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Examining Trauma, Aggression, And Anxiety In African American Girls, Katelyne Griffin-Todd

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of trauma through bully victimization, rates of aggression, and anxiety in African Americans (AA) and other minorities, as well as the influence that their weight has on these items is severely understudied. This study had four aims: 1) Evaluate the relationship of anxiety, victimization, and aggression in early adolescent AA females, 2) Observe whether the individuals who are victimized also report being aggressive in early adolescent AA females, 3) Investigate the relationship between weight, victimization, anxiety and aggression, 4) Test mediation effects of poverty ratio, and moderation of poverty level and caregivers education. This study contains 77 AA …

The Influence Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Disclosure On Peer Social Distancing In Higher Education, Hope Marie Sparks

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are almost twenty percent less likely than their non-autistic peers to graduate college (White et al., 2017). The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, can be a significant facet of personal identity for many individuals on the spectrum. Due to this, disclosure of diagnoses can be a deeply personal decision and can be situational. Because college-age students on the spectrum are forming an identity concerning their diagnosis (Bent et al, 2016; Cox et al., 2017), peer social distancing behaviors are an important factor in student confidence and academic success. Researchers completed this study …

For Better Or For Worse? Cross Sectional Comparison Of University Student Stress, Coping, And Somatic Complaints Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Cline

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated influences of the COVID-19 pandemic on university student stress, coping, and somatic health through exploratory analyses as cross sectionally compared to university student samples collected prior to and during the pandemic. 483 emerging adult participants were collected total, 262 surveyed via Health Psychology and Physiology courses prior to the pandemic and 221 were surveyed via UNF’s SONA system. Consenting participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale -14 (PSS-14), Ways of Coping Scale, and Physical Symptoms Checklist Questionnaire. Referencing literature based on student stress, coping, and somatic health as outcomes of non-normative events, it was predicted that pandemic …

Doing Kink Vs. Being Kinky: A Systematic Scoping Review Of The Literature On Bdsm Behavior, Orientation, And Identity, Angel Renee Kalafatis-Russell

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This systematic scoping review examines the literature on BDSM/kink as it relates to three core dimensions of sexuality: behavior, orientation, and identity. The main sexuality framework used for defining these dimensions is Sexual Configurations Theory (van Anders, 2015). This search is guided by two research questions. 1) Are there empirical differences between individuals who simply consider BDSM to be something they do (i.e., behavior only) and individuals who consider BDSM to be part of who they are (i.e., kink-identified)? 2) Are there any existing, psychometrically validated, quantitative measures to assess BDSM as an identity component? I hypothesized that a model …

Race Logic: Measuring Stereotyped Mental Representations Of Football Player Positions, Jillian Fisher

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This preregistered research sought to capture the mental images associated with the quarterback and wide receiver positions to understand race logic prevalent in the NFL using the two phase, reverse correlation image classification paradigm. Participants in phase one were randomly assigned to the quarterback or wide receiver group and responded to 300 forced choice side by side images, indicating which image appears most like the target position. From these responses, four images were created based on position (quarterback or wide receiver) and participant exposure to football related media content (high or low). These images were used as stimuli in phase …

Do You Copy? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Auditory Processing, And Heart Rate Variability, Lyndsey Johnson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self -report measures used in PTSD research have the potential to limit the degree of symptom severity in military veterans, especially as there is often underreporting in this population (Kline, Falca-Dodson, Susner et al., 2010). Polyvagal Theory provides a framework assessing if physiological measures can tap into PTSD Symptomology (Porges, 1995). It is therefore hypothesized that lower scores on auditory processing tests will be positively correlated with higher scores on Stress and PTSD measures. Additionally, it is thought that lower scores on auditory processing tedts as well as higher scores on PTSD and Stress Measures will be positively correlated with …

Inside The Zoo: Captive Giraffes’ Changes In Social Ties Throughout Membership Variations, Morgan Paige Howard

