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Recovery Among Homeless Populations With Severe Mental Illness And Substance Use Disorders, Abigail M. Cross

Intersections Fall 2020

Homelessness among persons with severe mental illness (SMI) and co-occurring substance use disorders (SUD) is a prominent social issue in the United States today. Not only do persons with SMI make up a significant portion of the overall homeless population, SUDs make it more difficult for them to recover successfully. Recovery among these populations is multi-faceted, and all aspects of recovery should be accounted for so that this population has the best chance to succeed. There are a number of programs in place that attempt to place persons with SMI and SUD into housing while providing treatment, including Permanent Supportive …

Cardiovascular Reactivity In Friendships: Length Of Relationship And Frequency Of Contact As Potential Moderators, Benjamin D. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Social support has been linked to positive health outcomes. Specifically, having available support from a friend may act as a buffer to the negative effects of stress on cardiovascular reactivity. Relationship quality is an important moderator of this effect. The purpose of this study was to examine how cardiovascular reactivity is affected by relationship quality within friendships and whether the length of relationship and frequency of contact may moderate the effect. 134 healthy male and female adults (and their same-sex friend) were recruited to participate. Results revealed no significant difference between subjects interacting with supportive friends compared to interacting with …

Research Brief: "Impact Of The Seeking Safety Program On Clinical Outcomes Among Homeless Female Veterans With Psychiatric Disorders", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the effect of the Seeking Safety program's services on improvement in PTSD, psychiatric symptoms, and social support among homeless female veterans. In policy and practice, clinicians should be trained on how to use the program to better serve homeless female veterans, and policymakers should push for clinician training for those who work with homeless veterans. Suggestions for future research include applying this study and the Seeking Safety program to non-VA healthcare systems, assessing substance use within the program, and assessing the long-term effects of the Seeking Safety program.

Research Brief: "Protective Factors And Risk Modification Of Violence In Iraq And Afghanistan War Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research studies non-combat related aggressive behavior in service members and the influence of protective factors. Veterans with protective factors, such as having positive social support, are less likely to engage in violence, and therefore expanding social support programs are beneficial. Future research should consider exploring various components of work life in relation to potential aggression.

Social Support And Youth Psychotherapy Outcomes: Examining Change Processes In Usual Care Settings, Robert Virgil Dindinger

Theses and Dissertations

A prominent need in youth psychotherapy literature includes the examination of factors related to improved psychotherapeutic outcomes within the context of "real world" clinical settings, where the practice of psychotherapy differs significantly from that in controlled clinical trials. In examining those factors related to improved outcomes in youth psychotherapy, variables related to social support are important to consider. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate youth perceptions of social support as a potential predictor of successful treatment outcomes in a traditional community outpatient treatment setting for youth. In addition, this study examined whether perceptions of social support predicted …

The Relationship Between Social Support And Self-Esteem, Ashley Karraker

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Social relationships are an important element of everyday life. They are related to well-being, and can bring happiness and fulfillment to our lives. Self-esteem is extremely important to our health, physical and psychological. It is so important that we go to great lengths to preserve it and build it up. There are many factors that go into the formation of self-esteem, and this paper looks at the relationship between self-esteem and social support. The research hypothesis was that there would be a positive relationship between social support and self-esteem. The hypothesis was supported, but the correlation was not strong. This …

How Leadership Can Influence Well-Being: The Roles Of Leader-Member Exchange And Social Support, Crystal Burnette

All Theses

The present study examined how leadership can influence the impact of job demands on well-being by facilitating the development of known moderators of this relationship, such as social support. Direct and moderated relationships were proposed between job demands, leader-member exchange (LMX), supervisor social support, psychological well-being and emotional exhaustion. Data were collected from high-skilled employees and managers in a manufacturing plant in the People's Republic of China. Surveys were administered in two waves, allowing longitudinal relationships to be tested. As hypothesized, high-quality LMX relationships facilitated supervisor social support. Also as expected, supervisor social support had a direct positive relationship with …

Individual Resilience, Social Support, And Health Risk Behaviors In Adolescents And Young Adults: Study On Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Samples, Chuong Hong Nguyen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Resilience is considered the ability that a person gains positive achievements despite exposure to significantly adverse life conditions. However, a majority of previous research has focused on human developmental tasks or academic achievements. Evidence of resilience on health risk behaviors has not been comprehensively established yet. The purposes of this dissertation were to extend the existing literature about the stability of resilience through time, to examine how the resilience scale concurrently and prospectively predict resilience statuses, and to explore effects of Social support over a long period of lifetime. The dissertation used a secondary database from the public-use version of …

