No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Anne M. Boylan, Dept. of History. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Political Science, June 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Self-compassion is a psychological construct that involves being open to experiencing one's pain and suffering and directing feelings of kindness inwards during moments of distress. Research has found that high levels of self-compassion are negatively associated with depression, anxiety, rumination, and avoidance, and positively associated with overall quality of life. The present study looked at self-compassion as a predictor of psychopathology and functional outcomes in a sample of trauma-exposed OEF/OIF veterans. Baseline data was used from Project PREDICT from of the Department of Veteran Affairs VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research with Returning War Veterans. The relations among self-compassion, mindfulness, and experiential avoidance were analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used and results found that higher levels of self-compassion and mindfulness predicted lower levels of psychopathology and higher overall functioning. In addition, experiential avoidance partially or fully mediated the association between mindfulness and self-compassion and PTSD symptoms, psychological distress, and functionality. Supplemental regression analyses were also conducted examining the relationship between mindfulness and self-compassion with several outcome variables. Results found that self-compassion significantly contributed to the model predicting acceptance of chronic pain. In addition, mindfulness significantly contributed to the model predicting problematic alcohol use. These findings suggest that inclusion of acceptance-based interventions, specifically self-compassion and mindfulness, may improve emotional distress as well as overall functioning in trauma-exposed combat veterans. / text

No description available.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-130). Full text available through DTIC database

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-54).

This study served as a preliminary investigation of the effectiveness of an understudied complementary (to traditional treatment approaches) intervention for military related PTSD. Specifically, the utilization of a nonprofit organization’s intensive three-week training program and use of psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) for PTSD and associated symptom amelioration. The sample included two separate cohorts of military veterans (n = 7 and n = 5) with prior diagnoses of PTSD. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures assessing PTSD and related symptoms, depression, perception of social support, anger, and overall quality of life. Participants also completed an attention bias task that was utilized to objectively assess changes in attentional bias to threat. Participants completed the measures one month prior to the training (baseline), at arrival to the training site, at the end of each week of the training, and at one and six month follow-up. Results indicated that, for all participants, there was a statistically significant decrease in PTSD and depression symptoms. In addition, for most participants, these decreases were both clinically significant and reliable. Further, participants reported significant reductions in anger and improvement in perceived social support and quality of life. Data from the attentional bias task was inconclusive. Limitations of the study include a lack of control group and small sample size. Despite this, the findings of this study indicate that utilizing PSDs as a complementary treatment for PTSD could yield beneficial results in terms of symptom amelioration and improvement to overall quality of life for veterans suffering from PTSD.