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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 …

Supporting Utah's Parents In Preventing Adolescent Suicide: A Literature Review And Handouts For Utah's Youth Suicide Prevention Manual, Jennifer L. Whicker

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide, a public health problem on a global scale, has become the focus in many domains across the United States. With the recent push to provide solutions to the adolescent suicide rate in the U.S., the school setting has become an important venue for prevention and intervention efforts. While there are many risk and protective factors, the majority of suicide completions are concurrent with psychiatric disorders among adolescents; as such, this is an area that warrants further investigation. Additionally, school resources are often overwhelmed by the magnitude of need among the student population; therefore, effective interventions must be identified that …

Deep Play, Urban Space, Adolescent Place: A Multi-Sited Study Of The Effects Of Settings On Adolescent Risk/Reward Behavior, Benjamin A. Shirtcliff

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The extant literature on the play behavior of youth normalizes adolescent behavior in public space as transgressional, resistant, and in need of social control. The dissertation counters this trend by looking to see if physical qualities, peer effects, and neighborhood context of settings play a deeper role in youth behavior. The study documented urban context, peer effects, physical features, and play behavior across 21 urban settings in New Orleans. Unobtrusive observations employed a highly innovative technique based on YouTube videos and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Coded observations of risk-taking and prosocial behavior demonstrated some stability in behavior amongst adolescents—“youth” …

Parental And Family Predictors Of Adolescent Weight Loss And Health Change In A Multidisciplinary Obesity Intervention, Jacqueline Woods

Theses and Dissertations

The home environment, parental health attitudes, and parental diet and exercise behaviors have been associated with childhood obesity. The current study utilized a family systems framework to examine the effect of these variables on weight and health changes in a primarily Black sample of 530 parent-adolescent dyads enrolled in a multidisciplinary weight loss intervention. Parent-reported psychosocial variables and demographic information were used to test models predicting changes in adolescents’ body mass index, cholesterol, and percentage body fat over the first six months of the intervention. The effect of parent participation in a psycho-education parent group on adolescent health outcomes was …

Brains, Beads And Boulders: Trauma-Informed Sensory Interventions For Adolescents, Gini Christine Trotter

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

For beginning counselors there was minimal training in academic programs to address client experiences with trauma and the value of sensory interventions in treatment. The purpose of this literature review and compilation of adventure-based and creative arts interventions was to provide an understanding of trauma for adolescents from a neurobiological perspective, to provide assessment tools, a selection of sensory-based interventions for use within counseling sessions, and resources relevant to the beginning counselor. Steele and Kuban (2011) describe the experience of trauma as feeling completely unsafe and powerless. Interventions, then, should focus on repairing a sense of safety and power. To …

Latent Classes Of Self-Reported Adolescent Depression In A Clinical In-Patient Population, Jonathan F. Doti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The depressive disorders are among the most common mental health problems with substantial financial and quality-of-life costs. Depression has generated considerable debate as to the underlying structure/taxonomy and continues to be frequently debated. Adolescents who meet diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder often experience anxiety (and vice versa). Therefore, understanding the underlying structure of depression as well as the co-occurrence of anxiety in a population of adolescents adds to our conceptual understanding of these disorders and facilitates treatment clarity.

This investigation sought to investigate the following research questions for adolescents’ self-reported symptoms of depression, and self-reported symptoms of depression and …

Characterization Of The Behavioral, Biochemical And Molecular Indices Of Stress Produced By Nicotine Exposure And Withdrawal In Male And Female Rats, Oscar Valentin Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Tobacco use is a major economic and health problem. Particularly concerning is that women consume more tobacco products, have a more difficult time quitting, and are less likely to benefit from cessation therapies than men. As a result, women are at higher risk of developing tobacco-related diseases. Women are generally more susceptible to stress and are more likely to cope with stress by smoking as compared to men. During abstinence, women also experience intense anxiety as compared to men and report that the anxiety-reducing effects of smoking are the main reason for continued use and relapse. Thus, stress produced …

