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Adolescent Bereavement And Resilient Outcomes: A Comprehensive Analysis, Jenna Holmes

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the complexities of adolescent bereavement and factors that improve resilience. Bereavement in adolescence is particularly difficult and complicated because it occurs during a crucial developmental period, and maladaptive coping during this time has been linked to many negative outcomes. This review covers three different theoretical models (i.e., Model of Adolescent Grieving, Multidimensional Grief Theory, and the Contextual Resilience Model for Bereaved Adolescents) of adolescent bereavement and compares their strengths and weaknesses. The importance of promoting resilience and healthy bereavement is underscored, followed by a discussion of how the type of loss (e.g., parent, sibling, and friend), different …

The Psychological Impact Of Adolescent Violence Exposure: The Roles Of Coping And Social Support, Kelsey Gnade Coulthard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research demonstrates that children and adolescents experience a wide range of exposure to violence with rates ranging from 20% and 50% (Finkelhor & Dziuba-Leatherman, 1994; Finkelhor et al., 2005; Zimmerman & Posick, 2016). Violence exposure has been associated with several negative outcomes including biological, psychological, family-based, and academic problems. Further, studies have examined potential protective factors that may buffer against these consequences, with inconsistent results surrounding the roles of coping and social support. However, many of these studies use either an overly generalized definition of both violence exposure and/or social support or use very specific type of violence within a …

Examining The Role Of Pretrial Detention On The Juvenile Plea Process, Isabelle May Clough

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Plea bargains are a necessary part of the criminal justice system as a whole, and the juvenile justice system more specifically. However, juveniles may be at a particular disadvantage when entering into a plea bargain as a result of their developmental capacities. Pretrial detention in particular might influence the quality of the final plea agreement that a juvenile accepts, as adolescents would be motivated towards the short-term goal of being released from detention. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between juvenile pretrial detention and plea discounts through mediating relationships with number of attorneys and time to plea. Data …

The Inventory Of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version: The Development And Validation Of A Psychometric Test For The Measurement Of Cognitive Distortions In Youth, Kelsey Jones

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Cognitive distortions are systematic biases in an individual’s thinking that maintain a person’s belief in their negative views of themselves or others, even in the presence of contradictory evidence. The Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (ICD), created by Yurica and DiTomasso, measures distorted thinking in adults. Currently, there is not a youth measure of distortions that adequately encapsulates the range of distorted thinking that may be present in youth. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to create and validate a newly designed instrument of cognitive distortions, The Inventory of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version (ICD-YV), with youth ages 11 to 17. …

Adolescent Bereavement After Sudden Loss Of A Close Friend, Alora Elizabeth Zulliger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the prevalence of sudden death in adolescence, there is a deficiency of resources and support for adolescents who have lost a close friend to premature death. These resources are vital, as the sudden and unexpected death of a close friend is often traumatizing and can contribute to a sense of instability in young people. Although a great deal of academic research has been conducted on sibling or parental grief during adolescence, there existed a need for further research on peer loss during adolescence. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to describe the essence and meaning of the lived …

Critical Literacy: Meeting Twenty-First Century Literacy Demands For Adolescent Learners, Molly Blew

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Adolescents’ critical text interpretation skills are important to college, career, and citizenship demands. At present, the literature reflects concerns with adolescents’ ability to interpret academic and internet-based texts critically. The pedagogical framework of critical literacy is presented as an instructional approach that may support the development of adolescents’ critical text interpretation skills. The objective of this study was to understand the perceptions of secondary teachers concerning student proficiency in critical text interpretation, teachers’ current level of implementation of instructional practices consistent with the critical literacy framework, and perceived barriers to implementation. Three hundred thirty four (334) high school teachers were …

Participation In A Positive Education Curriculum And Symptoms Of Anxiety In Students, Aleida Silva-Garcia

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety is among the most common mental health problems in children and adolescents in the United States (Bhatia & Goyal, 2018). Children and adolescents spend most of their day in the educational setting (Slemp et al., 2017). Positive education curricula may help students increase their well-being while increasing academic performance. This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of a positive education curriculum in lowering anxiety levels in high school students. In addition, this study investigated the relationship among anxiety, happiness, optimism, perseverance, and academic outcomes. Through an independent samples t-test, archival data were utilized to determine the relationship between participation …

School Guidance Counselor Perceptions On Reintegrating Students To School After Mental Health Treatment, Maddie Roxandich

