility) were varied, and their effects on performance measured. Data were collected on eighty-two subjects, and results indicated that auditory presentation of stimuli increased the difficulty of both tasks. Results also suggest that the distractibility task administered in either mode was more difficult than the vigilance task. Intercorrelations among the four continuous performance tasks are provided. Normative data are presented on all four tasks administered. A measure of symptoms of attention-deficit disorder in adults, the Adult Behavior Checklist, was found to correlate significantly with another measure of pathology, the SCL-90-R.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Taylor, Cindy J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Job Satisfaction of Registered Nurses in a Patient Focused Care Team (open access)

Job Satisfaction of Registered Nurses in a Patient Focused Care Team

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the job satisfaction and motivating potential of nursing jobs would be higher for nurses using Patient Focused Care (PFC) compared with nurses not using PFC. Nurses from a large metropolitan hospital served as subjects. Data were collected using three instruments designed to measure job satisfaction and motivating potential. Those instruments were the Job Diagnostic Survey, the Job Descriptive Inventory, and the McCloskey/Mueller Satisfaction Scale. It was hypothesized that nurses working on PFC nursing units would demonstrate greater job satisfaction and motivating potential than nurses working on non-PFC nursing units. The hypotheses were not supported. Results were explained by, among other things, accounting for the nature of the instruments used. The two instruments which gave data counter to the hypothesized direction were not nursing-oriented.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Saiter, Mark R. (Mark Roberts)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Predicting Sexual Abuse by Analyzing Manifest Content of Thematic Material (open access)

Predicting Sexual Abuse by Analyzing Manifest Content of Thematic Material

The TAT protocols of 30 sexually abused female children and 30 female children with no documented history of abuse were analyzed using the Scoring Scheme for the TAT and Other Verbal Projective Techniques (Fine, 1955). No significant differences were found between groups on mean number of negative feelings portraited in the TAT stories. Similarly, no significant differences were found between groups on mean number of unfavorable outcomes to TAT stories. However, when specific feelings were considered, subjects in the sexual abuse group showed a significantly higher incidence of reference to guilt and sexuality. These results were independent of age, race, and intelligence.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Pistole, Debbie R. (Deborah Rene)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effects of an Intervention Program on Caregiver Coping Efficacy (open access)

Effects of an Intervention Program on Caregiver Coping Efficacy

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an intervention program for Alzheimer's patients on coping efficacy of their family caregivers. Using a pre-post repeated measures design, 16 family caregivers were interviewed before and after a medical, nursing, and social service intervention. Self-report measures, adjusted for caregiver satisfaction and caregiver mastery, were used to determine if there was a change in: resources, burden, and coping efficacy with caregiver specific and general life events. Results showed a marginal effect [F = 2.6, df(4,10), p<.10] for the omnibus MANCOVA. Most of this change was due to an increase in resources. Covariates of caregiver satisfaction and mastery were correlated with average burden. Results suggest that interventions such as this will be helpful for family caregivers of Alzheimer's patients.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Driskill, Gail
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Prototypical Analysis of Antisocial Personality Disorder: Important Considerations for the DSM-IV (open access)

A Prototypical Analysis of Antisocial Personality Disorder: Important Considerations for the DSM-IV

Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) represents a controversial diagnoses which has gone through many revisions over the past 25 years and is scheduled to be revised again for the DSM IV. A comprehensive survey was composed of APD criteria from the DSM II, DSM III, DSM III-R, PCL-R, Psychopathic Personality Disorder, and Dyssocial Personality Disorder. The survey was completed by 321 forensic psychiatrists based on which criteria they believed to be the most prototypical of antisocial personality. The results identified four factors: irresponsibility, unstable self image, and unstable relationships; manipulation and lack of guilt; aggressive behavior; and nonviolent juvenile delinquency. A diagnostic set composed of the most prototypical criteria was proposed for the DSM IV diagnosis of APD.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Duncan, Julianne Christine
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stressors, Resources, and Psychological Symptomatology for Family Caregivers of Alzheimer's Patients (open access)

Stressors, Resources, and Psychological Symptomatology for Family Caregivers of Alzheimer's Patients

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between life stressors, resources, and psychological symptomatology of 20 family caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. Stressors were categorized as stressors specific to the caregiving role and general life stressors. Resources were also categorized as resources specific to the caregiving role and general life resources. Multiple regression determined which stressors, resources, and demographic variables predicted psychological symptomatology. Specific stressors that were significant predictors included: caregiving events, caregiving event chronicity, and mean burden scores. Significant general stressors included: size of caregivers' household, non-caregiving events and non-caregiving event chronicity. Significant resources included: other caregivers, the duties other caregivers provided, and caregiver's educational level. No Other Demographic Variables were found to be significant predictors.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Bizzell, Laurie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Post-Traumatic Symptomatology in the Luby's Shooting (open access)

