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An Exploration Of Pathological Gambling Among Diverse Populations, Ayana N. Perkins

Psychology Dissertations

This study used an ecological perspective to identify pathological gambling (PG) risk and protective factors, nonclinical resources, and prevention strategies based on the perceptions of Georgia stakeholders. With an ecological perspective, human behavior is perceived as an outcome of the interaction between the individual and various factors in their social environment. The ecological perspective is especially suitable for examining the higher PG prevalence among ethnic minority groups since these populations have been documented as encountering greater exposure to PG social and environmental risk factors (Smedley & Syme, 2000). To assess prevention needs, data were obtained from a 2008 needs assessment …

The Development And Lived Experience Of African Centered Identity: A Qualitative Investigation, Obari Cartman

Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore cultural identity within African Americans. The primary construct of interest is African centered identity, which is comprised of two parts: 1) cultural values with origins in African cultures that have been unintentionally retained, and 2) a social and political ideology that intentionally incorporates elements of an African worldview. This study utilizes qualitative research methodology to investigate the lived experience of African centered identity, and incorporates a developmental perspective.

Semi-structured interviews of 14 adults are analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The results reveal many themes in the participants’ lived experience of their …

The Development Of Sense Of Agency, Shaun D. Duggins

Psychology Theses

Agency, a behavioral and psychological concept, is an individual’s sense of what they can do and what they think they can do. It is imperative to understand how a sense of agency in youths can be fostered and transformed into constructive action. This study builds on previous research to better identify predictors of agency, focusing on social and political involvement and opportunity structure. Additionally, it analyzes and proposes the use of a new measure of agency, the Community Leadership (CL) scale. Eighty-five teens (ages 13 to 18) were administered surveys. Involvement was found to be significantly related to agency. It …

After-School Programs: Do Parents Matter?, Michelle A. Dimeo

Psychology Dissertations

Previous research suggests that parents can benefit from youth participation in after-school programs. However, little research has explored parent involvement in after-school programs as an important program characteristic leading to youth development. Bioecological Systems Theory suggests that individuals are influenced by the interactions of others within their environment. Building from this theory, it was posited that parent benefits resulting from involvement in after-school programs can facilitate positive youth development. Surveys were completed by 117 parents whose daughters participated in the Cool Girls, Inc. after-school program, a program serving primarily low-income, African American, urban youth. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis, a three …

Hiv In South African Youth: Relations With Parenting Quality And Executive Functioning, Christina H. Salama

Psychology Theses

Black South Africans account for a majority of HIV cases in South Africa, highlighting the need for greater understanding of risks specific to this group. Within the HIV prevention and risk literature, little information exists regarding the familial and neuropsychological contributions to HIV risk in youth. The current study addressed this gap. In a group of black South African parent-child dyads, the researchers investigated the independent and interactive contributions of parenting quality and executive functioning in the prediction of HIV risk. Child report of relationship quality was negatively associated with risky sexual attitudes and externalizing behaviors. Parent report of parental …

The Influence Of Language Preference On Bilingual Children's Expressive And Receptive Vocabulary And Reading Ability, Cortney M. Fritz

Psychology Theses

Given the increase of Spanish- and English-speaking bilingual students in US schools, identifying the predictors of reading in this group of students is of significant importance to developing appropriate screening measures and intervention strategies. Thus, the current study evaluated the pattern of language preference in an elementary school bilingual (Spanish-English) population and its relationship with expressive and receptive vocabulary, and broad reading ability in English and Spanish. Participants were 58 Latino students ranging in age from 7 years, 5 months to 11 years, 1 month (M = 8.98, SD = .98) with 48% born in the United States. Results …

Food For Thought: A Strengths-Based Approach To Examining The Biomedical And Psychological Health Of Latino Migrant And Seasonal Farm Workers In Georgia, Joanna R. Weinberg

Psychology Dissertations

Inherent in their living and working conditions, Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers (MSFWs) are exposed to a multitude of environmental and psychosocial stressors that make them susceptible to adverse health outcomes. Utilizing a resilience framework, the current study examined both the physical and psychological health functioning of MSFWs in Georgia, a state heavily reliant on farm worker labor where relatively few research studies with MSFWs have been conducted to date. Based on a sample of 120 Latino, male, MSFWs in South Georgia, results indicated that approximately 1 out of 3 farm workers were at risk for iron-deficiency anemia. Similar to …

Using Q Methodology To Explore College Students' Conceptualizations Of Sexual Consent, Elizabeth R. Anthony

Psychology Dissertations

The high prevalence of sexual violence warrants continued research into its prevention. Understanding consensual sexual experiences holds promise for sexual violence prevention; however, sexual consent is a surprisingly understudied phenomenon. Existing research focuses on the tactics used to coerce consent and the ways in which college students initiate and indicate consent. Research that begins to articulate a theory of consent may help engineer situations antithetical to sexually violent experiences. This study is a first step toward that objective. This paper presents findings from an exploratory research study on college students’ conceptualizations of sexual consent. The purpose of this study was …

The Impact Of Friendship Closeness And Hegemonic Masculinity On Group Perpetrated Antigay Aggression, Adam D. Hudepohl

Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate hypothesized risk factors for the perpetration of antigay aggression. Specifically, the independent and interactive effects of endorsement of hegemonic male role norms and peer group relational factors (i.e., closeness) were examined as individual and situational risk factors for antigay aggression, within the framework of the General Aggression Model (GAM). Dyads of friends were recruited for participation in the study. Participants completed questionnaires that included measures of hegemonic masculinity and friendship closeness. The dyads of friends then viewed a video depicting male-male intimacy and competed in the TAP together against a fictitious …

Child And Parent Readiness To Change In A Clinical Sample Of Obese Youth, Jean E. Cobb

