This collection includes theses, dissertations, and professional papers from the University of Montana Department of Psychology. Theses, dissertations, and professional papers from all University of Montana departments and programs may be searched here.
Theses/Dissertations from 2025
CREATING A SHORT-FORM LABEL AVOIDANCE MEASURE: A PSYCHOMETRIC, Julia Johanna Cameron
AN EXPLORATION OF RESILIENCE IN NATIVE AMERICAN OLDER ADULTS, Georgie Victoria Ferguson
Community Resilience Factors for GSM Individuals: Considering The Roles of Transgender Identity and Age, Benny Ilac
A PILOT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR THE CULTURAL FORMULATION INTERVIEW IN SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT, Jaida A. Lilly
Juvenile Arthritis, Body Image, and Disordered Eating: An Exploration of Experiences, Katelyn Ann Melcher
WHEN DOES MIGHT MAKE RIGHT? THE ROLE OF RACE/ETHNICITY AND IMPLICIT BIAS ON TEACHER REACTIONS TO PEER AGGRESSION, Charlotte Jane Moss
Describing and Understanding the Use of Coaches for Eating Disorder Recovery: A Mixed Methods Study, Taylor E. Penwell
SOCIAL CONNECTION AND DISABILITY: A LONGITUDINAL EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF INTERVENTION EFFECTIVENESS AND MODERATORS, Krys Standley
THE EFFECTS OF STIGMA ON MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT ENGAGEMENT, Kali Diane Strickland
MAKE-BELIEVE AND MACHINE MINDS: EXAMINING PRETENSE, THEORY OF MIND, AND BELIEFS WHEN MENTALIZING ROBOTS, Sarah Emily Sweezy
THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR AND SUICIDE SCREENING IN FAMILY MEDICINE, Jennifer Villa
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
WOMEN OBJECTIFYING WOMEN: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL POWER, Sarah E. Attaway
THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON MONTANANS’ MENTAL HEALTH, Phoebe Bean
THE OTHER IDENTITY POLITICS: POLITICAL TURNING POINTS AND POLITICAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT IN COLLEGE-GOING EMERGING ADULTS, Kaetlyn Jeanette Cordingley
PARENT AND GUARDIAN: AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITY-AFFIRMING CAREGIVERS, Kelly Marie Davis
NEURAL ENCODING OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN THE DORSAL ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX OF OCTODON DEGUS, Patrick David Hanni
IMPACT OF EMOTION REGULATION ON PROSPECTIVE MEMORY, Hannes Heppner
NURTURE THROUGH NATURE – THE IMPACT OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON PROSPECTIVE MEMORY, Emily Catherine Hicks
DEFINING LGBTQIA2+ SPECIALIZED SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT SERVICES FROM A CLIENT-INFORMED APPROACH, Chonghui (Gabriella) Ji
A New Frontier of Responsibility: Children's Attributions of Moral Responsibility to Autonomous and Controlled Robots, Thomas M. Macko
AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATION BETWEEN MEMORY SELF-EFFICACY AND WORKING MEMORY WITHIN THE COGNITIVE RESERVE FRAMEWORK, Genna Marie Mashinchi MA
“WE’RE LEFT PICKING UP THE PIECES:” USE OF GRIEF INTERVENTIONS IN RURAL SCHOOLS SINCE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, Jennifer Lynn Rotzal
CULTURAL MATCHING AND IDENTITY SAFETY IN K-12 SCHOOLS: AN INDIGENOUS RESEARCH PARADIGM, Ashton T. Smith
“REAL COLLABORATION IS EMPOWERING:” FACILITATORS, BARRIERS, AND BENEFITS OF A COMMUNITY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP IN AN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY, Amy Elizabeth Violante
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
THE CONTEXT OF PEER AGGRESSION ON TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS, ATTRIBUTIONS, AFFECT, AND INTENTIONS TO INTERVENE, Jaynee Lin Bohart
PERCEIVED PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE AND REJECTION, SELF-COMPASSION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN LGB-IDENTIFIED INDIVIDUALS, Morgan Christine Bowlen
BELIEFS ABOUT FALSE ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE: INTERGROUP CONTACT THEORY AND RAPE MYTH ACCEPTANCE AT A ROCKY MOUNTAIN UNIVERSITY, Alexandra Marie Buscaglia
Sharing the Medicine of Resilience: Honoring the work of Dr. Gyda Swaney, Matthew Martin Croxton
QUEERING ADOLESCENT ECOLOGY: A MINORITY STRESS-INFORMED EXPLORATION OF RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS RELATED TO ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN GENDER AND SEXUAL MINORITY ADOLESCENTS, Kinsie Jean Dunham
Teachers’ Perceptions of the Behavioral Symptoms Associated with Trauma, Hannah Hall
