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Profiles Of Violence Victimization And Mental Health Outcomes Among Lgbtq Survivors In Illinois: A Cluster Analysis, Mary Margaret Tull
Profiles Of Violence Victimization And Mental Health Outcomes Among Lgbtq Survivors In Illinois: A Cluster Analysis, Mary Margaret Tull
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Despite legal and social progress, the LGBTQ+ community faces persistent vulnerability to different forms of violence and negative life experiences, including adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and bigotry motivated violence, as well as gender-based violence (GBV). Consistent with the Minority Stress Model, exposure to these experiences are associated with negative mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals. Traditionally, research has focused on subpopulations when examining these relationships, and has often failed to account for the ways individuals experience multiple types of violence across the lifespan, and how this may influence development of mental health problems. This study (n=204) uses the …
Physical Activity And Depressive Symptoms In Adolescence: Direction Of Effects And Mechanisms Of Influence, Bridget Brush
Physical Activity And Depressive Symptoms In Adolescence: Direction Of Effects And Mechanisms Of Influence, Bridget Brush
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous physical and mental health benefits, such as decreased rates of cardiovascular disease and depression. Stress-response systems may play an important role in this relationship as PA has been shown to cause adaptations to both physiological and psychological stress systems. Less is known about the short and long-term effects of PA on depressive symptoms in adolescents even though adolescence marks an important period of development with regard to changes in rates of depression and physical activity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate concurrent and prospective associations of PA on depressive symptoms in …
The Protective Effects Of Physical Activity Coping And Environmental Supports On Academic Stress Among Adolescents, Taylor Swenski
The Protective Effects Of Physical Activity Coping And Environmental Supports On Academic Stress Among Adolescents, Taylor Swenski
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
This study aims to identify how physical activity (PA) coping interacts with environmental risks and resources to predict youth mental health. Academic stress poses a threat to adolescent wellbeing, and has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety. Previous research has established that engaging in PA protects adolescents from depression and anxiety. However, very little is known about how PA may function as a coping mechanism, specifically (i.e. PA coping). PA is influenced by risks (e.g. crime, low built environment quality, etc.) and resources (e.g. accessibility, exercise equipment, etc.) in one’s environment, and accordingly, the present …
Parent And Child Language Profiles And Their Family And Clinical Predictors, Jesus Eduardo Solano-Martinez
Parent And Child Language Profiles And Their Family And Clinical Predictors, Jesus Eduardo Solano-Martinez
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
A large number of households in the United States include linguistic minority and immigrant parents. These include parents of Latinx backgrounds and their children who have varying levels of English and Spanish proficiency. Research is needed to examine the nature of parent-child language proficiency patterns and differences and their links to family processes and mental health. To address this gap, a sample of 294 Latinx parent-child dyads of predominantly low-income and immigrant backgrounds were interviewed and reported their English and Spanish language proficiency levels. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) uncovered four parent-child language profiles including three in which there was a …
Measuring Allostatic Load In An Urban Adolescent Sample: The Profile And Role Of Biomarker Dysregulation In Depression Outcomes, Heather Marshall
Measuring Allostatic Load In An Urban Adolescent Sample: The Profile And Role Of Biomarker Dysregulation In Depression Outcomes, Heather Marshall
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Accumulated, chronic stress exposure is well established as a precursor for allostatic load (AL). Both stress exposure and AL have been associated with depression in the existing literature. While many studies have focused on biomarkers representative of various physiological systems, a clear understanding of how physiological AL results in depression is yet unclear. Further, variability of hypo- and hypercortisolemic profiles have been associated with depression. A review of the existing literature supports hypocortisolemic profiles in relation to female depression and hypercortisolemic profiles in male depression across both adolescent and adult populations. The function of alpha-amylase (AA) dysregulation within the context …
Social Status Insecurity And Body Image Related Health Outcomes: Testing A Moderated Mediation Model, Mingqi Li
Social Status Insecurity And Body Image Related Health Outcomes: Testing A Moderated Mediation Model, Mingqi Li
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Body dissatisfaction has been found to be associated with a wide range of maladjustment outcomes and negative behavioral consequences. To identify the sources leading to body dissatisfaction, the present study proposed that an aspect of social cognition specifically regarding peer status, known as social status insecurity, may function as a precursor of body dissatisfaction. This study further examined the associations between social status insecurity and body-image-related health outcomes by focusing on the mediation effects of body dissatisfaction in a sample of 308 Chinese adolescents (117 girls, 191 boys). Furthermore, this study examined whether these mediation processes were moderated by social …
The Cost Of Being A “Strong Black Woman”, Alescia Maraboushontrell Hollowell
The Cost Of Being A “Strong Black Woman”, Alescia Maraboushontrell Hollowell
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