Effects Of Social Influence In Transformational Christian Worship Experiences, Maggie J. Tietz

Scripps Senior Theses

There exists a severe deficit of studies exploring the psychological aspects of Christian worship experiences despite worship’s importance in Christianity and in many people’s lives. Transformational worship experiences can have lasting effects on one’s outlook and psychological functioning (Chou, 2008; Cutler, 1976; Ellison & George, 1994; Fife, Adegoke, McCoy, & Brewer, 2011; Salsman, Brown, Brechting, & Carlson, 2005), yet very few studies have investigated these experiences. The current study sought to explore the effects of group size and style of worship on participants’ feelings of deindividuation and focus on others within the congregation. Seventy-six middle aged adults from a range …

Healthy, Wealthy, Wise? Psychosocial Factors Influencing The Socioeconomic Status–Health Gradient, Kymberlee M. O'Brien

Kymberlee M. O'Brien

The present research investigated psychosocial factors: control beliefs; social relations moderating the SES–health gradient. Participants included 3775 respondents from a national probability sample, Midlife in United States (t1: Age, M = 46.40, SD = 13.00, t2: Age, M = 55.47, SD = 12.43), who provided reports on control beliefs, social relations, and health at two assessment occasions (1994/1995 and 2002/2003). Hierarchical regression demonstrated that control beliefs, social support, and strain uniquely moderated relationships between SES and longitudinal health. The present study highlights the importance of psychosocial factors as protective mechanisms of socioeconomic disadvantages and associated long-term deleterious health outcomes.

Preventing Mental Distress In The Military, Charles Nelson, Kate St. Cyr, Bradley Corbett, Elisa Hurley, Shannon Gifford, Jon D. Elhaid, J. Donald Richardson

RDC@Western Research Highlights

No abstract provided.

Internet Support Groups For Parents Of Children With Add: An Examination Of The Characteristics Of Group Members And The Impact Of Social Support On Parent Functioning, Kriston B. Schellinger

Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders and is associated with a variety of difficult behaviors. In addition, parents of children with ADHD experience significantly greater parenting stress and psychological distress than parents of children without ADHD. However, social support is a beneficial coping tool associated with increased mental and physical well-being in those experiencing stress. Although many turn to family and friends for social support, people sometimes go outside of their immediate support network and seek support groups. In recent years, Internet support groups have become a popular alternative to face-to-face support groups. However, …

Transnationalism, Immigration Stress And Subjective Well-Being Among Ecuadorian Immigrants In London, Lucia E. Orellana-Damacela

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore antecedents to transnational practices among Ecuadorian immigrants in London, and to determine the connection between these practices and their subjective well-being. The study examined the extent to which Ecuadorians stay linked to their home country via various transnational practices, and the association with relevant demographic, immigration and integration factors. This research also aimed at examining the relations that immigration stress and transnational practices had with subjective well-being, as measured by perceived transnational social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Overall, the findings from this study indicate that gender, socio-economic status, having family in …

Social Support And Self-Concept In Relation To Peer Victimization And Peer Aggression, Lyndsay N. Jenkins, Michelle Kilpatrick Demaray

Lyndsay N. Jenkins

Peer victimization is an enduring problem in schools (Wang, Iannotti, & Nansel, 2009). The current study focused on relations among two ecological variables that may be related to involvement in peer victimization: self-concept and social support. The main goal of this study was to investigate relations among social support, self-concept, and involvement in peer victimization (both as a victim and aggressor). The sample included 251 students in Grades 3–5. There was a significant negative relation between social support and peer victimization (β = –.22, p < .05) as well as a significant, negative relation between self-concept and peer victimization (β = –.24, p < .05). For peer aggression, there was a significant negative relation between social support and peer aggression (β = –.49, p < .001) as well as a significant, positive relation between self-concept and peer aggression (β = .23, p < .05).

Trauma In Transportation: Factors Contributing To Positive And Negative Outcomes Of Involvement In Trauma For Railroad Workers, Jill Veronica Pinarowicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored several predictors of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) in a sample of 136 train employees. The first objective was to examine the influence of number of work related traumas, number of life traumas, age, personality characteristic extroversion, personality characteristic openness, social support, positive cognitive coping, and negative cognitive coping in the prediction of PTSD. The second objective was to assess the influence of number of work related traumas, number of life traumas, age, personality characteristic extroversion, personality characteristic openness, social support, positive cognitive coping, and negative cognitive coping prediction of PTG.

