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2018

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Overcoming Exposure To Complex Stressors: An Examination Of Protective Coping Mechanisms For Low-Income Urban African American Youth, Molly Cory Nov 2018

Overcoming Exposure To Complex Stressors: An Examination Of Protective Coping Mechanisms For Low-Income Urban African American Youth, Molly Cory

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Low-income urban African American youth experience multiple uncontrollable stressors (e.g. community violence) that may then impact the severity of controllable stressors (e.g. school stressors) and combine to produce negative life outcomes. In light of these negative outcomes, it is important to understand individual protective factors, and the coping response in particular. Past research has emphasized the advantages of primary control engagement coping, but recent evidence suggests that low-income urban African American youth facing complex and uncontrollable stressors may benefit more from disengagement strategies in response to uncontrollable stressors. Although it is expected this population would additionally benefit from applying engagement …


Evaluation Of Neurobiological Risk Factors For Alcohol Consumption; Convergent Evidence For Predispositional Effects Of Brain Volume, David Baranger Aug 2018

Evaluation Of Neurobiological Risk Factors For Alcohol Consumption; Convergent Evidence For Predispositional Effects Of Brain Volume, David Baranger

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol is one of the most widely used psychoactive substances and accounts for 5% of global disease burden. The goal of the present work is to help advance efforts to both identify prognostic markers of risk, and to understand the mechanisms by which alcohol consumption impacts health. Early life stress is one of the strongest predictors of mental illness, including alcohol dependence, and has been hypothesized to impact risk via modulation of striatal reward functions and reward learning. Studies examined the effect of stress on reward learning and processing, and tested for moderation by genetic and environmental risk. Results were …


Hpa Axis Genetic Variation And Life Stress Influences On Functional Connectivity In Resting State Networks, Tara Ann Miskovich Aug 2018

Hpa Axis Genetic Variation And Life Stress Influences On Functional Connectivity In Resting State Networks, Tara Ann Miskovich

Theses and Dissertations

Stressful or traumatic experiences are a key risk factor for developing psychopathology, primarily through the impact that chronic stress has on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. The HPA axis regulates the stress response but can become dysregulated with chronic activation and impact brain functioning. In addition to environmental stressors, genetic variation in genes in the HPA axis appear to influence HPA axis functioning and is also related to disruption in brain functioning, particularly in the context of high life stress. The current study focused on examining potential mechanisms through which trauma and stress interacts with HPA axis genes to impact key …


The Role Of Hardiness In The Relation Between Perceived Daily Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms In Community College Students., Rosamond J. Smith Aug 2018

The Role Of Hardiness In The Relation Between Perceived Daily Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms In Community College Students., Rosamond J. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the current study, perceived daily discrimination (PDD) is conceptualized as a chronic stressor which repeatedly activates a stress response and results in depressive symptoms, per the theory of allostatic load. Psychological hardiness is explored as a potential moderator of the relation between PDD and depressive symptoms, because individuals who repeatedly demonstrate hardiness may be primed for making cognitive reappraisals of potential stressors and/or for mobilizing appropriate coping strategies, thus limiting the body’s repeated stress responses and subsequent depressive symptoms. This cross-sectional survey of a diverse sample of 305 community college students included measures of hardiness (Dispositional Resilience Scale, …


Black Graduate Students’ Experiences Of Stress And Coping, Shealyn J. Blanchard Aug 2018

Black Graduate Students’ Experiences Of Stress And Coping, Shealyn J. Blanchard

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of Black graduate students related to stress and coping. Specifically, this study seeks to further examine the concept of cognitive appraisal and help-seeking intentions among Black graduate students. Research has indicated that Black graduate students face unique stressors related to race, in addition to general stress demands that can be experienced in graduate education programs. Regarding help-seeking, the literature has tended to focus on psychological help-seeking attitudes with African American populations and undergraduate students. This present study utilizes theories from stress and coping, as well as help-seeking and planned behavior, …


The Relationship Between Experiential Avoidance And Physiological Reactivity, Brodrick Thomas Brown Jul 2018

The Relationship Between Experiential Avoidance And Physiological Reactivity, Brodrick Thomas Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the universal nature of stress, and its impact on physical health, it is important to understand how it is related to other psychological variables. The current study was undertaken in order to investigate whether an individual's cardiovascular reactivity to stress is impacted by their level of experiential avoidance, as measured by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II). Individuals who are experientially avoidant are more likely to attempt to escape or prevent certain experiences and make effort to change them or avoid the contexts in which they occur. Previous research has indicated that experiential avoidance is related to some …


