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College Students' Suicidal Ideation: Testing The Predictions Of The Existential - Constructivist Theory Of Suicide, Jennifer Danielle Lockman

Open Access Dissertations

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the college student population (Schwartz, 2006), and empirically supported theories for understanding suicide among college students are lacking (Lester, 1989; Prinstein, 2008; Rogers & Benson, 2013). Although not yet examined empirically, Rogers (2001) proposed an Existential - Constructivist Theory of Suicide (ECTS), in which existential distress and the inability to reconstruct meaning from adverse life events contribute to suicidal ideation. ECTS includes both interpersonal and intrapersonal drivers of suicidal ideation, and for this reason, may better explain suicidal ideation in college students than existing theoretical models. Existing research focuses on Joiner’s …

Suicidal Risk At A College Counseling Center: Correlates At Intake And Therapeutic Outcomes, Maha Baalbaki

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Suicidal risk is examined within the population of college students entering therapy. College student suicidal risk factors are examined among those entering therapy. Based on suicidal risk presented at intake, subsequent outcomes, with respect to treatment duration and mental health functioning, are evaluated. Participants include 1717 students aged 18-22 receiving therapy services at the Johns Hopkins University Counseling Center. Measures included the Personal Identification Form, Problem Checklist, and Behavioral Health Questionnaire-20. Various demographic (race/ethnicity), clinical (previous treatment and referral source), emotional (depression, anxiety, and substance abuse), and collegiate (thwarted belongingness, academic stress, and identity confusion) factors were associated with increased …

Anxiety Sensitivity And Decision Making: Positive And Negative Risk Taking In Laboratory And Naturalistic Settings, Amanda Kutz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a group, anxiety disorders represent the most prevalent mental health condition. A hallmark feature of anxiety disorders is avoidant behavior. Along with this, anxious individuals have been shown to exhibit a risk aversion in decision making. However, anxiety disorders are simultaneously highly co-morbid with substance use disorders (e.g., Grant, Stinson, Dawson, & Chou, 2004), suggesting that certain individuals with anxiety disorders engage in particular forms of risk taking. However, much of the current literature on anxiety and risk taking has focused on risk aversion in anxiety, presupposing an inhibited model of anxious responding. In addition, there is little literature …

Facebook Engagement On College Students' Interpersonal And Intrapersonal Functioning, Scott S. Deatherage

Open Access Dissertations

In recent years college students have incorporated social-networking sites, and more specifically Facebook, into their daily lives. Facebook has received empirical attention; attention focused on what students are doing on Facebook, who its users are, and, more recently, why students access Facebook. However, researchers who have assessed motivations for accessing Facebook have emphasized how motivations are associated with certain activities, and have not simultaneously and directly examined how activities and motivations are associated with both maladaptive and adaptive factors of students’ interpersonal and intrapersonal functioning. The purpose of the present study was to examine how Facebook engagement is associated with …

Caffeinated Alcohol Use In A Daily Context, Ashley N. Carmichael

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Caffeinated alcoholic beverage (CAB) use is associated with a range of substance-related problems. Few have examined socio-environmental and cognitive factors that may relate to CAB use and influence associations between use and negative consequences. Moreover, much research on CABs has been based on cross-sectional and retrospective reports, which can be subject to recall biases. The current research aimed to address the gaps in our understanding of use patterns by conducting a daily diary study. Participants were 122 (73.8% women) heavy drinking, college student CAB users. Mean age was 20.39 (SD = 2.08) years. Students completed a baseline questionnaire and up …

Buffering The Associations Between Negative Mood States And The Incentive Salience Of Alcohol: A Brief Mindfulness Induction, Adrian J. Bravo

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined drinking to cope (DTC) motives and state mindfulness (via a brief mindfulness induction) as two distinct factors that may enhance (DTC) and reduce (state mindfulness) the association between negative mood states (i.e., sadness and anxiety) and the incentive salience of alcohol (i.e., subjective alcohol craving and attentional bias for alcohol-related cues) among college student drinkers. Participants were 207 undergraduate students from a large, southeastern university in the United States that consumed at least one drink per typical week in the previous month. The majority of participants identified as being either White, non-Hispanic (n = 81; 39.1%), …

The Role Of Work Volition In The Association Between College Students’ Medical Illness Symptomatology And Their Major Satisfaction, Educational Persistence Intentions, And Career Aspirations, Lauren Michele Bouchard