Freight …

Social Support And Self-Concept In Relation To Peer Victimization And Peer Aggression, Lyndsay Jenkins, Michelle Demaray

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Peer victimization is an enduring problem in schools (Wang, Iannotti, & Nansel, 2009). The current study focused on relations among two ecological variables that may be related to involvement in peer victimization: self-concept and social support. The main goal of this study was to investigate relations among social support, self-concept, and involvement in peer victimization (both as a victim and aggressor). The sample included 251 students in Grades 3–5. There was a significant negative relation between social support and peer victimization (β = –.22, p < .05) as well as a significant, negative relation between self-concept and peer victimization (β = –.24, p < .05). For peer aggression, there was a significant negative relation between social support and peer aggression (β = –.49, p < .001) as well as a significant, positive relation between self-concept and peer aggression (β = .23, p < .05).

Psychological Pathways Linking Social Support To Health Outcomes: A Visit With The “Ghosts” Of Research Past, Present, And Future, Wendy C. Birmingham, Bert N. Uchino, Kimberly Bowen, Mckenzie Carlisle

Faculty Publications

Contemporary models postulate the importance of psychological mechanisms linking perceived and received social support to physical health outcomes. In this review, we examine studies that directly tested the potential psychological mechanisms responsible for links between social support and health-relevant physiological processes (1980s to 2010). Inconsistent with existing theoretical models, no evidence was found that psychological mechanisms such as depression, perceived stress, and other affective processes are directly responsible for links between support and health. We discuss the importance of considering statistical/design issues, emerging conceptual perspectives, and limitations of our existing models for future research aimed at elucidating the psychological mechanisms …

Predictors Of Depressive Symptomatology, Substance Use, And Delinquency Among Sexually Maltreated Youth : The Roles Of Socioenvironmental Risk, Social Support, And Peer Rejection, Melissa Ramrattan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Drawing upon multiple waves of data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), the present study sought to examine the longitudinal relations among socioenvironmental risk, social support, peer rejection, and various mental health outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms, substance use, and involvement in delinquent acts) in a sample of 269 sexually maltreated youth between the ages of 10 and 14 at Wave 1. Research has demonstrated relationships among child sexual abuse, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing symptoms. However, much of what is known about the association between child sexual abuse and psychopathology has come from studies in which child …

Predictors Of Positive Adjustment In Children Exposed To The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Hurricane Katrina, Jamarri Raimon Aikins

LSU Master's Theses

Although numerous studies have focused on the harmful effects of natural disasters, few have examined the positive adjustment that is demonstrated by some individuals post-disaster. Even fewer studies have investigated this resiliency in children. The current study aims to address this limitation by evaluating variables related to children’s resiliency post-disaster. Specifically, the study was designed to identify and compare predictors of positive adjustment in youth who were exposed to either Hurricane Katrina or the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. It was hypothesized that children who use more adaptive coping strategies and have higher levels of social support will show greater amounts …

Getting Back To My Life: Exploring Adaptation To Change Through The Experiences Of Breast Cancer Survivors, Charles A. Foster

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The holding environment concept, developed by Donald Winnicott, has been used to represent the type of support that encourages adaptive change during psychosocial transitions. The leadership and change literature posited that the holding environment had the ability to shape the trajectory of the transition, yet did not test this empirically. The psychosocial breast cancer literature empirically researched support during and after treatments ended, but did not incorporate the holding environment concept. This presented the opportunity to inform both the leadership and breast cancer fields by studying holding environments in the breast cancer setting. This study had a twofold purpose: 1) …

Predictors Of Resiliency In Women Affected By Hurricane Katrina, Valerie L. Walls

LSU Master's Theses

While the physical devastation of Hurricane Katrina was immediately obvious, the psychological effects of the storm are still being investigated and the positive effects of trauma, although few, have yet to be adequately explored. Although most individuals will experience a trauma during their lifetime, only a small minority experience negative psychological consequences (Breslau, 2002). Resiliency is a quickly developing area in the literature; however, few studies have investigated predictors of resilience and positive outcomes in adults exposed to natural disasters. The purpose of this study was to explore individual factors and predictors of resilience in women exposed to Hurricane Katrina. …

A Longitudinal Investigation Of Stress, Complete Mental Health, And Social Support Among High School Students, Ashley Chappel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Examinations of stress in relation to adolescent mental health have not often utilized a comprehensive definition of psychological functioning. Recent literature has found support for the importance of examining optimal psychological functioning as the presence of high life satisfaction in addition to low psychopathology (Antamarian, Huebner, Hills, & Valois, 2011; Suldo & Shaffer, 2008). Most research on stress has focused on either major stressful events or chronic environmental stressors; further research is needed on the psychological model of stress, which conceptualizes stress as involving both environmental events and one's cognitive appraisals of the stressor. The current longitudinal study determined how …