Association Between The Magnitude Of The Immune Response And Recurrent Major Depression Disorder In Humans And Depression-Like Behavior In Animals, Anastacia Kudinova Jul 2018

Association Between The Magnitude Of The Immune Response And Recurrent Major Depression Disorder In Humans And Depression-Like Behavior In Animals, Anastacia Kudinova

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the association between inflammation and major depressive disorder (MDD). One plausible mechanism for this association is sensitization of the immune response, possibly due to prior exposure to stressors. To investigate the validity of this hypothesis, a series of three complimentary cross-species studies was conducted. Study 1 examined the associations between circulating levels of inflammatory markers and in vitro immune reactivity with women’s history of recurrent MDD (rMDD) and their current symptoms of anhedonia. The potential moderating role of women’s history of childhood abuse was also examined. Study 2 and 3 focused on …


The Effects Of Aromatherapy On Stress In A University Population, Theresa L. Flagler May 2018

The Effects Of Aromatherapy On Stress In A University Population, Theresa L. Flagler

Undergraduate Honours Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether aromatherapy has an effect on stress responses in a population of undergraduate university students at a liberal arts college. To do this, participants were brought to a laboratory room and asked to complete a task designed to increase feelings of stress and anxiety by having participants perform a song in front of the researcher. During this, either water vapor infused with a small quantity of lavender oil or unadulterated water vapour was diffusing into the room. To measure stress, participants wore a heart rate monitor throughout the duration of the …


Parental Mindfulness And Stress As An Influence On Clinically Referred Children’S Emotional Competence, Ahmad Baiyasi May 2018

Parental Mindfulness And Stress As An Influence On Clinically Referred Children’S Emotional Competence, Ahmad Baiyasi

Honors College Theses

Children acquire the skills of emotional competence in a variety of contexts, and demonstrate through their behavior the skills evident of emotional competence. Such skills include a sense of well-being, adaptive resilience in the face of stressful circumstances, and the ability to manage their own emotions (Saarni, 2000). Mindfulness, a relatively new construct in the study of human development, is nonjudgmentally paying attention to relevant aspects of our experiences, including our own emotions and thoughts (Ludwig & Kabat-Zinn, 2008). Stress is emotional or mental strain resulting from adverse or very demanding life circumstances, such as our living environment (Lunney, 2006). …


The Moderating Effects Of College Stress On The Relationship Protective Behavioral Strategies Has With Hazardous Alcohol Consumption And Negative Consequences, Bobbi Lynn Lee May 2018

The Moderating Effects Of College Stress On The Relationship Protective Behavioral Strategies Has With Hazardous Alcohol Consumption And Negative Consequences, Bobbi Lynn Lee

Honors Theses

Hazardous drinking continues to be a problem on college campuses especially when considering the increased negative consequences often associated with use at these levels. Although alcohol use is viewed as normative behavior among college students, many factors may predict increased or decreased use and negative consequences. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are related to decreased hazardous drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences. Specifically, controlled consumption PBS (PBS-CC) are related to less hazardous drinking while serious harm reduction PBS (PBS-SHR) are often related to fewer alcohol-related negative consequences. Stress is also linked with hazardous drinking as students may drink to cope with this …


Mindfulness As A Vigilance Intervention: Examining Its Impact On Stress And Mental Demand, Kelli Huber Apr 2018

Mindfulness As A Vigilance Intervention: Examining Its Impact On Stress And Mental Demand, Kelli Huber

Dissertations

Occupations involving vigilance performance (i.e., sustained attention in monitoring for rare environmental threats) are known to experience vigilance decrement, a decline in performance over time. These occupations are known to be cognitively and emotionally challenging, giving rise to harmful effects for employees in them and presenting safety implications for the welfare of others. The current study investigated mindfulness as a potentially viable intervention to alleviate outcomes of vigilance demands: stress and mental demand. A mindfulness induction was compared to an unfocused control condition in which both were administered during a break from a vigilance task, specifically, a baggage screening task. …


Understanding Burnout In Undergraduate Students: The Role Of Social Media, Paige Walker Apr 2018

Understanding Burnout In Undergraduate Students: The Role Of Social Media, Paige Walker

