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The Ecology Of Educational Attainment: Resilience Among Black High School Students, Jacqueline O. Davis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Achievement gaps among students of color in the United States are pervasive and persistent. Identifying trajectories of resilience among Black teens is an important step toward promoting their educational attainment. This study identified risk and protective factors at the individual, family, and school levels hypothesized to influence Black high school students’ attainment. The effects of these risk (behavior problems, lack of college planning, and school problems) and protective factors (academic self-efficacy, parent involvement, and academic climate) on Black students’ educational attainment at 10-year follow-up were assessed. The sample included 2,423 Black 10th-grade students who participated in the Education Longitudinal Study …

Cardiodynamic Associations With Resilience In Undergraduate Students And The Effect Of A Mentorship Intervention, Rachel J. Knetsch

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The National College Health Assessment (NCHA) indicates that a majority of Canadian university students report feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious during their undergraduate studies. Resilience refers to positive adaptation, or the ability to maintain or regain mental health, despite experiencing adversity (Herrman et al., 2011). While autonomic indices have been used to describe chronic physiological stress, the role of heart rate variability (HRV) as an index of resilience remains unclear. This research tested the hypotheses that (1) there is a relationship between HRV and resilience scoresand (2) a mentorship intervention will improve HRV and resilience outcomes. Fifty-seven first year students …

Sports As A Resiliency Factor In Native American Youth, Martin Robison

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities face unique issues due to historical and continued colonization, genocide, and forced assimilation (Stumblingbear-Riddle & Romans, 2012). AI/AN youth must address intergenerational trauma related to high rates of adverse childhood life events (Duran, 2006, Waller et al. 2002). Native American youth have the challenge of balancing their individual traditional culture with mainstream culture (Waller et al., 2002). Sports are one way that AI/AN communities are able to express themselves (Bloom, 2000). Participation in high school sports has been associated with various academic and social benefits (Fredricks & Eccles, 2006). Identifying the coping skills and support …

Dietary Curcumin Promotes Resilience To Chronic Social Defeat Stress In A Highly Susceptible Mouse Strain, Antonio V. Aubry

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Chronic exposure to stress is a risk factor for the development of major depression and post traumatic stress disorder in humans and induces depressive- and anxiety-like phenotypes in rodents. However, there are few pharmacological interventions available that effectively treat maladaptive responses to chronic stress in the clinical setting. One therapeutic agent that has recently shown promise in treating psychiatric disorders is curcumin, a yellow-pigmented polyphenol compound found in the turmeric plant. Curcumin has been shown to prevent the development of stressed-induced depressive-like behavior in rodents and reduce symptoms of depression in clinically diagnosed patients. In this dissertation, I investigated whether …

The Mental Health And Resilience Benefits Of Being A Peer Mentor, Gazal Kukreja

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Post-secondary student mental health is a major concern, with students facing increased stress levels and decreased probabilities of engaging in health-promoting behaviours such as physical activity. Peer mentorship programs are one solution. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mental health and resilience outcomes of being a mentor in a year-long, university-based peer mentorship program. Using a mixed methods design, mentors completed quantitative assessments of mental health and resilience pre- and post-mentorship program. Mentors also wrote qualitative self-reflections at the end of the program. Quantitatively, the only statistically significant change was in mentors’ Positive Affect, which increased over …

Pilot Study: Heart Rate Variability Analysis And Mental Health Outcomes In University Female Hockey Players, Kaitlyn Jacobs

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Exercise improves anxiety and depression, both of which are associated with impaired autonomic regulation of heart rate (HR). In turn, HR variability (HRV) is a reliable physiological indicator of external stressors. The following research tested the hypothesis that HRV is indicative of chronic resilience towards mental stress in female varsity hockey players. Seventeen varsity hockey players (HOCK, age 21 ± 1.5) and fifteen healthy controls (CTRL, age 21 ± 2.2) at Western University participated three times throughout a 7-month season. Participants completed questionnaires (brief resilience scale, BRS; generalized anxiety scale, GAD-7; mental health inventory, MHI; visual analog scale, VAS; short …

