The Seattle Pacific University Department of Clinical Psychology is an APA-accredited doctoral program offering both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
This series contains successfully defended doctoral dissertations.
Dissertations from 2025
The Role of Gender and Sexual Identity in Mental Health Outcomes for Asylum-Seeking Survivors of Sexual Torture, Samantha A. M. Doerr
Inhibitory Control: A Mediator Between Sensory Responsivity and Externalizing Behaviors in Children on the Autism Spectrum, Kaitlyn M. Drafton
Invisible Intersections: Race, ADHD, and the Role of Disciplinary Actions in Academic Outcomes, Miles Feller
Examining Cognitive Functioning and Digital Technology Engagement, Kylie Fraga
Functional and cultural values of shame: A motivator to seek help for suicidal ideation, Yu-Chin Lin
Booked or Buried in Texas: Risk Factors for Prebooking Suicide and Homicide Deaths of Individuals with Sex Offenses, Nicole Moreira
“I will never be out with this campus”: Impacts of LGBTQ+ Microaggressions, Clara E. O'Brien
Legal Advocates as Lifelines: Initial Psychometric Evaluation of Victim Rights within a Community-Based Agency, Jaylee York
Dissertations from 2024
Depressive Symptoms and Substance Use Behaviors Among Young Adults Before and During COVID-19, Sarah Chun
Examining the Effects of Social Group Persecution and Traumatic Humiliation in Survivors of Torture, Tilda Cvrkel
Predictors of Help Seeking Among Asian Americans with Chronic Pain, Cory Duffield
Predicting Changes in Accommodation Throughout Pediatric Intensive Outpatient Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Rachel S. Inabata
Inevitable or Preventable? A Pilot Intervention to Reduce Burnout Risk in Acute Care Nurses, Emily R. Kelly
Moderating Effect of Secondary Victimization on the Relationship Between Resilience and Sexual Assault Coping Self-Efficacy, Jamie Layton
The Survivability Hierarchy Behind Bars: Themes, Reforms, and Prevention Program Evaluations in Washington State Jail Suicides, Rocky B. Marks
When Helping Hurts: The Association between Hamilton's Rule and Suicide Risk, Katherine L. O'Connell
When Helping Hurts: The Association between Hamilton's Rule and Suicide Risk, Katherine L. O'Connell
Dissertations from 2023
Unhealed Wounds: From Complex Trauma Exposure to Wellbeing and the Role of Coping, Mohammed K. Alsubaie
Prospective Relationship Between Co-rumination and Depressive Symptoms in Early Adolescence: Brooding Rumination as a Mechanism, Katherine S. Benjamin
Suicidal Ideation and Community Connectedness in LGBTQ+ Adults: Can Emotion Regulation and Mindfulness Skills Help?, Samantha V. Jacobson
Sensory processing impacts on sleep patterns in children with neurodevelopmental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, Julianne M. Myers
Dissertations from 2022
The Impact of COVID-19 on Secondary Victimization and Resiliency Following Sexual Assault, Elena Cantorna
Developmental Trajectories of Positive Emotion Regulation: The Moderating Effects of Gender and Parenting, Hailey Caudle
The Role of Coping Self-Efficacy, Coping Strategies, and Resiliency Following Sexual Assault, Lauren Hirsch
Ableist Microaggressions and Well-being: Investigating the Moderating Effect of Coping Strategies, Whitney Morean
Relations of EEG and Perceived Response to Methylphenidate among Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Tara M. Rutter
Integrative Meaning, Mindfulness, and Traumatic Grief Among Bereaved Adults, Brandy Tidwell
Parental Attachment and Compassion as Predictors of Distress Disclosure Among Young Adults, Ellie N. Wilde
Dissertations from 2021
Investigating the Effects of Endurance of Marriage on the Relationship between Attachment and Love Style, Melissa Caris
Parental Accommodation as a Mediator of Parenting Style on Changes in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms, Jennifer Cataldi
Predicting First Responder Resilience: Investigating the Indirect Effect of Posttraumatic Cognitions through Coping Processes, Michael Dolezal
How Social Support Affects Career Adaptability through the Academic Career, Megan Fox
Longitudinal Trauma Treatment Outcomes in an Immigrant and Refugee Sample, Shuen-En Ho
Attachment, Trait Mindfulness, and Expectations in Married Women: A Moderated Mediation Model, Elizabeth Larson
Psychometrics of a Measure of Sexual Assault Coping Self-Efficacy: A Comparison of Across Age Groups, Thomas Pankau
Posttraumatic Cognitions as a Pathway from Resilience to Sleep in First Responders, Emily Peterman Cabano
Detachment and Antagonism as Moderators of Effects of Psychosocial Stressors on Emotional Distress in Daily Life, Christina My Quach
Development of the Sexual Shame Inventory, Jyssica Seebeck
School Violence and Suicidal Ideation: The Mediating Roles of Perceived School Safety and Substance Use Among Adolescents, Jordan Skalisky
Shame Proneness as a Vulnerability Factor for Negative Emotions in the Context of Interpersonal Stressors: An Experience Sampling Study, Oxana L. Stebbins
An Examination of the Role of Interpersonal Stressors and Attachment Style in Dissociative Experiences, Erin Verdi
Dissertations from 2020
What Happens When Youth Talk About Their Problems? Co-Rumination as a Mechanism of Stress Generation, Jaclyn T. Aldrich
