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School-Based Sexuality Education, Gender, And Relationship Self-Efficacy: A Moderated-Mediation Analysis Of Sexual Behavior In First-Year College Students, Sara C. Schmidt
Theses and Dissertations
While the effectiveness at abstinence-only versus comprehensive sexuality education in preventing adolescent risky sexual behavior is widely researched, little is known about whether material learned in secondary school sexuality education classes impacts emerging adult sexual behavior in the college environment. Furthermore, research suggests that self-efficacy – or beliefs in one’s abilities to organize and execute actions – may be more critical than knowledge or skills in terms of how individuals enact behavior. We hypothesized a moderated-mediation effect by which the causal impact of type of sexuality education on four different sexual behaviors during the first year in college is transmitted …
An Analysis Of The Cultural Invariance Of A Visual-Motor Integration Measure, Emma Kate C. Wright
An Analysis Of The Cultural Invariance Of A Visual-Motor Integration Measure, Emma Kate C. Wright
Theses and Dissertations
As diverse populations within schools increase, the need for culturally-sensitive assessment is essential; however, test of ability vary in their degree of influence from culture. No test is “culture free,” but the low-linguistic demands on test of visual-motor integration (VMI) make them appropriate for use with diverse populations. Variation in VMI test performance due to cultural factors has negative implications for test interpretation and use with diverse populations because of VMI’s significant association with school readiness, academic achievement, social-emotional functioning, and neuropsychological assessment. The current study explored the cultural invariance of the Bender Motor Gestalt Test, Second Edition (BG-II), a …
The Influence Of Organizational Climate On The Use And Quality Of Evidence-Based Practices In School Mental Health, Katherine Knies
The Influence Of Organizational Climate On The Use And Quality Of Evidence-Based Practices In School Mental Health, Katherine Knies
Theses and Dissertations
Organizational climate is defined as the reflection of workers’ perceptions of, and emotional responses to, the characteristics of their work environment (Glisson & James, 2002). While previous research explored the importance of organization climate for the adoption of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in mental health settings, there is a dearth of organizational climate focused research in school mental health settings (SMH). The current study examines the influence of organizational climate on two separate dependent variables: the extent to which EBPs were used and the quality of clinician delivery for the evidence-based practices used in a quality improvement intervention for SMH practitioners. …
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Academic Performance: Student Engagement In The Classroom, Emily B. Mancil
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Academic Performance: Student Engagement In The Classroom, Emily B. Mancil
Theses and Dissertations
Youth with Attention/Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have many obstacles to positive development (including difficulties in school settings) and are in need of support. However, few studies have focused on the ways in which positive factors, such as student engagement (SE), may be beneficial for this population to identify strategies for supporting their strengths. Although many studies have examined academic and behavioral aspects of SE, few studies have examined the psychological (i.e., teacher-student relationships, peer support for learning, family support for learning) and cognitive (i.e., control and relevance of school work, future aspirations and goals, extrinsic motivation) sub-components of engagement. The current …
Life Satisfaction And Academic Performance In Early Adolescents: Evidence For Reciprocal Relationships, Zi Jia Ng
Theses and Dissertations
Student well-being remains a relatively neglected topic despite its intimate link to positive school outcomes. As academic achievement is the yardstick of student success and school accountability, school-based mental health research and practice have focused primarily on the assessment and treatment of learning and behavioral problems. This shortterm longitudinal study sought to establish the role of student subjective well-being in academic achievement. Based on the engine model of well-being (Jayawickreme, Forgeard, & Seligman, 2012), the study focused on life satisfaction as a process variable and academic performance as an outcome variable. Using two waves (five months apart) of data, the …
Defining And Supporting Organizational Readiness In The Interactive Systems Framework For Dissemination And Implementaion, Jonathan Peter Scaccia
Defining And Supporting Organizational Readiness In The Interactive Systems Framework For Dissemination And Implementaion, Jonathan Peter Scaccia
Theses and Dissertations
Introduction. In the implementation literature, organizational readiness is associated with an increased likelihood of achieving innovation outcomes. Organizational readiness consists of organizational capacity (general and innovation-specific) and organization motivation. Organizations who wish to get results from their innovations have an interest in making sure that certain factors and subcomponents are in place. However, having awareness that certain capacities and factors that influence motivation are linked to improved innovation outcomes does not necessarily help organizations to get “more ready.” There is a need for organizations to know if and how they can effectively put these factors and subcomponents into place. This …
Alterations To Taste Preference In Mc4r Haploinsufficiency Manifest Prior To Dietary Induced Obesity And Are Accompanied By Dendritic Spine Alterations To Medium Spiny Neurons Of The Nucleus Accumbens In Adulthood, Robert Francis Roscoe Jr.