The Role Of Hardiness In The Relation Between Perceived Daily Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms In Community College Students., Rosamond J. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the current study, perceived daily discrimination (PDD) is conceptualized as a chronic stressor which repeatedly activates a stress response and results in depressive symptoms, per the theory of allostatic load. Psychological hardiness is explored as a potential moderator of the relation between PDD and depressive symptoms, because individuals who repeatedly demonstrate hardiness may be primed for making cognitive reappraisals of potential stressors and/or for mobilizing appropriate coping strategies, thus limiting the body’s repeated stress responses and subsequent depressive symptoms. This cross-sectional survey of a diverse sample of 305 community college students included measures of hardiness (Dispositional Resilience Scale, …

Qualitative Exploration Of Factors Impacting Adjustment In Women Survivors Of Military Sexual Trauma, Rae Anne Marie Frey

Theses and Dissertations

This project draws from posttraumatic growth and resilience theories, as well as Critical Discourse Analysis and utilizes multiple case study to offer an in-depth examination of the military sexual assault experiences across eleven cases of women who served in the Marine Corps, Navy, Army, and Air Force from the 1960s to the present-day military. The cross-case analysis revealed a three-stage model of adjustment including adjustment to the military culture, surviving the sexual assault, and surviving the fallout, as well as the internal characteristics and behaviors women relied on to navigate these stages. While the data yielded pockets of strengths within …

Fostering Positive Emotion Through Self-Compassion In Individuals With Chronic Pain., Melissa E. Ellsworth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research in chronic pain has established that reducing or removing negative aspects of functioning, such as negative emotion, maladaptive thoughts and behaviors are associated with better outcomes in this population. More limited is the research on the role of positive aspects of functioning in those with chronic pain, specifically exploring the benefits of positive emotion and how this can be bolstered in individuals with chronic pain. Limited research to date has explored strategies to promote positive aspects of functioning, including savoring, gratitude, and mindfulness, but even more limited is research exploring the role of self-compassion as a resource for …

Does Self-Regulation Mediate The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Resiliency Related Outcomes?, Alexander J. Mcgregor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Locus of control has been implicated in predicting mental wellbeing outcomes in a variety of theories and empirical studies, however the mediating mechanisms between the trait and mental wellbeing are not well known. The king and Rothstein (2010) model of resiliency posits self-regulation as the active mechanism that leads to recovery in resiliency related outcomes following significant adversity. These self-regulatory processes are predicted by a series of related traits, such as self-efficacy, neuroticism, or conscientiousness. This study investigated the mediating role of affective, behavioral, and cognitive self-regulation between locus of control, depression, and anxiety using mediation analysis. The results indicated …

Therapeutic Theatre With Adolescents At-Risk Of School Dropout, Dan Summer

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of therapeutic theatre, a method of drama therapy, on resilience among adolescents at risk of high school dropout. A mixed method approach was employed to qualitatively examine participant perspectives on resilience and quantitatively measure change in resilience. Participants engaged in weekly after-school drama therapy groups to collaborate on developing themes and a script for a performance to be witnessed by an audience of family and community members. Qualitative and quantitative findings were triangulated and embedded to examine relationships. The Behavioral Assessment System for Children Second Edition (BASC-2) and Resilience Scale …

Beyond The Bench And The Bedside: Examining Women’S Success In Stem Via Active Learning Projects, Sarah E. Thoman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Gender inequality is a persistent challenge in fields related to science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM) in the U.S. The current study aims to advance the literature in a burgeoning area of inquiry by identifying factors that may help to account for women’s success in STEM. To evaluate STEM success, I used a mixed methods design to investigate STEM identity, career identity status, career commitment, and both individual and situational resilience among women undergraduates. Students were engaged in two project-based STEM programs organized at a large, diverse, research intensive university in the Southwest U.S. Associations between resilience and career commitment, …

Climate Communication Through A Community Perspective, Kathryn Mcgee

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This project utilized psychology and science communication strategies to develop creative, locally framed climate change messaging. Through an online survey of 300 Gloucester County, VA residents, community themes of place attachment, environmental connection, risk assessment and climate change acceptance were recorded. Using the results from the survey I created a website, https://guidinggloucester.wixsite.com/home, which serves as an avenue for communicating with Gloucester residents. The website displays the results of the survey, explains climate change information that is relevant to Gloucester County, and gives examples of local actions to help increase engagement in climate solutions. In addition to the website, I …

