Master of Arts, Miami University, 2022, Psychology

A quarter of men in the United States experience sexual victimization during their lifetime (Breiding et al., 2014). Research regarding men's experiences post-sexual victimization is lacking. The current investigation examined associations between lifetime sexual victimization and sexual difficulties among men. Survey data were collected from 410 men (mean age = 33.99, 80.7% White/Caucasian) through Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Difficulties accessing emotion regulation strategies was tested as mediating associations between lifetime sexual victimization and sexual difficulties among men. Furthermore, as men differ in conformity to masculine norms, conformity to masculine norms of emotional inexpressiveness (beliefs that men should suppress displays of emotion) and hypermasculine sexual persona (beliefs that men should possess high sexual drive and desire) were assessed as moderators. The presence of lifetime sexual victimization was associated with greater sexual concerns and with dysfunctional sexual behavior both directly and indirectly through difficulties accessing emotion regulation strategies among men. Greater reported adherence to hypermasculine sexual persona norms strengthened associations between sexual victimization and dysfunctional sexual behavior. Implications for research, clinical practice, and public policy to address sexual victimization among men are discussed.

Committee: Terri Messman (Advisor); Vrinda Kalia (Committee Member); Elizabeth Kiel (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender; Psychology; Public Health

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2020, Psychology

Research on emotion regulation while in residential substance abuse treatment is scarce, and even more so within the veteran population. This present data analysis examined the relation between emotion regulation and various aspects of residential substance abuse treatment. First, it was found that difficulties with emotion regulation significantly decreased from admission to post-completion of a veteran residential substance abuse program. In addition, treatment persistence, or the act of remaining in treatment for the recommended duration, was examined. This data analysis tested the hypothesis that fewer difficulties regulating emotions would increase the chances veterans would remain in the 21-day program. This hypothesis, however, was not supported. In addition to veterans voluntarily leaving the program earlier than recommended, some veterans are involuntarily asked to leave due to violating program rules. As such, it was hypothesized that fewer emotion regulation difficulties upon admission would lessen the likelihood of committing rule infractions; this hypothesis was not supported. Lastly, it was found that the greater the change in DERS scores from admission to discharge, the lower the likelihood of returning to aftercare treatment (e.g., outpatient follow-up appointments); these results were contrary to what was hypothesized. Although emotion regulation difficulties can significantly decrease after a 21-day program, further research is needed to determine variables associated with remaining in treatment, following program rules, and attending recommended follow-up care.

Committee: Nicholas Salsman Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2019, Psychology

Child anxiety is highly prevalent, with many typically-developing children showing patterns of excessive worry. These anxiety symptoms often emerge in toddlerhood and are highly predictive of children's later anxiety outcomes, underscoring the importance of early mechanisms (e.g., emotion processes) and contexts (e.g., family environment) involved in anxiety symptoms arising in early childhood. Still, there remains a need for integrative, longitudinal, and multi-method models of family emotion processes that may contribute to child anxiety. The current study examined how mothers' emotion dysregulation related to their emotion socialization practices (either supportive or unsupportive) and children's emotion regulation (either attention- or caregiver-focused) over time, with a primary focus on how these emotion processes are relevant to later child anxiety. Results indicated that models tended to fit the data well. Maternal emotion dysregulation consistently predicted child anxiety, and to a lesser extent, relations emerged among emotion processes. Serial mediation was not significant; however, there was one marginally significant indirect effect. Specifically, greater maternal emotion dysregulation predicted greater unsupportive emotion socialization, which in turn related to children's greater caregiver-focused emotion regulation. These findings lend partial support to current theoretical models of family emotion processes and child anxiety development and suggest promising avenues of future research.