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

This study investigated different factors relating to undergraduate burnout and whether social media could act as a protective factor. The study group was comprised of 66 female undergraduate psychology students at Brescia University College. Participants completed one questionnaire with seven subscales which measured the following variables: subjective well-being, student subjective well-being, personality traits, social support, stress, online support, and burnout. The participants were divided into three groups based on their burnout scores. The results of the ANOVA indicated that there were significant differences between the three burnout groups on: subjective well-being, student subjective well-being, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, social support, and …


Anxiety And Stress In First Year University Students, Kimberly Mccready Apr 2018

Anxiety And Stress In First Year University Students, Kimberly Mccready

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

The purpose of the study was two-fold: to confirm the finding that anxiety and stress increases as exams draw near, and to provide evidence that smokers will have greater increases in anxiety and stress than non-smokers, as well as increased smoking urges as exam draws near, to deal with the related increase in anxiety and stress. To investigate this, participants were asked to fill out the DASS-21 at three-time points (4 weeks, 2.5 weeks, and 1 week) before the Psychology 1000 midterm examination. Smoking urges of smokers was also to be assessed, however, due to lack of smoking participants, no …


Stress & Dance, Christian Franco Apr 2018

Stress & Dance, Christian Franco

HON499 projects

Stress is an extensive term that encompasses a wide range of theories and studies done to look deeper into the meaning of stress. Stress in various occupations has been looked at extensively as well, as workers in one specific profession seem to be very much affected by stress: professional dancers. This paper is split into two parts. The first looks at the definition(s) of stress, such as that of Seyle and Lazarus and Folkman, the different types of stress like eustress and distress, causes and symptoms of stress like daily hassles and physiological and psychological symptoms, ways to cope with …


Manipulating Relative Lmx: Effects On Performance, Conflict, And Strain, Keaton A. Fletcher Mar 2018

Manipulating Relative Lmx: Effects On Performance, Conflict, And Strain, Keaton A. Fletcher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fundamental to the conceptualization of leader-membership exchange (LMX), particularly within the context of teams, is that leaders do not necessarily treat each follower equally. Studies that have examined LMX within the context of the team often fail to capture these complexities, or rely exclusively upon self-report, or survey-based data to make inferences. Therefore, it is the purpose of this study to examine the effects of experimentally manipulated relative LMX within teams on individual conflict processes, attitudes, and psychological distress, as well as team-level performance. This study examined conflict processes and outcomes within 113 virtual, project teams engaged in a decision-making …


Leadership: A Resource In The Workplace, Wyatt Edward Stahl Jan 2018

Leadership: A Resource In The Workplace, Wyatt Edward Stahl

Wayne State University Theses

Leadership is an organizational component that has seen considerable interest in the I/O psychology literature. The current study aimed to expand on this literature by investigating the extent to which the relation between leadership style and strain outcomes varies based on employee social class. Participants were asked to complete a survey assessing leadership style of their supervisor, indicators of stress, indicators of work-related strain, and components of social class. Results suggested that individuals of lower social class experience higher levels of stress and strain. Additionally, individuals with leaders who are more transformational experience lower levels of stress and work-related strain. …


Personality And Stress: Understanding The Roles Of Extraversion And Neuroticism In Social Stress Scenarios, Synthia Knapp Jan 2018

Personality And Stress: Understanding The Roles Of Extraversion And Neuroticism In Social Stress Scenarios, Synthia Knapp

UNF Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to increase knowledge regarding personality and stress, with a focus on ambiverts, by investigating potential non-linear relationships and overall relationships between extraversion and stress levels, and neuroticism and stress levels. Two hundred thirty­-eight participants completed an online survey through SONA, consisting of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Social Stress Scenarios (SSS), the Big Five Aspects Scale (BF AS), and the Open Extended Jungian Type Scales 1.2 (OEJTS). In general, those lower in extraversion and those higher in neuroticism were found to have higher perceived stress levels. Both aspects of extraversion-enthusiasm and assertiveness-were negatively related …


Examining The Interaction Between Stress Exposure And Stress Reactivity As Predictors Of Reward Sensitivity And Anhedonia Symptoms, Joshua Ahles Jan 2018

Examining The Interaction Between Stress Exposure And Stress Reactivity As Predictors Of Reward Sensitivity And Anhedonia Symptoms, Joshua Ahles

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

There is a well-documented relationship between stress and depression, although only recently has the field begun to articulate clear models regarding how stress exerts this effect. One prominent model highlights the disruptive impact of stress on reward processing, which relates to anhedonia – a cardinal symptom of depression. Vulnerability-stress models also play an important role in depression research and hold that individual differences in responses to stress may exacerbate the relationship between stress and depression. Pre-ejection period (PEP) reactivity to reward has been posited as an index of reward sensitivity and approach motivation and has been increasingly linked to depression. …


