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Browsing by Author "Stephens, Robert S."

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    Adolescent Inhalant Use in the United States: Examining Long-Term Trends and Evaluating the Applicability of Self-Determination Theory
    Halliburton, Amanda E. (Virginia Tech, 2013-11-01)
    Inhalants are a critical, under-studied substance used by young adolescents in the United States (U.S.). Despite the serious negative consequences that can accompany use (most notably neuropsychological damage) the topic of inhalants has been neglected by clinicians and prevention scientists, particularly in comparison to other drugs. The present research focused on the etiology of U.S. adolescent inhalant use in two ways, both of which utilized large, nationally representative data sets for secondary data analysis. Study I examined long-terms trends in inhalant use prevalence rates and changing proportions of gender and ethnic groups among lifetime inhalant users. Study I also evaluated the effects of policies aimed at other drugs, including regional "three strikes laws" and national methamphetamine laws, on changing inhalant use prevalence rates among twelfth graders. Inhalant use increased during the early-1990s but has declined from the mid-1990s to the present day; lifetime inhalant users have increasingly become female and non-White. Importantly, "three strikes laws" and a national methamphetamine law were related to increases in annual inhalant use rates for twelfth graders. Study II evaluated the applicability of Self-Determination Theory (SDT)-related constructs, namely self-perceived autonomy, competence and parental relatedness, to concurrent and prospective inhalant use. Competence was consistently related to inhalant use and inhalant use severity; parental relatedness was related to concurrent but not prospective use and use severity. The findings from both studies are discussed in terms of their commonalities and differences, implications for clinicians and prevention scientists, overall strengths and limitations, and directions for future inhalant use research.
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    Alcohol Expectancies and Self-Efficacy as Moderators of Social Anxiety and Alcohol Use Among College Students
    Ehrhart, Ian James (Virginia Tech, 2005-11-14)
    Social anxiety is widely thought to be positively associated with alcohol use. However, these studies rely primarily on self-report of drinking behavior. This research aimed to further explore this research by assessing blood alcohol concentration (BAC), a physiological measure of alcohol intoxication, as the dependent measure in naturalistic settings (i.e., fraternity parties). Results from Study 1 suggest a weak relationship between self-reported anxiety levels and BAC. Study 2 was based on Burke and Stephen's (1999) proposed social cognitive model in which alcohol expectancies and drink-refusal self-efficacy act as moderators of the relationship between dispositional social anxiety and alcohol consumption. Analyses (n=86) did not support a relationship between social anxiety and alcohol use, nor the moderating effects of alcohol expectancies and drink-refusal self-efficacy. Implications for this type of research and possible future directions are discussed.
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    An Analysis of Adherence in Childhood Diabetes: Social Learning and Family Systems Variables
    Lilly, Mary Kristine M.S. (Virginia Tech, 1998-03-30)
    The purpose of the current study was threefold: 1) to assess youths' and parents' perceptions of their competency in managing diabetes, 2) to assess family flexibility and cohesiveness, and 3) to assess the utility of self-efficacy and family factors as predictors of adherence and metabolic control. Participants included 62 youths with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and their parents. Parents' and youths' perceptions of their abilities in diabetes and related situations, family cohesion and adaptability, and perceptions of the family's ability to integrate the demands of the diabetes regimen into general family routines were assessed. Results suggested that both social learning factors and general family relations were important in the prediction of youths' adherence to the treatment regimen for diabetes and metabolic control. Moreover, family efficacy and family cohesion were related, suggesting the need for models of assessment and intervention that include both social learning and general family functioning variables.
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    The Architecture of Personality in the Context of Work
    Hoffner, Rebecca Ann (Virginia Tech, 2006-05-01)
    The purpose of the present study was to replicate Cervone's (2004) study, specifically for a work context. By focusing on the context of work, I believe that a "situationally-sensitive" nomothetic measure of personality for predicting job performance can be developed. My findings indicate that participants were able to identify self-relevant attributes in the context of work and then rate the relevance of each self-relevant attribute to work situations, such that the scores of the self-efficacy items related to those situations rated as relevant correspond with the self-relevant characteristics that were originally identified. Also, the data suggest that while there are several instances of idiosyncrasy in self-perception, there are also many commonalities in both the characteristics believed to be self-relevant and the situations to which those characteristics are relevant. This finding opens up the possibility of using an alternative strategy to develop a nomothetic measure of personality based on idiographic methods.
