Digital Commons Network^™

Sexting Among Adolescents: Examining The Association Between Sexting And Self-Esteem, Hanaah Fannin

Physician Assistant Studies | Student Capstone Presentations

The primary objective of this study is to provide a systematic review of the published literature, examining the association between sexting and self-esteem in adolescents, and to identify gaps in existing knowledge to provide recommendations for future research.

Child And Adolescent Sleep Disturbances And Psychopathology In A Mental Health Clinic Sample, Aviva Blacher

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sleep disturbances in children and adolescents (hereafter children) are associated with significant short-term and long-term impairments including more severe psychopathology, reduced cognitive functioning, and poorer general health. We know that children being treated in specialty mental health services are more likely to have sleep disturbances than community samples. We also know that relationships exist between sleep and psychopathology in children with specific disorders (e.g. ADHD, depression, etc.). However, few studies have investigated the relationship between sleep and psychopathology in a broad sample of children seen at mental health agencies. Both child factors and family factors may influence both sleep and …

Assessing Perfectionism As A Predictor Of Exercise Dependency Over Time., Sarah E. Ernst

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Exercise is generally thought to be beneficial for physical and mental health; however, when done in excess, exercise can lead to damaging physical, psychological, and social health consequences. This type of exercise is known as exercise dependency and is frequently associated with eating disorder pathology. Perfectionism (high standards and evaluative concerns) is a risk factor for eating disorders and is also associated with exercise dependency. However, no studies have examined longitudinal relationships between perfectionism and exercise dependency. The current study used a sample of adolescent females (N = 444) from a Southeastern United States high school, and participants completed …

Examining Differences In Physical Activity By Socio-Demographics, Employment, And Social Support Among U.S. Adolescents, Ashleigh Marie Johnson

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The overall decline in physical activity levels during adolescence supports the examination of intrapersonal-, interpersonal-, and behavior-level factors that may influence physical activity behavior among this population. The three papers within this dissertation aimed to examine associations of socio-demographics and socio-environmental factors with physical activity among U.S. adolescents. Papers 1 and 3 used data from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study. Paper 1 examined differences in adolescent physical activity by gender and race/ethnicity, and examined modification by grade and socioeconomic status (SES). Paper 3 examined the association of parent- and adolescent-reported parental social support with adolescent …

Preservice Teachers Knowledge Of Adolescent Suicide, Annette N. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher preparation programs have a responsibility to prepare future teachers to teach

and mentor students through their academic years. With the rise of suicide in school age children, responsibility has fallen to teachers to better recognize and understand students who may be suicidal. This study sought to answer the question: to what degree does teaching certification, teaching experience, and suicide awareness embedded coursework predict preservice teachers’ knowledge of suicide awareness and prevention? Data from the Adolescent Suicide Behavior Questionnaire and a demographic survey which asked about participants’ preservice training was sent to universities and colleges in Texas with an undergraduate …

Adolescents’ Perceptions And Responses To Peer Mental Health Challenges And Problematic Behaviours Following A Social-Emotional Learning Program, Jessica Sommers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Vulnerable youth may be more susceptible to developing problematic behaviours and mental health challenges, including anxious and depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, substance misuse, and unhealthy relationships. Social-emotional learning programs like The Healthy Relationships Plus Program (HRPP) can foster positive youth development by including training on mental health literacy, developing skills in help-seeking, and providing opportunities to practice difficult conversations. This study explored youth’s responses to hypothetical challenges faced by peers with a group of sixty-three adolescents who had participated in the HRPP. Responses to four distinct scenarios were collected to examine youths’ perceptions of various challenges and problematic behaviours, including …

Assessment Of The Revised Difficulties In Emotion Regulation Scales Among Adolescents And Adults With Severe Mental Illness, Ruby Charak, Brianna M. Byllesby, Christopher J. Fowler, Carla Sharp, Jon D. Elhai, B. Christopher Frueh

