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Assessing the Psychological Impact of Fertility Treatment (open access)

Assessing the Psychological Impact of Fertility Treatment

This controlled descriptive study was designed to investigate the psychological status of couples who are engaged in advanced fertility treatments. A battery of psychological test instruments, including the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI), the Health Attribution Test (HAT), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS), was used to measure psychological variables that have been shown in the infertility research literature to be associated with the psychological experiences of infertility patients. The scores from the four assessment instruments were compared with those of pregnant couples in childbirth education classes to differentiate the impact of stress associated with fertility treatment from the stress experienced by third trimester pregnant couples. Eighty-five subjects (42 male and 43 female) volunteered for the study and completed packets of questionnaires. The groups were designated Treatment (infertile couples) and Control (pregnant couples). The resulting data were collected and analyzed on the basis of group mean scores on the test instruments.
Date: August 1997
Creator: McKenna, Kenneth A. (Kenneth Allen)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Assessment of Malingering in a Jail Referral Population : Screening and Comprehensive Evaluation (open access)

Assessment of Malingering in a Jail Referral Population : Screening and Comprehensive Evaluation

Psychological assessment of mentally disordered offenders requires a systematic consideration of response styles, including malingering and defensiveness. Important components of these evaluations are standardized diagnostic interviews. However, the ability of offenders to feign mental disorders on such measures to achieve such external incentives as treatment, placement on safer units, or possible release from jail remains uninvestigated. With a known-groups comparison with the data from the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms as a criterion, 24 suspected malingerers were compared to 64 genuine patients on the Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS), the abbreviated SADS-C, the Suicide Probability Scale, and the Referral Decision Scale.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Ustad, Karen L. (Karen Lee)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clinical Correlates of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) for a Male Delinquent Population (open access)

Clinical Correlates of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) for a Male Delinquent Population

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was one of the most widely used psychological tests administered to adolescents. The MMPI-A is a revised version of the MMPI that was developed specifically for adolescents. The purpose of this study is to establish clinical correlates for the MMPI-A standard scale codetypes.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Cashel, Mary Louise
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cluster Analysis of the MMPI-2 in a Chronic Low-Back Pain Population (open access)

Cluster Analysis of the MMPI-2 in a Chronic Low-Back Pain Population

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is the most frequently used psychological measure in the assessment of chronic pain. Since the introduction of the MMPI-2 in 1989 only two published studies have focused on cluster analysis of chronic pain patients. This study investigated MMPI-2 cluster solutions of chronic low-back pain patients. Data was collected from 2,051 chronic low-back pain patients from a multidisciplinary pain clinic in the southwestern United States. A hierarchical clustering procedure was performed on K-corrected T-scores of the MMPI-2 using the three validity and ten clinical scales. Four relatively homogeneous subgroups were identified for each sex with the MMPI-2. In general, these results replicated the findings of previous researchers using both the MMPI and MMPI-2.
Date: December 1997
Creator: DeBeus, Roger J. (Roger John)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Cognitive and Emotional Correlates of Neglect in School Age Children (open access)

The Cognitive and Emotional Correlates of Neglect in School Age Children

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive and emotional functioning of neglected, physically abused, and clinical control children between six and thirteen years of age who were referred for testing at the Dallas Child Guidance Clinic.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Elisens, Merrie M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cognitive Dysfunction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (open access)

Cognitive Dysfunction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The purpose of the study was to determine the point prevalence of cognitive dysfunction in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to investigate its association with corticosteroids and depression. The severity of dysfunction and the pattern of cognitive changes were examined. This study hypothesized that cognitive dysfunction is common in SLE and many previous studies have underestimated its prevalence, partially due to using limited neuropsychological batteries and insensitive test instruments. It was further hypothesized that the pattern of cognitive changes in SLE patients will resemble that observed in subcortical dementias.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Niemela-Waller, Kirsi (Kirsi M.)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparing Quality of Life: American and Portuguese Cancer Patients with Hematological Malignancies (open access)

Comparing Quality of Life: American and Portuguese Cancer Patients with Hematological Malignancies

The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences and similarities of quality of life (QoL) in American and Portuguese cancer patients with hematological malignancies as well as the robustness of the measures cross-culturally. Portuguese participants were 98 patients and 49 accompanying persons and the American participants were 55 patients and 22 accompanying persons. Fifty (Portuguese sample) to 40% (American sample) of the patients came with an accompanying person who answered the questionnaire concerning the patient's QoL. The two cultural groups were characterized in terms of QoL (measured by the SF-36 and the FLIC), social support (Social Support Scale), socio-demographic and clinical variables. Portuguese patients reported a higher QoL. However, this result could be attributable to the fact that the two cultural samples differ in socio-economic status. The measures seem to be comparable for the Portuguese and American samples, at least in what concerns reliability and concurrent validity.
Date: December 1997
Creator: Forjaz, Maria João
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparing the Personal Lives of Psychotherapists and Research Psychologists (open access)

