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A Qualitative Exploration Of Adolescent Girls' Experience In An Eating Disorder Prevention Curriculum, Jill L. Smedley Jul 2011

A Qualitative Exploration Of Adolescent Girls' Experience In An Eating Disorder Prevention Curriculum, Jill L. Smedley

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders are a widespread problem that affects millions of people each year in the United States. Research-based prevention programs are becoming more and more important as this number rises. This study qualitatively examined the effectiveness of a prevention program called Eating Disorders: Physical, Social, and Emotional Consequences, A High School Curriculum about Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Eating (EDPSEC). Study participants included 10 female students in a ninth grade health class in a junior high school in Utah. The integrity of curriculum administration was analyzed and interviews were conducted. The aim of the interviews was to determine what students who …


Cohesion's Relationship To Outcome In Group Psychotherapy: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Empirical Research, Jennifer Tehani Alonso Jul 2011

Cohesion's Relationship To Outcome In Group Psychotherapy: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Empirical Research, Jennifer Tehani Alonso

Theses and Dissertations

Research has consistently shown group psychotherapy to be an effective form of treatment. Group cohesiveness, the quantity and magnitude of the strength of the bonds within the group, has received considerable attention. This study describes the integration of the cohesion literature using a random effects meta-analysis to ascertain the magnitude of the relationship between cohesion and outcome as well as explore the effect specific group variables have on this association. Studies were included which measured the relationship between groups comprised of at least three members, included both an outcome and cohesion measure convertible to an effect size, and were published …


7- And 12-Month-Olds' Intermodal Recognition Of Affect: 7-Month-Olds Are "Smarter" Than 12-Month-Olds, Mark Oborn Whiteley Jun 2011

7- And 12-Month-Olds' Intermodal Recognition Of Affect: 7-Month-Olds Are "Smarter" Than 12-Month-Olds, Mark Oborn Whiteley

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that by 7-months of age infants demonstrate recognition of emotion by successfully matching faces and voices based on affect in an intermodal matching procedure. It is often assumed that once an ability is present the development of that ability has "ceased." Therefore, no research has examined if and how the ability to match faces and voices based on affect develops after the first 7-months. This study examined how the ability to match faces and voices based on affect changes from 7- to 12-months. Looking at infant's proportion of total looking time (PTLT) results showed that, consistent with …


High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Cyber Bullying Prevention And Intervention Strategies, Sterling V. Stauffer Jun 2011

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Cyber Bullying Prevention And Intervention Strategies, Sterling V. Stauffer

Theses and Dissertations

Results from recent meta-analyses have indicated that bully prevention programs tend to produce little discernable change in student behavior. Possible reasons include a lack of teacher buy-in and teachers' questioning about the effectiveness of such programs. Teacher buy-in is an essential ingredient when implementing and maintaining effective school-based interventions, including bully prevention programs. In order to examine teachers' perceptions, a questionnaire was administered to 66 high school teachers in a western U.S. urban high school. The questionnaire examined teachers' attitudes regarding the impact of cyber bullying on students; which intervening strategies teachers were likely to use when dealing with cyber …


Indigenous Women College Students' Perspectives On College, Work, And Family, Jennie L. Bingham Jun 2011

Indigenous Women College Students' Perspectives On College, Work, And Family, Jennie L. Bingham

Theses and Dissertations

Native American and First Nations (hereafter referred to as indigenous) women college students are faced with a challenge to balance both their culture and the demands of the dominant Western culture in family, school, and work/employment roles. The presence of indigenous women in higher education and in the work force has increased since World War II. While there is an abundance of literature on work-family balance and work-family conflict, with some focus on the perspectives and expectations of college-aged students, there is a dearth in both of these areas with regards to indigenous populations. In order to begin to …


Perceived Racism And Mental Health: A Meta-Analytic Review, Hokulea D. Conklin Jun 2011