Psychology Dissertations

Parent and child readiness to change have been identified as emerging areas informing pediatric obesity interventions. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of child and parent readiness to change in obese youth by examining how these constructs are related to demographic variables, as well as to psychosocial functioning, in a sample of obese youth presenting for weight- management treatment. A secondary aim was to examine consistency between parent and child readiness to change. Two hundred twenty-eight 7- to 17-year-old children and their parents participated during the child’s initial assessment at a multidisciplinary weight-management clinic. Demographic variables included …

South African Youth And Parents: A Mixed-Methods Examination Of Family Communication About Sex, Hiv, And Violence, Lindsey Zimmerman

Psychology Dissertations

South Africa retains the highest HIV prevalence in the world, with the incidence of infection growing fastest among youth. The purpose of this investigation was to inform preventive family-based interventions designed to reduce youth HIV risks. In 2009, 38 black South African caregivers and youth (ages 10-14) participated in key informant interviews and focus groups, which were coded for themes related to family communication about sex. Findings highlighted a cultural taboo against communication that among some caregivers was shifting. Informed by this qualitative data, in 2010, 97 black South African caregivers and 97 youth (ages 10-14) completed measures designed for …

The Investigation Of Prosocial Behavior In A Tool Task By Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Apella), Audrey E. Parrish

Psychology Theses

Humans are exceptional in their willingness to and frequency with which they help one another. However, nonhuman primates also exhibit prosocial behavior. Recently, a number of laboratory studies examining prosociality among primates have yielded conflicting results. These contradictory findings may be due to a reliance on human interaction, tokens, or interactions in the direct context of food, a highly valued resource for animals. The current study examined prosocial behavior among capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) in a tool task designed to address these issues by examining whether capuchins would transfer a necessary tool to a partner in different payoff …

Lean On Me: Informal Social Networks And The Prevention Of Intimate Partner Violence In Sexual Minority Communities, Caroline A. Lippy

Psychology Dissertations

Research finds that intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs at comparable rates for heterosexuals and sexual minorities; however, few IPV prevention programs exist for sexual minority communities. Most programs are developed on heterosexuals and ignore the unique contexts and dynamics of IPV for sexual minorities. Community capacity IPV prevention programs aim to increase the skills and resources within informal social networks, and they represent a promising approach to IPV prevention for sexual minority communities. The current study explores the informal networks of sexual minorities in order to build knowledge that can inform the future development of community capacity IPV prevention programs …

The Early Parent-Child Relationship And Aggression: The Mediating Role Of Language, Christopher R. Harper

Psychology Theses

Multiple theories suggest that the early parent-child relationship plays an important role in development. Past research has shown linkages between parenting style and aggression as well as between language and aggression. Emerging evidence suggests that attachment security is an important predictor of language development. It was hypothesized that there would be an effect of parent-child relationship quality at 36 months on aggression at school entry via language ability at 54 months. To test this hypothesis, path analysis in M-Plus was used. Data for this study were collected as a part of the NICHD, Study of Early Child Care and Youth …

The Relation Between Homework Compliance And Treatment Outcome For Individuals With Social Phobia, Shannan M. Edwards

Psychology Theses

Homework compliance has been identified as a robust predictor of treatment outcome for depression and, to a lesser extent, anxiety disorders, including social phobia. The current study tested the following hypotheses: (1) homework compliance is positively related to ratings of global improvement, (2) homework compliance is negatively related to symptom reduction, (3) the relation between homework compliance and treatment outcome varies according to the nature of the homework exercise, and (4) expectancy is positively related to early homework compliance, in a clinical sample of individuals with social phobia. Results provided limited support for the relation between compliance and ratings of …

Modeling The Relationship Between A Social Responsibility Attitude And Youth Activism, Michael N. Armstrong Phd

Psychology Dissertations

Despite existing literature that demonstrates the relation between an attitude of social responsibility and activism; few studies have examined the underlying factor structure of social responsibility. The current study had two goals. The first goal was to examine the structure of a measure of social responsibility attitude for urban adolescents. The second goal was to examine the associations of social responsibility with civic and political activism. The participants were 221 adolescents from schools and youth serving organizations in metropolitan Atlanta, GA. Confirmatory factor analysis of social responsibility items revealed that a model with a single latent factor explained the data …

Relationships Among Processing Speed, Attention, And Biochemical Features In Children Identified With Mitochondrial Disease, Jihye S. Chang

Psychology Theses

Mitochondrial Diseases (MD) are disorders of function in cellular oxidative phosphorylation caused by diverse nuclear DNA and mtDNA mutations and seen in 1/5,000 births. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships across medical indices, biochemical measures, and neurobehavioral functioning in children with MD. Findings from Western Blot, Native Gels, High Resolution Respirometry, and the Nijmegen diagnostic criteria were assessed in relation to children’s processing speed and attention, based on the prediction that impaired functioning of proteins, complexes, and cellular respiration, that are critical in ATP production, will impact neurodevelopment and related neuropsychological processes in children with MD. Twenty-five …

The Impact Of Psychological Acceptance And Sibling Relationship Quality On Depression And Perceived Stigma For Youth Living With Hiv, Kara E. Snead

Psychology Dissertations

Compared to their uninfected peers, youth living with HIV experience greater distress related to a multitude of stressors they face. In order to enhance the lives of youth who are living with HIV, it is important to identify the personal and social resources that these individuals might bring to coping with their disease. Using the compensatory hypothesis and resiliency theory as conceptual frameworks, the present study examined the function of both psychological acceptance and sibling relationships for youths in managing depression and HIV-related stigma. In addition, the current study investigated the interactive effects of psychological acceptance and sibling relationship quality …