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Rejection Sensitivity In Adolescent Offspring Of Mothers With Borderline Personality Disorder, Jennifer Marie Strimpfel

Masters Theses

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a chronic and severe psychological disorder with symptoms including fear of abandonment, negative relationships, and inappropriate expressions of anger. Individuals with BPD score higher on rejection sensitivity than do normative comparisons. The present study assessed rejection sensitivity in a sample at high risk for developing BPD—adolescent offspring of women with BPD. We hypothesized that adolescents whose mothers have BPD would have higher levels of rejection sensitivity than would normative comparisons, adolescents’ rejection sensitivity would be positively correlated with their mother’s borderline features, and adolescents’ rejection sensitivity would be positively correlated with their own borderline features. …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Yasp Intervention: Adolescent Substance Use Outcomes, Whitney Nicole Brown

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Issues of alcohol and drug use are more pronounced during adolescence than at any other period of the life span. There is currently a need for research focusing on evaluating developmentally appropriate interventions for adolescents at risk for substance use issues. The present study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of YASP (Youth Alternative Solutions Program), a hospital-based intervention program at Loma Linda University Medical Center. It is hypothesized that participation in YASP will decrease levels of substance use, change substance use outcome expectancies, decrease negative consequences resulting from substance use and increase participants sense of self-efficacy. A sample 27 adolescents …

The Reciprocal Relation Between Maternal Depressive Symptomatology And Adolescents’ Aggression: The Role Of Parenting Practices And Family Functioning, Kelly Pugh

Theses and Dissertations

Research on family influences on adolescents’ aggression has revealed a relation between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ frequency of aggression. A recent cross-sectional study of these relations (Pugh & Farrell, 2011) indicated that maternal depressive symptoms had a significant relation with teachers,’ students,’ and mothers’ reports of adolescents’ aggression. This effect was mediated by parenting practices and family functioning. The cross-sectional designs used in previous studies examining relations between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ aggression make it difficult to draw clear inferences regarding the causal nature of this association. The present study used longitudinal data across five waves of data …

The Strength Of Hispanic Adolescents' Level Of Ethnic Identification And Their Parents' Level Of Self-Differentiation And Ethnic Identification To Predict Second Generation Hispanic Adolescents' Level Of Self-Differentiation, Nizel Fernandez

All Dissertations

During adolescents individuals develop many lasting features of their identity (Erikson, 1950, Bowen, 1978, Phinney, 1992, 1996, 2005) including the development of self-differentiation and multi-group ethnic identification. Bowen's (1978) theory of differentiation of self and Phinney's (Phinney, 1992) theory of multi-group ethnic identification provided the theoretical and measurement bases for the study. The purpose of this study was to examine the strength of Hispanic adolescents' level of multi-group ethnic identification and their parents' level of self-differentiation and multi-group ethnic identification in predicting second generation Hispanic adolescents' level of self-differentiation. One hundred two (102) Hispanic adolescents, ages 13 to 18, and …

The Effects Of Adolescent Binge Drinking On Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Cells In The Amygdala And Social Predictors Of Alcohol Intake In Male And Female Rats, Chrisanthi Karanikas

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Alcohol is one of the most common drugs of choice among adolescents. Normally, the method of consumption is drinking large quantities of alcohol in short periods of time, otherwise known as “binge drinking.” Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) stress peptide producing cells in central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) has been implicated in behavioral responses to stress and addiction. The goals of this thesis were to determine the effects of voluntary binge drinking in adolescence and vapor-induced alcohol dependence in adulthood on CRF cells in the CeA. These studies were done using an operant model of voluntary binge drinking in rodents …

A Mediational Model Predicting Adjustment In Affluent Adolescents: The Role Of Parental Perfectionism, Perceived Parental Pressure, And Organized Activity Involvement, Edin Randall

Dissertations

The current cross-sectional study evaluated the relative contributions of parental perfectionism (i.e., self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed), perceived parental pressure, and organized activity involvement (i.e,. intensity) on depressive symptoms, anxiety, substance use, and life satisfaction in a sample of affluent adolescents. Findings indicated that parental perfectionism, and specifically other-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, is an important contextual factor negatively influencing affluent adolescent adjustment. Additionally, perceived parental pressure was found to have robust associations with adolescent adjustment and to explain the link between parental perfectionism and adolescent adjustment. Furthermore, the current study revealed a synergistic association between intensity of organized activity …

Exposure To Community Violence And Social Maladjustment Among Urban African American Youth: The Role Of Emotion Dysregulation, Devin Colleen Carey