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    Assessment of Panic Frequency: Reliability and Validity of a Timeline Follow-Back Method
    Nelson, William Andrew (Virginia Tech, 2004-04-14)
    Given the central role of panic attacks in the diagnosis of panic disorder, an adequate measure of panic attacks is essential. Panic frequency is routinely assessed either by simply asking individuals to estimate the number of panic attacks experienced during a given time in a questionnaire or assessment interview or by having them continuously self-monitor. Panic frequency obtained by such methods is unreliable and invalid or time-consuming, respectively. The purpose of this project was to investigate the reliability and validity of a Panic Attack Frequency Calendar (PAFC), modeled after a time-line follow-back (TLFB) procedure (e.g., Sobell & Sobell, 1979) that has been used for years to reliably and validly assess daily alcohol use through self-report over extended periods of time. The participants consisted of 74 adult individuals (ages 18-57) who indicated that they had experienced a panic attack within the past two weeks. Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires, including a retrospective frequency measure, and administered an 8-week PAFC. Participants were then randomly divided into either a self-monitoring group that recorded information in a diary about any panic attacks that they experienced over the following two weeks or a non-self-monitoring control group. All participants were administered another retrospective frequency questionnaire and a 10-week PAFC two weeks after the administration of the first PAFC. Reliability was determined from the two-week stability estimates across the PAFCs for the eight-week period that overlapped both assessments. This was done with several composite panic behavior variables; daily and weekly test-retest reliabilities were also calculated. Concurrent validity was established by comparing panic frequency from the PAFC with that obtained from the diary and the retrospective frequency measure. Further validity was established via correlating the PAFC with the self-report questionnaires. Results are discussed in light of their implications for the assessment of panic attacks.
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    An attention allocation model for the effects of alcohol on aggression
    Cleaveland, Bonnie L. (Virginia Tech, 1992-05-15)
    The present study attempted to show that alcohol's effects on aggression are mediated by attentional processes. Sixty-four college men over the age of 21 were provoked by a confederate and then distracted or non-distracted in order to determine the effects of attention on aggression. It was hypothesized that alcohol-distract subjects would be least aggressive, while alcohol-no distract subjects would be least aggressive. Contrary to predictions, the pattern of results suggested that alcohol-distract subjects are most aggressive and that alcohol-no distract subjects are the least aggressive. Although the data failed to support an attention-allocation model, future research should attempt to test such a link using other paradigms.
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    An Attention-Specific Intervention for Adults with ADHD
    Francisco, Jenifer (Virginia Tech, 2006-05-09)
    Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) consists of symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity that cause significant functional impairment (APA, 1994). Approximately 4.7% of adults are diagnosed with ADHD; however, there are few empirically-informed interventions that are specifically designed for adults. Instead, many of the common interventions for adults are derived from work done with children with ADHD and may not be appropriate for their particular needs (Weiss & Weiss, 2004). Given that adults with ADHD typically experience more symptoms of inattention rather than hyperactivity, an investigation of the effectiveness of an intervention that specifically targets their inattentive symptoms is warranted (Weiss & Weiss, 2004; Weiss et al., 2002). Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an attention-specific intervention for adults with ADHD. The intervention used in this study, Attention Process Training (APT; Sohlberg & Mateer, 1987), has never been applied to adults with ADHD. The underlying assumption behind this intervention is that attentional functioning can be improved through the use of tasks that are designed to re-train various aspects of attention. More specifically, this study addressed sustained, alternating, and selective/divided attention during the intervention. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was used in order to assess the effectiveness of the APT among a sample of adults with ADHD. A sample of four adults, aged 21-37 years (M = 27.75) participated in this study and demonstrated minimal changes in their attentional ability after the intervention. In addition, the findings suggest that the different components of attention addressed in this intervention are not distinct and likely have a reciprocal affect on one another.