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) comprising 36 items has been widely used across age, gender, psychopathology, language, and culture. Recently several alternative abridged forms have been introduced, namely, the DERS-16 (Bjureberg et al. 2016), the DERS-SF (Kaufman et al. 2016), and the DERS-18 (Victor and Klonsky, 2016), each composed of 16 or 18 items, to provide researchers and clinicians with a shorter measure of emotion dysregulation. However, no study to date has directly compared the psychometrics of these alternative forms. In the present study, using confirmatory factor analysis we first examined the factor structure of the four models …

Is Parent-Initiated Triangulation Associated With Pathological Narcissism In Youth?, Lauren Marie Lee-Rowland

Dissertations

The current study examined the proposed link between parent-initiated triangulation (i.e., directly involving a child in parental conflict in such a way that he/she forms an alliance with one parent against the other parent) and pathological narcissism in a sample of 148 adolescents, ages 12-14. Moreover, the moderating influence that different parenting practices and styles (i.e., parental overindulgence, overvaluation, warmth, inconsistent discipline) have on the relation between parent-initiated triangulation and pathological narcissism was explored. Findings from the current study indicated that adolescent self-reported pathological narcissism was associated with higher levels of adolescent-reported triangulation and parental overvaluation and was negatively related …

The Conceptualization Of The Positive Cognitive Triad And Associations With Depressive Symptoms In Adolescents., Caroline M. Pittard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depressive symptoms during adolescence have been found to be associated with negative outcomes such as decreased academic performance, absenteeism, substance abuse, and poor physical health. The positive cognitive triad has been considered to be a protective factor against adolescent depressive symptoms. The positive cognitive triad is made up of three subfactors of cognitions, specifically, positive cognitions about the self, the world, and the future. This dissertation examined the various conceptualizations of the positive cognitive triad and their relation to depressive symptoms. These conceptualizations included considering the positive cognitive triad as a single overall protective factor (additive model), as multiple possible …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Adolescent Depression, Anhedonia, And Behavioral Therapy, Alison A. Delizza

Dissertations

Adolescent depression is a significant public health problem, however the current characterization of depression as a categorical label is problematic for understanding individual phenomenology, interindividual variability, and best treatment practices (Lewinsohn, Solomon, Seeley, & Zeiss, 2000). Anhedonia has been posited as a process underlying depression that may contribute to poorer outcomes (Gabbay, 2015). The current project examines large samples of adolescents diagnosed with depression to identify common features at a symptom level and the relationship these features have with behavioral therapy outcomes. Four phases of analyses were completed to 1) examine symptomology of multiple depressed adolescent samples in order to …

Emotion Reactivity, Emotion Dysregulation, And Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Among At-Risk Adolescents: A Multiple Mediation Analysis, Paula N. Floyd

Master's Theses

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as deliberate self-inflicted damage to bodily tissue without the intent to die. NSSI has been identified as a major health concern, as it is related to both poor psychosocial outcomes and increased suicide risk. NSSI is especially important to understand among adolescents, as age of onset is typically during adolescence and prevalence rates are highest among this age group. One of the most well-established correlates of NSSI is emotion dysregulation. While many studies have examined emotion dysregulation and its subcomponents in relation to self-injury, there has been far less work devoted to factors that may …

Television And Perceived Control: A Longitudinal Study Of The Cultivation Of Powerlessness Among Millenial Adolescents, Fernando Rodriguez

Doctoral Dissertations

Cultivation research has observed the long term subtle contribution of television mediated storytelling on the perceptions and beliefs of American viewers for fifty years. Early criticisms of cultivation argued the associations of viewing amount and fear of victimization were spurious and explained away by personality traits such as perceived control or authoritarianism. This project frames perceived control as a cognitive assessment of the personal ability to cope with life challenges. As a cognitive assessment, perceived control is assumed to be in constant revision. From a life-course approach, the symbolic cultural environment (which includes television) is seen as providing context and …