A Change Of Heart: Internal Narratives, Forgiveness & Health, Keiko Ehret

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

In this thesis I investigate the interconnectedness of forgiveness as a narrative, as a philosophical, religious and cultural phenomenon, and the ways in which forgiveness is increasingly being used as a vehicle for improving health and psychological well-being. By threading together how scholars in a variety of fields have approached these areas of study, we can better understand the way the interdisciplinary nature of forgiveness grants access to heal not merely relationships with others, but also our bodies, our minds, and our relationship with ourselves.

Important to my investigation is understanding that the life circumstances that prompt forgiveness consist of …

The Experience Of Mentors In A Cross-Age Peer Mentoring Program: Exploring The Helper Therapy Principle, Dakari Quimby

Dissertations

Mentoring programs are increasingly popular interventions for promoting positive development in Black youth from high risk environments. Cross-age peer mentoring refers to an older youth serving as a mentor for a younger mentee. Although not as widely studied as adult mentoring, this relationship has been found to have a beneficial effect for both the mentor and mentee. The current study seeks to better illuminate this bidirectional benefit by focusing on one half of the relationship—the experience of cross age peer mentoring by Black American mentors from low income communities. This is an important untapped area of study as peer mentoring …

Longitudinal Relations Between Adhd Symptoms And Substance Use Across The Transition To College And Evaluation Of Promotive And Protective Factors, Melissa R. Dvorsky

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of substance use and related problems increases during adolescence and peaks in young adulthood with substantial increases during the transition from high school to college (Johnston et al., 2018). However, these increases are not universal for all students (White et al., 2006), and there is substantial variation in rates of substance use during the first year of college (Borasri et al., 2007; Frisher et al., 2007). It is important to identify the individual and environmental factors that serve as risk factors for substance use as well as factors that may promote or protect against use during the high …

Predictors Of Resilient Outcomes Among Juvenile Offenders, Kristina A. Mcguire

Theses and Dissertations

Research on resilience has almost completely bypassed the juvenile justice literature. Using data on 1,354 youth from the Pathways to Desistance study, the present study examined associations between individual, community, and familial risk and promotive factors and resilient outcomes, specifically gainful activity, in juvenile offenders. Results of both logistic and hierarchical regression models indicated significant associations between resilient outcomes in each domain: specifically individual (age at first arrest, motivation to succeed), community (geographic location, exposure to violence), and family (socioeconomic status, parental monitoring) predictors. Finally, this paper discusses reasons for non-significant findings and directions for future research on resilience among …

Recovering From Workplace Offenses: Understanding The Roles Of Resilience And Forgiveness, Francisca Saldanha

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Workplace transgressions have been shown to have pervasive and detrimental consequences for employees and organizations. Given these negative consequences, past research has examined how managers and organizations can prevent transgressions from occurring in the first place (i.e., preventive approaches) and how transgressions can be fixed when they do eventually occur (i.e., remedial approaches). However, it is unlikely that transgressions can ever be fully eradicated from organizations and it is doubtful that providing remedies can fully redress the harm that was caused. Accordingly, it is important to complement the preventive and remedial approaches with a deeper understanding of how employees can …

Workplace Bullying From A Nurses Perspective, Dawn Reid White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying has long been associated with school children. In recent years, however, more attention has been paid to the bullying that has reached beyond the playground and into the workforce. One population facing this problem is staff nurses. To date, no one has found an effective way to address workplace bullying in the healthcare field, nor have effective methods been found for retaining trained nurses affected by this problem. The focus of this dissertation was on understanding nurses' lived experiences and how nurses decided to remain in their current working position despite these problems. Taking a phenomenological approach and using …