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    A Behavioral and Educational Treatment to Improve Adolescent Mothers Supervision and Home Safety Practices With Their Young Children
    Gulotta, Charles S. III (Virginia Tech, 1998-03-26)
    Injury is the leading cause of death and disabilityamong American children, and most injuries to children aged 1-5 years occur at home. Factors associated with increased risk for unintentional injury to young children include an overcrowded home environment, low SES, and living with a mother who is young, less educated, more emotionally overwhelmed, and less protective in her supervision, attributes characteristic of many adolescent mothers. Previous research suggests that teaching parents basic child behavior management techniques can reduce child dangerous behavior (Mathews, et al., 1987; Powers & Chapieski, 1986), but these interventions have not addressed the lack of knowledge about child development common among adolescent parents. The current study employed a multiple-baseline design across subjects to assess the impact of a 6-week in home educational and behavioral treatment. Observable home hazards, supervisory skill, maternal efficacy, parenting stress, and cognitive readiness to parent were examined in four adolescent mothers (aged 16-19), in addition to the dangerous behavior of their children (aged 16-24 months). Mothers received education about child development and sensitive parenting, as well as training in home safety and child behavior management. Child dangerous behavior and maternal supervisory skill and positive behavior were assessed in weekly 20-minute videotaped mother-child interactions. Pre- and post- measures of parenting stress, cognitive readiness to parent, and maternal efficacy related to parenting and child safety were assessed by self-reports. Treatment resulted in improvements in mother positive behavior and knowledge of child development and in reductions of parenting stress, observable home hazards, and child dangerous behavior. A 2-month follow-up revealed some minimal maintenance of treatment gains suggesting additional booster sessions are needed for longer-term gains of reduced injury risk.
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    Behavioral Responses and Risk Detection in Sexual Encounters: A Study on the Effects of Social Anxiety and a Brief Intervention
    Schry, Amie R. (Virginia Tech, 2013-09-25)
    Sexual victimization among college women is a common problem. This two-part study sought to examine social interaction anxiety as a risk factor of sexual victimization and to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a computer-based risk reduction program. A total of 1095 undergraduate females completed an online survey to assess social anxiety as a risk factor (study part I), a subsample of whom (n = 136, including 51 above the clinical cutoff on a social anxiety measure and 85 below the cutoff) completed the subsequent in-lab study (study part II). During study part II, participants were randomly assigned to either receive a computer-based risk reduction program or an educational program on campus resources (control condition), and their predicted use of resistance techniques was assessed both before and after their assigned program. Participants also responded to an audio recording of a sexual assault vignette to assess risk detection. After controlling for past victimization and depression, social interaction anxiety was not related to predicted use of assertive resistance techniques or to risk detection. However, social anxiety positively predicted use of passive resistance techniques at the lowest level of unwanted sexual advances (i.e., breast fondling) in a series of three escalating sexual advances (i.e., breast fondling, genital fondling, and rape threat). No participants dropped out of the study, and ratings on a questionnaire assessing acceptability of the risk reduction program were positive. Program condition predicted change scores for predicted use of assertive resistance at a low level of unwanted sexual advances (i.e., breast fondling) such that the control group decreased in predicted use of assertive resistance significantly more than the risk reduction program group. Additionally, the risk reduction program group had significantly better risk detection compared to the control group. Therefore, support for the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the risk reduction program was found. The finding that the control group decreased significantly more than the risk reduction program group in assertive resistance between the two story administrations is important because assertive resistance techniques tend to be the most effective in reducing risk of completed sexual victimization. Therefore, it is important that risk reduction programs encourage women to use assertive resistance. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
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    Believing you have it worse than others: maximization- a coping strategy
    Tiedeman, Karyn (Virginia Tech, 1996)
    The present research examined the use of a heretofore unstudied coping strategy in which people maximize negative life events they have experienced. Maximization is defined as the process of comparing oneself to others on the number or intensity of negative life events one is experiencing, with the goal of finding that one is experiencing more or worse negative life events in comparison to others. It was hypothesized that maximization arises, in part, from self-verification concerns. It should therefore be elicited when an individual's experienced distress is not validated by others following a stressful life event. In addition, it was proposed that maximization will occur at both the public and private levels. Two variables, adjustment and perceptions of embarrassment or stigma are proposed to moderate the relationship between self-verification and maximization behavior. An experiment was conducted using 83 undergraduate college students, (identified from mass testing), who scored either .80 standard deviations above (Positive Event condition, n=43) or .80 standard deviations below (Negative Event condition, n= 40) the mean on the Life Experiences Survey. During a group discussion with two confederates regarding the types of negative life events college students experience, participants were randomly assigned to receive one of two types of Feedback, Invalidation or No Feedback. In the Invalidation condition, participants received information from the confederates that the confederates’ negative life experiences were more difficult in comparison to the participants. Participants in the No Feedback condition received no information regarding the negative life events they reported during the group discussion. The results suggest preliminary support for the proposal that the invalidation of distress following a negative life event(s) will elicit maximization behavior, both publicly and privately. Participants in the Negative Event/Invalidation condition, compared to the other three conditions, were significantly more likely to report during the group discussion that their experiences were worse than the confederates. Ona private measure of maximization, participants in the Negative Event/Invalidation condition, compared to the other three conditions, were significantly more likely to report that their experiences were worse than other Virginia Tech students. In addition, adjustment and perceptions of embarrassment significantly moderated the relationship between self-verification and maximization behavior, although the nature of the relationship differed for public and private behavior. Limitations of the experiment and future directions are discussed.