Perceived Racism And Mental Health: A Meta-Analytic Review, Hokulea D. Conklin

Theses and Dissertations

The present study provides a synthesis of extant research examining the association between perceived racism and mental health. The aims of this study were to identify the overall magnitude of this association and to elaborate on the possible influence of participant characteristics (acculturation level, age, gender, race, education, and socioeconomic status) and study characteristics (year of data collection, geographic region of the study, and research design) in moderating this association. A total of 130 studies were included in the final analysis. The omnibus effect size for this meta-analysis was r = -.188 (p < .001), which indicates that higher instances of perceived racism were associated with lower levels of mental health. The overall magnitude of this association suggests a moderately small relationship between these two constructs. None of the participant characteristics moderated the results. However, studies conducted in more recent years appeared to be associated with effect sizes of greater negative magnitude than studies conducted in previous years. The implications of these findings for multicultural psychology are discussed and suggestions regarding future research in this area are presented.


A Quantitative Analysis Of An Eating Disorder Prevention Program, Rachel Gayle Doyle Jun 2011

A Quantitative Analysis Of An Eating Disorder Prevention Program, Rachel Gayle Doyle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a preventative curriculum entitled Eating Disorders: Physical, Social, and Emotional Consequences, A High School Curriculum about Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Eating (EDPSEC), a preventative curriculum for eating disorders. Participants included an experimental group of 72 students enrolled in a ninth grade health class and a control group of 39 ninth grade students enrolled in a physical education class. The research examined the administration integrity of the curriculum and participating students' change in eating attitudes and behaviors according to group membership. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the Eating Survey …


Biculturalism Among Indigenous College Students, Colton Duane Miller Jun 2011

Biculturalism Among Indigenous College Students, Colton Duane Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Indigenous* college students in both Canada and the United States have the lowest rates of obtaining postsecondary degrees, and their postsecondary dropout rates are higher than for any other minority (Freeman & Fox, 2005; Mendelson, 2004; Reddy, 1993). There has been very little research done to uncover possible reasons for such low academic achievement and high dropout rates for Indigenous students. Some of the research that has been done indicates that one challenge for Indigenous students is the difficulty in navigating the cultural differences between higher education and their Indigenous cultures. Biculturalism is the ability of an individual to …


Communal And Exchange Relationships In Marriage And Their Effects On Ambulatory Blood Pressure In Caucasians And Foreign-Born Mexican Americans, Bryan J. Jensen Jun 2011

Communal And Exchange Relationships In Marriage And Their Effects On Ambulatory Blood Pressure In Caucasians And Foreign-Born Mexican Americans, Bryan J. Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

Research shows Mexican Americans typically have better cardiovascular health than European Americans, despite being relatively economically disadvantaged. Given research indicating the importance of relationship quality on one's health, the present study examined whether certain relationship orientations (e.g. communal or exchange) were more prevalent in different ethnic groups and if these orientations could help explain this Hispanic Paradox. 582 adults were recruited from the community. Participants were primarily European American (40%) and foreign-born Mexican Americans (55%). A cross-sectional designed was used where participants wore 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitors and completed self-report measures of relationship satisfaction and relationship orientation. Results …


The Protective Role Of Psychological Empowerment On Tobacco Use Behaviors, Brittany Berry May 2011

The Protective Role Of Psychological Empowerment On Tobacco Use Behaviors, Brittany Berry

Theses and Dissertations

THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT ON TOBACCO USE BEHAVIORS By: Brittany M. Berry, B.A. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Major Director: Aashir Nasim Associate Professor Department of Psychology The primary aim of this study was to determine the protective effects of psychological empowerment (i.e., the belief that one has the knowledge, capabilities, and authority to be an active agent in their own life and in the surrounding community) on the tobacco use behaviors of young adults. A secondary aim was …


Parent-Child Communication About Substance Use: Experiences Of Latino Emerging Adults, Kathryn Reid-Quiñones May 2011

