Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Mental health|Women's studies|Psychology'

This research is about revisioning the Feminine; this is an exploration into the depth of image, alchemy, and intentional creativity, and the catalytic role they play in psychic and somatic integration. Hekate was identified as an image of the dark Feminine that invoked fear in Western culture. For this reason Hekate was selected for interpretation for this alchemical hermeneutic study. An examination of the dark Feminine as Hekate was conducted using an intentional creative process. Also investigated in this study are the alchemical processes of nigredo and albedo and their correlation with transformation within an intentional creative process. Intentional creativity was identified as a viable method for encountering experiences of psychic and somatic integration. Further, through incorporating current research in trauma and neuroscience, this research examined responses to fear in connection to image and the involvement of image in mind-body-subtle body disconnection. This qualitative research was conducted using alchemical hermeneutic methodology to examine the lived experience of re-visioning the Feminine. The data examined in this study were collected by working with an intentional creativity method developed by artist Shiloh Sophia McCloud. McCloud’s intentional creativity model was applied to a dream image, and the researcher’s responses to the layers of the painting process then generated the data for the study. The findings of this study show that McCloud’s method produced lasting experiences of psychic and somatic integration, and that through re-visioning the Feminine, the mind-body-subtle body experience of fear was transformed.

This dissertation seeks to understand how five women currently enrolled in doctoral level psychology programs emotionally and relationally experience the process of recovery from an eating disorder. Contemporary interdisciplinary discourses are inconsistent in their discussion of recovery, with differing accounts of what constitutes recovery and the typical course of recovery. Using a voice-centered and relational approach, I interviewed five female doctoral-level students in the fields of clinical and counseling psychology about their experience of recovering from eating disorders. Interview data was analyzed using the Listening Guide Method (Brown & Gilligan, 1992; Gilligan, 2015) in order to emphasize the emotional and relational qualities of informant voices. My interest in this subject is, in part, inspired by my personal eating disorder history and doctoral training experiences. Although my personal experiences no doubt shaped what I asked and how I listened to the women in this study, I found that these courageous and honest women independently corroborated three interrelated themes. One, these women’s stories each directly addressed a controversial issue in the literature: What is the nature of eating disorder recovery? Is it an end-state or an ongoing process? Two, connection and disconnection from the self and others, which in many respects is perpetuated by societal pressures and expectations placed on women, plays a critical role in the development of eating disorders. And three, the informants highlighted the potentially critical role of self-disclosure in addressing the sensed disconnections from self and others, within both clinical-therapeutic and professional-academic relationships.

Females diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD) may experience more stigmatization and need more social support than males. Traditional therapeutic services provide interventions and treatment that is uniform for males and females. The available research on female substance users does not address meaningful connections and relationships with others, and its effect on overall wellness. The objective of this study was to address the importance of social support, stigmatization, and wellness. A sample of 232 females diagnosed with SUD, at least 18 years of age, responded to three instruments and a demographic form.

The results of this study indicate that income and age are predictors of overall wellness and explained 12% of the variance in wellness when using a multiple regression analysis, (adjusted R² = .119, p = .000). Relationship status and relationship length demonstrated significance as predictors of social support, explaining 5.6% of the variance in social support, using a multiple regression analysis, (adjusted R² = .056, p = .001). Number of children, age, and relationship length demonstrated significance as predictors of stigmatization, accounting for 9.4% of the variance in stigmatization, (adjusted R² = .094, p = .000). Social support accounted for 4.1% of the variance in stigmatization using a multiple regression analysis, (adjusted R² = .041, p = .001). Social support explained 39% of the variance in wellness, (adjusted R² = .394, p = .000). Using a hierarchical regression analysis to control for stigmatization, social support explained 44% of the variance in wellness, (adjusted R² = .438, p = .000). Finally, social support mediates the relationship between stigmatization and wellness, when using path analysis.

This study provided support for specific treatment for females in substance abuse treatment; particularly concerning social support, stigmatization, and wellness. These females with SUD reported that social support increased wellness, correlating with decreased stigmatization. Conversely, females who experienced increased stigmatization and decreased social support also experienced decreased wellness. Social support mediated the impact of stigmatization and wellness.