The current study explored how internalization of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) race-gender ideology contributes to poor health behaviors and outcomes in Black women. The SBW ideology is associated with maladaptive eating patterns and psychological distress, but less is known about the other physical health implications of this endorsement. The current study sought to better understand the mechanisms that contribute to this relationship and examine the association between endorsement of the SBW ideology and outcomes of physical activity and eating behaviors, weight satisfaction, chronic stress, and depression. Participants were 91 African American women aged 18-65 years recruited from the south …
Biological Stress Response And Cognitive Vulnerability To Depression In Adolescence, Bridget M. Brush
Biological Stress Response And Cognitive Vulnerability To Depression In Adolescence, Bridget M. Brush
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Depression is the leading cause of worldwide disability. Rates of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) increase exponentially over the adolescent transition, suggesting adolescence represents a key period of risk for the onset of depression. Previous research has associated both biological stress response and cognitive vulnerability with symptoms of depression; however, there is little research examining the joint effects of these two risk factors and symptoms of depression, especially during adolescence. The present study examined the association between symptoms of depression and two established risk factors for depression: cognitive vulnerability, as measured by negative cognitive style, and biological stress response, as measured …
Economic Pressure And Depressive Symptoms Among Latino Youth: The Role Of Control Beliefs And Family Obligation, Ashley Castro
Economic Pressure And Depressive Symptoms Among Latino Youth: The Role Of Control Beliefs And Family Obligation, Ashley Castro
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Latino youth in the United States experience high rates of both poverty and of depressive symptoms and disorders (CDC, 2012; DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, & Smith, 2014). According to the Adaptation to Poverty Related Stress model (APRS; Wadsworth, Raviv, Compas, & Connor-Smith, 2005), economic pressure is positively linked to adolescent depression via coping. Using a resilience perspective, the present study extends the APRS model by exploring the role that cultural values, namely family obligation, and control beliefs play in the relation between economic pressure and depressive symptoms for Latino youth. Participants in this study were 404 Latino children and adolescents (M …
Impact Of Maternal Depression On Offspring, Fatima Sozzer
Impact Of Maternal Depression On Offspring, Fatima Sozzer
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Depression can go beyond influencing the livelihood of a woman, Mothers with depression often have difficulty paying attention to their children, and can fail to establish a bond with them (Delaney, 2017). The current study looked for a relation between children’s internalizing symptoms and their mothers’ depressive symptoms, and whether or not strength of the mother-child bond mediates that relation. Significant effects of maternal depression were found on child’s internalizing symptoms. Barron and Kenny’s four step method to establishing mediation was used (Barron & Kenny, 1983; Mackinnon et al., 2007). Based on Barron and Kenny’s criterion for establishing mediation, mediation …
An Examination Of Depression And Social Support Among African American Women In Substance Use Recovery, Jocelyn Rose Droege
An Examination Of Depression And Social Support Among African American Women In Substance Use Recovery, Jocelyn Rose Droege
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Depression is responsible for widespread functional impairment and disability in 16 million individuals across the United States, as well as societal costs that exceed $36 billion. There are numerous risk factors for depression, such as female gender, ethnic minority status, poverty, incarceration, and comorbid substance use disorders. Thus, low-income, criminal-justice-involved African American women in recovery from substance use problems represent a population that is particularly vulnerable to depression. Social support has been established as a protective factor against depression; however, the relationship between social support and depression has been understudied in such high-risk African American populations. The present study examined …
The Role Of Therapeutic Engagement, Oral Language Proficiency, And Core Learning Indicators On The Effects Of Therapy For Youth With Depression, Amanda E. Wagstaff
The Role Of Therapeutic Engagement, Oral Language Proficiency, And Core Learning Indicators On The Effects Of Therapy For Youth With Depression, Amanda E. Wagstaff
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Youth with depression, particularly ethnic minority youth, have low rates of engagement in mental health services, indicating a large need to better understand the role of engagement in effective treatments for depression (Merikangas et al., 2011). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the leading psychotherapeutic treatments available for youth with depression (Weisz, McCarty, & Valeri, 2006), but several questions still remain regarding why and in what circumstances this therapy is most appropriate. CBT posits that part of the positive treatment effects is accounted by learning certain cognitive and behavioral skills during and outside of session (i.e., through active homework …
The Reciprocal Effects Of Language Proficiency And Depression Among Low Income Latino Youth, Nicole Colon Quintana
The Reciprocal Effects Of Language Proficiency And Depression Among Low Income Latino Youth, Nicole Colon Quintana
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Extant research suggests that language plays an important role in both social processes and emotional encoding and regulation. In dual language youth, the maternal tongue has been observed as a protective factor against maladaptive outcomes (Toppelberg & Collins, 2010). Although Latino youth are at a heightened risk for depression (CDC, 2013), and a majority grow in Spanish-English speaking households (Pumariega et al., 2013), the impact of dual language development in their psychosocial well-being remains poorly understood. It is known that limited English language proficiency during early school years is predictive of maladaptive outcomes such as externalizing problems (Dawson & Williams, …
Patterns And Predictors Of Parent-Child Endorsement Discrepancies Among Youth At Chronic-Risk For Depression, Bridget A. Makol
Patterns And Predictors Of Parent-Child Endorsement Discrepancies Among Youth At Chronic-Risk For Depression, Bridget A. Makol
