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Laughing Through The Pain: An Analysis Of Dark Humor In Trauma-And-Crisis-Centered Occupations, Zoe R. Potter

University Honors Theses

The use of dark, or "black" humor by professionals in trauma-and-crisis-centered occupations is common, with fields such as healthcare, crime, emergency response, and social work reporting frequent use of dark humor on the job. Using a literature review approach, peer-review articles were examined to understand the function that dark humor plays in trauma-and-crisis-centered fields. The findings suggest that dark humor acts as a coping mechanism, and contributes to various group dynamics between colleagues. The literature was also reviewed for the effects that dark humor has on patients or people in contact with trauma-and-crisis personnel. While some preliminary findings point to …

Parenting And Children's Academic Coping As A Dynamic System: Feedforward, Feedback, And Mediators Of Changes Across The School Year, Kristen Elizabeth Raine

Dissertations and Theses

Using a motivational framework based in self-determination theory, the present study investigated the dynamic system between parenting and children's coping, defined as the ways they handle the everyday difficulties they encounter in school, using a sample of 1,020 students in grades three through six drawn from a larger cohort-sequential study. Three overarching research questions were examined using multiple regression that concerned 1) feedforward effects from parents' initial provision of motivational support (i.e., involvement, structure, and autonomy support) to changes in children's academic coping across the school year, 2) feedback effects from children's initial coping to changes in the same parenting …

Mothers' Drinking Motives, Sheila Kathleen Umemoto

Dissertations and Theses

Increases in women's excessive alcohol use are leading to concerns about a developing public health problem since, for women, it takes fewer years and lower doses to develop a range of alcohol-induced health problems. Maternal status is generally considered protective against alcohol use; however, this effect is weakened by multiple social role strain, leading to higher stress and negative affect, and subsequent coping-related alcohol use. Given that the majority of mothers with young children are working or looking for work (72.3%; BLS, 2021), it is likely that the combination of competing demands and expectations associated with multiple roles of parent, …

Adjustment To College And Alcohol-Related Problems Among Student Veterans : Is Social Support A Buffer?, Lindsay Claire Buckner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

U.S. Military veterans are increasingly represented on college campuses nationwide and, like their civilian peers, appear to be at risk for heavy alcohol use and its related problems. Qualitative research indicates that the college experience is fraught for many student veterans, owing to difficulty with adjustment to the social, academic, or emotional challenges unique to a higher education setting. Adjustment to college appears to be a risk factor for alcohol-related problems in civilian college students, but the extent to which this relation generalizes to student veterans is unknown. The current study sought to (1) determine the unique effects of alcohol …

An Expansion Of A Model Of Depression In Multiple Sclerosis : Emotion Regulation And Coping As Moderators Of The Relationship Between Functional Disability And Adjustment To Disease, Elizabeth W. Raffanello

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediate disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS), producing a range of physical and emotional symptoms. Psychological disorders, particularly depression and anxiety, are common in MS, but only partially accounted for by MS symptoms. The associations between common MS sequelae (e.g., fatigue, pain, disability) and mental health indicators are weak and inconsistent, suggesting the presence of moderators. This research study examined two possible moderators of the association between MS sequelae and adjustment to disease: emotion regulation and coping. Emotion regulation refers to the processes used to modulate emotional experiences. It is closely related to coping, …

Comparing Stress Levels And Coping Styles In College Athletes And Non-Athletes, Melanie Martin

Honors Theses

The way individuals manage their stress levels impacts their everyday functioning. In addition to general life stressors, college athletes and college students have athletic and academic performances riding on their ability to cope with the wide variety of daily stressors. This study aimed to primarily look at the differences in stress levels and coping styles between college athletes and non-athletes. Additionally, the current research examined gender differences between the two groups regarding coping styles. College athletes did not report higher levels of perceived stress nor more positive coping styles than non-athletes as measured by the COPE questionnaire. There were significant …

Depression And Anxiety In Emerging Adults : The Impact Of Executive Function And Coping, Elisabeth J. O'Rourke

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Emerging adulthood is a developmental period marked by increased anxiety related to academic, social, and professional stressors. The ability to successfully cope with stress is strongly negatively related to mental health outcomes. Furthermore, recent studies indicate a connection between executive function impairment, anxiety and depression. The current study examines executive functioning (EF), coping, anxiety, and depression in a sample of 210 emerging adults (NMales = 131, Mage = 19.14). Additionally, the relation between EF and coping is explored. Finally, coping’s effect on the relation between EF and outcome (anxiety and depression) is investigated. The results demonstrate that males and females …