Examining Mediation And Moderation Effects Of Academic Motivation On The Relationship Between Disciplinary Events And Academic Performance In Secondary School, Cynthia Shuttleton

Doctoral Dissertations

Academic motivation is a key factor in students’ academic and behavioral success in school. Previous research has demonstrated strong relationships between disciplinary events and academic performance, as well as between academic performance and academic motivation. However, there is limited understanding of the relationship between academic motivation and disciplinary events, or how academic motivation, academic performance, and disciplinary events are related. The purpose of this study was to examine student self-ratings of their academic motivation in grades 9-12 in a public high school, and to investigate the associations and interactive relationships between these three variables. Participants (N=78) completed the …

Prescription Of Opioids To Youth 2005-2016: An Examination Of Trends, Patient Characteristics, And Outcomes Through 12 Months, Melissa Pielech

Psychology ETDs

Data on all outpatient opioid prescriptions (N=71,647) to youth below age 21 (N=42,020) from 2005-2016 were extracted from electronic medical records within a university hospital system, including demographic characteristics, markers of morbidity, and mortality. Relative risk was calculated for markers of morbidity and mortality based on sociodemographic characteristics. The sample was primarily male (55.0%), Hispanic/Latino (50.1%), English-speaking (88.9%), and publicly insured(50.1%). Mean age was 13.54 (sd = 6.50). From 2005-2016, overall frequency of opioid prescriptions increased by 86.6% (from 2470 to 4610) with the largest increase (206.2%) observed from 2005-2008 (2470 to 7562). Patients who …

Digital Childhood: How Mobile Devices Impact Child Development And Adolescent Behavior, Brenna Pinnock

Global Honors Theses

A new wave of smart and modern technology has integrated into lives and homes of families everywhere, thus the effects of early and continual exposure to this technology remain unknown. This is a global problem as many people around the world have access to this technology and interact with it in different ways. Whether it’s embracing it for future generations like Japan, or helping the newer generations with their overuse, almost addiction like tendencies with these devices like in South Korea. Around the world children are engaging with these devices at a young age and it’s found to have an …

The Impact Of Persistent Sadness And Bullying Victimization On Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors Among Heterosexual-Identified Sexual Minority And Lgbq Adolescents, Amber L. Dukes

Psychology ETDs

Participants who identify as heterosexual comprise a proportion of those who report same-sex contact that is as large as or larger than their gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning peers. However, little research has explored psychosocial outcomes among heterosexuals with same- or both-sex contact, referred to herein as heterosexual-identified sexual minority (HSM) participants. This study examined the impact of persistent sadness, bullying victimization, and sexual orientation on the probability of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) in a sample of heterosexual- and LGBQ-identified adolescents. Results showed that the probability the probability of STBs was higher for bisexual and questioning participants compared with …

The Effect Of Substance Use On The Relationship Between Ptsd Symptom Clusters And Suicide In Adolescents, Lindsay S. Moore

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Adolescent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a multifaceted, debilitating disorder that if left untreated has been shown to lead to problematic internalizing and externalizing behaviors including suicidal ideation and substance use. Little is known about the course of PTSD in adolescents and less is known about the individual effects of PTSD symptom clusters. Furthermore, there is a dearth in the literature studying the predictive effects of PTSD, substance use and suicidality in adolescent samples. Participants were a clinical sample of adolescents referred from inpatient and outpatient clinics in the Pacific Northwest as part of a larger study. Ages of participants …

Self-Concept In Children And Adolescents As A Lever For Change In Academic Success For Under-Served Youth, Robert Ray Ogle

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents in under-resourced urban communities simultaneously experience higher rates of major life stressors, including mental health problems, and less access to the services needed to address these concerns. The combination of high need and few resources makes identifying broadly effective, resource-minimal interventions a critical goal. Amongst potential targets for intervention, academic success, particularly graduating from high school, predicts positive life outcomes across a wide range of health factors. To be effective in supporting academic success in under-served communities, an intervention must be universally applicable, inexpensive, and easy to deliver with fidelity. The current study examined the promise of …