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many animals live in gregarious, fission-fusion societies where group size and composition are continually changing. Despite this, many studies have suggested that captive animals are capable of maintaining long term social bonds with others. In captive giraffes, effects on their social bonds during membership transitions have not been studied thoroughly, however, prior research does show that social bonds are a defining factor in non-captive animals. Captive giraffe social network patterns were investigated at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens using all occurrence behavioral data. Based on previous research, I hypothesized that when one of the individuals in the group was …

Opposite Sex Friendship Initiation: Dispositional Differences In Self-Monitoring, Abigail P. Masterson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Based on the self-monitoring and friendship literature (Fuglestad & Snyder, 2010) it was predicted that compared to low self-monitors, high self-monitors have an unrestricted orientation to sexual liaisons and view friendships as activity-based. These two tendencies suggest high self-monitors are more likely than low self-monitors to initiate opposite sex friendships for sexual purposes whereas low self-monitors are more likely than high self-monitors to initiate opposite sex friendships for companionship purposes. To evaluate this prediction, 133 male and 135 female heterosexuals completed the 25 item Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1974), the Reasons for Friendship Initiation Scale (Bleske-Rechek & Buss, 2001), and the …

Investigating Body Dissatisfaction, Obesity, & Eating Pathology: African American Adolescent Girls & Mothers, Samantha Ronderos

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Body dissatisfaction is a globally prevalent issue among adolescents, particularly for those living in industrialized societies (Griffith et al., 2017). Body dissatisfaction is considered a central component of obesity intervention (Huh et at., 2011; Mitola et al., 2007) and eating disorder etiology (Kelly et al., 2005; Saunders & Frazier, 2016). It predominantly effects females and is commonly found among those with eating disorders and those who struggle with obesity or have higher BMI (Kelly et al., 2005; Saunders & Frazier, 2016). However this is contradicted in African American females, the majority of research has found low levels of body dissatisfaction, …

How To Improve Dynamic Decision Making: Evaluation Of A Brief Training Program On Human Error, Yoannis Hermida

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current work environments require leaders to make effective and sound decisions in unpredictable situations. How can leaders improve their dynamic decision-making (DDM) skills? The current studies explored the effects of a training program on improving DDM in two computer-simulated tasks with different task characteristics. This study was comprised of two experiments. The first experiment included 83 undergraduate students who independently managed a computer simulated chocolate factory (ChocoFine). The second experiment included 111 students who played the role of a fire rescue chief overseeing a forest fire (WinFire). Half of the participants in each simulation group received a brief training on …

An Investigation Of The Moderating Effects Of Household Composition And Developmental Age On Food Insecurity Impacting Mental Health, Monique Villamor, Monique V. Villamor

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how developmental stages of adulthood (emerging, middle, and late) and household composition (living with or without children) influence the experiences of food insecurity in regard to food-related protective strategies and mental health consequences. Using a moderated moderation analysis, the impact of age conditional on the effects of household composition aimed to quantify how food-related protective strategies predicted levels of food insecurity thus leading to anxiety and depression. Results indicated developmental stages and household composition are non-significant moderators across three models. However, middle-adult participants demonstrated increased susceptibility to severe food insecurity, further contributing to literature on midlife …

Internalized Stigmatization And Rejection Sensitivity As Mediators Of The Link Between Self-Monitoring And Transgender Identity Concealment, Sara Carlton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The phenomenon of identity concealment is not well understood for transgender individuals. Additionally, individual differences in identity concealment have not been widely discussed. In the present study, we explored the potential mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and internalized stigmatization between self-monitoring and identity concealment by transgender individuals. Self-monitoring can be conceptualized as either a univariate (dichotomous) variable or bivariate (continuous) variable with two dimensions: protective and acquisitive. Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk system, we recruited 140 transgender individuals to complete measures of self-monitoring, rejection sensitivity, internalized stigmatization, and identity concealment across five audiences. Mediation was assessed using Hayes’ PROCESS model. Univariate …