A Laboratory Study Of Stress Reactions To Witnessing A Police Killing Of An Unarmed Black Man: Discrimination, Distress Tolerance, Ethnic Identity, And Risk-Taking, Michael A. Trujillo Jan 2018

A Laboratory Study Of Stress Reactions To Witnessing A Police Killing Of An Unarmed Black Man: Discrimination, Distress Tolerance, Ethnic Identity, And Risk-Taking, Michael A. Trujillo

Theses and Dissertations

Black individuals have been disproportionately targeted by law enforcement, most notably in shooting deaths at the hands of police, and has contributed to a general distrust of law enforcement. A rise in citizen journalism has helped document excessive use of force by police on video; however, little is known how individuals respond to viewing this type of media. A history of race-based stress is likely to contribute to an expectation of racism and may impact how individuals respond to videos of the treatment of unarmed Black men at the hands of police, with some evidence suggesting ethnic identity may moderate …


The Impact Of Neonatal Pain And Reduced Maternal Care On Brain And Behavioral Development, Sean Michael Mooney-Leber Jan 2018

The Impact Of Neonatal Pain And Reduced Maternal Care On Brain And Behavioral Development, Sean Michael Mooney-Leber

Wayne State University Dissertations

In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) preterm infants are exposed to a multitude of stressors, which include both neonatal pain and reduced maternal care. Clinical and preclinical research has demonstrated that exposure to neonatal pain and reduced maternal care has a profound negative impact on brain and behavioral development. Currently, the biological mechanism by which both of these stressors impacts brain and behavioral outcomes remains widely unknown. To uncover a potential biological mechanism, the current dissertation project utilized a preclinical model of repetitive needle pokes and developed a novel model of reduced maternal care through tea-ball encapsulation. Briefly, rat …


The Impact Of Stress On Social-Emotional Competence In Clinically Referred Children, Nicholas Seivert Jan 2018

The Impact Of Stress On Social-Emotional Competence In Clinically Referred Children, Nicholas Seivert

Wayne State University Dissertations

Stress negatively impacts children’s mental health. Specifically, most research has demonstrated an association between greater stress and greater psychological symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, aggression). Less is known about whether stress impacts children’s social-emotional competence, important aspects of healthy development. Children with mental health problems are more likely to have deficits in emotion understanding and emotion regulation than typically developing children. In particular, children with ADHD are likely to have more significant social-emotional problems than their peers with other clinical problems (e.g. depressed children). Parenting confidence could reduce the potential negative effects of stress on social-emotional competence. The current study examined …


Use Of Facebook As A Social Support System To Maintain An Individual's Resource Pool, Michelle Fontaine Jan 2018

Use Of Facebook As A Social Support System To Maintain An Individual's Resource Pool, Michelle Fontaine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress affects individuals' physiology, mood, behavior, and cognitive abilities. Social support has been found effective in buffering stress. The social networking site Facebook allows individuals to connect to others to share stories, pictures, and general life events and, in so doing, offers a means of social support that bridges geographical distances for friends and family. There is limited research, however, on whether using Facebook buffers against stress. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the use of Facebook for social support using the conservation of resources theoretical model of stress management. Fifty-seven Facebook users over the age of …


Attachment, Stress, And Self-Efficacy While Parenting Children On The Autism Spectrum, Angela Maire Galioto Jan 2018

Attachment, Stress, And Self-Efficacy While Parenting Children On The Autism Spectrum, Angela Maire Galioto

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The current study explored the relationship between parental perceptions of stress, self-efficacy, attachment, and child functioning level. Participants were parents of children with ASD enrolled in The Special Beginnings Program (SBP, N = 44) or receiving treatment as usual (TAU, N = 39). Hypotheses included that parental perceptions of child functioning level will be negatively correlated with stress and positively correlated with self-efficacy and attachment. In addition, that parental perceptions of stress will decrease and perceptions of attachment and self-efficacy would increase after Project ImPACT training and at follow-up more so for the parents in the SBP group compared to …


Food For Thought: The Effects Of Past And Present Food Insecurity On Subjective Well-Being And Child Behavior, Jena C. Styka Jan 2018

Food For Thought: The Effects Of Past And Present Food Insecurity On Subjective Well-Being And Child Behavior, Jena C. Styka

