Forensic researchers and practitioners continue to face challenges when attempting to differentiate deceptive response styles, notably when comparing malingering and factitious disorder. However, due to the great disparities in research available, forensic examiners may not be adequately informed for considering factitious presentations as a competing hypothesis to malingering. De-emphasis of factitious disorders may also be attributed to the lack of empirical research and poor conceptual understanding of the disorder. Velsor and Rogers conducted a thorough review of various factitious motivations, drawing a parallel to Rogers' explanatory models of malingering. Due to the need for a systematic measure of FPPs, the Inventory of Self and Interpersonal Problems (I-SIP) was developed, largely based on the explanatory models of FPP. The current study employed a construct validity approach to the I-SIP to examine its convergent and discriminant validity in a sample of 80 inpatients from a private psychiatric hospital. Providing strong evidence of construct validity of the I-SIP, dramatic differences emerged between malingered and factitious presentations with extremely large effect sizes (ds = 1.09 – 3.62). In particular, results indicated strong support for the nurturance explanatory model of FPPs, as over-investment in treatment providers was an especially strong discriminator (d = 3.62). Moreover, …

Using a strong invariance structural equation modeling approach, the current study explored the role of parental styles, along with age and IQ, on the expression of psychopathic personality facets in a large (N = 734) male sample of Hispanic and non-Hispanic offenders. Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses revealed evidence of strong invariance across ethnic groups for the psychopathy and parenting scales (CFI = .95; RMSEA .03). Person-centered analyses examining psychopathic versus non-psychopathic cases demonstrated that the former reported greater levels of dysfunctional parenting, particularly abuse. Structural equation modeling results highlighted differential relationships between the variables of interest as a function of race/ethnicity.

Positive affect, which has been broken down into four lower-level facets (i.e., joviality, attentiveness, self-assurance, serenity), has demonstrated numerous ties to physical and mental health. The experience of positive affect can be regulated by emotion regulation strategies. However, few studies have assessed their relationship, and no studies have examined the relationship using the lower level facets of positive affect. The link between positive affect and emotion regulation may be of particular importance for individuals at increased risk for bipolar disorder, as both are disrupted in individuals with the condition. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between positive affect and emotion regulation while also exploring whether risk for bipolar disorder moderated their relationship. Undergraduates (N = 155) completed measures of emotion regulation, affect, and bipolar disorder risk at baseline. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), participants completed surveys 3 times a day for 7 days. Hierarchical linear models were estimated and revealed significant effects between certain baseline emotion regulation tendencies (experiential avoidance/ psychological inflexibility, rumination, behavioral social avoidance) and daily positive affect facets as well as between daily emotion regulation use (i.e., reappraisal, acceptance, reflection, savoring, mindfulness social support, suppression, rumination, procrastination) and daily positive affect facets. …

Two important developments are addressed by this dissertation. First, the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles-Simplified Version (PICTS-SV) was examined in relation to the original PICTS. Second, the vulnerability of the PICTS-SV to intentional risk minimization (RM) was tested. Two separate studies recruited a total of 150 offenders from a court-mandated residential substance use treatment facility. As expected, Study I established the PICTS-SV's good concurrent validity with the PICTS, especially at the broad composite scale level. For Study II, criminal thinking failed to show the anticipated convergence with HCR-20 risk classifications or forensic correlates. Potential explanations, including a restricted range of risk levels in this sample, are discussed. As a particular strength, the findings highlight that the PICTS-SV, in contrast to many risk measures, displays robust resistance to RM distortion, although revisions to its Df-r validity scale are warranted. These results overall demonstrate strong evidence of the PICTS-SV's utility for assessing a dynamic criminogenic need to inform effective interventions and accurate risk determinations.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of low attributional complexity, intolerance, optimism, and experiential avoidance (EA) on psychological distress (stress, anxiety, and depression); specifically, the mediating role of EA in these relationships was examined. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the hypothesized model. The overall model accounted for 62% of the variance in psychological distress. The direct negative effect of intolerance on psychological distress and the mediator effect of EA on the relationship between optimism and psychological distress were found. These results and their implications, along with study limitations and future directions are discussed.

