Digital Commons Network^™

An Experimental Test Of Trauma-Relevant Cue Exposure And Desire For Alcohol Among Adolescents, Heidemarie Blumenthal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A burgeoning literature suggests a linkage between adolescent traumatic event exposure and problematic alcohol use. Research conducted with adults indicates that exposure to trauma-relevant cues elicits a desire to drink; however, no work has examined this association among adolescents. The current study was designed to build upon and extend this line of work. Participants were 72 community-recruited adolescents (Mage = 16.19; 34.7% girls). Trauma-exposed (n = 47) and non-exposed (n = 25) youth were assigned to either a 3-minute experimental (voluntary hyperventilation) or control task (low-arousal picture viewing). Desire to drink was assessed (1) prior to task assignment, and (2) …

Exploring The Relationships Of Perceived Discrimination, Anger, And Aggression Among North American Indigenous Adolescents, Kelley J. Sittner Hartshorn, Les B. Whitbeck, Dan R. Hoyt

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

A growing body of research has documented associations between discrimination, anger, and delinquency, but the exact nature of these associations remains unclear. Specifically, do aggressive behaviors emerge over time as a consequence of perceived discrimination and anger? Or do adolescents who engage in aggressive behavior perceive that they are being discriminated against and become angry? We use autoregressive cross-lagged path analysis on a sample of 692 Indigenous adolescents (mean age = 12 years) from the Northern Midwest and Canada to answer these research questions. Results showed that the direction of effects went only one way; both perceived discrimination and anger …

Substance Use Behavior Among Early-Adolescent Asian American Girls: The Impact Of Psychological And Family Factors, Lin Fang, Kevin Barnes-Ceeney, Steven Schinke

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Confronting developmental tasks and challenges associated with bridging two different cultures, Asian American adolescent girls face increasing risks for substance use. Identifying risk and protective factors in this population is essential, particularly when those factors can inform preventive programs. Guided by family interaction theory, the present cross-sectional study explored the associations of psychological and familial factors with use of alcohol, prescription drugs, and other drugs among early-adolescent Asian American girls. Between August 2007 and March 2008, 135 pairs of Asian American girls (mean age 13.21 years, SD = 0.90) and their mothers (mean age 39.86 years, SD = 6.99) were …

Substance Use Among Asian American Adolescents: Perceptions Of Use And Preferences For Prevention Programming, Lin Fang, Kevin Barnes-Ceeney, Rebecca A. Lee, John Tao

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Rarely has substance use prevention programming targeted Asian-American adolescents. Using a focus group methodology, we explored perceptions of substance use and preferences for prevention programming among 31 Asian-American adolescents in New York City. Participants considered substance use common in the community. Factors contributing to substance use among Asian-American adolescents (e.g., peer pressure, pressure to achieve, family factors, and community influence) were identified, and the need for prevention programs tailored for the Asian-American community was highlighted. Participants discussed preferred program content, delivery settings, and recruitment and retention strategies. Despite the favorable attitude for family-based prevention programming, participants raised potential issues concerning …

Assessing The Forms And Functions Of Aggression Using Self-Report: Factor Structure And Invariance Of The Peer Conflict Scale In Youths, Monica A. Marsee, Christopher T. Barry, Kristina K. Childs, Paul J. Frick, Eva R. Kimonis, Luna C. Muñoz, Katherine J. Aucoin, Gregory M. Fassnacht, Melissa M. Kunimatsu, Katherine S.L. Lau

Faculty Publications

This study examined the structure of a self-report measure of the forms and functions of aggression in 855 adolescents (582 boys, 266 girls) aged 12 to 19 years recruited from high school, detained, and residential settings. The Peer Conflict Scale (PCS) is a 40-item measure that was developed to improve upon existing measures and provide an efficient, reliable, and valid assessment of four dimensions of aggression (i.e., reactive overt, reactive relational, proactive overt, and proactive relational) in youths. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a 4-factor model represented a satisfactory solution for the data. The factor structure fit well for both …

Questions About The Construct Of Empathy In The Treatment Of Adolescents In The Juvenile Justice System, Matt Zaitchik, Frank Dicataldo, Lois Condie

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Moderating Influence Of Gender On The Link Of Spiritual And Emotional Intelligences With Mental Health Among Adolescents, Siti Hassan

Siti Aishah Hassan Ph.D.