Integrating Digital App Technologies Within Traditional Expressive Arts Therapy For Children And Adolescents, Sarah Storjohann

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In recent years, technology in the form of digital applications (apps) has emerged as a fundamental aspect of everyday life as well as a practical, convenient, and inexpensive tool for artistic self-expression, most notably amongst children and adolescents. Ninety-eight percent of U.S. households currently possess some form of mobile device (Rideout, 2017), with an estimated 95% of U.S. teenagers ages 13 to 17 owning a Smartphone (Anderson & Jiang, 2018). As digital natives, children and adolescents are more likely to identify with and connect to these arts-based methods. Clinician perspective concerning digital integration varies across a wide spectrum. Through a …

Digital Music Making: Developing A Method For Using Technology In Music Psychotherapy, Sangeetha Kavety

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The use of technology, specifically digital songwriting and music making, in the context of psychotherapy is a subject that is not yet as well researched or practiced in the field of music therapy. The majority of the existing literature acknowledges the assistive function that technology such as tablets, smartphones, and computers can play in treatment of populations with cognitive and motor difficulties. However, there is little regarding the use of technology as the main means of creating music, and even less in the context of treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in family settings. For this capstone project, …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Peer Engagement And Knowledge (Peak): A Community-Based Group Intervention For Youth In Hawai‘I, Jennifer T. T. Ho

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation with a mixed methods design that evaluated the effectiveness of Peer Engagement and Knowledge (PEAK), a six-week community-based group intervention that incorporates mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to address multiple health behaviors for multiracial youth in Hilo, Hawai‘i. A total of 51 youth, ages 12-23 years old, participated in this study which included pre-/posttest analyses of health risk factors such as substance use and depression and health promoting factors such as resilience, self-esteem, and mindfulness. Responses from two subsets of participants, who engaged in a focus group (n = 11) and composed gratitude letters ( …

The Influences Of Education, Antisocial Behavior, And Involvement In The Criminal Justice System On Adult Legal Understanding, Lily Alpers, Mark Fondacaro

Student Theses

The current study examined the legal understanding and decision-making capacities of young adults compared to older adults. Furthermore, the current study examined these two age groups on the basis of a history of criminal justice involvement, antisocial behavior, and education level, in order to determine whether these variables also affect legal understanding and decision-making. One hundred and one subjects participated in this study, grouped by age into younger adults (18-34 years old) and older adults (35 years and older). The results of the current study found that participants with the lowest levels of education performed more poorly on the measure …

The Effects Of Dance And Movement Therapy With Adolescents Who Have Experienced Trauma, A Literature Review, Katherine Anderson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

With the growing number of trauma-informed practices in the mental health field, it is necessary to look at what best practices should be implemented in treating adolescents who have experienced trauma, specifically from a body-based intervention, such as dance and movement therapy. In this literature review, articles are discussed that encompass the following topics: dance and movement therapy and trauma, general dance interventions for the adolescent population, empowerment models as a way to cope with trauma symptoms, and cultural considerations of treating adolescent females of color. The gaps in current research must be acknowledged, specifically dance and movement therapy interventions …

Internal Versus External Predictors Of Physical Activity In Youth, Paige Marie Ryan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Physical activity (PA) participation has been linked to broad health benefits including reduced risk of chronic diseases (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2008). PA participation is important for youth as it sets the precedent for continued engagement and improved long-term health. Nonetheless, adolescents have some of the lowest rates of physical activity, and subsequently obesity rates in youth have exponentially increased in the past few decades (CDC, 2013). Therefore, determining predictors of PA for adolescents is of vital importance. Many studies focus on barriers to PA in youth, but few include both facilitating and inhibiting factors of youth PA participation. …

School-Based Mindfulness Intervention For Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Richard Krogmann