Alterations To Taste Preference In Mc4r Haploinsufficiency Manifest Prior To Dietary Induced Obesity And Are Accompanied By Dendritic Spine Alterations To Medium Spiny Neurons Of The Nucleus Accumbens In Adulthood, Robert Francis Roscoe Jr.
Theses and Dissertations
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and has become an increasing public health concern for developed nations. Haploinsufficiency of melanocortin receptor 4 has been identified as the single most common monogenetic cause of obesity in humans. Using the MC4R +/- haploinsufficient rat, we sought to determine potential alterations in body weight and morphology, locomotor activity, sucrose concentration preference, and progressive-ratio operant testing in a dietary-induced obesity environment. Rats were placed on four separate diets corresponding to 1.7% saturated fat with 12.2% total kcal/fat, 6% saturated fat with a 40% total kcal/fat, 12% saturated fat with a 40% …
Ptsd Symptomology And Relationship Dysfunction: Is Emotional Reactivity The Culprit?, Kristin Lytle
Ptsd Symptomology And Relationship Dysfunction: Is Emotional Reactivity The Culprit?, Kristin Lytle
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
Emotional numbing, a symptom of PTSD, has been found to be strongly associated with relationship dysfunction (Erbes et al., 2011; Monson et al., 2012; Riggs et al., 1998; Solomon et al., 2008). It is thought that emotional numbing can negatively impact relationships, yet there is limited understanding of the mechanisms of emotional numbing. Information processing theory developed by Litz and Gray (2001) suggests that emotional numbing is not a generalized response to all emotions and is actually specific to positive emotions. They believe that people with PTSD actually experience heightened negative emotions which then lead to emotional numbing to positive …
Exploring Reading Comprehension In Undergraduate Students With Adhd Symptoms, Christine Shelton
Exploring Reading Comprehension In Undergraduate Students With Adhd Symptoms, Christine Shelton
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
Evidence suggests that Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) negatively affects verbal and reading comprehension in children, although the effect of ADHD on reading comprehension is partially mediated by the initial reading level of the participant. Additional research suggests that children and adults with ADHD tend to demonstrate a reduced working memory capacity, when compared to their non-ADHD peers, which may also affect the relationship between ADHD and reading comprehension. However, the current literature consists primarily of studies performed with children, and there has been little investigation into the biological factors of reading comprehension in ADHD populations. The current study sought to …
The Prevalence Rate And Neurocognitive Morbidity Associated With Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Children With Sickle Cell Disease, Tal Katz
Theses and Dissertations
Sickle-cell disease (SCD) refers to a group of genetic blood disorders resulting from the inheritance of genes for S-type hemoglobin. The disease is life-long and is associated with multiple complications including pain episodes, organ damage, and neurological morbidities such as stroke, and silent cerebral infarcts which often lead to cognitive dysfunction. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious medical condition characterized by intermittent hypoxemia (reduction in blood oxygen levels), hypoxia, and fragmented sleep that can lead patients to suffer from daytime behavioral and cognitive dysfunction and reduced quality of life. Children with SCD are at high risk for developing OSA, …
Substance Use And Risky Sex: A Longitudinal Investigation, Darren Todd Woodlief
Substance Use And Risky Sex: A Longitudinal Investigation, Darren Todd Woodlief
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine the relationship between substance use and risky among a nationally representative sample of adolescents longitudinally from the ages of 16 to 29. Using data collected for the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (N=8,984), we found the use of marijuana, alcohol, and cigarettes to be consistently associated, across these ages, with an increased probability of having engaged in sexual intercourse with a stranger. Marijuana was found to have the strongest association with risky sex across the years of the study, followed by cigarettes, then alcohol. The current study improves on previous …
Engagement In Technical Assistance And Its Impact On Prevention Capacity, Jennifer L. Duffy
Engagement In Technical Assistance And Its Impact On Prevention Capacity, Jennifer L. Duffy
Theses and Dissertations