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    Bulimic Symptomatology in College Women: To What Degree are Hypnotizability, Dissociation, and Absorption of Relevance?
    Galper, Daniel I. (Virginia Tech, 1999-04-08)
    Bulimia is often viewed as an extreme expression of eating concerns and body image disturbances that afflicts many adolescent and adult women. The cognitive strategies employed by individuals to inhibit eating and facilitate bingeing and purging are thought to include disattending internal sensations of hunger and satiety while sustaining attention on food, distorted beliefs, and interoceptive experiences (e.g., Heatherton & Baumeister, 1991). To the extent that these attentional and perceptual shifts mediate bulimic symptomatology, individuals with bulimic tendencies should exhibit certain cognitive attributes. Because hypnotizability, dissociation, and absorption have each been invoked (either directly or indirectly) as explanatory constructs for clinical and subclinical bulimia, the present study evaluated the absolute and relative effects of these factors on bulimic symptomatology in a large sample of undergraduate women (N = 309) using structural equation modeling. Following 2 assessments of hypnotic susceptibility (Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A [Shor & Orne, 1962] & Group Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C [Crawford & Allen, 1982]), participants completed measures of eating disorder symptomatology (Eating Disorders Inventory-2 [Garner, 1991]; Three Factor Eating Questionnaire [Stunkard & Messick, 1985]), dissociation (Dissociative Experiences Scale [Carlson & Putnam, 1986]; Dissociation Questionnaire [Vanderlinden et al., 1993]), and absorption (Tellegen Absorption Scale [Tellegen & Atkinson, 1974]; Differential Attentional Processes Inventory [Crawford, Brown, & Moon, 1993; Grumbles & Crawford, 1981]). A final model including the latent constructs Hypnotizability, Dissociation, Absorption, and Bulimic Symptomatology provided a very good fit to the data (X 2 (58, N = 309) = 31.09, NFI = .932, CFI = .967, & RMSEA = .053). As hypothesized, dissociation was found to a have moderate effect (Standardized coefficient = .32, p < .01) on Bulimic Symptomatology when controlling for Hypnotizability and Absorption. Moreover, contrary to past research, the path between Hypnotizability and Bulimic Symptomatology and the path between Absorption and Bulimic Symptomatology were not significant. Based on these finding, we can now speak with increased confidence of a meaningful link between dissociation and the continuum of bulimic symptomatology. A pathological dissociative style appears to contribute to the development of bulimia.
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    The check-up: in-person, computerized, and telephone adaptations of motivational enhancement treatment to elicit voluntary participation by the contemplator
    Walker, Denise D.; Roffman, Roger A.; Picciano, Joseph F.; Stephens, Robert S. (2007-01-08)
    Countless barriers come between people who are struggling with substance abuse and those charged with providing substance abuse treatment. The check-up, a form of motivational enhancement therapy, is a harm reduction intervention that offers a manner of supporting individuals by lowering specific barriers to reaching those who are untreated. The check-up was originally developed to reach problem drinkers who were neither seeking treatment nor self-initiating change. The intervention, marketed as an opportunity to take stock of one's experiences, involves an assessment and personalized feedback delivered with a counseling style termed motivational interviewing. Check-ups can be offered in care settings to individuals who, as a result of screening, manifest risk factors for specific disorders such as alcoholism. They can also be free-standing and publicized widely to the general public. This paper will discuss illustrations of in-person, computerized, in-school, and telephone applications of the free-standing type of check-up with reference to alcohol consumers, adult and adolescent marijuana smokers, and gay/bisexual males at risk for sexual transmission of HIV. The paper's major focus is to highlight how unique features of each application have the potential of reducing barriers to reaching specific at-risk populations. Also considered are key policy issues such as how check-up services can be funded, which venues are appropriate for the delivery of check-up interventions, pertinent competency criteria in evaluating staff who deliver this intervention, how marketing can be designed to reach contemplators in untreated at-risk populations, and how a check-up's success ought to be defined.