Parent-Child Communication About Substance Use: Experiences Of Latino Emerging Adults, Kathryn Reid-Quiñones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current studies was to identify messages that Latino parents communicate to their offspring about the use of legal and illegal drugs and to determine associations between parental messages and substance use outcomes. Previous research has identified parent-child communication as protective against tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. However, most of these studies have failed to examine the specific messages communicated and those that have focused almost exclusively on non-Hispanic Caucasians. Study 1 identified messages that Latino parents communicate to their offspring regarding legal and illegal drugs through two focus groups with Latino college students (N = …


Social Support Received Online And Offline By Individuals Diagnosed With Cancer, Jessye Cohen May 2011

Social Support Received Online And Offline By Individuals Diagnosed With Cancer, Jessye Cohen

Theses and Dissertations

Life after treatment for cancer has become a primary focus for health service provider communities as the number of individuals living longer grows. The medical and psychosocial needs of cancer survivors have been prominent in the popular and scientific literature. A major focus for psychologists has been the relationships and social support networks of individuals diagnosed with cancer. The current study explored a recent phenomenon within this realm, the use of Internet resources for online support. The purpose of this study was to compare social support received online and social support received offline among people diagnosed with cancer who use …


The Impact Of Overt And Relational Victimization On Adolescents' Well Being: Moderating Effects Of Ethnicity At The Individual And School Level, Krista Mehari May 2011

The Impact Of Overt And Relational Victimization On Adolescents' Well Being: Moderating Effects Of Ethnicity At The Individual And School Level, Krista Mehari

Theses and Dissertations

The sociocultural influence of ethnicity on peer victimization among youth has received little attention in the research literature. Individual ethnicity within school ethnic composition may influence the frequency of victimization and the effect of victimization on adolescents’ well being. The current study investigated these issues using a data set of 5,581 sixth grade students attending 37 schools located in four sites. Multilevel models examined the extent to which individual ethnicity within school ethnic composition influenced the frequency and impact of overt and relational victimization on changes in life satisfaction. Ethnic differences were found in the frequency of victimization, but these …


Meaning Maintenance In Close Relationships, Daryl R. Van Tongeren May 2011

Meaning Maintenance In Close Relationships, Daryl R. Van Tongeren

Theses and Dissertations

The human motivation for meaning has been a longstanding topic of inquiry, and recent research has begun to investigate how individuals maintain a sense of meaning in life. Given the importance of social connectedness in human life, as well as the role of relationships in providing a sense of meaningfulness, the present investigation explored meaning maintenance within the domain of close relationships. Specifically, a theoretical model for interpersonal meaning maintenance is presented, which proposes that moral actions—particularly forgiveness—are oriented toward restoring relationship quality, and, in turn, meaning in life, in the wake of interpersonal transgressions. The tenets of this model …


Turning To The Bottle For Answers: Identifying Racial Differences In Predictors Of Risk Drinking Among College Women, Melody Mickens May 2011

Turning To The Bottle For Answers: Identifying Racial Differences In Predictors Of Risk Drinking Among College Women, Melody Mickens

Theses and Dissertations

Epidemiological data suggest that alcohol use and related problems have increased among college women. The current study examined psychosocial predictors of risk drinking in a sample of college women (N=360), whether race moderated this relationship. Potential predictors included: daily smoker; premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptom severity; age at first alcohol use, negative affect, parental history of alcohol problems and minority status. Analyses found that somatic PMS symptom severity score, age of first alcohol use, daily smoking, age of first alcohol use and non-minority status were related. Findings suggest that minority group membership was associated with low risk drinking, while somatic PMS …


Attitude Alignment Among Couples In The Face Of Belonging Threat, Chelsea Reid May 2011

Attitude Alignment Among Couples In The Face Of Belonging Threat, Chelsea Reid

Theses and Dissertations

The present research sought to expand upon previous research demonstrating that individuals shift their attitudes to match the attitudes of their romantic partner. This research examined whether attitude alignment is influenced, in part, by belonging threats. Participants reported their attitudes about social issues and were randomly assigned to receive a belonging threat (or acceptance) in the form of feedback about their future relationships prior to discussing issues about which they disagreed with their partner. Partners discussed issues that were central to self - peripheral to partner and peripheral to self - central to partner. Attitude alignment was measured following discussion …