How Do Students Appraise And Cope With Episodic Stressors : A Four-Wave Study, Jingyi Huang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Stress is a dynamic process. For episodic task-related stressors, four stages – the anticipatory stage, the confronting stage, the waiting stage, and the outcome stage – can be defined. Using a student sample, in this study I employed a longitudinal design to examine how exam-related coping unfolds across these stages, how perceived control predicts the use of coping strategies, and how personality moderates the relations between perceived control and the selection of coping strategies. The results show that across time behavioral disengagement and substance use had a convex trajectory, and that seeking of emotional social support and positive reinterpretation had …

Self-Shock : The Experience Of Individuals Relocating Within The United States, Michelle Mieko Kaiulani Daggett

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the experience of relocation on self-identity. More specifically, this study focused on the concept of self-shock, the idea that being in a foreign environment impacts an individual’s ability to maintain a consistent identity. This research was based on 12 interviews that were conducted via video-conferencing call or in-person with individuals who have relocated domestically for the first time within the United States. The findings of this study suggest that individuals relocating domestically within the United States can and do experience self-shock. One reason for conducting this study is because relocating is commonplace within the United States …

Work-Life Balance, Identity Salience And Break Taking Behaviors In Indian Expatriates, Pooja Bangalore Vijayakumar

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study focuses on the challenges faced by Indian expatriates working in the IT industry in the USA. It specifically examines participants’ work-nonwork role relationship quality, identity salience, and break taking behaviors. The sample for this study consisted of 415 Indian expatriates working in the IT industry. A computational tool called PROCESS was used to test the path analysis-based moderation and mediation analyses and their integrated form of conditional process models to determine whether work-nonwork role relationship quality mediates the relationship between work-related stressor and wellbeing. The relationships among work-related stressors, work-nonwork role relationship quality, and wellbeing were examined, while …

How Coping, Ptsd And Treatment Preferences Interact?, Martha Mae Golubski

ETD Archive

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder characterized by symptoms of intrusive recollection, avoidance or numbing, and hyper arousal following being exposed to a traumatic event involving threatened or actual death or serious injury (4th ed., text rev, DSM-IV-TR American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Those with PTSD, employ a variety of coping strategies to deal with the symptoms following their trauma exposure. Across studies, it has been found that coping styles which are active have a positive effect on both physical and psychological health (Gil & Caspi, 2005 Lazarus & Moskowits, 2004 Olff, Langeland, & Gersons, 2005). However, avoidance coping …

Coping With Negative Emotion In Middle Childhood : Relationship To Temperament And Psychopathology, Kristen Uhl

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Children are exposed to various stressors throughout development. Research has demonstrated that childhood stressors can negatively affect adjustment, and that children's temperament and coping impact the effects of stress on adjustment. The current study examines children's coping responses to situations eliciting anger, sadness, fear, and worry in a sample of 191 children (102 boys, 89 girls; mean age = 9.57 years, SD=0.57) recruited from a suburban school district. Additionally, the predictive relationship of temperament variables on coping strategy use is explored. Finally, coping and temperament's effect on the development of psychopathology is investigated. Results show that children reported using more …

Emotion Regulation And Strain In Corrections Officers: Examining The Role Of Recovery Experiences And Coping Mechanisms, Frankie Guros

Dissertations and Theses

Research has begun to identify recovery experiences during nonwork time as an important mechanism explaining the relationship between job characteristics and strain (Geurts & Sonnentag, 2006; Kinnunen, Feldt, Siltaloppi, Sonnentag, 2011). Corrections officers face challenges unique to their occupation (Armstrong & Griffin, 2004) that may contribute to the high levels of strain that currently characterize their occupation (i.e., short life expectancy, high suicide rates; Spinaris & Denhof, 2011; Stack & Tsoudis, 1997). Though previous research has not examined emotion regulation, recovery experiences, and coping within corrections officers, these constructs may be of particular importance to an occupation that requires employees …

A Parent Education Curriculum For Families With An Autism Spectrum Disorders Child, Amber Marie Vela

Theses Digitization Project

This project provides a comprehensive, parenting education program that focuses on educating parents of young newly-diagnosed ASD children about coordinated services, supporting the family to promote the ASD child's growth and development, and supporting the family system during critical early years.