This study examined whether, Spiritual Intelligence (SI) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be considered as predictor for Mental Health (MH). Also, this study explored the moderating effects of gender on the link between SI and EI with MH among high school students. The participants in the study were 247 high school students, (124 male and 123 female, in the age range between 14-17 years old) at the Gorgan City, north of Iran. The research design was an ex post facto and tested the alternative hypotheses. Three valid and reliable instruments were used to assess SI, EI and MH. Descriptive statistics, …

Adolescents Who Sexually Abuse: Exploring The Impact On The Family, Tracey Carroll

Dissertations

This research project considers a frequently ignored dimension of adolescent sexual abuse, the parents and families of the adolescent perpetrator. This study focuses on eliciting professionals‟ views of the impact on the family when an adolescent member has sexually abused. The context for the study is outlined with an account of the prevalence of and explanations for adolescent sexual abuse. The study proceeds to look at legislation and the impact on labelling. Areas relating to the family on the impact of disclosure, parental reactions and the process of engagement are explored.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five professionals working within …

Predicting The Use Of Spiritually-Based Interventions With Children And Adolescents: Implications For Social Work Practice, Connie L. Kvarfordt, Michael Sheridan

Social Work Publications

A cross-sectional survey design with disproportionate random sampling was used to gather data from 283 clinical social workers across the United States. Overall, participants had a positive attitude toward the role of religion and spirituality in social work practice and were favorable of social workers helping youth develop spiritually. While practitioners used a wide range of spiritually-derived interventions with this population, the vast majority reported that these issues were rarely, if ever, addressed in their social work education and training. Three attitudinal variables, two practice related variables, and one personal spiritual/religious variable were found to be most predictive of the …

Gender Differences Of African American Adolescents When Exposed To Race Related Stress, Sharmon Saunders James

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

For African Americans, issues of discrimination, oppression, and belonging to a minority group may significantly impact their identity formation, and their cognitive and subjective beliefs regarding racial issues. Racism-related stress as it affects African American adolescents has become an area of concern for African American researchers. Racism related stress can be characterized as the negative psychological or physiological response to a perceived instance of a racism related attitude or behavior. African American adolescents, because of their race, continue to be subjected to various social stressors that lead to negative stress that depletes them of their abilities to cope in response. …

Effective Community-Based Chemical Dependency Treatment For Adolescents : Matching Program Services With Individual Difference Variables, Joseph S. Hunter

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In recognition of differences in presenting needs and treatment responses of various subgroups of the adolescent substance abusing population, this study breaks ground from the traditional concept of utilizing a "one size fits all" evidence-based practice for treating adolescents by revealing the importance of tailoring treatments to adolescent subgroups. The subgroups studied were defined by age, gender, race, and special needs including, co-occurring mental illness, juvenile justice history, parental addiction, and those of higher severity of substance abuse. The interventions studied included group treatment, family treatment, case management, multi-service programming, vocational treatment and behavioral approaches. A quasi-experimental design was utilized …

How Does Family Support Affect Adjudicated Adolescent Girls' Experiences In A Residential Treatment Facility, Lindsay Pepin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This article presents findings from a qualitative study exploring how family support affects adjudicated adolescent girls' experiences in a residential treatment facility. The perspectives of nine professionals working with this population were gathered using an online survey that collected demographic data and open-ended questions. Data analysis was conducted using a grounded theory method and ten themes were identified: support by biological relative, support by non-biological relative, appropriateness/effectiveness of treatment, dependent on behaviors, face-to-face contact, non-face-to-face contact, socioeconomic reasons, personal reasons, negative effect on behavior, and positive effect on behavior. Implications for practice are discussed, in addition to recommendations for future …

An Examination Of Patterns And Trends Of Prescription Drug Abuse Among Adolescents., Maggie Marie Orender

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine prescription drug abuse among the adolescent population and analyze factors that may contribute to or influence adolescent drug abuse. This study examined 3 waves of a secondary data set from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) entitled the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The data from these surveys are nationally representative and include data on several types of drug use and mental health conditions. Results from the current study indicate that there were significant relationships among age, gender, race, previous alcohol use, school enrollment, general health, …

An Analysis Of The Current United States And State Of Washington's Mental Health Policies Serving Children And Families, Maile M. Bay

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Due to continued fragmentation and gaps in mental health services and the increase in the prevalence of mental health problems for children, youth, and their families, these populations remain underserved. In 2003, the federal New Freedom Commission (Commission) responded by publishing policies to address these concerns. As directed in 2005, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded planning incentive grants to states to transform their delivery of care.

