Clinical Psychology
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Item Investigating the Co-occurrence of Visual and Auditory Neglect in a Patient with Right Hemisphere Stroke: A Case Study(1999) Rania Antoine AbdoUnilateral spatial neglect (USN) has been observed in individuals suffering brain damage, specifically in the right hemisphere. USN is characterized by a failure, on the part of the patient, to orient towards, respond to, or report stimuli (visual, auditory or tactile…) presented in the hemispace contralateral to the hemisphere with the damage. Does USN involve modality-specific or supermodal mechanisms? In the present study the supermodality of USN is examined. Using updated versions of the Tachistoscopic Presentation (TP) and the Dichotic Listening (DL) tests, the co-occurrence of contralateral visual and contralateral auditory neglect is investigated. The purpose of the TP test is to compare the frequency of target identification in the left quadrants, center, and right quadrants of the screen. The purpose of the DL test is to compare frequency of correctly reported consonant-vowel syllables from the right and left ear during a non-forced, forced-right, and forced-left attentional condition. A case study of a 60-year-old male with a massive right hemisphere cerebrovascular accident is presented. A normal control participant was also tested. The patient's lesion involved the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes and the inferior parietal lobule. Neurological examination revealed left hemiparesis, left upper quadrant hemianopia and left hemianesthesia. The patient exhibited both left visual neglect and left auditory neglect. The results also showed that, compared to the control participant, the patient neglected, although less frequently, visual and auditory stimuli presented in the right hemisphere. In addition, when the patient was interviewed for anosognosia, he showed unawareness of visual and auditory neglect, of hemianopia, and of the exact nature of his illness and its implications, On the other hand he was to some extent aware of his motor defect, i.e., hemiparesis. The results of the follow up on the prognosis of visual neglect showed a clear amelioration of neglect in the left visual hemispace and especially in the right hemisphere. The results were discussed within the attention-arousal model of Hailman and his coworkers. The findings supported a supramodal neglect syndrome and the hypoarousal model proposed by Hailman and his coworkers.Item Mercury Vapor Exposure from Dental Amalgams, and Its Relationship to Several Psychological, Motor and Cognitive Variables(2000) Vahan Luder ArtinianThe present study investigated the relationship of dental amalgams to a set of psychological, cognitive and motor measures. The study comprised two parts, a survey-based research and an experiment part. The survey part involved three samples, a university sample and two different internet samples. It examined hypotheses concerning the relationship of amalgam with depression, social phobia, smoking and habit. Results showed that participants who had amalgam tended to score higher than participants who had no amalgams on measures of depression. Further, participants who had very high amalgam tended to score higher also in social phobia and smoking frequency. Gender differences were also noted. The results daggered among the three samples. These differences were explained in terms of sample characteristics such as age and gender. The experimental part of the study, which was based on a university sample, tested hypotheses concerning the relationship of dental amalgams to simple reaction time, memory span and finger tapping. Results indicated that subjects with high amalgam scores tended to do poorer in reaction-time, finger tapping and digit span forward. Gender differences were also obtained. It was concluded that dental amalgams should be considered as a possible contributor in the etiology of depression and social phobia and possibly to motor and cognitive deficits. It was also concluded that the present research is important in alerting clinical psychologists, all health professionals and the general public to the potential adverse effects of dental amalgam, on psychological functions in particular.Item Domestic Violence: A Man's Perspective: A Lebanese Study(2000) Mona Mohammed MrouehThe research was conducted in order to investigate the male perspective on violence. The literature review showed the social, psychological, and biological causes of violence. Two studies were conducted to explore how men defined and justified violence, and how wives explained what instigated it. The survey showed a discrepancy between the male's and the couple's answers: Whereas men defined violence as physical act, women viewed it mainly as psychological one. Both, men and women, attributed violence to feelings of lack of control and facing financial problems. Two findings may be valuable for couple therapy: The first one was why men were afraid to discuss "violence". Was it because they were violent themselves? The second one was that both men and women considered violence as a means of teaching the wife a lesson. These two findings are worth investigating in future research.Item Multicultural Approach to Induction of Depressive Mood by Music(2001) Lara Aram CholakianThe present research studied the differential effect that ethnic music has on the induction of depressive mood amongst members of two ethnic communities. The following hypotheses were tested (1) Induction of depressive mood using Armenian music will be more effective to Armenians than Arab subjects. (2) Depressive mood will be more pronounced in older people of the two ethnic groups than the young. (3) It was expected that young Armenians would show significant mood change by listening to Arabic music than young Arabs to Armenian music. 