Psychology Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2801
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Item Examining Associations between Neural Sensitivity to Social Feedback with Trait and State Loneliness in Adolescents(2024) Alleluia Shenge, Victoire; Redcay, Elizabeth; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Loneliness can be defined as the negative emotional response to an experience of discrepancy between the desired and actual quality or quantity of one’s relationships. Loneliness is associated with many negative outcomes, including depression and self-harm. This phenomenon tends to increase in adolescence and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at even greater risk for developing loneliness during this time than their neurotypical peers. The present study examined how neural sensitivity to both positive and negative feedback from peers is related to loneliness and social experiences among adolescents with and without autism. In a sample of 94 adolescents (22 autistic and 72 non-autistic) ages 11-14, we used an innovative ecologically valid paradigm for fMRI task along with real-world experience sampling to assess self-reported interaction quality and state loneliness, as well as surveys to examine reports of “trait” (or stable levels of) loneliness.The results indicated group differences in both state and trait loneliness, with the autistic group showing high levels of loneliness. In addition, the autistic group had lower interaction quality compared to their non-autistic peers. However, we did not find support for associations between neural sensitivity to feedback and interaction quality or loneliness across our full group. This work provides an important first step in understanding the relation between loneliness, neural sensitivity to social feedback and social experiences and can further inform intervention for adolescents at risk for negative mental health outcomes depending on which mechanism shows an association effect on social experiences and lonelinessItem Experiences of substance use and medication for opioid use disorder stigmas in an underserved, rural community(2024) Anvari, Morgan; Magidson, Jessica F; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Overdose rates related to opioid and stimulant use have been steadily increasing in underserved, rural areas of the U.S. for over 10 years. Access to and retention in medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) care are persistent challenges nationally and in underserved rural communities. Stigma around substance use (SU) and MOUD specifically are barriers to engagement in opioid use disorder and MOUD care. However, little is known regarding how SU and MOUD stigmas manifest and affect patients in rural settings. Given their shared lived experiences, peer recovery specialists (PRSs), individuals with lived substance use and recovery experience who are formally trained to support others’ recovery, may be unique resources to shifting stigma barriers. Yet, few studies have examined if and how PRS engagement shifts stigma, particularly in underserved, rural communities. This qualitative study sought to understand: 1) how substance use and MOUD stigmas manifest in a low-resource, rural community; 2) how these stigmas influence patients’ treatment experiences and preferences; 3) if and how PRS-delivered intervention may shift these stigmas and improve MOUD outcomes. Patients (n = 25) and staff (n = 5) at a telemedicine-mobile treatment unit (MTU) in an underserved, rural community completed semi-structured qualitative interviews. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis, guided by the interview guide and Stigma Mechanisms Framework. Study findings demonstrated the pervasive role of multiple forms of stigma in a rural community, negatively impacting substance use treatment outcomes. Experiences of these stigmas were found to be uniquely influenced by rural living conditions. Additionally, results revealed that PRS-delivered interventions have potential in shifting these stigmas and improving MOUD outcomes by leveraging PRSs’ shared lived experiences. Identifying and understanding patient experiences of substance use and MOUD stigmas are vital in developing innovative solutions to target stigma reduction and support recovery. Future research may continue to develop and evaluate how PRS interventions can reduce stigma and support positive recovery outcomes.Item COMPATIBILITY IN TEAM COGNITION: MOVING BEYOND SIMILARITY(2024) Strauss, Joshua; Grand, James A; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Team cognition is a well-recognized antecedent of team processes and performance. Compatibility of mental representations is critical to many theoretical frameworks and approaches to team cognition. However, compatibility is often relegated to an unexplored assumption or assumed to be sufficiently captured by the similarity or overlap of mental representations. This paper extends the Team-Task Representation (TTR) framework proposed by Strauss (2022) to (1) define and (2) operationalize compatibility, (3) proposes a process through which compatibility relates to team processes and performance, and (4) provide empirical tests of these relationships. A study was conducted using an online, cooperative, gamified task to test the relationship between TTR compatibility and coordination and the extent to which coordination mediated the relationship between compatibility and performance. Compatibility did not predict coordination and coordination was not found to mediate the relationship between compatibility and performance. Conclusions and consequences for the field of team cognition are discussed.Item Colonial Mentality and the Intersectional Experiences of LGBTQ+ Filipina/x/o Americans(2024) Pease, M Valle; Mohr, Jonathan; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)LGBTQ+ Filipina/x/o Americans have unique experiences due to being at the intersection of racial and sexual/gender marginalization in the United States as well as a complex history of colonialism. The internalization of colonial messages, or colonial mentality, has been linked to mental health in Filipino communities (David et al., 2022). Colonial ideologies include stigmatizing beliefs against gender and sexual diversity and thus have a particular significance for the oppression of LGBTQ+ people. However, no quantitative studies have examined colonial mentality or, more broadly, intersectional experiences in LGBTQ+ Filipino Americans. In a cross-sectional sample of 160 LGBTQ+ Filipino Americans (Mean Age = 26.4), the effect of intersectional discrimination on psychological distress mediated by colonial mentality and identity conflicts was examined, as well as the potential moderating effect of resistance and empowerment against