Papers by Patricia Frazier
Anxiety, Stress, & Coping
Faculty Advisor: Patricia FrazierThis research was supported by the Undergraduate Research Opport... more Faculty Advisor: Patricia FrazierThis research was supported by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Journal of Counseling Psychology, Apr 1, 2023
Journal of Counseling Psychology, Nov 1, 2019
High levels of stress are common among college students. Web-based interventions may be one way t... more High levels of stress are common among college students. Web-based interventions may be one way to teach students stress management skills. Although previous research has demonstrated the overall efficacy of web-based stress management interventions, little attention has been paid to who might benefit most from these interventions. In this study, we analyzed data from 3 prior studies (N = 782) to examine moderators of the efficacy of a web-based stress management intervention that focused on increasing perceived present control (i.e., aspects of stressors that are controllable in the present). Specific moderators assessed in regression analyses were baseline scores on outcome measures (perceived stress, stress symptoms, anxiety, depression) and the putative mechanism (perceived present control) of the intervention. Baseline symptom levels moderated the effects of the intervention on all outcomes, such that the intervention was more effective for students with more baseline symptoms. Baseline levels of present control had less consistent moderating effects, but significant interactions indicated that the intervention was more effective for those with lower levels of present control. The novel Johnson-Neyman technique was used to identify specific cutoff scores on these measures, below which the effect of the intervention was not significant, and scores on the measures associated with varying effect sizes. Findings from the Johnson-Neyman analyses can inform the development of screening criteria for future research and clinical application. Because the intervention was more effective for students with higher levels of baseline distress, it may be better suited for an indicated rather than universal prevention approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Anxiety Stress and Coping, Dec 22, 2014
Psychological Services, Nov 1, 2017
This study evaluated the efficacy of Internet-based stress management programs for college studen... more This study evaluated the efficacy of Internet-based stress management programs for college students. This approach is particularly fitting for students owing to a lack of mental health resources on campus and to high levels of Internet use among students. Because a history of interpersonal trauma (IPT) is associated with more distress and poorer academic performance, IPT history was assessed as a moderator of intervention efficacy. Students (N = 365) were randomly assigned to a mindfulness plus present control intervention, a mindfulness only intervention, or a stress management information condition that served as an active comparison. Prior research has supported the efficacy of the mindfulness plus present control intervention (Nguyen-Feng et al., 2015). Outcome measures were self-report measures of stress, anxiety, depression, and perceived stress completed online at preintervention, postintervention, and 2 follow-ups (2–3 weeks and 4–5 weeks postintervention). Linear mixed modeling was used to assess change over time. Participants in all 3 groups reported significant decreases on all primary outcomes. All time-by-intervention group interaction effects were nonsignificant, suggesting that the 3 conditions were equally effective. When examining IPT history as a moderator, the mindfulness plus present control and stress management conditions were both more effective for IPT survivors than the mindfulness only intervention. Results suggested that Internet-based interventions are effective for lowering distress among college students and that specific approaches may be differentially effective for certain subgroups of students. They also suggested that providing students with stress management information without providing training in 1 specific skill may also be helpful.
Journal of Counseling Psychology, Jul 1, 2019
Web-based stress management interventions are effective for college students, particularly those ... more Web-based stress management interventions are effective for college students, particularly those with interpersonal trauma histories. However, these interventions have not been assessed among those reporting childhood emotional abuse, a group with the most distress. Ecological momentary interventions (EMIs), which use mobile phones to deliver near-real-time psychosocial interventions in daily life, offer the possibility of increasing intervention efficacy. This randomized controlled trial examined the feasibility and efficacy of an EMI for reducing psychological distress among students with and without an emotional abuse history. Undergraduate students (N = 382) were randomly assigned to receive (a) an EMI that taught stress management skills, or (b) an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with self-monitoring of stressors and mood. Both the EMI and EMA lasted for 14 days. Participants completed outcome measures (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress symptoms) at pretest, posttest, and 3-week follow-up. Overall, the EMI appeared feasible, acceptable, and usable, with 80% to 91% completion rates. Linear mixed models indicated that there were no significant Condition × Time interaction effects in the total sample, with decreases in perceived stress and increases in positive affect over time regardless of condition (EMI vs. EMA). Moderation analyses indicated that the EMI was generally more effective for those with a history of emotional abuse and that the EMA was more effective for those without such a history. Post hoc analyses demonstrated that participants wrote less in the EMI than in a web-based version of the intervention. Future interventions could target at-risk groups based on trauma history or baseline distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Mar 23, 2019
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of brief, self-guided web-based interventi... more The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of brief, self-guided web-based interventions for decreasing distress among U.S. college students during the pandemic. Three randomized controlled trials were conducted during the spring (Study 1), summer (Study 2), and fall (Study 3) 2020 terms, and were combined into one sample to increase power (N = 775). We evaluated a web-based intervention that focused on increasing present control that had been shown to be effective in several studies prior to the pandemic (e.g., Nguyen-Feng et al., 2017). This intervention was compared to an active comparison condition (psychoeducation about and reminders to engage in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended stress management techniques) in Study 1, to a waitlist comparison in Study 2, and to both comparison conditions in Study 3. Participants were undergraduate psychology students at two campuses of a midwestern state university system. Outcomes—perceived stress (pri...