Imaginary Friends: The Effect Of Imagined Social Support On Subjective And Physiological Indicators Of Stress, Breana Bryant

UNF Undergraduate Capstone Projects and Honors Theses

Social support is known to help buffer the effects of stress (Uchino et al., 1996). However, in many situations social support is unavailable, and imagining social support may help to reduce the impact of stress. Although imagined physical touch has been shown to be an effective stress buffer, little research has compared it to other types of imagined support (Feldman et al., 2010). Additionally, women tend to seek emotional support, whereas men tend to seek tangible support, but it is unknown if imagining those types of support will reduce stress (Reevy & Maslach, 2001). To gain greater insight into these …

Self-Monitoring, Binge Eating Disorder, Internalized Weight Stigma And Neuroticism: A Moderated-Mediation Model, Arielle Catherine Kantor

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the univariate model of self-monitoring, individuals are categorized as either high or low self-monitors. In the bivariate model of self-monitoring, individuals differ with respect to two dimensions, namely acquisitive and protective self-monitoring. Self-monitoring, in both conceptions, is related to physical and mental health characteristics including higher weight, external cue sensitivity, and neuroticism. The aforementioned characteristics are also present in individuals with binge eating disorder. We predicted individuals higher in protective self-monitoring and univariate high self-monitoring would exhibit greater binge eating disorder symptomatology than would individuals lower in both conceptions of self-monitoring. We also predicted internalized weight stigma would mediate …

Associations Of Protective And Acquisitive Self-Monitoring With Consumer Attitudes And Behaviors, Alexis Nicole Lovaas

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acquisitive self-monitors are motivated by gaining social standing (getting ahead, standing out), whereas protective self-monitors are driven by avoiding social disapproval (getting along, blending in; Wolfe et al., 1986). Extending prior research on these orientations and their associations with consumer attitudes and behaviors, participants in Studies 1a (MTurk; N = 156) and 1b (undergraduates; N = 143) completed the Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1974) and various consumer scales. In these two studies, regression results revealed support for the hypotheses that protective self-monitoring was related to communal consumerism, socially-conscious consumerism, frugality, and conspicuous consumption, whereas agentic consumerism and self-interested values were related …

Remember To Color: How Coloring Impacts Elderly Mental Health And Working Memory, Griselda Alaves

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the study of gerontology, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has received much attention as it is the progressive stage before Alzheimer’s disease (AD). According to lifespan studies, people with MCI advance to AD at a much-accelerated pace than people without MCI. In this study, I am investigating whether art activities (coloring versus drawing) has any influence on the elderly’s levels of stress and anxiety. More specifically, current research in art therapy points to a significant reduction in participant’s stress and anxiety levels after being involved in coloring and drawing activities. In addition to mental health, I am also investigating how …

On Fire Or Burned-Out?: The Role Of Self-Monitoring On Burnout In The Workplace, Elizabeth Marie Ellis

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Workplace burnout (i.e., exhaustion, disengagement, lack of professional efficacy) produces turnover which, in turn, increases costs (personnel recruitment, selection, training) for businesses (Maslach et al., 2001). Job demands predict workplace exhaustion whereas job resources predict workplace cynicism (Demerouti et al., 2001). Burnout is also related to individual differences in personality (Alessandri et al., 2018). In the present study, we explore the potential mediating effect of demands and resources on the connection between self-monitoring (Fuglestad & Snyder, 2010; Wilmot et al., 2015) and burnout. Self-monitoring can be conceptualized as either a single, dichotomous variable (Snyder, 1974) or two, continuous variables: protective …

Fight, Flight, Or Freezing? Investigating The Immobility Response In Military Veterans, Paige Elizabeth King