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    Childhood aggression in schools: The impact of behavioral patterns and contextual influences on teachers' cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses
    Alvarez, Heather Krishna (Virginia Tech, 1999-12-15)
    Despite considerable advances in the development and implementation of school-based interventions, aggressive behavior in schools remains a significant problem for both educators and the community as a whole. The present study was designed to examine possible contextual influences on the course and treatment of aggression in schools, in an effort to inform future intervention development. The aim of the present study was to examine possible influences on teachers' response to reactive and proactive aggression in the classroom, and test the applicability of Weiner's attributional model of motivation and emotion. A sample of 121 middle school teachers completed self-report measures of teaching characteristics, efficacy, stress, and burnout. They also responded to four vignettes of student aggression with measurements of proposed attributions, affective reactions, and interventions. A series of ANOVAs showed that teacher's proposed responses differed as a function of child aggression subtype, teacher stress, burnout, efficacy, and training. Multiple regression analyses were used to test Weiner's theoretical model, as well as consider the moderating influence of teacher characteristics. Findings failed to support the application of Weiner's model to the current sample. Alternative patterns of moderation and mediation were significant, however. Implications of study findings were discussed as they relate to relevant theoretical models and recent advances in clinical and educational research.
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    Comparing Dispositional and Episodic Assessment of Drug Use Motives among College Students: Prediction of Use and Use-Related Consequences
    Jones, Mark Edward (Virginia Tech, 2007-02-12)
    The current study was conducted with a sample of 253 college undergraduates to extend the findings in the existing research on motivational models of alcohol and marijuana use. Specifically it was intended to evaluate the relative benefits of assessing motives for using these drugs during a specific episode rather than in the dispositional fashion utilized in virtually every existing study on the subject. Affect regulation aspects of the motivational model were further explored by measuring state (rather than trait) affect immediately preceding a use episode. A timeline follow-back method was used to identify the most recent use episode and to assess recent quantity of use and negative consequences in greater detail. The similarity of the types of motives derived from episodic assessment to those seen dispositionally lends further credence to the validity of DUM subtypes, their distinct pathways to use and related problems, and the affective-motivational model as a whole. Affective states (rather than just traits) played a significant role in the motives endorsed and outcomes. Previous findings on the direct effects of drinking to cope on the development of problems were confirmed on an episodic level. Finally, episodic assessment appeared to have some utility above and beyond that of dispositional assessment when examining specific episodes of use.
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    Comparison of Participatively-set and Assigned Goals in the Reduction of Alcohol Use
    Lozano, Brian Edward (Virginia Tech, 2008-04-29)
    The effects of setting goals on goal commitment and goal achievement in the context of an alcohol use intervention were examined using an experimental design in which participants were randomly assigned to participatively-set goals, assigned goals, and no goal conditions. The current study provides information regarding the links between degree of participation in goal setting, goal commitment, self-efficacy for one's goal, subsequent alcohol use, and goal achievement. It was hypothesized that: 1) Goal setting and participation in goal setting would significantly predict alcohol use outcomes: a) having a goal for alcohol consumption would cause lower quantity and frequency of alcohol use relative to not having a goal; b) participation in goal setting, rather than being assigned a goal, would influence goal achievement such that participation in goal setting would cause greater success in achieving one's goal. 2) Participation in goal setting would influence goal commitment such that participation in goal setting would cause greater goal commitment. 3) Goal commitment would influence goal achievement such that greater goal commitment would be predictive of greater success in achieving one's goal. 4) The facilitative effect of participation in goal setting on subsequent goal achievement would be mediated by goal commitment. 5) Self-efficacy for one's goal would influence goal achievement such that greater self-efficacy for one's goal would be predictive of greater success in achieving one's goal. One hundred and twenty-six binge-drinking college students received a single cognitive-behavioral assessment/intervention session and completed measures of goal commitment, self-efficacy for goal achievement, and alcohol use. Results were consistent with, and expanded upon, previous research by demonstrating that having a goal for alcohol consumption was predictive of lower quantity and frequency of alcohol use relative to not having a goal; however, participation in goal setting did not result in significantly better alcohol use outcomes or greater goal achievement relative to when goals were assigned. Participation in goal setting yielded greater goal commitment and self-efficacy for goal achievement than assigned goals. Lastly, goal commitment and self-efficacy contributed unique variance to the prediction of goal achievement across follow-up as well as changes in quantity and frequency of alcohol use at follow-up after controlling for baseline use.