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined the perspectives of school guidance counselors to determine current and best practices in planning and supporting student returns to school after absences for mental health reasons. The literature review highlights the sharp decline in adolescent mental health over the years, the rise in hospitalizations for mental health concerns, and the need for attention to school practices that support student mental health when a student requires hospitalization. The intent of this study was to build upon previous literature that examined practices existing in schools to help reintegrate students after absences. It sought to investigate whether schools have a …

Associations Among Executive Functioning, Family Functioning, Adolescent Responsibility, And Adherence In Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Cecily Newel Conour

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a common cause of chronic pain for adolescents in the United States. Adherence to the treatment regimen is a significant concern, particularly for adolescents. Barriers to adherence are varied, but include cognitive factors, such as forgetting. Parent involvement is associated with increased adherence in this population, though adolescent involvement is less studied. Family functioning is associated with adherence to medication regimen across pediatric chronic illnesses, including IBD treatment regimen. To better inform clinical care, this study aims to understand the relations among adolescent’s responsibility, executive functioning, family functioning, and adherence. Methods: The current study …

Dating Violence In Latine Lgbtq+ Adolescent Relationships: Treatment Considerations, Tatiana Pinkley

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), violence-sexual and physical-within adolescent dating relationships has become a significant public health concern. This is especially true for sexual minority youth of color. As such, it is a prevalent and necessary topic in many therapeutic settings. However, many of the treatment protocols in place do not address or take into consideration various cultural identities of the clients in question. This study reviewed the scholarly literature regarding the prevalence of dating violence within the LGBTQ+ Latine community, the risk factors of intimate partner violence within this community, interventions that are available …

The Relationship Between Youth Adult Sexual Communication And Risky Sexual Behavior In Adolescence, Erin Geary

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents are engaging in risky sexual behavior at high rates which is impacting the rise of sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Risky sexual behavior in adolescence is related to both negative health and psychological outcomes. Sexual health communication between adolescents and adults might serve as a protective factor to prevent adolescents in participating in risky sexual behavior, however the specific factors that could contribute to this impact are less known. This thesis has two aims: 1) to determine how sexual health communication between adolescents and adults impacts risky sexual behavior and 2) to explore how sex, race/ ethnicity, …

The Relationship Between Youth Adult Sexual Communication And Risky Sexual Behaviors In Adolescence, Erin Geary

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents are engaging in risky sexual behavior at high rates which is impacting the rise of sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Risky sexual behavior in adolescence is related to both negative health and psychological outcomes. Sexual health communication between adolescents and adults might serve as a protective factor to prevent adolescents in participating in risky sexual behavior, however the specific factors that could contribute to this impact are less known. This thesis has two aims: 1) to determine how sexual health communication between adolescents and adults impacts risky sexual behavior and 2) to explore how sex, race/ ethnicity, …

Masculinity, Affirmations, Belongingness, And Resiliency In Male Adolescents: Effects On School Engagement, Kelsey Burt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study focused on male adolescent students within 7^th and 8^th grade and how endorsement of masculine stereotypes impacts their school engagement and feelings of belonging. The study also examines how peers maintain masculine conformity and how individual resiliency change outcomes. This research is based on two main theories, inclusive masculinity and social learning theory. These theories describe how behaviors are largely learned from the social environment and maintained due to reinforcement or punishment. There were 127 adolescent males who participated in this study and were recruited through an online survey system. Results of the study show that …

Factors Associated With Racial And Ethnic Minority Youths' Mental Health Help-Seeking At School, Sam Allouche

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the high prevalence and associated consequences of mental health problems in youth, adolescents with these problems are often left untreated. This service gap is even greater in racial and ethnic minority youth who not only engage in treatment less frequently, but also experience far greater discrimination and systemic inequality than non-ethnic or racial minority students; factors further contributing to a need for service. Schools may provide an ideal location to treat mental health problems in youth, in part because schools eliminate structural barriers, but also because school staff have an opportunity to observe students across a range of functioning. …

Characterizing And Predicting Canadian Adolescents’ Internalizing Symptoms In The First Year Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Haley Elizabeth Green

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Most studies of adolescents’ internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic have included few data waves, limiting long-term conclusions about adolescents’ mental health during the pandemic. Collecting only a few waves of data precludes examination of intraindividual symptom variability, which may have implications for adjustment beyond mean symptoms. We characterized mean n = 192 adolescents’ internalizing symptoms from March 2020-April 2021 and used mixed effect location scale models to examine established risk factors as predictors of mean trends and intraindividual variability in adolescents’ internalizing symptoms. Adolescents’ symptoms were relatively stable and low over the first year of the pandemic; severity peaked …