Committee: Elizabeth Kiel Ph.D (Advisor); Aaron Luebbe Ph.D (Committee Member); Jennifer Green Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Psychology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Disordered eating behaviors, including binge eating, food restriction, self-induced vomiting, and laxative use are prevalent within undergraduate male and female students. Problematic alcohol use and related issues, including binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences, are also widespread and these two issues are often comorbid. The unique combination of these behaviors, termed alcohol-related compensatory behaviors (ARCB), has recently come to the attention of researchers. ARCB involve compensatory behaviors performed in response to or in preparation for alcohol use in order to counteract calories consumed from alcohol or to increase intoxication. However, research regarding ARCB is sparse. Specifically, there is a lack of knowledge concerning psychological correlates that may help to explain these behaviors and a lack of consensus regarding potential sex differences in ARCB. Emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic psychological correlate implicated in a multitude of psychopathology, including disordered eating and alcohol use. Therefore, the present thesis used a cross-sectional design to examine the association between emotion dysregulation and ARCB in a sample of male and female undergraduate students (N = 417). Further, sex differences in ARCB and in the association between emotion dysregulation and ARCB were also examined. While ARCB were positively associated with emotion dysregulation at the bivariate level, emotion dysregulation was not a correlate of ARCB after accounting for alcohol use and problems, disordered eating, and BMI. Finally, there were no sex differences in ARCB and the association between emotion dysregulation and ARCB did not vary among males and females. Findings provide the first study on emotion dysregulation and ARCB, and additional knowledge regarding psychological correlates of ARCB and their temporal relationship to these risky behaviors is needed.

Committee: Ryan Shorey Ph.D (Advisor); Sarah Racine Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2018, Psychology - Clinical

The field of psychology is currently moving towards a transdiagnostic understanding of psychopathology. Two major domains that are being evaluated in this framework are emotion regulation and experiential avoidance, which have been evaluated as possible mediators of therapeutic change. However, there is insufficient evidence surrounding how these variables at baseline can identify subgroups of patients seeking treatment for comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Therefore, the current study utilized a latent profile analysis and found two latent classes of patients, using a person-centered approach. This ideographic method allowed for a focus on individuals, as opposed to more traditional, variable centered analyses. These latent classes were differentiated by less optimal emotion regulation skills, behavioral deficits, and greater severity in psychopathology. Additionally, both classes were related to symptom changes over the course of treatment, with one class more strongly related to poorer outcomes. Results and implications are discussed.

Committee: Jason Levine PhD (Committee Chair); Mojisola Tiamiyu PhD (Committee Member); Jason Rose PhD (Committee Member); Carissa Wott PhD (Committee Member); Peter Mezo PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2015, Psychology

Emotion dysregulation and frequent suicidal behaviors are defining features of borderline personality disorder (BPD). In fact, emotion dysregulation is critical to the utilization and maintenance of suicide attempts (Gross, 1998a; Gross, 1998b; Linehan, 1993; McMain et al., 2001). Traditionally, clinicians have utilized explicit self-report measures to determine suicidality despite findings that 78% of patients explicitly deny suicidal ideation before completing suicide (Busch, Fawcett, & Jacobs, 2003). Nock et al. (2010) developed and evaluated a version of the implicit association test (IAT) that measures implicit associations of self with death/suicide: The Death/Suicide IAT (DS-IAT). Research is needed to test if the DS-IAT can predict implicit suicidality of individuals with symptoms of BPD and if emotion dysregulation mediates this relationship. Analyses were conducted using data gathered from 83 male and female undergraduate students at a private Midwestern university who completed the DS-IAT, a measure of specific subjective impairments typically experienced by individuals with BPD, and a measure of difficulties in emotion regulation. Results demonstrated a significant relationship between BPD symptoms and implicit suicidality as well as BPD symptoms and emotion dysregulation. However, results indicated no significant relationship between emotion dysregulation and implicit suicidality. Post hoc analyses examining specific domains of emotion dysregulation demonstrated that nonacceptance of emotional responses was a mediator of the relationship between BPD symptoms and implicit suicidality.