Lack of widespread implementation of evidence-based prevention programs has been identified as a major challenge in the field of teen pregnancy prevention. Technical assistance (TA) has been proposed as an important strategy for building capacity of the community organizations to implement evidence-based strategies. This study uses data from an evaluation of Promoting Science-Based Approaches to Teen Pregnancy Prevention, a five-year project conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to build the capacity of organizations to implement teen pregnancy prevention programs using science-based approaches. Data from 104 organizations nested within 12 TA providing organizations were analyzed using OLS regression …
Integrating Biomedical And Psychosocial Approaches To Study Pain In Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease, Alyssa M. Schlenz
Integrating Biomedical And Psychosocial Approaches To Study Pain In Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease, Alyssa M. Schlenz
Theses and Dissertations
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited blood disorders characterized by recurrent pain. A distinctive obstacle to managing pain in this condition is the substantial heterogeneity of outcomes observed in children, including the rate, intensity, duration, and extent of disability from pain. Previous studies have largely examined this heterogeneity by focusing on either biomedical or psychosocial approaches to this condition rather than pursuing an integrated approach that is consistent with modern conceptualizations of pain. In addition, few studies have examining genetic heterogeneity in pediatric SCD, which remains one of the only strategies for establishing a preventative approach to …
Psychometric Evaluation Of An Executive Function Battery For Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease, Melita T. Stancil
Psychometric Evaluation Of An Executive Function Battery For Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease, Melita T. Stancil
Theses and Dissertations
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder which affects hemoglobin and is associated with high rates of neurologic and neurocognitive deficits. Recent studies have indicated executive functioning (EF) as a common area of impairment for children diagnosed with SCD; however, there is no consensus about which measures of executive function are best to use in clinical practice or research. The purpose of the present research is to assess the properties of a new executive function measure, the “EXAMINER” to determine its utility with the SCD population. Thirty-two children with SCD and 86 demographically-matched controls completed established cognitive measures known …
A Bioecological Approach To Understanding The Interaction Of Environmental Stress And Genetic Susceptibility In Influencing Cortisol And Blood Pressure In African American Adults, Sandra Marie Coulon
A Bioecological Approach To Understanding The Interaction Of Environmental Stress And Genetic Susceptibility In Influencing Cortisol And Blood Pressure In African American Adults, Sandra Marie Coulon
Theses and Dissertations
African Americans are disproportionately affected by high blood pressure, a precursor to cardiovascular disease. Bioecological, biomedical, and gene-environment interaction theories were integrated to test the impact of environmental stress and genetic susceptibility on stress-related outcomes, including waking cortisol, perceived stress, and blood pressure in African-American adults. The primary aim of the study was to investigate the effects of neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), neighborhood satisfaction, and neighborhood collective efficacy on waking cortisol, perceived stress, and blood pressure and to determine whether genetic risk for increased glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity moderated those relations in a gene-by-environment (GxE) interaction. A secondary aim was to …
Risk And Resilience In An Urban School: How A Psychosocial Intervention Promotes The Educational Resilience Of Latino Youth, Kip Van Thompson
Risk And Resilience In An Urban School: How A Psychosocial Intervention Promotes The Educational Resilience Of Latino Youth, Kip Van Thompson
Theses and Dissertations
According to the Pew Hispanic Forum, the dropout rates for Latino youth (15%) are higher than all other youth in the United States (White youth = 8%; Black youth = 12%). Many Latino youth have difficulty identifying with the school environment due to a lack of cultural connection to the context. Youth Program (YP) program is a peer-led, school-based program driven by the theoretical foundations of Positive Youth Development and Self-Determination theory and is distinguished by its emphasis on building social and academic skills that ease the transition into high school for ninth grade students. The current study examines the …