This article analyzes recent case law on the admissibility of rape trauma syndrome evidence. Beca... more This article analyzes recent case law on the admissibility of rape trauma syndrome evidence. Because many rulings on the admissibility of this evidence have been based on judicial assumptions about human behavior, rather than on scientific evidence, we next describe psychological research relevant to concerns raised about its scientific reliability, helpfulness, and prejudicial impact. Following this review, we evaluate both the expert testimony provided and the judicial decisions in recent cases in light of current research. Finally, we provide suggestions for future psychological research that could inform discussions of the admissibility of rape trauma syndrome evidence. Psychologists and other mental health professionals have contributed their expertise to court proceedings for many years on such topics as insanity and competency to stand trial. Both the frequency of the use of expert psychological testimony and the types of issues about which psychologists testify have increase...
Poster Presentations, 2020
Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2020
The purpose of this observational longitudinal study was to investigate the role of childhood mal... more The purpose of this observational longitudinal study was to investigate the role of childhood maltreatment in explaining individual differences in daily stress processes. College students (N = 253) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and a measure of neuroticism at baseline before completing 14 nightly surveys assessing exposure to daily stressors (particularly interpersonal stressors), perceived stressor severity, and negative affect. Given mixed findings in past research, no specific hypotheses were proffered. Generalized linear mixed modeling showed that students with a history of maltreatment experienced roughly one more stressor every 1-to-2 days compared with those without a history of maltreatment, and experienced an interpersonal stressor on approximately half of the 14 study days compared to about one quarter of the study days for those without a history of maltreatment. In contrast, childhood maltreatment (except for physical abuse) was unrelated to perceived stressor severity and stress reactivity, controlling for gender and neuroticism. This suggests that college students reporting childhood maltreatment have more daily stressors, but they neither perceive them as more stressful nor react to them more strongly. In exploratory analyses assessing exposure to specific stressors, childhood maltreatment was associated with reporting more financial, work-related, career, and grade-related stressors in addition to interpersonal stressors. These findings underscore the importance of assessing stressor exposure separately from stress reactions. They also suggest that both individualized skill-based interventions to reduce stressor exposure and campus-wide programs to reduce financial and other burdens on students may be warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
European Journal of Personality, 2014
This target article focuses on the construct of post–traumatic growth—positive psychological chan... more This target article focuses on the construct of post–traumatic growth—positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances. Prominent theories of post–traumatic growth define it in terms of personality change, and as a result, this area of research should be of great interest to personality psychologists. Despite this fact, most of the research on this topic has not been sufficiently informed by relevant research in personality psychology, and much of the extant research suffers from significant methodological limitations. We review the literature on post–traumatic growth, with a particular focus on how researchers have conceptualized it and the specific methodological issues associated with these conceptualizations. We outline some ways in which personality science can both be enriched by the study of this phenomenon and inform rigorous research on post–traumatic growth and provide a series of guidelines for future researc...
Journal of Counseling Psychology, Apr 1, 2004
The goals of this article are to (a) describe differences between moderator and mediator effects;... more The goals of this article are to (a) describe differences between moderator and mediator effects; (b) provide nontechnical descriptions of how to examine each type of effect, including study design, analysis, and interpretation of results; (c) demonstrate how to analyze each type of effect; and (d) provide suggestions for further reading. The authors focus on the use of multiple regression because it is an accessible data-analytic technique contained in major statistical packages. When appropriate, they also note limitations of using regression to detect moderator and mediator effects and describe alternative procedures, particularly structural equation modeling. Finally, to illustrate areas of confusion in counseling psychology research, they review research testing moderation and mediation that was published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology during 2001.