oppression. Analyses found a significant serial mediation such that intersectional discrimination was positively associated with colonial mentality, which was positively associated with conflicts in allegiances, which in turn was positively associated with psychological distress (β = .01, 95% CI: [.0004, .03]). Resistance and empowerment significantly moderated the association between intersectional discrimination and both conflicts in allegiances and psychological distress, such that the impact of discrimination was non-significant for people at high levels of resistance and empowerment. This research has implications for understanding how different histories of oppression impact multiply marginalized groups, which can inform clinical work and efforts to advance decolonization and liberation for marginalized communities.Item REAL-WORLD EMOTION DYNAMICS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CURRENT AND FUTURE INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS(2024) Didier, Paige Ryan; Shackman, Alexander J; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Most studies of internalizing disorders have emphasized the role of emotional traits in the development of internalizing disorders, however more proximal pathology-promoting processes like momentary emotional experiences remain underexplored. Given that the current treatments for these debilitating illnesses are far from curative, understanding proximal processes is critical to optimize interventions and alleviate suffering. Here, we utilized smart-phone ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to identify the relevance of real-world emotional dynamics in internalizing symptomatology and change over a 2.5-year follow-up period. Results demonstrate that one’s event-independent (tonic) level of affect are predictive of broadband (Dysphoria) and narrow-band (Panic and Well-being) internalizing symptoms, whereas positive and negative event exposure is not. Notably, increased emotional reactivity to negative events predicts greater concurrent and future Dysphoria symptoms but not its trajectory. Whereas tonic levels of negative affect lose predictive value for future Dysphoria when controlling for baseline symptoms, elevated tonic positive affect uniquely predicts healthier Well-being trajectories. These findings advance our understanding of real-world emotional dynamics in internalizing illnesses and lay the groundwork for improved research paradigms and targeted interventions.Item “It's how they found relief and comfort from all the tragedies that life throws at them on a regular basis”: Exploring the association between trauma, opioid use, and opioid use disorder in Washington D.C.(2024) Brown, Imani; Magidson, Jessica F; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In Washington D.C, African American residents of underserved neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by opioid use (OU), opioid use disorder (OUD), and opioid overdose deaths (OOD), highlighting the need for a more effective intervention to address these issues. Existing literature indicates an association between OUD and trauma, but this relationship is minimally explored in urban, African American communities. This study aimed to qualitatively explore the association between trauma, OU, and OUD from the perspective of community leaders and clinicians (N=78) working in Wards 7&8 of DC, the neighborhoods hardest hit by the problem. Data showed that interpersonal and intergenerational trauma contributed directly to OU and OUD, and that historical trauma and structural violence act synergistically with other traumas to contribute to OU and OUD. Findings suggest a need for early interventions to address the harmful effects of interpersonal and intergenerational trauma and underscore a need for culturally informed political and socio-economic interventions to address structural violence and historical trauma that perpetuate trauma, OU, and OUD.Item PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS AND INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS IN BLACK EMERGING ADULTS: THE ROLE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL DYSREGULATION AND CULTURAL SOCIALIZATION(2024) Wang, Yuqi; Tyrell, Fanita A; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research suggests that ethnic-racial minority emerging adults disproportionately experience higher levels of internalizing problems due to exposure to higher levels of generalized stress (e.g., perceived stress) and unique, race-related stress (e.g., discrimination), which is especially relevant for Black emerging adults. However, few studies have examined the unique contributions of these types of stress and the mechanisms that facilitate their detrimental mental health effects. Informed by existing theoretical models, the current study evaluated the unique contribution of both generalized and discriminatory stress on internalizing symptoms (i.e., anxiety and depression) as well as the mediating role of physiological functioning (i.e., diurnal cortisol slope, C-reactive protein) on these associations. Further, the current study takes astrength-based approach by examining the potential protective role of cultural socialization on the links among psychosocial stress, physiological functioning, and internalizing symptoms. Findings indicate that generalized stress and discriminatory stress both contribute to depressive symptoms and physiological functioning in Black emerging adults, although the links between psychosocial stress and internalizing symptoms were not mediated by physiological functioning. In addition, cultural socialization protected or exacerbated the effects of psychosocial stress on mental and physiological health outcomes depending on the type and severity of the stressor. These findings suggest that therapeutic treatment and intervention efforts for Black emerging adults should consider the impact of both types of stress on these youth’s mental and physiological health as well as the nuanced role of cultural socialization on these links. Future research should examine how other types of psychosocial stress, mediating mechanisms, and resilience processes may impact the mental and physiological health outcomes of Black emerging adults.Item “It’s more than just the act of not using. It's a feeling of finally completing something.”: Patient-centered definitions of successful treatment outcomes in methadone treatment in Baltimore City(2024) Bradley, Valerie Diane; Magidson, Jessica F.