Siblings of Incest Victims: Sibling-Victim Relationships and Adjustment (open access)

Siblings of Incest Victims: Sibling-Victim Relationships and Adjustment

The non-victimized siblings in incestuous families have often been ignored in research, literature, and treatment. This study explored these siblings' 1) relationship to the victim, 2) attribution of blame, and 3) adjustment. Participants were 30 non-victimized siblings of incest victims, between the ages of 8 and 14. They completed the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Self-perception Profile for Children, the Children's Depression Inventory, and a questionnaire developed for this research. Participants' scores were compared with the normative sample scores on several measures. Siblings perceived little warmth and closeness in their relationships to their victimized sisters. Rivalry and conflict were within normal limits. Siblings blamed victims and other family members less than expected, with the greatest amount of blame attributed to perpetrators. Adjustment was impaired. Males demonstrated less athletic competence, less global self-worth, more worry and oversensitivity than normative samples. Females showed a tendency toward less global self-worth and heightened general anxiety. Siblings' overall level of emotional distress was higher than most of the normative samples.
Date: December 1989
Creator: Adler, Jeffrey Steven
System: The UNT Digital Library
Psychoneurological Responses Associated with Chemicals in Serum of Environmentally Ill Patients (open access)

Psychoneurological Responses Associated with Chemicals in Serum of Environmentally Ill Patients

The purpose of the present study was to determine the degree of relationship between neurotoxic chemicals in the blood of chemically sensitive patients and psychoneurological functioning. Blood samples were drawn from 30 patients being treated for environmental illness. All patients were administered a standardized intermediate psychoneurological examination. Results indicate a significant positive relationship between psychoneurological (cognitive neurobehavioral) functioning and the number of and total parts per billion of certain environmental toxins (solvents) in the blood of the subjects. The symptoms most commonly exhibited included deficits in short-term memory, problems with coordination and motor sequencing, somatosensory deficits, and cognitive dysfunction.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Baldridge, Jeffrey T. (Jeffrey Turner)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sex Role Types and Psychological Adjustment: Androgyny, Masculinity, or Self-Esteem (open access)

Sex Role Types and Psychological Adjustment: Androgyny, Masculinity, or Self-Esteem

Since the advent of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1974) two models, the Androgyny and Masculinity model, have been advanced to explain the sex role literature. This study attempts to rectify several methodological issues by experimentally controlling for the effects of self-esteem and using a quartile-split procedure for sex role type assignment. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate interpersonal problem solving ability among sex role types and to compare the predictions of the Androgyny model and the Masculinity model. The results of both experiments implicate the crucial role of self-esteem in sex role research. Self-esteem, rather than sex role type, appears to be more predictive of adequate psychological adjustment.
Date: May 1989
Creator: Cobb, Michelle D. (Michelle Denise)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Attributional Style of Adult Children of Alcoholics (open access)

Attributional Style of Adult Children of Alcoholics

115 undergraduate students were surveyed to see if attributional style would be different for individuals with alcoholic parents, depressed parents, or neither factor. Subjects were sorted into the three groups based on their responses to a family history questionnaire. Each subject filled out two attributional style questionnaires, the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Attributional Style Assessment Test (ASAT-II). The three groups did not differ on attributional style for interpersonal, noninter- personal, or general situations. Within the adult children of alcoholics group, subjects reported that their successes in interpersonal situations were due to their strategy and effort, rather than ability, more so than for noninterpersonal successes.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Coxsey, Stephen Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship of Selected Personality Factors to Turnover Among Restaurant Managers (open access)

The Relationship of Selected Personality Factors to Turnover Among Restaurant Managers

This study investigated the relationship between turnover and personality measures through the application of discriminant analysis in a split sample cross validation design. Four personality tests measuring 34 dimensions of personality were administered to 300 Caucasian male job applicants. The tests were the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior, the Vocational Preference Inventory, a shortened version of the DF-Opinion Survey, and the Guilford Zimmerman Temperament Survey. Ten of the dimensions were initially found to be significantly related to turnover. The shrinkage of the coefficient after cross validation was enough for the loss of statistical significance. It is suggested that personality measures are moderately associated with turnover and that investigations examining methods to reduce turnover should focus on other variables.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Daughtry, Perry
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effects of Note-Taking and Trust Level on Self-Disclosure of Prisoners (open access)