Minority Stress: A Model For Understanding Sexual Minority Adolescents’ Mental Health, Sean N. Weeks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Taken together, the three papers included in this dissertation offer an investigation of sexual minority adolescents’ stress as a predictor of adverse mental health outcomes (Paper 1), as being influenced by school and home climates (Paper 2), and as a measurable model for stress across levels (Paper 3). Results from this series of studies generally support theory and findings from other studies in that minority stress was found to be a meaningful predictor of mental health in sexual minority youth and that school and home climates were found to be important for understanding sexual minority youth wellbeing. However, the current …

Psychological Functioning And Community Support In Adolescents Exposed To A School Shooting, Jessica Taylor Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

This study evaluated the impact of community support, specifically the impact of a trauma-related community-led campaign, on high school youth following a school shooting. Adolescents are at risk for the adverse impacts of trauma exposure (Katsiyannis et al., 2018; Rajan et al., 2019; Heleniak et al., 2016; McDermott & Cobham, 2012; McLean et al., 2013; Schonfeld & Demaria, 2020). However, social support from one’s community has been found to protect against the psychological and functional consequences of exposure to trauma (Bal et al., 2003; Cheng et al., 2014; Derivois et al., 2014. The purpose of this study was to assess …

Assessment Of Adolescent Anxiety, Anna E. Martinez-Snyder

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of any group of disorders among adolescents. Further, the prevalence of anxiety disorders has been shown to increase from adolescence to young adulthood, underscoring the importance of researching adolescent anxiety. Screening for anxiety in adolescents is necessary to identify and treat these disorders, which requires measures with good psychometric properties. One aim of the present study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties of the separation anxiety, social anxiety, panic, and generalized anxiety scales of the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS), and the Youth Anxiety …

Predictors Of Treatment Outcome In A Family-Based Hospitalization Program For Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa, Kellsey Launius

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Family-based treatment (FBT) is the first-line treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). Although FBT works for many, it does not work for everyone. The current study explored variables that are believed to impact treatment outcome in FBT, (a) initial weight gain, (b) parental criticism, and (c) obsessive-compulsive features, and investigated three additional factors expected to predict positive treatment outcome, (d) fear of food, (e) exposure to feared foods, and (f) parent-child concordance. Participants were 240 children, adolescents, and young adults with AN or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) enrolled in a family-based partial hospitalization program (PHP). Pearson …

Learning By Playing: A Curriculum Utilizing Improvisational Theater To Develop Prosocial Behavior Skills And Self-Efficacy In Young Adolescents, Lynn Lovett Barr

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Prosocial behavior requires competency in social-emotional skills including interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation. During the developmental stage of early adolescence, youth are learning these skills and are more likely to engage in prosocial behavior if they feel efficacious in them. However, most social-emotional learning programs focus on conceptual knowledge in these areas without providing sufficient opportunities for practice, which does not allow students to develop sufficient procedural knowledge and self-efficacy. Improvisational theater offers a solution to this problem; used in concert with social-emotional lessons, it provides practice scenarios and procedural learning opportunities. This project consists of a curriculum …

Adherence To Dietary Recommendations For Adolescents With Cystic Fibrosis, Kristine M. Durkin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: Adhering to dietary recommendations and nutritional supplements to ensure adequate absorption of nutrients and malnutrition plays an important role in the health of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Non-adherence to the CF care regimen, including nutritional recommendations, is high in adolescents. Therefore, the overall goal of this study was to identify factors related to adherence to nutritional recommendations in adolescents with CF.

Method: A total of 42 adolescents (ages 12-18) were recruited from 5 CF centers across the US. Adolescents completed surveys measuring body image/satisfaction, health literacy, perceived barriers to enzyme use, and self-efficacy, as well as the quality …

The Role Of Anxiety Sensitivity In The Etiology Of Anxiety And Cognitive Symptoms Of Eating Disorders, Rachel Small-Crevier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined common genetic and environmental contributions to the etiology of anxiety sensitivity, cognitive symptoms of eating disorders, and anxiety severity in a community sample of adolescents. I leveraged data from the Twins Early Development Study, a longitudinal epidemiological study of mono- and dizygotic twins born in England and Wales between 1994 and 1996. At age 16, families of twins (n=5,111) were assessed for anxiety sensitivity, cognitive symptoms of eating disorders (i.e., felt fat, fear of gaining weight, weight- and shape-influences thoughts about self), and anxiety severity. Strong phenotypic correlations among the four cognitive symptoms of eating disorder …