Moderation of Effects of Anxiety on Verbal and Visuospatial Short-Term Memory in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rachael Arowolo
Impacts of Motor and Sensory Impairment on Language in Young Children with Autism, Elizabeth A. Bisi
Examining the Factors that Mediate the Relationship from Legal Advocacy Satisfaction to Resilience, Desta T. Gebregiorgis
The Costs of COVID-19: Loneliness, Coping, and Psychological Distress in the United States Population, Lauren Hammond
Autism and Externalizing Behaviors: Attachment as a Protective Factor, Rebecca Kramer
Parent Emotion Coaching and Affect Recognition in Theory of Mind in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Audrey L. O'Connor
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms as a Moderator of Affective Reactions to Perceived Interpersonal Behaviors, Narayan B. Singh
Posttraumatic Growth in the Context of Grief: Testing the Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory, Honey Williams
Trauma Exposure, Depressive Symptoms, and Responding to Positive Events and Affect in Young Adults, Jana DeSimone Wozniak
Dissertations from 2019
The Impact of Trauma Experience, Adverse Early Circumstances and Unit Cohesion on Posttraumatic Growth in Active Duty Service Members, John Charleson
Cognitive Functioning, Depression, and Strengths as Predictors of Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis, Tara Annthea Crouch
Campus Shootings: Does Religious Faith and Relationship with Victims Affect Psychological Well-Being?, Melissa J. Gowen
Attachment and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Adolescence: Exploring the Mediating Role of Physiological Self-Regulation Capacity, Michelle A. Kuhn
The Effect of a Substance Use Intervention on Co-occurring Adolescent Depression Symptoms, Elizabeth Ann Lehinger PhD
The Effect of Substance Use on the Relationship between PTSD Symptom Clusters and Suicide in Adolescents, Lindsay S. Moore
Emotional Clarity in Young Adults: Operationalization, Measurement, and Associations with Mental Health Outcomes, Madeline D W Noland
RSA in Young Adults: Identifying Naturally-Occurring Response Patterns and Correlates, Brittany K. Willey
Dissertations from 2018
The Impact of Bully Victimization and Substance Use on Suicidal Behavior in Sexual Minority Youth, Ashley Christine Estoup
The Role of Joint Attention in Pragmatic Language Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Ellen F. Geib
Investigating the Effects of Adult Insecure Attachment on Interpersonal Attraction, Fiona B. Kurtz Ms.
A Grounded Theory Qualitative Research Approach to Understanding Enduring Marriage, Heather Lucas
Examining the Moderating Role of Anxiety Symptoms on Insistence on Sameness in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Wayne Eric Mason Jr
Physiological Activation as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Perseverative Cognition and Somatic Symptoms, Karly M. Murphy
Examining the Interacting Effects of Marital Role Salience and Satisfaction on Mental Health Trajectories of Female Expatriates, Kaitlin M. Patton
Sexual Violence and Legal Advocacy: Psychometric Evaluation of the Legal Advocacy Services Satisfaction Survey, Joanne K. Sparrow
The Association of Attachment and Marital Satisfaction Mediated by Implicit Theories of Relationships, Sadie Teal
Summer Treatment Program for ADHD and ASD: The Role of Physical Activity, Sleep and Inhibitory Control, Erin G. Underbrink
A program evaluation of ZGiRLS: The role of cognitive emotion regulation in predicting mental health outcomes in adolescent girls, Julie Vieselmeyer
Dissertations from 2017
Risky Sex and Alcohol-Related Behaviors and Cognitions in Adolescents: Evaluating a Values-Based Intervention, Meredith K. Chapman
The Etiology and Phenomenology of Sexual Shame: A Grounded Theory Study, Noel Clark
The Effectiveness of Text Coaching on Substance Use Treatment Outcomes in Adolescence, Emily Hu
Sexual Assault Coping Self-efficacy as Moderated by Legal Advocacy Social Support, Clara Jane Roberts
The Relationship Between Trauma and Well-Being: Moral Emotions in Sex-Trafficked Women, Gina M. Scarsella
Dissertations from 2016
Internalizing Symptoms: Relations to Executive Functions in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jessica L. Berg
Ecosystemic Effects of Military Sexual Trauma in Male Service Members and Veterans, Jessica A. Carlile
International Interests and Psychological Well-Being Following Global Service Learning as a Function of Sociocultural Adaptation and Cultural Distance, Elizabeth C. Dykhouse
Stress and Somatic Symptoms: Rumination and Negative Affect as Moderators, Melissa Joy Garner
Integrating Cognitive Mechanisms in the Relationship Between Trait Affect and Depressive Symptoms: The Role of Affect Amplification, Kaitlin A. Harding
Brooding, Avoidance, and Suppression as Mechanisms Linking Shame-Proneness with Depressive Symptoms, Melissa Rose Hudson
Courage, Psychological Well-being, and Somatic Symptoms, Christopher J. Keller
The Role of Emotional Distress in Predicting Opiate Analgesic Medication Use in Chronic Pain Patients, Amy E. Kupper
Temperament and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia as Contributors to Externalizing Behavior Among Early Adolescents, Tyler Laney Ph.D.