Committee: Nicholas Salsman Ph.D (Committee Chair); Cynthia Dulaney Ph.D (Committee Member); Christian End Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Psychology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2020, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Given the prominent role of anxious arousal in the development of anxiety disorders, it would be useful to understand risk factors predicting anxious arousal. A promising risk factor is emotional dysregulation (ED), or the maladaptive processes through which individuals modulate their emotions consciously and unconsciously to respond to environmental demands. To reduce the risk of biased measurements and enhance the understanding of neurobiological underpinnings, researchers have called for the adoption of a multimethod approach to ED. The use of biological correlates of ED, such as the late positive potential (LPP), may be key in extending the understanding of this construct. The current study examined whether ED, measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and unpleasant images LPP amplitude, predicted anxious arousal (measured by the anxious arousal subscale of the Anxiety Depression Distress Inventory-27). The sample comprised 67 community participants (M age = 29.1, SD = 12.2; 61% female; 36% meeting for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnosis; DSM-5) enrolled in a study examining anxiety using experience sampling. Self-reported ED and unpleasant images LPP amplitude were used as predictors in two hierarchical linear regressions. There were significant positive relations between self-reported ED and anxious arousal, β = 0.26, F(1, 64) = 4.98, p = 0.03. There were no significant relations between neurophysiological ED and anxious arousal, β = 0.03, F(1, 62) = 0.06, p = 0.811. There are several potential explanations for the lack of convergence between the DERS-SF and unpleasant images LPP amplitude. It may be that there are inflated relations between the DERS-SF and anxious arousal due to common method variance. Alternatively, images used in the emotional picture paradigm may not have elicited ED strongly enough in this study, or the LPP may have been incorrectly indexed as a neurophysiological measure of ED.

Committee: Nicholas Allan (Advisor) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Psychology

Background: Recent research evinces support for greater emotion dysregulation in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Emotion dysregulation is negatively associated with quality of life in PwMS, thus making it an ideal endpoint for clinical trials designed to enhance overall health and well-being in this population. Purpose: We examined the effects of a 4-week mindfulness-based training program compared with active and passive control groups on emotion dysregulation in PwMS. Methods: Sixty-one PwMS were randomized to one of three groups: 4-week mindfulness-based training (MBT), 4 week adaptive cognitive training (aCT), or a waitlist group. Using self-report and behavioral measures, we systematically examined the impact of MBT on emotion dysregulation, use of emotion regulation strategies, and experience of negative and positive affect. Additionally, we examined the role of a priori defined moderators and mediators in the effect of MBT on emotion dysregulation. Finally, we examined the efficacy of MBT on overall quality of life with reduced emotion dysregulation as a mediator. Results: Engagement in mindfulness training was associated with reduced emotion dysregulation compared with participants in either the adaptive training group or the waitlist control group. Lower perseverative cognition was also observed in the MBT group when compared to the waitlist group. Participants in the MBT and waitlist groups endorsed experiencing lower negative affect in response to negative mood evocation at post-training compared with pre-training, whereas the aCT group showed an increase in negative affect. There were no differential group-related changes in strategy use during the negative mood evocation. Conclusion: Our pilot study, comparing MBT with an active and passive control group, provides promising support for this low-cost intervention to reduce emotion dysregulation in PwMS. Given the widespread prevalence of psychiatric disturbances in this population, MBT with its i (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ruchika Shaurya Prakash PhD (Advisor); Jennifer Cheavens PhD (Committee Member); Charles Emery PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Objectives: This study examined the associations between history of abuse, emotion dysregulation, and negative alcohol-related outcome among African American young women who use alcohol. It was hypothesized that: (1) having a history of abuse would be positively associated with greater problematic alcohol use severity and heavy alcohol consumption relative to no history of abuse, (2) having a history of abuse would be positively associated with greater emotion dysregulation severity relative to no history of abuse, (3) greater emotion dysregulation severity would be positively associated with greater problematic alcohol use severity and heavy alcohol consumption, and (4) emotion dysregulation severity would partially mediate the associations between history of abuse and problematic alcohol use and history of abuse and heavy alcohol consumption. Method: The current study analyzed baseline data from the N-LITEN study, a comparative treatment efficacy trial of a STI/HIV prevention intervention for African America young women. African American young females (N = 560), 18-24 years old, who had consumed alcohol on three or more occasions in the past 90 days completed the baseline assessment. History of abuse was assessed using a measure of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; problematic alcohol use was assessed the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT); heavy alcohol consumption was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Concise (AUDIT-C); emotion dysregulation was assessed using the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200), Factor 5: Emotional Dysregulation scale. Results: Having a history of abuse was positively associated with greater problematic alcohol use severity, heavy alcohol consumption, and emotion dysregulation severity. Emotion dysregulation severity was positively associated with greater problematic alcohol use severity and heavy alcohol consumption, and emotion dysregulation mediated the relations between history (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jennifer Brown Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Erica Birkley Ph.D. (Committee Member); Sarah Whitton Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2019, Psychology