Discriminative Stimulus Properties Of 3-Substituent Rimonabant Analogs, D. Matthew Walentiny Apr 2011

Discriminative Stimulus Properties Of 3-Substituent Rimonabant Analogs, D. Matthew Walentiny

Theses and Dissertations

Cannabinoid agonists (e.g., THC) dose-dependently decrease locomotor activity and body temperature and produce antinociception and catalepsy. Drugs that produce this tetrad of effects within a limited dose range are likely to function as CB1 receptor agonists. A structure activity relationship study from our laboratory investigating analogs of the CB1 antagonist rimonabant revealed that certain alterations in the 3-substituent of rimonabant’s pyrazole core conferred agonist-like properties in the tetrad. Interestingly, these effects were present in CB1 -/- mice, and were not reversed by rimonabant in wild-type mice. The present study evaluated two novel 3-substituent rimonabant analogs, O-6629 and O-6658 in the …


The Influence Of Family Structure And Transitions On Parenting, Income, Residential Mobility, And Substance Initiation In Early Adolescence: A Comparison Of Caucasian And African American Youth, Sally Mays Apr 2011

The Influence Of Family Structure And Transitions On Parenting, Income, Residential Mobility, And Substance Initiation In Early Adolescence: A Comparison Of Caucasian And African American Youth, Sally Mays

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of family structure on youth adjustment has received increasing attention as historical trends in single parenting, divorce, remarriage, and cohabitation with partners and extended family members have produced a diverse constellation of structures. African American youth are less likely than Caucasian youth to live in an “intact” family. Links between family structure and a variety of indices of youth adjustment have been established, although a relatively understudied outcome is that of substance initiation, despite its association with dependence and other negative sequelae. The dynamic effect of transitions has additionally been less studied than the static effect of structure. …


Assessment Of Diabetes Regimen Disease Care In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes Via The Diabetes Behavior Rating Scale And The 24-Hour Diabetes Interview, Kathryn Maher Apr 2011

Assessment Of Diabetes Regimen Disease Care In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes Via The Diabetes Behavior Rating Scale And The 24-Hour Diabetes Interview, Kathryn Maher

Theses and Dissertations

The psychometric properties of two measures of diabetes disease care, the Diabetes Behavior Rating Scale (DBRS) and the 24-hr Diabetes Interview (24-hr) were evaluated. The 24-hr is a widely used, structured interview while the DBRS is a self-administered, fixed-choice questionnaire. Both measures were administered to 250 youth with Type 1 Diabetes (aged 11–14 years) and their parents. Overall, both measures demonstrate adequate psychometric properties. The DBRS and the 24-hr demonstrated good incremental validity and low convergent validity with each adding significant additive value. Both measures demonstrated good concurrent validity with HbA1c. As expected, scores on the 24-hr demonstrated less than …


Developmental Trajectories Of Physical And Relational Aggression And Their Relation To Delinquency And Substance Use In Adolescence, Denicia Titchner Apr 2011

Developmental Trajectories Of Physical And Relational Aggression And Their Relation To Delinquency And Substance Use In Adolescence, Denicia Titchner

Theses and Dissertations

Although researchers studying adolescent aggression have proposed a conceptual distinction between physical and relational aggression, there is contradictory evidence regarding the degree to which they differ in their trajectories and relations to other outcomes. This study explored the importance of differentiating between these two forms of aggression based on comparisons of their trajectories, relation with each other, impact on delinquency and substance use, and gender differences. Data were collected as part of the Multisite Violence Prevention Project, conducted at 19 middle schools from four sites with a predominantly low-income, minority sample of students (N = 2,822). Growth curves showed significant …


Suc Khoe La Quan Trong Hon Sac Dep! Health Is Better Than Beauty! Improving Breast And Cervical Cancer Screening Outcomes Among Vietnamese Women, Anh Nguyen Apr 2011