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    Construct Deficiency in Avoidance Motivation: Development and Validation of a Scale Measuring Vigilance
    Bateman, Tanner Alan (Virginia Tech, 2017-01-06)
    Two concerns dominate speculation about the lack of progress in motivational disposition research. First, truly unique dispositional constructs have not been identified since wide acceptance of the approach / avoidance distinction. Second, research has largely neglected to account for context in models of motivated behavior. Effective avoidance has systematically been unassessed in motivation research. Social cognitive theory was used to define an effective avoidance motivational trait, vigilance, as an antecedent to effective regulatory behaviors that are avoidant in nature and/or strategy. Two studies were conducted: First, development and psychometric evaluation of a scale measuring vigilance within the existing motivational trait framework (Heggestad and Kanfer, 2000). Exploratory and confirmatory analyses provided initial validity evidence for the vigilance construct; composed of diligence and error-detection facets. Convergent – discriminant analysis revealed that vigilance is significantly related to approach and avoidance motivational constructs identifying two possible sources of contamination in self-report measures of motivational traits. Measurement items may be contaminated with implied outcomes and measurement items may be contaminated with generalized self-efficacy. In the second study, a within-subjects experiment tested the predictive validity of the vigilance measurement scale for task-specific self-efficacy and performance on a task that rewards avoidance-oriented strategies. Vigilance predicted prevention task-specific self-efficacy ( = .29) in one of two experimental conditions. The validation study also offered construct validity evidence for the vigilance construct. Implications and future directions are discussed.
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    The coping process of the unacknowledged rape victim
    Littleton, Heather Leigh (Virginia Tech, 2003-10-24)
    Unacknowledged rape- having an experience that, if true, legally would be considered rape, but not conceptualizing it as rape, or sometimes even a victimization, is a common and understudied phenomenon. The present study sought to examine a coping model regarding unacknowledged rape. In this model, not acknowledging rape is viewed, in part, as a response to experiencing a number of negative consequences as a result of the assault, such as negative social reactions and feelings of responsibility. In addition, it is hypothesized that unacknowledged victims may turn to maladaptive coping techniques to cope with this assault, and not acknowledging the rape may aid in facilitating and justifying these attempts at coping, once initiated. Therefore, it was hypothesized that unacknowledged victims, compared to acknowledged victims, would suffer more negative consequences after the assault and they would use more maladaptive, avoidance coping. To test these hypotheses, an online survey was developed. A total of 1,253 university women drawn from the psychology department participant pool over three semesters, completed the survey. Of these, 256, or 20.4% of the sample reported having an experience consistent with a legal definition of rape. Sixty percent did not consider this experience to be a victimization and thus were classified as unacknowledged rape victims. Replicating previous research, unacknowledged victims suffered less violent assaults and also had consumed more alcohol during the assault. However, the results overall did not support the proposed model. There were few differences in the amount of negative consequences experienced by acknowledged and unacknowledged victims. In addition, the results suggested that being an unacknowledged victim was not associated with increased reliance on avoidance coping. Instead, acknowledged victims engaged in more of all coping strategies, perhaps because acknowledged assaults tended to produce slightly more severe posttraumatic symptoms. Several possible future directions were therefore proposed including a focus on cognitive and memory variables in rape acknowledgment as well as a focus on what leads women to acknowledge an assault, given that not acknowledging rape is the normative response to this type of victimization.
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    A critical examination of the phenomenon of claustrophobia: do subtypes exist?