The current study performed secondary analyses of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of mindfulness-based attention training (MBAT) and a lifestyle education control group on attentional control and emotion dysregulation in older adults. These analyses are motivated by the lack of training effects observed for global measures of attention and the finding that MBAT yielded less frequent mind- wandering. Differential effects of training were assessed for 1) in-the-moment effects of mind-wandering on accuracy and reaction time during a sustained attention task, and 2) emotion dysregulation, measured via self-report. In addition, baseline working memory (WM) was assessed as a moderator of training effects on these outcomes. There were no significant between-group differences for in-the-moment attentional control or emotion dysregulation. However, WM significantly moderated the effects of MBAT on emotion dysregulation. These findings indicate that brief mindfulness training, when compared with an active control group, may not mitigate the local effects of mind-wandering on attention or reduce emotion dysregulation in older adults. However, in our sample, WM moderated the effects of mindfulness training on emotion dysregulation, which has implications for identifying aging cohorts that may benefit most from this type of training.

Committee: Ruchika Shaurya Prakash (Advisor); Charles Emery (Committee Member); Andrew Leber (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Psychology/Clinical

Emotional eating, or overeating in response to a mood state, is related to various negative physical and mental health outcomes, including obesity and Binge Eating Disorder (BED). According to the affect regulation model of emotional eating, emotional eating behavior is conceptualized as a maladaptive strategy to regulate affect. However, inconsistent concurrent and discriminative validity of emotional eating self-report measures found in experimental and naturalistic studies call the affect regulation model into question. Psychophysiological measures shown to behaviorally indicate emotion dysregulation, such as trait level Heart Rate Variability (HRV), might confirm a decreased ability to regulate affect is related to emotional eating behavior. A secondary analysis of data from an experimental study of emotional eating examined relationships between different measures of emotion dysregulation and emotional eating. To validate the affect regulation model of emotional eating, lower trait levels of HRV were expected to be associated with higher scores on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), higher food intake following a negative mood induction, and higher scores on the Emotional Eating Scale (EES). Hierarchical linear regression models did not find these relationships to be significant, though both trait level HRV and self-reported emotion dysregulation were associated with changes in the Positive and Negative Affect scale (PANAS). Results of the current study showed trait level HRV and the DERS subscales to be good indicators of an emotional response to the mood induction. Although it remains unclear whether affect regulation is truly central to emotional eating behavior, obstacles to resolving this question are revealed and discussed.