Post-Traumatic Symptomatology in the Luby's Shooting

The role of exposure to a human-made disaster and the subsequent development of post-traumatic stress reactions were examined. Subjects included 49 males and 30 females who were variously exposed to the Luby's shooting incident in Killeen, Texas in October of 1991. Post-traumatic stress symptomatology was measured by the SCL-90R. Exposure was operationalized by using a scenario-rating scheme with independent raters estimating each subject's level of exposure. A regression and commonality analysis revealed that exposure is an important predictor in post-traumatic symptomatology. Premorbid functioning and gender were also found to play important roles, with females expressing higher levels of symptomatology.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Adams, Pam, 1964-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Distress and Causal Attributions Associated with Caring for Family Members with Senile Dementia (open access)

Distress and Causal Attributions Associated with Caring for Family Members with Senile Dementia

A sample of 22 persons who care for relatives exhibiting initial symptoms of senile dementia were administered paper-and- pencil questionnaires to determine their level of subjective burden and psychological symptomatology. Each participant's attributional style was measured on an internal-external dimension, and their causal attributions regarding their relative's symptomatic behaviors were assessed. Results indicated that attributional style did not predict specific attributions about illness-related behaviors, but the tendency to not blame an afflicted relative for their behavior was predictive of subjective burden and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Subjective burden was found to predict feelings of hostility in caregivers.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Henschel, Peter W. (Peter William)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Seasonality of Birth in Schizophrenia in Taiwan (open access)

Seasonality of Birth in Schizophrenia in Taiwan

The phenomenon of seasonality of birth in schizophrenia is important in the study of the etiology of this mental disorder because it helps to give directions for further research. Patients' hospital files from 1981 to 1991 of two of the largest hospitals with psychiatric wards in Taiwan were reviewed, and dates of birth collected on 3346 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. After adjusting for the variations of the total monthly births in the population, an Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model was applied. Results support a seasonality phenomenon and indicate a disproportional excess of births in schizophrenia in the cold months (Nov. to Feb.) compared to the hot months (May to Aug.). These findings are compatible with many other studies in other countries and climates. Further investigations of season-related environmental factors in the etiology of schizophrenia are recommended.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Tam, Wai-Cheong Carl
System: The UNT Digital Library
Training Evaluation: Measuring the Benefits of Training with Levels of Behavioral Change (open access)

Training Evaluation: Measuring the Benefits of Training with Levels of Behavioral Change

Employee training is designed to help ensure successful achievement of business goals. Training's expense encourages the investigation of behavioral changes. The present study evaluated behavioral changes that occurred as a result of a Business Process training course. A performance rating measure was designed to assess the behaviors addressed in the course. A group of 52 people took the training. Performance was measured using a pretest, and then posttest three months later. A control group of 52 people also responded to the performance measure twice, without training. A second control group of 52 took a posttest only. MANOVA results showed a significant difference between change scores at the .001 level, indicating that the training did change behavior. The control group posttest scores differed somewhat between the two control groups, indicating a possible pretest effect.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Horner, Melissa A. (Melissa Amy)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship of Exercise Duration to Disordered Eating, Physical Self-Esteem, and Beliefs About Attractiveness (open access)

The Relationship of Exercise Duration to Disordered Eating, Physical Self-Esteem, and Beliefs About Attractiveness

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between exercise duration and level of disordered eating, physical self-esteem, and endorsement of societal mores about attractiveness. Two hundred twenty-nine female college students completed the Bulimia-Test Revised, the Physical Self Perception Profile, the Beliefs About Attractiveness Questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire. Subjects were classified into one of four levels of exercise duration based on the number of hours they reported engaging in planned exercise per week. Significant differences were identified among the four exercise groups in relation to physical self-esteem. The amount of exercise activity individuals engaged in per week, however, was not indicative of their eating disorder symptomatology or beliefs about attractiveness.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Helmcamp, Annette Marguerite
System: The UNT Digital Library
Autostereotypes and Acculturative Stress in Hispanic College Students: Implications on Self-Esteem and Achievement Motivation (open access)

Autostereotypes and Acculturative Stress in Hispanic College Students: Implications on Self-Esteem and Achievement Motivation

This study evaluated the impact of acculturative stress and negative autostereotypes on the level of self-esteem and achievement motivation among subgroups of Hispanic college students. Subjects were classified by generational level as Second-generation (i.e., foreign-born parents), or Other (i.e., first-generation, foreign-born individuals, and third-generation, foreign-born grandparents;). By country/region of origin, subjects were divided into Central-Americans, Puerto-Ricans, Mexican, Mexican-Americans, and South Americans. Results showed that acculturative stress may facilitate loss of self-esteem particularly in Second-generation individuals, while negative autostereotypic attitudes may actually increase the student's level of motivation for achievement, particularly in Mexican-American individuals. Also, country/region of origin overall influenced negative autostereotypic attitudes.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Fantoni, Patricia (Patricia Maria Angelica)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Body Image as Mediated by Age, Sex, and Relationship Status (open access)