This study focused on the perspectives of ten licensed mental health practitioners regarding the resilience of African American women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) who permanently leave male perpetrators. A generic qualitative methodology guided the exploration using individual face-to-face interviews. Data collection included individual semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions, which harmonized with the postmodern worldview and constructivist-interpretive paradigm that undergirded the study. After multiple cycles of data analysis cycles, five major themes emerged. The emergent themes were hope, family influence, self-concept, empowerment, and turning points. Maslow's hierarchy and Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological theory provided the theoretical framework for the analysis of the themes. The study presented a discussion of the implications of the themes for understanding the resilience traits of African American women IPV survivors. Such implications are relevant to researchers, policy-makers, counselors, counselor educators, health care workers, and other human services professionals who affect the treatment of this cohort.

Through the use of artistic-creative methodology and alchemical hermeneutic exploration, this production thesis examines the creation of images and the process of dialoguing with them as a therapeutic tool, helping to heal and empower female trauma survivors. By acknowledging and interacting with images from the unconscious, one may begin to reintegrate split or dissociated parts of the Self, ultimately leading to the reunification of psyche. Drawing upon the theories of Jung, depth psychology, and expressive arts therapy, the author presents her personal journey toward healing, selfexpression, and empowerment, which involves active imagination and dialogues with created images. The production, two original paintings, illustrates the process of accessing the unconscious through interaction with images as a way of making meaning and healing from trauma, splitting, and dissociation. Using these ideas, mental health clinicians can gain an additional modality for the successful treatment of trauma survivors.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) – characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities –increasingly are being diagnosed in individuals of all ages. However, as children on the autism spectrum enter adolescence, self-report research on ASD and sexuality is currently limited to 14 empirical, peer-reviewed articles, misconceptions are prevalent, and professionals remain underequipped to support their sexuality needs. The goal of the current study was to expand the current knowledge base by exploring multiple aspects of sexuality (including relationship and family status, gender identity, sexual history, sexual orientation, sexual desire, sex education exposure, sexual behavior, sexual satisfaction, sexual victimization, and sexual awareness) and well-being (including symptoms of ASD, sensory sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and social anxiety) in a sample of 18-30 year old women with and without ASD. To capture a wide range of experiences, female-bodied individuals with more fluid gender identities (e.g., agender, genderqueer) and transfeminine women were invited to participate too. Overall, 248 individuals with ASD and 179 individuals without ASD (N = 427) self-reported on their experiences by completing a 20-minute online survey. Results showed a wide range of sexuality-related identities and experiences among women with ASD. Of note, a surprisingly high percentage of participants with ASD reported having a genderfluid identity, a sexual minority identity, and at least one lifetime incidence of sexual victimization. When compared to a non-ASD sample, participants on the autism spectrum reported higher levels of gender fluidity, sexual minority identity, and sexual victimization, and lower levels of romantic partnerships, sexual desire, sexual behavior, sex education exposure, and sexual awareness, including consciousness and monitoring; participants in both groups reported comparable levels of sexual satisfaction. Relations across sexuality-related variables, and between sexuality-related and non-sexuality-related variables, within the ASD and comparison groups also were assessed and many significant correlations were observed. The discussion focuses on how these findings expand the current knowledge base, and how they might inform the work of researchers and clinicians, and support the romantic partners, family members, and friends involved in the lives of young people with ASD.

This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study designed to examine the relationship between sexist microaggressions and mental health. Sexist microaggressions refer to subtle communications of hostility and discrimination toward women. Sexist microaggressions are often difficult to detect, but they have the potential for harmful mental health outcomes. Despite a strong theoretical argument for the relationship between sexist microaggressions and mental health, limited empirical research exists documenting this relationship, partly due to a lack of an adequate psychometrically developed, quantitative measure of sexist microaggressions. Therefore, for the purpose of the study, a theoretically based quantitative measure of sexist microaggressions, including a stress appraisal of these experiences, was developed. Based on survey data obtained from 699 women, the Sexist Microaggressions Experiences and Stress Scale (the Sexist MESS) may be conceptualized as composed of seven interrelated factors. Furthermore, the results support the reliability and validity of the Sexist MESS as a measure of sexist microaggressions among women. Even further, scores on the Sexist MESS correlated significantly with scores on the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionaire-Dutch-30 (MASQ-D30), indicating a positive relationship between sexist microaggressions and general distress, anhedonic depression, and anxious arousal. Additionally, hierarchical multiple regression analysis determined that sexist microaggressions account for a unique portion of variance in mental health outcomes, above and beyond other known predictors (e.g., self-esteem, perceived social support, feminist identity development) of women’s mental health, suggesting that sexist microaggressions are an important factor to consider in the conceptualization and treatment of women’s mental health. Other service implications and recommendations for future research are discussed throughout.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is linked to diminished maternal, pediatric, and family health outcomes and is designated as the most common childbirth complication. PPD is an international public health concern and found in most populations. Studies suggest that American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women suffer higher PPD prevalence (14% to 29%) than other United States' women, revealing a racial/ethnic disparity. Health disparities research is a national public health priority and substantiates the need to explore PPD in AI/AN women. Clinicians define PPD as an episode of major depressive disorder with a "peripartum onset" specifier that occurs within the first year after delivery.