This study sought to generalize the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) factor structure using the PICTS-Layperson (PICTS:L) in a community sample. The current study also sought to replicate previous findings that criminal thinking mediates the relationship between trauma and criminal behavior. Additionally, this study sought to explore if and/or how experiential avoidance (EA) contributes to the relationships between post-traumatic symptoms (PTS) and criminal thinking, and criminal thinking and criminal behavior. Community members recruited through Mturk, completed online measures of PTS, EA, criminal thinking, criminal behavior, and a demographics questionnaire. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which was conducted to assess the PICTS:L factor structure in an online community sample, demonstrated the hierarchical second order factor structure was a good fit after problem items were removed. Mediation analyses results found that criminal thinking mediated the relationship between PTS and criminal behavior therefore replicating previous findings. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted to determine if EA moderates the relationships between PTS and criminal thinking, and criminal thinking and behavior. Findings suggest that EA plays a significant role, particularly for women who endorse relatively low EA. These and exploratory findings, limitations, implications, and future directions for work in these areas are discussed.

The ability to monitor client change in psychotherapy over time is vital to quality assurance in psychotherapy as well as the continuing improvement of psychotherapy research. Currently there is not a free and comprehensive outcome measure for psychotherapy that meets current research and treatment goals. This study took further steps to validate a suite of measures to aid in treatment and research, theoretically based in the research domain criteria (RDoC) and the phase model of change frameworks. Items previously tested in a community sample were further tested in a clinical population in psychotherapy training clinics and a community clinical sample Data was analyzed using bi-factor confirmatory factor analysis and multidimensional item response theory. Additional exploratory analyses were conducted to explore differential item functioning in these samples.

Client outcomes in psychology training clinics have been shown to be generally worse than other outpatient settings. Although this finding has been repeatedly demonstrated, no consensus of cause has emerged in the literature. One possible explanation of such findings may relate to psychotherapist effects, a historically neglected variable that has received increased attention in more recent literature. Among psychotherapist effects researched, competency has emerged as a compelling factor worthy of more research. Given that most growth in competence occurs during graduate training, investigating the relationship between competency and client outcome offers great potential benefit for informing optimal training, nature of client symptom improvement, and a more accurate depiction of differences in psychotherapist effects across training and non-training settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the trajectory of competence development during doctoral training in health services psychology and to investigate the association of trainee competency to the psychotherapy outcomes evidenced by their clients. Practicum evaluations of 36 trainees and outcome data (using the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2) from 244 adult clients were included in analyses. Results of the study suggest there is a positive relationship between cumulative semesters of training and competency scores (rs[118]= .34, p < .001). Notably, there was …

Compromised validity of test data due to exaggeration or fabrication of cognitive deficits inhibits the capacity to establish appropriate conclusions and recommendations in neuropsychological examinations. Detection of feigned neurocognitive impairment presents a formidable challenge, particularly for evaluations involving possibilities of significant secondary gain. Among specific populations examined in this domain, litigating mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) samples are among the most researched. One subpopulation with potential to contribute significantly to this body of literature is that of retired athletes undergoing fixed-battery neuropsychological evaluations within an assessment program. Given the considerable prevalence of concussions sustained by athletes in this sport and the substantial monetary incentives within this program, a unique opportunity exists to establish rates of feigning within this population to be compared to similar forensic mTBI samples. Further, a fixed battery with multiple validity tests (VT) offers a chance to evaluate the classification accuracy of an aggregated VT failure paradigm, as uncertainty abounds regarding the optimal approach to the recommended use of multiple VTs for effort assessment. The current study seeks to examine rates of feigned neurocognitive impairment in this population, demonstrate prediction accuracy equivalence between models based on aggregated VT failures and logistic regression, and compare classification performance of …

The current study examined 236 undergraduate students in a week long twice-per-day ecological momentary assessment exploring the influence of baseline reward sensitivity and interactions between circadian variables (i.e., total sleep time, sleep quality) and daily measures of reward. Though primary study findings did not support reward sensitivity related moderation of sleep-reward pathways, a number of notable findings emerged. We found evidence of specific domains of reward sensitivity (anticipatory reward and reward responsiveness) which are uniquely related to daily experiences of reward. In addition, bidirectional circadian-reward pathways were found between sleep quality and daily rewards which suggests pathways towards reward-related engagement. Evidence also supported interactions between sleep quality and total sleep time on experience of daily reward, further highlighting the complexity of sleep-reward pathways and their relevance to mood symptoms.

