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Exploring The Therapeutic Alliance With Adolescents And Their Caregivers: A Qualitative Approach, Jillian M. Hawks

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The therapeutic alliance is largely recognized as an important component of the therapeutic process. For clients of all ages, the therapeutic alliance has been associated with positive outcomes and increased engagement in therapy (Bachelor, 2013; Bhola, & Kapur, 2013; Liber et al., 2010). However, very few studies have explored the complex process of fostering the therapeutic alliance with adolescent clients, while also maintaining a positive therapeutic relationship with the adolescent’s caregivers. The present study attempted to fill the gap in the literature through qualitatively exploring therapists’ perspectives of the therapeutic alliance with adolescents and their caregivers.

In order to discover …

Husband's Response To Infidelity, Toby Q. Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Infidelity is the most often cited reason for divorce in the United States and much of the world. Providing therapy for a couple trying to recover from infidelity is one of the most difficult and complex presenting problems for therapists. Much of the existing research that predicts responses to infidelity subscribes to an evolutionary psychology perspective, predicting response by gender differently based on motives concerning procreation. Males would find sexual infidelity more threatening because paternity would be uncertain, females would find emotional infidelity more threatening because of the risk of resources and protection being diverted to another female’s offspring. Much …

Adhd Children And Mental Health Service Use: Maternal Determinants, Katarina Krizova

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The current study investigated maternal determinants of mental health service use, namely, individual child therapy, among preadolescent children diagnosed with ADHD. The Behavioral Model of Health Care Utilization (Andersen, 2008) was used as a theoretical framework for the study. Data from the last three rounds of ECLS-K dataset were employed to test a longitudinal model using Bayesian analysis. Socio-demographic variables and maternal mental health were tested as exogenous variables and mother-child relationship variables, discipline variables, and perceived maternal concern about child’s overall behavior and child’s emotional symptoms were tested as intervening variables. Results showed that only maternal mental health remained …

Female Adolescent’S Experience Of Their Therapist Crying In Therapy, Kassidy Pendleton

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Therapist self-disclosure is an important topic and the literature explains that how a therapist responds to their client can greatly impact the treatment process and therapeutic alliance. One of the ways that therapists respond to their clients is through crying. Although there have been studies that conclude that the majority of therapists do in fact cry in therapy, no studies have tried to understand how this response is perceived by clients. This qualitative study aims to understand the client’s perspective and how therapists’ crying affects the treatment process and therapeutic alliance. The informants in this study were adolescent females who …

Cultivating Partnerships Between Community Leaders And Service Agencies To Provide Support For Military Families, Marla C. Stillwell

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

In an effort to evaluate the social needs of military families, this study will evaluate levels of community support, its influence on military families and how military communities work to provide support for those needs through partnerships. Previous and related studies have emphasized support areas which include suggestions for building strong communities for military families, building resilience, creating partnerships and providing military families with the social support they need to stay together and function positively. Data was collected from community leaders and stakeholders specifically in Elizabethtown, Kentucky (a Fort Knox community) through open-ended interviews to assess community support and services …

Parent Development And Wellbeing During The Launching Stage Of Parenthood, Deborah F. Keys

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

At the present time, the young adult transition into adulthood has been extended, which has also extended the launching stage. One result of the extended launching stage is that parents are now involved in active parenting longer than before. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the extended launching stage in key areas (the parent- child relationship and parent support) on parental emotional wellbeing. The contribution of this research is that it adds to the limited body of knowledge about normative launching stage parenting practices and outcomes. This dissertation is a three chapter manuscript that uses …

Sex, Dementia, And Long-Term Care: Public Perspectives, Erin L. Yelland

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The current mixed methods study utilized an ecological framework to examine public perspectives toward sexual behaviors among long-term care residents with dementia. Analyzing attitudes of the public is an integral component of understanding the entire ecological system that affects the development and overall well-being of a long-term care resident. Attitudes were examined using a multiple segment factorial vignette with a probability sample of 329 respondents from a southern state. Results indicate that attitudes were not statistically affected by sex or the elapsed time since diagnosis, and age, spousal disposition, and degree of intimacy predicted attitudes. A respondent’s education level also …

Mental Health Among Suicide Attempt Survivors: The Roles Of Stigma, Self-Disclosure, And Family Reactions, Laura M. Frey

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Although research has shown that mental-health stigma can impact an individual’s well-being, little is known about who perpetrates suicide stigma. Moreover, anticipation of stigma could impact whether individuals disclose their suicidal experiences; yet, little is known about suicide disclosure and how family members’ reactions play a role in subsequent mental health. To address these gaps, three studies were designed to examine how stigma, suicide disclosure, and family reaction impact subsequent mental health of attempt survivors and those who have experience suicidal ideation.

Individuals who had previously experienced suicidal ideation or a previous suicide attempt (n = 156) were recruited …

Adult Adoptee Coping And Resolution Of Adoption Related Ambiguous Losses, Katherine H. Jury

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Ambiguous loss refers to a loss that is unknown or undefined, making it difficult to cope with and resolve. Using a life course perspective that asserts that humans have agency to affect change in their own lives, this study focuses on an adoptee’s perceived ability to enact change in the situation surrounding the ambiguous loss that they may have experienced as a result of their adoption. Life course perspective also incorporates the concept of life trajectories, which explain how an early life experience can affect an individual over the course of his or her life. This study describes the essence …

The Impact Of Video Chatting On Idealization And Disillusionment For Long Distance Dating Couples, Laura Kusisto

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Previous research indicates a high rate of long distance relationships, especially among young adults. Yet, research in this area is lacking, particularly regarding the role of video chatting. Through the lens of the media richness theory and the hyperpersonal model, this qualitative study explores how video chatting impacts idealization and disillusionment in young adults’ long distance dating relationships. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with both partners of six heterosexual couples. Data was analyzed using the constant comparative approach and following the basic framework of open, axial, and selective coding used in grounded theory research. Results indicate that video chatting …

Understanding The Pathways To Youth Involvement In The Juvenile Justice System: A Longitudinal Investigation Of Poor, Inner-City African American Adolescents, Charlene Harris

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

It is widely recognized that African American youth are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system in comparison to other ethnic/racial groups, and this has generated a large body of research into the etiology and prevention of crime in this population. Although there has been considerable research attention to identifying and reducing the disproportionate contact among African American youth within the juvenile justice system, it is still unclear what factors contribute to their involvement in the criminal justice system. Accordingly, the dissertation tests whether self-reports of behaviors in early adolescence are predictive official offending behaviors in late adolescence, as measured …