Senior Independent Study Theses

Food insecurity arises when one does not have physical, social, or economic access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (2016), food insecurity affects 15.6 million U.S. households. Its effects go beyond the physical consequences that might arise from not having adequate nutrition, influencing subjective well-being and behavior in both adults and children. This 2 x 2 quasi-experiment investigated how current and prior food insecurity influenced depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction, and happiness in parents, as well as how it influenced child behavior. Results indicated that prior experiences of food insecurity resulted in …


Relationships Among Community Violence Exposure, Physiological Stress Responses, And Resilience In Children, Cheryl Kayleen Best Jan 2018

Relationships Among Community Violence Exposure, Physiological Stress Responses, And Resilience In Children, Cheryl Kayleen Best

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study seeks to understand how resilience is affected by physiological stress responses in the context of community violence. The hypothesis of this paper is that physiological indicators of salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) would moderate a relation between community violence exposure in children and the expression of resilience. Forty-nine children aged nine to twelve were recruited from an after-school program located in an area with high levels of community violence. Results supported our hypothesis for sAA as a moderator of the relation between community violence and resilience, such that at high sAA reactivity, a negative relation exists between …


Dispositional Optimism Effects On Stress And Police Task Performance, Roland Art Perez Jan 2018

Dispositional Optimism Effects On Stress And Police Task Performance, Roland Art Perez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study of stress on police task performance is important as this relationship can positively or negatively impact encounters with the public. This study focused on protective factors of positive psychology within the measured construct of dispositional optimism as a possible mediator of stress effects on physical task performance. The cognitive processing models used were the performance efficiency theory and attentional control theory as they apply in perceptual motor skill. Using a mediation model, the research question asked whether dispositional optimism mediated the relationship between stress and a pistol performance accuracy task. This study used a limited data set collected …


Effects Of Occupational Stress On Decision-Making Style In Law Enforcement Officers, Christine M. Crippen Jan 2018

Effects Of Occupational Stress On Decision-Making Style In Law Enforcement Officers, Christine M. Crippen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officers deal with a variety of stresses from different sources. Organizational stresses have the most effect on police officers, often more than stressful critical incidents. Previous research has indicated that over time, the mundane organizational and operational stresses of the job can result in a variety of effects from psychological to physiological, and this stress can impact police performance and public safety. However, there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding the impact of stress on the decision-making style of police officers. Police officers often make split-second decisions that can affect their life, the public, and other …


The Single Working Mother's Experience Of Listening To New Age Music For Stress Relief, Estella M. Castillo Jan 2018

The Single Working Mother's Experience Of Listening To New Age Music For Stress Relief, Estella M. Castillo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many single working mothers are challenged with the task of balancing work and home demands. Prolonged exposure to stress can threaten individuals' physical and emotional health and well-being. Listening to music is one commonly used positive coping mechanism for stress management and relief. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of single working mothers who regularly listen to New Age music for stress relief. Participants were single working mothers, 30-45 years old, with self-reported stress, who were employed at least part time and who had at least 1 child under 18 years of age in …


The Relationship Between Law Enforcement Agency Size And Police Stress, William Warner Jan 2018

The Relationship Between Law Enforcement Agency Size And Police Stress, William Warner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that law enforcement officers often experience stress. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if the size of the law enforcement agency (small, medium, or large) had any significant influence on how police officers perceive stress in their profession from a cognitive appraisal perspective with regards to Administrative/Organizational Pressure, Physical/Psychological Threats, and Lack of Support. Members of law enforcement (N = 144) from Utah and New York were surveyed utilizing Spielberger et al.'s Police Stress Survey. Archival data were provided by the National Police Suicide Foundation. Stress index scores were calculated manually for each survey …


Life Stress, Coping, Perceived Health, And Health Outcomes Among Eastern Orthodox, Athina-Eleni Goudanas Mavroudhis Jan 2018

Life Stress, Coping, Perceived Health, And Health Outcomes Among Eastern Orthodox, Athina-Eleni Goudanas Mavroudhis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clergy exhibit higher stress and mortality rates in relation to their nonclergy counterparts. Despite current research on clergy stress and mortality rates, health perceptions and health outcomes of Western religious oriented clergy have been understudied. Even less is known about health perceptions and health outcomes of Eastern religious oriented clergy. The role of stress, coping, and health perceptions in predicting actual health outcomes is important to study in clerical populations because of the impact their health might have on serving their parishioners. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational study was to determine the relative strength of life stress, coping styles, …