Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2006 / "Publication number AAT 3241869."

<p> The unique qualities of the teenage brain and the ubiquity of mobile technology suggest a role for mobile applications (apps) in the treatment of teenage depression. The hermeneutic portion of this inquiry into teenage depression includes both 20-year-old data on evidence-based treatment modalities and articles written in the last few years on mobile health applications (mHealth). The research problem includes few randomized controlled trials of the efficacy and security of mobile health applications. This thesis employs heuristic methodology to examine the author&rsquo;s personal experience with mobile interventions for the treatment of her depression. Of the many hundreds of mHealth solutions designed to address depression, most rely on the tenets of neuropsychology, positive psychology, and mindfulness-based therapies to drive functionality. Apps contain features familiar to teenagers and are easy to access with a smartphone. Teenagers are digital natives whose life-long exposure to technology necessarily shapes their expectations of immediacy and innovation.</p>

<p> The cultural movement toward abbreviation and multitasking detracts from the desire and also, potentially, the ability to begin engaging in deep reading. This is problematic, considering that the deep reading of narrative fiction has many potential benefits. Through the use of both heuristic and hermeneutic methodology, this thesis takes a look at the psychological and scientific literature that explores the relationship between reading narrative fiction and an increase in both empathy and theory of mind skills; how the art of reading narrative fiction can be viewed from a depth psychological perspective; and the author&rsquo;s personal experience with reading narrative fiction. This information is then utilized to explore how these components can be applied within the psychotherapy process through the use of bibliotherapy, as well as how it can be a valuable tool for one&rsquo;s own personal growth and exploration outside of a therapy setting.</p>

<p> This thesis explores the spiritual-bypass phenomenon identified by John Welwood and how it can be a defense against wholeness as defined in Jungian psychology. Using hermeneutic and heuristic methodologies, and drawing on depth psychological theories, the author discusses the various forms of spiritual bypass and the underlying shadow dynamics, such as emotional repression. The author examines the nature of psychological and spiritual development through states and stages of consciousness development, healthy transcendence versus unhealthy transcendence, and the Jungian process of individuation toward wholeness. The research also explores contributing factors to spiritual bypass including the effect of early childhood attachment style and demonstrates the significance of integrating psychological development in a spiritual path. Finally, the author provides suggestions for therapists working with clients who may be in spiritual bypass.</p>

<p> Behavioral sensitization is an increase in a behavioral response (e.g., locomotor activity or stereotypy) induced by previous drug exposure. The present study examined one-trial methamphetamine behavioral sensitization in male and female rats during early or late adolescence. During pretreatment, male and female rats received methamphetamine (0.0&ndash;6.0 mg/kg) in the home or in a novel chamber during early (PD 38) or late (PD 48) adolescence. After 24 hours, rats received a 1 mg/kg methamphetamine challenge test dose in the novel chamber to assess for sensitization. The results showed that rats in both age groups exhibited robust locomotor activity to the acute effects of methamphetamine. However, male and female rats at either age group did not exhibit one-trial methamphetamine behavioral sensitization. Overall, females exhibited greater locomotor activity than males, while males exhibited greater stereotypy. These findings do not provide evidence that the ontogeny of one-trial methamphetamine sensitization emerges during adolescence.</p>

<p> Attachment theory suggests that previous experiences direct one&rsquo;s interpretations of potentially stressful events and one&rsquo;s reaction to these events. As university students interact with a novel environment and face new demands, they may experience elevated levels of stress. Dependent on what resources they feel are available to them, they might feel confident in addressing these challenges, or they may believe they cannot meet the demands of the college environment. This perception of ability or inability can affect personal and academic success. Using attachment theory as a foundation, this study investigated the relationships among students&rsquo; attachment dynamics, coping styles, and perceived stress in a sample 174 West Virginia University students. Based on attachment theory and previous research, it was expected that both students&rsquo; attachment dynamics and coping styles would explain variance in perceived stress. As predicted, using hierarchical multiple regression analyses, both attachment dynamics and coping styles were observed to explain a significant amount of variance (26.8&ndash;45.5% variance explained) in the perception of stress, after accounting for demographic variables. Results of this study are explored with regard to how they can inform clinical work and future research with the university student population.</p>