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports the results of a study exploring the role of work volition in the relations of health-related symptomatology and perceptions to the short-term career outcomes of major satisfaction, leadership aspirations, educational persistence intentions, and real/ideal career discrepancy. The responses of 366 college students to an online survey revealed that illness perceptions and the number of unhealthy days out of the last 30 were significantly related to work volition. Work volition was significantly related to all four short-term career outcomes. Path analyses showed that work volition was a mediator between unhealthy days and all four short-term career outcomes, which …

The Nerve: Associations Between Perceived Parenting Style And Coping With Stress, Lauren Mcgrew

Undergraduate Theses

Throughout a lifetime, women are twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder. Several factors – biological, psychological, and social/environmental – are involved in the mechanisms of anxiety. The present study was designed with particular interest in the association between parents’ parenting styles and daughter anxiety, specifically paternal influences in correlation with how daughters cope with stress. Previous studies suggest that anxious tendencies in parents can be transferred to their children (Ballash, Leyfer, Buckley, & Woodruff-Borden, 2006). Studies have also identified three main parenting styles – authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive – which may also play a role in …

Substance Use Among College Students: Correlations With Intent To Graduate, Academic Integration, And Social Integration, Cecilia M. Clowdus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance use is one of the greatest concerns for adolescents and emerging adults. The consequences of prolonged substance use can lead to physical, psychological, and financial consequences for those suffering from use as well as their loved ones. One consequence that has not been researched thoroughly is the association between substance use and the decision to leave higher education, which is a decision that could have lasting effects on former students’ ability to obtain satisfactory employment in the future. This research looks at substance use and variables that are associated with the decision to leave college, which are derived from …

Diversity-Related Experiences And Academic Performance Among Ethnic Minority College Students, Amanda K. Blume

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Students of color experience numerous educational disadvantages compared to White students. These disadvantages begin in elementary school and continue into college and adulthood. Ethnic minority students typically have less resources available to them than White students and are typically less prepared for college—academically and financially. Once students of color enroll in college, they face additional barriers due to discrimination and negative attitudes towards diversity. These factors play a key role in student engagement and persistence. The campus racial climate of a university, defined as the overall racial environment of the campus, has been shown to strongly influence students’ feelings of …

Congruence With College Major In Light Of Cognitive Influence And Work Roles, Erica L. Mathis

Master's Theses

Using Holland’s theory, the author examined moderators that may influence students’ academic success and satisfaction while accounting for cognitive influence. Data from 233 undergraduate students was analyzed using a series of hierarchical multiple regressions. The study sought to determine if student employment and the level of interest profile elevation were significant moderators of the relationship between congruence with college major and academic major satisfaction, as well as academic major success. Uniquely, academic major success was determined through GPA and a 10-subscale self-report measure. Cognitive influences were operationalized as positive and negative thinking and accounted for in all analyses. Correlation results …

Completing The Puzzle: Exploring Possible Antecedents To Rape Myth Acceptance, Skye A. Geeslin

Theses and Dissertations

Rape myths are commonly accepted, but usually false, attitudes and beliefs about the act of rape, the perpetrators, and most often the victims (Aronowitz, Lambert, & Davidoff, 2012). Studies have shown that the endorsement of rape myth attitudes influences not only the likelihood of a sexual assault occurring, but also whether or not the incident is reported, and how the victims view themselves and their experiences afterwards (Burnett et ah, 2009). The present study surveyed college students to assess their levels of social competence, semantic knowledge of sex, bystander attitudes, and rape myth acceptance (RMA). The purpose of this study …

Environmental Context Effects On Impulsivity And Subjective Craving In Caffeinated Alcohol Users, Amy L. Stamates

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Caffeinated alcohol beverages (CAB) (e.g., vodka and Red Bull, rum and Coke) have become increasingly popular among young drinkers. Research indicates that consumption of caffeinated alcohol is associated with higher reports of injuries requiring medical attention, engaging in more risky behaviors, and achieving greater levels of intoxication. As such, consumers of CAB are a population that may be at a higher risk of experiencing alcohol-related harms. Although CAB drinkers have been shown to exhibit more impulsive behavior, little research has examined impulse control in this population or other mechanisms that may contribute to alcohol-related risks for these individuals. It has …

Preventing And Reducing Non-Medical Prescription Stimulant Use: An Intervention Study, Tyler R. Hightower

Senior Theses and Projects

Numerous studies have shown that nonmedical prescription stimulant use (NMPSU), which refers to the use of drugs like Adderall or Ritalin without a prescription, is quickly becoming one of the most prevalent illicit activities on college campuses. In a recent study on Trinity’s campus, 37% of students endorsed misusing prescription stimulants in the last year. Not all students are at equal risk, however. Risk factors for NMPSU include: being Caucasian, Greek involvement, low GPA (less than 3.5), binge drinking, marijuana use, and low self-efficacy to avoid using. Accordingly, we screened students for these risk factors and engaged students with two …