Committee: Dara Musher-Eizenman Ph.D. (Committee Chair); William O'Brien Ph.D. (Committee Member); Abby Braden Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Child maltreatment has been found to increase the risk of psychopathology and maladaptive functioning such as relationship problems (e.g., Larsen, Sandberg, Harper, & Bean, 2011) across multiple developmental stages. Considering that not all individuals with histories of maltreatment develop negative outcomes (e.g., Howell & Miller-Graff, 2014), understanding the process by which factors beyond the experience of maltreatment contribute to the development of social difficulties in young adulthood can be critical for the design of prevention and intervention efforts. Social-cognitive theories point to mechanisms such as rejection sensitivity and emotion dysregulation as potential sources of interpersonal vulnerability. Furthermore, theories of normative development indicate that the timing of child maltreatment may determine the magnitude of deleterious effects. This study was an investigation of the developmental psychopathological pathway between child maltreatment and interpersonal conflict management in young adulthood. The mediating roles of both rejection sensitivity and emotion dysregulation were considered, with findings primarily supporting the former mediation. Additionally, the moderating role of age of onset of child maltreatment was examined within the context of the aforementioned mediation models. None of the moderated mediation hypotheses were confirmed. Research and clinical implications, as well as future directions are discussed.

Committee: Steven Evans (Advisor); Christine Gidycz (Committee Member); Brian Wymbs (Committee Member); Nicholas Allan (Committee Member); Thomas Vander Ven (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

MA, Kent State University, 2018, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Research suggests a bidirectional association may exist between depression and coping via substance use; however, the cognitive processes underlying the reciprocity of this relationship are not well-understood. The present study investigated whether internal attribution bias coupled with a tendency to cope with stress via substance use predicts prospective increases in depression and daily levels of negative affectivity. Sixty-seven adults diagnosed with depression were recruited from out-patient treatment settings (66% female, 81% Caucasian, Mage=31, SDage=13.2). Participants completed self-report measures of substance-related coping, depression, attributional style, and daily negative emotions over a three-week period via mobile electronic devices. Substance use to cope predicted prospective increases in depression among individuals with high-level internal attribution bias. Multilevel modeling evinced that coping via substance use moderated the relationship between internal attribution bias and daily sadness, such that sadness was highest among individuals with both high internal attribution bias and greater levels of coping via substance use. A similar, yet, marginally non-significant trend for increases in daily hostility was also observed. Results demonstrated that depressed individuals who tend to perceive themselves as being responsible for negative life events are at an increased risk of worsening depressive symptoms over time, particularly, if they prioritize substance use as a method of coping with stress.

Committee: Jeffrey Ciesla (Advisor); Karin Coifman (Committee Member); Doug Delahanty (Committee Member); William Lechner (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2017, Psychology, Clinical

Psychopathy is recognized as a heterogeneous condition with empirical support behind the subtypes primary and secondary (Skeem, Poythress, Edens, Lilienfeld, & Cale, 2003). Research indicates differential patterns of associations between psychopathy subtypes and suicide whereby secondary psychopathy is positively related to suicidal ideations and attempts, and primary psychopathy is either negatively or unrelated to suicidal ideations and attempts (Verona, Hicks, & Patrick, 2005; Verona, Patrick, & Joiner, 2001). In seeking to explain the differential pattern of associations between psychopathy subtypes and suicide, the present study drew upon two modern frameworks for understanding self-injury: the emotional cascade model (Selby, Anestis, & Joiner, 2008) and interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005). The emotional cascade model attempts to understand how emotional and cognitive dysfunction combine to predict behavioral dysregulation such as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). The IPTS hypothesizes that an attempt at suicide requires the presence of both the desire for death and the capability to act on said desire and that these processes operate independently of one another. A history of painful and provocative experiences, such as NSSI, is believed to incrementally contribute to an acquired capability for suicide, increasing a tolerance for pain and decreasing the fear of death. Likewise, research has found that a history of NSSI is elevated in individuals that act on their suicidal ideations versus those that do not (Klonsky, May, & Glenn, 2013). In the present study, specific cognitive, affective, and behavioral features integral to the emotional cascade model and IPTS, as well as present in secondary psychopathy, were hypothesized to contribute to a history of suicide attempts in a sample of 204 male and female offenders. A serial mediation analysis was conducted to test if the association between secondary psychopathy and suicide attempts was best exp (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Catherine Lutz-Zois (Advisor); Jackson Goodnight (Committee Member); Lee Dixon (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Personality

