Approved Dissertation Abstracts
 

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Conceptualizing Depression: The Role of Attachment and Related Issues
Megan Green
Marshall University


Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between depression, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and attachment and related issues as measured by the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ). Individuals who had never engaged in therapy were compared to individuals who had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and who sought outpatient therapy. The therapy group demonstrated higher levels of pathology with regard to depressive symptoms, insecure attachments, and clinical issues. The same relationships were found looking at within correlational analyses of the clinical population. Implications for clinical practice included the necessity of adopting a more comprehensive model of attachment, depression, and clinical issues.

 

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Variables that Influence the Quantity of In-home Services for Children
 
Adrienne A. Bean, M.A.
  
Abstract

         There are many reasons in-home services are being implemented and are having success with young children.  Part of this success may be due to the practitioners’ access to the family system and the home environment.  A number of studies attempt to address the quality of these services; however, few studies examine how the quantity of services is dispersed and/or how quantity of services is related to various characteristics of, or surrounding, the child.  This dissertation attempts to examine some of the factors that may influence the amount of time practitioners are willing to spend in homes when children have comparable concerns or delays.  Parental qualities, environmental conditions, and other provider perceptions are examined.  It was hypothesized that these various parent and environmental factors make practitioners less likely to give adequate amounts of services to some children in their homes.  A survey was mailed to 607 early intervention in-home service practitioners from various professions asking how certain factors influence the amount of time they were willing to spend with the families.  An inconvenience factor and perception factor emerged from the variables.  The amount of no-shows, inability to make phone contact, longer travel times, parental lack of cooperation, and parental mental health were the most frequent factors practitioners identified as causing them to decrease their willingness to be in the home, followed by parental low intelligence and lack of agreement about the course of therapy.  Other variables were also noted to decrease time spent with families.  Various characteristics of the provider emerged that showed who was more likely to discriminate when determining quantity of services.  Training implications are addressed.

 

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Attachment and Adolescent Psychopathology in a Correctional Setting

Lindsay A. Lounder, M.A

Abstract

 

The purpose of this research is to find clinically relevant data on adolescents who commit crimes. This study will involve designs comparing the youth at a maximum-security correctional facility versus controls matched on demographic variables using the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ). Within group data will also be analyzed to study differences and similarities among the offenders. By getting a better understanding of the data, it is hoped that more effective treatment programs can eventually be created to reduce recidivism rates. It is also hoped that this will be valuable to at-risk youth by identifying their individual clinical issues and using this information to establish more effective intervention programs.