Effects of Note-Taking and Trust Level on Self-Disclosure of Prisoners

This study investigated the effects of trust level and note-taking upon the level of self-disclosure among prisoners. Sixty inmates at a federal prison were administered the Rotter Interpersonal Trust Scale. Next, using a median split, participants were divided into two groups of high and low mistrust. Subjects within each of these groups were then randomly assigned to a high, low, or no note-taking condition. Each prisoner then discussed an intimate topic for thirty minutes. Level of self-disclosure was measured by an abbreviated version of the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank. No significant differences were found as a function of trust level or note-taking condition. Some implications for further research are suggested.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Gontz, Barbara J. (Barbara Jeanne)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Reduction of Tension Headache Using EMG Biofeedback and Locus of Control as Predictors (open access)

The Reduction of Tension Headache Using EMG Biofeedback and Locus of Control as Predictors

This study investigates the status of biofeedback treatment and locus of control (LOC) affiliation on the reduction of tension headache. Three LOC groups designated as internals, powerful-other externals and chance externals (using Wallston and Wallston's, 1978, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale) were administered an eight week electromyogram (EMG) frontalis muscle biofeedback training program using an Autogen 1700 biofeedback unit. Subjects were 12 female and four male undergraduate students who had a history of tension headache. Results indicated no significant difference in frontalis muscle tension between the beginning and end of sessions in either a biofeedback or self-control condition for any of the LOC groups. Further, there was no significant difference among LOC groups in ability to reduce muscle tension in either the training or self-control condition. Finally, neither biofeedback training nor LOC groups were significant predictors of headache reduction. Extreme within-group variability and small sample size affected study findings and these and other implications for future research are discussed.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Grier, Finlay
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparability of WPPSI-R and Slosson Tests as a Function of the Child's Ethnicity (open access)

Comparability of WPPSI-R and Slosson Tests as a Function of the Child's Ethnicity

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, this study compared the performance of children on the WPPSI-R with their performance on the Slosson Intelligence Test. Secondly, this study explored the comparability of minority and non-minority students' scores on the WPPSI-R. Seventy five children between 3 and 7 years of age were administered the WPPSI-R and Slosson. Of this sample, 25 children were White, 25 children were Black, and 25 children were Mexican American. Low, but significant correlations were found between WPPSI-R and Slosson scores. The Vocabulary subscale of the WPPSI-R correlated highest, while the Geometric Design subscale correlated the lowest with the Slosson test scores. Further analyses indicated that White children obtained significantly higher scores on the WPPSI-R than both Black and Mexican American children.
Date: May 1989
Creator: Hernandez, Colleen H. (Colleen Head)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Locus of Control and Available Coping Resources: Do Elderly "Internals" Have an Advantage? (open access)

Health Locus of Control and Available Coping Resources: Do Elderly "Internals" Have an Advantage?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between health attribution and the availability of organized internal resources and response style as measured by the Four Square of the Rorschach Inkblot Test. Forty-two subjects participated in this study. Six major hypotheses were explored in the study. None of the hypotheses was statistically significant. Several factors may have contributed to these results. The small sample size and the homogeneity of the sample limited the investigator's ability to interpret the results of the study. Statistically, health attribution may not be conceptually related to organized internal resources and response style since physical and emotional distress may require different coping mechanisms.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Houtz, Andrew W. (Andrew William)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of Biographical Predictors of Cashier Turnover at a Convenience Store Chain (open access)

Development of Biographical Predictors of Cashier Turnover at a Convenience Store Chain

Subjects, 432 convenience store cashiers, were divided into long-tenure and short-tenure groups. Chi-square analysis of application blank information for a weighting sample drawn from both groups revealed two items which significantly (p < .05) differentiated between the long tenure and short-tenure groups: number of previous jobs and full-time/part-time preference. Response weights were computed for these two items and used to calculate composite scores for the remaining holdout sample. A significant reduction in turnover would have occurred at the highest composite score level, if used as a hiring cut off. Results were tempered by several considerations, including a high percentage of false negatives and an insignificant linear relationship between composite scores and tenure.
Date: May 1989
Creator: Huffcutt, Allen Ivan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Validation of the Spanish Dallas Pain Questionnaire (open access)

