Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Social Status On Behavioral And Neural Response To Stress, Daniel W. Curry, Kathleen E. Morrison, Matthew A. Cooper

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Health Disparities In A Diverse County: Investigating Interactions Between Residents And Neighborhoods, John P. Barile

Psychology Dissertations

This study evaluated the associations of individual and neighborhood level risk factors with physical health, mental health, and stress in a diverse urban county. Relatively little research has attempted to disentangle the interactive individual characteristics and neighborhood conditions underlying health outcomes and disparities. To address this, survey data were collected and analyzed from 1,107 residents living in one of the 114 census tracts in DeKalb County, GA. Using multilevel structural equation modeling techniques, this study found that neighborhood level measures of the social and built environment were not associated with the health outcomes under study after controlling for neighborhood level …

The Relation Between Sensation Seeking And Life Satisfaction, Stephanie Stegman

Master's Theses

The present study examined the relation between sensation seeking and life satisfaction. Participants completed four online surveys. One survey included a number of questions designed to measure personal sensation seeking level (Sensation Seeking Scale Form V). Another asked questions regarding life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale). A third survey included questions regarding one’s feelings about one’s self (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). The final survey asked questions regarding perceived stress level (Perceived Stress Scale). Results indicated that higher levels of Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility were associated with lower levels of life satisfaction. Results also demonstrated that higher levels of Boredom Susceptibility were …

So Many Choices, So Little Time: Religiosity And The Stress Of Making Decisions, Joshua David Boeke

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Numerous studies have appeared in the literature demonstrating that religiosity and mental health are positively related. However, although investigators have identified several variables that partially mediate the effects of religiosity on mental health, much of this relationship remains unexplained. The goal of this survey study was to examine to what extent religious individuals experience better mental health outcomes because they experience less stress when making decisions. Specifically, this study evaluated whether religious individuals reduce the number of decision alternatives they consider when making decisions, which in turn should make decision making easier and reduce decision-making stress. Participants were asked to …

Associations Between Mindfulness And Symptoms Of Anxiety., Leisa L. Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional exploratory study considered the associations between mindfulness and symptoms of anxiety. The participants in this study were 183 undergraduate students at a regional university in the southeastern United States. The general hypothesis was that higher levels of mindfulness would be associated with lower levels of anxiety. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to examine the association between a variety of aspects of mindfulness and symptoms of anxiety while controlling for a variety of demographic and historical variables, including previous experience with meditation. Results suggest that not all aspects of mindfulness were related to anxiety. Of the 12 specific …

The Ability Of The Coping Competence Questionnaire To Predict Resilience Against Learned Helplessness Among Undergraduate College Students: An Experimental Study, Cindy L. Ollis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Coping Competence Questionnaire (CCQ), based on the reformulated learned helplessness theory, was designed to assess a general stress resistance versus a propensity towards learned helplessness with a brief, 12-item self-report questionnaire. In this study the CCQ was administered to 247 undergraduate students, who were then paired, in groups of around 24 at a time, and then randomly assigned to either success or failure conditions on the computer game TetraVex. Mood was pretested using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) depression subscale; the experimental condition, success or failure at TetraVex was conducted; then outcome measures including 20 five letter anagrams …

Selected Demographic Characteristics And Social Interest As Predictors Of Teacher Stress, Barry J. Morales

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to study stress in teachers in Louisiana by utilizing a descriptive/comparative research design. Hypotheses were tested concerning relationships between each of seven independent variables and the dependent variable (teacher stress). The independent variables were (a) years of teaching experience, (b) educational levels of teachers (college degrees), (c) age, (d) gender, (e) social interest, (f) geographical location (North and South Louisiana), and (g) educational levels of students taught by teachers (elementary, middle, high school). The procedure for choosing the participants involved a sample of convenience whereby superintendents provided access/permission to specific schools. Nine schools (three …

Does Chronic Stress Accelerate Late-Aging Cognitive Decline In Memory And Executive Functioning?, Diane Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few studies exist examining the relationship between self-reported stress and cognitive function in healthy nonpsychiatric older adults, and even less studies have examined whether high levels of self-reported stress accelerate the cognitive decline found in normal late-aging populations. A group of older nonpsychiatric adults, ages 54 years and above, were asked to complete three measures assessing their self-perceived stress over the past month, past year, and their lifetime. Sixty-one adults between the ages of 54 and 88 (52% female) participated in a second phase in which neuropsychological tasks were administered to assess three cognitive domains; memory, learning, and executive functioning. …

The Effect Of Urban Hassles On The Subjective Well-Being Of Low-Income Urban Adolescents, Kimberly Vacek

Dissertations

Low income urban youth have been identified as an understudied and important population to explore. The psychological effects of stress on the well-being of children and adolescents are of particular interest, and the stressors faced by low income urban adolescents are unique in that they are more chronic in nature and due to adverse environmental circumstances. While researchers have examined the effect of stress on the subjective well-being of low income urban adolescents, none have done so utilizing a measure of stress developed specifically to assess the unique stressors experienced by such populations. The Urban Hassles Index (UHI) is a …

The Effects Of Uncontrollable Stress On Subjective Well-Being And Coping Behavior In Urban Adolescents, Laura Darr Coyle