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Depressive disorders are some of the most common mental health problems among U.S. adolescents, particularly among Latino youth (Merikangas et al., 2010; Twenge & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2002). When parents and their children provide ratings on the presence and severity of the child’s depressive symptoms, their ratings show only low to moderate agreement (Mascendaro et al., 2012). Research has shown that parent–child discrepancies in ratings of youth emotional and behavioral problems are linked to factors such as parental depression and ethnicity. However, discrepancies research has focused primarily on European American families in clinical settings. Subsequently, research has failed to examine discrepancies in …
Intimate Partner Violence And Victim Blaming, Christine A. Weingarten
Intimate Partner Violence And Victim Blaming, Christine A. Weingarten
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent within the United States leading to millions of people each year being exposed to violence directly, through involvement in a violent relationship, or indirectly, by witnessing or being close to someone who is in a violent relationship. A common societal response to IPV is victim blaming which attributes fault and responsibility to survivors of abuse. Survivors of IPV report victim blaming as one of the least helpful responses when disclosing to an informal social support. Personal experiences of IPV, either directly or indirectly, can affect levels of victim blame because a person who …
An Examination Of The Specificity Of Economic Loss And Deprivation And Community Violence On Depressive Symptoms And Aggressive Behavior In Urban, Low-Income Adolescents, Jarrett T. Lewis
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Based on the current literature examining associations of stress and psychopathology in adolescents, several types of stress (e.g., violence exposure, economic-related stress) have been identified as particularly salient in lowincome, urban adolescent populations (Grant et al., 2003; Natz et al., 2012). This population also has been shown to be at heightened risk for problems including internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Identifying specific pathways through which urban, low-income adolescents develop specific emotional and behavior problems in response to particular stressors would be helpful in the development and selections of as the targets of interventions that disrupt mediators that link particular stressors to …
Meaning As A Buffer Against Adolescent Psychopathology, Ellen Shaina Dulaney
Meaning As A Buffer Against Adolescent Psychopathology, Ellen Shaina Dulaney
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
This thesis investigates the function of meaning in life in adolescence to ascertain whether specific psychological resources may protect youths against threats to subjective well-being. Meaning in life and the search for the meaning in stressful occurrences were independently examined for their influence on stress impact and depression symptomatology. 201 American middle-school and high-school students between 12 and 19 years of age were recruited for this study. Participants reported on questionnaires targeting frequency of negative life events; depressive symptoms; sense of meaning; and tendency to reframe stressors in terms of their meaning, termed “stressor meaning seeking”. It was expected that …
An Evaluation Of The Perfectionistic Social Disconnect Model Among Ethnic Minority Youth, Ana Belen Goya Arce
An Evaluation Of The Perfectionistic Social Disconnect Model Among Ethnic Minority Youth, Ana Belen Goya Arce
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Interpersonal aspects of perfectionism, particularly perfectionistic self-presentation, have been identified as specific vulnerability factors in the development of depressive disorders during the early adolescent years. The Perfectionistic Social Disconnect Model (PSDM) offers a theoretical framework explaining the relationship between perfectionistic self-presentation (PSP) and depressive disorders. The PSDM suggests that perfectionistic self-presentation leads to depressive symptoms indirectly through interpersonal problems and social disconnection. While previous studies have supported the hypothesized role of social disconnection as a mediator in the relation between perfectionistic self-presentation and suicidal ideation, no studies have explored the role that interpersonal problems play in the model. Furthermore, the …
The Importance Of Family Meals And Sedentary Behavior In Understanding Childhood Depression And Obesity, Draycen D. Decator
The Importance Of Family Meals And Sedentary Behavior In Understanding Childhood Depression And Obesity, Draycen D. Decator
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
The ongoing obesity epidemic within the United States is a problem that has received a lot of attention, but is still inadequately understood. Understanding the epidemic requires examining BMI from a larger perspective, with an ecological mindset (Rosenkranz & Dzewaltowski, 2008). A bidirectional relationship between depression and obesity, which has been found in the past, might be due to family meals. Sedentary behaviors has been linked to both outcomes, and is predicted by family meal frequency, suggesting that it may play a mediational role. In order to help clarify the relationship between depressive symptoms and obesity, a sample of 120 …
Parenting Dimensions And Internalizing Symptoms Among Low-Income Latino Adolescents: Cultural Values As Moderators, Crystalia Sulaiman
Parenting Dimensions And Internalizing Symptoms Among Low-Income Latino Adolescents: Cultural Values As Moderators, Crystalia Sulaiman
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Among ethnic minority youth, Latino adolescents disproportionately report higher levels of depression and anxiety than their peers of other ethnic backgrounds. The purpose of the present study is to better understand the familial and sociocultural factors that impact mental health among Latino adolescents. Specifically, the present study examines how youth cultural values (i.e., family obligation and affiliative obedience) moderate the relation between parenting dimensions (i.e., parental acceptance and parental psychological control) and youth internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety) cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Latino adolescents (n = 115) from a Chicago public school categorized as "lowincome" participated in a survey and …