Validation of the Spanish Dallas Pain Questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the Dallas Pain Questionnaire (DPQ). Not only does the DPQ offer the potential of statistical and clinical diagnostic value but also is easily interpretable across cultural lines. No such instrument has presently been validated for the Mexican-American population. A total of 81 Spanish speaking subjects participated in this study. Of these subjects, 56 were classified as chronic pain patients by nature of their medical diagnosis and duration of pain. The 25 normal subjects were family members of the chronic pain patients and members of the Northern New Mexico Hispanic community chosen at random. Hypothesis one predicted that reliability would be obtained on Spanish speaking populations based on test-retest with correlation coefficients of the items. The second hypothesis predicted that the Spanish DPQ would have content validity or consistent internal structure on those items that measure the trait or behavior of interest based upon factor analysis approaches and internal consistency measures. Hypothesis three predicted that the Spanish version of the DPQ would significantly correlate with the English version of the DPQ on all four factors. All four hypotheses were supported. The Spanish DPQ showed reliability over time based on …
Date: May 1989
Creator: Keeping, Barbara
System: The UNT Digital Library
Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Suicide Attempts and Ideation Among Adolescents (open access)

Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Suicide Attempts and Ideation Among Adolescents

The present study attempted to identify demographic and psychological variables predictive of adolescent suicidal ideations and attempts. Data from 90 adolescents, who completed an intake form at a university community mental health clinic or were student volunteers, were utilized. Two judges tabulated information regarding age, gender, number of siblings, ethnicity, parental marital status, drug use, depression, suicidal ideation, and previous suicidal attempts. A multiple regression analysis was performed to identify which variables had predictive significance. Depression was the best predictor of both suicidal ideations and attempts. Ethnicity was also predictive; white adolescents were found to be at higher risk for suicide than individuals from other ethnic groups. It is suggested that additional studies be done exploring other predictors of suicide among adolescents.
Date: December 1989
Creator: Leonhardt, Heather
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Cluster Analysis of the Parental Effectiveness Factors on the Custody Quotient Technique (CQ) (open access)

A Cluster Analysis of the Parental Effectiveness Factors on the Custody Quotient Technique (CQ)

Subjects comprised four groups including: 73 judges; 90 family law practitioners; 38 psychologists; and 43 psychology graduate students. The subjects completed surveys designating the five most relevant and the five least relevant factors of effective parenting from a list of 85 such factors. As hypothesized, the family law attorneys and family law judges generated similar clusters of factors while the results of the psychologists and psychology graduate students likewise clustered similarly. These results suggest the possibility of the existence of common cognitive structures used in the custody decision-making process. Results could be used in the modification and refinement of the Custody Quotient (CQ) Technique. Future study could focus more specifically on the cognitive structures particular subjects use in making custody decisions.
Date: December 1989
Creator: Lewis, Melinda Keen
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of Self-Monitoring and Health Locus of Control on Improvement in a Work Hardening Program (open access)

The Effects of Self-Monitoring and Health Locus of Control on Improvement in a Work Hardening Program

This study examined the effects of self-monitoring behavior and health locus of control on improvement in a work hardening program. The subjects included 22 male and 18 female outpatients in a hospital-based rehabilitation program. Subjects were classified as having an internal or external health locus of control, and were randomly assigned to either a self-monitoring or a non-self-monitoring group. Improvement was assessed via objective performance data and self-ratings of perceived improvement. The results indicated that individuals identified as having an internal health locus of control did not show greater gains in physical functioning or perceived improvement relative to externally oriented individuals. Additionally, those subjects participating in self-monitoring activities were no different from non-self-monitoring subjects in terms of improvement in exercise activities or perceived improvement. The results also indicated no interaction between health locus of control and the presence or absence of self-monitoring. It was suggested that other factors such as workman's compensation, pain patient characteristics, low self-concept, and severe stress may have proved more powerful influences on patient improvement than internal health locus of control or self-monitoring. It was also suggested that rehabilitation programs might benefit from creating structured environments in which patients receive frequent staff feedback and reinforcement for …
Date: May 1989
Creator: Liedtke-Hendrickson, Valette
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship Between Race of Counselor, Cultural Mistrust Level and Willingness to Seek Psychological Treatment Among Mexican-American Adolescents (open access)

The Relationship Between Race of Counselor, Cultural Mistrust Level and Willingness to Seek Psychological Treatment Among Mexican-American Adolescents