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine whether uncontrollable and controllable stressors differentially affected levels of subjective well-being in a group of ethnically diverse urban adolescents. Additionally, the researcher examined what types of coping skills were utilized in the face of high levels of uncontrollable stress. Lastly, a moderational model was proposed, wherein active coping was hypothesized to strengthen the inverse relationship between uncontrollable stress and subjective well-being. Results revealed that higher levels of uncontrollable stress were related to higher levels of negative affect. Additionally, the use of active and adaptive coping strategies was associated with higher levels of …

The Effects Of Web-Based Interactive Emotional Disclosure On Stress And Health: A Randomized, Controlled Study, Jonathan Beyer

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the relative effectiveness of two novel alternatives to standard written emotional disclosure for coping with stressful traumatic experiences. In addition to standard emotional disclosure and time management writing control conditions, two guided feedback conditions were created with a goal of enhancing the disclosure paradigm by eliciting the most effective components of disclosure writing. All of the writing conditions in the study utilized the internet for both completion of the writing and receipt of feedback in the indicated conditions. The guided conditions included a feedback writing condition in which guidance was …

Evaluating Outcomes And Response Profiles Of A Psychological Treatment For People With Chronic Pain, Amanda J. Burger

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chronic pain is a leading cause of suffering, disability, and high health care costs. Traditional treatment approaches such as medical or cognitive-behavioral interventions have produced variable and often limited results. Research has suggested

that increased rates of stressful life events, emotional disorders, and emotion regulation deficits contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain problems that lack clear, peripheral, biological causes. This study examined the effectiveness of an

innovative, emotion-focused treatment that directly targets patients' unresolved stress and emotional avoidance and sought to identify predictors of treatment outcome. Additionally, this study explored the effects of a novel, emotional assessment …

A Comparison Of Parental Self-Efficacy, Parenting Satisfaction, And Other Factors Between Single Mothers With And Without Children With Developmental Disabilities, Raymond Phillip Small

Wayne State University Dissertations

Depression and stress occur among single mothers and raising a child with a developmental disability can be a difficult burden. The purpose of this study was to determine if having a child with a developmental disability was a source of stress and depression among single mothers, and if this impinged on parental self-efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and social support. The moderating potential of having a child with a disability was examined on relationships between stress, depression, parental self-efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and social support. Understanding these relationships could be useful in the service delivery system to single mothers and families of children …

Developmental Variation In Children's Acquisition Of Metrical Structure: How Early Treatment Of Stressless Syllables Can Inform Phonological Theory, Clifford S. Jones

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The present study uses 26 color photos to elicit a total of 14 words conforming to a very specific pattern: a stressless syllable word-initially, followed by a stressed syllable, and at most one more stressless syllable. This was found to be a particularly difficult metrical structure for the two- and three-year old participants to produce in an adult-like manner. Based on the findings that a fairly reliable (if language-particular) order of acquisition is observable for contrasts of both place and manner of articulation, the case is made for a system of six emergent features, which may be characterized as combinable …

Spirituality As A Mediator In The Relationship Between Self-Care Practices And Perceived Stress Levels Among Lutheran Clergy, David W. Brant

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

There is currently a shortage of ordained ministers to fill the current vacancies in Lutheran churches due, in part, to the multiplicity of pastoral roles, the stressors clergy encounter in their vocation, and poor self-care. This exploratory research found a statistically significant, small, negative relationship when examining the relationship between clergy self-care practices and perceived levels of stress. The research did not support a relationship between clergy self-care practices and perceived levels of stress when mediated by clergy spiritual maturity. Other predictor variables such as first vocation, gender, spousal financial contributions and stress also did not yield statistically significant results …

The Development Of The Measure Of Perceived Overscheduling (Mops), Aaron S. Pollock

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

It has been suggested that extracurricular activity involvement can lead to later behavioral or developmental challenges for children, particularly when children are pressured or overscheduled. Research, however, has shown mixed results in attempts to find a relationship between overinvolvement in activities and emotional/behavioral challenges. However, previous research did not take into consideration the individual’s perception of being overscheduled. The Measure of Perceived Over-Scheduling (MOPS) was developed to assess if a difference exists between adolescents who believe they are overinvolved in activities and adolescents who do not hold this belief. The MOPS was subsequently utilized to assess the relationship between perceived …

Prospective Effects Of Temperamental Reactivity, Emotion Dysregulation, And Stress On Risk For Anxiety And Depression In Elementary School-Age Children, Jeremy Kyle Fox

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Temperamental reactivity and emotion dysregulation are both considered important vulnerability factors in the development of childhood anxiety and depression. Little is known, however, about how these emotional processes work together to shape developmental pathways to internalizing difficulties.

Team Coordination As A Mediator Of Stress Appraisals And Team Performance, Gaea Megan Payton

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Threat stress appraisals can negatively affect individuals by decreasing performance (Gildea, Schneider, & Shebilske, 2007). Performance is also influenced by a team's ability to coordinate tasks (Entin & Serfaty, 1999). This study investigated the link between team stressor appraisals, coordination, and performance. Using a simulated team environment, teams were evaluated on their perceived stress appraisals, coordination as indicated through instant messaging, and team performance. Findings showed that team stressor appraisals were marginally related to coordination and significantly related to performance. Coordination was related to team performance. Further research should be performed using varied levels of a stressful scenario to evaluate …