Examining Gender And Socio-Economic Status On The Emotional Intelligence Of Early Adolescents, Alicea J. Davis

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine emotional intelligence and its impact on the maturational process of male and female early-adolescent youth. Demographic variables, such gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and educational status were, valued against emotionality factors such as intrapersonal stress, interpersonal stress, adaptability, general mood, and overall emotional intelligence (EQ). The study utilized a non-experimental, correlational design examining archival data. The participants consisted of approximately, early adolescent fifth-grade students aged 10-13 years. The participants were administered the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (BarOn EQ-I:YV) and a demographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the population sample. A Pearson …

The Relationship Between Cognitive Distortions And Risk To Sexually Re-Offend In Adolescents: Comparing Three Levels Of Treatment, Christina D. Haldaman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between cognitive distortions, risk to sexually re-offend, and length of time in treatment, and psychopathy. This study investigated differential treatment effects across three different treatment modalities to gain a better understanding of cognitive distortions in the treatment of adolescent sexual offenders. Literature has theorized that a fundamental aspect of sex offender treatment is addressing these cognitive distortions. Archival data from an existing database were collected from 99 adolescent males between the ages of 12 and 18. Of these adolescents, 51.5% were Caucasian; 28.3% were Latino; 10% were African American; 8.1% were Bi-racial, and 2% were …

A Dual-Factor Model Of Mental Health In High School Students: Group Characteristics And Social Functioning, Amanda Lynn Thalji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A dual-factor model of psychological functioning examines the presence of wellness (i.e., subjective well-being; SWB) and psychopathology (i.e., internalizing and externalizing behavior problems) in explaining youth mental health functioning. Using a dual-factor model, previous research has yielded four unique groups of elementary and middle school youth as well as college-age adults with distinct levels of wellness and psychopathology. The present empirical investigation included valid data from 500 adolescents from two high schools (grades 9 to 11). This exploratory study produced four groups of students with unique mental health profiles aligned with previous studies investigating the dual-factor model. Tukey-Kramer comparisons determined …

A Longitudinal Examination Of High School Students' Group Membership In A Dual-Factor Model Of Mental Health: Stability Of Mental Health Status And Predictors Of Change, Melanie M. Mcmahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A dual-factor model of mental health includes indicators of wellness (i.e., subjective well-being; SWB) and psychopathology (i.e., internalizing and externalizing behavior problems) in defining youth mental health. In this model, four categories of psychological functioning with distinct levels of SWB and psychopathology emerge, including two that are overlooked (i.e., Vulnerable and Symptomatic but Content) in traditional assessments that assume SWB and psychopathology are opposite ends of the same continuum. The present study investigated the 1-year stability of adolescent mental health as classified by a dual-factor model, and identified predictors of stability and change, in a sample of 425 high school …

Self-Regulation: The Link Between Academic Motivation And Executive Function In Urban Youth, Sara Ferry Walker

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The present study investigated the relationship between academic motivation and executive function skills through teacher reports of prototypical students, perceived to lack motivation. Second, the study examined the effect of grade level (i.e., elementary, middle, high) on both teacher-perceived academic motivation and executive function skills for these prototypical students. It was hypothesized that there were significant relationships between executive function processes and academic motivation. It was also hypothesized that due to the decline in academic engagement during adolescence, middle school and high school teachers would perceive higher levels of executive dysfunction and deficits in academic motivation than would elementary teachers. …

Evaluating The Mindfulness-Based And Cognitive-Behavior Therapy For Anger Management Program, Brett Pellegrino

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Problems related to adolescents who present with extreme anger, disruptive behavior, and aggression is an ever increasing concern for school officials (Christner, Friedberg & Sharp, 2006). There continues to be a need for effective interventions that can be utilized within the school setting to assist adolescents with anger management difficulties. This study examined changes in anger management difficulties and mindfulness for four high school students who participated in the Mindfulness-Based and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Anger Management Program (Kelly, 2006). The data were generated through pre and post assessments with the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory, Second Edition Child and Adolescent …