Comparing the Personal Lives of Psychotherapists and Research Psychologists

Although the personal life of the therapist has been a topic of interest for nearly sixty years there is still a paucity of research in this area. There is also a lack of research into the personal lives of researcher psychologists. In this study 282 psychologists (151 researchers and 131 therapists) who attended regional meetings and seminars sponsored by professional psychological associations in Texas were sampled. Job stressors, personal problems and health concerns, relaxation techniques, life satisfaction, and work impact on personal life were some of the areas examined. The most important stressors associated with research were excessive teaching responsibilities, pressures associated with funding and lack of time for a personal life. For therapists the most important stressors associated with work were suicide attempts by clients, clients showing resistance, and clients being angry. Therapists reported more concerns related to anxiety, depression, and family problems than researchers. Both groups chose exercise/sports and movies/television as their most common methods for relaxation. Therapists were three times more likely to have been in therapy than researchers and once in therapy reported six times the number of hours. Researchers reported less childhood abuse than therapists. However, therapists were more satisfied with their current life, indicating …
Date: December 1997
Creator: Radeke, JoAnn Taylor
System: The UNT Digital Library
Compulsive Sexual Behavior and Personality Characteristics : A Comparative Analysis (open access)

Compulsive Sexual Behavior and Personality Characteristics : A Comparative Analysis

The purpose of the present study was to compare the scores of the Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Coopersmith Inventory of heterosexual men with compulsive sexual behavior (N = 22), homosexual men with compulsive sexual behavior (N = 19), heterosexual men without compulsive sexual behavior (N = 38), and homosexual men without compulsive sexual behavior (N = 8). The Sex Addiction Screening Test was used to determined placement in a group. Findings revealed men who exhibit compulsive sexual behavior are significantly more depressed, experience lower self-esteem and have higher state anxiety (situational) than controls.
Date: December 1997
Creator: Austin, Christopher Joe
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Construct Validation Study of the Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY) Using an Incarcerated Juvenile Population (open access)

A Construct Validation Study of the Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY) Using an Incarcerated Juvenile Population

The Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY) is a recently developed, multiscale assessment instrument designed specifically for adolescents between the ages of nine and 18. The purpose of this archival study was to establish clinical correlates for the PIY scales. PIY profiles were collected from 100 juvenile files at the Gainesville State School and examined in conjunction with the Child Assessment Scale (CAS) and the Personal Attitude Scale (PAS) to provide evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Results indicate modest to moderate convergent validity according to Campbell and Fiske's criteria for construct validity; however, discriminant results indicate considerable overlap among traits which are not expected to be highly correlated.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Liff, Christine Denise
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Continuation in the Defining of the Construct of Optimism (open access)

A Continuation in the Defining of the Construct of Optimism

One hundred twenty-two undergraduate students at the University of North Texas were administered several different optimism scales and also measures of similar constructs such as hope. Results indicated that most measures of optimism show only low to moderate intercorrelations with other measures of the same construct. Additionally, factor analysis confirmed that the measures of optimism actually appear to be assessing multiple factors and not necessarily optimism alone. Implications of the present study include the necessity of individual researchers to be familiar with the specific measure of optimism used in a given study as scores on differing measures of optimism may actually be providing very different information.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Hinze, Travis Wayne
System: The UNT Digital Library
Detection of Malingering on Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices and the Booklet Category Test (open access)

Detection of Malingering on Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices and the Booklet Category Test

The capacity of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) and the Booklet Category Test (BCT) to discriminate between groups of brain-injured, simulated malingering, and normal participants was investigated in this study. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to examine the differences between groups categorized as sophisticated and naive fakers. Clinical decision rules and discriminant function analyses were utilized to identify malingerers. Clinical decision rules ranged in hit rates from 41% to 78%, in sensitivity from 2% to 100%, and in specificity from 86% to 100%. Discriminant functions ranged in hit rates from 81% to 86%, in sensitivity from 68% to 73% and in specificity from 82% to 87%. Overall, the least helpful detection method examined was below chance responding on either measure, while the most efficient was gross errors for SPM.
Date: December 1997
Creator: Isler, William C. (William Charles)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Differences in Parenting Stress Between Parents of Children with ADHD, Children with Internalizing Behavior Problems, and Non-Referred Children (open access)

Differences in Parenting Stress Between Parents of Children with ADHD, Children with Internalizing Behavior Problems, and Non-Referred Children

Recently, researchers have begun to explore the associated impacts of ADHD on parent and family functioning, with an increasing focus on parenting stress. Accumulating empirical evidence is mixed, suggesting that parents of children with ADHD report increased levels of parenting stress when compared to parents of children with learning disabilities, and parents of non-referred children, but report equally stressful parenting levels when compared to parents of children with externalizing behavior problems. Results of the present study comparing reported parenting stress levels between parents of children with ADHD, children with internalizing behavior problems, and nonreferred children, were partially supportive of results found in past studies indicating higher levels of parenting stress among parents of children with ADHD. However, strong gender effects were found between mothers and fathers, which mediated the overall results.
Date: December 1997
Creator: Conte, Deborah A. (Deborah Ann)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Does Unemployment Become a Major Stressor in the Evolution of Chronic Pain? (open access)

Does Unemployment Become a Major Stressor in the Evolution of Chronic Pain?