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2017, College of Sciences and Health Professions

The present study explored the mediating effects of dissociation and emotion dysregulation on the relationship between different types of childhood trauma and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Participants were 181 undergraduate students at Cleveland State University, who competed measures of childhood trauma (emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and general trauma), posttraumatic stress symptoms, dissociation, and emotion dysregulation. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted to examine the model proposed in this study. The results of this study revealed that all trauma types significantly predicted adulthood posttraumatic stress. The relationship between emotional abuse and posttraumatic stress was mediated through both dissociation and emotion dysregulation. Specific indirect effects emerged through dissociation on physical abuse and emotional abuse, and through emotion dysregulation on general trauma, and posttraumatic stress. These findings support prior research that associates posttraumatic stress symptoms to traumatic childhood experiences. Furthermore, the results indicate differential psychopathological outcomes related to type of traumatic experience in early life.

Committee: Boaz Kahana Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Christopher France Psy.D. (Committee Member); Ilya Yaroslavsky Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2016, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

The symptoms and correlates of externalizing disorders place youth with those disorders at-risk for criminal offending. Indeed, externalizing disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders among detained juvenile offenders. Thus, effective treatments, that are appropriate for both the population and for delivery in juvenile detention, are needed. Yet, the state of the pertinent science is in its early stages and with limitations. Some limitations are methodological and some are clinical. Of import, the tested treatments do not systematically and simultaneously target emotion dysregulation and social impairment, despite basic findings indicating that both are associated with externalizing disorders and confer risk for criminal offending. To begin addressing these limitations, the purpose of the current study was to examine participant satisfaction with the Interpersonal Skills Group — Corrections Modified (ISG-CM) as well as the preliminary effectiveness of ISG-CM, in a controlled trial conducted at a juvenile detention facility and using multi-method and multi-informant measurement. Twelve detained juvenile offender youth (100% male; Mage = 16.30, SDage = 1.16) participated. Results indicated that youth found the treatment highly satisfactory and that they found each of three treatment elements likeable and beneficial/helpful. Contrary to expectations, results were mixed with regard to changes in emotion regulation and social functioning. In line with expectations, ISG-CM, relative to no treatment, was associated with either an attenuation of an increase in or with a decrease in self- and staff-rated verbal aggression, staff-rated aggression against property, and self-rated anger, across analyses. When in ISG-CM, relative to when not in treatment, youth also exhibited an increase in daily behavior points and those in in ISG-CM had fewer unsuccessful days in this domain than those not in treatment. Taken together, these results indicated that ISG-CM may be (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Steven Evans Dr. (Committee Chair); Zoccola Peggy Dr. (Committee Member); Julie Owens Dr. (Committee Member); Julie Suhr Dr. (Committee Member); Gillian Ice Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Criminology; Psychotherapy

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2015, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Sexual assault is a relatively common problem among young women in today's society (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Investigating resistance women use to defend themselves against sexual assault is critical to address this issue, given assertive resistance is associated with rape avoidance (Ullman & Knight, 1992). A history of sexual victimization has been associated with nonforceful resistance and decreased assertive resistance during a more recent sexual assault experience (Gidycz, Wynsberghe, Edwards, 2008; Katz, May, Sorensen, & DelTosta, 2010). Research has yet to explain this association, nor has it examined the impact of other victimization histories. A number of psychological and emotional barriers to resistance, as well as alcohol use during the time of a sexual assault, have been predictive of less assertive, and nonforceful resistance (Abbey, Clinton, McAuslan, Zawacki, & Buck, 2002; Harrington & Leitenberg, 1994; Macy, Nurius, & Norris, 2006; Stoner, Norris, George, Davis, & Masters, 2007). Emotion dysregulation resulting from previous victimization has been theoretically linked to resistance strategies (Marx, Heidt, & Gold, 2005), but has yet to be empirically investigated. The purpose of the current study was to determine what variables (emotion dysregulation, alcohol use, psychological and emotional barriers to resistance) explain the relationship between various histories of interpersonal victimization and less assertive, more nonforceful, and immobile resistance. Findings illustrated that emotion dysregulation, as well as various psychological and emotional barriers, such as anger, sadness, confidence, shock, and perceptions of alcohol intoxication as a barrier to resistance, were influential in explaining the relationship between a different histories of interpersonal victimization and resistance to a more recent sexual assault experience. Findings are informative for future sexual assault prevention programming efforts de (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christine Gidycz (Advisor); Timothy Anderson (Committee Member); Brian Wymbs (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2011, Psychology