Master's Theses

The goal of the present study was to further previous research that has focused on the detrimental outcomes of violence exposure by identifying the mechanisms that influence children's psychosocial vulnerabilities. Specifically, it examined emotion regulation as a possible mediator of community violence exposure to social adjustment. Moreover, because of the evidence that children living in inner city communities are chronically exposed to violence, this study longitudinally explored the reciprocal and perpetuating relationship between exposure to violence and child social maladjustment. Participants were 268 African American students (M age = 11.65 years, 40% males and 60% females) from six inner city …

Parental Distress, Parenting Practices, And Child Adaptive Outcomes Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Jackie L. Micklewright, Tricia Z. King, Kathleen O'Toole, Christopher C. Henrich, Frank J. Floyd

Psychology Faculty Publications

Moderate and severe pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are associated with significant familial distress and child adaptive sequelae. Our aim was to examine the relationship between parental psychological distress, parenting practices (authoritarian, permissive, authoritative), and child adaptive functioning 12–36 months following TBI or orthopedic injury (OI). Injury type was hypothesized to moderate the relationship between parental distress and child adaptive functioning, demonstrating a significantly stronger relationship in the TBI relative to OI group. Authoritarian parenting practices were hypothesized to mediate relationship between parental distress and child adaptive functioning across groups. Groups (TBI n=21, OI n=23) did not differ significantly on …

Neural Responses To Peer Rejection In Anxious Adolescents: Contributions From The Amygdala-Hippocampal Complex, Jennifer Y.F. Lau, Amanda E. Guyer, Erin Tone, Jessica Jenness, Jessica M. Parrish, Daniel S. Pine, Eric E. Nelson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Peer rejection powerfully predicts adolescent anxiety. While cognitive differences influence anxious responses to social feedback, little is known about neural contributions. Twelve anxious and 12 age-, gender- and IQ-matched, psychiatrically-healthy adolescents received ‘not interested’ and ‘interested’ feedback from unknown peers during a Chatroom task administered in a neuroimaging scanner. No group differences emerged in subjective ratings to peer feedback, but all participants reported more negative emotion at being rejected (than accepted) by peers to whom they had assigned high desirability ratings. Further highlighting the salience of such feedback, all adolescents, independent of anxiety levels, manifested elevated responses in the amygdala-hippocampal …

Mexican-Origin Youth's Cultural Orientations And Adjustment: Changes From Early To Late Adolescence, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Adriana J. Umana-Taylor, Susan M. Mchale, Lorey A. Wheeler, Norma Perez-Brena

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Drawing from developmental and cultural adaptation perspectives and using a longitudinal design, this study examined: (a) mean-level changes in Mexican-origin adolescents’ cultural orientations and adjustment from early to late adolescence; and (b) bidirectional associations between cultural orientations and adjustment using a cross-lag panel model. Participants included 246 Mexicanorigin, predominantly immigrant families that participated in home interviews and a series of nightly phone calls when target adolescents were 12 years and 18 years of age. Girls exhibited more pronounced declines in traditional gender role attitudes than did boys, and all youth declined in familism values, time spent with family, and involvement …

The Role Of Family Routines And Rituals In The Psychological Well Being Of Emerging Adults, Yesel Yoon

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are both critical transition phases wrought with developmental changes and challenges. One of the major developmental tasks that families of children, adolescents and emerging adults deal with is facilitating the development of emotion regulation. The practices that families engage in that attempt to create order and stability within the family—their routines and rituals—may be one key family variable that helps develop better emotion regulation. Family routines and rituals tend to create a more stable environment, which in turn may predict better outcomes for individuals (Crespo, Davide, Costa & Fletcher, 2008; Fiese, 2007; Leon & Jacobvitz, 2003). …

Early Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury And Sensory Preference Differences: An Exploratory Study, Jacquelyn Shea Christensen

CGU Theses & Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) occurs in 13% to 20% of adolescents, and is often indicative of deeper internal or social problems. A close review of current explanatory models of NSSI suggested that underlying individual sensory preferences may contribute substantial explanations for the self-regulatory functions of NSSI, as well as have implications for treatment approaches. In the context of integrating sensory processing models with prominent functional NSSI models, this dissertation research compared sensory preferences in youth who engaged in NSSI to sensory preferences of youth who did not engage in NSSI.

OBJECTIVE: NSSI-engaging youth were hypothesized to have lower threshold sensory …

An Intergenerational Study: Mirrors As A Tool For Self-Reflection, Susan Ridley

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Globalization and advances in technology have resulted in a loss of cultural, community, and individual identity. Having a strong sense of self can be a protective factor in resisting peer pressure and involvement in negative behaviors, and a determining factor in the formation of one’s coping skills, and resiliency to life’s challenges. This was especially important for adolescents who are negotiating the developmental growth from childhood to adulthood, and older adults who are transitioning from the independence of adulthood to the dependence of old age.

