Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2001. / Title from title page screen, viewed March 28, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Mark Swerdlik (chair), Ray Bergner, Gary Creasey, Susan Godley, Jef Kahn. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-143) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-69). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This study investigated the relationship between public stigma, self-stigma, and help-seeking attitudes in a sample of undergraduate student-athletes. Student-athletes appear to be at increased risk for developing mental health issues compared to their non-athlete counterparts (Etzel et al., 2006). However, student-athletes appear to underutilize available mental health services for fear of being labeled as mentally ill as well as other factors (Pinkerton, Hinz, and Barrow, 1989). The purpose of the current study is to explore two facets of stigma as a potential explanation for negative attitudes toward help-seeking and thus the underutilization of these mental health services. Sixty-six student-athletes completed a 10-minute paper-pencil survey. The survey included measures of self-stigma, public stigma, help-seeking attitudes, demographic variables, and an open-ended question regarding barriers to help-seeking. Results indicated that self-stigma mediated the relationship between public stigma and help-seeking attitudes, which replicates the mediated model found in Vogel et al. (2007). Self-stigma appears to explain how negative stereotypes about those who seek help are internalized to form negative attitudes toward help-seeking for student-athletes. Further, student-athletes noted barriers to help-seeking such as lack of time or knowledge of resources as well as fear of being labeled as mentally ill. Implications for research and practice are delineated.

Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) brings with it diagnostic symptoms that can be debilitating and persist for years. Left untreated, PTSD can have far-reaching and damaging consequences – for the individual, families, communities, and society at large. While early detection and intervention is recognized as key to the effective treatment of PTSD, many who suffer from PTSD do not seek essential health services. The aim of this study was to answer the research question: based on existing literature, what are the barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for individuals with PTSD? Methods A systematic review, modeled on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for systematic reviews, examined studies cited in PsycINFO, Medline, Embase, CINAHL and PILOTS published from January 2000 to November 2015. Eligible studies measured barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for adults with PTSD. Two reviewers independently screened citations and double data extraction was exercised. Results Of 1,759 potentially relevant citations, sixteen studies were included, published between 2003 and 2015 and based in five countries, predominantly within the United States (n=12). Thirteen studies focused on military as a target population. Eight principal barrier themes and seven principal facilitator themes were identified, under which supportive subthemes were categorized. Conclusions In identifying prominent barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for individuals with PTSD, this review highlights opportunities to inform policies and programs that educate and promote PTSD knowledge and recognition, reduce public and personal stigma, improve access and availability of care, and encourage social support for patients and families living with PTSD.

abstract: The present study tested the respective mediating effects of sensation seeking and initial level of response (LR) to negative, sedative alcohol effects on the relation between the density of familial history of alcoholism and adolescent alcohol use. Additionally, the present study tested the direct effect of LR to negative, sedative alcohol effects on adolescent drinking over and above the effects of sensation seeking; and also tested the moderating effect of sensation seeking on the relation between level of response negative, sedative alcohol effects and adolescent drinking. Specifically, OLS regression models first estimated the effects of sensation seeking, LR to negative, sedative alcohol effects, and their interaction on alcohol outcomes, over and above the influence of covariates. Indirect effects were then tested using the PRODCLIN method through RMediation. Analyses failed to support sensation seeking as a mediator in the relation between familial history of alcoholism and adolescent drinking, and as a moderator of the relation between LR and adolescent drinking. However, analyses did support a robust direct effect of LR to negative, sedative alcohol effects on adolescent alcohol involvement. A significant mediating effect of initial LR to negative, sedative alcohol effects on the relation between familial alcoholism and adolescent drinking was found, however failed to maintain significance in post-hoc analyses attenuating the downward bias of the measure of initial LR. Initial LR to negative, sedative alcohol effects continued to predict adolescent drinking after attenuating measure bias. These findings strengthen research on initial LR to negative, sedative alcohol effects as a risk for greater alcohol involvement in adolescence, and underscore the complexity of studying the familial transmission of alcoholism in adolescent populations / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2015

This study explores the help-seeking processes of mothers with precarious immigration status who have experienced domestic violence while residing in a mid-size coastal city in British Columbia. Using semi-structured interviews with service providers and an intersectionality-informed thematic analysis, this study seeks to answer the following questions: (1) How do mothers with precarious immigration status seek help when experiencing domestic violence? (2) What facilitates or impedes women’s help-seeking processes? (3) How do existing services and systems respond to mothers with precarious status as they seek help with domestic violence? (4) What can be done to improve these responses? Qualitative data from service providers reveal that mothers with precarious status face numerous, intersecting and often insurmountable barriers as they seek help with domestic violence. Findings also indicate that despite the dedicated and collaborative efforts of participating service providers, many mothers with precarious status are forced to either return to their abusers or to return to their countries of origin. This research also shows how existing services and systems are not structured, funded, mandated or equipped to meet the needs of these mothers and their children. Moreover, the findings show how some of the systems and structures that these women encounter as they seek help seem to actively exclude, oppress and/or marginalize them. The findings of this exploratory study and the recommendations provided by service providers have implications for policy, practice and further research. / Graduate

Master of Science / Department of Psychology / Donald A. Saucier / Researchers have yet to examine how trait sensation seeking and state positive affect combine to influence participation in risky behaviors. This study examined how participant levels of sensation seeking and positive affect interacted to influence participant interest in performing a risky behavior. It was hypothesized that an interaction between sensation seeking and positive affect would be found, such that high sensation seekers low in positive affect would show more interest in participating in a risky activity than high sensation seekers that were high in positive affect or all participants low in sensation seeking, regardless of positive affect. Trait sensation seeking was measured in an initial group of participants (N = 693), using a subscale of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (Zuckerman Kuhlman, Joireman, Teta, & Kraft, 1993). Using these scores, high and low sensation seekers (N = 99) were invited to a second study, where videos were used to manipulate levels of state positive affect (Hemenover, 2003). Participants were then given a questionnaire to measure interest in participating in a risky drug study. No interaction was found, but a main effect for sensation seeking (Zuckerman, 1971) was discovered, such that high sensation seekers reported more interest in participating in a risky behavior than low sensation seekers. Therefore, it appears that participant interest in risky behaviors was a function of levels of trait sensation seeking. It is possible that problems with data collection or the risk-taking scenario contributed to the inability to support the hypothesis.

Ever-evolving information technology influences the information behaviour of users. This enforces both academic libraries and other libraries to try by all means to cope with the accelerating rate of information technology. The abundance of electronic and digital resources and tools have been reported to have a strong impact on the information behaviour of researchers (Vilar and Žumer 2011). / Mini Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Carnegie Corporation of New York / Information Science / MIT / Unrestricted