Psychological trauma may affect higher-order executive functions, which include selective attention, inhibition, and task-switching processes. Difficulty in these executive processes can in turn influence individuals' daily functioning and may also negatively affect the psychological treatment of post-trauma symptoms. Women may be most at risk for developing problems with executive functioning following trauma, consistent with their overall greater risk of developing post-trauma symptoms. Yet, little is understood about the influence of psychological variables, premorbid functioning, and specific trauma factors in determining post-trauma cognitive functioning in women. Additionally, individual variability in susceptibility to psychological distress and neuropsychological deficits following trauma remains an open area of study. The present study investigated the relationship between psychological and trauma factors with neuropsychological outcomes in women with trauma histories as well as individual variability in risk for poor neuropsychological outcomes. In total, 60 participants' data (age M = 29.73, SD = 10.91) were included in analyses. The final sample consisted of 33 community members recruited from the UNT Psychology Clinic and the UNT student body and 27 veterans recruited from the Veterans Affairs North Texas Healthcare System (VANTHCS). Regression and path analysis identified premorbid intellectual functioning as a predictor of better neuropsychological outcomes and anxiety and …

The Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale—Global (SCORS-G) is a relatively new scoring system for the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) that provides information about an individual's functioning in a variety of domains, including intrapsychic and interpersonal. Participants in this archival study had been administered a variety of measures as part of a routine clinical assessment, including the TAT, Rorschach, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Selected TAT stories were rescored using current SCORS-G scoring criteria. This dissertation evaluated the factor structure of the SCORS-G in an outpatient sample with a principal component analysis (PCA), finding support for a two-component solution. The SCORS-G was then compared to well-established measures of personality functioning, social cognition, and object relations using correlational analyses, with mixed results. Lastly, support was found for using the SCORS-G as a tool for discriminating individuals with a history of violent or problematic relationships from those without such a history. Implications for card selection based on card pull and the impact of bland protocols were explored.

This study examined the impact therapeutic assessment (TA) had on participants recruited from the UNT Psychology Clinic's waiting list. Using a pretest-posttest design, participants completed measures prior to and following their assessment. UNT Psychology Clinic archive data was used to compare this sample to clients who received traditional information gathering assessments with implicit measures, those receiving assessments relying on only self-report measures, and those who did not receive an assessment before beginning psychotherapy. The findings of this study vary based on the criteria being examined. Due to the small sample in the experimental group, no statistical significance was found through null hypothesis testing. However, the TA group's scores on the Outcome Questionnaire – 45 (OQ) and the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) indicated better outcomes than those without a TA, with large effect sizes. Furthermore, those who received a TA were more likely than those without a TA to score below the clinically significant cutoff levels on the OQ. The study raises issues for consideration in what is deemed "effective" in therapeutic efficacy research.

This project explored whether mindfulness and acceptance-based practices (MABPs) for older adults would reduce the negative effects of ageism and negative attitudes and beliefs related to aging. In addition, state affect and stress were explored. This study used an experimental design to compare two groups of older adults and two groups of undergraduate students – those who received a MABP and those who did not, after being presented with negative ageist stereotypes. Condition and condition by age sample comparisons revealed several findings. Following the MABP, undergraduates who received a MABP had significantly lower ageism scores than did undergraduates who did not. Older adult findings were opposite of proposed hypotheses, with older adults having higher scores on ageism after receiving the MABP, as compared to the scores of older adults who were in the comparison condition. Differences in state mindfulness were seen between conditions, with the MABP condition exhibiting more state mindfulness than in the comparison condition. However, there was no significant condition by age sample interaction effect. Change scores for state affect after the MABP were non-significant at either level of analysis, and older adults showed no difference in digit span stress scores based on their condition assignment. Exploratory analyses …

Over the last several decades, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) has remained one of the most extensively studied and commonly used adolescent assessment measures. Most recently, the MMPI-A was revised, published as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF). Given the infancy of the extant MMPI-A-RF literature, the current dissertation sought to be one of the first criterion studies since the test manual to establish its relevant clinical correlates in a sample of youth referred for mental health services. Following in line with previous clinical correlate research, the psychometric properties of the MMPI-A-RF were determined. Under this approach, the present study bolstered support for the construct validity of the RC scales through the identification of clinically relevant, scale and item-level correlates. In particular, the RCd and RC4 evidenced especially strong convergent and discriminant validity. As a result, the current study highlighted the MMPI-A-RF's efficacy in detecting psychopathology along the broad externalizing and internalizing spectrum. In addition, the role of gender and its effect on MMPI-A-RF clinical interpretations were explored. Practical recommendations for ensuring a gender-specific approach to MMPI-A-RF interpretation were outlined.