Generalization Of Fear Effects In Reinstatement To A Discrete Stimulus, Lauren Best
Generalization Of Fear Effects In Reinstatement To A Discrete Stimulus, Lauren Best
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
The purpose of this study was to investigate generalization of reinstated fear effects to a discrete stimulus. McAllister and McAllister (2006) reported that reinstated fear could generalize over time to similar contexts. The present study aimed to determine if reinstated fear could generalize to similar or different stimuli than conditioning after a long delay between reinstatement and testing. Rat subjects were randomly assigned to six groups (n = 10) which received conditioning and extinction to a 3000 Hz tone. Reinstatement conditioning was then conducted with either the same, similar, or different CS as used in conditioning. Testing for reinstated fear …
Interactions With Horses Is Associated With Higher Mindfulness And Heart Rate Variability And Lower Electrodermal Response In College Students, Sarah Mary Wach
Interactions With Horses Is Associated With Higher Mindfulness And Heart Rate Variability And Lower Electrodermal Response In College Students, Sarah Mary Wach
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
A wealth of research has revealed psychological and physiological benefits of interactions with animals. As yet, research is limited to smaller animals such as dogs and cats and has not examined the benefits of human-horse interactions. The present study examined the effects of video-simulated human-horse interactions compared with simulated interactions with a car and a person on state mindfulness and physiological arousal. The relationship between trait mindfulness and horse experience was also examined. Undergraduate students with (n = 16) and without experience with horses (n = 26) were recruited with the exclusion criteria of a fear of horses. …
A Mental Health Epidemic: The Case For Mental Health Programs On College Campuses And How To Increase Awareness, Connor Deason
A Mental Health Epidemic: The Case For Mental Health Programs On College Campuses And How To Increase Awareness, Connor Deason
Senior Theses
This senior thesis project focused on the problem of mental health on college campuses. Specific interest was placed on students at the University of South Carolina. In the end, the goal was to create a product that could be used by the Counseling and Human Development Center to help increase the use of student mental health services and reduce levels of stigma surrounding mental health problems. In talking with staff members of the Counseling and Human Development Center, staff members shared a desire for a video that would advertise the services of the Counseling Center. Thus, the true purpose of …
The Effect Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy On Caregiver Rigidity, Job Satisfaction And Childhood Misbehavior, Victoria Tackett Riley
The Effect Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy On Caregiver Rigidity, Job Satisfaction And Childhood Misbehavior, Victoria Tackett Riley
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
This research studied the effects of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) training in a residential care facility for children with histories of maltreatment. Initially, five direct care staff were trained to provide an adapted version of PCIT to a randomly assigned child in the facility. The goal was to improve staff’s interactions with the children in their care and increase job satisfaction while decreasing the instances of misbehavior among those children. Data was recorded four times (pre, during, and post intervention) to assess the efficacy of the intervention and included completion of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Rigidity scale …
The Impact Of Mindfulness On Emotion Dysregulation And Psychophysiological Reactivity Under Emotional Provocation, Tanya S. Watford
The Impact Of Mindfulness On Emotion Dysregulation And Psychophysiological Reactivity Under Emotional Provocation, Tanya S. Watford
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
The present study employed physiological measures and a working memory task in addition to self-report measures to seek a better understanding of the relationship between brief mindfulness training and the experience and regulation of emotion. Seventy undergraduate students at a small southern state university completed baseline measures of trait mindfulness and emotion regulation before experiencing a 15-minute recording (mindfulness or control), and then completing a state mindfulness measure. Participants then experienced an emotion induction (positive or negative), before completing state emotion dysregulation and affect measures, and then completing a working memory task, finishing with the state mindfulness measure again. Physiological …