Suc Khoe La Quan Trong Hon Sac Dep! Health Is Better Than Beauty! Improving Breast And Cervical Cancer Screening Outcomes Among Vietnamese Women, Anh Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

Vietnamese women experience cancer screening disparities and inconsistent adherence to screening guidelines. The goal of this study was to implement and evaluate a breast and cervical cancer screening intervention to promote cancer screening knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, intention, and behavior for Vietnamese women. Secondary objectives of the study included examining the relationships between cultural variables (e.g., acculturation, ethnic identity, religiosity, and collectivism) and cancer screening variables. The study enrolled 102 women from the greater Richmond metropolitan area. Participants were assigned to an intervention group or a print material control group. In the intervention session, participants were exposed to information on female …


What It Means To Be A Man: Masculinity, Sexual Risk-Taking, And Hiv Testing Behavior Among Heterosexual African American Males, Jessica Johnson Apr 2011

What It Means To Be A Man: Masculinity, Sexual Risk-Taking, And Hiv Testing Behavior Among Heterosexual African American Males, Jessica Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

HIV/AIDS is a growing concern in the African American community. From 2005 to 2008, there was a 12% increase in HIV/AIDS diagnoses among African Americans (CDC, 2010a). African American males have higher rates of HIV/AIDS diagnoses than any other ethnic or racial groups. In 2006, 65% of the HIV/AIDS cases among African Americans were from adult males (CDC, 2010a). These higher rates are in part attributed to higher levels of sexual risk-taking including unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners, and sex with high-risk partners. African American adult men get tested at almost the same rate (52%) as African American women …


Adapting Evidence-Based Treatments For Youth In A Community Mental Health Setting: Single Case Design, Alexis Quinoy Apr 2011

Adapting Evidence-Based Treatments For Youth In A Community Mental Health Setting: Single Case Design, Alexis Quinoy

Theses and Dissertations

This single-case design study examined the effectiveness of adapting evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for children in a community clinic through a university-community partnership. Community clinic therapists treated eight youths (five males), ages 10 to 14, of whom four were Caucasian, two were Latino, one was African-American, and one was Caucasian/African-American. Youths presented with a primary diagnosis of a DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) internalizing disorder (plus multiple comorbidities). An adapted treatment combining multiple elements based on two primary treatment manuals: Coping Cat (Kendall et al., 1990) and PASCET (Weisz et al., 1999) was used. Youths with comorbid externalizing symptoms were also …


Sweet Mercy: A Scientific Investigation, Aubrey Gartner Apr 2011

Sweet Mercy: A Scientific Investigation, Aubrey Gartner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the following studies is to understand the factors that are related to and influence a person’s merciful behavior toward an offender. I define mercy as an act by a person who has the authority to do so that administers or recommends less negative consequence or punishment than is deserved by someone justly deserved. In Study 1, undergraduate students (N = 400) completed the Mercy Meter, a self-report measure of mercy. The Mercy Meter’s scale structure and psychometric properties were examined using Item Response Theory Rasch Analysis. A 14-item, 2-factor scale was established with good psychometric properties. Evidence …


The Influence Of Perceptual Accuracy On Willingness To Seek Help Among College Freshmen, Kathryn Conley Apr 2011

The Influence Of Perceptual Accuracy On Willingness To Seek Help Among College Freshmen, Kathryn Conley

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: The current study explored the applicability of the social norms approach to a new domain of study: psychological help-seeking. A number of questions that must be answered to determine whether the social norms model can be applied effectively to the help-seeking domain guided the study. METHOD: Data were collected from freshmen at five colleges and universities in the Mid-Atlantic region (N = 3021) during freshman orientation week. The study used a cross sectional design to examine personal attitudes and behaviors related to help-seeking as well as perceptions about others’ attitudes and behaviors related to help-seeking. RESULTS: Most participants reported …


Relations Between Violence Exposure, Threat Appraisal, And Coping Among Typologies Of Victimized Adolescents, Katherine Taylor Apr 2011