Bullying has long-term negative effects on the mental health and wellbeing of everyone involved. School-wide interventions have been successful in some contexts, but they often require significant institutional and financial resources. Empathy is comprised of a cognitive component (perspective taking) and an affective component (empathic concern), both of which may be necessary for prosocial behavior. According to relational frame theory (RFT), empathy involves a transformation of stimulus functions across deictic relations (I-YOU, HERE-THERE, NOW-THEN), which also requires psychological willingness (i.e., psychological flexibility). The present study investigated this theoretical model of empathy based on RFT and the role of this model in middle school bullying. Results tentatively support this model by demonstrating two ways in which psychological flexibility moderates the relationship between deictic framing ability and empathy. The utility of deictic framing and psychological flexibility in predicting bullying behaviors was also examined. Deictic framing ability and psychological flexibility were expected to negatively predict bullying behaviors, and psychological flexibility was expected to moderate the relationship between deictic framing ability and relational bullying in particular. Additional research questions explored the roles of deictic framing and psychological flexibility in the relationship between relational bullying and other relevant psychological determinants: (a) parental discord, (b) social …

Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), with as many as 70% of patients with MS affected. Individuals with MS who experience cognitive deficits are less likely to be employed, and may have more difficulty performing independent activities of daily living. Most commonly, deficits are observed in processing speed, complex attention, and memory. Because lesion location varies widely among individuals, no clear pattern of cognitive dysfunction in MS has emerged. However, a number of risk and protective factors may influence the likelihood of individuals to develop and/or express dysfunction, though the contribution of each to specific domains of cognition has not been fully explored. Recently, support for the cognitive reserve hypothesis (i.e., enriching life experiences protect against cognitive decline despite disease burden) has emerged in the MS literature. The current study investigated the contributions of cognitive reserve to learning and memory functioning in MS and the interaction of cognitive reserve variables and risk factors known to impact cognitive functioning in individuals with MS. Finding revealed cognitive reserve protects against decline in the domains of processing speed and complex attention. Furthermore, indirect protective effects of cognitive reserve through these domains were observed for verbal learning and memory. Finally, in line …

Interpersonal functioning can be conceptualized as being comprised of social skills, connectedness, social cognition, and intimacy. A concept that is related to an examination of interpersonal functioning is experiential avoidance (EA), which can be defined as an unwillingness to experience or remain in contact with unpleasant private events through attempts to avoid or escape from these experience. An examination of EA and interpersonal functioning has not previously taken place. This study thus sought to fill that gap in the literature. The availability of a behavioral-oriented measure of interpersonal functioning aided in this investigation. The relationship of EA and interpersonal functioning to depression and anxiety were also examined, in order to evaluate their relative contributions to psychopathology. Overall, it was found that EA and interpersonal functioning were significantly related. However, the dimensions of EA varied in strength with respect to their relationships with interpersonal functioning. Further, it was found that interpersonal functioning predicted unique variance in both depression and anxiety, and partially mediated the relationship between EA and both anxiety and depression. These results might guide the development of treatment programs and add support to the use of treatments with trans-diagnostic targets.

The accurate evaluation of substance use is a critical component of forensic assessment due to the well-established link between drug use sentencing issues and risk of recidivism. Due to limited resources and chronic time constraints, practitioners typically rely only on self-report measures to assess substance use (SU) patterns. As these measures directly inquire about SU patterns, they remain vulnerable to response distortion. This can lead to ineffective treatment recommendations made to the Court and misuse of resources. The present study investigated the utility of the PAI and SASSI-3 in identifying SU patterns in offenders mandated to a long-term treatment facility. As a second major component, offenders were examined post-release to identify predictors for poor treatment outcomes. Results found the direct questioning approach best identified SU patterns in the present sample. In addition, while statistically significant differences in treatment outcomes were not observed between offenders who endorsed a more severe course of their SU problem versus those who endorsed a much less problematic pattern of use, they were trending in the expected direction. Specifically, offenders who used "hard" drugs regularly (e.g., cocaine, heroin), had more negative consequences directly related to their use (e.g., more arrests, prior treatment), and had a more …

Individuals evidencing psychopathic personality traits have been shown to have problematic attachment to others. Moreover, research suggests that culture affects attachment style as well as the expression of various psychopathic traits using the four-factor model of psychopathy. However, the majority of this research has included only white college students, which is a limiting factor. The current study assessed the relations among attachment representations and psychopathic features across two independent samples (one adult & one adolescent) from different world regions (adults only), ethnicity (adolescents only), and gender. Using similar assessments of attachment and psychopathic traits for both samples, dismissing attachment was related to aspects of psychopathic traits in nearly all cultures and ethnicities sampled. In the world sample, secure attachment was found to positively relate to impulsive and parasitic lifestyle traits in all regions. Culture and gender were found to moderate several relations between specific attachment styles and psychopathic features. Overall, the patterns of data indicated that many of the differences found between groups may be rooted in individualistic versus collectivistic values, and were consistent with previous research assessing these constructs across diverse samples.