72 healthy subjects young and old volunteered to participate in the experiment from both Armenian and Arab ethnic groups. Depressive mood was induced by making subjects listen to sad Armenian and Arabic music. Change in mood was measured by the administration of MAACL-R test before and after the induction procedure, also by judging 12 faces with respect to six emotions presented during the experiment on the computer screen. Results indicate that the influence of music on individuals is not a simple one; age, ethnic background and familiarity with ethnic music play a role in the induction of depressive mood. Contrary to hypothesis one and two the response of both Armenian old and young to Arabic or Armenian music was almost identical. Contrary to the hypothesis three an interesting and unexpected outcome of this research was the intense depressive mood induced on young Arabs who listened to Armenian music. Both of these results were explained in terms of assimilation of Armenians into Lebanese Arab society and the familiarity of Armenian and Lebanese groups with each other's ethnic music.Item The Relationship of Bullying to Several Academic Variables(2002) Vera SisserianThe present study investigated several hypotheses pertaining to interrelations between bullying in school and several academically relevant variables, in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th elementary. H1, H2, and H3 investigated the relationship between grades and involvement in bullying. Hypothesis 4 dealt with an expected positive relationship between absence rates and victimization. Through hypothesis number 5 it was expected that children involved in bullying activities either as bullies or victims will be less happy than the rest. The 6th hypothesis investigated gender differences in the frequency and types of bullying. Hypothesis 1, 2, 3 were not supported. The results were discussed and it was concluded that the reliability and validity of the scoring system in the elementary grades had its effects on the results. H4 was also not supported; the results were explained in that the low socioeconomic level of families played a role in obtaining these results. It was suggested that future study must be conducted on a more randomized sample. H5 and H6 were supported. As an ultimate project a nationwide intervention plan with zero-tolerance level to bullying was suggested.Item Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Level and Coping Strategies of Youth (ages 13-19) Living in South of Lebanon(2003) Karen Leon TchennozianThe purpose of the following study was to assess the level of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and to assess the type of coping strategies (problem solving, seeking social support, avoidance) while under stress among a sample of youth (ages 13-19) who were living in the South of Lebanon during the Israeli occupation of the South. The sample included 160 youth (74 male and 76 female) ages 13-19 (X=15.83). The Penn Inventory for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Coping Strategies Indicator were administered. Results showed that age and PTSD level are inversely related; female participants scored a higher PTSD level than male participants. ANOVA results showed that coping strategies differ across age groups; however, no significant results were obtained across gender.Item The Impact of Father Involvement on Self-esteem and Attachment Styles in Lebanese Male and Female Young Adults(2005) Rana Kalo JaroudiThis study investigated the relationship between perceived father involvement and self-esteem and romantic attachment styles in young adult Lebanese males and females. A sample of 136 university students (77 females and 59 males) completed self-report questionnaires that measured their perception of their relationship with their fathers, their self-esteem, and their romantic attachment style. Regression and correlation analyses showed that there is no gender difference in the perception of father involvement in this particular sample, and that self-esteem is strongly correlated with a secure attachment style. Moreover, results confirmed that father involvement predicts levels of self-esteem in both males and females, and that this relationship was even more strongly significant for males. However, father involvement was found to have no relationship to adult relational style, as was initially predicted.Item Body Weight, Self-esteem and Depression in Lebanese Male and Female University Students(2005) Anita D. PapasThe purpose of this study was to examine differences in body weight and desired body weight between males and females, also to find out if the discrepancy of actual weight and desired weight led to low self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Perception of a weight problem was studied in relation to self-esteem and depression as well. The sample consisted of 160 university students, BMI and DBMI were calculated based on self-reported weight and height. Perception of having a weight problem was evaluated by one question: "Do you see yourself as having a weight problem?" Self-esteem was measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and depression was measured by using the Beck Depression Inventory. The results conveyed that more females than males were in the underweight and normal weight categories. Desired BMI was always lower for females in all weight categories whereas for males desired BMI fluctuated a lot depending on their weight category. The discrepancy between actual weight and desired weight had no relation to self-esteem and depression. Perception of a weight problem did not predict level of self-esteem however in predicting depression the relation proved to be highly significant.Item The Level of Assimilation of Armenians in Lebanon as a Function of Involvement with the Armenian State(2005) Dzovig KassabianA descriptive study was conducted using Bakalian's (1993) questionnaire to predict the level of assimilation of Armenians in Lebanon. Three groups were identified based on their involvement with the Armenian state. It was expected that those who visited Armenia twice and more are the least assimilated and those [who] have been to Armenia once or never but do not wish to visit it, the most assimilated. An objective questionnaire was used, which was operationalized along Gordon's seven variables. The results supported the hypotheses. Involvement with the Armenian state could identify the polarized, the traditional and the symbolic ethnics. More of the polarized group expressed intention to repatriate to the Republic of Armenia. The results were also compared to the equivalent groups of Bakalian's survey. Bakalian's sample was found to be much more assimilated than the present sample.Item General Self-efficacy among Lebanese Adolescents: Role of Education