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have large impacts on the emotional (Samson et al., 2014; Strang et al., 2012) and behavioral (Mayes et al, 2012; Hill et al, 2014; Jahromi, Meek, & Ober-Reynolds, 2012) functioning of children and adolescents diagnosed with the disorder. The difficulties with emotional and behavioral functioning in students with ASD can drastically decrease their academic achievement compared to neuro-typical peers (Ashburner, Ziviani, & Rodger, 2010). Introducing students with ASD to mindfulness may help decrease the frequency of a challenging behavior in the classroom, increase mindfulness, and increase mood and positivity. How mindfulness interventions have …

Healthy Life Choice: Using The School-Based Program To Facilitate Change, Jennifer Shaheed

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research highlights the multiple determinants of weight including poverty, nutrition, and physical activity (Miguel-Berges, 2018). Children and adolescents living in rural areas are at greater risk than their urban counterparts. Regarding physical activity, there are often fewer recreational resources and the high poverty rate precludes transportation or additional fees associated with many extracurricular activities. In response to this problem, research has shown the educational environment is a point of access to reinforce health education and behavior. One evidenced-based program showing significant outcome in improving health behavior is the Healthy Lifestyle Choices (HLC) which is designed to be delivered in an …

Bold Responses To Inhibition In Cannabis Using Adolescents And Emerging Adults, Alexander L. Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis use has been associated with increased blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses absent of behavioral deficits during a response inhibition task compared to controls. We investigated whether gender and cannabis use result in differences in BOLD responses and behavioral performance during a Go-NoGo task. Participants included eighty-three 16-26 year olds (MJ=36, Controls=46). An emotion based Go-NoGo task required participants to inhibit their response during a “neutral” face. A whole-brain analysis looked at differences between cannabis group, gender, and their interaction. Significant increased BOLD responses were observed in cannabis users compared to controls in the left frontal cortex, left cingulate …

Bold Responses To Inhibition In Cannabis Using Adolescents And Emerging Adults, Alexander L. Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis use has been associated with increased blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses absent of behavioral deficits during a response inhibition task compared to controls. We investigated whether gender and cannabis use result in differences in BOLD responses and behavioral performance during a Go-NoGo task. Participants included eighty-three 16-26 year olds (MJ=36, Controls=46). An emotion based Go-NoGo task required participants to inhibit their response during a “neutral” face. A whole-brain analysis looked at differences between cannabis group, gender, and their interaction. Significant increased BOLD responses were observed in cannabis users compared to controls in the left frontal cortex, left cingulate …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Enhanced Mentoring For Delinquency Prevention, Allison Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Youth with certain risk factors (e.g., from a minority group, low-income status, previous contact with the juvenile justice system) are particularly at risk for juvenile delinquency and associated problems (e.g., school failure, mental health problems). In addition, these problems are quite costly to youth, their families, and society as a whole. Mentoring programs have shown modest, but consistent, effects in the prevention and reduction of juvenile delinquency and associated problems. Previous research has identified promising enhancements (i.e., advocacy/teaching roles for mentors, rigorous match processes, comprehensive mentor training, ongoing mentor support) that may increase the effectiveness of mentoring in producing positive …

The Criminogenic And Psychological Effects Of Police Stops On Adolescent Black And Latino Boys, Juan Del Toro, Tracey Lloyd, Kim S. Buchanan, Summer Joi Robins, Lucy Zhang Bencharit, Meredith Gamson Smiedt, Kavita S. Reddy, Enrique Rodriguez Pouget, Erin M. Kerrison, Philip Atiba Goff

Publications and Research

Proactive policing, the strategic targeting of people or places to prevent crimes,is a well-studied tactic that is ubiquitous in modern law enforcement. A 2017 National Academies of Sciences report reviewed existing literature, entrenched in deterrence theory, and found evidence that proactive policing strategies can reduce crime. The existing literature, however, does not explore what the short and long-term effects of police contact are for young people who are subjected to high rates of contact with law enforcement as a result of proactive policing. Using four waves of longitudinal survey data from a sample of predominantly black and Latino boys in …