    Febbraro, Gregorio A. R. (Virginia Tech, 1993-12-05)
    Claustrophobia, a fear of enclosed spaces, is thought of as being a unitary phenomenon. However, different subtypes of claustrophobia may exist. Some claustrophobics may be more similar to individuals with Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia in terms of situations feared, cognitions and symptoms whereas others might be similar to simple phobics with a specific fear of enclosed spaces. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether such subtypes exist. The Claustrophobia Situations Questionnaire (CSQ) and the Claustrophobia General Cognitions Questionnaire (CGCQ) were developed and exploratory factor analyses were performed on these scales. Two-factor solutions for both the anxiety and avoidance ratings on the CSQ were obtained accounting for 40.8% and 33.8% of the variance, respectively. Two subscales were created from each two-factor solution. A three-factor solution was obtained for the CGCQ accounting for 53.6% of the variance from which three subscales were created. Differential validity of the scales and their utility in identifying claustrophobic subtypes was assessed. Self-report measures and physiological response to a hyperventilation challenge were used to validate claustrophobic subtypes. A significant main effect for "Avoidance of Crowds" was found when using heart rate change and post heart rate as dependent measures. Specifically, subjects high on the "Avoidance of Crowds" subscale demonstrated greater heart rate change and post heart rate than subjects low on the "Avoidance of Crowds" subscale. This suggests subjects avoidant of panic-like situations had a greater physiological reaction to the hyperventilation challenge, a task considered to be problematic for panic disordered individuals. Therefore, the results generally suggest the existence of claustrophobic subtypes. The present study was the first to compare subjects differentiated on the basis of claustrophobic subtypes in terms of their physiological response to a hyperventilation challenge. This study both supported and extended past research by developing questionnaires (the CSQ and CGCQ) capable of identifying different claustrophobic situational and cognitive factors.
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    A Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Factors Related to Help-Seeking Attitudes for Psychological Disorder
    Hirai, Michiyo (Virginia Tech, 1999-04-19)
    It has been reported that Asian people have negative views of mental illness, including beliefs that it is incurable and shameful. Asian people also tend to attribute causes of mental disorders to factors less susceptible to personal influence such as supernatural factors, and are likely to have an external health locus of control which reflects beliefs that health outcomes are a product of external factors such as luck. In the present study, each of the above constructs were compared between American and Asian students. In addition, the above constructs were used to predict self-report of utilization of various treatment modalities. Four inventories were developed to assess the above constructs and treatment preferences. Reliability and validity of the new measures were examined. Results revealed that Asian students were more likely than American students to identify psychological disorder as shameful and its sufferers as socially untrustworthy and dangerous. Asian students were also more likely to attribute the causes of psychological disorder to supernatural factors than American students, and were more likely to seek folk medicine remedies for psychological disorder than were American students were. Both American and Asian students endorsed family care as the most preferable treatment approach, followed by psychological intervention, medical intervention, folk medicine intervention, and no treatment. An internal mental health locus of control predicted participants' willingness to seek no treatment. Among Asian students, beliefs in the untrustworthiness of the mentally ill predicted their willingness to seek folk medicine treatment. Attribution of psychological disorder to supernatural causes predicted their unwillingness to seek medical treatment. Among American students, an internal mental health locus of control predicted participants' willingness to seek no treatment. Attribution of supernatural causes and an internal mental health locus of control predicted their willingness to seek folk medicine treatment. A belief that mentally ill people were untrustworthy predicted a preference for medical interventions.
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    Democracy, Citizens' Media, and Resistance: A Study of the New River Free Press
    Mihal, Colleen (Virginia Tech, 2003-08-25)
    A central concern of media scholars such as Ben Bagdikian and Robert McChesney is the undemocratic potential of the U.S. mainstream media system, dominated by a small number of highly consolidated, multinational, corporate media firms. In this context, other scholars, including Chris Atton, John Downing, Stephen Duncombe, Nina Eliasoph, and Clemencia Rodriguez, have argued for the importance of citizens' media, defined as citizen-run, non-profit, independent media projects that may have greater democratic potential. Since the majority of research into citizens' media has focused on media from urban cities, this thesis offers discussion and analysis of a progressive citizen'­s paper, the New River Free Press, located in a rural, Appalachian community that is home to a large technical, military, state university. After first reviewing major scholarly criticism of mainstream media in a democratic society and characteristics and debates about citizen'­s media, this thesis uses interviews of key staff members and textual analysis of archived past issues of the New River Free Press to situate the paper in the citizen'­s media literature. Ultimately, this thesis locates citizens' media as a necessity for democratic societies, suggesting methods of resistance against undemocratic practice and the further consolidation and monopolization of the global media system.