The Impact Of Social Class Connectedness, School Belongingness, And Family Cohesion On Lower Class-Identified College Students, Kristen Eileen Adams

Dissertations

This study is one of the first to examine acculturative and enculturative factors as they relate to social class. Much of the extant literature surrounding acculturation and enculturation looks primarily at cultural factors such as race/ethnicity and/or immigration status. Due to the fact that social class is such a salient cultural identity in most individuals' lives and has a bearing on how one views and evaluates themselves in relation to others of differing social classes (Fouad & Brown, 2000), the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social class connectedness on subjective wellbeing (including positive and negative …

The Moderating Role Of Emotion Regulation On Longitudinal Associations Between Stress And Mental Health In College Students, Evan Zahniser

Master's Theses

Emotion regulation is consistently linked to subsequent wellbeing, but little research has examined the moderating role of emotion regulation in associations between mental health and other relevant factors. Patterns of gender differences in emotion regulation also remain somewhat unclear. The present study targets these gaps by examining two specific emotion regulation strategies in interaction with stress and gender in predicting internalizing symptoms among college students, a population for whom emotion regulation may be particularly important given the high-stress nature of the college transition. A large sample of students (N = 1,130) provided self-report data at three time points over their …

The Relationship Between Self-Compassion, Sleep Quality, And Perceived Stress Among Undergraduate And Graduate Students, Michael Unger

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Research has indicated that sleep problems are prevalent in college students. Current studies show that over half of college students report that they are poor-quality sleepers. The consequences of poor sleep quality include increased stress, substance use, and mental health issues. Poor sleep hygiene is one of the many factors that contribute to poor sleep quality in college students. Although research has identified contributing factors and consequences of sleep problems in college students, less attention has been given to factors that may serve as a buffer against the effects of poor sleep quality. This study introduces and discusses self-compassion as …

How Do Students Appraise And Cope With Episodic Stressors : A Four-Wave Study, Jingyi Huang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Stress is a dynamic process. For episodic task-related stressors, four stages – the anticipatory stage, the confronting stage, the waiting stage, and the outcome stage – can be defined. Using a student sample, in this study I employed a longitudinal design to examine how exam-related coping unfolds across these stages, how perceived control predicts the use of coping strategies, and how personality moderates the relations between perceived control and the selection of coping strategies. The results show that across time behavioral disengagement and substance use had a convex trajectory, and that seeking of emotional social support and positive reinterpretation had …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder & Narrative Comprehension Deficits In College Students, Laura E. Vincent

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The current study examined if the narrative comprehension deficits that children with ADHD exhibit during childhood and adolescence continue in college students as a function of ADHD symptoms, and if a relationship existed between ADHD symptoms and self-efficacy. Children and adolescence with ADHD have difficulties in several areas of narrative comprehension, including maintaining goal structure, distinguishing important events from unimportant events, and making causal connections. If these deficits persist there also may be a relationship between ADHD symptoms and self-efficacy.

Higher levels of ADHD symptomatology were associated with difficulties recalling story events in the college population. Some findings differed from …

The Relationship Between Substance Use And Social Class Among College Students, Kelcey Little

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Alcohol and substance use among a college population has become a norm for our society. Even more intriguing are the possible factors that may lead to use and abuse of alcohol and substances. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between multiple participant characteristics (i.e., ethnicity, gender, year in college, socioeconomic status) and alcohol and substance use. A total of 902 participants from the University of Central Florida answered multiple questionnaires via the Sona system. Items in the questionnaires included topics such as demographic variables, social class variables, and items regarding alcohol and substance use in …

The Impact Of Empathy Training On Perceptions Of Substance Use Disorders, Kelsea Magel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Negative attitudes and stigma toward individuals with mental health disorders, particularly substance use disorders, undoubtedly exist in communities around the globe. Lund and Boggero (2014) propose that negative attitudes toward mental health disorders have existed throughout history and across cultures, and there is an ongoing concern of how individuals with mental illness are affected by these negative attitudes (Poreddi, Thimmaiah, Pashupu, Ramachandra, & Badamath, 2014). Increasing levels of empathy in individuals has shown to decrease overall magnitude of negative attitudes; most empathy training tasks, however, are extensive and last several months. The current study examined the possibility of reducing negative …