The Relationship Between Attachment, Self-Regulation, And Resilience In Undergraduate Students' College Adjustment, Scott Tanner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Difficulty adjusting to college life is noted in nearly 20% of freshmen who fail to return to college. The purpose of this quantitative survey design study, grounded in attachment theory, was to investigate the best predictor (e.g., secure parental attachment, self-regulation, or resilience) of college adaptation, the combined contribution of the variables in predicting college adaptation, and whether a bivariate relationship existed between the variables and subcomponents of college adaptation. The Connor Davidson Resilience Scale Revised, Parental Attachment Questionnaire, Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire, and Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire were securely administered online to a sample of 68 full-time students from …

A Phenomenological Exploration Into The Resiliency Of Prostate Cancer Survivors, Luis Eduardo Lacourt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholarly articles related to the physical and emotional effects of prostate cancer treatment and survivorship are abundant. However, few researchers have explored resiliency of prostate cancer survivors through their recovery and survivorship experience. There is a gap in the literature regarding resilience through the lived experiences of prostate cancer survivors. Counselor educators could be better prepared to teach counselors to promote the resilience needs of prostate cancer survivors. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of prostate cancer survivors. Coding analysis of data collected from interviews of 7 participants generated 3 …

Exploring Relationships Between Resilience, Thinking Styles, And Ptsd Scores In Women Veterans, Tanya Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2013, military leadership took action to lift the ban on women participating in combat roles, thus creating a vital need to understand protective cognitive factors in women veterans exposed to combat. There is no prior research examining the relationship between resilience and thinking styles in this population. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to examine the predictive relationship between resilience, measured with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and thinking styles, measured with the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised 2, on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores, measured by PCL-5, in women with combat exposure (CE). A cross-sectional design was used. A …

Discriminant Profile Of Dimensions Of Acquired Disability On Domains Of Posttraumatic Growth, Linda Denise Portis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The transformative process of personal growth following suffering and challenges, or posttraumatic growth (PTG), is limited in persons with acquired disability. The dimensions of acquired disability, as outlined by the World Health Organization, include impairments in body functions, body structures, and growth restrictions in activities and participation. The 5 domains of PTG include personal strength, new possibilities, relating to other people, appreciation of life, and spiritual change. Using discriminant function analysis, the purpose of this quantitative study was to identify a discriminant analysis of the dimensions of acquired disability on the domains of posttraumatic growth. The first research question focused …

Well-Being And Academic Performance In Immigrant Students: The Role Of Inequality Of Country Of Origin And Resilience, Yumiko Yamaguchi

Dissertations and Theses

Abstract

Research on the psychology of immigrants has primarily focused on their socioeconomic status, but has not factored in macroeconomic indicators. These provide a deeper understanding of the stressors experienced by immigrants through the lens of cultural gaps between home and host countries. This study examined predictors of psychological well-being (PWB) and academic performance among 376 immigrant college students by employing Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of development (1994) consisting of four levels of environmental factors: Macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem and microsystem. The results revealed that higher PWB was predicted by mesosystem variables (lower perceived stress, lower acculturative stress) and microsystem variables (higher …

Relationships Among Community Violence Exposure, Physiological Stress Responses, And Resilience In Children, Cheryl Kayleen Best

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study seeks to understand how resilience is affected by physiological stress responses in the context of community violence. The hypothesis of this paper is that physiological indicators of salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) would moderate a relation between community violence exposure in children and the expression of resilience. Forty-nine children aged nine to twelve were recruited from an after-school program located in an area with high levels of community violence. Results supported our hypothesis for sAA as a moderator of the relation between community violence and resilience, such that at high sAA reactivity, a negative relation exists between …

Capitalizing On Positive Emotional Experiences: A Gratitude Intervention As An Emotional Uplift Strategy, Amanda L. Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Positive psychological interventions are well suited to build upon positive experiences to enhance positive affect and coping resources; however, experimental research is limited, especially regarding if and how gratitude practices can bolster positive affect and coping resources. As a result, the purpose of the current research was to determine (a) if self-reports of gratitude traits vary by important demographic categories (i.e., gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, rural status), (b) if gratitude interventions elevate reports of positive affect after accounting for the effects of positive memory recall, and (c) if gratitude interventions contribute to greater elevations on coping resources (i.e., resilience, coping …