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When the body is faced with threat to life or limb, the autonomic nervous system works to overcome the danger – by either fight, flight, or freezing. While immobility may not appear to be the most logical solution, theories exist that it allows for judgement of the situation and preparation for action. This study investigated the stress response that military veterans, with or without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), demonstrate when shown unpleasant images. Researchers wanted to determine the extent to which veterans would show freezing or immobile responses when under an unpleasant image condition. It was hypothesized that veterans who …

Military Veteran Students Transition To Academic Life With Ptsd, Trauma, And Potential For Freezing Response., Alicia Marie Erchul

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study is the first known research to investigate the association of the freezing response with PTSD and traumatic stress in the military veteran student population. Current understanding of the freezing response are primarily based in comparative psychology, with some studies extending to human participants (Azevedo et al., 2005; Facchinetti et al., 2006; Hagenaars et al., 2012; Volchan et al., 2017). Models generally agree that the freezing response consists of reduced body sway with decreased heart rate (Porges, 2003, 2007; Hagenaars et al., 2014).

Thirty-eight military veteran students (n=38; 18 female; 20 male) with ages ranged from 19 to …

Depressive Rumination And The Mood-As-Input Hypothesis: The Role Of Reverse Catastrophizing, Enrique Cibrian

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mood-as-input hypothesis (MAIH) has been consistently examined in relation to worry, but few studies have examined its role in depressive rumination. Fewer studies have examined congruency effects, such that conditions of mood and perseverative task are congruent (i.e., negative mood and negative preservative task vs. positive mood and positive perseverative task). The current study thus examines the MAIH’s applicability to depressive rumination, includes further investigation on mood congruency, and incorporates a newly constructed positive rumination task to further assess the impact of the valency of a ruminative task. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions based …

Exploring The Relationship Between Diversity Training And Counselor Competence In Working With Cisgender Men Wearing Makeup, Brandi Velasquez Nash

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concepts of gender and sexuality within counselor diversity training continue to expand and change over time; therefore, it is essential that mental health professionals are knowledgeable of the challenges faced by gender nonconforming (GNC) individuals, specifically cisgender men who wear makeup. This includes being aware of the biases and stigmas that GNC individuals face and understanding how those barriers affect their mental health.

Elements that are applicable to this population include: (a) the historical significance and implications of cisgender men who wear makeup, (b) social media platforms where cisgender men showcase their makeup skills, (c) cultural experiences of GNC …

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of The Cognitive And Mental Health Repercussions Of Childhood Adversity In Adulthood, Sara Grace Comella

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The majority of individuals in the United States experience at least one type of traumatic during childhood (“Understanding Child Trauma”, 2017). Individuals with childhood adversity have an increased incidence of depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse during adulthood (Rehan et al., 2017). However, the consequences of early adversity are not limited to mental health and extend to areas of cognitive functioning (e.g., working memory). The present research study addresses the long-term consequences of childhood adversity on psychological and cognitive functioning. Data collection took place online from February 2019 - April 2019 in Iceland and the United States. The survey assessed outcomes …

“The Power Of Love": The Role Of Sexual Communal Motivations And Relationship Power In Sexual Risk Taking, Robert Vincent Phillips

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

College-age students are an at-risk population for an unplanned pregnancy. Current sexual health interventions focus on methods of preventing pregnancy but fail to address communal motivations (being oriented towards the needs of others) which are important in relationships. Current interventions are long and require an increased attention span which is less effective today because the current generation of adolescents has a decreased attention span. The present study develops a WISE sexual health intervention (a simple yet targeted intervention) that incorporates sexual communal motivations to reduce unplanned pregnancy in college-age students. It was hypothesized that participants will have increased condom use …

Development And Validation Of A Mindful Food Parenting Instrument To Assess The Relationship Between Parent Food Practices And Children’S Dietary Outcomes, Su-Nui Escobar

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

American children’s diets are commonly recorded as deficient in nutrient rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Such diets often exceed amounts of unhealthy items such as added sugars and sweetened beverages. In addition, 23% of children are considered overweight or obese. Mindfulness techniques in parents have been correlated with improved dietary outcomes in children and a healthier family eating environment.