Chronic or prolonged stress has been shown to have deleterious impacts on mental health, physical health, and cognitive functioning. However, not all individuals show the negative effects of continued exposure to stress. Past research has identified personality as a contributor to resiliency, while also identifying it as an important predictor of negative outcomes, such as psychopathology. More recently, personality researchers have emphasized the importance of examining personality at the level of specific underlying facets, as it can provide a more refined and predictive picture than higher-order personality traits. The current study examined the predictive utility of personality facets in regard to risk and resiliency in high-achieving individuals exposed to transient and chronic stress. Results indicated personality facets provided strong prediction of mental health and behavioral functioning outcomes, and added to the understanding of the association among personality and functioning. In particular, hierarchical linear modeling analyses identified significant risk and protective facets prior to the inclusion of stress and also when interacting with stress. The implications of these analyses, such as identification of particular strategies for boosting protective facets and limiting harmful facets, is discussed.

The present study sought to more rigourously explore outcomes of psychological well-being immediately following a psychotherapeutic yoga class. Specifically, the study hypothesized improvements in state anxiety and subjective well-being as well as an observable relationship between state and trait mindfulness following a yoga intervention, all while controlling for differences between yoga instructors, prior yoga experience, and participant endorsements of psychological symptoms. Previous yoga experience was not found to be a significant factor in any of the tested hypotheses. Findings revealed that psychotherapeutic yoga decreased anxiety and increased subjective well-being, even after controlling for therapist variability, prior yoga experience, and client diagnosis. Results also indicate differential impacts on decreased anxiety and increased subjective well-being by class instructor. This is the first study to examine outcomes of an ongoing yoga based-practices in the naturalistic setting of an outpatient counseling center while rigorously controlling for confounding factors (e.g. therapist variability). Methodological and statistical limitations are discussed in depth, and future directions to improve on this study and clarify the present findings are emphasized.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a form of direct self-harm that involves willful damage to bodily tissue without suicidal intent; it includes behaviors such as cutting, burning, carving, biting, scraping, and scratching of the skin, as well as hitting and skin and scab picking. Engagement in NSSI has been shown to relate to a host of maladaptive states and outcomes, including depression, anxiety, poor emotion regulation, and suicidal ideation and attempts. Socially sanctioned forms of body modification (e.g. tattoos and piercings) have received less attention as potential self-harm outlets, but have been posited to represent similar physical outlets of emotional pain. Indirect self-harm, in contrast, can include behaviors such as substance abuse, disordered eating, participation in abusive relationships, and sexual risk-taking. Extant literature suggests that self-harm in either form is associated with higher levels of self-criticism than healthy adults endorse. However, few studies have examined self-criticism in each of these self-harming subgroups. Female participants were recruited online using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Results from the present study indicate that 1) direct self-harming individuals are considerably more self-critical than indirect self-harmers and control subjects, 2) those who engage in multiple forms of self-harm are more self-critical than those engaging in only one form, …

Sexual trauma within the military is a widespread issue, and rape myth acceptance has been shown to contribute to its prevalence. Given that the military culture has been shown to lend itself to hypermasculinity and traditional gender role adherence, both of which facilitate aggression toward women, this effect warrants investigation within a military sample. The present study replicated and expanded upon Aosved and Long's (2006) study examining 85 veteran and active duty military members' responses on the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, Attitudes Toward Women Scale (short form), Neosexism Scale, Male Role Norms Inventory (short form), Modern and Old Fashioned Racism Scale, Modern Homophobia Scale, a modified version of the Economic Belief Scale, Fraboni Scale of Ageism, Religious Intolerance Scale, and the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale (short form). Findings provide support for the co-occurrence of rape myth acceptance with intolerant attitudes, including sexism, hypermasculine gender role ideology, racism, sexual prejudice, classism, ageism, and religious intolerance, both individually and collectively. These results provide insight into the functioning of intolerant attitudes within a military sample, and provide important insight for future research addressing the association between rape myth acceptance and rape proclivity and the perpetration of military sexual assault.