It has been assumed that the social deficits inherent in autism imply that individuals with the condition will be unable fully to appreciate the emotional content of music. My aim was to test this assumption, and to explore more widely the similarities and differences between the experience of music in the normal population and those with autism. My first study used musically-induced mood changes and a behavioural measure to show that music does indeed have a more than superficial effect on cognitive processes in a control group. The second study focused on high-functioning adults on the autism spectrum, using semi-structured interviews to investigate the part that music played in their everyday lives, concluding that autism is no bar to full appreciation of the emotional uses of music, though suggesting a degree of impoverishment in the language they used to describe the emotions. The final set of experiments compared control and autism group directly, using physiological (GSR) measures of arousal together with self-report of the emotions evoked by a set of musical items. Standardised questionnaires were used to measure alexithymia (difficulty in identifying and describing feelings) in individuals. Although the autism group experienced comparable levels of physiological arousal to music, they used fewer words than the control group to describe their emotional responses, a difference which correlated strongly with their level of alexithymia. My results are consistent with the hypothesis that in autism, the basic physiological and emotional component of their reactivity to music is functioning normally, but that their ability to translate these reactions into conventional emotional language is reduced, precisely in line with the extent of their alexithymia. These results suggest that the preserved ability of music to generate emotional arousal in autism may lead to clinical applications for the treatment of alexithymia in autism and other conditions.

<p> This qualitative case study explored educator beliefs and behaviors for the tenets of trauma-informed care and if those beliefs or behaviors change in relation to years of service or specialized training. Ecological systems theory guided the theoretical approach. Review of historical research revealed a gap in linking trauma-informed care into the ecological system surrounding the traumatized child in the educational setting. Research questions asked what educator beliefs and behaviors are reflective of the tenets of trauma-informed care, and if those beliefs or behaviors change in relation to years of service or specialized training for educators. Data were collected from eight educators from two Arizona schools using questionnaires, individual interviews and field notes. Results were analyzed using inductive thematic coding and descriptive reporting. Interview data revealed six major themes including: types and causes of problem behavior including withdrawal, physical and verbal behavioral disruptions; identifying and responding to trauma; teacher identity; and educator training. Questionnaire outcomes showed respondents scores averaged 65, out of a possible score of 90. Major findings of the study indicated participants broadly reflected some tenets of trauma-informed care. Divergence in responses was consistent, indicating a shared set of educational beliefs at odds with certain aspects of trauma-informed care. Participants felt increased experience equipped them to manage disruptive behavior better. Participants lacked professional development in behavior management and trauma. Participants unanimously expressed a strong desire for such training to be made available.</p>

<p> The empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory states that individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) can be identified by a deficit in empathy (social skills, communication skills, and theory of mind) and a propensity for systemizing (islets of ability, obsessions with systems, and repetitive behavior). This theory has been tested in various contexts, but never with adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16. The EQ-A (Empathizing Quotient for Adolescents) and the SQ-A (Systemizing Quotient for Adolescents) were administered to 47 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 who had been diagnosed with ASC and 97 adolescents with no reported physical or mental disorders to discover differences in empathizing and systemizing.</p><p> To test the specific elements and predictions of the E-S theory, the EQ-A was divided into a set of three subscales derived by conceptually mapping items to factors corresponding to the concepts theoretically underlying the scale. The SQ-A was divided into subscales using factor analysis.</p><p> It was found that all four subscales resulting from the factor analysis on the SQ-A were associated with obsessions with systems. A weak positive correlation was found between the SQ-A and the EQ-A. Although the EQ-A was able to differentiate significantly between individuals with an ASC and those without, the SQ-A was not. In addition, although the EQ-A and EQ-A subscales scores correlated with similar subscales scores of the GARS-2 (a well-validated existing autism screening test), the SQ-A and its subscales did not. Implications for the E-S Theory are discussed.</p>

<p> This research explores the experience of displacement and resettlement for Rwandan and Congolese refugees in New Hampshire, highlighting cultural perspectives and values that contribute to psychosocial resilience and a restored sense of well-being in these communities. Participants elaborated on their childhood experiences of culture, the disruptions of war and displacement, and their experience of resettlement and adjustment to life in the United States. The research considers the cultural perspectives and values that have contributed to well-being within African refugee communities, and that can generate a sense of stability as refugees negotiate cultural expectations in new homes. The research also considers intercultural relationships and relationships of psychosocial accompaniment. Phenomenological and ethnographic methodologies were used to gather and analyze data through the lens of liberation psychology and depth psychology. Decolonizing methodologies, including a commitment to reflexive practice and psychosocial accompaniment, were also integrated. Data was gathered through semi-formal interviews, focus groups, observations, and researcher field notes. Rarely are refugees invited by resettlement researchers to reflect on patterns of repair, restoration, and the generation of culturally informed adaptations. Participants in this study reveal their experience of culture, overlooked challenges, and the creative adaptations that generate possibilities for success and restored balance in families and communities. The research offers an approach to engaging cultural communities in responding to the challenge of resettlement with integrity, while drawing on resilience and familiar cultural patterns.</p>