The effects of cultural mistrust level and race of counselor on the willingness of Mexican-American adolescents to seek psychological help were examined in this experiment. A total of 79 Mexican-American adolescents consisting of 50 females and 29 males completed a Background Information Inventory, a modified version of the Cultural Mistrust Inventory, and the Help Seeking Attitude Scale. Five regression analyses were performed resulting in a significant interaction between cultural mistrust level and willingness to seek help. Mexican-American adolescents with high levels of mistrust were less willing to seek psychological treatment than those with a low level of mistrust. Results also indicated that females as well as individuals with higher levels of education were more willing to seek help than males and those with lower levels of education. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Date: December 1989
Creator: Lira, Caryn C. (Caryn Celeste)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effects of Note-Taking on Self-Disclosure Among Prisoners (open access)

Effects of Note-Taking on Self-Disclosure Among Prisoners

The effects of note-taking on self-disclosure during a clinical interview among prisoners were investigated. Participants consisted of 60 male and female inmates incarcerated in a minimum security prison. Subjects within each gender were randomly assigned to either high note-taking, low note-taking or no note-taking conditions. Subjects were asked to discuss intimate information during an interview while varying levels of notes were taken. Self-disclosure was assessed using items from the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank. A 3 x 2 ANOVA was conducted. No significant main effects were found. However, a significant interaction was found. Further analysis revealed that females in the high note-taking condition disclosed less than females in the no note-taking condition. Some theoretical and clinical implications are suggested.
Date: December 1989
Creator: Lowrey, Kimberly D. (Kimberly Dawn)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Type A Behavior Pattern: Its Relationship to the Holland Types and the Career Choice Process (open access)

Type A Behavior Pattern: Its Relationship to the Holland Types and the Career Choice Process

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the Type A behavior pattern to Holland's occupational types and the career choice process. The Type A behavior pattern is characterized by high levels of achievement striving, time urgency, chronic activation and hostility, and is an independent risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease. It was hypothesized that Type A college students would be more attracted than Type B individuals to aspects of a future work environment which would reinforce their Type A behaviors. Previous research had suggested a relationship between the Type A behavior pattern and Holland's Enterprising and Investigative types (Martin, 1986). This study sought to replicate those findings, and further examine the nature of the Type A/B-Holland types relationship. Data were collected from undergraduate students in a variety of academic fields of study. Subjects completed a questionnaire packet consisting of the student version of the Jenkins Activity Survey (Jenkins, Rosenman, and Zyzanski, 1965; Glass, 1977), the Vocational Preference Inventory (Holland, 1985b), and a modified version of the Minnesota Job Description Questionnaire (Rosen, et al., 1972) . The findings demonstrated that the Type A/B pattern is a significant factor in the career choice process. …
Date: May 1989
Creator: Martin, Kyle Thomas
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of "Game" and "Test" Instructions on the WISC-R Performance of High- and Low-Test-Anxious Children (open access)

The Effects of "Game" and "Test" Instructions on the WISC-R Performance of High- and Low-Test-Anxious Children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of "game" and "test" instructions on the intelligence test performance of high- and low-test-anxious children. Eighty-one subjects diagnosed as learning disabled were given the Test Anxiety Scale for Children (TASC) to determine their level of test anxiety. Based on TASC scores, 44 subjects were classified as either fljgj- or low- test-anxious. These subjects were given the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) using either game or test instructions to introduce the test. The resulting 10 and subtest configuration scores were used to compare high- and low-test-anxious subjects by the type of instructions they received prior to testing. This comparison yielded no significant differences between high and low-test-anxious subjects, indicating that the way the WISC-R is Introduced does not play a significant role in the WISC-R performance of high- and low-test-anxious children.
Date: May 1989
Creator: Martin, Laura Paige
System: The UNT Digital Library
Underlying Structure of the Ecological Q-Sort: A Self-Concept Instrument for Use with Elderly Persons (open access)

Underlying Structure of the Ecological Q-Sort: A Self-Concept Instrument for Use with Elderly Persons

Self-concept has been defined as being both contextual and multidimensional, varying with different situations and states of being. In this light, the Ecological Q-Sort was developed to measure the varying nature of self-concept in older persons. The purpose of this study is to determine what contextual selves are represented within the framework of the Ecological Q-Sort. The cards of the test were rated and Ward's Hierarchical Clustering technique was utilized to categorize the cards along two dimensional rating factors. Statistical analysis revealed that social, productive, physical, play, active, assertive, and nurturing selves are represented .by the instrument. Those selves are measured by the Loneliness/Sociability, Productive/Relaxation, Vitality/Instability, Initiative/Inefficacy, Confidence/ Uncertainty, and Nurturing/Loss categories.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Morgan, Melanie Dawn
System: The UNT Digital Library
Neuropsychological Dysfunction Associated with Dental Office Environment (open access)