“FROZEN”: TONIC IMMOBILITY AND POSTTRAUMATIC OUTCOMES AMONG SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, Nora Grace Halverson
Perspectives of Foster Parents and Former Foster Children Surrounding Emancipation and College Supports and Barriers, Ashlyn Maize Kincaid
#THERAPY: SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO INTERVENTIONS AND HELP SEEKING INTENTIONS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS, Jennifer Leigh Lippold
SUPPRESS NOT: EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROSPECTION AND EMOTIONAL SUPPRESSION IN A DEPRESSED POPULATION, Chelsey M. Maxson
The Influences of Bias-Based Bullying and Teacher-Student Relationships on School Belonging, Charlotte J. Moss
OVERGENERAL MEMORY: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE DEFENSIVE EXCLUSION AND FUNCTIONAL AVOIDANCE HYPOTHESES, Mark David Primosch
How Perceptions of Safety and Anxiety Affect Campus Carry, Kara M. Snider
Does Behavioral Synchrony Extend to Robots? Children’s Sharing, Mentalizing, and Social Attributions to Synchronous Others, Sarah E. Sweezy
USING GEOMETRY AND VISUALIZATION TO DEMYSTIFY EIGEN DECOMPOSITION IN THE CLASSROOM: AN ANALYTICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH, Briana Marie Young
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
UNDERSTANDING THE UNDERIDENTIFICATION OF AUTISM IN NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS, Emily A. Brooke
Emerging Adults and Identity Development in the Time of COVID-19, Kaetlyn J. Cordingley
Humanitarian Workers' Perspectives on Mental Health and Resilience of Refugee Youth: Implications for School Psychology, Diana Maria Diaków
MAKE NO MISTAKE: THE BENEFITS OF AN ERRORLESS LEARNING PROCEDURE IN A DEPRESSED POPULATION, Bethany G. Gorter
TRAINING AND UTILITY OF MINDFULNESS AMONG SCHOOL PSYSCHOLOGISTS, Emily Ann Hattouni
EPISTEMOLIGICAL UNCERTAINTY AND POLITICAL IDEOLOGY: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEMPORAL THREATS AND IDEOLOGY, James Donald McFarland
MY PARTNER DIDN’T HIT ME, SO IT’S NOT ABUSE: EXPLORING FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LABELING PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE EXPERIENCES & HELP-SEEKING, Jessica Jean Peatee
THE ROLE OF ACCULTURATION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELFCOMPASSION AND DEPRESSION WITHIN NATIVE AMERICANS, Kristen Kaylie Pyke-Pierce
GETTING TO KNOW YOU: RELATIONSHIP FORMATION ACROSS DEVELOPMENT IN OCTODON DEGUS, Amber Lynn Thatcher
Examining the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide in a Sample of Individuals with Psychosis, Jennifer Villa
A Qualitative Examination of Teacher's Perspectives of Social-Emotional Learning and Spirituality in the Public School Setting, Amy E. Violante
MARK MY WORDS: THE LINGUISTIC COMPLEXITY OF THE JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY ABSTRACTS AND SUBSEQUENT CITATIONS, Alivia Lauren Zubrod
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
The Effect of Test Difficulty on Perceived Memory Performance, Phoebe S. Bean
DEVELOPMENT OF A TOOL TO ASSESS REASONS FOR TREATMENT NONADHERENCE IN PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS, Jacob Harrison Bloch
Social Influences and Social Desirability on Recollections of Childhood Bullying, Jaynee L. Bohart
HIDING THE AUTHENTIC SELF: CONCEALMENT OF GENDER AND SEXUAL IDENTITY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR AUTHENTICITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, James Michael Brennan
Developing the Label Avoidance Measure of Stigma: A preliminary psychometric review, Julia J. Cameron
BIOBEHAVIORAL PREDICTORS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION DECLINE IN MID- AND LATE LIFE ADULTS, Cali Anne Caughie
THE BACKFIRING EFFECTS OF FORCED POLITICAL ALLEGIANCE IN THE ONLINE WORLD: THE CASE OF PREFERRED PRONOUNS ON TWITTER, Yin Lok Linus Chan
Gender and Sexuality Alliance Advisors' Perceptions of Self-Efficacy and Social Emotional Competency: An Exploratory Study, Kelly Marie Davis
INTEGRATED PRIMARY CARE IS ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER JOB SATISFACTION AND LESS BURNOUT AMONG MONTANA’S MEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, C. Ivie English
2020 LGBTQ Specific Substance Use Service Survey: A Study on the Availability and Perceived Helpfulness of Treatment Programs, Chonghui (Gabriella) Ji
Resilience, Childhood Trauma History, and Foster Care Experience in College Students, Ashlyn M. Kincaid and Ashlyn M. Kincaid
Handicraft Art Leisure Activities and Cognitive Reserve, Genna Mashinchi
EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TRANSGENDER-AFFIRMATIVE CARE TRAINING ON HEALTHCARE WORKERS’ AND TRAINEES’ ATTITUDES TOWARD AND KNOWLEDGE OF ROUTINE CARE AND TRANSITION SUPPORT FOR TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS, Oakleigh Marshall Reed
School Mental Health Professionals' Perceived Efficacy of Violence Prevention Programs and School Climate in Rural Schools, Jennifer Rotzal
ADULT PERSPECTIVES OF KALEIDOSCOPE CONNECT: A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL PROGRAM AIMED AT PROMOTING RESILIENCE AMONG YOUTH, Samantha Cody Russell
SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, AND HEALTH, Ari B. Silverman
Toward a Child-Friendly Worldview Measure, Shailee Rose Woodard
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Self-Compassion as a Protective Factor Against Minority Stress for LGBT Individuals, Morgan Christine Bowlen
DETECTING SIMULATED MEMORY IMPAIRMENT IN COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH THE PROGRESSIVE VISUAL MEMORY TEST (PVMT): VALIDATION OF A NEW TEST OF PERFORMANCE VALIDITY, Brook Elizabeth Clark
Binegative Minority Stress, Psychological Processes, and Disordered Alcohol Use: Disparities Among Sexual Minority Womxn, Kinsie Jean Dunham
2890-FISH ON FLUOXETINE: BEFORE DURING AND AFTER BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS, Susan Marie Greene
SCHOOL-BASED RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AMONG NATIVE AMERICAN YOUNG ADULTS, Olivia Grace Bridges Holter
College Students' Social Media Uses and Affective Correlates, Jennifer L. Lippold
ENHANCING THE IMPACT OF BEHAVIORAL ACTIVATION VIA PROSPECTION, Chelsey M. Maxson
PERCEIVED THREAT AND LEFT-WING AUTHORITARIANISM: THE EFFECT OF FRAMING ON PERSUASIVE MESSAGES, James Donald McFarland
FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND ATTACHMENT IN RELATION TO COMPLEX TRAUMA AND C-PTSD, Susan Elizabeth Ocean
MEASURING MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCIES WITH SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITIES: A STUDY OF THERAPY DYADS, Hillary Anne Powell
THE ROLE OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN DEVELOPING MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCE, Kaoru Allison Powell
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
CONSIDERING TRAUMA IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATIONS IN CHILDREN: A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY, Kaitlyn Page Ahlers
Navigating the Closet: A Mixed Methods Approach to Assessing the Impact of Concealment on Psychological Outcomes for Sexual and Gender Minorities, James Michael M. Brennan
Cognitive Impacts of Age Based Stereotype Threat in Older Adults, Cali Caughie
Pressure to Support Meritocracy vs. Nepotism, Linus Chan
MEASURING RECIDIVISM RISK OUTCOMES: A PILOT PROJECT IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FLATHEAD RESERVATION REENTRY PROGRAM, Desiree Lacy Fox
Enhancing the Emotional Impact of Prospections Via Personal Values, Bethany Grace Gorter
MANAGING JUST WORLD BELIEFS IN AN UNJUST WORLD FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, Lindsey Chatfield Grove
TREATING TRAUMA WITHIN RURAL SCHOOLS: AN IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE, Heather Marie Halko
Mindfulness Training for Pre-Service Teachers Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Emily A. Hattouni
SELF-COMPASSION AND FEAR OF COMPASSION AS MEDIATORS IN THE RELATIONSHIPS OF CHILDHOOD INVALIDATION WITH EMOTION DYSREGULATION AND WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER CHARACTERISTICS, Priyadarshani Florence Loess
AN EXAMINATION OF TYPE D PERSONALITY, DEPRESSION, AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS, Patricia Anne O'Brien
A Qualitative Study of Native American Older Adults and Elderly Depressive Symptoms and Protective Factors, Kristen K. Pyke
THE ALPHABACK: A NOVEL PROCESSING SPEED TEST, Meredith Kathleen Reynolds
The Impact of Bullying Participant Role on the Relationship Between School Climate and Attitudes Towards Interpersonal Peer Violence, Miriam Rose Baker Reynolds
Investigating the Effectiveness of Parent-Implemented Interventions in Improving the Social Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Zachary R. Shindorf
DISENTANGLING THE RELATIONS BETWEEN ACUTE STRESS, CHRONIC STRESS, AND PROSPECTIVE MEMORY, Brandon Taylor Stewart
Toward a Comprehensive Worldview Measure, Shailee R. Woodard
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
Self-Compassion, Social Connectedness, and Interpersonal Competence, Jacob H. Bloch