Pain has been described as the most complex human experience and most frequent reason patients seek medical treatment. Few people fail to experience the pain associated with disease, injury, or medical/surgical procedures. However, the impact of unemployment that results from chronic pain suffering has not been widely researched. To present a comprehensive view of the effect unemployment has upon the chronic pain experience, this study focused upon stress philosophy, chronic pain, employment, and coping effectiveness. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a Personal Data Questionnaire (PDQ) were administered to 96 persons (four groups of 24 subjects) representing either unemployed or employed and either chronic or non-chronic (acute) pain populations.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Rumzek, Harold A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effects of Performance Levels of Subject Matter Experts on Job Analysis Outcomes (open access)

Effects of Performance Levels of Subject Matter Experts on Job Analysis Outcomes

Much research has been undertaken to determine how Subject Matter Expert characteristics affect job analysis outcomes. The current study seeks to discover if performance levels are related to current incumbents ratings of their positions. A group of 114 corporate associates, from two administrative positions, served as Subject Matter Experts (SME) for this study. Separate job analyses for each position were conducted using the Job Analysis Task Checklist. The results for each job were analyzed to determine if SME performance levels affected job analysis outcomes. The results for both jobs showed that there were very few differences in job analysis results as a function of SME performance levels.
Date: December 1997
Creator: Boyd, Charlotte Friedersdorff
System: The UNT Digital Library
Elaboration and Content Analysis of Conceptual Structure in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (open access)

Elaboration and Content Analysis of Conceptual Structure in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Three recent studies attempted to substantiate Sewell and Cromwell's (1990) theory of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) based on personal construct theory (Kelly, 1955). One crucial aspect of the model that was tested in each of the studies is "elaboration," which is the process of bringing more of a person's repertoire of understanding (constructions) to a certain experience to give it meaning. Elaboration is representative of whether or not the individual is using an integrated set of constructs to deal with a traumatic event. A two-part study (1) reanalyzed existing data to assist in understanding discrepancies in past findings, and (2) content analyzed constructs given by subjects in all three studies. Findings concerning elaboration remained somewhat discrepant but suggested possible differences when investigating the emergent versus submerged poles of constructs.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Moes-Williams, Amy J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Elementary School Teachers' Responses to Potential Child Abuse (open access)

Elementary School Teachers' Responses to Potential Child Abuse

This study was designed to evaluate: (a) teachers' behavior when they are confronted with potential cases of child abuse and (b) the information teachers require to make accurate decisions regarding the reporting of suspected child abuse. Teachers were presented with three vignettes describing cases of varying levels of suspected maltreatment, and different amounts of additional information. They were then asked to indicate how likely they would be to report the case to Child Protective Services (CPS). It was expected that reporting behavior would increase as available information increased. The results generally did not support this hypothesis. No significant impact on reporting behavior was found when teachers were presented with either the symptom list or the legal interpretation; however, there was a trend toward an interaction with the level of abusive indications in the case. These results are discussed in the context of the need for further training.
Date: May 1997
Creator: Driskill, Julie D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Evaluation of Therapeutic Horseback Riding Programs for Adults with Physical Impairments (open access)

An Evaluation of Therapeutic Horseback Riding Programs for Adults with Physical Impairments

The purpose of this study was to assess the outcome of a therapeutic horseback riding program on physically disabled.
Date: May 1997
Creator: Tomaszewski, Sarah E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Explanatory Style and College Performance in Students with Physical Disabilities (open access)

Explanatory Style and College Performance in Students with Physical Disabilities

Seventy students (38 with physical disabilities and 32 without physical disabilities) were matched on age (a criterion of ± 4 years was used) and sex. Members of both groups, Persons With Physical Disabilities (PWPD) and those Persons Not Physically Disabled (PNPD), were asked to complete the University Services Inventory, Academic Goals Questionnaire, Academic Attributional Style Questionnaire (AASQ), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to determine how these variables were related to explanatory style (ES, as determined by AASQ scores). ES has its origins in the reformulated learned helplessness model (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978). According to this model, individuals who made attributions that were internal-stable-global (pessimistic ES) were more likely to experience mood and behavior deficits in the wake of bad events. The present study examined college achievement (GPA), utilization of university services, goal specificity, goal efficacy, and responses to academic setbacks, as these variables were related to ES. Additionally, ES scores were examined with regards to differences in gender and disability status (both between different disability groups and between individuals with and without physical disabilities).
Date: August 1997
Creator: Martinez, Ramiro, 1964-
System: The UNT Digital Library
External and Internal Influences on Congruence Between Sexual Attitudes and Behavior (open access)