Predicting Recidivism Versus Desistance In Adolescents With Sexual Offenses Using Tools Developed For Adults: The Static-99 And Saprof, Meredith Awrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the predictive validity of the risk-based Static-99 and strengths-based SAPROF with a sample of adolescent males (N = 272) who have sexually offended. Additionally, the incremental validity of the SAPROF over the Static-99 was tested. Participants received a specialized assessment at one of three sites Southern Ontario. Archived case files were retrospectively coded using modified versions of the Static-99 and SAPROF. The Static-99 (modified), SAPROF total score (modified), and SAPROF internal and motivational (modified) subscales were found to significantly predict serious recidivism and the modified SAPROF total score, internal subscale, and modified motivational subscale were found …

Understanding And Improving Adhd Symptom Recall: An Investigation Of Temperament And Childhood Symptom Recall Over Time, Lea Elizabeth Taylor

Dissertations - ALL

Background: ADHD is characterized by a high prevalence, functional impairment across the lifespan, negative long-term consequences, and a heterogeneous etiology, rendering it of significant public health import. Despite this, there is still a significant delay to treatment as well as low rate of lifetime treatment contact in the ADHD population, which may potentially increase the associated personal and public health burdens. Due to this delay to treatment and requirement of symptom onset before the age of 12, adults seeking ADHD assessments provide a challenge to clinicians to determine if symptoms were present in childhood. The current study investigated the consistency …

The Use Of Animal-Assisted Interventions To Treat Child Victims Of Sexual Abuse, Stephanie Johnston

Counseling Psychology | Master's Theses

This study examines the therapeutic benefits of incorporating dogs into the mental health treatment of child victims of sexual abuse in both formal and informal settings. In 1962, Dr. Boris Levinson began incorporating his dog into therapy sessions with his child clients. He noticed that incorporation of dogs into psychotherapeutic treatment encouraged communication in withdrawn children and published his results in 1969, initiating a widespread interest in animal-assisted therapy (AAT). Other variations of AAT soon followed in the form of animal-assisted activities (AAA). The human-animal bond can be a powerful tool that effectively improves mental health and can play a …

Impact Of Violence Exposure On Children's Mental Health And Family Functioning: An Ecological-Transactional Approach, Rice Mary Dusing

Dissertations

N/A

Quality Of Crisis Stabilization Units: Assessing The Treatment Of Adolescents With Co-Occurring Symptoms, Vincent Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental one-group pretest/posttest design study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Las Vegas Valley crisis stabilization units (CSU) in treating adolescents with comorbid mental health disorders. The specific problem entailed examining the efficacy of CSUs in addressing comorbidities among adolescents when dual-diagnosis symptoms were present. Scholarly evidence in this regard was lacking. The quantitative examination included patient data from the Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (CCSM). Baseline and outcome CCSM scores of the test required determining whether a statistically significant difference in CCSM scores occurred between the baseline and outcome. The sample was 120 adolescent patients with …

Teacher And Parent Perception Of Cyberbullying In A Middle School Setting, Jacqueline Gallo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of this mixed method study was to evaluate differences in cyberbullying perception and self-efficacy between teachers and parents. The study aimed to determine how teachers and parents reacted to cyberbullying. The importance of examining teacher and parent perception and self-efficacy in addressing cyberbullying determined the significance of intervention. The theoretical framework for the study was Bandura’s social learning theory. The purpose of this mixed method study was to examine the perceptions and self-efficacy of cyberbullying between teachers and parents as measured by the Peer Relations Assessment Questionnaire Revised and the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. A sample that incorporated perception and …

Pediatric Health Care Providers’ Perceptions And Knowledge Of Caregiving Youth, Brianna Bliss

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Many young people younger than the age of 18 years are involved in providing care to family members who are unable to manage their own medical, physical, or mental illnesses. Youth caregivers are an understudied population in the United States. The small yet growing research base has illustrated the relationship between the caregiving role, academic performance, and an individual’s social and psychological well-being. Medical settings are uniquely positioned to identify caregiving youth and provide supportive resources. A survey was created and administered to pediatric health care providers who offered medical and psychosocial support to children and adolescents. Providers were recruited …

Oppositional Behavior Parallels In Toddlers And Teens And Parent’S Response, Michele Dimmett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Parents seem to manage oppositional conduct of toddlers but struggle emotionally and physically with oppositional conduct of teenagers, despite similarities in the behaviors. Self-efficacy theory, psychological theory of development, and theory of mind guided the conceptualization of how parents perceive and respond to these two sensitive periods of development. This contrasted group quantitative study pursued measurable similarities in the experience of first-time parents of children aged 18-36 months and 14-15 years of age. Establishing parents’ confidence level in their parenting skills and how they perceive and respond to their child's oppositional behavior was also a factor. One hundred and seventy-five …