The primary aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument that reflects the theoretical framework drawn from current models of mindful eating, mindful parenting and mindful food parenting. The instrument is a practical tool …

The Effects Of Behavioral Skills Training To Teach Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder How To Respond To Bullying, Carissa Lyn Kazee

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The literature on bullying among school-aged children is widespread, with more than half of children on the autism spectrum having reported experiencing some form of bullying in the last year. For this reason, the primary goal of this study was to introduce a two-week long intervention to teach six middle-school aged children with autism how to recognize and appropriately respond to bullying. The intervention used behavioral skills training that is complimentary to Bandura’s social learning theory. Six middle school-aged participants, one girl and five boys, were taught to recognize bullying situations using comic strip vignettes, and how to respond to …

Effects Of Involvement (Target Versus Observer), Gender, Protectiveness, And Priming On Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Kendall P. Dary

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study looks at reporting rates of sexual harassment in regard to affect, involvement, gender, protectiveness, and priming. Four hundred and forty-six participants were randomly assigned to read either an event described as occurring to themselves or to a friend before answering questions about friendship and what they read. Participants were more likely to label an event as sexual harassment if they used negative words to describe that event. They were also more likely to label an event as sexual harassment after being primed with the words “sexual harassment,” if they were female, and if they were high in …

An Examination Of Social Connectedness On Ptsd And Freezing In A Student Military Population, Jessica Marie Ledwith

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of social connectedness (SC) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a military college population, and their relation to physiological measures such as body sway, heart rate (HR), and heat rate variability (HRV). According to previous research, people with PTSD are more likely to exhibit a freezing response to affective images. In the present study, we explore the potential freezing response for military personnel at the levels of PTSD symptom groups and social connectedness. We also investigate the possible buffering effect social connectedness has on the outcome of PTSD and freezing. There was a total of …

The Philosopher's Journey: A Chapter In Kindness And Animals, Vaughn E. Sayers

UNF Undergraduate Capstone Projects and Honors Theses

We each are presented with a choice; do we remain in the cave of ignorance or embark on the philosopher’s journey. Your choice will determine the way in which you interpret this paper. However, I will confidently make the assumption that you, like myself, desire to embrace an existence guided by the light of wisdom. This thesis is one of many chapters in the philosopher’s journey, dealing with animals and (cutting through the jargon) kindness. I have found that a lot of scholarship on animal ethics acknowledges a truth, but does not acknowledge that the application of such a truth …

Risk Domains And Adolescent Depression, Nathan Kawczynski

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence and young adulthood are the periods of development associated with the highest amount of risk-taking. One theory, the Dual-Systems model, suggests that this could be due to an imbalance in the maturation of two brain systems: reward appraisal, which matures first, and cognitive control, which matures later. This imbalance may be the cause of adolescents’ tendency to favor immediate rewards, disregarding consequences. Depressed adolescents, however, behave differently. While it is not exactly clear whether they take more risks or fewer risks, depressed adolescents display different interactions and decision making with their peers than non-depressed adolescents. This study attempted to …

Food Insecurity And Children: How Food Insecurity Affects Mental Health In Children, Brianna L. Jordan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Being without the financial means to have reliable access to enough food to sustain members of a household is known as Food Insecurity (FI; Gundersen, 2013). Previous research has linked FI to obesity and depression (Adams, Grummer-Strawn, & Chavez, 2003; Bronte-Tinkew, Zaslow, Capps, Horowitz, & Mcnamara, 2007; Huddleston-Casas, Charnigo, & Simmons, 2009; Kim & Frongillo, 2007). Although there have been findings about FI being related to depression and obesity, little research has used African Americans; even less research has used young adolescents as the target population. This study had five aims: 1) Observe the impact of FI on health, 2) …