The Effect Of Environmental And Psychological Coping Resources On Unemployed Adults' Well-Being, Robert Paul Carnicella

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Gowan and Gatewood's (1997) theory of coping with job loss provided a framework for studying how individuals cope with the stress of unemployment. Previous empirical evidence identified social support and financial resources as predictors of unemployed adults' coping outcomes. McKee-Ryan, Song, Wanberg, and Kinicki (2005), however, noted the need for further research to better understand the environmental and psychological coping resources used by unemployed adults. Savickas (2005) hypothesized that individuals who endorse greater amounts of adaptable thinking about their careers will also report a greater sense of well-being during career transitions. Thus, the present study examined how environmental and psychological …

Adaptive Behavior Malingering In Legal Claims Of Mental Retardation, Renee M. Kadlubek

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to put people with mental retardation to death for capital crimes (Atkins v. Virginia, 2002). Justice Scalia dissented, suggesting that mental retardation is a condition easy to feign. The current study examined whether participants provided with the definition of mental retardation and adaptive behavior ("informed malingering group") are any better at malingering having mental retardation than participants not provided with the definitions ("malingering group"). Three groups of participants participated in this study: the control group, the malingering group, and the informed malingering group. All participants completed an intellectual assessment and …

The Influence Of Positive And Negative Couple Rituals On Satisfaction, Commitment, And Dyadic Adjustment, Timetra Marie Hampton

Theses Digitization Project

The current study predicted that positive couple rituals would be positively associated with relationship satisfaction, commitment, and dyadic adjustment, whereas negative couple rituals were expected to exhibit a negative association with these outcome variables. Data for this study were collected online in 2009. Participants included undergraduate students from California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), the University of Georgia (UGA), and the University of Connecticut (UNCONN).

Family Functioning And Maternal Stress In Families Of Children With Autism, Charmaine Marcella Puentes

Theses Digitization Project

The present study evaluated the relationship between domains of family functioning and maternal stress in families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and families of typically developing (TD) children. The ASD group consisted of parents of children with an ASD diagnosis currently receiving services at an on-campus center and the community group consisted of parents of TD children. Parents in both groups completed a survey as part of a larger, ongoing research study at a university located in inland southern California. For this study, data was accessed from an archival database, with the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, the Family …

The Influence Of Molecular Family Stability On Emotion Regulation And Adjustment, Jennifer Weil Malatras

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between the constructs of family stability and adjustment and has provided evidence for a model in which self-regulatory behavior, namely self-control, mediates the relationship between family stability and adjustment. The present study is intended to expand upon that line of research, evaluating the mediational role of emotion regulation in the relationship between family stability and adjustment. Specifically, it was hypothesized that emotion regulation would mediate the relationship between molecular family stability and internalizing and externalizing problems. Participants were emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 21 years and were asked to complete measures …

Exploring Curvilinear Effects And Gender Differences In Posttraumatic Growth And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms In College Students, Vivian S. Hwang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Posttraumatic growth following stressful and traumatic experiences has been associated with positive psychological and physical outcomes. In addition, distress-related variables, such as symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, have been related to growth. Some studies suggest that a curvilinear relation may exist between distress and growth, although literature in this area is sparse. This study examined how distress, as measured by the civilian version of the PTSD Checklist, and posttraumatic growth are related. Results demonstrated both linear and curvilinear effects of PTSD symptom severity on growth. Data for men were significantly explained by a linear effect only, whereas data for women …

Living With Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Ibd) : A Test Of The Meaning Making Model Of Coping., Erica Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic illness with the potential to affect many areas of one's life through painful physical symptoms and psychological distress. Despite the debilitating nature and increasing prevalence of IBD, there is little research addressing the coping processes and related psychological adjustment among individuals living with the disease. Moreover, there has been no research conducted investigating how those with IBD make meaning out of their illness experience. Research conducted with other illness populations suggests that meaning making, a specific type of coping may have important implications for psychological adjustment. This cross-sectional study examines the coping processes …

Family-Organization Fit: An Extension On Person-Organization Fit, Rebekah Elaine Massmann

Theses Digitization Project

This study was designed to investigate how employees and/or their families "fit" or "match" with organizations. Family Organization (F-O) fit was proposed as an extension on Person-Organization (P-O) fit, while also drawing from the work and family literature. A scale was created to measure F-O fit, and it consisted of complementary and supplementary items.