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background. Successful outcomes in substance use disorder treatment are often narrowly defined as retention in care, substance use cessation, and the prevention of recurrent substance use. These widely utilized benchmarks may overlook key patient-centered indicators of success. Few studies have sought patient perspectives to establish a representative definition of successful treatment outcomes for opioid use disorder (OUD), with historically marginalized individuals facing the least representation and the largest inequities in care. With overdose-related deaths increasing to over 112,000 in the 12 months preceding May 2023 and a disproportionate impact on racially minoritized populations, understanding comprehensive patient-centered definitions of successful treatment in minoritized populations is an imperative endeavor for research, treatment planning, and policy. This study aimed to understand how patients and providers at an outpatient methadone treatment program in Baltimore City describe patient-centered successful treatment outcomes.Methods. We conducted qualitative interviews and focus groups with 32 patients, staff, and peer recovery specialists (PRSs) at a Baltimore-based outpatient methadone treatment program predominantly serving low-income, racially minoritized individuals with OUD. Semi-structured interview guides prompted patients (n=20) to describe success in methadone treatment and staff and PRSs (n=12) to describe their observations of patients' success in treatment. Qualitative data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis. We utilized the Health Equity Implementation Framework to contextualize findings across multiple domains and explore potential influences on equitable outcomes of treatment success. Results. Five key themes emerged to demonstrate how patients and their providers define patient-centered successful methadone treatment outcomes, including (1) improvements in general health, (2) productivity and accomplishment, (3) social improvements, (4) substance use changes, and (5) treatment engagement. Patients and providers were generally in agreement on these five overarching themes. Conclusion: Findings suggest patient-centered definitions of success in methadone treatment span psychosocial, environmental, behavioral, health-related, and other factors beyond the traditionally measured outcomes of treatment retention and substance use abstinence. Working toward a more representative definition of methadone treatment success—integrating patient perspectives, particularly minoritized individuals who often face the greatest obstacles in care—may have significant clinical, research, and policy implications for improving the patient experience and outcomes in methadone treatment.Item Examining pre-training interpersonal skills as a predictor of post-training competence in mental health care among lay health workers in South Africa(2023) Rose, Alexandra Leah; Magidson, Jessica F.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A worldwide shortage of mental health specialists contributes to a substantial global mental health treatment gap. Despite evidence that lay health workers (LHWs), or health workers with little formal training, can effectively deliver mental health care, LHWs vary widely in their abilities to competently deliver mental health care, which undermines the quality of care and patient safety. Prior research from both high-income and low- and middle-income countries suggests this variability may be predicted by LHW interpersonal skills, yet this relationship is little explored to date. The first aim of the current study, which uses an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, was to explore qualitative perspectives through semi-structured individual interviews (n=20, researchers, policymakers, NGO staff, LHWs) in Cape Town, South Africa on interpersonal skills relevant to delivery of mental health interventions by LHWs. The second aim was to quantitatively examine the preliminary effectiveness of pre-training interpersonal skills in predicting post-training competence following a mental health training among LHWs in Cape Town (n=26). Using a standardized LHW assessment measure adapted to the setting, two raters rated ten-minute standardized role plays conducted before and after the training for pre-training interpersonal skills and post-training competence. Qualitative findings highlight the perceived importance of and challenges with assessing interpersonal skills among LHWs being trained in psychological intervention. Quantitative analyses did not identify any interpersonal skills as significant predictors of post-training competence. However, interpersonal skills improved during the training itself, specifically verbal communication, suggesting the potential promise of further research in this area. Recruitment of larger samples with more variable training outcomes would be important in future studies examining predictors of LHW competence. Further research may ultimately help identify areas of intervention to support more LHWs in attaining competence and can help play an important role in increasing access to psychological services globally.Item APPLICATION OF THE CAREER SELF MANAGEMENT MODEL TO WORKPLACE SELF ADVOCACY: THE ROLES OF ATTACHMENT, OUTCOME EXPECTATIONS, AND GENDER(2024) Moturu, Bhanu Priya; Lent, Robert W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The literature applying attachment theory to career development has grown rapidly in recent years (Yip et al., 2018), reflecting the recognition of attachment dynamics as an important factor in career exploration and management. The social cognitive career self-management model (Lent & Brown, 2013) has recently been applied to the study of self-advocacy (Moturu & Lent, 2023), which was seen as one important way in which workers exercise agency in their career behavior. This study integrated attachment theory with workplace self-advocacy and the CSM model. It also included development of a new measure of self-assertive outcome expectations at work (SAOW). Participants were 687 full-time employees who completed an online survey. The sample was divided into distinct measurement development and theory testing phases. An initial exploratory factor analysis (N = 200) found that SAOW contained two separate but highly related factors, positive and negative outcome expectations. It also provided initial support for the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the SAOW scale. Compared to men, women were found to have higher negative expectations and lower self-efficacy when they advocate for themselves. Results of a structural path analysis indicated that secure base support, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance were predictive of self-assertive efficacy and outcome expectations, which in turn predicted advocacy behaviors (e.g., self-promotion) and career outcomes (e.g., career satisfaction). I describe the findings in detail, discuss the utility of the SAOW measure, and consider the study’s implications for theory, research, and practice with adult workers.