The study reviewed the federal policy, specifically the recommendations of the Commission’s Subcommittee on Children and Families, and Washington State’s policy and implementation actions of its five-year SAMHSA incentive …

Recently Arrested Adolescents Are At High Risk For Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Christopher Salvatore, Steven Belenko, Richard Dembo, Doris Weiland, Matthew Rollie, Alexandra Hanlon, Kristina Childs

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Adolescent offenders may be at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). With previous research and interventions focused on incarcerated adolescents, data are needed on STD prevalence and risk factors among newly arrested youth released to the community, a far larger subgroup.Participants were recruited from all arrested youth processed at the Hillsborough County, Florida Juvenile Assessment Center during the last half of 2006 (506 males, 442 females). Participants voluntarily providing urine samples for drug testing as part of standard protocol were also consented to having their specimens split and tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea, using an FDA-approved nucleic acid amplification …

Social Information Processing And Cardiac Predictors Of Adolescent Antisocial Behavior, Reid G. Fontaine

Reid G. Fontaine

The relations among social information processing (SIP), cardiac activity, and antisocial behavior were investigated in adolescents over a 3-year period (from ages 16 to 18) in a community sample of 585 (48% female, 17% African American) participants. Antisocial behavior was assessed in all 3 years. Cardiac and SIP measures were collected between the first and second behavioral assessments. Cardiac measures assessed resting heart rate (RHR) and heart rate reactivity (HRR) as participants imagined themselves being victimized in hypothetical provocation situations portrayed via video vignettes. The findings were moderated by gender and supported a multiprocess model in which antisocial behavior is …

Predictors Of Recidivism In An Adolescent Substance Abusing Population, Christine Pacetti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many adolescents with substance use disorders have ongoing problems with abuse and/or dependence throughout their lives. Little research has been conducted examining the differences among adolescents who do and do not continue to have difficulties. This study compared adolescents who recidivate versus those who do not recidivate after receiving treatment for substance abuse. Adolescents were compared on four categories of variables: (a) demographic variables, (c) delinquency /substance use history, (c) social/educational support, and (d) treatment history. It was found that the most powerful predictors of recidivism within these categories were criminal history severity, age at intake, and treatment completion. The …

Evaluative Behavioral Judgments And Instrumental Antisocial Behaviors In Children And Adolescents, Reid G. Fontaine

Reid G. Fontaine

There is a growing body of scientific research that has drawn a distinction between instrumental (or proactive) and reactive forms of aggressive behavior in children and adolescents. Whereas neurocognitive, psychophysiological, and other psychological factors have been shown to distinguish these aggressive subtypes, social cognitive research on alternative types of instrumental antisocial behavior (e.g., stealing, cheating, and illicit substance use) in youth is limited. Research on social information processing and aggression has shown that evaluative behavioral judgments may be of particular importance to understanding instrumental antisocial tendencies. Herein presented is a review of research on social cognition and discernible forms of …

Predictors Of Violent Behavior In An Early Adolescent Cohort: Similarities And Differences Across Genders, Jonathan L. Blitstein, David M. Murray, Leslie A. Lytle, Amanda Birnbaum, Cheryl L. Perry

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

The authors assessed a cohort of 2,335 students from the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area to identify predictors of violent behavior and to determine whether the predictors varied by gender. The sample was 76% White; boys and girls were equally represented. The majority lived with two parents. A measure of violent behavior collected at the end of the eighth-grade year (2000) was entered into Poisson regression against baseline data collected at the beginning of the seventh-grade year (1998). Predictors of violent behavior influencing both boys and girls included depressive symptoms, perceived invulnerability to negative future events, paternal nonauthoritative behavior, and drinking alcohol. …

The Relationships Among Perceptions Of Family Disharmony, Parent-Child Relationships, Disharmonious Family Experiences, And Adolescent Cigarette Smoking., Herbert F. Wolfe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among the following perspectives: perception of family disharmony, parent-child relationships, disharmonious family relationships, and adolescent cigarette smoking. Participants from a southeastern university reported about whether they smoke daily, weekly, monthly, never, or no longer smoke. The independent variable was smoking status of participants. Four to eight rating scales served as dependent variables for the three perspectives. Independent groups (smoking status) multivariate analyses of variance with unequal cell sizes were performed on the rating scale measures. Because none of the comparison tests were significant, the results were interpreted to suggest that …