Intrusive And Deliberate Rumination Predict Posttraumatic Growth In Members Enrolled In A Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Program, Erika Jade Gerwe
Intrusive And Deliberate Rumination Predict Posttraumatic Growth In Members Enrolled In A Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Program, Erika Jade Gerwe
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
Posttraumatic growth (PTG) can be defined as the experience of positive change, or psychological growth, that occurs as a result of a highly challenging life event or crisis (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). Given that over one-third of the American population lives with some form of cardiovascular disease (American Heart Association, 2011), promoting posttraumatic growth in this population may promote more successful adaptation and coping and may serve to reduce morbidity and mortality (Affleck, 1987). Thus, the present study investigated the predictors of posttraumatic growth in a cardiac rehabilitation setting at rehabilitation entrance (PTG1) and exit (PTG2) and examined change in …
The Effects Of Mindfulness And Distress Disclosure On Emotional Expression, Kelsey E. Eitel
The Effects Of Mindfulness And Distress Disclosure On Emotional Expression, Kelsey E. Eitel
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a mindfulness exercise on participants’ distress disclosure (as measured by the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count). I employed a trauma written disclosure paradigm as an analogue to a therapy session in regard to disclosure. It was predicted that participants who were asked to engage in a 15-minute mindfulness exercise prior to writing about a personally traumatic event would use more emotion and cognitive processing words in their writing samples (i.e., increased distress disclosure), as compared to the participants who simply listened to a neutrally valenced audio clip. Participants were …
An Examination Of Factors Related To Suboptimal Cognitive Validity Test Performance In A Mildly Concussed Military Sample, Elizabeth M. Seats
An Examination Of Factors Related To Suboptimal Cognitive Validity Test Performance In A Mildly Concussed Military Sample, Elizabeth M. Seats
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
While cognitive and emotional symptoms which persist beyond what is typical following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are often attributed to the physical or neurological impact of the concussion, numerous studies have suggested that these symptoms are maintained by other factors, such as psychiatric symptoms and compensation seeking (Binder & Rohling, 1996; Feinstein, Ouchterlony, Iverson & Lange, 2003; Somerville & Jardine, 2011). The current study utilized archival data to examine these factors in an active military sample (N=76). Effort and ethnicity’s impact on participants’ cognitive validity test (CVT) performance was also examined. It was hypothesized that a …
Matters Of The Heart?: The Role Of Risk Regulation, Attachment Style, Self-Monitoring And Self-Esteem In Romantic Relationships, Brittany A. Joyce
Matters Of The Heart?: The Role Of Risk Regulation, Attachment Style, Self-Monitoring And Self-Esteem In Romantic Relationships, Brittany A. Joyce
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
In the context of romantic relationships, risk regulation refers to one’s constant struggle to balance connecting with one’s partner and protecting oneself from rejection (Murray, Holmes, & Collins, 2006). As previous research failed to directly assess the interrelationships between risk regulation, self-esteem, attachment style, and self-monitoring, the present study sought to determine how these constructs interconnect to affect patterns of connection and protection in romantic relationships. Results indicated that high and low self-monitors differ in levels of connection and protection in romantic relationships, specifically in terms of need to belong, and relationship anxiety. Attachment style also affected connection and protection …
The Impact Of Childhood Experiences On Intrapersonal And Interpersonal Functioning: Does The Past Dictate The Future?, Anna W. Vandevender
The Impact Of Childhood Experiences On Intrapersonal And Interpersonal Functioning: Does The Past Dictate The Future?, Anna W. Vandevender
USC Aiken Psychology Theses