This was a qualitative intergenerational study on the process of self-reflection on identity. Mirrors have …

Development During Middle School: An Ecological-Transactional, Cross-Section Examination Of Early Adjustment, Rachel Susan White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized an ecological framework to investigate the types of variables that influence adolescent adjustment during middle school and how influences change or stay the same depending on grade level. A cross-sectional approach was taken in which students entering the beginning of their Sixth Grade year and students nearing the end of their Eighth Grade year were administered a comprehensive questionnaire including items about psychological adjustment, parenting characteristics, community support characteristics, ethnic identity, acculturation status, and socio-economic status. Findings suggest that Sixth and Eighth Graders’ experience of emotional and behavioral problems is influenced differently. This is particularly salient as …

Growing Social Inequalities In Youth Civic Engagement? Evidence From The National Election Study, Laura Wray-Lake, Daniel Hart

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Social class differences in civic engagement persist for both youth and adults. Although empirical evidence is mixed, several recent social changes pertaining to youth suggest that social inequalities in civic engagement may be growing over time for young people. Using data from the National Election Study, we compared trends for youth and older adults of varying education levels and tested the hypothesis of an increasing educational disparity in youth political participation. Results for voting supported our expectations: declines over time were found for less-educated youth only. Unexpectedly, participation in other political activities for more-educated youth declined more over time compared …

The Effects Of Adolescent Heavy Drinking On The Timing And Stability Of Cohabitation And Marriage, Lela Rankin Williams, Laura Wray-Lake, Eric Loken, Jennifer L. Maggs

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Based on prospective British Cohort Study data, adolescent alcohol use predicted the timing and stability of committed partnerships between 16 and 34 years (n = 3278; 59% female). Propensity score methods balanced age 16 heavy drinkers (32.4%) and nonheavy drinkers on a range of relevant risk factors assessed in infancy and childhood. Adolescent heavy drinking predicted having ever cohabited, earlier transitions into cohabiting and marital relationships, more breakups, and an increased likelihood of divorce. Gender and social class moderated these relationships; heavy-drinking working-class males were especially likely to cohabit and to experience early entry into cohabitation and marriage. Implications …

Cognitive Organization, Perceptions Of Parenting And Depression Symptoms In Early Adolescence, M. N. Lumley, David J. A. Dozois, K. H. Hennig, A. Marsh

Psychology Publications

Despite its strong relation to depression and theorized development across childhood and adolescence, cognitive schema organization has not been explored in early adolescence, a sensitive developmental period for first depression onset. Schema organization is theorized to derive from childhood cognitive internalizations of caregiving relationships, such as critical parenting experiences (e.g., Young et al. in Schema therapy: a practitioner’s guide. Guilford Press, New York, 2003). Thus, the current investigation considers the organization of positive and negative schemas with youth’s perceptions of parental warmth and psychological control and self-reported emotional functioning. Participants were 198 boys and girls aged 9–14 years who completed …

Family Value Transition In A Changing Turkey, Yudum Akyil

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation consists of two articles. The first article presented is a literature review written to identify and review studies of intergenerational value transmission and social change. The main outcomes fell into five subsections (a) culture and values (b) social change and values, (c) continuing and changing values in Turkey, (d) parent-adolescent relationship adaptation to social change, and (e) implication for clinicians working with changing families. Overall, the literature review illustrated the complexity of value transmission process for families in rapidly changing societies and the need for more understanding of those families' experiences for the clinicians. The second article extends …

Listening In Action: Students' Mobile Music Experiences In The Digital Age, Rebecca Marie Rinsema

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the introduction of the iPod in 2001, portable music listening devices that play or stream compressed music files have steadily become the standard devices used to listen to music. Despite this, few music education researchers have investigated the role that such devices have in shaping students' music listening experiences. This dissertation is meant to fill that gap in the literature and contribute to the existing sociological and psychological literature on music listening in everyday life.

Phenomenology served as the theoretical framework for the design of the study. 10 college students from three institutions underwent iterative interviews and were asked …

The Impact Of Film On The Construction And Deconstruction Of Mental Illness Stigmatization In Young Adults, Michael Perciful

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the impact of film on participants' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards people with schizophrenia. Films viewed in the current study included a fear-based inaccurate, likeable-inaccurate, and an educational-accurate depiction of schizophrenia. A control group was included. A total of 106 participants were recruited. Participants completed pre and post questionnaires separated by a 45-minute excerpt of a film. A 2 x 4 mixed design ANOVA was implemented to determine the effects of the films on measures of knowledge and attitudes. A Chi-square analysis was used to determine whether or not the films would impact potential behavior. Manipulation …