Relations Between Violence Exposure, Threat Appraisal, And Coping Among Typologies Of Victimized Adolescents, Katherine Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

According to the transactional theory of stress and coping, threat appraisals influence coping and adjustment. Previous research has shown that threat appraisals mediate relations between violence exposure and adjustment, but few studies have examined links between threat appraisals and coping. The current study examined relations between violence exposure, threat appraisals, and coping among typologies of victimized adolescents. The sample included 159 predominately African American adolescents (M = 12.1). Path analyses were used to test whether threats of negative evaluation by self and others mediated relations between violence exposure and avoidance and positive reframing coping, respectively. Results did not indicate mediation …


Do Body Image And Gender Role Attitudes Mediate The Relationship Between Media Exposure And Sexual Risk Behavior In College Students?, Vivian Rodriguez Apr 2011

Do Body Image And Gender Role Attitudes Mediate The Relationship Between Media Exposure And Sexual Risk Behavior In College Students?, Vivian Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Despite growing awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and educational efforts to provide accurate information about sexually transmitted diseases (STD), young adults continue to engage in risky sexual practices that increase their vulnerability of acquiring an STD, including inconsistent condom use. Research has gathered ample evidence to suggest that the media, in particular television consumption, is directly linked with sexual risk, yet less is known about the potential mechanisms that may be driving this link. The present study examines body image and gender role attitudes as two potential mediators of this relationship. Three-hundred and four undergraduate students (73% female; 64% White) …


Violations Of The Divine: Forgiveness Of Ingroup Transgressors Within Church Congregations Of The Christian Faith, Chelsea Greer Apr 2011

Violations Of The Divine: Forgiveness Of Ingroup Transgressors Within Church Congregations Of The Christian Faith, Chelsea Greer

Theses and Dissertations

Research on forgiveness has been expanding rapidly in the last decade with a subset of studies looking at how religious people forgive. A discrepancy persists between Christians’ level of valuing forgiveness and forgiveness of actual transgressions. Several methodological issues and offense-specific variables have been presented as explanations. This present thesis examines the role of the congregation as a group identity, and applies it to a theory of relational spirituality, as a measure of the relationship between a victim and the Sacred. No existing research has polled congregants about offense-specific forgiveness of church peers. I collected data from members of Christian …


Longitudinal Changes In The Corpus Callosum Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury As Assessed By Volumetric Mri And Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Trevor Chuang Kuo Wu Apr 2011

Longitudinal Changes In The Corpus Callosum Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury As Assessed By Volumetric Mri And Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Trevor Chuang Kuo Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Atrophy of the corpus callosum (CC) is a documented consequence of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), which has been expressed as volume loss using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Other advanced imaging modalities such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have also detected white matter microstructural alteration following TBI in the CC. The manner and degree to which macrostructural changes such as volume and microstructural changes develop over time following pediatric TBI and their relation to a measure of processing speed is the focus of this longitudinal investigation. As such, DTI and volumetric changes of the CC in participants with TBI …


Age Differences In Long-Term Adjustment And Psychosocial Outcomes In A Large Multi-Site Sample 5-10 Years After Heart Transplant, Andrea Shamaskin Apr 2011

Age Differences In Long-Term Adjustment And Psychosocial Outcomes In A Large Multi-Site Sample 5-10 Years After Heart Transplant, Andrea Shamaskin

Theses and Dissertations

Research on age differences in heart transplant patients has focused primarily on medical outcomes, with mixed findings regarding mortality and morbidity rates and limited research regarding age differences in psychosocial and quality of life outcomes. To gain a more complete understanding of psychosocial adjustment after heart transplant, this study examined age differences in: satisfaction with quality of life, satisfaction with social support, depressive symptoms, negative affect, symptom distress, stress related to heart transplant, overall health functioning, coping strategies, and aspects of adherence. Results indicate that older patients, compared to younger patients, report better adjustment and quality of life across numerous …