Childhood experiences of maltreatment are related to interpersonal difficulties in childhood (Pettit, Dodge, & Brown, 1988) and adulthood (Messman-Moore & Coates, 2007; Varia & Abidin, 1999; Busby, Walker, & Holman, 2011). However, most studies have examined the effects of maltreatment on interpersonal functioning (Messman-Moore & Coates, 2007; Busby, Walker, & Holman, 2011) within the context of romantic relationships (Hazan & Shaver, 1987; Feeney & Noller, 1990). Thus, the present study examined the impact childhood maltreatment and neglect has on later intrapersonal functioning and interpersonal interactions and whether gender differences emerge therein. Results indicated maltreated individuals initiate relationships less often and …
Characterization Of The Hippocampal Acetylcholine System In A Rodent Model Of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Amy Elizabeth Perkins
Characterization Of The Hippocampal Acetylcholine System In A Rodent Model Of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Amy Elizabeth Perkins
Theses and Dissertations
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a major public health concern, as it is estimated that 2-5% of children are exposed to alcohol at some point during prenatal development. FASD have been shown to cause damage to multiple brain regions, but research shows that the hippocampus is especially sensitive to alcohol exposure. This damage to the hippocampus explains, in part, deficits in learning and memory that are hallmark symptoms of FASD. The acetylcholine neurotransmitter system plays a major role in learning and memory, and the hippocampus is one of its main targets. This experiment used a rodent model of Fetal …
School Racial Climate And The Academic Achievement Of African American High School Students: The Mediating Role Of School Engagement, Charity Brown Griffin
School Racial Climate And The Academic Achievement Of African American High School Students: The Mediating Role Of School Engagement, Charity Brown Griffin
Theses and Dissertations
African American students in K-12 education experience pervasive disparities in academic outcomes across all areas of the schooling experience. In order to understand the factors that promote academic achievement among individuals who face adversity, researchers have sought to examine how school environmental factors hold influence over students' academic adjustment. Drawing from an integrative model of development for ethnic minority children and a process model of engagement, this investigation explored whether three dimensions of school engagement, behavioral, emotional and cognitive, mediated relationships between school racial climate and academic performance and educational aspirations. These relationships were explored in a sample of 139 …
Project Shine: A Family-Based Intervention For Improving Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, And Diet In African American Adolescents, Sara M. St. George
Project Shine: A Family-Based Intervention For Improving Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, And Diet In African American Adolescents, Sara M. St. George
Theses and Dissertations
This study examined the effects of a family-based intervention for improving moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary behavior (SB), and fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake in African American adolescents. The intervention (Project SHINE: Supporting Health Interactively through Nutrition and Exercise) integrated Social Cognitive (SCT), Self Determination (SDT), and Family Systems Theories (FST) to improve healthy physical activity and dietary behaviors. Behavioral strategies from SCT (i.e., self-monitoring, goal-setting, self-regulatory skill-building), elements involved in facilitating intrinsic motivation for health behavior change from SDT (i.e., autonomy, competence, belongingness), and positive parenting practices from FST for integrating parent and peer systems (e.g., parental monitoring, parent-adolescent …
Testing Bidirectional Contextual Effects Of Adolescent Risk Factors On Young Adulthood Outcomes: A Life Course Perspective To Gangs, Andrea E. Lamont
Testing Bidirectional Contextual Effects Of Adolescent Risk Factors On Young Adulthood Outcomes: A Life Course Perspective To Gangs, Andrea E. Lamont
Theses and Dissertations
Leading theories in developmental science emphasize the role of the individual as an active agent in shaping her or his environment. Yet, most empirical work has focused on unidirectional models, ultimately treating the individual as a passive recipient of environmental risk. Part of this gap between theory and analysis is methodological in nature – i.e., classical statistical methods typically do not allow for the modeling of bidirectional influences or complex longitudinal relations. Recent advancements in longitudinal methodologies, however, expand our ability to answer more nuanced developmental questions. In this dissertation, I demonstrate how advanced longitudinal methods could be used to …