Neuropsychological Dysfunction Associated with Dental Office Environment

Five chemicals indigenous to the dental office environment that may cause toxic effects are formaldehyde, phenol, acrylic, mercury, and nitrous oxide. These chemicals create abnormal stress on physiological and psychological systems of the body resulting in symptomatology and pathology when the body defenses can no longer maintain homeostasis by adaptation. This study demonstrated serious behavioral consequences of chemical and heavy metal exposure. This study provided evidence that a significant percentage of dental office personnel who are exposed to the dental office chemicals show psycho neurological dysfunction. It was concluded that these individuals suffer adverse reactions to the chemicals in their work environment. The problem areas included perceptual motor difficulty in cognitive functioning, concern with bodily functions, despondency, and interpersonal problems.
Date: May 1989
Creator: Murry, Joe Mitchell
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mistrust Level and Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help (open access)

Mistrust Level and Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help

This study explored the relationship between cultural mistrust level and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. It was hypothesized that Blacks with high levels of cultural mistrust, when compared to those with low levels, would show less favorable attitudes toward seeking formal help for psychological problems. Black students were administered the Cultural Mistrust Inventory, Help-Seeking Attitude Scale, Reid-Gundlach Social Service Satisfaction Scale, and Opinions About Mental Illness Scale. Using a 2 (gender) X 2 (mistrust level) MANCOVA, a main effect for the factor of mistrust level was found along with a mistrust level by gender interaction. Students with higher levels of cultural mistrust were found to hold less favorable attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help when compared to students with lower levels of cultural mistrust.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Nickerson, Kim J. (Kim Jung)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Childhood Fears and the Impact of Divorce and Remarriage (open access)

Childhood Fears and the Impact of Divorce and Remarriage

Different family structures and levels of parental and financial stress were investigated in relation to children's overtly expressed fears, and secondarily, covertly measured fears and concerns. The family structures consisted of divorced and remarried families divided into those divorced less than two years and those divorced greater than two years. Intact families were used as the control group. One-hundred-twenty-one children from six to eleven years of age and their biological mothers from a semirural, southwestern town comprised the sample. The children were administered five instruments assessing overt fears, covert fears/concerns, and positiveness in family relationships. Mothers were given eight self-report measures which included a questionnaire, a report of their child's overt fears, and an indication of the positiveness in family relationships. Results indicated that the children of divorced, single mothers tended to report greater overt fears than remarried and intact families. Indications of covert fears of death and separation were also suggested. This was especially true for those single mothers divorced less than two years. Children of intact families did not generally differ from remarried groups although there were implications that remarriage too soon after divorce may impact covert fears as well as positive feelings toward the stepfather. Children of …
Date: May 1989
Creator: Pickard, David C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Relationship of Receiving Violence and Perceptions of Self and Partner (open access)

The Relationship of Receiving Violence and Perceptions of Self and Partner

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there are any differences between college students 1) who have received violence 2) who have received threats of physical violence, and 3) who have not received threats or physical violence from their partners. The study examined ways in which these three groups describe their own and their partners' self-esteem and personality. Significant findings indicate that perceptions of one's self esteem and partner's self esteem are affected by the level of violence received. Surprisingly, those who received threats of violence, for both perceptions of self and partners, had the lowest self esteem. No significant relationship was found between vilence and perceptions of personality. Additional findings suggest that those in violent relationships have lower relationship satisfaction that those who receive threats or no violence at all.
Date: August 1989
Creator: Quest, Kathryn
System: The UNT Digital Library
Self Cognitions of Depressed Adolescents: a Personal Construct Approach (open access)

Self Cognitions of Depressed Adolescents: a Personal Construct Approach

The primary purpose of the study was to quantify the characteristics of certain self cognitions that occur in depressed adolescents. A secondary purpose was to assess the change that occurs in these self cognitions during a depressive episode. The intervention, in the form of guided imagery about a previous drug-using episode, was used to induce a mood change. The REP, a Personal Construct Theory measure, and the Beck Depression Inventory were used in a repeated measures design.
Date: December 1989
Creator: Rasile, Karen D.
System: The UNT Digital Library