External and Internal Influences on Congruence Between Sexual Attitudes and Behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the hypotheses that the external factors of family environment, gender, and clinical status and the internal factors of self-esteem and impression management would have either a positive influence or a negative influence on individuals' congruence between their sexual attitudes and their sexual behavior. The hypotheses that the external and internal factors would be significant predictors of congruence between sexual attitudes and behavior were not supported by regression analyses. Clinical status and impression management were significant predictors of congruence but in the opposite direction than hypothesized. When age was factored out of the regression equation, clinical status was no longer a significant predictor of congruence. However, impression management remained a significant predictor of congruence.
Date: December 1997
Creator: Brewer, Laura C. (Laura Catherine)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hemispheric Interactions and Event-Related Potentials in Lateralized Stroop and Stroop Analog Tasks (open access)

Hemispheric Interactions and Event-Related Potentials in Lateralized Stroop and Stroop Analog Tasks

Classical Stroop stimuli and newly developed face/word Stroop analog stimuli were used to investigate hemispheric interactions in Stroop interference effects (SEs) and corresponding event-related potentials (ERPs). Lateralized stimuli were presented unilaterally and bilaterally as congruent or incongruent color strip-word or face-word pairs (to invoke right hemisphere (RH) and left hemisphere (LH) specialization, respectively, in the latter case). The common finding for such tasks is that responses for the congruent condition are faster and more accurate than for the incongruent condition (i.e., the SE). A primary prediction is that the SE will be maximized when both the distractor and target components, or distractor alone, are presented to the specialized hemisphere (i.e., LH for words and RH for faces). A total of 88 right-handed University of North Texas students participated in one of four experiments. Participants manually responded to one component of the stimuli (i.e., color, face, or word), while ignoring the other. Behaviorally, participants showed a robust SE across all experiments, especially for the face/word task with word targets. Findings from the face/word Stroop analog tasks also indicated that SEs were produced by selective attention to either faces or words, implicating a role for top-down (controlled) processes. Hemispheric asymmetries were observed …
Date: December 1997
Creator: Kavcic, Voyko
System: The UNT Digital Library
Identity Status and Adjustment to Loss Among Adolescents (open access)

Identity Status and Adjustment to Loss Among Adolescents

The purpose of the present investigation was to explore the relationship of the adolescent experience of parental death to the variables of identity formation, adjustment, and coping. The inclusion of adolescents who had experienced parental divorce and those who had not experienced either loss condition allowed for group comparisons.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Servaty, Heather L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Impact of TAT Card Selection on Evaluation of Object Relations Functioning Following Childhood Physical Abuse (open access)

Impact of TAT Card Selection on Evaluation of Object Relations Functioning Following Childhood Physical Abuse

The purpose of this study is to show principles of TAT card pull are applicable to object relations theory, and card pull effects are greater in subjects with greater impairments. Stories of physically abused and control child and adolescent subjects were evaluated on object relations scales of the SCORS (Westen et al., 1985). Scores varied systematically as a function of card stimulus characteristics. Analysis of scales assessing internalization of self supported stimulus inhibition interpretation while scales measuring views of others or individual affective experiences advanced stimulus pull explanation. Abused individuals' response patterns were similar to controls except on CR. Results of this study may increase TAT utility for evaluating object relations functioning by guiding card selection.
Date: May 1997
Creator: Grissett, Dana L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Increasing Differentiation on Vocational Assessments among Gifted High School Students (open access)

Increasing Differentiation on Vocational Assessments among Gifted High School Students

Multipotentiality makes career counseling with gifted students difficult. High-flat vocational profiles give the impression that gifted students can develop a wide range of abilities to an equally high level. High-flat vocational profiles may be due to assessments that consider abilities and disregard interests and values, and ceiling effects from the use of age-appropriate, rather than cognitively-appropriate measures. Subjects included 170 gifted students from a residential, early college entrance program (M=15.9 yrs., SD=.361). Subjects completed the Scholastic Aptitude Test, Self-Directed Search, and Study of Values. McNemar's Test of Correlated Proportions shows the proportion of multipotential profiles decreases significantly when cognitively-appropriate measures of interests and values are considered, in addition to abilities. Pearson Chi-square shows no ethnic differences.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Kidner, Cindy L. (Cindy Lee)
System: The UNT Digital Library