College Adjustment And The Shy Student, Jessie Abudu

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The study was conducted to examine the correlation between shyness and college adjustment. To make the determination, the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) (1981) was used to identify shyness, while the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) (Baker and Siryk, 1989) was utilized in assessing college adjustment. While the shyness scale assessed shyness as a single construct, the college adaptation scale assessed college adjustment in terms of academic adjustment, social adjustment, personal-emotional adjustment, and college attachment. The data of 90 students in a general psychology class in a Mid-Western college with a total student population of approximately 6,800 …

Information Gathering And Culture Shock: Mediating The Effect Of Individual Characteristics Of International Adjustment, Jeremiah James Mcfarland

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect that information gathering and culture shock have on the relationship between individual characteristics and international adjustment. Participants for this study consisted of 95 international students within the California State University system.

Cross-Cultural Transition, Coping, And Social Support: Relationships Among Psychological Outcomes Among British Migrants In Australia, Samantha Shooter

Theses : Honours

This review examines the relationships among coping strategies, social support, and migrant adjustment. Research suggests that due to losses of the homeland, such as loss of family, friends and community, and adjustment difficulties in the new country, migration can be a difficult experience. Several key findings in the literature however, revealed that particular coping strategies and social support are two key factors that can ameliorate the negative effects of migration. Research has typically found an association between coping strategies and psychological outcomes, such that, problem-focused or active coping strategies, whereby migrants take direct action to solve the problem, are typically …

The Relationship Between The Mmpi-2'S Rc3 Cynicism Scale And Social Support, Blake K. Webster

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the MMPI-2's Restructured Clinical Scale 3 (RC3) measuring cynicism from the Tellegen et al. (2003) Restructured Clinical Scales project. While RC3 has shown adequate reliability coefficients, research investigating RC3 has questioned its validity and descriptive abilities. Research suggests that adequate criterion has not been established for the scale. RC3 in this study was correlated with three types of social support: Proactive Coping, Instrumental Support Seeking, and Emotional Support Seeking. Based on a review of the literature of cynicism and social support, it was hypothesized that a negative relationship would exist between the two constructs. The study …

The Mediating Role Of Avoidance Coping Upon The Relationship Between Early Maladaptive Schemas, Anxiety And Depression, Christine Louise French

Theses Digitization Project

This study examined the mediating role of Maladaptive Emotion-focused coping (MEFC) on the relationship between Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS), anxiety and depression.

Autism And Family Functioning: The Role Of Parental Coping, Liliana Vargas

Theses Digitization Project

The present study employed a family systems approach to investigate the effects of level of autism severity on family functioning as mediated by parental coping. Participants were mothers of children with autism who were volunteers in an ongoing research program conducted within a university-based treatment center (N=146). Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition (GARS-2) scores were available for all of the children and, as part of the broader program, parents completed the Coping Scale for Adults, which assesses a range of coping styles, and the Family Environment Scale, which provides positive and negative indicators of family functioning. Data analyses indicated …

Coping And Quality Of Life Of Adolescents With Idiopathic Scoliosis, Elizabeth Shannon Kuhl

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

How adolescents cope with the stress of bracing or spinal fusion surgery for idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and how coping might impact quality of life (QOL) for this population is unknown. The primary aim of this study was thus to examine these relationships.

Forty-eight adolescents participated in this cross-sectional study and completed the SRS-22r, the PedsQL, and the A-COPE during regularly scheduled orthopedic appointments. Treatment groups did not differ significantly on either dimension of coping (approach or avoidant) or on either measure of quality of life. In addition, neither dimension of coping moderated QOL. However, higher use of avoidant …

Emotional Intelligence And Its Relationship With The Goodness Of Fit Hypothesis And Perceived Stress, Ryan Anthony Platt

Theses Digitization Project

This study tested the hypothesis that goodness of fit has a positive relationship with Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Participants were given an EQ survey and a general anxiety inventory and were exposed to two different scenarios, controllable and uncontrollable. The relationship between EQ, coping strategies (problem-focused or emotion focused), general anxiety, and goodness of fit was examined,