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2019
OBJECTIVE Some veterans may benefit from psychosocial interventions to facilitate reintegration a... more OBJECTIVE Some veterans may benefit from psychosocial interventions to facilitate reintegration and prevent chronic impairments following discharge from the service. In a randomized controlled trial, an online expressive writing intervention for Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans with reintegration difficulties reduced distress relative to control conditions, albeit with small between-group effect sizes (Sayer, Noorbaloochi et al., 2015). The aims of this study were to further explore changes in distress severity in the parent study's experimental group by identifying subgroups with similar trajectories and examining predictors of those trajectories. METHOD We used latent class growth modeling to identify trajectories of change in distress among veterans randomized into expressive writing (N = 508). We also tested six predictors of trajectory membership: baseline probable PTSD, social support, combat exposure, sex, VA user status, and active-duty versus National Guard/Reserve status. The sample was mostly White, middle-aged, Army veterans deployed from active duty, all of whom reported reintegration difficulties. RESULTS A four-class model, with the following classes, best fit the data: Low Baseline Distress-Moderate Decrease (60%; Cohen's d = -0.69), Moderate Baseline Distress-No Change (25%; Cohen's d = -0.16), Severe Baseline Distress-Small Increase (10%; Cohen's d = 0.23), and Severe Baseline Distress-Very Large Decrease (5%; Cohen's d = -4.80). Veterans without probable PTSD, with less combat exposure, and with higher social support were more likely to be in classes with decreasing distress. CONCLUSION Analyses revealed several subgroups with unique patterns of change. Non-therapist-assisted expressive writing may be most suitable for veterans with less complex psychosocial problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2017
Community college students may experience more severe psychological concerns than traditional uni... more Community college students may experience more severe psychological concerns than traditional university students and have fewer institutional mental health resources available. This replication study examined the efficacy of three versions of a brief, structured web-based stress management program with community college students. The program focuses on improving perceptions of control over stressors, based on research suggesting that focusing on what you can control in the present (i.e., present control) is associated with less distress and better adjustment. Participants (N = 213 community college students) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: present control intervention (PCI), PCI with enhanced stress logs (E-PCI) or PCI with mindfulness training (PCI + MF). They completed web-based, self-report measures at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-week follow-up. Participants in all three intervention conditions demonstrated reductions in perceived stress and distress symptoms from pre-intervention to post-intervention and 3-week follow-up. In the PC+ MF group, the mean-within group effect size was d = −0.46, which was slightly larger than the PCI group (d = −0.36) and E-PCI group (d = −0.41). This study replicated that present control interventions are effective in a community college sample. Community college students may benefit from web-based interventions designed to increase present control.
Journal of Voice, 2018
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine relationships between psychological factors,... more The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine relationships between psychological factors, particularly perceived control, and voice symptoms in adults seeking treatment for a voice problem. Methods. Semistructured interviews of adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of muscle tension dysphonia were conducted and transcribed. Follow-up interviews were conducted as needed for further information or clarification. A multidisciplinary team analyzed interview content using inductive techniques. Common themes and subthemes were identified. A conceptual model was developed describing the association between voice symptoms, psychological factors, precipitants of ongoing voice symptoms, and perceived control. Results. Thematic saturation was reached after 23 interviews. No participants reported a direct psychological cause for their voice problem, although half described significant life events preceding voice problem onset (eg, miscarriage and other health events, interpersonal conflicts, and family members' illnesses, injuries, and deaths). Participants described psychological influences on voice symptoms that led to rapid exacerbation of their voice symptoms. Participants described the helpfulness of speech therapy and sometimes also challenges of applying techniques in daily life. They also discussed personal coping strategies that included behavioral (eg, avoiding triggers and seeking social support) and psychological (eg, mind-body awareness and emotion regulation) components. Voice-related perceived control was associated with adaptive emotional and behavioral responses, which appeared to facilitate symptom improvement. Conclusions. In this qualitative pilot study, participant narratives suggested that psychological factors and emotions influence voice symptoms, facilitating development of a preliminary conceptual model of how adaptive and maladaptive responses develop and how they influence vocal function.
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Papers by Patricia Frazier