This dissertation work explored and synthesized PPD research about AI/AN women, where there remains considerable mystery surrounding the causes and consequences of PPD. Even with federal regulations in place requiring the inclusion of minorities and women and other underrepresented groups in research, AI/AN women have been mostly excluded, as evidenced by few studies and small sample compositions that include AI/AN women in PPD research.

Using a comparative analysis approach, validation studies of the EPDS and the PHQ-9 were examined. While possessing excellent concurrent validity, the low predictive accuracy of both tools in non-Western samples suggests cultural bias. No PPD screening instrument has been validated in samples of AI/AN women. Cross-cultural adaptation advances the science of comparative effectiveness research, and is therefore a logical next step. Using a phenomenological methodology with a community-based participatory approach, AI/AN women's "lived" PPD experiences were described. AI/AN women who experienced PPD now or in the past were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. De-identified demographic data were collected. Thematic analysis guided by Moustakas' (1994) procedure followed and seven major themes emerged.

This dissertation has advanced nursing science by providing an understanding of PPD in AI/AN women. Future research for AI/AN women with PPD should focus on: 1) their access to and use of PPD services; 2) the cross-cultural adaptation for PPD screening; 3) the possible relationship between PPD and intimate partner violence; 4) their preferences for PPD treatment; and 5) the possible relationship between PPD and acculturation.

This thesis is a heuristic exploration of the psychological death and rebirth women may experience during initiation into motherhood within American culture. Guided by the author’s personal experience, dreams, and myths, this thesis examines the initiatory process and requirements of mothers-to-be and the cultural support typically available during the transformation occurring throughout pregnancy and childbirth. Evidence suggests that too little cultural awareness and structured support of new mothers’ psychological initiatory needs may adversely influence the onset of, and prolong, postpartum depression, a prevalent concern in the United States. In the absence of cultural support, archetypal motifs describing the symbolic and historic transition from maiden to mother may assist initiates through the complex psychological process of becoming mothers. Therefore, depth psychology may provide clinicians and laypeople with awareness of the important and timeless transition new mothers may face, as well as the language to both guide and witness maidens becoming mothers.

The Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center (SBARC) in Pembroke Pines, Florida is a residential center where women live with their children while receiving treatment for a variety of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues and while participating in mandatory parenting classes. Unlike most women's residential treatment centers, which address only the woman and her problems, SBARC treats the mother-infant/child dyad. I designed and created a database to examine the data previously available only in the paper client records of over 800 women who received treatment at SBARC from 1995 through 2010 in a previous project. This nonexperimental, retrospective explanatory study (Johnson, 2001; Johnson & Christensen, 2014) analyzed that newly digitized historical data to examine the efficacy of the SBARC treatment with respect to three key variables: dyadic attachment, maternal anxiety, and maternal depression (N = 268). Correlational analysis (MANOVA) of the three variables showed significant results, which suggest that reductions in maternal anxiety and maternal depression may be related to increases in the quality of the dyadic attachment. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) found significant increases in dyadic attachment and decreases in maternal anxiety and maternal depression. The results of this nonexperimental study support the need for future research via controlled studies to determine the relationships among these key treatment variables. Grossmann, Grossmann, and Waters (2005) and others claim that improvement in dyadic attachment improves outcomes for children. Dodge, Sindelar, and Sinha (2005) and others also believe that reductions in maternal depression and maternal anxiety may result in better outcomes. The results of this study suggest that there is value in combining these two perspectives so that measurements of dyadic attachment, maternal anxiety, and maternal depression inform future program offerings and treatment plans. The multi-disciplinary foundation of attachment theory and its rich offering of systemic and relational therapy approaches provides what I believe may be an effective blend of treatment options supported by useful empirical measures that can greatly enhance and expand professional competencies of Marriage and Family Therapists involved in clinical practice with similar at-risk populations.