of Mothers, Type of School Attended and Perceived Social Support(2006) Jumana Zarkut AsmarThis study investigated the role that social influences play in the formation of General Self-efficacy among Lebanese adolescents. Key variables of interest included Educational attainment of Mother, Type of School Attended, and Perceived Social Support. We selected a sample of 180 students, with an average of 16.5 years, from two private and two public schools. Participants filled the General Self-efficacy scale and the Perceived Social Support scale. While education of Mother and type of school were not found related to General Self-efficacy or to Perceived social support, correlation analysis pointed to a positive correlation between General Self-Efficacy and Perceived Social Support. Cultural role of collectivism and individualism is discussed with respect to findings and in projection to future studies.Item Effect of Storytelling Methods on Language Perfermance among Two to Four Year Old Children(2006) Dina Al-Hidiq ZebibThe purpose of this study was to examine the effects of storytelling methods and text genre on language performance among two to four year olds. Impact on language was measured through word recall scores. The storytelling activities were divided into four conditions which utilized books, props, or neither. The sample consisted of 20 preschoolers in the writer's child care center. As expected, results revealed that the storytelling method which utilizes props in conjunction with the storybooks better impacts language performance than the other methods. However, no differences were found in word recall scores from different text genres, results have implications for parents, early childhood education centers, and preschools because their support will yield positive outcomes for the future performance of very young children.Item The Impact of Adult Attachment Styles on Intimacy and Commitment in Lebanese Male and Female Young Adults(2007) Alain GholamA study was conducted to test five hypotheses which investigated the effect of adult attachment styles in intimacy and commitment in young Lebanese adults. The Adult Attachment Scale and the Sternberg’s Love Triangular Scale were administered to a convenient sample of 133 students (69 females and 64 males) enrolled at the American University of Beirut and Haigazian University. A correlation analyses showed that secure individuals tend to show high levels of intimacy and commitment in their relationships and avoidant individuals tend to show low levels of intimacy and commitment in their relationships. However, the results did not confirm the fourth hypothesis which stated that anxious individuals show high levels of intimacy and commitment in their relationships. Moreover, results confirmed that females, in general, are more intimate and committed than males. Implications of the results were discussed and directions for the future research were proposed.Item Personality Traits and Love of Life(2008) Nicolas E. MetriLove of life is a new construct in the well-being domain. Building on previous research on personality and subjective well-being, the study investigated the relationship between extraversion, neuroticism, and love of life. The sample consisted of 180 high school students, aged 15 to 20. Personality traits were assessed using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) forms A (extraversion) and B (neuroticism) Arabic versions. Results confirmed the hypotheses. There was a significant positive correlation between extraversion and love of life, and a significant negative correlation between neuroticism and love of life. Also, regressional analysis yielded only one factor, labeled "positive attitude towards life", to be a significant predictor of extraversion. These findings suggest that, through a general positive lookout on life, extraverted individuals tend to be more loving of their lives than their neurotic counterparts.Item Title Association between Temperament and Profession(2009) Mariana M. SalamounThe association between the emotional substrate of personality, temperament, and three profession related outcomes (type, working status, and income) was assessed using raw data from a Lebanese national mental health database at IDRAAC. The Lebanese-Arabic TEMPS-A, and the Arabic CIDI-3.0 were administered to 547 respondents (45% men, 55% women). T-test was performed to detect differences between means, and multivariate analyses were used to assess correlates of working status and financial income. Results showed that hyperthymic temperament is a positive trait associated with high rank and managerial careers, higher number of working hours and more income. Depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious are related to lower rank careers. In addition, irritable temperament is negatively correlated to higher income. In conclusion, this study supported the existing literature on the association between temperament and profession in a Lebanese sample, and introduced a new clinical assessment tool for the understanding of human nature in the context of work.Item The Effects of Racial Prejudice, Conformity, and Social Distance on Art Appreciation(2009) Tilda JalboutThe experiment assessed the effects of the artist's race and the expert's opinion on art appreciation through 3x3 factorial design: race (Black, White, unknown) x intervention (positive, negative, neutral). Social distance levels were also examined in a sample of 72 adults in a beach resort in Jounieh. The main hypotheses stated that the African American painter will be rated less favorably than the White painter, the expert's opinion will have a main effect on participant's ratings, and social distance levels will highly correlate with the sample’s negative evaluation of the Black painter. Results supported these hypotheses, which highlight a tendency towards racial discrimination in Lebanon. Implications for future research included a study on self-esteem in relation to discrimination.Item The Relationship between Body Art, Temperament and Risky Behavior among the Lebanese Culture(2010) Isabelle MatossianThe present study examined the relationship of body art – tattoos and piercings – and temperament to involvement in risky behavior on a sample of Lebanese people between the ages of 15 and 35 (N = 104). In addition, this study