The current study examined the relationships among anxiety sensitivity, coping drinking motives, emotion dysregulation, and alcohol use/problems in a sample of 223 undergraduate college women drinkers. Anxiety sensitivity was indirectly related to both alcohol-related problems and alcohol use through coping motives. The indirect effect of anxiety sensitivity on alcohol-related problems (but not alcohol use) through coping motives was qualified by the level of emotion dysregulation. As individuals became more emotionally dysregulated, the strength of the relationship between coping drinking motives and alcohol-related problems increased. Results confirm the importance of emotion dysregulation in explaining alcohol-related problems and have implications for the treatment and prevention of alcohol-related problems in college women.

Committee: Terri Messman-Moore PhD (Committee Chair); Aaron Luebbe PhD (Committee Member); Garold Stasser PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2010, Psychology

This study explored two potential barriers to college women's sexual assertiveness: fear of sexual powerlessness and emotion dysregulation. Analyses also examined whether sexual victimization is associated with such problems. It was hypothesized that fear of sexual powerlessness would facilitate a sexually assertive response for women with strong emotion regulation skills, but would be debilitating for women high in emotion dysregulation. Results obtained from surveys completed by 502 college women indicated that fear of sexual powerlessness, and to a lesser extent emotion dysregulation, are barriers to sexual assertiveness. There was preliminary support for the notion that these two factors interact to impede assertiveness, but not to facilitate assertiveness. Sexually victimized women had greater problems with sexual assertiveness, fear of sexual powerlessness, and emotion dysregulation. Given that identified barriers can be targeted, these findings have important implications for interventions to improve sexual assertiveness and for sexual victimization risk reduction programming.

Committee: Terri Messman-Moore PhD (Advisor); Margaret Wright PhD (Committee Member); Amanda Diekman PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2009, Psychology

Child maltreatment has been linked to later romantic relationship difficulties, but the mechanisms through which this occurs are unclear. The current study examined a model including two mechanisms, emotion dysregulation and early maladaptive schemas, that were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between cumulative child maltreatment and young adult romantic relationship functioning. It was hypothesized that cumulative child maltreatment would be associated with higher levels of anxiety and avoidance within the context of romantic relationships, and that emotion dysregulation and early maladaptive schemas would account for this relationship. In the current study, 727 college women completed retrospective, anonymous surveys assessing child maltreatment, emotion dysregulation, early maladaptive schemas and attachment-related anxiety and avoidance within romantic relationships. Cumulative maltreatment was a significant predictor of both emotion dysregulation and early maladaptive schemas, which were significant predictors of attachment-related anxiety. Modified models indicated that emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between child maltreatment and attachment-related anxiety in young-adult romantic relationships. Alternate models including early maladaptive schemas were less parsimonious and had poorer global fit indices. Findings suggest that the incorporation of emotion regulation skills training into interventions with adult survivors of child maltreatment may be integral for decreasing attachment-related anxiety and increasing healthy functioning within romantic relationships.

Committee: Terri Messman-Moore Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Margaret O’Dougherty Wright Ph.D. (Committee Member); Patricia Kerig Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rose Marie Ward Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Psychotherapy