Body Image as Mediated by Age, Sex, and Relationship Status

Traditionally, body image research has focused on young women. However, there are indications of cultural shifts which extend physical appearance pressures to both men and women, as well as to middle-aged and older adults. Two hundred and ten subjects were administered objective body image measures including the Figure Rating Scale, the Body Shape Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, as well as projective measures including the Holtzman Inkblot Technique and the Draw-A-Person. The NEO-Five Factor Inventory and the Social Anxiety Subscale were also used to explore variables which might covary with body image. A 3 X 2 X 2 Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was utilized with social desirability as the covariate.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Cooper, Caren C. (Caren Connie)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship between Self-Reported Bulimic Behavior and Cardiovascular Reactivity to a Weight Stressor (open access)

The Relationship between Self-Reported Bulimic Behavior and Cardiovascular Reactivity to a Weight Stressor

This investigation sought to identify anxiety responses to weight measurement, assessed by verbal report and cardiovascular reactivity CCR3 (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate), which might differentiate females with either high or low self-reported bulimic behavior. Secondar i ly,, the study attempted to examine specific autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal patterns of each group over time. The Bulimia Test (BULIT), Body Dissatisfaction Scale (BD), and a demographic questionnaire were administered to 105 undergraduate females at The University of North Texas. Based on BULIT scores, females were divided into high or low bulimic behavior groups. Of the 105 females screened, forty participated in the experiment which consisted of four phases: relaxation, anticipation of weight measurement, weight measurement, and recovery. Subjects had no prior knowledge of the weight stressor until presentation during the experiment. Results showed that subjects' notion of ideal weight was substantially lower than measured weight. During weight measurement, all subjects reported increased anxiety although the high group reported significantly more anxiety. Contrary to prediction, no significant group differences in CR were found when repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed. Orthogonal polynomial trend analysis was done with pooled groups, resulting in significant within-subject trends for …
Date: August 1993
Creator: Marcontell, Deborah K. (Deborah Kay)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Positive and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia and Their Neuropsychological Correlates (open access)

Positive and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia and Their Neuropsychological Correlates

The distinction of positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia was examined in relation to demographic, clinical and neuropsychological measures.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Tsang, Michael Hing-pui
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship of Separation and Attachment Processes of Late Adolescence to Career Decision-Making Obstacles (open access)

The Relationship of Separation and Attachment Processes of Late Adolescence to Career Decision-Making Obstacles

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of separation-individuation during late adolescence and obstacles to career decision making.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Polk, Nancy E. (Nancy Elizabeth)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ambiguity of Loss, Anticipatory Grief, and Boundary Ambiguity in Caregiver Spouses and Parents (open access)

Ambiguity of Loss, Anticipatory Grief, and Boundary Ambiguity in Caregiver Spouses and Parents

The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the effects of ambiguity of loss and type of caregiver-to-patient relationship on anticipatory grief, negative physical and psychological outcomes associated with grief, and boundary ambiguity in family caregivers of chronically ill patients. Questionnaires were completed by 23 parents of ill children and 30 spouses of ill mates. Using an original and a revised concept for level of ambiguity, partial support was found for the prediction that parents and spouses in high ambiguity of loss circumstances would report more anticipatory grief than those in low ambiguity ones. Contrary to prediction, a slight but nonsignificant trend occurred for parents and spouses in low ambiguity situations to report more negative physical and psychological effects associated with grief as well. Level of ambiguity was not found to impact boundary ambiguity as had been hypothesized. Spouses reported more boundary ambiguity than parents, regardless of level of ambiguity of the loss. Contrary to prediction that parents would report less anticipatory grief and more negative physical and psychological outcomes than spouses, generally, no significant differences were found between the two groups. However, using the original concept of ambiguity, parents did tend to recall more past grief than …
Date: August 1993
Creator: Rider, Jan, K. (Jan Kathleen)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Detecting Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: a Validation Study of Selected Screening Instruments (open access)

Detecting Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: a Validation Study of Selected Screening Instruments

The present study investigated the criterion-based validity of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination (CCSE), and the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (NCSE) in a sample of older adults with suspected cognitive impairment. As cognitive screening tests, the MMSE, CCSE, and NCSE should predict performance relative to a more thorough testing procedure. In the present study, performance on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery (HRNTB) was employed as the criterion measure. Scores on the General Neuropsychological Deficit Scale (G-NDS), a global performance measure computed from the HRNTB, served as the standard by which to judge the presence of cognitive impairment. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of each screening test, as well as how well each screening test correlated with the G-NDS, were investigated. Results of this investigation found that, although the MMSE, CCSE, and NCSE were all significantly correlated with the G-NDS, only the NCSE demonstrated an appropriate balance between high sensitivity and specificity. When a rigorous neuropsychological evaluation was employed as the criterion standard, the NCSE accurately detected the presence of cognitive impairment: in 82% of the cases. The MMSE and CCSE, however, failed to detect cognitive deficits in approximately 80% of the cases. These findings …
Date: May 1993
Creator: McBride-Houtz, Patricia (Patricia Ann)
System: The UNT Digital Library