investigated the effect of gender in involvement in risky behavior. The study relied on self-report measures where participants were asked to provide demographic and body art related information, and fill two questionnaires: the Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Events (CARE) and the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Auto-Questionnaire (TEMPS-A). Results were computed to assess correlates (of body art and risky behavior, as well as temperament and risky behavior), and T-test was performed to detect differences between means of males and females. The results of the study showed that there were no correlations between number of piercing and involvement in risky behavior, tattoos only correlated with heavy drinking but not with the rest of risky behaviors – illicit drug use, risky sexual activities, and academic behavior –. Results also showed that gender is a variable that positively predicts involvement in risky behavior. In addition, the results of the study showed that hyperthymic temperament is not correlated to heavy drinking, risky sexual activity, and involvement in body art, and that irritable temperament is not correlated to illicit drug use and heavy drinking. In conclusion, this study did not support the existing literature on the association between body art, temperament and risky behavior among the Lebanese sample.Item The Impact of Mothers' Attachment Style on their Children's Psychopathology and its Interconnectedness with Perceived Security in Parents(2010) Carla ChedidAttachment style of humans could explain a wide variety of their personality traits, especially behavioral maladjustments. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of attachment style of mothers on the exhibition of externalizing and internalizing behaviors in their children. Further investigations were done to verify how children behave when they perceive their parents as an insecure attachment figure and if this perceived security will be associated to the mother attachment style. The sample was composed of 139 mothers and their adolescents' children. Mothers completed a revised version of the Attachment Style Questionnaire and the Children behavioral Checklist. Adolescents completed the Inventory of Parent and Peer attachment. Findings supported that children of fearful and preoccupied mothers have exhibited internalizing and externalizing behaviors. In addition, perceived security in parents affects adolescents' behaviors.Item Perceived Attractiveness of Males and Females as a Function of Sexual Orientation(2010) Layal Jamal SleeqWhether sexual orientation effected the perception of physical attractiveness was investigated in two studies using M. Dew’s (1985) attractiveness rating scale. Heterosexual college students (n= 100) and homosexual participants from the Helem institute (n= 100) were asked to rate a photograph of either a female or a male using the attractiveness rating scale. In the first study, results revealed that sexual orientation effected attractiveness ratings. The secondary study, inspired by findings of the first study, had bisexual participants from the Helem institute (n= 25) rate both the male and the female photograph using the same rating scale. Results were in line with the potential mate theory approach to perceived attractiveness.Item Attitudes, Beliefs and Expectations Towards Maternal Employment and Non-parental Care among Female University Students(2011) Nathalie J. FianiThe purpose of the current study was to investigate the attitudes and expectations of female Lebanese college students (N = 145) in regard to maternal employment, exclusivity of maternal care, and non-parental childcare. Beliefs about the costs and benefits of maternal employment were measured by the Beliefs about the Consequences of Maternal Employment scale (BACMEC). The Exclusive Maternal Care scale determined the extent to which the participants believe that only a mother is best suited to care for her child, whereas the Home/Employment Orientation scale evaluated the woman's preference for staying home versus her desire to return to work. Additional variables were explored in order to identify the subjects' preferences and perceived future plans in relation to maternal work history, the type and timing of non-parental care arrangements, work resumption, and the major factors influencing such decisions. The study indicated a significant relationship between early maternal work history, beliefs in the benefits of maternal work, and work resumption. Moreover, beliefs in the costs of maternal work were significantly associated to the attitudes toward the exclusivity of maternal care, which in turn yielded a significant relation to participants' home/employment orientation. The correlation between subjects' home/career inclinations and preferred age of the child to be placed in childcare and for mother to resume work also proved significant.Item Perceived Collective Continuity between Minority and Majority Groups(2011) Hovig Samuel DemirjianPrevious studies have found that perceived collective continuity predicts important group-related variables. In the following research paper we hypothesized that perceived collective continuity positively correlates with collective self-esteem, perceived group enitiativity and individual self-esteem while it is negatively associated with group anomie for both Lebanese and Armenian nationals. The paper also examined group differences between the Lebanese and Armenian samples on perceiving their nation as more continuous. For this study, Lebanese (N=114) and Armenians (N=101) totaling N=215 completed self-administered questionnaires on group related constructs. As was hypothesized, the results showed significant and positive correlation between perceived collective continuity and collective self-esteem, perceived group enitiativity and individual self-esteem for the Lebanese group, Armenian group and total Lebanese-Armenian groups. As for the relation of collective continuity with group anomie, the results failed to support the stated hypothesis. Moreover, members of the Armenian ethic group showed significantly stronger collective continuity compared to their Lebanese counterparts. The obtained results are explained in terms of group related characteristics and intergroup relations between minority and majority groups.